April 1, 1S70.] 



HAIIDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



9: 



amusing to them was misery to the cat, they has- 

 tened to set her free ; carefully breaking the jar, so 

 as not to hurt the cat. No sooner was this clone, 

 than a mouse, which had been attracted and caught 

 by a little meal at the bottom of the jar, leapedout, 

 having been, no doubt, the unwitting cause of the 

 cat's mishap. In breaking the jar, the part through 

 which the cat's head had been forced still remained 

 round her ueck, like a ring ; and for some time it 

 was suffered to continue so, in memory of poor 

 pussy's misadventure.—/. S. Tttte. 



Sackbut (p. 71).-" G. H. H." will get ample 

 information on this point by consulting W. Aldis 

 Wright's article on this instrument in Smith's 

 "Dictionary of the Bible," vol. iii., or by reference 

 to the Lexicons of Forcellini, under sambucus, and 

 Stephanus, under (ra^putcr). — R. T., 21. A. 



^Esciiynanthus in Eruit. — Inclosed pod of 

 MscKynanthus was raised in a greenhouse. I send 

 it because my gardener says the plant rarely fruc- 

 tifies ; he never saw it before. Rare or not, it is 

 curious. — B. G. 



Golden Plover {Gharad/rius pluvialis). — Mr. 

 Harting in his interesting article (page 58), does 

 not mention the fact that Golden Plover may often be 

 decoyed within range by a tolerably correct imita- 

 tion of their whistle. I speak from experience 

 during the winter months only, and I have more thau 

 once " whistled " a flock of them round, so as to get 

 a second shot, — on one occasion after the first had 

 been successful. Single birds, and stragglers espe- 

 cially, may be lured in this way. I think the illus- 

 tration (p. 00) represents the bird with too dark a 

 breast for winter plumage — it is more like pluvialis 

 in his summer dress. — /. B. 



Spurwinged Goose. — Allow me to make a few 

 remarks upon two points that seem to me to call 

 for some notice as I turn over the pages of your last 

 number. There can be little reasonable doubt, I 

 think, that the Spurwinged Goose, the occurrence of 

 which in "Wiltshire is spoken of by Dr. Moses 

 (p. 51), has no claim whatever to be regarded as a 

 " British bird " in the ordinary sense. It is a native 

 of tropical and southern Africa, which is never likely 

 to stray so far north as this country of its own 

 accord. But it is comparatively common as an 

 introduced species in collections of ornamental water- 

 fowl, and there are generally specimens of it in the 

 gardens of this society. Therefore I do not doubt 

 that the bird spoken of by Dr. Moses, as well as 

 those previously recorded as occurring in Great 

 Britain, were individuals that had escaped from 

 captivity. The Spurwinged Goose has once bred 

 with us, but is not a free breeder in captivity. The 

 other subject I wisli to notice is to express regret 

 that you should have inserted in Science-Gossip 

 the silly story about Mr. Cross and his pythons (p. 

 61). Pythons do not produce living young ones, but 

 eggs, which they afterwards (at any rate in some 

 instances) incubate. Of this fact we have had ocular 

 proof in this society's gardens. This and other 

 similar stories which have recently appeared in the 

 Liverpool journals are obviously concocted to 

 increase the sale either of Mr. Cross's pythons, or of 

 the papers that insert them : 1 know not which. — 

 P. L. Sclater, Zoological Society of London. 



Entomological _ Society.— A new society has 

 just sprung into existence at Newcastle-ou-Tyne, of 

 which the secretary is Mr. Johnston, of IS, Dean- 

 street, who will furnish all required information. 



Badgers.— A correspondent of a Cornish paper, 

 writing from Liskeard, says that on March 4th Mr. 

 Steel, of St. Ives, with some others, captured six 

 badgers on his estate, near that town ; three were 

 taken alive, and weighed Sllb. I fear such whole- 

 sale destruction will soon exterminate these 

 ; animals. — II. Budge. 



Titmice. — In your March number I read an 

 article about the Bearded Titmouse {Pants hiarmi- 

 cus). I think this bird is nowhere so common as in 

 some parts of my country (Holland), where it may 

 be seen in great numbers during the months of Sep- 

 tember and October amongst the reeds. I have 

 kept several pairs of these birds in cages, where 

 they appeared to be very happy as long as they were 

 kept together ; but as soon as one of them died, the 

 other began to pine, and never survived its mate 

 more than a week or a fortnight. It is very amus- 

 ing to watch these birds at night, as the male always 

 covers the female with his wings when asleep. 

 When one of the birds is taken away from its mate, 

 they both express their grief by piteous cries, and 

 do not cease until they are brought together again. 

 Another bird of the Tit tribe, which is rather com- 

 mon in the large pine woods in the south of Holland, 

 is the Crested Tit {Pants cristatus) -. I have never 

 yet observed it in England, and as some naturalists 

 declare that it has never been seen here, I should 

 be very thankful if any of your correspondents would 

 give me some information on this point. — II. M. 

 Labouchere. 



Musical Eisii.— I have also heard the Musical 

 Eish (of which our mutual friend Mr. Spicer writes 

 to you) in the caves of the Bocas Islands, off Trini- 

 dad. The noise I heard is a simple drumming, 

 exactly like a steamer letting off steam, which I at- 

 tributed at first to wind, or to water in caves : but 

 I accept the native explanation. I have a specimen 

 of the fish which is said to make the noise ; but I 

 don't believe in his power to clo so. I know nothing 

 save what I tell, and what I have read in an old 

 unscientific " History of Trinidad." But I can find 

 out more, and shall be happy to tell you what I find 

 out, if I can get at what is already known. — C. 

 Kingsleij, Eoersley Bectory. 



Botanical Synonymy. — It would be a great 

 help to readers of the old herbalists, if there were 

 some small work published identifying the old 

 names witii modern names of the plants. To a very 

 considerable extent this has been done in the "Elora 

 of Middlesex."— B. T., M.A. 



Bittern in Norfolk.— A fine male specimen of 

 the Bittern {Ardea stellaris) was shot at Barton 

 (Norfolk) on the 26th of last December, and at the 

 same place, on the 27th, a specimen of the Black- 

 throated Diver {Colymbus arcticus). — B. J. 



Sea Birds near Guildford. — During the 

 stormy weather in Eebruary, a specimen of the 

 Goosander {Mergus merganser) and also of the 

 Smew {Mergus albellus) were shot in a pond in this 

 neighbourhood. A beautiful example of the Hinged 

 Guillemott {Uria lachrymans) was also captured 

 near a dung-heap. I can find no record of the latter 

 ever having been taken so far from the coast. Some 

 years ago a specimen of the Little Auk was brought 

 me from a chalk-pit near Guildford, being picked 

 up by a boy in an exhausted condition.— C. Capron, 

 Shere. 



