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HARDWICKE'S

SCIENCE -GOSSIP

For 1873.

HARDWICKE'S

AX ILLUSTRATED MEDIUM OE INTERCHANGE AND GOSSIP

\y

FOR STUDENTS AND

LOVERS OF NATURE.

Edited by J. E. TAYLOR, F.L.S., F.G.S., &c.,

HON. MEMBER OP THE MANCHESTER LITERARY CLUB ; HON. MEMBER OF NORWICH GEOLOGICAL

SOCIETY ; HON. MEMBER OF ROTHERHAM LITERARY AND SCIENTIFIC SOCIETY ; AUTHOR

OF "GEOLOGY OF MANCHESTER," "GEOLOGICAL STORIES," "HALF-HOURS AT

THE SEASIDE," " HALF-HOURS IN THE GREEN LANES," ETC.

LONDON:
ROBERT HARDWICKE, 192, PICCADILLY.

1874.

wymax and sons,
oriental, classical, and genellal beintebs,
(;reat queen street, London, w.c.

10-:) Y 7

O^ Si £? n^^>? £^^^-(X5^ t-^-J^t^il "i^ir^^J. i-> TwN^ '-x>a,<J.iJ- rw>vy ii^r>-f^.'

O^

187

3

5 H P] diffideuce with which we undertook the

onerous duties of editing a popular Scientific

Journal has given way to confidence^ — thanks

to the able and ready support we have

received on all hands. Hence, at the close

of another year, we find the editorial chair

more comfortable^ whilst the circle of our

friends is considerably enlarged. On every hand

ready assistance and generous forbearance have

been accorded to us.

The rapidity with which an interest in Natural
Science is spreading is unprecedented. Its speculative
discoveries arc affecting every depai'tment of Modern
Philosophy, and he would be a rash man who noAV
declared, like Dr. Johnson, that Natural Historv
was fit only for children ! Wise men are beginning
to sec that it is necessary to make a place for
Natural Science teaching in au}^ scheme of education
worthy the name.

One of the chief intellectual signs of the times is the fact that
some department of Natural Science is frequently taken up, by both
sexes, as a healthful recreation. The number of such people is dail}'
increasing, and it is to them, as well as to the younger students, that
SciENCE-GossiL' is particularly addressed. We have many tastes to cater
for, and our desire is to have every branch of Natural Science as fairly
represented as our space will allow.

Whatever merit may be attached to our Editorial duties, we feel
that without the aid of a volunteer staff", which includes some of the

best known names in Science, our most arduous efforts would have been
vain. To them, therefore, we tender one grateful thanks.

To such of our eager correspondents as may have been disappointed,
through their queries not having been answered so quickly as they
would have liked, or whose " exchanges " have not appeared at the
time required, we can only point to the crowded state of our last
page, and the fact that, excluding other usual matters, we have
devoted it to them. The '^ Questions '^ sent range from the most
simple and easily obtainable by the querists themselves, to others
requiring the utmost scientific knowledge and acumen to answer.

To all, querists and readers, we return our best thanks for
kindly forbearance and sympathy. It is with pleasure we announce
that Science-Gossip never had a larger clientele. In the spirit of
satisfactory hopefulness, therefore, wo wish our large circle of friends

'^ A Happy New Year ! "

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

Achorules put-purescenss, 6.
Anatomy of the Saw-fly, 32, 33.
Aster grandiflorus, 2^5.
Attacus luna, 253.
Asalca lilliflora, 255.

Balanus purciitus, S.C., 199, 20O.

Barnacles, 198, 199-

Barnacle Geese, 170, i;i.

Beclda nitida, 5.

Bee, Anatomy of the Mouth of a, 229.

Beetle, Anatomy of the Mouth of o, 230.

, the Musk, 25".

JSirgiis latni, 253.
Borrowdale, View of, 125.
Buttermere, View of, 126.

Calamites, 78.
Cananchytes ovatii, Wi.
Cidaris, Fossil, 204.
Clarkia pulcJiella, 236.
Conchoderma aurita, }gg.

virgata, 199.

Corals, Fossil, 272, 273,
Cnronula diadcma, 200.
Cnssus ligniperda, Larva, Pupa, and

Imago, 59.
Crab, the Robber. 253.
Crayfish, Embryo of, 230.
Crinites, 85.
Cyathophyllum hexagonum, 272.

Dark Well, Revolvivg, M.
Dcgeeria cincta, 6.

Nicolctii, 6.

Derwentwater, View of, 125.
Diagrara of Plano-convex Lens, 159.
Diatoms, 222, 223.
Dolichnpus simplex, 133.
DoTOsnma cepedianum, 55.

Eciiixus Spixe, Section of, 157.
Embryo of Crayfish, 230.
Emperor Moth, Larva, Imago, and
Cocoon, 155.

Favosites polymorpha, 2/3.
Fernery, Designs for, 61, 62.
Fossil Cidaris, 205.

Starfish, 85.

Wood, Section of, 79.

Gizzard Shad, 55.

Goat-moth, Larva, Pupa, and Imago, 59.

" Goose-tree," the, 170, 171.

Hairs of Bat, 109.

Fallow-deer, 109.

Fox, no.

Man, 109.

Mole, 110.

Ornithorhynchiis, 109.

Peccary, 108.

- — Pckan, 110.

Seal, 109.

Tiresias, 110.

Haliotis tuberculata, II6.
HcJysiles catewilatus, 2/3.
Hemlock Water Dropwort, 205.
Hippocampus brcvirostris, 218.
Hydra, Development of, 12, 13, 11, 176,
177.
j Hypsilepis anolostamis, 225-.

I.vsECT Nets, 32.
lioetes palustris, 51.

Lamp Shells, 36, 37.
Leaf of Sloe, 263.

of Tea-plant, 269.

Lepidocyrtiis gibbulus, 5-.

purpureus, 5.

Lppidodendron, 77-
Lepiis australis, Sec, 196.
Linguta Leivisii, 36.
L'parogyra dcntroteres, 222,

scalaris, 222.

Lipura maritima, 6.

Mactra stuUorum,?,\.
Mantis, the Praying, 245.

, Young of, 245.

Marloes B.ay, 81.

Marsh-fly, 133.

Moth, Proboscis of, I SO.

Mouths of Bee and Beetle, 229, 230.

Mud-devil, 272.

Musk Beetle, 267.

jilya arfnaria and trunciitdf 181.

Naficuhi undosa, 223.
Nets for Insects, 32.
Newt, the Smooth, 60.
Nitzschia vivax, 222.
Nuthatch, 34.

(Knanthe crocuta, 205.
Orchesella cincta, 6.
Orgyia antiqua, 52.
Ormer Shell, the, 146.

Orthoccrns, New Species of, 154, 155.
Orthoiira Dickieii, 222.

Pentamerus Knightii, 36.

Pinnularia borealis, 223.

Polariscope, Saccharo-, 104.

Pollen-grains, Comparative Sizes of, 252.

Proboscis of Moth, 180.

Frodttcfd horridu, 37.

Prunella vulgaris, 28.

QuiLL-WORT, THE, 54.

RAFHIDES, SpH.'BRAPniDES, AND CRYS-
TAL Prisms, 98, 99, 100.
Revolving Dark Well, 14.

Saccharo-Polariscopb, 104,

Sand-mussel, the, 181.

Saturnia carpini, 156.

Saw-fly, Anatomy of, 32, 33.

Sculpellum vulgare, 199-

Sea-horse, 243.

Sedge Warbler, the, 57.

Seira Buskii, 6.

Self-heal, 28.

Skeleton of Tortoise, 129.

Sigillarice, 76.

Silver-fin, the, 225.

Sitta Europxa, 34.

Sloe, Leaf of the, 253,

Smynthurus niger, i.

Suovvdon Range, Section of the, 85.

Spirifer striatus, 37.

Star-Ssh, Fossil, 85.

" Star-gazer," 36.

Slauria astrieformis, 273.

Sleuocephalus agilis, 223.

Sting of Wasp, 132.

Stiper Stones, the, 84.

Sylvia salicaria, 57.

Tea- plant, Leaf of TirE, 269.
Terebratula biplicata, 36.
Tortoise, Skeleton of, 1 29.

Uranoscopus scaber, 35.

Vapourer Moth, THE, 52-

Walnut Moth, 253.

Wasp's Sting, 132.

Zaphrentis cornlciiln, 272.

yjf

RECENT EECOEDS OF EAEE PLANTS.

.^A

UPPLEMENTARY to

the excellent remarks
by Mr. Edwin Lees
(p. 77, last vol.) anent
alterations iu, or un-
certainty ofj long-ago
recorded localities
for rare plants, and apropos
of Mr. J. B. Blow's sugges-
tion (p. 115) for the formation
of a botanical Locality-record
Club, with whicli the former
paper has a not remote con-
nection, a little gossip may
not, perhaps, be out of place.
I am afraid it would be
somewhat difScult to secure
sufficient trustworthy and
valuable co-operation, over so
great an area as Britain, to
render Mr. Blow's plan suc-
cessful. Most of the older
and more experienced bota-
nists who formed the van of the workers when
science was not so popular as now, and who
are the original recorders of a great part [of
the localities, copied, one from the other, into our
manuals, have become too infirm, or too occu-
pied with weightier matters, to be able to go
to the not small trouble of visiting and verifying
anew stations they explored thoroughly in by-
gone years; and of the younger generation, not
a few are as yet mere " collectors," who, however
enthusiastic they may be, are scarcely the ones
whose search of or report upon any wide locality
could be tlioroughly trusted, or whose statements
and judgments accepted without question. Never-
theless, I should be glad to see such a plan as Mr,
Blow suggests fairly tested, and willing to take
upon myself the task of aiding it so far as I could —
say, by undertaking to visit and verify as speedily
as possible all stations for rare plants within this
county of Durham, as I have already tried to do for
the West Eiding of Yorkshire, having suffered re-
No. 97.

peatedly myself both in loss of time and in pocket
from the misleading suggestions of local floras,
whose authors not unfrequently, though good
general botanists, have but little practical field
knowledge, and are as uafit, from the want of it, to
sift of error the statements of others, as they are
unable at sight to pronounce with any accuracy
upon a species of Rose, of Hawkweed, or of
Willow !

Suppose, however, the club formed, and a goodly
number of willing observers engaged to visit and
report upon noteworthy localities, whilst seeking
for new ones, their records would be worse than
useless if not made more reliable than the existing
Floras, and if rendered so, but a small advance
would even then be made upon the work which,
though indirectly, and limitedly, from want of num-
bers, is none the less surely being done by the
Botanical Exchange Club, under whose skilled
supervision, year by year, new plants or species from
new localities, or old ones, are distributed and com-
mented upon.

To render the proposed record trustworthy, how-
ever, a specimen of the plant found should accom-
pany every notice . of its new or verified locality :
and many who would be glad to contribute state-
ments would be unwiUing to do this. The plants
sent would still require to be examined and attested
by reliable authorities, as correct not only in name,
but also (spot where found and character of species
considered) referred to their proper classes of
citizenship. This may seem not very difficult, yet
existing Ploras, &c., show that few except the
highest botanical authorities, or those who have
special district knowledge, are capable of pro-
nouncing on such points without much liability to
error ; and of these, taking into consideration the
vast amount of work the task would entail upon
them, how many would come forward willing to fill
a place upon such a bench of botanical censors ?
Without such censors and such authentication the
records would not be worth a great deal. Unfit-
ness of Flora-authors for their task, or the more
culpable want of care in this matter of verification ,

2

IIARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

is tlie source of most annoying errors sometimes.
Some slovenly, or young observer, for example,
gathers Vaccinmm Vitis Idaa iu fruit on a stony
mountain-lieatl), mistakes it for Arbutus Uva-ursi,
and recording it to the Mora author as such, the
station being a not unlikely one for the latter plant,
hisstatemeutpasses without question, and oncedown
in print, the negative is not easy of proof; the vain
searcher is always the "careless one," who must
have " missed it somehow " ! Such a mistake as
this I know has occurred. If botanists would only
be as careful and accurate in their records as Mr.
Baker for instance, iu the Eloras which bear his
name, there would be little complaint to make ex
cept as to the tendency of technical writers to copy
localities without inquiry,- — an unsafe proceeding
in the case of at least one out of four species, the
reasons for which Mr. Edwin Lees has already so
clearly explained at page 17. His suggestions as to
the latest date being given on which a rare plant
was seen, &c., would go hand in hand with the
carrying out of Mr. Blow's idea. Certainly some
such record is a great desideratum, for at present
lists of plants are excluded from all our natural his-
tory journals, and find expression, unluckily, in
the hasty attempts at partial floras, neither very
useful nor very accurate as such, but which, pub-
lished in a serial, open to correction and criticism
as they would be, would have a distinct value.

It may perhaps be worth while to occupy a little
more space with brief remarks upon a few of our
rarest plants, supplementary to those mentioned by
Mr. Edwin Lees, localities for which are given even
in our latest Eloras, but in whicli it is useless now
to search, and of some few others which still exist
as of old ; — the result of excursions made by the
writer in search of them during the last two or
three years. Such a record may point out to others
who contemplate visiting the " book stations " the
probable futility or success of their search.

To commence with the pleasanter task — enumera-
tion of a few species not quite eradicated as yet : in
Leekby Carr, near Topcliffe, Yorkshire, Scheuchzsria
palustris and Lysimachia thyrsiflora still find a home.
In 1870 the former of these was still somewhat
plentiful in the larger patch of peat bog farthest
from the river, closed in on all sides by Spruce and
other trees ; Lysimachia maiiily in the larger ditch
and watery spaces under the low brushwood at the
north-east corner of the Carr. Both species are ex-
tremely local, and preparations for drainage in the
sliape of tiles, &c., lying about, and brushwood
cleared away, seemed to point to speedy encroach-
ment upon the ground occupied by one, if not both,
of these interesting plants.

Fotentilla riipesiris still grows in some plenty in
one spot on Craig Bieidden, Montgomeryshire, on
the slope facing west, at the northernmost corner
of the mountain, somewhat low down towards the

Severn Valley ; and Lychnis viscaria also on the
same hill, on eruptive rock facing south-east.

Arabis ciliata is recorded as growing onjrocks
near the sea at Lidstep, near Tenby. In May, 1 871,
I was unable to find the true plant there, however,
and should be glad to know when and whereabouts
it was last gathered.

Euphorbia stricta was plentiful in 1871 below the
Wynd Cliff, and along the valley as far as Tintern
Abbey ; in several places where the trees had been
felled and a strong brushwood was growing up.

Euphorbia pilosa, another of our most local
species, still flourished near Bath in May, 1871.
It would seem to be not nearly so common as for-
merly " in the lane leading west from Prior's Bank,"
the usual locality given in manuals, and I could
only find two or three small flowerless shoots there ;
but after a weary search in many a coppice and
wood on that side of Bath, I at last stumbled
across it in great plenty in one small plantation,
isolated in the centre of a large pasture, next that
in which stands an observatory-like tower, growing
in profusion amongst a dense underwood of hazel
and briar.

On Cheddar Cliffs, Somerset, Dianthus ctesius
still grows, its tufts hanging from the crevices of
limestone rook far beyond the reach of ruthless
hands. Not so the case with. Arabis stricta, which
was formerly I'ouud both here and on St.Vincent's
Bocks, Bristol, "chiefly below the sea-wall," but
which I sought for in vain in 1871, and which is
almost, if not quite, extinct now.

Recent confirmation of the existence 'of Simethis
bicolor " in the fir-plantation skirting the cliffs, two
miles from Bournemouth, on the Poole side," also
seems desirable, since, minute as my direction
seemed, and patient as I knew my search was
(early in June, 1871,) it was unsuccessful.

Again, Helianfhemitm Bretceri, and Cineraria
maritima are two amongst our rarer plants, rendered
almost, if not quite, extinct at Holyhead by the
alteration and disturbance of the maritime rocks
there for purposes of harbour improvement.

Before leaving these notices of probable ex-
tinctions, two more species seem to deserve men-
tion. Has Isnardia pahistris or Spiranthes cestivalis
been seen in England for years ? I have sought
both in vain, though the orchid may be subject to
the same ghost-like uncertainty of appearance which
obtains with others of its tribe.

Turning northwards, it may be interesting to
know that Lychnis alpina thrives as of old on the
steep fell south of the Keswick and Whinlatter
road, at a point about four miles west of Keswick ;
and that the very pretty Geranium Lancastriense
grew profusely on the western sea-bank of Waluey
Island, at a point opposite the Barrow ferry, in the
autumn of 1871.
And on Widdy Bank Pell, in Teesdale, not

HARDWICKE'S SCIEN C E-G OSSIP.

long ago, I had the opportunity of assuring myself
ihsitAreuaria nliginosa, one of our very rarest plants,
still existed in tliis its only station in Britain, at
the head of a small streamlet on the western edge
of the limestone plateau; and in a swamp and else-
where near it, and ilovvering abundantly, the pretty
Thalidruni alpimm,— this Teesdale valley also its
only station in England.

In conclusion I may say that Sclieuchzeria paliis-
tm, which was formerly found on Tliorne Moor, in
South Yorkshire, is quite extinct now in this station ;
and two other rare plants, Latkyrus palustris and
Peucedamcm palustre, which grew on the borders of
the swampy moor, are very nearly so,— a result due
to drainage lately carried out on a large scale. In
1870, when I visited it, huge dykes had been cut
in all directions across the Moss ; the peat piled in
great heaps, the surface turned with the plough,
and the whole of this extensive waste being rapidly
"reclaimed" by some ruthless foe to botany;
though perhaps some will agree with Mr. Grindon,
who, in his " Eield and Garden Botany," comment-
ing upon the disappearance of Lobelia tirens (since
re-discovered, I am informed, by the Hon. Mr.
Warren) from Axminster Heath, within the last
few years, remarks— "but the right onward furrow
of a generous utility is better than the preservation
of a thousand wild Lobelias " !

E. AuNOLD Lees, F.L.S., L.R.C.P. Lond-

Hartlepool, Durham.

HOW I TRIED TO POISON AN ADJUTANT.

" \\THAT a villain !" I can fancy escapes involun-
» » tarily from my reader as he sees the head-
ing of this article ; " surely the man was tried for
attempted manslaughter ! "

No, my friend, I was not " tried," nor did I seek
to make away with our Adjutant, for he was a very
good fellow; but I wanted one of those odd,
quaint-looking birds that haunt the purlieus of Cal-
cutta, yclept the Scavenger-bird, or, as he is better
known by his more common name, the " Adjutant "
{Leptoptilos argala) ; and as his person is sacred to
the natives, I dared not openly shoot or destroy one,
although, wishing to have a good specimen, I admit
that I did surreptitiously try the effect of poison,
with what success shall be seen.

A vulgar, disgusting-looking fellow is this same
bird. How knowing he looks as he stands on one
leg, which is clasped with the other foot above the
knee, and eyes you askance, like a knowing old file,
as you pass near him ; but if you approach too near
he stalks stealthily away with a sidelong glance and
shuffling step, till he conceives himself to be at a
safe distance, when he again settles down into a
dreamy, dozy state of existence.

Perched on a housetop, he stands like a sentinel,

until a whiff of carrion reminds him of a savoury
morsel below, when he spreads his wings and
swoops to the spot, clapping his bill together with
a noise that resounds as he passes overhead.

The bird stands from four to five feet high when
erect, and its bare, red, fleshy neck gives it the
appearance of what it naturally is, an obscene,
carrion-loving feeder.

The legs are long and slender, like those of the
crane, of which species he is a member ; the body
oval, with white breast and dark-coloured back and
wings. The bill is from twelve to sixteen inches in
length, is broad at the base, with very powerful
leverage, and tapering away to a point. I have
seen one of these birds take a shin-bone of beef
endwise in his bill, raise his head in the air, and
swallow it whole at a gulp !

He is a most useful member of society in the
tropics, quickly clearing by day all the offal and
offensive matter not devoured by the troops of
howling jackals by night.

But to return to my endeavours to circumvent
one of these gentlemen. I was always partial to
taxidermy, and had long been on the look-out for
one oi\ those huge bats called Elyiug-foxes {T?te-
ropus Javanicus), which cross over the Hooghly
from the Howra side of Calcutta regularly as sun-
down, and go — who knows where ! Often after a
blazing hot day, the reminiscence of which alone
almost brings back the prickly heat, have I lain
about sunset on the smooth glacis, watching these
bats in their flight as they came like specks from
the opposite shore ; first one or two, then a few
more, and "gradually increasing in numbers until
the sky would be dense with them, when they again
straggled into a rear-guard of a few, and would be
gone. They were always out of gunshot, but at
last I succeeded in getting one from a native, and
in the cool of the following morning sat in my
verandah and proceeded to operate upon him. I
had just cleared the body from the skin, when our
Adjutant, who had his quarters next to mine, made
his appearance. " I should like to get one of my
namesakes," said he, pointing to a posse of six or
seven of them perched on a wall across the square,
on the look-out for what might be thrown to them
from the cook-houses. "The very thought that
has often struck me," said I; "but you know, my
dear fellow, we dare not shoot one." "No, but
don't you think some of this stuff you have here
would do the business?" "By Jove, the very
thing ! " The body of the bat was soon stuffed with
a decent quantity of arsenical paste and corrosive
sublimate, enough to kill about twenty men ; a good
swing with a one, two, and three, and out it flew into
the middle of the square. Down swooped the birds,
their bills clattering like so many powerful casta-
nets, and the poisoned carcass was in a twinkling
poised on the bill of the foremost, and as quickly

b2

HARDWICKE'S S C IE N CE-GOSS IP.

passed down his gullet. " Now we have you," said
we, as we singled him out from the rest, and
watched him return to his former station ; but we
counted our chickens before they were hatched !
Momentarily we expected to see him become un-
easy, and succumb to the effects of the dose ; but
no, there he remained for three mortal hours with-
out a sign of discomfort, and at last flew off with
his friends, as if his meal had digested to his satis-
faction !

We were thus disappointed of our prey, and I
very much doubt if the poison had any ultimate
efTect on him, for the birds never left their imme-
diate haunts ; and had he died, his body must have
been picked up within the fort, and it would cer-
tainly have been known. "Aegala."

THE THYSANURAD^.'

(Second Aeticle.)

TTAVING in my former paper briefly alluded to
-'-'- the Lepismadce as represented in this country,
I now, in continuation of the subject, venture to
make a few remarks upon the Foduradce, consisting
of Smynthurus, Podura, and Lipura.- i

-Fig. 1. Smynthurus 7ngp.r, x 40, upper side.

Fig. 2. Lower side of ditto, x 40.

In Smynthurus the body is more or less globular;
in Podura it is linear ; and all the members of both
these divisions are furnished with a forked abdo-
minal appendage called "jthe springer." In Lipura
the springer is absent, and the body is linear, and

very like that of some of the members of the
division Podura.

Their principal common characteristic is the
possession of a ventral tube, the ofiice of which is
at present only partially known. Its most obvious
function is that of a sucker, enabling the possessor
to obtain by its means a more secure foot-hold than
its bifld toes alone would get. It also is a lubri-
cating organ. And, altogether, its importance is so
great, that I believe Sir Jolm Lubbock will deal
with it in a special manner in his classification of
the order.

It is not so easy to give a comprehensive view of
the Foduradce as of the Lepismadce, because the
insects are more numerous.

As some of them have been alluded to by me
in previous papers {Monthly Micro. Journal, 1869,
" The Scale-bearing Podura;," and Science-Gossip,
1867, "Podurse"), I shall, for the sake of brevity,
refer to those papers, rather than recapitulate any-
thing which was correctly said then. Where my
opinions have undergone some change, I shall
endeavour to find room for a word or two.

Smynthuridce. — These, of which there are three
genera, founded chiefly on the jointing of their
antennae, — Smynthurus, Papirius, and Dycyrtoma,
are very abundant little creatures, though very
little known. Some of them are found on the
surface of weedy ponds ; but their most favourite
localities are grassy meadows and peat-bogs. Some,
too, haunt kitchen-gardens ; and I once saw, when
a friend was potting out some geraniums, that the
empty flowerpots were made a promenade of by
thousands of a tiny black species, which looked as
if some chimney-pot in the neighbourhood had
favoured the locality with an abundant shower of
smuts. It was only on close examination that the
real character of the deposit was apparent. They
were so nimble when approached with a view to
capture them, that I only got a few. I give figures
of one of them in two positions, and am sorry that
space compels me to force that illustration to do
duty for all the Smynthuridfe, of which there are
about a dozen species, chiefly discovered by Sir
John Lubbock. All of them have large heads,
more or less globular bodies, and prodigious forked
springers. Viewed sidewise, they have always
called to my mind the pictures of that extinct bird
the Dodo. They are of various colours, and
their antennae are long and composed of numerous
joints. As I said above, the genera are founded
upon the manner of the jointing, &c., of these
limbs. They are all scaleless, and the develop-
ment of the ventral tube is very extraordinary.
Sometimes two filaments of surprising length are
projected from this organ, wriggled round the
shoulders and back, and as suddenly retracted into
their former position. The Smynthuridae are said
to breathe by means of tracheae, and the spiracles

HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

5

are said to be in the head. (Some readers will
recollect that in Trombidium and some of the
Acari this is the position assigned to the spiracles.)

When sweeping nettlebanks for insects, I have
found Smynthurus and Papirius in the muslin of
the net in abundance, and a dip of the collecting-
bottle among the weeds at the surface or margin
of a pond has often yielded some, together with
many examples of the second family, which we
must now turn our attention to. I have never met
with Dycyrtoma.

Before quitting this subject I may, perhaps, call
attention to a curious performance by these insects,
which I have frequently observed when I have con-
fined a few in a] test-tube. Two of them will lock
their antennaj together, and drag each other about.
The movement may be an amative one, but, to my
superficial observation, it rather conveyed the no-
tion that the fun of wrestling was enjoyed and
practised by certain creatures very much unknown
to the patrons of the " noble art, &c."

Fig:. 3.

Lepidiicyrlnb jrirpureus, X 32.

Fig. 4.
L. gibbulus,

X 32.

The Podurada consist of many genera. The
scale-bearing genera are Macrotoma, Lepidocyrtus,
Templetonia, Seira, and Beckia. The non-scale-
bearing are Orchesella, Degeeria, Podura, Isotoma,
and Achorutes.

We will first take a rapid glance at the scale-
bearing genera.

Macrotoma, of which there are several species, is
frequently of large size ; a quarter of an inch in length
and more (see Monthly Micro. Journ., 1869, Plate
VIII., and Science-Gossip, 1867, page 59, fig. 50).

Lepidocyrtus. — There are many species, including
the celebrated " test" insect, which is L. curvicollis,
in all probability (Science-Gossif, 1867, page 55,
figs. 38, 39, 40, 42, and Monthly Micro. Journal,
1869, Plate VIII.). I give additional figures of
two of the smaller species. They are all gorgeously
iridescent figures.

Templetonia, so far as I know, is represented by
only one species — a glistening white insect, with
five-jointed antennae, the last joint being ringed

(Science-Gossip, 1867, figs. 46 and 47). It is one
of the easiest to rear in cork cells, and will multiply
freely, repaying the observer for his trouble by its
beauty and interesting habits (see also Monthly
Micro. Journal, 1869, Plate VII.). It inhabits
cellars chiefly.

Seira (separated from Degeeria by Sir John Lub-
bock) consists of only two species : Seira domestica
(formerly Degeeria domestica) and Seira Buskii.
The former I have called (Science-Gossip, 1867,
and Monthly Micro. Journal, 1869, Plate VII.)
"Speckled" Podura; and the latter is figured in
Monthly Micro. Journal, 1869, Plate VII., as the
"Greenhouse Degeeria." It is a pretty little
creature, and is interesting, not only from the re-
markable character of its scales, but also from the
suspicion which some entertain (myself included)
that it may be only a sexual distinction of Degeeria
Nicoletii, which it much resembles, as well as con-
sorts with. It is found about old woodwork and
flowerpots in greenhouses. The late Rev. J. B.
Reade called it Podura transit, because he used
to find it on his transit instrument.

Fig. 5, Beckia niliia (cream -colour), x 32.

Beckia is a new genus, named by Sir John Lub-
bock in honour of Richard Beck, and, so far as I
know, represented by only one insect ; cream-
coloured, and active to an astonishing degree ;
found chiefly in manure-heaps and decaying leaves.
It has no eyes; yet is apparently under no dis-
advantage from this, as the use it makes of its
antenna; evidences. Its scale is of no value, though
its structure is akin to that of the scales of Lepido-
cyrtus.
Now for the non-scale-bearing genera : —
Orchesella is one of the largest of the Podurse,
and I have only met with two species. Orchesella
pilosa is a very hairy creature, often found asleep
under stones and in moss ; exceedingly active when
woke up. 0. cincta is found in similar situations.
It is not so large as 0. pilosa, nor yet so hairy. It
is brown with dark markings, and a pale greenish
band and patches across its back. Both species
have six-jointed antennae. It is in this genus that
the evidence of the faculty (common to all the
group) of renewing the limbs is most striking.
Owing to accidents, a joint or two of the antennae
are frequently broken off, and the progress of the
repairing process may be observed in the majority

HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

of specimens captured, reminding one of similar
repairing processes in tlie Crustacea (crabs, lob-
sters, &c.).

Fig.6. Orchesella cincta, x 15.

Begeeria is a very abundant genus. Peel off the
bark of any tree and you -will disturb numbers. So
also will they be found abundantly under the first
heap of brickbats you choose to search ; and even
the dry sea-weed, just beyond the reach of the tide,

^Pig. /. Degeeria cincta,
X 25.

Fig:. 8. D. Nicoletii, x 25 (without

scales), Scirit Biiskii (with scales).

will yield them in crowds. They are capital runners;
and a glance at the figures will enable the reader to
recognize them by their spindle-shaped bodies at
once when he meets with them. There are many
species, and their colours are mostly yellowish stone-
colour, witk brownish-purple blotches and bands.
One of them, D. Nicoletii, is marked exactly like
Seira Buskii ; and the two are often found in com-
pany. (The markings on the skin of Seira Buskii
are not always seen till the scales which that species
is furnished with are partially removed.)

Podura. — There has only one species come under
my notice, and this is P. aqtiatica. It congregates
in patches, sometimes extensive, on the surface of
stagnant ponds, and looks, to the naked eye, like a
deposit of soot. When examined under the micro-
scope the colour is much modified, and a dark
reddish-brown would be a more correct description
of it. I have found it very abundant on occasions
on Hampstead Heath, Wandsworth Common, and
Streathani. It has a very long springer.

Isotoma. — Several species of Isotoma have come
under my notice. One of them, figured in Science-
Gossip, 1867, page 53, is /. trifasciata. It is to be
captured under decaying leaves and wood. Others
may be taken on the weeds at the margin of ponds
and ditches. And one very pretty species, with a
velvety skin, which changes colour under the
microscope according to the direction in which it is
lit up — purple, green, and black, — inliabits the bark
of trees. None of the Isotoma can be regarded as
active insects : they can walk tolerably fast, but
their springer is rather short in proportion to their
length, and so they are not very good jumpers.

Fig. g. Achurutes pnrpurescens,

X 3J.

Fig. 10. Lipnra marilhna,
X 25 (dark blue).

Acliondes, the last genus, is very abundant in
certain localities, especially brewers' cellars. A. pur-
purescens is purple in colour and very sluggish in
its movements. I have often found pieces of de-
caying vegetables covered with a perfect crust of
them — thousands of all sizes. When hatched, the
young ones are white ; soon they become pinkish in
colour ; and after each change of skin they acquire
a deeper tint, passing through various red and
brown shades, till the purple tint is at last reached.
Several species are recorded, but I confess I have
not paid much attention to the distinctions. In
Achorutes the springer is very minute, and I cannot
call to mind having ever seen the insect jump.

We have now taken our rapid glance at the
Poduradse, and the Lipuradse alone remain to be

HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

dealt with. Eortunately for the space at our dis-
posal, we have only two genera to allude to —
Lipura and Anura— and these I must quickly
dismiss, as my acquaintance with them is very
imperfect. Both genera are destitute of the
springer.

Lipura is represented by that blue podura which
inhabits the wet sea-weed and the rock-pools at the
seaside. It is L. maritima. I have seen no other
species than this. Otliers are recorded as having
been found on garden-walks, &c. The genus has
ten eyes — five on each side of the head.

Aimra I may have seen, but have not paid much
attention to it. Its head is said to be more trian-
gular than that of Li]3ura ; and also, if I recollect
rightly, the eyes are more numerous than in that
genus. It is liable to be confused with Achorutes
and Lipura.

Many points have necessarily been omitted in
this rapid sketch on which readers would doubtless
desire me to have dwelt ; but I have been compelled
to pass them by, chiefly because my own informa-
tion is so very imperfect, but also, to a great ex-
tent, because Sir John Lubbock's "Monograph" is
on the point of issue. Possibly, however, enough
has been said to assist some intelligent workers in
their inquiries ; and if this should be the case, my
object will have been attained.',

I have often, when turning over brickbats for
intellectual entertainment, been struck with the
interest which the above creatures might afford to
many, and the ignorance respecting them which
neglect has caused. Podurce seem to be the small
game on which the rapacious Arachnida feed. Now
one sees a tiny spider running off with one in his
fangs, and, perhaps, a few inches off, an Obisium is
seen chasing a small company of them out of a
cranny. His proceedings, and the dodges of the
Poduroe in their efforts to escape, afford five minutes'
exciting occupation. One does not see these sights,
however, till the eyes have become accustomed to
the close scrutiny which is requisite. At first on
the lifting up of a stone, nothing but cobwebs, it
may be, are seen ; but after a minute or so of
careful watching, some of the various creatures
are discovered, and the longer one looks the more
one sees.

Por the present, then, we take leave of the
Thysanura, S. J. M'Intike.

SKETCHES IN THE WEST OP IRELAND.

By G. H. KiNAHAN.

Chapter II.

A LITTLE west of Gort are the round tower
■^-^ and seven churches of Kilmacduagh. The
tower was the second highest in Ireland, but last
winter a large portion of the upper part fell, it
naving been split about twenty years ago by light-

ning. The compact mortar used by the ancient
builders iu Ireland is well exemplified in this
structure, as for generations the tower leant con-
siderably to one side, nearly as much as the famaus
tower of Pisa. In some of the old churches, good
examples of the sloping cyclopean doorway exist,
also some of the characteristic windows of the sixth
century churches.

Leaving Kilmacduagh, we go westward for the
Burren, and on the rise of ground a few miles out
of Gort, the peculiar aspect of the view that sud-
denly opens on the traveller cannot but impress
itself on all beholders. North and south, nearly as
far as the eye can reach, is an undulating plain of
bare grey rock, backed on the west by rugged hills
of huge massive masonry, gigantic steps after
steps surmounting one another, and extending for
miles to the northward and southward, a natural
cyclopean structure. These steps or terraces
ought to convince all Subaerialists that meteoric
abrasion cannot accomplish the work they would
make people believe, and any one standing on this
rise of ground, must be convinced that atmospheric
influences can only have done a small part of the
work assigned to them. Opposite him to the
west will be the hills of Burren, with their regular
systems of terraces, never varying but a few feet in
altitude ; to the south he will catch a glimpse of the
Cork, Limerick, and Kerry hills, in which terraces
at similar height occur, although not so regular,
continuous, or conspicuous, as those of the Burren.
On the south-east are the mountain-groups called
Slieve Bernard and Slieve Aughta, and on the
north the hills of West Galway and Mayo, none
being without these terraces, and some in the
valleys of the latter hills being somewhat similar to
the parallel roads of Glenroy.

Such terraces in the mountains, some a hundred
miles apart, could not have been formed but by a
universal denudant like marine action ; it therefore
appears that if meteoric abrasion had the power
some give it, of excavating deep valleys in S'olid
rock, all traces of these ancient sea-beaches ought
long since to have disappeared, especially as many
of them are formed of gravel and sand.

The steps and terraces of the Burren are not
to be matched in the United Kingdom, being more
like Arabian scenery than anything else ; but what
formed them and denuded ihe country of drift
is not quite apparent. On the west coast the
Atlantic at the present day is forming terraces
similar to those that margin the Burren on the
east ; therefore we may suppose that such terraces
can be cut on an open sea-board ; but when we find
nearly land-locked valleys similarly circumstanced,
the power of the sea to do tlie work is not so
apparent. Nevertheless, as all are on similar levels,
we are constrained to believe they must have been
formed by similar agency.

HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

The low ground east of the hills may have beeu
denuded of its drift by the current, that at no very
remote period swept southward across it. That
such a current once existed is evident, as the drift-
hills south of the Shannon, between Eoynes and
Loghill, are almost entirely composed of fragments
of rocks from the hills west of Lough Corrib, county
Galway ; this current, however, could scarcely affect
the Burren Hills, and on the Boulder-clay drift
seems to be entirely absent, while among them it is
only found in a few valleys, and these nearly all in
the vicinity of Galway Bay. One reason may suggest
itself, on account of the relation between these and
other limestone mountains in Ireland, — those of the
Queen's County and the county Sligo. In both
these groups, as well as in the Burren, the absence
of Boulder-clay drift is remarkable, although the
neighbouring hills in all cases are more or less
covered with it ; consequently it would appear that
on account of the nature of the rock, when the
other hills were covered with ice during the Glacial
period, these lime hills were open, leaving them a
prey to marine and meteoric abrasion.

We now enter Glen Columbkille, a long wide
valley near the west margin of the mountain -group,
and separated from the adjoining plain by remark-
able roundish hills, a sketch of one of which has
already been given (see fig. 59, p. 84, vol. viii.). The
view of the valley is from the " Corkscrew," which
winds up the steep hill westward of Columbkille
cottage, the green field and dark wood of the glen
contrasting with the bare rocky terraced hills of
limestone ; while beyond, in the distance, are the com-
paratively tame Silurian hills of Siieve Aughta.
We may now say a little about the geology of the
district.

ASTRANTIA MAJOR IN SHROPSHIRE.

TN Science-Gossip for July last (No. 91) is an
-*- ingenious article from my sagacious friend,
the Rev. J. D. La Touche, who, in touching upon
the " Arcbfeology of Rare Plants," has truly ob-
served that the Weo Edge, near Stokesay, Salop,
" is the only place in England where the Astrantia
major grows with any appearance of being indi-
genous," and has faithfully described the spot. But
though Mr. La Touche has pleaded powerfully for
the " Roman mason " who was kind enough to
bring the Astrantia in a bit of pottery from Italy
to adorn a garden in Britain, I must be allowed to
take a brief on the other side, and disallow the
Roman property in the Astrantia.

I therefore contend that where a plant has been
noticed growing at a particular spot from time
immemorial, that it is rightly to be considered indi-
genous to the soil, unless, some undeniable fact or
accredited statement as to its first appearance there

can be adduced, which would settle its position
another way. No mere opinion or specious argu-
ment founded only ^on supposition ought to be
allowed to prevail against a natural appearance
maintained for an unknown time. Suspicion may
indeed attach to a conspicuous plant cultivated of
old in gardens, like Elecampane {Inula Heleniuni),
and other domesticated plants seldom found far
from human habitations ; and in the case of the
mural Linaria cymbalaria and Anacharis alsi-
nastrmn, it is known that they are " aliens," and
when they were first noticed in this country. But
here is a plant found growing freely in several parts
of an elevated wood, and near no habitation, having
also existed at the locality no one knows how long —
the late eminent botanist, Mr. Borrer, thought
"for ages," — and yet we are called upon by Mr.
La Touche to come to the " inevitable " conclusion
that a " Roman mason " brought the Astrantia " in
some way " from his native Italy. Instead of this
conclusion being " inevitable," I must say that I
think it a very weak invention of an enemy to the
claim of the Astrantia to be a true British plant.
Because it is probable, or even provable, that
limestone from the Weo Edge was taken to build a
Roman villa six or eight miles off, it is surely a
"tion sequitur" that plants were in return brought
from the Roman villa to the limestone quarry !
Had the Astrantia been found close to the site of
the ruined Roman villa, where there was perhaps
once a garden, a more colourable argument might
have been urged. But to suppose that " Roman
workmen may have settled on this spot " — that is,
the quarry on the top of the hill — and "in some
way brought the plant with them," seems a most
unlikely supposition. Workmen, in general, do
not live beside the quarry they get stone from ; and
the Roman who built the villa whose relics have
been upturned, was most likely to employ British
workmen to quarry the stone he wanted— common
labourers of the country. That these ordinary
getters of stone should have had ornamental gar-
dens close to the quarry, and nourished an Italian
flower there for ornament's sake, seems to me the
height of improbability. Even that any Roman
legionary should have taken such a fancy to the
Astrantia as to have brought it among his impedi-
menta across the Alps is quite incredible. Nor is
it evident how seeds of the plant could have been
brought by Roman soldiers or masons in an acci-
dental way. Many relics of Roman villas have
been found in England, as among the Cotswold
Hills, and in other places ; but no Astraiitia has
turned up anywhere else but on this Weo Edge, in
Shropshire. In fact, as far as I know, the Romans
have left no vegetable traces of their dominion in
Britain, except in the Roman Nettle {Urtica pilu-
lifera), found very sparingly on or near old Roman
stations as an accidental wanderer; or they may

HARDWJCKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

have purposely introduced the Box and the com-
mon Elm.

I see nothing to invalidate the claim of the
Astrantia to be a true native of Britain in the wood
on the craggy Weo Edge. I have often gathered
the Astrantia major in Switzerland ; and it is just
in such woody places, at no very great height, that
it grows. But then it may be said, that it is
curious the Astrantia should only be found in
Britain upon a single wooded hill in Shropshire.
It is so, and this isolation of rare plants in favoured
localities is a problem not easy to be accounted for,
though it is doubtless a natural phenomenon.
Without seeking for examples in foreign countries,
though easily adduced, we have in this country
various plants that are confined to a very narrow
space, and yet their true nativity is admitted with-
out scruple. There is Poteiitilla rupestris, only
found on Craig Breidden, Montgomeryshire ;
Cotoneaster vulgaris, on the Great Orme's Head ;
Arahis strida, on St.Yincent's and Cheddar rocks ;
Braha uizoides, on the Worm's Head and walls of
Pennard Castle, Glamorganshire ; Diantlms caslus,
on Cheddar Cliffs; Ceplialanthera rubra, on Hamp-
ton Common, Gloucestershire ; Isolepis kolo-
schosHKS, on Brauuton Burrows, Devonshire ; and
others that might be mentioned. These plants are
all very restricted in their range in this island ; and
I can see no reason or necessity for calling in a
Honiau mason to plant the Astrantia upon a Shrop-
shire hill. It is admitted by Mr. La Touche himself
that the location of the Astrantia on the Weo
Edge "points to the time of its introduction as
very remote ; " that is, nobody knows how long the
Astrantia has been fixed in its present position. I
prefer going back to a time anterior to that of " the
Boman mason," and with confidence ascribe the
location of the Astrantia major on the Weo Edge
to natural causes.

Mr. La Touche brings in the evidence of Mr.
Bentham as to the Astrantia being an inmate of old
cottage gardens ; but it is not so in this part of the
country, and I never heard of an instance of its
straying from them.

I ought to say that the locality tliat appears in
Babington's, Hooker's, and Bentham's Floras, of
" between Whitbourne and Malvern," for the
Astrantia, is an error, the origin of which I have in
vain tried to trace. Mr. Babington did not him-
self, as he wrote to me, know the spot, and no
Worcestershire or Herefordsliire local botanist
has confirmed it. Only the Shropshire locality is
correct. Edwin Lees, E.L.S.

Polishing Stones, &c. — Will any of your
readers be so obliging as to give me some informa-
tion as to the polishing of stones, ammonites, &c. ?
—S. W.

boseleae-cuttee bee.

{MegacMle cenftincularis.)

DURING the summer we noticed bees continu.
ally under our outside window-blinds, with
pieces of leaves in their mouths. They would always
ascend the line which drew up the shades, and then
pass through the hole where the pulleys were placed.
Having disappeared, they would remain for some
moments out of sight, descending to the garden iu
the same manner. If sometimes a bee considered it
knew its way well enough without the cord, and
ventured to find the entrance, it soon came down
from the top of the window and began the good
orthodox ascent up the line and through the pulley-
holes. The wood-work of the blinds was too closely
fitted for us ever to get a peep at what was going on.
But to-day, the summer being over, we had our
shades down, and in the groove along where the
cords ran at the top part of the window we saw the
Boseleaf-eutter Bees' summer occupation. Just
fitting and rolled up like cigars, we found severa
inches of these ingenious nests, about half an inch
square. I enclose you a specimen. I have with a
penknife gently opened one, and soaked another in
water. Then I found, as Reaumur describes, that
the bees had taken advantage of the natural
curling of the leaf on drying, and had not needed
any gluten to fix the cut pieces. Each separate
nest had one rounded end, which fitted into the
convexity of the other ; so that on first seeing the
strange green roll I thought each join denoted a
day's work. Having broken off one compartmentj
I proceeded to lift off the outer coverings, — there
were nineteen pieces ; then I lifted off the rounded
end which closed up the mouth, — there were twenty
of these exact, neat rounds, beautifully moulded
into shape. Within this warm nest was a quantity
of soft pollen and honey ; then a hard case, in one
instance, with burnished inner walls, in which lay a
white soft maggot or grub ; in another this hard cell
was wanting. There were in allltwenty-four nests,
the leaves still retaining their green. I have read that
this bee generally digs in the ground to build its
nest; here, just above the rose-bed over the window,
we found our summer lost leaves. Have your
readers met witli buildings in similar localities ?
Can you also tell me if one bee would make more
than one nest ; and if the worker is the parent
of this concealed white plump grub ?
Chatham. A. Young.

Galls used as Eood. — Tournefort states that at
Scio the galls of Salvia pomifera, L., are collected
for the purpose of making a kind of sweetmeat of
them. According to Lesson, the same might be
done with those of the Ground Ivy (Glechoma hede-
racea, L.). — Moquin-Tandon, " Medical Zoology."

10

HAKDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

A PEW OESERYATIONS ON THE SMOOTH
NEWT.-No. 2.

{Lissotriton pundatus.)

HAVING given, in a recent number of Science-
Gossip, a short description of the eggs and
very young tadpole of the Smooth Newt, I shall
now add a few observations on the habits and food
of the adult female Newt while in confinement.

As was previously stated (page 127, last vol.), I
obtained the Newt in the end of May, and it was in
mypossessionuntil July 20th, in the evening of which
day it clambered up the side of a small aquarium,
in which I had put it for the purpose of closer ex-
amination, and escaped; and, notwithstanding a
long and careful search, was never seen again. This
was the more remarkable as its escape was soon
discovered, and it would find some difficulty in
making an egress into the open air. During this
period it spawned, and, to my knowledge, twice
cast its skin. The first time was on July 16th.
When I first observed it, the old skin from off the
head was lying on its neck, much resembling a
piece of soiled gossamer twisted around it ; in a
short time it had got it down to the hind quarters ;
and on again looking some time after, I found that
it had divested itself of it altogether, and that the
cast skin was nowhere to be seen. The upper web
of its tail was now wholly gone ; the under one
nearly so. When got, both were well developed.

On July 19th it again cast its skin. This time I
saw the whole operation, which was both interesting
and curious. On first observing it, it was rushing
wildly about amongst the roots of the plants and
stones at the bottom of the aquarium, apparently
attempting in this manner to get rid of the old
skin, which was now, as in the former instance,
lying on the neck like a piece of ravelled gossamer.
In a few minutes it succeeded in getting it down to
its hind legs, when it immediately turned round,
and, seizing the skin in its mouth, divested itself of
it altogether, drawing out the feet and tail, and
leaving the slough in the exact shape of these
members. It had no sooner got rid of the old skin
than, still retaining its hold, it commenced making
a meal of it, and had it not been for the colour, one
might easily have imagined it devouring one of its
own species, so like the real reptile did the slough
of the hind legs and tail look, as, still distended
and of the natural shape, it slowly disappeared
down the Newt's throat ! Erora the time it was got
until June 17th I never observed it show any incli-
nation to be out of the water, or even to remain at
the surface, generally swimming about or resting
among the plants. When wishing to breathe, it
would rise to near the surface, and, after a few
moments' rest, suddenly jerk its head above the
water, withdrawing it again as quickly. Some-

times it swam with ease : at other times it appeared
to have some difficulty in rising to the surface
clinging to the plants to aid its upward progres-
sion. Once when the water was renewed we were
obliged to take it out of the aquarium, as it could
not rise to the surface, and appeared to be com-
pletely exhausted with its fruitless endeavours.
This I thought might be owing to the change of
temperature, as nearly all the water had been drawn
off and replaced with fresh, which would be con-
siderably colder ; the temperature in which the
aquarium is kept being comparatively high. In the
evening of June 17th I observed it on the highest
point of the piece of rockwork, out of the water. It
appeared in the attitude of listening, with the head
a little inclined to one side, and the throat moving
rapidly and continuously, and remained so for a
considerable time. There was thunder in the air at
the time. Was this strange behaviour consequent
on atmospheric influence ? Hence, until the 9th
July, it often showed considerable anxiety to be
out of the water, and was so most part of several
days. During this period the weather was very
changeable, with a good deal of thunder.

I will now give the few notes on the subject of
its food, as noted down iu diary, premising, how-
ever, that up to the commencement of those notes
its food had consisted of small earth-worms : June
8th. — The Newt not having had any worms for the
last few days, appeared viciously hungry, snapping
at the tadpoles' tails as they passed its ever-
changing lair amongst the plants. One of the tad-
poles had lost half of its tail, and several more their
tail-tips, which I conceived must have been bitten
o(f by the Newt. Taking it out of the aquarium, I
placed it in a basin, putting in at the same time a
worm, which it soon discovered, and, seizing it by
one end, swallowed it iu a series of jerking gulps.
Immediately prior to this I had, on two several oc-
casions, put into the aquarium small earth-worms.
It did not, however, as usual, take them, although
evidently aware of their,'presence ; its vision was
apparently, circumscribed. June 10th. — To-day it
seized a piece of raw lean mutton, which had been
put in for the tadpoles, and attempted to swallow
it, but it being too large, was obliged to disgorge it
again. Ouce before it swallowed a piece of gristle
which had lain iu the aquarium several days, and
was much attenuated by the tadpoles feeding upon
it. Hence, until June 23rd, it was fed on worms,
and raw and cooked mutton. The meat I cut into
long thin pieces, worm-like, and which it readily
took from the points of a pair of scissors, discussing
it in the same manner as it did a worm, June 25th.
— Very activeto-day ; more so than usual. It hunted
a tadpole (frog) which had got all its legs, and con-
sequently was less active than its fellows. Once it
caught it by one of the hind legs, but, after severe
struggling, the tadpole managed to escape; again it

HARDWICKE'S SC lEN CE-GO S S IP.

11

was caught, and again escaped, the Newt being
unable to retain its hold. At length, however, being
seized by the head, it was powerless, and was shortly
gulped down its captor's throat. All the time that
the Newt was hunting, it snapped viciously at every
tadpole that came in its way, but only hunted this
one, obviously knowing where the best chance of
success lay, as the rest of the tadpoles, not having
got their fore legs, were much more active. It was
very cautious and deliberate iu its movements, and
the pursuit of its prey lasted a considerable time.
On subsequent occasions the hunt was repeated,
though not always with like results. The last time
I observed it, after capturing its prey and gulping
it down so far that the toes of the hind feet were
just protruding beyond its lips, it disgorged it, pro-
bably from its being too big a morsel, its body being
almost as large as the head of its cajitor. The Newt
appeared considerably crest-fallen, nor was it ever
again seen in the same pursuit.

In concluding these few observations on the
Smooth Newt, which I trust may not have been
wanting in some interest to the readers of Science-
Gossip, and especially to those possessing aquaria,
who might, with a little care, have an interesting
addition to their aquaria for, at least, a portion of
the year in this small Newt, I will give a short
description of its appearance at two periods distant
from each other over six weeks : —

As taken on June 4th.— Colour : Whole of upper
part, from tip of nose to end of tail, an ashy-grey
green ; under part of body greyish-white, with a
band of orange along the belly from the breast, and
continued along the under side of tail to end of fin ;
a light spot on each side of tail, at base, above
origin of hind legs ; throat light, with a fleshy
tinge ; eyes brilliant, black, with golden-coloured
irides ; the fore feet and legs 'slender ; hind legs
stronger, and feet broad and flat, with five toes on
each foot. The front feet only possess four toes on
each.

As taken on July 20th, having on the day pre-
vious cast its skin. — Upper part of body olive-
brown, of tail brown ; belly bright orange, more so
than when last described ; sides of belly dirty
white, with brown spots : a few spots also being
underneath. The whole body is, more or less,
sprinkled with spots, which, however, are less dis-
tinct on the upper parts by reason of the darker
colouring of those parts. The spot on each side of
the tail, at base, is less distinct. Below the eye,
from the hind part, running backward, is a straw-
coloured streak. There was, when obtained, a
protuberance at the anus, which has entirely dis-
appeared.

In my former paper (page 128, vol. viii.) I omitted
to state that the elongated form of the eggs, figure
93, h and c, was due to the efl'orts of the inclosed
tadpole at liberation. They are as seen just before

hatching. The upper anterior part of the tadpole,
93 c, is slightly imperfectly delineated.

Erratum. — At page 128, first column, and
twelfth line from bottom, instead of June 12, read
June 22. C. IIobson.

NewcAistle-upoH-Tyne,

THE GARDEN WAEBLER.

{Sylvia hortensis.)

OFTEN called Garden Eauvet, Greater Petty-
chaps, or Billy "Whitethroat, is five inches
and three-quarters in length ; upper parts greyish -
brown tinged with olive, the under parts greyish-
white, tinged with a rusty brown at the breast and
sides. The breast of this bird is whiter after every
moult ; the same I have noticed to be the case
with the Nightingale and Blackcap Warbler.

The Garden Warbler is very like the Blackcap in
form and size, and inhabits the same districts. It
is not confined to the southern counties, as some
naturalists have stated. It may be heard every
summer in Spindlewood, near Kendal, and in other
localities in Westmoreland. It arrives here seldom
before May, and prefers groves, orchards, and
bushes ; but its song may be heard far more fre-
quently than it itself may be seen, as it loves to
perch on the top of some tall tree embosomed by
leaves, or from the cover of some thickset hedge,
whence it sends out its soft and silvery notes,
which equal the Blackbird's in melody; and,
though not so wild and thrilling as the Blackcap's,
exceeds the latter in that ineffable sweetness which
is impossible to describe.

From the exquisite choice the Garden Warbler
generally makes of a station for its nest, one is at
once reminded of the lines in Keats's " Ode to a
Nightingale."

So charming to the ear is the song of this bird,
that I am irresistibly compelled to quote from
Wilson's American Ornithology some expressions
used respecting a bird of the New World, and
which are quite as applicable to the Garden Warbler.
"When every object around conveys the sensation
of joy, and heaven's abundance is as it were shower-
ing around us the grateful heart-beats in unison
with the varying elevated strains of this bird ; we
listen to its notes iu a kind of ecstasy as a hymn
to the great and most adorable Creator of all.
Abject must that heart be, and callous those feel-
ings, and depraved that taste, which neither the
charms of Nature, nor the melody of innocence,
nor the voice of gratitude and devotion can reach."

Mr. Keulemau says this bird in Spain is very
tame, and often builds its nest on the window-sill
in the suburbs of the towns; but in England its
habits are shy and retiring; it is constantly flitting
about with great agility. When hopping from twig

12

HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE- GOSSIP.

to twig, the close observer will notice it always
alights with a peculiar jerk of the body from one
side to the other. It feeds chiefly on small cater-
pillars, moths, and butterflies, and is also a great
devourer of small fruit, such as red currants, rasp-
berries, strawberries, and elderberries ; in the
cherry season its beak is generally stained with
cherry -juice. The nest and eggs are scarcely dis-
tinguishable from those of the Blackcap : it is the
true Beccafico of the Italians, and by them it is
killed and eaten in large quantities.

