191 
NATURAL HISTORY NOTES AND QUERIES. 
Darwin’s Theories. — It would doubtless interest many of your readers if 
the author of the “Naturalists’ Ramble” in the September number of Nature 
Notes, would give his reasons and authority for saying with regard to Dai win’s 
theories: “they are passing, like all such things.” It would be interesting to 
know which of Darwin’s theories are “ passing ” in the author’s opinion, and 
where is his proof that such is the case. 
The Gables, Wirksworlh. C. E. Meade-Waldo. 
Septeviber^, 1901. 
The Domestic Mouse a Vegetarian. — From observations I have 
made quite recently, I should say that the domestic mouse is a vegetarian of no 
mean taste. It has been my habit to keep in the house a small quantity of water- 
cress and lettuce for a few pet canaries I keep, and have found to my con- 
sternation of late, that I have been robbed of my birds’ green food in a wholesale 
manner. The mice have taken care to leave nothing but the stems of the 
watercress and lettuce. 
2, Canonbiiry Place, N. CllAS. E. J. Hannett. 
September 10, 1901. 
Provincial Name of the Heron. — Your correspondent, G. F. Rope, 
speaks of the old Suffolk name of the heron as “ harnser.” Clearly this is a 
provincial variant of “ Ilernshaw ” (probably Hamlet’s “ Handsaw ”) ; and this 
again is from the old French “ Heronceau,” a young heron. Survivals of early 
names are always interesting. 
7, Holmesdale Road, K'eiv. E. Hubbard. 
September 8, 1901. 
Swallows and Martins. — Swallow's are as common as usual this year, 
and build in their usual haunts. Sand-martins are very common, perhaps 
increasingly so. Swifts are, I think, on the increase also, but house martins are 
waning. Where I used to see six nests I can now hardly find one. This can 
hardly be due to lack of food, because the other Hirundines and the bats are busy 
every evening, and appear to find abundance ; but the diminution is due to the 
persecutions of the house sparrow, which multiplies greatly. There are no 
cereal crops raised in this part of Craven, and a plough is almost a thing unknown, 
so no one cares to shoot sparrows, as in the grain-growing counties, and con- 
sequently they abound to the detriment of more interesting birds. 
Settle, Craven, July 13, 1901. Addison Crofton. 
House-Martins. — The house-martins, driven from their nests again and 
again by their persecutors, the sparrows, have in one case resorted to a device 
which seems to be deliberately intended as a counterplot. Instead of building 
almost horizontally from the base upwards and making the opening in the centre 
of the upper lip, they have commenced from one side and built across to the 
other so that there has always been a perpendicular line during the building, 
giving no foothold to the sparrows ; and the opening has been made in the 
extreme corner next the wall, which the sparrows cannot so easily reach. So far 
at least the strategy has been successful, and I hope to see a brood safely reared, 
and possibly an evolutionary process established for preserving the martins from 
extinction ! 
White Not ley Vicarage, Essex. A. F. Curtis. 
The following, will I think, answer W. F. Collins’ query in last month’s 
Nature Notes regarding house-martins. The side of my house requiring 
painting this summer, I directed the painter not to interfere with four martins’ 
nests under the eaves. He replied, “ I won’t touch them if martins are in them ; 
but I will if sparrows are.” The latter proved to be the case. 
West Monkton, Somerset. Julia K. Brinkley. 
Sand-martins. — On August 21 I saw many hundreds of sand-martins 
sitting closely together, on a short stretch of telegraph wires, preparing for their 
