HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



SS 



weather must almost drag them from the spot where 

 they first planted them. 



Aspletiium Ruta-miiraria is very common in the 

 crannies of old walls and buildings, particularly so in 

 the walls of an old fort in Bouley Bay, where it attains 

 to a fine size. A. tricJiomaiies is local, but fairly 

 abundant, often growing on banks, and nearly hidden 

 by herbage ; in favourable localities its fronds some- 

 times reach a length of seven or eight inches. 



Athyrinni Filix-famina and the Lastreas are com- 

 mon, and in damp sheltered situations are often in 

 grand luxuriance ; Lastrea dilatata particularly ex- 

 hibiting quite a tropical growth along the margin 

 of some hidden valley streamlet. 



Bkchiiiun boreale occurs also on the damp margins 

 of valley brooks, and is very abundant in such situ- 

 ations. 



Although it is not often that Osmunda regalis is 

 seen in its native spot in the island, yet it may be 

 seen if a little trouble be taken to climb some of the 

 rugged rocks of the north coast. When visiting the 

 cave referred to in a former paper, we were pleased to 

 see a fine quantity of this "royal" fern growing in 

 the vertical syenite rocks, in fissures dripping with 

 the water drained from the high ground above, and 

 perfectly safe from any chance of molestation. 



Pteris agnilina is a striking feature in the landscape 

 on all the northern sloping hills, particularly at 

 Greve-de-lecq and St. John, where it often grows to 

 a height of six or seven feet ; as in England, it is of 

 considerable use for litter, and is collected for that 

 purpose. 



Perhaps the most interesting fern in Jersey is Gy}?i- 

 nogratntna leplophylla. This elegant and rare little 

 plant is somewhat remarkable in its distribution, 

 appearing to extend across the island from south- 

 west to north-east, in a belt of not more than a 

 quarter of a mile in width : as this does not appear 

 to follow the course of any dyke, intrusive vein, or 

 other geological feature, this fact is peculiar and, no 

 doubt, attributable to some other cause. 



As regards the mammalia of Jersey, a somewhat 

 formidable list is given in Ansted's ' Channel 

 Islands,' and includes a number of domestic and 

 introduced animals. This is unfortunate, as no notice 

 should ever be taken of instances of this nature, for 

 in that case what mammalia Middlesex might boast 

 of when the collection at Regent's Park came to be 

 included I 



There are, however, many interesting mammals 

 indigenous to the island, and perhaps few more so 

 than the black rat, Mus rattiis. This rat, now almost 

 extinct wherever the brown one has gained a footing, 

 still occurs plentifully in some of the Channel Islands, 

 We understand that in Sark the brown rat is un- 

 known, and hence Mus rattiis still holds undisputed 

 sway : this is very interesting, for Sark, of all the 

 islands, is the most difficult on which to land, and it 

 is well nigh impossible for the brown rat to get 



ashore there, particularly as the "imports" of the 

 place are not of a nature to facilitate a " stowaway" 

 using them as a means of effecting a landing. Jersey, 

 on the contrary, has a harbour and a trade, hence the 

 brown rat is common, and is " improving " the black 

 one off the island ; still it is yet to be found, and within 

 the last few years it has been seen at Longueville and 

 other farms and even in St. Heher's itself, although 

 Ansted says it is quite extinct in Jersey. 



The water vole is fairly common near a piece of 

 water called the Samarez canal, as also in other 

 favourable localities. The shrew, weasel and mole are 

 also common, a curious white variety of the latter 

 has been taken in which the hair was rather longer 

 than that of the common mole, although it was, no 

 doubt, only an albino form. Plecotiis auritiis and 

 I 'cspcrtilio pipislrcUus are the only two bats, we believe, 

 known in the island. Rabbits are extremely abun- 

 dant, as might naturally be expected, but the squirrel 

 exists only in the recollection of some of the oldest 

 inhabitants. 



When we come to consider the birds of Jersey, we 

 pass from a very limited to an almost unlimited 

 subject ; for its geographical position causes it to be 

 visited, especially in winter, by a large and varied 

 number of birds. Of course it would be impossible 

 to deal in more than a cursory manner, with such a 

 wide and comprehensive subject, in notes like these ; 

 but through the kindness of Mr. J. Sinel, of Bagot, 

 Jersey, who has given this subject a great amount of 

 study and observation, we are enabled to quote 

 several instances of interest with regard to the birds 

 of the island. 



Two or three specimens of the golden eagle have 

 been recorded, one in i849]and one in 1856, and only 

 recently an eagle (species unknown) was fired at in 

 the parish of St. Saviour. The kite is frequently seen 

 and the peregrine falcon occasionally ; a fine specimen 

 of the latter was killed in March 1881, and others are 

 recorded as killed in 1876 and 1877. A curious fact 

 in connection with the starling is that it is a winter 

 visitor only, in Jersey, not remaining in the island to 

 breed. 



The fire-crested wren (^Rcgulus ignicapitls) occurs 

 with Regulus cristatus, though neither are common. 

 The hoopoe is occasionally seen, and five specimens 

 have been recorded to the gun of one individual. 



The red-legged partridge, once extremely abundant, 

 is now almost unknown : this is an instance of an 

 island not being conducive to the lingering on of a 

 species. The little bittern has been recorded in 1859 

 and in October 1880, and the grey phalarope is 

 frequently met with, a fine specimen being killed only 

 a few weeks since. The great northern diver, locally 

 known as " grand loup," is very common in the winter 

 months, and numbers are killed, but seldom in full 

 plumage. The red-throated diver is also very 

 common, and the black-throated diver frequent, both 

 are locally termed "cadras," The merganser is 