In confinement this bird, though more easily
tamed than the Blackcap, is a more tender bird,
rarely living more than four or five years. All that
I have said concerning the Blackcap on page 79
of the last volume applies equally well to the
Garden Warbler. In addition to the food there
mentioned, there should always be a tin of rasp-
berry or red currant jam in its cage ; it is also foud
of boiled green peas, grape-juice ; and a piece of
lump sugar in its water is a great treat to it. In
the moulting season give it mealworms or ants' eggs
every day ; it is very fond of elderberries, which
may be dried in the season, and then kept all the
year round ; and when wanted, boiling water must
be poured on them, and when cold drained off, and
in this way they swell out, and are as good as fresh
berries; dried ants' eggs may be treated in the
same way.

If fed on little but rusk sop, its feathers fall out,
and in winter it dies of starvation ; it should have
plenty of variety, and if well fed and cared for, it
will sing almost incessantly from November to
June. It is more susceptible of cold than any
other cage bird, and continued wet weather has a very
marked depressing effect upon it. In warm weather
a bath three or four times a week may be given it,
but in winter this must not be given, as the bird
would be seized with cramp, and die in a very
short time. — /. S. Metcalfe.

THE ECONOMY OE THE FRESH- WATER
POLYP.

IN the June number of Science-Gossip, 1S72,
page 132, was published (with illustrations) a
communication from me on the above subject, in
which I endeavoured to describe what I had observed
of them. The question that arose in my mind at
the time, as to what the nature of those objects was
seen to spring out with considerable force from
certaui protuberances on the body of the Hydra,
has been satisfactorily answered, and proved to be
spermatozoa. As the power of my microscope was
not great enough to define their form, I could only
discern them as very minute and indistinct particles.
I therefore gave some of the polyps to George
Gulliver, Esq.,E.R.S., and he examined them under

an objective (Powell & Lelaud) of one-teuth of ar.
inch focal length, and found the spermatozoa very
active.

Mr. Gulliver estimates the mean length of each
spermatozoon at about -gioo of an inch. I have
continued to follow up the study of these interesting
animals, and on June 1st, last year, I had a number
of Hydra viridis in my aquarium, and on closely
examining some of them, 1 observed on them the
same form of sperm-cells as those I had seen on
H. vulgaris in December, 1871. On placing them
in a shallow glass cell by themselves, 1 had the
pleasure of witnessing the rupture of the sperm-
cells as I had previously done on H. vulgaris : also
I noticed, June 7th, a peculiar rising or swelling on
the lower part of the body, quite different in appear-
ance from the sperm-cells, or from the appearance
when budding or gemmation is about taking place
(fig. 11). On seeing this peculiarity, 1 kept them

Fig. U. Commencement of
swelling on body of Hydra.

Fig. 12. Ditto incieased to
formation of ovi-sac.

almost constantly under observation with the
microscope, and saw the various progressive changes
that took place [in the development of the ovi-sac,
for this it proved to be (fig. 12). The sperm-cells
were on the same Hydra ; the full development of the
ovi-sac took three days from the first appearance of
the swelling on the body, until its separation from
it as a perfect globe (fig. 15), when it sank to the
bottom of the glass. I was reluctantly obliged to
forego any further investigation, as I was away from
home for fifteen days ; but previously to leaving I
sank the glass cell with its contents in a white
shallow pan, under a glass shade. On my return I
found that the globe-shaped ovi-sacs which I had
seen issue from the Hydras, had disappeared, and
spread over the bottom of the white pan were a few
very minute Hydras ; indeed, so small as not to be
detected without a glass, a^J so transparent that.

HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

13

under the microscope, the green granules (which in
the adult Hydra appear a mass of green) could be
counted. These had the appearance of beads strung
together ; each liad only four tentacles (fig. 13J,

Fig. ) 3. Young Hydra vMdis, a few days after leaving the ova.

It now remains to prove in what form the young
Hydra first appears on leaving the ova. I do not
tliink it has at first the perfect Hydra form, but in
all probability is that of a minute grub having no
tentacula. In course of time these grow out

Fig. 15. Detached Ovi-sac.

I

14. Parasite of B?/rfca.

i^(jl;i«2io.->

Fig. 16. Bursting of Ovi-sac.

gradually, as is the case when they increase by
gemmation or budding ; the first form is a lump,
which slowly grows out a certain length, and then
the tentacles make their appearance, one or two at
the first ; and these gradually increase in size and
number to the perfect form. Thus those young
ones I found at the bottom of the pan had not
the exact resemblance in form of the full-grown
Hydra, but were uniform in the size of the body, as
seen in fig. 14, and with only four very short tentacles,
whereas the usual number on the matured IL viridis
is from seven to twelve. There is this particular
difference between the H. vulgaris and H. viridis —
whilst the ova of the former are produced in the
autumn] months, and are supposed to sink to the
bottom of the pond, and are hatched out in tlie
following spring, the latter, on the contrary,
produce both [sperm-cells and ovi-sacs at the
beginning of summer, and, according to my obser-

vations, all are hatched out in about fourteen days.
From that time up to October tliey have kept
increasing by gemmation, and no doubt also from
the ova in the vessel I kept them in. On July 9th,
1872, I found one more of the H. viridis with the
ovi-sac forming as before, but the Hydra was
infested with a number of parasites, which ran over
every part of the body with a quick motion, and
also attached themselves to the ovi-sac after it left
the body of the Hydra (fig. 14). I watched with
increasing interest the globe-shaped ovi-sac, to see
it discharge its contents. I had the good fortune
to witness this, and I hoped to have been able to
trace the development from the ova (which I believe
has never been accomplished yet). But I was
doomed to be disappointed, though I saw the ovi-
sac burst (as shown in fig. 16). I had the mortifica-
tion of seeing these said parasites devour the
contents entirely, and that with apparent eagerness.

y i

^nnnT!^ , | _, 1^

Jor AN tNCH

Fig. 17. Spermatozoa of Hydra.

They moved with greater rapidity as they were
devouring the minute granules that escaped from
it, which, in the course of two hours, had almost
entirely disappeared. I saw the spermatozoa issue
from the cells both before and after (the ovi-sac, in
this instance, was separated from the Hydra's body),
and I carefully preserved for two months the water
in which it took place, daily looking for a Hydra,
if any had escaped the voracity of the parasites, but
not one appeared ; still I hope at some future time
to be able to trace the development from the ova.

It has been matter of dispute whether the Hydra
has the power of stinging or benumbing its
victims ; but this is now generally admitted, and I
think there can be no doubt about it. I have seen
the small red worm, and also the larva of gnats, die
instantly tliey came in contact with the tentacles of
the Hydra. The water-flea, Baphnea pidex, on the
contrary, will for some short time maintain a struggle
with the Hydra : its shell partially protects it from
the immediate effects of the poison. Still it seldom
disengages itself from the grasp of the Hydra, and,
when it has done so, I have seen it in a very short
time sink to the bottom of the water and die,
evidently from the effects of the stinging. This
stinging power is owing to the presence of certain
fine threads contained in the numerous tubercles

14

HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

•with which the tentacles are thickly beset, called
urticating threads, which the animal has the power
of pushing out at its pleasure, thereby rendenng
the surface of the tentacle rough, and giving a
firmer hold on its living prey. I have, by pressing
a Hydra between two pieces of glass, forced out

iQji

^^mmmwm

Fig. 18. StiiigingOr-
gan of Hydra vul-
gin-is when pressed
out of vesicle.

^^

Fig. 19. Arrow-headed stings projected
out of vesicle : ti, recurved hooklets
expanded ; 4, ditto at rest.

these urticating threads from the vesicles, together
with the three recurved hooklets attached, by which
the tentacle is rendered so powerful an instrument
of retention, and have them dried out and mounted
for the microscope (fig. 18). The hooklets are clearly
and distinctly seen when first pressed out and before
they are dried, but are not so plainly seen after, as
they close down iu their natural position of rest.

In fig. 19 is given a rough sketch of the way in
which the arrow-headed sting is projected out of the
vesicle in connection with the urticating thread,
which gives the power to the Hydra of holding the
struggling victim. I have often wondered at the
tenacity with which the Hydras maintain their hold
on a water-flea, when perhaps only the extreme end
of the polyp's tentacle at first has come in contact
with the very fine antennce of the flea, and the flea
has endeavoured to escape by its characteristic
violent jerks, and I thought them to be powerful
enough almost to break the tentacle itself. But the
tentacle is thickly set with these arrow-lieaded
stings (fig. 19, a), so that when the animal puts forth

a number of them it is easy to see how difficult it
would be for its prey to escape its grasp. These
threads must of necessity be composed of something
very different from the other parts of the Hydra,
for they continue visible under the microscope
after the other parts of the body are dried up or
dissolved.

The parasite on the Hydra was observed more
than a century ago by Trembley, who made the
Hydra his special study. He calls them lice, and
observes that they sometimes kill the Hydra ; and
he gives some curious instructions for ridding the
Hydra of them.

1 have often remarked that on the death of the
Hydra, and after it has been left to decompose iu
the water, a large number of minute animalcules
spring into existence, and surround the dissolving
parts of the body, evidently consuming it ; but they
are much smaller than those described as parasites,
and of a different form. In the " Micrographic
Dictionary," plate 24, is figured, No. 30, Stylo)iicMa
lanceolata, with side-view of the same, which appear
to me, when compared with those described as
parasites, to be the same ; if so, they are not ex-
clusively the parasites of the Hydra, but may be
found elsewhere. Still I have never observed any
of the other forms of Infusoria infesting the Hydra.

Canterbury. James Fullagak.

MICROSCOPY.

Revolving " Dark Wells." — The following
modification of the ordinary " dark well " I find
very useful in the examination of certain opaque
objects with the Lieberkuhn, or Parabolic Illu-
minator. The following diagrams perhaps scarcely
need explanation. A is a front view of the "wells " as

V y^v^ i

Fig. 20. Revolving "Dark Wells."

fitted to a short tube made to slide into the sub-stage
tube; B, the wells; C, section of ditto. The "wells"
differ somewhat from the ordinary form, being
slightly concave discs instead of short tubes"; the
concave surfaces of the discs I colour respectively
emerald-green, pale blue, and black. With dark

HAKDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

15

semi-opaque objects the green is very effective, and
adds materially to the stereoscopic effect when the
binocular is used. Tiie same sized well that is
used with a two-inch will work with any objective
up to a two-thirds. Another advantage connected
■with the revolving wells is the facility with which
an object can be examined by transmitted light. A
word or two on the management of the Lieberkuhn :
This very useful adjunct has of late years been
somewhat neglected for other methods of illumina-
tion. My experience (over twenty years) leads me
to prefer it to any other kind of apparatus ; the
glare produced by it, and of which many microsco-
pists complain, may be got rid of by throwing
the mirror out of the centre, and thus throwing up an
oblique pencil of light ; the object will then have a
brighter beam of light on one side than the other,
and elevations or depressions will come out with
great distinctness. — F. Kitton.

Dyeing Wood Sections.— I hope that one of
the following solutions will suit " J. E,." Dr.
Beale's carmine solution : " Carmine, 10 grains ;
strong liquor ammonia, half drachm ; Price's gly-
cerine, 2 oz. ; distilled water, 2 oz. ; alcohol,
\ oz. The carmine, in small fragments, is to be
placed in a test tube, and the ammonia added to it.
By agitation, and with the aid of the heat of a
spirit-lamp, the carmine is soon dissolved. The
ammoniacal solution is then to be boiled for a few
seconds, and allowed to cool. After the lapse of an
hour, much of the excess of ammonia will have
escaped. The glycerine and water may then be
added, and the whole passed through a filter."
Thiersch's fluid is composed of two solutions :
No. 1. Carmine, 1 part ; caustic ammonia, 1 part ;
distilled water, 3 parts. No. 2. Oxalic acid, 1 part ;
distilled water, 23 parts. These solutions to be
mixed in the proportion of 1 to S. When thoroughly
mixed, add absolute alcohol 12 parts; allow the
whole mixture to stand four or five hours, and then
filter. Thiersch's lilac-colouring solution is com-
posed as follows : Carmine, 1 part ; borax, 4 parts ;
distilled water, 56 parts. " The red solution is to
be mixed with twice its volume of absolute alcohol
and filtered. The precipitate of carmine and borax
is re- dissolved in distilled water, and is ready for
use." The sections to be dyed should be placed in
a watch-glass, with a few drops of one of the
solutions for a day or two, when they should be
carefully washed in distilled water, and are then
ready for mounting. — T. C. T. Walrond.

Bunt op Wheat as a Lens. — " A. M., Paris,"
may show the image in any beetle's eye that is well
mounted as a transparent object. If he does not
possess one, he should select a beetle whose eyes
have large ocelli, and macerate its head in water or
liqmr potassce, until the membrane bearing the

corneules can be easily removed. This should be
well washed in pure water, cleaned with a camel-
hair pencil, and dried between two slips of glass
under pressure. Even in this dry state the lenses
will show the image ; but it is better to mount the
eye in Canada balsam, which, by lengthening the
focus of the lenses, increases the size of the
image. The eyes of almost any insect treated ia
this manner will show the image more or less
perfectly. The ocelli of the cicadidce being large,
are well adapted for the experiment, but the eyes
of the coleoptera are, perhaps, the most easily
managed, and most certain in action. To show the
image, the slide containing the mounted eye or the
bunt of wheat, should be placed on the stage of the
microscope, and focussed with an objective of about
|-inch focal length. A. small object having a
well-defined outline should then be moved about
between the stage of the microscope and the
source of illumination, until its shadow is seen
dimly through the lenses. It may then be brought
sharply into focus by moving the objective away
from the slide if the insect's eye be used, or towards
it for the bunt of wheat. The effect is much im-
proved if an achromatic condenser be used below
the stage, or an objective of low power may be
substituted for the condenser. Some microscopists
fasten underneath the stage a blackened pasteboard
tube, having at its further end an arrangement for
holding glass slides, on which various designs have
been drawn or photographed. A portrait thus
shown is interesting from its stereoscopic appear-
ance, as well as from the number of times it is
repeated. Sometimes a hole is cut in the side of
this tube to admit of a strong light being condensed
on an opaque object, which is also well shown by
the lenses. If " A. M." still finds any difficulty, I
shall be glad to send him a slide or two, and any
further particulars he may require. — F. W. M.

Bone-dust in Soap. — Those of our readers who
have experienced an irritating effect in the skin
after the use of old brown Windsor soap, can, by
applying the microscope to the soap, detect the
presence of fine particles of gi'ound bone, which
have not been separated from the fat of which the
soap was made. These particles are abundant in
the cheaper kinds of soap.

Monochkomatic Sunlight.— Mr. J. E. Smith,
of Ohio, has obtained light with which he is perfectly
satisfied by means of a light sky-blue and dark
green glasses. He prefers to use one blue glass
combined with two or three green ones, the best
shades being ascertained by trial. Several such
sets, of different depths of colour, may be mounted
in a series, like magic-lantern pictures, so that
either set can be brought easily over the hole in the
shutter. By sunlight transmitted through a com

16

HARDWICKE'S SCIEN CE-G O S S IP.

bination of such glasses, and without condenser or
apparatus of any other kind, he can resolve all the
shells of the " Probe Platte " with ease. He
considers the light thus modified as good as the
more nearly monochromatic lights of the trouble-
some ammonio-sulphate cell.

Mounting in Balsam (No. 96).— Mr. Kitton's
reputation as a microscopist is too well known to me
to permit me to gainsay his remarks on mounting in
balsam ; at the same time I have met with tolerable
success in mounting with fluid balsam, and I have
found that if carefully prepared with benzole it will,
in time, harden under the very centre of the covering
glass (of course, the larger the object and glass the
longer this will take) ; I have taken off the covering
glass of one or two duplicates in my cabinet to be as-
sured of the fact. Por my own part, I do not like using
chloroform, as I think it renders the balsam liable to
get cloudy. Dammar, I find, when old, is liable to
chip from the glass cover, or flake off from the slip ;
nevertheless it is very useful for objects that are
small. I have made many experiments in com-
pounding media, and have tried a vast quantity
made by others, and, after all, I have found that no
medium is so well suited to my general requirements
as balsam (of course, I do not include glycerine, or
some of the solutions which are absolutely necessary
for some classes of objects). In the end, is it not
probable that each would-be preparer of objects has
some pet method which he considers superior to any
other, and wiiich is rarely successful when adopted
by others ?--&. P.P.

ZOOLOGY.

Plinb SriDERS.— In the December number of
the Annals and Magazine of Natural History, the
llev. 0. P. Cambridge has described two new
species of spiders from Ceylon. They are perfectly
blind, and are found among decayed leaves. The
Cave spiders have long been known as eyeless,
having become blind through disuse of the eyes in
the course of many generations ; it is believed that
in this case it has been so through the spiders being
hidden from light under the decaying vegetable
matter. The name of Nydulops has been given to
the new genus.

Insect Pests. — The worst enemies of the na-
turalist and taxidermist are two species of beetles,
the Bermestes and Atithrcemcs, which in their larval
state, in the form of worms covered with hairs,
commit great ravages wherever there is any animal
substance. The skins of birds and animals are
quite destroyed before their attacks are suspected.
The ligaments of small skeletons, horns, and hoofs
soon show the presence of these animals by the

dust which falls from their gnawings. Whole col-
lections of insects are reduced to dust-heaps in spite
of camphor, tobacco, and similar substances. The
only way to kill them is by baking the specimens
which contain their eggs above 160° Pah., which
will coagulate the albumen and destroy them. To
prevent their attacks, skins and ligaments should
be thoroughly poisoned with arsenic, and insects
should be hermetically sealed. — Journal of Applied
Science.

Scotch Peaels and Bridges.— It is a popular
theory in Scotland, that " the building of bridges
diminishes the number of pearls in the rivers." At
first sight this seems very much like making Ten-
terden steeple responsible for the existence of
Goodwin Sands ; but the naturalist finds a basis of
scientific truth in the apparent non sequitur. Be-
fore the bridges were built, the cattle in fording
the streams trod upon the mussels, and the injury
done to the shells caused the formation of pearls ;
but now that the cattle cross by the bridges, the
secretion of the pearls is no longer promoted in
that way. The peasant could observe the fact,
though he could not give the philosophy of it.

John Keast Lord. — It is with much regret that
we have to announce the death of Mr. J. K. Lord,
one of our oldest and most esteemed contributors.
Some months ago Mr. Lord was laid up with a
severe attack of paralysis, which has resulted
fatally. In the Crimean war Mr. Lord served as
captain in the artillery, and took part in the battle
of Balaclava. Shortly after the close of the war
he spent some time in Vancouver's Island, the re-
sults of which he afterwards published in his
Naturalist in Vancouver's Island. He also acted
as naturalist in the North American Boundary
Commission. At the time of his death he was
manager of the Brigiiton Aquarium.

The Young Hippopotamus. — At a recent meet-
ing of the Zoological Society of London, Mr. A. D.
Bartlett read some notes on the birth of the hippo-
potamus which had been announced at the previous
meeting of the society. Mr. Bartlett called par-
ticular attention to the fact that on one occasion
the young one appeared to have remained under
water without coming to the surface to breathe for
nearly fifteen minutes, and also pointed out that
this was the first instance of the hippopotamus
suckling her young in captivity.

How ARE Eels Bred ?— Aristotle says they are
bred from mud. Pliny believed that they rubbed
off portions of their bodies, and that these frag-
ments became perfect animals. Horsehair from a
stallion's tail when placed in water was (and per-
haps still is) believed] to produce them. Professor
Hunter made some beautiful drawings of the

HARUWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

17

sexual organs of eels (now in the College of Sur-
geons). At certain seasons of the year the milt
and ova may always be found. If the stomach of
an eel is opened, two narrow sacs running on each
side of the air-bladder and extending the length of
the abdomen, will be seen and continued past the
anal orifice on the inner surface of the membrane
forming this tubular sac. The milt in the male is
secreted, and the ova attached in the female. One
edge of the membrane is' attached to the membran-
ous .lining of the spine, the other is free, and appears
puckered or plaited like a frill. The caudal heart,
or rather pulsating vesicle, of the eel forms a very
interesting microscopic object. It may readily be
seen in the tail of a young eel about four or five
inches in length. I have found the best way to
examine it is to place the eel in a weak solution of
chloral, and when it becomes motionless put it in
a glass trough filled with water; it will remain
quiescent for half or three-quarters of an hour.
The above plan is the best way to quiet the newt
and frog tadpole : the circulation in the branchia; of
the former when rendered motionless is a sight
worth seeing. — F. K.

English Anchovies. — In an interesting and
suggestive paper read before the East Kent Na-
tural History Society in November, Dr. Gulliver
stated the Anchovy {Engrmdis encrasicolus) was
much more abundant in the seas off the southern
coasts of England than has been supposed. During
a recent visit to Devon, Dr. Gulliver has seen many
anchovies lying among the young herrings, which
might have been collected for potting, sauce, or
pickling. He thought this was an instance of the
many too well-known examples of the waste of our
fish, and of the neglect of what might be made a
profitable branch of native industry. Mr. Couch
had previously shown that this fish abounds off the
coasts of Cornwall towards the end of the summer,
and that well-known ichthyologist had suggested
that if attention were paid to them, sufficient might
be caught to supply the consumption of the British
islands.

Distribution of Insects in dieeekent Locali-
ties. — I have recently been impressed by a curious
circumstance which perhaps other collectors of
Lepidoptera may have noticed. When beating or
searchin for larvae, there is more difficulty in
obtaining them sometimes just in those localities
where they might be expected to be more numerous.
Thus, in the Kentish roads, twenty or thirty miles
from London, the result of a few hours' work
in pursuit of larvje will be less than in a locality
seemingly more unpromising, as, for example,
Wimbledon Common. I imagine the reason is this .
in an extensive wood, caterpillars will be unequally
distributed ; the parent moths take fancies for

certain spots, and deposit eggs there by preference ;
so that one may hunt a good deal, and yet may
not chance to hit upon the best places. But at
Wimbledon, and other resorts of insects nearer
London, the various food-plants are limited in
quantity, and therefore the moths and caterpillars
are, as it were, concentrated about these. —

/. B. s. a

A Means oe Capturing Moths. — I am in-
formed by a friend that a tolerably successful mode
of securing individuals in wood-ridings, or other
narrow avenues where there are trees on each side,
is to bang a white sheet across in a good position.
The entomologist stations himself beside it with his
net in the dusk, or even by day. Many moths will
settle upon it at various elevations, and they may
thus be boxed or netted ; others flying across are
seen reflected upon the sheet, and are more easily
captured. In some cases the insects seem dazzled
or bewildered by this object, and do not exhibit
their usual agility in escaping. — /. R. S. C.

BOTANY.

Littorella lacustris.— I am not sure whether
Mr. Hind (Science-Gossip, Oct., 1S72, p. 231) con-
siders this plant as extinct ; but Bentham speaks
of it as apparently widely distributed, and it is
abundant near here. — B. J. Austin, Beading.

Littorella lacustris. — I see by a notice in
your last number that the Littorella lacustris has
been found this summer in Ruislip reservoir, the
last recorded discovery of the plant being so long
ago as 1S05. This plant was found by my son, now
the Rev. R. M. Stewart, near Porthleven, Corn-
wall, in the year 1S65. I have the specimen, which
was an excellent one, and is still in very good con-
dition. — L. Steioart.

Epipactis latifolia.— I saw a good many fine
plants of this somewhat rare orchis last summer in
the lower part of the Crystal Palace grounds,
Sydenham. Though I have passed the very spot
scores of times during the last few years, I never
observed it before, though I feel sure 'it must have
been growing there for a considerable time. — H. E.
Wilki7ison.

Epipactis palustris. — The notice by " Al. I."
of the discovery of a station for Epipactis palustris
between Mortlake and Kew recalls to my mind a
similar instance of its occurrence in another part
of Surrey. The extensive hilly district of Hind-
head contains numerous valleys, consisting of wet,
marshy meadows drained by small rivulets. In one
of the meadows was a small patch of ground, lying
at the confluence of the rivulet and a side drain,
which was of a more distinctly fenny nature than
the rest of the meadow, it being so wet that sphag-

18

HARDWICKE'S S C IE N C E-GO SSI P.

num had nearly choked the grass. Here in a tri-
angular space, not four yards long, Epipadis palus-
tris was growing in some plenty, accompanied by
Gymnadenia conopsea ; and although the latter
plant was to be found in many parts of the
meadows, not a single plant of the Epipadis oc-
curred anywhere else. I prefer not to give the
exact locality. Here, in Norfolk, where it abounds
in the fens, such reticence would be unnecessary. —
C. G. Barrett.

The Ophrys apipera in Herts. — This rare
plant grows in considerable quantity in certain
localities in Herts ; but from my own observations,
it is more plentiful on banks of the Great Northern
Railway than in any natural locality. I suppose
that the seeds of the plant were either sown with
the grass with which the banks are covered, or
that it was brought with the earth that composes
the banks. I am sorry to say that some of the
localities have become known to some persons who
gather it, roots and all, most unmercifully. In
spite of this the plant came up this year with ten-
fold abundance, almost covering the ground in
some places. — Thomas Bates Blow, Welwyn, Herts.

Mistletoe ojst the Oak.— At the meeting of
the Worcestershire Naturalists' Club, in October
last, Mr. J. Twinberrow announced the discovery
of a second mistletoe oak in the county, at Lind-
ridge, near the Shropshire boundary. This, says
the Journal of Botany, makes the fourteenth known
example in England.

Potentilla fruticosa. — In answer to your
correspondent "A. J." 28, Upper Manor Street,
Chelsea (S.-G., Dec. 1872, p. 278), I can affirm
Potentilla fruticosa does grow on the north bank of
the Tees in this neighbourhood. It is, perhaps,
thirty years since it came under my notice, but I
have seen it at intervals down to the present time.
Keeping no note-book, I cannot say at how many
stations I have gathered it ; at one only could I be
certain of finding it, where the plants are stunted,
being rooted in the fissures of the mountain lime-
stone. I am pretty confident more stations could
be found if a search were instituted. Eggleston
Abbey is about one mile below here, and Thorp
three miles further, both on the south side of the
river, at neither of which places have I noticed it.
The only thing worthy of a passing notice at the
latter place is a station for that handsome member
of the Geranium family (Geranium Pyrenaicum), the
only one I ever met with. Winch Bridge, High
Force, and Widdy Bank are the head quarters for
the above-named Potentilla. Had your correspon-
dent visited the last-named locality about the end
of April, he would have been introduced to as
great a rarity in Oentiana verna. As I have not a
London catalogue, I cannot say which is the greater
rarity of the two.—/. Maughan, Barnard Castle.

GEOLOGY.

A New Trilobite erom the Cape of Good
Hope.— At a recent meeting of the Geological
Society of London, Mr. Henry Woodward, E.G.S.,
described a new species of Trilobite from the
Cock's Comb Mountains at the Cape of Good
Hope, which had been preserved in a nodule, the
impression retained in which, when broken, fur-
nished the most instructive details as to its struc-
ture. Each of the eleven thoracic segments was
furnished with a long median dorsal spine, giving
to the profile of the animal a crested appearance.
On each side of this the axis of the segment bears
two or three tubercles, and the ridge of the pleura
four or five tubercles. The tail is terminated by a
spine more than half an inch in length, and all the
spines are annulated. Eor this Trilobite the author
proposed the name of Encrinurus crista-galli, al-
though with some doubt as to the genus, the head
being only imperfectly preserved.

New Tertiary and Post-Tertiary Birds.—
Some new species of birds were found by the Yale
party during their explorations of last year in the
lower tertiary strata of Wyoming. We give the
following descriptions, and add an account of a few
species of interest from the post-Pliocene of the
Atlantic coast. The Aletornis nohilis, new both in
species and genus, was a large wading bird, nearly
equal to the flamingo in size. It is indicated in the
collections by the distal end of a tarso-metatarsal
bone and by a few other fragmentary remains. The
Aletornis pernix is a smaller species of the same
genus, represented by portions evidently belonging
to one skeleton. It was about as large as a scarlet
ibis. Another species of wading birds apparently
belonging to the genus Aletornis is indicated by the
distal part of a tibia in perfect preservation, show-
ing the bird to have been of about the size of a
curlew. The Aletornis gracilis was another small
aquatic bird, not larger than a woodcock. It is
represented in the Wyoming collection by the
proximal end of a humerus in excellent jsreserva-
tion, and by some less important remains. A
diminutive species of about half the size of that
just mentioned is the Aletornis hellus. The remains
found somewhat resemble similar bones in the kill-
deer plover. A small bird belonging to the Scansores,
and evidently related to the woodpeckers, is termed
the Unitornis lucaris, and is represented by the
distal end of a tarso-metatarsal in perfect condition.
Tiie specimens indicate a bird about as large as the
Golden-winged Woodpecker {Colaptes auratus,^\x.).
A new species of Catarrades, termed the Catarractes
affinis, may be based upon a right humerus, which is
entire, and in an excellent state of preservation.
The Meleagris alius is determined on portions of
four skeletons, and resembles most nearly, in size

HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

19

and general features, the' common wild turkey of
North America. It may readily be distinguished,
however, by its more slender proportions, and
especially by the more elongated posterior limbs.
A much smaller species of the same genus is the
Meleagris celer, represented by two tibise and the
proximal half of a tarso-metatarsal bone, which
•were found together and probably belonged to the
same individual. The remains indicate a bird of
about one-half the size of the M, altus. The Grus
proavus is an extinct species of crane, somewhat
smaller than the Grus Canadensis, Temm., and is
indicated in the Yale Museum by a nearly perfect
sternum, a femur, and a few other less important
remains, which probably are parts of the same
skeleton. The sternum apparently resembles most
nearly that of the Sand-hill Crane, but differs from
it in many particulars. — Scientific American.

EossiL Iksects.— A large number of fossil in-
sects have been discovered in the Tertiary shales of
Colorado, associated with fossil fish, leaves, and
fruit. In "Wyoming territory similar objects have
recently been obtained, many of them, however,
being quite uudistinguishable. About forty species
have been made out, belonging to the Diptera,
Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, Hemiptera, Orthoptera,
Keuroptera, Arachnida, and Myriapoda; the greatest
number of specimens belonging to the first-named
group, and the next most abundant being the
beetles. The shales in which these fossil insects
are found have a thickness of a thousand feet.

New Cakbonifekous Land Shells. — Two new
species of land shells have recently been met with
in the coal-measures of Illinois. One of these is a
pupa, and has been named Pupa vermilionensis ;
the other is a helix, and has been described under
the name of Anomphalus Ileekii. These ancient
terrestrial animals are highly interesting as indica-
ting that the atmosphere of the Carboniferous
period was capable of being breathed.

Coal Section. — In answer to an inquiry by
E. T. Scott, as to what coal is likely to produce a
good section, I may say that after having made and
examined a very considerable number of coal sec-
tions, it is my opinion that nearly all true coal, if
properly prepared, gives evidence of "vegetable
structure"; but if Mr. Scott wishes to see cellular
tissue in coal, I can only say that it is very rarely
to be seen, except in preparations of "mother-of-
coal." Cellular tissue is, however, found beautifully
preserved in certain nodules, which abound in the
coal in some localities, and sections of which are
often exhibited and sold as coal sections. The
structure of coal varies in detail, but lycopodiaceous
spores and sporecases ("vegetable structures")
exist in greater or less abundance in a very large
proportion of the true coal. — Edtoin T. Newton.

NOTES AND UUERIES.

Hernesitaw (p. 283, 1872).— Thisword is probably
used for "heronpcaux," in modern Ereuch heronneau,
a young heron. A similar word occurs in Chaucer : —

" I wol not tellen of hir strange sewes,
Ne of hir swannes, ne hir heronsewes."

" Squire's Tale," 11. 10, 381-2.

The swan and heron were coveted dishes at high
feasts, and " sewes " here means dishes (cf. the
Erench assiette, a plate, the sewer being one who
served, or set on dishes at table). In Halliwell's
Archaic Dictionary, i. 446, we read : " Hernshaw, a
heron ; ' Ardeola, an hearnesew,' Elyot, 1559 ;
Hernsue, MS. Line. Gloss. ; Herunsew, Reliq.
Antiq., i. 88." It thus appears that " herneshaw "
and " heronsew " are convertible terms; but the true
\\e\o\\-shaio means a wild, wooded place where
herons breed in a state of nature, — a heronry in
modern parlance. It has been also contended that
Shakspeare meant " heronshaw " in Hamlet, act
ii. sc. 2, where he writes " I know a hawk from a
handsale;" the terminal " shaw " would here have
a third meaning, viz., a dummy, or sham heron, a
decoy, or stuffed bird set up to train young hawks
by ; but it is not likely that he would obscure his
real meaning by writing " handsaw," if he meant
a " heron."—.-:;. Hall.

The Herneshaav.— This is the old name for the
common heron. Ilalliwell, in his " Dictionary of
Archaic and Provincial Words," spells it " hern-
shaw." I quote his notes upon it, as they may be in-
teresting to Mr. Hudson: " 'Hernshaw, a heron;'
' Ardeola, ^Vl hernesheiv,' Elyot, 1559 _; Hernsue, MS.
Line. Gloss. ; Herunseto, Ueliq. Antiq., i. 88." Col.
Montagu, in his "Dictionary of British Birds,"
gives the following provincial names for the Ardea
cinerea, Latham : — heron, hern, heronshaw, crane,
long-necked heron, heronswegh.hegrie, or skiphegrie.
W^e quote the following passage from the same
author: "At present, in consequence of the dis-
continuance of hawking, little attention is paid to
the protection of heronries, though, I believe, none
of the old statutes concerning them have been
repealed. Not to know a hawk from a heronshaw
(the former name for a heron), was an old adage,
which arose when the diversion of heron-hawking
was in high fashion ; it has since been corrupted
into the absurd vulgar proverb ' not to know a
hawk from a handsaw.' " Shaio, a shadow, is from
the Saxon, according to Bailey, " a tuft of trees
which encompasses a close shade." Hence then
BucJcshaio (a place in Dorset) may have been a
shady place resorted to by the deer, and so heron-
shato was, perhaps, the tuft of trees inhabited by the
heron, and so the bird and its abode got confounded
into a single name. In Halliwell's Dictionary,
before quot^ed, we find the word " Shato, a thicket.
This word is often explained as a small wood, and
in the glossary of Syr Gawayne, a grove or wood."

" That sani?e in the sesone in the schene sehawes.
So lawe in the lawiidez so lykand notes.''

Morte d'Arthure.

" In summer when skawes be sheyne.

And levcs be large and long,

Hit is fulle niery in feyre foreste

To here the foulys song."— 1/5. Cantab.

The word "heron" is from the Erench, and on turning
to Deblainville's Erench and English Dictionary
I find: 'Heron, s.m. (a large kind of water-fowl
that feeds upon fyi\\), heron or hern;" and in the
English and Erench partof the same work, "Heronry

20

HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

or heron-shaw, s. Iieronniere." I seldom go to
my water-meadows on the Yeo, in Dorset, without
seeing a heron. I fancy we have more than one
heronry or heronshaw in the county, though they
must be over ten miles from this. — /. Buclcman,
Bradford Abbas.

Hekneshaw. — Spenser himself, in his spirited
description, furnishes the key to the mystery ; the
bird meant is the heron, which is often ([ might say
always) called by the country people in the Eastern
counties a " harnsaw," or " harnsey." Shak-
speare makes Hamlet speak of " knowing a hawk
from a hernshaw," stupidly corrupted into " hand-
saw." Chaucer in his " Squire's Tale " has " heron-
sewes" : —

" I wol not tellen of hir strange sewes (dishes),
Ne of hir swannes, ne hir heronsewes."

In a Latin glossary, circa 1559, Ardeola (Ardea) is
translated a hearnesew ; in MS. Gloss. Line, we
have hernsue; in Reliq. Antiq. it is spelt herunsew ;
in our modern lexicons hernshaw is explained as
meaning a heronry ; in Grieb's German Dictionary
Keiherstand is translated hernshaw, heronry; Dansk
Ordbog, heirekede is translated herons' nests, hern,
shaw. Tyrwhitt, in his glossary to Chaucer, explains
heronsewes to mean young herons, no doubt deriving
it from the French heronneau, a young heron. I am
not quite sure that hernshaw and heronseto were not
formerly distinct words ; the former being com-
pounded of hern (heron), and shaw a small wood or
coppice, and /zerow^e?^, a corruption oi heronneau; the
two words were no doubt soon confounded, and
heronsew, hernsew, harnsaw, and harnshaw were
applied to the bird itself, as, for instance, the
word " eelfare " is a provincialism for a young eel
(in some counties corrupted to Elver). The word
'.' eel-fare " was originally applied to the migration of
the young eels, from the Anglo-Saxon \Q^h faren,
to go. — F. Kitton.

Borings in Fossil Wood.— Some time ago a
friend at Castleton, Derbyshire, gave me a piece of
fossil wood. On cutting up this piece 1 found it
to be pierced with small round holes, somewhat less
than ^ of an inch in diameter. At first I
thought these holes might be part of the structure
of the wood; but on grinding the sections down, I
found them to be the borings of some small larva
or beetle, for I could plainly see, under the micro-
scope, that the walls of the vascular tissue of the
wood had been gnawed away. The borings at in-
tervals are filled with the excrements of the iusect,
all beautifully preserved. Tiie wood is silicated,
and shows the markings on the walls of the vessels
very well — two and sometimes three rows of pitted
ducts. — John Butterworth.

Insect Anatomy. — Would any of your corre-
spondents inform me of the titles .and price of any
works on insect anatomy ? I have several good
works on general entomology, also Lowne's "Ana-
tomy of Blow-fly;" but would like to have some
work treating on the anatomy of insects in general.
— /. S. H. Wigan.

MlCROGIlAPHIC DiCTIONAKY (SCIENCE-GoSSIP,

p. 276, 1872).—" W. L. N. " is mistaken respecting
the Dictionary. Parts IX. and X. were published
in August and November respectively. It is unlikely
that a book with a constantly increasing demand
would be abandoned in the middle of the third
edition.— -E". P. F.

Hawk and Canary. — Thinking the following
incident would be interesting to many of the
ornithological readers of Science-Gossip, I have
extracted it from the columns of the Hereford Times.
A similar occurrence is mentioned by Montagu, with
this exception, that the window was opened, the
hawk captured, and paid the penalty for its au-
dacity. " One Sunday morning lately, the writer
of this brief notice was present in the house of a
gentleman in Hereford. A canary was hanging in
a cage in the window next the street, when a hawk
from some gardens opposite flew against the window,
evidently desirous to make the songster its prey.
In this it was foiled ; but the fright was fatal to its
intended victim, for it fell fi-om its perch, lingered
for a day or two, and then died."— P. B. J., Here-
ford.

Sugaring. — I noticed some nionths back, in the
pages of this periodical, inquiries as to the modus
operandi. Pull directions were given by many
correspondents. But let not those with whom the
season has been the first time of trying it be dis-
couraged at their want of success. Night after
night have I made my expeditions, and the result,
on nearly every occasion, the same — "a beggarly
account of empty boxes." There can be but little
doubt that this was owing to the unseasonably cold
weather which prevailed. From observations made
by Mr. Glaisher, at the Royal Observatory, the
temperature was some degrees lower than it has
been in the corresponding month (September) for
the last fifty years. And I entirely concur with
" J.R.S.C." and Mr. Reeks, that " mild, wet winters
prove far more destructive to insect life than dry
ones with any amount of severe frosts." — Joseph
Anderson, Junr.

An Optical Query. — Will some one of your
readers, skilled in optics, give me the rationale of the
following effect ? Holding between the candle and
the eye, at a distance of almost six or seven inches
from the latter, a glass slide with an opaque micro-
scopic object about k of an inch in diameter in the
centre, I notice an opaque object which obscures
the light of the candle ; but as the glass is ap-
proached more nearly to tiie eye, the opaque object
vanishes, and the entire flame of the candle is seen,
as if no opaque object intervened. — R. H. Nisbett
Browne.

Interference of Light. — On Saturday, the
15th of June, 1872, I was reading at the hour of
3.55 A.M., in a room having an eastern aspect.
The room was lighted by a common benzoline spirit
lamp set on the table, which was, however, burning
rather dimly, having been alight all night. I held
the book I was reading so as to throw the combined
light of the dawn entering by the window and the
benzoline lamp on it. On coming to the bottom of
a page, I was much surprised to notice that the
shadow cast by my hand on the white margin of the
page was of a bright blue colour. Thinking this
might be the result of some derangement of mv
eyesight, I tried the experiment with papers of
various colours, but found the result the same.
The shadow cast by tiie lamp was black at and
within six inches of the flame ; then faintly blue or
indigo for three or four inches ; at twelve inches it
was deeply, darkly, beautifully blue; at two or
three feet it was fainter; and at six feet was only
seen as a blue umbra or fringe round the black
shadow. The distance of the lamp from the window
was seven feet. I noted these particulars at once,

HAKUVVICKE'S SCIE^'CE-GOSSIP.

21

and liaving failed to find a satisfactory explanation
in the ordinary text-books, have applied to you. —
Horace Wilsoti.

Keeping PupjE through the Winter (p. 237,
1872) —In reply to "M. H.," I may state that I have
been accustomed to keep those caterpillars which I
eitlier kno\y or suspect will require earth in which to
undersjo their transformations, in_ earthenware jars
or ]5ots, having from two to six inches' depth, ac-
cording to the size and habits of the species._ Of
course, it is only necessary to place the caterpillars
in these when they appear to be almost full-grown.
The earth I use is'common garden mould, mingled
with a little sand, to keep it from binding too
closely. Some persons recommend the mould
obtainable from decayed trees. If this is used, it
must be well baked, to destroy small insects, mites,
&c. I do not moisten or disturb them during the
winter. In the spring, I disinter them and place
them on dry moss. I should add, that after a
caterpillar has gone down to prepare for pupation,
the receptacle should not be moved untilit has
settled down, for a jerk given to the pot or jar will
alarm the caterpillar frequently, and bring it to the
surface of the earth, to undergo its change under
disadvantage.—/. R. S. C.

The Privet Hawk. — I had in my garden,
last autumn, caterpillars of the Privet Hawk-moth
feeding on the Privet, the Lilac, and the Laurestine.
Tlie Privet and the Lilac, given by Stainton as the
food-plants of this beautiful caterpillar, are very
closely allied, both belonging to the Oleacea ; but
the Laurestine {Viburnum Tunis) belongs to an
order sufficiently remote, that, namely, of the Elder,
the Linnsea, and the Honeysuckle, — the Capri-
foliacete. Individuals shifted from one of the plants
to another at once fell to work as if they perceived
no change of diet. I saw Viburnum Tinus serving
as food-plant to the same caterpillar in Clarendon
Road. — /. /. M., St. Helier's, Jersey.

Bees in Birds' Nests. — In answer to T. C.
Oborn's interrogatory paragraph in " ours " for
October, headed "Chaffinch's Nests," I have to
say the fo' lowing : — Only once has a case similar to
that which T. C. Oborn speaks of attracted my
attention. It w^as last Jul.v, that, walking in a
friend's garden, we discovered what proved to be a
robin's nest almost entirely hidden from observation
in the ivy and climbing rose that overarched the
gravelled walk. My friend carefully put his hand
into the nest to feel for the supposed eggs, but as
quickly drew it out again, exclaiming that he had
been bitten or stung. On pulling out the nest with
a stick, there flew out an indignant bumble-bee, — not
one of the great big fellows whose stings are so
innocent according to those who have had no stinging
experience, but a smaller, foxy-haired little fellow.
It left behind in the nest a large dark-coloured
waxen cell containing embryo bees in the shape of
little white grubs. The nest was, like T. C.
Oborn's, about five feet off the ground. It had been
built that season, and contained no eggs when the
insect appropriated it, the fledged birds having
flown some time before. Although such a habitat
for bees is new to the experience of some practical
bird-nesters of my acquaintance, I think it may prove
a not uncommon one. — TV. TV. H.

The Woodpigeon's Cry. — "The amusing
incident with regard to the Woodpigeon's cry"
mentioned by Mr. G. O. HoweU in your July num-
ber, has long been familiar to me in a slightly altered

form, in common, no doubt, with others who are
acquainted with the north of Ireland. In our
version of the story, the thief is, as you may antici-
pate, an Irishman, and the words supposed to be
uttered bv the pigeon were " Taktwo coos, Jemmv "
instead of " Take two sheep, Taffy," as Mr. Howell's
version has it, the object of theft being a cow
instead of sheep._ The words seem to be Scotch, or
partly so. The inhabitants of the North of Ireland
are principally Scotch, and theu- language is full of
Scotch words and expressions. Notwithstanding this,
the story may be really Scotch initsorigm; Ihave never
heard it, however, in Scotland, though 1 have lived
there for some time. I may add that the Woodpigeon
generally commences, not with the note representing
the word "tak," which is a short and sharp sound, but
with that representing the word " two," which is a
long and rather mournful note ; the next note, repre-
senting "coos," is also long, longer indeed than the
preceding one ; the word " Jemmy " is represented
by two short sharp sounds. We have thus two long
notes, followed by three short ones, thus — "Two coos

Jemmy tak" (— ^^ .^~' ^^ the longest note

being the second. Sometimes, however, the bird
commences with the short sound " tak," as the story
represents it to have done. — T. A. H.

The Skulpin.— Couch, in his admirable "History
of British Fishes," vol.ii.p. 17-4, when referring tot he
Skulpin, says: "Pliny further tells us that'to the
Romans, in addition to the name of Callionymus,
it was known as the Uranoscopus, or sky-gazer,
because its eyes were on the top of the head,
with their vision directed upwards. This latter
circumstance in connection with its former name,
which recognizes the beauty of its appearance, may
be supposed to point to the Yellow Skulpin, which
answers to both these particulars ; but if any doubt
remains concerning it, we are not able to mention
any other author of a remote date who has given
ail account by which it can be more definitely deter-
mined." I suppose this statement respecting the
upward aspect of the eyes has arisen from the fact
that ichthyologists a few years ago described fishes
as they appeared when dead. There is at present
a specimen of the Skulpin in one of the marine
aquaria in the Central Exchange Art Gallery,
Neweastle-on-Tyne, and, although the eyes are
certainly placed near the top of the head and are
tolerably close together, they do not look upwards,
but sidewise, and the upper surface of the eye is pro-
tected by a thick, elevated, light yellow integument.
There is every reason to believe that the general
distribution of marine aquaria, and especially the
devotion to the interests of science of such recep-
tacles for marine animals, will be the means of
largely increasing our knowledge of the habits and
forms of marine animals, and at the same time
remove many erroneous impressions that now
obtain respecting their habits and modes of life.
—T. P. Barkas, F.G.S.

Cockchafers. — Some time ago I met with a
curious account of the ravacres committed by these
insects, in an old book, called " Wood's Zoography,"
published at the besinning of the present century.
Itis extracted from "Philosophical Transactions" for
the year 1697. The place where the cockchafers
first appeared was the south-west coast of Galway,
and they penetrated several miles inland. During
the daytime numberless swarms hanging to every
tree and hedge in the district were busily engaged
in their destructive work; but towards evening,
when the sun went down, they would all disperse

22

HAKDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

and fly about with a strong humming noise, so as to
darken the air for several square miles. The noise
made by this swarm in gnawing the leaves re-
sembled the sawing of timber, and in a short time
after their arrival they had eaten up every green
thing. Several causes contributed to their destruc-
tion. High winds and steady rain killed many
millions, and tiie pigs devoured them with great
relish as they fell from the trees. The poor people
also lived upon them when they had nothing else
left to eat. Towards the end of the summer ail the
chafers that remained took themselves off in a body
as they liad come, and never returned in succeeding
years in such swarms. In this country such visita-
tions as these are very uncommon, but on the
coiitinent they are of frequent occurrence.— -ff. C.
Lefroy, Blackheath.

Tenacity of Life in a Hekmit Cbae. — TVe
have a small sea-water aquarium, the principal
occupants of which are a number of sea-anemones
of different colours and sizes, and a hermit crab,
which last is a great favourite, and causes us much
amusement by his ceaseless activity and odd ways.
The other day we missed the little fellow, but
thinking that he might have hidden himself under
some pieces of rock, and that he would soon reap-
pear, we did not concern ourselves much about him.
Three days passed and still he was nowhere to be
seen. We then emptied the aquarium of its contents,
and looked most carefully among the pieces of rock
and coral, but alas, the missing gentleman was not
to be found. At last it was suggested that a sea-
anemoue must have made a meal of him, in which
case we knew that the shell would soon be rejected.
We therefore examined the anemones one by one,
and. soon saw a little bit of the shell of our hermit
protruding from between the tentacula of one of
them. With some difficulty the crab was extricated
from the living grave which was only just large
enough to hold him, and to our great astonishment
he at once began to run about in his usual lively
manner, and though his shell is somewhat broken,
he seems to have sustained no bodily injury, and is
in as good health and spirits as ever. Of course his
name from henceforth will be " Jonah" !—E. P.
Jackson.

The Cambeuavell Beauty.— I believe that the
correct date for the Camberwell Beauty, alluded to
in Mr. Barrett's paper as having been observed at
Easton, was March 22nd, IS47, and that I was in
error in informing him it was on July 31st. Cf.
Zoologist, p. 1702.—/. //. G., Jm.

How does the Spider weave its Web ?—
If your correspondent " G. C." will refer to vol. ii.
of Kirby and Spence's " Introduction to Ento-
mology " (third edition, 1S23), he will find much
information as to the wonderful means of (so-called)
" flying" practised by spiders, indicating that they
can thus'with great facility bridge over with their
webs a considerable span.— /S". F.

How DOES the Spider weave its Web ?— Of
the methods suggested to explain the difficulty
presented by " G. C.," the most probable appears to
be that the spider possesses the power of projecting
its thread to some distance, and fixing it to any
object it may aim at. Eor corroboration of this I
will refer " G. C." to page 213 of last September
number of Science-Gossip. The web then may be
formed in this way :— The spider first forms a ring
for the boundary of its web, as much in the shape
of a circle as circumstances allow. In the case of

a stream, this ring is attached to grass, &c., _ at
each side. It then forms a thread across from side
to side. Erom the middle of this diameter it makes
the radii, and then fills up the centre with the
concentric circles. — G, R.

TJnio littokalis.— The shells from the Rhine
mentioned by me in November's Science-Gossip
turn out to be those of TJnio Batavns, and not
Uttoralis, which, I am told, is not found so far north
as Holland ; it occurs, however, in Erance. — Harry
Leslie.

Ants. — Can any of your readers tell me t lie best
means to extirpate the Hed Carrier-aut {(Ecodoma
cephalotes), which is so very destructive to the
leaves of shrubs and trees throughout Brazil ? They
are particularly fond of rose-trees, and when once
they make their appearanre the tree is doomed, as
every fresh leaf is cut off and carried away into
their holes. Much labour is spent in trying to
destroy them by forcing charcoal or other fumes
into their holes, but with little effect. It is doubted
whether they are affected by any fumes or gases
whatever ; and they will not eat any kind of seeds,
grain, sugar, &c. ; so that they cannot be destroyed
v.'itli arsenic or phosphorus. If anything could be
found to be really effective against them, it would
command an extensive sale throughout Brazil, and
take the place and name of the — Ant-eater.

Cole Tit {Parus ff/<?/-).— Having set a common
brick trap in the garden, I was surprised to find on
trwo occasions, when the trap was sprung, that the
intruder had burrowed out under the brick, the
footmarks not being that of mouse, mole, or rat.
To make sure of the captive, I banked up earth all
round the outside of the trap, and laid down inside a
slate, when, behold, was secured a cole tit, and
what is remarkable, it had exhausted itself to death
with efforts to burrow out ; the crown of the head was
sore and bare of feathers, from contact with the edge
of the brick ; its claws of each foot were worn down
to the quick, and the beak had all the appearance
of desperate efforts to bore a hole through the slate ;
the tail feathers were clotted with earth, and the
edges of the wings mutilated. Can any of your
readers inform me if the Cole Tit burrows for food,
such as larvae, underground ? A friend told me
in Herefordshire this bird is called locally the
" Burrow-down Tit."— 2^. D. S.

Ipswich Science- Gossip Society.— This flourish-
ing society, which took its name from ourmagaziue,
has just held its third conversazione, at which nearly
seven hundred persons were present. The hall in
which it was held was filled with objects of interest.
Among others was shown a musical-flame organ,
constructed by Mr. Eord Goddard, on the principle
of Tyndall's musical flames. This is, we believe,
the first time the original discovery has been practi-
cally applied, and too much praise cannot be be-
stowed upon it. Several simple airs were played
by it. Electro-magnetic engines, in motion, con-
structed and exhibited by the Hon. Mr. Grimston,
Dr. Piesse's " Odophone," the " Siren," an instru-
ment for measuring the velocity of music-sounds,
and various other objects of the same kind, were
exhibited. Splendid cases of butterflies, comprising
local varieties, were shown by Mr. Henry Miller,
hou. sec, and Mr. Long. Other natural objects
were minerals and fossils, birds' eggs, &c. The
committee had worked for weeks previous, and,
together with the president, Dr. Drummoud, and
the hon. sec, Mr. Miller, deserved their success.

HAHPWICKE'S SCIENCE-GO 8 SI P.

23

The importance of these gatheriugrs in creatin;? a
uider sympathy for science cannot be over-estimated.

Longfellow's Compass-plant.— This plant is
the Silphinm Jaciiiiatum, -u-ell known to the settlers
and hunters of the Far- West, Ijclonging to the class
Compoxiffr, and all the species lieing natives of the
United States. Bnt it is a coarse and stout, not
delicate and fragile plant, as described by Long-
fellow, though it is correct that tbe edges of its
vertical leaves are directed north and south. The
cause assigned for this by Dr. Gray is no doubt the
correct one,— that both sides of the leaf are equally
sensitive to light, and the stomata, or pores, about
the same in number on each surface.— -£'. Edwards.

Collecting and Setting Lepidopteea. — As a
collector of twenty years' exjierience, I beg to offer
my opinion upon the above subject. In reply to your
correspondent " P. E. A.," as regards fiat -setting,
my experience has taught me that those specimens
set in that style are valueless, because all practical
British lepidopterists set their specimens upon
rounded corks ; and to place specimens in the
cabinet set in any other style would not look uni-
form. I think every entomologist will agree with
me that all specimens should be thoroughly dry
before they are removed from the setting-boards. I
don't see how it is possible for the wings of every
specimen to drop exactly the same distance if
removed before they are dry, as suggested by your
correspondent " F. E. A." By using braces pointed,
and only one pin, we may save space. By setting in
this style, about twenty specimens of the Yellow
TJnderwing {Nodua promiba) size may be set upon a
board J 4 inches long. Setting with a pin at each end
of the brace, not more than ten specimens could be
set in the same space. Another mistake is made by
the same correspondent, namely, mixing thecapturcs
with the empty boxes. Why cannot an ento-
mologist have two pockets, and keep them sepa-
rately ? If not, the chances are that, while you are
hunting for an empty box, your prize will either
make its escape, or spoil its beauty by running
about the net, especially if your net is at all damp.
I always use a bottle charged with cyanide of
potassium, as i-ecommended by Dr. Knaggs. The
moment my prize is in the net, I transfer it to the
bottle. When it is stupefied, I turn it into iny
hand and pin it, after which I place it in a zinc
collecting-box, with two or three drops of chloro-
form, to prevent its returning to life. Such large
and active insects as Sphinx convolvuli should be
chloroformed in the net. Butterflies may be pinched,
but it is not a good plan. I much prefer using the
bottle. Only such insects as fly in the daytime,
and small species, should be boxed, and then great
care should be taken to keep them cool. I usually
carry a zinc box for this purpose, and pack the
boxes with a few green leaves. I advise all amateur
lepidopterists to read "the Lepidopterist's Guide,"
by H. Guard Knaggs, M.D., E.L.S., which I believe
to be the best work upon practical entomology. —
E. G. Meek.

