HARDWICKE'S SCIBKCE-GOSSIP. 



167 



of a whitish colour. I took it hoime and kept it in 

 water, but it only lived three days. The hairs 

 increased in quantity and length so much, that by 

 the time it died its body was completely covered. 

 There was another in a similar state. Can any of 

 your readers give me an explanation of this ? — 

 C. L. W. 



Montagu's Harrier.— On the 1.5tli of May 

 my friend P. Brent, Esq., of Plymouth, kindly 

 presented me with a fine old male Mon- 

 tagu's Harrier {Circus Ilontagui), in the flesh, 

 which he had purchased of the _ warrener at 

 Trowlsworthy, on Dartmoor, In its crop and 

 stomach I found no less than fourteen lizards, all 

 six inches in length, and nearly perfect, with the 

 exception of the brittle tails of some, which had 

 come off, but were still lying by the sides of the 

 reptiles in the stomach of the bird. There were 

 also the remains of many others. How exceedingly 

 guick the sight and actions of the Harrier must be 

 in capturing so many of these agile creatures, for 

 we are all familiar with the rapid movements of the 

 lizard, which instantly vanishes on the slightest 

 alarm. Young or immature specimens of Montagu's 

 Harrier in their brown plumage are occasionally 

 met with in Devonshire ; but one in the ash-grey of 

 maturity is rarely seeu, and, but for the discern- 

 ment of Mr. Brent, this fine specimen would doubt- 

 less have been entirely lost, or have shared the 

 ignominious fate of many other (rapacious) 

 ornithological rarities, by being nailed on door or 

 wall. — /. Gatconibe. 



Yellow-hammer {Ember iza cih-ineUa).— Is it 

 usual for the Yellow-hammer to build on spruce 

 fir, as I have this season found three nests of 

 these birds upon one tree, from four to six feet 

 from the ground ; and all of these nests were within 

 a very short distance from each other ? When I 

 found the first nest it had no eggs in it. I then 

 commenced to examine it, and found it to be built 

 of the same materials as the Yellow-hammer's. I 

 was surprised at this, for I never thought of this 

 bird being in this situation; and I expressed my 

 surprise to my son. I went on farther, and found 

 the second one, and it was without eggs also. The 

 nest was of the same construction as the first; I 

 had no further evidence of it being this bird's. I still 

 went a little farther, and found the third of these 

 nests, which had three eggs in it. I then had no 

 further doubt about their being the Yellow-ham- 

 mer's.—/. Taijlor. 



;- Tawny Owl {Syrnium Aluc6).—0xi April 25th, 

 an acquaintance passing by showed me a young 

 owl of this species, which had just been procured 

 from a hollow tree in Kingston Park. It was a 

 most funny little bird, nearly full-feathered, the 

 brown limbs of the adult plumage appearing here 

 and there. His head was a mass of soft downy 

 feathers, and his legs neatly covered with a pair of 

 very respectable stockings, warm and comfortable, 

 except a bare patch liigh up the leg, worn off by 

 the friction of resting on that part. This little owl, 

 though in juvenile attire, had an air of wisdom far 

 beyond his years (or weeks), and his look of settled 

 melancholy was enough to make a person decidedly 

 uncomfortable. One would imagine, to look at his 

 severe, grave, and misanthropical physiognomy, that 

 the weight of centuries had rested on his head, and 

 that his share of the trials and troubles of the world 

 had been by no means unlimited. He was dis- 

 covered in broad day perched bolt-upright at the 



entrance of the hole, and taking a few winks of the 

 "balmy," A tap on the trunk, and the large goggle- 

 eyes opened in that methodical way known to the 

 owners of wax dolls, and the hitherto unknown 

 object developed into a^ baby-owl. A ladder was 

 procured, his capture effected, and an inspection of 

 his domicile led to the discovery of a good-sized 

 rabbit, provided no doubt by his thoughtful parents 

 for their darling's dinner. The little owl is now 

 kept in an out-house and regaled with callow birds, 

 preparatory to doing duty as a feathered policeman 

 or beadle in a gentleman's garden. Query — Is not 

 the above date somewhat early for young owls, or 

 at least for such a fully-developed specimen as this 

 was?— 7/-^. H. IFanier, Kingston. 



A Shower OP Progs. — I quote the following 

 from "The Life of Thomas Cooper," written by 

 himself (pages 20-1). 1 know my noble old friend 

 — the author of the "Purgatory of Suicides" — too 

 well to believe for a moment in the possibility of a 

 mistake on his part in this matter. " The ride in 

 the carrier's cart, too, between Hasen and Gains- 

 borough, had its delights. One time, we set off 

 from Kasen late at night, and drew up in an open 

 field, sometime before the morning broke, to let the 

 horses graze a little. I have a most lively recollec- 

 tion of awaking in the cart, and looking out in 

 amazement at what seemed to be hundreds of small, 

 dull, strange-looking lights, scattered over the wide 

 field. My uncle told me they were glowworms ; 

 and he had never seen so many together before. 

 Nor have I ever had such a vision of wonder as 

 that, since boyhood. * * * * * 

 My mention of the strange vision of the field of 

 glowworms reminds me of another natural pheno- 

 menon I witnessed when a boy. I saw a shower of 

 live frogs. I record this, because I have read, not 

 only in that beautiful old book of Piaj 's, " The 

 Wisdom of God intUe Creation," but in later books 

 affecting great fidelity to facts in science, that such 

 a sight is impossible. I am as sure of what I relate 

 as I am of my own existence. The minute frogs, 

 jumping alive, fell on the pavement at our feet, and 

 came tumbling down the spouts from the tiles of 

 the houses into the water-tubs." The italics are 

 Mr. Cooper's own. The date M'ould be fifty-five 

 years ago, or more. — JF., Oxford. 



Irritating Effects of Caterpillar's Hairs. 

 — These being very sharp-pointed, enter the skin, 

 and act like little thorns. The number produces 

 a very unpleasant effect, and the more so the 

 thinner the skin. They are quite as bad as cowage, 

 and the hairs ou the leaves of the red dogwood are 

 as bad as either, but a little oil rubbed on the skin 

 will usually set all right. — E. T. S. 



Birds Eating their Eggs. — Some time ago I 

 was asked a similar question about hens. They use 

 their egg shells and the small bits of skin adhering 

 to them to feed their newly-hatched chickens, and 

 I expect other birds do the same. The lime in the 

 shell helps to strengthen the bones of the chick. — 

 E. T. S. 



Lesser Pettychap (p. 143). — Your correspon- 

 dent " G.," while endeavouring to set others right, 

 is himself wrong. S. ricfci is the name given to the 

 bird by continental authors, while S. hippolais is 

 retained by British authors. " G." is also wrong 

 in saying that it may not be generally known that 

 the Lesser Pettychap is the same as the Chiffchaff ; 

 all the works I possess givius both names.— /iT. H. 

 Warner, Kingston. 



