t \' \ 1 ■ r. J' i -/- HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP For 1872. HAEDWICKE'S JJSitt : AN ILLUSTEATED MEDIUM Or INTERCHANGE AND GOSSIP FOR STUDENTS AND LOVERS OF NATURE Edited by J. E. TAYLOR, F.G.S., &c., HON. MEMBER OP THE MANCHESXEll I.ITEEARY CLUl! ; HON'. SIEMBEK OF ROTUEKH.Vil LITERARY AND SCIENTIFIC SOCIETY J OF LODDON LITERARY AND SCIENTIFIC SOCIETY J AUTHOR OF "GEOLOGY OF MANCHESTER AND TH3 NEIGHBOURHOOD," "GEOLOGICAL ST0RIE5 HALF-HOURS AT THE SEASIDE, ETC. 2'^ :/>, LONDON: ROBERT HARDWICKE, 192, PICCADILLY 1878. WYMAN AUD SO>"S, OKIENTAL, CLASSICAL, AND GENERAL IBINTEUS, GKEAT QUEEN STREET, LONDON, V,'.C. I oS r"^ 1872. HE Editor can liardly realize the fact that twelve months have elapsed since he under- took the responsible duties of conducting this Magazine. To step into the vacant chair of so able a predecessor might well have deterred a bolder man. There were new friends to make, old friends to get iuted with, — and Science-Gossip could boast of e circle. The mouths were to bring with them hosts of queries, some of them an}^ but patient ones, and requiring information that was all but omniscient ! But it was not long ere we felt that in the sheer love of Science we had a streng-th that mig-ht be calculated upon. Supporting us were men whoso names are " household words " in the departments of science they have devoted themselves to, and from them we have received willing and valuable help, without which we could not have done our duty to our readers. Out of a grateful heart, therefore, on our own behalf, as well as on that of the querists who have profited by their advice and instruction^ we tender to them our best thanks. The scope of Science-Gossip we have not altered — believing it could not well be altered for the better. We stand between the High Priests of pure science and the humbler votaries who would know its wisdom. Our ambition is not to be esteemed learned, so much as to be deemed useful. By uniting in monthly fellowship the unassuming but ardent lovers of nature, we feel we are doing much good ; by giving them the means of noting phenomena Avorth notice, comparing notes, and in relieviug each other's difficulties^ we are helping ou that reigu of "Good-will towards men/' which this especial season In-ings to our minds. We have endeavoured to do our duty — if we have failed, we crave that forbearance which men should always receive from their brethren. For any shortcomings, omissions, or faults, we implore pardon, hoping that even by these we may learn wisdom. In the strength of the experience of one short year we hope to do better. Whilst thanking our readers for many expressions of kindly sympathy and encouragement received during our " Year of Office,'' we extend to thera the Editorial hand, and wish them most heartily '■ A Happy New Year ! " LIST OF ILLUSTEATIONS. Acer })seudo-plafanus, 99. Acrnlepis, Scales of, 176. Agrion minium, 13. Amblyopsis spelmus, 54. Ammonites bifrons, 275. communis, 275. obtusus, 275. Ancectochilus argenteus, &c., 2(H. Ancient Seals, 4,41. Aphrodederus sciymius, 152. Artotrogus hydnosporus, 225. Aurora by Daylight, 6. Banded Sun--fish, 29. Beech, Leaf of, 98. Belemnites, 252, 253. Baberry, Hybrid, 248, 249. Blackcap, 206. Bladder Campion, Polleu of, Gl. Blind Fishes, 54, 55. Blowpipe for Birds' Eggs, 74. Brassia maculata, 204. Buccinum undatum and Eggs, 181. Bulb-tube for Birds' Eggs, 74. Butterfly set out, 120, 242. C'ABiXET Drawer for Birds' E»;<;s, 76, Caddis-worms, 13. Cage for Virgin Lepidoptera, 123. Calamite, Sections of, 80, Si . Calipteryx virgo, 13. Callitriche ver?ia, 128. Camberwell Beauty, 2of». Campodea, 2*3. Cephalutus follicularis, 204. Ceratodnn purpitmis, 51. Ceteracli, 205. Chiff-chatf, 20t5. Chologaster Agassizii, 55. cornutus, 55. Cladudus, Teeth of, 1 76. Cnicus lanceolatus, Polleu of, 61. Coreopsis tinctoria, 203. Crangon vulgaris, 157. Cup-shaped Sponge, 202. Cyanide and Chloroform Bottles, I2>i. Darlingtonia Californica, 203. Desert, Manna of the, 60. Development of Hydra, 133, 134, 135. Dianthus chinensis, 203. Drills for Perforating Birds' Eggs, 73, EoGS, Blowpipe for, 74, , Bulb-tube for, 74. , Cabinet Drawer for, JQ. , Drills for Perforating, 7;>. , Sliding Stage for, 76. Elm, supposed Parasite of, IDS, 100. Ephemera vulgatu, 13. Erica ciliaris. Pollen of, 61 . Euphrasia, Pollen of, 61. Fagus sylvaticus, 98. Fishes, Blind, 54, 55. Fish Scales, 104, 176. Fish, the Pirate, 152. Flint Implements, 228, 229, 2;?0. Floscularia edentat'.t, 10. FlOoCularia trilnbata, 10, Flowering Rush, 205. Fungi, Cabinet for, 197. Fungi, Dissection of, 195, 196. G.VR-PIKE, THE, 269. Geological Implements, 27. Glass-rope Sponge, the, 36, .Polythoa on, 56. .Spicules of, 37, 38. Glow- worm Cage, 68. Gonepteryx libatrix, 12. Hawfinch, 205. Helleborine, Polleu of, 61. Hi/'racium, Pollen of, 6I. Hills, Terraced, at Galway, &c., 84. Syalonema mirahilis, 36. ,Polythoa on, 56. , Spicules of, 37, 38. Hybrid Bilberrv, 248, 249. Hydra, Development of, 133, 134, 135. lupLEMENTS, Stone, &c., 228, 229, 230. Ipomcea Qiiinnoclit, §7. Japyr, 272. Jucundus conglomeratus, Pollen of, 61 • Lantern and Net, 123. Larvre, Apparatus for Preserving, 20O . I.arvse, Box./or, 122. Lepidicyrtus curvicotlis, 101. Lepidoptera, Cage for.Virgin, 123. Lepidoptera, Setting out, 125, 120, 241, 242. Lepidosteus osseus, 269. Lepisma saccharina, 273. Libellula depressa, 13. Lichen esculentus, 60. Lime-tree Leaf, 98. Loch Islay, Trout of, 85. Lucanus cervus, 14. Manna op the Desert, 60, Megalichthys, Scale of, 176. Melicerta socialis, 10. Mentha viridis. Pollen of, 61. Microscopical Trougli, 256. Mimuius, 203. Moon wort, 205. Morchella crassipes, 205. Moth, Settuig Out, 125, II6, 241, 242. Net for Sugaring, 124. Net, Umbrella, 122. Newt, Ova of, 12'. Notommata caudata, 11. Orobus tuberosus. Pollen of, 61, Orodus, Tooth of, 176. Ova of Newt, 128. Paltirnon serratus, 156. Sr/uil/ci, 156. Parasite, supposed, of Elm, Idb, 10*. Parasitic Rotifer (?J 112. " Pencil tail," the, 32. Peronospora alsineurum, 226. infestans, 224, 225. Petrobius muritinms, §c., 274, Phryganea grandis, 13. Physcia parittinn, 220. Pike, the Gar, 269. Pink, Variegated, 203. Pirate-fish, the, 152. Pitchstone, Section of, 110. Podura, Head of the Test, 101. Pollen-grains, Various Forms of. 61 Polypothecia, 202, 245. Polythoa on Hyalonema, 56. Polyxemis Lagitrus, 32. Hairs of, 32. Porphyrine, Section of, HI, Potamogeton, Pollen of, 61 . Protocystis aurita, 221. Wullichiana, 221. Pseudo-diadema variolare. 202. Reflex Illu.minator, 159. Rotifer, Parasitic, 112. Rumia cratiegata, 12. Rush, Flowering, 205. Sanguisorba officinalis, Pollen of, 6I. Saws of Sawflies, 157. Scabiosa arvensis. Pollen of, 61. Scale of Smelt, 104. Scales of Fish, 104, 176. Seal of Liverpool, Ancient, 41. Seal of Margaret, Queen of Scotland, 4. Seaweed Press, 172. Section-cutting Machine, 177. Smelt, Scale of, 104. Spondylus spinosus, 202. Sponge, the Glass-rope, and Spicules, 36, 37, 38. , Polythoa on, 56. Stag Beetle, Dissection of, 14. Stephanops uniseta, 11. Stonechat, 206. Stone Implements, 228, 229, 230. Sugaring Net and Drum, 124. Sun-fish, the Banded, 29. Sycamore, Leaf of, 99. Teeth of Carboniferous Fish, 176. Terraced Hills at Galway, &c., 84. Thunderbolts, 252, 253. Tilia Europea, 98. Tor tula maralis, 50. Trout of Loch Islay, 83. Tubularia clathrata, 180. Typhlichthys subterraneus, 55. Umbrella Net, 122. Vanessa Antiopa, 250. Variegated Pink, 203. W'ENtiAM's Reflex Illumin.\tor, 159- Whelk and Eggs, 181. SCIENCE IN THE TENTH AND TWELFTH CENTUEIES. By r. KITTON. CIEXCE in the tenth century! the reader may be tempted to exclaim. What did they know of science iu those dark ages ? Compared with the knowledge of a charity-school boy of the present day, it must be admitted that scien- tific knowledge at that period was small indeed. It is popu- larly supposed that the clergy* were desirous to keep what knowledge Ihey possessed to themselves. This, however, is not the fact ; the dense ignorance of the mass of the people, and the limited means of diifiising knowledge, ren- ',' dered instruction of any kind both expensive and difficult. The specimens of popular science I am about to introduce to your notice are taken from M5S. that must have attained a certain amount of popularity. The first is a Manual of Astronomy, of which several copies are still extant. It is written in Anglo-Saxon, The name of the compiler is un- known, and it consists mainly of a free translation of a portion of Bede's Be Natura Reritm. The ex- tracts are literal translations from the Anglo-Saxon. The following extract is a specimen of the com- piler's Anglo-Saxon : — " Ic wolde eac gyf ic dorste pluccian sura gehwcede andgyt of thsere bee the Beda se snolera lareow gesette & gaderode of manegra wisra lareowa bocum, be thees geares ymbrenum fram anginne middan-eardes that nis to spelle ac elles to rsedenne tham the hit licath." — "I would eke, if I durst, pluck some little infor- * This word had not at that period the restricted meaning it now bears ; it simply meant one who could read aad write. Xo. 85. mation out of the book which Bede, the skilful master, formed and compiled out of the books of many wise masters concerning the courses of the year from the beginning of the world. This is not for a discourse, but otherwise to be read by those whom it pleases." " Truly when the Almighty Creator created this world, He said, 'Let there be light !' and directly there was light On the second day God made heaven, which is called the firmament, which is visible and corporeal ; and yet we may never see it, on account of its great elevation and the thickness of the clouds, and on account of the weakness of our eyes. " The heavens incloses in its bosom all the world, and it ever turns about us swifter than any mill- wheel, all as deep under the earth as it is above. It is all round, and studded with stars. Truly the other heavens that are above and beneath are inde- scribable and unsearchable of men. There are, in- deed, many more heavens, as the prophet said, * the heaven of heavens.' " The compiler proceeds to describe the remaining days of creation in similar language. His descrip- tion of the sixth day's creation is scarcely in accordance with the account, in Genesis. He says that God made all kind of animals, and all cattle that go on four feet, and the two men Adam and Eve (& tha twegen menn Adam &Efan). "On the seventh day he ended his work, and the week was then completed. Now every day in this world is the result of the sun's light. Truly the sun goes by God's command between heaven and earth by day above, and by night under the earth, so far under the earth in the night-time as she rises above it in the day. She is ever running about the earth, and so light shines under the earth by night, as she does above our heads by day. The sun is very great — broad she is,* so the books tell, as the whole com- pass of the earth ; but she appears to us very small, * The sun and moon in Anglo-Saxon and moat ol the northern languages are respectively female and male. B K A il D W I C K E'S S C I E N C E-G O S S 1 r. because she is far from our sight. The sun is typi- cal of our Saviour Christ, who is the Sun of Right- eousness, as tl'.e propliet said, ' To the men who fear God, the Suu of Righteousuess shall arise, aud health is ou her pinions.' The stars also, which seem to be very little, are very broad ; and, ou account of the great moisture which is between us, seem to our sight very small. Yet they could not send any light to our earth from the high heaven, if they were so small as they appear to our eyes. " Truly the moon aud all the stars receive light from the great sun, aud none of them hath any rays but of the sun's rays ; and though the sun shines under the earth at night, yet her light ascends on a part of the earth which lights up the stars above us, and when she rises she overcomes the light of all the stars and the moon also by lier immense light. The moon, that waxes and wanes, is tj^ucal of the present generation in which we are. He is waxing by the children who are born, and waning by those v/ho die. The bright stars are typical of the be- lievers in God's congregation, M'ho shine in good converse." The compiler enters rather minutely iuio the sub- ject of the position of the sun at various periods of the year. He then goes on to say that the night is divided into seven parts, from tlie sun's setting. " One of these parts is crepusculum ; that is, evening's gloaming. The second is vesperum ; that is, evening. The third is conticmmm, M^heu all things are silent in their rest. The fourth is intempesticm ; that is, midnight. The fifth is gallicinium ; that is, cock- crowing. The sixth is raatuiiiuim, or Aurora ; thai is, dawning. The seventh is dillcidum ; that is, early morning, between dawn and sunrise. Weeks and months are known to men according to their under- standing of them ; and though we should describe them according to bookish meaning, it will seem to unlearned men too deep aud uncommon." Several pages are devoted to the various divisions of the calendar, and he also devotes soiue time in endeavouring to convince his readers that, although the moon is spoken of as new and old, and waxing and waning, still she really does not change, but that the different appearances are produced by theposition of the sun. " No Christian shall divine anything by the moon ; if he doth, his belief is nought. If the sun lights him from above, then h.e will stoop ; if she lights him right athwart, then he is equally horned ; if the sun lights him from below, then he inclines up. Because he always turns his back to the sun, he is so turned as the suu lights him. "Now, say some men, who do not know this reason, that the moon turns him according as the weather shall be in the )nonth ; but neither weather nor unweather (A.