Flat v. Rounded Setting-boauds por Lepi-
dopteea. — In Science-Gossip for December last,
your correspondent H. A. Auld cautions ento-
mologists against using flat setting-boards, which
" F.E. A." recommended in your November number.
As an authority to back up his opiniou, he mentions
the name of Dr. Knaggs, who is well known to be
one of our best entomologists. Kow, although
li. A. Auld denounces setting on flat boards,

yet he does not give a reason for its disuse, but
contents himself with asking the question, "Why
the lepidoptera in our public museums are not set
in this way, and also why our creat authorities do
not set theirs on flat boards?" Now, if H. A.
Auld wishes to know the reason, it is this : All
continental lepidoptera are set on flat boards, and
English entomologists being jealous of the nation-
ality of their specimens, set them on rounded or
bevelled setting-boards, in order that they may not
be confounded with foreign specimens. Besides,
flat-setting is considerably easier to beginners, and
in addition, lepidoptera so sethaveamore natural ap-
pearance. 1 cannot, however, agree with "F. E. A."
in recommending the use of setting-boards made
entirely of wood, my own experience being that the
softest of wood would be found too hard for the
]3oints of the strongest of entomological pins. _ Dr.
H. G. Knaggs, in his " Lepidopterist's Guide,"
p. IIG, says: "Flat-setting has many great advan-
tages over the ordinary method (setting on rounded
boards), but it is very unpopular in this country,
for the reason that continental specimens are set
in this way, and English collectors are very sensi-
tive on the point of having the authenticity of their
captures doubted." — Claude Eyan.

Dkied Plants. — Having tried many methods of
drying and pressing a specimen of Atropa Bella-
donna (Deadly Nightshade), with a view of retain-
ing, in some degree, its natural green colour, but,
alas! always without success, 1 should be glad,
therefore, to know, through any of your numerous
readers, whether such a thing as preventing this
discoloration be accomplishable or not ; and pro-
viding it should not be, if they can state as to what
the probable cause of failure is due ? Also whether
a similar tendency to discoloration in other plants,
when pressed and dried, be at all attributable to
any property common to that plant ? Else, so far as
regards Atropa Belladonna, as also Melampijrum
pratense (common yellow Cow-wheat), 1 have
thought in my own mind that perhaps the general
habit of these plants, growing, as they niostly do,
in shady situations, might have something to do
with it, 'in that of preventing the free development
of chlorophyl (green colouring-matter of plants)
in its tissues. Still, since this theory seems to be
opposed by other plants to which this remark does
not apply, I am compelled, therefore, to distrust
the idea, as affording any explanation thereof, alto-
gether.— /o//« Harrison, Newcastle-on-Tyne.

Beech-tkeesIand Lightning (p.283,lastvol.).—
I venture to suggest that the exemption of beech-trees
from injury by lightning is due to the uninterrupted
passage afforded by the smooth bark to the electric
fluid, while the rugged surface of oaks offers nu-
merous points of resistance, and thereby causes in-
jury to the tree. — 11. Egerton.

Communications Receivkd up to 12th ult. C. L. A. —
J. W. N.-J. P. B.— S. G.-T. H. G.— i^. M. C— F. D. S.—
H. L.— J. L.— S. F.— A. G.— E. L.— J. E. S.— J. P. B.—
H. E. W.— J. B.— C. C— G. B.— T. B. B.— F. H.— J. F.—
A. H.-A. C— W. S. P.-R. H. P.-E P.P.-J. S. H.-J F.—
J B — F. W. M.— W. L. S.— J. H. E.— C. L. J.— T. E. T. W.
— E. T. S.— T. B. W.-J. K. S. C— E. W.-F. a.— J. P.—
\ L — F. S.— A. N.— E. W.— J. M.— J. B — E. B. K. W.—
W. K. C.-G. G.— J. G. R. P.— P. B.— J. H. M.— W. T. P. \V.
_R. G.— E. L.— H. R. W.— J. D. M — G. C-J. F.— A. S.—
H E. D— J. B.-J. A. Jun.— E. T. N.— R. H. N. B.—
■Vv G. W.— S. W.— T. E. D.— E. E.— J. H —J. W. G.
-J. W. G.-W. S. P.-C. R.-E. J. M.-W. M. R.-
Dr. L. G. M.-C. M.-J. G.-C. H. M.-J. H. H.-C. M.-
H. H.— E. C. J.-E. C. M. -A. A.— J. S. Juii.,'&f.

24

HARDWICKE'S SCIEN C E - GO S SI P.

NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS.

J. Sargent, Jun. — The insects are a species of Cnccus,
females. The eggs are hatched under the body of the
mother, which serves as a cocoon. The " Cochineal insect "
is a well-known member of this class.

Rev. S. a. B. — The pinnule certainly reached us as de-
scribed. " White Varieties " became a drug in the market.
Hence our closing our columns to their further discussion.
As to the rest, accept our apologies. We will inquire into
the matter.

T. R. should refer to the vol. for 1872 ; at page 231 he will
find all the information he requires respecting dyed sections
of wood.

A. P. S.— See vol. for 1872, page 118, for an answer to your
query respecting Paste Eels.

C. H. M.— They are the specific name?, of well-known
butterflies. See Newman's *' British Butterflies." An ento-
mologist would have been in no difficulty about them.

A. O. W., and " Bryum."— Answers next month.

E. C. J. — An unavoidable delay has arisen in the naming
of the zoophytes. Both these and the fungi will appear in
our next. Latter arrived too late for insertion in present
issue.

A. Smyth. — The Bombyx Cynthia is the same species as
that you name. The other species is believed to be the
Japanese silk-worm, now much cultivated. Your third
query is rather vague. Newman's " Butterflies " and
"Moths" would do for the Lepidoptera ; Rye's "British
Beetles " for Coleoptera; and Stephen's and Hubner's great
works are the only other general ones.

R. H. Philip. — We cannot undertake to name small
seeds.

J. C. H. — Our correspondents should remember that our
rule of priority in the insertion of" Exchanges," &c., cannot
be departed from. As we every month receive more than we
can insert, it follows that some must stand over. These are
always the last received.

J. F.— We cannot open our columns to complaints of
Publisher's delays. The best plan would be for J. F. to write
to the publishers about this grievance. We thoroughly
sympathize with it.

C. L. Archer.— See paragraph in Microscopical column of
Science-Gossip for December on " Mounting in Dammar."

F. H.— Your communication will receive our attention.

A. E. Murray.— The small fungi on the piece of wood
were Agaricus epiphyllus; the other was a portion of
Polyporus.

G. Grant.— Your specimen was a piece of coke that had
got among your coal !

J. B.— Many thanks for the slides. The sections are admi-
rably cut.

"Hernshaw" and "Micrographic Dictionary."— We
have received so many communications from kind readers on
these subjects that we do not think it necessary to devote a
number to them !

W. N. wishes to know of any Field Club or General
Natural History Society in the North-east of London.
Perhaps some of our correspondents can answer him.

E. H. — We do not think you could do better than adver-
tise your collection in our columns, stating what they are.
Send such an advertisement to the publisher, 192, Piccadilly,
for price, &c.

Edwin Clarke. — Your specimen is the male plant of the
common Hemp,

F. M. C. — A re-issne of the " Micrographic Dictionary " is
slowly going on. You can begin to take the monthly
numbers whenever you think fit, price 2s. 6d. each. The
publisher is Van Voorst.

EXCHANGES.

Slides of Pieces of Wing of Demerara Butterfly {Morphio
Menelaus^ mounted, for other mounted objects.— C. L.
Watchurst, 33, Blessington Road, Lee, London, S.E.

For Seeds ot Amaranthus hypochondriucus send stamped
directed envelope to P. Smith, Leigh Street, Warrington.

British Birds' Eggs for British Lepidoptera. — Send for
.iststo W. Dick, Burgh School, Dunbar, N.B.

W.a,nteu, gond Specimens of Lanestris, Neustria, Apicaria,
Cytherea, Trilinea, Corticea, Cursoria, Conigera, Comma,
Lithargyria, and Tragopogonis. Good Lepidoptera in ex-
change. — Joseph Anderson, Jun., Alresford, Hants.

For Oak Leaf with " Spangles " and " Button Galls "
(illustrated in SciENCE-Gos SIP, vol. ii.page 228), send stamped
and directed envelope to J. H, G, 21, Church Street, Ashby-
de la-Zouch.

Case of Melicerta ringens, mounted, for other good mounted
objects. — John C. Hutchison, 8, Lansdowne Crescent,
Glasgow.

Egos of Common Tern from Sea-lion Island, Port Santa
Cruz, Patagonia, in exchange for other eggs. — John M.
Campbell, 6, Carrick Street, Glasgow.

Leaves of DeiUzia scubra and Aralia papyrifera (Rice-
paper plant) showing stellate hairs, in exchange for any
mounted object. — J. R. Simmonds, 32, Cornwall Street,
Moore Park Road, Fulham, S.W.

Seeds of Australian floweringtrees and shrubs to exchange
for seeds or seedlings of hardy sub-tropical plants, or seeds
of British heath, forest, or water plants. Lists on applica-
tion. — Rev. A. L. Ackland, Grammar School, Colchester.

For vertical and transverse Sections of Hoof of Ass for
Polariscope, send stamped envelope and any microscopic
objects to Jas. Lumsdeii, 197, Doming Street, Wigan.

Butterflies from Amazons and Borneo"; Seeds from
Madagascar and E. Peru ; Shells from Cuba, N. Caledonia,
&c. ; for microscopic slides. — G., 20, Maryland Road, Harrow
Road, W.

Sibthorpia europtea; Sedums, six kinds ; Saxifragas, twelve
kinds ; Aubretias, six kinds ; Campanulas, three kinds ;
Dianthus, four kinds; and many others. — For list apply to C.
Malyon, Lewisham Road, S.E.

Crystals for Polariscope. — A variety, well mounted,
to exchange. — Send list of duplicate slides or material to
A. Allen, Felstead, Essex.

Wanted, Slides of selected named Diatoms, recent and
fossil. A liberal exchange in vegetable and entomological
slides. — Send lists to E. Ward, 9, Howard Street, Coventry.

V.\Rious preparations from Coleoptera (named) offered for
other well-mounted slides. — Send lists to W. G. W., 14,
Smithford Street, Coventry.

For Diatomaceous deposit, containing thirty-six species of
diatoms, send stamped addressed envelope and object to
John H. Martin, 86, Week Street, Maidstone.

A FEW finely -flgured Santonine sUdes (Polar) offered for
other good slides. — N., Fareham.

For Hair of Long-eared Bat send stamped and directed
envelope, with object of interest (mounted ones preferred) to
F. S., Post Office, Rugeley, Staffordshire.

Lower Tertiary Fossils for mounted microscopic ob-
jects.— C. C, 6, Landport Terrace, Southsea.

Small Shells, stuck on sea-weed, in exchange for other
microscopic objects.— J. N. Hoare, the Hill, Hampstead.

Several slides of Wing of Polyommatus Paris (a beautiful
opaque object), in exchange for any other good entomological
slides.— Address, J. S. Harrison, Mr. Wise's, 38, Frog Lane,
Wigan.

For mixed Seeds, comprising several beautiful as micro-
scopic objects, send stamped envelope and object of interest
to R. H. PhiUp, Anlaby Road, Hull.

FoRAMiNiFERA from Bomco, and Wing of Demerara But-
terfly mounted, for other mounted objects. Lists exchanged.
— C. L. Watchurst, 33, Blessington Road, Lee, London, S.E.
Chalina oculata (a spiculous sponge), for named un-
mounted sections of canes and pepper- tree. — H.B.Thomas,
13, Market-place, Boston, Lincolnshire.

Seeds of British Wild Plants.— Send a list to W. W.
Reeves, King's College, London.

Three good Slides for a well-mounted section of human
tooth or human bone. — E. Lovell, Holly Mount, Croydon.

P. Alexis, male and female, upper and under ; V. Atalanta,
upper and under; Pupa and Imago of Plvsia gamma;
Dragon-flies, Agrion (?), for Fritillaries or Hairstreaks.

British Lepidoptera in exchange for Birds' Eggs and
Land and Fresh-water Shells; a few live Specimens of Helix
arhustorum for exchange. — W. R. Mann, 17, Wellington
Terrace, Clifton, Bristol.

BOOKS RECEIVED.

Van

"The Micrographic Dictionary." Parts 8, 9, 10,
Voorst, 1, Paternoster-row, London.

" The American Naturalist," November.

"The Canadian Entomologist." No. 10.

" The Journal of Applied Science."

" Land and Water."

" Les Mondes."

"The Animal World."

"Elementary Geology.'' By J. Clifton Ward. London:
Triibner & Co.

" The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals."
By Charles Darwin, F.R.S., &e. London : John Murray.

" Fourteenth Report of the East Kent Natural History
Society."

" Monthly Microscopical Journal."

"Certain Wingless Insects." A Paper read before the
Brighton and Sussex Natural History Society. By T. W.
Wontor, Hon. Sec.

" The .Earth a great Magnet." By A. Marshall Mayer, Ph.D.
London : Triibner & Co.

" Fifth Annual Report of Eastbourne Natural History
Society."

HARDWICKE'S SCIEN CE-GOSSIF.

COLLECTING AND PRESEEVIN&.

No. XTI— GRASSES, &c.
By James Buckman, F.L.S.

RASSES form such
a distinct group of
plants, and their
study is so often
undertaken for spe-
cial purposes, that
aifew remarks up-
on their collection
and preservation can hardly be
considered as out of place in
Science-Gossip.

Delicately as grasses are
formed, yet it cannot be said
that their tissues are so liable
to injury, or their colours so
evanescent, as are those of the
flowering plants which the
botanist ordinarily delights in.
ISTor indeed are the Grasses so
succulent as' many other herbs.
In this respect they may be
said to hold a place between
ferns and those plants which
usually are called flowers.

Again, in the dried state their organs are generally
so well preserved as to present all that a botanist
can wish for, for identification as well as arrange-
ment; and the student of Grasses ever finds his col-
lection to contain beauties not only in point of
rarity, but as regards delicacy of structure and grace
of outline.

Viewing them in this light alone, we have often
been astonished that so many students of plants
pay so little attention to them, and this feeling is
enhanced when the great value of the Grasses is
considered.

If then a few simple directions for preserving

these plants shall have the effect of winning a convert

to these views, we shall be delighted ; and to this

end we shall make our descriptions as simple as our

No. 98.

process has ever been easy and simple, and yet
complete.

In collecting grasses, as in other tribes of plants,
it will be necessary that our specimens should be
chosen with the view to exhibit every feature of
interest. With this view, then, it will be best in the
general way to obtain as much of the plant as
possible, so that it may be necessary to get them up
by the roots. Still, in many species the root is not of
much importance; but there are a few which possess
rhizomata, or underground stems ; such as the Triti-
cumrepens, Foapratensis, P. compressa, Holcusmollis,
Agrostu stolonifera, and others. These should always
exhibit these parts ; and as such examples are usually
agrarian, it is easier to mark, down desirable speci-
mens and seek a fork' at the neighbouring farm-
buildings wherewith to completely get them out,
than to carry any substitute in a smaller and less
perfect implement.

Having made these remarks, we will suppose
that we are now about to sally forth in search of
Grasses ; in which case we make the following pre-
parations.

As we do not file our copy of the Times, we make
use of it as collecting-paper as follows : — Each side
of the paper is cut in two, or, as a Cockney would say,
" in half." Each half is then folded into a double
collecting-sheet, and as many of these are taken as
are likely to be useful. In each of these papers is
put a small slip of writing-paper, on which to note
the locality and any other noteworthy fact connected
with a specimen when put in the paper. These
papers, separately folded, are placed with the open
ends inwards in a convenient portfolio, and the col-
lector is ready to take the field.

Of course there will be those who will advocate
Bentall's drying-paper, blotting-paper, and so on, and
we would not have it supposed that we despise these
luxuries ; but as we have found the plan advocated
always to answer the purpose for Grasses, we have

26

HARDWICKE'S S CIENC E-GOSSIP.

felt independent of the more refined collecting-
papers.

Now let us suppose that we have gathered fifty
specimens, and have returned home. The next
thing will be to put them as soon as may be in a
position for drying.

Our drying apparatus then consists of half a dozen
smoothly-planed deal boards, and for our first collec-
tion we take two of these, and upon one we lay some
few folds of our old Times, then a specimen in their
papers (having previously improved their arrange-
ment, when necessary), and then some more folds of
paper, and proceed as before, until all the specimens
have been placed; then put a board on the top sheet,
andupoutliat astoneor a 7 or M-lb. weight, according
to the size and quantity of the specimens. If another
day's collection of specimens be made before the
foregoing are dry, they may be arranged in the same
way on the top board, and another board used and
the weight replaced. The object of thiols to keep
partially dried from fresh specimens, the putting
together of which is a fertile source of mildew and
decay.

In arranging our specimens for the Herbarium,
we procure sheets of cartridge-paijer 18 in. long by
11 in. wide, using a fokipd sheet for each species.

In these papers the si,ccimens are fastened down
in the following manner ; —

Gum over a portion of the cartridge-paper (so as
to.have the same colour) with two consecutive coats
of a clean solution of gum-arabic.

This can be cut into slips of any length and breadth,
making them as narrow as possible for the sake of
neatness, and when the specimen is placed in its
paper, a few of these slips may be made to confine
it in the desired position. Each example is then to
be labelled at the bottom of the sheet, and each label
should set forth : — a, Its botanical name ; b, its
ti'ivial or local name ; c, the locality whence it was
obtained ; d, the date when gathered : added to
which, if presented, the donor's name.

The sheets so prepared maybe arranged in groups
or genera, each being folded in convenient paper or
cloth wrappers, and the whole arranged in volumes
of stiff covered portfolio.

This, then, is all that seems to us necessary in the
collection and preservation of Grasses; but we would
recommend the student, if an artist, to make a
typical specimen of each sit for its portrait. In this
way we have made drawings of all the species and
varieties that have come in our way.

Our drawings are life-size, usually lined in with
Indian ink with a fine " lithographic pen." These
we partially colour on the spot.

The anatomical details are much enlarged and
always fully coloured. To this end our impedimenta
for a day among the Grasses consist of, besides, the
collecting-portfolio, a sketching-block, large octavo
size, and a small box of soft colours. Armed with

these we have made many a drawing of a grass under
the shade of a tree, or in the parlour of some con-
tiguous inn.

Lastly, we would venture to remark, if, besides the
interest which Grasses should have for the student
of botany, these plants be viewed, as they have ever
been by us, as indicators of the nature of soil and
the value and capabilities of the laud on which
they grow, the collector should not fail to make
notes connected with the soil, situation, and other
practical facts connected with the habitats of

GRASSES.

NEW BOOKS.*

TTEEE we have a batch of new books, the cut-
-'--^ ting of whose leaves is a veritable luxury.
After having enjoyed them ourselves, we cannot do
better than make them known to our readers.

Any work from the pen of Charles Darwin
requires no recommendation whatever of ours.
Whether we believe in his doctrine of Natural
Selection or not, we cannot do otherwise than admit
the vast influence his writings have exercised on
philosophical Natural History. He seems to us to
have done for this department of human knowledge
what Newton did for astronomy. A new impetus
has been given to every department of natural
science since the appearance of his " Origin of
Species." As a philosophical expounder of difficult
phenomena we know not where to look for his
equal. How careful an observer he is, and how
diligent a collector of facts, his works on the Cirri-
pedia, on the Fructification of Flowering Plants,
especially orchids, and that on Animals and Plants
under Domestication, all prove. If his " Descent
of Man" seemed to some a departure from his habit
of strictly adhering to facts, and appeared hazily
hypothetical, we feel sure that this on the "Emo-
tions " will more than atone for it. Every muscle
in the human face has its meaning here plainly
traced. The physiological expressions of men and
animals are compared or contrasted, and it is not
too much to say that physiognomy— before only
known in the works of Bell and the empirical theory
of Lavater— has obtained by the present work a
scientific basis. Those of our readers who know the
charm of Darwin's former works, how he leads his
readers on to his conclusions in the clearest and

* " The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals."
By Charles Darwin, F.R.S. London: John Murray.

"Manual of Palaeontology." By Professor Nicholson.
London : W. Blackwood & Son.

"Art Studies from Nature, as applied to Design." London :
Virtue & Co.

" Physical Geology and Geography of Great Britain." By
Professor Ramsay. Third Edition. London : Ed. Stanford.

"Elementary Geology." By J. Clifton Ward. London:
Triibner & Co.

HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

27

most attractive of English, will experience more
than their usual treat when they sit down to this
book. Never was more truly realized the saying
about men labouring and others entering into the
fruit of their labours ! The illustrations are excel-
lent, and recourse has been had to photographs in
rendering the more telling of 'physiognomical ex-
pressions. Even the most antagonistic of anti-
Darwinians will not hesitate to admit how much
he has learned from a careful study of the work
before us.

Tbe appearance of Professor Nicholson's " Manual
of Palaeontology" will be welcomed by many a
student to whom the older work of Professor Owen,
owing to its more technical nature, has been more
or less of a sealed book. The illustrations are
numerous and good, and thus the first want of the
student is met. The subject is treated in what we
have long held to be the only right one — by con-
sidering extinct forms and groups side by side with
those now existing. Zoology and Palseontology are
thus made to reflect light on each other. Professor
Nicholson is thoroughly master of his subject, and
his style, as we have before had occasion to remark,
is very clear and attractive, although' terse. Com-
mencing with the lowest forms of life, we are led
on to the highest, living species being alluded to
and figured whenever necessary. The great stream
of life is thus followed up from its source. A part
is devoted to " Palseo-botany," which, we think, it
would have been better to have omitted for some
time to come. In no department of geology is there
so much confusion and doubt as in fossil plants.
Nearly all the work already done requires to be
done over again. Hence the student can place
little confidence on any geological botanical conclu-
sions. There are some good workers in the field —
Carruthers, Dyer, Williamson, Dawson, and others
— and the chaos will ere long be reduced to order.
The fourth part of the work is on "Historical
Palseontology," and is very valuable. We are glad
to notice a full glossary of terms at the end. From
what we have briefly said, therefore, four readers
will see that in this "Manual of Pala3ontology " the
geological student has a most valuable and ex-
haustive work placed at his disposal.

In "Art-Studies from Nature " we have a capital
idea, and one ihat would have well borne more
detailed working out than in the present volume,
which, by the bye, is admirably got up, the illustra-
tions being of a very high order. It comprehends
four papers, all intended for the use of architects,
designers, and manufacturers, which originally
appeared in the Art Journal, The first is by Mr.
E. E. Hulme, E.L.S., on the Adaptability of our
Native Plants to the Purposes of Ornamental Art,
and is, in our opinion, the best in the book. Such
familiar plants as the wood anemone, arum, black-
berry, cinquefoil, dog-rose, hazel-nut^ and hop are

so grouped as to surprise the beholder with their
really graceful and elegant proportions, and to cause
him to wonder that these natural products have not
been preferred to the usual architectural conven-
tionalities. Mr. S. J. Mackie has contributed an
interesting and original paper on Sea-weeds as
objects of design, with microscopic enlargements of
structures. The paper on the Crystals of Snow-
as applied to the Purposes of Design, by Mr. James
Glaisher, F.R.S., is most exhaustively illustrated,
almost every form of snow-crystal being figured.
How beautiful these are, only those who have care-
fully and repeatedly studied them can understand.
The fourth paper is by Mr. Robert Hunt, E.R.S.,
on the Symmetrical and Ornamental Forms of
Organic Remains, and deals with the prettier
fossils, animal and vegetable; among which,
Ammonifes, Trigonice, Pedens, and fossil ferns
occupy the most attention. We welcome this
handsome book as a step in the right direction, and
one tending, even from a utilitarian point of view,,
to give to natural science more importance than it
has hitherto obtained. We are sorrj^ however, to
find that the most suggestive of all natural objects,
for purposes of artificial ornamentation, has not
been dealt with. We allude to the Diatomacese,
than which nothing can furnish more striking
designs of exquisite [beauty to the jeweller or
general designer.

Professor Ramsay's book has grown, in this third
edition, from a slim and scantily reported series of
of six lectures, to a real manual of geology, and one
that cannot fail to take its place in the library as
a work of reference. As regards strati graphical
geology, it is very certain we have nothing so
good in the English language. This is a depart-
ment usually too much ignored, all the attention
being given to palseontological geology, or that part
devoted to organic remains. Except Professor
Juke's "Manual," we may be said to have had
nothing which the student could really consult. Of
Professor Ramsay's ability to treat on the combined
sciences of Physical Geology and Geography, his
position as Director of the Geological Survey of
this country is sufiicient proof. Few geologists
have experienced more active or difficult field-work.
And we regard the combined study of physical
geography and geology as being as important as
the twin studies of zoology and palseontology, to
which we have alluded. Although professing to-
appear as a third edition, the book before us is
practically a new book, with much new matter, new
illustrations, and new arrangement. It^ is clearly
and even pleasantly written, and our geological
readers cannot fail to appreciate it,

Mr. Clifton Ward's unpretending little volume is
just of the kind we should recommend to any young
man who asked us what would be the best work for
him to begin the study of geology with. The illus-

c 2

23

HARDWICKE'S S C 1 E N C E-GOSSIP.

trations are numerous, and if tliey are not of such
a tiigli iiiiisb, they are telling. The book was
origiually given as a course of nine lectures on
geology, and is specially adapted for the use of
schools and junior students. We are sorry, how-
ever, (hat in his classification of the animal king-
dom, Mr. Ward has placed the Graptolites among
the Polyzoa. This is a mistake frequently made, but
their common place is among the Hydrozoa, as they
were undoubtedly allied to our modern sertularians,
the chief difference being that they were free,
instead of fixed. With this mistake, which we
doubt not Mr. Ward will correct in a future
edition, we have nothing but unqualified praise to
bestow upon his work. Perhaps it would have
been better had it stood alone, and without ^the
" Geological Dream " being appended to it.

SELF-HEAL.

{Prutiella vulgaris.)

OOME account of this plant, including the origin
^ of one of its English names, " Self-heal," was
asked for in the December number of Science-
Gossip. As it has a variety of English names
besides the above, I think a short history of the
origin and meaning of them all will, perhaps, be
interesting. First, however, as to the plant itself.
The genus Pncnella belongs to the natural order
Lahiatce. It consists of herbaceous plants only,
whicli are "distinguished by a two-lipped calyx,
the upper lip truncate, three-toothed, the lower
bifid ; stamens ascending ; style bifid."

We have only one native species. Prunella vul-
garis, a very pretty though exceedingly common
plant, found in rather damp and barren pastures,
and very generally by the roadside ; and in some
-counties, as, for instance, in Cheshire, when an old
clay pasture is broken up for a crop of oats, the
i*runella is often so abundant as to be, in some
degree, detrimental to the corn, — a circumstance
which has given rise to a name that will be men-
tioned hereafter. The plant grows five or six
inches high, sending shoots out in all directions,
which trail on the ground and take root at the
Joints, so that it very soon spreads considerably,
and clings so tenaciously to the soil, that it is very

■ di£B.cult to weed it up without leaving a portion
behind : our Cheshire labourers would say, " It's

. as ill as scutch." The whole plant is hairy, and it

■ sends up many spiked heads of purple flowers, with a
vpair of leaves at the base of each spike. The plant is
not altogether destitute of beauty, even when out
of flower ; for the calyx is persistent and becomes
rather membranous, and when the flowers are over,
the heads of dry calyces stand up like little brown
turrets. I have always had an idea that our wild
Prunella would be worth cultivating, and Ij,'sug-

gested it in Science-Gossip a year or two ago ;
but I have not experimented upon it myself. Still
it varies in colour from dark purple to light greyish-
blue, and occasionally even to mauve and white : it
flowers continuously from July to September; and I
have little doubt it could be very much improved by
cultivation, like most other things. In one of the
early volumes of Curtis' s Botanical Magazine, pi. 337,
is figured Prunella grandiflora, which is remarkably
pretty, and which some authors have thought to be
merely a variety of our P. vulgaris. It suggests,
at any rate, what cultivation might, perchance, do
for our own wild species.

Self-heal {Prunella vulgaris).

The old German and Dutch names of the plant
were Brunellen and Bruynelle ; in English, Brunei
and Prunell, and in French, Prunelle, which, of
course, were adopted from the German. The name
arose from the use of the plant in curing the
quinsy, or some other throat complaint. One of
the modern German names of the quinsy is

HAKDWICKB'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

^0

"Braune." Lyte (1578) says, "It is good to
wassh the mouth often with the decoction of
Prunell, against the ulcers of the mouth, and it is
also a soueraigne remedie against that disease
whiche the Brabanders do name den Bruynen,
that is, whan the tongue is inflamed, and waxeth
blacke, and is much swollen, so that the generall
remedies haue gone before." A combination of
nitre and sulphur, called " Sal Prunelle," is often
used by old-fashioned people as a remedy for a
sore throat. It is dissolved in the mouth gradually,
and, I believe, has frequently a very good effect.
The name, doubtless, has some connection with
that of the plant, either because curing the same
disorder, or from similarity of effect, or' the drug
may, possibly, have been sold as an extract of
prunella.

The scientific name is not classical Latin. It is
the old German name Latinized into Bniiiclla, and
softened into Prunella. The old herbalists give
both forms as the Latin name of the plant. It was
also called in Latin Cotisolida media, and was classed
with the Bugle {Ajuga reptans), a plant which it
somewhat resembles, as Middle Consound.

I think the name Brunei or Prunell is now quite
obsolete, and I have no record of Self-heal being at
present in actual use, though it is always given in
botanical books as the ordinary English name, and
may, possibly, still be known. The name " Self-
heal " is found in all the old herbals. It means a
plant with which one can cure oneself. Dr. Prior
quotes an old Prench proverb given by Ruellius :
" No one wants a surgeon who keeps Prunella."
It was considered a specific for wounds. "The
decoction of Prunell made with wine or water doth
ioyne together and make whole and sounde all
wonndes both inwarde and outward as Bugle
doth." Sanicula Europcea was also called " Self-
heal " for the same reasons.

Several modern local names, however, point to
the use of Prunella as a joiner of wounds. In
Yorkshire and in parts of Cheshire it is called All-
heal ; around Belfast it is known as Touch-and-
heal, a name given in many places to one of the
St. John's Worts. In Cheshire it is most generally
known as Carpenter-grass'; and it is thought that if
a carpenter cuts himself, the leaves will stanch the
blood and heal the cut. In Gloucestershire it still
retains a name given by all the old herbalists. Car-
penter's Herb. One of its Cheshire names is Proud
Carpenter. Why such an epithet has been added,
or why the name has been so corrupted, I cannot
explain -. names very often do get thus capriciously
altered, until there is very little left to show their
original meaning. It is somewhat remarkable, too,
that in Cheshire the word " carpenter " should be
retained in the name of the plant, though a worker
in wood is seldom or never so called, but is always
spoken of as a "joiner."

Hookeheale and Sicklewort were also old names
for Prunella. Lyte and Gerard both give the
former, and Gerard the latter name. Dr. Prior
thus explains Hookheal, " from its being supposed,
on the doctrine of signatures, to heal wounds from
a billhook, which its corolla was thought to
resemble." He says of Sickletcort, "from the
shape of its flowers, which, seen in profile, re-
semble a sickle." A hadgiiig-hooh ^ and a sickle,
both instruments for cutting corn, certainly
resemble each other, and a badging-hook is often
used for trimming hedges ; but an ordinary bill-
Jiook is very different ; so that the flower could
scarcely resemble both a billhook and a sickle.
The fact of the plant often growing amongst corn,
and its known use as a wound-wort, may have in-
duced men to look for its "signature;" still,
although the corolla of each flower does curve in
the form of a hook, I liardly think the resemblance
is sufficiently striking to have been regarded as an
indication of its use ; besides which, there are
scores of labiate plants in which the resemblance
is quite as striking, or more so. I think, most
likely, both names simply refer to its use by reapers
when cut with a hook or a sickle, and it would
generally be at hand for the purpose.

Gerard also calls it, in the appendix to his
Herbal, Pimperucll,— a name then and now gene-
rally given to Aiiagallis aroensis, but sometimes to
Pimpinella saxifraga, an umbelliferous plant. In
the herbals Poterium is Pimpinell, which is derived
from the middle-age Latin lipetinella, variously
corrupted into pampimtla and pimpinella, and refers
to the leaflets of a pinnate leaf. This derivation is
correct as regards Pimpinella and Poterium, both
of which have pinnate leaves ; but not as regards
Anagallis or Prunella. The latter, however, may
have been confused with Sanguisorba {Poterium),
because both were specifics for stanching blood
and healing wounds.

A Gloucestershire name for Self-heal is Ply-
flower, perhaps from a fancied resemblance of its
flowers to those insects.

Johnstone, in his "Botany of the Eastern Borders,"
calls it Prince's Peathers and Heart-o'-the-Yearth.
The first of these names is given in other places to
several other plants, and I cannot tell why it is
transferred to this, as it does not in the least
resemble them ; neither can I explain tlie second
name, unless there may be an idea that it is an
exhausting weed, taking the best ingredients out
of the soil. An Ayrshire name is London Bottles,
which may be given as a distinction from the
ordinary Blue-bottles {Centaurea cyanus), though
there is really no resemblance.

The last name I have on my list is Pickpocket,
which is in use in Essex. This is a sort of generic
and very expressive local name given to several
agrarian weeds which injure the farmer by taking

so

HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

the best ingredients out of the land. Amongst the
plants thus stigmatized as pickpockets is Corn
Spurrey {Spergula arvensis), which is a very
troublesome, choking weed in sandy soils, I men-
tioned that in certain soils Prunella was very
prevalent as a corn-weed, and that it was difficult
to eradicate, which circumstances have, no doubt,
combined to give it the name it still bears in Essex.

Robert Holland.

THE PHILOSOPHY OF NATURAL
HISTORY.

AMONG other definitions of philosophy. Dr.
Johnson, in his world-famed dictionary, tells
"us that this word means " an hypothesis or system
npon which natural effects are explained," and
surely there is no branch of philosophic study
which is more open to individual effort or genius,
or which owes more to the industry of what the
world would term " common-place" intellects, than
the science of Natural History. In the study of the
world's products and components every lover of
Nature may find a grade suited to his ability, and a
section iu accordance with his taste, and that man
is much to be pitied who devotes himself entirely
to classical lore, or commercial pursuits, to the
exclusion of natural science. It is my intention to
bring before the readers of Science-Gossip, within
the limits of the present article, some facts and
hypotheses which, if not entirely new, are at least
sufficiently undeveloped to present matter for the
consideration and attention of thoughtful minds.

It has probably not unfrequently occurred to
most people as a very strange thing that so much
pain should be suffered by animals lower in the
scale of creation than man, without apparently any
of the compensating advantages enjoyed by the
latter. Surely there cannot be any doubt as to the
capabilities of such enjoyment possessed by the
animal world, for no one who has heard a cat purr
will deny that the feline tribe at any rate are sus-
<!eptible of pleasurable sensations. What says
analogy ? Does the pig, grovelling in the mire of
his sty, enjoy himself less than the glorious peacock,
sunning his train on some conspicuous eminence ;
•or does the pleasure experienced by au athlete,
in going through his pentathlon, exceed the calm
delight of the philosopher, cooling his heated brow,
"sub tegmine fagi" ? Surely not. How is it then
that animals iu their natural state appear to have
so little happiness and so much pain? Let us
picture to ourselves the evening scene in a tropical
forest. The fiery sun, like a red-hot ball, drops be-
hind the western hills, and night falls suddenly on
the jungle world. Then the butterflies close their
wings, and resign their posts to the radiant fire-flies,
and the kings of the forest, who have been purring

away the noonday heat, surrounded by their frolic-
some cubs, emerge from their cavernous dens, and
roar for ththeir challenges on the nearest hillocks.
Then the denizens of the jungle, collecting in one
immense herd, march down the well-beaten track
to the river or streamlet, which is always found in
close proximity to the forest, for the purpose of
taking their nightly drink, and to lave their fly-
tormented hides in the cooling stream. Having
quenched its thirst, each creature proceeds to do
that which is right in its own eyes, and, unfor-
tunately for the peace of the community, the
hungry carnivora commence to fall upon their
prey.

It is in vain that the timid antelope urges that it
has as much right to live as the most voracious
lion that ever breathed ; it is in vain that the wild-cat
claims consanguinity with the tiger about to devour
it. Might is in the ascendant, and from might there
is no appeal. Consider what a frightful amount of
pain is occasioned in this way, or, to speak more
correctly — if we adopt the hypothesis presently to
be set forth — is apparently occasioned, in each acre
of tropical forest every night of the year. Now,
every thinking naturalist must often have asked
himself — " Is this so ? Would a merciful Providence
have ordained that the sparrow should be reared
only to perish in the talons of the hawk, or the
gazelle only to be torn in pieces by the lion, if
a happy immunity from pain did not accompany
their untoward end ? " It is true that animals in-
stinctively avoid the carnivora which prey upon
them, but if this be taken to prove that their death
is a painful one, we must infer that some mode of
communication exists among dumb animals enabling
them to communicate nervous sensations to one
another — a thing which human beings find difficult
to do. All living creatures, except, perhaps, the
zoophitic classes, and also many plants, avoid
death-giving agencies ; but this dread is innate in
the organic system, though, perhaps, it can scarcely
be reckoned among the functions of instinct, as that
term is generally understood, inasmuch as it exists
in forms of animal and insect life too low in the
scale of existence to have any other nervous cha-
racteristics.

So far, however, the evidence is of a negative
kind, and only goes to prove that we are mistaken
iu our estimate of the amount of corporeal suffering
existing among animals, and some theory must be
set forth which may serve as au explanatory key to
unravel the mystery, and which may shed a fresh
light on a subject concerning which we can only
deplore our ignorance. The most circumstantial
evidence points to that marvellous but little-under-
stood power which goes by the name of fascination,
as the provision which Providence has instituted
for the humane purpose of lessening animal pain.
To understand this power rightly, it is necessary to

HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE. GOSSIP.

31

investigate the habits of the snake tribe, in which it is
especially apparent. Many reptiles of the venomous
class, and some that are harmless, when alarmed or
angry, coil themselves up in the form of a cone, and
then raise the head and neck from the centre of
this coil, hissing at tbe cause of their disturbance ;
other snakes strike their foe at a bound, using the
tail as a fulcrum ; but the majority glide rapidly
along the ground until within a few feet of their in-
tended victim, and then elevate the head and glare
steadily at the wretched creature, who is quite
unable to escape, being apparently glued to the
spot where it stands, and trembling violently in
every limb.

When this state of things has existed for a few
moments, the snake darts forward, and either gulps
down its prey at once, or, if it be of a larger size,
strangles it in a cold embrace. Mr. W. Wood,
in his "Zoography," says that in South America
rattlesnakes and other serpents are universally
believed to have the power of charming or
attracting small animals. When a hungry reptile
wishes for a meal, he lies down at the foot
of a tree, and, as soon as a bird or a squirrel
notices this, it skips from spray to spray in wild
excitement, hovering and approaching gradually
nearer to its enemy, regardless of any other danger,
until it gets within a few inches of the snake's jaws,
and is immediately snapped up. Mr. Pennant gives
a similar account, and describes the serpent as
lying at the bottom of a tree on which a squirrel is
seated, and then exercising its fascinating power
to such purpose that the animal, becoming stupe-
fied with terror, loses its balance and falls to the
ground, where it lies an easy prey to its snaky foe.
A writer in a recent number of a periodical cor-
roborates these accounts, and states that he himself
has witnessed the same thing. It would appear,
then, that ihe organ through which this fascinating
power is chiefly exercised in the serpent tribe is the
eye, of all the organs of sense the one most inti-
mately connected with the brain. On turning to
the structure of the optic nerves, we find that the
size of the pupil is varied by the action of the muscu-
lar fibres composing the iris. When the latter is
exposed in a brilliant light, the circular fibres con-
tract, while the radial are relaxed, and thus the size
of the pupil is diminished ; on the other hand, when
the object viewed is obscured by the gloom of
night, tiie radial fibres contract, whilst the circular
are relaxed and the pupil is enlarged. In this well-
known fact we find at least one of the reasons why
the carnivora catch their prey by night, for the
pupil of the eye being larger than in the day, more
light is admitted, and probably its fascinating
powers become greater. But if these powers are
exercised by snakes through the eye, there is no
evidence to show that other animals do not possess
the same property and make use of it in the same

way, and no one who has seen the domestic cafe
crouching down, preparatory to a spring, trembling"
in every limb with nervous excitement, and flashing
fire from its voracious eyes, can doubt that the
genus i^e/w at any rate exercises mesmeric influence
in this way.

But in all probability fascination is not confined
to the eye. A snake or a tiger may in this way
prevent the escape of its victim, but when once it is
caught, and the charming effect of the gaze is at an
end, the wretched creature, unless entirely panic-
stricken, must experience great bodily suffering. It
is known that the nerves contain a peculiar fluid,
which is not found in other parts of the body, the
composition and physical characteristics of which are
very little known. Moreover, we know that wheu
a nerve is frozen, whether naturally or artificiallyj,
it may be cut or otherwise injured without any
sensation of pain being produced. In a late number
of the Popular Science Review there is an admirable
article by Dr. Richardson, F.R.S., in which he say&
that in his opinion the visible nervous fluid " is not
of itself sufficient to act as a subtle medium that
connects the outer with the inner universe of man
and animal. . , . There must be another form
of matter present during life, a matter which exists
in the condition of vapour or gas, which pervades
the whole nervous organism, surrounds, as an
enveloping atmosphere, each molecule of nervous
structure, and is the medium of all motion commu-
nicated to or from the nervous centres." Pain,
according to this writer, is the result of very rapid
vibration of the nervous ether, and if this vibration,
which may be caused by a blow, or by violent
mental emotion, is so rapid that the brain cannot
receive it, pain is the result. The nerves bleed, and
if the " tension of the ether " is too high, it causes
unconscious convulsion.

Thus we see that there is strong presumptive
evidence for believing that when the victim is under
the paws of its devourer the fascinating process, so-
far from ceasing its operations, is in reality doubled,
and this holds good, no matter what theory of
nervous sensation we may adopt.

It is true that men have suffered pain when
wounded by wild beasts, but then man is a strong-
minded reasoning being, and, instead of surrendering
himself to the fatal influence, he would naturally
make every effort to escape. But, if the matter
were investigated, I think it would be found that in
the large majority of cases people have experienced
no pain whatever at the time, though the wounds re-
ceived may have been fatal. I could cite several such
cases. This is a comfortable reflection when we
remember that during three years in British India
alone more than 12,500 persons were devoured by
wild animals, exclusive of more than double the
number killed by snakes. With this we must leave
the subject, in the hope that some of our eminent

33

HARDWICKE'S SCIEN CE-GO S S IP.

savans may take up and thoroughly elucidate this
interesting; question.

Blackheath. E. C. Lefroy.

INSECT NETS.

AS I was much dissatisfied with the nets in ordi-
nary use, the light ones being fragile and
the strong ones weighty and inelegant, I con-
structed one i^ which answers all the requirements of
those who have used it. 1 have therefore ventured
to describe it for the readers of Science-Gossip.
The net should be scarcely more than half a yard
deep, and its circumference at the mouth should not
exceed one yard. To make a strong tube for the
admission of cane, stitch a " false hem " of calico

prevent the wire slipping, it will be necessary to
notch both bamboo and cane at a, a ; but at b, b,
the cross-piece only must be notched.

Fig. 22. New Insect Net.

^^rtly round the mouth, leaving a space of five
inches between the open ends of the hem. Upon
the space not hemmed stitch a piece of strong tape,
and secure it to the calico at each end. Pass
through the hem a piece of cane of such a length
that six inches of it may project from
each opening. Next procure a rod of
bamboo, not more than three feet
long, and scarcely exceeding half an
inch in diameter. Insert a cross-
piece of cane, six inches long, into a
hole cut with a small knife (either
gimlet or awl would split bamboo),
through the rod near its smaller end
(as at fig. 23), and with a small
quantity of fine brass wire bind it in
strongly and neatly, having pre-
viously notched both cane and bamboo to prevent
the wire slipping. Pig. 24 will show how tiie parts
are put together. Both cane and bamboo should be
cut flat at a, a, the former very much, and the
latter only slightly, on account of its thinness.
Use either wire or waxed string for binding. To

Fig:. 23.

Perforated

Handle of ditto,

natural size.

Fig. 24. Upper portion of Handle of ditto, illustrating
construction. Scale \,

It may be said that this net is absurdly small ;
however, its convenience lies in its smallness, as
experience with it will show. It weighs only four
and a half ounces, and can be made in an hour, at
the cost of not more than a shilling.

Prank Allen.

THE SAW-PLY.

IN the July number of Science-Gossip (1872) I
mentioned the fact that it seemed impossible that
the egg of the Saw-fly could pass along the saws
during its deposition into the slit made by the
insect for its reception. Since tlien I have ob-
tained several flies, and have watched them de-
posit their eggs, but have always [observed that
after the slit has been made in the leaf, the saw is
withdrawn into its sheath, the body of the insect is
curved downwards, and an egg is then deposited.

Fig. 25. End view of Terminal Segment of Yellow Saw-fly,
showing saw in natural position when uot in use.

HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

33

Dr. Carpenter, iu bis work on the microscope,
says that " when the perforation has been made the
two blades are separated enough to allow the pas-
sage of the eggs between them."

Mr. Jabez Hogg states " that when the cut is
made, the four are drawn together ; and through a
central canal which is now formed by combining the
whole, an egg is protruded into the fissure made by
the saws iu the leaf." Mr. Wood, in " Insects at
Home," makes use of this sentence — *"' an egg is
then passed between the saws and deposited iu the
groove, &c."

It may seem presumption on my part to question
the statements of sucli authorities as are above
quoted ; but yet, if we take into consideration the
size of the egg and the formation of the saws, it is
quite impossible for the process to be accomplished
in the manner they describe. The cavity of the
body has no outlet through the saws, the bases of
which are filled up with the powerful muscles de-
stined to move them. The first mention I can find
of the saws acting as ovipositors is in an old book
on insects, by J. Hill, M.D., published in 1773. He
says, in describing the Saw -fly, " The fly is female
that is here described; the male has no saw, for he
has no use for it. Nature has given that instru-
ment to the female, to cut a way into the growing
vegetable, and there to lodge the eggs, which pass
through the hollow made by the two sides or plates
of the saw."

Figr. 26. Terminal Scgrment under pressure, showing protru-
sion of Ovipositor, and the passage of egg through it.

By soaking a female saw-fly, full of eggs, for a few
days in liquor potassse, its skin becomes soft and
transparent, and the eggs can be seen lying inside
the body. Ey subjecting it to gentle pressure under
tlie compressorium, and using a microscope having
a low magnifying power, a tube is seen protruded
from the end of the abdomen, and along it the eggs
can be seen to .travel (fig. 26). This is probably the
true ovipositor.

In the natural position, when not in use. Hie saws
are contained in a sheath, situated in a slit at the
termination of the body of the insect. Over this is
placed a sort of arch, formed by the terminal seg-
ment of the body. I'rom this arch springs on each

side of it an organ resembling an antenna, the use
of which is, no doubt, to find the position of the
slit made by the saw before an egg is deposited.
(See fig. 25.) It is under this arch that the real ovi-
positor is protruded. If any of the readers of
Science-Gossip have made any observations on the
structure of these organs of the Saw-fly, it would
be interesting to me to learn the result of their inves-
tigations. James W. Gooch.

A NUT-STOWING BIRD.

npHE subject of this article is one of my peculiar
-^ pets, and a bright, handsome merry fellow he
is, with his coat of sober grey and his waistcoat of
orange. Ever active, never at rest, ever prying and
peeping, he manages at all times to keep his sleek
self in a very plump, well-to-do condition. On the
mossy trunks of apple and pear trees in neglected
orchards he regularly runs riot, and in well-timbered
parks his merry twit-twit ! rings out as joyously as
the song of the " mounted thrush " or the carol of
the "heaven-aspiring" lark. He is essentially a
joyous bird. There may be little of music in his
simple note, but what there is smacks of genuine-
ness, which is more than can be said of many
of the trillers and warblers of our own species,
whose merry songs often gush from a grief-laden
heart. His active and inquisitive disposition is also
beyond dispute. All day long he flits from tree to
tree, climbs the bole, hangs back — downward from
the branches — at the same time peering into every
cranny with a perseverance worthy of a higher
object than securing a few woodlice, grubs, and
beetles. But this is his only object, for hasn't he
to keep up his own plumpness, and are there not
five or six queer little creatures at home whose
well-being and embonpoint depend principally on
his success in entomological pursuits ? Accordingly
our little friend pecks, taps, twitters, and pries the
livelong day.

But though insects are the staple food of our
active little friend, yet at a certain time of the year
he becomes, both in principle and practice, a vege-
tarian. Into this absurd notion he enters heart
and soul. His mania is for nuts, and from this he
derives his name, which is Sitta Europaa, the
Common Nuthatch — nuthatch, literally rendered,
signifying "to chop a nut." At that time of the
year when the sun-embrowned clusters of ripe
filberts, hazels, and cobs coquettishly peep from the
coppice and hedgerow, our little friend wings his
way from the park and orchard, and from among
the clustering treasures and fading leaves twitters
riglit merrily. Selecting one of the finest of the
bunch he takes it into his widely-gaping beak, and
once more addresses himself to flight. Presently
a loud tapping is heard from some quiet corner, and

34

HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE- GOSSIP.

if we cautiously approach we shall see the author of
the noise, to wit, our grey-coated friend, clinging
to the trunk of a tree, and vigorously striking at
something wedged in the bark. This something is
the purloined nut, which the knowing bird has firmly
introduced into a cleft of the bark. Then taking
his station head-downward over the nut, he hammers
away with his powerful bill (aiding each stroke
with a clapping of the wings) till the hard shell
gives way, and the dainty kernel is his reward.
Just as the Thrush retires to the old stone or stile
to break up the homes of garden and belted snails,
so does the Nuthatch retire to bis corner to feast on
the juicy kernels, and neither of their workshops I
may say, is conspicuous for tidiness.

flew up, and, placing something on a potato mound,
gave it several taps with its beak and then flew off.
Marking the spot, I searched and found a small but
fuU-kernelled nut just beneath the surface. Soon
after I found six others nuts buried separately, but
not far from the first. I once noticed him as late as
the 1st of November burying a nut in a flower-bed-
He dropped it on the gravelled path, and then took
it up in his beak, placed it on the soft earth, and
tapped it several times, afterwards drawing the
earth and leaves together as if to conceal the place
from other prying eyes. Besides hazel, filbert, and
cob-nuts, he likewise stores away acorns and beech-
masts. In December and January our nut-cracking
friend remembers his autumn labours, and turns

s-'~*=r --^

Fig. 27. Nuthatch (Sitta Europcsoj.

At the time of writing this my little friend is in
the midst of his nut-collecting and nut- breaking
operations, and judging from what I have seen of
his movements, he will be little troubled by the
scarcity of nuts. Notwithstanding his liking for
the dainty kernel, he has an eye for the future, and
sacrifices part of his present enjoyments for future
"rainy days," when insect life is asleep and hidden
away even from his inquisitive eyes. Accordingly our
provident little friend, squirrel-like, stores away
the superfluous nuts, and dozens of times have I
noticed with pleasure his dexterity in so doing.
His hiding-places for his nuts are everywhere— in
the earth, in flower-plots, under bushes, in chinks of
walls and spoutings, under moss, tufts of flowers,
and at the roots of box edging. On September
23rd last, while employed in the garden, a nuthatch

them to good account. He may then be seen
searching among the flower-plots, and having
disinterred a nut bear^ it off triumphantly in his
bill to be dexterously cracked and daintily eaten.

This unique habit of storing away food is, we
believe, peculiar to the Nuthatch, if we except the
acquisitive disposition of the tame Corvidce.

Kingston, Abingdoti. W. H. Wahner.

A GOSSIP ABOUT EARE PLANTS.

YOUR correspondent ^F. Arnold Lees, in his
article entitled " Recent Records of Rare
Plants" (January No., pp. 1 — 3), meutioHS Helia7i-
tliemum Brewerl as "rendered almost if not quite
extinct" at Holyhead through the operations which
have effected such notable changes in commercial

HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

35

and manufacturing neighbourhoods in these utili-
tarian days. I am glad to be in a position to inform
bim and others interested in such matters, that the
above-named rarity must not be at present — and I
see no reason for it to be for many a long day to
come— included in the catalogue of "lost species"
from the cause named. During a short excursion
to Anglesea in the month of August last, in com-
pany with Mr. H. S. Fisher, we made a special
point of searching for this rare species, and, comiug
down the mountain-side immediately above the
South Stark Lighthouse enclosure — about halfway
down to the roadway — we found it growing in
tolerable plenty upon the ledges of rock where
there was any slight covering of the heathy soil.
At the time of our] visit the plant was a full six
weeks past its best, and the larger specimens were
nearly all withered and not worth gathering ; but of
seedlings, a quarter-inch to one inch high, hundreds
might easily have been picked. I hope that this
statement will not lead in any way to that most-to-
be-reprobated cause of botanical losses, and of
vexation to botanists — the scarcity of botanical
treasures through the rapacity of collectors who
visit localities of rare plants, and gather without
consideration of those who will succeed them. The
Helianthemum also grows— but very sparingly and
very small — in the mountain gully which opens on
to the road shortly before coming to the steps which
lead down to the Lighthouse buildings. This
habitat has been in print a good many years. I can-
not say whether it holds its ground at Almwch, the
only other distinct station recorded for it, and shall
be glad to know if it has been gathered there in
recent times.

I believe that Mr. Lees is correct in classing
Cineraria maritima with the defunct rarities so far
as the old Holyhead locality is concerned, also that
he assigns the correct reason for its loss. I some
time ago identified the habitat particularized by
Davies in "Welsh Botanology," and had no doubt
that the harbour improvements had quite destroyed
the plant, so that I did not think it worth while to
examine afresh this year.

There has been doubt expressed by some whether
Elatine hydropiper was still to be found in its
Anglesea locality of Llyn Coron (or Llyn-Cwm, as
given in Hooker's "Student's Flora"). We found it,
but in much smaller quantity than its near relative,
E. hexandra, which was obtainable in plenty by
wading some six or eight yards into the lake, at its
south-east border. It may be a serviceable piece
of information to some to tell them that, when ga-
thering the Elatines, the small Callitriehes, and other
plants that grow in shallow water partly imbedded
in the soft soil at the bottom, the best plan is to
bring up a good handful of the plant and soil toge-
ther, and by a gentle movement of the hand through
the surface-water wash away the soil or mud. The

specimens in a perfect state will float out during
this operation, and should be picked up carefully,
so that the slender stems do not run together,
each specimen being laid, there and then, between
pieces of paper, and deposited in the vasculum,
unless the collector possesses a collecting-book.
The trouble is very trifling, and, instead of a shape-
less mass of mere fragments, as are the generality
of the specimens of small water-plants, we have
perfect and clear specimens. Those who have seen
the specimens of the Elatines distributed by the
late Mr. Salmon, or Mr. Stratton's specimens of
CJiara alopecurioides, will know what a little care
and judgment can accomplish.

Whilst upon the subject of Anglesea plants, I
wish some of your readers could throw light upon
the record of Trifolium stridum as an Anglesea
species ; this either by conveying their knowledge
through your pages, or by referring me to sources
whence I can obtain a reply to the following
queries : — Where did the record first appear ? Was
an exact locality described ? Were specimens dis-
tributed to botanists ? Was the plant considered
to have native claims, or was it traced to a casual
introduction ? and, finally, Was the correct species
given, or was a more common trefoil found and the
name stridum wrongly applied ? Mr. Watson, in
his Compendium to his "Cybele," says, "Once seen
in Anglesea ;" and in his Supplement gives the
authority, " Dr. Dickenson." This is all I knov7
about it, except that I have in memory the locality
was stated to be near to Aberffraw, and I also think
it spoke of the plant occurring over a considerable,
but a circumscribed, extent of ground.

I may mention that Rosa TFilsoni still flourishes
in its original locality by the Menai Straits, but a
notice-board close by bears the ominous intelligence
— " Eligible building land to be let on lease," &c.

F. M. Webb.

THE SKULPIN.

