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HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



[April 1, 1870. 



Snow Bunting.— Mr. Mash wishes to know if 

 this bird was common anywhere besides the Felix- 

 stowe Marshes this winter. I have shot seven 

 during the past season near Surf, about seven 

 miles from this place. There were still a good many 

 left when I was there last, about three weeks since. 

 — Walter Cole, Exeter. 



Swallows. — When out for a walk this day, 

 March 2nd, I saw two swallows flying up and down 

 the Exe. Is not this very early for these birds ?— 

 Walter Cole, Exeter. 



A Rat's Ride.— During the gread flood of the 

 4th of September, 1829, when the river Tyne was 

 at its height, a number of people were assembled 

 on its margin. A swan appeared with a black spot 

 on its plumage, which on its nearer approach proved 

 to be a live rat. It is probable that the latter had 

 been borne into the water by some object, and 

 observing the swan, had taken refuge on its back 

 for safety. As soon as the swan reached the land 

 the rat jumped off and ran away. — M. J. Teil. 



The "American Entomologist" for Eeb- 

 ruary contains 32 full pages of more than usually 

 interesting reading matter, and is embellished 

 with no less than 31 beautiful and well-executed 

 woodcuts. The leading article treats of the large 

 Cecropia Moth, and describes several of its para- 

 sites. This is followed by one on " Galls and their 

 Architects," iu which an account is given of certain 

 galls made by beetles on both the raspberry and 

 grape. Then comes an entomological report, and a 

 paper on Imported and Native American Insects, 

 both of which abound in the most important 

 practical suggestions. There are also articles on 

 " Bladder - plums," "the Trumpet Grape- gall," 

 "the Itch-Mite," "a New Bean Weevil," "the 

 Plum Curculio will deposit in Eruit which over- 

 hangs Water," " the Goat-weed Butterfly," " In- 

 sects Injurious to the Grape Vine," " Southern 

 Notes," "the Grain Bruchus of Europe just 

 imported," "Locust Borers," " Answers to Corre- 

 spondents," and " Jottings." 



Modiola barbata. — Being at my fishmonger's 

 in this place yesterday, and while inspecting some 

 fine scallop shells exposed for sale, I found at- 

 tached to one of them two shells which, being new 

 to me, I begged of him. On reference to Eorbcs 

 and Iiandley's work on the Mollusca, I find 

 I hem to be Modiola barbata, a species mentioned 

 in the work as follows -.— " On the English coast 

 individual specimens are much prized. Torbay, 

 Exmouth, Portland, Weymouth, &c, arc mentioned 

 as localities." I thought conchologists might be 

 interested in knowing it has been takeu on this 

 coast, as, on inquiry, I was told the scallops were 

 dredged up about ten miles out at sea from this 

 town.— W. Hambrough, Worthing. 



Gangetic Porpoise. — The observation of the 

 natives, in reference to this creature (S.-G. 70), 

 that it was " of course viviparous, as it had no 

 visible ears," though by no means a rigidly correct 

 inference, is not bad as a rough generalization, 

 and shows appreciation of the connection between 

 structure and habit. External ears seem to be the 

 prerogative of the mammalia, which, as a class, are 

 alone viviparous, and are so without exception, but 

 some of its members are destitute of these organs — 

 notably the Cetacea, to which the porpoises, whales, 

 &c, belong. Nevertheless this section is as vivi- 

 parous as any of the others, suckles its young, and 

 corresponds in anatomical sructure and function 

 with other mammals, though from their peculiarity 

 of form and marine habits, the Cetacea are popu- 

 larly regarded as fishes, no doubt in India as 

 elsewhere. Our British Mole may be cited as a 

 familiar case of a mammal without outward ears. 

 The other classes of Vertebrates may be regarded 

 as oviparous, the birds always, the fishes nearly so, 

 and in the viviparous reptiles the exception is 

 rather apparent than real, as the covering of the 

 egg is rent at the time of deposition, whence they 

 are usually termed ovo-viviparous. — 67. Guyon y 

 Ventnor, March lith. 



Larva op Privet Hawk-moth. — Your cor- 

 respondent " M. B. M." (page 70, March) seems 

 to have made rather a remarkable discovery. 

 The caterpillar of the Privet Hawk-moth {Sphinx 

 ligustri) is well known to feed up in August or 

 September, and I believe invariably to pass the 

 winter in the chrysalis state. It feeds only on 

 privet, lilac, and occasionally holly, laurustinus, 

 and one or two allied plants. The discovery, there- 

 fore, of a specimen of the larva in January feeding 

 on scarlet geranium (pelargonium I suppose) is, to 

 say the least of it, unusual. The only bright-green 

 caterpillar which I can call to mind as likely to do 

 mischief among greenhouse plants in the middle of 

 winter is that of the polyphagous and very abun- 

 dant Angle Shades-moth {Phlogophora medicalosa), 

 but it could hardly be mistaken even when young 

 for that of the Privet Hawk-moth.— B. 



Emigration of Otters.— Last year in Scotland, 

 a labourer going to his work, soon after five o'clock 

 in the morning, saw a number of animals coming 

 towards him, and stood quietly by the hedge till 

 they came alongside of him. He then perceived 

 four old otters, probably dams, and about twenty 

 young ones. He took a stick out of the hedge 

 and killed one. Directly it began to squeak, all 

 the four old ones turned back and stood till the 

 other young ones had escaped through the hole 

 in the hedge, and then went quietly themselves. 

 Several families were thus journeying together, and 

 probably they had left their former abode, not 

 finding a sufficiency of food. — M. J. T. 



