596 



NA TURE 



[April z\. ibS4 



Instinct of Magpies 



I HAVE read in NATi;Ru;(p. 43S) y.jur cjiTeipondent's letter 

 relative to the instinct shown by magpies in Scotland as to the 

 time for commcncin;; their nest-building, which goes so far as to 

 assume that this particularly cunnino; bird is capable of fixing a 

 certain day in March (the Sunday after the l6th as I remember) 

 as the invariable time to start the nest. And the writer observes 

 that it would be well to ascertain if dilference of latitude made 

 any difference in the magpies' calculation. Now I live in the 

 south-east of Ireland, a good many degrees south of your 

 correspondent's Scotch magpies' locality, and it so happens that I 

 have for the last twenty years observed the nest-building of 

 magpies, who have enjoyed undisturbed possession, and who 

 invariably build in the trees close to my house. It is curious 

 that this colony (if a single pair may so be called) never in- 

 creases — four young "mags" are brought out every year — but 

 though I have observed congregations of ten or fourteen at times, 

 the breeding birds never exceed two. The young birds never, 

 like rooks, join a colony near their paternal nests, but are 

 shipped off to new localities. I could mention many traits of my 

 magpies' instinct — "their tricks and their manners" — but will 

 confine myself to the nest-building. They never repair or re- 

 uccupy an old nest. A new one is constructed every year, antl 

 always, each year, in a different tree. Their nest-building is a 

 serious labour, and takes a long time. So they begin early in 

 February, selecting the sites often with much deliberation. Tlie 

 work is eptered on very early in the morning, and the "mags" 

 seldom work in the daytime. About the end of March this 

 domed nest with its two openings is finished, and the laying of 

 eggs commenced. I am quite certain that the middle of March 

 is not the time of beginning the nest, and this is important, as 

 the claim set up for the magpies instinctive knowledge of dates 

 therefore falls to the ground. I do not conceive it possible to 

 IMove that in this particular magpies have a more highly developed 

 instinct than most other birds ; all have their normal time of 

 nesting, although there may be cases of abnormally late or early 

 building ; but as to the magpies or any other bird being able to 

 fix dates exactly to the day, it is unproved and incredible. 



Inisnag, Stonyford, Co. Kilkenny James Graves 



Cats at Victoria Station 



That the cats should repose cum fnlably amidst all the noise 

 and vibration of a busy railway is not, after all, to be much won- 

 dered at. Animals much more defenceless and timid have found 

 out that they need not be afraid of either the vibration or the 

 trains, although they do not seem to have discovered that if they 

 get in the way of the trains they are either maimed or killed. 

 For instance, along the London rand North-Western Railway 

 between ^Lanchester and Liverpool, which carries an enormously 

 heavy traffic, rabbits burrow almost immediately beneath the 

 ballast forming the permanent way, and I have often seen them 

 sitting nearer to the train than most human beings would like to 

 stand. It is strange, however, that along this line of railway, 

 which is one of the oldest in England, neither the rabbits nor 

 the grouse and partridges have learnt that, though the train is 

 not to be dreaded as a man is dreaded, it is usually fatal to those 

 who are struck by it. All these creatures, as well as hares, 

 ]iheasants, &c., are constantly being run over by passing trains. 

 A hen grouse or paj-tridge will frequently take her brood on to 

 the railway, no doubt for the ])ur]'>ose of dusting themselves, and 

 meet with this fate. The survivors, however, do not seem to 

 take warning by the occurrence. The same may be said of the 

 telegraph-wires, against which the birds are constantly flying. 

 The number killed in this way is considerable. This is the 

 more remarkable because along this line wild animals have had 

 such a lengthened experience of rail and wire that one would 

 su])pose it might have taught the-ji wisdom. 



