I\Iay 17, 1877] 



NA TURE 



43 



I 



orange, will nearly do. If these two last be made to partially 

 overlap the effect is very striking, \Vm. Tekrii.l 



Swansea, May 6 



The Araucaria 



In your fust number for March last you express your surprise 

 that we sliould still be ignorant regarding some important phases 

 of salmon life ; but there is a question relating to facts much 

 more within the sphere of our daily observation on which 

 authorities differ as much. Does the common Araucaria (,/. iin- 

 byicata] require one year or two for the growth of a shoot on the 

 main stem, estimating a shoot as the growth between two whorls 

 of branches? Every gardener whom I have consulted on the 

 subject in Scotland, from north to south, says positively that it 

 requires two years, while the few of whom 1 have had any 

 opportunity of inquiring in the south of England, decide equally 

 positively in favour of one year. Prof. Balfour agrees with the 

 former in as far as Scotland is concerned, while a gentleman 

 residing on the border between the two countries, informs me 

 that some of his have grown at the rate of a shoot in two years, 

 others of a shoot annually, while a few show only a shoot for 

 every year and a half since they were planted. It has been sug- 

 gested to me that the difference, if it leally exist, may be due to 

 the more favourable climate of England ; but araucarias may be 

 seen growing as freely and as healthily in Ross-shire as in Kew 

 Gardens. It would be satisfactory to have more general infor- 

 mation on the subject from England and from the Continent of 

 Europe, and still better to have it from the native countries of the 

 tree. 



There is another question equally important regarding it, 

 namely, when the shoots are biennial, as they undoubtedly arc 

 in many cases, is there a timber ring in the stem for every year's 

 growth, or one for every whorl of branches? On that point also 

 the evidence is contradictory. 



jAMts Elliot 



The Hibernation of Swallows 



In connection with the Duke of Argyll's letter on this subject 

 (Nature, vol. xv. p. 527) there is an interesting communication 

 in the Oinithologiicliis Centralblatt of May I from Ilerr J. 

 Rohweder, under the head of "Ornithological Notes from 

 Schltswig-IIolstein." Herr Rohweder certifies to the compe- 

 tency and trustworthiness of the observer who communicated the 

 facts to him. After the house-swallows [HiruuJo iifbica) in the 

 autumn of 1870, from the beginning to the middle of September, 

 had held their usual assembbes by hundreds on the sunny side uf 

 the roofs, stormy and rainy cold weather suddenly supervened. 

 As suddenly did most of the swallows take their departure for 

 the south. The few that remained behind flew about restlessly 

 and anxiously, unable in the cold north wind to obtain sufficient 

 insects to appease their hunger. Within a day after the others 

 these also disappeared. Three days after, during which time 

 no swallow was observed, Herr Rohweder's informant saw 

 peeping out of the entrance of some nests under the projecting 

 roof of the east side of his house, here a wing, there a tail 

 or a few feathers. A ladder was obtained and the nests tapped, 

 but no motion. On pulling at one of the overhanging wings a 

 swallow was dragged out. It was alive, but seemed paralysed. 

 After the swallow was held in the hand awhile it fluttered about 

 a short space and then fell to the earth. A second bird behaved 

 in the same way, and a third showed few signs of life. A fourth 

 appeared quite lifeless. In other nests six, and ten, and even 

 fourteen swallows were found huddled together. Their condition 

 was similar to those first found. The birds near the entrance of 

 the nest appeared in a state of sound sleep, while those furthe 

 in showed no signs of life. The former soon were able to fly, 

 with difficulty, a larger or shorter round, only one Hying to a 

 considerable distance ; the latter were thrown on a neighbouring 

 heap of straw. On the following day, when the observer re- 

 turned, no birds were found. The exact locality of these observa- 

 tions is not given. X. 



Two Remarkable Meteors 



Whilsi walking on Sunday night with a friend, about 1035 

 my attention was directed to a beautiful meteor of a ruddy hue, 

 not unlike Mars, It appeared a little to the south of Arcturus, 



and after passing along with a slow motion in an easterly direc- 

 tion, throwing out sparks meanwhile, disappeared near ^ Herculis. 