-S. un-wcder) turns him from that which is his nature." Our friend now proceeds to describe divers stars. *' Some men say that stars fall from heaven ; but it is not stars that fall, but fire from the sky, which flies from the heavenly bodies as sparks do from fire. [^Qiiei-i', has the present President of the British Association cribbed this idea from this manual r] Certainly there are as many stars in the heavens as there were when God made them. They are also fixed in the firmament, and M'ill not fall from hence while the world endures." The atmosphere is described as one of the four elements in v.4iieh we live, and in which every cor- poreal body dwells. "There are four elements in which all earthly bodies dwell, which are — aer, ignis, terra, aqua. Aer is atmosphere ; ignis, fire ; ierra, earth; aqua, water. Air is a very thin cor- poreal element. It goes over the whole world, and extends up nearly to the moon. No man or auy cattle has any breathing except by means of air. The breath that we blow out is not the soul, but is the air in which we live in thi« mortal life." The treatise concludes wath a short description of rain, hail, snow, and thunder, which he thus ex- plains : — " Thunder comes of heat and moisture. The atmo- sphere draws the moisture to it from below and the heat from above, and when they are gathered to- gether, the heat and moisture within the atmosphere strive with each other with fearful noise, and tl;e fire bursts out and injures the produce of the earth, if it be greater than the moisture. If the moisture be greater than the fire, then it does good. It is loud on account of the extent of the air, and dan- gerous on account of the shooting of the fire. Be this treatise here ended, God help my hands." These brief extracts will suiiice to show the state of physical science in the tenth century. Almost all his facts arc, as we now know, mere assertions, aud in many cases wholly devoid of truth ; but from an observation made by our author, he appears to have had no mean opinion of his scientific knowledge. He very modestly remarks, that " he knows that it will seem incredible to unlearned men if we speak scientifically concerning the stars and concerning their courses." The next treatise to which I will call your atten- tion is written in Anglo-Norman by Philip de Tliaun, The earliest existing MS. dates about the twelfth century. It is devoted almost entirely to an ex- planation of the calendar. He commences by stating his reasons for writing the book ; among others, in order to enable priests to maintain the law (that is, the time when festivals and fasts ought to be observed) ; and lie thus disposes of tliose critics who may happen to find fault with the work, or venture to doubt its usefulness : — " But whatever some may say who have got no sense, that I have laboured in vain when I made this book, they will swear, it may be by the virtues of heaven, that I never knew how to rhyme or set out HARDWICKE'S SCIEN CE-GOSSIT. 3 a!i argument, but I care uot what a fool says ; I do not repent. There are ill speakers enough when there are few encomiasts ; men who blame, and none who amend. I never invented or laboured at it for fools ; know that it is villany, and I hold it folly that a man should judge if he knows not how to plead, or to blame what be cannot amend. So the villain said in reproof to the drunkard : ' The worst wheel cries in the cart.' ' Very hard is the apple which never ripens.' " You will perceive that the autlior, like Sancho Pauza, has a liking for proverbs, and he introduces them at every opportunity. One or two short ex- tracts will suffice to give you an idea of the scientific value of this treatise : — " It is called a week which is formed of seven days. Orighially God invented it by six days that he worked; on the seventh he reposed. This lie called a week. And so it is written in the law which we read : six days we ouglit to work, and rest the seventh, for the love of the Lord, who kept this day. And now we will show why the days are named. The Pagans invented the names which they gave to the days. The first, which we call Sunday, they gave to the sun, and gave his name to it because he enlightened the world and drove away night ; and it pleased God that it should be so called, for it was his day, and he chose to have it. The second day they gave and assigned to the moon, for the world which she enlightened when the sun is set. The other days they gave to the gods whom they loved. They worshipped four. One they called Mars ; he was a bold and valiant knight ; to his honour they assigned the third day (Marsdi) ; we call it Tuesday, according to their practice." In similar style he treats of the months, the signs of the zodiac, the festivals and fasts of the Church. The third treatise is by the same author, and is called " The Bestiary, or Book of Beasts," and is probably founded on some Latin treatises. The writings of Philip de Thaun belonged to a period of our history when Anglo-Norman was the common language among respectable classes of society. The author commences with an allusion to the Queen of England. "Philip de Thaun into the French language has translated ' The Bestiary ' a book of science for the honour of a jewel, who is a very handsome woman: Alice she is named, a Queen she is crowned. Queen she is of England ; may her soul never have trouble! In Hebrew, iu truth, Alice means praise of God. I will compose a book ; may God be its commencement. What is in Greek \ leiai, has iu French the name of klz/g. The lion in many ways rules over many beasts; therefore is the lion king. Now, you shall hear how. He has a frightful face, the neck great and hairy ; he has the breast before square, hardy, and pugnacious ; his shape behind is slender, his tail of large fashion, and he has flat legs, and haired down to the feet : he has the feet large and cloven, the claws long and curved. When he is hungry or ill-disposed he devours animals without discrimination, as he does the ass, which resists and brays. Now, hear, without doubt, the signitlcatiou of this." A naturalist of the present day would probably be satisfied with giving a specific description of the animal he was treating upon; or, if he aimed at writing a popular book,would give some of its habits ; but our author does not let his readers off quite so easily. He was evidently no materialist, for he finds a spiritual significance in all the animals he describes. The lion, he says, signifies the Son of Mary. " He is king of all people, without any gainsay. He is powerful by nature over every creature, and fierce iu appearance ; and with fierce look he will appear to the Jews when he shall judge them, because they made themselves guilty when they hanged him on the cross, and therefore they have merited to have no king over them. The square breast shows strength of the Deity. The shape which he has behind, of very slender make, shows humanity, which he had with the Deity. By the tail is indi- cated justice, whicli is placed over us. By the leg, which is flat, he shows that God was constrained, and it was convenable that he should give himself up for us. By the foot, which is cloven, is demon- strance of God, who will clasp the world, and will hold it m his fist. By the claws is meant ven- geance upon the Jews. By the ass we understand the Jews very rightly ; the ass is foolish by nature, as the Scriptures say ; he will turn from his way, if one does not drag him entirely to it. Just such a nature the Jews have, who are fools ; they will never believe in God unless they do it by force ; they will never be converted unless God have mercy upon them." (I suspect the Society for the Propagation of Christianity among the Jews have not understood this important fact, and consequently they are not so successful as our author would have been if such a society had existed iu his day, and he had been a member of it.) Our naturalist proceeds to describe an animal which, by some unaccountable oversight, is not mentioned by Buffou, Cuvier, or Owen. He says : "Monoceros is a beast which has one horn on his head ; therefore it is so named. It has the form of a goat. It is caught by means of a virgin. When a man intends to take and ensnare it, he goes to a forest where is its repair. There he places a virgin with her breasts uncovered, and by its smell the Monoceros perceives it. Then it comes to the virgin and kisses her breast, falls asleep on her lap, and so comes to its death. The man arrives imme- diately and kills it iu its sleep, or takes it aUve and does as he likes with it. It signifies much. I will not need to tell you Monoceros is Greek : it means cue horn, A beast of such description signifies B 2 HARUWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. Jesus Christ ; one God he is aud shall be, and was aud will coutinue so. He placed himself in the virgin, and took ilesh for man's sake ; aud for vir- ginity to show chastity ; to a virgin he appeared, aud a virgin conceived him ; a virgin she is, and will be, and rem;\in always." Fig. I . Seal of Margaret, Queen of Scotland, on a letter to her brother, Henry the Eighth, dated April 11, 1513. (Cot- tonian Library.) I will not try your patience any further with the signification of the various animals our author de- scribes. I would, however, call your attention to one or two forms not known to modern naturalists. " Thus saith Solomon of the ant riglitly, and of the idle man who waits for fine weather : ' Be not slothful; look at the ant.' "This say writings— that the ant has three natures. It has such a nature wlien it issues from its hole orderly in the moruing right on its way, and when it has found grain of all sorts of corn it knows well which is wheat by the smell alone ; it does not care for grain of barley, but if it is a grain of wheat it takes it in with its mouth, carries it to its nest, and is supported in the winter. "Also, Isidore speaks of another ant. In Ethiopia there is a river, there the grain of gold is produced in it, which they collect with tlieir feet, and defend it from the people. People dare not approach them to take or touch it. Wiiom the ants bite, they die immediately ; no one dares approach these ; the ants are so fierce if any one will have some of that gold to make his treasure of. By a stratagem tli^y contrive, they have great plenty of tlie gold. They keep without food mares which have newly colted. Then on the third day, as you will find, a little basket on the backs of the mares : they bind it firmly. They make them pass the river to bring gold, and draw them to a meadow which has plenty of grass. The ants nre thci'c where the mares go. They make their cells in the basket, and load the mares. Wiieu they are satisfied, charged, and filled, they repair back behind them. They run to the colts, where they are neighing, which the men have attached by the river. Thus, truly, that people get gold. There is also a beast which is master of the ant. It is the forniicaleon. It is the lion of ants ; whence it is thus named. It is a very little beast. It puts