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HAEDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



Sea-Urchins.— When in Vancouver's Island last 

 year, 1 happened to be at an Indian village, when a 

 canoe was just being hauled on to the beach, filled 

 with sea-urchins. It was at once surrounded by 

 about a score of old men and women, who (not- 

 withstanding the prickles) opened the shells easily 

 with their bare hands, and greedily devoured the 

 inside. I was invited to join them, and after filling 

 my hands with the prickles, I succeeded in opening 

 one ; but the contents, though not positively dis- 

 agreeable, were not suited to my fastidious stomach. 

 This is the only occasion on which I have seen them 

 eaten raw. But in the West Indies they are gene- 

 rally eaten as described by H. E. Watney; and, 

 indeed, the common name there for them is sea-eggs. 

 — IF. 11. C. 



The Small Eggar {Eriogaster lacustris). — 

 Images of this species emerged last month (Fe- 

 bruary) from pupa; of the autumn of 1869. Nor- 

 mally they should have appeared in February, 1870, 

 just a year before. A single male did emerge at 

 that time. The pupae have been kept in a cool 

 place, yet one where I have always kept lepidoptera 

 in their various stages, and have never, before this 

 instance, found them abnormal in their emergence. 

 Are not instances of such great retardation un- 

 usual?—.? 7 . G. Binnie. 



Is the Landrail a Bird of Passage ? (pp. 

 45, 70, and 71). -The Rev. Gilbert White, speaking 

 of the landrail, which he describes as a rare bird at 

 Selborne, says, " This is deemed a bird of passage 

 by all the writers ; yet, from its formation, seems to 

 be poorly qualified for migration, for its wings are 

 short, and placed so forward, and out of the centre 

 of gravity, that it flies in a very heavy and em- 

 barrassed manner, with its legs hanging down ; and 

 can hardly be sprung a second time, as it runs very 

 fast, and seems to depend more on the swiftness of 

 its feet than on its flying." Mr. Markwick's ob- 

 servation on the above is as follows : — "That it is a 

 bird of passage there can be little doubt, though 

 Mr. White thinks it poorly qualified for migration, 

 on account of the wings being short and not placed 

 in the exact centre of gravity. How this may be I 

 cannot say ; but I know that its heavy, sluggish 

 flight is not owing to its inability of flying faster, 

 for I have seen it fly very swiftly, although, in 

 general, its actions are sluggish. Its unwillingness 

 to rise proceeds, I imagine, from its sluggish dis- 

 position and its great timidity ; for it will sometimes 

 squat so close to the ground as to suffer itself to be 

 taken up by the hand rather than rise, and yet it 

 will at times run very fast." Mr. Edward Jesse, 

 the editor of Bohn's edition of the " Natural History 

 of Selborne," appends the following foot-note on 

 this subject : — " The landrail or corncrake is a bird 

 of passage and a summer visitor to this country. 



When in the neighbourhood of Swansea, some years 

 ago, I was assured by a gentleman residing near 

 that place that he discovered in a field near the sea 

 a large congregation of these birds. The next day 

 not one was to be found." The Bev. J. G. Wood 

 and the llev. J. C. Atkinson also consider ,the 

 landrail a bird of passage. — G. II. H. 



The Periwinkle and its Shell.— Periwinkles 

 have the power of remedying any injury that may 

 happen to their shells. This I had an opportunity 

 of observing from accidentally dropping one when 

 placing it in the aquarium. By the accident a con- 

 siderable portion of the fore upper edge of the 

 shell was broken off, leaving a part of the animal 

 bare and unprotected. Despite this misfortune, the 

 mutilated mollusc was placed in the aquarium, and, 

 in the course of a fortnight, it was evident that the 

 creature was remedying the evil ; and now (about 

 six months after) the shell is again sound and per- 

 fect to the fore edge, the only difference being that 

 there is a mark showing where the new piece has 

 been added to the old. Doubtless other mollusks 

 have the same power. — A. E. Murray. 



Night-fliers in Brazil. — Huge moths, those 

 fairies of the insect world, have now taken the 

 places of the butterflies, and myriads of fireflies 

 never weary in their torch-light dance. Ear down 

 the road comes on a blaze, steady, streaming like a 

 meteor. It whizzes past, and for an instant the 

 space is illumined, and dewy jewels from the leaves 

 throw back the radiance. It is the Lautern-ily 

 seeking what he himself knows best, by the fiery 

 guide upon his head. — Edwards, " Voyage up the 

 Amazon" 



White Ants. — The White Ants are a curse upon 

 the country : although the hut is swept daily, and 

 the galleries destroyed, they rebuild everything 

 during the night, sealing the support to the roof 

 and entering the thatch. Articles of leather or wool 

 are the first devoured. The rapidity with which 

 they repair their galleries is wonderful; all their 

 work is carried on with cement : the earth is con- 

 tained in their stomachs, and this being mixed with 

 some glutinous matter, they deposit it as bees do 

 their wax. Although the earth of this country, if 

 tempered for house- building, will crumble in the 

 rain, the hills of the White Ants remain solid and 

 waterproof, owing to the glue in the cement. 1 

 have seen three varieties of White Ants, the largest 

 about the size of a small wasp : this does not attack 

 dwellings, but subsists upon fallen trees. The 

 second variety is not so large : this species seldom 

 enters buildings. The third is the greatest pest : 

 this is the smallest, but thick and juicy; the earth 

 is literally alive with them, nor is there one square 

 foot of ground free from them iu Latooka.— Sir S. 

 Baler, "Exploration of t lie Nile Sources.'' 



