256 



ARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



[Nov. 1, 1867. 



Lasiccampa Quercus.— I think the following 

 deserving of notice. Last September, a friend of 

 mine found tbree larva: of the above, full grown, 

 and which spun up about the middle of the month. 

 According to the general routine of this insect's 

 changes, the moths should have appeared early this 

 summer. But no ; the first one, a female, came out 

 last week, and there are two others waiting their 

 change. Whether they intend to make their ap- 

 pearance this year, or whether they will wait till 

 the more genial summer days, time will show. I 

 do not perceive any difference between this late 

 specimen and those of the usual time. — Richard 

 Tyrer. 



Hawk and Weasel.— I am indebted to a friend 

 of mine (a keen observer of nature) for the follow- 

 ing. Whilst out walking, a kestrel hawk rose at 

 his feet, which attracted his attention by the 

 strangeness of its flight. Instead of its usual 

 hovering, it darted upwards till almost lost to view, 

 when it suddenly descended powerless to the earth. 

 Upon his hastening to the spot he was surprised to 

 see a weasel retreat from the hawk, which was 

 dead, the throat being fearfully torn. — C. Benny, 

 Kekedon. 



Quail. — I received a single specimen of this bird 

 some short time since which was shot in this neigh- 

 bourhood. With us they are extremely rare. — C. 

 Denny, Kelvedon. 



Lizard Tails. — I think it is not generally known 

 that the common lizard has the power to cast off its 

 tail when suddenly alarmed. I saw a striking 

 instance of this a few days since when collecting 

 insects upon some chalk hills near Beckworth. 1 

 have frequently seen these little fellows run without 

 taking their tails with them, when I have attempted 

 their capture, and have mentioned the subject to 

 friends who have expressed their unbelief, stating 

 that it was impossible for a reptile with a tail con- 

 taining so much substance to have the power to 

 become detached without receiving a severe blow 

 from some hard substance. But in this instance I 

 was in the company of two well-known naturalists 

 when we discovered a lizard. I suddenly placed 

 my hand over it, when up sprang its tail from 

 between my fingers, and, to our astonishment, not 

 only continued to leap about the ground for two or 

 three minutes but crept along with a snake-like 

 motion, and concealed itself in some grass. The 

 tail was divided a short distance from the legs, so 

 that the thickest part was of nearly the same cir- 

 cumference as its body. This appears to be a pro- 

 vision of nature to spare the animal's life, in the 

 event of being surprised by birds or other enemies, 

 the tail being left to satisfy their appetite, whilst 

 the creature takes its departure.—/. B. Waters. 



"Animal Grafting, and on the Regeneration 

 of the Spleen in Mammals, and of the Limbs 

 in Aquatic Salamanders," by M. Philipeaux, from 

 " Annales des Sciences Naturelles," Jan., 1S67. 



Since the numerous experiments made in 1856 on 

 the extirpation of the supra-renal capsules, the 

 spleen, and the thyroid body, and communicated to 

 the Academie des Sciences, M. Philipeaux has 

 several times observed, in animals which had been 

 operated on some months previously, a new supra- 

 renal capsule, or a new spleen, more or less com- 

 pletely reproduced. He has also, during his inves- 

 tigations, made some interesting observations on 

 animal grafting, and on the reproduction of the 

 limbs of the newt. The following is a resume of 

 the facts which he has recorded : — 



1. On Grafting the Spleen in Mammals. — After 

 completely removing the spleen from field-mice 

 (surmulots) thirty days old, the organ was returned 

 into the abdominal cavity, and after a period vary- 

 ing from five to ten months, it was found to have 

 grown to the peritoneum at some point, most com- 

 monly to the stomach, or on the left side : in one 

 instance only to the right side. The point of at- 

 tachment was always by the hilum of the spleen, 

 and new vessels were seen to be formed which could 

 be traced to the mesentery. The spleen retained 

 its normal form in some cases ; in others became 

 folded on itself, and occasionally was rounded or 

 triangular in form. The structure was found to be 

 always normal; sometimes the spleen had completely 

 disappeared, and not a trace of it could be found, 

 or else a small cyst remained, containing purulent 

 matter. In some] cases the spleen was pale and 

 ensanguined, in others very black, and filled with 

 pigment. The animals operated on attained their 

 full development, but were not so large as those 

 which had not been thus treated. 



2. On the Regeneration of the Spleen in Mammals. 

 — The first experiments on this subject led ]\1. 

 Philipeaux to believe that the spleen was reproduced 

 after complete extirpation, but this opinion was 

 proved to be incorrect by M. Peyrani, who repeated 

 M. Philipeaux's experiments. The latter instituted 

 a new inquiry, aud found that Peyrani's statement 

 was correct — that the spleen when completely 

 extirpated is never reproduced ; but that when not 

 completely removed, reproduction always occurs. 

 The same remarks hold good with regard to the 

 infra-renal capsules. 



3. On the Regeneration of the Limbs of the Sala- 

 mander.— -M. Philipeaux found that when the limbs 

 and eyes were completely removed, no reproduction 

 took place : if the anterior limb, with the scapula, 

 for instance, were amputated, other entire eyeball 

 removed ; but if a portion of the eye were left, then 

 regeneration occurred, or if the scapula were left 

 complete, reproduction of all the bones ensued. — L. 