itself in the du:jt where the ant goes, and does it great outrage. But of this matter I will no more discourse, because I will now begin to treat of another." Time will not allow of further examples of this singular composition ; but a short account of the remainder of the treatise may be of interest. Many of the forms are fabulous. Thus he speaks of an animarcalled Osida : " It has two feet of a camel aud two wings of a bird (perhaps an ostrich). And of a Siren, that is, like a woman to the waist, with the feet of a falcon, and the tail of a fish." Among the birds described is of course aPha?nix. After treating of birds he says : " Now ends this dis- course, and we will speak of stones." The following is a specimen of his mineralogical knowledge. " There are twelve stones in this world which have great signification, which I will not omit briefly to tell you. " Red Jasper shows love, open, weakness, sweet- ness. "Sapphire shows faith in God. " Chalcedony shows that we shall be neighbours with God. " Sniaragdus shows faith which the Christian has in him. "Sardonyx shows chastity and humility. " Sardius shows sorrow which the saints had on earth for God's love. " Chrijsolife, the celestial happiness which they had with the terrestrial life." And so on with the beryl, topaz, chrysoprassus, jacinth, and amethyst. He also speaks of the Unio, or pearl, as a stone, and says that it represents eight good things, — life, youth, holiness, love, repose, joy, peace, light. "Unio will give that without end. May Saint Mary give us these eight gifts of life, and may God give his majesty to her, for whom this book is made ; and may all those Mdio will pray for that and say a Paternoster for it, have the merit of Saint John ; may they be in the bosom of holy Abraham. Unio is the Father and Son ; Unio is the Holy Ghost ; Unio is beginning ; Unio is end ; Unio is Alpha and Omega. Benedicamus Domino. " 1 have shown of three kinds of beasts, of birds, and of stones, that of each of these there is a king, which shows that God is king; in person he is trinity, and one only in divinity. May this God be our aid, and the Virgin Saint Mary. May this God give ns true sense and life everlasting. Amen." With these pious ejaculations the learned na- turalist concludes his treatise, and 'although his HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. ig-iiorance may now elicit a smile of pity, what can be said of the knowledge of natural history at the present time, when the Mark Lane Express for Sep- tember 4th has the following paragraph in answer to a correspondent who inquires how he can rid his fields of charlock. They are unable to give him the required information, but propound a theory that botanists will be surpi'ised to hear : — "We do not think they come from seed, but is («'(?) the result of some electrical action producing them spontaneously. The charlock is an unwel- come visitor, but its removal in corn crops is often worse than the evi! itself. Let both grow together until the time of harvest. Tiie seed has more value than some suppose, and when crushed will be found a good tonic. Nothing is given to us in vain." One scarcely knows which to admire most, his bold contempt of Liudley Murray or his botanical knowledge. You will also observe that in the com- mencement of the precious paragraph he does not think they come from seed, :ind liicu a few lines fur- ther on he says " the crushed seeds are a valuable tonic." If such a lamentable amount of ignorance is displayed by those whose province it is to educate, who is to teach the teachers ? The above extracts are taken from one of the volumes published by the Historical Society of Science. The Anglo-Saxon treatise occupies about twelve, the treatises of Philip de Thaun above a hundred pages of royal octavo. AN AURORA BY DAYLIGHT. A SHORT time since, in a contemporary,* a discussion took place on daylight aurorse, a few observers stating that they had seen such a phenomenon, while at least one correspondent tried to prove such a display was an impossibility. Since then I have anxiously watched for an opportunity of judging for myself, and now can state that aurora displays may be apparent in the daylight. The facts observed will be given in detail, the hours mentioned being Dublin time, taken from the watch of the mail guard. On October 6th, 7th, Stli, and 9i,h there were slight frosts, the nights being clear and bright, with brilliant displays of stars, and a rather sharp wind from the north. On the morning of the 8th we travelled from Galway to Clifden, our route lying for more than half the way through the hills of Varconnaught. When leaving the town of Galway, at two o'clock A.M., there was a red glow over most of the sky, being rather more intense to the northward, while toward the southward it was imperceptible, tills glow appearing and disappearing at intervals of from fifteen to twenty minutes. These intermit- * Nature. tent lights continued till four o'clock, when a bright, brilliant crimson band suddenly darted up from the northern horizon through the North Star, extending southward more than halfway across the heavens. This band lasted only for a few moments, however. Subsequently it graduated into space, and was succeeded by a display of needle-shaped rays of red light, that seemed to be falling every M'ay from the zenith, but especially towards the N.W., N., and N.E. This shower of rays, if it may be so called, might be likened to a shower of red rain or blood, the rays drifting away and gradually disappearing in space, similarly to a passing shower, as any one who is accustomed to a mountainous country must often have observed. Subsequently very similar displays, but of greater or less intensity, succeeded one another at intervals of from about live to ten minutes, till seven minutes to five o'clock, when the first streak of daylight was appa- rent on the eastern horizon. After the dawn of day, and from that to six o'clock, the aurora was still visible. The colour, however, of the rays changed, first to purple, and afterwards, as the daylight grew stronger, to a neutral tint ; but the play of the rays was similar to those of a red colour, except that the intervals of time between each appearance became longer and longer. Further- more, the rays, instead of brightening up the sky, as they did during the night, now cast a shadow over it. When the daylight had become strong, and all the stars but a few of the larger ones had disappeared, all defined colour seemed to have departed from the aurora rays, they then being- more like a fleeting, dusky, thin cloud, or a dii^tant passing shower of rain. Nevertheless, that such appearances were due to the aurora was evident, as they radiated from the northern horizon, besides coining and going similarly to the previously described red lights. At six o'clock the day had well dawned ; scarcely a star could be detected, while the distant moun- tains, hills, fields, cattle, and houses, were dis- tinctly visible, and the aurora seemed to have disappeared for good. Not so, however, for at seventeen minutes past six there was a grand dis- play ; eight double pencils of bright but pale yellow light suddenly appearing, radiating from the edge of a dark cloud that floated due north close to the horizon, having an appearance similar to the rays from a setting sun. These lasted for about three minutes, and disappeared as suddenly as they had come up. The daylight at this time apparently was quite perfect ; however, it was not till eleven minutes afterwards (twenty-eight minutes past six) that the edge of the rising sun appeared above the eastern horizon. From the above facts it seems apparent that an aurora display during daylight may occur, but that such a phenomenon is easily overlooked, as the HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. Fig-. 2. Daylight Aurora. rays that appear as lights in llic niglit-time are less intense than sunlight ; consequently, during day- light they generally will appear as dark instead of hright streaks, and may easily be mistaken for a distant shower or light fleecy cloud. Of the latter I am now quite positive, as very frequently on a bright frosty morning I have been surprised to see what then was supposed by me to be a distant shower, but now is known to have been a morning aurora. G. H. Kinahan. THE STORY OF A GRAVEL-PIT. By J. E. Taylor, P.G.S., etc. I AM the last of my race. My brother story- tellers have had their day, and ceased to be. Had you questioned me a few years ago, I should have been like Canning's Knife grinder, and had nothing to tell. Even now my story is not complete. New editions are constantly coming out, although tlicir general truth remains unaltered. Who among my listeners has not played, when a child, in a sand- or gravel-pit ? You have them in abundance, scattered over the surface of the country. But there are gravel-pits and gravel-pits — a differ- ence without a popular distinction. Those I particularly represent are always situated on the banks of some river- valley. Hence their other geological names of " Valley-gravels " and " River- gravels." Frequently they form terraces flanking the present course of the rivers, and you may iden- tify two of these terraces,— a low-lying one and a higher. If you could strip off these banks of gravel, you would find the bare rock beneath, or else some thick slieet of boulder clay, which had been scooped out to make the present river-valley. Banked up against these old denuded surfaces are the gravels, whose excavations are so well known as pits. I am one of them, and I propose to tell you my story, as well as I can recollect it. Although I can hardly define the difference between the gravels to which I belong and those which belong to the Glacial series, generally the Middle Drift, yet the practised ej'e readily learns to detect that there is a difference. The pebbles composing our beds are well rounded, showing they have undergone a tremendous deal of wear-and-tear. They are composed of different kinds of rock, just as you would expect when j'ou know they have been washed out 'of the boulder clays, or brought down by the river in its passage over the outcrops of successive beds. The flint pebbles have generally an oily look about them, and all the pebbles are red and ochreous. Their position along the river-valley, however, is always the best test. Some of these valley-gravels are very thick, whilst others extend as mere banks of local distri- bution. All of them, however, indicate some degree of antiquity, inasmuch as you will find ancient trees growing on the most recent of these teiTaces, and, here and there, old ruins which stand upon them. In fact, the gravel-pits indicate a gradual rise in the land for them to occupy their present heights above the river-level. The gravels were originally brought down by the ancestor of the present river> when it was broader and perhaps more turbulent, at the close of the Glacial epoch, when the climaturc was more severe than it now is, and the quantity of rain and snow which annually fell much greater, so that the river-valley was subjected to great floods, which brought down the materials of which we are composed. 