the natives for a variety of purposes. It is not so abundant at Tahiti as at the Leeward Islands and the Island of Rurutu. The bark of the tree is used by the natives for dyeing a dark red colour; and the ashes of the wood yield a quantity of alkaline, which has lately been used in the manufacture of a kind of coarse soap.

The Tou Tree (Córdia orientalis) attains the elevation of 50 ft. to 60 ft., and a circumference of 6 ft. to 8 ft.; and bears clusters of handsome orangecoloured flowers. The wood is of a dark red colour, and is used for framewood, &c. When it has attained a large size, it is usually found rotten in the heart which prevents its being used for larger purposes. The leaves of the tree are used by the natives as a dye, combined with the juice of the mati (Ficus prolíxa), which forms a fine scarlet colour used in dyeing their native cloth.

The Fern Tribe is numerous at this island, and some of the species are very elegant; anong others may be mentioned that beautiful umbellated fern, the Schizæ`a dichotoma, which is found growing in moist and shady situations: it is figured in Hooker's I'cones Filicum; but a dried specimen, from which the drawing seems to have been made, cannot convey the elegant appearance of the plant when seen growing in its native woods. On the high mound, built of coral stones, which still remains of the great morai at Mahiatea, about two miles from Mairipehe (and which is about 20 ft. high, and of a great length), I gathered some specimens of a species of Polypòdium, which the natives call atua buaa, or pig's god: it was so named, because they considered it, in their idolatrous days, the god of the pig; and, on a sow littering, it was brought and placed before her, to help her in time of trouble. I suppose that now, as the natives have abolished their idols, the pigs have also lost their deity. There is a fern which grows at the Society Islands, and also at the Island of Rurutu, called nahi by the natives; the fronds attain a very large size, with alternate pinnate leaflets, bulbous at their origins. It is found growing in good soil and in moist land; it is the Angiópteris erécta, and is well figured in Hooker's I'cones Filicum. It has a pleasant fragrant smell when just gathered, which it loses in a dried state. The Davállia sólida was abundant on all trees; and also the Gleichènia Hermánni, which is correctly figured in Hooker's I'cones Filicum. The Acróstichum aúreum, or aoa of the natives, abounds by the margins of the rivers, the fronds attaining the height of 5 ft. or 6 ft.; and a large species of Lycopòdium grows very abundantly on a plain between the isthmus (Taravao) and Vaitore.

The Atai (Erythrina Corallodendron), viri-viri of the Sandwich Islands, with its bright red papilionaceous flowers, and the ahia or jambo (Eugènia malaccénsis), also in flower, occasionally added gaiety and beauty to the scenery of this picturesque island. The solitary tree which stood on "One-tree Hill," near Matavai, and which caused that appellation to be given to the hill, was an atai. The wood of this tree is not used. The cuttings are used for fences, and readily take root.

Among other Shrubs and Plants are the following:- The pumapé, a species of Metrosidèros; the atoto, a shrub bearing blue flowers, a species of Desmodium; and the motuu, the Melástoma malabáthrica (Banks and Solander). The berries of the last yield a juice of a bluish black colour, but are not used by the natives. The oporo, a small species of Solànum, bearing dark-coloured fruit. The mou (Cypèrus) is abundant, and there are several species among them. The mou raupo, mou taviriava, mou maohi, the fibres from the stalks of which are used for straining kava, &c. The Sophora tomentosa, named pofatuaoao by the natives; a shrub named apiri, a species of Dodona a, fillets of which were formerly used for binding around the heads and waists of the victors after a battle, and when they went in pursuit of the vanquished. George Bennett, F.L.S. MARC.S., &c. London, Dec. 10. 1831.

ART. II. Retrospective Criticism.

CORRECTIONS to the last Number. - For " Planària cornùta Johnston," p.344-346. read "Planària vittàta Montagu;" and see p. 429. of the present Number for the reasons. — J. D. Luminosity of the Ocean. I am happy to perceive that the attempt which I made (Vol. IV. p. 505.), to reconcile the conflicting opinions of naturalists upon this remarkable phenomenon, has called forth the additional interesting remarks of that indefatigable observer of nature, Mr. Bowman (Vol. V. p. 1.); from which it is evident that he is disposed to coincide in my opinions, which are simply as follows:- 1st, That the light in general originates in some matter or other (the exact nature of which is to be ascertained only by chemical analysis), with which the surface of the ocean may be impregnated, so as to produce the effect of emitting its luminosity when disturbed; and, 2dly, that Mollúsca, Medùse, Crustacea, &c., may either, by mere contact with, or by feeding upon, or imbibing, such matter, obtain the property of emitting, at second hand, this luminosity.

