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HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



the oldest cow always places herself at the head of 

 the herd, and so on, according to their ages, when 

 the youngest comes last. But I think it will rarely 

 occur that this assertion of pre-eminence over the 

 herd is ever carried to such an extent as appears in 

 the following instance. A person states that when on 

 a visit to a country house where cows are kept, it 

 one day happened that he was passing the cow-house 

 just at the time when the dairymaid was driving 

 home the cows to be milked. They all passed in 

 quietly enough, with the exception of one, which 

 stood lowing at the door, and resisted every effort of 

 the dairymaid to induce her to enter. When the maid 

 was interrogated as to the cause of this obstinacy, she 

 attributed it to pride ; and when surprise was expressed 

 at this, she explained that whenever any other of the 

 cows happened to get in before her, this particular 

 cow would seem quite offended, and would not enter 

 at all, unless all the others were turned out again, 

 and she had an opportunity of walking in before them. 

 This statement having excited curiosity, and a wish 

 to ascertain its accuracy, the maid was desired to 

 redouble her exertions to induce the cow to enter ; on 

 which she chased the animal through eveiy corner of 

 the yard, but without success, until she at last desisted 

 for want of breath, declaring there was no other 

 remedy than to turn out the other cows. She was 

 then permitted to make the experiment ; and no 

 sooner were the others driven out, than in walked the 

 gratified cow, with a stately air, her more humble- 

 minded companions following meekly in her train. — 

 Diptoji Burn. 



Laburnum in Autumn. — There are several 

 laburnums here which exhibit the peculiarity men- | 

 tioned by W. G. I am not botanist enough to say 

 whether they differ from the ordinary variety, but do 

 not think so, as they exhibit no other mark of 

 difference. The second flowering occurs every year 

 in the autumn.— J. Forbes Mitchell, Thainstow, N.B. 



Laburnum in Autumn. — I noticed that the flower 

 pendants of the laburnum blossoming in September 

 were smaller than usual, and it may probably have 

 been the variety referred to by your correspondent. — 

 R. H. Nisbctt Browne. 



Query as to Flower. — It seems obvious that in 

 the lines from " Venus and Adonis," referred to by 

 Mr. J. Wheldon, jun., the poet had in his mind the 

 mythological story concerning the death of Adonis. 

 Cynaras juvenis (Adonis) having died from a wound 

 received from a boar, the flower anemone sprang 

 from his blood. It is not likely that Shakespeare 

 here refers to any other flower. Buchanan, in his 

 "Dictionary of Science and Technical Terms," 

 points to Adonis autumnalis as the plant deriving its 

 name from Adonis. This plant being of the same 

 order (Ranunculaceje) and somewhat resembling the 

 anemone, might have easily been called in common 

 with it.— Charles F. W. T. Williams, Bath. 



Query about Flower.— In Bell's edition of 

 Cowley's Poems (1778), book iii. of Plants, p. 147, 

 stanza 610, the purple anemone is spoken of as the 

 flower stained by the blood of Adonis. 



" Anemone her station took 

 * * * * » 



The purple, with its large and spreading leaf, 

 Was chosen, by consent, to be their chief; 

 Of fair Adonis' blood undoubted strain, 

 And to this hour it shows the dying stain." 



I have also seen this legend mentioned in another 

 book.— F. L. St. A. 



Query as to Flower.— Mr. J. W. Wheldon, 

 jun., asks what flower does Shakespeare refer to in 

 the closing stanzas of "Venus and Adonis." 



"A purple flower sprung up, chequered with white." 



I think he means the Pansy, and if he will refer to 

 " A Midsummer Night's Dream," and read the 

 exquisite passage descriptive of Love in Idleness, 

 beginning, 



" I remember 

 That very time I said, but thou couldst not," 



he will see the reason for my opinion. In Singer's 

 "Shakespeare," the editor says in a footnote, " The 

 tricoloured violet, commonly called pansy, or 

 hearts-ease, is here meant." It has other fanciful 

 and expressive names, such as " Cuddle me to you," 

 "Three faces under a hood," "Herb Trinity," &c. 

 Is there a description in all literature that can 

 compare with this of a simple flower? — H. D. 

 Barclay. 



Query as to Flower.— With refence to Mr. 

 Wheldon's query as to Flower, I would remark that 

 anemone is supposed to be the name of the flower as 

 the one into which Venus was said to have changed 

 Adonis. See Ovid. Metamorph. 1. 10, p. 735 ; but 

 classical authorities might here render some solu- 

 tion. There is Atiemone Pulsatilla, or Pasque Flower, 

 with fine purple flowers — and other species of Adonis, 

 all belonging to the Ranunculus family — these latter 

 have, according to Mr. Bentham, mostly red or straw- 

 coloured flowers ; then the pheasant's-eye comes under 

 this head ; the same author states that a variety was 

 formerly much cultivated in gardens under the name 

 of Flos Adonis. During a residence of some weeks in 

 Rome in the spring of 1865, I noticed thousands of 

 anemones with red flowers in the extensive grounds of 

 the nobility, forming a carpet of scarlet colours. Dean 

 Stanley in his work on " Sinai and Palestine," writes, 

 "that in the spring the hills and valleys of Palestine 

 are covered with thin grass and aromatic shrubs which 

 clothe, more or less, all Syria ; they also glow with a 

 blaze of scarlet, of all kinds, chiefly anemones. Of 

 all the ordinary aspects of the country, he writes, the 

 blaze of scarlet colour is perhaps the most peculiar, 

 and to those who first enter the Holy Land it is no 

 wonder that it has suggested the touching and signi- 

 ficant name of " the Saviour's blood drops." — John 

 Colebrooke. 



" Honey-Stalks ?" — In Shakespeare's "Titus 

 Andronicus " occur the words : 



" Words more sweet, and yet more dangerous, 

 Than baits to fish, or honey-stalks to sheep." 



Query, what are " honey stalks ? " Perhaps some of 

 your readers may be able to inform me. — C. Foran. 



Dogs affected by the Sound of Music. — 

 What is the explanation of the curious effect that 

 music (played upon a piano, &c), has upon some 

 dogs ? I have a skye terrier about four months old, 

 who, when the piano is played, seems to be curiously 

 fascinated by the sound, and comes towards it, but 

 then howls in a most plaintive way with his nose in 

 the air, as if protesting against the sound. — W. 

 Stavenhagen Jones. 



Cossus at Sugar. — In the month of September, 

 1877, while at Somersham (Hants) a specimen of 

 Cossus ligniperda came to sugar. It rather surprised 

 me, as I thought this species did not come to sugar. 

 If any reader of Science-Gossip can answer this for 

 me, I shall be much obliged. — W. H. Newberry. 