RooKE Pennington 



Wild Duck laying in Rook's Nest 



With reference to Mr. Willmore's note in N.ATURE (p. 573), 

 IJhave met with several instances in Lincolnshire of wild ducks 

 nesting at a considerable height above the ground — once in 

 an oak in a plantation in the old nest of a carrion crow — in 

 ivy on a ruined wall, and on the top of a straw stack ; once 

 als-) on the roof of an old b'jin stack in the marches. I have 

 kn-jwn a wild duck nest on the ground amonjst brambles ami 



rough grass in the centre of a plantation a mile or more from 

 poiid or running stream. John Cokdeaux 



Junior Athenseum Club, April 21 



Science and the Public Service 

 The public are greatly indebted to your correspondent for 

 drawing attention in Nature of March 27 (p. 511) to the 

 astounding proposal of the War Office to adopt the scheme of 

 examination described by Lord Morley in the House of Lords on 

 March 27 — a scheme so absolutely retrogressive, and opposed to 

 the recommendations of the Public School Commission of 1862 

 and of the Commission on Scientific Instruction in 1872 (com- 

 posed of many eminent men and presided over by the Duke of 

 Devonshire), and to the rapidly strengthening opinion in favour 

 of education in science. The Government must be asked to 

 withdraw the scheme. S. 



Whittington, Chesterfield, April 16 



THE HONG KONG OBSERVATORY 

 I. T T was found to be impossible to select a suitable site 

 ^ for the new Observatory near the city of Victoria, as 

 the mountains shut off from view a large section of the 

 southern sky, extending up to 25° of altitude. It is for 

 the saiTie reason impossible to determine the direction 

 and velocity of the wind accurately near the town. 

 Besides it is likely that the ferruginous rocks would 

 deviate the plumb-line, not to mention the magnetic 

 needles. 



2. The Observatory was therefore built on the peninsula 

 of Kaulung opposite. It stands on the top of Mount 

 Elgin, a small hill built up of decomposed granite, rising 

 abruptly on all sides from the surrounding level ground, 

 and culminating in two humps distant over 300 feet from 

 each other. The top of one of these is flat, and forms, 

 roughly speaking, a circle of about 200 feet in diameter, 

 and no feet above mean sea-level. Here the main 

 building is situated, about 75 feet south-wcit of which the 

 stands for the meteorological instruments, including the 

 self-recording rain-gauge, are placed. It commands an 

 unobstructed view of the sky, the tops of the hills rising 

 only about seven degrees above the horizon. The mag- 

 netic hut is erected on the other prominence, the top of 

 which was levelled, and forins a rectangle 36 feet by 

 30 feet. 



3. The situation of the Observatory is rather secluded. 

 It is surrounded by villas and summer residences; and the 

 picturesque town rising opposite on the side of the steep 

 mountain at a distance of a couple of miles, and the 

 harbour, filled with the most bewildering mi.xture of men- 

 of-war and merchant ships belonging to nearly all 

 nationalities, and literally swarming with boats and 

 sampans, make up a charming view from the verandas of 

 the Observatory, which, on the other hand, forms a 

 prominent object as seen from the town and harbour. 



4. I was appointed to take charge of the Observatory 

 on March 2 last year, and when I arrived in the colony 

 on July 28, the foundations of the building had been al- 

 ready laid. It was then erected under my superintendence, 

 and I was allowed to arrange every detail to suit the 

 requirements. By January I the main building was so 

 far finished that I could take up my residence there, and 

 start tri-diurnal meteorological observations, and issue a 

 daily weather report, containing also infonnation con- 

 cerning the direction and force of wind indicated by the 

 gradients, based on telegrams received fiom the Treaty 

 Ports, Manilla, and Nagasaki. I receive a telegram 

 from Wladivostock in addition. The observations are 

 made at 10 a.m. and at 4 p.m. on the previous day. 



5. The iTiain building of the Observatory is a rectangu- 

 lar block, 83 feet long and 45 feet wide (not including the 

 transit-room), the architecture of which does credit to the 

 Surveyor-General's department. The upper lloor is 

 devoted entirely to my quarters. The grotmd floor com- 



