7° 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-G OSSIF. 



channels or estuaries. The former bird, on the other 

 hand, rests mainly on headlands and rugged insular 

 crags, is more easily tamed, and advances far up 

 harbours and bays. These circumstances tend to prove 

 tliat the crested is much more shy and timorous than 

 the black species. How can these mental differences 

 1)6 explained ; and are they in any manner connected 

 with the aforesaid physical or structural differences ? 

 Consider, too, that the black cormorant was formerly 

 sometimes tamed in England to be employed in 

 catching fish, as it still is in China ; and it thus having 

 become useful to man, varieties (some naturalists 

 say) will almost certainly be found recorded. How- 

 ever, upon reviewing all considerations, reflecting 

 more especially that only two genera of the great 

 family of the Pelacanida: occur in England, and that 

 the British coasts do not exhibit extreme diversities 

 of feature, it will be gathered that considerable 

 difficulty stands in the way of regarding the green as 

 a mere variety of the black cormorant, and not a 

 distinct species. If the shag be regarded as an 

 incipient but not yet fully-formed species, who can 

 furnish the reason of its departure and divergence 

 from the originally created parent type ? But viewing 

 the matter in a practical light, it is barely necessary 

 to observe, that the term " species " is most difficult 

 to define. In the main, however, and substantially, 

 naturalists regard species as a constant succession of 

 individuals similar to and capable of reproducing 

 each other ; and it is by the light of this definition 

 that original discoverers are principally guided (how- 

 ever dimly and unconsciously) when constituting or 

 naming a new group of animals. Hence, the main 

 jDractical difficulty to solve respecting the subject 

 under review is, can the black cormorant reproduce 

 the crested cormorant, or vice versa. ? No doubt both 

 species nestle in the same localities in caverns and on 

 precipices ; but until it be unquestionably proved 

 that an egg laid by a black cormorant has hatched 

 and ushered in a crested cormorant, or vice versa (as 

 the case may be), we must, at least until some more 

 precise definition of the term "species " be established, 

 steadfastly refuse to chime in with the narrow theory 

 of old Waterton, most excellent naturalist and most 

 capital writer although he was. — P. Qitiii Keegaii. 



Whitethroat in December. — I saw a specimen 

 of this bird on the 15th of December, and had a good 

 opportiinity of noticing it as I was within three or 

 four yards of the bird. Is it not very unusual for the 

 whitethroat' to remain so long with us ? — IVilliam 

 Bennett, Clehonger School, near Herejord. 



Cardamine Pratensis. — Your correspondent 

 J. F. Hopkins calls attention in the January part 

 of Science-Gossip to the curious method of 

 propagation observed in this plant. I have never 

 seen any reference to this peculiarity in books, 

 though it is of quite common occurrence. I have 

 noticed quantities of this plant on Wimbledon Com- 

 mon exhibiting this mode of increase. If the ground 

 be damp, pegging down is unnecessary, and speci- 

 mens may be seen surrounded by quite a large family 

 of young plants, all connected with the radicle leaves 

 ■ of the old plant. If a leaf, or portion of a leaf, be 

 broken off and thrown into water it will soon develop 

 roots and buds and become a complete plant. In 

 fact asexual propagation is almost as easily effected 

 in this species as in Anacharis. — E. Step. 



White Geranium. — A white Geranium rober- 

 iianuin grew last autumn close to Selborne in Hamp- 

 shire. Bentham mentions it as occasionally found, 

 but .Sowerby and Hooker do not refer to it. — 

 Benjamin Loin ax. 



White Geranium.— The white variety of Gera- 

 nimn rohertiannm occurs in a copse in this parish 

 (Weald of Kent, near Tunbridge Wells), where I 

 have picked it in two or more seasons. — M. E. Pope, 

 Paddock ]]'ood, Kent. 



Query as to Candles.— The solution of the 

 query as to Candles in Science-Gossip of January 

 is very simple. If the flame is blown down the wick, 

 although the flame is extinguished, a larger portion 

 of the wick becomes ignited, and will take longer to 

 go out, which gives time for the candle to cool, and 

 the wick naturally becomes dryer, and the dryer it 

 gets the more it will smoulder, and vice versa, when 

 the flame is blown from the candle.— C Kingsford. 



Starlings and Skylarks. — In reply to Meyler 

 Daniel I beg to say that I have resided in Argyleshire 

 for upwards of fifteen years, and have annually 

 observed with deep regret the decrease in the 

 numbers of the skylark. Last year (18S0) I dis- 

 covered three skylarks' nests, each containing five 

 eggs. I visited them every other day, and one day 

 was surprised to find a cuckoo's egg in two of the 

 nests. Shortly after there appeared two young 

 cuckoos in the nest alone, the skylarks' eggs having 

 disappeared — whether the skylarks themselves de- 

 stroyed the eggs to make room for the cuckoo I 

 cannot say. I am inclined to think the starling is 

 innocent as regards the destruction of the skylark, 

 his habits being somewhat different — the former 

 confining himself to houses and fields adjoining, the 

 latter always being found in the open country. — 



y. H. T. 



A Narrow Escape.— I have just set up a fine 

 old male sparrowhawk [Accipiter n/sns) to which is 

 attached a singular story. While the gamekeeper of 

 the Brucklay estates \yas out shooting in the last week 

 of December, he observed a hawk flying towards him, 

 bearing a small bird in its claws. The hawk, on 

 seeing the keeper, immediately turned to make off, 

 but too late — a shot brought it to the ground ; when, 

 strange to relate, the little bird which it carried flew 

 away, apparently quite uninjured by either the shot 

 or the talons of the hawk. — P. McJ/dorcie, Aberdeen. 



NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



To Correspondents and Exchangkks. — As we now 

 publish bciENCE-GossiP a week earlier than heretofore, we 

 cannot possibly insert in the following number any comnuinica- 

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



To Anonvmous Querists. — We receive so many queries 

 which do not bear the writers' names that we are iorced 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 ofters are simply 

 disguised advertisements, for the purpose of evading the cost of 

 advertising, an advantage is taken of onr grai nil oits insertion of 

 "exchanges" which cannot be tolerated. 



To Correspondents. — We have received an unusual number 

 of communications this month, and are compelled to defer pub- 

 lication of the greater part of them. 



T. S. (Hull). — The coloured spots on leaves were not brands, 

 but merely marks as on autumnal leaves. 



J. T. (Stockport). — You have sent an excellent example of 

 one of the blights, probably ihc Sf/urrothrca fa'niosa. It is 

 difficult, as you have already found out, to mount these. 



