NATURAL HISTORY NOTES. 79 
life flel, and then with one gulp it was swallowed, while a companion gull 
scteamei and flapped its wings, probably wishing it had been equally lucky. 
Edith A. Stock. 
Ivy. — We have lately experienced very unpleasantly the wonderful power of 
growing ivy. I have often noticed that a quantity of ivy, of the slow-growing 
kind, covering a part of the east end of our church, appeared to have no stem 
or root with the exception of one boss about the size of a man’s fist, which 
protruded from between the flints and mortar some distance below the foliage. 
There is a buttress between the chancel window and that of the chantry chapel, 
which has been showing signs of unsoundness, and on being examined has had to 
be removed and rebuilt, for inside, pushing it gradually down, a strong old ivy 
stem has been found, measuring from sixteen to twenty inches in circumference in 
the thickest part, and twisted in with other stems of the same, the whole matted 
mass quite eighteen inches in width, and holding flints and mortar as if in a vice 
imbedded in it, so that they had to be taken away with it. This had grown inside 
for the height of at least six feet, and the foliage above bore plenty of handsome 
berries, and harboured a large colony of our pertinacious enemies, the sparrows. 
The mischief has only lately become apparent, but the ivy must have been doing 
its work secretly for a hundred years or more. 
North Morelon, iVallingford. M. F. Y, 
TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
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Notes. 
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A. M. B.— Space will not allow us to reprint the letters. 
C. — ( I ) Thuidium tamarUcinum. (2) Brackythecium rutabulum. (3) Airichum 
undtilatum and Lophocolea bidentata. (4) Hypnum ettpressi/ortne. (5) Pogonaittm 
aloides. (6) Lfptohryum pyriforme. (7) Lophocolea bidentata. (8) Hypnum 
purum. {g) A trichum undulatum. (lo) Mnium undtilatum. (l\) Bartramia 
pomi/ormis. (127 Hylocomium squarrosum mixed with Hypnum cuspidatiim. 
(13) Polytrichum formosum. Please note that we do not undertake to name more 
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