Skulls of Brutes. Can you, or any of your correspondents, inform me whether or not the skulls of brutes are in two tables, in the manner of those of the human race?-C. May, 1828. The human Voice. I have been always wont to regard the human voice, with its inflections and the various other phenomena of speech, as one of the most distinctive and wonderful things which belong to human nature; and I have always been proportionally curious to know what is most particularly wanting in the throats and lungs of the higher classes of animals, especially those which approach nearest to ourselves, that hinders them from imitating us, and that makes even the most docile of them unteachable in this way. Why beasts do not speak the language of man, is not the question I would propose, but why (as is evident) they cannot. Whether it is owing, to use a musical phrase, to their want of ear; whether, to use a philosophical one, it results from their want of understanding; or whether, as I am apt to think, it arises from the want of a proper conformation of the organs most necessary in speaking? Now, if any of your correspondents could be induced to favour me with a little comparative anatomy or reasoning, which would go to the elucidation of this point, I am sure it could not fail of being interesting to many of your readers, but particularly to your correspondent. - Id. Starwort, as a Remedy for sickly Bees. -Sir, Grahame, in his British Georgics, p. 126., describes a plant, under the name of “starwort," as a remedy for sickly bees. Our "husbandmen" do not seem to be acquainted with the herb, nor is my knowledge of botany extensive enough to enable me to determine what it is. I shall, therefore, feel obliged to any correspondent who can give me its botanical name; and the obligation will be much increased if he can also inform me that experience has confirmed its healing virtues. That it is not the "starwort" of botanists, the appended description will sufficiently show: "In meadows grows a flower, by husbandmen While, from the leaves of darkest violet, An under-tint of lighter purple shines: Harsh to the taste, it wrings the shepherd's mouth : The hapless sufferers medicine and food." An Apiarian. Berwick, May 31. The Glowworm. — Sir, In the review of Murray's Researches in Natural History, in the last Number of your Magazine, I find the following passage concerning the glowworm, Lampyris noctilùca (from nox, night, lucus, a light; and not from noctiluca, a candle, as in the review):-"Their light, which they have power to extinguish at pleasure, proceeds from brilliant spots on the three last rings of the body, under the tail; the luminous matter is a yellow substance, contained in vesicles, and when these vesicles are removed entire, they shine for some time afterwards, but if lacerated they are extinguished." This passage brought to my recollection a circumstance which is probably not worth relating, but which interested me; it might be from my ignorance of the subject. I was, with a large party, returning at a late hour of the night, from Richmond theatre, to Ham, when we observed a number of glowworms in the path: their unusual number engaged our attention, and a young lady stooping to take up one in her hand, observed that she had hurt it, and passed on. Two of us stayed to look at the wounded worm, which had become exceedingly luminous; we traced its passage on the earth, by a train of light yet more vivid than its unbroken lamp, and still extending in length. I do not, at this distance of time, re member whether we were one minute, or two, or three, but we continued watching it, until afraid of being quite distanced by the rest of the party. It was very unwillingly that we left it, while its light was yet burning and increasing; the worm had moved in a circular direction, and the ring of light (I think about 1 ft. in diameter), was very nearly completed; we wished to have seen it quite completed, and what direction it would next take. The light had become somewhat fainter towards the beginning of the track, and its continuity was broken in two or three places. This light proceeded, I suppose, from the yellow substance discharged from the wounded vesicles, and the interruptions were caused by the partial drying up of that substance; but what occasioned so extraordinary an expansion of light, together with an increased brilliancy? This, and its circular direction excited my attention and interest. I have no knowledge of entomology, and am very likely speaking of a mere common-place; in this case, you may please to make my communication more luminous than you find it should you insert it in your Magazine, some of your readers may be disposed, through the same medium, to enlighten, Sir, yours, ·A. A. Orobanche minor. Is Orobanche minor a parasitical plant? In the clover fields in this neighbourhood, where it abounds, it does not appear to be attached to any other plant; but in my garden, this year, I had several plants, and the roots were so firmly attached to those of Prenánthes muràlis, that it was impossible to separate them, without destroying the fibres of their respective roots.-D. Stock. Bungay, July 28. 