Page:Hardwicke's Science-Gossip - Volume 1.pdf/272

The Black-headed Gull.—During the latter part of May and the first week in June last, I had an opportunity of seeing the Black-headed Gull feeding after the manner of a swallow. Every fine evening it was a common sight to see a number of these gulls flying over the hay-meadows at a little distance above the grass. After watching them for some times through a glass, I saw that they were catching the Ghost Moth, which was very abundant there.—R. Blight.

The Spotted Fly-catcher.—On August 24th last, I saw what was to me a new sight. A Fly-catcher pursued a large White Cabbage Butterfly, and after a few attempts succeeded in capturing it. Its plan appeared to be to disable the insect first, and then to seize it. The bird made several darts, snapping each time at the butterfly until it was at last quite helpless, and fluttered on the ground. The Fly-catcher then seizing it, flew off to a tree and made a meal of it.—R. Blight.

Small Molluscs.—I have been a good deal interested lately watching the action of the cilia of some of the small Molluscs on seaweed. There is no trouble about seeing them, if the animal is taken out of the shell and crushed between two glasses with a little water. They taper in form, and their curious action may perhaps amuse some of your readers. Supposing one's fingers are the cilia, their movements are something like closing fingers 1, 3, 5, 7, &c., opening with a jerk 2, 4, 6, already closed; but not in any regular order. The time they retain their motion after the animal is dead, is remarkable. I watched them for thirty-six hours, when the movements of some were still visible. At the end of forty-eight hours the substance of the animal seemed to decompose, or to separate into minute pieces, and all form disappeared.—E. T. Scott.

Toads Feeding.—There is a remarkable circumstance with regard to the Toads, which I have not seen recorded. I have several Toads and Natterjacks in a fern-case, and if I put an insect on the soil and two of them perceive it, the one who is successful in getting it receives a smartish smack on the side of the head from the tongue of the other, the noise produced being distinctly audible.—C. A.

The Spider and its Web.—I begin to think that the question, "Does the Spider ever eat its own web?" might rather be put, "Does not the Spider always eat its web when making a fresh one?" What I saw this evening seemed so thoroughly natural that I am almost convinced in my own mind that the answer must be affirmative. There was a large web—only one among a host—in an angle between two walls, which had got so thoroughly incrusted with dust that it failed to supply the owner with food; so the process of renewal was set about, which I was fortunate enough to witness. Starting from the centre, the spider ran along the old threads, devouring them as she went, and at the same time spinning a new one after her to supply the place of each. I distinctly saw them drawn into the mouth, not rolled up first, but eaten as she went, and now and then tucked in with the feet; as she ran with her back downwards it was easy to observe this. After the new radiating threads were finished, she commenced at the centre to form the connecting ones; she worked in a spiral direction, making them at very small intervals until she got some distance from the centre, when she judged it expedient to form strengthening threads, first at the distance of an inch or so. Of course, as she got nearer the ends the radii diverged so much that she could not reach from one to the other, but she got over this difficulty be ascending to the nearest connecting thread, crossing by it, descending the next radius, and fasting the next thread. When these strengtheners were finished, she commenced to fill in at smaller distances, but working now from the outside spirally towards the centre. The two hind legs were occupied exclusively in drawing the threads from the body and guiding them, but they were attached solely by the end of the abdomen. When the whole was finished, there remained something at the centre—a piece of cotton wool, or else some of the old web, I could not distinguish which; this she went up to and devoured. The time occupied in eating the old web and replacing it with a new one was about fifteen minutes.—Henry Ullyett, High Wycome.

Man in the Past.—If man constitutes a separate family of mammalia, as he does in the opinion of the highest authorities, then, according to all palæontological analogies, he must have had representatives in miocene times. We need not, however, expect to find the proofs in Europe. Our nearest relatives in the animal kingdom are confined to hot—almost to tropical climates; and it is in such countries that we must look for the earliest traces of the human race.—Sir John Lubbock's "Prehistoric Times."

The Hoopoe.—A fine specimen of the Hoopoe made its appearance in the beginning of September last at Caldy Island, where it still remained when I left, in the latter part of the month. It sometimes consorted with a covey of partridges, but was more frequently alone. I have seen it pursued by crows, which it avoided by flying to cover. It was very tame, and we had frequent opportunities of seeing it erect its beautiful crest. Its flight was peculiar, and somewhat resembled that of a large butterfly.—E. K. B.