11 A 11 D W I C K E' S S C IE N C E- G O S S I P. As the laud gradually rose, and tlie cliinate be- came more geuial, and toucd dowu to its present mildaess, the waters of the river shrank in volume, until only the present channel was occupied. But the heights to which we river-gravels rise above the water not only indicate how old we are, but, in some cases, go back as far as the commenee- ment of the original scooping-out of the valley itself. All this would be very interesting in itself, as geological action connecting the most recent of the great physical changes with those we see in opera- tion around us. But the interest of these valley- gravels is still more enhanced when my listeners understand that it is in th.emt[ia.tth.ejirsi evidences of Man^ s appearance on the earth are met with! All my brother story-tellers have had their say, and many of them have described the commonest of the animals and plants of their day; but not one of them mentioned that mankind was living at the time. It was reserved for so humble and common- place an object as a Gravel-pit to unfold the most important of all geological discoveries. Men have speculated as to their original ancestors living as far back as the Miocene period, but they have adduced no facts in support. On the contrary, I yield nothing but facts, and those in great abundance. In the gravel-pits you meet with the chipped flint implements, of which you have doubtless already heard. They are imbedded, as stones, along with the other material, having been brought down by the ancient river in the same way as pebbles. But they are undoubtedly of human workmanship. This cannot be gainsaid. You see this at once by the flints having been carefully, and in many cases nrtisticalUj, chipped dowu to a cutting edge all round. They are generally spearhead-shaped, and about six to nine inches long. Had they not been con- nected with the question of the antiquity of Man, you would never have heard a word said about their not being of human manufacture. As it is, iu order to steer clear of this disagreeable truth, many have invented all kinds of ingenious hypotheses to account for the flints getting chipped iu this regular fashion. But it requires far more faith to believe in these theories than it does in the other common-sense inference. The most damaging fact to them is the identity in pattern of these cut and chipped flints, wherever they may be met with. Another important incident is this — the chipped flints are only found in the valley-gravels, or in deposits of the same age. If they have been chipped by accident, there is no reason in the world why they should not be found in gravel- pits of much older date. Prom the time when primitive Man used these flint weapons for almost every purpose, slaying wild animals with them, cutting dowu trees and scooping them out for canoes, making holes in the ice with them for fishing purposes— since tl;cuyou can trace the whole history of ofl'ensive and defensive weapons. Antiquaries and geologists call these most ancient of implements PalaoUthlc, — meaning, in Greek, that they are the oldest known ; and the age in whicli they were produced consequently is known by the same name. When Man first appeared, if we are to reason by the remains with which we find these implements associated, the Yroolly-haired Elephant, or Mammoth, and the Woolly-haired Rhinoceros, were both natives of Great Britain. It is frequently objected that you do not find the liones of man associated with these tools ; but the reason is not difficult to find. Eemember how few of the bones, &c. of the ancient Romans and Saxons are met with, in proportion to the number of more enduring ornaments, coins, &c. they left behind them. Then consider that the valley-gravels lie in the line of greatest drainage toward the river, and, as they arc porous, the sur- face water percolates through them on its way to the lowest level. Any particle of carbonate of lime, whether in the form of bone or not, which w;is deposited in these gravels, would thus be dissolved away. Hence it is that, although the huge bones of elephants, &c., were undoubtedly buried up in the same gravels, vrc find few or no traces of them. The comm.oncst of their remains are tectli and^wsfe, whose dentine and ivory structure saved them from the gradual destruction to which the frailer parts of the skeleton vrere liable. Eortuuately, there were other agencies at work during the same period, which v.-ere conservative rather than destructive. In the fissures of lime- stone rocks, where water is percolating, that water is usually charged with carbonate of lime. Every drop of water that evaporates on the surface of the walls of a chasm or natural hollow leaves its con- tained particle of lime behind. This process is always going on, until there has been left on the walls a great fold or layer of what \% a \Vit^. stalactite. The water drips on the floor, and there a portion is evaporated, the lime being left behind. As you may guess, the process is marvellously slow, but the layer thus formed on the floor is called stalufjiiiite. It is not difficult to see that anything lying on such a cavern-floor would be iucrusted over, and eventually covered up. This is what I call a conservative process. Now at the time the valley- gra.vels were forming, savage man was glad to avail himself of any shelter, and the natural caves and hollows of the earth were anxiously sought after, as they are now by the lowest tribes of mankind else- where. To such places as Kent's Cavern, Brixham Cavern, &c., savagea resorted, bringing with them the fruits of the chase. Here you may find the bones of animals which had been split open in order to extract the marrow, as well as [the flint knives and implements, of exactly the same kind as those HARDWICKE'S SCIEN CE - GO S S IP. found in a gravel-pit. Over these there has accumu- lated a layer of stalagmite many feet in thickness 5 thus carrying you oack in lime as far as does the deposition and origin of the valley-gravels them- bclves ! You see, therefore, that the two most accessible groups of facts both point to the same great fact of the antiquity of iVJan. Succeeding the Palfcolithic age is that provisionally known as the " Rein-deer period," on account of the large number of the remains of that northern auimal which have been found in the bone-caves of the south of Erauce. England and the Conlineut were then subjected to the periodical migrations of Arctic animals, among which were the Keiu-deer, Lenmiing, Glutton, Elk, &c. The Hint implements found associated with, the remains of ihese animals in the south of Erance exhibit a superior i^kill, indicating that man's nature was to progress, even at that early stage. llude attempts at carcuig and drawing were also indulged iu, as examples in your principal museums wiil attest. Thau succeeded the next stage, known as Neolithic, or " JS'ewcr Stone age," whicli is dis- tinguished by the greater variety iu shape of the flint implements, and, more particularly, by the fact that they are, for the most part, ground smooth and to a sharp, knife-like cutting edge. These weapons, however, are usually found strewn on the surface, or imbedded only in peat - bogs and the most recent of river-deposits. AYhcreas the Vuhcolithic types are iimittd to valley-gravels and the most ancient of bone-caves, the Neolithic show, by their universal distribution and superior workman- ship, that they belong to an advanced period. All the savage races still using stone weapons are generally islanders, cut off from the great centres, so that they are "outliers" of a system once universal. This later period is that of the " Lake Dwellings," which link on to that known to anti- quaries as the " Bronze period." To this succeeds the Iron age, and, if you like, the present, or "Steel" age. The two former are historical, and come within the range, not only of scieutihc deduc- tion, hut also of written history. I have simply men- tioned them to show how, from the time when the most ancient and rude of the flint implements were deposited in the river-gravels, there is more or less of an unbroken sequence. Archajology commences where geology leaves olf— the past and the present meet on common ground. Standing on this neutral area, you may gaze backward into the illimitable ages which l;avc gone by, and see the gradual ascension in animal life, which began in the dim and distant Laurent ian epoch in the animalcule, and has terminated in Man. Looking forward from the same vantage-ground, you may hopefully note the development of society, the growth of civiliza- tion, and probability of the unfolding of the social and moral attributes of man as n.arvcUously as the lower animal life has culminated in its existing apex ! Throughout, in the buried past, as well as in the yet unfolded future, you never lose sight of the operations of an Almighty Spirit — ever working, never resting ! — out of chaos bringing forth order, — out of simple protoplasmic material educing the animal and vegetable kingdoms, in all their multi- tudinous types and varieties, until a small area like the superficies of this planet has teemed with life sufiicient to stock a million existing worlds! One generation has passed away, but, in doing so, has furnished a basis on which the new comer may ascend to a higher physiological platform. Every form, animal and vegetable, has been but the ex- pression of Divine Love, communicating to them the excess of its own joyous life ! Every species has been an outwardly crystallized Divine idea. Spirit has clothed itself with matter, until in Man the past and the future have met: the ancient Greek fable has been more than realized, for it has been true spiritual fire from heaven— given, not stolen — which has been instilled into fleshly clay 1 My slory is now ended, and, with mine, the series, whos3 purpose hiis been to give as plain an outline of the biography of our old world as possible. It will have been seen that a story may be properly read olF, even from so common and ordinary an object as a Gravel-pit. In geology, more than any other scienca, he that humbleth himself shall bo exalted ! All its objects lie at your feet, and arc of the lowliest kind. Not a pebble you accidentally kick before you, not a handful of dust blown by the wind into gutters, not a spadeful of soil turned over, but each is fi-aught with teaching of the utmost value and of the intensest interest. It is by recognizing a Cause that you alone can unlock the secret; setting out with the full belief that every- thing exists by virtue of a right— has resulted, i-.ot from accident, but law, — until you arrive at the highest conception of which man is capable,— that the total of these various laws meet and concen- trate into one focus, and find their expression in a personal and Almighty God! "The land bird is bound to its home by power- ful bonds, which, for the most part, are invisible to our dull vision ; with some species these limits m:iy perhaps embrace an area less than the hundredth part of a mile."— "i)'/rt/ Life;' hj Dr. Brehm. "TuE South, by destroying its trees, has dried up its springs. It has abandoned the mouutaius to ruin, and its plains to a couple of ."scourges— the wind and the flood. The North and Central Erance bid fair ere long to lose their fuel. Before the Ilevolutiou, iu 17G0, Erance had thirty millions of hectares in forest— to-dny she has loss than eight millions."—" Nature" by Madame Michelet. HAilDWiCKE'S SCIEKCE-GOSSIP. THE SMALL EGGaR-MOTH. TT seems advisable to say a few words upon a -^ correspondence which has been going on for some time on the larva and pupa states of Erio- gaster Icuiestris (the small Eggar-moth). Several writers complain that they cannot obtain pupfe, and that the larvae die when fall-fed. I think that this must be owing to a want of attention to one or two peculiarities in their habits. One is well known. As soon as they emerge from the e^g, they go to work and mutually construct a silken tent round the twig upon which the eggs have been laid. This habitation is added to as the larva; grow, and into it they retire when not engaged in feeding. A second habit is not so well known,— that of basking in the sunshine upon the outside of this web. Now if, when the larva? are collected, their nest is not also taken and carefully kept in contact with their food, they will hardly ever do well; neither do they like to be deprived of sunshine. Some years ago I brought home a large nest of young larvse, stood the branch in a jar in an un- occupied room, put fresh branches of blackthorn or whitethorn into other water-jars close by, arranging that the bushes should touch each other, and sup- plied fresh branches every two or three days, as they withered or were stripped. Li this way the larvse fed well and enlarged their nest to an immense extent as they grew, and it was curious to see them when, at a certain hour in the day, the sun shone upon the nest, crowding upon the out- side of it, squeezing in between each other like pigs, and lying so close together that a pin could hardly be put between them without touching. I think, however, that they did not get enough sun; for although many spun up in reasonable time, others continued feeding till quite late in the summer, and as, on arriving at full size and assuming their handsome skins, they had become erratic, and re- quired to be kept at home with gauze bags, my patience got exhausted, and having a hundred or two of pupse, I turned the rest out. About this matter of the long duration of the pupa state : it really is nothing new. It was noticed in " West- wood and Humphrey's British Moths " more than thirty years ago, and most likely long before, but I have