58 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



[March 1, 1870. 



living in two qualities of water ; inasmuch as that 

 of the bay is purely salt, while that of the river is 

 brackish— at least, it mingles with the ocean only 

 during tidal hours. 



" The piscine performers execute their music 

 without being disturbed by the presence of boats, 

 and without showing themselves at the surface of 

 the water, and this during several successive hours. 

 One is surprised that so loud and distinct a sound 

 can proceed from an animal not more than ten 

 inches long. The fish itself has nothing particular 

 in its external conformation to commend it. The 

 colour is white, with some bluish spots on the 

 back ; at least, this is the fish which one catches 

 with a hook on the spot during a concert. 



" It is towards sunset that the fish begin to make 

 themselves heard, and they continue their song 

 during the night, imitating the notes of an organ 

 very exactly,— as when one is near the door of a 

 church, but outside, not inside the sacred edifice." 



What is the name of this wonderful fish ? Will 

 not modern enterprise provide us with these charm- 

 ing sirens ? What an opportunity to the caterers 

 of the new Brighton Aquarium to secure the 

 " greatest novelty of the day " ! 



Havre. 



W. W. SriCEK. 



INSECT EMBRYOGENY. 



THREE years ago the entomological world was 

 much interested in the discovery of the pheno- 

 menon of parthenogenesis in the larva of a gnat 

 \Cecidomyia). The particulars are given in Dr.' 

 Eripps's paper in the Popular Science Review for 

 April, 1867. They are very curious. It has not 

 hitherto been surmised that the larva of Aphrophora 

 spumaria, the Cuckoo-spit, affords another instance. 

 The Baron De Geer, the great Swedish naturalist, 

 noticed that the female Erog-hoppers (so the per- 

 fect insects are called) become so gravid in Septem- 

 ber that they can scarcely fly. The eggs could not 

 well cause this inconvenient gravity, because they 

 are deposited at a much later season, — in England 

 certainly, and probably in Sweden also. The eggs 

 do not seem to encumber the insect, according to 

 my observation, even in December, immediately 

 before their deposition. We may therefore suppose 

 De Geer's observation to have applied to females 

 about to become viviparous ; though he does not 

 seem to have suspected it. That it might have 

 been so, is rendered certain by the occurrence of an 

 embryo within the abdomen of a larva taken in my 

 garden, and now in my cabinet. The claws, eyes, 

 proboscis, and antennae are to be clearly distin- 

 guished, and even the lenses of the eyes when con- 

 siderably magnified. The antenna; appear of an 

 unusual size ; but they comprise only the normal 

 parts, and are obviously immature. The mother 



larva in this example is about three parts grown to 

 maturity ; the wing - cases being still incomplete 

 beneath the outer skin. 



This discovery— for such it is presumed to be — 

 may, it is hoped, in some degree condone for any 

 mistakes in my first paper on this insect, Science- 

 Gossip, 1SGS, p. 16S. Doubtless the larva does 

 change its skin repeatedly, like other larvse, though 

 I have argued on the contrary supposition. The 

 changes, however, may take place at such long 

 intervals that my inference may not be wholly 

 damaged. It may now be left to entomologists and 

 physiologists to pursue this new fact, unexpectedly 

 started upon a well-beaten field. S. S. 



THE GOLDEN PLOVER. 



(Charudrius pluvialis.) 



\ LTHOUGH this beautiful plover may be con- 

 •*-*~ sidered to be with us an indigenous species, 

 being resident in some parts of the country 

 throughout the year, it is nevertheless affected by 

 the laws of migration even within the limited area 

 of the British islands. 



In Scotland and the north of England, as well as 

 in some parts of Ireland, it nests regularly every 

 year, selecting the lonely moors and mountain-sides, 

 where it remains from April to August until the 

 young are strong upon the wing. Towards the end 

 of the latter month large flocks begin to congregate 

 and gradually move southwards, to spend the winter 

 on the open marshes and wastes, or on the coast, 

 where there is a greater certainty of finding food. 



It is in the winter plumage (as shown in the 

 accompanying woodcut) that the Golden Plover is 

 best known to the wild-fowl shooter, by whom it 

 is eagerly sought after, both for sport and profit. 

 The gregarious habits of this bird in winter often 

 lead to large numbers being killed at a single 

 shot, while the estimation in which it is held as 

 an article of food is a sufficient inducement to take 

 some trouble to procure it. 



During the winter months Golden Plovers may 

 often be found consorting with Peewits and Field- 

 fares, and feeding on the same diet ; but, 

 independently of their size, they may always be 

 distinguished when on the ground at a distance by 

 their peculiar motion, running with short quick 

 steps and stopping abruptly ; now and then dipping 

 down the head to seize a worm, and elevating the 

 tail considerably. 



In enclosed districts they are generally to be 

 found on the fallows, where they devour large quan- 

 tities of earthworms ; but they are particularly 

 partial to iflooded meadows and ^the soft ooze of 

 our tidal harbours. In the .meadows they find 

 abundance of insect and vegetable food; on the 



