Oct. 1, 1869.] 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



237 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



Deceiving the Nerves.— Take a pin between 

 the tip of the forefinger and thumb, roll it about 

 quickly but lightly, and in a few seconds it will ap- 

 pear to increase in size and to become covered with 

 a soft leathery substance. The nerves in recording 

 the sensation evidently do not allow for the thick- 

 ness of the insensitive epidermis between them- 

 selves and the pin, hence the error. — F. W. M. 



Cleaning Shells. — Would any of your corres- 

 pondents inform me of the best method for removing 

 the epidermis or outer coating of shells, and after- 

 wards polishing them if required ? By doing so you 

 would much oblige your subscriber. — Owen T. Wil- 

 liams. 



Bulfinches' Pood. — Seeing in your number of 

 Science-Gossip for the present month, a request 

 from L. C. Whelan for information as to the best 

 food for Bullfinches, I beg to say I have a pair 

 of those birds in perfect health and beauty. I gave 

 them all last winter plenty of privet and other 

 winter berries. In the spring they were supplied 

 daily with a quantity of primroses, which they 

 eagerly picked to pieces and eat some part of them. 

 When these could no longer be obtained 1 gave them 

 bunches of daisies, which were treated in like man- 

 ner; for them the hen-bird especially was quite 

 clamorous when any were brought into the room, 

 not ceasing to call out and flutter her wings till 

 some were put between the bars of the cage. Wild 

 strawberries are also a very favourite repast, and 

 any kind of grass seeds from the hay fields were de- 

 voured in quantities. I am now giving them any 

 kind of plant in seed that can be found in the 

 hedges, such as plaintain shepherd's ruse, dart, 

 ground ivy, &c. I keep the seed boxes in the cage 

 filled with rape and canary, but they eat but little of 

 these when they have other things. I only use 

 hemp as a dainty to induce them to feed from' my 

 hand, or as a reward for the performance of some 

 little kind, such as ringing their bell, &c. They 

 have plenty of fresh water every morning for 

 bathing. The birds are also very fond of milk 

 thistle and groundsel in house. — Charlotte Hedger. 



Dr. Thudichum's Rabbit— After reading the 

 article on the death of Dr. Thudichum's rabbit that 

 appeared in the August number of Science-Gossip, 

 it occurredto me that some account of its life might 

 prove acceptable. Through the courtesy of Dr. T. 

 I am enabled to supply the following particulars : 

 The rabbit was trichinised ; in 1864 it survived a 

 severe trichinosis, only by means of artificial 

 feeding, and being kept in a Turkish bath ; it re- 

 covered, and in the following and second year had 

 three nests of young, one of these only survived. 

 The rabbit exhibited its trichinae on various occa- 

 sions before the College of Physicians, London ; 

 British Medical Association, Cambridge; Epidemio- 

 logical Society, and Society of Arts, London ; also 

 to numerous private persons. They were always taken 

 living out of the loins of the animal. At the time 

 of its death all the trichinae were living and strong, 

 another proof of the longevity of this remarkable 

 parasite. The rabbit suffered much from a kind of 

 mange which was only kept in check by painting 

 with benzoyle and oil. It ate oats, clover, and bread, 

 also drank milk with avidity to which it had become 

 partial during its illness. No small particle of flesh 

 was ever removed from its body which did not con- 



tain at least ten trichinae : a moderate estimate 

 would bring the number of worms and capsules 

 contained in it to the amount of two and a half 

 millions. It sickened for three weeks ; ate less and 

 less, lost flesh, became almost paralysed on its hind 

 legs, and died. Dr. Thudichum writes: "It quite 

 moved me when I came to the laboratory and found 

 my friend and companion of five years, the sharer of 

 many successes, dead ; but you have embalmed it 

 finely. It will, I am sure, give instruction and 

 pleasure to many who look over your marvellous 

 slides." The cause of the rabbit's death was inflam- 

 mation of the intestines, the lungs being congested 

 nearly the whole length.—/. T. Norman. 



Tom-toddies.— I always, when a child, heard the 



rhyme mentioned by your correspondent, page 164, 



applied to Tadpoles, not ™ snails," and we always 



called them "tom-toddies." The former certainly is 



" All head and no body," 



the " snail " is toute au contraire ! — E. H. W. 



The Triodon.— Can any of the readers of 

 Science-Gossip inform me if there is any truth in 

 the following description of a "Monster of the 

 Deep," the Triodon, which I have taken from a book 

 for children, entitled "Seas, Ships, and Adventures," 

 and bearing date 1850:— "The strange-looking 

 creature that is called by this name (i.e., Triodon) 

 is a fish that is found in the Indian Ocean, and has 

 an enormous dewlap, almost ' as long as the body 

 and twice as high, which is supported in front by a 

 very large bone. It belongs to an order of fishes 

 that have the power of inflating themselves like 

 balloons, and floating themselves on the surface of 

 the water. The surface of their dewlap bristles 

 with a great number of small rough crests, placed 

 obliquely. Only one species of it is known, and 

 that was discovered by Mr. Reinwardt in the 

 Indian seas. The upper jaw is divided, as in some 

 other species of this genus. It is altogether one of 

 the] most singular-looking creatures that can be 

 imagined, and learned men are puzzled to ascertain 

 the use of some of its members." There are no 

 measurements given of the creature as a whole, or 

 of any of its parts. Perhaps this could not be ex- 

 pected in a book for children, but the description 

 seems vague enough. However, perhaps some one 

 may be able to tell me if the Triodon has really any 

 existence in fact. The sketch enclosed is copied 

 from the engraving in the book. — J. M. C. 



Reply —The account of Triodon is substantially 

 correct. The fish attains to a length of about two 

 feet ; but it is not by any means certain whether it 

 has the power of inflating itself, like other members 

 of the order to which it belongs. The figure said 

 to be the Triodon is quite a different fish, viz., a 

 kind of shark (Callorhynchus). The case is analo- 

 gous to one, if a man would describe correctly a 

 camel, and illustrate his description with the figure 

 of an elephant. — A. G. 



Bees.— To the questions proposed in the August 

 and September numbers of Science-Gossip in 

 reference to bees, which I have just noticed, permit 

 me to say that the case of the servant girl as 

 adduced by J. L. Phelps is a very common one, for 

 bees in swarming are under such excitement that 

 their whole attention is centred in that one great 

 undertaking ; they are heedless of anything short 

 of actual personal violence, and seem utterly to 

 forget to sting. Moreover, as observed by"D. D.B.," 

 prior to swarming they fill themselves with honey 



