2U 



HAE.DWICKE'3 SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



its having been split by lightning about 150 years 

 ago, and thus it has the appearance, you see, of a 

 group of three distinct Irees." One portion of this 

 severed yew was tolerably erect, but the other two 

 leaned downwards, at an angle so acute, that visitors 

 could easily step between each portion ; and, but 

 that the character of the inner sides indicated frac- 

 ture, it was hard to believe that they were not three 

 distinct individuals. Of the oak-trees, which I have 

 not seen for nearly twenty years, one was at Ches- 

 hunt, in Herts, growing close to the main road. I 

 was told it was mentioned in " Doomsday-book." 

 It is not of very great size as reaards height, and, 

 so far as I remember, was quite hollow in the trunk, 

 and what few branches capable of bearing foliage 

 remained, formed a kind of crest at the top of one 

 side only, the sap being, as I presume, conveyed 

 upwards chiefly through the bark on that side of 

 the trunk. At the time I saw it, there was a talk 

 of removing it on account of its obstruction to 

 traffic; but the people of the neighbourhood would 

 not hear of such a thing, and so I suppose the 

 venerable ruin is still standing. The other oaks 

 were also in Herts ; one adorns the gardens at Pan- 

 shanger, where, by the way, in one of the rooms of 

 the mansion, there are two most beautiful pictures 

 by Salvator Rosa. The age of the tree must be 

 very great, but I did not hear it stated. The last 

 time I saw it was during summer, and being in 

 splendid foliage, the cool shade under its leafy 

 canopy was very delightful. The circumference of 

 its extended branches covered an area of 170 yards. 

 I did not measure the trunk, but its size was very 

 great. The other oak is at Northaw, about two 

 miles from the Potter's Bar station. It stands in- 

 side a plantation close to the road, and one of its 

 lateral branches extends entirely across the road and 

 droops over the hedge on the other side. Many of 

 the readers of Sciexce-Gossip have doubtless 

 visited Berry Pomeroy Castle, in Devon, and of 

 course all who havebeentherewillhave seen the great 

 beech-tree in the wood hard by. This is said to be 

 the finest beech in England. The country people 

 there tell visitors that if they .walk three times 

 round this tree without speaking, their wish, what- 

 ever it may be, will be gratified. This saying in 

 my case certainly was verified, for as the tree stands 

 on the side of a steep hill, and the base of the trunk 

 projects here and there most inconveniently, it was 

 so extremely difficult to walk round it, even once, 

 that the uppermost wish in my mind was never to 

 undertake the fatiguing task of walking round it 

 again, at least, not three times in succession. I 

 may also refer to those ancient and very extraordi- 

 nary oaks on Dartmoor, at that strange wild rocky 

 place called " Wistman's Wood" by some, and 

 " Wiseman's Wood " by_ others. The oak-trees 

 here are mere dwarfs in size, being barely six feet 

 high, but the branches at the top spread out hori- 

 zontally to an unusual size. These trees are said to 

 have been standing in the time of the Druids, and, 

 if so, formed part of the sacred groves. Strange 

 tales are told in connection with these weird-look- 

 ing trees and the desolate rocky place where they 

 stand.— 7/^. H. Graitan. 



The Seven Ash-trees vs Tewin Citurch- 

 YARD.— I am sorry that the apparently unfounded 

 aspersion upon the character of Lady Anne Grims- 

 ton should have received additional currency through 

 the medium of Science-Gossip. Those interested 

 in the growth and details of a legend which seems 

 to have been invented to account for a curious 

 phenomenon, should consult Notes and Queries, 



\ 4th sevies,vol. vii. pp. 76, 1^8,172,195,273, 309, from 

 which they will learn that " abundant evidence exists 

 of both the Christian life and Christian faith of Lady 

 Anne Grimston." — James Bi-itten. 



Preserving Insects.— Wishing to preserve the 

 insects I capture during the summer, for dissection 

 during the winter months, I am at a loss to know 

 what is the best preservative to use, and should feel 

 obliged for any hints on the matter from some of 

 our gossipers. Spirits of wine, I know, is good, 

 but it%eems_to harden, toughen, or otherwise 

 destroy the original character of the integument. — 

 Ento., Hull. 



The Tortoise.— It is certainly a rare occurrence 

 for tortoises to lay eggs in this country, but they 

 occasionally do so, and in some instances the eggs 

 have been artificially hatched. I would refer Mr. 

 Williams to Science-Gossip, vol. vii. pp. 208 and 

 263. With regard to the eg^ discovered inside the 

 skeleton, it is not an uncommon thing to find per- 

 fect eggs in the ovaries of dead hens. It would be 

 interesting to know how long a time elapsed be- 

 tween the laying of the second egg and the death of 

 the tortoise ; and whether, as is the ease with the 

 hen, the first eggs would not have commenced to 

 develop until the last one was deposited. The 

 egg of Testudo G rosea is white, spherical, and about 



the size of a gall-nut 



-E. Raise. 



Golden Eagles.— On looking over Science- 

 Gossip for 1872 I find a note about a Golden Eagle 

 having been killed at Oare, Somerset, and the fol- 

 lowing month a correspondent, " G.," doubts it being 

 a Golden Eagle. I recollect the circumstance of the 

 eagle being killed perfectly well. It was wounded 

 by Mr. Snow, and killed by his keeper on the fol- 

 lowing day ; it was killed in Mr. Snow's deer park, 

 on the borders of Devon and Somerset. It is 

 without doubt a Golden Eagle, as Mr. Snow him- 

 self ■ informed me, and my brother has seen it. 

 Should, however, any one doubt it, Mr. Snow would, 

 1 am sure, allow him to gratify his curiosity. It 

 would well repay the trouble by the beautiful 

 scenery, and should he be fond of fly-fishing, he 

 could obtain plenty of sport. — Arthur Smyth, Parra- 

 combe, Barnstaple, Devon. 



"Half-iiours in Green Lanes." — If "P. 

 Barker" wants to know anything respecting the 

 above book, I can tell him it is a charming little 

 work, and I have derived great amusement and 

 information from it, also aid in regard to micro- 

 scopic objects. — li. E. W., Berry Grove. 



A Chicken hatched by a Pigeon.— A friend 

 of mine, Mr. H. Cross, 1, Pelh am -'street. Brick- 

 lane, has related to me the following remarkable 

 circumstance. Mr. Cross keeps a numler of 

 pigeons, and last month his man finding a pair 

 about sitting on one egg placed a full-sized hen's 

 egg under the pigeon : both eggs were hatched at 

 the expiration of nineteen days, on June 1st. AVhat 

 conclusion can be drawn from this ? is there more 

 warmth in the pigeon's body, than the hen's ? Both 

 pigeon and chicken (the latter is being reared by 

 hand) are alive, and Mr. Cross or his man will 

 show them to any one who may call. — Aaron Solomon. 



To Poultry-keepers. — A few days since, a 

 fine black Spanish hen was found dead in our poultry- 

 yard, with her beak open, and some substame with- 

 in it. On drawing this forth, it proved to be a 

 mouse, which had become fixed head downwards in 



