64 



IIARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



[March 1, 1S6S. 



until very little of the unhappy wasp could be seen. 

 Anxious to see whether he could free himself, I 

 took him away just as he was, and kept him in a 

 box. He died the next morning still surrounded by 

 his cords, having succeeded only in getting out one 

 leg and one wing. I still possess his corpse, which 

 makes a most curious object for the microscope, 

 with the 2 inches or li inches. The style in which 

 the unhappy insect is corded is a study. If those 

 two wonderful brothers — I forgot their names — who 

 used to get themselves tied and put in a cabinet for 

 the edification of wise Londoners, had been corded 

 in such artistic style as this, I suspect that the 

 spirits who (as we know) united them, would have 

 been obliged to give it up— as the wasp was. — 

 S. L. B. 



Bee-eater (Merops apiaster). — A beautiful speci- 

 men of this bird was noticed here some few months 

 since, which, to use a common expression, seemed 

 "hard up," for it darted into the stream after 

 pieces of bread, which it quickly swallowed. Its 

 flight greatly resembled that of the kingfisher. — 

 C. Denny, Kelvedon. 



Increase of Animal Life.— Compared with the 

 rest of animal nature, infusory animalcules are 

 undoubtedly the most numerous ; next are worms, 

 insects, and fishes ; after these are the amphibia and 

 serpents, birds and quadrupeds ; and, lastly, man. 

 The human female produces generally only one 

 offspring at a time, and that only after a con- 

 siderable interval from her birth, and but few during 

 her whole existence. Many quadrupeds are subject 

 to similar laws, while others are more prolific, their 

 fecundity being little if at all inferior to certain 

 birds ; for they will produce twenty or thirty young 

 at a time. Several birds breed frequently in a year, 

 and w r ill have more than a single egg at a time. 

 How prodigious is the difference on descending to 

 the classes, pisces, amphibia, reptilia, insecta, and 

 annelida ! Yet among them the numbers cannot be 

 more different. According to naturalists, a scorpion 

 will produce 65 young; a common fly will lay 144 

 eggs ; a leech, 150 ; and a spider, 170. A hy- 

 draehna produces COO eggs, and a frog 1,100. A 

 female moth will produce 1,100 eggs, and a tortoise 

 1,000 eggs. A gall insect has laid 50,000 ; a shrimp 

 6,000 ; and 10,000 have been found in the ovary, or 

 what was supposed to be that part, of an ascarides. 

 One naturalist found above 12,000 eggs in a lobster, 

 and another above 21,000. An insect very similar to 

 the ant (Mutilla) has produced 80,000 in a single 

 day ; and Leeuwenhoeck seems to compute 

 •4,000,000 to be the crab's share. Many fishes produce 

 an incredible number of eggs. Above 36,000 have 

 been counted in a herring; 38,000 in a smelt; 

 1,000,000 in a sole ; 1,130,000 in a roach ; 3,000,000 

 in a species of sturgeon ; 342,000 in a carp ; 3S3,000 



in a tench ; 546,000 in a mackerel ; 992,000 in a 

 perch ; and 1,357,000 in a flounder. But of all the 

 fishes hitherto discovered, the cod seems to be the 

 most prolific. One naturalist computes that it 

 produces more than 3,6SC,000 ; another as many as 

 9,444,000— B. C. Baigent, Woolston, Hants. 



The Stormy Petrel {Tkalassidroma pelagicd). 

 — A specimen of this pretty little bird was knocked 

 down on the night of Jan. 21st, in the London road 

 at High Wycombe. When brought to us the next 

 day, it appeared very weak, but otherwise in good 

 condition. It was placed on flannel in a basket, 

 and slept during the night. Next morning we gave 

 it a bath of fresh water, which it seemed to enjoy : 

 we also gave it some bread-crumbs soaked in cod- 

 liver oil, of which it took a few, appearing to relish 

 the oil. On Priday morning, however, it was per- 

 ceptibly weaker, and on placing it in a bath prepared 

 with "Tidman's Sea Salt," it sank almost im- 

 mediately. On Saturday it took a small quantity of 

 oil, and in the evening we let it out in the drawing- 

 room, when it flew the length of the room several 

 times. On Sunday night it was unable to fly more 

 than a very short distance, and on Monday it died. 

 — B. 



Pasting Caterfillars.— A remarkable case of 

 long fasting in caterpillars has recently come under 

 my notice. Two friends of mine, coming back from 

 Russia, brought with them some caterpillars which 

 they had found some time before they started. The 

 caterpillars were carefully placed in a box with some 

 leaves, and forgotten. They stayed in Germany a 

 month, and then returned home to England. 

 The whole time since the caterpillars had remained 

 without food (for they did not eat the leaf which 

 had been placed in the box) was about five months, 

 and though they will not eat anything they are still 

 alive. It is now eight weeks since I received them. 

 -A. H. Todd. 



Rare Birds.— During the month of January the 

 following birds have occurred in Gedney Marsh, 

 Lincolnshire. Great Northern Diver (Colymbiis 

 glacialis), Rednecked Grebe {Podiceps rubricollis), 

 Eared Grebe (Podiceps auritus), Porktailed Petrel 

 (2) {Tkalassidroma Leackii), and the Storm Petrel 

 (Tkalassidroma pelagica.)~—C. B. 



Egyptian Goose (Ckenalopex Egyptiaca). — A 

 specimen of this very rare bird was shot near Hey- 

 bridge, by a foundryman in the employ of Mr. E. H. 

 Bentall, January, 1S68. Weight about seven pounds: 

 — H. Tasker. 



Remarkable Size of the Trout.— A large 

 trout was found stranded on the estate of Lady 

 Rodney, Alresford, January 19, 1S6S. It measured 

 2 feet 4 inches in length, and weighed 141b. — 

 H. Tasker. 



