Feb. 1, 1867.] 



HABDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



47 



Terns inland— A correspondent writing from 

 Kelvedon, Essex, informs the readers of Science 

 Gossip for January, that he has " succeeded " in 

 shooting a Tern in that neighbourhood. Surely it 

 would have been a far more estimable feat if he 

 had succeeded in preventing the bird from being 

 shot, so that it might have been seen by other 

 people besides himself. I have constantly visited, the 

 spot and have taken others thither. I believe that 

 most of our large ponds would be ornamented by 

 these most elegant birds, were they allowed to live 

 when they came. In 1865 I saw one skimming 

 over the pond on Wisley Heath, Surrey. It was 

 shot at by the landlord of the " Kut " tavern there 

 (who has already three stuffed specimens in his 

 parlour) : although he did not " succeed" in killing 

 it, he so wounded the beautiful creature, that it flew 

 away heavily, soon to be brought down by somebody 

 more " successful " than himself. Every naturalist 

 should do all in his power to prevent this cruel and 

 stupid practice of destroying all our most beautiful 

 birds, or at least not himself join in it. Our rural 

 districts would then be enlivened by many species 

 of birds, which now only occasionally come, to be 

 shot. — W. B. Tate, Grove Place, Denmark Hill. 



A Curiosity op Nature. — A house-wife of 

 Eingmei-, Sussex, in breaking eggs for the Christ- 

 mas pudding, broke one out of which, to her no 

 small astonishment, dropped another egg, completely 

 shelled, and about the size of a wren's egg. This 

 latter she has preserved as a curiosity of nature. — 

 Brighton Observer. 



Poor Eellow ! — A squirrel, which I have had for 

 nearly two years, was attacked a few weeks ago with 

 what seemed to me to be a stroke of paralysis 

 — causing him to lose the use of his hind legs — 

 which on Sunday last proved fatal. On looking at 

 the body about an hour after death, I found a number 

 of full-grown gentles issuing from it. Were they 

 the cause of death, and of his losing the use of his 

 limbs some weeks before ? If not, what was the 

 cause of the gentles appearing so soon after death, 

 as there was no smell or other sign of decav ? — 

 C. L. C. 



Cat-Eueas. — Being desirous of exhibiting the 

 larva of the cat-flea at the Soiree of the Quekett 

 Club, on the 4th January, I proceeded to collect 

 eggs_. A cloth was laid for puss to sleep upon late 

 at night, and early in the morning the eggs were 

 gathered. The first night gave 62 eggs, the second 

 78 eggs, the third 67, and the fourth 77. Erom these 

 numbers, an idea of some of the troubles which puss 

 experiences may be gained. Fortunately the eggs 

 require very great fostering care to hatch them (our 

 own brood all died two days after the soiree), or the 

 owners of cats would soon find their pets an intoler- 

 able nuisance, because the species, to our certain 

 knowledge,will attack man. Probably not a twentieth 

 part of the eggs laid reach their full development. — 

 S. J. Mclntire. 



Lept no Address.— E. A., Chippenham, Wilts, 

 would feel obliged by any reader furnishing him 

 with the address of W. Winter, who, on Eeb. 23rd, 

 1866, was residing at Mulbarton, near Norwich, and 

 who advertised in Science Gossip late in the year 

 1865, through the medium of his friend H. Balls, 

 Needham, offering to supply subscribers, at one 

 guinea each, with thirty microscopic specimens, to 

 be collected by him in his own and adjoining dis- 

 tricts, in the course of the following year. 



Mice eating Pup^e.— I have just had twenty 

 fine pupaj of Sphingidce eaten by mice. Is it gene- 

 rally known that they are to be numbered among 

 the entomologist's foes ? I went to put some fresh 

 moss over the box they were buried in, and found 

 the earth scattered about, and not a skin, or a piece 

 of one, left. — Henry Ul/yelt, Folkestone. 



[We have heard and read of such propensities in 

 mice, but cannot remember in what journal recorded. 

 —Ed.] 



Hyalonema.— At the meeting of the Zoological 

 Society, January 18, 1867, an interesting pauer°was 

 read by Dr. Bowerbank, F.R.S., on Hyalonema 

 mirabile, in which he adduced many arguments in 

 support of his statement, that the whole of this 

 beautiful structure was a true sponge, and that the 

 so-called "polypheads" on the crust which sur- 

 rounds the long "glass whip" (as it has been 

 termed), are, in reality analogous to the oscula of 

 some _ British sponges, specimens of which he 

 exhibited. This opinion has been vigorously 

 disputed by Dr. J. E. Gray. Dr. Carpenter was 

 present, and remarked that, having entered the 

 room free from prejudice, he was convinced by the 

 evidence brought forward by Dr. Bowerbank, that 

 his view of the question was correct. The following 

 amusing lines on the discussion appeared in Land 

 and Water: — 



A FIGHT AT THE "ZOO"' about a ZOO-PHYTE. 



When doctors the views of each other deride, 



It is often exceedingly hard to decide 



On the weight of the arguments offered by each 



In support of the doctrines they sev'rally teach. 



And whether their difference belong to Geology, 



Divinity, Chemistry, Physic, Zoology, 



When two masters in science are pleading their cause 



(Be they doctors of medicine or doctors of laws), 



Outsiders can only be modestly silent, 



And judge him in the wrong who appears the most vi'lent. 



Men of science well know there has been a contention 



'Twixt two eminent men of right honest intention, 



As to whether a " thing " in the national collection 



Stands nearest allied and in closest connection 



With the sponges ; or whether it's really no lower 



In Nature's great scale than the class Polyzoa ; 



And this question of " Sponge or Zoophyte new," 



Very nearly occasioned & fight at the " Zoo " 



(One of words, of course, only : I hope you'll excuse, 



For the sake of the pun, the expression 1 use;. 



The " bone of contention " was placed on the table, 



Around which were seated some men the most able, 



From their ardent devotion to Natural History, 



To decide on the point and unravel the mystery. 



'Twas " Hyalonema mirabile " dictu, 



And had long flinty spicules so sharp that they pricked you; 



(The Chairman pronounced the penultimate long, 



i thus use it, althoueh it's decidedly wrong). 



These fibres, which looked like spun-glass, formed a core, 



Which measured in length fourteen inches, or more. 



And around which was gathered a dark-looking crust, 



Which Dr. Gray always has taken on trust, 



To be what he calls " Polypigerum corium," — 



That is, he believes it to be an emporium * 



Inhabited, made, and secreted by creatures 



Possessing the polyps' distinguishing features. 



Dr. Bowerbank soon of this \iew made a clearance, 



And proved to the meeting how, spite of appearance, 



The dark-looking crust and the sponge at its base, 



With the long flinty spicules which both these encase, 



Were all formed by a creature with sponges identical, 



And that no part of either had ever borne tentacle, 



Demonstrated, in fact — (which has always been my "idee ") — 



That the whole thing belonged to the genus " Spongiad<E." 



This appears to be settled ; but if his opponent 



Again of his views should become the exponent, 



Atid the two should once more into argument plunge, 



Dr. Bowerbank never need throw up the sponge. 



H.L. 



* I don't like emoloying this queer word " emporium," 

 But I can't find another to rhyme well with " corium." 



