May 5, 1887] 



NATURE 



often seen sparrows chase pigeons on the house-tops, particularly 

 when the former have had their nests in the vicinity. One 

 season, about ten years ago, I well remember the annoyance 

 these impudent birds caused to the pigeons, for whenever the 

 latter were let out in the morning to air themselves the sparrows 

 would immediately attack them and continue the harassment 

 without intermission all day long. On one occasion, during the 

 same year, I recollect a very amusing scene between a cock 

 sparrow and a cock tumbler pigeon. The former had just flown 

 on to the house-top with a large piece of bread in his bill, when 

 the pigeon advanced rapidly towards him with the intention of 

 seizing the dainty morsel. The plucky sparrow, however, was in 

 readiness for him, and dropping the bread he made a bold on- 

 slaught on his larger feathered relation, pecking vigorously at his 

 rear quarters. The pigeon not expecting an attack from such an 

 insignificant foe, and being utterly unprepared for a "round," 

 did not attempt to use its wings as weapons, as is its custom, but 

 contented itself with cooing, and aiming a few rapid pecks with 

 its beak, and then ignominiously took to flight, leaving a few 

 feathers behind in its hurry. No sooner, however, had it quitted 

 the field than about half a dozen other sparrows, who had been 

 sitting on the chimney-pots in the neighbourhood watching the 

 affray, dashed after it and chased it round and round the house, 

 about half a dozen times, before they considered that it had had 

 sufficient punishment. Such is an example of the annoyance my 

 pigeons were sometimes subjected to by the sparrows. I may 

 add that I have frequently observed sparrows and starlings 

 fighting, and also on one occasion saw a sparrow chase a jackdaw 

 which had evidently been attempting to take the sparrow's eggs 

 or young ones. The records of a few other curious instances of 

 birds fighting which I will briefly extract from my diary may 

 perhaps be interesting. " 1880 May. Saw a starling attack and 

 drive away two jackdaws which had gone in quest of its eggs. 

 1880 June. Saw a cloud of redpolls chase a cuckoo. 1883 

 June. Witnessed a desperate fight between a flock of jackdaws 

 and a heron, in mid air. 1885 June. Saw a skylark chase a 

 cuckoo and drive it away. 1885 August. Saw a mistletoe 

 thrush chase a sparrow-hawk and drive it away. 1886 July. 

 Witnessed a great battle between a large flock of starlings and a 

 flock of rooks, the former having invaded the feeding-grounds of 

 the latter." W. Harcourt Bath. 



Ladywood, Birmingham, April 25. 



THE ROYAL SOCIETY SELECTED 

 CANDIDA TES. 



THE following is the list of the fifteen candidates selected 

 by the Council of the Royal Society, at their meeting 

 last Thursday, to be recommended for election into the 

 Society. The ballot will take place on Thursday, 

 June 9, at 4 p.m. We print with the name of each of the 

 candidates the statement of his qualifications. 



John Young Buchanan, M.A. (Glasgow), 



F.R.S.E., F.C.S, Chemist and Physicist to the Challenger 

 Expedition, 1872-76. Invented and improved apparatus and 

 methods for collecting and analysing ocean water. Author of 

 "Report of the Specific Gravity of Ocean Water" (Part 2, 

 vol. i., of "The Voyage of H.M.S. Challenger"). Since the 

 return of the Challenger, Mr. Buchanan has continued his in- 

 vestigations in the steam-yacht specially fitted up by him for the 

 purpose. The following are the titles of some of the papers 

 contributed by him to scientific Transactions and Journals : " Sur 

 I'acide chloropropionique " {Comp. AV^c/., Ixv., p. 417); "On 

 the Formation and Decomposition of some Chlorinated Acids " 

 (Proc. Roy. Soc. Edin., vii., p. 419) ; "On the Absorption of 

 Carbonic Acid by Saline Solutions" (Proc. Roy. Soc, xxii., pp. 

 192 and 483) ; " On the Specific Gravity of Ocean Water" (Proc. 

 Roy. Soc. Edin , ix., 283) ; "On the Compressibility of Glass " 

 (Trans. Roy. Soc. Edin., 1880) ; "On a Solar Calorimeter, and 

 some Observations made with it in Upper Egypt" (Proc. Roy. 

 Soc. Edin., xi., 827). 



J. Theodore Cash, M.D., CM., 



Has devoted himself to physiological and pharmacological 

 science, and has made discoveries in these as described in the 

 following works, of which he is the author : — " On the Relation- 

 ship between the Muscle and its Contraction " ijfoiirn. Anal. 

