HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



U3 



of spnice-firs close by, foi- the sake of the cones. 

 'I'hese it adroitly strips of the scales by biting- them 

 neatly olf at the roots. The object in view is to 

 secure tlie seed nestling under each scale. The 

 cones of the pine are also similarly treated by the 

 Squirrel. //-''. //. Warner, Kingston, Abingdon. 



Wood-mouse {Mus sylvaticns). — This beautiful 

 long-tailed, black-eyed mouse often strays into houses 

 in the fall of the year, sometimes in broad daylight. 

 In January and February of the present year five of 

 these mice were taken in traps in the upper part of 

 my house, a colony having establislied themselves 

 under the flooring of the garret. — W. II. Warner, 

 Kingston. 



Pakuots.— The anecdote related by G. O. Howell 

 (p. 230, last vol.), of a parrot extinguishing a burning 

 cigar-end with cold tea, is so marvellous that I 

 cannot refrain from inquiring if the action was so 

 carefully observed as to leave no loophole for doubt 

 that it was designed. It is certainly beyond the 

 scope of what is termed a natural instinct, and it is 

 difficult to conceive a bird observing and taking 

 note of the fact that the application of a fluid de- 

 stroys combustion. — G. Guyon, Ventnor. 



The Seven Asii-tkees in Tewin Churchyard. 

 — Though these be out of the ordinary route of 

 excursionists from London, they are well worth a 

 visit, both to the botanist and the antiquarian, since 

 an old tradition attaches to them. These trees, 

 seven in number (I believe), have attained con- 

 siderable size, and their position is indeed singular, 

 and being so closely crowded together, they at once 

 rivet the visitor's attention as he enters the church- 

 yard. They have all sprung from the grave of 



Lady Ann G , which is covered by an oblong 



monument, and surrounded with railings. The 

 trees have broken through and broken up the 

 stone in all directions, and have also strangely con- 

 torted the iron railings, some portions of whicli are 

 imbedded in the wood. For its protection from the 

 knives of visitors, an outer inclosure of wood has 

 now been placed around the grave. But the story 

 currently reported to explain this phenomenon is 

 as follows. The lady, one of several persons here 

 interred, and shortly after whose decease the trees 

 began to grow, was an nubeliever of the Christian 

 doctrine of the resurrection of the body, and is 

 asserted to have remarked on her death-bed, "that 

 it was just as likely her body would ever rise again 

 as that seven ash-trees would grow from her grave," 

 or something equivalent to that. According to the 

 tradition, the upspringiug of the trees duly fol- 

 lowed ; and it is added, as a confirmatory circum- 

 stance, that the ash is rare in tlie locality. Of such 

 belief one would not speak lightly, even if one re- 

 garded the phenomenon as quite explicableon natural 

 causes. It is at least singular that the trees were 

 not interfered with at the time they first began to 

 upheave and split the stone. Perhaps some of the 

 readers of Science- Gossip can give us analogous 

 cases, or some other version of the story. No 

 doubt exists that trees do occasionally force their 

 way to the light by displacing stone or rock ; but 

 the appearance of these ash-trees is suggestive of 

 something out of the common way.—/. iCS. C. 



Slugs. — I met some years ago with a gardener 

 who used sawdust for the protection of his young 

 plants against the ravages of slugs ; he told me it 

 formed an effectual barrier to their inroads, but, 

 happily, I have not had occasion myself to put 

 his plan to a severe test. In order to'destrog these 



enemies, the Eev. J. G. Wood, in his work on " Our 

 Garden Friends and Foes," strongly recommends 

 sprinkling the ground, especially the sheltered spots 

 in which they hide themselves, with a weak solution 

 of ammonia. Mr. Wood stirs the solid ammonia 

 into boiling water, and then adds cold water until it 

 is sufficiently diluted, taking care to perform the 

 operation in the open air, and standing on the wind- 

 ward side of the vessel. To avoid a needless pro- 

 longation of pain, he advises that, after the ground 

 has been thus watered, some one should go round to 

 pick up the slugs, earthworms, &c., provided 

 with a jar of the same liquid, in which to droD them. 

 — W. li. E. 



On the Mode of Looking at Pictures. — The 

 article by Sir F. Montagu Pollock, on p. 97, on 

 monocular vision as requisite for the proper obser- 

 vation of a painting, suggests another condition 

 essential to be observed if we wish to obtain a 

 natural view of a picture ; I mean that of viewing 

 it from, as nearly as may be, the same position and 

 distance, as those in and at which the artist stood 

 at the time of its execution. Without entering into 

 a mass of detail which may be found set forth in any 

 book on perspective (and in none more perspicu- 

 ously than in the little work "Perspective," by 

 Major Collins, II. E.), it will suffice to say here that 

 the eye of the observer must be in, or near, the 

 direction of the original line of sight, or he will see 

 everything more or less distorted. If, for example, 

 a perspective view of a long room be hung high 

 above the observer's head, he will see all tlie furni- 

 ture apparently sliding down-hill, and about to 

 tumble down upon him out of the frame. This 

 single example will suffice to show the folly of the 

 method of arrangement of paintings in certain Exhi- 

 bitions and Galleries. — W. N. 



Looking at Pictures, &c. — I believe the late 

 R. Beck contrived an instrument for looking at 

 pictures and drawings, particulars of which, I have 

 no doubt, will be given by Messrs. R. & J. Beck, 

 and which most likely will be found similar to that 

 made by Mr. Newman. — A. de Soiiza Guimaraent. 



Moths' Wings. — Do moths fold their wings over 

 their backs as butterflies ? 1 caught, as I thought, 

 a moth the other night, but it had this peculiarity. 

 -S.A.B. 



Ladybird. — " R. H. M." in your last issue, gives 

 us the German for this little insect. During a 

 residence of two years in Germany, I never heard 

 it called " Marien/^iifer " (meant doubtless for 

 MarienHfer) ; " Sonnenkiifer " or "Sommerkafer" 

 being its usual name. I see, however, that the 

 dictionary gives Lady-day as "das Fest Maria," &c.: 

 and so, perhaps, " li. H. M." has some ground for 

 his explanation. — G. E. L. 



Communications Rkceivkd up to the 14th ult. from : — 

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