The only minor point on which Mr. Bowman and myself differ is, that I had imagined that it is only upon the contact of this matter with the atmosphere that light is given out; whilst Mr. Bowman (p. 2.) thinks that this cannot be the case, "since it must always be in contact, from its lying on the surface; yet," adds he, "we have abundant proof that it is only excited by disturbance." I fancy, however, that we may respectively say, that" each is right, and each is wrong;" since, although it is evident, as he suggests, that, in all cases, the light is excited by disturbance or motion; it appears equally evident, as I imagined, (at least, when the presence of animals is not observed,) that it is only the portion of the water which comes in contact with the atmosphere that throws out light, and that the water beneath the surface does not exhibit this property.

Upon the subject of the luminosity emitted by various animals in a greater or less state of decomposition, the student may consult a paper in the Philosophical Transactions for the year 1800, p. 161., pointed out to me by my friend Sharpe, whose observations I noticed in my former communication upon this subject. This gentleman tells us that the sailors say that the light is caused by the sheathing of the hulk striking fire (steel and flint fashion) with the water, in consequence of the rapid motion of the vessel!-J. O. Westwood. Jan. 21. 1832.

A few remarks on this interesting subject are presented by Mr. Woodward, in the last Number, p. 302~3. — J. D.

On the Carrion Crow covering her Eggs with the Materials of the Lining of the Nest." The carrion crow (Córvus Coròne), for example, who lines her nest with wool and rabbits' fur, always covers her eggs with a quantity of this before leaving the nest." (See Rennie's plan of study in the second edition of Montagu's Ornithological Dictionary.) In p. 144., I flatly contradicted this extraordinary statement, on the strength of my having personally visited the nests of divers carrion crows, on the tops of trees ("dreadful trade!"), for the better part of forty years. The professor still maintains (p. 393.) that "crows in the vicinity of Lee uniformly cover their eggs, after they have begun to hatch, with the materials of the lining of the nest ;" and he infers that the crows in the park at Walton Hall are "eccentric crows" for not doing the same thing. (See p. 393.) There are just now seven carrion crows' nests in the trees in my park; and though I watch them with uncommon attention, and every now and then mount up to them, I can find no traces whatever of their covering the eggs with the lining of the nest. Now, will the professor have the goodness to state to us, in the next Number of this Magazine, that he himself has watched the carrion crows, in the vicinity of Lee, for hours and days together, while hatching their eggs; and then, when the birds have left

the nest, that he has actually mounted up to them in propria persona (not by deputy), and found the eggs covered with the materials of the lining of the nest. Nothing in the shape of hearsay, or of affidavits from others, will satisfy me. I know by long experience of minute attention to this subject, that no crow ever covers her eggs with the materials of the lining of the nest; and the impression on my mind at present is, that the worthy professor has been misled by those who have taken advantage of his want of knowledge of the true economy of the carrion crow. In p. 393. the professor says:-"I speak positively to the fact, as to our crows in Kent; and, I doubt not, some hundreds of testimonies may be got to prove the fact." What? -- some hundreds of testimonies! How?-when? — where are carrion crows' nests to be watched, and climbed up to, by the prying ornithologist, day after day, in these mournful times of penal proscription to birds of the pie tribe? No sooner is a nest found but it is plundered: the poor owner is considered a rogue and a vagabond; and he who is fortunate enough to kill it is declared to have deserved well of his parish.

When this little snack of carrion is consumed, which, I fear, has been too long already under the noses of your readers, I will then beg to call upon the professor to produce one single well authenticated fact of any rook, in Kent or elsewhere, covering its eggs with the materials of the lining of its nest, either before or after it has begun to hatch. After this, I will inform him I have never yet discovered that any bird, the young of which is blind at the time of its bursting the shell, ever covers its eggs with the materials of the lining of the nest, though I have been in the habit of inspecting birds' nests in banks, in bushes, in trees, in ruins, and on precipices, for nearly forty years. I speak only of land birds; but I am fully satisfied in my own mind that the same thing may be said of sea fowl : though I can bring forward no facts from personal observation, being a total stranger to their mode of incubation. — Charles Waterton. Walton Hall, May 11. 1832.

