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HARD WI CKE ' S S CIENCE - G O SSI P. 



the stoat being very common in the locality where I 

 am now residing. — Rai. S. Arlhiir Breiiaii, Allan 

 Rock, CO. Tyrone. 



Hkn Canary.— ^:? propos of the note by Stuart 

 McB. in your February number, I must tell you that 

 some years ago my father had a hen, she was as large 

 as a male and crowed lustily. Let me suggest how- 

 ever that the canary in question may be a male in 

 female attire, as birds are known to assume the 

 plumage of the opposite sex, as the female to wear 

 the dress of the male and vice 7'ersa. I have heard 

 of a linnet that had one wing, that of the male, and 

 the other that of the female ; the same thing is also to 

 be met with amongst butterflies. — Clara Kingsford, 

 Caiiferl'iny. 



Birds "TArPixr, at the Window."— During the 

 autumn and spring numerous flies, on windows looking 

 east, generally congregate in swarms in the crevices, 

 and when there is a hot morning sun come out to 

 bask in it. Often of such a morning I have heard a 

 " tapping at the window " by a bird outside, often a 

 wagtail trying to catch the flies through the glass. 

 Last week there was a tortoise-shell butterfly in my 

 window, and on two or three occasions I heard the 

 tapping of a hungry bird. Will this explain the tapping 

 mentioned by W. R. T. in your number for April 1st? 

 I have also known of a magpie tapping. Why he 

 should do it I cannot iinagine, except that he saw his 

 figure in the glass, and pecked at the "other fellow 

 that was looking at and jeering him " ? — G. If. A'. 



The Common Lizard. — On Sunday, March the 

 19th, 1882, while taking a walk in the morning I went 

 up Red Hill at New Cross, and taking a turn to the 

 left at the top of the hill into a road where they are 

 building, I saw some tree stumps that had been cut 

 down to make room for that fell destroyer of our 

 country lanes and fields, namely, bricks and mortar. 

 I went up to them to see whether there was any of 

 our land snails on them, and was rather surprised to 

 find a fine specimen of our common lizard cling- 

 ing to it. I grasped it with my hand near its head ; 

 but I had scarcely done so when it snapped off its 

 tail about half an inch from the body. The tail 

 jumped about in all directions ; but I picked it up, 

 and took it home. I placed the lizard in a glass 

 case that I keep for the reception of such things, 

 and have kept it in the same till yesterday, Sunday, 

 April the 2nd. It took flies and drank milk that I 

 gave it very well ; but in the evening I looked into 

 its case and was rather surprised to see it stretched 

 out apparently dead, and spots of blood about the 

 case and coming from its mouth. I opened the case 

 and took it out. It was not quite dead, but nearly. I 

 placed it in spirits. It jumped about in the bottle for 

 a second or so and then died. Its contour, bright 

 orange on the belly, and mottled brown and black on 

 the back. If any of those correspondents who so 

 kindly answered my query about newts near London, 

 could tell me how to account for its coming to such 

 a queer kind of death, namely, bleeding at the mouth, 

 I shall feel much obliged. — y. Roberts. 



Land Snails. — Could any correspondent kindly 

 inform me as to the best hunting ground for our land 

 snails near London ; also a locality for the fresh- water 

 mussel, and oblige — .S". Roberts. 



Geology of Lancashire. — I propose spending 

 a few weeks in Lancashire this year, and should be 

 glad if any of your readers could give me any infor- 

 mation on the geology and entomology of that 

 county. — A. S. 



White Heather. — Seeing in February's number 

 of Science-Gossip, notes on the occurrence of 

 white heather, it may interest some readers to hear 

 that I found a patch of it some years ago in Cheshire 

 on the eastern flark of a hill (Teg's Nose), near 

 Macclesfield, 1320 feet above sea level. It grew 

 luxuriantly, and near it was Vaceinmyn Vitis-Idiea,h\xi 

 I have never seen it since. — C. Garland, Owens College. 



Setting Leimdoi'Tera. — If G. H. B. would try 

 the remedies given by the Rev. Joseph Greene in his 

 valuable little work "The Insect Hunter's Com- 

 panion," the wings of his insects would not spring. 

 All insects relaxed should be touched with a portion 

 of liquid glue under the wings, at their juncture with 

 the thorax.— y. /'. Idiller. 



Setting Lepidoptera. — The modus operandi 

 which I have successfully adopted for setting lepi- 

 doptera, which I have kept in papers, is, after relaxing 

 them by steam, to put a small drop of shellac dissolved 

 in alcohol at the base of each wing. A fine knitting- 

 needle is a good instrument for applying this liquid, 

 which soon hardens, and if the moisture in the insects 

 be evaporated by placing the setting-boards near the 

 fire for a few minutes, they can be removed from the 

 boards in about twenty-four hours, without any fear of 

 their springing back. Care must be taken not to put on 

 a large quantity of shellac, iir it will spread over the 

 wings, and the groove of the setting-board must be 

 sufficiently large to prevent contact, or the insects 

 will adhere and be spoilt. In the case of altering the 

 position on the pin, consequent on the adoption of a 

 different style of setting, I put a drop of the same 

 liquid on the under side of the body, and this is best 

 done after removal from the setting-board. G. H. B. 

 omitted to give his address, so that a direct answer 

 was impossible, but any further information will be 

 cheerfully afforded by F. S. Ilockaday, AVuport, Man. 



Re-setting Lepidoptera. (Vide p. 93.) — 

 G. H. 1>. will find that the wings of all relaxed 

 insects have a tendency to "spring" after being re- 

 set. To prevent this, and after removing them from 

 the setting-board, touch the insertions of the wings 

 with shellac, liquid, elastic, or ordinary glue ; any of 

 these, when set, will prevent their "springing." — 

 Robert Laddiinan, Norwicli. 



Microscopic Tank. — I should be much obliged 

 to any one for information how to make a small tank 

 for microscopic use, say 10" long, 8" deep, 2" wide, 

 opaque ends and bottom. — Hickin. 



Wagtails. — About the middle of last February a 

 green wagtail arrived on the roof of a house opposite 

 my bedroom, and commenced a series of assaults 

 against the window, flying at it repeatedly every day 

 for upwards of a fortnight, then disappearing as 

 suddenly and mysteriously as he came. The bird 

 carefully avoided the open part, and only on one 

 occasion could we entice him to enter and pick up 

 the seeds placed on the table. Once he was accom- 

 panied by a mate, and much chattering took place 

 between them. I mentioned the occurrence to a 

 friend, who seemed not unfamiliar with the pheno- 

 menon. He suggested that the glass possibly, having 

 some reflective properties, had provoked the comba- 

 tive (amatory ?) iubtincts of our little assailant, and 

 advised the placing a mirror opposite the open 

 window. We tried the device ; but waggy was not 

 tempted by the mirror. I may add that the same 

 superstition was hinted at by some of our neighbours. 

 — y. Smll, F.G.S. 