THE Callionymtis and TJramscopus mentioned
by Pliny (Hist. Nat., lib. sxxii. c. 2'i) are
identified by M. Ajasson with the white Eascasse
of the Mediterranean, and I think we may look
for its identification in this fish rather than in the
Yellow Skulpin, according to Couch. M. Ajasson
remarks (see notes to his edition of Pliny) that the
former fish has the eyes so situated on the upper
surface of the head as to appear to be gazing at
the heavens. At Genoa this fish is, commonly
known by the name of prete (priest). It belongs,
no doubt, to the Linnrean genus Uranoscopus,
the principal characters of which are the vertical
position of the eyes and mouth. The members of
it are found, too, in the Mediterranean Sea. We
believe this is the only genus among fishes in which

36

HARDWICKE'S SCI EN CE- GOSSIP.

the ejes are directly looking upwards : in the Ray
and CaUionymus their direction is oblique. Our
figure is that of U. scaber, Linn. We think it is
more probable that this fish is the TJranoscopus of
the ancients than that the Yellow Skulpin is. Indeed
as Pliny does not give us a description of it, but
merely points out the remarkable position of the

Fig. 28. Uranoscopus scaber, or " Star-gazer."

eyes — seldom seen throughout the range of the
auimal kingdom— and its remedial properties, it is
almost impossible to identify it. Aristotle, in his
"History of Animals," does not appear to mention
it. Probably some of your readers can enlighten
us as regards the " white Rascasse of the Medi-
terranean." E. Halse.

LAMP SHELLS.

AMONG the commonest fossils the geological
student meets with, either in the primary or
the secondary rocks, but more particularly in the
former, are those commonly termed " Lamp Shells"
[Brachiopodci), from the supposed resemblance of
some species, such as the Terebratula (fig. 29), to an

Fig. 29. Terebratula biplicata — a common oolitic fossil.

ancient lamp. The resemblance is only approxi-
mate, and you must invert the shell, so that tlie
beak, with its perforation, may be uppermost, and
then the fanciful likeness to a classic lamp is seen.
Whether in the Silurian or Carboniferous lime-
stones, these shells form the chief spoil of the
young geologist ; and when he has acquired suffi-
cient zoological knowledge of existing species, he
will be surprised at the persistence of form" which
has marked the life-history of this group more than
any other. With the exception of certain genera
to which we shall shortly advert, many of the
Palaeozoic, or most ancient of the "Lamp Shells,"

can hardly be distinguished from those still living.
They are among the oldest British fossils, and,
from the time of the Upper Cambrian to the pre-
sent, we never lose sight of them. In the Silurian
seas, the "Lamp Shells" were in a tremendous
majority, the bivalves not attaining anything like
the same specific or numerical abundance. Since
then , the latter have been gradually gaining ground,
until in modern seas it is they, and not the " Lamp
Shells," that are overwhelmingly abundant. The
" Lamp Shells" now occupy isolated areas, and live
in scanty colonies along the deeper parts of the
sea-bottom. They are geographically isolated, and
found in northern as well as southern seas. This
widely-separated distribution of forms of life nearly
allied may always be accepted as indicating theif
great geological antiquity.

To meet with a few small living specimens of
Rhynchonellct or Crania in British seas now is
almost a " find" to the dredger. Contrast this fact
with the fossil forms in the Silurian, Carboniferous^
andOolitic limestones, where the rock is frequently
composed of [nothing else than the accumulated
remains of allied species !

Beautifully shaped and ornamented though the
" Lamp Shells" are, they are lowly organized, when
compared with such bivalves as the commonPectea
or " scallop." When anatomically studied, they are
found to have a greater affinity to the " Sea-mats"
{Flustra) than to the bivalve shells they so muck
more resemble. Most of them have the beak per-
forated, and this peculiarity marks the earliest
Terebratula we meet with. Indeed, the name of
this genus is taken from the small perforation.
Like the bole in the under valve of the little Anomia,

Tig. 30. Pentamerus Knightii. Fig. 31. Lingula Lewisie.

this perforation had a plug passing through it, with
a sucker at the end, by means of which the animal
was enabled to anchor itself, just as the common
mussel does by its " moss " or byssiis. The sci-
entific name of Brachiopoda, or " arm-footed,''
which the family possess, is derived from two
coiled-up processes called " arms," which the ani-
mal can uncoil and use to obtain its food. These
ciliated arms are also utilized as lungs, so that
breathing takes place as well as locomotion and
food-catching. The mouth is situated at the base

HARDWICKE'S SCI ENCE-GOSSIP.

37

of these arms, aud this opens into the gullet. All
the embryos of these more or less fixed "Lamp
Shells" are free-swimming creatures, moviugthrough
the water by means of cilia. The nervous system
in the adults is not nearly so highly developed as in
the true bivalves. One of the oldest and most per-
sistent genera of "Lamp Shells" is undoubtedly the
Bhjnchonella, which may easily be recognized by
its ribbed and " cockle-like" appearance. Numeri-
cally, also, it is perhaps the most abundant of any
of its kind in the older rocks. One species found
in the Upper Chalk formation {Terebratula lineata)
is believed by our best palseoutologists to be speci-
fically identical with the living Rhjnchonella caput-
serpentis of our British seas.

striated, especially in the above species, which is one
of the largest. The coils are calcareous in their
structure, and were used for the support of the
" arms" above mentioned. In the chert beds, which
are frequently found intercalated in the older lime-
stones, just as the flint bands are in the chalk, these
spiral coils are usually met with in the best pre-
served state, and. often silicified. It is only by
carefully chipping away a portion of one of the
valves that the coil may be seen, and, unless found
in the chert beds, you may open scores withouii
finding it.

Of the numerous species of Brachiopods besides
the above, space forbids us to do other than merely
refer to their existence. Few creatures have done

Fig. 32. Producta horrid i, a chiracteristic
Permian fossil.

Spiri/er strltitus, Derbyshire ; h, valve showing internal coil ;
c, portion of coll.

[The Lingula (fig. 31), or "Little-tongue," as the
name aptly signifies, is even geologically older than
the Uhynchonella, It is still in existence, but only
to be met with in southern seas, although it lived
in British waters as late as the Coralline Crag. It is
so abundant in the Upper Cambrian formation that
this depositj'six thousand feet in thickness, goes by
the name of the " Lingula flags." The Pentamerus
(fig. 30) is so called from its internal arrangement
of the septum, by which the cavity is'divided into
four chambers, one of the two valves having an
additional chamber. Tliis five-parted division is
caused by the greater development of the internal
plates, and the fact, expressed by two Greek words,
has given its name to the genus. It is very abun-
dant in the Upper Silurian beds, especially in the
Aymestry limestones.

The Prodtccta (fig. 32), from a Latin word signify-
ing " drawn out," in allusion to its usual lateral ex-
tension, is one of the most characteristic shells of
the Carboniferous limestone, where, both in specific
and numerical abundance, it seems to have out.
stripped all its contemporaries. One species, Pro-
ducta giganfea, found plentifully in the neighbour-
hood of Buxton, Derbyshire, often attains the size
of a child's head. A peculiar species, P. horrida,
is very characteristic of the Permian strata. But
perhaps the most interesting of the ancient Brachio-
pods \?,i\\e,Spir if er, which itakes its name from the
spiral coil often to be found within it (fig. 33). The
hinge is very broadjl and the valves are strongly

more towards building up the solid structure of our
continents than these insignificant shells, and there-
fore they acquire an interest transcending even that
of their vast antiquity. J. E. Taylor.

GOLD-TAILS AND BROWN-TAILS.

THE two closely-allied species, Liparis aurijlua
and chrysorrhcea, have much in their economy
of considerable interest ; nor have all points therein
undergone due investigation. This may partly be
explained by the particularly unpleasant effects pro-
duced by the larvee upon the human skin. The
Bev. J. G. Wood gives us a melancholy record of
his experiences when he attempted the task of dis-
secting and stufiing some of these ; and through a
misapprehension as to the real cause of the painful
swellings produced, it was not until the third attack
that the poisonous "Gold-tails" were convicted as
the offenders, and carefully avoided by him (no
doubt) in future. And Mr. Moncreaff informs us
that he— rash man ! collected about two hundred of
them " for investigation." Unfortunately, a double
investigation went on, and while he was investi-
gating the caterpillars, their hairs, or somewhat
detached from them, investigated his skin, and the
irritation made him seriously unwell for a time. He
found that the virus (whatever it might be) con-
tinued to hang about the box in which they were
kept for some six months afterwards. Mr. Mon-

38

HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

creaff adds a fact worth remembering ; namely, that
of all the remedial applications he tried, a bruised
dock-leaf was the most effective.

This gentleman's conclusion as to the cause is,
that it is produced by the hairs, which, when they
are separated, either through the moultings or by
the insect forming its cocoon, shortly become dry
and pulverulent, and when set in motion attach
themselves in minute particles to the face or hands.
But we are still in doubt as to " the reason why."
There must be some quality in this powdery sub-
stance which gives it this disagreeable activity.
And again, one asks : " As this influence produced
upon the human subject can hardly be the sole pur-
pose for which the caterpillar possesses it, in what
way does it operate otherwise for the defence of the
creature ; does it, for instance, prevent birds from
seizing gold-tail caterpillars ? " From the colours
of the caterpillar, it is certainly exposed to special
danger when near maturity.

We find three hypotheses have been presented for
our consideration : that already noticed, which con-
nects the urticating effect with the hairs, and which
has this in its favour, that it is at those times when
the hairs are shed the caterpillar is most undesir-
able as an acquaintance. Others have, however,
ascribed its property to the separation or discharge
of some powdery substance, or scales, or flakes,
when it is irritated or alarmed. And yet again
others, turning from solids to fluids, imagine that
an acid secretion is the agent, which the caterpillar
fires off, in the manner of our well-known and
comical - looking caterpillar, commonly called the
Puss. It is rather against the latter supposition,
that so extensive an effect is produced on the skin
as often happens. Like the gentleman already
mentioned, I have attempted some dealings with
the species in its larval stage, in order to elucidate
this, and other puzzles in its history. But I must
own that the result of nurturing it in confinement
was sufiiciently painful to compel me to turn out
my captives ere the experiments were completed,
and I, for my part, now leave the practical part in
the hands of those who are almost callous to this
annoyance ; for there are some persons so far fortu-
nate — whether it is because they are thick-skinned,
I cannot detei-mine.

Some particulars I was able to ascertain, though
it might be scarcely wise to generalize from these.
The young larva in the autumn seems to cause
little, if any annoyance, not even at the times of
moulting ; and the effect at a later period is more
marked upon a moist skin, with a high temperature,
than in cool weather, when the surface of the body
is drier. Examination of the skin of the face while
in a state of irritation failed to show any hairs or
particles discernible by the naked eye; but a
magnifier was not applied, which would have been
helpful.

A correspondent of Science-Gossip has recently
remarked that the " Gold-tail " caterpillar ought
not to be placed among web- weaving caterpillars,
since all it spins is a slight cocoon for its protection
during the winter. This accords precisely with my
own observations, and yet in many authors we find
both this and the " Brown-tail " spoken of as gre-
garious, and therefore as architects of a common
abode for their accommodation and protection.
Bennie, indeed, figures the nests in his "Insect
Architecture," and states that the broods of the
" Gold-tail " and " Brown-tail " pass the winter in
closely-woven nests, and corroborates this by the
assertion that he observed at least twenty of these
in the winter of 1828. He could hardly have been
mistaken, nor is it credible that he would wilfully
falsify facts ; but it is possible that the species have
somewhat modified their habits since our winters
have been milder. Forty-four years have made some
difference in our climate, and I think it must be
admitted that we have less cold weather now than
formerly, and also tliat mostly our winter sets in
later. I should suppose, therefore, that from this
cause the caterpillars feed on farther into the
autumn, and, having scattered about, each one sub-
sequently spins up a small cocoon for itself, in
which it casts its skin, and then forms an inner
cocoon. The observations of other entomologists
may put the matter in a different light, but when-
ever I have found these, either in autumn ere
hybernation, or during the spring and summer,
they have been solitary.

To distinguish these two nearly-allied species is a
difliculty to the beginner, especially in the cater-
pillar state. And even with the moths we are
liable to err, for the chief distinction is the colouring
of the tuft at the tail; and though between a golden
hue and a golden brown there is a marked dif-
ference, I have seen specimens in some series of
these insects seemingly intermediate in tint. The
black spot, however, always to be found at the anal
angle of the fore-wings in auriflua, is scarcely ever
present in chrysorrhoea. The latter I take to be on
an average the larger insect ; and thus I differ from
" Stainton's Manual," which gives us a statement
just the reverse. The caterpillars have a close re-
semblance, only in the "Brown-tail" tlie red stripe
on the back is less distinctly defined ; and, taken
altogether, it appears to a judge rather more gay in
its colouring, when placed beside its relative. As to
food, the "Brown-tail " shows a penchant for willow
and oak, also the blackthorn, being rarely seen on
the whitethorn, which is so generally favoured by
the " Gold-tail " caterpillar. J. B. S. C.

"The most difficult thing a person experiences,
who comes into contact with geological teaching
for the first time, is the demand made on his im-
agination for the article of Time 1 "—Taylor's
Geological Stories.

HAKDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

39

TAME SPIDERS.

T OOKING through the back volumes of Science-
-'-* Gossip, I see much interesting matter has
been written concerning Spiders and their poison-
ous apparatus; but perhaps what I am about to
write, showing that even these creatures, predaceous
and cannibals as they are, can be tamed to a certain
extent, will not be wholly uninteresting to some of
your readers.

The history of the species which is the subject
of the following remarks is as follows : — Searching
for beetles one day in April, I happened to turn
over a large stone, in a somewhat deep recess of
which, guarding a dirty antique-looking web, was a
large spider, which I recognized as belonging to the
genus Tegenaria. Beneath the web, and in close
proximity to the animal above, some running about
and others coiled up, I descried numerous woodlice.
Spiders, I have observed, will not touch these
creatures, no doubt, as hinted by one of your cor-
respondents, on account of their crustacean bodies
being too hard for their mandibles to pierce.

I easily secured my prey, and incarcerated it
in a box. Some few weeks afterwards, curiosity
prompted me to turn over the same stone : another
spider, almost as formidable as the last, had taken
possession. It was the same species as the one in
confinement. To test the voracity of this class of
animals, I introduced my new capture on the web
of the other. In the meantime my pet had been
fed with numerous spiders, and not a few choice
flies!

I eagerly watched them, for at least half an hour,
but they seemed very shy of, and carefully avoided,
each other. But beliold 1 when I opened the box,
a short time after, my poor pet was tightly clasped
in the mandibles of the other, who was greedily im-
bibing his living juices ! Such a size was he (the
defunct one), that it took the conqueror nearly two
days to feast off his remains. I confined several
animals with my new acquaintance; in the first
place, lintroduced a chilopod;* the spider, uo doubt
irritated by the other breaking through its web,
seized it and held it in its formidable jaws for some
time, the other writhing and attempting to pierce
the body of its antagonist with its sharp claws, but
with no avail. After some time the centipede was
dead, but the spider did not attempt to devour the
body of so tough an adversary !

The species I think I have identified as T. atrica,
figured in SciENCE-Gossip.t and is probably, too,
that described by your correspondent, Mr. Bed-
grave. J Mr. Robertson, the writer of the article,
"More Gossip about Spiders," who gives a figure of
it, states, from long observation, " that the Tegeua-

* Lithufjius furcipafiis. + Vol. Iv. p. 82.

t See June number of last year.

ria almost invariably seize their prey by the upper
part of the thorax;" those spiders which I have
witnessed, however, as often seiz3 them by the ab-
domen or side.

My spider has now attained such a degree of
tameness that it will even accept a fly from my hand.
I have often tried the experiment before friends,
but it will never be shown off in that way.

Once I introduced a beetle,* renowned for its
hard elytra and the disagreeable quality it possesses
of emitting a disgusting odour at pleasure, into my
spider's garrison. It immediately rushed at it, but
on perceiving the nature of the animal it had to
deal with, as rapidly retreated !

I have referred to a popular authorf on British
spiders, but he does not figure this species : the
T. domestica figured in his work, J and in Carpenter's
Zoology, comes near it in afiinity. I have not yet
had access to Mr. Blackwall's valuable work.

Some few days before I left town I noticed
that my spider was collecting some of its web, with
the dead flies adhering, and was forming a sort of
cocoon on the lid of its box, where it must have
laid a number of eggs, for, on my return, upon
opening the box, I was astonisiied to see hundreds
of minute spiders running up and down their
mother's web. Then mine being a female, I con-
clude it was the affectionate spouse of the other.
But the curious part of it is that the male in this case
was a great deal larger than the female. Now this
is in direct conrtadiction to the observations of
learned arachnologists. It can be explained either by
assuming that my former prisoner had attained un-
usual dimensions from being overfed, or that they
were both females. I think the former supposition
the more probable.

I was under the painful necessity of trying the
effects of hot water upon a few of the young, leaving
the bereft parent half a dozen.

Shortly after this, the mother died, whether from
grief, disease, or natural decay, I dare not say 1

I have filled her post with a large and well-known
garden spider {Epeira diaclema), and, strange to say,
it lives perfectly at ease on the other's web, and has
not made one of its own, nor has it attempted to
devour its congener's offspring. In activity it can-
not be compared with the latter, nor in appetite, for
it seldom indulges in a fly. probably it anticipates
hybernation.

dotting Hill. E. Halse.

" It was a beautiful hour of the world, the dawn
of a day entirely new, when, above the bitter waters,
on the first nascent island, in a night calm and
serene, was deposited the frst drop of dew." —
" Nature," by Madame Michelet.

* Blnps martixaga . t Mr. Staveley.

J " A Study of liritish Spiders."

40

HAKDWICKE'S SC IE N C E-GOSS I P.

MICROSCOPY.

Old Change Micuoscopical Society.— We
notice that the sixth annual sozV/e of this tlourishing
society is to be held on Friday evening, February
28th, at the City Terminus Hotel, Cannon Street.
Whilst mentioning the society, we avail ourselves
of the opportunity to notice the capital series of
lectures which have been arranged for the session
of 1872-3. We have only to mention the'names of
Dr. Carpenter, Professor T. Rymer Jones, Mr. B. T.
Lowne, Mr. M. C. Cooke, and Dr. Julius Pollock
for our readers to appreciate the intellectual bill
of fare.

Structure of Podura Scales.— The American
Naturalist states that Dr. J. W. S. Arnold has
succeeded in throwing off, by means of the electric
induction-spark, some of the " spines " of the fa-
miliar test-scale of Podura. Preparatory to this
experiment the scales are rendered brittle by drying
in an oven. The detached spines are easily beaded
by unilateral light.

Bad Coke and the Microscope.— In a closed
iron stove I burn coke, which I think is unusually
bad this year, and whilst burning I find a liquid
perpetually dripping from the chimney, which, of
course, is a great nuisance, as I am obliged to keep
a vessel under it to catch it. After very many
fruitless attempts I have succeeded in producing
from it a very beautiful polariscopic object. With
a powerful light and deep-coloured selenite the
colours are very rich and brilliant ; also without the
selenite plate, with the polarizer turned " dark,"
many of the ramifications appear to stand out in
very bold relief, of a fine gold-colour. From causes
which I am at present quite unable to determine,
this liquid gives a greater diversity of slides than
anything I have ever yet met with. I have five or
six totally different— indeed, you would scarcely de-
tect a " family likeness" in a dozen. I have a few
mounted slides of the above, which, for want of a
better name, 1 call " Distillation from the vapour of
coke," and shall be glad to exchange them for any-
thing special. — Alfred Allen.

Blood-disks of Salmonid^. — At a late meeting
of the East Kent Natural History Society Mr.
Gulliver exhibited the blood-disks of Sahno fon-
tinalis and S. ferox, and showed that in the former
lish these corpuscles — having a mean length of
y^ViT and a breadth of ^Vo- f'f a^ inch— are the
largest yet known of the osseous fishes. In S.ferox
the corpuscles are but very slightly smaller. Thus
these results agree with those described and figured
of other species of the family in his memoir read at
the Zoological Society November 19,1872, in which
he concludes that the Salmon family is character-
ized, among the osseous fishes, by the large size

of its blood-disks ; and hence these may be very
easily examined by the novice in this department of
micrography.

Local Societies. — We are glad to note the
foundation of the New Cross Microscopical and
Natural History Society, under the presidency of
Mr. Jenner Weir, F.L.S., and the hon. secretary-
ship of Mr. Martin Burgess. The society meets at
the Commercial-rooms, Lewisham High-road, on
the third Wednesday of every month, at eight
o'clock. Its avowed objects are to enable micro-
scopists and students of natural history residing in
the neighbourhood of New Cross, Lewisham, and
Deptford, to meet and interchange communications
and specimens, to promote the acquisition of skUl in
the use of the microscope, and, by occasional excur-
sions into the country around, to investigate the
natural productions of the district. We cordially
wish the new society success.

ZOOLOGY.

Cleaning Feathers and Skins.— In reply to
your correspondent "W. II.," owing to my not
having got the August number of Science-Gossip,
I am unable to determine if it is a recipe for
simply cleaning feathers, or the whole skin of a bird,
that he requires. If the specimen is simply spotted
with blood, allow it to dry, and then take up some
of the feathers and lay them on the soft part of
your thumb and scratch them in the direction of
their length Avith the nail of the first finger : this will,
in most cases (and if no other attempt has been
made), remove the blood-spots. Should the skin be
dirty from grease or any other cause, or the blood-
stains be unable to be taken out by the above
means, adopt the following plan : — Take powdered
alum, 4oz. ; do. arsenic, 2oz., mix; in water 1
gallon. Steep the skin for some hours, till the
spots grow faint, then have ready a heap of " plaster
of Paris," in which the skin must be buried and left
till the plaster is dry, and then broken out. The
skin should not be allowed to drain too much, but
should contain sufiicient water to form a good thick
cake of the plaster round it. Care should be taken
not to take the skin out of the plaster till it is quite
dry. I have found this process succeed admirably
with duck, grebe, &c., but have not tried it with
owls, nightjars, and delicate-feathered birds. I
should be glad if " W. R." would report in the
Science-Gossip if he finds the plan answer,— /Som^A
Australian.

Do Flies eat Pollen ? — A paper bearing on
this subject has been read by Mr. A. W. Bennett
before the Scientific Committee of the Horticultural
Society, in which it was stated, as the result both
of his own observations and those of E. Midler

HARUWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

41

that the microscopical examination of the stomachs
of diptera belonging to the order Syrphida showed
them to contain large quantities of pollen-grains,
especially of pants belonging to the order Compositce.
Entomologists had expressed a doubt as to whether
it was possible for insects possessing only a
suctorial proboscis to devour such solid bodies as
pollen-grains ; but Miiller believes that the trans-
verse denticulations found in the valves at the
end of the proboscis of many of the diptera are
especially adapted for chewing pollen, and for
dividing the threads by which the grains are often
bound together.

Genekation of Eels. — On this very interesting
and recondite subject we have had very discordant
opinions, from the father of Natural History to the
present time. Yarrell, with the assistance of Jessie,
about twenty or thirty years since, made number-
less observations, and concluded that eels produce
their young like other bony fishes. Owen supports,
or rather reiterates, this view. But in 1848 G.
Schluesser, as reported by Van der Hoven (vol. i.
p. 39), made researches which tended to prove that
male eels are still unknown. Hermaphroditism in
fishes was only recognized as an abnormal pheno-
menon occurring occasionally in a few species, and,
according to Dufosse, regularly in Serranus hepatus,
S. scriba, and S. cabrilla. Lastly, as reported in
the Journal of Anatomy, May, 1872, p. 447, an
Italian physiologist, G. B. Erolani, asserts the
constantly perfect hermaphroditism of the eel. In
December the testes and spermatozoa acquire com-
plete development, with well-developed ovaries in
the seli'same fish. The ova and spermatozoa are
discharged into the peritoneal cavity, so that the
ova are fertilized before their escape from the body ;
and all this only in winter and in salt water. Thus
the question afi'ords an interesting and important one
for inquiry by naturalists using the microscope at
the seaside. — Q. F.

The Fresh-water Polyp. — We omitted to
state, in Mr. Fullagar's interesting article on this
subject last mouth, that the "Spermatozoa of
Hydra" (fig. 17) were drawn by Dr. Gulliver, E.R.S.,
from that gentleman's own observation.

BOTANY.

Herbaria. — A few words respecting the con-
struction of botanical collections would, I think, be
generally useful, and especially to beginners, who
are often daunted in their endeavours to collect, by
the apparent complexity of constructing an her-
barium. 1 think the few following suggestions, if
adopted, will be found to succeed. The collector
should first procure some flat boxes, of cardboard
or thin wood, say 1 in. or \\ in. in depth, of various

sizes, corresponding of course to the kind of plant
to be introduced. The plants and flowers are laid
out upon sheets of paper ; the paper to have slits
cut in it to introduce the branches of the plant, or
slips may be gummed over, though the former way
is, I think, preferable. Do not gum the plant to the
paper. This is important, as, if gummed, they cannot
possibly admit of a thorough and ready examina-
tion. The plants should now be named, and
grouped together, according to their families and
genera. Each genus should be numbered. The
boxes should be marked in series, according to the
letters of the alphabet, and a certain number of
genera must be introduced to each series, say fifty.
Thus the first series would be, Genera A, 1—50.
The first series of boxes marked A would thus
contain fifty genera. And when we have to add
more species to any genus, the box of such genus
will admit of the introduction of such species ; for
if the box be already filled, the topmost genus has
merely to be shifted into the bottom of the next box,
and thus further them through the whole series of
cases ; and thus we should always be enabled to add
fresh species, and introduce them in their proper
place, with very little trouble. The first series of
cases, A 1—50, being completed, a list must be
now made of them, and they can be stowed away,
all the smaller cases to be put into one large one ;
and another series is commenced, viz. B 1 — 50 5
and so on. Upon the paper of each plant should be
given the common name, besides the scientific name,
and some description, as to where found, by whom
given, and all other particulars. These notes, be it
observed, are of the last importance, because they are
essential to the us'>fiilness of the Herbarium. The
plants may be poisoned with corrosive sublimate, or
a little camphor may be put into bags and
hung in the cases. But if the cases be kept dry,
the flowers and plants will be found to keep
admirably as a rule, without any such precaution.
Perhaps this short account may not be so clearly
understood as I could wish; for it is always
difficult to describe that which is to be carried out
in practice, and only properly learnt by experience.
— IF. S. Palmer.

Arabis stbicta.— Mr. Lees, in his communica-
tion to you on " Recent Records of Rare Plants,"
refers to Arabis strida, and presumes it must be
almost, if not quite extinct, as it was not discovered
by him here in 1871. 1 have, for several years,
noticed this plant with much interest. There are
several spots in this locality where it may be found,
either a few scattered specimens or small patches
of a dozen or more. In 1872 it was more abundant
and luxuriant than I had ever seen it before. Over
a space of a square yard or two, in one place, were
at least fifty plants, the pale petals being distin-
guishable at a considerable distance. Very many

42

HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

were scattered over the inaccessible face of the
cliffs, quite safe from the most ardent botanist.
Edging the rocks beyond this were many others,
and again it occurred not far from the sea-wall. As
this little rarity is spread over so wide a space, and
its appearance being somewhat insignificant, there
seems little danger of its extinction. — E. Wheeler,
Bristol.

Arabis~stricta (S.-G., 1873, p. 2).— This plant
is* happily not extinct on St. Vincent's Rocks,
Bristol. (See Journal of Botany, 1872, p. 266; and
Science-Gossip, 1872, p. 232.)— /araes Britten.

Botanical Labels. — We have received a series
of botanical labels for labelling Herbaria, adapted
to the names in the London Catalogue of Plants,
and the manuals of Professor Babington and Dr.
Hooker, with extra labels for all new species and
varieties recorded in the recent volumes of the
Journal of Botany and the Exchange Club reports.
It forms a volume of nearly 300 leaves, clearly
printed on one side only. The compiler is Mr.
Jolin E. Robson, and the publisher Hardwicke,
Piccadilly. We have carefully looked the volume
over, and think highly of Mr. Robson's industry.
Collectors cannot do better than avail themselves of
it, and get into their possession the best-printed
labels we have yet seen, arranged in the order which
English botanists generally agree to be the best —
that of the London Catalogue.

Eektilization of the Yucca Plant. — The
mode of fertilization of this plant has just been dis-
covered by Professor Riley, of St. Louis. It is per-
formed by a small white moth, called Brotiuha
Tuccasella, which forms the type of a new genus.
The female only has the basal joint of the maxillary
palpus wonderfully modified into a long, prehensile,
spined tentacle. With this tentacle she collects the
pollen, and thrusts it into the stigmatic tube, and
after having thus fertilized the flower she consigns
a few eggs to the young fruit, the seeds of which
her larvEe feed upon. The Yucca is the only insect-
loving plant known which absolutely depends for
fertilization on a single species of insect, and, as
has been shown, that insect seems modified for the
purpose. Tlie plant and its fructifier are inseparable
under natural conditions, aud the latter occurs
throughout the native home of the former. In the
more northern portions of the United States, and
in Europe, where our Yuccas have been introduced
and are cultivated for their showy blossoms, the
insect does not exist, and therefore the i^cc^s never
produce seed in those countries. The larva of the
insect eats through the Yucca capsule in which it
fed, enters the ground, and hybernates there in an
oval silken cocoon. In this stage the insect may
be sent to this country by mail, and our English
botanists may, by introducing it, be able to have
the Yucca produce seed after its kind.

The Battle of Life among Plants. — A
capital article on this most important and interest-
ing subject appears in the last number of the
Popular Science Review, from the pen of Dr.
Masters. The examples selected are well-known
and common species of plants, such as Triticum
repens, Anacharis, &c. The article is a valuable
contribution to the theory of Natural Selection.

Sequoia, anb its History.— This was the sub-
ject of an address delivered by Professor Asa Gray,
President of the American Association for the Ad-
vancement of Science, before the recent meetinp^.
It appears in full in the last number of the Annals
and Magazine of Natural History. The Professor
asks whether the Sequoias have played in former
times, and upon a larger scale, a more imposing part,
of which the present is but the epilogue ? We
cannot, he says, gaze high up the huge and venera-
ble trunks which people cross the continent to be-
hold, without wishing that these patriarchs of the
grove were able, like the long-lived ante-diluvians
of Scripture, . to hand down to us, through a few
generations, the traditions of centuries, and so tell
us somewhat of the history of their race. Pifteen
hundred annual layers have been counted, or satis-
factorily made out, upon one or two fallen trunks.
It is probable that, close to the heart of some of
the living ivees, may be found the circle that records
the year of our Saviour's nativity ! A few genera-
tions of such trees might carry the history a long
way back. But the ground they stand upon, and
the marks of very recent geological change and
vicissitude in the region around, testify that not
very many such generations can have flourished
there, at least in an unbroken sequence. When
the site was covered by glaciers, these Sequoias
must have occupied other stations, if, as there is
reason to believe, they then existed in the land.

SpHiERAPHiDES OF SiLENE MARiTiMA. — A refer-
ence to the engravings in Science-Gossip, April J,
1870 (fig. 92, p. 99), will at once show the re-
markable difference between raphides and Sphae-
raphides. These last crystals abound in many
British plants, especially of the orders Caryophylla-
cefE, TJrticacese, Chenopodiaceae, &c., and may be
well examined in Silene maritima. In this plant
the Sphseraphides are so large as to measure about
Tal^ of an iuch in diameter, and so beautiful as to
afford most interesting objects, which may be very
easily preserved on a slide, to em-ich the cabinet of
microscopic phytotomy. — Q. F.

Swans and Pish.— I should feel obliged if any
of your numerous scientific readers can inform me if
the swan destroys the spawn of fish, and if they
keep down the growth of weeds in rivers and lakes,
a question of great importance to those interested
in pisciculture. — F. G. P.

HARDWICKE'S S C lEN CE|. GOS S IP.

43

GEOLOGY.

Geological Maps. — Those of our geological
readers who desire instruction in practical geological
mapping cannot do better than read an able and
well-written article on " How to make a Geological
Map," in the Popular Science Review, by Mr. H. B.
Woodward, P.G.S., of the Geological Survey of
England and Wales.

EossiL Wood. — I have cut a few sections of coal
that I thought might contain structure, but with
the same result as E. T. Scott. If the coal is
interspersed with mineral charcoal, as is the case
with some, he may expect some little result.
Witham, in his "Fossil Yegetables," speaks of
the difficulty of finding structure in coal. He says
the Bovey coal does not present very decided
characters under the microscope, yet the figure of
the block from which he cut has a very ligneous
look. There are, at times, fragments of fossil wood
to be met with in coal with the woody structure
very well preserved by] the specimen becoming
calcified before bitumenization set in. It is said
that lignite or brown coal of the Miocene formation
shows structure. I am not able to speak to the
truth of this, having never cut sections of it. If
E. T. Scott will send me his address, I will send
him a few fragments of fossil wood from coal that
will repay the trouble of preparing for the micro-
scope. — John Butterworth, Goat's Shaw, nr. Oldham .

Antiquity of Man in America. — The dis-
coveries that are constantly being made in this
country are proving that man existed on this conti-
nent as far back in geological time as on the Euro-
pean continent ; and it even seems that America,
really the old world geologically, will prove to be
the birthplace of the earliest race of man. One of
the latest discoveries is that by Mr. E. L. Berthered,
given in full, with a map, in the " Proceedings of
the Philadelphia Academy of Sciences for 1872."
Mr. Berthered there reports the discovery of ancient
fireplaces, rude stone monuments, and implement s
of stone in great number and variety, in several
places along Crow Creek in Colorado, and also in
several other rivers in the neighbourhood. These
fireplaces indicate several ancient sites of an un-
known race, differing entirely from the mound-
builders and the present Indians, while the shells
and other fossils found with the remains make it
appear certain that the deposit in which the ancient
sites are found is as old as the Pliocene and, per-
haps, as the Miocene periods. As the fossil shells
found with the remains of man are estuarine forms,
and as the sites of the ancient towns are on ex-
tended points of land and at the bases of ridges or
bluffs, Mr. Berthered thinks the localities Irave been
near some ancient fresh-water lake.

A " Missing Link."— Professor Marsh has com-
municated a short note to the Annals and Magaziyie
of Natural History for January, on what he ap-
propriately terms "one of the most interesting of
recent discoveries in Paleeontology." It is the
skeleton of a fossil bird, recently found in the creta-
ceous shales of Kansas. The remains indicate an
aquatic bird, as large as a pigeon, and differing
widely from all known birds in having biconcave
vertebrae ! The cervical, dorsal, and caudal verte-
brae preserved, all show this character, the ends of
the centra resembling those of the fossil marine
reptile called Plesiosaurus. The rest of the skele-
ton presents no marked deviation from the ordinary-
type of birds. The wings were large in proportion
to the posterior extremities. The humerus was
58'6 millimetres in length, and has the radial crest
strongly developed. The femur is small, and has
the proximal end compressed transversely. The
tibia is slender, and MS millimetres long ; its distal
end is incurved as in swimming birds, but has no
supratendiual ridge. Professor Marsh proposes to
name this singular creature Ichthjornis dispar.

NOTES AND QUERIES.

The Compass-flower. — I beg to inform James
Pearson that the Compass-flower does not owe its
existence to the imagination of the poet's brain.
The botanical name of this remarkable flower is
Silphium laciniatum, of which there are several known
varieties ; but one only — S. laciniatum — appears
to possess the peculiar property assigned to it by
the poet. From the statements of numerous ob-
servers who have examined the plant, it appears
that it does undoubtedly possess this peculiarity,
which fact is well known to the hunters and settlers
who frequent the vast prairies whereon it grows.
It proves of great service to them when overtaken
by night on those trackless wastes which abound in
North America, far from any town or habitation of
man, and with no otlser resource but this one simple,
yet wonderful, flower of the desert to direct them
with safety to their destination. The cause assigned
for this so-called polarity by Dr. Gray is, that the
two surfaces of the leaf are equally susceptible to
light. Examined microscopically, it was found that
the upper and under surface proper were identical
in structure, with exactly the same number of
sfomata on each surface, while the number of stomata
on allied species varied considerably. The result of
these observations showed that the meridional posi-
tion taken by the leaves of this plant was due to
tlie influence light exerted on the two surfaces, and
that the greatest amount of light attained m
northern latitudes, equally distributed on the two
surfaces, would be that position in which the leaves
are presented, north and south.- — Henry Blake.

The " Compass-flower." — If Mr. Pearson, who
asks (in S.-G., Dec, p. 281) if there is such a plant
as the "Compass-flower," will turn \o the American
Naturalist, vol. v. p. 1, he will find quite a full
account of the polarity of tlie Compass-plant and
the supposed causes of it, by Mr. Whitney, and also
a little critique on Mr. Longfellow's description of
the plant.— /\ JF. Putnam, Peabody Academy of
Sciences, Salem, Mass.

M

HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. '

The Compass-plant— In your journal for De-
cember I notice an inquiry from a correspondent
respecting the Compass-flower, mentioned by Long-
fellow in his poem " Evangeline." There is a plant
in the western United States (Ohio to Kansas)
whicb is known as the Compass-plant, which is
probably the plant Longfellow intended to describe ;
but he seems to have strangely misapprehended its
character. The Compass-plant to which I refer is
the Silphium lacinlatum, a rank, coarse plant of the
nat. ord. Compositse, L. There are a number of
large, erect, stiff, pinnately-parted leaves, one to
two feet long, at the base of the stalk, which rises
six to eight feet high, coarse and rough, with smaller
leaves, without bi\inches, and with six to twelve
large yellow flowers in a raceme-like spike at the top.
The stem is often covered with drops of rosin, on
which account it is also called Rosin-weed. It is
generally conceded that the leaves have a tendency
to point north and south. Tlie cauise assigned for
this polarity by Dr. Gray is that both sides of the
leaf are equally provided with stomata, and are con-
sequently equally sensitive to the light, tlie position
which they assume being the one which gives both
surfaces an equal exposure to the rays of the sun. —
Geo. Vasey, Department of Agriculture, Wasltuujton,
U.S.

Bees and Plants.— A short time ago I was
watching a humble bee {Bombus terrestris) collect-
ing from the blossoms of a snapdragon, in which
operation it became liberally coated with the pollen.
When it set to work to clean itself, the forelegs
were passed repeatedly over the thorax ; but, as
they were considerably too short to meet in this
position, a broad central stripe of pollen remained
untouched on the thora.\:, when the insect, ap-
parently satisfied with its toilet, resumed its forag-
ing occupation. This inability of the bee to cleanse
itself entirely from the adhering grains of pollen
must greatly assist its agency in the fertilization of
plants. — George Guyon.

TussiLAGO Petastites is described by Steele
and Withering as flowering in April ; and as a
rule this is so. This year, however, owing, pro-
bably, to the mildness of the weather and unusual
quantity of rain, I found it in full flower, and
leaf also, at the foot of Clifton Kocks, on the
1st day of January. Withering states that the
flowers appear before the leaves, which is, generally
speaking, true; but in this instance they were as
abundant as the flowers themselves, and of luxuriant
growth. Neither of the authors mentioned says
anything about the perfume of the flowers, which is
exceedmgly powerful, and pleasant withal.— /S'.
Smith, M.R.C.S.E., ^c.

Beech-tbees and Lightning.— Having only
just subscribed to Science-Gossip, my evidence on
lightning-struck beech-trees comes rather late. I
confess I was somewhat surprised by seeing it
statedthat beech-trees are free from the effects of
lightning. I am not in a position to state how many
beeches I have seen that have been struck, as I have
not thought it worth while to record instances of
what seemed to me common occurrences. Last
October one was pointed out to me at Froxfield,
near Petersfield, Hants, that had been struck about
a week previously. It was a fine, tall, straight tree,
but not so tall as various other trees surrounding
it. The trunk was split in two from a foot near the
top to the roots.— -i. C. Hervey.

Eeun Spores. — Can any of your correspondents
inform me whether the spores of greenhouse ferns,
which I unsuccessfully endeavoured to raise last
year (I think through insufficient heat), would be
likely to germinate if properly treated next summer,
or would the fact of their having become quite dry
since then prevent the operation being successful ?
—C. H. G.

Stings op the Queen Bee and Wouker Bee.
— Major Munn, at the meeting of the East Kent
Natural History Society, January 2nd, 1873, com-
municated a paper, illustrated by preparations and
drawings, to prove that the queen bee cannot use
her sting to penetrate the offending part like the
worker bee, and that she employs it offensively only
to inject the poison into the spiracles of an antago-
nist queen. This conclusion he adopts from many
experiments and observations on the combats be-
tween rival queens. And having had the stings
examined by Mr. G. Gulliver, of Pembroke College,
Oxford, it appears that the sting of the queen has
three or four blunt barbs, and is curved, larger, and
blunter at the point than the sting of the worker,
and that this last sting is quite straight, very sharp
at the end, and possessed of from eight to ten very
sharp barbs. If Major Munn's conclusion should
be confirmed, it will be important to practical bee-
masters and experimental physiologists, since the
queen bee may be handled, even by the most delicate
fingers, with perfect impunity.

Recent Rains and Aquatic Insects. — Some
entomologists couQratulate themselves that water-
insects will be plentiful, though butterflies and moths
may be scarce, throughout the year 1S73. I have
myself observed near London that there has been a
scarcity of water-insects for some years past, as
compared with the yeai's preceding: this is due to
several rather dry seasons we have had since 1S68,
which caused many ponds to dry up, and greatly
lessened others. It must be acknowledged that
the recent ample rains have made us amends in this
respect, especially as viewed in conjunction with
the mild temperature, so favourable to the increase
and more rapid development of insect life. On our
commons newpoiids are formed in various places, and
these soon begin to teem with insects, and aquatic
plants spring up in them. Ditches, too, which have
had the character of being dry for a dozen years
or more, are in many places running like rivulets,
and producing animals and plants which prefer run-
ning water ; so that, altogether, there should be a
good season for those who amuse themselves with
fresh-water aqua-vivaria. Certainly, at present, the
hunt for specimens has to be carried on uuder diffi-
culties, since some ponds have so extended them-
selves as to be hardly approachable, unless the
explorer is stilted ; and unless the deeper water is
reached, as a general rule, few insects will betaken.
They seem to be in some way aware that when a
pond has overflowed its bounds the few inches' depth
of water beyond is no sale home for them, as a
change of weather will reduce it to the usual limits.
Also in shallow water insects are more exposed to
enemies, aquatic and non-aquatic. The preferences
shown by some species are singular and not easily
explicable. One pond will be found to yield larvae
of the common gnat in abundance, while none occur
in adjacent ponds. The larvae of the various caddis-
flies \Phryganidce) evidently dislike water which is
quite stagnant. The more weedy and muddy a pond
is, the greater attraction does it present to most
dragon-flies.—/. R. S. C.

HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

45

Books on InsectAnatomy(p.20).— ThefollowiiiEc
amongst others, may be recommended to " J. S.H."
if he can obtain them,. ryoor/ works on the subject being
mostly scarce : — " Swammerdam's History of In-
sects," English edition, with Ur. Hill's notes, pub-
lished about a century ago, and worth, second-hand,
about a guinea. " Wilson's Treatise on Insects,
General and Systematic," with 5-10 figures, published
at 15s., contains, 1 believe, some anatomical details.
"Ormerod's British Social Wasps, their Anatomy
and Physiology," is good on that section of insects.
"Adams on the Microscope" contains much inform-
ation on insect anatomy : it is not, however, a
modern book. "Professor Owen's Anatomy and
Physiology" is excellent but expensive, since the
portion treating of insects cannot be purchased
sepai'ately ; and the same remark must be made
upon "Professor Bymer Jones's Outline of the
Organization of the Animal Kingdom." Much in-
formation upon the anatomy of various groups is to
be found in the works of Latreille, Halliday, West-
wood, Macleay, Newport, and Lowuc.— /. li. S, C.

Oak Spangles. — After many microscopical in-
vestigations I find myself quite unable to under-
stand " Oak-leaf spangles," either as regards their
connection witli the leaf, or the difference in struc-
ture observable between them and the leaf. The
article in Science-Gossip for October, 1866, does
not explain this. Can you kindly tell me how I can
get the information I want ? The difference in
structure is most marked in presence of the curious
tufts of hairs (?) on their surface ; and their connec-
tion with the cuticle is so slight at one point only,
that one can hardly understand their being formed
by a modification of its cells. — Arthur R. Graham.

A White Spabuow. — I have, on many occasions
during the last twelve months, observed a house
sparrow {Passer clomesticus), whose" plumage is
very nearly entirely white, in the neighbourhood of
my residence It is frequently seen in the company
of other sparrows, and with them drinks at a fountain
which is situated at the extreme eud of the garden
adjoining the house. The bird has a few feathers
in each wing which are, towards the tips, of a greyish
colour, and there are also indications of similar
feathers in the neck. The rest of the plumage
appears to be quite white, and was formerly much
more so, previously to the first moulting, than at
present. It is a last year's bird, a fact which I
determined by looking at it particularly through
a telescope and observing the bill, &c. There is no
question as to its being a sparrow, for very many
reasons. Its manner of flight is precisely the same,
and its size, bill, &c., are analogous to those of these
common birds. I believe that a " white sparrow "
is a great rarity, and therefore write to apprise you
of the existence of one in this neighborhood. It
may be interesting to relate, also, that a short time
ago I saw a rook {Corvus frngilegus) which dis-
played several white feathers in his wings. This
fact rests on the authority of many observers, as also
does that of the white sparrow. — IFilliavi F. Den-
ning, Bristol.

The Harvest Bug. — My experience of this
troublesome little creature differs widely from that
of Mr. Cape. A hot summer is a great misery to
me, as these creatures are all over the farm, but arc
especially troublesome on my croquet lawn, which
is situate on a raised terrace of sandy soil. In wet
weather they seem to be washed away, and to be
killed by cold. Hence, whatever other pains the

wet summers of 1S7I and 1872 have brought the
farmers, the cold rains of these snnmicrs have
greatly lessened the harvest bugs. The elevations
of the skin caused by these creatures are commonly
called heat-bumps, and many a nauseous dose had I
to take in my youth on the supposition that these
bumps were due to heat of blood. W^e have tried
lots of remedies for the irritation, but find none so
good as not rubbing, if one can have the patience to
keep therefrom. — /. Buchman.

Are Beech-trees exempt from Injury by
Lightning? — In relation to the above, the following
is an extract from a letter in the linglish Mechanic,
6th Sept., 1872, p. 650 :-" Lightning and Thunder
— Without having seen a large tree the day after its
destruction, one can hardly form an idea of the tre-
mendous force exhibited. I had such a view of a
beech-tree, that was probably one of the largest in
England, and may be remembered as standing before
the elder chalk-pit west of Caversham, Oxon. The
trunk, about six feet in diameter and perfectly sound
to the heart, had been cleft, and, except the lowest
yard or two, had fallen with the limbs in all direc-
tions, with most of its wood in minutely separated
fibres like over-stewed meat, and seeming fit to go
into a paper-mill, and with very little more pound-
ing form pulp. The fibres were also bleached whiter
than parts that had been out of the lightning's
track. — E. L. G." Perhaps some of your corre-
spondents could inform us the usual appearances of
trees after being struck by lightning, and the posi-
tion in which such trees stood. — /. D. Miall.

Stratiotes. — Can any of the readers of [the
SciENCE-GossiP inform me if Stratiotes aloicles, the
" Water Soldier," is still found in the ponds of
Wandsworth Common, as I have not been able to
discover it there ? — /. G., Clapham Road.

Erythema Centaurium (Common Centaury).
— We have gathered examples with brilliant
white flowers, which, if they come true from seed,
would make an interesting garden plant. It oc-
curred on the oolite sands, and is so thoroughly
white that, if a mere sport due to season, it is a
remarkable one. — /. B., Bradford Abbas.

Bural Natural History. — On reading the
rural recipe named for " chink cough," and the
remark that, to " record others might be amusing,"
I venture to name some that were recommended to
me when living at Tonbridge, where I was a sufferer
from ague, and as a district visitor (young and sym-
patliizing) was beloved ; so the poor people often,
when asking how I was, would suggest each their
kind but "certain cui"e." " Now do, dear miss, be
sure and cut your nails of a Wednesday ;" and
again — "live spiders rubbed up in butter and
eaten," was first-rate ; also — "tie with some worsted
an onion round the neck." lu Essex, where I
afterwards went, the ague is very prevalent.
Curious to say, there I never had it, so conclude
miasma from the Medway gave it me, not damp;
and in Bayswater I have it, the drainage being bad.
The children in Sunday scliool used merely to
say, "only the ager, ma'am," and they thought
pitch pills would cure it. In Guernsey, the poor
people make their mattress of Vriac seaweed, and
pile it in their cottages as fuel, and consider it
healthy ; and I believe it is so, as it is that from
which iodine is abstracted. In Prance, an old
woman told me to take a small piece of hair exactly
at the top of my head and twist round a little slip
of wood tightly,' to cure a relaxed uvula, or sore

46

HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE -GO S SIP.

throat, and to twist till I heard "click," which
would draw it up ! In Kent, the idea prevails also,
a great and sudden fright will cure ague ; an old
womau telling me that when young, and suffering
from ague, she was sitting by a little stream, a
passer-by in fun gave her a push, and she was pre-
cipitated into the water and very much frightened,
" but it quite cured the ague."

Collection Catalogue.— I find the following
an easy plan as applied to English Botany ; I think,
moreover, it has the merit of simplicity. I procure
an ordinary account-book, ruled, however, with the
faint blue transverse lines only ; the size as to length
or breadth is immaterial, although it is better to
have one tolerably large, say 9 inches by 6 : the
thickness should be in proportion to the amount of
notes the collector intends to make. I now take
my text-book (Hooker and Arnott's), and I find
under the fii'st order Ranmiculacece, the first genus
Clematis, containing one species only ; accordingly I
head my book with the name of the order in bold
writing, and the genus I write on the extreme left
margin, leaving the line to be filled in when I get
the plant. The next genus, Thalidnim, contains
three species ; consequently, I leave three lines,
writing the genus on the edge as before, and
connecting the lines with a bracket. In this
manner 1 go right through my Flora, and have
created a sort of skeleton list to be filled up as I
collect the plant. Whenever I have found and
named any ordinary specimen, say Cardamine pra-
tensis, I refer to the order and genus, and write in
the species, and carry the habitat, &c., on to tlie
opposite page. In the event of a rarity or any
peculiarity deserving especial notice, I write an
account of it at the end of the list (which should
occupy about half the thickness of the book), and
against the entry of the plant in its proper place, I
write the page on wliich this further account may
be found. I may add that, the list being arranged in
precisely the same order as the book, it is wonder-
fully easy after a time to turn to any order and
plant at once ; and of course, as long as any English
plant remains to collect, so long is the list service-
able.— (?. T. N.

Variety of Convolvulxis Sepitjm. — On driving
along the road between Yeovil and Montacute, in
passing through the village of Preston we were
struck by the profusion of large bright white convol-
vulus flowers, intermixed with which were larger
flowers of a beautiful pink hue. On examining these
latter more atteutivelj^, we found that the flowers
wereas much as nine inches in circumference, their
interior being ornamented by five bands or folds
of the purest white. These very conspicuous flowers
were both in colour and ornamentation like some of
the brighter examples of C. arvensis upon a gigantic
scale, and were so pleasing and attractive as to be
not unworthy of cultivation.—/. B.

On the Sleep oe Plants. — Your correspondent
W. J. W. White may rest assured that plants do
go to sleep, and that the light of gas alone, pro-
vided there were not any deleterious properties
in it, would, in time, kill them. Experiments have
been tried, and prove this : plants kept in a dark
cellar and exposed for a time both day and night to
the light of a lamp, retain a portion of their green
colouring matter, but die eventually of weakness,
caused by the lack of rest. Light separates the
moisture in plants into hydrogen and oxygen, and
disengages the oxygen from the carbonic acid ; but

vegetable chemists cannot go on working for ever
at the same thing ; they want darkness to give out
carbon and absorb oxygen in ; so I repeat it, plants
iDould die from exposure to continual light, though
Mr. White is of opinion that my "notion" is "a
most mistaken one." — Helen H. JFatney.

Parasites on House Ely. — In March last,
whilst examining under the microscope a specimen
of the common fly {Musca domesticd), I found a
number of parasites : can any one give me an idea
where I may find a description of the same ?— G^.
Bennett.

Stings of Wasps.— "R. H. N. B." is right about
a tube running down the blade of the sting ; but is
that for economy and strength, like a quill, or to
convey the poison ? I cannot get any wasps now ;
but in a sting I have by me the tube goes nearly to
the point of the sting, and from it six projections,
like small tubes, extend, not to the points of the
barbs, but just halfway between two points. They
certainly look as if they had an opening, but I
should like to know more about this ; if they
are open, and come from the poison-bag, a good
hand ought to be able to squeeze put some of the
poison from a fresh sting. This would be proof
positive as to the use of the tube. — E. T. Scott.

Self-heal. — The _ Self-heal, or its synonyms
Carpenters' Herb, Sickle-wort, and Hook- weed,
allude to its uses as a vulnerary. Old herbalists record
many cases of wounds inflicted by sickles, scythes,
&c., being healed by its use. On account of its
astringent nature, it was probably useful in such
cases. Its original name, Brunella, said to be
derived from the German Brdune, the quinsy
(from its supposed use in that complaint), was
altered by Linnseus to its modern one of Frunella.
— ^. L. Sarjeant.

Sugaring for Noctu^. — Any sweet compound,
which is somewhat odorous also, will bring some of
the night-flying moths. Treacle and honey in
solution have been tried, but the best preparation
decidedly is that compounded of the strong, dark-
coloured sugar, commonly known as " foots," which
must be dissolved in boiling water (it is hardly
necessary to boil the solution), and then, at the
time of using, a small quantity of rum is added to
the syrup, about in the proportion of a tablespoonfui
to a pint. Some entomologists use other flavours,
as, for instance, the essential oils of aniseed and
bitter almonds, but I have not found these of ad-
vantage. This compound can be spread on tree-
trunks and palings:! it is usual to distribute it in
streaks rather than in patches, and at about four
feet above the ground. It is quite possible that
were it spread at a greater height — say seven or
eight feet from the ground, — it would exert a greater
attractive power, yet it would be difficult under
these circumstances for the collector to make his
captures in the dusk of evening, even with the aid
of a lantern. This latter is an important acces-
sory ; but the bull's-eye lantern is apt to confuse
both the moths and the moth-hunter. Besides
Noctua, other moths will occasionally visit the
sugar, Py rales pretty frequently, and Geometrce
now and then; and I have found larvae upon it,
not seemingly by accident ; as, for instance, that of
Arctia lubricipeda. I have noticed repeatedly what
has been pointed out by the Rev. Joseph Greene,
viz., that there is mostly an interval about ten —
sometimes earlier, sometimes later, — wiien moths,
if they do not cease to fly, will not approach the
sugar. — /. R,_S. C.

HAHDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

Moths under Water. — A curious incident oc-
curred to me some weeks ago while sugaring with
a friend at Catford. We were sitting together on
the banks of a stream, and pinning out our captures,
which consisted of several C. mipta and M. maiira,
when the box, which was a heavy metal one, slipped
from our knees and fell with all its contents to the
bottom of the river. Luckily it was open, and with
a hooked stick we managed to get it up again,
after one or two minutes. Of course, the box was
soaked, but, strange to say, the insects were scarcely
damp, and the scales of the wings were quite un-
injured. Considering their rapid passage through
the water of a running stream, and their con-
sequent sojourn at the bottom, I think this was
rather curious. — £. G. Lefroy.

Rearing Young Dormice.— I have failed three
times in my attempts to bring up broods of dor-
mice. On looking into the nest, I always found
that the mother had destroyed one of her young,
and she killed the rest soon after. She was fed
during ten days before examining the nest, so it
could not have been hunger that made her do this,
and I always carefully avoid disturbing her. If any
of your readers who have had practical experience
in the matter would give me some hints on the
rearing of these little creatures, I should feel ex-
tremely obliged. — W. K. Curling.

