56 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



very common, and, with the divers, may often be seen 

 in the market for sale ; the local name is " allicracq.' 

 Of the grebes the Sclavonian is the common one of 

 the island, and with very few exceptions is always 

 killed in winter plumage, its local name is "petite 

 pouchette : " this grebe is rare in England, whilst the 

 little grebe, common in England, is rare in Jersey. 

 The red-throated grebe, though common, is not so 

 much so as the Sclavonian, it is known as " grande 

 pouchette : " and the great-eared grebe, common in 

 England, is very rare in Jersey, veiy few having ever 

 been seen. 



Of the sandpipers, vast numbers of which frequent 

 the southern bays, the purple and the pectoral are 

 among the best that occur. The turnstone is also 

 abundant in all the sandy bays. Great numbers of 

 brent geese visit the island 'during the winter months, 

 arriving often so early as the middle of October and 

 remaining frequently as late as May. 



Among other rare birds two specimens of the 

 spoonbill are recorded as having been shot at St. 

 Ouen's pond about i860, and on December 8th, 1879, 

 two specimens of the great bustard were shot in the 

 island near Longueville. 



Vast quantities of gulls frequent the shores, one 

 favourite haunt being near the harbour of St. Helier's 

 at low tide, where they are of service in removing 

 refuse that they find there. Among the best we may 

 notice the gull, the great black-backed gull, and the 

 lesser black-backed gull. The kittiwake, herring 

 and common gulls, are very common, and the 

 laughing gull frequents the northern coast. 



The following is an interesting case of gulls breed- 

 ing inland. A farmer in the island had a tame herring 

 gull, and during the severe weather of January 18S1, 

 a number of other wild ones visited the farm ; a pair 

 of these remained in the locality till the following 

 May, They nested in a turf-hedge at the top of a 

 sloping field, at the bottom of which wa? a small 

 pond ; seven eggs were laid, and six young herring 

 gulls hatched, which had their wings clipped in due 

 course, and became quite domesticated, walking about 

 the farmyard amongst the poultry, but always keeping 

 in a little squad by themselves. 



The nearest coast was three miles distant from the 

 spot where the gulls nested, and far from being a 

 wild open locality, it was close to the farmhouse and 

 near a public road. 



For an island, Jersey is rich in reptiles, but this 

 is only another proof of its recent continental connec- 

 tion, the existence of the green lizard itself being 

 quite sulhcient evidence. This lizard, Laccrta viridis, 

 is of particular interest ; it is common on the con- 

 tinent, but, if not quite extinct, certainly extremely 

 rare in England. Although common in the island, it 

 promises to become very scarce, if the disgraceful 

 way in which it has been hunted and killed of late, 

 for no particular purpose but mischief, be not dis- 

 continued. It is often to be seen sunning itself upon 



some fern-covered bank, and seems to affect a spot 

 where grows the wood sage, Tciicrium scorodonia, the 

 size, tint, and variation of the leaves of which bear 

 a most striking resemblance to the plates, size, and 

 colour of the head of L. viridis. 



On the lichen-covered boulders of conglomerate 

 that form the lower part of the cliffs near Bouley Bay, 

 may be seen Laccrta agilis ; its close resemblance in 

 colour and markings to the rocks, off which it is very 

 seldom seen, is perfect, and makes it difficult for even 

 a practised eye to detect its position unless it moves. 

 Upon the slightest alarm this agile lizard disappears 

 like a flash of light down a rock crevice, hence it is 

 a species that is likely to escape the hand of the 

 destroyer long after Z, viridis has become extinct in 

 the island. 



The slow or blind worm, Angiiis fragilis, is common ■ 

 generally, frequenting old ruins or scattered rock 

 debris ; the young are interesting in that they closely 

 resemble the curling rhizome of Pleris aqiiilina, near ■ 

 which they may sometimes be found, when turning 

 >over loose stones, &c. 



The snake is fairly common, and often grows to a 

 large size ; it is found principally at St. John and 

 St. Brelade; one taken at the latter place measured 

 four feet in length. 



The toad, frog, and a newt may also be included,, 

 though they present but little of special interest. 

 ( To be contiiiited.) 



NOTES ON KERONA POLYPORUM. 



WITH C. H. Griffith I quite agree that Mr. F. 

 George must have hunted for his Hydras in . 

 very dirty water, for them always to have been 

 afflicted with that direful parasite which, in many 

 instances, forbodes them no good, viz. Trichodiiia pcdi- 

 ciilus, I cannot speak so accurately about T. pcdicidus 

 being constant in //, fnsca, but I can say that Kcrona 

 polypoTJim is not always to be found on either H. 

 vulgaris or //, fiisca. All the specimens I have 

 found in the ponds this season have been unusually 

 free from the latter parasite, and I am well ac- 

 quainted with it. I had begun to think I had been 

 unusually free this season from these pests, I had 

 prepared a trough especially for my Hydras, and for 

 seven weeks all went well with them ; they budded, 

 and seemed a thoroughly happy family. I took plea- 

 sure in seeing them capture their food, Daphnia pukx 

 — watching them toy with it as a cat would a 

 mouse, as if to create a keener appetite for their 

 delicious morsel ; I kept their trough well supplied 

 with fresh pond-water, removing the debris erf 

 the defunct Daphnias. By this means I hoped to 

 keep away these parasitic pests, A week's hard busi- 

 ness caused me to neglect them, beyond occasionally 

 giving them a little fresh water, and, when at the 

 end of the week, I examined them with a low power, 

 I found them infested with A', /^/jy^c;;-//^ ; one was 



