June 1, 1SG6.] 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



139 



Edward's Midge (Concilia Edwardii). — Mr. 

 Jonathan Couch has recently communicated to the 

 Linnrean Society the particulars of a new species of 

 very minute fish found by Mr. Thomas Edward, of 

 Banff, in the Moray Eirtb, of which the following is 

 a figure the natural size : — 



Fig. 135. Edwards' Midge {Conchia Edwardii). 



"Eive examples of these little fishes were kept 

 alive by Mr. Edward for a week ; and during that 

 time he describes their action as being lively and 

 singular, although perhaps not generally so active as 

 the Mackerel Midge (C. glauca), and in general they 

 appeared to prefer to remain near the bottom rather 

 than to swim aloft. When at liberty, their habit is 

 to keep in small companies ; but they seem to treat 

 other fishes as enemies, and even their own com- 

 panions are occasionally subject to their hostility, as 

 is shown in the following instances related by Mr. 

 Edward. He placed a Goby, he does not say of 

 what species, in the same vessel with these fishes ; 

 but in the space of twenty minutes his attention 

 was drawn to a commotion among them, which arose 

 from the persecution inflicted on the unfortunate 

 stranger, which they were violently assailing with 

 their heads, while it endeavoured to escape from 

 their fury. After a considerable time, however, this 

 eager violence proved a misfortune to one of the 

 Midges ; for, missing its mark as it rushed forward, 

 its head was dashed against the side of its glass 

 prison with such force as to cause it to sink motion- 

 less to the bottom, and, although at times it ap- 

 peared to struggle against its fate, in about an hour 

 it was dead, as was the Goby in a few minutes after. 

 Nor did this pugnacious disposition cease when the 

 apparent cause of it had ceased to five ; for, al- 

 though they seemed peaceably disposed when first 

 placed in the vessel, they now began to attack each 

 other vigorously, as also their dead companion at 

 the bottom ; and if this fury subsided for a time, it 

 was repeatedly renewed without apparent cause, 

 and with an activity which caused them sometimes 

 to leap out of the water, and even over the side of 

 the vessel, to a considerable distance. Mr. Edward 

 surmises that in the open sea this propensity to leap 

 above the surface is rarely exercised ; but it renders 

 it difficult to keep them alive within a narrow space, 

 and in the present instance it became necessary to 

 place a (glass) cover on the vessel in which they 

 were confined, — an arrangement which speedily 

 caused the death of two of the remaining com- 

 batants, in consequence of the injury they received 

 from leaping against it in the violence of their con- 

 tention. Mr. Edward remarks that he never wit- 



nessed the lifting up of the longer filament in front 

 of the ciliated membrane on the back, but only of 

 such as were behind it. The latter, however, were 

 kept in constant vibratile action when the proper 

 fins were at rest (as is the case also with this 

 membrane in the Rockliugs), while on the slight- 

 est disturbance their motion ceased, and they sank 

 within the protection of the channel prepared to re- 

 ceive them. The single barb in front of the upper 

 lip appears to be endued with some special function, 

 since, unlike the others, it is capable of visible, and 

 perhaps voluntary, extension and retraction." — 

 Jourii. Li an. Soc. 



Aquatic Warbler (Sylvia aquatica, Latham). — 

 At the meeting of the Zoological Society, on the 8th 

 May last, Mr. A. Newton exhibited, from the col- 

 lection of Mr. W. Borrer, a specimen of this bird 

 recently killed in England. The Aquatic Warbler 

 is figured in Bree's " Birds of Europe," vol. ii., 

 p. 80. It breeds in Germany and Holland, is plen- 

 tiful in Italy and the South of Erance, occurs in 

 Switzerland and Sardinia, and has been observed in 

 Algeria. Count Muhle says, " It is really plentiful 

 nowhere, and dwells preferably in large wild swamps. 

 It is a very restless and lively bird, and also crafty 

 and cunning. It creeps with great agility through 

 the twigs and stalks of the thick swampy plants, in 

 which it excels all other Reed Warblers. It may 

 be seen gliding along near the ground, like a mouse ; 

 it never hops on the ground, but goes along step by 

 step. On the stalks and perpendicular stems of 

 plants it may be seen running up and down with 

 such agility that it seems to slide along without 

 using its feet at all." 



A Cygnicidal Pike.— Some eight or nine years 

 ago, one of the swans on the large ornamental lake, 

 known as Aqualate Mere, near Newport, Salop, 

 was noticed by the boat-keeper to be in a diving 

 position, the tail part only being above water. 

 Thinking the bird was "fishing," he thought no 

 more about it that day ; but, on the day following, 

 missing a swan, he was surprised to see the one he 

 had observed the day before in the same place and 

 position. He obtained a boat and rowed out to the 

 spot, and, with some difficulty, hauled the bird on 

 board. But not alone, with the swan's head, 

 tightly fixed in its throat, was an enormous pike 

 still living, and which struggled resolutely to escape. 

 The head of his intended prey, however, was so 

 firmly wedged in his luceship's throat, as to render 

 all his efforts to get out of the scrape useless. 

 The poor swan was dead, and had probably been so 

 for at least four and twenty hours : death, of course 

 resulting from suffocation. The finny cygnicide 

 was, at once, despatched by a blow from an oar, and 

 rowed to land on the same bier as his feathered 

 victim. He was in good condition, and weighed 

 3G lbs.— Z2. A. 



