204 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



a hole in the wall, containing their nest and young, 

 for which they were catering so assiduously. The 

 top of this walled inclosure was covered with wire 

 netting, through the meshes of which the parent 

 birds passed and repassed every time they visited 

 their nest. 



Hedge Accentor {A. modularis). —Ouce I found, 

 in a small wood on the Otter Burn, ISiorth North- 

 umberland, a nest of this species built on one of 

 the lower branches of a fir near the trunk. It was 

 constructed outwardly of fir, twigs and moss, and 

 was lined profusely with white hairs. It was a 

 pretty sight, the beautiful blue eggs lying in the 

 wholly white cup-shaped hollow, enhanced by the 

 mellowed light of high noon as it pierced the dense 

 foliage of the tree. 



Blackbird (Turdus mertda). — This nest, if such 

 it might be called, as it consisted merely of a little 

 coarse grass and a few dead ferns and leaves, form- 

 ing a platform just sufficient to keep together the 

 three eggs it contained, was built on an exposed 

 branch of a shrub overhanging a stream. Out of 

 many scores of nests of this species that I have 

 seen, this was the only one without a plastering of 

 some sort. Occasionally I have found the nest of 

 the Blackbird on the bare ground ; once on a rocky 

 shelf; and at another time in a cavity on the side 

 of a dene, — ^just such a site as a redbreast might 

 have chosen. 



Many writers on birds have recorded the pug- 

 nacity and courage of the Missel-thrush {Tardus 

 ■viscivortis) during the breeding season ; how pug- 

 naciously it assaults other birds in its vicinitj', and 

 how courageously it drives away predaeeous birds 

 from its nest, showing a bold front even to human 

 intruders. A lady correspondent, in July No. of 

 Gossip, adds another interesting instance of 

 the last-mentioned. 1 have seen its courage exhibited 

 once only. This solitary instance was, however, 

 for intensity, beyond what might be expected. 

 Three of us lads were one day nesting in a wood, 

 and in our searching had become separated, when 

 1 heard one call out. This companion had climbed 

 a large tree, on a fork of which he was lying at full 

 length, with a missel-thrush's nest a little in 

 advance of him, whilst one of the birds, loudly 

 screaming, was dashing close past his head, which 

 he was protecting as best he could. Having 

 climbed the tree, our other companion reaching me 

 a stick, I attempted to strike the bird as it made 

 its sallies down through an open space among the 

 tree-tops, and it was not until several such attempts 

 had been made that it was driven off. There were 

 four eggs in the nest, only slightly incubated, two 

 of them being mis-shapen. I have since thought 

 that the ferocity of this individual, presuming it to 

 be the female, might possibly be owing to an un- 

 healthy condition, indicated by the mis-shapen 



eggs. At all events, of many other nests dis- 

 turbed, in some of which the incubation of the eggs 

 was considerably further advanced, there never was 

 the least indication of pugnacity, the dam silently 

 leaving the nest, either before the tree was reached, 

 or the nest gained. C. Bobson. 



Neiccastle-upoii- Tijne. 



" PICK-CHEESES " AND " EAIBY-LOAVES." 



TT is seldom that we find geological specimens 

 -*- associated with folk-lore, or even possessing 

 popular names. In this respect they are totally 

 unlike plants, all of which have names and synonyms 



Fig-. 128. Fossil cidaris (C. co;-ona<«), showing spines attached, 



sufficient and to spare. The word " fossil" is made 

 to comprehend all kinds of geological objects, and 



Fig. 129. Ditto, showing naked test. 



perhaps those distinguished by special names could 

 be included in a score. 



Fij?. isn. "Fairy-loaf," 

 Ananchytes oouta. 



Fig. \?,\. Base of ditto, 

 showing nioutli and anus. 



In Norfolk we have found more popular names 

 applied to fossils than in any other county in England. 



