18G 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE -GOSSIP. 



[Aug. 1, 1867. 



oysters on the beds again— thirdly, what rules must 

 in future be. observed in fishing so as to prevent a 

 similar misfortune. It is evident that this last 

 question will involve a thorough investigation of 

 the habits of the pearl-oyster. It is, therefore, 

 interesting to the lover of Natural History to know 

 that there is a prospect of something being done in 

 this direction. Mr. Holdsworth went out in October, 

 1865, and after more than a year of difficulties and 

 disappointments, he is able to say in a letter, dated 

 March, 1867, which I am allowed' to quote,— "The 

 pearl-oysters have again made their appearance on 

 the Ceylon banks. Two patches of ground — one 

 half a mile square, the other a mile square — are 

 covered with young oysters, as thickly as they can 

 well be placed. They are, however, very young, 

 ranging from about two weeks to two months old, 

 being much younger than any of the present fishery 

 officials have seen; so that there is a prospect of 

 ascertaining the rate of growth, if these young 

 creatures remain on the banks. To know the age 

 of an oyster when it is found, is one of the most 

 important matters in connection with the fishery, 

 since the oyster should be taken just when it arrives 

 at maturity, and just before it dies, which it is said 

 to do when sis or seven years old."— Robert Blight. 



Grasshopper Warbler (Salicaria locustella). — 

 This is an exceedingly shy bird. On its arrival here 

 in the spring, it generally takes up its abode in 

 some thick stunted hedge, which affords it both 

 food and concealment. Seldom moving from the 

 spot so selected, in the evening its peculiar note 

 may be heard, which has a fine ventriloquial effect ; 

 not often is it heard in the daytime, although I 

 have seen it in the early morning perched on the 

 topmost spray of the hedge, with quivering wings, 

 warbling forth its notes. The nest is very artfully 

 concealed a few inches above the ground, by the 

 side of a ditch, and is composed of dried grass. The 

 eggs are generally six or seven in number. Should 

 the female be disturbed while sitting, she generally 

 drops down among the grass, and shuffles along 

 under it like a mouse for some distance. During 

 the period of incubation the song of the male is 

 very seldom heard ; but as soon as the young is 

 fledged, he is again harmonious, and continues so 

 until their departure from our shores. — Thos. H. 

 Hedworth, Duiiston. 



"Voracity of the Trout. — Whilst fishing in 

 one of the Hampshire trout-streams on the 2Sth of 

 June, I caught several trout, one of which on being 

 opened the following day was found to contain 

 another, which it must have swallowed at least 

 twenty-four hours previously. The length and 

 weight of the fish are as follows : — The large one : 

 extreme length 15 in., weight 1 lb. ; the smaller 

 trout : length 7 in., weight 3 oz. — //. T. 



Pussy's Eoster-Pup — A small Scotch terrier 

 had six pups ; the three prettiest were left jvith the 

 mother, the others were condemned to be drowned. 

 One of the servants begged leave to bring up one of 

 the ugly pups by hand, as a kitchen dog. Leave 

 was granted, and the servant placed the pup in a 

 basket belonging to a cat who had been deprived of 

 her kittens a fortnight before. When the servant 

 returned, she found that the cat was in the basket, 

 and had taken possession of the pup, which she 

 would not allow any one to touch. She took entire 

 charge of the pup, and brought it up, with a very 

 little assistance from the servant, who occasionally 

 administered a little milk with a spoon. Eor some 

 time the pup was very tiny. Puss used to wash it, 

 carry it about, and in every way treat it as a child 

 of her own. After he was six months old, the dog 

 grew considerably ; he is now about six years old, 

 very ugly but very intelligent. In some ways he 

 seems to have the nature of his foster-mother ; he 

 hates getting his feet wet or dirty, dislikes dogs, 

 but is friendly to cats, and washes his face like a 

 cat, by passing his paw behind his ear and over his 

 face.— -Abigail. 



Snake and Mouse. — I was out lately on one of 

 my expeditions in the neighbourhood of Sheffield, 

 and captured a very fine specimen of the ring- 

 snake ; he was 35 inches long, very plump, and full 

 of life and animation. I put the reptile into a 

 wooden box with a glass front, so that myself and 

 friends might the better watch his movements. 

 We could get him to eat nothing. Toads and 

 frogs, bread and milk, meat raw and boiled : but 

 nothing would he touch. At length we put a live 

 mouse into his box ; but the mouse ate the snake — 

 at any rate he ate four or five inches of his tail. 

 Lest it should be said that I was mistaken, I took 

 two or three friends with me to witness the novelty 

 for themselves. The mouse was two days in the 

 box before he commenced his repast. He first bit 

 the tail off, I think ; for when we observed his 

 mouseship dining, he was munching the loose end 

 with great gusto; so that instead of the snake 

 eating the mouse, the mouse commenced devouring 

 the snake.—/. Potts. 



Died of a Shrew.— Iu one instance (during the 

 severe winter of 1859-60) a kingfisher was seen to 

 pitch down close to the bank of the river, and rising 

 again fly off to a rail close by. The person watch- 

 ing this bird saw it attempt to swallow something, 

 when it suddenly fell backwards, and was picked up 

 dead. On being examined afterwards it was found 

 to have bolted a little shrew mouse, which unusual 

 morsel had evidently caused its untimely end, and 

 showed how hard pressed these poor birds must 

 have been for their natural food. — Stevenson's Birds 

 of Norfolk. 



