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HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



said to hybernate ; at least, this is my own experience. 

 I have never found any others with an ephigram 

 formed. The winter months are far the best time to 

 collect Zonites, I think, as the vegetation is low, 

 and the stones are better to get at. — November, 1889. 

 Bramley Hall Wood, in company with Mr. Hartley. 

 Zonites excavatits common, buried six or eight inches 

 in the leaf mould ; Z. glaber, and a specimen of a 

 greenish white variety, Z. alliarius and H. rotundata, 

 var. alba, under stones. — March 15th, 1890. Pool 

 bank, accompanied by Mr. Hartley. Zonites glaber, 

 very fine, under stones and bark, very lively ; two 

 fulvus amongst moss, also V. pellucida, H. rotundata, 

 and var. alba under stones ; H. rufescens on the wall 

 and tree trunks ; H. nemoralis hybernating amongst 

 the grass. A var. of Anadonta cygnia, which occurs 

 at Pudsey in a disused mill reservoir, is, in winter, 

 from eight to twelve inches down in the mud, and in 

 summer only two to four inches, but always buried. — 

 F. Rhodes, Eccleshill. 



Fight between a Starling and a Cat. — 

 Reading Mr. Waters's note on the pugnacity of the 

 greenfinch, brings to my remembrance a scene I 

 witnessed about a week ago between a starling and a 

 cat. The starling had been feeding, and the cat 

 interfered. Instead, however, of the starling flying 

 off, it boldly faced the intruder, flying and pecking at 

 it, and judging from the fact that the cat was glad to 

 slink away, the starling had the best of it. During 

 the progress of the battle, three sparrows appeared 

 on the scene, and gave what aid they could in 

 annoying the common enemy. Two other starlings, 

 seemingly companions of the fighting one, watched 

 the whole performance from a safe distance. — Mr. C. 

 Shields. 



Disease of Hawthorn Tree. — Probably some 

 of your readers will be able to suggest a cause for the 

 mysterious dying away of a large may-tree in a garden 

 which adjoins mine. It was a red may and it has 

 long been one of the pleasures of spring-time to look 

 on its masses of deep pink blossom, but now, alas, 

 the silence of death is in the tree ; last year it leafed 

 and blossomed with its usual vigour, and in the 

 autumn was sprinkled all over with haws, giving 

 many a feast to the birds ; when it shed its leaves, 

 rather late in the year, in November, lif I remember 

 rightly, there appeared to be nothing the matter with 

 it, but this spring, whilst all the trees around are 

 putting forth their fresh young foliage, the may-tree 

 presents nothing but a tangled mass of dead brown 

 branches. On the night of the 3rd of September in 

 last year a very violent thunderstorm raged around us 

 for about twelve hours, working great damage in some 

 parts, and I have thought that it may have blighted 

 the tree to such an extent that, although the damage 

 was not immediately apparent, yet it had such an 

 effect upon it as to cause it to gradually die away 

 during the winter. So far as I can see there are no 

 evidences of damage, but the tree at the present time 

 presents its usual winter aspect. — J. Herbert Allchin, 

 Siitton Valence, Kent. 



Birth-place of the Electrical Telegraph. 

 — With regard to the paper on " The Birth-place of 

 the Electric Telegraph " in last month's Science- 

 Gossip, in 1747 Bishop Watson sent the discharge of 

 a Leydenjar through 10,600 feet of wire suspended 

 on poles on Shooter's hill, and a plan for an Alpha- 

 betical telegraph to be worked by electricity appeared 

 in Scots Magazine for 1753, which, however, seems 

 never to have been realized. At Geneva, in 1774, a 

 telegraph line was erected by Lesage, consisting of 



twenty-four pithball electroscopes, each representing 

 a letter. — M. Farrant. 



Cry of Cof.n-Crake. — I was always under the 

 impression that the cry, of the corn-crake foretold fine 

 weather. On Sunday evening their cry was especially 

 noticeable, but on the following day there was a 

 perfect deluge of rain. When riding about the 

 country in the evening I have frequently heard their 

 cry, but it was always when there was a spell of 

 fine weather and never when there was rain about. — 

 F. C. F, Neiu Maiden. 



Dytiscus marginalis. — These beetles are not 

 particular as to the quality of the water, but in order 

 to keep it pure for one's own comfort, it is necessary 

 to keep a moderate amount of growing water-weeds 

 in the tank, and never to leave any of the uneaten 

 food to decompose in the water. A fresh-water 

 mussel might be a useful addition, and the Paludina 

 is as tough a univalve as one can find for the 

 purpose of cleansing the glass sides from any 

 confervoid growth. With these precautions it will 

 be found quite unnecessary to change the water at 

 all. — W. G. Kemp. 



The Recent Mild'Winter. — Mr. Wm. Wilson's 

 observations on plants during the mild winter of 

 1889-90 in the July number of Science-Gossip, causes 

 me to supplement his interesting details. In this 

 neighbourhood many greenhouse plants braved the 

 winter, viz., geraniums, cytisus, acacia, prickly aloe, 

 "diplacus," shrubby mimulus, Solatium capsicastrum, 

 etc. Many of the wild plants which Mr. Wilson 

 specifies I remarked in flower. The oldest inhabitant 

 never remembers such a winter, if we may so call it ? 

 The bloom on flowering shrubs such as hawthorn, 

 broom' furze, wild roses, woodbine, etc., should be 

 noted, and the early flowering of our wild plants. — 

 Rev. S. A. Brenan, Cushendun , co. Antrim. 



The Food of Birds. — While agreeing with a 

 great deal advanced by Mr. C Parkinson in his article 

 on the food of birds, on page 149, I must really 

 protest against his wholesale condemnation of that 

 familiar denizen of the house-top and garden, the 

 common sparrow {P. do/nesticus). That the sparrow 

 is a mischievous pilferer at certain seasons of the year 

 I am well aware, but when engaged in rearing his 

 numerous broods during spring and early summer, I 

 unhesitatingly affirm that Passer domesticusm his raids 

 on the insect-pests of the garden, field, and orchard, 

 is then one of the firmest friends the husbandman 

 has. Any one wishing to verify this statement can 

 easily do so by watching the birds' constant visits to 

 the nests laden with beakfuls of larvce and grubs. In 

 the autumn the sparrows are a great pest among the 

 sheaves of corn, and should then be judiciously 

 thinned, but we hope the time is very far distant 

 when Mr. Parkinson's advice to " destroy them all" 

 is acted upon. Mr. Parkinson speaks of the tree 

 sparrow (P. montanus) as being a useful bird. In 

 what way, may I venture to inquire, does this species 

 differ as to usefulness from its more familiar con- 

 gener ? He also says that he has " never been able 

 to discover any harm done in the garden or orchard 

 by chaffinches." Though loth to say a word without 

 due reason against any of our " feathered friends," 

 more especially against such a bright little bird as the 

 "bachelor finch," yet when I see him strutting and 

 pecking about the seed-beds in' the garden in early 

 spring, I generally give him a gentle hint to make 

 himself scarce. This weakness for radish, lettuce, 

 cabbage, kail and other garden seeds, renders the gay 

 little chaffinch anything but a welcome spring-visitor 



