Natural History Notes and Extracts 459 



small amount of more or less flat surface taken up by the 

 chalk-without-flints that there is no such deposit upon it." 



Mr. Whitaker remarks upon the vein of black clay, only a few 

 inches thick, which lies at the base of the above and directly 

 above the chalk. It contains black-coated flints. The black- 

 ness of the clay has not been satisfactorily explained. 



Dislike of Rats for Guinea-pigs. 



The guinea-pig is at the time of birth well advanced in 

 development and will run about and eat before a day old. 

 Some of its milk set of teeth have already been shed. 



There is a widespread belief that both horses and rats 

 have a dislike to guinea-pigs. Horses will not go into a 

 stable in which they hear the squeak of these little rodents. 

 If a horse be kept in a stable in which they are he will 

 get used to them and manifest no further distrust, but rats, 

 being free to move, always leave the place. Whether in 

 them also in some cases familiarity may remove fear or breed 

 contempt, we do not know. If it does not, the fact may 

 perhaps, under some circumstances, be made of practical use. 

 Guinea-pigs are of course exotics, and our English animals 

 have had no opportunities for becoming hereditarily accus- 

 tomed to their peculiar utterances. It is probably the 

 unknown which excites fear. The British Fauna, whether 

 wild or domesticated, is for the most part comprised of very 

 reticent individuals, but these little Guianian importations 

 never fail to make their presence known if they hear foot- 

 steps and are with difficulty persuaded to be still. 



Distinction between " Domesticated Sheep and Goats." 



The following is copied from a British Museum label : — 

 " Domesticated sheep generally, if not invariably, differ 

 from goats by the presence of a gland on the face (the 

 ' larmier ' or tear gland) below each eye, and by the absence 

 of a beard on the chin of the males. In domesticated goats 

 the beard is often present in both sexes. Rams also lack the 