Catocala Eraxini. — In answer to the query of
Mr. Pickin (p. 283, last vol.), it is not difficult to
account for the occasional appearance here of this
insect by the "blown-over" theory, considering its
expanse and strength of wing. ^Q\i years pass
without records of individual captures in this
country. It has been taken in Shropshire before,
but in what part of the Gounty I do not know. I
have never heard of the larva having been found
in England.—^. S. Kemp Welch.

Preservation of LAUYiE. — I would supplement
Mr. Auld's practical and excellent notes by adding
that it is well, as I am informed, that when a larva is
selected for operating upon whieh has only recently
cast its skin (in order that the colours may have due
freshness), a sufficient time after the change must
be allowed for the skin and hairs, if any, to become
properly dry ere the insect is killed. Also it is ad-
visable in all cases to keep the larva without food
for a short space, so as to have no faecal deposit in
the interior. To some experimenters the process
of evisceration which has to be carried out is par-
ticularly unpleasant; and I have a recollection
some years since of reading a description of a plan
supposed to obviate this. I do not remember the
exact details, but the finishing off was baking, as in
Mr. Auld's method, only preceding that was, as I
think, a soaking or maceration in a solution. Per-
haps amongst the readers of Science-Gossip there
may be some who have tried this or any other plan
to avoid opening the body, and can inform us as to
whether it is at all feasible. As far back as 1857 I
was shown by a Mr. Ferguson, of Battersea, a
number of different insects preserved in glycerine,
and among them some larvae. They were suspended
by the liind pair of claspers, and though the colours
and markings were preserved, they necessarily pre-
sented rather an unnatural aspect. — J. R. S. C.

Appearance of Male Aphides. — Amongst the
other effects of the eold weather at the early part
of the last summer was the appearance of the winged
males of several species of Aphis. These, as is

well known, usually emerge in autumn, when pair-
ing takes place, and eggs are deposited, which pro-
duce the next year's brood. This anticipation of
autumn I noticed in the common plane-tree more
particularly, but it occurred also on other plants.
I presume, however, that these summer males are
the parents of aphid larvae, not eggs, or perhaps
barren. — /. B. S. C.

Luminous Ehizopoda.— I have noticed on the
Welsh coast the singular phosphorescence men-
tioned by " A. B. C," Croydon. I saw it last spring
on a small slip of sand about two miles from Beau-
maris, and I have been told that it proceeded from
a very minute animal, the Noctiluca miliaris. A lady
on a visit to me at the time, told me that her father
(Major Bernard) had, both in Ireland and on the
Continent, found this rhizopod in v/et sand. I
conclude it is the cause of the luminosity of the sea
on our coast, just as the Pyrosoma Atlantica is in
tropical regions.— J/ra. Alfred Watney.

Heeds and Organs. — How few of us are there
who, as we pass along the reed-grown banks, or
gaze at the shallows of mere or stream, recall the
fact that a musical instrument, which, from its
sacred and secular uses, may claim to rank the
highest, traces its origin to a lowly reed ! Yet
so it is. The Pan pipe, the history of which goes
back to the earliest ages, was just hollow reeds
rudely fastened together. These pipes were of
ditfering lengths, and closed at the bottom. Thus
we have the mouth-organ in its primitive form,
which the myths fabled to be the work of Pan,
and in a competition with Apollo, the former bore
off the palm. It seems a long distance from this
rude instrument to the large and elaborate organ
of modern times, yet most of the intermediate
stages are traceable.—/. B. S. C.

A Plague of Elies.— It being now summer.
Hies swarmed in fearful numbers in the abodes of
the Boers. Ouentering the house, 1 found the walls
of the large sitting-room black with these disgusting
insects. They are a cruel plague to the settlers in
Southern Africa, and it often requires considerable
ingenuity to eat one's dinner or drink a cup of
cotfee without swallowing some of them. — Gordon
Cumming, " The Lion Hunter in South Africa."

Honey-dew.— The summer of 1825, especially in
June and July, was peculiarly hot and dry. The
quantity of that sweet iclannny fluid which we find
upon certain leaves, and commonly called honey-
dew, was more than usually abundant during these
months. In the daytime bees, wasps, and tribes
of flies collected to feed upon it, and in the even-
ings moths and insects of the night frequented the
fruit-ti-ees on our walls, particularly the cherry and
the plum, for the same purpose. Aphides abounded
upon all the young sprays. — Knapp, "Journal of a
Naturalist,"

Communications Received from — C. S. S. — E. B. —
J. J. M.— J. P.— F. C— G. H. H.— G. J. L. L.— K. H.— J. R.
W.— S. S.— H. E. W.-S. O.— W. F.— A. H.— W. G. F.— A. A.
-F. M.W.-G. v.— E. W.— J. T.— E. H. G.-A. C. H.— J.
R. D.— T. B. B.— E. C. M.— T. V. C— W. N.— J. A.— E. R. F.
— T. S., Jun.— T. W. F.— R. W. W.— E E. M.— F. K.— C. G.
B.— W. S. K.— W. C— C. C. A.— E. L.— K. B, Jun.— J. M.
D. A.— G. R.— E. L.— H. M. C. a.— W. W.— C. M.— J. P. H,
B.— J. H.— J. T.— J. C— J. B.— T. B. W.— H. O. S.— J. H. C.
— G. S. S.— C. J. R.— E. L.-F. W. G— C. S. S.— J. B.-J. D.
M.— J. G.— R. H.— W. S. P.— F. W. P.— J. H. W,— F. F.—
H. H. C.-G. D. B.— A. F. B.-Dr. H. G.— J. P.— A. D.~J.
R. D.— H. B.— G. G.— J. B.— E. H.— C. H. G.— J. A., Jun.—
J. C. H.-G. C.-J. S.-F. V^.— J. H.-C. L.J.— E. L. &c.

48

HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS.

W. N. — The East London Naturalists' Club, 23, Fairfoot
Road, Bow, is likely to suit you. We are but few in number at
present, but I do not know of any club of the sort nearer
than this. The Secretary, Mr. J. W. Love, at23, Fairfoot Road,
will furnish further particulars. — J. R. D.

Micro. — Get the work on " Collecting: snd Mounting
Algae," from Hardwicke, 192, Piccadilly. It will give you
exhaustive information on all you require.

E. E. Matthews. — There is no royal'road to the study of
Botany, You had better get Dr. Master's little work on
Botany, or Professor Balfour's, both cheap and just published.
A gardener would not be able to give you much help. Cole-
man's " Trees and Hedges " would assist you in associating
your feeding insects with leaves.

J. H. E. — There is no Entomological Dictionary published-
Shuckard's translation of Burmeister's Manual of Entomology
contains definitions of great numbers of entomological terms,
but it was published long before the work of which you speak.
The most useful book for your purpose would be Staiixton's
" Manual of British Butterflies and Moths," which contains
a glossary of its scientific terras. — C. G. B.

E. C. MoRELL. — Your question is a difficult one to answer.
Damp and old woodwork are probably the cause of the ap-
pearance of the LepismoB in such numbers. Benzine and
camphor would probably keep them off" your books, but the
smell may be objectionable. You had better seek for and
destroy the home of the insects.

R. H. N. Brown. — Our correspondent will find full par-
ticulars of the new voltaic batteries in a lecture delivered
Dec. 11, before the Society of Arts, and published in full in
the Pharmaceuticiil Journal, Dec. 23 (Churchill). The lecture
was delivered by the author of the paper at Brighton, the Rev.
H. Hig-hton, M.A.

E. B.^The white-flowered Centaury is not uncommon. It
is merely a variety of the common form.

J. P. — The moss is Dicranum bryoides.

T. G. — Your specimen is not a lichen. It is difficult to tell
what it is. We have shown it to several good authorities,
but none of them can make it out.

E. C. J. — Your zoophytes are as follows : — No. \,Serialaria
lendige.ra, damaged specimen, the secondary polyp-cells
almost entirely worn away. No. 2, Bugula amcularia, variety,
developing in some parts a multiserial arrangement of the
polyp-cells.— W. S. K.

W. Z. — The following are the names of the Hepaticae sent
to US; — 1. Mctzqeria fiircata ; 2. Jungermannia crenulata ;
3. Lophocolea bidentnta ; 4. Cnlypogeia trichomanes ; 5. Jung,
inflata; 6. Jung, ventricosa, v. gemniifera. — B. C.

F. Fletcher. — The incrustations on your piece of coal
were not fungoid or lichen growths, but minute radiated
crystals of WUherite, Examine them with a low power.

A. D. — Our space forbids us, as a rule, answering other
than natural history questions. You will find full instruc-
tions, if we remember right, how to construct a Sundial, in
Lardner's " Museum of Science and Art."

M. J. G. — Mosses:—!. Hypnum cupressiforme ; 2. and 3.
S, sylvaticum ; i, H. molluscum ; 5. H. filicimimwiiXh Tricho-
tomum rubeltum ; 6. Scupania undulata. — R. B.

J. S. — We are much pleased with your slide. The section
is beautifully cut, and the carmine staining exquisite.

W. N. will accept our thanks for sending us a capitally
executed pen-and-ink sketch of the common double poppy,
in which the seeds have been retained and, perhaps owing to
the continued warmth and wet, have sprouted. The eff'ect is
very singular and uretty, the seed-vessels proper appearing
like vases, in which minute plants are growing. Our kind
correspondents must pardon us for not insertuig the great
number of instances, which have been sent us, illustrative of
the mildness of the season. They would fill the present
number at least.

R. W. W.— The vertebra is that of the Blue Ray (,Saia
batis).

A Country Subscriber wishes to know where he can ob-
tain a set of diagrams for a lecture on the Microscope. WUl
some of our readers kindly help him to the information ?

Dr. J. P. H. B. — Your sketch of the conifer called
" Jerusalem Candlestick-tree " is scarcely enough for iden-
tification. You had better send us a leaf or two. It is, how-
ever, most probably Pudocarpus coriaceus, Richard. — W. C.

J. M. D. Ashbury. — Your mounted specimen of the skin of
the Smooth Newt was not sent in a sufficiently strong case.
It arrived utterly smashed !

CoRREsroNDENCB. — Wc must rsqucst the patient forbear-
ance of many correspondents whose communications have
not yet appeared, as we receive so many that we cannot
pablish half.

S. Tagg, Bryum, p. Bailey, &c. — Answers in hand.

Birds' Eggs. — Will the correspondent who sent us birds'
eggs to name send his address ? It has been mislaid.

M. Turner. — Your fern is Adiantum hispidum. — J. B.

S. O. — If the blotches on your pupa are external, and can
be rubbed off, they are merely caused by some moth which
has emerged in the same cage. These would not injure
your pupa, unless they hindered the bursting of its shell by
binding the sutures together. But if the blotches are internal
— actual changes of colour, they probably indicate that the
pupa is dead. There is no need for wetting pupae kept in
moss.— C. G. B.

Joseph Anderson. — Wilkinson's "British Tortrices "
contains illustrations of twenty-four species and descriptions
of all those known at the time of publication ; Stainton's
" Manual of British Moths," upwards of thirty illustrations,
besides the descriptions. These works are both published by
Van Voorst, 1, Paternoster Row. There is no other British
work answering to your description.— C. G. B.

EXCHANGES.

Pleurosigma angulatum. Test object, well mounted, given
for mounted (good) Diatoms.— J. H. Wollaston, WeUs,
Somerset.

Eggs of Shore Lark, Black Grouse, Dusky Grebe, Bittern,
Spoonbill, and many others. List sent on application.
Wanted English Moths and Butterflies.— A. F. Buxton,
Easneye, Ware.

Send stamped and addressed envelope with an object of
microscopic interest for seeds of Lilium giganteum, showing
cells of epidermis, transparent object, unmounted, to Geo.
D. B., Hurley Villa, Ealing, W.

British Lepidoptera, also Middle Eocene Fossils, to ex-
change for British Fossils or Foreign Shells. — E. H. Goddard,
Hilmarton, Calne, Wilts.

L, dispar. Eggs of, and other Lepidoptera, for Eggs and
Imago of others. — John Purdue, Ridgeway, Plympton, Devon.

North American Birds' Eggs. — Duplicates of eggs of two
hundred species of North American birds, many very rare, to
exchange for British Eggs. Owing to difficulty and expense
of transatlantic exchanges, I would prefer to exchange with
some one possessing an extensive British collection. — W. G.
Freedley, 210, South 24th Street, Philadelphia, Pa., U.S.

Fossils from the Pliocene Drift for other fossils, — W.
Freeman, 165, Maxey Road, Plumstead.

For longitudinal and transverse Sections of Horn of
Rhinoceros, send stamped envelope and objects of interest to
J. R.Williams, Norman's Place, Altrincham.

Soji e beautiful specimens of Ores for Geologists, in exchange
for Kirby & Spence's Entomology, 7th ed., or back vols.
of Science-Gossip before 1872. — E, E. Matthews, 48, Leonard
Street, Finsbury, E.C.

E.fulvago,0, dilatata, C. vaccinii, &c., to exchange for
other Lepidoptera. — John Harrison, 7, Victoria Bridge,
Barnsley.

Cocoon of Larva of Figure 8 moth {Diloba ceruleooephala),
well mounted in balsam for polariscope. Send equally good
slide to E. Lovett, Holly Mount, Croydon.

Fungi. — Coleospurium pingue and Jflelampsora populina,
mounted, also Petal of Correa cardinalis, showing stellate
hairs, and Funaria hygrometrica, — for good sections of Coal,
Teeth, or other good objects. — John Carpenter, Waltham
Cross, Herts.

Good slides offered for Foraminiferous Deposits, Deep-sea
Soundings, or pieces of Foreign Chalk, localities named. —
S. C. L. Jackson, 255, Lord Street, Southport.

For Skin of Sole, or Eel mounted for Polariscope, send
well-mounted slides to Thos. Shipton, Jun., 12, High Street,
Chesterfield.

British Lepidoptera and Shells, also a few Fossils and
Minerals, for foreign or rare British Shells or Fossils. Lists
required and given. — M. M., Post-office, Faversham, Kent.

Diatoms. — Cymbella,'Cocconema, Denticula, Epithemia, &c.
mounted, for other good mounted objects. — John C. Hutche-
son, 8, Lansdowne Crescent, Glasgow.

BOOKS RECEIVED.

" Faith and Free Thought," a second course of Lectures
delivered by the Christian Evidence Society. London ; Hodder
& Stoughton.

"American Naturalist," December, 1872.

" Monthly Microscopical Journal," January, 1873.

" Les Mondes."

"Art Studies from Nature," as applied to Design, by
several authors. London: Virtue & Co.

"Manual of Palaeontology," by Professor Nicholson. Lou-
don : W. Blackwood & Sons.

" The Botanist's Pocket-book," by W. R. Hayward. Lon-
don : Bell & Daldy.

"A series of Botanical Labels for Herbaria," by John E.
Robson. London: R. Hardwicke, 192, Piccadilly.

HARDWICKE'S SC I £ N C E- G OSS 1 P.

49

THE COBEA, AND HOW I KILLED IT.

:5>'^HERE are few
men who have
not some hobby
peculiar to
themselves :
some ride the
jli horse, and
seek rule over
their fellow -mortals; others
are content with humbler oc-
cupation, aud some will com-
bine both. There are eccen-
tric hobbies, useful hobbies,
and useless ditto ditto. One
of mine, perhaps useless in
some people's eyes, but always
interesting in my own, has
been, ever since I can remem-
ber, a mania for collecting
insects and stuffing birds,
beasts, and reptiles; ouly as an amateur would
do them, but still well enough to please myself.

Sometimes I have found a difficulty in killing
some of the larger kinds of reptUes without injuring
their outward appearance. Chloroform would always
kill butterflies and insects very quickly, without any
apparent pain, but on some species it had no effect
whatever.

Once I poured a quantity of it down the throat
of a young alligator about a yard long, which I got
on the banks of the Hooghly, without having the
desired result, and I could only kill him by taking
a pair of large scissors and cutting the spinal mar-
row at the base of the head, from inside the throat.
This looks like a cruel operation, but the creature
was dead instantly.

About the same time, with others, I had an
opportunity of obtaining from a native a fine Cobra-
di capello. It was a handsome brute, just 4 ft. 7 in.
long, beautifully marked, and glancing with restless
eyes and agitated tongue as [the snake-charmer
handled it without fear. One could not help a mo-
mentary shudder at being in such close proximity to
No. 99.

so poisonous a beast, whose bite would be death in a
few minutes; but the native vendors assured the
sahibs that the poisonous fangs had been drawn,
and we gradually assumed sufficient courage to
handle it.

We should not have done this had we known that
one fang, although drawn from the socket, was still
in the gum. This I found there on ultimately
skinning it, and the tooth is now in my possession.

The main object in buying the snake was that it
might be stuifed, and we accordingly set to work to
kill it, first pouring down its throat nearly a wine-
glassful of spirits of ammonia ; and having waited
half an hour without observing any effect, a spoonful
of prussic acid was administered with a similar
fruitless result. The poor brute was then handed
over to me, and 1 carried him away in a small flat
wicker basket, in which he was coiled.

It was now my turn to see what could be
done with him, aud I thought drowning would
dispose of him effectually without affecting the
colour of the skin.

To carry out this idea I put him, basket and all,
into my earthen bath (a large chatty about 3 ft.
deep), with a weight on the lid 'of the basket to
keep it at the bottom, and there left him'for full three
hours until late in the evening. I then took him
out, and considered him quite dead, as he was
handed round amongst us as perfectly limp as a yard
and a half of tape.

Purposing to skin him in the morning before the
sun was up, I put a noose round his tail and hung
him to a nail in my bath-room bulkhead, to let the
water run from his mouth ; and here he dangled,
when I turned in, as straight as a line.

Soon after daylight I was up to commence opera-
tions on his snakeship, and opened my bath-room
door to unhang him, when, instead of the limpid
creature I had left on the previous night, he had
coiled himself into a knot, and was spitting at me
from the centre of it with his forked tongue, shooting
it in and out, and his eyes lighted up with a fierce
and angry glare. .

50

HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

My astonishment was of course great, but I soon
unliung him, and having laid him on the floor to
uncoil, put him again into his basket, and the basket
once more into the bath.

Two hours passed, and he was in the same limpid
state as after his former immersion, so, without
giving him time for a second resuscitation, I skinned
and stuffed him forthwith, and he now figures
in a glass case with other specimens.

Aegala.

STINGS OF WASPS AND BEES.

THE remarks of " Pt. H. N. E.", in a recent
(December) number of Science-Gossip show
that he has made a careful examination of the lan-
cets of the sting, and they display much acuteness
of observation so far as they extend. Still, I think
he is in error in supposing that " a tube runs along
the whole length of the lancet from the poison-bag
with branches to three or four teeth near the ex-
tremity."

In favour of his supposition there is, first the
opinion of Mr. P. H. Gosse, no mean authority, and
which appearances certainly confirm, that the lan-
cets are hollow ; this he proved by the best possible
test, viz., the presence of movable air-bubbles in the
body of the lancet. Secondly, I think it may be
admitted that at a certain focus there is the appear-
ance of branches from the hollow tube of the lancet
to the teeth.

These admissions are far from affording sufficient
grounds for the probability that there is a passage
of the poison from the bag down and through the
lancets at their extremities, or at the extremities of
the points of their barbs, and there are strong rea-
sons against the probability of the passage of the
poison in this manner.

To determine with accuracy the points in ques-
tion, the sting of the wasp is the best subject for
examination, because the tube or duct from the
poison-bag to the sting is in this case long, and
easily to be traced. It will be requisite that the
dissection shall have been carefully performed, so
that the entire structure shall be clean and un-
broken, and comprehend the sheath, the [two lan-
cets, the poison-bag, and duct.

It will then be found that the lancets lie in the
sheath for only about one-half of their length ; that
after passing out of the upper portion of the sheath
they diverge and become finally attached to the
levers, which assist in their motion ; that the duct
which conveys the poison passes down between and
behind the two lancets, and into the sheath, and
that it may be traced passing down the sheath
behind the lancets for about one-third the length of
the sheath ; that there can be no communication
between the poison-duct and the lancets until after

both have entered the sheath, and that there is
none for the third part of the length of the sheath.

In tracing the course of the duct in the mounted
specimen it will be of advantage to use polarized
light in the examination: the chitonous portions
polarize well and become brilliantly coloured, and
the duct can then be more readily traced to its point
of attachment to the sheath.

Now, if the poison finds an entrance into the
lancets, there must be apertures in them at about
their centre for its admission. No such apertures
have ever been spoken of or observed. Again, there
must be apertures at the extremities of the lancets
and barbs, if the poison pass through them; no
such apertures have been observed.

On the whole, I would conclude that the lancets
are hollow, to secure lightness and strength of
structure ; that the appearance of branches from
the hollow tube of the lancet to its teeth is decep-
tive ; that the poison passes down the sheath and
out of the aperture at its extremity, which is plainly
visible ; that the ends of the lancets when in action
are well bathed externally with the poison, which is
at the same time poured freely [into the wound
formed by the lancets.

I believe this interpretation of the action of the
lancets and poison to be most in accordance with
the structure of the sting, and with that simplicity
of plan which rejects a compUcated and roundabout
way of effecting that which may be accomplished
by more direct and simple means.

Other points of inquiry connected with the struc-
ture and operation of stings are to me of greater
interest, because of more doubtful and unsettled
determination; such as the possible formation of
crystals by the evaporation of the poison of the
sting, and the uses of the feelers, or hairy append-
ages that are attached to the extremities of the
levers that move the lancets.

Of the crystals (Science-Gossip, 1868, page 151)
I have obtained a second instance, and I have re-
peatedly confirmed my opinion of the structure of
the poison-bag to be that which I have explained in
my article on that subject ; but I ,'feel anxious to
investigate more fully, and to determine satisfac-
torily, the causes of the appearance and occurrence
of the crystals, which already have excited consider-
able interest. As to the palpi, or hairy appendages,
I can only say, that I have examined the lancets of
many gall-flies, and the saws of many saw-flies, with
a view to determine their structure and uses. I
have found that in every case they are attached to
the levers of the lancets, and vary much in figure
and magnitude in different species of hymenoptera.
They have been set down as being " guides to the
action of the lancets," and as being " employed in
oviposition, to receive the egg from the oviduct^
and to fix it to the wall of the cell." I, would say,
that in all probability their uses are, that by their

HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

5J

action they should give smoothness and uniformity
to the motions of the lancets, and also to act as
feelers, to direct as to the occasions and limits of
the use of the sting. This, however, is purely hy-
pothetical.

It may be interesting and useful to some, to give
an account of my mode of preparation of the sting.
I use the simple microscope in dissecting; with a
magnifying power of about an inch focal length. I
remove the last segment of the abdomen of the
wasp and place it on a glass slide ; I then with
needles separate and take away the external covering
of the segment, and with a camel-hair pencil and
needles carefully wash away and separate the mus-
cular tissue, so as to leave the sting and brushes or
palpi clean, and the sheath, duct, and poison-bag
in a line on the slide, clean and unbroken, taking
especial care that the poison- bag receives no puncture
from the needle, or any rupture by rough treatment,
and that the duct from the poison-bag to the sheath
be plainly seen, and be not entangled in muscular
fibre.

All this can be done on the glass slide, the
dissection being kept moistened with water sufficient
to cover it, without causing it to float, until every-
thing be removed except the parts required. I
then place the dissection in position in the centre
of the sHde, and leave the slide under a glass shade
for about a week, until the sting, &c., has become
perfectly dry, and the poison fluid in the bag, if any,
has had sufficient time to evaporate. Irhen moisten
with a few drops of turpentine, and mount immedi-
ately in balsam.

I use no pressure at any time that would distort
the parts, my object being, not so much to make a
beautiful preparation, as to obtain crystals from the
poison fluid,';and also to see the parts of the structure
in their natural position.

This method will give very interesting and
beautiful slides, from dissecting gall-flies and saw-
flies, and will sometimes bring instances of structure
to view singular and curious, that 1 think have not
yet been illustrated or explained.
Armagh. Lewis G. Mills, LL.D.

A HAILSTORM.

A LTHOUGH meteorological phenomena are
-'--*- not often recorded in the pages of Science-
Gossip, it may not be without interest to the
readers of its pages if I contribute a brief record
of a storm which passed over Edmonton on Wed-
uesda}', the 7th August. 1S72. I had gone there
shortly before seven o'clock in the evening by the
new line of railway recently opened by the Great
Eastern Railway Company, and upon approaching
Edmonton, the sky gave unmistakable indications
of a coming storm. To the right, in the direction

of Epping Forest, the atmosphere was tolerably
clear, but on the left the line of tlie horizon was
almost lost in a heavy mass of purple-black clouds,
out of whicli came occasional flashes of what is
commonly called sheet lightning.

Beyond this indication that a thunderstorm was
travelling on the west of the line of railway, there
was nothing exceptional to remark. On leaving
the new station at Edmonton to cross the old line,
the time being then seven o'clock, a few black
clouds came overhead, travelling at a great pace.
They were apparently so close to the earth, that a
child standing near to me made the expressive
remark, that they would fall on the houses. lu
another moment the nearest cloud was torn into
shreds, as though a violent explosion had taken
place in its centre, and in a few seconds more
followed one of the most remarkable falls of hail
which I have ever seen.

Meteorological annals abound with descriptions
of remarkable hailstorms ; many of them so marvel-
lous that to believe the descriptions of them is
rather a tax on the imagination.

Some Farmers' Insurance Companies have pub-
lished accounts of storms of ■wonderful character ;
but in these instances a little romance is pardon-
able, and when I have read of hailstones as big as
hen's eggs, oranges, and the like, I may perhaps be
excused for being a little sceptical.

The storm at Edmonton on the 7th August,
however, was a fact, and as I watched it carefully,
and examined many of the hailstones which fell, 1
have no hesitation in stating what I saw. In
shape the stones bore the same character as those
described by Herschel, Howard, Clark, and other
observers, and although they were not so large as
to rival the hailstones which are said to fall in the
Himalayan regions, their size was sufficiently re-
markable. The largest stone I could find had pro-
jections at either end tapered 'to a point. The
stone bore all the appearance of having possessed a
number of radiating spines, if the projections ou
the surface may be so described.

Of one type of hailstones there were many speci-
mens, varying in size from a pea upwards, and all
bearing the same hexagonal markings. In several
there was a well-marked cavity in the centre, occu-
pying about a third of the bulk of the stone. Upon
breaking such stones across, the cavity was found
to be dry in some instances, and filled with water
in others.

During the storm, which raged for about twelve
minutes, the flashes of lightning were extremely
vivid, and followed each other at very short inter-
vals. When tlie hail passed over, rain followed, but
during the time the hail fell, there was no indica-
tion of rain, a feature which is, I believe, common
to these phenomena.

Another circumstauca not unusual during severe

D 2

52

HARDWiCKE'S SCIENCE- GOSSIP.

hailstorms, was tliat the track of the storm ap-
peared to be confined to a limited area. Thunder-
storms prevailed throughout the day in various
localities, but I have not heard that any other
place was visited by so severe a liailstorm.

J. F. T.

ON CERTAIN WINGLESS INSECTS.
By T. W. WoNroK.

HAVING now classed the wings, and shown that,
with but [two exceptions, all the insect tribe
possess four wings, or their modifications, we willpro-
ceed to certain exceptional cases, in which the wings
are so little developed, or are so perfectly rudimentary
as to be altogether useless to their possessors as
organs of flight. This is the more remarkable from
the fact that some members of the family have well-
developed wings, and especially that occasionally the
males alone possess the power of flight, while the
females, who would seem to want it most, are utterly
unable to fly, or, in some cases, to move more than
a few inches from the places where they have escaped
from the chrysalis.

Among the moths is a small group, the Liparidce,

so named after one of their number, Liparis dispar,

the Gipsy, characterized by the great breadth of their

wings and smallness of their bodies, and nearly allied

, to the swift-flying moths, the Bomhycidce. These

' latter includethe Lappet, Oak Eggar, Kentish Glory,

..&c., some of which are not only noteworthy for their

: -great powers of flight, but also for the very strange

habit, "sembling," that is, the collecting together

, of large numbers of the males, drawn from long

. distances by the females, instances of which have

fbeen detailed to the Society on former occasions.

• Fig. 34. VapourerMoth (Ori'^ia aii^ijua), MaleandFemale.

. Among these Lipnridce are those pests to the or-
chards |of Kent, the Brown-tail and Gold-tail moths.
The caterpillars of all are hairy ; some are character-
ized by peculiar tufts uf hairs, as seen in the well-
inownHop-dog, while the common Vapourer(C>«7j/2«
antiqua) and the scarce Vapourer {Orgyia gono-
stigma) have tufts of long hairs as well, pointing
over the head like brushes, each hair being tipped
with a small knob. The caterpillars of the first
{Orgyia antiqua) feed on many plants and shrubs,
while the latter feed on the nut aud oak, and each,
when it is about to change to the chrysalisj spins a

loose web intermingled with its hairs, and turns into
a hairy chrysalis. The moths, which escape from the
chrysalides, are, from their peculiar rising and falling
flight, called " Vapourers." The males of both species
have slender bodies and very broad wings, and are
met with, not simply in the country, but in the very
heart of towns and cities. At the proper time of
year they may be seen " vapouring " among the
trees on the Level.

The females of both species are nearly wingless,
have large bodies, and are as unlike moths in appear-
ance as is possible to conceive. The colour, too, is
diiferent from that of the active males, being of a
dull grey or ashy brown, while the males are richly
tinted, and in one case marked with a white spot on
the upper wing. So slight is the power of locomo-
tion in the female, that she very seldom gets beyond
the empty cocoon on which slie lays her eggs and
dies. But though so unattractive to human eyes,
they are not to their male admirers, as may be proved
by taking a newly-escaped female in the neighbour-
hood of male vapourers, for then they come flitting
around, and soon settle on the box containing the
captive female.

Our next examples will be taken from a very large
family of moths, the caterpillars of which differ from
those of other moths and butterflies in the number
of their " false legs," and also in their mode of pro-
gression. The caterpillars of moths and butterflies
possess, as is generally known, six true legs, and in
addition ten false legs, or " claspers," by means of
which they hold on. In one great family most pos-
sess only four of these claspers, which are situated
at the tail end, so that the caterpillar cannot hold on
by the middle of the body ; the consequence is, that
when it walks, the middle of the body is looped, from
which circumstance they have been called "Loopers,"
and from their appearing to measure the space they
traverse, they have been denominated Geometry or
"earth-measures." Many of these caterpillars resem-
ble in colour the leaves or stems of the plants on
which they feed, and when at rest cling by the anal
claspers, and stand out at an angle from the twig,
in which position they so much resemble a stick or
twig, tiiat the name " Stick " caterpillars has been
given to them. It is among this family that the
power is possessed of linking the two wings together,
when the insects fly. Another peculiarity belonging
to some is that they rest with their wings folded
back to back like the butterflies.

Among the Geometers are several moths, the fe-
males of which either have small and useless wings, as
far as they are considered instruments of locomotion,
or so aborted as to appear altogether wanting. Thus
in Ilyhernia mpicapraria (the Early Moth), which
appears in January, the wings of the male are ample,
and of a dark brown colour, the wings of the female
are very short, and cut off obliquely at the hind mar-
gin, while the body is short and stout. In Hybemia

HARDWICKE'S S C lEN CE-GOS S IP.

53

leucophearia (Spring-usher), the wings of the male
are long and i ather narrow, while those of the female
are scarcely perceptible. In the Scarce Umber {H.
aurantiana), which appears in October, the wings of
the male are. very large, while those of the female are
mere stumps : the body is larger than in either of
the others. In another species, the Dotted Border
{R. progemmarla), which appears in February, while
the wings of the male are large, those of the female
are too small for the purposes of flight, but more
ample than any other of this degraded, i.e. imper-
fectly developed, group. Another Hybernia, H. de-
foliaria (Mottled Umbei"), which appears in October,
has, as regards the male, lai'ge wings, but the nearly
wingless female looks, when on the trunks of trees,
like a spider; and the deception is the greater, owing
to the length of her legs, and the markings on the
body. In Anisoptenjx (escularia (Marsh Moth)
wings are quite wanting to the female, while those
of the male are ample. In that destructive pest to
plantations and orchards, Chimatohia hrumata (the
Winter Moth), thousands of which may sometimes
be met with at this time of year, the wings of the
female are too shoi-t for flight. In places where
they abound, the females may be seen crawling
like spiders over the tree trunks, while the males
flit easily about.

Another group of the Geometers noted for their
robustness and the strong character of their wings,
contains three species in which the females are apte-
rous. These are the Brindled Beauty [Thigalia
pilosaria), the Belted Beauty {Nyssia zoiiaria), and
the small Brindled Beauty (iV. hlspidaria). This is
the more remarkable because in this family there are
only three other species, Bistoii hirfaria, Amphyda-
sis prodromaria, and A. betularia, in all of which,
strange to say, the females have a larger expanse of
wing than the males.

There is one more group of moths in which the
females are more degraded than any of the examples
already given; in fact, it has been remarked of them
that they are simply egg-sacs, while the males are
pretty lively moths. They have seriously been the
subject of much difference of opinion as to what
group of moths they should be classed with, some
at one time leaving them with the Bombycida, and
others with the TinecE. They are known by the name
of the Psycldda;, and are remarkal)le from the habits
of the caterpillars, which form for themselves a case,
somewhat similar to that constructed by the caddis-
worm, composed of pieces of bark, leaf, or some simi-
lar material, fastened together by a kind of glue or
silken substance secreted by the caterpillars. When
engaged in eating, they protrude a portion of the fore
part of the body from the case, and, as they increase
in size, enlarge the case by first slitting it, and then
letting it out by the addition of more material.
Before moulting or changing to a chrysalis, the
mouth of the case is closed, and in the latter state

it serves the purpose of a cocoon. When the final
change takes place the male escapes, but the female
of one, Fumea gemella, crawls out, in appearance like
a little worm, and, after depositing her eggs in the
case, dies. Others, like Psyche gmminella, if females,
do not emerge from the case, but deposit their eggs
within, die, and shrivel up. The young larvse com-
mence their experience of life by eating up their
dead motiier's body, as rank a case of cannibalism
as one could wish for, being, to say the least, an
unnatural proceeding. Some of the female Psychidse
are not only wingless, but almost footless, without
antenna, and have eyes without facets.

Two or three questions naturally arise as to why
the females should be so diff"erent from the males.
Is there any perceptible difference in the caterpillars
to account for the difference in the moth? Are there
analogous cases among other insects ? To the first
question no satisfactory answer can, at present, be
given. Those who have experimented upon moths
and butterflies know that alternations of scanty and
bountiful food, or keeping them on scanty food only,
tends to produce dwarfs and monstrosities, and that,
keeping chrysalides rather dry, or exposing escaping
moths and butterflies to the action of dry heat, pre-
vents the unfolding of the wings. These things,
however, take place with males and females alike,
and no such conditions can possibly exist in nature
and always produce wingless females. Again,
granted it is hereditary, why should it be confined
to the female line ?

To the second question we reply, that although
some have fancied that a difference can be detected
between the caterpillars which will produce males
and those which will produce females, we believe it
is, after all, mere fancy, and that, whether there is
any essential difference existing either in the eggs
or the larva, it is at present one of the unexplained
mysteries.

To the third question an answer in the affirmative
can be given. Nut alone among the Lepidoptera are
there wingless females. One of the most striking
examples is the cochineal insect, in which, while
the males possess wings, the females are not only
destitute of wings, but almost of limbs : the absence
of wings is also seen in the summer or immature
females of the aphides. Some species of " walking
sticks " supply wingless females ; among the cock-
roaches the wings are sometimes wanting in the
females, while in the parasite Sirepsipfera, the fe-
males arc not only destitute of wings, but were for
a long time, from their worm-like appearance, mis-
taken for larvaj, till dissection showed that these
worm-like creatures were full of eggs. But perhaps
the best-known example is the Glow-worm, the fe-
males of which alo/ie are luminous, and present the
appearance of flat greyish brown larvfe, quite des-
titute of wings, while the males are active and fly
well.

54

HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE -GO S S IP.

It certainly seems a very strange phenomenon,
and is opposed to what we might imagine the fitness
of things, that, as far as the continuance of the race
is concerned, the more important of the two sexes,
the females, in so many cases, are unable to go far
from home. We think this fact, together with the
circumstance that the so-called perfect form falls
far short of the larval state in the means of locomo-
tion, external decoration, or the possession of some
organs, renders the inquiry, " Why are some insects
wingless ? " worthy the consideration of scientific
naturalists. — Trans, of Brighton and Sussex Nat,
Hist. Soc.

QUILL-WOETS.

A SHORT reference to a class of the Mar.
sileaccffi, E. Br. (Lycopodiacece, Berkeley, in
"Treasury of Botany"), of which several new species
have of late years been discovered in Algeria, may
be interesting to the English botanist. I allude to
the Isoetes (Quill-worts), of which one species only,
viz., the /. palustris, appears in Hooker and
Arnott's British Elora.

Fig. 35. British Quill- wort {Ixuetes palustr'n,).

Some of the Isoetes are aquatic, others terres-
trial ; the former, consisting of /. setacea of Gram-

mont Montpellier (/. Delilei), I. Peyrremondei, and
/. longissima, both of Algeria, and the British I.
laciistris. Of the terrestrial there are two, viz.,
/. histrix and I. Durienmi, both of Algiers. The
I. setacea of Montpellier, as being better known,
it is hardlynecessary to'.describe ; and the /. Peyrre-
mondei, Bory, is only a variety of it, not more than
half the size, found in the south of France as well
as in Algeria. The I. longissima, found near the
Lac Houberia, Canton de la Calle, is distinguished
by the fineness and enormous length of its leaves,
and with a bulb proportionately smaller than all the
other species. Of the terrestrial, the I. BwriencBi
is found in the lightest sandy ground near the town
of Algiers ; it has a large bulb, and at the base of
each leaf are three sharp teetli (not spines). The
/. histrix has altogether a singular appearance,
quite different from all the others ; has a bulb
covered with spines, three at tlie base of each fallen
leaf, dry and hard to the touch, black and shining,
and so long and numerous it might almost justify
the name of a miniature vegetable hedgehog ; it is
found in the very driest and hardest uncultivated
ground, where the bulbs are no larger than those
of the /. lacustris ; but in very moist fine sandy
surface soil (the shallow drainage from cultivated
land) it is found as large as a small walnut. M.
Bory de St. Vincent planted some bulbs of the
I. histrix taken in April or May, in the following
November, in mould, which produced fine plants
the following spring. He also reared some under
water, the same as the /. lacustris, without their
losing any of their characters. Some bulbs that I
gave to Professor de Notaris, of Genoa, were
planted and succeeded in ordinary mould. I gave
some very fine specimens of all that I had collected
to the late Sir William Hooker, and suggested that
he should plant some of them ; but he replied they
were too precious, and must go into the herbarium.
It appeared that he had never seen them before.
It is said the 1. histrix has been found at Cannes,
on the Mediterranean; and Mr. Berkeley says it
has lately been found in the Channel Islands,
though he adds, it may be another species. Mr.
Renter, Director of the Jardin des Plantes at
Geneva, tried to rear the /. histrix from seeds
received from Mr. Bory, but failed ; from which it
would appear they only retain their vitality in the
bulbs. I believe the /. Peyrremondei is identical
with the plant better known in Algeria ^^I.vellata,
being found both in water and very moist soil.

T. B. W.

Humming-bird Hawkmoth. — I liave known this
creature, like some other insects, counterfeit death
when apprehensive of danger, fall on its back and
appear in all respects devoid of life, Avhen in a box.
As soon as a fit opportunity arrived, it would dart
away with its usual celerity. — Knapp, ^'Journal of a
Naturalist!^

HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

55

NOTES ON THE GIZZA11D-SHA.D IN NEW

JERSEY.

By Dk. Charles C. Abbott.

FAB. away, iu quiet, maple-shaded ponds, wliere
the deep-voiced bull-frog sounds his doleful
ditty, and the sprightlier swamp-frogs on the reedy
shores, and bell-tongued Hylas on the drooping
branches of the overhanging trees, wake the dull
echoes with a livelier song— here, "out of the
world," as it were, iu green and sluggish waters
that tempt no seeker for romantic scenes, there
roams, in hstless mood, a great lazy, leaden-coloured
fish that denies in its habits any kinship to the great
Herring family, to which it belongs.

which they are found, or why, wheu the "in-
letting" cause— say, a freshet — is repeated, they
do not take advantage of the fact, and turn it to an
"out-letting" incident. Speculation, however,
availeth nothing in this case. We can make no
scientific use of our imagination here ; and so,
suffice it to say that in some ponds these queer
herriug are truly, permanently land-locked, aud
flourish admirably.

Of their habits as a land-locked fish we propose
to say something, and also of that anatomical pecu-
liarity that they possess, the " gizzard," or muscular
stomach.

Perhaps an unquestionably laxy fish, that docs
little more than move about from lily-stem to lily-
stem for the myriads of little shells that wauder up

-A:

;>>-■.

jFig. 36. Gizzard-shad {Dnrosoma cepe.dianum)

'' In many such ponds, year in and out, these
inland herring {Dorosoma cepedianum. Gill) live and
move, and have their being, subsisting on the
myriads of small shells that they crush to atoms in
their dense, muscular stomach, and occasionally,
when moving about in search of food, giving notice
of their presence by the light ripple made by the
long ray of their dorsal fin floating, eel-like, on the
surface of the water.

We have purposely headed our paper with the
announcement that we treated of this fish only as
found in New Jersey; for if we go beyond the
limits of the inland ponds, aud study the ichthyo-
logy of the rivers, especially the Delaware, we will
find that of the migratory fishes the herrings
[Clupeidce) are the most important feature of the
firmy fauna, the magnificent shad {Alosa ■pi-festabllis,
De Kay) heading the list iu point of value, aud our
gizzard-shad comiug iu "last," both in matter of
numbers and value. So, too, this " shad " is found
on the coast, not iu great numbers, but in scattered
companies, associated with the innumerable shoals
of his cousins.

It is not always easy to determine how these
" herring " have gotten into some of the uonds iu

and down these slimy, snake-like growths, can be
said not to have any habits. But they do accom-
plish something more than this, which one who had
made but their accidental acquaintance might sup-
pose was all, for early iu April they undoubtedly
"fall in love."

It would seem as though they caught the true
meaning of the warblers' merry notes, and were
inspired by the crimson flashes of light that glance
upon the water as the madcap oriole in his nuptial
dress rushes hither aud thither among the trees. The
dull, leaden tints of the Gizzard-shad become now a
glistening blue, and sparkling silver decks their
ashy sides. No water seems too cold,faud none too
shallow for them. They dart like pickerel up the
tiny brooks, aud skip and dance about the deeper
ponds as though too joyful to contain themselves.
From the muddy depths they rise to the surface,
and throwing themselves upou their sides, leap
above the water, as though challenging the birds to
match their brilliant colours. Day after day this
excess of action is kept up, and ends, as all such
mauffiuvrings ever do, iu a profound reaction, when
their humdrum existence returns, varied a little
from the later su'.nmer months by a few weeks*

56

HARDWICKE'S SCI ENCE- GOSSIP.

guardianship of tender, "knife-blade" specimens
of finny creatures which at an early age seem to
assume the monotonous life of their elders, and
leaving them, set up for themselves.

In spite of our many efforts we have never found
young Gizzard-shad less than a week old, nor could
we ever spy them out while yet in ovo. But they
are, nevertheless, an oviparous fish, the " roe" and
" milt " being readily found, and as easily extruded
as in the shad proper and herring, especially during
the week or more that its presence provokes the
wild antics of its possessor during our second
spring month.

Why, we naturally ask, was this gizzard evolved,
which, on dissection, we find the Dorosoma has ?
If we looked at its food, we found tliis gizzard was
admirably adapted to crushing the Lymnete,
Tuludince, and other shelled creatures on which
this fish subsists mainly ; but, on the other hand,
we find several other fish with no such muscular
stomach thriving on the same food. For instance,
we find the yellow perch {Ferca flavescens), the Pond
bass {Ariibloplites pomotis), and the larger sunfish
{Lepomis auritus) may be seen in clear waters to
feed upon these same shells ; and occasionally a
chub i^Semotilus rJiotheus) will swallow and mash
one of them with its well-developed pharyngeal
teeth. In all these cases it will be seen that
strong, thickset teeth come in play to break up the
shell of the animal devoured ; but with this herring
there is no set of teeth or any bone that will crush
a shell ; and hence the necessity for something
that will. Does this "necessity" give rise to the
" gizzard " ?

It may, perhaps, be asked, if this fish has not
suitable teeth for eating shell-bearing creatures,
why not feed upon something else? or, if it must
subsist upon the Lymnea, Puludina, and such
animals, why did not the persistence in so feeding
develop the jaws and lengthen and strengthen the
teeth ? One might as well ask why should the her-
ring not be a polyzoa feeder, and need neither teeth
nor gizzard ? Enough to know that the food has
developed a capacity to digest it, and not the
capacity to digest suggested the food. Tiiis is
shown when we compare tiie gizzard of the marine
fish witli that of the land-locked species. We then
find in the latter that the gizzard is much less
muscular in its walls and smaller in all its measure-
ments ; and the difference in the food, as found on
examination, shows that the marine fish's larger
stomach has an amount of work to do about equal
to the difference in the strength of the shells of
the marine and fresh-water species that constitute
the bulk of the food of this herring.

As the muscularity of the stomach in this case
varies with the character of the food — the size of
the fishes, marine and land-locked, being the same —
it is logical to maintain that the food ab origine

produced a muscular thickening at a convenient
point of a digestive tract, which became, by being
inherited, ultimately a gizzard such as the gallina-
ceous birds now have. We say, by being inherited;
for both the habit of feeding on shell-bearing
animals, and the anatomical advantage, as the
incipient gizzard may be called, would be transmit-
ted to the offspring, or some of them ; and if only
to some, then they would thrive better than their
fellows, for having it.

A curious fact, in this connection, consists in the
habit that these fish have, of swallowing the coarser
grains of sand, which help to crush down the shells,
just as chickens swallow gravel to help to digest
the grains of corn that they have eaten. Purther-
more, on examining some marine specimens,
caught at sea, the gizzards also werejound to contain
gravel stones, but all of a larger size, seeming
to correspond with the increased muscularity of
the gizzard, and density of the shells swallowed by
the fish.

One word more, and we have done. This fish at
sea, no doubt has it enemies ; and when land-
locked and free from these, it might be tliought to
thrive beyond calculation. Such, however, is not
the case. The young are greedily devoured by the
pilse; and the lamprey {Petromyzoii) seems to be
particularly partial to the adult fish. It secures an
attachment to the gills of the " Shad," and literally
worries it to death.

THE IRISH NIGHTINGALE.

A GENTLEMAN (for I hope it is not one of the
-^-*- fair sex) who signs himself)" Leprahaun," has
an article on the above subject in Science-Gossip
for September, 1872. In order to obviate the
necessity of constantly giving " Leprahaun " bis
full title, I shall curtail it to "L.," as when we Irish
think of leprahaun, a little man dressed in red,
about eighteen inches higli, seated on a three-legged
stool, with his legs crossed, and busily engaged
mending a " brogue," rises up in our imagination.
If you could possibly catch this little individual,
who may most frequently be found in quiet, out-of-
the-way places, your fortune would on the moment
be made. If you want to succeed in this feat, you
must not lose sight of him ; keep your eyes fixed
on the man and the stool. Every leprahaun has
charge over an immense " pot of goold ;" and if you
hold him fast, and watch him steadily, he will not
fail to show the hidden treasure. So the story goes
among the country people in this neighbourhood,
and so I learned it when a boy.

"L." asks, " Wliat is that shy, sprightly little bird
which swings so curiously from yonder giant bul-
rush, its coal-black crest perkily raised, its throat
throbbing in passionate song ? "

HARDWICKE'S SCIEN CE-GOSSIP.

57

He then goes on to describe tlie darts and the
dives which the supposed Irish nightingale takes.
This is all very good. But both the Boyne fisher-
man and Mr. L. have committed a great ornitholo-
gical mistake if tliey imagine that the Irish nightin-
gale has a black head. I am not a little surprised
that L. should have failed to discover the name of
a bird he has seen so frequently both " by night and
day.'^ I shall now proceed to state the points upon
which I differ from "L.," and it is to be hoped I may
convince him of his mistakes. In almost every
case I shall add the Latin names, as English and
local ones are constantly varying, and create a
large amount of confusion.

warblers, the nigiitingale excepted." i "L."
makes him say that he is " superior to any song-
bird we have," &c. The bird which "L." describes
in the beginning of his letter is the Emheriza
schoeniclus, or Reed Sparrow. He may have seen
him by night, but rarely, I should say; and I doubt
if he ever heard liim sing during the dark portion
of the twenty-four hours.

" L." would oblige me by stating what bird the
Passer artindinaceus minor is. If it is the same as
Eiiiberiza schmiiclus (although my scanty ornitho-
logical library fails to give me such a synonym),
this bird, as I said before, does not sing during the
night. " L." states that, "so far as he can ascertain,"

Fig. 3". Sedge Warbler {St/lviu sulicuriu).

The mistake which " L." stands charged with is
this. He lias confused the Reed Sparrow {Emberiza
schceniclus, Linn.) with the Sedge Warbler {Sylvia
salicaria. Lath.). He has also fallen into two other
errors. 1st. , He has used the terms " Hedge
Warbler " and " Reed Sparrow," as if they were
synonymous. Now, although I have heard a good
many English synonyms for Emheriza schceniclus, I
never yet heard it called the "Hedge Warbler."
2nd. He has wrongly quoted the venerable Gilbert
White, so far, at least, as I can find out. This
prince of naturalists is made to say in my edition
that the Blackcap {Motacilla utricapilld) is in its
song " superior, perhaps, to those of any of our

the " Reed Sparrow, or Hedge Warbler," is never
given a black crest by any author except Bewick,
who calls it the "Black-headed Bunting." Pray
what author ever assigned the Reed Sparrow, alias
the Black-headed Bunting, alias Emheriza schoe-
niclus, Linn., any other colour except black to the
feathers which surmount his cranium? and who
ever gave a sooty crest to our well-known Hedge
Warbler {Accentor modularis. Guv.) ?

"L." has evidently taken the Reed Sparrow to be
the Irish nightingale. This bird is the Irish night-
ingale's most intimate companion ; both have reedy
homes by river banks. But the true Irish nightin-
gale is the Sedge Warbler {Sylvia salicaria), which

58

HARDWICKE'S S CIEN C E-GO SSIP.

is an extraordinarily clever musician, imitating at
will the swallow, sparrow, thrush, lark, &c., and so>
no doubt, he frequently mimics his friend the Heed
Sparrow. I shall quote from the work of our great
Irish naturalist, Thompson. Speaking of Emberiza
schceniclus, he says ; " In many parts of Ireland the
Reed Bunting has the undue reputation of being a
sweet songster of the night, and is believed to be
the veritable ' Irish nightingale,' a name bestowed
on the mysterious bird, be that what it may, which
sings through the summer night. In strict justice,
the Sedge Warbler may lay claim to the flattering
appellation. Montague, with his usual acuteness,
long since accounted for this error in the following
words: 'It is somewhat extraordinary that the
manners and habits of so common a bird should
remain so long in obscurity ; even modern authors
tell us it is a song-bird, and sings after sunset. . . .
There can be no doubt, however, that the song of
the Sedge Warbler has been taken for that of this
bird; for, as they both frequent the same places in
the breeding season, that elegant little warbler is
pouring forth its varied notes concealed in the
thickest part of a bush, while this is conspicuously
perched above, whose tune is not deserving the
name of a song, consisting only of two notes, the
first repeated three or four times, the last'single and
more sharp.' Reed Sparrow and Blackcap are the
names commonly bestowed on this bird in the
north of Ireland."

Such is the language of two great British orni-
thologists — Montague and Thompson, — who clear
up the whole matter better than any words of mine.
" L.," in the beginning of his letter, states, " A stone
thrown into the water will at once arouse him, and
his note, answered by a hundred others, fills the
night with music." Thompson, speaking of the
Sedge Warbler, says: "What may perhaps be
termed its boldness is evinced by any object flung
into its haunt prompting the bird to sing, as if in
defiance of the interruption, or, as a well-known
author might imagine, to keep its courage up."
Your readers may see how nearly the two accounts
correspond.

Passing over the dash of green which "L." would
affix to the Reed Sparrow's wing, I must now con-
clude, hoping that " Leprahaun " is convinced that
the Irish nightingale has not a' black head, but
is none other than the Sedge Warbler (Sylvia sali-
caria). R. M. Bareington.

Fassaroe, Bray, Co. Wicklow.

" It is Love that secures the universal equality
between beings and species. Let there be no more
pride. The same law prevails from the greatest to
the least — in the star as in the flower. There are
no grades of high or low either in heaven or in love
— which, moreover, is heaven itself."-—" The Moun-
tain^' by Michelet.

THE GOAT-MOTH.

{Cossus ligniperda.)

ivy ANY observing persons in their rambles may
-^-^ have noticed that the trunks of various trees
are studded in divers parts with numerous holes of
considerable size, but at the same time may be at
a loss to know he cause thereof. These are the
work of the Cossus, or " Goat-moth," as it is popu-
larly termed, which, in its larval state, feeds within
the solid trunks of trees, rendering the wood value-
less, except for fuel. Perhaps these holes do not
so easily attract one's notice when a tree is covered
with its bark as when it has been deprived of it ;
for then may the work of the Cossus be seen to per-
fection. I once saw an alder-tree apparently but
little infested by Cossi when covered, but upon
stripping it of a portion of its bark, I found it to
be literally honeycombed by the work of these
destructive creatures. Its presence is made known
not only by the holes it drills in the trunk of the
tree, but also by its sawdust-like ejeda lying at
the foot of it, and more especially by an uncom-
monly strong and disagreeable odour that pervades
its locality, and which can only be compared to
that of a he-goat. It is from this peculiar scent
that the creature obtains its name of Goat-moth.

The larva of this beautiful moth has been the
sole cause of destruction to many a noble tree, and
it is, perhaps, one of the worst enemies the gar-
dener has to contend with ; for a tree once becom-
ing infested with it is doomed to destruction unless
the pest be speedily removed. In six or seven years
the Cossi will have completed their work, even if
the tree is of considerable magnitude. Nor can this
be wondered at when it is known that the Cossus
is one of our largest indigenous moths, measuring
on an average from three and a half to four inches
in expanse of wing, and that the larva spends three
years feeding. Bad as its ravages are, they would
be far greater were it not kept in check by its
enemies, entomologists, ichneumons, and the wood-
pecker. The last-mentioned cuts large holes in the
tree with its powerful beak in order to extract the
dainty morsel.

The Cossus seems more partial to the willow than
to any other tree, but it is also to be found in the
alder, elm, oak, lilac, and ash. Pliny mentions it as
feeding upon oak, pear, apple, and fig trees. I
have not found it in the trunks of apple-trees in
this locality ; but our apples, as well as elms, lilacs,
&c., are very much infested with another wood-
boring larva of a smaller moth, called the Leopard
{Z. (esciili). Eortunatelj^, this creature does not do
so much harm as the Cossus ; for, spending but a
short period within the tree, its ravages are com-
paratively small.

The Cossus of this country was well known to the

HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. ,

59

Romans, with whom it was in great request as a
luxury, aud they swallowed the larvce with tlie
greatest gusto when cooked. Pliny says the larvaj
were prepared by fattening them with flour, and
the following extract from him will show how
highly the Cossus was esteemed by the epicures of
his time: "Jam quidem et hoc in luxuria esse
coepit prsegraudesque roboruni delicatiore sunt in
cibo cosses vocant."

small hooks, by means of which it is enabled to
work its way from the interior of the tree. Some
lepidopterists recommend searching for the moth
during early morning; but long experience has led
me to believe that the greater number emerge
during the after-part of the day, from about three
o'clock till dusk; indeed, it is more natural for the
moth to emerge after the tree has been well warmed
by the sun's rays, and before it becomes compara-

Fig. 38. Goat-moth {Cussns Ugniperda.)

He also says Cossi " cure all ulcers ;" and on
account of this medicinal virtue, the odoriferous
larvfie were actually made into ointment.

