94 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIR. 



almost disappeared ; and then, last of all, in the 

 comparatively recent deposits, we come upon the 

 genus Equus, to which the horse, the ass, and the 

 zebra belong. These transitional forms, some thirty 

 or forty in number, are the links which connect the 

 Barb of to-day with the four-toed beast of Eocene 

 times. 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



Paludina Vivipara, var. Inflata. — I should 

 be much obliged if you would kindly ask Mr. J. W. 

 Williams to recognise my statement with regard to 

 Pal. vivipara, var. inflata, Loe., as otherwise his 

 note in the January number appears a direct contra- 

 diction. — C. C. Fryer. 



Seasonable Notes, 1890. — Snowdrops in flower 

 on the 7th ; hazel catkins, 23rd ; Ficaria verna 

 (celandin), 28th ; crocus, 30th ; Tussilago farfara 

 (coltsfoot), pear tree and frogspawn, 31st. This has 

 been a very mild month. Blackbirds and thrushes 

 singing, bats flying about in the evening. These 

 animals come out of their retreats when the tempera- 

 ture is at 50 , or even less. Greenhouse plants that 

 have been left out have not suffered. There is a 

 cytisus in flower in this parish. — S. Arthur Brenan, 

 Rector of Cushendun. 



Colouring of Eggs. — I have been much inter- 

 ested in the above subject, and may state that in a 

 collection I saw a guillemot egg a pure white, like 

 ivory, perfect shape, and only faint markings all 

 over — not blotches, but very slightly streaked. I 

 have myself in my cabinet two rook's eggs, both 

 from one nest, and the only two, from a rookery 

 near Aberdeen. One is of a dirty white all over, 

 and at the thick end has one distinct black spot 

 about half an inch in diameter, and not a single 

 mark otherwise. It is ordinary size and shape. The 

 other specimen is a very long egg ; in fact, you 

 scarcely know the thick end. It is of a deep green, 

 has a ground colour, and faint streaks all over of 

 black. I think this remarkable, as they were both 

 out of one nest, and the only two. On another 

 occasion I saw five eggs taken from a house-sparrow's 

 nest, and one a light green or dirty white colour, 

 with one green blotch on the narrow end. It was a 

 comparatively long egg, but you could easily see the 

 . narrow end. I think other egg collectors might be 

 able to give instances which, as Mr. Wheldon says, 

 would prove interesting.— /^. D. Rae. 



Trout Hatching. — The following extracts from 

 the " Season's Notes of the Solway Fishery, 1S89- 

 90," will probably be of interest : — " Several sea 

 trout, bred and reared at the fishery, spawned last 

 season ; they have never been to the sea. A heron 

 shot at the fishery was found to contain twenty-seven 

 trout. In another was found the skin, head, and 

 greater part of a rat, and a third was found to be 

 gorged with horse beef, amongst which was a trout 

 of about a quarter of a pound. A cat kept at the 

 Solway fishery became quite an adept at catching 

 trout fly. It would sit watching the larger trout for 

 hours, and if it got a chance would make an end of 

 one of them. On two occasions it was seen to make 

 a spring at a leaping trout, both times missing the 

 fish and falling into deep water, when it quietly made 

 for the bank and crawled out. Yearlings turned in 

 last year are now reported \\ lbs. in weight. The 



largest trout on record in this country (17 lbs.) was 

 supplied from this fishery, which has also the honour 

 of recording the largest S. fontinalis ever taken in 

 fresh water in Britain (9 lbs. 40ZS.)." — TJios. Winder, 

 Sheffield. 



Trout Hatching. — The Howietoun Fishery, in 

 the price list for season 1889-90, records two suc- 

 cessful exportations of salmon ova for the New 

 Zealand Government, amounting together to a little 

 over half a million eggs, obtained from the Tay, 

 Forth, and Tweed districts. The experiments on 

 artificially land-locking salmon have been success- 

 fully continued ; but, however interesting from a 

 biological point of view, do not appear likely to 

 lead to any direct results of commercial import- 

 ance. Indirectly, however, as providing subjects 

 suitable for crossing with Levenensis or Fario, they 

 are of value. The American land-locked salnon 

 (.S'. sebago) has at last been reared from ova obtained 

 at Howietoun, but does not appear to have any 

 advantage over the artificially land-locked salmon, 

 and is markedly more delicate at Howietoun. Depth 

 of water in ponds in which above experiments are 

 being conducted, about ten feet. The rainbow trout 

 have far surpassed the S. sebago, but have suffered from 

 an unnamed parasite on the gills. These fish are 

 apparently a migratory form, and their having bred 

 successfully, confined at Howietoun, is noteworthy. 

 The crosses between salmon and trout have now 

 been carried to seven-eighths blood of trout, and one- 

 eighth salmon ; both the rate of growth and ratio of 

 weight to length, show a marked increase, while 

 fertility has hitherto been very slightly decreased, 

 more especially in the case of female crosses. Some 

 female crosses have shown an earlier sexual maturity 

 than is usual in either parent. 



Increase of Starlings. — Of late years there 

 seems to have been a continued increase in the 

 numbers of starlings in all parts of the country. This 

 can scarcely be accounted for by any decrease in the 

 numbers of their natural enemies. Perhaps it may be 

 owing to a change in their habits of nesting. The 

 majority build under the slates on the roofs of houses, 

 and the young birds can thus be reared in complete 

 safety, which would not be the case in hollow trees 

 and similar situations. — C. If. Waddell, Whitewell, 

 Belfast. 



Mock Suns and Halos. — On Wednesday, 30th 

 January, at 2 P.M. we observed in the S.W. quarter 

 of the sky three mock suns, three circular halos, 

 and three half-circular halos, one of which was 

 reversed. There was a cross of light, the per- 

 pendicular line of which passed through the real 

 sun (which shone faintly), while the horizontal line 

 extended across the inner circle. The brightness 

 lasted for about half an hour, after which the 

 phenomenon began to die away, and it disappeared 

 at the end of an hour and a half. Rays of light were 

 projected from the middle halo. — Joint Whitmill, 

 Joseph Whitmill, Ashow Naturalists' Club, Warwick- 

 shire. 



Tour to the Orkneys. — I would like to com- 

 municate with any gentlemen who have visited the 

 Orkneys during the nesting season, and who are 

 willing to impart any useful information. — R. 



What's in a Name? — Looking over the back 

 volumes of Science-Gossip, I came upon some 

 curious pronunciation of flowers. Let me add a few 

 more to the list, which may amuse your readers : 

 "Quacking aspen," " Quig in-espy,"' " Dielytra 



