HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



93 



admits, but he ridicules the idea of its destroying the 



voung, 



and he does not believe the starlings are to 

 blame. He attributes the evil chiefly to the increase 

 of cattle and the taking in of waste ground for 

 agricultural purposes. ' As a rule,' he says, ' larks do 

 not breed among hay, corn, or barley. For one nest I 

 have known in such places, I have, I may safely say, 

 found in meadows, on pasture-lands, and on waste 

 ground, now, for one cow or ox that there was 

 one year ago, there are about a score at present. Is 

 it not possible that the great increase of these animals 

 may have something to do with the decrease of the 

 lark, by trampling on their nests or maltreating 

 them ? I have myself while searching in clover fields 

 for moths, and in grazing grounds for beetles, 

 •come across numbers in recent years so destroyed. 

 Pheasants, partridges, and other breeding birds also 

 suffer severely. Besides, we have cattle and sheep 

 now, but more particularly the latter, put into 

 woods and plantations to eat down the herbage 

 there.'"— A'. E. Sdrake. 



Scarcity of Skylarks. — I regret to have to 

 add my testimony to the complaints of the gradual 

 decrease in the numbers of these favourite birds 

 which have already appeared in the pages of Scien'CE- 

 GossiP. For a number of years they have gradually 

 but. surely become fewer in this locality. It is now 

 becoming quite a rarity to hear one, and people will 

 stop and look up, when one is heard carolling high 

 overhead, and tell of it as something unusual. I 

 used to find their nests commonly enough eight or 

 ten years ago, but last season I only found one, and 

 heard of two others. A circumstance connected 

 with the one I found, seems to corroborate the 

 suspicion that the quick eye and sharp beak of the 

 starling may have not a little to do with the dimin- 

 ished numbers of the skylark. I discovered the nest 

 in a pasture field, early in the morning, and during 

 the afternoon of the same day I took a friend to see 

 it. As we approached the nest a number of starlings 

 rose from its immediate vicinity, and when we 

 reached it we found the eggs broken and their 

 contents partially eaten. To all appearance the 

 damage had been done by the voracious beak of a 

 starling, which we had interrupted before it had 

 completed its feast. In this neighbourhood the 

 starlings have increased wonderfully during the past 

 few years. Another reason, which, I think, has 

 before been mentioned by one of your correspon- 

 dents, is the fact of most of the ploughed lands here- 

 abouts having been turned into pastures, thus giving 

 rise to the danger of the eggs being destroyed by the 

 ' sheep and cattle treading them underfoot, several 

 instances of which have come under my own obser- 

 vation. And, again, in the meadows, where they 

 are most likely to be unmolested, the practice, now 

 generally adopted by our farmers, of " brush-harrow- 

 ing " the manure spread upon the meadows in spring, 

 in order to pulverise it, and which is nearly always 

 done just about the time the skylark is incubating, 

 has, I know, the effect of destroying many eggs and 

 young. During the arctic weather in January I was 

 much interested in a pair of skylarks which fre- 

 quented an adjoining farmyard, associating quite 

 tamely with the numerous sparrows, etc., driven by 

 hunger to seek food near the house. Be the reason 

 of the scarcity of these charming songsters what it 

 may, I am very sorry indeed to find their numbers 

 so greatly lessened, thereby causing quite a loss to 

 myself and many another ardent admirer of nature, 

 who, during our rambles along the countryside, have 

 often had our pleasure enhanced, and our hearts 

 gladdened, by listening to the ioyou5 notes poured 



forth from the throat of our friend the skylark. — 



R. Standcii, Goosiiargh, Preston, Lanes. 



The Aberdeenshire Weaver and Botanist. 

 — May I venture to direct the attention of readers of 

 SciENCE-GossiPto theappeal madeby Mr. Jolly, H. M, 

 Inspector of Schools, Inverness, on behalf of James 

 Duncan, the Aberdeenshire weaver-botanist. Poor 

 James, in his declining days (he is in his 87th year), 

 has been compelled by adverse fate to accept pauper 

 relief. His story was told two years ago, in "Good 

 Words," by Mr. Jolly. His herbarium of nearly 1200 

 British plants was recently presented to the University 

 of Aberdeen. Mr. Jolly will no doubt take care of 

 any contributions. — J. G., Wick. 



Ophrys apifera. — I have had an excellent op- 

 portunity of watching the irregularities in the growth 

 of the bee orchis, as it grew freely in a plantation 

 close to our vicarage garden at Grendon, Northants, 

 and for many year? I have noted and marked 

 the precise spot where it came up. It never ap- 

 peared two consecutive years, and never in the same 

 place, and what is still stranger, about fifteen years 

 ago they were found only at the top of the plantation, 

 and have since gradually worked their way down to 

 the bottom (a distance of about 300 yards), disappear- 

 ing entirely from the upper part. In 1876 there 

 were several groups of about twenty together, those 

 on the outside in a perfect circle. A neighbouring 

 botanist tried several times to transplant it, but the 

 attempt never succeeded, although a quantity of soil 

 was removed with the root ; he was equally unsuccess- 

 ful in raising it from seed. The year before last I 

 noticed a great number of robust plants growing on 

 the chalk downs near the Culver cliffs, in this 

 island, while last year I searched in vain for a single 

 specimen. Can any of your readers account for these 

 irregularities ? I should also be glad to know if 

 there is any means of retaining the colour of the 

 beautiful Melampyruin arvense when dried. Though 

 I have taken considerable pains, the whole plant 

 always turns perfectly black. It grows in great 

 profusion in the cornfields above the Undercliff at 

 Ventnor.— /^ A. Brent, Ryde, I. W. 



Frozen Larva of Ephemera returning to 

 Life. — On Friday, January 21st, I found my little 

 aquarium completely frozen. Looking at it again 

 on Sunday I found the larva of Ephemera and some 

 snails completely frozen in the ice. I had heard of 

 fishes being frozen for months and then returning to 

 life. So 1 thought the same possibly might apply 

 to larva of Ephemera and snails. I commenced 

 thawing, first over a spirit lamp until the larva was 

 free, with the exception of its tail, which still remained 

 firmly embedded in the ice. The larva seemed dead, 

 but on its tail being freed by the friendly heat of the 

 fire, showed decided signs of life by conveying itself 

 about by that elegant and now liberated appendage. 

 It was in a very weak condition, as might be expected, 

 and easily caught and conveyed to another place of 

 abode. I did not see it use its legs, and fear that 

 possibly paralysis might have set in. The snails 

 themselves were dead, so I took the liberty of adding 

 their late homes to what I designate " my collection." 

 — John Alex. Ollard. 



Holly Berries. — Your correspondent, H. W. 

 Lett, M.A., in the February number refers to the 

 absence of holly berries in the district south of Lough 

 Neagh. I am sorry to add that in this neighbour- 

 hood I have only seen one bush on which they are 

 to be found this winter ; and in that instance, very 

 I sparingly. — J. H. H., Lisbellaw, Co. Fermanagh. 