This is not the only insect that formed, and per-
haps in some countries still forms, a part of man's
diet. At the present day great quantities of the
pupa of the Silkworm-moth {B. morl) are eaten by
the Cliinese, while the Arab is fond of a repast of
roasted locusts ; the African considers ants delicate
food; and Knox tells ns that bees are eaten in
Ceylon. Fig. 39 represents the larva of the Cossus,
which is in length about four inches. It is usually
of a dark, but sometimes of a light red on the

~»'i^>-.-r^i -^^

Fig. 39. Larva of Goat-moth.

dorsal surface ; beneath, it is of a yellowish hue.
The head is black, and the whole creature is spar-
ingly scattered over with fine hairs. It spins a
cocoon, wherein to hybernate. At the end of April
or beginning of May, the full-grown larva forms a
large, tough, oval cocoon (fig. 40), composed of frag-
ments of wood, neatly interwoven with silk, in
which it soon changes to the pupal stage. The
pupa itself is about two inches in length, of a black
colour, provided at the segments with numerous

tively cold again. Often have I wandered in quest
of Cossi by the river-side in early morning, where
trees infested by them have abounded ; but on no
occasion have I been successful, unless by taking
the pupa from the tree. On the other hand, when
I have spent the latter part of the day iu hunting
for them, I believe I have never been disappointed.
Scarcely anything can give more delight to a natu-
ralist than to watch the metamorphosis of this
beautiful moth, which may often fall to his lot when
seeking the inxigo. Half the pupa is seen protrud-
ing from the trunk, and in this case it should not
be disturbed, for the moth is about to emerge. He

Fig-. 40. Pupa of Goat-moth.

has not long to wait. Tlie pupa-case is already
cracked, and the creature may be seen striving to
burst forth into daylight. As soon as the moth is
out, it crawls a short distance up the tree, where
its wings begin to expand, and a few minutes
afterwards it may be seen with the wings folded
over its back iu the act of drying, which does not
occupy many minutes. Then it may be transferred
to the cyanide-bottle, which every practical ento-
mologist should always carry with him when on a

60

HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

hunting expedition. The insects may afterwards
be carefully pinned, and placed in the collecting-
box.

I advise those who wish to obtain fine specimens
for the cabinet to cut the pupa from tbe tree before
the imago makes its appearance, the moth being
very liable to become damaged when taken shortly
after emergence, unless handled with the utmost
care, some little time being requisite for the wings
to thoroughly harden. By hunting for the pupse,
any entomologist may during one search obtain
enough to satisfy himself, so common are they
where the insect occurs. I once found as many as
twenty-three pupse in one tree, and one of the finest
willows in this neighbourhood was so infested with
them that whenever I visited the tree in the
right season, two or three Cosfii were patiently
awaiting my arrival. This moth gives much trouble
to entomologists, for it always becomes "greasy,"*
as most internal feeders are wont to do more or
less, and in that state is likely to spoil the other
specimens with which it is placed. The only way to
prevent this is to eviscerate the individual, and to
stuff its body with cotton wool ; but this requires
very great icare, otherwise it will not look well. A
moth that has become greasy may be cured by
steeping it in benzine collas for a few hours, and
then placing it upon magnesia. By this means
much, if not all, of the grease may be extracted ;
but the moth has never a fine appearance after this
operation. We have only this one representative
of the genus Cossus inhabiting our countrj^, and it
is, I believe, almost entirely confined to the southern
portion. Although trees suffer very severely when
attacked by Cossi, they have other enemies of a less
destructive calibre ; such as the pine-boring Sirex
gigas and the scolytus, with many ' other larvae

belonging chiefly to the order Coleoptera.
Blackheath. Hekry A. Atjld.

SUPPLEMENTARY OBSERVATIONS
THE SMOOTH NEWT.

ON

TTAVING read, with great interest, the two
-LL papers by Mr. C. Robson on the Smooth
Newt, I should like to add a few remarks as supple-
mentary thereto, if you think they will interest your
numerous readers who keep aquaria.

I obtained my newt (a female) in June, 1S71,
and had it in my aquarium seventeen months. I
have seen it cast its skin repeatedly, and may safely
say, on an average, about once a week, during the
greater portion of that time, and never found any
difficulty in obtaining the exuvise for the cabinet.
The method I always adopt to procure the skin, is
carefully to note the time when the newt has nearly
worked it off to the end of the tail, then to get a
thin glass rod, or knitting-needle, and gently touch
the naked portion of the tail ; the newt, on feeling

the unwelcome probe of the inquisitive naturalist,
will usually bound forward, and leave the perfect
skin beautifully distended in the water. I then
carefully remove it into a vessel of clean water, float
it on a glass slip, and allow it to' dry. (One mounted
in the manner above mentioned I herewith enclose.)
The skin is of little use as a microscopic object, but
is worthy of a place in any cabinet, and is always a
wonderful object to persons unacquainted with the
mysteries of Natural History.

Fig. 41. Male of Smooth Newt.

My newt was equally susceptible to the variations
of temperature as the one belonging to Mr. Robson,
and generally, before heavy rain, or any great atmo-
spheric change, it would climb up the side of the
aquarium, or lie on a piece of wood which I had
floating on the water, for hours together, the throat
rapidly moving at intervals, to its seeming gratifica-
tion.

Fig. 42. Female of Smooth Newt.

As to feeding it, I never had any trouble ; it was
always ready for a small piece of raw beef or mutton,
which I always gave it in thin, worm-like pieces twice
a week ; occasionally in summer, giving it a small
house-fly. After I had had my newt about fifteen
months (with no company but a few small water
beetles and snails), a friend sent me out of his
aquarium, a male newt, as a companion ; the gentle-
man appeai'ed very well satisfied with his new home
and the lady for about three weeks ; but he then
ungallantly and unceremoniously made his exit, and
could not be found again. About six weeks after-
wards, the cover of the aquarium being taken off a
short time, for some repairs, the lady followed
(perhaps) her false one ; and although careful and
long search was made, almost immediately after her
escape, we could never find any trace of her where-
abouts.

I am sure any of your readers having an aquarium
for microscopic purposes, or otherwise, would find
in the newt an endless source of amusement and
instruction, and one requiring little, or no trouble,
to make the little captive quite at home in, and
beneficial to, the freshwater aquarium.

J. M. D. A 511 BURY.

HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

61

HOW TO MAKE A PERNERY.

WE know of no pleasure so agreeable to a true
lover of nature as those which include
practical botany— the study and cultivation of living
plants. Of these, few have received more attention
than ferns; and as we have at various times
received many applications how to proceed in the
construction of a garden fernery, we feel we cannot
do better than quote the following from Hooper's
" Gardening Guide " for 1873 * In doing so we
have also taken advantage of the remarks in the
same pamphlet on " Alpineries," a word coined
by Mr. Smee in his recent book, "My Garden,"
which is likely now to be current. Alpine plants
are particularly beautiful, and worthy of cultiva-
tion : —

Fig. 43. Right way to constiuct Uock-work for Fernery.

" The desire for a rockery of some kind is now
generally evident in most gardens ; but, unfortu-
nately, from want of attention to the necessities of
the plants, and the manner in which they are found
in their native state, it ofteu finds issue in the
construction of something, which, albeit it is
frequently very costly, is neither suitable to the

Kig. 44. Wrong way of ditto.

plants nor satisfactory to true taste. In the first
place, a heap of stones is not rockwork, neither will
plants thrive in dry, dusty soil loosely spread be-

* Hooper & Co., Covent Garden, who have kindly granted
the use of illustrations, which weie first prepared for " Alpine
Flowers for Eiiglisli Garden^,'' by W. Robinson, F.L.S.

tween such, although we have seen numberless
cases of the attempt having been made. The stones
must be the second consideration, and the soil the
first, and not vice versa. Once having accepted
this fact, the principle of construction will be more
or less correct. Rockwork on a large scale should
consist of large masses of stone jutting out from
hills of soil ; on a small scale it may consist rather
of a mass of soil covered over more or less with
half-embedded stones, burrs, &c. ; but in either
case, a solid mass of stone is a sine qua non as a
foundation. Roots of trees are also suitable, as
well as stony materials, more especially, however,
when the construction is for a fernery than for an

Fig. 45. Cave over water in an existing Fernery— planted
with Sfruthio/ileiis Germanica, Scnlopendrium crisvum,
Afpli'nuni trich(imani:s, A. marbiuin, &c.— with water plants
below .

alpinery. They have, however, this objection, that
they fall into decay, and also (if it can be considered
an objection) produce fungi, though, for our own
part, we consider a few of these in a fernery an
additional charm. As the rustic appearance of
roots is very suitable amongst ferns, we confess to
have a liking for the moderate use of them. The
recent introduction of cork bark for this purpose,
however, must not be omitted from our list of
materials for rockwork-making. It has many ad-
vantages, not the least of which is the fact that it
is simply a soil-coverer, and does not rob the plants
of any space in which to grow. It requires securely
fixing by means of struts of wood, &c., thrust into
the soil, to the end of which the cork is strongly
nailed. * Tufa,' also, must not be overlooked ; it
is a very porous petrifaction, and in every way very
much to be recommended. Whatever is used to
construct the rockery, be careful to keep in view

62

HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

these primary necessities. "First, that the whole
body of soil must be contiguous, and no part of it
detached from the rest ; that is to say, no pockets
of soil on the surface to receive plants must be dis-
connected from the bulk ; and secondly, place the
facing material in such a manner that no piece over-
hangs so as to keep tlie rain off any portion, but
the reverse, allowing every plant and the portion
of soil ia whicli it grows to have the direct benefit
of the showers. [See accompanying sketches, figs.
43, 44, 45.]

" It now remains in this brief essay just to indi-
cate the positions and soils for the foregoing struc-
tures ere we pass on to another subject.

Fig-. 4G. Alpine Plants bordering a shrubbery. ',

"A fernei'y nuibt be in tlie shade. Hosts of
ferns will grow in tlie sun, but none will look really
nice there. Select, therefore, a well-shaded spot
for a fernery, and, if necessary, sink the ground-
level a little, throwing up the soil on the banks ;
this will give further seclusion, shade, and moisture
to a spot where these elements are so in character.
The garden walks may be constructed to decline
gently into this lower level, and the variation will
generally be found a pleasant one.

" Though a shady spot is necessary for a fernery,
a icell-drained one is also indispensable ; and this
must be well borne in mind, especially for the rock
species, which cannot endure stagnant water about
their roots ; a properly-constructed bank, however,
will generylly secure good drainage from its form
and position. The best main soil for a fernery is
good yellow loam ; the greater number of hardy
ferns do well in this; some, however, like peat.
Perhaps the perfection of fernery soil is two parts

loam and one part peat. The latter can be in
greater quantity when those kinds are planted that
prefer it. By no means use fine, sifted soil, but
always more or less lumpy, and let it be very solid
and firm between the masses of stone, &c., that
there may be no shrinking away from the roots
after planting. If the fernery is small, one irre-
gular bank is preferable to a great many ins and
outs and details; but if space is abundant, the work
may be more antricate, and a good many aspects
and degrees of declivity may be provided, thereby
meeting the necessities of a great variety-of species.
To produce t hat luxuriance of growth which is such
a charm to ferns, a daily syringing with water over-
head is necessary during summer. It may
be worth while to mention that ferns are
plants that bear frequent moving badly, as
will be proved in the experience of the
cultivator, from the much better appearance
they present after being several years in one
place.

"An Alpinery requires a position the
reverse of that selected for ferns. Instead
of seeking the shady, sequestered spot over-
arched with leafy trees, scarcely any situ-
ation can be too open or exposed for this.
The full blaze of the noonday sun, which
would in a couple of hours blast the beauty
of the ricb, feathery fronds of the Athyriums,
or wither into tinder the exquisite greenness
of the tender Oak Pern, would draw out the
rich blossoms of a Jiost of gems amongst the
Alpines, and light up their charming hues
with their true lustre. The love of sunshine,
and the need of it, too, is almost universal
in this class of plants ; and the position
selected cannot, therefore, be too much ex-
posed to it. But this is not the only side of
the question, although it is where many
cultivators have stopped short, to their ultimate
discomfiture and disappointment. If Alpines need
sun, they also need moisture ' behind the scenes,'
and many a good collection has been lost through
the want of a proper arrangement securing this.

"In their natural habitat, the brilliant sunshine
which calls forth into rich blossom their hitherto
dormant buds, at the same time melts the snow
which has surrounded them, and this winter-stored
water thus gradually let loose, percolating per-
petually between the masses of rock whereon they
grow, keeps a constant supply of water at their
roots, ever changing, never stagnant, and thus
maintains that luxuriance of growth which other-
wise appears difficult to account for in the face of
the apparent dryness visible on the surface. It
may surprise some, perhaps, to learn that many of
the diminutive plants of this class, which scarcely
raise their spreading leafage two inches above the
surface, strike their tiny roots many feet in depth

HARDWICKE'S SGIENC E-G O SSIF.

63

between the boulders, into the moist soil beneath.
Thus it is evident that even more here than amongst
the ferns, large bodies of soil are indispensable, and
every portion on the surface connected with the
whole mass. The principles enunciated for con-
structing rockwork above will hold good here. Let
the stones or burrs be of a good size ; and, for the
sake of good taste, avoid the use of such additions
as artificial adornments — shells, or such-like.
Whilst recommending a position exposed to the
full sun, we do not say that rockeries cannot suc-
ceed in half-shaded ones ; on the contrary, whilst,
as a general rule, the foregoing remarks are correct
for true Alpines, plants can be found in abundance
to furnish rockwork in any position whatever. A
good use for many of the stronger-growing kinds is
as borders to shrubberies [see fig. 46J. The soil
for the great bulk of Alpine and rock plants should
be sandy loam and grit. There are some species
which require peat, but these form a separate sec-
tion, and should be cultivated together. The first-
named soil is that most generally requisite, and
suits all the lai-ge families of Sedums, Saxifrages,
Sempervivums, and many other species of great
beauty and easy culture."

MICROSCOPY.

Dark Lines in Eield op View, — I have a
large binocular microscope whose eye-pieces are
If inch diameter, by which instrument'! can view
objects perfectly stereoscopically with the o, 2, and
1-inch objectives, and get an equally illuminated
field of view in each eye-piece ; but when 1 use the
binocular with a :|^-iuch objective of S0°, I get a dark
line across the field, and, on looking into each eye-
piece separately, I find them only half-illuminated,
viz. the inner half, the outer half of each being
perfectly dark. Will some correspondent kindly
say if this ought to be, or whether I ought to get
each field wholly illuminated when using so high a
power? My objectives are all English make. I
have no power between the 1-incli and i-inch, so
cannot say how the instrument would behave with
such.— (?. W.

Pollen of Petasites fragkans.— Though
this is not a British plant, as it was originally intro-
duced to England from Italy in ISOG, it is doubtful
whether any of our indigenous species abound so
much and so early in pollen as P.fragrans, or Sweet-
scented Butterbur. It grows rampant at Canter-
bury in deserted gardens, where this Butterbur
has been profusely in bloom from Christmas up to
the present date (Jan. 13). And the pollen-grains
are so remarkably beautiful as to afford very delight-
ful microscopic objects even at this dreary season.
Each pollen-grain is oval, having a length of j J^ of

an inch, and a breadth of 7^0 ; muricated on the
surface, like those of so many other composilai ;
becoming globular or sub-triangular, with three
scars appearing for the passage of the future
pollen-tubes, when treated with diluted sulphuric
acid. The pollen-grains are so large that they may
be very easily examined under an object-glass of
half an inch focus. — Q. F.

Mounting in Soft Balsam.— Mr. E. Kitton,
in the December Gossip, regrets that directions
should stiU require to be given for mounting in soft
balsam, and, whilst I cannot but equally regret that
the beginner in mounting should fiud himself, con-
fronted with an array of spring clips, spirit-lamps,
and cautions about over-heating his balsam, when
there is not the slightest necessity for any of them,
I am of course aware that every mounter has his
pet method, and that constant practice will make
him perfect in its use ; but to the beginner, the
number of appliances and cautions are appalling,
and often deter him from making the attempt. For
many years I have used soft balsam oidy, and have
never known one of my preparations to change its
position on the slide, whilst any of them may be readily
rubbed with a chamois skin between thumb and
finger, without sustaining any injury, which Mr.
Kitton claims as an attribute of the hard balsam
slides. The following directions, if carefully fol-
lowed, will invariably result in success -. — Select
the finest Canada balsam and slowly evaporate it,
until upon cooling it assumes a brittle resiuous
consistency. Break the mass into small pieces, and
dissolve them in chemically pure benzole, until a
saturated solution about the consistency of rich
cream is formed. The specimen to ^be mounted
having been previously freed from moisture by
drying, or by being passed through weak and absolute
alcohol (the latter being by far the preferable
method), is finally to be placed in oil of cloves, and
carried from the latter to the slide, where, after
being properly arranged with needles, a drop of the
balsam is placed upon it, followed by a core in the
usual manner, and the whole laid aside to harden,
which will be accomplished in a few days. This
will be facilitated, if, after the lapse of twenty-four
hours, the slide be slightly warmed, the core pressed
carefully down with the forceps, and a small weight
laid upon it. The best finish for the edge of the
circle I have found to be made with a camel-hair
pencil dipped in the same balsam that is used in
mounting. It makes a very neat and handsome
finish, with of course no tendency to run in and
spoil the specimen, as is the case with all coloured
cements used for this purpose. The oil of cloves
is preferable to turpentine for mounting from, since
it is more readily miscible with the balsam, and
does not harden the specimens, which may be left
in it for a long while unchanged. I send you by

64

HARDWICKE'S SCIE^' CE-GUS SI P.

this mail three specimens, prepared exactly as the
above directions, that you may judge of the results.
None of them were dried, and none have been
mounted over tliirfy days, but you can clean them
as much as you please without displacing the cover.
[The specimens are admirable samples of mount-
ings.— Ed.]— /F. i/. Wulmsley, Philadelphia, U.S.

BuxT OF Wheat as a Lens.— (Translation).
I thank your correspondent "E. W. M." for his
courtesy in replying to my query, and shall be glad
to avail myself of his offer to send me a slide or
two of the preparations showing the multiplied
images. I had already tried the experiment of
placing the object between the stage and the source
of illumiuation, but had failed in obtaining the
desired results. May I ask him, in employing the
5-iuch objective, at what distance I should place
the object which I wish to see multiplied in the
eyes of the beetle ? — A. 31., liochefort-sur-Mcr.

How TO PICK OUT Diatoms in Mounting. —
The Monthly Microscopical Journal for February
contains a good abstract of a paper in the Lens,
by Dr. C. Johnson, on this subject. The latter
says that nothing is easier than to seize particular
diatoms and transfer them to a bottle for future
use, or to a slide, provided the field from wliich we
select be ricli and clean. Difficulty, however,
occurs when forms in any gathering are few and
far between. Let such prepared material be spread
upon a large slide, covering a space of one inch by
two, and let it be filliped as it is set away to dry
spontaneously. With a two-thirds objective, search
the white field for any object whatever, and, upon
finding, encircle each one with a line, made with
the point of a match sharpened and moistened,
adding near the circle a dot, or cross, or other sign,
always appropriated to the same diatom, and of
which a tallying record is kept on paper. At
leisure one may, witliout trouble, single out any
desired object, pick it off with a fine dampened
point of cane (reed), not including the siliceous
cuticle, and deposit it free from injury, in a small
drop of distilled water placed in the centre of the
slide.

ZOOLOGY.

New Societies. — "We are always glad to notice
the foundation of new clubs or societies for natural
history pursuits, regarding them as the most prac-
tical illustrations of the extension of science. The
Kensington Entomological Society is one of the
latest, and is fortunate in having for its president
such a well-known writer and naturalist as Alex.
Murray, F.L.S. The names of the committee and
hon. secretaries are all of them guarantees for good
work. Among other things, we have just received
the first report of the Birmingham School Natural

History Society for 1873. It is exceedingly modest
in its pretensions, but we are disposed to allow it
more importance than it claims, as institutions like
these, in disposing the minds of clever boys towards
natural science, must do an amount of good that
cannot be easily estimated. The president of the
society is the head master, the Rev. A. R. Vardy,
who is ably supported by his assistant masters and
a committee of the school- boys. The society is
divided into three sections, for the relative study
of botany, entomology, and geology. Several ex-
cursions were made last year in pursuit of these
sciences, which appear to have been very successful.
The report also contains summaries of the principal
papers read last year by the members. We cordially
wish this unpretending society success, and that its
example may speedily be followed by other public
schools.

East Kent Natural History Society.— Our
readers will have been prepared by the various ex-
tracts we have given in our columns from time to time
of the proceedings of this society, to give it credit for
standing in the front rank of its hard-working pro-
vincial brethren. The fourteenth Annual Report,
just issued, fully bears out this idea, and shows the
society to be] in a] most flourishing condition in
every respect. A sub-committee had been formed
to work out the Elora of East Kent, but we are
sorry to find that its work was suspended during
last year. The part taken in the proceedings by
Dr. Gulliver, Colonel Horsley, and Mr. Eullagar
was very important. The latter gentleman's re-
searches on the economy of the Hydra, originally
communicated to the society, have already appeared
in this journal.

Brighton and Sussex Natural History
Society. — The nineteenth Report of this society
shows it to be in a more prosperous condition
than ever. It has the advantage over many local
societies of including members whose names are
well known to science generally. The most inter-
esting meetings, however, appear to be those de-
voted to Microscopy. Evenings for the special
exhibition of specimens are another feature which
provincial societies elsewhere would do well to
copy. Among the papers read, and of which abstracts
are given, are those by Dr. Stevens, on "Elint
Works at Cissbury ;" Mr. J. Robertson, on " Se-
piola oceanica," &c. ; Dr. Stevens, on the late
"Discovery of Pit-dwellings in Hampshire;" Mr.
E. H. Hannah, on " The Palates of Mollusks ;" Dr.
Hallifax, on " Certain Facts in the Anatomy of the
Cuttle-fish ;" Mr. Mitten, on the " Distribution of
Flowering Plants in the Vicinity of Brighton ;" Mr.
G. Scott (President), on the " Suffolk Tertiaries ;"
Mr. Hcnnah, on "Minute Crustaceans;" Mr. B.
Lomax, on the " Colours of Plants," &c.— a good
account, as will be seen, of a year's useful work !

HARDWICKE'5 SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

65

Amalgamation of North London Societies.—
Mr. G. E. Redgrave has communicated to us a
plan which we willingly lay before our readers, as
it promises to affect such as are placed within the
district it immediately concerns. He proposes to
amalgamate all the natural history societies in
North London, into one, to be located in the
Alexandra Palace, of which Mr. Redgrave is
manager. The company are willing to provide a
room for the meetings, and all necessary accommo-
dation for the exhibition of collections, &c. Mr.
Redgrave expresses his desire to receive any sug-
gestions, addressed to him at the Palace, with
reference to this proposed amalgamation. There
can be no doubt as to the benefits which the real-
ization of such a scheme would confer on students,
and we accordingly lay it before our readers to
couit such attention as it may be deemed worthy of.

The Camberwell Beauty in January.— A
note reaches us from Norfolk of the occurrence of
a living, but torpid, specimen of the Camberwell
Beauty at North Create, on the 6th of January last.
It fell from some trees upon a lady's liat, and was
thus captured.

The Light at the Bottom of tub Sea. — An
ingenious plan has been adopted by Professor
Agassiz's expedition for determining how far the
submarine regions are pervious to light. A plate
prepared for photographic purposes is inclosed in
a case so contrived as to be covered by a revolving
lid in the space of forty minutes. The apparatus
is sunk to the required depth, and at the expiration
of tlie period stated is drawn up and developed in
the ordinary way. It is said that evidence has thus
been obtained of the operation of the actinic rays
at much greater depths than hitherto supposed
possible.

Voice of Fishes.— At a Itite meeting of the
Academic des Sciences, M. Charles Robin read a
report on the production of voice in certain fishes.
The swimming-bladder appears to be the principal
agent in producing voice, at least in those fishes in
which that organ has an opening into the oeso-
phagus ; and even in those in wliich it is a shut sac
it acts as a sounding-board in augmenting the
sound produced by other parts. That it is not ex-
clusively the cause of vocal sounds is shown by the
circumstance that some fish are destitute of a
swimming-bladder, and are yet capable of pro-
ducing distinct musical sounds.

Rare Fresh-watek Shells.— Perhaps some
of the readers of Science Gossip who are col-
lectors of British iresh-water shells may be glad to
have the following note as to the exact locality of
two rare shells, Amphipeplea glutinosa and A. iiivo-
luta of Gray's Turton. The note I owe to Mr. R.
Gibbs, formerly fossil-collector to the Geological

Survey, who first collected these two shells in great
numbers for Edward Forbes. The locality is Bala
Lake, and Mr. Gibbs says, in a letter a few days
ago—" It was at the head of the lake next the
ton'n that I found them in the weeds, and they look
like bits of glue on tiie bottom, until you take them
up in your hand, when they draw in the mantle and
expose the shell." The lake, it will be remem-
bered, is situated in East Merionethshire. — G. A-
Lebour, F.G.S.

New Vultures. — In the February number of
Aimals and Magazine of Natural History, Mr.
Sharpe, of the British Museum, describes a new
species of Turkey Vulture from the Falkland
Islands, under the name of Catharista Falklandica,
He suggests that an end should be put to the
indefinite characters of the genus Gyps, of the Old
V/orld Vultures, by relegating the two species
whose tail-feathers are twelve in number to a
separate genus, which he proposes to call Pseudo-
Gyps.

New British Insects.— Messrs. Douglas and
Scott have described, in the February number of
the Entomologists' Monthly Magazine, two new
species of British Hemiptera, under the names of
Athysamts canescens and A. cognattis. A few ex-
amples of the former were taken last July among
short grass on the Downs at Veutnor, and in
August at Birchwood and Sevenoaks, Kent. The
latter is rarer, and occurred in Scotland and
Devonshire.

BOTANY.

Eastbourne Natural History Society. —
j\lr. C. J. Muller has read an interesting paper
before the Eastbourne Natural History Society on
Geoglosswm difforme, or Earth-tongue, a peculiar
fungus, in which the receptacle or fruit-bearing part
is club-shaped, the hymenium surrounding the club.
He stated that this plant, like many other species of
fungi, consists of nothing more than separate threads
like the threads of a common mould ; and that it
differs from a mould only in the nature of its fructifi-
cation, and the way in wliich these threads are
compacted into an object of definite shape, and
considerable consistence. The same remark applies
to mushrooms and many other species of fungi, and
indicates the vast resources of nature in multiplying
forms from one simple element, a delicate tubular
filament. Mr. F. C. S. Roper, F.L.S., read, at the
same meeting, some notes on the Wall Pellitory
[Parietaria officinalis), in which he noticed some
peculiarities of structure in the leaves, of much
interest to the microscopist. If a leaf is placed in
water under the microscope, the two kinds of hairs
are seen. The most abundant are long, slightly

66

HARDVVICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

curved, transparent, and spine-like, with ratber
blunt points, apparently hollow at the other extre-
mity, and attached to the centre of cells arranged
somewhat in a stellate manner, and larger than those
forming the general substance of the leaf. Interspersea
with these, but less abundant, are small recurved
hairs, about one-fifth the length of the others, in
shape resembling fish-hooks. They are commonest
on the younger leaves. The so-called "pellucid dots''
of Loudon, which may be seen on the leaves by
holding them up to the light, wlien the leaves are
placed in water and their upper surface examined
with a i-iach objective, are resolved into seven or
eight rather large cells, radiating from the sides of
a centre cell, which appears raised slightly above
the surface of the leaf, so that the surrounding
cells appear to slope away from it. Below these,
and in the parenchyma of the leaf itself, is a large
single cell, within which is suspended a subglobular
or slightly pear-shaped mass with a papillated
surface, but with no clearly defined crystalline
structure. These bodies are known as Spliosraphides,
and have also been called " Crystoliths " by Conti-
nental writers ; they are sufiiciently large and hard
to be easily separated from the parenchyma of tlie
leaf when thin sections are made, or small portions
torn up under the microscope. When treated
with muriatic acid, they dissolve rapidly 'with
considerable ebullition, and when burnt are reduced
to a white powder ; there can be no doubt that they
are, therefore, chiefly composed of lime, and
probably in the form of carbonate. They differ from
the true raphides, so abundant iti many plants, by
being almost amorphous, though occasionally a
slight semicrystalline appearance may be detected
in small fragments if examined with a quarter
objective. Although not so often noticed as true
raphides, tliey are characteristic of many tribes of
British plants ; as the Caryophyllaceaj, Gerauiaceee,
Lythracese, Chenopodiacere, and especially the
Urticacese ; and it is thought by some botanists that
they afford a good diagnostic character for species.
In some exotic plants these splia>raphides occur of
considerable size, forming a weighty grit, and are
especially large and fine in the Prickly Pear and
others of the Cactus tribe. If we look to the use
of this curious and elaborate structure in the leaves
of plants, and ask what is its object in the
economy of nature, it is a question easier to ask
than to answer. Some suppose that raphides are
perhaps rather a disease than formations of natural
growth in plants ; but they are of too common an
occurrence and too universally distributed over the
whole tissue of certain species for this to be the case_
In some instances they are doubtless useful as a medi-
cine, and the genuineness of sarsaparilla, guaiacum
and squills may be tested by the presence or absence
of raphides. It is probable, as Dr. Gulliver suggests,
that the large proportion of these crjstalline bodies.

being compounded of phosphate or oxalate of lime
or some other compound of this earth, and remember-
ing the value of these substances in the growth and
nutrition of plants, that nature has estabhshed in
some plants a [storehouse or laboratory of such
calcareous salts, and that we may thus get a glimspe
of the utility of these crystals.

Chemical Processes in Plants.— Professor
Emmerling has lately, with the object of extending
the slight knowledge we possess of the chemical
processes which occur in plants, set himself the task
of ascertaining the action of the plant-acids (oxalic,
tartaric, malic, &c.) on those mineral salts which
are of importance in the nourishment of plants. To
this end he has examined, in the first instance, the
behaviour of oxalic acid towards the nitrates of cal-
cium, potassium, and sodium ; having chosen this
case, because there is no doubt that plants in
general take up nitrates from the soil, and because it
is equally certain that oxalic acid is present in most
plants. The action between solutions of oxalic acid
and calcium nitrate was determined under all pos-
sible conditions, regard being paid to the influence
of time, of concentration, of an excess of the one
or the other reagent, and of the presence of other
salts. The reaction consists in the separation of
crystalline calcium oxalate and of free nitric acid.
The amount of oxalate precipitated depends on the
conditions of experiment ; it is less the greater the
dilution and the shorter the time of action. Even
when highly dilute solutions are employed, however,
the amount of precipitate is very considerable, and
if the action be continued sufiiciently long, almost
complete precipitation is effected, the formation of
a precipitate ceasing to take place only when the
solutions are enormously diluted. The separation
of oxalate is not only increased by an excess of cal-
cium nitrate, but also by an excess of oxalic acid :
nitric acid has a contrary action. Prom these re-
sults the author concludes that the plant-juices
necessarily contain free nitric acid. With regard to
the crystalline forr.i which the deposited calcium
oxalate takes, he finds that it is exactly that which
is of most common occurrence in plants ; the crys-
tals separate in mouoclinic prisms of theorthoclase
form, possessing an extraordinary tendency to form
twins, and frequently united in aggregates, such as
are often met with in plants, and known as " morn-
ing stars." Raphides were not observed. By
applying the method of difl'usiou, M. Emmerling
has also succeeded in establishing the fact, that the
nitrates of the akalies are partially decomposed by
oxalic acid in very dilute solution, with separation
of free nitric acid. Although, in his estimation,
there is no doubt of the separation of nitric acid in
the plant, he does not believe that it long remains
present as such, but that it is probably further
convertedj^by reduction into ammonia or hydroxy-

HARDWICKE'S SCIEN CE-GUS SIP.

67

laminc, wliicli iu turn takes part in tlic formation
of organic nitrogen compounds.

Vegetable Pakasites on Bread.— In a paper
just published in the Comptes Rendiis, Messrs.
Rochard and Legros state that the mouldiness
which is frequently developed in bread does not
result from the presence of certain germs in the at-
mosphere, but occurs when the bread is badly
made from inferior ilour, and kept under wrong
conditions. Of the orange-coloured cryptogams
observed, the O'idimn aurantiacum was not nearly so
abundantjas tbe Thamnidiim, the latter being one
form of Mucor mucedo. The green spots are pro-
duced, sometimes by Aspenfillus glmicus, and some-
times by Tenicilium glauciim ; the black spots by
jRhisopus ni(jricans ; the white spots by Miicor
mncedo, and sometimes there is'' also Botrijtis grisea.
It is stated that excess of salt added to the bread
prevents the production of these parasitic fungi.

"Pecext Records of Rare Plants."— Mr.
P. Arnold Lees, who writes on the above subject
in a recent Science-Gossip, will be glad to know
that there is little danger at present of lieliaHthemum
Breweri becoming extinct on Holyhead mountain.
In the autumn of 1871 it was very abundant near
the North Hack. The plants varied much in
height. Some of those on the dry parts of the
mountain did not exceed an inch, while a few in
damp, sheltered situations measured over a foot. I
saw Cineraria maritima growing sparingly not very
far from the town of Holyhead in 1869. I can con-
firm Mr. Lees', statement tiiat PoteniiUa riipestris
and Lychnis »25Cffn« still exist on Craig Breidden,
and I think (thanks to the precipitous cliffs) they
are pretty safe. Veronica spicata (var, hybrida) also
grows on this hill. — George R. Jebbs.

Petasites fragrans as Bee Provender. — At
a recent meeting of the East Kent Natural His-
tory Societ}', referring to the Sweet-scented Butter-
bur, now growing and blooming so abundantly near
the Cathedral, the Hon. Secretary, Dr. Gulliver,
produced further specimens of this plant in order
to show its true sexual character, and that this is
not in conformity with the current descriptions.
Every botanist knows that Petasites is dioecious or
subdicecious, or at least that this genus is so de-
scribed by all the highest authorities; for example,
Lindley says that its " flower-heads are dioecious,"
and Babington that these "heads are manj'-flowered
and subdicecious." But, on the contrary, the
Canterbury plant is confined entirely to the herma-
phrodite form, cacli of the flower-heads being
throughout ..composed of perfect, regular, five-cleft,
tubular florets, save a few smaller shortly ligulate
and female ones at the circumference of the flower-
head. Hence it would be interesting to examine
the sexual forms of this plant iu other localities.

Of the above-named plant the pollen is white, and
so abundant as to have been shed from the gathered
specimens, like flour sprinkled on the paper over
which they were laid in January ; and so fully ex-
posed on the exserted stamens, and still more ex-
serted styles, of the tubular florets of the growing
plants, as to invite insects. Thus bees, tempted out
by a genial day in the winter, might find a rich table,
even in December, January, and February, when
other food was either scarce or absent. And seeing
this early profusion of the pollen of the multitudi-
nous flowers, the fragrancy, the hardiness, and
perennial luxuriant growth of this Italian Butter-
bur, even in shady and damp places, it should be so
highly valuable as earliest provender for bees as to
be better worth cultivation in England for this pur-
pose than any other plant. Our native Petasites
vulgaris is well known to be grateful to bees ; but
it is less sweet-scented, is later in flowering, and
requires a wetter situation than Petasites fragrans.
The pollen-grains have each three scars, are prickly
on the surface, like those of most other Comimsitai,
and of an oval shape, the length being about 1-lOOlh
of an inch, and the breadth l-700th. Indeed, the
pollen is just such abeautiful object, and so easily
examined, as may engage the attention of, and
serve as a whetter to, the novice in micrographic
botany and the inquiries of the scientific bee-
master.

GEOLOGY.

An Ancient Cheshire Eorest. — About half a
mile to the west of Warrington is a large tract of
land which is in most parts, during ten months out
of the twelve, covered with water. Pormerly a
brook ran through this swampy land, and emptied
itself into the river Mersey at a point called " Poo
Mouth." The Great Northern Railway Company,
in connection with the Lincolnshire and Sheffield
Railway Company, in their survey for a new line
from Manchester to Liverpool, crossed this valley.
Tlie line passes at this point over a strong viaduct,
and it was in the excavations to find a good founda-
tion for the piers of the arches that the remains of
an old forest were met with. It was necessary to
go to a great depth to arrive at solid rock. The
section thus exposed was as follows ; viz.. Lacus-
trine accumulations, consisting of silt, surface-
washing from the neighbourhood of St. Helen's
downward, &c., 5 ft. 6 in. ; black soil, with bands
of sand, remains of furze, &c., 2 ft. 6 in.; white
sand, 1 ft. Ancient forest, consisting of oak, hazel,
alder, "and fir, the two former predominating. The
stumps were dug out in the position in which they
grew, and several of the branches, when newly
excavated, presented the appearance of having
been cut with a sharp instrument. Cones, &c..

68

HARDWICKE'8 SCIENCE-GOSS IP.

18 ft. At the depth of 25 ft., an innumerable
quantity of hazel nuts, when they had become per-
fectly dry, were quite liard, the oak resembling bog
oak. A large quantity of bones, consisting of
shoulder-blades of the smaller animals, shin-bones,
and vertebrae, besides many others, both perfect and
in fragments, were brought to light. A bear's skull
was found amongst the rest. At a distance of
about half a mile, in almost a direct line with the
viaduct, while making a cutting through which the
line of rail was to pass, a number of small marine
shells, both fragmentary and entire, were found.
No doubt, had it been known that such objects
would have been discovered, greater care would
have been taken to collect them whole. As it was,
the greater part fell into the bands of the workmen,
and were either scattered or destroyed. —P. S.

Glacial Drifts of North London.— Such
was the title of a paper read before the Geologists'
Association by Mr. Henry Walker, P.G.S., and
reprinted. It describes a recent exposure of the
glacial drift at Pinchley, and gives details of the
section, chiefly remarkable for the quantity of re-
deposited fossils from older formations, especially
chalk and lias, found there. The beds Mr. Walker
believes to be middle and upper glacial. The
drift beds lie, at Tiuchley Station, at a height of
390 feet above the ordnance datum-line. Mr. Walker
gives a very useful list of the places in the neigh-
bourhood where geologists may see the chalky
nature of the Middlesex boulder clay.

Secondary Strata in Scotland.— A valuable
paper has recently been read before the Geological
Society, on the Secondary Rocks of Scotland, by
Mr. J. W. Judd, F.G.S. He states that these
rocks are represented only by a number of isolated
patches of strata situated in the Highlands and
Western Isles, which have been preserved from the
destructive effects of denudation either through
having been let down by great faults among the
Palaeozoic rocks, or through being sealed up under
vast masses of Tertiary lavas. The Cretaceous
rocks, yielding a beautiful series of fossils, were
discovered by Mr. Judd last summer on the main-
land, and in several of the islands of the West of
Scotland. The Oolitic rocks were shown to present
marked contrasts with the English series, in being
constituted, throughout their whole thickness, by
alternation of marine and estuarine series of beds,
in which respect they precisely resemble the
Oolitic rocks of Sweden. The rocks of Suther-
land, in which the Telerpefon was discovered,
are now proved to be of Triassic age, as Prof.
Huxley conjectured.

The UrPER Cambrian Rocks.— Dr.- Hicks has
made another important communication to the
Geological Society of London, on the Tremadoc

rocks in the neighbourhood of St. David's, South
Wales. Many of the fossils mentioned by him as
being recently discovered, are new species, and
some of them even new genera. Among the latter
is a Trilobite, named Neseuretus, among the former;
species of Theca, Bellerophon, Palasterina, Deiido-
crinus, &c., all of them highly organized forms.
Perhaps the most marked feature is the discovery
of species of Lamelllbranchiata in the Upper Cam-
brian rocks. Until now, they were restricted to
strata of later age.

Polishing Stones, &c. — I Lave much pleasure
in giving " S. W.," who asks (in Science-Gossip>
Jan., p. 9) for information on this subject, the mode
I have for some years adopted with great success
for polishing agates, amber, coprolites, carnelians,
jet, malachite, marble, raother-o'-pearl, and many
other stones. First, to grind : — Get a piece of
thick sheet lead, about nine inches long by four
inches wide. Also a few ounces of emery of the
three last degrees of fineness, and using the coarser
kind first, rub down the agate, &c., with the aid of
a little water, on the lead. Having thus reduced
the agate to the size and shape required, the next
best thing, though not absolutely necessary, is to
rub the surface with a piece of snake-stone, keeping
it moistened the while with a little water. Small
and suitable pieces of snake-stone, with one side
beautifully smooth, can readily be obtained at any
marble or stone mason's for a few pence. Secondly,
to polish : — Get a piece of half-inch deal, about
eighteen inches long by six inches wide, and nail
tightly over it three thicknesses of cloth, the finer
the better for the upper piece. Strew some putty
powder over this ; wet it with water, then rub the
stone on it briskly till the polish is effected. After
this, if you want a very first-rate polish, for which
the extra trouble amply repays itself, make another
board similar to the first, using jeweller's rouge
instead of the putty powder ; but in all cases the
putty powder should be used first. — L. V. II.

NOTES AND QUERIES.

The Hydra. — In an article on the hydra in
the January number of Science-Gossip, the author
gives it as his opinion that the hydra does really
possess the power of paralyzing or stinging its
prey, and instances his having seen water-tleas that
had come in contact with its tentacles, but had
managed to disengage themselves, drop down life-
less. I remember Mr. Lewis, in one of his books,
states that he had watched those animals that had
apparently been stung l)y the hydrii, and found that
after Ijing at the bottom a short time, they swam
away apparently nothing tiie worse ; and also that
he found that when they were touched by a needle
they behaved in exactly the same manner. Is not
this a proof that they were merely shamming deatli ;
unless Mr. Fullagar believes that the needle
poss^esses the same paralyzing power as the hydra ?
I have myself, during several years, performed

HARDWICKE'S SCI E N C E-GO S SIP.

69

numerous experiments with anemones, but could
never find that they possessed any powers eitlier of
stinging the liunian subject or of benumbhig their
T^rey.—Jok/i Ha)-vie.

" Beecii-tkees and Lightning."— I have seen
several beech-trees that have been split and injiued
by electricity. A few days since (in January, 1873),
I'found a large beech-tree in Wiltshire, with all its
leaves on; they were yellow, shrivelled-looking
things ; they crumbled under the flnger ; the tree
was not dead, but the woodman who was with me
said that it had been struck by lightning in
August last, while in full leaf, with this extraordi-
nary result, that the foliage had not fallen in
midwinter. As the tree was not expected to survive,
it was marked for felling. No other tree near was
affected.— if. P. M.

"Honey Dew." — In reference to this subject, in
February number — Is not this substance deposited
by the aphides ? Within a few hours after its ap-
pearance on a leaf, thousands of young aphides can
be seen on it, and in the course of a day several
generations seem to come and go, leaving their little
carcasses clinging to the glutinous moisture. If it
is not the egg-containing matter, what is it? —
H. P. M.

Stings of Wasps.— E. T. Scott, remarking on
this subject in the February number of Science-
Gossip, asks, if the tube in a wasp's sting is for
the purpose of conveying poison ? Will you allow
me to inform him, that it does convey a liquid,
which I presume to be the cause of irritation in the
sting-wound. On examining a sting, cut off with
its bag attached, through a globular magnifying
glass, made by the curator of the Chester Museum,
I found that, under strong sun-iight, the sting
became transparent, with a bright scarlet line run-
ning through the centre. This line was caused by
a liquid, which discharged through one or more
orifices, on or about the point of the sting. On
pressing the bag, the supply in the tube of the
sting was replenished : the pressure on the sting
can be made with the back of a knife, and the bag
can be manipulated with tweezers. The colours of
the sting, and of the liquid, are very beautiful, quite
repaying examination. — H. P. Malet.

Tntekeekence of Light.— Your correspondent
Horace Wilson will find an elucidation of the
phenomenon, so clearly and interestingly described,
in a paper by Sir George Hervey on the " Colour
of the Aerial Blue," published in Good Words for
August, \^1Q— George S. Gibbs, F.S.S.

Skeletons of Animals. — I wish to make a col-
lection of the skeletons of different animals, &c., and
wish to know if you could inform me of the way in
which this could best be done in order to obtain a
perfect skeleton.— 7'. A. B.

The Queen Bee. — Having very often handled
the queen bees, I can speak from experience that
there is nothing to fear from their stings ; I never
knew her majesty make any attempt to vindicate
her outraged dignity ; but if an experimentalist has
acquired sufiicient skill to find and capture a queen,
he must be sufficiently hardened to have but little
fear of a bee-sting. The late Mr. Woodbury, of
Exeter, who wrote under the nom de plume of " A
Devonshire Beekeeper," has often described the
combats of queens, and how one queen stung the
other ; Mr. Woodbury was a most accurate and

painstaking observer, and his observations have
beeii confirmed by others, so that I cannot now
receive the new opinion tliat the queen cannot do
what has been so often described as done, unless
the observations of Major Munn should be con-
firmed by others. The queen bee, when handled,
makes no attempt to fly; she runs about pretty
quickly, and probably would eventually take wing,
but certainly shows an indisposition to do so,
although, we all know^, she has no inability.— /o/^/i
Hunter.

Rare Plants.— For the information of Mr. F.
Arnold Lees, I write to say that I have a note of
having seen Spiranthes (Pstivalis at its station near
Lyndhurst in 1S57. On the 22nd of June,
1872, I saw Simethis hicolor at its station near
Branksome Tower, Dorset, in flower, and in toler-
able abundance. No care seems to be taken to
preserve the plant undisturbed, and I fear that
planting, of which I saw indications, will before
very long "improve" it away. On the 18th o
June, 1S72, I saw Phalaris paradoxa growing
abundantly amongst wheat and oats in the same
spot in which I noticed it for the first time in Eng-
land in 1S4;7. In the extreme south-east of Dorset-
shire five plants, all of a southern type, are to be
met with ; namely, Phalaris paradoxa, Briza minor,
Cynodon dadylon, Cyperus longus, and Simethis
bicolor. — James Htcssey, Salisbury.

Diatoms. — Can any reader inform me how the
slides of diatoms arranged in patterns are prepared ?
If arranged all right, they always wash away when
the balsam is applied in my hands. I suppose the
same process would also do for Foramiuifera. — C. L.
Jackson.

Luminous Fungi.— Tlie following account of this
phenomenon may perhaps be interesting to some
readers of Science-Gossip. "I noticed a very
singular luminous appearance a little while back.
Passing through the cemetery, I saw a light on a post,
which at first I took for a glow-worm ; but on near-
ing it, found that it was of a peculiar zigzag shape.
From what it proceeded I could not make out ; and
having heard that putrefying substances emit a
light, I did not care to handle it. Ou examining
the post in the morning, I discovered a fungus, the
upper edge of which was about the same figure as
the light I saw. Whether this gave out the light
or not I do not know, as it has never appeared
since." — Joseph Anderson, Jan.

Courage and S.^gacity of Swallows.— Some
months since, when in the yard of a brewery belong-
ing to a friend, my notice was attracted by the
screaming of a pair of swallows which had built a
nest and had young ones under an archway. I
observed them making rapid swoopings at a cat in
the yard, which for some little time struck at them
with her paws; but finding this of no avail she
became frightened, and at every swoop made by
the swallows, bobbed her head in a most ludicrous
manner. I took her up, and placed her immediately
under the nest, which she could not possibly get at.
Tiie birds then became very daring, and were rein-
forced by another couple. The quartette then so
persecuted pussy that she was fain to take refuge
between my feet, crouching tliere in fright. There
the swallows actually attacked her, coming within
half a foot of my legs.— G^. J. L. Lahiarqne, Dover.

The Gold-tail Moth. — 1 have never expe-
rienced the irritating effects attributed to the

70

HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

caterpillar of this moth, but have a most vivid and
disagreeable recollection of having handled the
cocoons of the Vapourer {Orgyla antiqua), and
thereby encircled my neck with a ring cf
terribly-itching blisters, which became worse the
harder they were rubbed. I had, after handling
the cocoons, incautiously raised my hand to my
ueck, and the fingers being coated with the hairs
caused the mischief. I think there is but little
doubt that the effect is produced by the hairs.
Have the latter ever been microscopically examined,
and if so, do they present any difference in structure
from ordinary hairs? — W. H. Warner, Kingston.

Erratum. — The heading of ray little article on
p. 33 should have been "A Nut-storing Bird,"
instead of "A Nut-stowing Bird."— /T. E. IF.

White Sparrow. — A. white variety of the
common Kouse Sparrow {Passer domesticiis) was
shot last November in this neighbourhood, but was
too mucii damaged for preservation. A remarkable
variety of the Robin [Enjthaca rubecula) was brought
to me some years back, in which the tail and the
greater part of the wings was of a buft' or cream
colour. I have also seen a starling {Sturiiv.s vulgaris)
which had been shot in Berkshire, which had the
head and neck, the wings and tail of the usual
starling colour, but the rest of the plumage was
cream-coloured. — IF. II. Warner, Kingston.

Ophrys apifera in Herts. — There is another
station for 0. apifera in the neighbourhood of
Welwyn of a very similar character to Mr. Blow's.
It occurred a few years back in some plenty on the
bank which separates the Great Northern Eailnay
from the high road to London, immediately to the
south of Hatfield. This is on made ground, the
road and railway running side by side in parallel
cuttings, and the dividing ridge on which the plant
occurs having been, in addition, artificially raised to
shut out the trains. There is a record for the Bee
Orchis at HatSeid in Gerarde (quoted in "Flora,
Herts "), but Ido not know that it has been noticed
there since his day, and 1 have not had an
opportunity lately of ascertaining if it still exists.
Is not "rare" rattier too strong a term for Opirnjs
apifera — in South Britain, of course ? There are,
too, a good many localities recorded for Herts in
the published Elora of that county. — R. A. Prgor.

Optics.— The peculiarity noted in " An Optical
Query " at p. 20 results from the construction of
tlie seat of vision : it is a defect of sight, one of
those "faults" that arise in the very nature of
things. We have no perception of light at the
point where the optic nerve enters the choroid, a
membrane that lines the eye internally, the coat
beiiig_ perforated or deficient at the point of junction.
This is shown by a conunon experiment. " if two
discs of white paper be fixed upon a wall at the
distance of two feet apart, and the observer with
the left eye closed gazes attentively at the left-
hand disc, slowly retreating, he will for a time
continue to see them both . . . wdien he has
reached a distance of about eighty inches from the
wall, the right-hand object will suddenly disappear
. . . till he has gained the distance of about one
hundred inches. During this period the spectrum
has been passing over the circular aperture in the
choroid through which the nerve enters." — Abridged
from the Penny Cyclop., vol. x. p. 141. The case
of " Interference of Light," cited at p. 20, is very
analogous to the polarization of light shown in the

blue colour of the sky. This is the law of inter-
ference. "If two minute pencils of light, radiating
from two different luminous objects, meet at the
same point, equally distant from the luminous
objects, a greater intensity of light is produced
than by eith(;r pencil singly ; also, if the length of
one of the rays exceeds that of the other by some
certain difference, or by some multiple of that
difference, the intensity of the light thrown on the
point of junction is similarly augmented. But if
one ray is longer than the other, only to the amount
of half that difference, or some multiple of the half,
the two pencils will destroy each other, and a black
spot or fringe will be produced. The difference of
length required by the different coloured rays is
different. This mutual action of the rays, increas-
ing each other in one case, and destroying] each
other in the other case, is termed ' interference.' "
— Erom Maunder and Johnson's Scientific Treasury,
p. 3S2. Professor Tyndall considers the blue light
of the sky to be due to reflected light. " Let the
beam impinge obliquely upon a plane glass surface,
. . the ])ortion reflected will no longer have its
particles vibrating in all directions round it. By
the act of reflection, if it occur at the proper angle,*
the vibrations are all confined to a single plane, and
light thus circumstanced is called pla7ie polarized
light. A beam of light passing through ordinary
glass executes its vibrations . . . exactly as it
would do in air, or in ether-filled space." — Fort-
nightly Review, Feb. 1S69, p. 239.

The Compass-flo-wer.— The plant inhabiting
our Western plains and called the Compass-plant, is
SiJphium laciniatmn. It is not, liowever, a " de-
licate" plant, as Father Felician says, but a large
coarse weed, from three to six feet high, with
leaves from twelve to thirty inclies long. The
lower and root-leaves are vertical, and present
their edges approximately north and south, from
whence it derives its name of " Compass-plant."
At the nineteenth meeting of the American Asso-
ciation for the Advancement of Science, at Troy,
N. Y., in August, 1870, Dr. Thomas Hill read a
paper on the Compass-plant, a short abstract of
which mav be found in the American Naturalist,
vol. iv. 1S70-71, p. 495. Dr. Hill slates that in a
journey from Omaha to Chicago, at three different
points, he noticed young plants of the Silphium
laciniatum, and estimated their bearings at 35", 7i>°,
and 90° ; he afterwards found the truejbearings were
31°, 78°, and 90°. Your correspondent will find a
discussion of the causes of this polarity in an
article by Mr. W. E. Whitney, in the American
Naturalist for 1871, vol. v. p. 1. The article con-
cludes as follows: — "But the observations here
recorded appear to show that the meridional
position of the edges of the leaf is to be explained
by the structure of the two surfaces, which being
identical, at least in the important respect of the
number of stomata, seek an equal exposure to the
light ; — the mean position of equal exposure, in
northern latitudes, being that in which the edges
are presented north and south, the latter to the
maximum, the former to the minimum of illumi-
nation." — Richard Bliss, jun., Cambridge, Mass,
U.S.A.

Spiranthes ^stivalis. — I see the fact of
Spiranthes ccstivalis having been found during
the last few years questioned in the last issue of

* The proper angle is 33°; will that suit the observer's
position with referenc to the window ? — A. H. ,

HARDVVICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

71

Science-Gossip. I may say that, in company witli
Mr. Warner, of Winchester, I found it in the well-
known locality near Lyndhurst, in September, 1871.
It is by no means extinct there. Had we been
three weeks earlier, we should no doubt have found
more than the three plants we obtained. I may
add, also, that we were much pressed for time, and
could not continue our search much beyond a
quarter of an hour or twenty minutes. We met a
Winchester boy, who told us that he was accustomed
to obtain the plant for his botanical school-fellows.
— G. S. StreatjieU.

Lenses of Flies. — In replyto A. M., Paris (p. 276,
1872), I must first tell him that no eye will do so
well for his purpose as that of the dra<?on-fly ;
indeed, any other does bnf poorly after it. A. M.,
Paris, should cut a piece of tlie cornea off, and clean
it. With a little carehe will find that it is composed
of a number of layers. Some of these he may take
off, if he likes. 1 have taken off six, at least ; but
I don't think it matters, except as a curiosity.
Having cleaned the cornea, he must mount it with-
out any preparation to it; but mind that the
outside of the cornea is next to his lenses. He
may then try it. As a common object, focus it to
the hexagons. Hold any object between the mirror
and the eye, and very slowly move the power
further from the eye. The hexagons will disappear
and look roundish, and in each he will see a beauti-
ful image of whatever object he is holding under
the eye. Tilt the microscope nearly horizontal, and
proceed without, or with, the mirror, as is suitable,
and a person, the trees, or other objects will be
seen. By arranging it properly, he may view
butterflies' scales magnified.— i?. T. Scott.

WooD-riGEON's Cky.- — The Berkshire version of
the legend is somewhat similar to that of the Irish,
with 1;he exception that the would-be thifef is sup-
posed to be a Welshman, and the bird is made to
say "Take two cows, Taffy," instead of "Take two
coos, Jemmy," or "Take two sheep, Taffy."— 7/^.
H. Warner, Kingston.

Cole Tit (p. 22). — With reference to the name
"Burrow-down Tit" and the burrowing propen-
sities of this bird, it may, perhaps,_ interest "P. D.
S." to know that the nest of this tit is occasionally
found in a hole of the ground, perhaps hollowed
out by the bird itself. — W. H. IFimier, Kingston.

