HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



191 



morning by the rustics ; the swift, the screech owl ; 

 the common thrush is called the greybird ; the tit 

 tribe generally are called tomtits. In one district of 

 the New Forest the harvest mouse is sometimes 

 called the little mouse, and the campagnol or field 

 vole, thickhead, while the common bat rejoices in 

 the name of rattlebat. The mole is called sometimes 

 munt, sometimes mouldie; the hedgehog is the 

 furze pig or bristly pig ; the shrew, the longsnout ; 

 and the slowworm is called indiscriminately snake, 

 adder, or blindworm ; while the common snake is 

 generally the green or water snake. The wryneck is 

 here called the snake bird ; and my informant, an 

 old man who shoots birds in a cherry orchard, speaks 

 of a bird called the pigeon pilfrey, which he describes 

 as being somewhat like a pigeon, only rather smaller. 

 He says they are very handsome birds, and not often 

 seen ; when seen, it is in winter. I cannot form any 

 idea of what bird this can be; if any correspondent 

 knows, I should be glad to be enlightened on the 

 subject. A scarlet hopper was taken here a few days 

 ago ; I believe this insect is rare. A wryneck here 

 has laid thirty-three eggs, of which most have been 

 taken ; at the present date she has two young ones 

 a week old, two hard-set eggs, and two fresh ones. — 

 H. C. Brooke, Sutton Valence. 



Rare Insects near London. — I should be obliged 

 if readers of SCIENCE-GOSSIP who are annually 

 taking rare species of any orders of insects (except 

 the Lepidoptera) near London will kindly send me a 

 short list of the same, authenticated by the signature 

 of the sender, and accompanied by the names of the 

 localities. As I am engaged upon a volume on the 

 subject, such lists would be of use to me in checking 

 and amending other lists already prepared. — W. J. V. 

 Vandenbergh, F.R.A.S.. F.M.S., &>c, Hornsey, 

 Middlesex. 



Drying Plants. — I should feel very much obliged 

 if you or any of your readers would kindly inform me 

 how flowering plants may be dried for the herbarium 

 without the blossoms losing their delicate colour in 

 the process, as is so often the case. Apologising for 

 the trouble I give you, and thanking you in advance. 

 — U. Aetona. 



Rare Birds. — My son shot here, in the winter 

 of 1S79-S0, more than a dozen of the curlew-billed 

 sandpiper (Tringa subarquatd) ; and at Burnham a 

 few years ago a young gentleman killed out of a 

 flock of sixteen a splendid black swan. The heathen 

 actually plucked and ate it ! Now these cannot 

 have been escaped birds. — A. H. Birkett, Burnkam, 

 Somerset. 



Lundy Island (p. 116). — Mr. H. E. Wilkinson 

 will find an excellent account of Lundy in Mr. J. E. 

 Chanter's monograph on the island (published by 

 Cassell, Petter, and Galpin, 3^. 6d.), which includes 

 lists of its interesting fauna and flora. Additional 

 information may be obtained from the publications of 

 the Devonshire Association. For instance, a com- 

 plete catalogue of the Lepidopterous insects which 

 have been found on the island is appended to. 

 the county list appearing in their Transactions for 

 187S, vol. x. — William White. 



Wood-Pigeons and Owl. — Your correspondent 

 Mr. J. A. Wheldon, in Science-Gossip for last 

 month, seems to doubt whether a white owl (Strix 

 Jlammea) ever preys upon birds. About three years 

 ago I had occasion to examine a hole in a tree in- 

 habited by a white owl, and there I found a great 

 number of birds' skulls, one of which was that of a 



blackbird. If then an owl will attack a blackbird, I 

 see no reason (if it has the chance) why it should not 

 devour young pigeons. Although the circumstance 

 related by me, in Science-Gossip for last June, and 

 the observations of naturalists hitherto tend to show 

 that white owls will not attack pigeons. I am not 

 aware that there has been any positive proof of it, 

 and I am inclined to think that when an owl is hard 

 pressed for food, it would not hesitate to do so. It 

 may be that white owls dwelling in trees differ 

 slightly in their habits from those dwelling in old 

 buildings, etc. — F. H. Parrott, Aylesbury. 



Mind among the Lower Animals. — I cannot 

 help thinking that Dr. Keegan would have refrained 

 from his remarks concerning the lack of reason in 

 dogs if he had kept them himself. Experience would 

 tell him he is quite wrong in his opinions, and I am 

 glad to see the able papers written in defence of our 

 favourites by gentlemen of such evident power in 

 reply to Dr. Keegan's rather sweeping criticism on all 

 keepers of dogs, as well as the dogs themselves. I do 

 not exaggerate in the following example of canine 

 sense : A toy terrier I had, early one morning visited 

 my sister, who is housekeeper, going to the top of the 

 house for this purpose, and against her will, at first 

 pulling her by the dress towards the door. At last 

 feeling curious as to what Tiny's anxiety was about, 

 she followed him until he took her to the bottom of 

 the house to the breakfast-room ; a kettle of boiling 

 water had rolled off the fire to the floor, and this he 

 wished to show her. His barks of delight were his 

 expressions of approval at being understood at last. 

 Another dog we had, on one occasion, when he 

 thought we had been searching too long for shells in 

 a hedge, fetched from somewhere, I do not know 

 where, a cluster of Helix aspersa, and threw into my 

 lap — showing he knew what we were looking for. All 

 people who have kept dogs could tell many stories 

 which would prove the reasoning powers of dogs. I 

 hope they will do so, and thus settle the question. — 

 Fanny Jlf. Hele, Bristol. 



NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



To Correspondents and Exchangers. — As we now 

 publish Science-Gossip earlier than heretofore, we cannot 

 possibly insert in the following number any communications 

 which reach us later than the 8th of the previous month. 



To Anonymous Querists. — We receive so many queries 

 which do not bear the writers' names that we are forced to 

 adhere to our rule of not noticing them. 



To Dealers and others. — We are always glad to treat 

 dealers in natural history objects on the same fair and general 

 ground as amateurs, in so far as the " exchanges " offered are fair 

 exchanges. But it is evident that, when their offers are simply 

 disguised advertisements, for the purpose of evading the cost of 

 advertising, an advantage is taken of our gratuitous insertion of 

 "exchanges" which cannot be tolerated. 



H. E. C— In reply to H. E. Milkman, I beg to say that the 

 book below mentioned gives all particulars of the natural 

 history of Lundy Island. "Land and Sea," by Philip Henry 

 Gosse, F.R.S. London, James Nisbet & Co., 21 Berners Street, 

 1865. 



D. Wellington'.— Taylor's "Geological Stories," price 4s., 

 published by W. H. Allen & Co., would form a good intro- 

 duction to Geology. 



M. D. — We are always glad to help students gratuitously, 

 but the least you could do was to separate your questions from 

 your exchanges. We have had to write each out separately. 



R. Y. Green desires the name of the publishers of Groves' 

 " Review of the British Characes." Perhaps some reader will 

 reply. 



L. M. Bf!LL. — Accept our best thanks for the specimens of 

 the rare Dero obtusa found near Leamington, which you were 

 good enough to send us. 



