May 1, 1S67-] 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



117 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



Water Boatman.— Should any one be tempted 

 to follow the advice of Mr. John Bockett by in- 

 troducing the Water Boatman into an aquarian), let 

 him beware of putting him in company with fish. 

 When less experienced than at present, I introduced 

 several into my children's aqua-vivarium, and in 

 about two or three days such was the mortality that 

 we thought some terrible epidemic had seized our 

 fish. While looking mournfully at our pets, with 

 this idea, we saw a Water Boatman lodge on the 

 head of a rather large gold fish, who shook it off and 

 swam away, but in a few minutes staggered, 

 struggled, turned on its side, and died. Carefully 

 watching them, we witnessed several similar attacks 

 •with the same result ; I need not say the murderers 

 were summarily ejected. No doubt they are 

 amusing creatures in a separate tank. — L. H. F. 



Rural Natural" History.— I know not how 

 far Mr. Holland's ingenious speculation regarding 

 "fistles" is correct, but he may be interested in 

 knowing that "fistula" is in the district (W Nor- 

 folk), generally pronounced by the poor "thistulo." 



Cure for Ague? — A curious mode of treatment 

 for ague is practised in Marshland. I give it as it 

 was narrated to a clerical friend in that district. 

 "Well, sir, you must catch a moll, and it must 

 be a male moll." " What is a moll ? " says his 

 reverence. "A moll, sir! why one of those little 

 creatures which they hang on trees " (meaning, 

 illiterate reader, a mole'). "Well, sir, you must 

 then skin it, and dry the body in the oven, and then 

 powder it, and you must take as much of the powder 

 as will lie on a shilling every day in gin. You must 

 take it for nine days running, and then miss nine, 

 and then take it nine days more, and then (note well 

 the final part of the treatment ! ) miss nine. By this 

 time you are cured." " Thank you," said my friend, 

 departing. " But mind, sir," shouts the doctress, 

 " it must be a mule moll." — L. 



Birds Breeding in Confinement.— The best 

 and I believe only successful plan, is to put the pair 

 of birds intended for breeding into the cage intended 

 for that purpose, which should be hung against the 

 wall of the room in which you intend having your 

 birds at liberty, and (if they will) let them get as far 

 as having young ones ; at night open the doors of 

 the cage (gently) ; in the morning and next day 

 they will most likely fly in and out, and feed the 

 young. The birds reared in this manner are stronger 

 and healthier than when kept in a closed cage. Some 

 of the birds mentioned by A. P. he will find it very 

 difficult to get to breed in confinement, as Siskin 

 and Snow Bunting, but all the others ought to do 

 so freely. At first the Linnets are rather sulky, 

 but when once they begin they get on very well. 

 The hemp seed should be given very sparingly, as it 

 makes them corpulent, and not inclined for breeding. 

 Hard egg is most essential, and should be given 

 (one between each pair) every week ; it need not be 

 chopped up, as was the old style, but cut in two and 

 left in the half shells ; in this way it will keep better. 



— a. r. <. 



Early Wasp. — I caught a female wasp {Vespa 

 vulgaris) on the 22nd February, this year, being 

 nine days earlier than the one recorded by your 

 correspondent Henry W. T. Ellis. It was captured 

 on a tree in Kensington Gardens, and was extremely 

 lively— if. H. QFurrell. 



Spawning of the Erog. — Your correspondent 

 for March (George Dansey), in alluding to the 

 above subject, stated that "spawning takes place in 

 the night." This may be occasionally, but not as a 

 rule. "At our last meeting (Lower Mosley Street, 

 Schools Natural History Society), one of the 

 members made a communication to the effect that 

 he and his friend had been in the fields, and had 

 come across a number of frogs that were in the act 

 of spawning, some of which he picked up, and 

 received the spawn in his hand. This was about 

 four o'clock in the afternoon. 1 myself saw some 

 toads spawning last summer at midday, in the 

 Manchester Museum. As this is an interesting 

 subject, it would be advisable for those who have 

 watched the habits of frogs to give their experience, 

 in order that we may ascertain whether they (frogs) 

 do or do not spawn during the night.—//. Hyde. 



Skeleton Leaves.— I would feel greatly obliged 

 if you or any of the subscribers to Science-Gossip 

 could inform me how to dry skeleton leaves. After 

 bleaching them, how do you prevent them from 

 sticking to the paper on which you lift them out of 

 the water ? You can take them out of the water in 

 the same manner as seaweeds, but then they stick 

 fast to the paper. — /. S. S. 



Dust on Aquaria. — The following is a simple 

 method of removing this. Lay a piece of paper 

 gently on the surface of the water, allowing the 

 whole under-side to become wet; then, carefully 

 raising one end of the paper, peel it off, and the 

 dust, &c. will be entirely removed, adhering to the 

 paper. By repeating the process two or three times 

 wherever dust, &c, occurs, the water will be found 

 perfectly clean.— George Henslow. 



Earo apophyllite. — Can any of your corre- 

 spondents give some information about this crystal ? 

 Quekett, in his work on the microscope, mentions 

 it, on the authority of Sir David Brewster, as a 

 splendid polariscopic object, " when the prisms are 

 complete." — A. S. 



How did they get there ?— Some years ago 

 while staying at Bicester, in Oxfordshire, I met 

 with a circumstance which has often struck me as 

 worthy of record. I was standing, on a hot summer's 

 day on a bridge over a little stream, the parapet of 

 which was formed of broad thin slices of stone, 

 cemented one upon the other. The top stone 

 appearing loose, I pushed it off, and its removal was 

 followed by that of another, and another — to the 

 detriment, I fear, of the bridge. When I had 

 arrived at about the third layer, a toad hopped out, 

 and as I progressed in my work of destruction, 

 many more appeared— in all about a dozen. How 

 did they get there? The cement appeared quite 

 firm, save just at the top ; and I could see no 

 crevices through which they could have entered. 

 The toads were very dry and dusty, and seemed to 

 be quite at home in their nooks. The remarkable 

 point was, that the lower I went, the more toads 

 appeared ; and how they got in is still to me an 

 unexplained mystery. — B. 



The First Swallow. — I was much surprised to 

 see a martin {Chelidon urhicd) on the 5th of this 

 month. Mr. Jesse, in his " Gleanings," notes the 

 3rd of April as the earliest date for the appearance 

 of the swallow; but here I never remember seeing 

 them before the 15th or Kith. We are not aiviug 

 our old friend a very genial welcome. — Robert 

 Holland. 



