HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



281 



Intelligence in Animals. — A friend of mine 

 has a dog which is accustomed to run about loose. 

 One day my friend wished to drive out, and did not 

 wish to take the dog, and said so when the dog was 

 by her. She then ordered it to be tied up. Soon 

 after the dog disappeared, and when she was going 

 to start, was nowhere to be found. My friend then 

 started, but had not driven far before the dog appeared 

 from the side of the road, and followed the carriage 

 to the town. It then went away, not following the 

 carriage to the stables, where it was left ; but when 

 my friend was walking about the town, the clog came 

 to her and followed her till she returned. My friend 

 has also a terrier which is accustomed to roam about, 

 it is fond of going out through a gate at the end of 

 the garden. This gate always makes a rattling noise 

 when the dog gets through. But when this dog has 

 been doing anything which it has been forbidden to 

 do, instead of coming through the gate and to the 

 front door, the dog creeps through some bushes and 

 goes to the kitchen window. This dog is so fond of 

 fruit that it pulls down the branches of the raspberries 

 and eats of the fruit. — M, Fordham. 



Anecdote of a Parrot. — Mr. R. Bowdler 



Sharpe in his description of the parrots, gives a 

 capital anecdote of one of these birds, which may be 

 interesting to those readers of Science-Gossip who 

 are not acquainted with it. Mr. Sharpe says, just as 

 the monkeys have been placed at the head of the 

 Mammalia, on account of their high development, so 

 the parrots from their general cleverness, and especi- 

 ally on account of the facility with which they can 

 talk, have been considered the highest order of birds, 

 and placed at the beginning of the class. It is 

 impossible for some people to avoid the conclusion 

 that these birds think and reason, and the a propos or 

 sometimes ma I a propos way in which they introduce 

 speeches, coupled with the look of wisdom which 

 they assume while being spoken to, seems to show 

 that the brain is being employed in thinking. A 

 friend in Manchester told the writer of a parrot-show 

 in the north of England, where the talking powers of 

 each bird were made the subject of a prize competition. 

 Several of the birds had exhibited their powers, and 

 at last the cover was removed from the cage of a 

 grey parrot, who at once exclaimed on seeing the 

 company to which he was suddenly introduced, 

 " By jove ! what a lot of parrots !" an observation 

 which gained him the prize at once. Instances of 

 famous talking birds might be multiplied by the 

 hundred, leaving no doubt on some minds that these 

 birds often possess the power of reason of a very 

 high order. Perhaps I may be allowed to record my 

 opinion in reference to the discussion now going on 

 in Science-Gossip on the intelligence of man and 

 animals (certainly not an appropriate heading since 

 both are animals), that there is no animal in existence, 

 or that ever did exist, which is not endowed with 

 reason either less or more just in accordance with 

 the development of its brain. — Dipton Burn. 



Microscopical Analysis. — Will any of your 

 readers kindly inform me how to proceed in making a 

 microscopical examination for analysis of compound 

 cakes made from materials such as South African 

 ground nuts, palm nut kernels, cocoa nuts, and the 

 meals of same, in order to test their constituent 

 qualities ? Or, is there any treatise on the subject 

 published which you can recommend me to refer to 

 in carrying out such examination ? — Lynx. 



GORDIUS AQUATICUS. — An intelligent ncighbour 

 who often consults me on doubtful points of natural 

 history writes me thus the folk-lore about it. " It is 



popularly supposed that a hair of an entire horse 

 falling into a pool of water becomes an eel. As you 

 are conversant with these and kindred subjects, will 

 you kindly say whether you recognise the statements 

 to be in accordance with the teachings of science." 

 Of course my reply was that the animal in question 

 was never a horse-hair, and never could become an 

 eel. I recognise this animal as my old acquaintance, 

 Gordiits aquaticus, which I used to see at Tallandsand, 

 near Polperro, in a pool where the farm horses were 

 accustomed to water : a brownish, rigid worm like a 

 piece of vivified copper wire. The notion there also, 

 was that it was originally a horse-hair dropped from 

 the mane or tail of the horse while drinking, and 

 becoming subsequently animated. These worms are 

 occasionally found in herbage and puddles. I had 

 heard it said that they inhabited the intestines of 

 some insects, especially the grasshopper. Dr. Spencer 

 Cobbold, our first authority on helminthology, kindly 

 informs me that the Gordii become parasitic in 

 insects, caterpillars, and infest fishes in their young 

 state ; also that the young of G. aquaticas are 

 found in water beetles. — T. Q. Couch, Bodmin. 



Unripened Figs. — The Rev. Z. J. Edwards has 

 in his garden a fig-tree which bears fruit every year. 

 When the figs are full grown they turn yellow, 

 deluding us with the prospect of plenty of ripe figs, 

 and drop oft" : at this moment the ground is covered 

 with them. Can any of your readers help us as to 

 the cause and tell us of a remedy ? The tree is 

 planted in a corner with a high Avail on the south and 

 east. But it is luxuriant in growth and looks healthy, 

 the upper branches which are above the wall are in 

 sunshine. The tree is about twenty years old. — 

 Mister ton Vicarage, Crewkerne. 



Entomological Notes for 1879. — The follow- 

 ing notes, chiefly concerning common insects, may 

 not prove uninteresting to some of your readers. In 

 this district, during the past year, the small tortoise- 

 shell butterfly ( V. urlicce) has been exceptionally 

 numerous, a fact which has been mentioned to me, 

 not only by those observant of natural objects, but 

 by some who were quite ignorant of such things. 

 The green-veined white has also been very abundant, 

 and the small cabbage and large cabbage whites have 

 been quite up to the average. The orange tip (A. 

 cardamincs) was very plentiful ; indeed, I never saw 

 it so abundant, and in such good condition before. 

 From some unaccountable reason, the peacock {V. 

 Jo) appears to be disappearing altogether. Last year 

 I only saw three or four specimens, and this year I 

 have only heard of one being observed. One speci- 

 men only of the red admiral ( V. atalanta) has come 

 under my notice. The blues and the common copper 

 have also been less frequent. Four specimens of 

 the painted lady ( V. cardui) have been observed ; 

 a rather unusual occurrence in this neighbourhood. 

 None of them were captured. I have in my posses- 

 sion some specimens of this insect which were 

 caught by my brother at some distance from the 

 coast, in the English Channel. The common wasp 

 has been very scarce, and the fishermen complain 

 very much of the lack of grub. The common house- 

 fly, and, indeed, all insect torments of the kind, have 

 been much fewer than in late years. — J. A. Wddon, 

 Northallerton. 



Sagacity of the Magpie. — Those who have 

 never watched the magpie as a pet, would scarce 

 give credence to the following. A portion of a 

 copse had been cut, and some faggots stacked on the 

 ground, under which, near the corner, a hen pheasant 

 was sitting on her eggs ; nothing is so sweet to a 



