208 Qucru's and Answers. 



with giddiness, and turned round involuntarily as though running after their 

 tails, until they died with exhaustion. I was not informed of this circum- 

 stance until some time after it had occurred, therefore had not an oppor- 

 tunity of an examination ; but have no doubt it was an affection of the 

 brain, similar to that to which sheep are subject, that is, hydatids (Cosnurus 

 cerebralis Lat., T^'nia cerebralis Gmel.) in the substance of the brain. 

 Among the game in the preserves around us, the mortality occasioned by 

 these has been very great, attacking the pheasants in particular, both wild 

 and those kept in confinement; the young appear more liable to them 

 than the old ones. Whole broods, after appearing perfectly healthy, and 

 growing to the size of a pigeon, die of a disease called here the gapes, from 

 the manner of its affecting them. They are constantly gaping ; and, being 

 gradually exhausted, die. ' 



A gentleman, after great trouble and expense, had hatched eighty rare 

 pheasants ; and after anxiously watching them until grown to the size of 

 a pigeon, or to the state of moulting the large feathers, had the mortifica- 

 tion of seeing them gradually die of the gapes, with but few exceptions. 

 Upon opening the trachea or windpipe, there were found a number of worms 

 attached to the surface throughout the whole length of the tube, but he 

 has not yet found them in any other part of the body. The accompanying 

 sketch (fg. 60.) will convey a better idea than any description 1 can give. 



If Mr. Sweet, or any other of your zoological correspondents, will favour 

 me, through the medium of your Magazine, with any mode of treatment 

 for the cure of birds when so affected, or with any preventive, with such 

 remarks as his experience and observation may suggest, he will greatly 

 oblige. Sir, yours, &c. — D 2^. Worksop^ Sept. 1831. 



Ijuminous Appearances on Flowers. — Sir, I send you an account of a 

 curious and interesting phenomenon I witnessed, in May last, on the corolla 

 of a plant of the Papaver orientale, thinking it may be of some interest to 

 your readers, and that, in the approaching spring, they may narrowly watch 

 the above-named plant, and endeavour to discover the cause of such won- 

 derful effects. I was assisting a gentleman in adorning his garden, when he 

 happened to walk near a flower-bed, in the centre of which the poppy 

 alluded to was in full bloom, and overtopped the other flowers. At the 

 moment he was passing, he saw, or fancied he saw, a beautiful luminosity 

 over the corolla of the plant ; and called me to see it, for the purpose of 

 convincing him whether it was the fact or not. Afterwards, several other 

 friends were called, and we all saw it, at intervals of about ten minutes, 

 sometimes like a large butterfly encircling the whole of the corolla, some- 

 times at points on the petals. We went to several other plants in the gar- 

 den, but could not observe any thing of the kind on any of them. We 

 saw it in this manner for three successive evenings. It was about eight 

 o'clock in the evening, and the atmosphere appeared to be in a very hu- 

 mid and electrical state ; drops of water were deposited, and the pollen 

 very much scattered within the corolla. Has not this an electric origin ? 

 and does not the edge of the petals act in the same manner as points, and 

 conduct the electric fluid from the earth to the atmosphere, and vice versa ? 

 A practical horticulturist (author of T/ie Domestic Gardener''s Manual) 

 says, vegetables arc the most important instruments of conduction, and 

 that they are constantly employed in regulating the atmospheric electricity. 

 It is recorded that Linn£EUs's daughter observed a phenomenon similar to 

 the above on the nasturtium (Tropae'olum majus) ; and a similar appearance 

 has been lately witnessed on the tuberose (Polianthes tuberosa). I am, Sir, 

 yours, &c. — J, Green. Great Marloiv^ Sc2)t., 1831. 



