Sept. 1, 1S70.] 



HARDWICKE'S SCIEN CE- G OSSI P. ' 



209 



ZOOLOGY. 



Great Shrike. — At the meeting of the Zoological 

 Society on the 23rd of June, Messrs. H. E. Dresser 

 and R. B. Sharpe read a paper on the Great Grey 

 Shrike {Lanius Excubitor) and its allies. The dif- 

 ferential characters of the tvarious species were 

 pointed out, and special attention was drawn to 

 the Indian Grey Shrike {Lanius lahtora), which was 

 considered to be identical with the Algerian Lanius 

 pallens, vel dealbatus. 



Attractive Plant. — I find a common garden 

 plant, the Snowberry {Symphoria racemosd), which 

 has round white berries in August, very attractive 

 to Noctuae when in flower ; I have taken many 

 species at it this June. — //. C. Leslie, Frith. 



Rooks. — In a recent number of Cassell's " Book 

 of Birds," there is, I believe, a mistake. In speak- 

 ing of the Rook, the author says, " These birds are 

 distinguished. . . by the bareness of the face 

 observable in the old birds, occasioned, probably> 

 by continually rubbing it upon the ground when in 

 search*of food." And, again, "The hungry rooks 

 actually rub the feathers from their faces by con- 

 stantly burrowing in the ground with their beaks." 

 After Waterton's able Essay on this subject {vide 

 "Essays on Natural History," 1st Series), it is 

 needless to argue further on this absurd hypothesis. 

 — H. C. Sargent, Warrington. 



Sharking. — When out fishing yesterday, about 

 three miles off Towan Head, we captured a blue 

 shark, which measured four feet in length, being 

 about one year old. On examining him we were 

 much surprised to find three letters, U. N. F., 

 branded on its left side, under the back fin, and 

 from the inside of which we took a pilchard mea- 

 suring nine inches in length. Two other sharks 

 were also captured, one of the common, the other 

 of the blue species, which are considered scarce 

 along this coast. Several dog-fish were also seen by 

 us during the day, which, I need not add, greatly 

 interfered with our fishing arrangements. — Frede- 

 rick Newton. 



Cowper and the Nightingale. — With re- 

 ference to the song of the nightingale which the 

 poet imagined that he heard in mid-winter, it may 

 be interesting to some of the readers of Science- 

 Gossip to learn that a caged [nightingale, kept as a 

 pet for some time in my father's house, commenced 

 to sing on the 1st or 2nd of January. I write from 

 memory, but I believe that this took place during 

 three successive winters. The bird lived in cap- 

 tivity about four years, and was quite tame. His 

 song was magnificent, and more connected than 



that which one hears in the woods ; it usually 

 ceased in May.— E. E. S., Beaumaris. 



Otters. — On the 23rd July, au otter was killed 

 at Reeds Mere, near Capesthorne Hall, Cheshire, 

 by Lord Hill's pack of otter-hounds. Another 

 otter was started near Ghelford Chapel, but was 

 afterwards lost. — G. II. II. 



Quail's Nest near Leeds.— I have just been 

 presented with four eggs out of twelve, found in a 

 grass field near here. They were mown over and 

 taken by the mowers, and given to a boy, who took 

 them to Mr. Emmett, a taxidermist, who secured 

 the lot. They did not appear to have been sat upon. 

 The parent birds have been heard, but not seen, and, 

 as it is quite uncommon here, no one knew what 

 they were. Is not the number large for so small a 

 bird as the quail to cover ? Should be glad to know 

 whether it is common for them to lay so large a 

 number of eggs. It was the most beautiful egg 

 sight I ever witnessed, being all splendid speci- 

 mens. — William Liversidcje, Stansjield Row, Bur ley, 

 Leeds. 



Deilephila Galii (Scarce Spotted Hawk-moth). 

 — A fine specimen of this scarce moth was caught in 

 the grounds of the Crichton Royal Institution, 

 Dumfries, on the 7th of August ; thus adding 

 another valuable specimen to the already magnificent 

 collection collected and arranged by Mr. William 

 Lennon, of this Institution. — W. B. Gibson. 



Pencil-tail {Polyxenus lagurub). — Mr. S. J. 

 MTntire read a very interesting paper on this 

 subject at the last meeting of the Quekett Micro- 

 scopical Club (July, 1S70), in which he gave some 

 valuable details of their habits, and exhibited living 

 specimens. 



Vanessa Antiopa (Camberweil Beauty). — I had 

 the gratification of capturing a beautiful specimen 

 of this rare butterfly on the 18th August, 1S70, at 

 Delee, Rochester, Kent. I should like to know if 

 any one else had been equally fortunate. — James 

 Fletcher, Rochester. 



Molly-hawk. — It is the lesser Albatross, is 

 about half the size, and differs in the colour of the 

 feathers on the back, which are .black ; the full- 

 grown albatross being a rich pinky white all over 

 when alive and full-grown. Some specimens in the 

 British Museum.— E. H. Moore. 



Foraminifera. — The last part of the Linnean 

 Transactions contains a valuable paper by Messrs. 

 Brady, Parker, and Jones, called a " Monograph of 

 the Genus Polymorphina," illustrated by four plates 

 of figures. We commend this communication to 

 the notice of all who are interested in the study of 

 these organisms. 



