HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



[Oct. 1, 1S66. 



The Eood of the Nightjar (G. Europaus). — 

 This bird appears, as usual, to be rather common 

 here. Oa the evening of July 31st I shot a pair, 

 with the intention of stuffing them, which I pro- 

 ceeded to accomplish on the following evening. On 

 skinning the first, I was surprised to see the size of 

 its "crop," and curiosity led me to cut it open, 

 when out flew two moths, whilst several others 

 crawled out of their viscous tomb, after twenty-four 

 hours' confinement. I caught the two which flew 

 out, and secured the others which the crop produced, 

 as follows:— Eleven of the Antler Moth (C. Gra- 

 minis), one of the Yellow Underwing {T. Orbona),^ 

 three C. selasellus, and five C. culmcllus. Seven of 

 Graminu were still living; all the others were dead. 

 The crop of the other bird produced three of the 

 common beetle (67. stercorarius), and one of the 

 Antler Moth. It is a generally-received opinion of 

 the rustics in this and the New Eorest district, that 

 the "Night-hawk" is a bird of prey, destroying any 

 unfortunate "small bird" which happens to cross 

 its path. It is known to many by the name of 

 " Gnat-hawk."— G. B. C., Ring-wood, 



Birds Poisoning their Young. — In support of 

 the observations of " W. P." and Mr. Ullyett, in the 

 August number of Science Gossip, allow me to 

 state that a boy in this neighbourhood had a brood 

 of six unfledged Starlings (S. vulgaris) in a cage 

 fed by the old birds for a week, at the end of which 

 period the whole brood was found dead, doubtless 

 destroyed by something their parents had brought 

 them. — G. B. G, Ringwood. 



Neutral Glass-plate.— I should be very much 

 obliged if one of your numerous correspondents 

 would give me a few directions as to the proper 

 mode of using the neutral glass-plate for making 

 drawings of microscopic objects. I purchased a 

 microscope some time ago, intending to make 

 sketches of aU interesting subjects I might see, but 

 I found that, although by using the plate as directed, 

 I could get a very brilliant image of the object on 

 white paper, yet, on trying to draw it, I could not see 

 the point of the pencil at all. 1 then did away with 

 artificial light, and tried the effect of daylight only, 

 and by substituting a common plate for the paper, 

 I found I could then see the image and the pencil 

 at the same lime, although by continuing steadily 

 to look at it, the image seemed gradually to dimi- 

 nish until it appeared only half the original size, 

 and all my attempts have proved equally unsuc- 

 cessful. — C. S. Gardner. 



Does the Glowworm Prefer Damp or 

 Dry ? — Erom my little experience I should say a 

 damp situation is preferred, as the insect seems 

 generally to be found amongst densely-grown fern 

 or on hedge-banks ; and they are in some instances 

 not unlike young frogs, in their commoner appear- 

 ance after a shower of rain. — G. B. G, Ringwood. 



Slugs in the House. — To destroy slugs or 

 snails, let a few liandfuls of common salt be taken, 

 and fill all the crevices in the floor of the closet 

 with the salt, pressing it firmly down into the 

 holes. Do the same also to the wall, pasting a 

 st rip of strong brown glazed paper over each crevice 

 alter the salt has been pressed in. Then sprinkle 

 salt all over the floor to the depth of a tenth of an 

 inch", having first removed every article from the 

 closet. Boys often kill snails in this way by placing 

 them in salt, which half dissolves them.—//. A. 

 Allbutt, Leeds. 



Whelks' Eggs {Buceinum undatum). — Harvey, 

 in his " Seaside Book," p. 6-i, 4th edit., says : 

 " Each of these little membranous sacs (each 

 about a quarter of an inch in breadth, flat on 

 the inside, and convex on the outside) * * * 

 contains a soft yolk, in which is gradually formed a 

 young univalve mollusc." Is not this an error? 

 On examining a mass of these sacs the other day, I 

 found in each a number of little kidney-shaped 

 objects, which I took to be eggs ; each sac also was 

 full of water. Thus from each sac would proceed 

 several young molluscs, instead of one as above. — 

 C. A. I. 



Wanted to Kill. — Can you or any of the read- 

 ers of Science Gossip tell me how to get rid of 

 woodlice and armadillos, commonly called sowbugs. 

 I find them very troublesome in my fernery ; they 

 get under the blocks of wood and stones in the day, 

 and at night devour the young fronds of the ferns 

 and other plants, several of which they have quite 

 destroyed. They have a particular fancy for /. cris- 

 tata, having killed all my roots of that kind. — 

 H. M. 



Governing Numbers. — The governing number 

 in Star-fishes is fire ; in Medusa? it is four, and in 

 Jelly-fish four, or some multiple of four. In endo- 

 genous plants it is three, or some multiple of three ; 

 in exogens it is four orfive, or some multiple of those 

 numbers. These are approximations to rule, but are 

 not without exceptions. 



Nidification of Barer Birds. — Can any of 

 your readers inform me if the common and Honey 

 Buzzard, Marsh, Hen, and ash-coloured Harriers 

 still breed in Great Britain, and where ? I have 

 collected British birds' eggs for the last nine or ten 

 years, and have never been able to obtain authentic 

 specimens of any of them, although I have offered 

 in exchange almost any " good thing " from my 

 cabinet.—/. S. 



Asphalte Varnish. — I have twice made an 

 attempt at making the asphalte and india-rubber 

 varnish recommended by Mr. Davies in his book on 

 mounting, and have used different naphtha each 

 time ; but the effect has been each time the same, 

 namely, that the asphalte has swollen up, but has 

 not dissolved. I have used each time half the quan- 

 tities given by Mr. Davies. Perhaps you or some 

 of your contributors will be able to tell me wherein 

 I have failed. I have brought in the aid of heat, 

 with no better effect.—/. //. JlcK. 



Horse Ants. — All ants are particularly attentive 

 to their pupa'. Your correspondent "A. Bloom- 

 field" must have seen the Horse Ants (Formica 

 rufa) he describes, carrying, not their eggs — for 

 mils' eggs are very rare things — but their young larva. 

 They take them out for an airing in fine weather, 

 and are first-rate judges of atmospheric changes ; for 

 immediately they notice a prospect of rain, off they 

 rush with both larva and pupa to a plaoe of safety. 

 The workers are the nurses, and as perambulators 

 are unknown in Ant-kingdom, these nurses take up 

 their little charges and carry them about. There 

 are some ants that really get up regular forays to 

 carry off the larva sad pupa of other species, make 

 downright war upon their neighbours, and bring 

 up the captives they make as slaves. They are 

 sometimes called Amazou Ants, but are never, I 

 believe, found in Great Britain. — Helen E. Watney. 



