NATURAL HISTORY NOTES 
1 1 
his unrivalled experience, he believes confidently in the inheritance of acquired 
characters, such as effects of environment, and claims to have thoroughly dis- 
proved the so-called Mendelian law. Biologists are now recognising, as Mendel 
recognised, and as we have long urged ourselves, that plants offer the best sub- 
jects for experiments in heredity, as for many other physiological problems ; and 
here we have an account of the life-work of a great plant-breeder. 
Received: The Decline and Fall of the British Empire (Alden and Co.) ; 
The Nature Study Review for September ; The Plant World for October ; 
The Victorian Naturalist for November ; and The Naturalist , The Irish 
Naturalist, Nature Study, The Animals' Friend, The Animal World, The 
Humanitarian, The Parents' Review, The Agricultural Economist, and The 
Estate Magazine for December. 
NATURAL HISTORY NOTES. 
313 . Rabbits. — With regard to Mr. Daubeny’s query, No. 65, as to the 
shrieking of rabbits, my own experience may be of interest. I live only a mile 
from the centre of the city, so have not exceptional facilities for Nature study, 
but keep two rabbits as pets. In catching one, a doe, which I had been exer- 
cising in the garden, I happened to seize her by the hind leg, and she instantly 
commenced shrieking, but ceased directly I shifted my grip to her back. This 
was about six months ago, but she is still in apparently good health. In a 
treatise on the management of live stock, written by a Mr. Moubray in the early 
part of last century, the author alludes to the screams of the rabbit when bleeding 
to death, but makes no mention whatever of the belief to which your corres- 
pondent refers. You will, of course, use your discretion as regards the insertion 
of these remarks, and, I trust, forgive my troubling you. 
L. B. Hewitt. 
314 . Nesting of Robin. — During last spring and summer I paid par- 
ticular attention to two nests of the Robin, which were built in my garden. The 
following notes from my diary I thought might be interesting. 
Nest No. 1. — March 10: Robin’s nest in summer-house. Built on shelf 
placed on top of a coil of rope. A large structure, made up of leaves, straw, 
&c. Very deep, open nest. March 21 : One egg laid and one on each succeed- 
ing day until a clutch of five (March 25) was completed. March 26 : Female 
commenced to sit. April 9 : Young hatched, incubation having taken fifteen 
days. April 18 : Young robins left nest this morning, whereupon I removed the 
nest and placed a nesting-box on the shelf for fear a second open nest would be 
built, which would be easily accessible to prowling cats. 
Nest No. 2. — June 1 : Robins started building again in summer-house, but 
on top of nesting-box instead of inside it ! June 4, 9 a.nr. : Nest completed and 
one egg laid ! Therefore, nest built in about three days and first egg laid ! 
It is interesting to note that the earlier nest took much longer to construct, 
(although I do not know the exact time occupied), and that in the case of Nest 
No. 1 eleven days elapsed after completion before the first egg appeared. 
To revert to Nest No. 2. A further egg appeared each day up to and including 
June 8, when the clutch numbered five, and the female commenced to sit. 
June 12: Took out one robin’s egg and inserted an egg of the yellow bunting. 
June 14: Egg of yellow bunting hatched. It so happened that a partly incu- 
bated egg of this latter species was the only one I could procure at the time I 
required it. The antics of the male and female robins at the advent of this 
early chick can best be imagined than described I June 20: First robin’s egg 
hatched, thus incubated in about twelve days. Did the warmth from the 
young yellow bunting result in robin’s egg being hatched two or three days pre- 
vious to time taken to incubate first clutch, and would they have been hatched 
in twelve days if young yellow bunting had not been there? June 21 : Re- 
maining three robin’s eggs hatched. June 22 : young yellow bunting left nest. 
July 3: Young robins out of nest, but ensconced at side of same. July 5: 
