74 
NATURE NOTES. 
mouse making a hearty supper on the scraps. As we advance 
into the Christian era we find birds often introduced into 
what are known as the Madonna pictures, and in the dawn of 
the Renaissance, birds were much introduced into the great altar 
pieces which were so prominent a feature of the new birth of Art 
in Italy. 
I. Juliex Armstrong. 
THE TOOTHWORT 
(Latlira’a Squamavia). 
OOTH WORT, a parasite rare in the south-east of England, 
has appeared in great abundance this year in a place 
where for ten years I had not seen it till 1890. Within 
the last month I have seen hundreds of these parasites 
in abundance in an area of 7 miles from west to east of the 
Down, and at a place 3 miles to the south-west of us, where 
Mr. Herbert Bull, a prominent member of the Selborne Society, 
observed for me no less than 179 examples, on one of which a 
humble bee was regaling itself at 6-17 p.m., April 12th. When 
3'ou have learnt one habitat of the plant it is sure to guide you 
by the shelter required, and the bearing of the compass, to another, 
a land-locked coombe, in most cases lying low down. This 
plant seems to have been a remainder of the old forest Flora of 
the Silva Anderida, and it is found at Dorking on the North 
Downs. In one place opposite to a natural funnel in the hills, 
formed by a space between two outlying downs, the wind had 
blown it to the very top of the down surmounting the hanger. 
In most places it was found low down ; but the greater the 
natural wind-power the higher was the habitat all along the 
Downs. It is generally stated that this plant is found on hazel- 
roots, but, although one can often see the grip of the large 
stem-base of the Lathraea upon the dark roots of the hazel, in 
this region it certainly prefers the maple and ash. On Easter 
Monday, April 7th, I learnt this law from four instances in two 
habitats a mile apart, where it was on small maple clumps. 
No. 1, maple underwood, consisted of some fine young shoots, 
the wood being about four years’ growth, had five of the Lathraea 
round the stem ; and No. 2, a large thick-stemmed maple camp, 
9 feet from any nut growth, was completely surrounded by 22 
of the parasites close to the maple stem on all sides. This was 
unmistakeable, But the most curious point to be observed is that 
the stems of the trees, whether of nut, or maple, or ash, shewed not 
the least decadence from the parasitical growth — in fact, if an}-- 
thing, they were stronger than the rest of the very vigorous under- 
wood. Having made two observations to the east, I nowwas able 
to take score, after the manner of cricket-matches, in two other 
habitats to the west and south-west, further apart still. T aking my 
