22 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



been to Mr. Horniman a labour of love for many years, 

 and, with a generosity worthy of wide imitation, he 

 has permitted the public to visit the Museum from 

 time to time, providing a staff of attendants, and 

 offering the fullest facilities for the enjoyment of his 

 visitors, who at holiday time have come in their 

 thousands. It would be impossible within a limited 

 space to do more than indicate a few of the leading 

 features of the Museum. The handsome Reception 

 Room has a very Asiatic aspect, from the many 

 curious-carved objects which adorn it, comprising 

 Chinese Chairs inlaid with pearl, a wonderfully 

 elaborate Japanese Screen, on which the adventures 

 of a priest are depicted, and a profusion of other 

 artistic works in which the skill and patience of 

 Eastern artificers are strikingly exemplified. The 

 autograph-hunter will here find a little paradise, 

 there being five large autograph-albums open to his 

 inspection, containing examples of the caligraphy of 

 the world's celebrities, including Napoleon I. and 

 Barnum, Queen Victoria and Thomas Carlyle, 

 Bismarck and John Bright, with hundreds of others. 

 Passing forward to the Entrance Hall and Staircase, 

 the eye is attracted by huge pieces of Japanese 

 Embroidery, a collection of Hebrew Manuscripts, 

 and other relics of ancient days. Then we arrive at 

 the Orchestral Organ Room, the chief object of 

 which is a gigantic organ which contains secreted in 

 its inner recesses the counterparts of 78 instruments, 

 with drums and cymbals added, all ready at the 

 touch of a spring to burst into orchestral harmony, 

 and play operatic and other selections with the 

 accuracy and power of a Covent Garden band. 

 A number of draped Indian figures are arranged in 

 proximity to this monster instrument, seeming to 

 have been struck dumb by constant listening. 

 Proceeding to the Oriental Figure and Dress Room 

 we see a further collection of strange figures ; then in 

 the Old English Chambers we have a collection of 

 antique objects, illustrating the habits and customs of 

 " Merrie England" in the olden time; there is also 

 a Bible and Manuscript Room, deeply interesting 

 to the Scriptural student, containing, as it does, 

 examples of most of the rare and curious Bibles so 

 dear to the collector ; and in an Antiquities Room ' 

 the visitor can inspect specimens of Greek and 

 Roman antiquities which will be found of the 

 greatest interest. Other rooms are, the African and 

 Japanese Room, the Bird Saloon, the China and 

 Porcelain Rooms, and the Long Saloon, the latter 

 comprising a Natural History collection of immense 

 variety and value. Altogether, the Museum contains 

 many thousands of objects. The Museum is open to 

 the public, on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons, 

 by cards of admission to be had from Mr. E. D. 

 Watkins, the genial Curator, 100 London Road, 

 Forest Hill ; and Mr. Horniman permits also natural 

 science classes, or parties interested in the works of 

 nature and art, to go over the Museum under the 

 charge of the curator. 



Flowers were used by the clergy for making 

 their corona saccrdotalis — the sacred crown worn by 

 the canons and clergy of cathedrals and churches. 

 At high festivals and on other solemn occasions the 

 priests walked from the monastery to the parish 

 church in procession, crowned with roses, honey- 

 suckle, and other flowers. Thus we read in a 

 fifteenth century manuscript of Roger de Walden 

 going to St. Paul's in solemn procession to be 

 enthroned in his episcopal chair, with a crown of red 

 roses on his head. Polydore Vergil (early sixteenth 

 century) also refers to the same custom. " At the 

 present time," he writes, "with the English as 



elsewhere, the priests on stated and solemn occasions 

 appear at public services of the church with garlands 

 on their heads, and especially the priests of St. Paul's 

 at London, who, at the feast of St. Paul, in the 

 month of June, are crowned for the celebration of all 

 the sacred offices proper to the day." Stowe also 

 records a procession from St. Paul's when " the Dean 

 and Chapter, apparelled in copes and vestments, 

 with garlands of roses on their heads, issued out at 

 the west door." It is, however, in fifteenth and early 

 sixteenth century churchwardens' accounts that we 

 have the clearest testimony of the prevalence of this 

 old custom. How long the custom of wearing the 

 corona saccrdotalis prevailed in England is not known, 

 but it probably was discontinued at the time of the 

 Reformation. — From a History of English Gardening 

 in the " Gardeners' Chronicle,' 1 '' Nov. 2, 1889. 



A Prolific Kestrel.— While making a collection 

 of birds' eggs some time ago, I robbed the nest of a 

 kestrel of four newly-laid eggs on the 15^1 of May, 

 and after an interval of twenty-one days, I again 

 robbed her of five eggs. I blush to tell this, the 

 kestrel being a favourite of mine, but the eggs of this 

 individual were so pretty I could not resist the 

 temptation. But to my great relief when I visited 

 her nest three weeks after, it contained other six eggs 

 from which six young kestrels were successfully 

 reared. The three sittings of eggs were all laid in 

 the same nest which had done service on a former 

 occasion ; it was built in the fork of an old fir tree. I 

 could easily identify the same female by one of her 

 middle tail feathers being gone. Although I cannot 

 advocate the wholesale plunder of nests, the clutch 

 collector will find an excuse here, as bird life was 

 increased in this instance. — IV. Sim, Fyvie. 



Stag-Beetles. — Is it a usual thing for a stag- 

 beetle to show a preference for an individual ? 

 Accidental circumstances made me keep two of these 

 creatures for some weeks this summer. The male 

 became an amusing and intelligent pet — the female 

 was tame with the tameness of stupidity, but her 

 mate, though quiet with moss, invariably left grass, 

 hand or tree, evening or day, for my finger, where he 

 would remain contented while I wrote or gave orders 

 in house or garden. He was a fair-sized specimen, 

 in good health, and never used his mandibles on me 

 unless I gave him food not to his taste, when he 

 promptly threw it down and pinched me. His ways 

 were most amusing ; but this is a query, not a 

 description, so 1 only repeat : Is such a trait usual in 

 the stag-beetle?— T. G. A. Tribe. 



Vandal Naturalists. — May I ask your corre- 

 spondent, Mr. Arthur Hollis — who appears to be an 

 authority on the migration of birds — how many 

 instances he can give from personal observation of 

 birds continuing to lay to make up the clutches after 

 a portion, say two, of the eggs have been taken? 

 I believe there are some few cases on record of birds 

 continuing to lay, but in this locality I have never 

 been able to induce a bird to lay beyond its normal 

 number of eggs, all my experiments ending in having 

 the eggs left forsaken. I believe the great majority 

 of nests are forsaken when the clutches are disturbed 

 by pilferers. The physical strain from a bird having 

 to lay a second clutch is nil, or the poor hens which 

 supply us with our daily egg for breakfast would so< >r. 

 all die of inanition. Lastly Mr. Hollis asks, When 

 does the bird's chance begin to come in ? My 

 answer to this is, When mawkish sentimentalists are 

 prevented carrying on their baneful practice of 

 pilfering an egg or two from every nest they find. — 

 Joseph P. Nunn, Royston. 



