22 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



Query as to Candles. — I shall be glad if any of 

 the readers of SciENCE-GossiP can give a reason for 

 the following : If an ordinary composite candle that 

 has been burning for some little time, and has a well- 

 ignited wick be blown out from beneath, it will be 

 found that the wick will smoulder for but a very 

 short time ; but if from above, the wick will 

 continue smouldering until but very little be left ; 

 yet in both instances at the very instant of the 

 candle being blown out the wick appears exactly 

 similar, with an equal amount of incandescence at the 

 end. I find this fact is pretty generally known 

 amongst the female portion of the community, but 

 I have heard no reason given for its being a fact. — 

 H. Morlaiid. 



Male Birds Incubating. — It appears that the 

 following male birds assist the females in incubation : 

 I. Blackcap, very frequently ; both male and female 

 occasionally sing when sitting ; 2. Linnet, Red, occa- 

 sionally ; 3. Bullfinch, 4. Greenfinch, 5. Robin, fre- 

 quently J 6. Rook ; 7. Swift ; 8. Swallow. — G. Dcivar. 



White Variety of Herb Robert.— Last 

 August, at Chilworth, Surrey, I found a white variety 

 of Herb Robert [Geranium robertianitm). Have any 

 of your readers ever met with the same change of 

 colour in this species ?— // L. 



Cocks and Chickens. — Passing some chickens, 

 a few days ago, when it was raining, I saw a bantam 

 cock brooding over four young bantams while the 

 hen was contentedly picking up food. On inquiry 

 from the owner, I was told that the cocks of this 

 variety usually peck their young, but that this par- 

 ticular bird always looked after the young when 

 hatched. Does this show weakness on the cock's 

 part, or only strong paternal affection ? — A, M. 



The Physical History of the Chalk Flints. 

 — Science-Gossip for last January contained a brief 

 notice of a paper on this subject, read by Dr. WalUch 

 before the Geological Society. Will you allow me to 

 make a few observations on his result ? No. 6. " That 

 the stratification of the flint is the immediate result of 

 all sessile protozoan life being confined to the super- 

 ficial layer of the muddy deposits." If we are to 

 understand by this, that flint strata are formed on the 

 surface of the mud, on which the waters rest ; and if 

 it is intended that these strata are formed from the 

 organisms that lived on this surface, I do not think 

 that this dogma can hold good. I will confine my 

 reasons for this objection to a few facts. The sound- 

 ings of the "Challenger" on the Globigerina ooze were 

 very numerous, fine sedimental matter was brought up, 

 but no flint. There is then no evidence of a surface 

 flint nodule or layer in the labours of the ' 'Challenger." 

 We know that sea water contains silica in solution, 

 and that it is appropriated by many organisms ; some 

 of these may be called fixtures on tlie sea bed, some 

 are moveable bodies at various depths ; when these 

 creatures die their substance is decomposed, and the 

 component parts return to their elements. The red 

 clay is deposited where the condition of water motion 

 permits of it, the calcareous ooze is carried on by the 

 almost imperceptible current, and is deposited in 

 still water, the silica is deposited with it. There are 

 seasons of deposit and rest. From the moment when 

 the deposit of one season ends, its surface gradually 

 hardens ; when the next deposit commences it is soft, 

 and the material begins to rearrange itself. There 

 may or there may not be sponges, or other substances 

 on the surface of the old deposit, but whatever body 

 may be there, it is liable to form a nucleus for the 

 percolating silica to collect upon. If, as Dr. Wallich 



teaches, these nodules and sheets formed on the 

 depositing surface, we could not have horizontal 

 layers, because the heavy nodule would sink into 

 the light ooze ; but if the liquid silica permeates 

 through this, till it reaches the hard surface of the 

 old ooze deposit, it is at once arrested in its percola- 

 tion on the horizontal bed, and necessarily forms a 

 stratum conformable to that bed. All flint nodules 

 and flat sheets were once in a state of liquidity, they 

 attained the condition in which we find them by slow 

 degrees. A layer of chalk is not deposited at once, 

 it comes slowly on upon the pulsation of the ocean, 

 and as the whole mass is gathered in its season, so 

 the silex separates itself from the calcareous by its 

 own liquid density. Every nodule assumes such a 

 shape as the surrounding matter allows. If other 

 evidence were wanting, this would be enough to prove 

 a once liquid condition. There are many of these 

 flints which have formed round other substances 

 that have decomposed and vanished ; some hollow 

 flints are so clear inside that they seem to have 

 formed on a globule of air, and some masses have 

 formed without any nucleus solid silex all through. 

 I came to this percolation system some years ago, it 

 is mentioned at p. 258 of " The Biography of Dust," 

 1877, ^nd it has never been controverted. The only 

 difference between Dr. Wallich and myself is that I 

 draw my supply of silica from vast surrounding areas 

 of ocean, while he limits the supply to the growths 

 on the spot ; he thinks the strata are formed on the 

 surface, I say that the flint strata are formed by 

 percolation. Perhaps you, Sir, or sohie of your readers, 

 will act as umpire on the subject. — //. P. Alalet. 



Wasp Preying on Larva. — When "S. B." saw 

 a wasp preying on the larva of a cabbage butterfly 

 he saw nothing unusual. During the summer which 

 is just past, when wasps were so numerous with us in 

 the West of Scotland, several times I saw the same 

 thing take place. And not only larva, but I have 

 frequently seen them attack full grown specimens of 

 the "daddy-long-legs," and demolish them in a trice ; 

 and on more than one occasion I saw one attack a 

 honey bee, whereon a tough battle ensued, the wasp 

 however, always being victor in the end. — W. M. L. 

 Broiun. 



Climbing Powers of the Toad. — Mr. Parfitt 

 never could have so misunderstood the nature 

 of my note on " The Climbing Powers of the toad," 

 in Science-Gossip for July, page 165, as to 

 imagine I meant the " rough surface of a toad," when 

 I distinctly said " perpendicular rough surfaces, such 

 as a low garden wall, or a couple of door steps." 

 The idea is too absurd, and as I most certainly never 

 stated that the toad possessed any "rough surface," 

 I cannot possibly reply to his question, and give him 

 any "idea," as to "How the rough surface of a 

 toad, and the surface of a roughly-built garden wall 

 are going to adhere." I still say I have seen toads 

 climb rough surfaces. — Helen V/atney. 



" Can a Parrot reason ? " — I really think so, 

 at least to a certain extent. I had a rose-crested 

 cockatoo {Cacatiia Goffini) for several years that 

 seemed to understand the sense of the words he was 

 saying, for instance, when one of my children came 

 into the room " Paul" (as we called the bird) would 

 immediately descend from his perch, and making a 

 snapping noise with his beak and tongue, hold out 

 his head to be scratched, and cry, " Oh you pretty 

 dear ! You pretty little dear ! " But if a stranger 

 came, all his feathers would bristle up, and he would 

 shout at the top of his voice, "You rascal!" or 



