236 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



continuedto n'rate Litlier and thither until the 

 congregation dispersed, in some of his evolutions 

 approaching very near to the minister ofBciating. — 



/. R. s. a 



Chaffinch's Nest.— One evening in July last I 

 took a chaffinch's nest with five eggs : it was built 

 in a holly-tree about six feet from the ground. Its 

 singular appearance first attracted my attention, as 

 it afterwards proved, by its containing a nest of the 

 common humble bee. Is this not rather an unusual 

 occurrence, as that insect generally builds in banks, 

 &c. ?—TAomas C. Ol/om. 



Bee Okchis. — I found a single plant of this rare 

 orchid last season, growing close to the steep path- 

 way which leads down to the great quarry at 

 Babbacombe, and although I sousht diligently all 

 round that district for some weeks afterwards, I 

 saw no more of it. My much-prized little waif had 

 but a solitary bloom on the tip of its spike, and 

 was, indeed, but a stunted plant, although the 

 flower itself was of the ordinary size and very bril- 

 liant in colour. This season, however, I have been 

 very fortunate in finding this lovely species in 

 tolerable abundance and of considerable size, some 

 of the spikes being over eisht inches in height, and 

 bearing a series of exquisite blooms, from five to 

 eight in number. They were growing in society 

 with very fine specimens of the common crimson 

 and pink orchis, on the downs between Churstou 

 andBrixham, perilously near the ordinary pathway; 

 but as these downs are, I believe, very little fre- 

 quented, I am in hopes that this rare orchid will 

 escape detection by the numerous ruthless collectors 

 of rare plants that infest this and many other parts 

 of Devonshire, much to the annoyance of all true 

 lovers of botany.— /F". II. Grattann, Torquay. 



Cky of Woodpigeon.— With regard to G. O. 

 Howell's communication respecting the Wood- 

 pigeon's cry, I may say that I heard the story he 

 relates more than ten years ago, told by a farmer 

 in Essex, with some very small differences of detail. 

 I at once set it down as belonging to the vast 

 genera of tales that may go for as much as they are 

 worth, for it is very unlikely that any one living in 

 such a place as Wales, or indeed in any place at 

 all, should be ignorant of the cooing of the Wood- 

 pigeon. — /. //. Jennings. 



Origin of the Game Cock.— "J. W. B." was 

 niisinformed when he Avas told that the Game Cock 

 is a hybrid " between the cock pheasant and the 

 farm-yard hen." The exact origin of the Game 

 fowl, like that of most of our other domestic 

 animals, is hidden in the obscurity of the past. 

 However, most of the naturalists who have studied 

 the subject think that the Game fowl, like all our 

 other domestic varieties of poultry, is descended 

 from the common jungle-fowl {Gailus fermgineus). 

 "J. W. B." is also mistaken when he states that 

 they arc "now happily scarce." A visit to any of 

 our large poultry-shows will convince him that tlicy 

 are as numerous as ever; and indeed it would be a 

 great pity if the breed were neglected, as, although 

 rather small, they are the best of all fowl for the 

 table; the hens are good layers and excellent 

 motliers ; while for brilliancy 'and beauty of plu- 

 mage, they are unsurpassed by any other variety. — 

 n\ M. A. jr., Balkey. 



Dead Plies. — Walking one evening in Burghley 

 Park, with an eye to the collection 'of specimens 

 for the microscope, my attention was attracted to a 



clump of grass under the shade of some spreading 

 lime-trees. On many of the stems of grass were 

 insects like the one I inclose (my entomological 

 knowledge is insufficient to enable me to give 

 its scientific name) : their legs were so firmly 

 entwined round the grass, that it was next to 

 innpossible to remove them without pulling them to 

 pieces. To my surprise 1 found that all the insects 

 were dead ; and on closer examination with a lens, 

 they appeared to have been affected by the fly- 

 disease — Empusa mztscte. Many of the stems of 

 grass had two insects upon each ; and it was 

 curious to see so large a number affected iu the 

 manner described.—/. Ford, Stamford. 



The Influence of a Damp Winter on Insect 

 Life (d. 139). — I w-ould remark, in reply to 

 "C. G. B.," that I never intended to dissociate 

 the influences of moisture and a high temperature 

 in winter ; the two are almost invariably connected, 

 and it is to the operation of both causes that I attri- 

 bute the scarcity of insects generally in a season 

 like the present ; indeed, his remarks on the im- 

 petus given to the operations of birds and preda- 

 cious insects by a mild winter tend to support my 

 views. In speaking of hyhernating larvae (of the 

 Lepidoptera), " C. G . B." scarcely distinguishes 

 sufficiently between those whose habit it is to 

 remain without food during the winter, and those 

 which eat a little at intervals, feeding as they do 

 upon plants which are more or less in leaf during 

 the winter. The result of a mild winter in the 

 latter case is, that though some fall a prey to various 

 enemies, the rest of the brood are only stimulated 

 to a more rapid growth, and therefore feed up and 

 become mature earlier than usual in the spring. 

 The larvfc, which should naturally be torpid, suffer 

 most by the mildness, because, as I stated, they 

 will, some of them, be roused to activity when 

 there is little or no food for them. Many of these 

 repose during the winter on or near the ground, 

 and are killed by excessive moisture, but unhurt by 

 frost. In a late number of the Entomologist there 

 appears a note from a well-known correspondent on 

 this very subject, and I am glad to be able to quote 

 Mr. Reeks's opinion that a bad summer for insects 

 is sure to follow a winter such as that of 1871-72. 

 He states : "I have for many years noted that mild, 

 wet winters prove far more destructive to insect", 

 life than dry ones with any amount of severe frosts;" 

 and the sudden alternations which we have had this 

 summer have helped to increase the scarcity of but- 

 terflies and moths. A favourable day would bring 

 forth a great portion of a brood from the pupa ; but 

 ere the work of oviposition was completed, a change 

 would come, and winds or rains sweep many of the 

 insects away, leaving few to continue the species. — 

 /. B. S. C. 



Erratum.— In the note on ^lontagu's Harrier iu 

 August number, read 1870 for 1872. 



The Leopard Moth.— In his "British Moths," 

 Newman states that the wood-boring larva of this 

 insect never destroys the trees in which it makes 

 its habitation, but rather improves them. Of course 

 it behoves one to be very careful before questioning 

 the accuracy of so decided an assertion made by so 

 eminent an entomologist ; but not far from this place 

 there is a row of elms, several of which have been 

 entirely destroyed by Z. (Csctdi. The trees were 

 carefully and constantly examined by myself and 

 other collectors during this year's season, and many 

 Leopard moths were taken, "but no traces of beetles 



