428 
naturalist’s calendar. 
various species of Club rushes, (Scirpus) from which however it may easily be 
distinguished. Many of our friends no doubt have observed a little twining 
plant, with a red stem and white flowers, entirely destitute of leaves, most perti¬ 
naciously fastening itself round nettles or other plants in the hedges, from which 
it draws the nourishment; this is the Greater Dodder, Cuscuta europea (fig 2). 
It proves at times amazingly injurious to the farmer, when found in his cultivated 
fields. It twines round his beans, completely mats them together, and destroys 
the whole crop. In France, when the crops of Lucern are liable to be injured 
by it, the farmers either cut the Lucern early in the season, before the Dodder 
has fixed itself, or destroy both the Lucern and the Dodder. 
Diffusion of Seeds. —One of the most beautiful contrivances for the diffu¬ 
sion of seeds occurs* in various species of violets. The seeds of this order of 
plants are contained in a capsule of a single loculament, consisting, however, of 
three valves. To the inner part of each of these valves the seeds are attached, 
and remain so for some time after the valves, in the process of ripening, have 
separated and stood open. 7'he influence of the sun’s heat, however, causes the 
sides of each valve to shrink and collapse, and in this state the edges press firmly 
upon the seed, which from being before apparently irregular in its arrangement, 
comes into a straight line. The seeds, it ma} r be remarked, are not only extremely 
smooth, polished, and shining, but regularly egg-shaped; so that when pressed 
upon the collapsing edge of the valve, it slides gradually down the sloping parts 
of the seed, and throws it with a jerk to a considerable distance. There is in 
the Violacem another part in the contrivance of Providence for the same pur¬ 
pose, worthy of remark. Before the seed is ripe, the capsule hangs in a drooping 
position, with the persisting calyx spread over it like an umbrella, to guard it 
from the rain and dews, which would retard the process of ripening; but no 
sooner is the ripening completed, than the capsule assumes an upright position, 
having the calyx for a support. This position appears to be intended by nature 
to give more effect to the valvula mechanism for scattering the seeds, as it thus 
gains a higher elevation from which to project them; and this according to the 
laws of projectiles, gives it a very considerable increase of horizontal extent.— 
Mag. Gard. Bot. 
Birds. —A few days back, a Dorking cock and his numerous wives being as¬ 
sembled round a tub, sunk in the ground for ducks to bathe in, a piece of bread 
was flung in the middle of the water’s surface to see what they would do to obtain 
it. At first they strutted round and round the tub, trying at different sides to 
reach it, but after many attempts, finding their endeavours unsuccessful, all retired 
from the spot except the cock and one of the hens. The latter, after eying the 
desired morsel for some time, and apparently considering how to get it, at length 
hit upon this ingenious expedient. She placed her beak down to the brink, 
sucked up the water, and thus formed a current on which the piece of bread 
floated towards her, though very slowly. The cock perceiving this ran round to 
the opposite side, began to fan his wings, and ceased not until he had blown the 
bread within the reach of the hen.— Field's Nat. Mag. 
Tree and Meadow Pipits.—I n the writings of the earlier British naturalists, 
much confusion prevails respecting these two birds; it having been generally 
supposed that there are three species, described under names of the tree lark, the 
tit-lark and the pipit laik. 1 he true origin of this confusion has never yet been 
pointed out, although it has long been shown that one of these birds was multi- 
