22 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



with a downy white substance, which I supposed to 

 be a fungus. Before night I found two 01 hers dead 

 and covered with the white substance ; and the next 

 morning the whole of them were dead. On re- 

 moving them 1 found that the fungus, if it be such, 

 had completely enveloped their bodies, and the 

 stench which arose from them was horrible. This 

 was not the first time I had had this horrid pest iu 

 my aquarium, for I have had several lots of fish 

 killed in the same way, and should feel very grateful 

 to any of the readers of Science- Gossip who 

 make aquarium natural history their special study, 

 if they would tell me how to get rid of this chief of 

 aquarium pests. I think " G. S." has done well in 

 exposing the popular fallacy respecting the disap- 

 pearance of the tails of tadpoles. It is not long 

 since I heard one of our most eminent naturalists 

 assert that the tails of tadpoles dropped off when 

 they were no longer needed. This statement was 

 made to a class of students, of whom I was one. 

 P.S. — Frog-spawn was observed at least a week 

 earlier than usual, last year, in several ponds in the 

 neighbourhood of Manchester. Has this been 

 general throughout the country ? — H. C. C. 31. 



Newts.— In Science-Gossip of Nov. 1st " G. S." 

 makes some inquiries about the development of 

 newts. Perhaps the following may interest him 

 and others of your readers. On the 2nd of April 

 last, I got, from Covent Garden market two female 

 newts ; the one a warty, and the other a smooth 

 one ; both of which I placed in a small aquarium. 

 On the 3rd the smooth newt laid three eggs, and 

 on the 4th five more. On the same day the warty 

 newt also laid several. When first laid the eggs 

 were white, and those of the warty newt about the 

 size of a mustard-seed, covered with a thin coating 

 of albumen, which in a short time absorbed water, 

 and swelled to a quarter of an inch in length and 

 one-sixth in breadth. 1 several times saw the warty 

 newt in the act of laying her eggs. She first went 

 to a leaf, and appeared to smell it, and, if she 

 found it suitable, she drew herself over it, and bent 

 it across the thick part of her tail with her hind 

 feet. The leaf was then held against the opening of 

 the oviduct, and the feet clasped over it. The newt 

 seemed to compress the oviduct laterally with the 

 feet, until the egg was expelled into the fold of the 

 leaf, which was then held lightly round it until the 

 leaf had stuck to the albumen of the egg. This 

 generally took from three-quarters of a minute to a 

 minute, and during that time the newt seemed quite 

 insensible, allowing itself to be touched without 

 moving. Two eggs were sometimes laid at the 

 same time; but I have never seen one with a 

 double yolk, each egg having its own outer cover- 

 ing, which swelled out, and separated it from the 

 other. The smooth newt did not lay any more, but 

 the warty newt laid about thirty eggs within the 

 week, only six of which hatched. On the 20th April 

 I had three more female warty newts sent me, one 

 of which went on laying eggs up to the 4th May, 

 which shows that newts do not all lay their eggs at 

 once. I have seen fresh-laid newts' eggs taken 

 from a ponu as late as 14th June. One of the eggs 

 of the smooth newt hatched on 27th April, but the 

 tadpole died the same day. Another hatched on 

 20th. When first hatched, the young newt was in 

 a very undeveloped condition, its eyes being scarcely 

 visible, and the under jaw much shorter than the 

 other. It had three unbranched gills on each side 

 of its head, and two other smaller projections, 

 which may have been the rudiments of the fore- 



legs, but of that I am not sure. For three days 

 the young newt did not eat anything, but swam 

 about and fixed itself to the sides of the aquarium, 

 &c, apparently by its mouth. It then began to eat 

 small water-fleas and the larger infusoria. On the 

 14th May the fore-legs were well developed, and 

 the hind-legs were distinctly visible about the 

 1st June, at which time the gills had six branches 

 each. The young newt lost its gills, and left the 

 water on the 7th July. I had some smooth newts' 

 eggs in 1874, which hatched in twenty-one days. 

 The eggs of the warty newt took, this year, about 

 thirty days to hatch. The young of the warty newt 

 takes longer than the smooth newt to develop its 

 legs, and considerably longer to absorb its gills. 

 The Rev. S. A. Brenan inquires how to feed newts. 

 I always put the food into the water, and leave it 

 there, but not long enough to become putrid. The 

 best food is worms ; but, failing those, raw beef or 

 mutton, cut into thin strips about li inch long, 

 will do very well. It is most amusing to watch the 

 newts smelling about for the meat. They seem to 

 know that there is food somewhere about ; and they 

 snap at each other's feet and tails, and anything 

 else that they come to. I once saw one almost 

 choke itself with a red carnelion, which lay near a 

 piece of meat. Newts will eat water-woodlice, and 

 most other water insects ; and the warty newts will 

 eat the smooth ones, if very hungry, and their own 

 young. The smooth newts get much tamer than 

 the warty ones. Two of mine would eat from my 

 fingers when out of the water. Sticklebacks and 

 newts should not be kept together. The stickle- 

 backs give the newts no peace, continually biting 

 their tails and eyes, and finally killing them. They 

 also eat newts' eggs if they get the chance. " The 

 bright silver shade" referred to, is, I think, the 

 air which adheres to the dry skin of the newt when 

 it goes into the water. I have often noticed it. — 

 A. H. Searle, Kensington. 



Late Flowering Laburnum. — In last October 

 number of Science-Gossip "J. W. G." speaks of 

 Slaving observed a laburnum-tree coming into flower 

 in the last week of August. I also noticed, about 

 the end of September, a laburnum in this town 

 covered with blossom ; the tree did not appear, 

 however, to be making new wood, as mentioned by 

 your correspondent.— H. T. B., Stockton-on-Tees. 



The Butcher-bird.— Although Lanius colluris 

 and Lcmi/is excubitor are said to impale their victims 

 on thorns, and devour them at their leisure, still I 

 do not think this is correct. It is certain that they 

 have great power in their toes, and hold their prey 

 in one foot, resting on their tarsal joint. They 

 sometimes make great havoc 'amongst young birds, 

 and have even been known to carry off very young 

 and weakly pheasants. This genus shows a very 

 marked affection for its young, and will attack even 

 hawks in their defence. — E. Lovett. 



Common Crossbill. — If any of your readers 

 have had the good fortune to find the nest and eggs 

 of the common Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra), will 

 they oblige by giving information concerning the 

 structure and situation of the nest, a description of 

 the eggs, the time of nidification, or any other 

 peculiarity they may have noticed? — W. Fetch, 

 Heeley, Sheffield. 



The Buffalo. — In support of what your corre- 

 spondent " Centurion " says, with reference to the 

 poor buffalo atjthe " Zoo," I quote the following from 



