HARDWICKE'S SCIEN CE- GO S S IP. 



Ill 1822, Bory de St. Vincent treated on some 

 of the Bacillarice, and described and figured Echi- 

 nella stipitata as Achnanthes stipitata, but placed 

 in tliis genus forms not belonging to it. The genus 

 Fragilaria, Lyngbye, he described as Nematoplata. 

 In the article Bacillariees (in the " Dictionnaire 

 Classique d'Histoire Nat."), he constituted the genus 

 Navicida, and in the article Coiifervees, which ap- 

 peared iu 1823, he described the genus Gallionella. 



In 1821, C. A. Agardh published his " Systema 

 Algarum," and describes the Bacillarite as a special 

 order of Algae, under the name of Diatomeae, and 

 arranged them in a better and more thorough manner 

 than his predecessors; he placed them in the ge- 

 nera : — 1. Achnanthes ; 2. Fntstidia ; 3. 3Ieridion ; 

 ^. Biatoma ; b. Fragilaria ; 6. Melosira (=Gallio- 

 nella, Bory) ; 7. Desmidittm (now excluded) ; 8, 

 Schizonema ; 9. Gomphonema. 



Having thus brought down our resume to this 

 date, we hope in future numbers to glance at the 

 history of these forms up to the time of the publi- 

 cation of Kiitzing's work (in 1844). Those who wish 

 to read the entire translation will find it in the 

 Lens, Nos. 2 and 4, vol. ii. E. K. 



THE STORY OF MY ROBIN. 



ONE morning about the end of May, I saw my 

 little dog in a great state of excitement in the 

 garden. She was tossing what looked like a small 

 ball up into the air, then pouncing on it as it came 

 down. I went out to see what it was, and found a 

 poor little frightened Robin at that moment actually 

 in her mouth. I took it from her, and carried it 

 into the house, expecting to find it torn and bitten ; 

 but not even a feather was ruffled, and the poor 

 little fellow only appeared faint with fright, opening 

 and shutting his eyes alternately, and trembling 

 violently. He soon revived, and began to kick and 

 scream ; so seeing there was not anything really 

 the matter, I made him eat some bread and milk, 

 the only food at hand fit for him. He rebelled 

 against being fed for about a day ; and then, appa- 

 rently thinking it was not so bad after all, he 

 submitted patiently, and in a week began to peck 

 about and feed himself, and even attempted to 

 sing, in his small way, early in the morning. After 

 keeping him in a cage for about a month, I turned 

 him loose in a room. He was at this time rather a 

 gawky, speckled little fellow, with long yellow 

 legs. About the beginning of July he began to 

 moult, and by the end of August he was a beautiful 

 Cock Robin, with a lovely red waistcoat and pretty 

 black legs and feet. 



Very soon after his transformation, he began to 

 sing, partly his own natural Robin's song mixed 

 vrith some notes of a canary, and some whistling 

 learned from his mistress. At last, 1 heard, one 



morning, a very gentle, shy, "Pitchee (pretty) 

 Bobby." He very soon gained courage, and called 

 it out loudly, adding, by degrees, " Sweet Bobbee," 

 and "Pretty little fellow." The latter, being his 

 last accomplishment, is not quite so distinct, as 

 yet. 



He sings and dances on the floor, and appears 

 most amiable and charming ; but if any one (even 

 his own mistress) puts her hand within his reach, 

 he perches on it, pecking, and biting and pinching, 

 like a spiteful child. He has, I believe, caused the 

 death of several canaries kept in his room. He 

 has been seen spitefully to twitch out a feather from 

 a tail, when he could reach it through the wires of 

 a cage ; and one morning I found nearly all the tail- 

 feathers of a goldfinch, mixed with sundry pins, 

 nails, and buttons, collected in a small heap. Since 

 this discovery, he has had his wing clipped, and so 

 is kept on the floor beneath the cages. 



His temper is peculiar, and he is easily ofi'ended. 

 If I presume to keep him in a cage for a longer 

 time than he approves, when I again let him out 

 he will run away and hide himself, and refuse to 

 sing or speak for some hours. On one occasion, I 

 took him to another house, intending him to show 

 off his accomplishments. He behaved like a wild 

 bird, refused to be caught, and remained at the top 

 of the room, on a curtain-pole. He was only at 

 last driven into his cage by hunger, when the door 

 was rapidly shut upon him. On his return to his 

 home, though at once set at liberty in his own 

 room, he refused to speak, sing, or take any notice 

 of his mistress for nearly a fortnight.— AT. H. 



The above statement is communicated to me by 

 " K. H." I have witnessed the gambols, and heard 

 the words mentioned most distinctly pronounced by 

 the Robin, in a whistle rather than in the manner 

 that parrots talk. 1 have also noticed another matter 

 which seems to indicate that birds can communi- 

 cate by language. The Robin was left in another 

 room, which contained a window looking out into 

 the garden, and, whilst there, was visited by two or 

 three Robins, who flew violently against the glass, 

 as if trying to liberate him from his confinement. 

 On each occasion after these interviews, the little 

 prisoner refused to be petted, remained silent and 

 frightened, as if ideas had been communicated to 

 him by his outside friends which rendered him 

 unhappy and disconsolate. Whatever communica- 

 tion took place was through the glass, and would 

 indicate the possession by birds of an audible 

 language. Alfred Cakpenter. 



Croydon. 



" A knowledge of science attained by mere read- 

 ing, though infinitely better tlian ignorance, is 

 knowledge of a very different kind from that which 

 arises from contact with idiCi."— Huxley s Physiology. 



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