HARDWICKE'S SCI ENCE-G OS S 1 P. 



143 



Duke of Portland. The tree is quite historic ; the 

 traditions concernini? it numerous, but by far the 

 raost interestiup: is that which has jriven it \is present 

 name of the "Parliament Oak,"— the tradition 

 being that Edward I. held a parliament of his 

 barons under its broad shade in 1297, previous to 

 bis campaiirn iuto Scotland. At the present time 

 its trunk, though split into three or four parts, is 

 held together by large and massive bands of iron, 

 and its sole remaining branch is supported by various 

 props and girders. As this tree is well authenti- 

 cated in the County Histories, and as it must, sup- 

 posing the tradition to be true, have been_ a 

 splendid tree in 1297, it can scarcely be under nine 

 centuries old. In the forest of Birkland, no douht 

 part of "Merrie Sherwood,"_there is another really 

 majestic tree called the " Major Oak," not less tiian 

 forty-four feet in girth. It stands in a splendid 

 position and is seen to great advantage ; it is 

 without exception the most magnificent specimen I 

 have ever seen. There is a very large one in Bo- 

 connoe Park, Cornwall, but the age is not known. 

 I shall be very glad if others will take notice of 

 your correspondent's inquiry, and afford all the 

 information they can in answer to his query. — 

 Rev. W. Mardoii Beebij. 



SotTTHEKN Birds. — Can any one.name five birds 

 of the Southern Ocean for me from the following 

 incomplete description, beyond which I have no in- 

 formation ? 1. A large brown bird, called by the 

 sailors " stink -pot." 2. " Parson-birds," with white 

 marks upon their faces. 3. " Ice-birds," beautiful 

 little creatures, slightly larger than Mother Carey's 

 Chickens, with delicate silvery grey plumage. 

 4. " Molly Manks," nearly as large as albatrosses, 

 with white bodies and dark wings. 5. " Whale 

 birds," about twice as large as storm-petrels, with 

 white bodies and dark wings.— Z?. G. 



Pain in Animals.— I concur with my friend 

 Mr. Lefroy that the mesmeric faculty with which 

 predaceous animals are endowed has the effect of 

 annihilating pain, so long as the spell remains un- 

 broken. At the same time 1 cannot but think they 

 are indued with it more for the purpose of securing 

 their prey than for suspending pain. I know an 

 instance in which a lady used to be mesmerizi^d by 

 her servant while her teeth were extracted, and 

 although they were firmly fixed, she declares she 

 experienced no pain whatever during the operations. 

 Knowing tliis, I think we may justly infer that 

 mesmerism — or fascination, as it is sometimes termed, 

 — produces a like result upon animals of lower or- 

 ganization than man. What leads me to think 

 that the faculty of fascination is given to animals 

 mostly for predatory purposes is, that they only occa- 

 sionally exercise it, and when it is a matter of difficulty 

 for them to secure their victims by any other means. 

 If this be the case, what can do away with pain 

 when fascination is not exercised ? I believe that 

 the extreme terror which the frightful aspect of 

 animals incites in their prey has the effect of pro- 

 ducing anffisthesia, and that this even holds good 

 with respect to man if the subject is sufficiently 

 terrible. It has been remarked that men, when 

 once in the grasp of wild beasts, invariably become 

 stupefied. Our eminent African explorer. Dr. Living- 

 stone, was once attacked by a lion, and thus he 

 describes the event :—" Starting and looking half 

 round, I saw the lion just in the act of springing on 

 me. I was upon a little height; he caught my 

 shoulder as he sprang, and we both came to the 



ground below together. Growling horribly close 

 to my ear, he shook me as a terrier-dog does a rat. 

 The shock produced a stupor similar to that which 

 seems to be felt by a mouse after the first shake of 

 tiie cat. It caused a sort of dreaminess, in which 

 there toas no sense of pain or feeling of terror, 

 though 1 was quite conscious of all that was hap- 

 pening. It was like what patients partially under 

 the influence of chloroform describe, who see all 

 the operation, but feel not the knife. This singular 

 condition was not the result of any mental process. 

 The shake annihilated fear, and allowed no sense of 

 horror in looking'round at the beast. This peculiar 

 state is probably produced in all animals killed by 

 the carnivora ; and, if so, is a merciful provision by 

 our benevolent Creator for lessening the pain of 

 death." Dr. Livingstone was rescued by a Hottentot 

 servant, who fired upon the lion. There is extant 

 a similar anecdote in which it is related that an 

 officer in the Indian army, being seized by a lion, 

 instantly experienced a kind of drowsiness, but no 

 pain. Fortunately the lion, having carried him a 

 short distance, deposited him unhurt on the ground 

 and went away. He was thus spared to recount 

 his most remarkable adventure, which he did very 

 minutely, describing his sensations while he was in 

 the brute's mouth. It would have been interesting 

 to have quoted his words, but not knowing in what 

 book I met with the case, I cannot lay my hands upon 

 it now. i am certainly of opinion that fear is the 

 cliief destroyer of pain. This is a matter which 

 deserves much attention, and many thanks are due 

 to Mr. Lefroy for havmg brought it under con- 

 sideration. It would be highly interesting to hear 

 the opinions of our scientific gossipers on the 

 subject. — H. A. Auld. 



Larv^ anb Ichneumons. — On August 4th, a 

 few years ago, I put an apparently full-grown 

 caterpillar oif the large Garden White butterfly 

 {Pieris brassiccs) into a glass jar, expecting soon to 

 see it changed into a chrysalis. On the following 

 morning, however, it was to all appearances dead, 

 with a number of small yellow cocoons spun around 

 its body. Judge of my astonishment when, on the 

 10th of the same month, on taking it out of the 

 jar, I found it still living, though quite shrivelled 

 up ! Another caterpillar of this sanie species had 

 no fewer than twenty-one cocoons of the same 

 ichneumon spun upon and around it. — C. Eobson, 

 Newcastle-on-Tyne. 



Do Queen Bees Sting ?— I should like to inform 

 Mr. Carr, whom I know by report to be an 

 extensive Lancashire bee-master, that queen bees 

 can and will sting human subjects. Does he not 

 himself state the fact that in combats betwixt 

 rival queens he has repeatedly seen them sting ; 

 therefore does not this clearly prove their power to 

 sting, although I confess it is but seldom exercised, 

 because probably, like the ordinary worker bees, 

 they lose their life by exercising this power, 

 especially so if at the same time they suffer the 

 loss of their sting. I should be happy to corre- 

 spond with Mr. Carr upon this, or any other subject 

 connected with apiculture. — /. T. B. 



The Origin of the Microscope.— Would you 

 kindly endeavour, in your next Sciencb-Gossip, to 

 tell me where I can find an account of Demisiauus, 

 the suggested inventor of the microscope men- 

 tioned by Quekett in his work on the microscope ? 

 By noticing this, you will greatly oblige a constant 

 reader.— r. F. 



