HA RD WICKE 'S SCIENCE - GOSSIP. 



119 



not he was " funning," and if he insists upon it that 

 "it is all a joke," there is an end of the matter. 

 In conclusion, I object to Mr. Rye's dragging into 

 this matter the names of gentlemen not even alluded 

 to by me ; thus implying that my remarks had refer- 

 ence to some or all of them. There is nothing in my 

 paper justifying such implication. Mr. Rye thinks 

 that my concluding "caution" betrays an ignorance 

 of the British insect fauna, "remarkable in one who 

 proposed to allay our fears," ccc. &c. I confess to a 

 respectable amount of ignorance of British insect 

 fauna, although I have Rye's "British Beetles," and 

 one or two other things of the kind ; and why igno- 

 rance on such a point should be remarkable in a per- 

 son professing some knowledge of potato-beetles, 

 I cannot imagine. My notion was that, in case the 

 potato-beetle did arrive, it was just possible that 

 some of its parasites might arrive with it ; and further, 

 that striped beetles might appear in potato-fields, 

 which, if mistaken forZ>. 10-lineaia, might have their 

 existence shortened without cause. — JV. Andrezvs. 



The Song Thrush and Missel Thrush.— 

 Mr. Ingleby asks if it is not an unusual occurrence to 

 find the Missel Thrush {Tardus viscivorus) nesting 

 on the top of a wall. It is certainly an unusual oc- 

 currence ; but it should be borne in mind that birds 

 frequently build in strange places, and mostly from 

 necessity. The Missel Thrush loves to build in gar- 

 dens, shrubberies, and orchards, though at other 

 times it is a wild and shy bird. Possibly the owners 

 of the nests referred to by Mr. Ingleby could not find 

 suitable nesting-places in trees or bushes, or their 

 previous nests may have been plundered by prowling 

 -cats, who destroy many nests of young song thrushes, 

 blackbirds, and missal thrushes in gardens. The 

 birds, no doubt, finding they could not keep their 

 young from cats or vermin in their ordinary nesting- 

 places, finally built their nests on the top of a high 

 wall, where, it is to be hoped, the parent birds 

 succeeded in safely rearing their broods. In my 

 district, where there is little shelter fpr the early 

 breeding birds, blackbirds and song thrushes some- 

 times build their nests in stone walls, and in the roofs 

 ofopenhaysheds. "G. S.B." has fallen into a singular 

 mistake. He intimates — though his statement is not 

 over clear — that he has discovered a Song Thrush and 

 Blackbird mating together, and rearing, we must sup- 

 pose, a hybrid brood. Had he described how the 

 nest was constructed, the question might easily have 

 been settled. The eggs with "claret markings " were 

 undoubtedly those of the Missel Thrush, and the 

 female which he saw hatching, and which he states 

 was a Song Thrush, was, no doubt, a female Missel 

 Thrush. If "G. S. B." cannot distinguish between the 

 eggs of the Song and Missel Thrush, he would easily 

 jump to the conclusion that the female Missel was, as 

 he states, the Song Thrush. The nest, which he has 

 not described, would be lined with dry grass or hay, 

 if the eggs found therein had "claret markings." 

 The eggs of the Song Thrush are blue with black 

 blotches, densest at the thickest end ; though I have 

 several Song-Thrush eggs in my collection which have 

 not a single speck of black upon the blue. The nest 

 of the Song Thrush has always an inner lining of 

 hardened clay or cattle-droppings, while the nest of 

 the Missel is invariably lined with dry grass. This 

 latter bird is a very early breeder. His favourite 

 nesting site is in the fork of a tree, not often very 

 high up. I have seen the nest of a Missel Thrush on 

 the bare branch of a tree projecting over a public foot- 

 path, and the nest was so conspicuous that it was 

 plainly vi-ible at least twenty yards off. The Missel 

 is our largest song-bird, and though in colour and 



markings it is not unlike the Song Thrush, yet it is 

 much larger. The cock bird commences to sing very 

 early in the year. In stormy weather it sings best, 

 and on this account the Missel Thrush is called the 

 "storm cock" in many parts of the country. The 

 nest and eggs described by " G. S. B." are those of 

 the Missel Thrush. This correspondent also seems to 

 believe that the Blackbird and Song Thrush breed 

 together. Such an unusual occurrence, so far as I 

 know, has never been recorded by any naturalist ; 

