IIARJJWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



birds searching this particular tree, but concluded 

 they were looking for spiders ; it would now appear 

 that what must have been a large colony of woodlice 

 were the objects of their affection. Like other 

 crustaceans they carry their eggs in a thoracic pouch, 

 and I have often seen a large family of new-born 

 children huddled together on the under side of the 

 mother. The number of the parents who took pos- 

 session of our poor tree and terminated its existence 

 must have been -prodigious. The sequel is note- 

 worthy — in about seven days after the above incident 

 the branches began to appear reddish in colour, and 

 very soon an extensive fringe-like silk hung all around 

 them and continued to spread with rapidity ; this I 

 find to be a fungus, and enclose you a sample, which 

 is a stranger to me. Anyway, it would appear that, 

 like rats leaving a sinking ship, the woodlice appeared 

 to know their time had expired in that habitat, and 

 retired, leaving it to its more destructive enemy. So 

 it would appear that after all death only prepares the 

 way for a new generation of life, as in this case. — 

 P. IV. Lean, Manchester. 



A Snake Story. — A huge cobra was discovered 

 the other evening, among a heap of new tiles, by the 

 workmen engaged in the building of the grand-stand 

 at the Havelock Racecourse, Ceylon. As usual 

 with natives, and Buddhists in particular, at sight of 

 the cobra showing fight by erecting its hood, they 

 were anxious it should sustain no hurt, and were for 

 allowing it to glide quietly away, when one of the 

 assistant engineers of the Colombo Commercial 

 Compan}', who happened to be about the place, 

 promptly settled the matter by flinging a brick at it. 

 A comic element was introduced by a coolie on the 

 roof of the building being the only one who shouted 

 out entreaties that the cobra should be killed, the 

 man being quick enough to discern the risk he was 

 exposed to if the cobra glided up to him in his 

 defenceless position. Besides the fact that the cobra 

 is considered one of the high-born ones among the 

 reptile aristocracy, it augurs good luck for one to be 

 found guarding any premises, hence a hooded 

 cobra often escapes unhurt. — " Pioneer Mail," 

 Allahabad. 



A Physical Phenomenon. — According to a 

 correspondent of " The Calcutta Englishman," a 

 strange physical phenomenon has taken place in the 

 village of Moismira, in the subdivision of Amta, India, 

 causing considerable sensation among the villagers. 

 Suddenly a crack about a cubit in breadth and seven 

 or eight cubits in depth opened out in the ground 

 south of the temple of Babu Hem Chunder Ghose, 

 extending to the bank of the Damudar river, a 

 distance of about a mile-and-a-half. The villagers 

 attributed the occurrence to the anger of the diety 

 presiding in the temple above alluded to, and intend 

 offering up sacrifices and prayers in order to avert 

 any impending calamity. 



Colour-Blindness. — Is colour-blindness a pro- 

 duct of civilisation ? It exists to the extent of three 

 to four per cent, among the civilised peoples of 

 Europe and America, and is known to be a result of 

 violent concussions, or disease, or the excessive use 

 of tobacco and alcohol, but it is chiefly congenital 

 and incurable. The question arises how far it exists 

 among savage races, and Messrs. Blake and Franklin, 

 of the University of Kansas, have tested several 

 hundreds of Indians belonging to different tribes, at 

 the Haskel Institute, Lawrence, Kansas, with the 

 result that under one per cent, are colour-blind. 

 There were 285 males and 133 females, both full and 



half-bloods, of the Pawnee, Cheyenne, and Pottawa- 

 tonie tribes. Only three cases of colour-blindness 

 were found among them by Holmgren's test with 

 Berlin wool, two for red and one for green, and these 

 three were full-blooded Indians. The half-breeds, 

 however, seem to show a limited sense of colour, as 

 they often hesitated in their choice. The fact that 

 there is less colour-blindness among women than 

 men, and more among civilised than uncivilised 

 races, would appear to show that the use of tobacco 

 and the habits of civilised life are favourable to its 

 extension. — Globe. 



Lion-Tigers. — The breeding of lion-tigers has 

 been undertaken by the Royal Zoological Society of 

 Ireland, whose success in the rearing of lion cubs is 

 said to have been quite remarkable. Within the last 

 few years this society has supplied to kindred institu- 

 tions one hundred Irish lions. They now promise to 

 supply the expected demand for hybrids, and thus 

 a curious new industry will become the means of 

 developing an unlooked-for addition to the resources 

 of the country. A considerable amount of biological 

 interest is attached to the experiment. 



A new forage plant has appeared in the form of 

 the Polygonum Saghalia, which grows in the island 

 of Saghalien, Japan. It shoots very fast, and in 

 three or four weeks is over six feet high, and covered 

 with large leaves, of which cattle are very fond. 

 When cut it rapidly pushes a second growth. A 

 single plant covers more than a square yard, and the 

 weight of leaves is stated to exceed eighty pounds. 

 The new plant has been tried experimentally at 

 Alliers, in France, and is said to require little or no 

 care. 



Butterflies in Captivity. — I believe that 

 butterflies have seldom or never been known to breed 

 in captivity. If they could be induced to do so, 

 some interesting experiments on hybridisation might 

 be carried out. Now it seems to me that one very 

 probable cause of the fact is, that these insects are 

 very rarely kept alive in captivity for any length of 

 time, and at first they are so puzzled and excited by 

 the novelty of their surroundings that they take no 

 notice of their companions. If they were kept for a 

 week or so, till the novelty had worn off, and then 

 introduced to one another, the case might be different. 

 And, as a matter of fact, I never found the least 

 difficulty in keeping butterflies alive. I have had 

 experience of the following species : — P. _ viachaon, 

 P. brassica, P. rapa: ; H. janira, H. hyperanthus ; 

 V. atlanta, V. io, V. urtica ; L. alexis, and always 

 found it perfectly easy. The insects even show some 

 faint glimmerings of intelligence ; they soon become 

 familiar, and extend their trunks to be fed when 

 approached ; when a finger is presented they will sit 

 on it, and expand their wings ; and one specimen of 

 P. rapa which emerged from the pupa in the house 

 in December, and which I kept till April and then 

 released, used even to play with the cat. The most 

 convenient food I found to be sugar mixed with 

 water to form a syrup of about the consistency of 

 glycerine. They need not be fed very frequently ; 

 four or five times a day is quite sufficient. When 

 first the sugar and water is offered, the insect, 

 especially if not hungry, may not recognise it as 

 eatable. In this case, it is necessary to teach him to 

 eat it. The insect should be caught firmly behind 

 the thorax, by the roots of the wings, and his truuk 

 should be unrolled with a pin, very carefully, to 

 avoid injuring it, and the end dipped into the syrup. 



