i66 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



shortly afterwards many of them entered in again. 

 They appeared from the size of the adder to be en- 

 sconced in the belly, not in a pouch. I am certain I 

 was not deceived by any movement of the tongue of 

 the adder, as I afterwards killed it and the nine young 

 ones. The fact so struck me that I called some of 

 my neighbours to see such a curious proceeding, and 

 I could find at least one person who could testify to 

 the fact." The locality is a favourite resort for 

 adders, rocky boulders on high ground facing the sea 

 and surrounded in many instances by furze. I had 

 heard this farmer tell the story of the adder on 

 successive shooting seasons, and seeing some dis- 

 cussion in one of the papers as to the viper's capa- 

 bilities as aforesaid, I took the above note from the 

 man himself thinking it might one day be useful as 

 elucidating a vexed question. Of course I suggested 

 that he might have been deceived by the action of the 

 reptile's tongu;, &c, as knowing this was one of the 

 theories adduced by writers, although in this case the 

 young ones were too large. — Clement C. Carlyon. 



Bees dying in Spring. — If A. A. had noticed 

 the long communications recently to the "Times," 

 respecting the present aspect of bee culture in this 

 country, he would not be much surprised to find 

 deserted hives, more especially in April. It is 

 caused by actual starvation, in many instances. But in 

 the case cited in Science-Gossip, p. 118, it is pro- 

 bably owing to the loss of the queen ; thus the hive 

 population gradually dwindled away, until they were 

 so small as to compel the last few to find refuge in 

 a neighbouring colony. Our apiaries have suffered 

 so much during the last year that it will take many 

 years before they are again in the position of 1878 ; 

 hundreds of stocks died during last autumn and 

 winter. I can now go over twenty miles without 

 seeing a bee-hive, where I saw perhaps 500 during 

 1877-8.— /. F. R. 



Query as to Falcon. —I think there is not the 

 -lightest doubt but that Wordsworth alluded to the 

 peregrine falcon {Falco peregrinus) in the passage 

 quoted by your correspondent, P. Q. Keegan. That 

 it still breeds in the Lake District, or I am sorry to 

 say attempts to breed, the enclosed cutting from the 

 " West Cumberland Times " of May 15, 18S0, will 

 show : " The Peregrine Falcon. — On Wednesday last, 

 the Rev. Fullarton Smith, of Lincoln, and Mr. W. 

 Wilson, coal merchant, Keswick, found a nest of that 

 rare bird the peregrine falcon, at Raven Crag, Tliirl- 

 mere Lake, from which they took two eggs. The 

 eggs are as large as a hen's egg, and are what may be 

 termed a dull white colour, marked with maroon 

 streaks, principally towards the larger end of the egg. 

 The nest was not reached without difficulty, the crag 

 being noted in the district for its extreme roughness. 

 It was reached by the rev. gentleman, who was let 

 down to it with a rope, and it required the exertion of 

 all the strength of Mr. Wilson and an assistant to 

 haul him up." After the above it would be unwise 

 even to hint where another pair of peregrine might 

 be found. I believe it was during the winter of 1878-9 

 that two peregrines were trapped in the neighbour- 

 hood of Keswick, and a few years ago I was well 

 acquainted with a female peregrine which as a young 

 bird, was taken out of the nest, in one of the wildest 

 parts of the Lake District ; twice over, in two different 

 seasons, the above bird laid two eggs during confine- 

 ment. That Wordsworth should have been well 

 acquainted with the stock - dove (Columba cenas) 

 is quite probable, it is common enough round this 

 district, and is often shot in winter in company with 

 the ring-dove (C. palumbus). In breeding, it chooses 



sites much the same as those the Jack chooses when 

 it builds away from houses, holes in trees, rocks and 

 rabbit-holes. — IK Duckworth, Stanwix. 



Mistaken Instinct. — A few days since, I had 

 my attention drawn to an interesting instance of 

 mistaken instinct. Several individuals of the common 

 blow-fly were observed hovering about the flower of 

 Stapelia aridns. I afterwards noticed clusters of their 

 eggs in the centre of the corolla. The eggs developed 

 into the larva; which found themselves on an unpala- 

 table mass wholly unfit for their food, and covered 

 with close, short, stiff hairs that not a little incom- 

 moded their movements. After crawling about the 

 petals a day or two, they eventually fell from the 

 plant and perished. The flower of this plant is large 

 and has a very fleshy appearance, with the addition 

 of a slight odour of animal matter ; which was the 

 probable cause of the insect's instinct for perpetuating 

 its species failing it in its object and causing the loss 

 of the entire brood. — Henry ]] r . King. 



Insects and Light. — The predilection which 

 fish, birds, the lepidoptera, &c., have for light or 

 luminous points, formed the subject of several inter- 

 esting papers in Science-Gossip, in 1869. Apropos 

 of this — my son, whose natural history studies are 

 just now, in common with those of most boys, par- 

 ticularly directed to the cultivation of silk-worms, has 

 drawn my attention to the fact that if a leaf covered 

 with larvae be placed on white or light-coloured 

 paper, or any other substance, there at once com- 

 mences a general scramble from the leaf to the paper, 

 which seems to demonstrate that even these humble 

 worms prefer light to darkness. — F. M. Habben. 



"Drip "heard in Aquaria.— With regard to 

 the sound heard in a freshwater aquarium, I think I 

 can give an explanation. If any one will watch L. 

 stagnalis come to the surface he is almost sure to see 

 the spiracle opened to the air, and hear a "snap." I 

 have observed this in my aquarium scores of times. 

 It occurs also with L. peregra and L. pahistris. The 

 larger the animal the louder the " snap." As far as 

 I can observe, the phenomenon is caused as follows : 

 The orifice of the siphon is put close to the top of the 

 water, and a vacuum caused by muscular effort, when 

 the air rushes in with the report in question. — Lionel 

 E. Adams. 



Confervoid growth in Aquaria. — Permit me 

 to recommend to such novices as myself in aquarium 

 keeping what my experience has proved to be a per- 

 fect remedy for the strangling confervoid growths 

 which may infest their tanks as they did mine. I 

 refer to the water snail {Limnia anricitlaria), which 

 appears preferentially to select the confervas for food, 

 whilst other snails which I have seen recommended 

 have apparently preferred the higher growths of 

 vegetation. Last year my tank was a mass of tangled 

 green slime ; this year, thanks to my new friends, it is 

 perfectly free. If" the plants are touched, or if the 

 conferva' shows itself, the removal or addition of a few 

 snails soon adjusts the balance. On the other hand I 

 should greatly esteem any information as to keeping 

 fish. I am loth to sacrifice any more little lives, as it 

 seems my fate to do under present circumstances. 

 My tank is wooden and pitched inside, its dimen- 

 sions : length nearly 4 feet, and width nearly 2 feet, 

 with about 12 or 15 inches depth of water planted 

 with a considerable number of Yallisneria in wooden 

 boxes and some Cape lilies. I can keep no fish ; 

 minnows, golden carp, gold fish, rudd, I have tried, 

 and have just lost the last. Some live weeks, some 



