68 



HARDWICKE'S SCI EN CE-GOSSI P. 



[March I, 1S69. 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



Laurel-leaves. — I have long been an ob- 

 server of the two small pores of the common laurel, 

 situated at the base of each leaf, one on each 

 side of the mid-rib, just above the foot-stalk. 

 I believe them to be small glands, containing 

 either honey, or propolis, or prussic acid, ex- 

 tensively sought after by bees in their early 

 working days (whether it is real food, or propolis to 

 cement their comb, or a poison to supply their gland 

 I have no means of ascertaining). The supply they 

 yield seems soon exhausted, and then the pores 

 turn brown, and after that the bees seem to disre- 

 gard them. The common vetch has some such re- 

 ceptacle on the stipules, for the bees are even more 

 busy at a certaiu season in the vetch fields on this 

 part of the plant. — II. W. 



Bee Odours. — The Bees emit an unmistakeable 

 odour when angry, which I have no doubt proceeds 

 from their poison, which is an extremely volatile 

 acid. I can generally tell the temper of my bees 

 by the presence of this pungent aromatic odour, 

 and no one that has ever been stung on the lip can 

 fail to recognize it ever afterwards. Place a bee 

 on a piece of glass, and force it to protrude its 

 sting against the glass, and the poison may be seen 

 in a small clear drop of liquid on the surface, and 

 the powerful and pleasant odour will at once be 

 detected— IT. W. 



Mistletoe. — This plant is easily propagated 

 from seed. Squeeze the capsule, and place the seed 

 thus released on any smooth part of the bark of any 

 tree on which it thrives, press it firmly to the bark 

 on which it will stick by its own gluten, and in the. 

 course of twenty-four hours will be found dry and 

 adhering firmly to its bed. Its growth begins the 

 first spring, a germ proceeding from each lobe and 

 fixing itself on opposite sides of the seed, and 

 forming two separate plants, making at first two 

 small green arches, thus it remains its first season. 

 It then separates, and in the second season each 

 germ puts forth two leaves, and after these appear 

 it grows more rapidly ; in about four years it 

 becomes a conspicuous parasite. I would warn all 

 not to fix the seed on to the main trunk of any tree 

 that is cared for, as I have known it kill large 

 apple-trees in the course of eight or ten years; 

 when so placed, the soft green roots penetrate into 

 the very heart of the wood, and I have seen the 

 dead trunks, after time sufficient has elapsed for 

 the shrivelling up and decay of the mistletoe, as 

 though the wood had been bored by a teredo, for 

 the roots make many ramifications. The mistletoe 

 will grow on many soft-wooded trees. I have grown 

 it on apple, poplar, lime, and hawthorn, but have 

 never succeeded on oak or Scotch fir on which it 

 is sometimes seen. — //. W. 



A Blue-jacket's idea of Technical Terms. — 

 When in command of one of H. M.'s ships last year, 

 on our way home from the Pacific, 1 as usual had 

 my tow net over, which by the by seemed at first to 

 astonish the men, and even some of the officers, but 

 several soon look much interest in the "wonders of 

 the ocean " which came to their notice ; and while 

 mentioning this, I may remark that it seems strange 

 that so few naval men make use of the glorious op- 

 portunity afforded them of studying natural history 

 in all its branches and over the various countries 

 they visit; and I think if those in authority at home 



were to encourage officers in such pursuits, much 

 good would result to themselves and science in 

 general. It is so in the American navy, and why 

 not in ours? But to return. One evening an old 

 quartermaster came in haste to my cabin, saying, 

 "Please,sir, I've got a 'curio' at last." "Well, Wood- 

 mason, let me see it." He said, " It's all covered with 

 spikes, a fish ! " " Oh ! probably a Diodon," said I. 

 When he brought it— a small fish in a basin — I took 

 it up. "Why, it is a small specimen of Orthago- 

 niscus, perhaps Mola, but I never saw one with 

 spines before; it may be a young one, or other 

 species, that I can't say." The quartermaster 

 looked, scratched his head, and said, "What did you 

 call it, sir?" "Orthagoniscus," and away he went 

 on duty. The officers asked him what the captain 

 said. "Well, sir, I can't tell exactly, but t'was very 

 much like ' O Sally, come kiss us." I need scarcely 

 add there was a shout of laughter at poor old 

 Woodmason's ideas of technical names. The said 

 "O Sally, come kiss us" is now in one of those 

 numerous subterranean passages in the British 

 Museum, unknown except to those who care to 

 work, and in the safe custody of Dr. A. Gvinther. — 

 H. II. Knocker, Commander R.N. 



Water Wagtail. — On two recent occasions a 

 flight of black and white Water Wagtails, to the 

 number of forty, have appeared on my lawn, their 

 plumage and size rather varied, some looking like 

 young birds. In the summer they are pretty plenti- 

 ful in this neighbourhood (East Devon), and for 

 several years in succession I have had two yellow 

 Wagtail's nests in a blank window covered with 

 creepers, but is it not unusual to see Wagtails con- 

 gregated to the number of forty ?—W. R. B. 



Wasp. — I have enclosed a wasp which was killed 

 in my dining-room yesterday evening (Jan. 22), as 

 I thought its early appearance might interest some 

 of your readers. — E. B., Clare, Suffolk. 



Cock Nests. — It is not an uncommon thing to 

 find several unfinished nests in the neighbourhood 

 of a Wren's nest (Sylvia Troglodytes, Lath.) I have 

 found many, but never one that had any lining in it. 

 The popular opinion is, that the cock bird builds 

 these nests, and not having the ability to line them, 

 he leaves them unfinished ; hence they are called in 

 Yorkshire " cock-nests." The fact seems to be, 

 that whilst the hen is sitting, the cock employs his 

 leisure in building. A year or two ago, a wren 

 built her nest under the overhanging tiles of an out- 

 house, the foundation resting in a currant bush, and. 

 the tile forming the dome. Within a distance of 

 forty yards, I found five of these nests ; three were 

 built in the rasp-canes. Whilst the female takes 

 great pains to hide her nest, these rude attempts 

 are generally built in open and exposed places. 

 Prom long and careful observation, 1 believe that 

 the cock-birds give very little assistance, generally, 

 to the liens, in building their nests. — John Ranson. 



Pigs and Music— In old churches and 

 cathedrals we sometimes find a carving on the 

 miserere of a pig playing upon a bagpipe, and the 

 little pigs dancing around. This seems to indicate 

 a popular notion (at least in times gone by) that 

 pigs have no ear or taste for music ; such a notion, 

 however, seems to be not quite correct : for I once 

 saw four or five great bony pigs standing at a 

 garden-gate, listening with the most evident 

 pleasure to the sweet sounds of a wandering 

 German band. They stood in a row, in perfect 