not books at hand. 1 did not expect my moths out the next spring; but one specimen ap- peared, and with proper treatment, I feel sure that many more would have come out. The second spring 1 thought of the advice of a writer in the E/domoloffiai's Weekli/ IiitelUgencer, years ago, ) ovary, &c. c. Position of tlie jaws. Fig. 6. «, FIdhcuH just liatched. h, ditto, thirteen hours after. at the lower extremity of the abdomen, below the intestines and ovary ; it is discharged through the cloaca, the creature raising itself, before expelling it, so as to bring the cloaca to a level with the rim of the tube. The Ggg is deposited in the tube, and remains there until the young is hatched. Length of the adult, about „5_ of an inch. Found in shallow ponds, usually attached to moss. Named Socialis because groups of four or five are often found attached to the same leaflet. fi its name), somewhat similar in appearance to those of Floscularia campanulata. The dorsal lobe is frequently much larger than the other two ; and when such is the case, it is commonly curved for- wards over the funnel-shaped mouth, and presents a somewhat hooded appearance. The setse are not only much shorter than in other floscules, but they are also differently arranged, being placed between the lobes as well as on their summits, forming a kind of unbroken fringe along the entire margin of the disc ; the interlobular setae are, however, much shorter and finer than those on the summits of the lobes. Two cervical eyes are present only in the young. Vibratile cilia are seen distinctly along the course of the pharynx, as far as the maxillary apparatus, which latter organ, occupying the same position as in other floscules, is armed with three pairs of teeth. The ovary is large. The egg, when expelled, remains attached. The cloaca is situated unusually high in the body, and there is a long canal leading from the intestine and ovary to it. The foot is of great length, and much wrinkled. This is the largest of the floscules ; its total length is about the 4V of an inch. It is very rare, being found iu only one small pool in the parish of Sand- hurst during the years 186i, '65, and '66. It is usually attached to moss. Floscularia trilohata. — Tube generally absent ; rotatory orga';i divided into three lobes (whence Fig. 7. Floscularia edentutit. Floscularia eclen/aia.— This is a doubtful species,, and perhaps not a true floscnle, but more nearly allied to that genus than to any other. It has no tube. The disc or rotatory organ has a few fine seta; attached to it ; it is irregular in form, and is not divided into lobes. The creature has no maxillary apparatus, nor has it any teeth. Its food passes directly through the throat into a very capacious stomach, where a variety of the lower fonus of life (some of large size) may be seen undergoing the process of digestion. The foot is short, but of variable length; in one specimen a good deal wrinkled. This form of rotifer is very rare ; I have seen only two specimens. Each laid an egg while under observation, which remained attached, but HAilD\yiCKE'S SCIENCE. GOSSIP. n were boLli uufortuiiately lost before the'young oues Avcre hatched. Leugih of the animal, about the aV of au inch. Habitat, same as Floxcularia triluhata. Notommuta caudata.—'Si-^Q single, cervical; head somewhat rounded, conuectcd \^ith the body by a long narrow neck. Attached to the head is a (one only) short, singular, flexible, tube-like appendage (tentacle ?), surmounted by setse.* The body, which is somewhat elliptical, is prolonged posteriorly into a kind of tail, on the dorsal surface of which a rounded prominence is observed, and from its summit there proceeds a small setigenous tube. Fig. s. n, Niitommata ciiudata, b. Lateral view of ditto. Fig:. 9. n, Slephanups lousfta. b. Lateral view of ditto. not unlike, in appearance, the one attached to the head. Beneath this so-called tail, but separated from it by the cloaca, a long narrow foot, with two small pointed toes, joins the body. The maxillary bulb is placed high in the neck, and from it a long oesopha- gus, with a kidney-shaped gland on each side of it, leads to a large stomach. The ovary is large, and contains from eight to twelve germinal vesicles. When magnified up to 350 diameters, water vascu- lar canals are distinctly seen. Total length, y^o of an inch. Habitat, pools in the parish of Sand- hurst. Stephanops vnheta.—^^&s two, small, frontal; anterior portion of the lorica is expanded into a kind of hood, as in Stephanops mittiats, but much smaller in proportion to the size of the body. This hood is remarkably clear and crystalline; and the body, although the lorica presents a somewhat tesselated appearance, is so transparent that it is impossible to determine the internal structures. T'he foot is about half the length of the body ; it is i'oi-nished with three toes,— one, the dorsal, being scarce half as long as the others. A long, tremu- lous bristle— which is fixed into a kind of socket or tube, situated in the centre of the back at about * T coidd never ascertain the exact point to v^•hich this appendage is attaclied. the juncture of the anterior with the middle third of the body — stands out diagonally, and, projecting for some distance beyond the termination of the foot, is kept, by the rapid movements of this rest- less creature, in a constant state of vibration. Total length, y^Q of an inch. Habitat, Sandhurst, Berk- shire, iu same pools as the above. MOSSES ABOUT LONDON. T NOTICE that prizes are offered for the best -^ collections of mosses and Hepaticaj to be mad:^ in the neighbourhood of London. Candidates for these prizes may be glad to know v.here to go, £1k1 what to look for, iu the district with which 1 am best acquainted. On Reigate Heath (a swampy wood at its westera end should be carefully examined), — SpJiagHUid recurviim, rigid ion. „ subsecumlum, cymbifoVum. DicraneUa certiculata. Hypnum conlifolivm, utramineum. Bractiythecium albicans, rutabulum (var. robus- tum). PlcujiotheciMm den ticiilatum . Jitngermamiia curcifolia, platyphylla. Hypnum imponens was found here some time ago. At the foot of Buckland Hill.":— Thuidium hystricosum. Hypnum cJirysophylhim. In the Mole, at the foot of Box Hill :— Rhyncostegium rusciforme. \ On trees by the side of the Mole : — Barbula mucronata. On trees at the foot of the iiill : — Cryphiea heteromalla. On the ground, and at foot of trees in the wood : — Rhyncostegium tenellum, conferfum. EuryHcJdum pumihm, crassinervium. TJiamnium alopeeurum. Higher up, on the slopes of the hill :— Cylindrothecium concinmm . Thuidium' abietimnn. Bidymodon ruhellus. Leptotrichum flexicaule. Seligeria pusilla (on chalk). On trees in the neighbourhood of Box Hill ai.d Dorking : — Orthotriclium Lyellii, leiocarpum. In Gomshall Marsh : — Mnium rostratum. Webe-ra albicans. PJiyscomitrium pyriforme. Hypnum ctispidatum . HARDWICKE'S SC I E N CE-GOSS IP. Ou liedjje-banks near Tlieire : — Euryiichmm Stcarzii. Scleropodium illecebrum. In the marsh on Kestou Comiion : — Spluiguuiii molluscum and others. Caiiipylopus torfaceus. In a small pond ou Shirley Common :— Bartraniia fontana. llypnum aduncuni. I have not explored any other metropolitan dis- trict, and should be glad to know, for my own and general information, if any interesting species have been found elsewhere. T. Howse, F.L.S. over every-day life. We feel that we ourselves are writing for readers in Natural Science, many of whom owe tlieir " conversion " to Mr. Wood. The announcement, therefore, of a new work from his pen cannot fail to interest the reading public, espe- cially as it appears in the height of the " reading season." The additional information that this work is occupied with a subject which is the author's fa- vourite study— Entomology— will raise expectation still higher. " When Greek joins Greek, then comes the tug of war." There is something in cutting the leaves of a handsome volume like that before us, embellished with upwards of seven hundred figures, and occupying nearly seven hundred pages Fig. 10. \. Gonepteryx libatrix. 2. Culucula nupta. 3. Rumia crata^gdta : a, Goni:}iteryx,\&v\-d ; i, liumia crat^egata, larva. "INSECTS AT HOME"* Tj^EW writers have done more to popularize -■- Natural History than the Rev. J. G. AVood. He has the art of attracting readers towards a sub- ect they perhaps never cared about before, solely by showing them how earnest he is in its study himself, and what a charm its pursuit can throw • "Insects at Home; being a popular Account of British Insects." By the Rev. J. G. Wood, F.L.S., &c. London : Longmans, Green, & Co. 1872. Iq its decsriptions of insects of every kind, from the beetle to the common house-fly ! There are two ways of criticising a book of this kind, — from a popular scientific aspect, and also from a purely technical point of view. In adopting the former, we unhesitatingly avow our belief that "Insects at Home" will be a godsend to many a young entomologist. The various groups of insects have their anatomy illustrated, part by part, by some familiar type, as the accompanying plates (kindly lent us by the publishers) will best show : — BARDWICKE'5 SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 13 Fig. 12. Dragon-flies, &c. 1. Ephemera vulgata. 2. Ditto, larva. 3. Libellula depressa. 3 a. Ditto, emerging from pupa-case. 4. LiA«'^"'a.^lan-a. b. Calopteryj Virgo. 6. Agriwi minium. 7. Phrygan-.a grandis. 8. Ditto, larva-cases, or " Cadilis-worms. u lIARDWiCKE'S SCI E Is CE-GOSSi P. — ft OV - Fig. 11. l.ucanus cervus {(iiss&i'a.ovC). Pa)-<« 0/ //if He«cf.—1. Mandibles, or jaws. 2. Anteniite. 2 a. Scape. 2 5. Club. .3. Labium, or lower lip. 3 a. Labia ra'pi, or lip-feelers. 4. Maxillse, or lower jaws. 4 a. Maxillary palpi, or jaw-feelers. 5. Head, upper surface. 5 «. Eyes. 5 b. Vertex, or crown. 5 c. Occiput, or back of head. 5 d. Clypeus, or shield. 6. Head, under surface. 6 «. Eyes. 6 h. Insertion of antennae. Paris of Thoriix and Abdomen.—' . Protnotum, or upper surface of thorax. 7 a. Lateral margin. 7 b. Anterior margin. 7 c. Posterior angles. 7 d. Posterior margin. 7 e. Anterior angles. 8. Prosternom, or under surface of thorax, n a. Sternum. 8 6. Insertion of cos te. 9. Mesothorax and upper surface of abdomen. 9«. Mesothorax alone. 9/;. Abilonien, upper surface alone. 10. Metastemum and Abdomen. 10 a. Metasternum alone. 10 6. Abdomen, under surface alone. 10 c. Parapleura, or side-pieces. 10 rf. Epistema, or breast-pieces. 12. ScuteUum. Legs. — 11 . Anterior, or first pair of legs. 11 n. Tarsi, or feet. 1 1 A. Tibia, or shank. 1 1 c. Femur, or thigh. 11 rf. Trochanter. lie. Coxae. 13. Intermediate pair of legs. 15. Posterior pair of legs. The Wings. — 14. Elytra. 14a. Suture. 14 6. Lateral mai-gui. 14c. Apex. 14 rf. Base. Me. Disk. 16. Wings, folded on abdomen. 17. Left wirg expanded. 