272 



H.ARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



[Dec. 1, 186S. 



on the legs, white and dry. The abdomen is tense 

 and smooth ; they take up a fixed position on the 

 web, with two pairs of legs stretched out in front, 

 and two under the body behind. Soon the skin of 

 the abdomen splits transversely, and the mite 

 gradually withdraws his head and forelegs. Crawl- 

 ing away, he leaves a dry white cup, the skin which 

 formerly covered the posterior part of the abdomen. 

 On the web there are generally lady-birds (C. 

 bipunctata) and a very small beetle. The eggs of 

 these are confusing at first. Their larvae fully ap- 

 preciate the convenience of the web, and wriggle 

 happily along it. I shall be happy to send speci- 

 mens of the mites to any one desirous of observing 

 their habits. 



Clifton College. W. F. Howlett. 



REPTILES IN CONFINEMENT. 



fTIOADS often make mistakes similar to those 1 

 -*- described as peculiar to the green tree-frog in 

 the September number of Science-Gossip — to 

 which article the name H. Alliott was printed in 

 mistake for my own. I have no doubt it arose from 

 the illegibility of my signature ; and I hope this will 

 be a warning to other correspondents (as it will be 

 to myself) who are in the habit of indulging in 

 illegible signatures. 



A toad I had in the summer of 1865, often made 

 a mistake which any evil-disposed or anti-toadian 

 person would have called cannibalism. His pecu- 

 liarity was that of snapping up any juvenile toad 

 that happened to crawl past him ; he, however, soon 

 spat them out, the poisonous warts on their backs 

 being, I suppose, disagreeable to our friend's palate. 

 Though I was very fond of " toady " and revere his 

 memory much, I must own, that if they had been 

 young frogs instead of toads, I believe he would 

 have swallowed them. 



I once had a common frog which was very fond 

 of climbing up and staying among the branches 

 placed in the case for the tree-frogs, and, to quote 

 " C. A." once more, he often appeared of a 

 " greenish tint." His favourite food consisted of 

 large earthworms, the size of which did not seem to 

 trouble him in the least. 



Some few years ago I had a salamander, which 

 after a few months managed to make his escape. 

 We soon gave up all hope of ever seeing " Sally" 

 again. However, two years after it made its ap- 

 pearance in our back kitchen, looking as plump as 

 ever. I ascertained from an examination of its 

 excrement that it had subsisted on blackbeetles 

 during its freedom. 



When the Salamander has arrived at its perfect 

 state, it, like our common newt, prefers to spend 

 most of its time (the breeding season of course 

 excepted) on terra firma. Anybody who has walked 



up St. Martin's Lane during the summer season 

 and seen how the poor creatures exhibited in the 

 aquarium shop-windows struggle to get out of the 

 water, cannot fail to see that they would prefer land 

 to water. 



I have at the present time a salamander which I 

 keep in a case, 3 feet by 1^ feet, at one end of 

 which I have formed, with cement, a small pool, the 

 rest of the bottom of the cage being covered with 

 living turf, on which the Salamander passes most of 

 his time, only now and then, of an evening, going 

 into the water. 



I feed my pet with the common garden spider, of 

 which it will eat two or three at a meal. The 

 Salamander catches its food with its tongue, in the 

 same manner as the toad, and while after its prey, 

 looks rather animated. 



When " Sally " sees a spider or other insect at 

 some little distance, it cautiously advances within 

 an inch or more of it, and then makes a short run 

 towards the hapless insect, which it quickly 

 captures with its tongue. 



On one occasion one of the spiders placed in the 

 Salamander's cage for food, crawled upon its back 

 and bit it on the nape of its neck, when, from each 

 of the warts down its back, oozed a drop of the 

 creamy matter common to some reptiles. I can 

 always obtain some of this secretion — though in 

 a much smaller quantity — by irritating the Sala- 

 mander's back with a needle. 



The Salamander also will often make the mistake 

 which seems so common to some of the Reptilia — 

 I refer to the habit of striking at any moving object 

 whether animate or otherwise. 



Union Grove, Clapham. H. H. Mott. 



AUTUMNAL TREASURES. 



Ere in the Northern gale 

 The Summer tresses of the trees are gone, 

 The woods of Autumn all around our vale 

 Have put their glory on. 



"TTTHERE are the flowers gone to — the bright 

 * ' and beautiful blossoms that made our w r oods 

 and fields so glorious a few short months ago ? Nearly 

 all of them are taking their winter sleep. The young 

 May Violet has finished her season of sweetness ; 

 the wild Amenone, the first flower of spring, is at 

 last under the fallen leaves ; the delicious Sweet- 

 briar, having perfumed our lanes during the warm 

 days of summer, is now clothed in the brilliant garb 

 of winter, its orange-red berries being nearly as 

 attractive to the eye as its pink bloom was in June 

 or July; but if the most charming of our spring and 

 summer floral guests have departed from our sight, 

 we have painted leaves and many coloured berries 

 to compensate us for their loss, and there are still 

 a few bright flowers left, more welcome to us, per- 

 haps, from their very scarceness than all the varied 



