HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



103 



easily seen ; and is, moreover, often quite concealed 

 from view in the hidden depths of the flower. There 

 is no evidence that the honey-secreting flowers are 

 distinguished from the rest by any marks which can 

 guide the bee to them. Bees seem to show by their 

 habits, too, that they have no means of ascertaining 

 the presence of honey, save by actual inspection, for 

 several bees will visit the same flower in succession ; 

 and the same bee may sometimes be seen to return to 

 the flower it visited a few moments before, after 

 trying others in the interval. 



Again bees often visit flowers without any inten- 

 tion of honey gathering. 



It is a bright sunshiny day in the early part of 

 February. Winter aconites have spread forth their 

 yellow blooms, and offer their store of honey to the 

 early bees. A few of the industrious insects are 

 abroad and hard at work. They are rifling the yellow 

 blooms, but not of nectar. Pollen is the object of 

 their search, and the circlet of tiny cornucopias 

 surrounding, the stamens offer their sweet drops in 

 vain. On such occasions it matters not to the bee 

 whether a blossom secretes little honey or much, 

 those with the greatest store will obtain no advantage. 

 Such being the facts, we must, I think, admit that 

 the individuals in the race of flowers which secrete 

 much honey are no more likely to obtain the benefits 

 of cross-fertilisation than those producing little or none. 

 And with this admission the whole theory falls to 

 the ground. The selective action of the bee has not 

 even a theoretical influence as a producer of honey. 



OBSERVATIONS UPON THE TURTLE, AND 

 THEIR ARTIFICIAL PROPAGATION. 



By W. August Carter, of the National Fish 

 Culture Association. 



DURING the Colonial and Indian Exhibition 

 specimens of turtle from Western India were 

 shown in the aquarium, sometimes numbering as 

 many as fifty simultaneously. I made a series of 

 observations upon them at the time, and propose to 

 record the result of some of them here. 



In the first place, I noticed that the turtle is a 

 somnolent creature, spending a large amount of time 

 in sleep, or repose. They rest at intervals through- 

 out the day, and usually sleep in the early morning, 

 becoming abnormally active at night. When asleep, 

 they lie upon the bottom of their habitat with their 

 heads downwards and eyes closed. At such periods 

 they are not easily disturbed, and appear oblivious to 

 all outward influences brought to bear through the 

 molestation of their congeners. The weight of turtles 

 is considerable, and precludes them from locomoting 

 perpetually in the water ; indeed, it seems curious 

 that such awkward creatures have the power to move 

 as rapidly and easily as they do. As a rule, when 

 swimming, they keep near the surface, in order to 



gulp in air readily, which they do by stretching forth 

 their head from the water. 



Upon land they are helpless creatures, being almost 

 as powerless as the seal under similar circumstances, 

 although there is a decided difference in the forma- 

 tion of their organs. Turtles are able to capture 

 their prey with great agility, being provided with a 

 long neck, which they extend to a considerable 

 degree when seizing it. The head moves quite 

 freely, as well as the fins and tail, which are all quite 

 independent of the shell. Unlike the tortoise, the 

 turtle's head is non-retractile. The former, upon the 

 approach of danger, withdraws its head and limbs, 

 presenting to the aggressor an impervious exterior, 

 proof against the stoutest foe. The house which the 

 turtle carries, however, is a mere shield for the back, 

 and does not, as in the case of a land-tortoise, form a 

 complete covering to the animal. The shell of the 

 former is very light, enabling it thereby to adapt 

 itself to an aquatic existence. 



From what I have seen I have arrived at the 

 conclusion, that the turtle is a spiteful, pugnacious, 

 reptile. Extreme examples of this are to be found in 

 young turtles rather than in their elders, as I have 

 frequently seen the former attack the latter, and 

 meet with only a small amount of retaliation. The 

 appearance of two turtles undergoing a pugilistic 

 encounter is highly comical ; their utter helplessness 

 rendering the contest all the more exciting. The 

 quarrel sometimes arises from a disputed right of 

 occupying a certain position ; when one turtle will 

 jostle another until it retaliates by inflicting blows 

 with its fins upon the head of its foe, which appears 

 to be the most vulnerable part of turtles. Then 

 follow a succession of charges, when they bite and 

 gnaw at one another in the encounter until the 

 vanquished one retires to a remote corner, but only 

 to be attacked again by its enraged congener. 



In regard to the artificial reproduction of turtle, 

 there is no doubt that the ova could be hatched if 

 subjected to proper treatment. In their natural 

 state they are deposited by the mother chelonian in 

 the sand, about two feet deep, where they become 

 incubated through the action of the sun. In breeding 

 them artificially nature must be closely imitated, and 

 every detail studied, to ensure success. According 

 to the precepts of nature, I venture to think the 

 following plan might be advantageously adopted. 

 Place the eggs in sand, heated to a normal tempera- 

 ture of 70 from underneath, by the means of ho*- 

 water pipes. This heat should be perpetually main 

 tained throughout the twenty-four hours. During the 

 day heat should also be concentrated from without, 

 bringing the temperature up to ioo°, which could 

 be attained by enclosing the incubating apparatus, 

 taking care to admit a certain amount of air. The 

 sand should be slightly moistened by allowing a 

 small quantity of vapour to descend upon the ova at 

 night-time. 



