HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 





by whistling in a low tone at as great a distance 

 from its den as allowed of my watching its move- 

 ments. At the first sound the animal, which before 

 was "loafing about" in a listless manner, raised 

 its head and listened, and, on my continuing to 

 whistle, it bounded against the bars with every mark 

 of joy. Long before I reached the cage he recognized 

 my footsteps, and strove to engage my attention by 

 whining and throwing himself into all kinds of queer 

 positions. My welcome, in fact, was of the warmest 

 kind, and I left him with, I was going to say, mutual 

 expressions of sincere regret ; for if ever an animal 

 gave expression to its feelings, it was this poor 

 wolf, who recognized me after so long an absence. — 

 W. W. Spicer, lichen Abbas. 



Swallows Building on Cliffs.— During a 

 walk in the neighbourhood of Havre, in August, I 

 was much struck with the manner in which the 

 Martins (Eirundo urbica) utilize the cliffs which 

 border the river Seine on its northern bank for the 

 purpose of nidification. These cliffs, lying between 

 Orches and Tancarville, are of limestone origin ; 

 they rise to a height of some 200 feet with a nearly 

 perpendicular section, interrupted only by slight 

 projections here and there ; and all along their 

 upper part are dotted over with an enormous num- 

 ber of martins' nests, the birds themselves wheel- 

 ing through the air in hundreds, in search of food 

 for their young. A safer or more secure spot it 

 would be difficult to imagine. Similar instances 

 have been recorded in this country by Yarrell and 

 others, but I believe they are by no means common, 

 the usual resort of the martin being human dwell- 

 ings. — W. W. Spicer, lichen Abbas. 



Parasites on Arge Galathea.— In a plantation 

 on the now famous Tichborne estate I every year 

 take large numbers of the Marbled White butterfly 

 {Arge Galathea), and in many of the specimens I find 

 a quantity of minute insects of the brightest scar- 

 let ; so small, indeed, are they, that it requires a 

 sharp eye to detect them. Now, at the time of 

 year when Galathea makes its appearance, the 

 detestable Acanis autumnalis — it is popularly called 

 the Harvest Bob here— makes its hated appearance 

 all too clearly perceptible on our poor legs ; and I 

 never can visit this particular wood to search for 

 entomological specimens without suffering acutely 

 from its attacks. Doubtless some of the many 

 readers of Science-Gossip will be able to give me 

 some information whether the little red things I 

 have observed are acari, and whether they derive 

 nourishment from the juices of the butterfly, as they 

 do from the blood of the unfortunate entomologist. 

 There is one thing I think very remarkable — plenti- 

 ful as I find it in Galathea, I have never detected 

 its appearance in any other butterfly. — Joseph 

 Anderson, Jim., Alresford, Hants. 



Vampire Bat. — Rising before dawn the next 

 day, we found from the blood-clotted hides of our 

 animals that they had suffered severely from the 

 vampire (Fespcrtilio naso, or Phyllostoma spectrum) 

 —a phyllostoma locally called by the generic name 

 of Morcezo andira or Guandira. These big, ruddy 

 brown bats, of ghostly flight and cannibal tastes, 

 are confined to the American continent. They seem 

 to select the neck, shoulders, withers, and hind- 

 quarters of animals — in fact, to attack where they 

 can least be disturbed. When a "raw" exists, it 

 is chosen before other places. The muleteers 

 declare that the phlebotomy does no harm. I 

 remarked that it always enfeebled the patient. 

 Messieurs Bates and A. 11. "Wallace, and my excel- 

 lent friend Mr. C. H. Williams, of Bahia, suffered 

 in person on the Amazons, where the Bhinophyll 

 appears to be decidedly anthropophagous. All the 

 party of three were phlebotomized in the big toe 

 during a single night. Mr. Williams felt the bite 

 of the brute, and found a puncture about one-eighth 

 of an inch in diameter.— Burton, " Highlands of 

 Brazil." 



Woodlark. — This truly melodious singer lives 

 in the neighbourhood of Nansladron all the year 

 round ; but, as far as I have hitherto noticed, it 

 appears to be very capricious in giving vent to its 

 sweet notes. Sometimes it will sing every day for 

 weeks together, and then will remain silent for an 

 equally long period ; whether it be summer or 

 winter, these fitful gusts of joy and sadness seem 

 to come over it. Of course, like every other sen- 

 sible bird, it prefers sunshine to clouds and rain ; 

 but when the heart becomes full, at whatever 

 season of the year, it does not appear to be very 

 particular about the weather, for often on the 

 coldest days of winter it will make the welkin ring 

 again with the roll of its sweetest strains. The 

 Rev. F. 0. Morris says it is a rare bird in Cornwall ; 

 but I can speak for a circuit of many miles, and 

 considering that it is not a plentiful bird anywhere, 

 our woods and fields contain a good sprinkling of 

 them ; and if the other woody parts of this country 

 are favoured with an equal number, it cannot be 

 considered rare by any means. Colonel Montague 

 says it occurs more frequently in Devonshire than 

 any other part of Great Britain, and as the climate 

 of Cornwall resembles that of Devon, we should 

 almost expect, what I find to be the fact, that 

 great numbers do make their habitat amongst us. — 

 Joseph Drew. 



Bird-Music— In this musical age it has often 

 struck me as remarkable that so few, even of the 

 educated classes, regard the songs of birds. Very 

 certain I am that if the uninitiated only knew the 

 rapturous pleasures they miss, they would begin, 

 however late in life, to admire the choristers of 

 heaven, and so taste the calm joys of the country 