The Nuthatch (Sitta europæ`a L.) is resident throughout the Year, in the counties of Dorset, Gloucester, Worcester, Hereford, Kent, Sussex, and Surrey. I make this remark in relation to Mr. W. H. White's statement (Vol. IV. p. 465.), that he has never been able to see this bird about Bedford in the winter season, and that he, in consequence, believes the nuthatch to be migratory in that neighbourhood. I have resided in all the counties I have named above, in none of which is the nuthatch considered an uncommon bird. - Edward Newman. Deptford, Sept. 12. 1831.

Montagu, in his Ornithological Dictionary, remarks that the nuthatch "remains with us the whole year, but is a local bird, and not to be found in several parts of the kingdom. We have never observed it far north, nor so far west as Cornwall." It does occur, however, in Cornwall, as a list of Cornish birds, lying by us, supplied by Mr. Couch, testifies. Mr Couch, however, observes of the nuthatch, " It is rare in Cornwall."

In recreative rambles round Kensington Gardens, I have several times, during the past winter, if winter it may be called, seen the lively, active, nuthatch (fig.97.) seeking its food among the numerous (not as to species,

97

but individuals) trees with which these gardens abound. My observation has been mainly confined to the southwestern extremity of the gardens; and here yew trees prevail, on the minute nuts of which, usually, I suspect, obtained from among the decaying leaves on the ground, the nuthatch appeared to regale, as did also Pàrus cærùleus and major; both which, especially

P. cæruleus, have been, during the winter, either plentifully or frequently there. These two species, in feeding on the yew nuts, crack the shells in the nuthatch's manner, and make so very audible a noise by their quickly reiterated and continuous tapping, as to cause one to think it is the nut. hatch one hears. The Pàri, or titmice, do not, I believe, in cracking the shells, infix them into chinks in the trees, but secure them between their feet on the surface of the branch whereon they are standing.

In observing the nuthatch climbing tall trees, as the lime and the elm, when, of course, insects, not nuts, were the objects sought, I noticed that the bird ascended in a very zigzag manner, as, at the end of every few inches in its progress upwards, it diverged either to the right hand or to the left: this, it may be presumed, was less for the purpose of rendering ascent easy, as draught horses, in ascending hills, take a flexuous course, than for the purpose of enlarging its field of search, and so increasing the chances of amplifying its meal. During the winter the nuthatch was very shy, and, as far as my observation extended, quite silent. By the 10th of April and before, it had become, I think, less shy, and rather frequently uttered one or the other of its two notes: these are a short broken twitting, and a short, unmodulated, yet mellow-toned whistle.-J. D.

Additional facts on the manners and habits of this interesting bird will be found, Vol. I. p. 328-330., Vol. II. p. 243.; and in Vol. II. p. 484. it is stated to have, when dead, a peculiar odour, which, like that of the greater shrike, when also dead, resembles the scent thrown out by burnt gunpowder. In Vol. IV. p. 171. 275. and 465. mention of the nuthatch also occurs. On this bird, also, some remarks, by our kind contributor, J. M., have been long lying by us; they will be found to confirm previously published notices, and to supply additional information. They are these:Jan. 4. 1828. The nuthatch calls. This is a beautiful and lively herald of spring, but not a songster, having only a few short notes, one of them peculiar, and so loud that it may be heard at a considerable distance. It is at all times a busy and cheerful bird, and particularly before breeding time. Its favourite food is nuts of any kind, and tree seeds; it builds and roosts in hollow trees, and is seldom seen in the open fields, unless when in quest of the stones of whitethorn: it may be, therefore, properly called a forester. Its dexterity in opening nuts and the stones of fruit is curious: it fixes the nut in a crack on the top of a post, or on the bark of a tree, and, placing itself above it, head downwards, strikes with great force and rapidity with its strong wedge-shaped bill on the edge of the shell, till it splits it open. Where the food of these birds is plentiful, they have a favourite crack for unshelling the kernels, as sometimes a peck of broken shells may be seen under this crack.-J. M.

