The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1878-10-31
SctENcE+
NATURAL HISTORY NOTES.

WAsPs' NEsTs.-A correspondent Of
Nature, writing from Caracas, says
that some time ago the dwelling of
Gen. p. NJ. Arismendi (now consul of
Venezuela. in Port-of-Spain, Trini-
dad in that city, had quite a narrow
escape from being set on fire by the
spontaneous combustion of the large
paper-like nest of a wasp Ia species Of
POListes) in closet under the hoof.
The day was exceedingly hot, but this
was thought to have slight connec-
ton, if any, with the outbreak of
smoke from the nest. In that country
roofs are constructed of tiles sup
ported by thick layer of compact
earth, which rests on the usual lath
work Of dry canes Stems of Gynerium
saccharoides, or arborescent grass,
both being bad conductors Of heat.
The source of heat must therefore
have been in the nest itself. In bee
hives the temperature rises some
times as high as $50 c. lfde Newport.
1t may be supposed that something
similar occasionally happens also in
wasps' nests. Such heat might be
caused by an alteration beginning in
the wax, hydrocarbons being formed
which ,on being absorbed by the paper
like porous substance OF the cell
walls. must become still more heated
SO that comparatively small access
Of oxygen would be sufficient to set
the whole nest on fire. 1t has been
asserted that the spontaneous CON-
bustion of wasps' nest is well known
occurrence in the interior of VeneZ-
uela. and it would be interesting to
know whether a like fact has been
observed in other parts of the world.
INABILITY OF BIRDS TO DIsTIN-
GUIsH EGGs.-A writer in the Zoolo-
gist states that this year he met with
the nest of a blackbird, in which he
found two misshapen three-cornered
flints evidently from the rOad) upon
which, in addition to an egg laid that
morning, the hen was complacently
sitting. A week or two later he
found the nest ola spotted flycatcher.
containing three eggs, which he ex.
changed for hazlenuts, completely
filling up the bottom of the nest.
Upon returning day or two later, he
found one of the eggs elected, and a
fourth egg laid in its place; the bird
was sitting when he approached it..
since birds evidently do not distin-
guish either stones or nuts from their
eggs, it is easy to exchange the egg
of one bird for that of another. A
blackbird having built in plum tree
in the garden, and laid two eggs. the
same observer having noticed that
each evening she regularly left the
nest at 7:45 p. N. for about about a
quarter of an hour, added an egg of
the song thrush. She rever noticed
the addition, but sat on the three till
the same time next evening, when,
seeing that she had laid third egg.
he exchanged it for second egg of a
song thrush. This was repeated the
next day. and had it not been for a
cat, she would undoubtedly have laid
her last egg, and reared an equal
number of thrushes and blackbirds.
Like experiments with the linnet and
greenfinch were followed by tile same
results.
THE FRUIT OF THE STRAWBERRY
SHRuB.-Nr. Thos. Meehan remarks
Proceed. Phila. Acad. Sell that
though the sweet-scented or straw.
berry scented shrub fCaiycanfhua
foridus) has been under cultivation
for many years, the fruit was very
rarely seen. In correspondence with
a leading author, it had been suggest
ed That the plant might be incapable
of Standardization, and that. being
so far from its native place Virginia
and the Southern States,) the special
insect arranged to he the agent In
fertilization had not followed IT.
Since that time Mr.. Neehan had OBJ
tanned seeds from the Cumberland
Mountains, in Tennessee, md plants
iron theoe have AOWere1 in hi