SCIENCE- G OSSIP. 



95 



Unusual Site for Swallow's Nest. — A pair 

 of swallows have built their nest on the frame of a 

 picture in my bedroom. Early in June I noticed 

 I hey were constantly flying in and out of the room, 

 and laughingly said to my little daughter, who 

 was ill in bed, that they came to amuse her. Soon 

 iIk swallows appeared to have great discussions, 

 evidently about a site for their home, and they 

 examined one picture after another. Finally they 

 decided on an oil painting, which had a broad 

 frame, hanging over the fireplace, and one after- 

 noon commenced bringing in mud. I at once 

 covered the whole picture with sacking, thinking, 

 probably, that would cause them to forsake the 

 site; but the birds did not object, and building 

 operations went on very rapidly. The swallows 

 came into the room on an average eight times in 

 five minutes, bringing hay and mud alternately. 

 When the nest was finished, the male bird evidently 

 thought the furnishing was his lady's department, 

 as she brought in all the feathers to line it, though 

 he was always in close attendance on her, flying in 

 behind, and watching the arrangement. Three 

 young ones are now hatched and are growing fast. 

 1 have put little silver rings on their legs in the 

 manner pigeons are ringed, so as to recognise them 

 if they come next year. The old birds are wonder- 

 fully tame and do not take any notice of us. 

 When the hen-bird was sitting she used to peep 

 over her nest when I went into the room, ap- 

 parently to see if I were alone ; if not, perhaps 

 >he would fly off the nest, but now that she has 

 young she does not mind strangers, and has many 

 visitors and human admirers. I have had to take 

 the blind down, put a nail into the window frame 

 to prevent the window being shut by mistake, 

 scatter insect powder over the nest, and take other 

 precautions ; but the cleanliness of the parent 

 birds is one of the most interesting points. The 

 old ones take everything away from the nest and 

 drop it outside the window ; and any inconvenience 

 is amply repaid by the immense interest and 

 pleasure the little birds are to all of us. I do not 

 know that it is unique that swallows should build 

 in an occupied room, but should be glad to hear if 

 any of your readers have known a similar case. — 

 (Lady) Agnes F. Farren, Healings Hovse, Wood- 

 bridge, Suffolk, 1th July, 1900. 



M-gllusca of South Surrey.— We are quite 

 four miles from the chalk escarpment, and this 

 clay country is not a very good district for land 

 shells. So far I have only found Helix nemoralis, 

 /Micella capcrata, and Cochlicopa lubrica. In a 

 small brook running past Mason's Bridge, a tribu- 

 tary of the River Mole, Anodonta eygnea, Uhio 

 pietorum, Valrata piscinalis, Limnaea peregra, 

 Sphaerium rivieola occur, though not in large 

 numbers. As every little "shelf " on the banks of 

 the hook abounds in the spoor of rats, perhaps these 

 little rodents may account for the scarcity of 

 molluscs.— B AsMngton Ihdlen, F.L S , Axeland. 



Humming Bird Hawk-Moth.— A fine specimen 



of this moth was busy on July 1 si of tin- year in 

 my conservatory, dividing his attentions between 

 the roses ami heliotrope, a1 7 P.M. The weather 

 was lather cold and dull. — 11 Ashi nylon Ilullni, 



W.L.S , Axeland, nea/r ETorley, Sussex. 



Peculiar Growth of Beech-Tree. — The 

 accompanying is a photograph of a peculiar beech- 

 tree in the fir woods on Esher Common. Two 



main trunks start together from the ground, and 

 at some feet from the ground two large branches 

 effectually reunite;, producing a kind of " Siamese 

 twins." The photograph was taken by a friend, 

 Mr. R. T. Morrison, in the winter while the tree 

 was bare of leaves, so that the junction might 

 show the better. It seemed to me of sufficient 

 interest to publish ; possibly you may think it 



Abnormal Beech at Esher. 



worth your while, as you have illustrated a good 

 number of vegetable freaks in Sciexce-Gossip. — 

 W. J. Lucas, 12 Caversham Road, Kingston-on- 

 Thames. 



Brown-tail Moth in Essex. — I think Por- 

 thesia ehrysorrhoea, does not now appear to . be 

 frequently met with, although it formerly occurred 

 in profusion in various parts of the South-East of 

 England. It may therefore be interesting to record 

 that I found a large brood of the larvae at Clacton- 

 on-Sea in the beginning of June, feeding on a low 

 elm hedge. The remains of the web in which they 

 had hybernated was seen near to the larvae. A 

 few I brought home have produced moths during 

 the last day or two.— II". Paskell, 96 Studley Road, 

 Forest (fate. I6t7i July. 1900. 



