54 
CHAPTER OF MISCELLANIES, 
ZOOLOGY. 
Floating Nests. —Many persons calling themselves naturalists question the 
assertion that aquatic birds ever build their nests upon the water. That some 
species habitually perform such a feat, we are convinced. But during the present 
summer we have witnessed a very striking instance of it respecting a bird which 
usually builds on the banks of Sedgy lakes, among Rushes, and in bushes—viz. 
the Common Gallinule ( Gallinula chloropus). The nest alluded to floated on 
the water without having any attachment whatever with the islet which it ad¬ 
joined ; but was enclosed on all sides, by sticks, &c. Thus situated, the careful 
parents hatched their eggs in perfect safety, though, had the water risen to an 
unwonted height, the case might have been otherwise.— Ed. 
Prejudice against the Blindworm (Anguis fragilis ).—I am led to sup¬ 
pose, from Mr. Salmon’s remarks (Vol. III., p. 325), that a prejudice against 
these inoffensive reptiles exists in his neighbourhood, similar to the belief pre¬ 
valent in Lancashire. The notion of the lower orders here respecting this Snake 
is curious, and will be best shown by a conversation I once had with a turf- 
cutter :—“ Well, my man, you have other kinds of Snakes here (Woolston Moss) 
besides the Viper?” “Aye, Sir, we sometimes light on Blindworms and Ed- 
ders.” “ Indeed! ” “ Aye : but the Blindworms are the wo’st, and desperate 
hard to kill. Whoy, if you were to cut one into half a dozen pieces, they ’ud 
join together again !” A medical friend informs me that a belief in the power of 
separated parts of this Snake reuniting, is prevalent amongst the lower classes in 
Scotland. How can it have originated ?— Peter Rylands, Bewsey House , War - 
rington , Aug. 10,1838. 
Mr. Gould’s Expedition to Australia. —The bark Parsee , which took out 
Mr. and Mrs. Gould for Australia, was spoken with off Teneriffe, on the 10th of 
last month. The expedition upon which this distinguished naturalist is engaged, 
has excited much interest in the scientific world, as the work which he proposes to 
bring out on the Ornithology of Australia will be on the same magnificent scale as 
that on the birds of Europe ; while nearly the whole of the illustrations will be of 
species previously unfigured. The execution of the illustrations to the Birds of 
Europe occupied the constant attention of Mrs. Gould from 1832 to 1838, 
and the amount subscribed for copies of this unrivalled work, amounted to 
£17,000.— Athenceum , July 21, 1838. 
Occurrence of the Spoonbill near Tewkesbury. —A fine specimen of that 
rare bird, the Spoonbill ( Platalea leucorodia , Linn.) was shot in a meadow 011 
the banks of the Avon, near Tewkesbury, on the morning of Tuesday last.— 
Having been wounded in the breast, it dropped in a boat which was passing down 