18. Right wing folded. A careful study of these organs, and an endeavour to dissect specimens for himself in a similar way, will be no unprofitable amusement these winter nights for the young naturalist. The author sug- gests another means of faaiiliariziug oneself with the commonest insects, — that ol colouring the wood- cuts and plates of the present volume, after the natural tints and shades of the insects themselves. Tor this purpose both plates and woodcuts have been only faintly shaded ; a scheme, however, which has already drawn down the wrath of some critics, who have evidently not read the introduction to the volume, in which this intention is set forth. Of the woodcuts especially we cannot speai; too highly, both for their artistic skill and zoological accuracy. The full-page plates are weaker, and of the coloured frontispiece the less said the better. The whole-page plate is from the work, and is, we think, one of the best of its kind. Mr. Fullager's interesting notes, given elsewhere, ou the develop- ment of the Dragon-fly from the pupa-case — as wit- nessed by himself in his own aquarium — will innke the details sufficiently clear. " Insects at Home," as its name implies, treats liAJRDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 15 at great lengtli upon the habits of the various ob- lects it describes. This is done in that pleasant style which marks all Mr. Wood's books, and yet affords us sufficient evidence that the author lias been a careful and diligent obseiTcr of the habits he describes. We quote the following remarks on the Aphides as an example of the general treat- ment : — "The Aphides form the food of very many in- sects. The larvae of the Ladybirds feed entirely upon them, and so do those of the Lace-wing flies. They are also eaten by the larvoc of the swift and ac- tive Syrphida. Several Hymenoptera provision their nests with them, and others of the parasitic kind, such as the Chalcidicaj, Proetotrupidse, Cynipida', and Ichneumonidse. As to these last insects, the way in which they operate on the aphis is very re- markable. As may be inferred, from the size of the aphides on which they are parasitic, they are of very small dimensions ; and one of these tiny crea- tures, when standing on the back of an aphis which it is about to wound, looks much like a rook perched on a sheep's back. " When the fatal egg has been introduced under the skin of the aphis, the wounded insect, like the stricken hart, separates itself from its fellows, and passes to the under side of a leaf, and there fixes itself. Its body soon begins to swell, and at last becomes quite globular and horny, the change being caused by the death of t'le aphis and the rapid growth of the parasite within it. The Ichneumon passes rapidly through its changes, and in a short time assumes the perfect form, always with its head near the tail of its victim, pushes off the last two or three segments of the dead aphis, and makes its escape into the world. The dead and empty skins of such hapless aphides may be found plentifully towards the end of summer, sticking firmly to the leaf, and showing the round aperture through which the destroying parasite has crept. Sometimes there is a sort of contest between the aphis and the Ich- neumon-fly, the former, however, having no more chance against its tiny foe than has a rabbit against a weasel. If the aphis have its beak deeply plunged into the bark, the Ichneumon-fly has an easy task, for the aphis can do nothing but kick and struggle while anchored to the spot by its proboscis, and all the Ichneumon-fly has to do is to make its deadly lunge. But if the aphis be wandering about the plant, the Ichneumon-fly has to walk about with it, and try first one side and then the other, until she can find an opportunity of depositing her egg." We give the following as a specimen of the general character of the woodcuts. In the figure of tiie caterpillar of the Brimstone- moth the reader cannot fail to see an example of what has been well termed mimicry ; for nothing could better represent the fragment of a twig of white-thorn than the stretched-out condition of the caterpillar. The thorn-like prominences on its back still further assist in the illusion. In conclusion, we should add that there are some valuable notes in the book to the young dissector and entomologist, and hints respecting nomencla- ture, arrangement of specimens, &c. THE DRAGON-FLY. TTAVING in July last procured from a pond in ^-^ the neighbourhood of Canterbury some pui a; of the Dragon-fly, and carefully watched the full development of the insect in my aquarium, I was so delighted at the beautiful sight, that I have endea- voured to give a descriptiou of it to the readers of SciEXCE-GossiP. After witnessing the metamor- phosis of three of them, I happened to read Ihe account given in Science-Gossip by P. Pollock, of his observations in Nov. ISGS (p. 245), and have witnessed most of the things there described. He remarks "that if the readers of Science-Gossip eouldi be induced to watch, and be fortunate enough to witness the change of the pupa into the perfect Dragon-fly, they would be inclined to admit that few sights in nature are more wonderful." No one for the first time witnessing the metamor- phosis would (without being previously informed) for a moment think that the position of the insect was the natural one. They would most likely come to the conclusion I did, that it must fall and be injured, or killed. Under that impression I placed a sheet of paper beneath its head, to prevent such a mishap ; but the moment the paper touched the head, the insect showed, by a peculiar movement, that it was annoyed, and endeavoured to avoid coming into contact with it. I soon found that the seemingly unnatural and helpless position was the proper one. It is amusing to observe the care the pupge ma- nifest in getting into a position where nothing can be in the way to obstruct their development. One in particular came up out of the water, and slowly climbed to the top of a reed I had placed in it. To keep it perpendicular, I had inserted a piece of wire about two inches from the top. This wire was in its way, and its lowly retraced its steps until it'arrived below it.'^ It then placed itself \a. the usual position, and commenced lashing the body to and fro, at the same time violently jerking it, evi- dently to obtain a firm hold with its foot-cla\\-s on the reed, preparative to the change about to take place. When properly fixed, it became quite station- ary for some time, and then a small opening became perceptible in the middle of the upper part of the thorax, and, gradually enlarging, the head of the fly was drawn slowly out and thrown backward until the head and thorax were clear of the pupa-case. When it had reached this position it remained quiet. 16 HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. ^vith the exception of an alternate stretching and contracting of its legs, as thougli trying their strength before the next move. When sufficiently strong to bear the wti-htof the body, it gently turned itself backwards and laid hold on the head of the pupa-case. As soon as it was firmly fixed on if, the remainder of the abdo- n;en dropped out of the case and hung outside it. I!p to this time tlie wings had not begun to unfold; but as soon as the body was fixed and lengthened, theu commenced the unfolding of the wings, pre- senting a very beautiful sight (especially if viewed tlirough a pocket lens). The body was curved in such a way that the wings should not come in con- tact with it : at that time they were iu so soft a state that to touch anything would injure their delicate tissues. The creature appeared fully aware of tbis, as shown by its placing itself exactly in a position where none of the surrounding objects could touch it. The wings unfolded downwards, close together, quite soft, but when sufficiently dry and hardened, tliey gradually expanded, and showed by a quivering motion that they were ready for flight. Their un- folding perfectly took about twenty-five minutes. I have had four pupa; come out of one aquarium at different times, but up the same stem of the plant. It is interesting to see each of them place itself iu the same position as its predecessors, and go through the movements, as though it had been the same in- sect performing over again. My attention was drawn to four white thread-like filaments left attached to the empty and deserted pupa-case, two of which are fixed on the middle of the upper part of the thorax ; their length drawn out of the corresponding part of the emerging insect. The other two were fixed one on cacli side, about a quarter of an inch farther down, below where the wing-cases open from the thorax. On placing them under the microscope, I found them to be tracheae, and on further examining the empty case the trachea could easily be traced down each side to the breath- ing apparatus or spiracles at liie tail. As the per- fect insect will breathe by other spiracles, differently situated, this set of tracheae is rendered useless and is withdrawn from the insect at its transformation. The opening out of which they are drawn is closed, so that they cannot be detected, as far as my ob- servation went. 1 have one pupa living, and shall wateli it through the winter, as it is not likely to come out, now it is so late. I fed it at times with flies by placing them on a fine wire and gently moving it before the pupa's head. Tlie latter quickly threw out its curiously- formed mask, seized ir, and conveyed it to its mouth. They are very voracious, and will feed on almost, any aquatic insects ; as shrimps, beetles, small min- nows, &c. I iiave sometimes given it a quantity of the Baphuea Fidex, when a good opportunity was aiforded to witness the repeated movements of the mask, in catching and conveying them to its mouth, when its formidable jaws soon dispatch them. The jaws and mask make good subjects for the micro- scope, with a low power, Canterbunj. James Eullagee. MICEOSCOPY. Pekhaps some of your correspondents could inform me whether the "test-scale" Poduracanuow be anywhere found . Every microscopist is familiar wi:h tlie common species of Tjepidocyrtns curvicollis, which supplies scales of the same general character, but by no means either so beautiful or so useful as tests. My own experience would incline me to think that the test-scale insect must be a distinct species, and not a variety of Lepidocyrtus. 1 have collected and examined great numbers of specimens from localities widely distant ; but tbougb some of these were passably clear in their markings, yet. when compared witb the other in the microscope, the dilfercuce was instantly evident. They differ, iu fact, as much as either differs, e.g., from Tern- plctoida. The professional preparers, I find, can supply nothing except the commou kind. I have heard it said, indeed, that the scale in question ma.y be got from a bronze-coloured insect ; but this is in direct contradiction to Mr. U. Beck's statement in his work on the microscope, iu which he says that his scale is got from an insect of a dark lead- colour, and about -^ of au inch long (p. 145), Mr. M'lntyre is, I presume, better informed on this subject than any one. else; yet L have looked in vain among his communications for an explicit statement as to whether he has himself obtained this scale. In one of his papers in the Monthly 3[i.croscopical Journal he tells us that LepUlocyrtus cia-cicollls, if kept alive, will, as it grows old, develop the " test scale," But this he qualifies by adding the words, " at least I think so,"- a highly important qualification, as it implies that, as a matter of fact, he has not found it to be so himself. Perhaps from his subsequent experience he could now say whether it is so, or whether the species is distinct, and can be found. Considering the number of persons interested in the clothing of these small deer, it certainly seems strange that this information is so difficult to be had. And if the species is distinct, and there was but one colony, it was a curious coincidence that Mr. Beck, who happened particularly to wish for them, should also be the person to find them,— ^. L. B. How TO OBTAIN DiATOMS IN A StATE OF Pliuty,— The Jmerica/i Journal of Microscopy ve- commends as the best plan " of collecting Diatoms , in large quantities, to tic a thin fine piece of muslin HARDAVICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 17 over the faucet of the hydrant in the evening-, and allow a small stream of water to puss through it all night. In the morning take off the muslin and rinse in a little water." The above plan, if tiied in this country, would probably supply some of the fresh- water forms, as Asteiionella, Dluior.ut, Sijnedra, &c., in tolerable plenty ; but 1 fear the experimenter would be liable to an action from the water com- pany for waste ! "Woody Structuee eeplaced by Puue Silver. — It is suggested that interesting metallic casts, sliowiug the structure of wood, might be made by taking advantage of the deflagration of nitrate of silver on charcoal. When a crystal of nitrate of silver is placed on a piece of burning charcoal, it fuses and sinks into the pores of the wood ; and as each atom of charcoal is replaced by one of silver, the structure of the wood is preserved. The modus operandi is thus described by Dr. Chandler :—" A crystal of nitrate is placed on a piece of charcoal, and a blowpipe flame directed upon the coal near to the crystal, to start the reaction. When defla- gration commences, crystal alter crystal may be added ; the nitrate fuses and passes down through the porous metal, already reduced, until it reaches the burning coal, where it is reduced." Lumps of silver, weighing an ounce or more, exhibiting the rings of wood in a most beautiful manner, have been thus prepared. The ANniAL Nature oe the Spongiad^. — Vix. H. Carter sends the following connnunieation to SUlluutn's Journal, in which he says : " You will be glad to learn that I have couflrmed all that Prof. J. Clark, of Boston, has stated about the tponge, and more too, confirmed by an examination of a marine calcareous sponge, I have not only fed the sponge with indigo, and examined all at the same moment, but the sponge so fed was put into spirit directly afterwards, and now shows all the cells (mouociliated) witii the ciliiim attached, and the indigo still in the cells." Arborescent Silver.