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HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



thus conveniently clogged, to be afterwards dropped 

 in another sheet of water ; and if it chanced that the 

 shell thus conveyed were full of ova, the pond, if 

 barren before, would soon become populated. Such 

 molluscs as deposit their ova in gelatinous masses, as 

 the Limnsea, Planorbi, &c, may readily have these 

 ova masses conveyed from pond to pond by small 

 reptiles such as the frog or toad, or even by birds and 

 rats. To my mind, these instances I have noted, very 

 satisfactorily account for the sometimes apparently 

 inexplicable populations of ponds and other sheets of 

 water, and the distribution of various species of 

 mollusca. In a recent issue of the " Field," an 

 instance is related by a correspondent when a large 

 fresh-water mussel was found, having between the 

 valves the toe of a small bird, apparently that of some 

 species of Turdus, perhaps a blackbird ; and two 

 other instances have lately been recorded in the same 

 paper, one of a wader being caught by a cockle, and 

 another of a snipe being shot which had a small 

 Sphrerium clinging to its toe. It was for long a 

 problem to the late Charles Darwin : — How it came 

 about that mussels and other shells which can neither 

 fly nor walk, can migrate from one pond to another ? 

 This was solved by some boys who found some frogs, 

 and a Dytiscus, with small mussels clinging to their 

 legs, and who made bold to write to him, asking if he 

 could give them any explanation of it, and he wrote 

 very kindly in return, thanking them for the light they 

 had thus thrown upon a subject which had long been 

 an enigma to him. Only two or three weeks before 

 his death, Mr. Darwin wrote a letter on the subject 

 of the " Dispersal of Fresh- water Bivalves," in which 

 he relates an instance of a Unio being found attached 

 to the tip of the middle toe of a duck, shot on the 

 wing, as well as other important facts of the same 

 kind. — R. Standen. 



Ants and Birds. — In reference to Mr. Mattieu 

 Williams' notes respecting the duck's great antipathy 

 to the ant, I may mention that I have noticed the 

 same thing myself in many other birds. When hens 

 hatch off young pheasants, it is usual for the keepers 

 to feed the young birds on ants' eggs, for which 

 purpose they frequently place a whole ant-hill with 

 eggs and ants all together near their coop for them to 

 scratch at. The pheasants will devour the eggs 

 greedily, but I notice that they will not touch the 

 perfect insects, but avoid them as much as possible. 

 The old mother hen too, is in great fear of these active 

 little insects, but in spite of all her endeavours to keep 

 clear of them, many generally manage to crawl 

 amongst her feathers and make her very miserable. 

 Thrushes, blackbirds, and starlings will not touch 

 these creatures, for I have frequently tried them, they 

 nevertheless show a great liking for them in the larva 

 state. I once killed a red backed shrike which was 

 industriously pecking and foraging on an ant-hill, 

 and on dissecting it I found about a dozen ants, a few 

 larvae, and a large number of small beetles belonging 

 to a species which are principally found in ants' nests. 

 All oologists must be familiar with the peculiar 

 notched and long tongue of the birds of the wood- 

 pecker tribe, and many no doubt have seen them busy 

 at work and eating. They dig a deep hole into the 

 midst of the ants' homes with their strong beak, and 

 then thrusting in their tongue, allow it to remain 

 there for a moment, when they draw it out covered 

 with the insects which the)' eat with great relish. I 

 have often wondered why it is that some birds have 

 such a dislike for ants, whilst others number them 

 amongst their favourite morsels. — William P. Ellis. 



White Flowers. — Three specimens of white 

 Ajuga reptans were found this summer, in the 



neighbourhood of Llwyngwern ; also on a mountain, 

 not far from the same place, three kinds of white 

 heather, Erica Tetralix, E. ci/ierea, Callima vulgaris. 

 — M. E. Thomson. 



Eggs. — We have occasionally observed on the 

 small stems and surfaces of the leaves of horse- 

 chestnut and sycamore, lumps of transparent jelly 

 clear as water with a slightly ribbed outline, con- 

 taining inside at about equal distances, though set 

 near together, small yellow eggs a little larger than 

 common spiders' eggs. These curious objects are 

 found on the outside leaves of lower branches 

 hanging over a deep freshwater pond, far away 

 from the tree-trunk, but nowhere coming nearer 

 than two or three feet to the surface of the water. 

 Seen in a microscope of about 220 power the jelly 

 is still clear as water ; the eggs look the same as 

 before only larger — something like the yolk of a 

 hen's egg to the naked eye, but a less dark yellow. 

 They were found in August and September. If any 

 correspondent could tell what kind of reptile or 

 insect may have laid these eggs it would be very 

 interesting. — M. C. R. 



The Knot. — It is a very unusual thing to find a 

 knot (Tringa corniitus) in summer plumage on the 

 English coast. Such an one, however (a female), 

 was shot during the second week in August on the 

 banks of the river Ribble below Preston, and was 

 purchased by J. B. Hodgkinson, who now has the 

 specimen in his possession. He remarks that al- 

 though a great many specimens of this species have 

 passed through his hands at various times, it is the 

 first he ever had in summer plumage. There seems 

 to be a deal of uncertainty attached to the nidifi- 

 cation of these birds, which visit our shores in 

 immense flocks during the autumn and winter. 

 The eggs have rarely if ever been taken. During 

 the explorations of Captain Sir G. S. Nares in the 

 Arctic seas in the years 1875-6, Mr. Hy. W. 

 Fielden (who was naturalist to the expedition), when 

 camping at Knot Harbour, Grinnel Land (lat. 82 

 33' N.) noticed the first arrival of a flock of knots 

 on June 5, 1S76, which circling over the hillside, 

 alighted and fed eagerly on the buds of the purple 

 saxifrage (Saxifraga oppositifolia). They began to 

 mate soon after their arrival, and although careful 

 search was made by various members of the expedition 

 during the months of June and July they were 

 unable to find either nest or eggs. But on July 30, 

 a male bird and three nestlings were captured near 

 the ship. An albino var. was shot near Maldon, in 

 Essex, Feb. 13, 1851. I shall be glad to hear of any 

 authentic instances of the knot's eggs being found, 

 and to have a description of them. — ■ W. Hy. Hcathcote, 

 Preston. 



Willows struck by Lightning. — On the 

 19th of May, a large sized willow-tree, growing in a 

 field close to this town, was struck by lightning, 

 which literally wrenched the trunk asunder from the 

 top to the bottom, tearing off one side of it, and 

 leaving the remainder standing. The torn surface of 

 this bears no marks of having been burnt or charred 

 by the flash, but is comparatively smooth, and has 

 the appearance of having been simply split by a 

 great force, except that for a breadth of four or five 

 inches down the centre the wood hangs in shreds 

 with its texture almost completely destroyed. On 

 the 1st inst. I examined the mutilated trunk left 

 standing, and found that it had not been killed and 

 that its leaves were quite fresh and green. Two men 

 working in the field saw the lightning strike the tree, 



