HA RD WICKE ' S S CIENCE- G SSIP. 



137 



have been afterwards examined. Such a delay, how- 

 ever, would have prevented the carrying out of well- 

 laid plans ; so the oyster slab was examined, which a 

 thoughtful geologist has put aside for the enlighten- 

 ment and profit of his brethren, the teasel, spindle-tree, 

 toad-flax, centaury, and other interesting flowers 

 noted, and "good-bye " said to our friend, who came 

 some distance through the wood to put us on the track. 

 The lily of the valley occurs near here, with some 

 other rare plants, one of which was soon found in the 

 hedgerows, on the high road between Netherfield 

 and Darvel Hole. The wild medlar (Mespilus 

 gertnanicuz) is plentiful here, with its typical spines, 

 which disappear in the cultivated plant ; and not 

 only was it in full fruit, but we received a present of 

 the lacerated clustercup {Rcsstelia lacerata) which had 

 been found on its leaves. The checker or wild 

 service-tree {Pynes tormitialis) is also common here, 

 but this year it was very difficult to procure fruiting 

 specimens, nearly every tree being barren. In the 

 hedges the common cow-wheat was most profuse, and 

 a beautiful albino specimen of Erythrcea rewarded 

 our search. The walk was continued from Darvel 

 Hole by the high road to Dallington. In the forest 

 here the gentian (67. pneumonantke), whortleberry, 

 heath, sundew (Z>. rotiindifolia), bog-violet and other 

 rich plants occur, and no botanist ought to visit this 

 part of the country without spending a day between 

 Heathfield and Dallington or Brightling. 



From Dallington the route lay through Three Cups 

 to Heathfield Chapel, where are some boggy spots 

 famous for their plants. The bog asphodel, sundew, 

 buckbean and other plants are here recorded, but as 

 evening was coming on apace, the road to Warbleton 

 Church was taken, in the hope of finding the moon- 

 wort fern. The search, however, proved unsuccessful. 

 On the heath, and by the road to Horsham, the 

 beautiful dodder was found, while the alternate water- 

 milfoil (Myriophyllum alterniflorum), tansy, and 

 other plants, including the pretty strawberry clover, 

 were among our spoils. A short ride from Horsham 

 to Hailsham broke the journey, then a walk of four 

 miles brought me to Hurstmonceux. Here the thorn- 

 apple {Datura) was found in its usual semi-wild 

 state, while the frog-bit (H~yd>-ockaris), the wood- 

 spurge, the annual dogs-mercury, the sweet-briar 

 among phamogams, and the plum-tree brand, bean- 

 rust, various mosses and lichens among cryptogams, 

 closed our list. It will be seen that the " finds" were 

 not by any means despicable. The country traversed 

 was delightful, the weather all that could be desired, 

 while the enjoyment was enhanced by pleasant 

 recollections of happy days spent up and down the 

 district, in nearly every village and hamlet through 

 which I passed, in the auld lang syne. Though 

 there are few inns or resting-places, the people are 

 exceedingly hospitable, and fortunately have not 

 been spoiled by multitudes of tourists. I heartily 

 commend the district to my brother naturalists. 



FAMILY CARES. 

 By a Green Lizard. 



I SUPPOSE because I am fatter and bigger, more 

 vigorous in fact than madame or the youngsters, 

 that I feel before them the approach of spring. The 

 thaw has come — an old mole is at work beneath us— 

 and he always know T s when the chaDge is coming — I 

 feel more supple, and able to shake off lethargic sleep 

 — the sun must be shining outside ; I shall give the 

 little ones a crack on the back with my tail, and be 

 off for a look round. 



It was real cold when we shut up, but I have little 

 memory of the past winter : deep sleep in a snug, 

 warm nest quickly drowns dull care ; we are conscious 

 of nothing till I rouse up in the spring. In late 

 autumn I worked hard in scraping out more extended 

 winter-quarters ; made my claws beastly sore in fact, 

 the old woman could not help much ; she was taken 

 up with the six kids. I was late in carrying in moss 

 to line our beds for increased numbers — -the additional 

 family was larger than we anticipated. The missus 

 basks on sunny banks in the hotter part of the 

 summer days to thoroughly incubate the eggs thereby. 

 She's not quite viviparous — I wish she was ; would 

 save time in autumn when the little beggars have to 

 be taught to crawl and run, to catch flies and insects ; 

 they are slow in food-catching at first — can't use the 

 tongue properly — afterwards it is all the other way 

 on ; they will eat to repletion, and try to swallow 

 anything that moves, however big it may be. But 

 there, lizards must learn. When young, I well 

 remember trying to swallow a gigantic snail because 

 he moved ; the edge of the shell cut my tongue — -I 

 suffered pain, but learnt prudence and discrimination. 

 But we look to the time from their birth to the winter 

 to complete all necessary education, and the time is 

 very short — barely two months ; and I am always late 

 in excavating the winter's home — for we must change 

 our quarters sometimes. How my claws do get torn ! 

 It is not enough to enlarge a hole in the chinks of 

 a wall — -blundering fools called men pull them down 

 in pure wantonness — to be safe I must burrow beneath 

 the soil. I generally start through a wall or heap of 

 stones, to put folks off the track. Deep down we are 

 safe. It's a mercy we don't require food in winter ; 

 of course we should starve if we could not sleep in 

 such a dense torpor. Strange how the feeling creeps 

 on one. Directly cold approaches we lose sensation ; 

 the blood ceases to circulate rapidly ; we lose all 

 control. Those little chaps, again, want experience ; 

 they will stay out in the thin rays of wintry sun, the 

 languid state overtakes them suddenly, and they 

 cannot move. One of them was captured last year, 

 but he escaped — minus his tail. Now this is a 

 common but most vexatious loss ; it takes a deal of 

 re-growing. We crawl in together to the moss-lined 

 nest ; the old lady curls round with the tip of her 



