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HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



and difficult pass to cross between Astor and the 

 valley of the Indus, at Rondu ; very deep in snow 

 and bitterly cold, being over 15,000 feet elevation 

 From the top of the pass, where we were in mid- 

 winter, we came in two days down to the Indus at 

 Rondu, where we found everything like midsummer 

 — the mulberries being lipe — and such mulberries ! 

 From Rondu we came up the valley of the Indus, to 

 this place (Skardo), by one of the worst roads I have 

 ever seen. One day we were at the level of the 

 Indus with terrific heat, among the mighty precipices 

 which border the river, and the next day swarming 

 up a cliff to the level of the snow to avoid an impass- 

 able gorge. In places, we had to crawl along the 

 face of a scarped precipice, with only a ledge not 

 more than a few inches wide to stand on, or on a 

 shaky platform made of a few sticks of timber 

 fastened into defts on the face of the rock. This 

 place is an open sandy plain, several miles in width, 

 where the Shyok-Shigar and Indus rivers unite — ■ 

 here and there dotted with villages, full of mulberry, 

 apricot, and apple, which form excellent camping 

 grounds. I am off to-morrow, for a trip of seven or 

 eight marches, up the Indus valley, to join on my 

 work with that of last year in Ladak ; thence I shall 

 return to this place, and shall then take another trip 

 northward, to the enormous glaciers of the Mustag 

 mountains, which may take me about three weeks. 



The EpriNG Forest and County of Essex 

 Naturalists' Field-Club made an excursion to 

 the well-known post-glacial pits at Uford, on Saturday, 

 July 24. These pits are famous for the number of 

 elephant and other remains discovered there from 

 time to time, and the members of the club, on the 

 above occasion, had the good luck to exhume a well- 

 preserved jaw of Bos primigenius. Sir Antonio 

 Brady and Mr. H. Walker, F.G.S., delivered addresses 

 on the zoology and geology of the district. 



The late Professor Broca. — We are sorry 

 to have to record the death of Dr. Paul Broca, the 

 celebrated anthropologist, at the comparatively early 

 age of fifty-six years. Dr. Broca was as well known 

 for his surgical and anatomical researches as for his 

 anthropological contributions. His last work was 

 the formation of the Ecole d'Anthropologie in Paris, 

 with museum, library, professors, &c. 



Can a Parrot reason ? — With reference to the 

 query in your last number, " Can a parrot reason ? " 

 your correspondent seems to have overlooked the 

 great probability that the words, "It's a bad job. 

 Puir body, puir body ! " were used — perhaps repeated 

 several times — by the man after he had murdered the 

 woman, or by any one who may have entered the 

 room after the commission of the crime. If this, as 

 is not unlikely, were the case, the parrot might have 

 easily caught up the phrase. — Harry V. Barnett. 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



Cats. — It is certainly not universally true that cats 

 will not eat mice after they have been killed (p. 142). 

 An instance occurred in which a black kitten ate up 

 a mouse she had just captured and slain. This is not 

 the only case of the kind which has come under my 

 notice. The " Cleveland Leader " narrates a curious 

 anecdote about cats and sparrows. "The other day 

 a number of gentlemen were sitting in the detectives' 

 room in the City Hall, when an English sparrow flew 

 near the window, peeped in and darted away again. 

 Captain Holzworth, who saw the little fellow, said 

 that whenever he saw a sparrow it reminded him of 

 a little scene which occurred in his yard one cold day 

 last winter. The sparrows, it seems, ascertained the 

 fact that there was a knot-hole in the gable of his 

 house, and took advantage of their knowledge by 

 taking possession of the hole and a portion of his- 

 attic, where they passed the winter as snug as bugs 

 in a rug. The captain's wife has a warm spot in her 

 heart for birds. So when the ground was covered 

 with snow, and the little fellows ran a risk of starving 



to death, Mrs. H would sweep away the snow 



and spread upon the ground a fine repast of crumbs. 

 The sparrows soon learned to depend upon her, and 

 told their friends what a fine landlady they had. In 

 consequence hundreds of them congregated daily 

 about the captain's house and partook of his charity. 

 Close to the spot where the birds were usually fed 

 was a pile of bricks, and upon this pile the captain's 

 cherished mouser used to station herself for the pur- 

 pose of watching for prey. As soon as the birds 

 would get comfortably settled about the crumbs the 

 cat would pounce upon them and invariably get a 

 tender sparrow for dinner. Finally the birds became 

 accustomed to the cat's mode of procedure and would 

 be on the watch whenever they were feeding. They 

 were so alert that the cat would hardly get ready for 

 a spring before they were up in the air and out of 

 danger. One day they were eating as usual, and the 

 cat as usual watching them. Like a bolt of lightning 

 the mouser jumped into their midst, but they were 

 too quick for her, and escaped unhurt. Miss Tabby, 

 not discouraged, mounted the pile of bricks again and 

 awaited their return. The sparrows, after flying about 

 for some time, finally settled upon the fence at the 

 foot of the lot, where they held a long and interesting 

 confab. After chattering away for several minutes 

 they cautiously returned to their crumbs and resumed 

 their eating, keeping all the while a sharp look-out 

 for the enemy. After the cat had become satisfied 

 that they were too much interested in satisfying their 

 appetite to think of her, she made another spring. 

 The birds were up in an instant, and instead of flying 

 away as usual they formed themselves into a hollow 

 square and charged upon the foe. Some got upon 

 the cat's back and scratched and pecked with all their 

 might ; others flew right into her face, while the 

 balance made it interesting in the rear. The cat was 

 so surprised at first that she stood unable to move. 

 The birds became more and more infuriated and 

 fought such a savage battle that they drove the foe 

 down the garden path on a full gallop and under the 

 barn. They returned to their feast and were left to 

 themselves the balance of the winter, the cat making 

 herself scarce when they put in an appearance. This, 

 if not true, is ben trovato. — Jane Axon." 



Cirl Bunting. — Does the Cirl Bunting breed as 

 far north as Aberdeen, or not ? All the books on birds 

 I have seen say it does not breed in Scotland at all. 

 —E. F. B. 