 and " G. S. B. " cannot be wrong if he describes the 

 eggs in his cabinet as those of the TitrJits viscivorus — 

 viz. the Missel Thrush. If he is still in doubt as to 

 the identity of his eggs, if he will send me one in a 

 small box, I will name it correctly and return it. At 

 the same time I have no hesitation in asserting, from 

 his description of the nest and eggs, that they are 

 those of the Missel Thrush. — H. Kerr, Bacup, Lanca- 

 shire. 



Aquarium for Microscopic Work. — As two 

 or three of my friends, with myself, are anxious to 

 construct a small domestic aquarium (say about thirty 

 inches in length), for the purpose of keeping in stock 

 objects for the microscope, will you or any of your 

 contributors to Science Gossip kindly supply us 

 with information how to make one — size, shape, and 

 material, &c. ? I feel certain our thanks, with those 

 also of many of your readers, would repay you or 

 them for your kindness. — W. D. B. 



" Gooseberry. — Dutch, Kruis berry, Cross-berry, 

 from its triple spines forming a cross." 



NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



To Correspondents and Exchangers. — As we now 

 publish Science Gossip a week earlier than heretofore, we 

 cannot possibly insert in the following number any communi- 

 cations which reach us later than the 9th of the previous 

 month. 



M. R. D. — Your species are as follows : — No. 1. Filago 

 minima. No. 2. Filago germanica. No. 3. Filago spatludata ; 

 the last species is much more unfrequent than the first two. 

 No. 4. We should not like to name anything from single leaves. 

 No. 5. Mgopodium Podagraria; L. No. 6. Angelica syl- 

 vestris; in future dry them a little before packing them for 

 post, they are then much more easy to determine, because they 

 travel in a better state. 



J. C. (Hels ton). —Thanks for inquiry. Your parcel, No. 2, 

 has been sent. 



A. W. Rosling.— The only Flora of the Isle of Wight we 

 can advise you to purchase is Bromfield's " Flora Vectensis." 

 This is both a valuable and reliable work. 



F. H. A. (Fishbourne). — We have several letters expressing 

 the interest felt in " Botanical Work for April." You are quite 

 correct. No. 1. Viola Reichenbac liana; a very characteristic 

 specimen. No. 2. Draba brachycarpa. Look out for Ranun- 

 culus ficaria, and its varieties ; yours is a good locality 

 for it. 



B M. W. (Hentland, Ross).— The specimens are, as you 

 judge, Micro-fungi. No. 1. Trickobasis Geranii, or Geranium 

 Rust. We are unable to detect any perfect fungi on No. 2. 

 perhaps you would send another example when more mature. 



Science-Gossip Botanical Exchange Club.— Amateur 

 Botanical Collectors wishing to join the Club this year, should 

 as early as possible state their wishes. To save the promoters 

 from any loss, a small charge of say five shillings will be made ; 

 this may be remitted when the parcels are sent in October. 

 Rules to guide our members will be sent in May to those only 

 who announce their names. The Rules this season will con- 

 tain the numbers of species particularly wanted : these numbers 

 will correspond with the London Catalogue, 7th Edition, pub- 

 lished by Hardwicke & Bogue, post free, sevenpence. 



M. R. D.— The Poison Ivy is the Rhus Toxicodendron. \ ou 

 must not, however, confound it with our "rare old plant, - ' the 

 English Ivy, which is Hedera Helix. The Rhus is used as a 

 remedy for paralvsis, but we do not know the results. 



S. A. B. (Allan, Dungannan).— The specimen enclosed was 

 Disandra prostrata. 



