HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



191 



They soon sealed themselves in with the usual 

 epiphragm, and remained in that condition all the 

 winter, in spite of various attempts to induce them to 

 come out l)y offers of fresh food. Examining them a 

 few months ago I found that, with the exception of 

 one specimen, all had perished. On reading Mr. 

 McKean's note, I immersed the survivor in tepid 

 water, and, after an interval of a few minutes, I had 

 the satisfaction of seeing it gradually emerge from its 

 retirement. It soon became quite active, and ap- 

 peared to be quite as healthy as when first received, 

 in spite of its having sustained a prolonged fast of 

 just ten months. — A. Jenkins, Nezv Cross. 



Notes on Birds. — There is nothing unusual in 

 the "strange habit of a bullfinch" mentioned by 

 H. B. R. in a recent Science-Gossip. I have 

 had both cock and hen bullfinches in my aviary cage, 

 and it seems to be one of their peculiarities to collect 

 a quantity of seed in the mandible and retire to 

 some quiet place to crack and eat it. The bullfinch 

 I have now has the same habit with all small seeds, 

 especially with maw seed, of which he is particularly 

 fond. It may interest some of your readers to learn 

 that last spring (1883) I had a robin (cock) which I 

 allowed to have liberty in the room, and sometimes 

 of the whole house, and which quickly became tame 

 enough to feed from the hand. One afternoon, one 

 of the bedroom windows having been left open, he 

 flew away, but a couple of hours afterwards we were 

 surprised to see him sitting on the yard wall looking 

 at the birds inside, and making that peculiar 

 *' cricking " call with which we are so familiar. On 

 opening the door and calling " bobbie " he flew in, 

 and on to the hand to be fed. After this experience, 

 we allowed him to fly in and out of the house at his 

 pleasure, and this he did a dozen times a day during 

 several of the summer months, always coming to us 

 when we called him in the garden ; and some of my 

 friends have been much surprised to see him fly 

 down to us from a tree or the housetop when called. 

 Once or tv/ice he stayed away all night, and came 

 home in the morning. On one occasion, after being 

 away one day and two nights he returned with his 

 head, breast, and legs covered with pitch, though 

 how he got it I do not know. We cleansed as much 

 of it off as we could, but he pulled nearly all the 

 feathers out of his breast, and this and the pitch he 

 must have swallowed, made him so ill that he died a 

 few days afterwards. Since then I have been robin- 

 less. I may add that when confined to the aviary 

 he did not molest the other birds (canaries, linnets, 

 goldfinches, and bullfinch) in any way, as I have 

 heard robins in confinement will do. — Mark L. 

 Sykes, Pendleton, 



Taming Wild Humming-birds. — A lady re- 

 siding at San Rafael, one of the many pleasant health 

 resorts of California, has sent to friends in London an 

 account of the taming of two free wild humming- 

 birds by her daughter, who, under medical direction, 

 has for some months passed several hours daily re- 

 clining on rugs spread on the garden lawn. " E. has 

 a new source of interest," her mother writes. " The 

 humming-birds have claimed her companionship and 

 manifested their curiosity by inspecting her with their 

 wise little heads turned to one side at a safe distance, 

 watching her movements, evidently wishing to become 

 acquainted. To entice them to a nearer approach E. 

 plucked a fuchsia, attached it to a branch of a tree 

 over her head, and filled it with sweetened water. 

 The intelligent little creatures soon had their slender 

 bills thrust into the flower, from which they took 

 long draughts. Then E. took honey, thinking they 



might prefer it, and filled a fresh flower each day. 

 They would sometimes become so impatient as 

 scarcely to wait for her to leave before they were 

 into the sweets, and, finally, while she held a flower 

 in one hand and filled it with drops from a spoon, 

 the now tame little pets would catch the drops as they 

 fell, and dart into the honey cup their silvery thread- 

 like tongues. E. is delighted, and so fascinated with 

 them that she passes hours each day of her resting- 

 time talking to them and watching their quick lively 

 movements. Although these tiny birds are humming 

 all day among the flowers, two only have monopolised 

 the honey-filled flower, and these are both males, 

 consequently there are constant squabbles as to which 

 shall take possession. They will not permit a wasp 

 or a bee to come near their honey flower, and not 

 only drive them away, but chase them some distance, 

 uttering a shrill note or protest against all intruders." 

 Referring to them again, at the close of the rainless 

 Californian summer, in a letter dated October 26, this 

 lady writes : " We have had threatening clouds for two 

 days, and a heavy rainfall to-day. E. has continued 

 her devotion to her little humming-birds. Since the 

 change of weather she has tried to coax them to the 

 parlour windows. They appeared to think there 

 must be some mistake, and would hum about the 

 window where she stood with the honey flower and 

 spoonful of honey, or they would sit on a branch and 

 watch every movement, yet not daring to take a sip 

 until to-day, when at her peculiar call, which they 

 always recognise, one ventured repeatedly to take the 

 honey from her hand." — Times. 



Swallows in Church.— On Sunday, July 6th, 

 a somewhat unusual lesson was given in Rhylstone 

 church during the morning service. Soon after the 

 commencement of the sermon, two old swallows and 

 one young one flew screaming through the open porch 

 into the body of the church. Perching together on a 

 rafter, the birds paused a few seconds, and then the 

 old ones commenced to give their offspring a flying 

 lesson, in which they were only partially successful, 

 owing perhaps to the unusual surroundings, and the 

 preacher's voice. — H. Siwwden Ward. 



NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



To CORRBSPONDENTS AND ExCHANGBRS. ^ As We nOW 



publish Science-Gossip earlier than heretofore, we cannot 

 possibly insert in the following number any communications 

 which reach us later than the 8th of the previous month. 



To Anonymous Querists. — We receive so many queries 

 which do not bear the writers' names that we are forced to 

 adhere to our rule of not noticing them. 



To Dealers and others. — We are always glad to treat 

 dealers in natural history objects on the same fair and gener;Kl 

 ground as amateurs, insofar as the " exchanges "offered are fair 

 exchanges. But it is evident that, when their offers are simply 

 disguised advertisements, for the purpose of evading the cost of 

 advertising, an advantage is taken of our gratuitous insertion of 

 "exchanges" which cannot be tolerated. 



We request that all exchanges may be signed with name (or 

 initials) and full address at the end. 



H. Abbott. — Your zoophytes are : No. i, Sertularia rosea ; 

 No. 2, Sertvlaria operadata. See Taylor's " Half-hours at 

 the Seaside," page 97. 



D. Bradley. — Many thanks for your interesting monstrosity 

 of Campanuia incdium. It is due, as you say, to petalody, 

 but it is the most singular form we have seen. 



F. H. A. — Your plants are Crepis biennis and Lepidium 

 draba. 



J. BoGGis, jun. — The specimens are those of the hair-worm 

 [Gordius aqtiaticus). 



J. Stewart. — We have no doubt that the calcareous plates 

 you found in the stomach of the catfish, are those of a Holo- 

 thurian, but it is impossible to identify them from your sketches. 



C. Morgan. — The specimens go by the name of "oak- 

 spangles." They are galls, produced by a species of Cynips. 

 See Taylor's " Half-hours in the Green Lanes." 



