ss 



HAEDWICKE'S SC IEN CE - GOSSIP. 



[April 1, 18CG. 



I would suggest, however, that the cause be 

 looked for in the movements of the mandibles, aided 

 possibly, by that formidable labrum (upper lip), and 

 not in the tapping of the head against a hard sub- 

 stance. 



In September last I captured an Atropos at 

 Scarborough under the torn edge of a wall-paper. 



In December last I was told of a cellar dwelling 

 where " the awful Death-watch " haunted. There 

 I captured three under the worn paper covering of 

 an old box ; and the ominous sound has not since 

 annoyed the inhabitants. 



On the 28th of January, on entering my bedroom, 

 I was saluted by the — to me— cheerful tick. Tracing 

 it to the back of a picture hanging against the wall, 

 and satisfactorily ascertaining that the sounds pro- 

 ceeded from an Atropos, I let him live, that I might 

 enjoy his music, while I lay pondering on this 

 marvel of creative skill — for marvel indeed it is — 

 that so loud a sound should be produced by so 

 small and delicate a creature. 



Having learnt from your interesting and useful 

 publication that this question of Atropos was a dis- 

 puted one, I have exercised more care in the above 

 observations than I should otherwise have done, and 

 the only question with me now is, by what means 

 are the sounds produced. 



Bradford. T. Prince. 



ZOOLOGY. 



A Plea for Birds.— We heartily concur in the 

 spirit which prompted the Rev. Pemberton Bartlett 

 to write his very little book on this subject. We 

 have often protested not only against the wholesale 

 slaughter of little birds, as a great mistake, but also 

 against the wanton destruction of rare visitors com- 

 mitted in the name of science. Let us hope that 

 the "' Plea " will be heard and regarded. 



Eorcing Pupa. — On December 14th I put a 

 pupa of the Buff Tip (P. Bucephala) on some mould 

 in a box, and covered it with damp moss (damping 

 the moss every two or three days at least, as the 

 heat absorbed the moisture so quickly), and kept it 

 on a high mantelpiece over a kitchen range. On 

 January 15th, 1SGS, the perfect insect appeared. 

 On .lauuary 17th 1 put a pupa of the Privet Hawk 

 (S. Ligustri) in the box, and kept it in the same 

 place. On February 27th the perfect insect 

 emerged ; it is a very fair specimen, measuring three 

 inches ten lines from tip to tip.— S. J. Barnes. 



Oh, Snakes !— A few days since a man ploughing 

 a fallow close to my house, turned up an old bottle, 

 and in it were a pair of common snakes {Coluber 

 natrix), no doubt having hybernated in the same, 

 finding it a dry retreat.— W. H. Cobb. 



Ant-hills. — Your sketch of the Wood Ant 

 {Formica rufa), and its temple, contained in the 

 last number of Science-Gossip, brought vividly to 

 my memory an almost forgotten half-hour of plea- 

 santness spent some time since in the immediate 

 vicinity of a few of these colonies of industry. 

 About six or seven years ago, when on a visit to 

 Keswick, a friend took me to see the ant-hills with 

 which the woods in the neighbourhood of Sowdon 

 abound. We singled out one of these hives of 

 activity with a view to the better observing of the 

 habits of the little creatures. They were all in- 

 tently employed in collecting and piling up pieces 

 of grass, straw, stick, and other matter into 

 conical-shaped heaps. Among the many thousand 

 indefatigable workers, one especially courted my 

 attention: I first noticed it at a short distance 

 (eight or ten inches) from the hill which their con- 

 centrated efforts were rapidly forming. It was then 

 tugging at a piece of straw, and was endeavouring 

 to get it along towards the scene of activity, but was 

 clearly unable to do so because of its great size. 

 Emding, I presume, its strength unequal to the 

 task of successfully conveying the load to the 

 heap, it left it, and sped away to the crowd of 

 fellow-labourers, to whom, by some medium too 

 subtle and refined to be perceived by my dull 

 senses, it communicated information respecting its 

 difficulties, for it almost immediately returned with 

 several others, and by their combined efforts— each 

 one taking its place with as much order as men do 

 when transporting timber or other large body — the 

 piece w r as soon deposited at the foot of the pile. This 

 done, one of the ants ascended about the length of 

 itself, and, stooping down, laid hold of the straw 

 by one end, and, with the assistance of the others 

 pushing, drew it up. These movements several 

 times repeated, at last placed it in a very exalted 

 position in the structure. This interesting incident 

 gives rise to the following question : Do not ants 

 possess a measure of reasoning power imperfectly 

 and incorrectly expressed as instinct ? Erom what 

 passed before my attention, the conviction forced 

 upon me was that these humble creature do possess 

 mental faculties, somewhat analogous to those we 

 call perception, reflection, and judgment; and that 

 by virtue of these endowments they act, not uni- 

 formly as machines, but variously, in view of acci- 

 dents, conditions, or consequences. Also they would 

 appear to have a medium by means of which they 

 can communicate their cogitations to each other. 

 I shall be glad to know what are the notions of 

 other readers of Science-Gossip respecting these 

 matters. — B. Taylor. 



Mouse-killing Eowls.— Several instances of 

 fowls being adepts at mouse-killing have come under 

 my own observation. In my youthful days I was 

 very fond of the sport of killing rats, and this 



