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HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



it could muster, hastened back to the plant, and 

 had a few more bites of the leaf; it then made a 

 third attempt to enter the barn, selecting each time 

 the same place. The watchful spider was, however, 

 at its post, and made another successful charge. 

 The poor toad backed from under the door, and 

 again repaired to where the plant grew; but my 

 friend had in the meantime removed it, much to the 

 apparent disappointment of the sufferer. The toad, 

 when it could not find the plant, immediately sank 

 upon its belly, its body began to swell, and within 

 an hour it died. I may add that my friend, who 

 himself is since dead, was a very conscientious person, 

 and would not, 1 believe, state knowingly anything 

 that he thought was not true. His impression was 

 that the toad was aware that there was virtue in 

 the " waytre " as an antidote to the bite of the 

 spider. I should much like to know whether any- 

 thing like the above case ever came under your 

 own, or that of any of your numerous readers', ob- 

 servation, or whether it is probable that such a cir- 

 cumstance is in accordance with nature.— James 

 Pearson. 



Ancient Trees.— Allow me to add to your list 

 the following account : — " Walnut-trees sometimes 

 attain prodigious size and great age. An Italian 

 architect mentions having seen at St. Nicholas, in 

 Lorraine, a single plank of the wood of the 

 walnut 25 feet wide, upon which, the Emperor 

 Frederick III. had given a sumptuous banquet. In 

 the Baidar Valley, near Balaclava, in the Crimea, 

 stands a walnut-tree at least 1,000 years old. It 

 yields annually from 80,000 to 100,000 nuts, and 

 belongs to five Tartar families, who share its produce 

 equally."— T. B. Linley. 



The Name "Tray" as applied to Dogs. — 

 This word may possibly be a corruption of the 

 German adjective " Treu " (pronounced something 

 like troy), meauing "true" or "faithful." This 

 seems, at least, a more direct interpretation than 

 that of dogs watching the dinner-tray.— Frank J. 

 Allen. 



The Cecil Oak.— In what is called "the flat" 

 of Petworth Park stands a fine and still flourishing 

 tree, on which is a plate which tells of its planting 

 in the beginning of the seventeenth century, to 

 commemorate the marriage of Algernon, tenth Earl 

 of Northumberland, and his first wife, Lady Anne 

 Cecil. Can any reader kindly inform me of any 

 existing oak elsewhere, thus planted so long ago in 

 commemoration of a marriage? — F. II. Arnold, 

 LL.B., Fishbourne. 



Oxyhydrogen Lanterns. — About ten years 

 ago I saw an apparatus which seemed to possess 

 several advantages. The oxygen-bag was in the 

 form of a double cube, fitted into a deal box of the 

 same shape, which, placed on end, served as a stand 

 for the lantern ; and the pressure was produced by 

 a water-bag, which could be filled at the place of 

 lecture. It was thus unnecessary to lug about a 

 heavy iron weight, and the oxygen-bag was tho- 

 roughly protected from accidents in transit. The 

 double lantern was remarkably compact, and the 

 two gases were made to issue from a brass burner, 

 through separate holes, inclined at different angles, 

 according to the density of the gases, so as to ensure 

 perfect combustion. The dissolvers were not of 

 the usual comb and rack-work pattern, but in the 

 shape of discs in several pieces, so contrived that 

 the one dissolver opened from the centre, while the 

 other closed from the circumference ; and all acted 



on by one lever, so that the change could be instan- 

 taneous or gradual at pleasure. The maker's name 

 was Warner. Are such made now ? And where 

 are they to be had ? — E. P. C. 



Do Eishes utter Sounds ?— Dace, when taken 

 out of the water, frequently utter a sort of grunt or 

 squeak. I suppose this must be caused by the pas- 

 sage of air through some aperture which usually 

 contains water. I have heard that the name 

 "gurnard" is derived from a supposed resemblance 

 of this name to the strange sound the fish makes 

 when first caught. The "piper" might be so 

 named for a similar reason. — C. W. C. 



"Mype."— I always read with very great interest 

 the articles in Science-Gossip on " Our Cultivated 

 Vegetables;" and Mr. Glasspoole may perhaps like 

 to know that " mype " is at the present day the 

 Welsh name, in North Wales, for " turnip." — 

 Helen E. Watney. 



Cats' Imitation. — A relation of mine possesses 

 a very small tabby cat which habitually begs 

 at meals, though it has never been taught. The cat 

 has of course imitated a Skye terrier dog, which 

 constantly begs for scraps at the table. — C. W. C. 



Name op " Tray." — May it not be a corruption 

 of " trail," most dogs possessing keen powers of 

 scent ? " Tray " in the Saxon signifies " trag " or 

 trough feeding-dish. — Helen E. Watney. 



Swarms of Ants. — InWestwood's "Introduction 

 to the Modern Classification of Insects," your 

 correspondent's question is concisely answered, 

 vol. ii. p. 223 : — " Throughout the greater portion 

 of the year the community consists only of neuters, 

 but during the summer the males and females are 

 produced in considerable numbers ; these are de- 

 tained prisoners in the nest for a certain time, until 

 a favourable day — or, more commonly, a warm, still 

 afternoon— when they make their escape, and take 

 flight in great swarms, flying into the air, where 

 the union of the sexes takes place ; soon after this 

 the males perish, but the females, descending to 

 the earth, immediately tear off their own wings, and 

 commence the establishment of a new colony, or 

 are seized and forcibly detained by the neuters for 

 the maintenance of the old habitation. They then 

 commence laying their eggs."— S. J. M'Intire. 



Imitations of Animals. — In reference to the 

 imitative tendencies of animals, the following facts 

 may prove of interest to your readers. Last summer 

 my brother caught a young wood-pigeon, which has 

 since been kept in the same room with a small white 

 cockatoo. This bird the pigeon imitated in various 

 ways, the most curious being, copying the habit 

 cockatoos have of kissing, and attempting to eat its 

 food by holding it in one claw while it stood on the 

 other leg. This last feat it could not accomplish, 

 but did not give up till after a week's unsuccessful 

 trials. — /. G. P. Vereker. 



The Name "Tray" as applied to Dogs. — 

 Mr. J. R. S. Clifford's ingenious suggestions on the 

 above subject scarcely seem to afford a satisfactory 

 answer' to his question, " What cauine peculiarity 

 or habit originated its use ? " It is of course quite 

 possible that the more honest dogs of those days 

 may occasionally have been set to guard trays of 

 meat or cheese, as well as homes and sheep; but 

 can any one believe that the good old name has in it 

 no more meaning ? I have no doubt whatever that 

 it is directly derived from the German Treu, which 



