BARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



89 



Algol — alpha Persei — owes its variableness to the 

 fact that, together with a dark satellite, it revolves 

 round a third and central body, which is also dark, 

 in one hundred and thirty years. The orbit of the 

 shining star Mr. Chandler calculates to be two 

 thousand five hundred times as large as that of the 

 satellite. 



At the suggestion of Dr. Cesare Lombroso, the 

 present distinguished occupant of the chair of Forensic 

 Medicine and Psychiatry in the University of Tuf°in, 

 a " Psychiatrico-Criminological Museum" is about 

 to be formed in that seat of learning. It is proposed, 

 says the "British Medical Journal," to form a col- 

 lection illustrating as far as possible the mental and 

 physical characteristics of lunatics and criminals, and 

 supplying the necessary materials for the scientific 

 study of the various types of mental or moral abnor- 

 mality. Among the objects collected will be skulls, 

 skeletons, and brains of criminals, preparations of 

 diseased and malformed organs, instruments for the 

 study of insanity and remedies used in its treatment, 

 plans of prisons and lunatic asylums, autographs of 

 lunatics and criminals, materials for the geographical 

 distribution and statistics of crime, &c. 



We are pleased to welcome the ' ' First Report of 

 the Southport Society of Natural Science." The 

 president's address is an excellent one, and the report 

 contains papers on the "Geology of the neighbour- 

 hood," by E. Dickson ; "A List of the Mollusca of 

 the District, by G. W. Chaster; "A Paper on the 

 Botany," by Henry Ball; and "A Report on the 

 Local Foraminifera " (illustrated), by G. W. Chaster. 



At the anniversary of the Royal Microscopical 

 Society, the president's address was postponed until 

 the next meeting. The president, Dr. Braithwaite, 

 is ODe of the most distinguished of living muscolo- 

 gists, and he very appropriately selected as the 

 subject of his address the impregnation and modes of 

 reproduction in ferns and mosses. Diagrams in 

 illustration were exhibited and explained, and speci- 

 mens were also shown under microscopes in the 

 room. 



ZOOLOGY. 



The Approaching Extinction of the Lap- 

 wing. — The remarks under the above heading in the 

 March Dumber of Science-Gossip recalled to me 

 Mr. J. Cordeaux's statement before the Select 

 Committee on Wild Birds' Protection, and which I 

 have since looked up, and it runs as follows : — 

 " Questioned by Sir D. Wedderburn — You mentioned 

 the lapwing just now among the birds which have 

 increased in your part of the world (Lincolnshire) ? — 

 Yes; it has increased greatly. I attribute the increase 

 of the lapwing to the more general cultivation of 



turnips and green crops ; they feed on the Agrotis 

 segetiim and other grubs that are found in turnip- 

 fields. Is it not the case with the lapwing that while 

 the bird itself is unmolested, its eggs are taken in very 

 large numbers ? — Yes ; the lapwing's eggs are taken 

 very largely ; but much larger numbers are destroyed 

 by the various operations of agriculture, harrowing, 

 rolling and so on ; yet in spite of all this the lapwing 

 has very greatly increased. Does not that bear out 

 the theory that improved conditions of existence are 

 far more important than any protection for increasing 

 the numbers of birds — Yes, I think so to a consider- 

 able extent." Lord Lilford, on the other hand, in his 

 evidence before the same committee says his own 

 experience is that the peewit is less common in 

 Northamptonshire than it used to be. He further 

 states that he thinks there is a large importation 

 of plovers' eggs into this country from Holland. 

 Probably quite as many are imported as are taken in 

 this country. In those parts of England where this 

 bird is on the increase, it is no doubt due, as Mr. 

 Cordeaux states, to the more general cultivation o 

 suitable crops ; and where it is on the decrease, it is 

 owing to .the absence of these conditions and the 

 improved drainage of the land. As regards the eggs 

 of the sparrow-hawk, moor-hen and coot being often 

 sold for plovers' eggs, why should not those of the 

 common fowl be also included ? They are more 

 easily obtained and have quite as much claim to 

 resemblance as those above named ! Only last year 

 I saw the eggs of the black-headed gull, which had 

 been picked out of a consignment of plovers' eggs 

 and laid aside in a poulterer's shop in London. 

 These, however, though more closely resembling the 

 eggs of the plover, are easily detected from their 

 greater size, shape and colouring — A. P. L. 



The Black Scoter {Oidemia nigra) breeding 

 in Britain. — In reply to Mr. Southwell's request 

 (Science-Gossip No. 325, p. 21) for further 

 particulars respecting this interesting ornithological 

 fact, at my request Mr. Fowler has been good 

 enough to furnish me with the following additional 

 details. "At last (Feb. 24th) I find time to answer 

 your enquiries re Black Scoter nesting on the 

 Earnley Marshes. The brood this year was seven, 

 and I purposely shot the old drake for specimen for 

 my cases. I am sorry now that I did not get any of 

 the young. I could easily have done so. When I 

 saw the young birds first they could just fly, but only 

 a short way. I saw the two old birds off and on all 

 the summer, without thinking of the probability of 

 their nesting, or caring much about it. In August 

 I flushed the family, and killed the old male. If 

 they had been mallards I could have killed most of 

 them with two barrels of my 12-bore. I have made 

 enquiries since first writing to you, and find that the 

 Black Scoter nests here every year ; and if this be so, 

 I will try and find the nest this coming season, when 



