3494 The Zoologist — April, 1873. 



with a white patch on his shoulders. The Httle guUs live quite close to the 

 landing-place, and may be seen all day flying about our people's heads 

 looking out for food, or sitting on the gunwales of the boats. I have often 

 seen a man sitting in the stern sheets of a boat and two or three gulls 

 perched on the bows preening their feathers. No one tries to kill them 

 here, hence their tameuess." — G. F. Mathew (in I'M.) ; H.M.S. ' Repulse,' 

 off Valparaiso, January 31, 1873. 



Crocus-blossoms cut off iu tUeir Prime. — Every gardener resident near 

 London must have observed the blossoms of his yellow crocuses cut off 

 obliquely, just at the base where the golden yeUow is replaced by a white 

 tube descending into the ground. I shall be greatly obliged to any reader 

 who will inform me what is the cause of this annual calamity, or disease, 

 or phenomenon, which occurs every year at this season, as if to frustrate 

 the attempts of this favourite flower to make our gardens look gay, regardless 

 of wind or weather. — Eduard Xewman. 



Zoological Gardens. — The new strip of garden belonging to the Zoological 

 Society, on the north side of the Regent's Canal, is now being put into 

 order. The bridge over the canal is already finished, and the new lodge 

 opposite Primrose Hill only wants the entrance-gates and turnstiles to make 

 it complete. It is intended to open it to the public on Easter Monday. 



Serialia growing on a Ilippocampns. — I am not sufficiently familiar with 

 these animals to know whether the fact I am about to relate is new. 

 Yesterday I was at Mr. King's, the well-known dealer in aquariums and 

 their denizens, at 190, Great Portland Street, when he invited my attention 

 to a specimen of that singular fish, Hippocampus ramulosus, having an 

 abundant growth of a small and delicate zoophyte on its head, neck, and the 

 anterior part of its body : on comparing this little animal-plant with those 

 in a collection made and named by Mr. Bean, of Scarborough, I found it 

 correspond with a specimen which that distinguished naturalist had labelled 

 Serialia lendigera. The fish and its parasite seemed both to be enjoying as 

 much healthful vigour as falls to their respective allotments iu life ; I will 

 say nothing about activity, for it is certain that a very small allowance of 

 locomotive power has been vouchsafed to either, but I suppose that 



"Even to know that they live and they breathe" 



is worth all the active and muscular feats which seem to aff"ord such 

 pleasure to many members of the animal world. Nothing certainly can be 

 more stolid than the conduct of sea-horses in general, unless it be that of 

 the branched zoophytes, which are settled for life wherever they cast anchor 

 in their extreme infancy. — Edward Newman; March 15, 1873. 



