30 



HARDWICKE'S SCIEN CE- GOS SIP. 



Take an old box or packing-case 2 feet inches 

 square (or any other size), put a strong closely-fit- 

 ting cover or lid on hinges ; fix on legs, say 1 foot 

 high ; then of the tin which it was lined with make 

 a tin box, 1 foot 6 inches square, pointed at the 

 bottom, into which fix a thin pipe with a little cot- 

 ton in it, so that the water may only fall a drop at 

 a time. Imbed this tin box (zinc is better) in a 

 packing of sawdust or bran and pounded charcoal, 

 as shown in the shaded part, so that there shall 

 be 5 inches around it well packed on every side. 

 Put on a cover with a lid closely fitting, so that 

 the packing shall not get into the cooling compart- 

 ment. 



Lastly, make a padded cushion, 3 inches thick, to 

 fit well between the two covers, and you have a first- 

 rate yet simple ice-box. The ice put in this may 

 be in blocks, as is the Wenham Lake ice, or in 

 blankets as above described, and I think the sim- 

 plicity of the above plan will commend itself to 

 every one. I have used it many years, and made 

 many for others, and I trust the hints above noted 

 may prove of general use. 



C. Hokne, late":B.C.S. 



THE ROBIN. 



" rjlHE little bird with the pious breast," as one 



-*- of our poets designated the Robin, seems 

 quite a winter subject to write on, so I send you a 

 notice of my newest pet. 



Six weeks ago I found, on going into my room 

 one afternoon, a pretty Robin flying about; so, 

 closing the window, I proceeded to catch it, and 

 having caught it, wishing to keep it until my boy 

 came home at night from school, I put it in the 

 cage with my canary. 



Madam Yellow-dues seemed much astonished at 

 the appearance of her visitor, fluttered about him, 

 and began to talk in bird language; but Bobby 

 took little heed of her. After the lapse of half an 

 hour, he suddenly brushed up, and began to pick 

 a little raw meat which I had provided for him. 

 He appeared so contented witli his new quarters 

 before night, that I determined to keep him ; so I 

 went out to purchase a cage, and began to fear 

 that I should have to come back without one ; for 

 such an article was not to be had in the shops 

 where such ought to be ; but, most fortunately, 1 

 mentioned my difficulty in another quarter, and a 

 cage was kindly spared to me. 



Bobby was introduced to his new home at once, 

 but the doors of both cages being left open, he had 

 the liberty of choice given him. He preferred 

 sleeping on his own porch, and ate a very good 

 breakfast next morning; so I began to entertain 

 hopes of keeping him, although every one said, — 



"He'll die." "He'll beat himself to deatn 

 against the bars." 



Then others said, "He'll never sing;" and one 

 friend told me " It is unlucky to keep a Robin." 



One evening, soon after the lamp was lighted, I 

 heard a low, sweet song; it was very faint, and the 

 notes ceased directly I spoke. Next evening the 

 strain was repeated, and now Bobby opens his 

 beak wide, and gives out the entire power of his 

 voice in song. He sings in the daytime, especially 

 if the weather be very rough out of doors. 



Bertie says, " Bobby is pleased to think he is in 

 comfortable quarters, when so many of his poor 

 relatives are out in the snow ;" but 1 am unable to 

 decide whether Bobby is so unamiable and selfish 

 as this would imply ; or if it is the sound of the 

 howling wind that excites his vocal accomplish- 

 ments into action. 



His chief time for performing is after the lamp 

 has been lighted, when I am at dinner — a time 

 when all respectable Bobbies ought to have then- 

 heads under their wings — and he looks out for 

 sundry portions of the meat. I have discovered 

 that he likes a chicken bone to pick, and fully 

 approves of plum-pudding; but rejects a drop of 

 sherry in his goblet of water, as he does a decoction 

 of saffron ; but he enjoys a tepid bath in a big 

 saucer exceedingly, and shakes his head, and flaps 

 his wings in a way that would justify the sedate 

 members of the Robin family in placing him under 

 greater restraint than I have, when he wants me 

 to understand he would like a dip. 



He scarcely looks at the canary ; she was at first 

 very attentive to him, following him from cage to 

 cage ; but she has now turned spiteful, and pecks 

 at him. He is, I am glad to say, too much of a 

 gentleman to beat her. He hops away. 



She has laid five eggs, and quite expected Bobby 

 to help in making a nest out of some wool she suc- 

 ceeded in drawing into her cage, but this he did 

 not appear to know anything about. 



I wish some one accustomed to birds would tell 

 me if a caged Robin has ever been known to pair 

 in the spring with a canary. A hybrid between the 

 two birds would, I should fancy, exhibit strange 

 plumage, and prove a valuable songster. If there 

 is a chance of it, I would get a proper cage and 

 nest-making materials, and let the canary set. 



Helen E. Watney. 



Beaumaris, North Wales. 



Eel Pout.— It was stated in the last number of 

 Science-Gossif that the Eel-Pout {Lota vulgaris) 

 was confined to the north-east of Eugland. I beg 

 to state that it has been several times caught in 

 the Penk, a tributary of the Trent, near Penkridge, 

 in Staffordshire— TF. A. S. 



