42 



HARD WICKE 'S S CI EN CE-GO SSI P. 



Students' Association, Manchester, during the session 

 of 1874-5, on tms f uri S us ) which was identified by one 

 of the members of that society as Peronosporites. No 

 record of this discovery was made at the time, 

 except in the minutes of the Society. After reading 

 the above paper, I put a section of this fungus 

 (among other sections), in the hands of my friend, 

 Mr. Young, for his own cabinet, and he casually 

 showed it to Mr. Carruthers and Mr. Smith, which 

 resulted in Mr. Smith's paper. This is one instance 

 among many of the necessity of more permanent 

 record being made in some leading journal of the 

 work of our country societies. — John Butterworth, 

 'Goats Shaw, Oldham. 



NOTES AND QUERIES, 



British Snakes. — Is there any evidence of our 

 English snake feeding upon birds or field-mice, or, 

 indeed, anything but frogs and toads ? I have kept 

 many snakes (Natrix torquata), and have only twice 

 seen them consent to swallow toads, and that was 

 during very hot weather, when their appetite was 

 excited by the high temperature of a melon-frame, in 

 which they were kept. Most snakes (I am now 

 referring only to our native species) will prefer 

 starving to death, according to my observation and 

 that of many of my friends, to partaking of any other 

 food than frogs, though it is said in many books that 

 they will eat mice and birds.- — A. R. 



Venomous Reptiles of Ireland.— Can any 

 reader of Science-Gossip give me information re- 

 specting the venomous reptiles of Ireland? Having 

 explored the counties of Dublin and Wicklow, I was 

 much struck at never coming across any such reptile, 

 although in so many spots where one would expect 

 to find them — ruins, river-banks covered with thick 

 undergrowth, and deeply-secluded dells. Can any 

 reader inform me if this is the case throughout the 

 isle, or how to account for the lack in these parts ? 

 Has climate or soil anything to do with it (casting 

 aside, of course, the popular legend of St. Kevin 

 having banished them to Glendalough) ? — S. E. 

 Bennett, St. Hildred's. 



Pertinacity of the Hawk. — On the'soth of 

 September last I was staying with the family of 

 Colonel C, and, while they were at church, a 

 hawk flew into Mrs. C.'s bedroom, attracted by her 

 bulfinch and her linnet, each sunning itself in a 

 separate cage. How long the intruder kept these 

 poor birds in agonizing terror no one can precisely 

 state ; the maid, who first entered the room, chased 

 the enemy away, and informed her lady of the un- 

 welcome visitor. Mrs. C. rushed up-stairs to the 

 cages of her pets, and found them both greatly dis- 

 turbed : they approached her, and with eloquent eyes 

 and various expressive gestures, made her under- 

 stand how terribly they had been frightened by the 

 appearance of a bird of prey. Nothing could prove 

 this to a greater certainty than the loss of their 

 feathers, which lay scattered in their cages. The 

 bulfinch dropped nine feathers from his tail, and the 

 linnet seven. These feathers were carefully wrapped 

 up in silver paper and put into a box, as a memento of 

 that Sunday. The wretched culprit flew to an op- 

 posite tree, where he was watched by the stablemen, 

 till they saw him fly again into the tempting room, 

 evidently determined to make a good Sunday's meal 



of the plump little birds, but there the villain met 

 with his due. Somebody disturbed him, out he flew, 

 and, clumsily, like a burglar who is caught in the 

 fact, knocked himself against the window, blooded it 

 all over, and disappeared, to be seen no more. The 

 hawk could not have got to these birds, the wires were 

 so close. — E. A. I J'. 



Query as to Watercress. — The plant referred 

 to by Chateaubriand is the great water-radish (Nas- 

 turtium amphibiwn), a plant which increases rapidly 

 by stolons. Sir James E. Smith ("English Flora," 

 vol. iii. p. 195) writes : "This plant is noticed by 

 the celebrated M. Chateaubriand in his account of 

 England, for its wonderful powers of increase by the 

 root. He observed it in the river near Beccles, where 

 he long resided as an emigrant, and his rather florid 

 description has excited wonder and curiosity in many 

 who daily, perhaps, pass over, without regard, several 

 no less interesting works of their Creator." I should 

 doubt whether the peculiar method of progression 

 described by M. Chateaubriand is the usual habit 

 either of this or any other plant, and I have cer- 

 tainly never observed it myself, though I have long 

 been familiar with this species of cress ; nevertheless 

 I have no doubt that M. Chateaubriand accurately 

 related what he himself saw, as it is exactly what 

 mio-ht very easily occur if the bottom were disturbed 

 by an oar or punt-pole. — F. V. P. 



Caves in Somersetshire. — Can any readers of 

 Science-Gossip give me any information as to the 

 caves of Somersetshire, especially those of the 

 Mendip range, in Barrington Combe ? On an 

 elevated spot, known as Dolbury Camp, there is 

 a curious inclosure of fallen stones and earthworks, 

 in the centre of which is a' deep pit, of such a 

 depth that one cannot from the mouth see the 

 bottom. Can this have been a well for the garrison, 

 or an artificial shaft for mining, or even a natural 

 cave? Any information on this subject will be 

 gratefully received, as I have ineffectually tried to 

 gather explanation for some time past. — Somersu.'a. 



A Feline Nurse.— Calling at a farm-house the 

 other day, I was told I was just a day too late to 

 see a very wonderful sight — a cat nursing some 

 little chicks. It appears the cat had a family of 

 dead kittens a few days before, and the same 

 morning some five or six chicks were hatched ; as 

 there were others to come out, the lady of the 

 house took the just hatched chicks into the house till 

 all were hatched, and placed them before the fire 

 in the sitting-room, or, as we say here, the "keeping 

 room." Pussy, greatly to the horror of the good 

 lady of the house, took a great fancy to them, and 

 could not be kept away from them. Wishing to 

 see what would take place, the owner allowed her 

 to come near, when she began to stroke them down 

 with her paw in the most affectionate and tender 

 manner, and, after a while, lying down, gathered 

 them well under her. There she lay all the day ; 

 in the evening they were taken from her, but next 

 day she did the same ; but the third day, fearful of 

 accidents, they were taken away from her and put 

 under their proper mother, who had now hatched 

 out her whole brood. I wonder what pussy would 

 have done with them. — Gobbs. 



Entomological and Botanical Localities. — 

 Can any of your correspondents tell me exactly 

 where the following places in Berks and Oxon 

 are : _Shotover Hill, Winchwood Forest, Cowley, 

 Combury Quarry, Sunninghill Wells, and Bagley 

 Wood ? I have seen it mentioned that various 



