104 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



a nest of young of the common brown rat, and in 

 ■close proximity to it, the dead bodies of six or seven 

 full-grown black rats [M. raittis). Can any of your 

 readers account for this, or have similar cases come 

 under the observation of any of them ? I may add 

 that the " Black rat " is more common in this barn, 

 ^nd the neighbouring farm-house, than is his con- 

 :gener. — J. Sifie!. 



Rats climbing Trees. — The common brown 

 rat {Mits decumanus) is very abundant in Castle Eden 

 Dene, a beautifully wooded ravine, several miles 

 ■in length, in the magnesian limestone. In Sep- 

 tember last I saw two full-grown rats in a yew-tree, 

 .-about seven feet from the ground. They had 

 evidently climbed the yew in search of the fruit, 

 which was then ripe. The gamekeepers assure me 

 that they frequently do this, and that they occasion- 

 ally climb into hazels for the same purpose. This 

 habit of the brown rat is not mentioned in Bell's 

 ■" (Quadrupeds," and does not appear to be generally 

 known. — R. Morton Middkton, jiin., F.L.S., Castle 

 Eden, co. Durham. 



Apparatus for Pond-life. — As the season for 



field meetings is fast approaching, I think that the 



following description of an apparatus for obtaining 



pond-life, especially Entomostraca, will be interesting 



to your readers, and enable some of them also to have 



help in their fishing expeditions. Having found, for a 



long time past, the cumbrousness and general inutility 



of the strained handnet for obtaining Entomostraca 



and water-beetles, &c., because when one has caught 



them, it is exceedingly difficult to get them off into 



a bottle readily, I have, I may say, "invented" 



the following apparatus, which I venture to think 



will supersede all forms of nets for the purpose. It 



does not require that one should put the net over the 



bottle, and dash the water up, and so draw off the 



.animals, nor is a separate vessel required in which 



to immerse the net to get them off. I have adopted 



three-ounce wide-mouth cork-stoppered bottles, with 



box tops for my receptacles, as this is a very con- 



-venient size, and gives plenty of water and room for 



an immense quantity of live stock, as also not being 



too cumbersome (still, perhaps, two ounces may be 



thought large enough by some) ; however, whichever 



size is used, the following directions are to be 



■observed. I have a tin tube i^ inches diameter, and 



2 J in. long, with its front end turned over for strength 



.and tinned ; the other end tapered in | in. long to the 



size of the cork of the bottle 2 oz. or 3 oz. employed, 



and a short length of about J in. of tin tube, soldered 



therein to fit the cork, thus making the whole 



apparatus about 32 in. long, in the inside, rather 



more than halfway down the large tube. A ring of 



strong wire is soldered and tinned, a brass gas 



nipple is inserted from the outside, and a ring of tin 



J inch in width is made to fit rather tightly. On 



the mouth of the tube I place a small piece of 



fine net, and with the ring press it into the tube 



•equally all round, and cut off all projecting parts of 



the net above the ring. The modus operandi is as 



.follows : Having inserted the net as just described, 



I screw the apparatus on to my walking-stick (which 



may have a plain end or a screwed nipple and cap), 



and with both ends open, I wave it through the 



■water of the pond or ditch, at any depth I wish ; the 



water entering by the larger end escapes by the 



smaller, leaving the Crustacea on the surface of 



the net. I then insert the cork of the bottle in the 



smaller end and take up some water from the pond, 



which will then by its reverse action wash off the 



animals into the bottle. The use of the cork of the 



bottle obviates the necessity of a spare cork for the 

 purpose, which is very apt to get lost. Experience has 

 taught me not to fish too quickly, or you may get 

 comparatively little as the large quantity of water 

 cannot get through the net ; also take care to fill the 

 apparatus with water slowly, and not up to the brim, 

 or you wash out what you have caught ; and also let 

 the apparatus, if possible, go into the water mouth 

 downwards when seeking for animals, or the con- 

 tained air will not be a help but rather a hindrance, 

 especially at first when the net is dry. Of course any 

 stick will do for the purpose, provided it is large and 

 strong enough. I enclose drawings illustrating the 

 apparatus. Its portability cannot be questioned, nor 

 can its cost be beyond any collector's pocket. If a 

 fixed net is desired it should be made of brass wire, 

 and all parts should be well tinned to prevent rust. 

 I think that the bottles may be conveniently carried 

 in a belt as cartridges are. If this apparatus is of 

 any use to the lovers of natural history in this 

 branch, they are welcome to use my patent for 

 nothing.— A'. T. Andrews, Castle Street, Hertford. 



British Newts (p. 89) : — Being greatly inter- 

 ested in the British reptiles, I should like to ask Mr. 

 Oliver W. Aplin whether he has seen Mr. M. C. 

 Cooke's reasons for including vittatus among the 

 British reptiles, for in the volume written by the 

 last-named gentleman entitled "Our Reptiles," I 

 find it expressly stated that the specimens in ques- 

 tion were certainly taken by Dr. Gray himself in the 

 neighbourhood of London. In a letter to Mr. Bell 

 Dr. Gray says : " The species is found in Holland 

 and Belgium as well as here. It must be very local 

 in this country, as I have seen no specimens since 

 those I caught some thirty years ago." — ]V. H. 

 Warner, Staudlake. 



Habit of Cats. — Can any of your correspondents 

 give any explanation of the fact that when a cat 

 settles down for a comfortable snooze she nearly 

 always lifts up and sets down her two forefeet alter- 

 nately for a considerable number of times, the move- 

 ment gradually becoming less marked ? — //. ]\1. 



Notes on Ants. — A few days ago, I put some 

 common black garden ants into a glass with some 

 earth, and placed it upon a tile in a pan of water, 

 to prevent their escape. This afternoon I found 

 some large reddish ants in the garden, and put some 

 into the glass with the black ones ; a pitched battle 

 between one of each species ensued, in which the 

 black proved the victor. The red ants in their hurry 

 to escape climbed over the edge of the glass, and 

 some fell into the water. Trying to rescue them 

 with a straw, I inadvertently pushed one under, close 

 to the tile, when to my astonishment, he ran along 

 it, and continued to do so under water for ten 

 minutes, when 1 lifted him out, as apparently he 

 could not push through the surface (if one may put 

 it so) of the water. He afterwards ran under water 

 again of his own accord, and seemed to revel in it. 

 On dropping a black ant into the water, he imme- 

 diately sank to the bottom (whereas the red always 

 floated), and standing on end, appeared to be seized 

 with convulsions, and could not rise to the surface, 

 neither could he cling to the tile. I shall be glad to 

 know if any of your readers have witnessed these 

 (to me) extraordinary proceedings, or whether they 

 are already known to those who make ants a study. 

 —Arthur G. Wright. 



Is Fool's Parsley {^Ethusa Cynapium) Poison- 

 ous ? — Your correspondent John Gibbs seems to take 

 it for granted (in the April magazine) that this herb is 



