2U 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



March 14tli ; it was then obviously ouly just ex- 

 truded, as the globules were in a clear compact 

 mass, and not yet fully expanded. Older spawn 

 was found at the same place this same day; also, 

 several couples of frogs were still breeding. — 

 C. B. E. 



A Botanical Difficulty.— Will you, or any of 

 your readers, kindly set me right in the following 

 difficulty: — I find, on reference to Garrod's "Ma- 

 teria Medica" and Oliver's " Botany," tliey state 

 that Hmnuliis lupulus and Cannahis saiiviis belong 

 to the natural order Urticacea, while Boyle and 

 Headland's "Materia Medica," Bentley's "Botany," 

 and Squires's " Companion to the Pharmacopoeia," 

 state that they belong to Camiahinacece. W hich is 

 right ?— ^. n. H. 



To Pkeseeve Wasps' Nests. — A correspondent 

 asks how to preserve a wasps' nest? 1 have never 

 seen a wasps' nest preserved, but I have seen two 

 very fine specimens of hornets' nests. They were 

 taken out of the roof of a house. When all the 

 hornets were out, the nests were put under a large 

 bell-glass with several pieces of camphor. After 

 being kept so for some time they were removed, 

 and no smell was to be perceived, though they were 

 full of larv£e. They were afterwards kept under a 

 glass, and I think some camphor kept with them to 

 preserve them from moth. — T. B. Blow. 



Mice Entering Cages. — Like your corre- 

 spondent " E. M. P.," _ I have been annoyed by 

 mice entering cages against walls; but it has not 

 occurred very frequently, and the only object of 

 the visit was seemingly the seeds to be obtained 

 from the floor of the cage : those in the glasses 

 were rarely touched. In one instance a mouse 

 showed some dexterity in paying his nocturnal 

 visit, as the cage was hung high up, and to get 

 in the mouse must have made an angular leap 

 from the edge of a shelf. Prom the examination 

 of the _ cage on successive days, it was evident 

 these visits were repeated, probably by the same 

 animal. There was an old and very tame canary 

 into whose cage a mouse would enter, sometimes 

 even in the day if the apartment was deserted. 

 The bird did not seem alarmed at its visitant, and 

 if any one entered the room, the artful mouse would 

 keep quite still at thebottom of the cage, and only 

 on the observer coming up close, would it make 

 a sudden dash at the wires and effect its escape. — 



/. B. s. a 



A One-legged Bullfinch.— I possess a bird 

 of this species, which by accident lost one of 

 his legs, but which, nevertheless, is more active 

 than some birds possessing the natural number of 

 these valuable supports. His greatest acliieve- 

 ment is to stand upon his stump and scratch his 

 head with the yet remaining limb. If his cage- 

 door be left open, he will leave it and hop rapidly 

 along the table, eluding the grasp with dexterity. 

 Though he always goes to roost upon his perch, 

 he almost invariably loses his equilibrium some 

 time during the night, and is compelled to repose 

 thereafter at the bottom of the cage, since he is 

 far too sagacious to exhaust himself by making a 

 succession of attempts to reach the perch in the 

 dark. But it is odd that he seems to "abhor a 

 vacuum;" he is never to be found asleep in the 

 morning in the middle of the cage, but hobbles up 

 to one of the sides, against which he steadies him- 



self. He will occasionally eat at night, an unuusal 

 thing with Endish birds, though common amongst 

 canaries.—/. B. S. C. 



"Moth among Clothes." — Having just been 

 told by a lady friend the best method she has ever 

 tried for the preservation of clothes from the 

 ravages committed bv moths, I think I can hardly 

 do better than let " W. M._ M.'/ have the benefit of 

 my friend's recipe. It is simply this : — Obtain 

 from a chemist a small quantity of "bitter apple 

 powder," and sew it up in little silk bags. Place 

 one or two of these among the clothes, and no moth 

 will ever venture to thrust either its proboscis or its 

 ovipositor within a goodly distance of the bag, box, 

 or drawer wherein the powder lies. — L. V. H. 



Silver in Surrey. — Three weeks ago some 

 workmen were excavating and forming a reservoir 

 for the waterworks at Moulsey, when, about thirty 

 feet below the surface of the earth, they discovered 

 a quantity of silver ore. A specimen of the quartz 

 shown to me appeared to be richly impregnated, 

 the ore running in large veins. Of the quantity 

 found, and the extent of ground it covered, I have 

 not been able to obtain any definite information. — 

 Thomas C. Oborn. 



White Varieties.— A white variety of Coitaurea 

 nigra exists in several localities about here. fAl- 

 though not lessening the pest of the plant to the 

 agriculturist, nevertheless it interests the botanist 

 by its pretty white tufts. — W. T. Biff, Bpsom. 



PiGHTiNG Ants. — As I have already stated in a 

 previous number, I am much troubled with red. 

 ants, which completely overrun my garden, twenty 

 or more colonies being established under one wall. 

 I can only destroy them with boiliug water, which 

 also kills the border plants. Any other remedy will 

 be thankfully received. The other morning I found 

 my little friends had been engaged in sanguinary 

 warfare ; dead ants covered the gravel paths for a 

 distance of about ten yards, while a numerous 

 "ambulance corps" were very busy carrying off the 

 dead. I have never found them actually engaged in 

 battle, so I suppose most of the fighting is done at 

 night, as the dead are very numerous in early 

 morning. If they go on at this rate much longer, 

 there will be no further need of boiling water ! 

 judging from the multitudes of slain. — JoJin Hen- 

 derson, juu., Beading. 



Chameleons Utilized. — It occurred to the 

 writer of this, some years ago, that it would not 

 ouly be highly interesting to keep chameleons for 

 the sake of observing their extraordinary habits 

 and mode of existence, but also that it would be 

 highly profitable to keep them as domestic pets, for 

 the ])urpose of lessening the torment and annoyance 

 we sutler from our common house flies {Miisca 

 domestica), and other more strange and travelling 

 insects ; and that for this utilitarian purpose 

 chameleons should be cultivated in those climates 

 they are natives of. Tliey would live comfortably 

 in our dwelling-houses, and certainly in such rooms 

 as are used as sitting-rooms, and where a fire is 

 constantly kept. Thus, by keeping these most 

 interesting creatures, who are unlimited warfarers 

 against flies, gnats, and all other such " small 

 deer," we might study and learn much that would 

 be instructive, and at the same time we could get 

 rid of the accursed plague of house flies and of 

 numerous other insects. — IF. Mawe. 



