HARDWICKE'S SCIEN CE-G OSSl P. 



115 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



The HydrxV.— Ill the March number of Science- 

 Gossip, a correspondent appears to doubt that the 

 hydra possesses any stinging properties to paralyze 

 its victims ; and quotes from Mr. Lewis's book, 

 wherein he says, "that he had watched those 

 animals that had apparently been stung by the 

 hydra, and found that after lying at the bottom a 

 short time, they swam away apparently nothing the 

 worse." He also states thfit " the same effect was 

 produced on the water-flea, when touched with a 

 needle." Your correspondent asks, " Is not this a 

 proof of the water-flea shamming death ? " I never 

 saw an instance of their shamming death, and I 

 have had many thousands of the Daphnia pulex, and 

 have examined them for particular purposes. In 

 some instances I have kept one alone in a wine- 

 glass to make observations on it, as to the progress 

 of the ova, or young, &c. (as they are oviparous 

 and ovoviparous). I have repeatedly taken it out 

 with a dipping-tube, placed it under the microscope, 

 and tiien, after making an observation, have re- 

 turned it to the wine-glass, but have never seen 

 any of them sham death. I have used needles to 

 move them into diflerent positions for observation, 

 but the needle took no effect on them. In fact 

 they are never still, and when they come in contact 

 with the tentacle of the hydra, they invariably con- 

 tinue to struggle, slower and weaker, until quite 

 dead. Sometimes the hydra will immediately lay 

 hold on five or six daphnias directly I put them in 

 for the hydras to feed ; they may, perhaps be satis- 

 fied by swallowing three fleas, and, relaxing their 

 hold on the others, they sink to the bottom quite 

 dead, aud if not removed will soon decompose, and 

 render the water unfit for living animals. I have 

 never seen the daphnia recover froai the effect of 

 coming in contact with the hydra, and if small 

 water-worms are given , to the hydra, the effect of 

 that paralyzing power is instantaneous, which I 

 think is strong proof that the hydra possesses those 

 stinging properties.- — /. Fullagar. 



Ipswich A meek. — I have lately seen a variety 

 of ornaments made of the so-called Ipswich amber, 

 and should be very glad if some of your readers 

 could inform me as to its real nature aud origin. Is 

 it, as has been suggested to me, a manufuctured 

 article, or is it a genuine amber? If the latter, 

 whence is it procured, and what are the organisms 

 contained in it ?— C. D. 



Preserving Colour, of Plants. — In answer to 

 Mr. Harrison's inquiry in the January part of your 

 magazine, respecting the possibility of preserving 

 the colour in plants, the natural colours of which 

 when dried are apt to change, I beg to suggest the 

 following method, which was first discovered and 

 applied by an experienced botanist, and whicli has 

 hitherto given satisfaction to whoever has given it 

 a fair trial. The plant to be dried is, while fresh, laid 

 between several sheets of blotting-paper in the posi- 

 tion which it is to occupy, then a large moderately 

 heated smoothing-iron is rapidly passed over the 

 blotting-paper, backwards and forwards, until the 

 plant is sutficiently dried. Then the leaves, flowers, 

 and delicate parts are arranged on the paper where 

 they arc to remain, and the iron is again passed over 

 them until they are incorporated, as it were, with 

 the paper which they occupy. A little nicety is 

 necessary with regard to the regulation of the 

 temperature, but a few trials with care and pa- 

 tience, will soon afford the requisite skill, if the 



iron at first be not too strongly heated. Many 

 plants which, by the ordinary methods of 

 drying, lost their delicate colours, have, by this 

 method, been made to retain the colouring of nature. 

 To the travelling botanist this method of drying 

 plants is simply invaluable. I should be glad if you 

 could tell me which is the best method of preserving 

 the ovum in the shell of a fowl's egg — to form pre- 

 parations illustrating the development of the chick 

 in the &%g.—C. F. Biggie. 



Act for Protection of Wild Birds. — No 

 doubt most of the readers of Science-Gossip are 

 admirers of our native birds, and would be very 

 sori'y to have any kind exterminated or much 

 lessened, not only on account of the disastrous efl'ect 

 on agriculture, but for the charm they add to rural 

 scenes. The Act passed last year came into force 

 on the 15th March, for the protection of certain wild 

 birds during the breeding season ; it is good so far 

 as it goes, but to prevent it being a dead letter, in 

 some rural districts, it will pretty much rest with 

 the public to make the law known, and to help to 

 enforce it by giving information to the police of any 

 infringement of it that may come under their notice. 

 There are some strange omissions in the list of pro- 

 tected birds, such as the skylark, thrush, blackbird, 

 starling, &c. ; but it is to be hoped that these and 

 others will eventually be included. Any number 

 of caution placards, with a list of protected birds, 

 may be had on application to John Colam, Esq., 

 105, Jermyn-street, london, S.VV.— //. Budge. 



The Devil's Coach-horse (Oci/pus oleus).— One 

 hot sultry day last September, with net under my 

 arm and boxes in my pocket, bent on an entomo- 

 logical expedition, I chanced upon a group of 

 Devil's coach-horses, whose actions I watched with 

 great interest. An excellent opportunity was 

 afforded me of witnessing the extraordinary ferocity 

 of this beetle, which is thus commented on by 

 Wood :— " It is one of the most courageous and 

 ferocious of insects, attacking any enemy without 

 the least regard to disparity of size. If one of these 

 beetles be seen running along the path, and the 

 point of a stick be presented to it, up goes its tail in a 

 moment, and, with extended jaws, it bites the stick 

 as fiercely as if it could annihilate its supposed 

 enemy. And however closely it may be pressed, it 

 never runs away like other beetles, but retreats 

 slowly, with its face to the enemy, fighting to the 

 last." These delightful insects were contending for 

 the possession of a large snail, crushed by the foot 

 of some careless or ruthless passer-by, and although 

 the mollusc was of dimensions sufiicient to have 

 made them all an ample meal, they could not enjoy 

 it in peace together, but fought like angry curs 

 aneut a bone. At last one enormous individual 

 succeeded in driving the rest away. I took a plea- 

 sure in annoying this gentleman with a small twig, 

 which it seized with much fury, turning up its tail 

 in the manner peculiar to the species. After thus 

 amusing myself for some time, I left it undisturbed, 

 and plunging deep its mandibles, it devoured the 

 succulent juicy morsel with a gusto an epicure might 

 have envied. Put there is a tragic ending to my 

 story : Having returned from a somewhat successful 

 hunt, I once more sought the scene of the encounter, 

 but, alas ! some less pitiful spectator had been there, 

 and a horrid siglit of decapitated trunks met my eye. 

 One of these was still jerking spasmodically, and 

 when I brought my finger into contact with its tail 

 the movements increased in rapidity. It is said 

 that this beetle has the power of emitting a very 



