26: 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



Birds in August. — As Gilbert White pronounced 

 August "by much the most mute of months, "_ and 

 one of his editors, Mr. Jesse, considered the robin its 

 only songster, it may be worth noting that through- 

 out great part of the recent August, not only robins, 

 but wrens, goldcrest, white-throats, chiff-chaffs, 

 willow-wrens, sedge-warblers, grasshopper-warblers, 

 water-ousels, gold-finches, green-finches, linnets, 

 yellow-hammers, buntings, and wood-pigeons \yere 

 frequently in song. The coo of the ring-dove might 

 be heard almost any day of the month ; and on fine 

 dry nights I saw the grasshopper-warbler, as White 

 saw it in the early morning, steal from its covert, 

 mount the spray of a furze-bush, and trill gailyaway 

 "on the top of a twig, gaping and shivering with its 

 wings." On the nth, I found a goldfinch's nest 

 half finished, and on the 13th another, _ containing 

 three eggs ; both now contain young birds. It is 

 remarkable that these two nests should have been 

 built in the hottest week of the hottest summer we 

 have had for many years : at a time when nearly all 

 aquatic birds had forsaken the dried-up marshes, and 

 teals, water rails, and groups of herons formed a 

 quite unwonted spectacle along the shores of the 

 rivers. Only the airiest of birds could dream of build- 

 ing in such weather. A congregation of golden 

 plover appeared as early as the 8th of August, and 

 by the 19th chaffinches and missel- thrushes were in 

 flocks.— C. B. Moffat. 



Hydrogen Gas generated, but not con- 

 sumed. — The enquiry of S. C, on this subject, in the 

 September number, revives the remembrance of a 

 curious pamphlet, published many years ago, pro- 

 pounding precisely the same question ; a pamphlet, 

 that, had Professor de JNIorgan expanded his criticisms 

 beyond the examination of mathematical crazes, 

 might have found a place in his most entertaining 

 "Budget of Paradoxes." The theory of the pam- 

 phleteer was, that as (to him, it appeared) the rainfall 

 was in excess of evaporation, the increase could only 

 be explained by a production of water, , through 

 electric force, from an accumulated ocean of hydrogen 

 above meeting the excess of oxygen also continually 

 pouring into the atmosphere from the surface of the 

 earth ; an obvious difficulty (which the writer 

 evaded) would be the ultimate result of such an 

 evolution, and the prevention of an accumulating 

 deluge. As alcohol is "diffused" when mixed with 

 water, gases are "diffused" in the ocean of the 

 atmosphere, free hydrogen, oxygen, carbonic acid, 

 and the many sulphuretted mixtures locally produced, 

 rapidly combine with the atmosphere, and eventually 

 enter into the maintenance of the equilibrium of 

 existences. The idea of a surplus of hydrogen 

 filtering its way to, and floating upon the surface of 

 our sea of atmosphere, is alarming, as, by a parity of 

 reasoning, a denser gas (say) carbonic anhydride, 

 would be lurking at the bottom. The law of 

 "diffusion" is a mercy, and the only explanation of 

 the disposal of ponderous, elherial, or contaminating 

 gases. Any class book on Chemistry explains how 

 hydrogen accepts combinations long before, as a 

 distinct clement, it can "work its sinuous course 

 upward and form a stratum above the atmosphere." — 



E. r. D. 



Motion in a Spider's severed Leg. — On the 

 afternoon of September 2, as I was sweeping for larva 

 among some heath, I noticed in my net something 



wriggling about, which, on examination, proved to be a 

 spider's leg. Its late owner was on the other side of 

 the net, so I had no doubt as to its identity. On 

 taking it out and putting it on my hand I was 

 astonished to see it writhing and hopping about just 

 as if it had been still connected with the spider, and 

 it continued in a state of gradually decreasing motion 

 for some minutes, when it ceased altogether. Has 

 such an occurrence been noticed before? I should 

 ' be much obliged if some reader of SciEXCE-Gossir 

 would enlighten me on the subject. The spider was 

 a small-bodied, long-legged species, but I am quite 

 ignorant of its name.— ZT. E. U. Bull, Foundry Lane, 

 IV. Southampton. 



Can any of the readers of Science-Gossip please 



inform me what a common land tortoise will eat?' 



I I have given it milk and lettuce, but it never appears 



to drink or eat either, and it will not eat raw meat. — 



K. H. J. 



Skeleton Leaves. — The maceration of leaves in 

 i cold water, even for months, is, as far as my experience 

 goes, utterly useless ; others may have been more 

 I successful, but, to say the least, it is a tedious process. 

 In Science-Gossip, 1867, will be found practical 

 directions for the preparation, bleaching, &c., of leaves 

 (see pp. 22, 141, 246). I have tried them, and can 

 speak to their value. — F. A. 



Birds and the Arum. — Can any reader of 

 Science-Gossip inform me whether anything is 

 known of birds or ground game eating off the young 

 spathe and spadix of Arum maailaiutn before fully 

 expanded ? I am led to make the inquiry in conse- 

 quence of having had my attention_ drawn to the 

 matter by a friend whilst botanising in an out of the 

 way wood near Preston ; where nearly every speci- 

 men was thus mutilated. The leaves were seldom 

 injured ; but the floral portion of the plant was 

 rarely perfect. Are pheasants fond of these things ': — 

 F. J. George. 



A General Index to Science-Gossip. — With 

 the completion, of the present volume, Science- 

 GossiP will have appeared continuously for twenty 

 years. It has occurred to me that, to those sub- 

 scribers who are in possession of the complete set, 

 a general index would • be exceedingly useful as a 

 means of ready reference. The work contains many 

 excellent papers on various subjects, and where it 

 is desired to collate them on any particular one, it 

 involves no little labour and loss of time. An extra 

 charge should be made for this addition, and doubt- 

 less many, like myself, would gladly subscribe for it : 

 if the present proprietors can see their way to afford 

 the accommodation. If those who feel disposed tO' 

 do so would kindly intimate their desire to the 

 publishers it would enable the latter to form an 

 opinion as to the possibility of carrying out the 

 scheme. — IV. H. Harris. 



Curious Act of a Newt. — There is a newt in 

 my aquarium who, a short time ago, after casting 

 his skin, swallowed it, just as would a small worm. 

 He is aycung one of the larger kind. — G. A. Simmons. 



Phosphorous Insects.— The following fact in 

 natural history may prove interesting to some of your 

 readers. On the night of the ist of May, returnmg 

 home at about 9 P.M. the night being somewhat cold 

 and damp, and the sky heavily clouded, my attention 

 was attracted by a brilliant light on the side of the 

 gravel-drive. Thinking for a moment that it was a 

 centipede showing an unusual degree of luminosity, I 