1828. The Worm of Corruption. In a narrative in the Times newspaper of July 28., of the disinterment of the body of the patriot Hampden, in Hampden church, Buckinghamshire, in July, 1828, and where it had been buried in June, 1643, it is stated that "the skull was in some places perfectly bare, whilst in others the skin remained nearly entire, upon which we discovered a number of maggots and small red worms on the feed with great activity. This was the only spot where any symptoms of life were apparent, as if the brain contained a vital principle within it which engendered its own destruction; otherwise how can we account, after a lapse of nearly two centuries, for finding living creatures preying upon the seat of intellect, when they were nowhere else to be found,-in no other part of the body ?” Can you, or any of your correspondents, throw any light on this subject? What are the names of the insects or worms? Do the maggots ever become winged insects? and if so, how do they escape? Or do they die in the larva or in the chrysalis state? How do their eggs get there? and if there before the body was deposited, how does it happen that they remain so many years before being hatched, seeing the nidus must have been equally favourable for hatching at any one period during the last 150 years at least? -S. T. July 29. 1828. The Red and White Lychnis dioica. Sir James Smith much wished to find a distinction between the Red and White Lychnis dioíca. I have observed the pistils to be much larger in the latter, and I would ask if the stigmas have ever been found revolute. W. H., R.N. Yeovil, August 5. 1828. Knowledge of Fossils. I beg to be informed of the best plan of obtaining a knowledge of fossils. To myself, and, probably, to many of your readers, a description of the genus and order to which they belong, and in what formation they are to be found, if accompanied by engravings similar to those that adorn your work, would be highly acceptable to others as well as to, Sir, yours, &c. - Vectis. Isle of Wight, Aug. 2. 1828. Rearing young Pheasants. —I should be obliged if any of your correspondents could inform me of the best mode of rearing young pheasants, as I find, after having attempted to rear some for two seasons, that they die off very suddenly as they are throwing out their crop and tail feathers, without any appearance of being any way sick or affected. I feed them very plentifully on ants and their eggs, as well as on other insects, and they are kept on a grass-plot, and removed daily. - Id. Górdius aquáticus. I have now in my possession a Górdius aquáticus Linn., which was pumped up a few months ago, from a well, near Knutsford in Cheshire. It is about 7 in. in length, and of the thickness of a pin; the body is smooth, and of equal dimensions throughout; the colour is dark brown, with black at the extremities. It lived for three or four weeks subsequent to its being in my possession, during which time it was kept in a vessel of water; but I was at a loss how to afford it any nourishment beyond what it might derive from the water; and, after the time I mention had elapsed, it became weaker, performed none of those surprising twists and convolutions which had distinguished the earlier part of its captivity; and I at last put it into a bottle containing spirits. There seemed no difference, that I could discover (at least with any magnifying powers I used), between the head and tail of the animal. It manifested no particular inclination or disinclination for clay, when introduced into the vessel, though I find some authors assert that it makes a habitation of it at certain seasons. I should be glad to hear from some of your correspondents, who are acquainted with the habits and mode of living of the Górdius, some more particulars on the subject, through the medium of your valuable journal.-H. ART. IX. Retrospective Criticism. THE least Woodpecker not rare near Coventry.-At p. 83. of your Magazine an extract is given from the Tyne Mercury, stating that a fine specimen of the least woodpecker (Picus minor) was shot in the neighbourhood of Newcastle; and it is added, that this is "perhaps the only specimen known to be British." The bird is by no means of very rare occurrence in this neighbourhood (Warwickshire). Twice, within this last fortnight only, have I gone out of the house to listen to it, having been attracted by its well-known and amusing noise. It is, indeed, a bird more readily heard than seen. Its diminutive size and shy habits are perhaps among the causes of its being supposed by some to be a rarer species than it really is. Its loud, rapid, vibratory noise, most extraordinarily loud to be produced by so small an animal, can hardly fail to arrest the attention of the most unobserving ear. Though I have watched the bird during the operation, and within the distance of a few yards, I am quite at a loss to account for the manner in which the noise is produced. It resembles that made by the boring of a large auger through the hardest wood; and hence the country people sometimes call the bird the "pump-borer." -W. T. Bree. Allesley Rectory, near Coventry, May 23. 1828. The Vignette on the Cover.