38 
NATURE NOTES. 
danger of leaving the creature out is that early in the spring a few hot days would 
tempt him to leave his burying place, and beingstill too torpid to return, he would 
be killed by the next frost, or most probably in the unsuitable soil of a garden he 
could not bury out of reach of the frost. About April Thomas tumbles out of his 
box and holds up his head beseechingly ; a saucer of cold water is given him, he 
dips his head in and drinks for twenty minutes or so. I generally put him out in 
the sun for an hour or two daily, and supply him with lettuce, dandelion-or common 
mallow leaves, but do not leave him out all night until the May frosts are over. 
I do not think it kind to put tortoises (European ones, I mean) in greenhouses, 
they hate damp and moisture, and are excellent weather glasses if left to their own 
devices in summer. I feed my pet regularly here, and he will follow me any- 
where. His favourite foods are buttercups, mallow, dandelion, white and pink 
clover, roses, snapdragon, sweet and everlasting peas, the young shoots, too, fox- 
gloves, while pinks, lettuce, strawberries, gooseberries, grapes, cherries (I take 
stones out), plums, blackberries, bananas, columbine and nasturtium leaves, all 
young seedlings, if he gets the chance. When away he is given the run of the 
gardens, and has had many adventures — wandered long distances. A bank in a 
meadow is his favourite resting place, and if not near a road I let him choose 
bis home ; if left alone he always retires to the same bed at night — he prefers 
a rabbit burrow. Under these conditions I do not feed him, only bringing him 
food when I hunt him up daily, and he thrives and grows very heavy. Do not 
put tortoises in water — they detest it ; I sponge mine sometimes if his shell gets 
very dusty. 
Hove. M. A. Morgan. 
We have had a tortoise for two and a-half years ; he has escaped several times, 
but always found and brought back. He likes a tepid bath in the summer, 
sitting in the water and drinking for some minutes, and also likes to have warm 
water poured over him. Tortoises like rather untidy gardens, as they eat various 
weeds, dandelion leaves and stalks — the stalks particularly, as they contain so 
much moisture — sorrel, lettuce, buttercups, the sweet-pea flower, tomatoes, straw- 
berries, and some stone fruit. My tortoise remains in the field all winter, but is 
covered with a box lid, hay and malting, so as to keep the frost from him. 
When they wake up in spring they do not require any food or water for a 
fortnight. H. B. C. 
Delayed. Germination of Seeds. — In the November number Mr. 
Henslow doubted the germination of seeds after they had been in the ground for 
a long time. I do not know what he calls a long time, but a few years ago I took 
in hand a garden which had been neglected for several seasons. Immediately a 
large number of Port Jackson w'illows sprang up. On inquiry, I found that there 
had been one of these trees in the garden, but it had been cut down six years pre- 
viously. There were no others in the neighbourhood. The seeds, therefore, must 
have been lying in situ for at least six years before germinating. 
Cape Toivn. F. C. Kolbe. 
Roosting Habits of the Wren.— Many years ago, when living at Caris- 
brooke, I observed during the whole of one winter that every evening when the 
twilight deepened, a little brown wren flew into the rose bush which was trained 
along the edge of the verandah. It hopped from twig to twig uttering a peculiar 
cry, like c-r-r-k — c-r-r-k, and then it flew into an old withered fern which hung in 
a wire basket suspended from one of the ribs of the verandah, some little distance 
from the wall of the house. At first I scarcely thought the little bird went there 
to roost, but as I sat watching in the dark, I presently saw another wren fly 
into the old fern, and then another, and then another, till I had counted six. To 
satisfy myself that they really roosted there all together, the next day I mounted 
upon a pair of steps, looked into the old fern in the basket, and I saw evirlences 
that proved that the six little wrens did make their bed there. I found there was 
a hollow space in the middle of the fern with moss. This I enlarged somewhat, 
and lined it with cotton-wool to make a nice warm nest. The wrens quite approved 
of the arrangement, and came every evening to roost there. I should imagine 
the wrens roost like this in order to keep warmth in their tiny bodies during the 
sharp cold nights of winter. E. Price-Sayer. 
[See Father Gerard’s article on p.25 . — Ed. N N.'\ 
