March 1, 1S67.] 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



69 



Squirrels.— The disease described by C. L. C. 

 as having killed his squirrel is known as the "Rot." 

 It is caused by too moist food. Bread and milk in 

 the shape of "pap " will mostly prove fatal. I was 

 applied to for advice in a similar case by a young 

 lady who had a favourite grey squirrel, whose hind 

 limbs were so paralyzed. 1 prescribed dry food, in 

 the shape of hemp-seed and gingerbread, which was 

 a perfect cure. When a squirrel dies of the rot the 

 maggots appear externally ; and, I presume, are en- 

 gendered daring life. The squirrel may be kept in 

 health on a diet of hemp-seed, varied by a piece of 

 bread dipped in milk only (not soaked), nuts, and 

 green buds. Let him drink his fill of water once 

 daily, and stuff his bed box quite full of nice dry 

 hay, he will then amuse himself by biting it to 

 pieces and making a very cosy nest. — John Hunter, 

 New Maiden, Surrey. 



Shooting Rare Birds. — I feel sure that every 

 true naturalist will agree with Mr. Tate in condemn- 

 ing the shameful practice, which appears to be 

 sorely on the increase, of killing every rare bird, 

 which, unfortunately for it, is led towards our 

 shores. It is almost impossible to take up any 

 paper on natural history without meeting with 

 numerous instances. Take, for example, the Wax- 

 wing (Bombycilla garrula), which has appeared 

 in great numbers during the few weeks past. 

 Where possible, every flock has been extermin- 

 ated, and the birds have been sent to the nearest 

 stuffer. In the last number of Science-Gossip 

 there is an account of a country correspondent 

 shooting a female Great-spotted Woodpecker (Picus 

 major). The gentleman who sends the information 

 is not quite sure in his own mind as to how it will 

 be received, for he commences to say, "Perhaps 

 you may be interested, &c." (p. 41). How such 

 wanton persecution can in any way be interesting is 

 a mystery to me! It would be very interesting if 

 instead of shooting the birds your correspondents 

 would watch their habits, and give us the parti- 

 culars ; by so doing they would add to our know- 

 ledge of ornithology, whilst at the same time they 

 would have the satisfaction of knowing that they 

 had saved the lives of rare visitors. I wish, with 

 Mr. Tate, that this "stupid practice of destroying 

 all our most beautiful birds "could be stopped; but 

 I cannot see how it is to be done, because the temp- 

 tation of shooting a rare bird to add to a collection 

 is too great to be resisted by many who call them- 

 selves naturalists. — Edward Simpson, Chelsea. 



Frog in Oolite. — In speaking of the discovery 

 of a frog in the oolite, Mr. Simon Hutchinson says : 

 " Personal inquiry can be made by the sceptical, or 

 silence in future will be most becoming." Why 

 should personal inquiry be made ? What will it 

 prove more than Munton's letter proves? 1 sup- 

 pose no one would care to doubt that he truthfully 

 describes what he saw. But why should Mr. 

 Hutchinson wish to compel people to a belief in his 

 explanation of the phenomenon, or else to silence ? 

 One had thought that rational men had given up 

 such bigotry as this. Surely no sane person would 

 now-a-days try to uphold such an absurdity as the 

 existence of a frog in oolite mud. Why, how would 

 salt water agree with him ? To say nothing of 

 minor difficulties. If Mr. Hutchinson will take the 

 trouble to examine the stone quarries around Grant- 

 ham, and especially those at Ancaster, he will find 

 Elenty of fissures through which poor froggy might 

 ave come to grief in his wooing expedition. I 

 think, sir, this is a much more rational mode of ex- 



plaining the presence of the "apple in the dump- 

 ling " than by supposing the crust to have been 

 raised and baked some hundred thousand years 

 -Li. 



as;o. 



Conochilus Volvos.— Mr. Mclntire, in the 

 January number, remarks that the " Conochilus 

 Volvox " will not live in confinement. Knowing 

 this, I was surprised to find that large numbers 

 made their appearance in my aquarium in October, 

 1S65, and continued for nearly two months to 

 the delight of myself and microscopic friends. The 

 aquarium is rectangular, holds about seven gallons 

 of water, and is exposed to a north light. At that 

 time it had six gold fish in it, and the plants were 

 Anacharis alsinastrum, Chara vulgaris, Valisneria 

 spiralis, and a species of rush (I don't know the 

 name). Pump-water was used for filling. Now, 

 in dipping for Conochilus, the most likely place to 

 find them is amongst rushes. Could the rushes in 

 the aquarium have had anything to do with their 

 production in this instance ? Through an accident 

 I had last spring to remodel my aquarium, and sup- 

 pose I did not fulfil the same conditions, as they 

 did not again favour me. — John Davis, Stoic- 

 market. 



Microscopic Camera. — In vol. ii., p. 233, 

 Science-Gossip, is a description of a " Microscopic 

 Camera Obscura." Whilst waiting for the Prism 

 there mentioned, any one can obtain an excellent re- 

 sult by using a common looking-glass hung inside the 

 box, and made moveable by an attached string 

 passing through a small pulley on the top of the box. 

 After removing the eye-piece and adjusting the glass, 

 so that it may form an angle of 45° with the axis of 

 the microscope, a beautiful image is visible upon the 

 paper underneath, which image is, of course, made 

 to vary in its brilliancy by altering the intensity of 

 the light— H. W. 



Object for Microscope. — In the January 

 number J. S. Tute mentions varnish evaporating 

 as an object. Another interesting one is a small 

 quantity of powdered charcoal mixed with a little 

 spirit of wine, and put between two glasses. The 

 regular movement of the charcoal in the current 

 of the evaporating spirit is curious. A bit of chalk 

 or zinc dissolving in weak acid is a capital object 

 for the gas microscope.— E. T. Scott. 



Dust on Aquaria. — I dare say many of your 

 readers who keep aquaria have been, like myself 

 much troubled by the collection of dust on the sur- 

 face of the water. Thisisafertilesource of annoyance, 

 especially in shallow aquaria where everything 

 depends on the clearness of the surface. I have 

 adopted a plan which may not be original, although 

 I have not seen it mentioned anywhere. It is to 

 take a small gallipot, and to hold it just below the 

 surface of the water. In the other hand I hold a 

 funnel with a piece of rag in it, into which I throw 

 the contents of the gallipot as often as it fills. This 

 I find speedily and effectually skims off all the dust 

 and leaves the water as clear as a looking-glass. — 

 George Gatehouse. 



Barn-Bat and Marsh-Worm. — Have any of 

 your correspondents seen the barn-rat feeding on 

 the marsh-worm (Lumbricus minor) ? Last summer 

 I saw several in the day-time feeding on this worm, 

 which they gathered up in their paws and eat like a 

 squirrel, sitting up on their hind-quarters. They 

 often went below the surface of the water whilst 

 seeking for the worm. — H. Smith. 



