HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



;I 5 



retriever dog could tell a lie, it seems : i.e. he barked 

 in a manner which his master " perfectly understood 

 to mean denial," and the said master considers this 

 feat to be " an unquestionable proof of reasoning 

 power." Well, the probability is that the dog 

 intended merely to convey that he would have no 

 objection to a second dinner. Did he deny the fact 

 in itself, or merely the master's assertion thereabout ? 

 When the creature was actually refused his first 

 dinner, in what manner did he then bark ? — P. Qitin 

 Keegan, LL.D. 



Mind in the Lower Animals. — In an article 

 on this subject in your June number, Dr. Keegan 

 questions the fact of certain sounds conveying a real 

 definite idea to dogs and cats ; e.g., he asks whether 

 a cat or clog will go towards the kitchen when it hears 

 the word meat, or whether it will not rather simply 

 become excited because it sees its master is more or less 

 so. Now, from my limited experience of dogs, I cer- 

 tainly answer " yes." I have a Skye terrier, about two 

 years old, who will certainly not only get excited at 

 certain sounds, but will also apparently fully enter into 

 theirmeaning, since even when he is lying to all appear- 

 ances fast asleep, and there has been no notice taken of 

 him for some time, should I simply say quietly in my 

 usual tone of voice, " Is there a cat there ? " he will 

 jump up, wide awake, look round with a little bark, 

 run to the window, look out, and if he sees nothing 

 there, will often ask to go out ; as soon as the door 

 is open, he will look up on to the garden wall, and 

 in all the places where he has been in the habit of 

 seeing cats, and will not come back and lie down 

 again till he has satisfied himself that there is not one 

 about. Then, again, if I ask him, while in the drawing- 

 room, if he would like a biscuit, he will run into the 

 dining-room, and stand at the sideboard door, wagging 

 his tail, till I go and give him one, and he will not do 

 this for any other kind of food which I may mention. 

 Then, again, my servant assures me that when I am out 

 he will go to whichever room she tells him to do when 

 she wants him out of her way in the kitchen, though 

 this of course only applies to the dining-room and 

 drawing-room, as he does not go upstairs. The 

 same dog has a most sensitive ear in the matter of 

 music, as he will lie quietly enough on the rug while 

 my wife is singing, unless she comes to one or two of 

 her songs, notably one entitled "Children of the 

 City" jjbut as soon 'as she begins this song he will 

 immediately wake up and come and sit beside, 

 looking all attention and most pathetic. This fact is 

 possibly accounted for by the fact that this song is of 

 a plaintive character, and so may give him the idea 

 that she is in pain and make him want to comfort 

 her ; though, in that case, why does he not do the same 

 with all similar songs ? Again, he will never try to 

 come with us if we tell him we are going to church, 

 although he is most anxious to come if he sees any 

 signs of our going out. This might be easily set down 

 to general associations of the day, if it were only the 

 case on a Sunday ; but it is invariably the case when- 

 ever we say it to him, no matter what the day or 

 time of day may be, though on week-days he always 

 looks surprised at our making such a statement, as he 

 evidently thinks we ought to confine our church- 

 going to Sundays. I could mention other facts of a 

 like nature, but must not trespass further on your 

 space. — J. T. Green, Liscard. 



Curious instance of Protective Sagacity in 

 some Swans. — The following facts were given me 

 a few days ago by some labourers at Washington, 

 near Lincoln. A pair of swans had completed their 

 neston the bank of a dyke preparatory to the laying 



of eggs, but, on Wednesday the 4th of this month 

 (July, 1883), they set to work to raise the structure 

 and piled it up two feet higher, as though conscious of 

 the great storm that was approaching. On Thursday 

 the rain fell in torrents (accompanied by thunder 

 and lightning) all the land was flooded, and their 

 nest would inevitably have been swept away but for 

 this precaution. The eggs were saved, and the nest 

 left high and dry after the subsidence of the waters. 

 — Mrs. V. 



Water Hens' Nests.— In reply to a note in last 

 month's Science-Gossip, on the " Peculiar Site for 

 a Water-Hen's Nest," I beg to inform Mr. Hart that 

 it is no unusual thing for a water-hen to build in a 

 tree and at a height from the water. Two years ago 

 I found a water-hen's nest containing five eggs, in a 

 thick bush about three feet from the ground, near a 

 running stream. In our Arboretum here — Notting- 

 ham — there are a number of water-hens on the lake, 

 and they invariably build their nests in the willow- 

 trees which grow out of the water. On one occasion 

 I remember quite well — about three years ago — one 

 of these birds built her nest in the very top of one of 

 these willows, about twenty feet above the water. I 

 watched the bird several days building its nest. 

 Every stick the nest was composed of was carried up 

 the tree from the water. I was fortunate enough to 

 see this bird bring her young ones from the nest ; she 

 came down the slender branches with the greatest 

 quickness and ease, directing the movements of her 

 young ones, who seemed quite as much at home in 

 the tree as their mother. I believe there are two old 

 nests now in these willows. I have often seen the 

 nests of these birds in similar situations. — W. Finch, 

 jun . , Nottingh am. 



Erratum : p. 169, line 39, for Holland, read 

 Lolland. (Laaland, a Danish island.) 



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 o( out gratuitous insertion of 

 "exchanges" which cannot be tolerated. 



We request that all exchanges may be signed with name (or 

 initials) and full address at the end. 



R. Y. Geeen can obtain "Grove on the Characeae" from 

 West, Newman & Co., 54. Hatton Garden. The papers are 

 reprinted from the " Journal of Botany," 1880, with four 

 plates.— E. C. J. 



D. M. W. — The chrysalides you forwarded us are those of 

 the leaf-cutter bee {Megachile ccntuncularis), the insect which 

 cuts out the circular pieces you see missing from the leaves of 

 rose-trees, lilac-trees, &c. 



Dick (Wellington).— Get Edgeworth's book on "Pollen" for 

 details. It contains a great number of illustrations. 



G. W. — Your ant is the worker of Formica Jlava. 



Y. — It is difficult to identify your fern from the outline sketch 



sent us, but it looks like a young specimen of Cystopteris 



fragilis. You cannot do better than get Miss Ridley's 



" Pocket Guide to British Ferns," published by Messrs. W. H. 



Allen & Co., at is. 6d. 



J. E. A. — The fungus you describe is Polyporus sulphureus, 

 not of very common occurrence. 



