74 Croivs' nest made of Telegraph wires. [March, 



Mr. Schwendler said that tlie fact advanced by Dr. Waldie did not 

 contradict his hypothesis, for he did not deny the existence of different 

 states of crystallization of different pieces of iron, but contended that the 

 transition from the amorphous to the crystalline state in any one piece of 

 iron was per saltwm and permanent in character. 



Mr. Schwendler exhibited a crow's nest made with bits of thin 

 telegraph wire, which had been most ingeniously adapted to the purpose. 

 He said that nests of this kind had on several occasions been found on the 

 buildings in, and on the trees near, the Telegraph Store Yard. 



So long as the crows used only waste Government material to increase 

 the stability of their nests, and were content to build them on trees and 

 houses, he had not the slightest objection to make ; but, when they came to 

 use the Telegraph wires and posts to support these metal structures, their 

 advance in the arts assumed a highly objectionable form from a telegraphic 

 point of view. For such nests would invariably cause what are technically 

 called " earths" and " contacts," and thereby interfere with Telegraph 

 communication. In Calcutta, on the large terminal post near the signal 

 office, nests of this kind had been found, chiefly made with soda-water 

 bottle wire. 



On the whole, however, it was satisfactory to see an endeavour on the 

 part of the crows to improve the fabric of their dwellings, and in this 

 respect they might be taken as an example by the majority of natives, who 

 in the construction and arrangement of their houses had not advanced 

 much by the introduction of Western civilization into India, as a single 

 stroll through any of the bazars would shew the observer. 



Crows, however, were not, Mr. Schwendler observed, the only animals 

 who, by their domestic or other arrangements, interfered frequently with 

 Telegraph communication. Wasps building their mud nests in the cups of 

 insulators, and birds of prey dropping dead fish, snakes and offal on the 

 wires were all frequent causes of interruption. 



In addition to the above, the exposure of overland lines to climatic 

 influences, to atmospheric electricity,* and to danger during times of war, 

 all pointed to the great advantages that would be derived from the use of 

 under-ground wires, the difficulties to the introduction of which had, he 

 believed, been much exaggerated. To secure regular telegraph communica- 

 tion through all countries in the future, subterraneous lines were required, 

 and when the want had become strongly felt, the technical difficulties (on 

 account of insulation and retardation) would be overcome. 



* On oue occasion in Calcutta, 16 insulators were broken by a single flash of 

 lightning. 