How DO Haddocks Spawn. — My cook has
frequently told me that she has often found both
hard and soft roe (" milt " and "roe ") in the same
fish This I did not believe until this morning (Jan.
15), when she said again that she had found both
roe and milt. On doubting which, she said there
were two unopened fish, would I come and see
them opened? I went; one was a male with only
"soft roe," or "milt," and the other had unmis-
takably two "milts" and two "roes," male and
female, in full development. It is undoubtedly a
" fact." Is it usual ?— if. 0. Sterland.

Valeriana pyrenaica and other Plants. —
Touching lhe subject of rare plants, or of those, at
least, which, to my mind, are generally too mucli
regai'ded and spoken of as being doubtful natives of
this country, I think I can, in addition to, and upon
evidence of an almost equally conclusive character
as that claimed by Edwin Lees, E.L.S., for
Astrantia viajor, mention another, namely, Vale-
riana pyrenaica (Pyrenean or heart-leaved Valerian),
which plant was found by me growing in great

luxuriance and plenty up a woody dell in Derbj'-
shire, where no doubt it has flourished for years ;
and its growth, too, being so apparently confined to
the spot in that part seems, to me, to afford proof
sufficiently strong to disestablish all doubt as to
why it should not, along witli- many others, which
appear to be recognized as native upon no clearer
evidence, be comprehended also. But as it may be
that my principal authorities— Mr. Pratt and G.
Bentham — might not be in agreement with other
writers on this point, or at all events, with the
Rev. J. D. la Touche, in his " Archajology of Rare
Plants" — provided it be there mentioned by him — in
which case, or otherwise, I shall trust to the kind-
ness of those who are in possession of that work
giving me the information. Two other plants,
which I also found growing not very far away from
the Valeriana pyrenaica, and whose nativity to this
country is alike disputed, were Hellehorus viridis
and Epilobiiim anciust>folium, which latter, though,
perhaps, comparatively rare as a wild plant, yet had
much,' in this instance, to favour the idea of its
being an escape. A record of plants gained through
some such medium as that suggested by Mr. Blair,
or F. Arnold Lees, F.L.S., in Science-Gossip, must,
in the long run, prove very valuable and interesting,
besides, at the same time, facilitating the better
determining of such plants that may or may not be
indigenous. — John Harrison, Neiocastle-on-Tyne.

TUSSILAGO ERAGRANS NOT PeTASITES. — In last

month's Science-Gossip, Mr. S. Smith mentions
having found Tussilago petasites at the foot of
Clifton Rocks, " in full flower, and leaf also, on the
1st day of January." Prom his description, I have
no hesitation in saying that the plant is not Tus-
silago petasites, but Nardosmia fragrans {Tussilago
fra grans), the Sweet-scented Coltsfoot or AVinter
Heliotrope. In Macnight's "Manual of British
Botany," it is thus described: — " N. fragrans
(Richenb.), Sweet-scented Coltsfoot. Leaves ap-
pearing with the flower, cordate at the base,
orbicular, dentate ; the teeth cartilaginous ; gla-
brous above, pubescent on the nerves beneath.
Scales of the involucre acute, about the length of
the flowers. Submale flowei-, ligulse oval-oblong,
generally longer than the involucre. Subfemale
flower, not known. Native of the south of
Europe. Cultivated in gardens. Very common.
Elower white or light purple. January, and
February. Perennial." In Loudon's "Encyclo-
pedia of Plants," T. fragrans is distinguished from
T. petasites thus : — 1\ fragrans. Thyrsus fastigiate.
Leaves roundish cordate, equally toothed, downy
beneath ; flowers from January to March. T.
petasites. Thyrsus ovate-oblong. Leaves cordate,
unequally toothed, with the lobes approximate,
downy beneath ; flowers, March and April." T.
fragrans is called Sweet-scented Coltsfoot, from the
pleasant odour of its flowers. The plant found by
Mr. Smith is probably an escape from a garden. —
Wni. Harkness.

Plants 'and Gaslight. — I have on the table
before me a pot of yellow crocuses, which at nine
o'clock at night were closed (in fact, they had not
opened). At eleven o'clock they were all fully ex-
panded, and at 12.30 p.m. were closed again. The
temperature of the room is quite ordinary, audthe
gas has been full on all the night. The gas-light
evidently caused them to expand, but why do they,
after about an hour, close up again ? Has the gas
poisoned the atmosphere, as suggested (p. 191,
August, 1872) bv jNlr. White, or has the hour any-
thing to do with' it '^-H. 31. W. N.

72

HARDWICKE'S SCI E N CE- GO S S I P

NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS.

We must remind our friends, who make use of this column,
that the following rules should be strictly adhered to : —
First. That perfect specimens be sent. Secondly, That all
the information as to habirat, &c., that the inquirer can givO
should be forwarded with them. Thirdly. To bear in mind
that drawings, unless very perfectly executed, are useless,
and a tyro is very apt to omit some distinctive characteristic
which would enable the examiner to decide the genus and
species of the object sent. Lastly. Kever to send an object
for identification until the inquirer has used his best endea-
vours to find out for himself all the information he requires.
Questions are very frequently sent, which the slightest effort
on the part of querist in looking through some elementary
treatise would have given all the knowledge required.

E. Mayers. — Your butterflies came to hand, but we don't
know what to do with them. We have paid for the parcel.
Please not to send us any more. We are always willing to
oblige our correspondents in a reasonable manner, but we
cannot undertake to sell objects for them.

A. E.M.— Many thanks for your suggestions. Wearealways
glad to receive them from contributors. That about publish-
ing Gossip weekly has already been made, but we do not see
our way clear to it at present.

K. H. — Your supposed fern is an exotic Lycopod, or club-
moss.

P. B.— Your fungus was a young specimen of Polyporus
sguamosus.

E. C. Jelly. — Your specimens were — 1. Asteroma veronica;

2. Septorid fraxini ; and 3. Fusidium album.

F. T. — Your specimens were the larvae of the Drone-fly
(Eristalis tenax). The long tail is the organ by which they
breathe.

G. R.— The "Horse-hair Eel" {Gordlut aqunticus) in nnt
transformed from soaked horse-hairs. In its early stage it is
an internal parasite of an insect, generally a beetle. It leaves
it to deposit its eggs in water. See Science-Gossip for
1865, pages ]07 and 197.

J. E. F. — You cannot do better than get Van der Hoeven's
large two-volumed work on Zoology. It is still one of tlie
best authorities. The pronunciation, however, is not marked
in it. We are in the constant habit of using Van der Hreven,
and prefer it to any other for fulness in detail.

W. T. Iliff. — Thanks for the specimens of Tussilago peta-
sites and T. fragrans. The latter still retained its perfume
when it arrived.

Brtlm. — Mosses: 1. Weisddviridula;2.IIyj)numlutescensi

3. S. preelongum ; 4. H. cupressiforme. — R. B.

H. H. CooKB. — The eggs marked No. 1 are those of some
species of Pigeon ; they are easily distinguished from the
eggs of the Owl by their polished surface, and the finer texture
of the shell. No. 2 is the egg of the House Sparrow (P. dn-
mesticus) ; 3. a variety of the Song Thrush occasionally met
with ; 4. Lesser Redpole, and 5. (if the egg referred to in the
note which accompanied the eggs) a malformed egg of the
Redstart. Without the description of the nest, it would
have been impossible to recognize this egg. — T. S.

Medicus. — We know of no preparerof microscopical objects
who prepares specimens of morbid anatomy and pathology.
There is little or no demand for them, and they do not as a
rule, keep well. More can be learned, in the way of pre-
paring them yourself, by taking in the Monthly Microscopical
Journal, or by studying Beale's " How to work with the
Microscope," than by obtaining such ready-made preparations.

Rev. J. H. Cooke. — Your fungus is Peziza coccinea, one of
the commonest species of the genus.

S. Tagg. — We are sorry we could'not answer your query
sooner. The Duck is the " Shoveller " {Anas clypeata). The
fossil shells (of which your sketch was too rough and
vague to make anything distinctive out) are evidently Lower
Carboniferous forms, probably from the Yoredale shales, and
some species of Nautilus.

C. J. Wilson.— The " London Catalogue of British Plants "
is published by Hardwicke, 192, Pidcadilly, price sixpence.

EXCHANGES.

Swiss Lepidoptera for British. — Tertiary Fossils from the
Isle of Wight, for Fossils from the Coralline crag. — C. 7,
Buckingham Place, Clifton, Bristol.

For Atlantic Soundings, send object and stamped addressed
envelope to Jno. H. Martin, 86, Week Street, Maidstone.

British and European Mosses for the rarer Mosses, Jun-
germannise, or Lichens.— T. H., Highfleld, Sydenham Hills.

A NUMBER of well-blown Eggs, in exchange for well-set
Lepidoptera. List on application to J. Walser, 14, Sudeley
Street, Brighton.

DisTiLLATioM FROM VAPOUR OF CoKE. — An interesting
slide of this remarkable liquid will be given in exchange for
any specially good object.— Send list to Alfred Allen, Felstead,
Essex.

Eggs of the Little Auk, Heron, Phalarope, Stint, Grouse,
Widgeon, Harlequin Duck, Scoter, and many others for rare
eggs. Minerals and Fossils for lusects.— J. T. T. Reed,
Ryhope, near Sunderland.

Wanted, Lias Fossils in exchange for Mountain Limestone
species.— John Harker, Richmond, Yorkshire.

VVell-mounted Sections of Teeth, &c., from coal, for well-
mounted Geological Microscopic Slides,— H. B. Thomas, 13,
Market Place, Boston, Lincolnshire.

Zonitps excaiHit'JS, Zonites purus, Hflix- lamMaf.a, fir
other British Land and Fresh-water Shells.— J. Whitwham,
Cross Lane Marsh, Huddersfield.

Cyprcea Enropcea, Nerita viridalis, Planorbis contnrtus,
P. nitidus, lleliipomatia, Ctjclostoma elegans, for other British
Land and Fresh-water Shells.— B. F. Buxton, J. Hewitt Esq.,
Rottingdean, Brighton.

Microscopic Objects in exchange for Sponges or other
objects of hiterest,— T. W. Cowan, Horsham, Sussex.

Hypnum verrucosum and Hypnum intermedium for other
good Mosses,— Send lists to J. Bagnall, Jun., 102, New John
Street, West Birmingham.

Wkll-mountek Sections of Crocodiles' Teeth for other

well-mounted slides. Diatoms preferred. Send list. W.

Nash, Stroud, Gloucestershire.

Acarus (Madras) on Plants and Osteological preparations,
offered tor Deep- sea Soundings and Diatoms. — J. H. Wollaston,
Wells, Somerset,

For large Dendritic Spots on Blue-wove Paper, send stamped
directed envelope and object of interest to S. W. Godfrey,
6, Amersham Grove, New Cross, Deptford.

Rbd-throated Diver, Scaup Duck, Richardson's Skua.
Dipper, Red Grouse, Curlew, Hawfinch, Landrail, and Wood
Lark, for other equally good eggs. Unaccepted offers not
answered.— Fred, Anderson, Alrestord, Hampshire.

Lepidoptera for other Lepidoptera, Britisn or Foreign,
or microscopic slides. — Joseph Anderson, Jun., Alresford,
Hampshire,

BOOKS RECEIVED.

"The Lens." November, 1872.

" Nineteenth Annual Report of Brighton and Sussex Nat
Hist. Soc.

"The Ocean World," from the French of M. Figuier.
New edition, revised by Dr. Percival Wright. London •
Cassell & Co.

"Tlie Astronomical Almanack for 1873," by Dr. HoUis.
London : Simpkin & Marshall,

"Records of the Rocks," by the Rev. W. Symonds. L.indon:
John Murray.

" School Manual of Geology," edited by A. J. Jukes Browne.
Edinburgh ; Adam & Charles Black.

" Les Mondes."

" Land and Water."

" American Naturalist," January.

" Canadian Entomologist."

" The History of Polperro." By the late Jonathan Couch,
with life of Author, by Thos. Q. Couch. London : Simpkia
& Marshall.

" Report of Birmingham School of Nat. Hist. Soc."

" Gardener's Oracle and Floricultural Year-book, 1873."

"Moore's Gardening Guide, I873."

" On a Hsematozoon inhabiting Human Blood," By T. R.
Lewis.

" Report of Microscopical Researches on Cholera." By T. R.
Lewis, M. P.

" Ozone andAntozone." By Dr. C. B. Fox. London : J. &
A. Cliurchill.

Communications Rfceived prom — R. M. B.— T. P. B. —
G. R. R.— W. V. A.— J. H. M.-J. C— B. F. B,— F. W,—
G. R. J.— R. A. P.-T. Q. C— H. A. A,— W. W. H — F. C. F.
—A, M.— G. W.— E. K, T.— H. P. M.-J, S W. D. - W. H, McL.
— J.H.— J. W.-H. H. C— G. S, S.— W. R.— H. B. T.— J. H.
— T, T. R.-T. A. R,— F. G. E.— H. M. A. — VV. H. W.-J. B.
— ^V, T. L,— P, S.— K. H.— G. A. L.-J. F.— F, A,— J. E. F.—
J, H.— A. E. S,-J. W,— J. R. J.— L. V. H.— T, H.— W.H.—
W. S. P,— A. A.— T. B.W.— E. H— E, J.— H. S. H.— D. G.—
H. A, A— G. S. S.— J, H,— M. L. G.-J, D. La T.— F. M. W.
— H, M, W.-F. K.— T. S.— T. W. C — H, M, A.— J, B,— E, A.
N.— C. H,R.— F, C. R.— A, K,— F. A. & J. A.-J.H. W^—
W, L. N.— J. B.— C. J. W.— S. W. G.

HAltL> W iCKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

73

ALPINE PLANTS.

.^ HE botanist who

is well acquainted

with the Flora of

his own counlry

may often be

puzzled by the

diversity of forms

and multiplicity of

species in the

Alpine Elora. Tlie

following speculations which

we venture to give, based on

known facts, may, therefore,

not be uninteresting.

Alpine plants may be divided
into three classes": 1st. Those
found exclusively in moun-
tainous regions. 2nd. Those
found also in high northern
latitiides. 3rd. Those closely
allied to species which grow in
the plains. Let us see what
is the origin of these three
classes.
That the geological period
preceding the glacial epoch was one of considerable
heat is shown by the fossil plnnts found in the
Miocene formations of Greenland. The advance of
the glaciers gradually destroyed most of the vegeta-
tion of tin's period : some of the original denizens of
the mountains remained, however, on high ground,
not covered by snow and ice ; but the altered con-
ditions of life were not favourable to their develop-
ment, and they are now few in number, frequently
monotypic, and found in a limited range. Sue!) are
the genera

A .

Areu'a

Erinus Hugueninia

Soldanella

Astrautia Wulfenia

Berardia

Paederota Dracocephalum

Tozzia

Clierleria Horminum

Ramondia

Willemetia Petrocallis

These are the plants of our first class.

No. 100.

The glaciers brought with them plants and seeds
from the Arctic regions, and these established them-
selves on the higher summits. The varieties of
climate and geological formation in the gi'eat moun-
tain-chain which extends from Spain to Siberia are
considerable. These influences would modify these
northern plants, and in course of time would even
cause the formation of new species, so that they now
outnumber, both in species and individuals, their
Arctic congeners, whose development has been re-
stricted by a narrower area and uniformity of climate.
A curious fact bearing on the origin of these plants
is that comparatively dry mountain-ranges, such as
the eastern Alps, which have a climate somewhat
similar to that of the cold, dry Arctic regions, are
richer in species than more humid ranges, such as
the Bernese Oberland and Scotland. Some of the
principal genera of this, our second class, are

Draba

Sagiua

Potentilla

Arabis

Stellaria

Sibbaldia

Cardamine

Saxifraga

Oxytropis

Cerasiium

Banunculus

Dry as

Lychnis

Pedicularis

Sedum

Arenaria

Juucus

Salix

That the temperature of the Alps has varied con-
siderably since the glacial period is shown by the
alternate advance and retreat of the glaciers. Le-
gends exist of once fertile valleys in spots which
are now covered with snow and ice, and it is said
that the great ice barrier betv/een Grindelwald and
the Valais was formerly a much-frequented pass.
Duringsuch favourable periods plants fromtheplains
may have been gradually dispersed upwards, and
mingled with the Flora of the former glacial period.
There is very little doubt that large seas existed at
the foot of the Alps, and this will account for the
coast plants that arc also found as Alpines, such as
Flaiiiago alpinci, Armeria alpina, and RJiodioIa
rosea.

AH these plants, which forai our ihird class, have
been mucii modified by mixing with the more
ancient forms ; they have also become dwarfed in

E

74

HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE- GO S SIP.

stature, but they still bear a strong family likeness
to their congeners of the plains. Examples are

Linaria alpina Phyteuma hemispbseri-

Globularia nudicaulis cum

and cordifolia Coichicum alpiuum

Teucrium pyrenaicum Gagea Liottardi

Ononis cenisia Astragalus monspessu-

Ceriuthe alpina lanus
Helianthemum canum

The great genera Primula and Gentiana should be
included in this class. They have very few repre-
sentatives in the Arctic regions, and attain their
maximum development in the great Alpine chain,
but at the same time they are well represented in
the plains, whence probably they originally came.

With regard to the origin of our second class
(the largest and most important), we ought to state
that a different theory to that whicb we have given
is also held, especially by some German botanists.
They consider that the great centre of dispersion
was from the Altai mountains, in Siberia, and not,
as we suppose, from the Arctic regions of Europe.
The principal argument in favour of their view is
that many Alpine plants are represented in Siberia
which are wanting in Arctic Europe ; but this may
be accounted for when we remember that the great
variety of climate and soil in the Alpine chaiu
would cause the development of fresh species,
while the parent stock in Arctic Europe would
remain comparatively stationary. And although it
is true that some species which are found in Arctic
Europe, as Cornus sitecica, Rubiis arcticus and
chamcemorus, Diapensia lapponica, and Nardosmia
frigida, are met with again in Siberia only, it is to
our mind easier to suppose that these plants were
dispersed from Arctic Europe, in the direction of
Central Asia, by glacial action, than that they
formerly existed in the Alps of Europe, from thence
colonized the North, and afterwards became extinct
in the Alps. T. Howse, E.L.S.

ELOSCULARIA TRILOBATA.

By E. Collins, M.D.

■jl/rR. CUBITT'S remarks in the July number of
-^*-'- the Monthly Microscopic Journal on my paper,
published in the January (1872) number of your
periodical, call for a few words from me.

In the first place, it was only on reading Mr.
Cubitt's paper a few days ago that I first became
aware of the fact that Mr. Tatem had previously
aescribed the large pelleted Melicerta* M. pilula,

* Mr. Gosse, to whom I sent specimens in 1865 and 1866,
recomm nded me to name this species M. coprodoma, from
KOTrpoQ, dung, and Sejiii), to build, from the fact that
this creature builds its tube with its own excrement. This
would, probably, be a better name than either pilula or
socialis.

or, as I named it, M. socialis, in a communication
read before the Quekett Microscopic Club in 1868.
As I feel, therefore, that some apology is due to
Mr. Tatem, I hope that he will consider a residence
abroad, from early in 1807 to the end of 1869, a
sufficient excuse, from me, for having overlooked
his paper.

In the second place, with regard to Floscularia
trilobafa, I cannot allow, as Mr. Cubitt asserts, that
this is a " pseudo-new species," and identical with
F. campanulata, for they differ in many respects,
the most prominent distinguishing feature being the
arrangement of the disk, which in the latter is never
divided into less than five lobes ; at least such is
ray experience, and that also of every author whose
descriptions of this rotifer I have read, while in
the former the number of lobes never exceeds three.
The lobes, moreover, in F. trilobata are larger, better
defined, and have wider and more marked depres-
sions or spaces between thein ; the creature itself
is much larger, and differs also in its general con-
figuration ; its tube, too, is probably more frequently
absent than present ; and I have never seen it occu-
pying so large, solid, and well-formed a tube as
Mr. Cubitt in his drawing represents F. campanulata
to inhabit.

I first discovered F. trihhata in 1865 (my ac-
quaintance with the large pelleted Melicerta bears
the same date), and, being unable to identify it with
any of the described species, I wrote to Mr. Gosse
on the subject, and after some correspondence was
enabled to furnish him M'ith a specimen. He, after
careful observation, concludes a letter to me, dated
October, 1865 (having first remarked on the number
of lobes, &c., and compared it with F. campanu-
lata^, " And so yours is, no doubt a new species, as
you conclude. My specimen, that you sent me, has
laid an ^^g in the live-box, and so is certainly adult."

I believe this species to be very rare. I do not
suppose I have seen many more than twenty speci-
mens, but have had the opportunity of observing it
from its infantile stage to old age and death. All
my specimens were taken from one small pool in
the parish of Sandhurst, Berks, which abounds in
rare and interesting Rotifera. I have searched for
F. trilobata, with a friend, in all the neighbouring
pools and streams repeatedly, but invariably without
success. Whether this pool is still in existence or
not I cannot say, for it is now some six years since
I quitted that neighbourhood.

It seems necessary that I should conclude by
stating that my former paper was written simply
for the purpose of placing on record the existence
of certain species of Rotatoria that I believed to be
undescribed.

"It is only ignorance that sneers at a pursuit
because the latter deals with common - place
objects."— T't^j/Zor's " Half -hours at the Seaside"

HARDWICKE'G SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

75

OUR WINNIE.

YABIOUS have been the creatures from the
animal kingdom— to wit the two " Pliaraohs"
of 1872— the record of whose lives have appeared
from time to time ia the pages of Science-Gossip.

My jottings will not appertain to the bird of the
night, whose similitude occupies so conspicuous a
place upon the front of our interesting monthly, but
to one of the quadrupeds represented to the right
of the mystic bird— the scared burrower but
partially represented, the common type of our
rodents. To begin, our pet was presented to me
when three months old, and was deemed by con-
noisseurs a beauty, though its breed, a mixed one,
I cannot determine. Suffice it to say " bunny "
was of the feminine gender, had dark fawn ears,
feef, and tail, with a long, thin dark streak on the
nose, the rest of the body being pure white, with
eyes matching those of the common tame rabbit, a
bright pink. The title of this subject has already
shown the name bestowed upon the strange
accessory to our household ; and very soon Winnie
was at home running an appointed period about the
kitchen or grass plot during the day, and reposing
in a box provided indoors by night. In a short
time it was found impossible to keep up the creature,
excepting when all was still and dark ; by tooth and
nail egress from confinement was generally obtained,
and satisfaction gained by joining our company
whether up or down stairs, in short, our experience
was the same as that expressed by Cowper, who
said of his hare, " happier in human society than
when shut up with lier natural companions."

Numberless were the tricks, and surprising the
sagacity shown by Winnie. If out of doors, it was
most amusing to watch her frisk on the grass, run
round the walks, and all at once slily nip the lower
end of a peony stalk, ending in the downfall of the
glaring flower ; but this, observed either by my
husband, who often encoui'aged a repetition of
"bunny's" propensity, or myself, was sure to end
the furlough, and render immediate capture by hand
necessary. Then came the tug of war, Winnie
popping through the garden hedge into the field,
and so sure as I passed by the wicket, " bunny "
was back again, and vice versa, until I had the
help of a domestic. Indoors she would leap into
my husband's lap, licking his hands or face, and
would repose there for some time, well content if
the ears or forehead were gently rubbed with the
finger ; she also became attached to a young relative
staying with us. Dogs she did not appear to be
afraid of, and as a favourite resort was the hearth-
rug in ray husband's office, once or twice she
encountered those enemies there. In one instance a
friend with a spaniel stayed some time, and upon
leaving, " bunny," who had never stirred from her
couchant position on the hearth, sprung at the dog

as he was quietly leaving the room ; at another time
a greyhound stalked close past, but no apparent
notice was taken by either. She was regarded by
us much the same as the dog is in ordinary domestic
life, and eventually had the run of the house, going
up or down stairs as inclination led, meeting us
after absence, and drumming the floor for recogni-
tion if not immediately noticed, calling forth the
wonder of many strangers, who never supposed
such sagacity and frolic existed in an animal
so timorous by nature. As to diet, the usual herbs
were given when obtainable, the casual handful of
young clover culled during the evening walk, or the
succulent dandelion or lettuce gathered, with an
occasional turnip or carrot, formed the staple food,
and for a standing dish a box of bran at night, with
milk each morning, into which a little sugar had
been dissolved, with the addition of a little warm
tea in winter from the breakfast-table. Sweet
bread, especially if it contained currants, or had a
little preserved fruit upon it, was esteemed, the
creature sitting up for it to be presented; and" the
endeavours made to obtain fruit when placed a little
out of reach, or in folds of paper, were most
amusing. Upon one occasion some young friends
were rather chagrined by observing " bunny " stand
up and deliberately reach from a plate opposite a
very hot fire a portion of the muffin destined for
their share ; at another time the servant having
placed a rolled pudding upon the kitchen fender,
preparatory to placing it in the oven, upon return
after five minutes' absence ; found a large hole in the
outer dough and some jam extracted. After this
"bunny" attended when pastry was made, and
generally had a small portion allotted for her use.
As Winnie grew older, like other mammals, she
became more grave, and indulged less in those frisky
leaps so peculiar to rabbits, would sit for hours
alone, and was rather indignant if disturbed by an
unknown hand, striking out with the fore feet at
the intruder. The usual fate of most pets, alas,
attended her: injury caused, we had every reason
to surmise, by a careless domestic, ended Winnie's
days. My husband and I, after doing all we could
far into the night to assist the poor creature,
witnessed her death, feeling we had lost as agree,
able and social a pet as any of the usual quadrupeds
introduced into our dwellings, having shared it with
us for nearly seven years.

A few lines more and my history ends, a word by
way of caution to those who might follow us in
zoology. It takes time to teach the creature cleanly
habits. To some extent this may be done, the dark
corner sprinkled with sand may almost invariably
be used, and little nuisance caused by management.
The great difficulty is to keep rodents from trying
their sharp incisors upon things in the way : if a bit
of paper chances to be frayed from the wall, and
within reach, it is sure to be enlarged ; a hole in the

76

HARDWiCKE'S SCI E N CE- GOSSIP.

carpet will be daily nibbled unless closed up, hearth-
rugs will suffer if any worsted ends are loose, and
should the gudeman's llshing-foots be found, into
how many pieces the thongs are nipped ia very
perversity I cannot say. " Bunny " sits as she did
in life upon a piece of carpet under a glass shade,
preserved by the hands of Mr. J. Shaw, of Shrews-
bury, a memento of what can be accomplished by
kindness and attention to the habits of dumb
creation. Emma Johnson.

ANCIENT PLANT-LIFE.
By James Nield,

THE following interesting paper on "Fossil
Botany " was recently read before the Old-
' ham Microscopical Society : —

Fig. 47. Sigillari^ (restored) ; b, leaf; c, d, portion of trunk with bark of two
species ; e, transverse section of stem ; /, scalariform vessels from ring
surrounding pith ; g, dotted vessels from outer part o( woody rings.

Fossil botany, or palaeophytology, is the name of
that department of geologic study that deals with
those vegetable organisms the remains of which are
found in a fossil state embedded in some part of the
earth's crust. This is the broad meaning. The
term, perhaps, is more properly applied, and ought
to be restricted, to those remains of plant-life the
peculiar forms of which are now quite extinct. I
thus narrow down the subject of our consideration
to avoid redundancy. Let us take a cursory survey
of the nature and sequence of plant-life on the globe,
taking them in ascending order, and glancing
hurriedly and briefly at the positions held by theoi
in the systematic arrangement of recent botanists.

The Silurian period may properly be called the
day of thallogenic life, a division which comprises
the simplest forms of vegetable organisms, of which
we may take marine alga? as repre-
sentatives. These members of the
vegetable kingdom are made up ex-
clusively of cellular tissue, and increase
in size by the simplest method of cell-
growth and reproduction. Just as
these cellulares are at the present day
heaped upon our shores, so analogous
forms covered the littoral boundaries
of the old Silurian seas. I infer this
from the many accumulations of im-
pure coal, or anthracite, to be met
with in this and other countries, and
belonging to the Silurian formation.
The individual plants composing these
beds are, however, but very indif-
ferently preserved, owing, partly, to
their great age, the changes they must
have endured in subsequent periods,
and, perhaps, still more to the fact
that their loose, cellular bodies pos-
sessed no strong framework of veins
and veinlets to support them ; their
outlines are ill-defined, and therefore
many of their most important charac-
ters and specific differences are little
known. The Devonian, or old red
sandstone age, seems to have been the
first stepping-stone to the gorgeous
flora of the Carboniferous period which
succeeds it. Immediately we leave
the upper beds of the Silurian, and
step upon the lower beds of the " Old
Red," we are met with plants claim-
ing higher rank, more complex in
structure, and more specialized iu
parts, than any encountered in the
previous age. To the thallogens are
here added forms which are believed
to be acrogens, and named after living
plants because of a supposed external
resemblance to them — equisetums.

HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

77

reeds, rushes, lycopodiums, ferns, and a few forms
■wliich, if not true conifers, may be received as their
herald. They are, however, met with but sparingly
in this formation. These facts warrant us in taking
this period as the dawn of acrogeuic life. The flora
as the whole, however, is but meagre, the remains,
as a rule, ill preserved, and therefore the nature and
affinities of <he plants little known. During the suc-
ceeding Carljoiiiferous epoch, vegetable life assumed
an unprecedented importance. Here the acrogenic
forms reached the period of their
maximum development. Plants typi-
fied in the preceding rocks arc more
completely evolved, and accompanied
by many new individuals. All this
progressive change was not the work
of a short time only, but had occupied
the lapse of cycles of ages to elabo-
rate it. Owing to some circumstances,
into which we must not stop to inquire,
the growth was most advanced, lux-
uriant, and abvmdant, the types con-
spicuous and well marked, and the
conditions of growth, decay, deposit,
and preservation increasingly intelli-
gible. Unless our opinions, in future,
be modified by additional facts ga-
thered in new fields of .inquiry, the
phytologist may say, without fear of
contradiction, that the world had
never before witnessed so grand and
abundant a flora. This was truly a
day of plants. Araucarian pines,
palms, tree ferns, cycads, zamias,
gigantic reeds, and, doubtless, an un-
dergrowth of horse-tails, herbaceous
ferns, clubmosses, lichens, fungi,
fruits, and a few indistinct forms,
imagined to be flowers. To the geo-
logical pedant these objects are better
known under the less popular names,
lepidodendrons, sigillarias, uloden-
drons, bothrodendrons, sternbergia,
knorria, favularia, stigmaria, halonia,
piuitps, calamites, hippurites, astero-
phyllites, antholiies, carpolites, trigo-
nocarpons, sphenopteris, pecoi^teris^
neuropteris, cyclopteris, odontoptcris,
otopteris, &c. And as this was, par
excellence, a day of cryptogamic life, doubtless the
conditions were highly favourable to a luxuriant
gi'owth of the fungi and lichens ; but of their actual
existence we have no proof. By referring to the
list of plants given above, it will be seen that many
of their names arc of a provisional character only,
they doing duty in the absence of names more
accurately descriptive of tlie nature and affinities of
these old world organisms ; as lepidodendron (scale-
tree), sigillaria (seal-like), calamites (reed-like), &c.

It is but common prudence lo let this remain so
until much more information has been gathered,
specimens microscopically examined, and scien-
tifically handled and applied by competent men.
This process alone can furnish reliable data. My
own individual knowledge of, and pleasurable
labours among these fossil plants, warrant me in
saying that several of them ought to stand at the
head of genera covering many species ; v?hile
others, hitherto received as distinct species, arc un-

rig. 48. Lepidodendron (restored) ; h, c, portion of bark of ditto ; d, branch
with leaves ; e, leaf j /, catkins ; g, bracts of ditto, inclosing spores.

doubtedly only one and the same form in a different
state of preservation, &c. Before quitting this part
of our subject, it may not be unprofitable to re-
member that the estimated number of fossil plants
of the Carboniferous period known to geologists is
about 600, of wliich a full third are believed to have
been ferns. These figures contrast strangely with
the relative number of the pha;nogamic and crypto-
gamic plants of Great Britain at the present day — a
flora consisting of 1,000 species of flowering plants.

78

HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

and about 50 species of ferus ouly. Let us now
push ou in our journey upwards in time and place,
noticing briefly one or two formations whose flora,
in the known parts of the world, is but scanty, or
which we may conveniently group under some other
head, and selecting those only whose flora is con-
spicuous and well marked. J udging from the few
and imperfectly preserved representatives known to

■ Fig. 49. Calamites (restored) ; b, portion of stem ; c, d, e,
Isaves ; /, catkin; g, radical end of stem.

the geologist, the flora of the Permian and Triassic
periods was a meagre one, and need not detain us.
Our knowledge, however, of the subsequent Oolitic
period enables us to speak with more assurance of
the nature and afiinities of the vegetable forms then
present, and the amount of progress made in
specialization of parts. The bituminous shale, or
coal of Ivimmeridge, the lignite and coal of the

Scarborough coast, of Brora in Sutherlandshire, of
A'"irginia in America, the coal of Hiadostan and the
Indian archipelago, belong, without doubt, to this
period, and owe their origin to remains of plants
which, to our eyes, are tropical or subtropical in
appearance, and are known by names that to many
of us are very unfamiliar. In order that we may
form a rough estimate of the grandeur, abundance,
and variety of the plant-forms of this
age, I will]]enumerate a few of them,
requesting you to note, en passant, the
fact that, with all their strangeness of
form, the flora of this period has an
increased familiar look about it.
Amongst coniferaj, our old acquaint-
ance araucarites has, as companions,
cupressinites, pinites, taxites, abie-
tites, and thujites. These are the then
highest exogens. Amongst endogens,
cycads are still present as cycadites,
zamites, palseozamia, zamiostrobus,
and tree ferns. We have others lower
in station, and very chara-like in ap-
pearance ; chara, naiadites, and sphae-
rococcites and lily-like plants, and our
former friends equisetites, lycopodites,
and halymenites. It is, however, in
the tertiaries that we see we are draw-
ing home to the present flora — by the
familiar faces with which we become
surrounded in these rocks. Though
the tertiary landscape has about it an
increased look of familiarity, yet the
flora is much less English and Euro-
pean generally than subtropical. The
analogues of the then living plants
must now be sought for on the Euro-
pean shores of the Mediterranean, the
warm, temperate parts of Asia, Africa,
Australia, and America — camphor-
trees, sarsaparillas, fan palms, flabel-
larias, palms, tulip-trees, Banksias,
magnolias, vines, fig-trees, laurels, and
evergreen oaks ; and in the upper
beds a species of plane-tree, maple,
walnut, juniper, willow, cypress, yew,
pine, bean, pea, chara, mosses, lyco-
podiums, ferns, horse-tails, mare's-
tails, fruits, and flowers ; and I may
add lichens and fungi. In a flora num-
bering thousands of species, there
eight hundred flowering plants, three
hundred and upwards of which were evergreens.
This would now seem a strange flora for Europe. The
lignite beds of Bovey Tracey, in Devonshire, have
yielded about fifty species. The English fossils, how-
ever, are common to the beds of the continent,
where they are much more abundant, and specifically
more numerous. At this point I wish to remark

branclies witli

were

about

HARDWICKE'S SC lEN CE- G O S S ] P.

79

that many of the iibovc-iuentioned plants were not
identical with those living at the present time, but
with these we step upon the landing which opens
up the Englisli landscape. I would further remark
that it is not till the period under review that true
dicotyledonous trees, exogenous in their mode of
increase, bearhig reticulated leaves, and otherwise
higlily differentiated, are introduced. Indeed, pre-
vious to this period several whole orders, which
now minister abundantly to the wants of man, were
entirely wanted. xVs an example, the order Rosacese,
which gives us our apples, pears, peaches, apricots^
quinces, plums, strawberries, raspberries, black-
berries, &c., was unknown. A further remark,
perhaps, may not be out of place here. In order to
understand and duly appreciate the history of fossil
plant-life, wc should not forget that, during our
progress upwards we have passed tbrougli many
gradations of progressive development, beginning
in the lowest rocks, with a flora humble in structure
and scanty in species, and ending with what we may
call the present plant-forms, the iiighest, most
varied, and most specialized. A knowledge of this
fact is deemed a potent weapon in the hands of
those biological speculators who believe in the
evolution theory.

Fig. 50. Microscopical section of Fossil Wood from concre-
tionary nodules. Lower Coal-measures, Oldham.

The fossil remains of plants now exhibited have
been disinterred from beds of rock differing widely
among themselves in the nature of the material of
which they are composed, and have been deposited
under very dissimilar circumstances. They all,
however, agree in belonging to the Carboniferous
epoch. Those of sandstone are but casts of plants
from the common building-stone of the neighbour-
hood, a rock which is intercalated with the seams
of coal and shale. These, along with those of the
shale, give no assistance to the investigator except
such as can be gleaned from their external forms
and markings. A few have been met with in con-
cretionary ironstone nodules, locally known as
" bullions," which are found numerously imbedded
in the shale, and one or two have been derived
from the floor-clay beneath the coal scam. This
floor-clay is the invariable accompaniment of coal,
and is probably the remains of the original soil in

which these ancient plants grew. These specimens ,
and those from the nodules in the shale, are seldom
met with containing reliable internal structure
The best light by which coal-measure fossil plant-
life is now read, is given off by the coal itself. Coal
is now made to yield up its own secrets, after a
silence of untold ages. The specimens of fossil
wood, by which the life history of the coal period is
now deciphered, are, as far as my own experience
of this locality extends, found imbedded in the coal.
A small seam, varying from a foot to eighteen
inches in thickness, and cropping out on the hill-
sides about Crow Knoll, Besom Hill, &c., and
known as the " upper foot seam," supplying the
entire yield in this neighbourhood. This seam of
coal is one of the " gannister series," otherwise
called the lower coal-measures. The nodules con-
taining the calcified plant-remains are in shape more
or less spherical, or long flattened ovals. These
fossil-bearing nodules occur in such numbers in
some parts of the above-mentioned seam as to
seriously interfere with the work of coal-getting
often causing the whole working to be abandoned.
It may perhaps not be unworthy of note that these
calcareous masses, though seldom known to contain
fossil shells themselves, are invariably accompanied
with a great abundance of shells in the shale above
the coal. Can it be that the triturated matter o
these shells, mingled with the estuarine mud (now
shale), has [furnished in part the material of the
nodular matrix, of this fossil wood, the matter so
provided aggregating itself round some object as a
nucleus? This limy matter, by surrounding the wood
with an envelope, has protected it from the destroy-
ing action of bituminization which had seized the
surrounding vegetable matter . The modus operandi
by which plant-remains have been preserved in these
nodules is not yet well understood ; therefore I
shall notice it but briefly. It is within the bounds
of probability that mineral and earthy matters,
while in a state of solution, enter the pores of the
vegetable tissue, and replace it, particle by particle,
as the original organism passes away. All the in-
formation that we can gather on extinct plant-life
points to the fact that species in geologic ages were
less numerous than at the present time. Indivi-
duals were, doubtless, as numerous in many periods
as now, but generic and specific differences, there
is reason to believe, were not proportionably abun-
dant. This is explained by assuming that the time
that had elapsed since the first introduction of
vegetable organisms, say to the Carboniferous age,
though immeasurably great, was but the early dawn
of a long biogenical day, during which the laws of
variability and specialization had not had sufiicient
time to exert their full influence. There appear to
have been fewer botanic centres then than now.
Types were more cosmopolitan— more widely
diffused over the earth's surface. It must not be

80

HARDWICKE'S S CIENC E-GOSS IP.

imagined that the few forms now known to the
geological botanist even approximately represent
all that existed at any given period. It is quite
premature to assert that there were no well-marked
plants then with which we are not now acquaiuted.
It is much more in accordance with recent discovery
to say that there were many such well-defined
genera and species that have not yet come to light,
and probably a much greater number of less decided
character, and highly perishable, which have passed
away, leaving no trace of their former existence,
except as bituminized matter. Glancing at our own
day, we are right, I think, in presuming that out of
the hundreds of thousands of individual plants that
die annually an exceedingly small per-centage will
be known to the future geologist. They rise, grow,
flower, fruit, and decay, without leaving a single
cell or vessel for the future microscopical investi-
gator to rest his eyes upon. Though admitting the
extinction of whole types of plants which a geologic
survey forces upon me, I am not prepared to
acknowledge that there has ever been at any period
of the geologic past a total or violent extinction of
plant-life, or of necessity, a new creation of fresh
forms equally sudden in its operation and effect.
The data upon which opinions on this subject are
founded are yet incomplete, but sufiBcient evidence
is at hand to justify us in stating that the transition
from one well-marked form to another equally
distinct has been accomplished by the most gradual
process, that change has succeeded change, from
low have higher been evolved, and whole types have
died out as gradually as night melts into day by the
interposition of twilight. The difference between
the simplest thallogenic growth of the Silurian
period and the most complex exogens of modern
times is but the result of the action of laws ever
exerting their strength to enforce progressive
change, and of eflbrt on the part of the individual
organism to adapt itself to the unstable and ever-
altering conditions by which it has never ceased to
be surrounded, in a world that knows no rest.

A VISIT TO DUNGENESS.

AS Dungeness is a place difficult of access, and
therefore visited by few persons, a short
account of a walk round it may be interesting to
the readers of Science-Gossip.

Starting from Hastings one day in August last, a
friend and I took tickets for Appledore, a small
town distant about sixteen miles. Thence we
walked through the villages of Snargate, Brenzctt,
and Old and New Romney, the latter being seven
miles from Appledore station, and about one
mile from the sea. On our way we passed large
heaps of stone, placed at the sides of the road, to
be in due time used for macadamizing, which were
literally full of fossils of various kinds, many being

a species of oyster, four or five inches across.
In one we found the remains of a large ammonite,
in others pieces of fossil wood, &c. I could not
help remarking what a rich harvest for a geologist
the quarries at Hythe, from whence we were told
the stone came, would prove. We arrived at New
Romney about half-past five, and after a short rest
started for the lighthouse.

Here let me give a general description of Dunge-
ness. It is a low headland on the boundaries of
Kent and Sussex, and runs about six miles into the
sea. It is composed entirely of beach, which, ac-
cording to fishermen living at the point, accumulates
on the east side year by year ; thus causing the ex-
treme point to shift slowly in that direction. The
nearest terra firma, if I may so say, is four miles
from the point, and is the small town of Lydd ;
while to the east, at six miles' distance, is New
Romnej', and on the west, eleven miles off, is Rye,
all the intervening ground being entirely beach, ex-
cept in places where vegetation is struggling for
existence. We chose New Romney as our starting-
point, because at a certain time of the tide there is
sand the whole way from thence to the lighthouse,
whereas from Lydd there is nothing but beach.

Leaving New Romney, we made direct for the
shore. Here a most remarkable view presented
itself. In front of us stretched for many yards the
sand — sands such as I have never seen before, sands
that many watering-places would give almost any
sum to possess — not a rock in sight, and along them
was proceeding a horse and cart as easily as on a
level road. To our left lay what appeared a small
mountain-ridge, stretching far out into tlie sea.
This was a part of the coast of Kent, with Eolk-
stone and Dover in the distance, and terminating in
the South Foreland, the high cliffs of Dover looking
remarkably grand and majestic. On our right lay
a long expanse of beach and sand, and in the far
distance appeared the lighthouse, the chief object
of our visit. Between us and it nothing intervened
but a few solitary houses built on the beach, among
which a coastguard station was conspicuous by its
flagstaff, and wrecks of many noble ships dotted the
coast ; while behind us lay the beach in all its
barrenness, relieved only here and there by patches
of green, New Romney and Lydd appearing in the
background.

We took at once to these sands, thus avoiding
the " never-to-be-forgotten " beach (any one who
has laboured along it as we did next day will agree
with me that it is difficult to find an epithet strong
enough to describe its weaiisomeuess). During
our walk we passed numerous shells of varied hue,
which made me wish I were a conchologist, and also
thousands upon thousands of the cases of a marine
worm, composed of fine sand, and varying in length
from one to three inches, their shape being an elon-
gated cone with the apex cut off. They were quite

HARDWJCKE'S S C [EK G E-GOb SIP.

81

new to me, aud differed eclirely from those com-
monly found on tlie Hastings coast. Above us
hovered large numbers of seagulls aud other l)irds ;
while sand-larks skimmed along the surface. Con-
tinuing our walk for about live miles, we reached the
most primitive " hotel " I have ever had the privilege
of visiting, the " Britannia," kept by W. Lawrence,
a fisherman. But although most primitive, it was
clean and tidy — two very essential points as far as
comfort is concerned; and I can conscientiously
recommend it to all who do not object to early
English manners. It is a low, black house, with a
few sheds of similar colour round it, aud, as all
houses in that locality must necessarily be, is built
on the beach, a small piece of which, about thirty
feet by fifteen, is railed off and sprinkled with earth
to constitute a garden. The inliabiLants are in
happy, or rather unhappy, ignorance of the post-
man's rap or the milkmaid's cry, milk being a
luxury there unknown. The butcher pays them a
visit once a week. To enable the natives to walk
over the beach, ihey attach pieces of board to their
boots in the manner of snow-shoes.

A minute account of the lighthouse being
unsuitable for this journal, I will pass it with but a
brief description. The building is of brick over
100ft. high, aud is illuminated by the electriclight,
generated by two large electro-magnetic machines.

Fig. 51. Maclra stultorvm.

driven by means of a steam-engine ; the light is
stationary, and appears white out at sea, while on
and near shore it is red, thus warning the sailor
when he is too close to land ; notwithstanding which
precaution, numerous vessels run aground. Even
the night we were there, a large steamer was
stranded nearly opposite our " hotel ;" but being
smooth water, it got off next tide ; but remains of
ill-fated ships are visible on all sides, the wreck of
the Morning Star being particularly conspicuous,
aud that of the Spindrift jifi'ording topic for much
conversation. In front of the lighthouse there is a
large horn, blown by machinery in foggy weather
and around the babe of the lighthouse cluster the
habitations of the light-keepers and their families.

The next day we continued our circuit round the
west side of the Kes^^, to the old Cinque-port of

Rye, eleven miles distant. Being assured by our
host that in the afternoon we should have sand, we
waited till two before we started, and then struck
across the headland for about a mile, thus cutting
off the extreme point. The vegetation on the part
we crossed was comparatively luxuriant, aud we
noticed several varieties of plants growing between
the stones and stunted grass. There is little doubt
that a great part of the land, now beach, will soou
be covered with luxuriant vegetation ; but even at
the present time I am quite sure that a visit to
Dungeucss would amply repay a botanist,
conchologist, entomologist, or almost any other
ologist, who should think it worth while to undergo
a little fatigue.

TYhen we reached the sea-shore, we were wofully
disappointed : the tide was full — no sign of sand ;
but we made the best of the matter, and set of for
our walk of eleven miles. Strewn over the beach
was a rich harvest, especially for the microscopist :
would tliat I could have devoted time to it, but
unfortunately, havingexpected sand instead of beach,
we had now to hasten forward to catch the train.
On our way we passed many varieties of sea-weed,
for the most part, however, dried up by the sun, the
water that day not having reached its usual height ;
but a ridge traceable along the whole beach
told of a glorious tide for treasure-seekers having
taken place a few days previously. Numbers of
sea-urchins, with spines complete, sea-mice, several
varielies of sponges, dead-men's-thumbs {Alcyonium
digitatum), and especially vast numbers of Madra
stultorinn, many razor-shells and several spataugi.

Having traversed about nine miles of beach»
the sand, to our great relief, began to appear, so
in due time we reached Rye, and returned to
civilized life. A. E. M.

THE PATHOLOGY OP PEARLS. .

IN a recent number of the Journal of the Linnsean
Society are some interesting remarks by Mr.
Garner, P.L.S., "On the Formation of British Pearls
and their possible Improvement." Every one is aware
that an oyster or a mussel, as the case may be, when
irritated by a foreign body, is reduced to the necessity
of toning down the annoyance of theintruder by shed-
ding around it, through the agency of its "mantle,"
layer after layer of lovely "nucre," or mother-of-pearl.
Such is the origin of those pearly concretions which
may be found adherent to the inside of the shells of
the above-named molluscs. The rounder and more
valued pearls are said to be formed in the soft parts
only of the animul, of which a good example may be
seen in the educational series in the Museum of the
Royal College of Surgeons, in the shape of a round
pearl imbedded in the foot of a 2mio, or a fresh-
water pearl-mussel. Mr. Garner has found reason

82

HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

to abandon the generally received idea of the grain
of sand which plays the part of the crumpled rose-
leaf to the molluscous sybarite, and concludes, from
observations made on the marine mussel {mytilus),
his conclusions being supported by the independent
researches of Signor Antonio Villa, in Italy, that
the exciting cause is no inorganic particle, but is
actually a minute parasitical entozoon (a species of
dlstoma) in the mytilus ; while in the anodon, or
fresh-water mussel, it is a minute mite, or acarus
{Atax) — in fact, an itch insect. The presence of
such parasites as a nucleus he has proved by treating
the pearls with a dilute acid. Mr. Garner then
hints at the possibility of setting on foot a kind of
pearl nursery, so to speak, where the cultivation of
this precious ornament may be carried on ; citing
the Chinese as an example, who, as is well known,
not only introduce metallic figures of Buddha
between the shell and mantle (there to be pearl-
washed by the mollusc for the ultimate benefit of
the faithful), but even go so far as to bring about
what may be termed a "margaritiferous" diathesis,
by contaminating the water inhabited by the mussel.
With regard to such diathesis, it may be interesting
to mention a theory of a celebrated French zoologist.
M. Lacaze-Duthiers put.forward some years ago, in
the Annales des Sciences Naturelles, that a mollusc
so affected is in the condition of a calculous or
gouty subject, its blood being highly charged with
the material which goes towards the secretion of
pearly substances; the excess of which over and above
what is required for the nacreous lining of the shell
is precipitated in the form of a pearl, much as in the
analogous case of a man a calculus is formed in the
kidney or bladder, or a concretion of urate of soda
above the knuckles.

RARE LIVING OBJECTS.

A T a recent monthly meeting of the Microscopic
-^^ Society of Liverpool, Captain John A. Perry,
associate of the society, exhibited two living diamond
beetles {Entimus nobilis) -. these he had procured at
Rio de ; Janeiro, Brazil, and they were unusually
large] and brilliant. They are doubtless the first
living specimens ever brought to England — if not to
Europe — and were specially obtained for the
purpose of being exhibited alive to the society.
There had been great difficulty in keeping them
alive, on account of the great difference of
temperature between the Brazils and England.
These beetles were taken from their native
clime during the height of the Brazilian
summer (Januai'y), with the sun nearly vertical, and
the thermometer registering 110° Fahr. in the shade
out of doors the day they were procured ; whereas
in England at the time they were exhibited, the

thermometer indoors was about 38° Fahr. Captain

Perry has been also successful in bringing home, on
previous voyages, many rare livi7ig fish, most of
which have not before been seen alive in Europe.
They included one Pomotis (?) ,tw eh eFcecilia uuima-
cidata, and seven of a species new to science, called
by the natives Cam. The above are from the
Brazils, and from the Rio de la Plata. He has also
succeeded in bringing honiethirteen living GaZ/jc^^/z^i'
asper, and two Firamutana Blochii. All these fish
(many others having died during the voyage) were
brought home expressly for the aquarium of the Free
Public Museum, Liverpool, where they lived for
some time, until attacked with a fungoid growth,
which has from time to time killed them ofi", so that
at the present time, out of the thirty-five brought
home alive, not one remains. Captain Perry is
quite 'prepared, as the warm weather sets in, to
bring home others ; having already secured a stock
in a healthy condition at Rio de Janeiro. The fun-
goid growth that attacked and killed the above
fish, as also many other valuable foreign fish
belonging to the Museum, was the subject of an
interesting communication by the Rev. Mr. Bannis-
ter, at the meeting of the Microscopical Society,
which was discussed by the Rev. Mr. Dallinger and
other members. Mr. Dallinger had devoted some
time to the study of this particular fungoid growth,
which he found to be not only superficial, but to
ramify into the flesh and even into the vitals of the
fish. Many of the readers of Science-Gossip are
also indebted to the above gentleman (myself among
the number) for portions of his Porto Seguro and
Rio de Janeiro gatherings, both of which were rich
in rare and beautiful species of Diatomace«e.

F. KiTTON.

HERBARIA.

ALTHOUGH various have been the sug-
gestions made by the students of botany with
regard to the construction of an herbarium, it
seems somewhat strange that the not less import-
ant matter of mounting the specimens should have
been so generally overlooked ; for, as a rule, where
any reference at all has been made upon the sub-
ject, I have observed that paper has, in most
instances, been the material recommended for this
purpose. At this I cannot but express my surprise,
especially since I have learned, by experience, that
no plant of such delicate structure as those found
comprising an herbarium can well be preserved
from injury on so thin a substance ; and this, I
think, will become the more apparent when the
extreme crispness of plants in their dried state is
considered, and how, therefore, they are the more
easily rendered imperfect by the slightest of causes,
but which is most frequently of all due to the
neglect of so apparently a minor point as the one

HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

83

just indicated. I venture to suggest that if paper
were superseded by the substitution of card, a great
improvement would be effected, chiefly because the
latter would admit of having a slightly raised border
put upon it; by which means the specimen would
be saved from undue pressure and contact. For the
purpose of storing away the specimens when
mounted, I would recommend that a box be made,
of either wood or card, capable of holding 100 of
them, the length and breadth of which must
(within an eighth of an inch) correspond with
those on the mounts. By adopting this plan,
sufficient room will thereby be allowed for easy
removal, besides, at the same time, being light
enough to prevent their shaking about, and from
getting confused when packed. To facilitate their
withdrawal, at pleasure, I would have at the end of
each card— in the centre— a small space cut, just
large enough to admit of the finger and thumb,
so as to guarantee their removal without fear of
injury.
Newcastle-on-Tyne. . John Harkisox.

KECORDS OF THE ROCKS.*

WE have experienced few pleasures more
genuine than that of reading through the
volume whose title stands above. Its author is a
well-known worker in the geological field, and his
pen has done much towards rendering geology
popular. In this book, however, Mr. Symonds has
certainly transcended all his previous efforts. It is
undoubtedly a good book, bearing rich evidence on
every page of its being a labour of love. The
author has selected those chapters of the geological
record with which he is most familiar, as illustrated
in districts to survey which has been the object
of repeated holidays from a country clergyman's
work. The archaeology and botany of the localities
investigated have been charmingly interwoven
with the geological narrative, so that the reader
can now understand how a book written in
pleasant and racy English has such a charm. Our
first thought, as we read chapter after chapter, was,
that the different spots, whose palseontological and
natural history treasures were opened out so
invitingly, should certainly be those selected for our
own limited summer ramble. And that notion,
thanks to Mr. Symonds, we shall certainly have to
indulge before we obtain peace. Nothing could be
more attractive or profitable than to take this
volume with us as "guide, philosopher, and friend,"
through North and South Wales, and the Western
counties of England. Silurian geology has always
had a peculiar charm for ourselves. It is to be

* " Records of the Rocks." By Rev. W. S. Symonds,
F.G.S., Rector of Pendock. London: John Murray,
Albemarle Street.

studied in the most picturesque spots, on the flanks
of genuine mountains, or on the sides of hills almost
deserving the name. Where its fossils are to be
disentombed, there you may expect to meet with
many a rare plant not to be obtained elsewhere. A
feast of fat things to ihe naturalist is generally
spread over Silurian strata. And when, in addition
to these attractions, the same localities are fruitful
in archaeological lore, in grey ruiuj and prehistoric
remains — the student has to confess that he might
go farther and fare worse than work ground so
attractive.

Such is the nature of the district whose geology
is [now popularized by Mr. Symonds. It is classic
ground to the geologist, for it is the " Siluria" of
Murchison ! Mr. Symonds has followed in the
steps of the great master, and has thrown the
charm of a pure literary style over his descriptions.
The illustrations of the work are numerous and
excellent, although some of the fossils bear a
familiar appearance. By far the best sketches in it
are those from the pencil of Sir William Guise, Bart.,
who is himself well known as an able naturalist and
geologist. We have rarely seen anything more
effective than the frontispiece, "Eligug Stacks near
Pembroke." None but a true artist, as well as a
genuine naturalist, could have produced such a
sketch. Fig. 52 is a good example, although not
the best, of Sir William's pencil. It expresses
the influence of physical geology upon the scenery
in a remarkable manner. It is not at all difiicult to
see that two geological formations meet here, and
that the bay has been scooped out near the junc-
tion.

