HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



141 



the natural history, geology, and botany of Lundy ; 

 together with a great deal of other information about 

 this "right little, tight little island," which, if not 

 useful to him, will at any rate prove interesting. 

 The book, which is published by Messrs. Cassell, 

 Petter, and Galpin, is entitled " Lundy Island : a 

 Monograph, descriptive and historical." — G. M. Doe, 

 Great Torrington, N. Devon. 



Lundy Island. — Your correspondent, W. E. Wil- 

 kinson, asks for information on Lundy Island. Having 

 been there, I can inform her, I did not find any plant 

 at all resembling the one named in the " Standard," 

 which much puzzled me. I believe, however, the plant 

 must be the pink centaury, which is frequent — parti- 

 cularly the variety pseudo-latifolia. I showed this to 

 the late Mr. Ii. C. Watson, as I imagined it was real 

 " latifolia," but he decided otherwise. It is possible 

 this may have been used as a dye, for many other 

 members of the same order possess dyeing properties, 

 Chlora perfoliate:, for instance. I do not think there 

 is very much worth going there for ; your correspon- 

 dent must be careful to avoid going when the island 

 is covered with fog, as it is most dangerous. This, 

 unfortunately, is its normal state. The geological for- 

 mation is granite. Sea birds exist in the greatest 

 number I have ever seen, particularly a small puffin ; 

 " Lundy Island parrots " sailors call them. A better 

 botanising locality is Clovelly, but accommodation in 

 the village is scarce and dear. — J. R. Neve, Campden, 

 Gloucestersh ire. 



Slow-worm. — Can any reader give me any hints 

 as to the management of a slow-worm, and what to 

 provide it with in place of its natural food, which is 

 difficult to procure ? Any hints respecting the manage- 

 ment of a snake will also oblige — Clara Kingsford, 

 Canterbury. 



Epping Forest. — The readers of Science-Gossip 

 will doubtless rejoice to know that the London 

 Naturalists, especially those living in the Northern 

 and Eastern districts of the Metropolis, were by no 

 means lax in opposing the projected railway across 

 Epping Forest. To the Essex Field Club belongs 

 the credit of having taken the initiative in this 

 matter. The famous broadsheets, circulated by this 

 Club, were of a most argumentative character, and 

 doubtless roused public opinion to a full sense of the 

 evils which would accrue if the obnoxious railway 

 Bill were allowed to become law. The action thus 

 commenced was ably seconded by the East London, 

 Hackney, Highbury, and Walthamstow Natural 

 History Societies, while the East London„Haggerston, 

 and West London Entomological Societies did their 

 share. All these passed resolutions strongly de- 

 nouncing the scheme as a direct violation of the 

 " Epping Forest Act," which directs, inter alia, that 

 " the Forest is to be preserved in its natural aspect." 

 Copies of these resolutions were sent to Members of 

 Parliament, Local Boards, and the Press. More- 

 over, many petitions were presented by Parliament. 

 The defeat of this contemplated act of vandalism by 

 the House of Commons on 12th of March has now 

 become a matter of history. The second reading 

 of the Bill (High Beech Extension) was rejected by 

 a majority of 148. In the words of the com- 

 temporary : "The vote of the House of Commons 

 has smashed, pulverised, and utterly destroyed the 

 wanton attempt of the Great Eastern Railway, 

 supported, we are sorry to think, from not too dis- 

 interested motives, by the Corporation of London, 

 the appointed Conservators of Epping Forest, to 

 ruin the seclusion of the most picturesque part of 



the forest by driving a line from Chingford to 

 High Beech. The despised entomologists will now 

 be able to pursue their butterflies in peace, and the 

 lovers of sylvan scenery which never palls, will be 

 able to enjoy the solitude of the forest undisturbed." 

 — F. Coles, F.L.S. 



Mind in the Lower Animals. — I beg to thank 

 Mr. H. C. Brooke for his valuable criticism on my 

 article in the April number. But let those who enter 

 the lists as warm friends of the lower animals beware 

 lest their feelings bias their judgment. It is incon- 

 testable that an experienced dog-fancier ' ' can tell to 

 a great degree what feelings are uppermost in the 

 dog's mind by the different sounds it utters." But 

 are not feelings very different from notions or con- 

 ceptions ? The grand question at issue is, are brutes 

 competent to form the abstract and general notions 

 implied in the intelligent use of speech ? Mr. Brooke 

 exhibits a catalogue of facts which tend to prove the 

 affirmative side of the case. Thus, for instance, 

 when his dog hears the word " meat " or " walk " or 

 " street "or " cats," she thereupon listens attentively 

 and becomes excited, frisking about, &c. But does 

 it follow that the dog bears in her mind, during this 

 paroxysm of excitement, any intellectual notion or 

 conception corresponding to what men express when 

 they use these words ? Are her actions at this time 

 guided or directed by any such abstract or general 

 notion ? Does she make towards the kitchen or the 

 dining-room, or towards the hall-door, or towards the 

 resort of the cats? At the word "meat" does the dog 

 beg, or lick her lips, or does her mouth water ? No 

 doubt it may be possible that the word "fish " may be 

 so often repeated in a cat's ear when she was actually 

 eating fish, that on this sound being uttered on another 

 occasion she may actually remember her last meal, 

 and thus will manifest a certain amount of pleasure ; 

 but we entertain grave doubts as to whether the 

 feline memory is so highly endowed. Then, again, is 

 not the dog a very excitable and effervescent crea- 

 ture, and only too prone to catch the infection of 

 his master's animation ; so that when the latter sings 

 out "cats "or "rabbits," at the same time throwing 

 his arms about and looking particularly vivacious, is it 

 not more than probable that the dog is sympathetically 

 affected by this demonstration, rather than that he is 

 pondering upon some ideal notion of these creatures ? 

 So also when the tame thrush is restrained from too 

 hastily gobbling a boiled potato by the words "too 

 hot," does the bird actually and truly understand 

 that this adjective specially expresses that particular 

 burning sensation ? Surely not. Mr. Brooke goes 

 so far as to say that "the various little sounds made 

 by a dog are as much words and as expressive of 

 ideas to another dog as our own language is to a 

 fellow-countryman." Now, to seriously combat this 

 view would be wholly superfluous. No doubt there 

 are some stories in circulation about dogs which 

 apparently lend colour to this assertion, but it is 

 sufficient to observe that they are either wholly ima- 

 ginary or fictitious, or they have been concocted by 

 some person unused to reflection. "If we mention 

 water," says Mr. Brooke, "a pet dog will show by 

 his signs that that is what he wants." Did Mr. Brooke 

 ever perform the crucial experiment of mentioning to 

 the animal some other name, and accompanying it 

 by the same or equally expressive gestures ? — P. Q. 

 Keegan, LL.D. 



Notes on Gnats, Ash, &c— While walking on 

 Friday, April 20th, on the Crumbles, immediately 

 east of this town, I observed swarms of insects which 

 looked rather like large gnats flying about the bushes, 



