Organ of Time in Dogs. 53 



or have either of these specimens been killed or noticed by 

 any any of yonr correspondents ? 



Colonel Montagu, in his Ornithological Dictionary, men- 

 tions four white partridges in one covey at Powderham, in De- 

 vonshire. None of the other birds in the covey from which 

 my specimen was shot had any apparent peculiarity in their 

 plumage, while on the wing. We did not, however, succeed 

 in killing any of them. — F. J. Ellis. Temple, Nov. 4. 1836. 

 The Organ of Time in Dogs. — In Mr. Bell's admirable 

 History of British Quadrupeds, p. 244., the following passage 

 occurs : — " The power of dogs to mark distinct periods of 

 time cannot be denied : there are many instances on record 

 in proof of it ; but the following is detailed as having fallen 

 under my own knowledge : — A fine Newfoundland dog, which 

 was kept at an inn in Dorsetshire, was accustomed every 

 morning, as the clock struck eight, to take in his mouth a 

 certain basket, placed for the purpose, and containing a few 

 pence, and to carry it across the street to a baker's, who took 

 out the money, and replaced it by a certain number of rolls. 

 With these Neptune hastened back to the kitchen, and safely 

 deposited his trust; but, what was well worthy of remark, he 

 never attempted to take the basket, or even to approach it, 

 on Sunday mornings." Now, though I do not intend to deny 

 that the lower animals are possessed of an innate organ of 

 time, yet, possibly, the faculty of time may have had nothing 

 to do in the above instance. Indeed, probably, the dog was 

 rather apprised of the return of the Sunday by the different 

 dress of the inmates of the house, or by various other cir- 

 cumstances which might tend to point out to the intelligent 

 animal the difference of the days. It would, at all events, 

 be interesting to ascertain if quadrupeds have the power of 

 marking distinct periods in so decided a manner as supposed 

 by Mr. Bell. — Neville Wood. Campsall Hall, near Doncas- 

 ter, Dec. 5. 1836. 



The Hedge Coalhood (Pyrrhula vulgaris) laying in Novem- 

 ber. — On Nov. 15. a friend showed me a fresh-laid egg of 

 the hedge coalhood, which he had found the day before on 

 the road side near this place. The shell was quite perfect, 

 and the egg differed in no respect from those deposited in the 

 ordinary course. I never knew any egg laid by birds in a 

 state of nature so long after the usual breeding season ; and 

 those which I have found on the ground early in spring have 

 generally been minus the shell. They are probably the pro- 

 duction of young birds of the former year. (Id.) 



Late Singing of Birds. — The fact of birds being occa- 

 sionally heard to sing, in mild seasons, throughout the winter, 

 proves that the state of the weather has much influence in 