The Tree Creeper (Cérthia familiaris L.) a Winter Resident (p. 204.)— Sir, This bird is undoubtedly to be met with in winter as well as summer, in this neighbourhood. I have often watched it at both seasons, while it has been (as J. D so well observes) "most diligently occupied in entomological research," creeping perpendicularly, and, as it were, by jerks, up the stems and boughs of trees, searching and scrutinising every chink, to the right and left, for the latent insect, which it extracts with its long and elegantly curved bill; a tool, like all those of Nature's manufacture, most admirably adapted to the purpose. But all this has been very accurately described by J. D. (Vol. V. p. 204, 205.) I was not aware of the circumstances mentioned by T. G., viz., that the creeper, during the winter, is in the habit of associating with the different species of titmice. I am, Sir, yours, &c.-W. T. Bree. Allesley Rectory, March 8. 1832.

I do not recollect ever having seen the creeper in any society except that of its own species, and never more than a pair of creepers together: the species seems to me to prefer, and delight in, solitariness. As the nut

hatch (see the preceding article) is also in its habits, though not in name, a tree creeper, and, as shown above, does in winter associate with the titmice, these coincidences almost incline one to suspect that the creeper of Lancashire must be the nuthatch of other counties. —J. D.

Cries of Frogs. Mr. Blair (Vol. IV. p. 280.) mentions the cries of frogs when pursued by snakes in America. I have heard them from our common frog (Rana temporària), under similar circumstances; but possibly the fact may be better known than I am aware of. —J. S. Henslow. Cambridge, Aug. 4. 1831.

To the residents in the fens of Cambridgeshire, where frogs and snakes abound, the cries of frogs are very familiar. Half-grown cats, in the excess of their playfulness, occasionally elicit the cries of the frog; for, on encountering one, they follow after and pat it with the foot, to make it jump forward; and when it stops, they will sometimes smell to it, as if curious to know all about it. These processes of enquiry intimidate the frog, and excite its cries. The cries of one once induced me to turn to the spot whence they proceeded, when, lo! a rat, about one third grown, had grasped a good-sized frog by the thigh, and was carrying it off. On stepping towards them, and stamping with my feet, the rat dropped the frog, and retreated into some loose vegetable rubbish lying by, and the frog hopped off; but as I stood still to look at it, the moment all was quiet again, out started the rat, and recaptured his prize, and the cries of the frog were, of course, resumed. I again interfered, and this time drove the rat effectually away. The frog had reason to cry out; for his death would as surely have followed, as that of those bought in the frog-markets of France. I once saw the mangled remains of a frog in a hole in the base of an old broad wall, and the rat itself alive at the same time in this hole; the tail of a land newt (Lacérta vulgaris), and fractured shells of Hèlix aspérsa, also lay at the edge and on the floor of the hole. The wall alluded to is in the old botanic garden at Bury St. Edmunds; and this and the other old walls there had, in hard winters, all their cavities near the ground explored, and freed from the snails (Hèlix aspérsa, and probably hispida of Jeffreys in Linn. Trans. also, as a species answering to the characteristics of this abounds there, but is almost too small for the occupation of a rat's time and attention), and the shells more or less perfectly brought to the edge of the holes. It was the land rat which attacked the frog above mentioned; and this happened late in autumn: the rat in the hole alluded to was also a land rat, and the time at which it was seen there the early part of winter the clearing of snails took place in hard and long frosts, and was probably effected by land rats also. Water and water rats are both near, as the rivers Lark and Linnet pass through the bottom of the garden; yet I rarely or never saw a water rat on the upper or drier land of the garden, but land rats often. In the hole of a water rat, a large cluster of mangled remains of earthworms was once found, and shown to me by the finder.J. D.

Caterpillar of Polyómmatus Argiolus feeding on the Holly and Ivy. (Vol. IV. p. 477. note, and Vol. V. p. 205.) · Sir, As I should be sorry to be the means of propagating error, or of putting forth, as facts in natural history, points which are but of doubtful authority, I beg here to state that when I spoke of the caterpillar of Polyómmatus Argiolus feeding on the holly and ivy (Vol. IV. p. 477.), I did not mention the circumstance as of my own knowledge, but merely on the authority, either oral or written, of others. I never saw the caterpillar myself, nor do I know, from experience, on what it feeds: but I have either been informed by practical entomologists, or have read in some entomological work (or perhaps both), that it does feed on the aforesaid shrubs *; and I certainly have been the

Stephens, in his Illustrations, says, the caterpillar feeds on the buck