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HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



magpie's tooth as an egg, but the pheasant had a 

 strong beak and knew how to use it. But a pair of 

 magpies who had a nest in the same copse were 

 equal to the occasion. Mag No. I quickly took a 

 position as near as possible to the nest, but just 

 round the corner of the faggot stack, Mag No. 2 

 alighted in front and in full view of the pheasant, 

 towards which he made noisy advances with distended 

 wings and ruffled feathers backwards and forwards in 

 mimic charges, until the exasperated bird left her 

 nest to drive off the marauder, when in dashed Mag 

 No. I and carried off an egg which they both retired 

 to enjoy, returning again in the same manner for a 

 second and a third, but a young pheasant being 

 considered of more value than a young magpie, one 

 was shot, and the other being unable single-handed 

 to cope with the pheasant she brought off the 

 remainder of her brood. — G. T. 



Postage of Plants, &c, to Foreign 

 Countries. — Having occasion to send some speci- 

 mens of dried mosses and ferns abroad, and thinking 

 I could forward the same per book-post, I was much 

 surprised on inquiry at our post office to find that 

 the only way of transmiting them was per letter post. 

 I wrote to the Postmaster General in London, stating 

 the nature of the plants in question, asking if I could 

 not send them by some cheaper plan. His reply was 

 " Your inquiry is under consideration." After the 

 lapse of nearly three weeks I am pleased to say I 

 have received a further communication from him in 

 which he says, " Specimens of dried plants and 

 mosses may be sent by sample post to places abroad." 

 — Ben B. Scott. 



Local distribution of Land Shells. — While 

 Staying a short time this year at Ilfracombe, Devon, 

 I was considerably impressed by what appeared to me 

 a rather remarkable instance of local distribution of 

 Helix nemoralis and its variety H. hortensis. On the 

 western cliffs and about the Tors walks Helix 

 nemoralis occurred in great abundance, although I 

 failed to find one single specimen of H. hortensis. 

 But, on the eastern side of the town, upon Hillsborough 

 and the immediate neighbourhood, Hortensis was in 

 the ascendancy, and, although I did find one or two 

 Nemoralis, they appeared to be the exception and not 

 the rule. As far as I could see the physical conditions 

 of the two districts were the same. Perhaps this 

 or similar instances have been noticed by others. — 

 John L. Hawkins, jun., Reading. 



Morbid Sensations. — Some time ago I went to 

 see the snakes fed at the Zoological Gardens, a very 

 interesting sight, which no lover of nature should 

 miss. I do not, however, write to describe a scene 

 the reader may witness for himself, but to remark on 

 the strange behaviour of many of the spectators. 

 " How horrid ! " " How cruel ! " " Come away ! " 

 *' Don't look ! " were the exclamations I heard around 

 me, and many persons left the house. Apart from the 

 inconsequence of the remarks of many of the specta- 

 tors, it struck me forcibly as passing strange that men 

 and women could not bear to witness the normal 

 workings of nature, without a display of that morbid 

 sensitiveness (so distinct from genuine feeling) which 

 seems so prevalent in these days. It is a curious 

 fact that persons afflicted with this moral malady are 

 far from being the most humane in their conduct to 

 their fellow-creatures and the brute creation. — A 

 Common Man. 



Yew Poisoning. — I know of two Irish yews in a 

 paddock close to a farm-house in my parish where 

 horses, cows, calves and sheep are placed. The trees 



are cropped as far as they could reach, and the 

 farmer told me he never lost an animal. I doubt the 

 alleged cases, as why should they not be poisoned in 

 this particular instance ? — S. A. B., Allan, co. 

 Tyrone. 



Fleas on Moles.— Last June I had several 

 freshly killed moles brought me, as I wanted their 

 fleas. I put them in a bowl of cold water and waited 

 for the fleas and acari to rise to the surface. I soon 

 saw something large for a flea crawling on one of the 

 moles, and at once secured it in a bottle. I mounted 

 it with very little pressure ; it certainly is a mole's 

 flea but very dark, and it measures from the forehead 

 to the end of the body quite f 5 inch, very nearly \. 

 I have shown it to several microscopists and others, 

 and no one I have met has ever seen a flea nearly 

 so large. I have several fleas of a good size, but the 

 largest measures by a micrometer only \ inch. The 

 difference between $ and ^ is no trifle. I should be 

 glad to know whether fleas so much above the usual 

 size are known. — W. Locock, Clifton. 



Parasites on Hedgehogs. — In reply to your cor- 

 respondent Singer Barclay, I should say few animals 

 are more infested with parasites than hedgehogs ; a 

 flea, two species of ticks, and an acarus being found 

 on them. The flea infests the whole body and may be 

 seen running amongst the spines. The acarus only 

 infests the under and hairy parts, while the ticks, 

 often in company, may be found sticking to the hind 

 legs and round the tail of an aged specimen, and 

 are with difficulty removed without the loss of either 

 head or lancets ; it is rather rare to find both fleas 

 and ticks on the same animal, and equally so to find 

 one without any, so that I should infer that they were 

 unable to clear themselves. I have never seen a 

 hedgehog voluntarily take to the water, but it is 

 instant death to immerse a tick. — George Turvill. 



Bees v. Kalmia latifolia. — The following are 

 some observations on the effects of the flowers of 

 kalmia on bees : July 1 2th. During a brief paroxysm 

 of sunshine, the kalmia was visited by (i) a blue- 

 bottle fly ; (2) a butterfly who retreated after a short 

 flirtation ; (3) a bee, who remained some time at 

 work, and then crawling about languidly fell down to 

 the ground. July 15 th : (1) a bee who set to work 

 steadily, but soon appeared to be stupefied and 

 powerless, I removed her (him) to a pink, where she 

 (or he) remained quietly a little while and then 

 departed ; (2) a bee ; (3) a humble bee who after 

 flirting with two or three flowers, departed, without 

 alighting ; (4) a bee who settled to work for some 

 time, and became almost helpless, was removed to 

 another flower and no more seen. July 18th : Several 

 bees and a humble visited the kalmia, but without 

 alighting. I put a bee into a flower, and after 

 working there some time, found her making feeble 

 efforts to get away. In gathering the bloom, for the 

 purpose of closer inspection, I lost the bee, and so 

 missed the opportunity. Query : Is there some 

 intoxicating substance in the kalmia ? 



Without an Order for Admission. — Last 

 year a death's head moth was picked up on a fine 

 old oak staircase, erected at West Hampnett House, 

 by Sir John Chapman, in 1617. This year, early in 

 October, another specimen was taken in an adjoin- 

 ing room. No chloroform being immediately avail- 

 able, the peculiar shrill squeak, characteristic of 

 Acherontia Atrofos, was repeatedly heard. Within 

 the Union House no special attraction was apparent ; 

 but, a few yards distant, half of the large garden 