— The very beautiful slides knowu to most microscopists under the above title are very -easily produced, and as every preparation almost invariably shows some striking variation, some of the readers of Science-Gossip may be de- sirous of knowing the modus operandi. A drop of a very weak solution of nitrate of silver is placed on the centre of a slide, a small piece of tl)e finest copper wire is then laid in the middle of the drop ; crystallization at once commences, and when it has proceeded as far as the operator desires, the remain, ing nitrates of silver and copper must be poured off : this requires careful management. The best plan is to breathe on the slide, and then gently tilt it on one side : this causes the fluid to drain away from the crystals. A little distilled water must then be allowed to flow from the opposite side : this will wash away the nitrate of copper, and the slide will dry, and remain so, A small quantity of gum mixed with the distilled water will retain the crystals in their place (about three drops of the ordinary solu- tion of gum in half an ounce of water is suflicient). The slide may now be dried and mounted in an asphalte cell. However, before doing so, itr is better to remove the copper wire. This is best done by gently pushing one end of it: this will detach the crystals, and it can then be taken up by the aid of a small pair of forceps. — F, K. GEOLOGY. At a recent meeting of the New York Lyceum of Natural History, Professor A. M. Edwards showed that the substance called "guano," used in the manufacture of artificial manures, is not, as is usually supposed, the accumulated droppings of birds, but a mud formed by the accumulation of the bodies of animals and plants, for the most part minute, and belonging to the group which Haeckel has collected into a new kingdom under the name oi Protista. It was deposited along the ocean-floor, and eventually upheaved to the elevations in which its strata are now found. Subsequent changes so altered it that the organic matter was transformed to bitumen. The diatomaer fe, &c., found in guano occur as they would present themselves if deposited in water, and not as they would if they had passed through the stomachs of fish and birds. Ix the December number of the Geological Maga- zine, Mr. AVilliam Carruthers, F.R.S. (of the Britisii Museum), has figured and described two new species of fossil coniferous fruits from the gault- beds of Eolkstone. He states one species to be allied to the existing IFellingtonia, and shows that they point to the existence of a coniferous vegeta- tion on the high lands of the Upper Cretaceous period, which had a fades similar to that now existing on the mountains on the west of North America, between the tiiirtielh and fortieth paral- lels of latitude. No fossil referable to Sequoia has hitherto been foup.d in strata older than the Gault, and here, on the first appearance of the genus, we find it is associated with pines of the same group that now flourish by its side in the New World. Dr. Duncan, E.R.S., has recently shown that a peculiar coral {Canjophyllia cylindracea), which has hitherto been regarded as peculiar, in the fossil condition, to the upper chalk strata, still lives in the deep-sea regions of Havannah, and off the I beriau peninsula. It belongs to the group possessing only four cycles of septa in six systems. A USEFUL ADDITION to our coal supplies has been made by the discovery, at Halesowen, near Bir- mingham, of a seam of coal fourteen feet thick- This fact controverts the theories .hitherto held as 18 HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. to the boundary of tlie coal-field in this directiou, and of the impeudiug exbaustiou of the fuel-supply of the "Black Couutry." The seam lies at the depth of four hundred and twenty yards from the surface. EossiLS OF Arctic Circle.— In the report of the lloyal Society, printed ia the Times of Decem- ber 1st, mention is made of fossils recently brought from Greeuland, whicli prove that the region within the Arctic Circle once enjoyed a tropical climate. Would any fellow-subscriber kindly give particu- lars ?--&. P. F. [The fossils referred to are of Miocene age, and principally plant-remains. Some hundreds of spe- cies have been brought to light from the Lignite beds, and their general character indicates that when they grew a warm climature prevailed in Greenland. It is more than probable that, at this time, no ice-cap existed at our North Pule. — Ed. S.-G.] ZOOLOGY. Bats. — During the wa«n summer months it is pleasant to watch these wonderful little creatures seeking their food and sporting in tlie twilight ; but who can tell where they hide themselves during the day, and throughout the winter? Having been mucli interested in some that came under my notice, I forward the following particulars. About the beginning of xlugust, in passing through a .wood in this neighbourhood, 1 observed a poor little bat fluttering on the ground, apparently unable to rise. Supposing it to be a youug one injured in its fall from a nest, or a more mature one dazzled by the brightness of the sun, I carefully caught it, •when, on examination, 1 found a number of large brown ants fastened on to various parts of its body, sucking ^the blood from even the wings and eyes. Having been obliged to remove these with some force, I carried the little sufferer home in my umbrella, where he rode very comfortably suspended from the ribs by his hinder claws. He did not long survive his bleeding, being found dead next day. On the night of the 19th of August my attention was drawn to a noise like a number of mice squeak- ing in my rainwater-butt, and on looking in I was surprised to find about twenty bats, some drowned in the water, some.struggling to get out, and others clinging .to the sides of the cask. I took them all out and laid them in the open air to dry themselves and fly away if they could. Next day all the live ones had disappeared, but I found there were some in the shoot or stack-pipe, which is about tvi'O inches in diameter, and conveys water from the roof to the cask. I took it down to see if there was any sort of nest iu the top of it, but could find none. On shaking it over a large pan, no less than forty of these little creatures fell out, many of them clinging to each other. Some appeared to be older than others, but all able to fly, and eat flies and sugar from the hand. Their bodies were about two inches in length, and their .wings about six inches when extended, ears short, and teeth very sharp. There were numerous fleas in the fur, but I did not ex- mine them minutely. — G. M, 31. The Magazitie of Natural History for Decem- ber has a note of great interest to ornithologists. Messrs. Sharp and Dresser describe two new species of European birds. One of them {Picus Lilfordi) is named after Lord Lilford, who shot it in Epirus. It is distinguished from an allied species by its crimson crown and barred rump. The other ncAV species is from the British islands, and has been named Parus britaiinictis, or "Coal Titmouse." It differs from the continental examples by its olive-buif back. These species have hitherto been classed with others. Insects ix Winter. — We might naturally sup- pose that by the end of winter all those little birds which are solely supported by insect food would find some difficulty in providing for their wants, having consumed, by their numbers and exertions, nearly all that store of provision which had been provided in the summer and deposited in safety ; but 1 have found the stomachs of the Tree-creeper and the small Titmouse, even iu February, quite filled with parts of coleopterous insects, which, by their activity and perseverance, they had been enabled to procure beneath the mosses, on the branches, and from the chinks iu the bark of trees, where they had retired in autumn. Such plenty being procurable after the supply of so many months, renders it apparent that there is no actual deficiency of food at any one period of the year. The small slugs and some few insects may be con- sumed by the severity of winter, but the larger portion of them are so constituted as to derive no injury from the inclemency of the season, but afford during many months provender to other creatures, multitudes yet remaining to continue their race and animate the air when the warm days of spring shall waken them to active life. — Journal of a Naturalist. Work for Naturalists.— The oyster-dredging at present carried on along our coasts affords facilities for investigating our marine zoology at moderate depths, which, I think, might be more fully taken advantage of. Those who have never spent a day with the oystermcn have little idea of the almost inexhaustible supply of material which would be highly prized by the microscopist and student iu Natural History, that is thrown over- board after every haul of the dredges. The great objection to accompanying " the toilers in the deep" is that their avocation is principally carried HAilDWlCKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 19 on iu the winter uuder severe exposure. I had the good fortune to be out with them on a fine day in October, and found that even then, with a breeze from the north-east, it was cold enough for one accustomed to town-life. I was, however, amply- repaid by a great store of marine forms, utterly inaccessible to me by other means. iVuxious to have further supplies from time to time, I arranged with one of the boatmen, who readily consented to take cliarge of my basket of bottles and jars at any time, fill it with anything he might think of interest, and return it to me. Imagine my delight at finding iu my first instalment a gorgeous specimen of the Bird's-foot starfish, Talmipes memhrcijiaceus, Retz. Those who have never seen any but dried specimens of this rare and beautiful echinoderm'can form but a slight conception of its bright colouring when alive, as mine was when I received it. A starfish, which I take to be OplnocomaBallii, Thompson, was among the lot, with Comatula rosacea. Link, Cri- bella, and Solaster iu abundance. I had also a great rarity in the crustaceans, Inachus leptocldriis. Leach, probably dropped into one of my largest jars by my weather-beaten friend on account of the pearl-like tubercle on its thorax. In "Bell's British Crustacea" this species is said to be ex- tremely rare. I would be glad to know if any Gossip has obsei'ved it, as I am inclined to believe, owing to its being liable to become encrusted with sponges, it has been overlooked. Good specimens of Hyas araneus and H. coardatus, with otlier commoner species, were obtained. Two or three species of Nudibraucuiata, and a number of cou- chiferous molluscs, which, with the polyzoa and sponges, made up a formidable list. Should any readers be tempted to try for themselves, I can guarantee ample work for winter evenings.