-When I received your Magazine of Natural History, my eyes were first attracted by the picturesque outside of the book, and I found the selection of the individuals of the vignette, which I may call the "coat of arms" of naturalists, well adapted to the work. But I have a great objection to the composition of the subjects, which many of your readers, and you yourself, perhaps, may regard as trifling. That composition, however, by a nearer contemplation of the objects, assumes a more serious appearance; for the picture, I presume, is made on purpose to give at first sight a correct idea of the contents of the book. How offensive, therefore, to the eye of the connoiseur, to see that the composition of the drawing is quite incorrect, and how much must it diminish the real merit of the work, to see that the Conductor of the Magazine of Natural History makes such a blunder against nature, and seems not to combine knowledge of zoology with that of geographical botany! My objection is, that the lion and the elephant, which, as every body knows, are natives of a hot climate, rest under the gloomy branches of an old fir, indigenous to the coldest north, and that the eagle, the owl, and the chamois, inhabitants of cold, woody, and rocky countries, are sheltered by lofty palms. This, in my opinion, is an unpardonable fault against na ture. The picture would, therefore, appear much more correct if the individuals had been drawn under their native trees, and it would, at all events, improve at least the outside of your truly valuable Magazine. (W. H. A Lover of Nature.) This is perfectly fair criticism; but that the geographical error in question does not proceed from ignorance will appear by referring to our original prospectus, criticised by Z. B., in No. I. p. 94., an impression of which we here introduce. (fig. 159.) How in the improved cut the eagle came to be transferred from under the fir or cedar, to under the palm, was owing to the employment of two artists, one for the animals, and another for the trees, &c., in making a new drawing, and this drawing was engraved before we had an opportunity of seeing it. A corrected and improved vignette has been in progress for some time, and, if not ready for this Number, it will certainly be so in time for the titlepage of the volume. We sincerely thank W. H. for his criticism; it would have been easy to have made the correction and said nothing about it, but we have introduced his letter at length, because we wish to show our young readers, that, in looking at even so small a matter as an ornamental vignette, there is a great difference in the number and kind of ideas which arise in the mind of a man of general knowledge and taste, and those which present themselves to a mind, which to this general knowledge and taste has added the science specifically belonging to the subjects inspected. - Cond. Superstition relating to Bees. On further enquiry, I find that the superstitious practice, which I formerly mentioned, of informing the bees of a death that takes place in a family, is very well known, and still prevails among the lower orders in this country. The disastrous consequence to be apprehended from noncompliance with this strange custom, I now understand to be, not (as before stated) that the bees will desert the hive, but that they will dwindle and die. The manner of communicating the intelligence to the little community, with due form and ceremony, I am told is this: to take the key of the house, and knock with it three times against the hive, telling the inmates, at the same time, that their master or mistress, &c., (as the case may be) is dead!-W. T. Bree. Allesley Rectory, July 9. 1828. Psalm-singing to Bees.-When in Bedfordshire lately, we were informed of an old man who sang a psalm last year in front of some hives which were not doing well, but which he said would thrive in consequence of that ceremony. Our informant could not state whether this was a local or individual superstition. — Cond. Translation and Derivation of Technical Terms. - Sir, I am surprised to see you found fault with by your correspondent A. (p. 200.), for giving the derivations of technical words, enclosed between parentheses, in the body of the page. It will be admitted, I suppose, by all, that it is both useful and agreeable to know the meaning of the words we employ. Many of the technical terms of science are not always immediately obvious, even to those who have a knowledge of Latin and Greek; and to such as do not possess that advantage, the words in question, unless they are explained, must generally be downright hard words without meaning, and, as such, prove impediments to the acquisition of knowledge. It may often happen, too, that when a word is fully known as to its bare etymology, still the drift and propriety of its application to the particular plant or animal to which it belongs may be far from apparent, till pointed out. In defence of your own practice, you very justly say that "the translations and derivations are likely to have the best chance of being remembered, when given where they occur." Might you not go further, and say that in this way they have not only the best chance of being remembered, but the best chance of being known, or even read at all? Whatever inconvenience may arise to the reader, from the introduction of these parentheses in the body of the page (and I do not deny that some slight interruption is hereby occasioned), still, the inconvenience complained of appears to me quite trifling, compared with that of being continually obliged to turn to a glossary at the end of the Number to find the meaning of a word; and rather than submit to such a disagreeable interruption, your readers, I suspect, will be content, oftentimes at least, to remain in ignorance of the meaning of many a technical word they meet with. I should not have troubled you on this subject, were it not that you say, "If other readers are of the same opinion as your correspondent A., you shall relinquish the practice." Now, I do hope, Sir, that, for the reasons given above, you will not relinquish the practice, but continue the same plan with which you have commenced. At the same time I wish to observe that an index or glossary of translations |