The " Stiper Stones " are a well-known ridge of
quartzose'rocks, which havebeenrepeatedly sketched.
They are now known to belong to the Lower
Llaudeilo rocks. How they have withstood the
weathering, so as to present the appearance of
some ancient ruin, is well seen in the following
sketch. The district round about is full of proofs
of plutonic disturbance. Dykes of greenstone
ramify through the ancient strata, in which
latter the tubes of marine worms are still to be
identified. Bosses of trap stand out, the softer
strata through which they were thrust having been
slowly worn away since the disruption. No wonder
the scenery of such a district should be wild and
varied.

Summer pedestrians, who like to flavour their
holidays with a little natural history recreation
(and we are glad to think the number of such is
increasing), will thank Mr. Symonds for the full
catalogue he gives, not only of localities where
fossils are to be obtained, but of the fossils them-
selves. The places where evidences of glacial
scorings and striations, where moraines with angular,
glaciated rocks are still to be seen, and where the
ancient elevated beaches containing shells— baro-

Si

HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

Fig. 52. Marloes Bay, Gateholm, and part of Skomer Island.

meters to show the depth to whicli this country was
submerged during the last great depression of tlie
glacial epoch — are indicated with a clearness and
fulness that leave little to be desired. The per-
plexed geology of the Suowdon district, so ably
worked out by Ramsay and others, is here simplified

Fig. 53. The Eastern Face of the Stiper stones

to the hand of the student, as the accompanying
section (fig. 54) across the Snowdon range will show.
Mr. Symonds has a peculiarly apt style for the
illustration of physical geology, but he seems to be
himself most interested in the organic remains of
the rocks. How interesting the Silurian fossils
are, especially of the upper
rocks, we need not stop to
point out. Not the less in-
structive and important are
those of the Lower Silurians,
and especially of the Cam-
brians, as the recent researches
of Mr. Hicks have sufficiently
proved. In the limestones of
the upper strata, the encri-
nites are preserved with a
freshness and distinctness sel-
dom seen in rocks of later
date, and the figure now given
is not a whit exaggerated in
its delineation of their appear-
ance. Most lovely objects
were these ancient organisms,
ornamented in a style that we
might do well to copy from,
and study, and apply to the
arts. Their slender, many-
jointed, yet strong columns.

i

HARJ)W1CKE*S SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

85

supporting heads formed of plates mosaicked to-
gether, and terminating in a living network of fingers
or meshes, are among the most familiar fossils of the

upper Silurian limestone 'rocks. Not less wonderful
as showing the degree of differentiation which had
already gone on, and as illustrating, how, when a

^. 'MC

:^■i>■■sv■v^■(

t\

&m\;lSi«l.M^i.-iv>m3SLKi^»..-i'i kiJA Il*^i^,.-Ss>iiij^^«£>

Fig. 54. Section across Snowdon Rang-e. n, Cambrian grey and purple grits and slates, much dislocated and supporting:
Lingula flags, b, Liiigula flags faulted, c. Slates (Llandeilo), dark grey, traversed by eruptive dykes,* (the bedding almost
obliterated) followed by d, bluish-grey and brownish sandstone and slate (Lower Caradoc beds), with felspathic ashes and
volcanic grit, d* e, Upper part of the Caradoc (or Bala) beds, fossiliferous, with calcareous and felspathic ashes.

^-=n,-v

Fig. 55. 1, Marsupio-crinites rnelatns : 3, Maunided base of the arms;

3, Proboscis of the same inserte'l in the sliell of Acnicuhu Italmtis ;

4, Reduced figure of Crotalo-criinis rugosus : tbebai^-like cluster of
arms surmounting the small round pelvis ; s, the latter, of natural
size, with the stomach-plates stripped off, and sbowiiig the base of
the many-lingered arms ; 6, the flat stomachal surface, showing also
the branching of the arms from their bases; 7, a part of the reti-
culated congeries of fingers, each joint being anch) losed to its neigh-
bour on eitlier side.

mechanical or physiological contrivance
has reached a certain stage, the idea
becomes stereotyped — are the fossil star-
fishes from the same beds. We have seen
specimens as perfectly preserved, and
with all the ambulacral perforations as
distinct, as in recent species. The fol-
lowing group (fig. 56) give a good illus-
tration of the manner with which the
" Geological Record " has done its work
in preserving the organisms of some
of the most ancient seas of the globe.

We finished the last pages of the book
with regret, but still with the determi-
nation, by-and-by, to turn them over
again. We cordially reconimeud it as a
book likely not only to profit the stu-
dent and pedestrian, but stay-at-home
people, who like to know what is to be
seen in the world without their going
to see it.

MICROSCOPY.

•^^^>,^^^

Fig. 56. Fossil Star-fish from Lower L ull )w Rocks; 1, 2,
Protastcr Miltoni, a form of Ophiuridcie with numerous
plates; 2 a, small portion of a Protastcr magnified; 3.
Palseocoma Marstoni ; 4. P, Colvini. These are star-flshes
allied to Palraipes and Pteraster.

Dark Lines in Field of View. — 1
feel it a duty to reply to your corre-
spondent " G. W." (in Science-Gossip for last
month, page 63), relating to the question why
the higher powers do not work so satisfactorily
witli the binocular arrangement as the lower
ones do. The fact is, that an inch is about the
highest power that can be well used with the
usual arrangement; that is to say, the prism
fixed at the bottom of the eye-tubes. But when we
wish to use higher object-glasses, as i, \, &c., we
must cither have our object-glasses made very much
shorter, so as to bring their lenses much nearer to
the prism, or, what is still better, have a small
prism fixed in the tube of the object-glass itself. 1
have an sth thus made, which performs admirably,
showing a perfect field ; but the prism is not more
than about the «th of an inch in size, and fixed
closely to the back lenses of the " objective ; " being

86

HAHDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

regulated by the pressure of a screw acting against a
spring, at the end of which the prism is fixed. By
slightly turning this screw, the prism may be regu-
lated so as to throw an exactly equal amount of
light up the two eye-tubes. Your correspondent
says he sees a " dark line " across the field ; and
then says he finds the outer halves of the field dark.
The latter is the fact. The high, powers, with com-
mon prism, exhibit only the central part of the field,
and obliterate the sides. Thus, when I use a com-
mon Hh with common prism, I have only a narrow
strip of light through the centre of the field ; but
when I remove it and adopt tlie ith with hdernal
prism, all is perfectly right. In short, if your cor-
respondent wishes to use his \ with the common
prism, he must have the tube greatly shortened,
so as to bring the prism and lenses as near together
as possible. Mr. Wenham, the inventor, long ago
fully explained all this in the Monthly Microscopical
Journal. — /.

Dark Lines in Tjeld of View.— "J. W." would
find a condenser, and a piece of fine ground glass
below the slide, would remedy the defect com-
plained of, and add very much to the stereoscopic
efi'ect. My own condenser consists of a plano-
convex lens of i-inch focus, and a brass cap screw-
ing over it, to which a disk of ordinary thin glass
(ground on the under side) is attached by means of
marine glue or asphalte varnish. The thin glass
I grind on a piece of plate-glass and flour of emery,
mixed with a little water. By this means I can use
a \ objective without withdrawing the prism, and
both tubes are fairly illuminated. — F. K.

Thiersch's Cement for Objects mounted in
Resinous Substances.— Dissolve shell-lac in spirit
of wine, in sufficient quantity to make a thick
varnish; colour with a concentrated solution of
aniline-blue or gamboge in absolute alcohol. Add
about a scruple of castor-oil to each ounce of the
mixture. After some further evaporation, it must
be preserved in a well-closed vessel. Previous to
using this cement, the inventor directs that the
edges of the covers of balsam-mounted slides
should have a layer of balsam dissolved in chloro-
form put round them, in the same manner as
asphalte ; and at least three days, but, still better,
weeks or months, should be allowed to elapse before
applying the cement. {The Microscope, by Dr.
Prey.) (I have used for some time dammar solu-
tion, coloured with vermilion, zinc-white, emerald-
green, &c. If the object is mounted in soft balsam
or dammar, a layer of ordinary shell-lac varnish
should be previously applied. If the object is
mounted in a thick cell, the angle between the
cell-wall and slide can be filled up with whiting,
mixed with gum-water, and the coloured varnishes
afterwards applied. — F. K.)

Blood Crystals and Hydro-chlokate of
H^metin. — Bojanowski recommends the follow-
ing plan to procure the ordinary form of blood
crystals. The blood should be taken from the
vessels of a dead animal, and kept in a vessel two
to four days in a cool place. A drop of this fluid is
to be put on a slide covered, and exposed to the
light for a few hours. Tae crystals may then be
seen. The formation of crystals takes place readily
in electrified blood ; in that, from the guinea-pig
their formation is so rapid that they appear as
though struck out by the spark. Bottcher says
that chloroform, with access of air, produces blood-
crystals. Lehman gives the following directions for
the production of crystals of hydro-chlorate of
ha:metin : — Presh blood should be treated with
alcohol, containing oxalic acid and ether (1 part
alcohol, 4 parts ether, and i^tb of a part of oxalic
acid). Preserved in well-closed bottles, the crystals
are gradually precipitated : the process is hastened
by the addition of chloride of calcium, liquefied by
exposure to air. When separation takes place
quickly, the crystals are more or less acicular ; if
slowly, they are either hexagonal, or long, narrow,
and laminated, and appear sometimes twisted on
their long axis.— The Microscope, Dr. Frei/.

Cements. — There is a neglected varnish, which
I should like to recommend to your readers who
mount their own objects; namely, copal. It can
be bleached by exposure to the light for a few
months, and when old and good, makes a cell for
liquids or glycerine, which is so clear that it looks
like a balsam slitle ; and, when allowed time to set
before using, as near imperishable as can be
needed. One point should be observed in this,
as in other mounts, I think. Whatever cement be
used for the cell, the same should do for the
covering and finishing. If a picture were laid in
with one vehicle and finished with another, it
would certainly crack all over some time or other,
owing to the different rates at which different
media absorb oxygen. I have cells of copal, deep
and shallow, glass rings, &c., cemented with it,
which show no deterioration since 1861.— <?. 7?^.

Mounting Diatomace^. — Your correspondent
C. L. Jackson will find the mounting of diato-
macese and other minute objects in balsam greatly
facilitated by the use of a little instrument devised
by Mr. James Smith, and supplied by Mr. Collins,
of Great Portland-street, London. This consists
essentially of a small brass plate turned up at the
edges, on which to lay the slide, a handle to hold it
by, and an ivory knob, so arranged on a lever that
it can be brought down on the coverinp,- glass with
a steady graduated pressure, by means of a fine
screw. This instrument may be used as follows : —
The slide, with the objects arranged on it in any
pattern that may be desired and covered with a

HARDWICKE'S SCIEN CE-G OSSIP.

S7

piece of thin glass, is placed upon the brass plate
with the centre of the covering glass immediately
under the ivory knob. The knob is then screwed
gently down sufficiently firmly to hold the covering-
glass steady. The slide is next warmed over a
spirit-lamp, there being an opening in the brass
plate to admit of this being more readily done, and
a drop of Canada balsam being placed at the edge
of the glass cover, is drawn in under it by capillary
attraction, entirely surrounding the objects without
disarranging them, and completely excluding air-
bubbles. If it be desired to avoid the application
of heat, a solution of Canada balsam in chloroform
or benzole may be applied in the same way without
the use of the spirit-lamp. It would doubtless be
possible to mount diatoms, &c., arranged in patterns,
without the aid of Mr. Smith's little instrument, by
proceeding on the same principle, but employing
only one of the ordinary wire clips. The disadvan-
tages of this would be that the pressure could not be
graduated with sulBcieut nicety, and the hold upon
the slide and covering glass would be of so unstable
a character as to be displaced by any sudden move-
ment ; thus destroying at once the symmetry of the
objects and the patience of the operator. I am very
much afraid that the pressure of the cover without
that of the mounting instrument would smash any
but the stoutest diatoms : fancy pressing Cosciko-
discus coiicmnus or the Pleurosigmas. — R. C. M.

A PoLAKiscoPE.— Will any of your readers
kindly inform me where I can find a figure and
description of Mitscherlich's polariscope ? The
instrument is referred to in Drs. Dupre and Thudi-
chum's treatise on wine, as useful in estimating
the amount of sugar in wines. This instrument
effects this by ascertaining the amount of rotation
imparted to a ray of polarized light in passing
through the sample of wine under examination.
Perhaps some one can kindly give me a hint how to
fit up, cheaply and simply, a polariscope for estimat-
ing the quantities of sugars in various solutions. —
F. M. S.

Soft Baxsam.— My old friend and teacher, the
late Dr. Arnott, of Glasgow, always strenuously
objected to the use of soft balsam, or rather to
putting on the cover before it had been hardened. I
have now before me one of his letters, written in
1858, where he says, "Pray harden the balsam
before putting on the cover; the pressure upon
your marked slide has either slipped the cover or
the object; bear in mind balsam never hardens
beneath the cover, and if slides mounted in that
way are sent to a hot chmate they would be use-
less." I have just removed the cover from a slide
mounted twenty years ago, and the balsam is now
soft enough to adhere to the fingers. I do not
quite understand Mr. Walmsley's directions; for

instance, he says, "Make a saturated solution of
balsam in pure benzole until it is of the consistency
of rich cream." Now as balsam is soluble in ben-
zole in all proportions, a solution of the consist-
ency of cream cannot be said to be a saturated
solution. In another place he says, "a drop of
balsam is to be placed upon it, followed by the usual
core; " and a few lines further on he again alludes
to a core, whatever this may be.* Although oil of
cloves possesses some advantages over turpentine, it
evaporates so slowly that the balsam surrounding
the objects on the slides sent to the editor is as soft
now as when the cover was put upon it. A further
proof of the softness of the balsam beneath the cover
is the tendency of coloured cements to run in, and
which Mr. Walmsley avoids by using the balsam as
a finish. My hard balsam slides have either a ring of
asphalte varnish or a mixture of dammar varnish,
gold size, and vermilion, and no running in has
taken place, although they are placed in racked
drawers. Another and important difference exists
between soft and hard balsam : their refractive
powers are not alike. If a valve of Pleurosigma
Balticum, for example, is mounted in soft balsam, it
is scarcely visible, and no trace of striation can be
detected ; but if the balsam is hardened, they are
easily resolved. If Mr. W. has had the number of
slides sent to him for the purpose of naming that I
have had, and seen the damage done to them by the
pressure of one slide upon another, squeezing out
the object with the soft balsam, he would have
the same horror of it that I have.— -P. Kitton.

BOTANY.

IsOETES. — Is there not some little confusion in
the account of Isoetes in the March number of
Science-Gossip ? According to the latest authori-
ties, the British species are, — 1. /. lacustris, L. ;
2. /. echinospora, Durieu. This is the rarer form,
and according to Hooker ("Student's Flora"), is
only a sub-species of the ijreceding. These are the
aquatic species. 3. The terrestrial: 1. hystrix,
Durieu (not histrix), of which /. Burieucei, Hooker,
is a synonym, occurs in Guernsey, at L'Ancresse
Bay, Its so-called "spines" are the old leaf-bases,
which are " spinescent, dark, horny, and consist
of lateral subulate processes, and an intermediate
tooth." If by "seeds" the macrospores of Isoetes
are intended, it is perfectly intelligible, that, in the
absence of the microspores, no result could have
followed from their being sown. — B. A. Pryor.

British Okchids. — Scarcely a number of
Science-Gossip appears without containing some
reference to our native Orchids. This fact testifies

* Query "Cover." — (Ed. Scjence-Gossip.)

88

HARDWICKE'S SCI E N C E-GO S S IP.

to the great interest which Darwin's treatise ou
their fertilization has awakened amongst all
students of nature. Seeing that very few people
are fortunate enough to be able to procure speci-
mens, I am sure it would be a very great boon to
your readers, if some of your correspondents will
give us some plain hints how to cultivate them. That
it can be done successfully, the experience of
Mr! Needle, gardener to the Comte de Paris at
Twickenham, has abundantly proved. What I
and, no doubt, many of my brother readers, long
to know, is, how to do it. — F. M. S.

New British Eiccia. — In the March number of
Grevillea, Dr. Braithwaite doscribes Riccia soro-
carpa, BischofF, as having been found by Mr. B. M.
Watkins last spring, growing in tolerable abund-
ance on a projecting limestone rock overhanging
the Wye, between Boss and Monmouth,

Drying Orchids. — It would be a great assist-
ance to collectors of orchids if those who have
taken pains to preserve them would give to others
the benefit of their experience, and in order to set
the example, and in the hope that it may lead to
further information, I will state the results of my
endeavours. I have almost invariably observed
that orchids, when dried in the ordinary way, turn
either black or dark brown; in fact, retain
nothing but the form, and even that in many cases
indistinctly. My plan has been to immerse them
in boiling water nearly up to the flower-head, so as
to cover all the leaves, for about a minute, — long
enough, in short, to kill the plant, — which is then
dried on a cloth, and put on paper, and, carefully
spreading out the flaccid leaves with a small paper-
knife, pressing and drying it in the ordinary
way. By this means I have always preserved the
colour of the leaves and stem, and generally of the
flower also. If an incision be made in the tubers,
it will greatly assist in killing the plant, — a plan I
have often adopted in preserving many of the
Liliacece. My orchids are nearly all foreign, — from
Switzerland, South of France, Italy, Sicily,
Algeria, and the Pyrenees. The late Joseph
Woods, author of the " Tourist's Plora," wlien he
saw them, thought the climate must have had
something to do with the preservation of the
colours, but was assured it was not so. I need
hardly add, a dry warm temperature is necessary
for the better preservation of orchids, as it is with
all plants.— r. B. JF.

Sheffield Naturalists' Club. — The first
meeting of this society was held in the Cutlers'
Hall on the 6th of February. The members have
been fortunate in having Mr. H. C. Sorby, P.R.S.,
who is so well known for his researches in micro-
scopic geology, for president. On the above occa-
sion, he delivered an elaborate address, in which

he pointed out his views with reference to the
formation of such a society, and the influence of
the cultivation of natural science on the human
intellect. Mr. Edward Birks afterwards followed
with a capital paper on the botany of the district.
Such a society was much needed in Shefiield, and
we have little doubt as to its future success.

ZOOLOGY.

Small Birds' Protection Act. — We feel
confident all true lovers of natural history will
rejoice that this piece of tardy justice has at length
been conceded to our Feathered Friends. The fol-
lowing paragraph relating to it is from Latid a?td
TFater of Saturday, March 15th : — " From and after
Saturday, any vagabond lurking behind the garden
fence with a stufi"ed chatfinch, a call-pipe, and a clap-
net, may be at once taken before a magistrate, and
fined 5s., with an additional sum for each miserable
captive in his possession. Any game-dealer who
sells, or exposes for sale, the lean, broody birds
which have long been a disgrace to the market, may
be fined 5s. for every bird of the duck or plover tribe
on his counter. The matter is now in the hands of
the public, and we confidently promise them that if
they will individually exert themselves to carry out
the provisions of the Act, the result in two years
will be, to the owners of surburban residences, an
accession of feathered songsters, whose notes from
long disuse arc forgotten, but which will add a
charm to their country residences that can hardly
be over-estimated ; to the agriculturist and market
gardener a costless riddance of mischievous insects ;
and to the housekeeper a reduction of 50 per cent,
in the price of one of the greatest delicacies which
come to table— wild fowl."

New British Ichneumons. — The Rev. T. A.
Marshall has described, in the March number of the
Entomolo(/ists' Monthly Magazine, X^o new species of
Ichneumon, under the relative names oi Anomalon
fusciuliim and Mesostenus maurus. The latter was
taken in the neighbourhood of Carlisle. The
former is not only new to Britain, but hitherto
unknown elsewhere.

Cleaning Feathers and Skins. — I am obliged
to "South Australian "for the recipe for cleaning
feathers and skins, which will prove very acceptable
to some of the readers of Science-Gossip, as well as
myself; but 'tis not what I wished to know in answer
to my question, which was, how to clean birds when
stuffed, which had got dusty and dirty by being ex-
posed in unglazed cases. I think the steeping process
would have the tendency to alter the shape of the
birds. Perhaps " South Australian " will say if the
process will answer in the case of birds that are
stuffed.- jr./iT.

HARDWiCKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

89

New LEPiDorTEROus Insect.— In the Entomolo-
gist for February, Mr. C. S. Gregson gives a
description of a new lepidoptcrous insect bred by
Mr. Roxburgh. Its expanse of wing is from seven
to nine lines. Its hirva fed upon the remains of old
Lepidoptera in a neglected drawer. It is not known
how the eggs came there, but it is suspected that they
were introduced with dried fruits. He proposes
to call it Epliestia Roxhurghii, after the name of its
finder. — Claude Byan.

Stings of Wasps and Bees. — In your number of
February, pages 44 and 4G, allusion is made to the
stings of queen-bees and of wasps. I beg to add
a word in reply to E. T. Scott regarding the latter.
"R. li. N. B." alludes to "the tube running down
the blade of the sting; but is that for economy and
strength, like a quill, or to convey the poison ? "
My answer would be both, and for the following
reason : — As I was cutting up a queen-wasp a week
or two ago, to mark the differences between queen-
bee ovaries and those of the queen-wasp (whilst
hyhernating) the sting was closely followed out, as
I was anxious also to prove the strength of the two
stings ; and when I applied the wasp sting to my
finger the mechanical action was soon discovered, it
stuck at once and came out like a stiletto at tlie
bottom of the sheath, but at an angle. If the tube
be pressed at the thick end, the dart comes out
instantly, and is retracted when the pressure is re-
moved from it, and there is no question the poison
is injected at the same moment ; but I was not
anxious for any "experimental philosophy" on my
own flesh. I tested the act with litmus-paper ; the
result was of course without evidence of disculoriza-
tion, as the sting had been removed from the killed
queen-wasp, and the poison-bag had been detached.
Of the stinging of living wasps, I have no doubt
from past experience, the sting is withdrawn by
working against the sheath ; not so the sting of the
worker- bee, as already shown by you.— F. A.
Munn.

Union of Natural History Societies. — The
Committee of the Birmingham Naturalists' Field
Club suggest the desirability of similar societies in
various parts of the country uniting in a system of
correspondence for the purpose of exchanging lists
and specimens, and invite opinions as to the best
method of carrying this idea into practice.

Don't neglect the Flies !— It has been
recently remarked that the overwhelming propor-
tion of entomologists not only neglect to collect the
numerous insects of the dipterous order, but also
pass them by as unworthy of notice. On the
European continent, we are told, these are a
favourite study, and yet I suppose our French and
German brethren have just as much reason to
regard flies with dislike as we have ; for there is no
question that we have, to an extent, an instinctive

antipathy to these insects, ou account of the annoy-
ance some species inflict upon us. Still we ought to
remember, as Mr. Walker, the well-known dipterist
observes, "That a large part of them are especially
useful in the development of flowers, and thus
advancing vegetation, and in promoting the healthi-
ness of a climate by removing what has an opposite
tendency."

Larv.e and Ichneumons (p. 283, last vol.).— The
Microgaster which usually attacks the larvae of our
common white butterflies {Brassiae and Rapce),
deposits so many eggs upon the body of its victim
that I believe when these hatch, as they almost
invariably do, the insect perishes before it can
become a pupa. There have been instances, how-
ever, where larvae attacked by parasitic enemies
have struggled ou in spite of them, and ultimately
developed imagos, which were partly crippled. It
is obvious that in such individuals the attacking
larvte could not have penetrated any vital part.
Some entomologists have succeeded in killing the
germs of life in parasitic eggs deposited upon larvae
by nipping them carefully, the slight wound made
soon healing up. — /. R. S. C.

GEOLOGY.

A Missing Link.— Professor Marsh has added
to his descriptive account of the strange fossil bird
met with in tiie Upper Cretaceous shales of Kansas,
and which he has included under a new sub-class
termed Odontornithes. We have already referred to
its piscine form of bi-concave vertebrae (Science-
Gossip, page 43). Further investigation has shown
this " missing link " to possess other characters,
which separate it still more widely from all known
recent and fossil forms. The specimen had well-
developed teeth in bothjaios ! The teeth were nume-
rous, and implanted in distinct sockets ; small,
compressed, and pointed. The jaws were apparently
not encased in a horny sheath. It is on account of
this possession of teeth that the Professor has esta-
blished for this extinct type the sub-class o[ Odontor-
nithes, or " toothed birds." He suggests that the
ArchcBopteryx, whose reptilian atfinity was shown by
its having a long slender tail like a lizard, may have
had teeth in its jaws also, and been the possessor of
bi-concave vertebrae. At any rate, this "new find''
does much, as Professor Marsh shows, to break
down the old distinctions between' birds and rep-
tiles. The Archaopteryx of the Oolite had already
done a great deal; but the Ichthjornis dispar of the
Kansas chalk has done considerably more to remove
the hard-and-fast lines between two great divisions
of the animal kingdom.

New Fossil Mammal. — There are few palaeonto-
logists who have worked with greater assiduity than
Professor Marsh, and his labours ou the Tertiary

90

HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

strata of the United States show what "missing
links" may yet be brought to light in other parts of
the world, if all were equally well worked. One of
his last discoveries, in the Eocene of Wyoming, is an
entirely new form of mammal. With the size of an
elephant it combined many of the features of the
rhinoceros, but had, instead of one or two median
horns, six, in pairs, arranged one behind the other,
the front ones being just at the tip of the nose. A
large pair of canines and an absence of incisor teeth
were also peculiarities of this extraordinary animal,
which has received the name of Dinoceras.

The Woodwardian PfiOFEssonsHip. — We have
much pleasure in announcing that Mr. Thomas
M'Kenuy Hughes, M.A., of the Geological Survey,
has been elected Woodwardian Professor of Geology
in the University of Cambridge, in succession to the
late Professor Sedgwick.

Prop. Hyatt, of Cambridge, Mass., by means of
sections of the central spirals of Ammonites and
Goniatites, has been able to obtain some valuable
results on the subject of the embryology of Possil
cephalopods. He finds that the shell in its first
stage is represented by a globular sac, which is not
retained in Nautilus. Into this sac opens the first
whorl of tfie shell, and the others are coiled round
it. Prof. Hyatt has endeavoured to prove that the
series of forms, so well known as depending on the
amount of coiling or uncoiling of an elongated cone,
is epitomized in the life of the individual Nautilus
or Ammonite, the young being at first uncoiled,
and the different degrees of coiling up finding a
permanent expression in the genera of Ammonitidse,
• — Nature.

New Ptebodactyle. — The Athenceum states
ihat a specimen of the Pterodactyle, the flying
lizard of the secondary rocks, has been recently
discovered in the quarries of Eichstatt, in Bavaria,
Avhich is believed to be unique. The integument
of the wing has been found, for the first time, in a
fine state of preservation.

NOTES AND GUEEIES.

Simethis bicolor. — The rare plant Simethis^
bicolor, inquired for in the January number of
Science-Gossip, was certainly growing in at least
one locality near Bournemouth in 1864. 1 have a
specimen gathered from an inclosure in the grounds
of Branksome Tower, to the right of the carriage
road, about midway between the house and the gate
nearest Bournemouth.—//. M. A.

Spiders. — In a recent number I saw some inter-
esting matter relative to spiders and their poisoning
apparatus. The following, which comes from per-
sonal observation, will vouch for the efficacy of this
apparatus, and also show what a weapon of defence it
becomes when the parental instinct is roused by an

attack upon the offspring :— One day in the autumn
I captured a fine specimen of the garden spider
{Epeira Diadema), which was running over a flower-
border, skilfully conveying the precious filmy bag
of eggs underneath its body over the various obsta-
cles which impeded its progress. It did not seem
averse to the shelter afforded by a small wooden
box, and remained at one end with its treasure so
contentedly that I left it for a few moments, and
placed it on the top of a dahlia-pole. On returning,
I discovered that an exploring party, consisting of
four ants, was scaling the wall of the fortress.
Until they were fairly within, its walls, the spider
appeared unaware of their approach ; and in iact
until a forcible attempt was made by the intruders
to grapple with the egg-bag, it remained strangely
apathetic. But this insult offered to the helpless
young was too much. It darted forwards, and
assailed the foremost. It was a tough fight — four
to one; but the valiant mother conquered in the
end ; for three of the invading foe lay dead (evi-
dently poisoned by a venomous bite), and the fourth
was fairly driven off. The victor then retired with
her insulted property to a corner, and I carried off
the box. An untimely escape prevented an experi-
ment I hoped to make ; viz., of trying to tame this
member of the usually disliked Araneida family. —
F. C. Rawlins.

TussiLAGo petasites. — Your correspondent,
S. Smith, confounds the Tussilago petasites, or
Butterbur, a common British plant, with Tussilajjo
fragrans, or Eragrant Coltsfoot. The latter
(fragrans) was brought me in full flower on New
lear's Day, from Walton-on-the-Hill. The scent
was exceedingly powerful, likethatof theHeliotrope,
and was called, like it, " Cherry Pie." The Petasites
has no scent and much larger leaves. I may add
that the T. fragrans alluded to had evidently been .
thrown out from some garden, as it is not a British
plant; and when once introduced it becomes of
troublesome growth. — W. T. Iliff.

Diffebe^ice between Labv^ of a. caja ani>
A. villica. — Thinking that some young entomolo-
gists may not know how to distinguish the larv;©
of A. caja (common Tiger-moth) from those of
A. villica (Cream-spot Tiger-moth), I beg space
enough to describe the differences which I have
noticed. The great difference lies in the colour of
the head and legs, which are red in villica ; while
in caja they are shiny black. The colour of the
hair with which they are covered is in villica dark
sooty-brown ; but in caja it is of a warm yellowish-
brown tint, tipped with grey. Again, the larvae of
A. villica appear much earlier after hybernation.
Eor instance, I have found larvae of villica in the
middle of March over an inch long; but I have
never found caja until the middle of April, and even
then they were quite small — about half an inch in
length. The larval food-plant of A. caja is said to
be blind-nettle, and that of A. villica chickweed ;
but my own experience shows that neither is at
all particular in this respect, as I have found both
on dock, blind and dead nettles, groundsel, chick-
weed, and the early leaves of teazle ; but by far
the best food is dock, and it is possibly easier to
provide. — Claude Ryan.

Larva of the Goat-moth.— September seems
to be the montli when these larvae occasionally quit
their mines, and wander from tree to tree. It is
only, I believe, in the last autumn of its larval life
that it thus migrates, possibly because it is parti-

HARDWICKE'S SC I EN CE-GOS SIP.

:9J

cular as to the quarters in which it takes up its
winter residence, when this larva usually remains
without food. One may even be seen crossing a
highway, and thus exposing itself to various
dangers, especially as it is tardy in its movements.
The larva of the Goat-moth can sustain the absence
of food for a long time. As an instance, one of
these was kept in a box without food for nearly a
year, and at the end of that time it was alive, but
verv lansruid and wasted, too bad to recover itself.

—J. R. &\ a

The Oldest Tree. — Can 'any of your readers
tell me which is the oldest tree in Great Britain,
its age and species, and where it groAvs ? Yew-
trees reacli a good age ; for there is one still living
at Gresford, near Wrexham, North Wales, which
is said to be 1400 years old, and measures 34 ft. in
circumference. — C. H. B.

Ravages of Zeuzera ^sculi (Leopaud
MoTu). — The account given by Newman in his
"British Moths" is supplemented by a much fuller
description of the larva and its ravages in the E>i-
tomologist, vol. ii. p. 92. He admits there that the
species is frequently destructive to young trees,
and cites an instance where in one district in Kent
it destroyed, in 1862, ash poles to the value of a
thousand pounds. But he still maintains, and, as
I think, correctly, that the Leopard rarely destroys
large trees, though it may, as 1 have often wit-
nessed, cause their branches to perish and fall off,
when the mines have been carried along these, I
liave no doubt the instance given by Mr. Lefroy
(p. 236, vol. viii.) is a clear one against this insect,
yet one rather exceptional, as I imagine. ]\Ir. New-
man remarks that the stimulus it give to fruit-trees
is very notable in some instances, the fruit-bearing
power being greatly increased ; yet tiiat is not ne-
cessarily a proof that the tree is in health. —
/. R. S. C.

The Singing Mouse. -;-Having read during the
past year accounts of the singing mouse, I send you
the following from my own observation. During the
summer of 1862 or 1863 (which 1 am not positive)
1 vras occupied at my office at Newport, Monmouth-
shire, when I heard what at first seemed a bird's
■warble, and having caught several birds that had
found their way in, I hunted for the cause of the
sounds. Being pretty distinct, I traced them to a
cupboard where several unused articles were kept.
An old office-coat hung near a shelf, and from the
pocket of the coat came a mouse, which ran up the
coat on to a shelf. The mouse appeared very tame,
and, instead of making away as mice usually do
when disturbed, took a deliberate look at me, raised
its little head, and warbled a low, soft "tootle-
tootle" kind of song, continuing some seconds. I
was so near as to distinctly notice the movement of
the throat during the song. I afterwards took some
cheese-rinds, and placed them handy for my visitor.
I frequently heard it afterwards, but it did not
grant me the pleasant interview again. I spoke of
it to our foreman, calling his attention to it when 1
heard it one evening: he heard the warble, but
would not be convinced it was a mouse unless he
saw it.—/. /. M.

Botanical Nomenclature.— There is required
a thorough revision of botanical nomenclature, and
it is greatly to be regretted that some committee of
leading botanists does not meet for the purpose,
and as a result, issue a standard work, i'rom which

all obsolete and useless names should be excluded,
and only those employed which the advanced state
of the science at the present juncture reriuires.
Here, for instance, is a plant which is called in-
differently — Petasites fracjrans, Tussilago fragrans,
and Nardosmia fragrans, although no one doubts
it to be a Tussilago, and so closely related to T.
petasites _ as scarcely to make it worth one's while
distinguishing between them, except for the sake
of the nomenclature of the science. As Mr. Hark-
ness suggests, the specimen I mentioned may be an
"escape ; " but against this supposition stands the
fact that the plant grows in a spot entirely remote
from any garden. — Sam. Smith, M.R.C.S.JE., §-c.

Stings of Wasps. — I have read with much in-
terest the remarks of your correspondent H. P.
Malet, and also the paper by Dr. Mills (Science-
Gossip, March). Still I do not think the question
is quite settled. A further examination of one of
my specimens, prepared almost precisely according
to Dr. Mills' suggestions, discloses what appears to
be a fine thread-like duct running down the tubular
portion of the lancet, nearly as far as the extreme
point of it ; and I fancy that what 1 thought were
branches from this duct to the teeth, should rather
be described as grooves channelled in the horny
substance of which, the lancet is composed. — R. H.
N. B.

Skeletons of Animals. — To " T. A. R.," who
inquires as to the best method of preparing the
skeletons of animals, perhaps the following will be
of some little use in the preparation of the smaller
kinds ; e.g., mice, rats, squirrels, &c. Take the
animal in question, and after skinning it and remov-
ing the entrails, cut as much of the flesh away as
can conveniently be cut off without injuring the
bones ; next procure a wooden box in proportion
to the size of the animal to be placed in it, and
having perforated it on every side with holes about
the size of a small shot, enclose the specimen. la
the vicinity of an ant's nest, scoop a hole in the
ground equal each way to about half the size of the
box, and place it therein. In the course of a week
or so the specimen will, in all probability, be
cleaned, the ants feeding upon the flesh ; should,
however, it happen to the contrary, let it remain
longer until cleaned. The larger the family of ants
is, the more expeditious and complete will be the
work done. The foregoing will also hold good to
procure the skeletons of the smaller kinds of birds.
—F.S.

Large Butterflies. — Of a number of specimens
accurately measured by Mr. Wallace (and recorded
by him in his " Contributions to the Theory of
Natural Selections "), the largest, a male Ornitho-
pfcra priamvs, from Amboyna, gave an expansion of
eight inches and three lines. An 0. Helena, also
from Amboyna, measured seven inches six lines,
and 0. Poseidon, from New Guinea, exactly seven,
inches.

HuMMiNGs IN the Aiu.— That purely rural,
little-noticed, and indeed local occurrence called by
the country people "hummings in the air," is
annually to be heard in one or two fields near my
dwelling. About the middle of the day, perhaps
from twelve o'clock to two, on a few calm sultry
days in July, we occasionally hear, when in paiticu-
lar places, the humming of apparently a large
swarm of bees. It is generally in some spacious open
spot that this murmuring first arrests our attention

92

HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE- GOSSl P.

as we move onward, the sound becomes^ fainter,
and by decrees no longer audible. That this souud
proceeds from a collection of bees or some such
insects, high in the air, there can be no doubt, yet
the musicians are invisible. — Knapp, " Journal of a
Naturalist."

Entomology. — Let those who will look scorn
upon our pursuit; but few are better adapted to im-
prove the mind. In its minute details it is well
calculated to give habits of observation and of
accurate perception, while, as a whole, the study of
this department of nature, so intimately linked with
others above and below it, has no common tendency
to lift our thoughts to the great creative Source of
JBeing, to Him who has not designed the minutest
part of the minutest object without reference to
some use connected with the whole.—" Episodes of
Insect Life."

Insects on Ferns (p. 282, vol. viii.).— As I am
making observations with regard to the various ene-
mies of cultivated ferns, I should be glad to know
what arc the insects of which "T. B." complains.
Perhaps lie will kindly describe their appearance if
he is not aware of their designation. Scheele's prus-
sic acid would hardly be a safe application as a
remedy in the hands of many fern-cultivators, its
higlily poisonous properties and its colourlessness
leading to serious accidents in some cases. And I
should think, speaking from my own knowledge of
those engaged in the employment of a chemist, that
there are few amongst them who would venture to
retail prussic acid for such a purpose, even to those
persons known to them. Surely some other destruc-
tive agent, less risky, must exist.—/. R. S. C

Eels (p. 282, vol. viii.).— I believe that eels are
oviparous, but that the ova are so minute as to escape
detection. They spawn in salt-water when they can
reach it, but will also do so in fresh water. Your
correspondent will, I think, find all that is known
on the subject in Couche's " British Pishes," vol. iv.
— R. Egerton.

Smooth Newt (Lissotriton punctatus).— On
reading the notes on the Smooth Newt by Mr. C.
Pobson, it reminds me of some I placed in an
aquarium in May, 1871, and, to my surprise, about
a month afterwards, some young newts made their
appearance, when I at once removed the old ones
to another aquarium, and the young ones, left alone
in their glory, got on very well, living through the
winter, and appearing more lively as the spring
advanced, but did not seem to giow in the proportion
I should imagine they should in order to arrive at
maturity in a reasonable time, for on June 1st, 1872,
the largest scarcely measured an inch in length, and
some not more than half an inch. At this time they
would be from eleven to twelve months old. I left
my situation on the 1st of June, and left my newts
in the care of my colleague, from whom 1 hear they
have disappeared without any apparent cause.
Would Mr. Robson or any of your readers inform
me at what age the Smooth Newt is supposed to
arrive at maturity?— I*. B. P., Wrotham, Kent.

Ants : Are they Pirates? — How often has
this question been asked, although, I think, Horace
sang of the " little ant with much labour," storing
up food for the winter; and the moral of the little
creature's life is enough to make one pause before
rashly destroying it. A very competent authority
(the Rev. W. P. Radclyffe) stated in the Gardener's

Chronicle that "ants are one of the greatest fruit-
scourges I have to contend with. 1 have this spring
killed legions with hot water and by hand ; yet still

they swarm. lam uncommonly obliged to

for his recipe. Immediately on reading it I got
some sweet oil, and put a little in a saucer in my
vinery, where there is a nest under the wainscoting.
In a few hours the saucer, sunk in the mould up to
the brim, was replete with dead ants. It is a most
valuable recipe. The whole horticultural world
will feel obliged. I am sorry to destroy them, but
they make the first impressions on wall-fruit, and
blue-bottles, flies, hornets, bees, and woodlice_ take
advantage of the first impressions." Por the infor-
mation of " Ant-eater," in your last issue, I beg to
give the recipe :— Pill small phials two-thirds with
water, and add best sweet oil to float on the water
to within half an inch of the top. Plunge these
upright in the ground, leaving only half an inch
standing out, near the nest or runs of the ants.
Every ant will come for a sip, and go home to die.
No insect can exist with oil in its throat, yet ants
are very fond of it. Another sure cure is a few
drops of tincture of iodine, or powdered camphor,
dropped in the holes ; its effect is very suggestive
on the part of the ants of "good morning," quantum
sufficit. — C. Mace, Reading.

Nonpareil. — I shall be much obliged to any one
who can give me information about the "Nonpareil"
or " South American Robin." I can find nothing
about such a bird in the natural histories and books
on birds which I have read. Has it been lately
brought over from America? — F. A.

Ants and Precious Stones.— We give the fol-
lowing paragraph, kindly sent us by a correspon-
dent, for what it may be worth. It is extracted
from a Cape of Good Hope newspaper : — "In the
narrative of the explorations of the Arizona diamond
mines, it is stated that one of the party, an intelli-
gent young Englishman, stepped upon an ant-hill.
His attention was called to the appearance of the
broken surface, and to his astonishment he found
that the whole was a mass of diamonds, rubies, and
other precious stones, 'too numerous to particu-
larize.' Can Mr. Trimen, or any other entomologist,
inform us whether the habits of collecting precious
stones is peculiar to Arizonian ants, or may it
possibly be shared by the South African ? "

The Boldness of the Mustelid^e.— On De-
cember 26th, forty volunteers were prize-sliooling
at a range surrounded by woods. In the midst of
the firing a squeal was heard; and on looking in the
direction of the sound, and within fifty yards of us,
a rabbit was seen to jump awkwardly as if entangled
in a net. Some men ran to it and found a weasel
clinging to it ; their arrival frightened the vermin,
and they secured the rabbit. Within half an hour
another rabbit was seen to run across the range, at
about seventy or eighty yards' distance, followed by
a stoat ; they were watched for fully two minutes ;
the rabbit doubled, so did the stoat, but at length
the latter overtook the rabbit and pounced upon it ;
but some of the men were up nearly as soon, and
drove away the stoat and secured the second rabbit.
Is it not a remarkable circumstance, — the boldness
of these two creatures, weasel and stoat, so near
such a body of men and constant firing going on? —
Br. H. G., Chepstotv.

Natterjacks and Snakes.— I have for several
years past kept a natterjack in a large fern-case.

HARDWICKE'S S C IE N CE-GOS S IP.

93

Several weeks since 1 got a pair of snakes— young
ones about eight inches long— sent to me from
England. They were put in the fern-case beside
the natterjack, and for a time they all seemed to
live happily together. About a fortnight ago,
however, the natterjack was seen to swallow one of
the snakes. He was first seen with about half of it
stickinsr out of his mouth, and after some consider-
able difficulty— the snake vigorously protesting—
he managed to get it all over. Six days afterwards
I found the body of the snake in the fernery, entire,
but shrivelled to less than half its former thiekness.
The natterjack had been fed with raw meat the day
previous, so that he could not be impelled to the
act by any great hunger. — John Harvie.

Forcing Pup^. — Having in my possession some
Sphingidfe pupae, elpenor, porce.llm, &c., I deter-
mined to try my hand at " forcing." Before doing
so I obtained the advice of several entomological
friends, and well studied the directions given by
Dr.Knaggs in his admirable "Guide." Accordingly,
I procured a flower-pot saucer, in which I strewed
sand, placing over it some moss, in which I care-
fully deposited the pupse, covering these over
with moss, and over all this a hollow moss-
covered framework of cane, "in which the insect
might crawl to a place suitable for drying its
wings ; " then having well damped the whole with
tepid water, I placed the contrivance before a good
fire, and because the pupa3 should not be chilled at
night, put tlie cage into the oven. Of course, the
fire had been previously extinguished. This was
about three or four days before Christmas. "In
from ten days to a fortnight the ninths will bearin
to make their appearance," says Dr. Knaggs. With
great anxiety I watched and waited. Ten days, a
fortnight, slipped by and not a sign of any emer-
gence. A month, and not a ghost of a moth.
Then I began to have my doubts and thought I
would just take a peep, '^hepopuli being of the least
value, I took up one; the pliability characteristic
of vitality was gone, it was hard and stiff. Gently,
I broke it in half, and was rewarded with a shower
of thickish fluid in my eyes and mouth. Very much
disgusted, with caution I tried other poplars : they
were all dead ; the pupa-case in each instance filled
with the fluid before mentioned, which resembles
that ejected by some imagos — especially the Vanes-
sidse— when recently emerged from the chrysalis.
The iigustri and elephants were jerking their tails.
Carefully damping as before, I waited another
week, but in vain. Nothing rewarded my patience.
I broke open the privet-hawks : they were all
defunct, nothing but hollow shells, even the fluid
matter was dried up; but one elephant, when I
touched it, moved its tail feebly. With some mis-
givings I pulled it apart ; the upper portion was
filled with fluid, but the tail had not yet passed into
that state. It is strange there should be no
unpleasant odour attendant upon this decay, the
dissolving of the fleshy substance into liquid.
Sometimes one may learn as much from failure as
success ; but 1 am at a loss to understand why my
care and patience were not rewarded. Perhaps
some kind friends will give me their experience,
that ere I try forcing again I may be put right
where I did wrong. — Joseph Anderson, juit.

(Enanthe crocata.— a short time ago a sad
case of death by poison appeared in the papers. I
refer to the three little children at Falmouth, two
of whom were found lying dead on the beach, and

the other in strong convulsions, from which he
ultimately recovered. The children were not (as re-
ported in the evidence) poisoned by eating mussels,
but by the Water-hemlock {CEiiun.the crocata),
some roots of which were found on the beach near
them. The country people call this plant the mock
parsnip, from its sweetness. Can any of your
readers give me any information respecting the
CEiianthe crocata, and toll me if there is any antidote
to this deadly poison? It is frequently washed
up on this coast, and two cases of similarly painful
deaths have occurred from it within the memory of
an inhabitant of Budock. An Austrian sailor ate of
it, and was dead before he could reach his ship ;
and a little girl was poisoned suddenly. The symp-
toms resulting from the eating of this root are quite
different from those produced by poisonous mussels.
— IE. L. Cornish.

Stings of Wasps. — I must venture a few re-
marks on the articles relating to the sting of the
wasp. The sheatii of the sting of a wasp is flat and
thin, and so, if put on a slide the wrong way it will
appear sharp-pointed, instead of which, when placed
flat, it ends round, with a slight depression in the
middle. The two barbs lie witli their backs
together ; and I am sorry to differ from Mr. Mills ;
but unless they liave been forced out, when not
used, they are entirely withdrawn into the sheath.
This in all the stings 1 have prepared I never foimd
otherwise, and I think it seems most natural that a
sheath should act as a sheath, when the instrument
is not employed. 1 cannot help thinking that Mr.
Malet was somehow deceived in what he saw, espe-
cially as he used a single globular lens. The lancets
have, I should say, a vessel down them ; but I see.
with Mr. Mills, no aperture o nor about the point of
the sting ; and if, as he says, the duct passes into the
sheath behind the lancet, I don't see how the poison
is to get inside them. As to the branches which
appear like tubes, I fancy that their use may be to
strengthen the barbs. Perhaps Mr. Malet will be
able some day to get some of the scarlet-coloured
poison out ofthe bag and view it with plain light.
If I can, I will try ; at any rate the colour is so
niarked that there should be no difficulty in seeing
it ; but with strong sunlight deception is easy.
Does Mr. Mills obtain the crystals separate from
the bag, or merely see them througli it, and can
he tell me what description they are ?— ^. T. Scott.

Hybernation of Bats.— While walking recently
near Addington (1 p.m.), the sun shining brightly,
I saw two bats flying over a small pool, and evi-
dently in pursuit of insects ; I watched them for
five or ten minutes. Never having seen anything
of the kind before, I should like to know whether it
is a common occurrence for bats to fly at mid-day at
this time of year. — H. B. E. Fox.

The Note op the Cushat.— When I was in
Wales a year or two ago, I heard the legend about
which your correspondents have been writing, from
a VVelsh squire. This account differs from any
which I have seen in your journal, and any one who
will listen to the Ringdove's " song," will at once
discover that neither "Jemmy" nor "Tafl'y" is
admissible. " Taffy " was going to steal a cow, and
in a lone place he heard the words, " Tuk too Coo —
Sam," and consequently "Taffy" or Sam, as his
name happened to be, was frightened out of his wits,
and ran home again as fast as his legs would carry
him. The warning "spirit" still repeats from her
resting-place the memorable words which struck

94

HARDWICKE'S SCI EN CE - GO S S IP.

sucli terror into a guilty conscience. Note the slight
pause between " Coo " and " Sam," and the inter-
pretation thereof is perfect.— C.-i. Bree, M.D., Col-
chester.

Saw-flies. — I quite concur with Mr. James W.
Gooch in his remarks upon conclusions drawn upon
such common occurrences as even the depositing of
insects' eggs, as he illustrates in the case of the
Saw-fly ; and as allusion has been made to my
observations on tlie " Stings of the Queen-bee and
the Worker-bee," in the same number, I venture
to add another illustration as an accepted fact —
" That in the queen {Apis mellifica) the sting, which
is covered, is also a modified ovipositor, serving to
aid her in the deposition of eggs, as well as to
attack her enemies " ! These scientific naturalists
and professors should guide us common out-of-door
observers of nature better, and direct us in proper
channels of information, and not classify errors.
Imagine the long curved sting of the queen-bee
being used for guiding the eggs along the raised
back of a bill-liook, or the blunted edge of a
scimitar ; but it is not more absurd than what has
been shown by Mr. Gooch to be stated regarding
the Saw-fly._ The excellent illustration in your
paper, showing protrusion of ovipositor, will as
nearly as possible indicate the queen-bee's ovipositor;
and being of . the same class {Hymenopterd), may
perhaps be accepted in its comparative anatomy
without having the sliding " back of the sting " to
guide the eggs into the cells. — W. A. Miinn.

Habdihood or Bats.— Having caught a bat in
my bedroom, and being anxious to preserve it with-
out injury, I got some spirits of wine, and put it in a
glass for about two hours, until I thought it was
dead ; I afterwards wrapped it up [in a handkerchief
and put it in a box in a drawer. Being called away
from home the next day, and having remained away
for three weeks, when I came back I went to the
drawer, expecting to find the animal decayed, when,
on opening the handkerchief, out flew the bat, as
well as when I first caught it. Can any of your
readers explain this phenomenon ? — E. K. S. Asccit.

Grey Flies.— On cutting out the top of a hive
last autumn for the purpose of introducing a feed-
ing-bottle, I was surprised, on looking through the
aperture, to perceive a number of large flies with
black heads and grey bodies crawling lazily about.
They did not seem able to fly, and I fancy had
been bred within the hive, as I remarked two of
those I captured had their wings crumpled up, as
if just escaped from the pupa. Their whole appear-
ance was most " uncanny," and reminded me of the
sullen-looking Carrion Crow. Can any one tell me
what they were, and whether, as I fear, they are
destructive to the bees "^^Ilarry Ridge.

Remamcable Sense of Smell.— A very extra-
ordinary case has just come under my notice. A
certain lady possesses the sense of smell in such a
remarkable degree, thatitmuch resembles the power
of that faculty in some of the inferior creation, as
the dog ; for, like the dog, she is enabled by this
sense to track, to a certain extent. As an instance
of this, on coming from her room one morning, she
said that she could smell rabbits. That could not
be, it was said, as there were none, and had been
none, in the house. But she began to track it !
And going straight to an outer door, she opened it,
and found the rabbits hung up on a nail. They had
been brought horn ; by her brother on the previous

evening. Again : she was washing her brothei-'s
nightgown ; she said it smelt as if a child had been
wearing it. It was afterwards discovered that it
had been used by a little boy, who had been staying
at her house. By this acute sense she is an
excellent judge of many things, as, for example, tea.
She is enabled to tell, almost immediately, the very
best kind of tea. At a tea-merciiaut's, one day, she
was given a few samples, to see which was the best.
She put one on one side, went through the rest,
came back to the one selected, and pronounced it
to be the best. The merchant said she had judged
perfectly right. — JF. S. Palmer.

Arrival of Wax-wings. — It may interest some
of your readers to know that we have been visited
in this neighbourhood by a considerable number of
wax-wings {Bomhycilla garrula). I have seen a
pair that were shot about a fortnight ago, and have
heard of one shot since then. Probably others, that
I have not heard of, have been victimized. — G. S.
Streatfield, Boston, Lincolnshire.

RosELEAF-cuTTER Bee (p. 9). — I have seen
several of the leaf-constructed cells of this bee
taken out from the upper part of a sunny wall in
summer. — JF. H. JFamer, Kingston, Abingdon.

Swans and Fish.— Replying to "F. G. P.'s"
query, I may mention that swans do clear water of
weed, and that they are very likely to devour the
spawn of fish. I met with the fact in Smee's " My
Garden." 1 have not the volume at hand now;
but as well as I can recollect, he states that some
swans were introduced by him into the river which
passes through his garden. The river was well
stocked with Anacharis alsinastrum, which the
swans soon fell upon and devoured with great
avidity, clearing the water of nearly the whole
supply. Mr. Smee alludes to the fact that the
ducks on his premises do considerable harm in
the spawning season by feeding upon the ova of
the trout. I know not whether he mentions the
swans as feeding on the eggs, but if one would
devour them, it might be expected that the other
would do likewise. — H. A. Auld.

Prunella vulgaris (the Self-heal) avorthy
OF Cultivation (see p. 28).— Whether I have
read Mr.«(Holland's year-or-two-back remarks in
Science- Gossip about the common Prunella being
desirable for garden growth, or whether he men-
tioned his notion to me when we had a pleasantly-
remembered botanical chat together some twelve
months ago, or whether I hold it as an original,
yet, as it proves (as a coincidence), an identical idea,
I know not,— but I know that during my botanical
walks in the past year my thoughts have several
times set upon the point in question ; and happen-
ing to come across a show of the plant in fine
flower, 1 have speculated upon the possibihty of so
improving and tutoring as to render it worthy of
cultivation in the garden parterre. An impression
against this has arisen ■with me from the— shall I
say— very weedy appearance the ordinary plant
assumes when growing in full vigour and not
impeded by competition for possession of the soil —
unless, indeed, the earth be of a clayey character
and rather baked or pressed hard on the surface.
Under this last-named condition one plant certainly
becomes more spreading, —dwarf in habit, — and
proportionately bears a greater number of largely
developed flower-heads. I have noticed, however,
upon the Lancashire sand-hills, occasionally, a form

HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

95

of tlie plant wliich I really think ought to be ex-
perimented upon : it does mot exceed three or five
inches in height under the most favourable influences
of the driest'ground it adorns, ir develops splices of
flowers of an unusual size ; tiie individual flower I
hold in memory as appearing half as large again as
that produced 'in the ordinary growth of the damp
pasture plants, and the colour is a very pretty shade
of a somewhat purplish-blue. I had fully intended
to try my success with this variety tliis year,_
and I shall be much pleased and more satisfied if
Mr. Holland will take in charge the necessary stock
in due season, that he, too, may try how the plant
is affected by cliange from a maritime to an in-
country place of growth. We have also, as a
frequent plant in some places I could point out, a
regular albino variety of the Prunella,— yellowish-
green leaves and stem, slightly tinged calyx, and
constant white flowers, but the flowers are small
and very fugacious. It does not occur where I
mean as a casual specimen or two, but is the plant
of a considerable space, and although the normal
blue-flowered form may, and generally does, occur as
its neighbour under precisely similar conditions,
the two hold their distinctive characteristics of
habit, — the latter bold and masculine-looking, the
former delicate and of a gentle feminine appearance.
(This I am afraid is rather a far-fetched and
venturesome simile.) I think that this albino form
should be tested for improvement, and, as with the
above, I shall be glad to place it for this purpose
under the fostering ca