June 1, 1S66.1 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



137 



ZOOLOGY. 



The Brambling or Mountain Linnet (Frin- 

 gilla montifringilla. — This bird is an occasional 

 visitor in this part of York; but occurring at rare 

 intervals. Lately we have had a Blax mill 

 established in the neighbouring village ; where an 

 extensive business is carried on in the thrashing of 

 line for the seed, and in steeping and manufac- 

 turing the stem ; consequently much refuse is 

 scattered about. To this refuse during the past 

 winter, large flocks of bramblings have resorted, 

 and great numbers have been taken by snares or 

 shot. — John Sanson, Linton-on-Onse, York. 



Ereshwater Sponge (Sponyia fluviatilis) , &c— 

 In H. S. G. for May 1S66, in a paper written ten 

 weeks previously, I said that I had not been able to 

 keep this sponge alive. But since then (May 8th), 

 t wo patches of it have appeared on the rockwork of 

 the freshwater tank, No. 1, in the Hamburg aqua- 

 rium. These patches are each as large as a crown 

 piece, are irregular in form and outline, and are of 

 a dirty greyisb-white colour. They are evidently in 

 good health, and are growing fast in both diameter 

 and height. As far as I know, I have never placed 

 in this tank any sponge, and I can only account for 

 its origin by supposing that some spores contained 

 in the Elbe water accidentally found suitable resting 

 places, and thus flourished. I have many times in 

 England tried to cultivate this sponge, but never 

 once succeeded ; nor could I now succeed if I were 

 to take some out of the river ready grown and 

 transfer it to an aquarium. All that can be done in 

 such cases is to endeavour to put certain conditions 

 together, and trust to chance for the result. The 

 spots of the rockwork occupied by the animals are 

 not much shaded, nor are yet in very light places ; 

 and this observation applies to the marine sponges 

 I grow, and which I have already referred to in the 

 May number. In No. I of " Recreative Science," 

 (August 1859, p. 31), Mr. Shirley Hibberd says 

 that, "in the tank fitted up by Mr. Bowerbank, 

 and presented to the Crystal Palace, there were, not 

 long since, a number of living sponges in very good 

 condition for observation." This is a great mistake, 

 for there never were any living sponges shown at 

 Sydenham, and those alluded to by Mr. Hibberd, 

 formed a collection of dead sponges deposited by 

 Mr. Bowerbank, and arranged in one, two, or more 

 large glass cases furnished with looking glasses 

 and rockwork, so as to give some idea of the sea- 

 bottom. I saw them when I was last in England, 

 about four years ago. I intended to have noticed 

 this error in the article, "Animals in Aquaria" 

 (H. S. G., May 18G6), but forgot it, and having the 

 magazine, " Recreative Science," before me, I mis- 

 quoted it at page 106, column 2, of H. S. G., for 



"The Intellectual Observer." The former publica- 

 tion being merged into the latter, and as both bear 

 each other's titles reversed, I confused the two. 

 The paragraph, "An Ancient Sea- Anemone," in 

 II. S. G. for January last, gives the year 1S20 as the 

 date of finding the famous specimen of Actinia 

 Mesembryanthcmnm, formerly belonging to Sir J. G. 

 Dalyell ; whereas according to an interesting little 

 biography of the animal written by Mr. Adam 

 White, late of the British Museum, it was in 

 August 1S2S that she was picked up at North 

 Berwick. I call her " she," because from her great 

 age she is known as " Granny." She is quite well ; 

 has had no babies for about four years; and if the 

 old lady has any more, I am kindly promised some 

 to rear, by t Dr. James W. Bain, of Edinburgh, 

 who has her in charge, and is the trustee of the 

 animal for Mrs. Eleming. This famous zoophyte is, 

 indeed, quite a Scotch national celebrity.— W. 

 Alford Lloyd. 



Straw-Necked Ibis (Ibis spinicollis). — A pair 

 of these birds, from New South Wales, have been 

 added to the collection at the Zoological Gardens, 

 Regent's Park, as well as some other interesting 

 animals. 



A Nest in a Grave.— A few days ago, soon 

 after the sexton of the parish of Alfriston finished 

 digging a grave, a robin took a great fancy to this 

 new domicile, and soon built a nest in it. She must 

 have worked hard to complete her design in so 

 short a space, for when the sexton went on the 

 following day to see that all things were as he left 

 them the night before, he saw the robin pop out 

 from her hiding place, and to his great astonish- 

 ment found her nest.— The Standard, 5th May. 



Habits oe the Rook.— I was witness, the 

 other day, of a curious scene in the social life of a 

 rookery situated close to my house. It was about 

 six o'clock in the evening, when my attention was 

 called to a combat that was going on between two 

 rooks on the lawn. They were fighting in the 

 fiercest manner, rolling over and over on the grass, 

 working away with beak and claws ; presently, as 

 if exhausted with their efforts, they lay side by side 

 to rest, and, after a pause of a minute or so, were 

 up and at it again, precisely as Ealstaff describes his 

 single combat with Hotspur. While the battle was 

 thus raging below, there were above twenty rooks 

 sitting on the lower branches of a tree close by, 

 evidently interested spectators of the match, and, 

 for ought I know, may have been giving and taking 

 the odds, and backing the favourite. Other rooks, 

 meanwhile, were flying backward and forward on 

 their ordinary business, paying, apparently, not the 

 least attention to the gladiators on the grass. I 

 cannot say for how long the fight may have lasted 



