HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



77 



continental ; that is, they have formed a part of the 

 Continent since the severance of the British Isles from 

 the Continent. 



That the Channel Islands are politically British does 

 not alter the fact that their natural history, although 

 very similar to that of the southern parts of England, 

 is nevertheless closely allied to that of the Continent ; 

 and insects, reptiles, mollusca and plants all help to 

 prove this. 



Of lepidopterous insects, the butterflies are not 

 numerous, and are, moreover, somewhat small. One 

 of the most interesting species is Thecla rtibi, 

 which occurs in considerable numbers round the 

 bramble thickets on the rough coast near Bouley Bay 

 as well as in other localities. The moths are better 

 represented, and embrace a number of genera. Ache- 

 rontia atropos is much more common than in England, 

 owing no doubt to the prevalence of its food plant 

 and the favourable conditions under which it exists. 

 Sphinx convolviili is also common, as many as four 

 or five specimens having been taken in one evening, 

 usually, as is often the case elsewhere, on damp fabrics. 



The Jersey tiger-moth, Calimorpha hera, is a well- 

 known common Jersey species ; C. jacokca is ex- 

 tremely so, its slow sluggish flight and marked colour 

 making it quite an object of attraction along the 

 roads near the town during the time it is "out." 

 Many of the Microlepidoptera are very different 

 from the English types, and, if thoroughly worked 

 out, would no doubt show that, on the whole, the 

 lepidoptera of Jersey are essentially continental. 



As the Crustacea are of special interest, we propose 

 devoting a paper to their consideration and will con- 

 clude this with a few notes on the Annelids and 

 Echinoderms. These do not present any features of 

 unusual interest, except that, like other inhabitants of 

 these shores, they exist in considerable numbers and 

 enjoy the advantages of very favourable conditions of 

 existence. Some of the families of the Annelids are 

 largely used for bait, and are known as " Rock 

 worms ; " the beautiful Aphroditas attain to a fine 

 size, and the SabclliE, Scrpuhe and Ta-ehella may be 

 seen to great advantage in pools, in the hollows of 

 caverns and rocky fissures. 



Of the Echinodermata, Amphidolus cordatiis and 

 .SpatangHs piirpurciis are to be met with, as well as 

 Echinocyafnus pusillus and the more common Echinus 

 sphczra and E. miliaris. 



The star-fishes are represented by Uraster violacea 

 and U. gracilis ; Ophioconia negkcta and O. rosicla and 

 Solaster papposa, as well as others, Asteria gibbosa 

 being remarkably abundant on the shelving stretch of 

 rocks of Clement's Bay and La Rocque. 

 [To be continued.) 



Late appearance of a Swallow. — On Novem- 

 ber 6th 1881, a swallow was seen at Arboe Rectory, 

 county Tyrone, by the Rev. C. L. Garnett. — S. A. 

 Brcnan. 



THE DONKEY. 

 (a vignette from nature, drawn with the 



THUMB.) 



" Doi.» ■ • "^ the final flowers of long ages of native evolu- 

 tion, the natural head and crown of one great line of mammalian 

 development. To doubt their intelligence is to impugn the 

 whole conduct of nature . . . Donkeys cannot help being 

 clever . . . They do not represent mere stranded and strug- 

 gling relics of older types, like the very silly Kangaroos and 

 Ant-eaters and Hedgehogs ... I feel a genuine respect for 

 every donkey I meet, when I remember that it was the mere 

 accidental possession of an opposable thumb that gave my 

 ancestors a start over his in the race for the inheritance of the 

 earth towards the very close of the tertiary period." — Vignettes 

 from Nature. By Grant Allen. 



HOW, flower of nature, could it come to pass 

 That we should say "as stupid as an ass" ? 

 Why thus the donkey intellect describe. 

 Or so asperse thy great mammalian tribe ? 

 Injustice such as this to the long-eared 

 Must wait not, but be instantly repaired ! 

 To doubt thy cleverness were to impugn 

 An all-wise Providence — to judge too soon ! 

 No struggling relic of an older type. 

 Why should you feel the stick's unfeeling swipe. 

 Or the coarse costermonger's coarser call. 

 When we must own thee as the crown of all? 

 No more the butt of wit's sarcastic gibe 

 Himself, as stupid, must the wit describe ! 

 What clever thoughts go coursing through thy pate. 

 My dearest donkey, mine own ungulate ! 

 Artemus Ward may well be left to bless 

 And revel in his kangaroo's own "cussedness," 

 The silly kangaroo that, from his birth. 

 Seeks but the holes and corners of the earth 

 To drag a losing life behind the times. 

 And die a certain death in distant climes. 

 I for thy tribe a greater rev'rence feel, 

 As o'er my senses thy vast merits steal ; 

 For, had I not possessed this back-bent thumb, 

 You would have spoken words and I been dumb 

 Yours it would have been on earth to pray. 

 While my vocation would have been to bray. 

 This accident alone gave me the start 

 By which I ride, while you do draw the cart. 

 I own thy kinship with a brother's pride. 

 Came not my "firmness" on the donkey side? 

 What wisdom, Dogberry, could thy wit surpass. 

 When thou didst claim to "write me down an ass" ? 



A. Conifer. 



Beech-trees and Storms. — I find in the Guar- 

 dian of November 9th an extract from the "Tour 

 of Forestry," which states that from statistics obtained 

 " Beech-trees weathered the great gale of last month 

 better than other trees." In this district I can testify 

 that the beech-trees were the sufferers, and that some 

 of the finest specimens were laid prostrate. Fir- 

 trees suffered little. It would be interesting to 

 ascertain what other observers say on the matter. 



