Aug. 1, 1S67.] 



HAUDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



191 



Impressions of Leaves. — To obtain exact 

 nature-printed copies of the leaves and impressions 

 of leaves found in the Lower Bugshot Pipe-clays, 

 let " It. C." mix well with cold drawn linseed oil, 

 indigo and chrome yellow to a very smooth con- 

 sistence with a palette-knife, till it assumes a good 

 vegetable green ; then, with a small camel's hair 

 pencil let him paint the impression very carefully, 

 and before it gets too dry, he may obtain on thin 

 paper, by gentle pressure with a piece of clean 

 flannel, a very good impression. — Wokingham. 



Mirage.— One hot day in the summer of 1865, 

 a mirage was seen off the coast of Hants : the 

 image of a large war-ship appeared upside-down, 

 just above the horizon. — K. 



Nut-borers— In vol. ii., "Insect Architecture," 

 by James ltennie, pp. 102, Ravages of Insects, 

 Mr. Murray will find a short article upon the nut 

 weevil {Balaninus nucum, Germar). As the entire 

 article might be too long for S.G., I send a con- 

 densed account for Mr. M's information, as he may 

 not have the work at hand. This weevil drills the 

 hole with its long horny beak {rostrum) while the 

 nuts are in their young and soft state, about the 

 beginning of August; the female lays one egg 

 which is thrust into the nut: it is of a brown colour, 

 and is hatched in about a fortnight, the grub 

 feeding on the interior of the shell as well as the 

 soft pulp. It is remarkable that during this period 

 care is taken not to injure the kernel, which is per- 

 mitted to ripen before it is attacked, for had this 

 been prematurely done it would have been starved, 

 as it had not the power of perforating another nut. 

 It is said to be careful to preserve the original hole 

 made by the mother by gnawing around its inner 

 edges, in order to facilitate its exit, which it effects 

 when the nut falls to the ground in September or 

 October. Two eggs are never laid in the same nut. 

 This insect in all probability caused the hole in 

 the nut observed by Mr. M.— W. P., Newark. 



Skunk odour. — It is lucky for the trade of per- 

 fumers, that their skill in essences has not as yet 

 attained to the power of concocting a perfume 

 equal in persistency to that secreted in the oil-glands 

 of this most disagreeable animal ; if such were the 

 case, the sale of one small phial would supply an in- 

 dividual for a lifetime. A handkerchief odorized with 

 scent so permanent would defy the combined 

 powers of soap, soda, and washerwomen to remove 

 the mephitic bouquet, as long as the fabric retained 

 its entirety — 



Bury and wash, and rub as you will, 



The scent of the skunk will cling to them still. 



Lord's British Columbia. 



Magpie.— I have a magpie the feathers of which 

 of late continually looked greasy, as though the bird 

 perspired profusely ; and now he has not only lost 

 his tail, but the greater part of his feathers, and 

 though once a fine bird has become a miserable ob- 

 ject. Can any one enlighten me as to the cause, or 

 its cure? As I imagine, it must be in some manner 

 associated with his food, a hint or two towards a 

 rectification of his dietary would oblige. — R. H. 



What's the 

 suppose that a . 



feathers when they see it applying its bill to its 

 plumage, aud running it down a feather, from the 

 root to the extremity ; but a man well versed in the 

 habits of birds knows, when he sees the bird do this 



Bird doing.— People are apt to 

 bird is preening, or rectifying its 



(except after it has got wet), that it is trying to dis- 

 lodge the vermin which cling with an astonishing 

 pertinacity to the feathers. Now, while the bird is 

 thus employed on that part of its body just above 

 the tail, where there is a gland, some people imagine 

 that the bird is procuring a liquor from the gland, 

 by means of its beak, in order to apply it to its 

 feathers. But, at best, this can be only mere con- 

 jecture on the part of the observer, because the 

 feathers on the rump completely preclude the 

 possibility of his having a distinct view of what the 

 bird is doing. — IFaterton's Essays. 



Song of the Lark.— No doubt much of the 

 pleasure derived from the song of the Lark depends 

 upon association, and to him who finds delight in 

 wandering over the green fields, along the daisied 

 margin of the clear stream that winds in the bottom 

 of the pastoral glen, or upon the ferny brae, where 

 the "lang yellow broom" and "blossomed furze 

 unprofitably gay," shoot up amidst the wild thyme, 

 yarrow, and blue bell, it is pleasant to listen even to 

 the "skirl" of the Corn Bunting, the seesaw song of 

 the Tit, the creaking cry of the Partridge, or the 

 singular crake of the Land-rail ; but, independently 

 of circumstances and associations, the song of the 

 Lark imparts'an elasticity to the mind, elevates the 

 spirits, and suspends for a time the gnawing of 

 corroding care. — Macgillvray's British Birds. 



Cement wanted.— I shall feel obliged if I cau 

 be informed- through the medium of your "Notes 

 and Queries" what is the best cement for fasten- 

 ing india-rubber to britannia metal. — William Bate. 



Milton and Reade— " T. A. H." writes us in 

 defence of the grammatical construction of the 

 passage quoted by "F. A. A." and condemned by 

 Mr. Milton in our last number. We cannot sanction 

 philological discussions in our columns, and regret 

 that Mr. Milton's grounds of complaint against 

 " F. A. A." should have required sucii adventitious 

 aid.— Ed. 



Eish Tanks. — In answer to your correspondent 

 " G. A. W." concerning gold fish, I would observe, in 

 the first place, that the recent covering of the 

 bottoms with Portland cement would in all proba- 

 bility prove fatal to his fish. It has the same blind- 

 ing and killing properties as lime, therefore all 

 tanks, ponds, basins for fountains and aquariums in 

 the construction of which lime or cement has been 

 used should have the water drained off once a week 

 for about a month previous to the introduction of 

 the fish. I would also recommend about one inch of 

 gravel sand or burnt earth spread over the bottom . 

 Your correspondent states that the depth of his 

 pond is from 8 inches to 14 inches. Now 14 inches 

 of water is not enough to protect fish from the 

 burning rays of a summer's sun, neither is it suffi- 

 cient to preserve them from the winter's cold. Give 

 them three feet in the middle, procure some roots 

 of the water lily and a couple of deep propagating 

 pans in which plant the lilies, well securing them in 

 the pans by placing large stones or pebbles upou 

 the top of roots. A pot or two of the Calla plant 

 look very beautiful in a pond and does well ; the 

 foilage of the lilies will prove an agreeable shelter 

 to the fish without which no fish can thrive. Pur- 

 suing this plan, I have had them in water under my 

 care breed by thousands, so numerous that every 

 summer we were obliged to thin them, and this in a 

 gentleman's garden within 4 miles of the Marble 

 Arch, London. — Henry Morgan. 