 In size it seemed to be about four times as large as Jupiter, and 

 continued visible for three oj four seconds. About half a minute 

 afterwards it was followed by another from the same quarter, 

 which took almost exactly the same direction as the other. In 

 colour and appcinance it resembled the first, but was not quite 

 so large. It remained visible about three seconds. The 

 sky at the time was beautifully clear, and there was little or 

 no wind. 



Rottingdean, Brighton, May 14 W. II. S, J. HOPE 



Yellow Crocuses 

 (Translation) 



I have observed here that sparrows have shown a very 

 considerable partiality for yellow crocuses during this spring. 

 My neighbour and I vied with each other in our spring beds ; he 

 cccelled in yellow crocuses and hyacinths, I in white and blue 

 crocuses. One beautiful Sunday the whole of his crocuses were 

 found bitten and torn by sparrows, and, what is noteworthy, also 

 some yellow crocuses which had somehow wandered into my 

 lot, while the blue and white remained almost untouched. .Should 

 this be regarded as an oversight, or was it a matter of taste ? 



So far the fact is incontestable, but it has not before been 

 observed by me, though I am an old amateur. To be sure, for 

 the last six years, I have always been, about the time of 

 blooming, absent at the Reichstag, and perhaps, therefore, have 

 forgotten early single observations. It may not be possible to 

 obtain a positive explanation. The dryness of the spring, per- 

 haps the colour-sense of the bird, or even a more or less delicate 

 mixture of the plant-sap may account for it— quien sabe ! 



Hamburg, May 12 W. VON Freeijen 



Editor of the flansa 



Sound and Light 



I should like to learn if the following phenomenon is well 

 known and alluded to in scientific writings. While lying awake a 

 few mornings ago, with my eyelids closed, I was startled by a 

 railway whistle. At the same instant I perceived a blaze of 

 light on a dark ground seemingly a few yards off. I made in- 

 quiry of my wife (who is of a much more nervous temperament 

 than I) if she had ever observed such a coincidence, and was 

 informed that in her case it is not a very unfrequent occurrence. 

 I likewise reported the circumstance to some scientific friends, 

 but they had neither read nor heard of noise being the occasion- 

 ing cause of sensation of colour. 



While the pen is in my hand I may mention, in reference to 

 Mr. Renshaw's comnmnication (p. 530), that sparrows are in the 

 habit of demolishing the flowers of my yellow crocuses. 



Bushy Hill, Cambuslang Henry Muirhead 



Cloud Colours 



A VEIN of thought is sometimes as a vem of the most fine 

 gold, and observation is everything in meteorology as it is in 

 geology, in which two difficult sciences we are much interested 

 in this country, and of which your contributor is the unpretend- 

 ing student. 



Now I first learned my lessons in weather science from the re- 

 marks of Admiral Fitzroy, the author of the Weather Book, which 

 should be well known and read in this country. For year's we have 

 marked what an intimate correlation there is between the colour 

 of the clouds and coming weather. Thus we have the cold dark 

 blue and grey, and the reddish yellow masses of cloud as indica- 

 tive of cold and snow, and we have the light bright grey with 

 bright edges as accompanying or indicating hard frost. Then 

 again we have the inky-coloured cloud, flying in shreds, as in- 

 dicative of wind and rain, and also the mottled cloud of the 

 same colour or thereabouts, as the sure indicative of rain. 

 We have the sickly-looking green, the deep blue gloom, the 

 muddy angry-looking red, and other such tints, as forecasts of 

 storm, snow, rain, &c. ; and frequently before a north-easter we 

 have the grey bluish and whitish clouds setting from noith-east, 

 somewhat like the spread-out fingers of the hand. Our sunsets 

 are often grand beyond my pen. The lavish wealth of crimson 

 and gold is magnificent. It strikes us now to ask what relation 

 chemistry and gases have with the cloud colours. I leave that 



