SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



3*7 



lain. On tramping through a patch of flags, I 

 roused another mallard and saw two youngsters 

 lying perfectly motionless at my feet. I made a 

 sudden dart, causing them to take alarm, and 

 catching one of them, held it for a moment, then 

 allowed it to hurry after its mate to the water. I 

 thought from the conduct of the mallard that she 

 had more young about, but I saw two only. 



Near the boathouse a corncrake that had been 

 lying up amongst long grass rose hurriedly from 

 my feet, and passing round the boathouse returned 

 again to land. Amongst some rushes a little ahead 

 of this point I noticed a waterhen's nest with five 

 eggs on the point of hatching, and by carefully 

 beating the rushes I disturbed one of the birds. I 

 was so intent on examining the rushes and growing 

 flags that I allowed the ducks on the water, still 

 unidentified, to cross to the other side of the loch, 

 and I saw that I should have to wait for their 

 approach, unless indeed I wished to make another 

 circuit of the loch. Accordingly I rested by the 

 loch-side to await their return, and was meanwhile 

 amused by the antics of a little grebe that was 

 making sudden darts through the water and 

 apparently catching insects — a habit I had not 

 previously noted in this species. After long delay 

 I found it necessary to move again with the sun, 

 and journeying on round the loch I roused some 

 dunlin and noticed another mallard with young, 

 and eventually reached a spot from which I could 

 identify the bird-life. Near the edge a party of 

 ten mallard drakes were resting, whilst the other 

 species kept out in the middle. These latter 

 included a pair of mergansers that repeatedly 

 flew up and down excitedly calling ; a single 

 «-idgeon drake, whose mate was no doubt sitting ; 

 and, best of all, two pairs of scaups. The last- 

 mentioned species was, of course, by far the most 

 interesting, and claimed the remainder of my time. 

 It seems strange that, after so many instances of 

 the scaup's lingering on into summer with us, have 

 been recorded, the nest has not yet been found and 

 properly identified in Britain. 



b the identification of the loch's tenants 



completed, I considered my day's work finished, 



and setting out for home once more, I easily covered 



than two hours the distance that had taken 



:"ive times as long by my curious method of 



procedure on my outward journey. 



K-hTEM — I forward you a speci- 

 men of fa OH a red rone bush in our 

 garden. The pieces will all fit together and 

 measure lb ■•■■-■ in height. There is little 

 or no indication at the base of the stem that lour 



ortex, as you 

 will note that the end is almost as roi 



a normal shoot —{Hi..) It. At 1 / C v 



1, Kciiiali 



ANTS AND APHIDES. 



Ayj-R. J. C. GOUDIE contributes to the Feb- 

 *■"■ ruary number of the " Victorian Naturalist " 

 a note of much scientific interest, with regard to 

 the association of ants and aphides. The interest 

 is in the fact that ants in the Antipodes behave 

 much in the same manner with regard to the 

 aphides as do those of the continents of the 

 northern hemisphere, thus indicating the common 

 origin of this class of insects on the island con- 

 tinent of Australia and those of the Holarctic 

 regions. The following is the note referred to : 



" A small species of ant, commonly distributed 

 in the Mallee, has a curious habit of keeping in 

 close confinement a rather large mealy aphis, which 

 feeds on the stems of young eucalypts. Round 

 and over these aphides the ants construct a 

 domed covering of particles of bark, grass, etc., 

 which serves the double purpose of imprisoning 

 the aphides and excluding other ants. Some of 

 these coverings appear to be entirely closed, while 

 others have an opening left in the edge ; this door- 

 way is, however, constantly guarded by a pair of 

 ants, which continually move about in the open 

 space and seem much impressed with the import- 

 ance of the duty assigned to them. Each enclosure 

 contains generally from three to a dozen aphides 

 and about the same number of ants. Upon making 

 a breach in some of these structures, for the purpose 

 of observation, I have noticed that many of the 

 ' live stock ' were immediately seized by the ants 

 and forcibly removed to a place of safety. 



"The ant under notice is about a quarter of an 

 inch in length, and is of a uniform dark reddish- 

 brown colour, and forms its ordinary habitation 

 under logs or in old rotten stumps, and sometimes 

 in the ground. Several other species of ants are 

 very assiduous in their attendance on the various 

 aphides, Tetigonidae and coccids, but the above 

 is the only kind I have noticed that uses such 

 extraordinary means to secure a monopoly of the 

 much-prized ' honey-dew.' " 



I am not aware of any European species of ant 

 which, like those above described, build what might 

 be termed a "cowhouse" in which to keep their 

 captives. F. Winstone. 



Koyal Institution, — The following are the 

 science lecture arrangements after Easter: — The 

 Ri^ht Hon. Lord Rayleigh, F.R.S., Three Lectures 

 on "Natural Philosophy"; Dr. E. E. Klein, Two 

 I-ccture:, on " Modern Methods and their Achieve- 

 ments in Bacteriology"; Mr. J. A. Thomson, Two 

 lectures on "The Biology of Spring." The Fridaj 

 Evening Meetings of the Membei . will be resumed 

 on April zznd, when Mr. W. II. M. Christie, the 



Astronomer Koyal, -.'.ill deliver a Discourse on 

 ■■ 'i be ' Eclipse"; au< 1 eeding 1 >isi oursea will 



1 lecturers of < mlnence, 



•' I 