 Phys., vol. XV.); " Ueber den Antheil des Magens und 

 des Pancreas an der Verdauung des Fettes " {Arch.fiir Physiol., 



1880) ; " Description of a Double Cardiograph for the Frog's 

 Heart" (Journ. of Physiol., vol. iv.). With Dr. Lauder 

 Brunton : — " Contributions to our Knowledge of the Connexion 

 between Chemical Constitution, Physiological Action and An- 

 tagonism " (Phil. Trans., 1884); "Action of Alkaloids on 

 Oxidation" (St. Barth. Hosp. Rept., vol. xviii.); "Influence of 

 Heat and Cold on Muscles poisoned by Veratria " {j^ourn. of 

 Physiol., vol. iv. ) ; "On the Valvular Action of the Larynx 

 {Journ. Anat. Phys., vol. xvii. ) ; "On the Effect of Electrical 

 Stimulation of the Frog's Heart, and its Modification by Heat, 

 Cold, and the Action of Drugs" (Proc. Roy. Soc, vol. xxxv.) ; 

 " Ueber Vorbeugende Gegengifte " {Centralb. fur d. Med. Wiss., 

 1884) ; and several other papers. With Dr. Yeo : — " The Effects 

 of certain Modifying Influences on the Latent Period of Muscle 

 Contraction" (Proc. Roy. Soc, vol. xxxiii. ) ; "The Variations 

 of Latency in certain Skeletal Muscles " (Proc. Roy. Soc, vol. 

 xxxv.); "On the Relationship between the Active Phases of 

 Contraction and the Latent Period of Skeletal Muscle " {ycnirn. 

 of Physiol., vol. iv.). 



Sir James Nicholas Douglass, 



Civil and Mechanical Engineer. Engineer-in-Chief to the Hon. 

 Corporation of Trinity House. Is a Member of the Smeatonian 

 Society of Civil Engineers and a Member of the Council of the 

 Inst. Civ. Eng. Member Inst. Mech. Eng. Has been attached 

 to coast signalling since 1847, and the development of electricity 

 for coast lighting since 1862. Has designed and erected several 

 rock lighthouses on the coasts of this country and abroad ; some 

 of these works being of exceptional difficulty, for which he 

 received on two occasions a testimonial from the Hon. Corpora- 

 tion of Trinity House. He designed and erected the new 

 Eddystone Lighthouse. On the completion of this work he 

 received the honour of knighthood. He has very materially 

 improved the optical apparatus, lamps, lanterns, and fog-signal 

 apparatus of lighthouses and light-vessels. Is the author of 

 several papers. For one on " The Wolf Rock Lighthouse," and 

 another on "The Electric Light applied to Lighthouse Illumina- 

 tion" (Proc. Inst. Civ. Eng., vols. xxx. and Ivii.), he received the 

 Telford and Watt Gold Medals of the Institution of Civil 

 Engineers. 



Prof. J. A. Ewing, B.Sc. (Edin.), 

 Professor of Engineering, University College, Dundee. Author 

 of papers contributed to the Royal Society treating of the 

 Thermo-electric quality of metals ; the Electric effect due to 

 twisting Iron and Steel wire when magnetised ; and various 

 papers on the Magnetic Qualities of Iron and Steel, all of which 

 have been published (see Proc. Roy. Soc, Nos. 205, 210, 214, 

 216, 220, and the present volume of the Transactions). Well 

 known for his work in connexion with the observation and re- 

 cording of Earthquake Phenomena, having contributed numeroiis 

 papers on this subject to the Seismological Society of Japan ; is 

 also joint author with the late Prof. Fleeming Jenkin of several 

 papers communicated to the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and 

 published in the Transactions of that Society. Was for five 

 years in Japan as Professor of Engineering, and has held his 

 present Chair (Dundee) for two and a half years. 



Prof. George Forbes, M.A., 



F.R.S. Edin., F.R.A.S. Member of the Astronomische 

 Gesellschaft, of the Electro-technical Society of Vienna, and of 

 the Society of Telegraph-Engineers. Associate of the Inst. 

 Civil Engineers. Chevalier of the Legion of Honour. Formeriy 

 Professor of Natural Philosophy at Anderson's College, Glasgow. 

 Consulting Engineer (Electrical). Author of the following 

 amongst other papers :—" On the Meteoric Shower of Novem- 

 ber 14, 1866 " {Phil. Mag. 1867) ; " On the Meteor- Shower of 

 August 1867 ; " "On Astronomical Refraction ; " " On certain 

 Connexions between the Molecular Properties of Metals ; " 

 "On Irradiation;" "On Thermal Conductivity;" "On an 

 Instrument for Indicating and Measuring the Fire-damp in 

 Mines," &c (Brit. Assoc Rep., 1867, 1872, 1873, 1878, &c); 

 " Note on the Zodiacal Light ; " " On the After-glow of Coolmg 

 Iron at a Dull Red Heat;" "On Diamagnetic Rotation;" 

 " On Comets ;" " On the Theory of the Telephone ; " " On an 

 Ultra-Neptunian Planet, &c." (Proc. Roy. Soc. Edm., vols. 

 viii., ix., X.) ; "On the Velocity of White and Coloured Light 

 (in conjunction with the late Dr. James Young, F.R.S. —Phil. 

 Trans., 1882). Also author or joint author of the following 

 separate works, published by Macmillan :— I. "The Transit of 

 Venus*" ^^ " R^^nrlii'c TVipnrv of Glacie 



II. " Rendu's Theory of Glaciers." 



