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HARD WICKE'S SCIENCE- G OSS IP. 



Plates of Birds' Eggs. — An excellent coloured 

 plate (27 inches by 16 inches, on sheet 29 by 21 

 inches) of European birds' eggs is published by 

 Bouasse-Lebel, 29 Rue St. Sulpice, Paris, at two 

 and a half francs. It contains 184 figures, natural 

 sizes. Any French bookseller would supply it in 

 London for about half-a-crown. The plate in question 

 is No. 141 of the " Tableaux Synoptiques." The 

 series comprises nearly 200 plates illustrative of almost 

 every branch of scientific, mechanical, historical, 

 social and domestic inquiry — which, so far as I know, 

 are not equalled for quality and price. — R. T. Lciois. 



Birds singing at Night. — On Monday, May 13, 

 I heard several birds singing in the park here as late 

 as half-past ten, the night being quite dark. On 

 Tuesday, May 14, I also heard one or two about the 

 same time. As there were (on the first night) several 

 singing, I was unable to distinguish any but the 

 thrush.— F. W. J., Reigatc. 



Birds singing at Night. — Having seen several 

 notices of birds singing at night in Science-Gossip, 

 I thought this might be worth mentioning. While 

 staying at Maidstone last month (May), I heard a 

 cuckoo distinctly at about 10.30 or 11 p.m. ; the night 

 was fine, and the nightingales were singing loudly. — 

 J. M. Ward. 



Birds of India. — At a recent meeting of the 

 Zoological Society, the secretary exhibited and made 

 remarks upon two volumes of original drawings of 

 the birds in India, which had been deposited in 

 the Society's library by Brigadier-General A. C. 

 McMaster. The volumes contained about 270 

 figures of the birds of India, most of which had been 

 drawn by soldiers in General McMaster's house at 

 Secunderabad. 



"Nature cared for, and Nature uncared 

 for," is the title of a shilling pamphlet published 

 by West, Newman, & Co., London. It is in reality 

 a lecture by Mr. H. B. Hewetson, M.R.C.S., on 

 " Ornithology," and is a thoughtful and reverent and 

 well-expressed series of utterances on the mode in 

 which natural phenomena impress the hearts of 

 men. We have much enjoyed its perusal, although 

 we do not always commit ourselves to the opinions 

 of the author. 



The Great Atlas Moth. — We have received a 

 copy of a monograph by P. H. Gosse, F.R.S., on 

 the " Life-History of the Great Atlas Moth of Asia" 

 (Attaais Atlas, Linn.), the largest known species of 

 Lepidoptera, containing a beautifully finished coloured 

 plate of its transformation. The work is published 

 by West, Newman, & Co., London. The monograph 

 is a careful study of the moth from specimens 

 reared by Mr. Gosse from the egg to the adult 

 stage. 



The teaching of Natural History. — In a 

 recent address Mr. Gladstone spoke as follows in 



favour of natural history teaching in schools : — I can- 

 not help saying one word upon that subject which I 

 think, on the whole, has been worse used in the 

 schools of this country than all the other branches of 

 knowledge. I mean that which is called Natural 

 History. I speak of natural history, such as is open 

 to you both by the study and by the observation of 

 living objects and of dead objects in nature, such as 

 continually come around and solicit your attention. 

 I do not myself believe that natural history has had 

 quite fair play, and I have always felt it most grievous 

 among the many blanks of our early training that we 

 were totally ignorant of it. I will just give you these 

 four points in connection with natural history. In 

 the first place, it is a continual lesson — a lesson at 

 once easy and profound — of the wisdom and bene- 

 ficence of Providence, a continual confirmation and 

 belief, when you find the wonderful hand of that 

 Workman descending to the smallest objects with 

 the same care with which He mounts to the greatest. 

 The religious use of natural history is one that all 

 must delight in. The next point is this. Learning 

 is an admirable thing, but it does not always make 

 itself agreeable at the first introduction, at least that 

 was my experience ; I don't know whether it is yours. 

 Much has been done, I believe, to improve these 

 initial stages. It certainly is a marked advantage in 

 the study of natural history that it leads you on by 

 the hand ; it inveigles you, if I may say so, into 

 learning what is good and what is useful. Many a 

 one might have his mind first opened to the attractions 

 of natural history, which mind, if once opened, might 

 perhaps be capable of applying itself beneficially to 

 harder and more repulsive studies. Another point is 

 this, natural history is one of the best and most 

 efficient means for the education of the senses. Some 

 may perhaps tell us that our senses are educated well 

 enough already, and claim quite large enough a 

 portion of our existence. Of course that is perfectly 

 true so far as the grosser forms of enjoyment are 

 concerned ; but so far as the senses are concerned as 

 organs for the acquisition of knowledge, they are 

 very indifferently educated indeed. This habit of 

 minute, careful, and accurate observation, which is 

 inseparable from natural history studies, gives to the 

 senses that habit of accurate distinction which is 

 invaluable as an assistant in the pursuit of every 

 branch of knowledge. Lastly, let me say that these 

 analogies of natural history are invaluable ; they 

 have a most gracious effect in developing the finer 

 faculties of the mind ; they establish a connection 

 between the different portions of creation. 



How to establish a Rookery. — We wish to 

 establish a rookery in the churchyard garden of St. 

 John's, Waterloo Road, Lambeth. Will any of 

 your readers kindly assist us by telling us the best 

 plan to pursue ? — Arthur J. Robinson. 



