50 The Scottish Naturalist. 



leisure for making "cuttings"- as we editors are given to do -relating to a 

 particular group of subjects] — may become of real service to science. 



We hear constantly of Madness in Animals. Bulls, cattle, dogs, horses, and 

 even pigs, are frequently said to become mad ; and their madness is usually 

 supposed, though erroneously so, to be dependent on, or part of, the specific 

 contagious disease technically known as Rabies or Hydrophobia. Many — perhaps 

 the majority of— cases of so-called Madness in Animals are, however, quite un- 

 connected with Rabies ; but such madness is nevertheless wrongly spoken of as 

 Rabidity. Now, it is of importance to collect authentic records of cases of 

 animal madness, in which Rabies can be proved not to exist. Such non-rabietic 

 madness is comparable with what is called Insanity in man. That animal 

 madness and human insanity are essentially mental affections — functional cere- 

 bral derangements — of the same kind, there is every ground for believing. But 

 sufficient proof is yet required to carry conviction to minds that are prejudiced 

 against the belief or admission that other animals besides man have minds ; and 

 that their minds are equally subject to disturbance or derangement by many of 

 the causes that produce insanity i?i man. If this latter double proposition be 

 capable of proof- as there is every reason to believe it is— the fact will necessarily 

 tend to loosen and lessen the distinction that is presently supposed to exist be- 

 tween man and other animals. 



Believing that there are few problems in Comparative Psychology, or Compara- 

 tive Pathology, of greater interest than that which relates to the Physiology and 

 Pathology of Mind in the Lower Animals, we gladly throw open our columns for 

 the record of illustrations of non-rabietic madness,— of insanity in animals 

 comparable with that which exists — alas ! only too commonly — in man. And 

 we invite the attention in particular of our zoological readers to the subject, con- 

 vinced of the promising and important — as well as comparatively novel — field 

 it offers for original observation and investigation. 



The Peewit.— An outcry is very properly being made in the north of England 

 against the wholesale destruction of the eggs of the plover, or "peewit," which 

 occurs every March. The eggs are- considered a delicacy, and command 3d. to 

 6d. each. The nests of all birds, sitting or not, are ruthlessly robbed, until the 

 bird — the best of farmers' friends — is now almost extinct. The war against the 

 plovers is held by some to be one great cause of the difficulty of raising a turnip 

 crop, and of the great increase of insects and slugs. It is proposed to petition 

 for a Plovers' Bill.— Times. 



GENE RAL INFORMATION. 



Paisley Free Museum.— By the time the second number of the " Scottish 

 Naturalist" is in the hands cf its readers, it is anticipated that the labour in- 

 cidental to the formation of a library and museum will be so far advanced, as to 

 admit of the opening of this building to the public. It may interest naturalists 

 in distant parts of the country to hear what has been done towards forming a 

 natural history collection for it. The museum proper is a large and handsome 

 room, rectangular in form, and admirably lighted from the roof ; a gallery run- 

 ning round this room is the portion of the building devoted to natural history. 

 The specimens are disposed in wall-cases on the west, south, and east walls, in 

 six large table-cases, three at each end of the gallery, and in a series of narrow 



