220 SCIENCE-GOS SIP. 
WHITE 
schmidti of Polyommatus phleas was taken by Alfred 
E. Harley-Mason in a field at West Norwood during 
CorprER BUTTERFLY.—The variety 
last summer. Although uncommon this aberration 
not infrequently occurs in Britain as elsewhere on the 
Continent. Another record during the past season 
recently appeared in the ‘* Entomologist,” a specimen, 
of this form, having been taken in the Forest of Dean. 
AUSTRALIAN SCALE INSECTS.—Permit me to 
correct an evident printer’s error which appears in 
your August number (ave p. 90). The statement 
should have been that up to the time of my publishing 
the Australian Catalogue, out of the 1,119 species of 
Coccidae known to science, 235 occurred in Australia. 
—James Lidgett, Myrniony, Victoria. 
RABBIT SWIMMING.—At the bottom of our park, 
which swarms with rabbits, is a small lake, having an 
island in the middle of it. For some time past the 
rabbits have been increasing steadily and encroaching 
on the land round the lake, and once or twice we 
thought we saw one on the island. Recently my 
brother saw one deliberately take to the water and 
swim from the land to the island, a distance of twenty 
yards. The island covers a space of about half an 
acre, with a few trees, and shrubs, and grass on it, 
but nothing specially attractive to a rabbit in the 
shape of roots or bulbs. Moor-hens and wild ducks 
build on the island, if their scanty nests could be 
called ‘‘ building,” but it is very little disturbed, as 
we only occasionally visit it for the birds’ eggs. This 
‘was evidently not the first time the rabbit had tried 
the water, for it swam easily, and as though accus- 
tomed to cross and re-cross from the land to the 
island. We were rather struck by this occurrence, 
for, although we often know of hares when hunted 
hard taking to the water, yet we did not think that 
rabbits as a rule tried swimming as a pastime.—J/. 
Silver, Letcomb Manor, Wantage. 
DISPERSION OF SEEDS BY Brrps.—When we look 
around Nature’s Garden, whether by the river’s bank, 
the roadside, or upon the breezy hills, and see the 
beauty and variety of forms everywhere displayed, we 
feel compelled to admire the quiet and unobtrusive 
methods by which the distribution of wild flowers has 
been obtained. In considering the various agencies 
that have assisted in the production of vegetation, 
wherever there is sufficient soil to support the growth 
of a plant, we are especially attracted to the wonder- 
ful part birds unconsciously take in this work of 
dispersion. We may also: admire the beautiful 
arrangement by which many plants join hand in hand 
as it were, with birds, to secure their distribution. 
The mutual association for benefit which exists in 
many cases between plant and bird, is very striking. 
The plant provides food for the bird, and the bird in 
return furnishes a means of transferring the seed to 
new localities. In the case of the mountain ash, as 
soon as the seed is ripe the attention of birds is at 
once attracted by the scarlet clusters of berries, as a 
feast of good things. The birds, ever ready to accept 
Such an invitation, swallow the berries, seeds and all, 
and when satisfied fly off to visit other places. 
Eventually the swallowed seeds, being well protected 
by their hard covering, pass out through the alimentary 
canal, none the worse for their journey and ready to 
germinate, if the place where they have been dropped 
is suitable. In this way it is easy to understand how 
a mountain ash may be found in places where it is 
certain it was not planted by human hands. Many 
other plants, whose fruit is food for birds, may be 
seen growing on inaccessible cliffs and in all manner 
of peculiar places. I noticed on one occasion 
upon the parapet of a bridge, within a space 
of three feet, no less than seventy seeds of 
hawthom, that had been deposited there by birds. 
Many seeds of a smaller kind may be seen in a 
country ramble in autumn to be present in large quan- 
tities, in the droppings of various birds. Experiments 
which have been made, show that a considerable 
proportion of seeds are capable of passing through 
the alimentary canal without injury to future 
germination. A friend told me a short time since 
that a specimen of Arum maculatem had appeared in 
his garden, and though he had had the same garden 
for seven or eight years, he had never previously seen 
the plant there, and could not account for its appear- 
ance. It seems quite reasonable to suppose some 
bird, which had been feeding on the berries of the 
Arum, might have dropped the seed into the garden. 
As the nearest specimens of that plant, so far as I 
know, grow at a distance ofseveral miles from the 
garden in question, this instance serves well to illus- 
trate how-a strange plant may suddenly appear in a 
new locality. Although this is, perhaps, the chief 
way by which birds scatter seeds far and wide, there 
is, as may be seen from the adjoining figure of a par- 
tridge’s foot, another way of attaining this end, and 
one probably of considerable importance. The 
partridge to which this foot belonged had evidently 
been walking about upon wet soil, and a quantity of 
it had adhered to the feet. With the soil were a 
number of the seeds that had fallen from surrounding 
plants, and lay on the surface of the ground. When 
the specimen came into my possession there were 
twenty-seven small seeds, apparently belonging to two 
different species of plants, imbedded in the mud 
attached to the foot. If this bird had escaped the 
sportman’s gun, it would doubtless have carried away 
its little cargo of seeds, and discharged them at some 
distance from the place where they were taken up. 
There can be little doubt that the quantity of seeds 
which are distributed in this, so to speak, accidental 
manner, must be very considerable each year. It is 
always interesting to watch the flight of birds, but our 
interest should be deepened when we remember, as 
we see them hurrying like hasty messengers, that they 
are very probably the bearers of seeds, that being 
scattered here and there, will, in another season, help 
to decorate and beautify the landscape with trees 
and lovely flowers.—V2llzam Thomson, 16, Cavendish 
Place, Carlisle. , 
AEPYORNIS MaxiMus.—One of the finest speci- 
mens of this, the largest bird’s egg known, was sold 
on November 7th, at Stevens’ Auction Rooms. It 
measured nearly a yard in circumference, and over a 
foot in length. The price realised was 42 guineas. 
Although rarer than the great auk’s egg, it has never 
been a favourite with English collectors. The bird 
formerly inhabited Madagascar, and the eggs are sub- 
fossil. It is curious to note that although it laid such 
large eggs the hen bird only stood half as high as an 
ostrich. 
