HA RD WICKE' S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



239 



as sporting into white I have found :— Vinca minor y 

 Stachys betonica, Stachys amhigtia, Scilla nutans, and 

 Luzula campestris. — Fred. H. Davey. 



Curious Phenomenon among Rooks. — The 

 remarks in last mouth's Science Gossip on mortality 

 among rooks during the past winter, recalls a curious 

 phenomenon which occurred in this neighbourhood 

 about six years ago among a colony of the same birds. 

 The rookery in question contained at its most 

 flourishing state, from thirty to forty-five nests. During 

 the spring of 1886, the birds commenced nesting 

 operations in season, and by the 'middle of March 

 most of the ill-constructed domiciles had approached 

 completion. But one morning (I think it was March 

 26th) a painful surprise awaited the proprietor of the 

 estate. Not a caw or sound from the sable tenants of 

 the tall elms and ash broke in on his matutinal 

 slumbers, and on proceeding outdoors he found his 

 feathered friends had taken their flight. By some 

 unaccountable means they had suddenly awoke to the 

 fact that they possessed wings. As though the place 

 was under a ban, the whole race of crows kept clear of 

 it. Until the spring of 18S9 were the old haunts thus 

 deserted, and then, as if by a preconcerted plan, one 

 morning a score of the noisy birds alighted on the 

 tree-tops with much clattering and ado. They held 

 what seemed to be a conference of some kind. 

 Chattering, flitting from branch to branch and tree to 

 tree, and a series of graceful gyrations over the tree- 

 tops continued until noon, when the proprietor had 

 the joy of seeing the foundations of a new colony 

 being laid. To-day the rookery is lin a thriving 

 condition, not containing so many tenants, it is true, 

 as the one that existed there prior to 1SS6, but at the 

 same time running it very close. — Fred. H. Davey. 



Large Fungi. — The following is an account of large 

 ■growths of two fungi. A specimen of Lycoperdon 

 gigantewn which I found at Kew (18S9), was 11 

 inches long, and weighed 36 ounces ; another of the 

 same I found at Hampstead this year was 8 inches in 

 diameter, 22^ in circumference and weighing 23^ 

 ounces. A very large fungus was that of Phallus 

 impudicus, whicli was Qj inches high, pileus 2 inches 

 long, and stipe i^ inches in diameter. This I found 

 in a copse at Highgate. — Henry E. Griset. 



Indian Lizards. — When I was a lad I had a 

 ■collection of Indian stories, I think the name of the 

 author was Addison. In it there was a statement to 

 the effect that the common house-lizard, if it happens 

 to run over the skin, emits an acrid liquid which 

 causes a burning sensation and raises a blister. Now, 

 I have been in the North-West Provinces of India for 

 over eight years and must have caught and handled at 

 least 200 house-lizards, and I have never found one 

 which emitted any liquid whatever ; more than that, 

 at one time a semi-tame lizard lived on my bedstead, 

 and repeatedly awakened me by running over my face 

 after mosquitoes, with no result. I should be glad to 

 know, therefore, if the statement is entirely mythical, 

 or true for any sort of lizard. — J. R. Holt. 



Remarkable Hen's Egg. — In reply to your July 

 correspondent who enquires as to curious contents of 

 hens' eggs, I may say that I have just seen something 

 far more curious than a pin inside of one, viz : — a 

 fleshy substance very nearly resembling a heart in 

 shape. The egg containing it was laid by a blue 

 Andalusian hen belonging to Mr. E. Childs, No. II 

 North Parade, Allerton, Bradford, on the 6th of March 

 last, and weighed, when whole, 4J ounces. It 

 contained both white and yolk beside the heart. The 

 hen is a last year's pullet, is perfectly healthy and has 



reared two broods since laying the abnormal egg. 

 When the egg was found a string or vein of the heart- 

 like object was protruding through the thick end, and 

 the egg was broken open in the presence of several 

 witnesses, including a medical gentleman. It is now 

 preserved in spirits of wine, and can be seen at the 

 above address, and I should like some of your readers 

 to explain it. — Jesse Mitchell. 



A Counting Chimpanzee. —The Zoological 

 Gardens have sustained a serious bereavement in the 

 death of " Sally," the black-faced chimpanzee from 

 the west coast of Gaboon, who for eight years has 

 entertained many thousands of folk of all ages, and 

 of both sexes, at the popular gardens in Regent's 

 Park. The intelligent " Sally " has been the subject 

 of comment amongst men of science, of sages and 

 philosophers, and possibly theologians. Perhaps the 

 most remarkable of her feats was that of counting. 

 " Sally," in the presence of a crowded room, when 

 called upon, say for bits of straw in her cage, would 

 give you the exact number you named, up to ten, 

 and the keeper has found her, when alone, count in 

 this way up to twenty. If one of the public asked 

 for five, six, or nine straws, or whatever cjuantity up 

 to ten, she would pick each deliberately up, without 

 any mistake, put one by one in her mouth until all 

 were got together, and then give them into your 

 hand. If asked for a " button-hole," she would take 

 a straw, break off part of the stalk, and put the ear 

 into the button-hole of the keeper's coat. She knew 

 right from left ; would use a spoon, and sip with it 

 until the cup was empty. She was four years old 

 when first brought to this country, and was therefore 

 twelve years of age. 



Poison in Laburnum Seeds. — At Birmingham 

 seven children were taken to Queen's Hospital suffer- 

 ing from the effects of having eaten seeds taken from 

 the pods of a laburnum tree. They each showed 

 symptoms of poisoning, and emetics had to be ad- 

 ministered. Two of them were so ill that they had 

 to be detained. The children had been playing in 

 the churchyard at St. James's Church, Edgbaston, 

 and had picked the pods from a laburnum tree and 

 eaten them, not knowing that they were injurious. 



NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



To Correspondents and Exchangers. — As we now 

 publish SciENCE-GossiP earlier than formerly, wc cannot un- 

 dertake to insert in the following number any communications 

 which reach us later than the 8th of the previous month. 



To Anonymous Querists. — We must adhere to our rule of 

 not noticing queries which do not bear the writers' names. 



To Dealers and Others. — We are always glad to treat 

 dealers in natural history objects on the same fair and general 

 ground as amateurs, in so far as the "exchanges" offered axe 

 fair exchanges. But it is evident that, when their offers are 

 simply Disguised Advertisements, for the purpose of evading 

 the cost of advertising, an advantage is taken of our £ratuiicnis 

 insertion of "exchanges," which cannot be tolerated. 



Vf-E request that all exchanges may be signed with name (or 

 initials) and full address at the end. 



Special Note. — There is a tendency on the part of some 

 exchangers to send more than one per month. We only allow 

 this in the case of writers of papers. 



To our Recent Exchangers. — We are willing to be helpful 

 to our genuine naturalists, but we cannot further allow dis- 

 guised Exchanges like those which frequently come to us 

 to appear unless as advertisements. 



R. H. Japp. — Apply to Mr. J. King, Seahorse House, 

 Portland Road, London ; or Mr. A. J. R. Sclater, Teign- 

 mouth, Devon. 



A Generalised Index.— It is very pleasant to find how 



