Reptiles—Arachnida. — 9053 
it that they were so fortunate as to escape being crippled in their 
youth, in the usual manner? 
As I am always absent from town during the summer months, I can- 
not say what birds visit its waters during that period, 
Henry Hussey. 
7, Hyde Park Square, 
April 12, 1864. 
What is the usual time for Frogs to cast their Spawn ?—I have some years seen it 
as early as the middle of January, in sheltered spots: this having been a very mild early 
winter I was induced to watch some of their early spawning places, to see if the weather 
had any influence on the spawning, and on the 26th of December last I was successful 
in finding some deposited. I had passed the same spot on the 23rd, when there was not 
any spawn there: I should think, from the appearance of the spawn, it must have been 
cast on the 25th. This, I think, must be very unusual. I have heen on the look-out 
fur a great many years, and have never seen any before the middle of January until 
the above-named occurrence. All the spawn has been frozen, and I shall be anxious 
to see if the frost has any bad effect on it.—Stephen Clogg; Looe, Cornwall, 
February 15, 1864. 
Engineering under Difficulties.—In a small glass-covered room, serving the three- 
fold purpose of a lounge, a green-house and a nursery for larve, stands a table, on 
which are a Camellia plant and a Hydrangea: scattered over the surface of the table 
are seeds of the vegetable marrow, each about half an inch long and of considerable 
weight. On entering the green-house one morning, I observed two of the seeds 
suspended some twelve or fourteen inches from the table: on examination I at once 
perceived (what I had frequently read of and much desired to see) that this was the 
work of a spider. During the previous night a web had been formed attached to the 
Camellia on one side and to the Hydrangea on the other: the shape of one of the plants 
was such that the necessary moorings for extending and steadying the lower portion 
of the web, apparently, could not be carried out. To obviate the difficulty, two cables 
had been taken down to the table, each attached to a seed, and then shortened up, 
raising the seeds to within four or five inches of the lower edge of the web and twelve 
or fourteen from the table: this proportioning of the distance would be about the 
best for avoiding too much swing and yet effect the purpose. The web and seeds 
Temained undisturbed for several weeks, and the little engineer’s labours were 
rewarded, as I saw, during that time, several fierce struggles, always ending in favour 
of the spider, except when a honey-bee occasionally became entangled: the former 
then wisely kept aloof until the bee had broken away: the following morning always 
found the rent in the web repaired.—George Gascoyne ; April, 1864. 
The Fossil Human Eyes.—In the Free Museum of Liverpool I have seen the eyes 
which were presented by Capt. Heron, of the ship “‘ Mystery,” on the 2ud of May, 
1859: they are the. eyes described in the communication headed “ Curious preserva- 
tion of Human Eyes,” by Mr, Peter Inchbald, in the ‘ Zoolugist’ for 1860 (Zool. 7273). 