— ZT, S., Belfast, BOTANY. HELiciiHYStrM (Everlasting). — I grow a large quantity of this useful flower for winter decoration for myself and friends ; and as many inquiries have been made as to the best method of treating it when cut, I am able to afford your readers some assist- ance. "Wishing this year not to lose even the un- expanded buds, I gathered a quantity during the first week of this month, some of which were brought into the dining-room until otherwise dis- posed of. Ou subsequently removing them, I thought I perceived a partial separation of the petals, and it occurred to me that this effect, if really existing, must be due to the artificial tem- perature of the room. I immediately tested the matter by placing a number of buds before the fire, and as a result obtained as many full-blown flowers. Knowing, however, the tendency of the Helichry- sum to close after it has been in bloom, I was not satisfied with the experiment until I had ascertained that a night's exposure in the coldest room of the house failed to counteract the artificial treatment. Here, then, is a simple method by means of which a large stock of these elegant winter flowers may be utilized — it is now, in most situations, too late in the season to gather buds ; but many of your readers may be in possession of some which were gathered green, and are now dry,— all that is necessary being to place them upon the fender before the fire ; but iu the case of those which are fresh-gathered, it is a better plan to suspend them, bud downward, by a worsted thread kept twirling, for by this arrange- ment the flower is at liberty to expand equally, and the stalk dries straight and rigid. — Wia. Ttidor Mablei/, Altrincham. Bare Oxfordsiuue Plants. — There have re- cently been comphxints in Science -Gossip that compilers of local floras do not take sufiicient trouble to ascertain if rare plants, limited to certain localities, can still be found in those localities. A similar statemeat may, to some extent, be made re- specting our standard British Floras. For example, I received in the spring a request from a corre- spondent to gather Aruhis turrifa, which he said grew plentifully at Oxford. Now in the Floras of Bentham, Babington, and Hooker, this plant is mentioned as growing there, without even a hint that it may be extinct, or that it is more limited there than Senecio squalidus, which is very abun- dant. It was evidently from these standard works that my correspondent had obtained his in- formation. I had visited Oxford several times, but had never seen the plant ; hence I determined to make special inquiries. In Walker's "Flora of Oxfordshire" it is stated to have been found on Magdalen College walls, by Sibthorp and the Bev. Mr. White, in 1S32 ; and the author informs us that it formerly grew in the Old Quadrangle. I visited the walls of the college this spring, but found no trace of it. I saw the curator of the Botanic Garden. He showed me a specimen cultivated in the garden ; but he informed me that it had not been seen on the college walls for a number of years, having been overgrown by weeds. Last summer I gathered Salvia pmtensls between Middleton Stoney and Ardley, the locality given in Walker's Flora; andjthis summer, after visiting several of the localities mentioned in the same Flora for St achy s germanica, I gathered it between Sturge's Castle and Enslow Bridge. Can any of your readers inform me \1 Thlaspi perfoliatum c?iXi still be found in the neighbourhood of Witney and Barford, as recorded by W^alker to have been met with by Sibthorp and Hooker in 1818 ; or if Arabis turrita still grows at Cambridge, in Kent, and at Cleish Castle, Kinross, as stated in the Floras of Bentham and Babing- ton ?— ^. French, Banhimj. 20 HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE- GOSSIP. NOTES AND QUERIES. Solar Spots and Spectrum.— As I have not the necessary instruments, I shall be very much obliged if any one who has will observe whether the pro- I'ortiou of chemical to other rays in the solar spectrum differs during the absence and presence of the solar spots. — E. P. F. Initial Letters. — Are your readers aware, Mr. Editor, that letters addressed to any initials or jiditlous names at any Post-office will not Ije deli- vered to the parties intended, but opened and returned to the writers? It would be well if this regulation were known to those who offer exchanges ; and would you request " D. D., Post-office, Bit- terne, Southampton," in Science-Gossip of Septem- ber last, to give some other address ? — B. IF. The Pox-moth. — !Mr. Garfit's description, in the December number of Sciknce-Gossip, of his finding the larvse of the Pox-moth [Bombyx riibi) in such luuubers on the east coast of Lincolnshire, reminds me that when staying down in Galway, near Al henry, some four or live years ago, I witnessed a somewhat similar sceue. The ground iu that neighbourhood is very stony, and covered with heather and stunted furze -bushes. Upon these latter 1 saw a multitude of caterpillars, of what kind I knew not at the time. However, 1 have iiuw no doubt, from Mr. Gascoyne's description, ii:at they were those of the Pox-moth. — J. iS. W. iJarhain, Atropos. — Some time ago I had the good for- tune to take nine larvai of this fine moth during a week's visit in the country. I took as much care of them as possible, in hope of rearing at least one or two of them, but they all died in about three or four mouths after turning to pupa;. Can any of the readers of Science-Gossip inform me how to keep them iu a healthy condition during the puja state ?— ^. L. Showers of Progs. — *' M. A. B." will be ex- tremely obliged to any one who will freely and fully explain how showers of frogs and fish are produced. It they are not absorbed or drawn up into the clouds by the intense heat of the suu's rays, before de- scending to the earth in showers ? An answer iu 1 he next number of Science-Gossip will be eagerly looked forward to. PoLK-LORE: Mad Stones.— An extract from a New York paper (on page 213 of September num- ber), relating a reputed iinnmnity from the bite of a mad dog, iu Pulaski, Tennessee, by the use of what is termed a mud stone, is followed by an expressed desire to know if there really exists iu America a popular belief that certain stones possess the power of averting hydrophobia from persons bitten by rabid dogs. In reply, 1 would say that there is such a belief among the credulous, and it is quite wide-spread, it mostly prevails among the unlearned and superstitious, but is not confined to such. A very respectable lady in Kichmoud, Va., has oue of these so-called mad stones, iu which she has implicit faith ; and I have known a reput- able physician in Illinois who fully believed in their elficacy. There are no spcci;d localities where these SI ones are found, nor is there anything very pecu- li;ir in their appearance, nor have I ever heard of an authentic fact on which to start or substantiate i-ueh an apparently absurd belief. — Josiuh Curtis, M.I)., Kno.vcil.le, Tennessee. Geophilus electricus. — On September Slh, whilst sugaring for noctua in a wood, I found a curious centipede crawling on the damp ground ; it was about lA inch long, pinkish, and had lots of legs ; but the feature which attracted my attention was a peculiar phosphorescent light, resembling that of a glowworm {LahipTjris nociiluca), given out from the whole of its body ; it also left a luminous track behind it for several inches. When the bulls- eye was turned on it, the creature " vamoosed," as a Yankee would say ; and having a strange apathy to this family of insects, it was allowed to escape. 1 find, in " Kirby and Spence," page 509, that it is Geophilns electricus, but little is said beyond the fact of its habitat usually being under clods of earth, &c. Jf any subscriber can give me more informa- tion concerning this remarkaiile insect, which is new to myself and friends, I shall be much obliged. — John Henderson, Reading. White Varieties (p. 201, vol. 7, and elsewhere). — It is not uncommon that white varieties occur among flowers and also fruits in the United States. These sometimes become hereditary, so to speak, especially among some of the smaller fruits. During^ the past summer 1 have met with white varieties of the blackberry {RiiLus villosus) iu Tennessee, North Carolina, and Georgia; and I have been credibly informed that the same occurs aii.ong low black- berries or dewberries {R. canadensis). The bushes and vines bearing these white berries quite uni- formly, year after year, present every feature and characteristic of the ordinary normal blackberry, and seem identical in all respects, except iu pro- ducing fruit which ripens without colour. It n;ay be novel to some of jour readers, also, that a second flowering not uidVequeutly occurs upon pear-trees, apple-trees, cherry-trees, &c., in this country. This takes place mostly iu the autumn, but this last year I saw an apple-tree with fresh blossoms on it, on the Nautahalah, in w^estern North Carolina, as early as August 21. 1 have seen apple and pear-trees in fresh bloom, in New England, iu October and November ; and even now (October 25, 1871) Judge Andrews, of this city (Knoxville, Tennessee), ha-s a common pear-tree in recent bloom. Sometimes, but rarely, we have a fair growth of fruit from second blooming, especially in some of the smaller fruits, i have known strawberries ripen iu Sep- tember and October iu the Eastern States; and here wc had two very respectable crops of straw- berries the past summer,— one at the usual time, early in May, and the second, from the same vines, ripened during the latter days of July and the early part of August. They were daily on sale in our market, as they had been nearly three months pre- viously.— Dr.Josiah (!urtis,Kno.Toille, Tennessee, U.H, Sponge Spicules. — Yourcorrcspondent "C." calls attention, iu the December number, to the spicules oi Sponffilla Jl/fciat/l/s, and gives drawings of them. He seems, however, to have made an erior, to which I would call attention. The smaller, or birotulate, form of spicule is that of the ovary of Sjwngilla jlumutilis ; but the other form, "pointed at each end, and rough on the surface," never occurs in this sponge. It docs, however, in Spongilla luc/rstris, being abundant in the dermal and insterstitiul mem- branes ; but it would be impossible to obtain both these forms from the same sponge. Each of these species of sponge has a muie abundant form of spicule — the skeleton spicule— which in each species is very similar. It is pointed at each end, but per- fectly smooth, instcfid of being rough or spincd on the siirfacc. — //. R. HARDWICKE'S SCIENC E-GO SSIP. 21 Insects and Ploaveus. — WiMi veffard to the communication of " W. W. H.," in the December number of Science-Gossip, I quite aprree with him that butterflies have a great objection to geraniums, and an equally strong predilection for a lavender hedge; but I think that he is mistaken in sup- posing that the flavour of the nectar influences the colour of the blossom. In obedience to a general law, butterflies settle on those objects which, by their nature and colour, are most likely to protect them, and shield them from observation. We never see a IMeadow Erowu soaring aloft like a Hed Ad- miral ; it always flutters near the sombre-coloured earth. A place well-known to London eiitomolo- sists is Box-hill, in Surrey, which during the season literally swarms with graylings. Yet the hill is so covered with flint stones, that the butterflies are quite invisible uutil disturbed. There is also a little sreen tortrix (I think its name is Lepfogramma Uteraiia) which is very abundant in the woods here during the summer months ; but as it is of a brisrht green colour, and always settles on the nnder-sides of the leaves, it eludes the sharpest scrutiny. — E. C. Lefroij, Blaclcheath. Saffron (r>. 281, vol. vii."). — Tlie writer of the work referred to bv "J. F. C" has probably been misled by a similarity of name in assuniiu'r that the bastard saffron, or safflower (Carflir/mns tindorinii), is the plant from which Saffron Wsilden takes its name. The safflower answers well to the descrip- tion given. It resembles a thistle, but the seed is smootli, and " without down." Tlie " full-blown flower" is the part used for dyeing purposes, and when dried is said to resemble the true saffron so exactly, as only to be distinguishable by tlie absence of smell. About the "shrewd pilgrim" I can find nothing; but, according to Paxton's "Botanical Dictionary," this species of Carfhamns was intro- duced into England from Egypt in WcA.— G.lI.H. Sapfron : Peel's Parsley-leaf (Science- Gossip, 1871, r). 281).— Mr. Thornbury is not so far out as J. E. C. seems to think. The "Orange- juiced Saffron" is, no doubt, CartJuimns thidorius, more frequently called Safflower. " Peel's parsley- leaf " refers to the following anecdote from "The Life and Character of Sir Robert Peel," by Sir Laurence Peel, published in I860: — "Mr. Peel was in his kitchen making some experiments in printing on handkerchiefs and other small pieces, when his only daughter. . . . brought him in from their 'garden of herbs' a sprig of parsley She pointed out and praised the beauty of the leaf, and looking, by habit of imitation, naturally to the useful side, she said that she thought it would make a very pretty pattern. He took it out of her hand, looked at it attentively, praised it for its beauty, and her for her taste, and said that he would make a trial of it. ... A pewter dinner-plate .... was taken down from the shelf, and on it was sketched — say, rather, scratched— a figure of the leaf, and from this impressions were taken. It was called in the family Nancy's pattern, after his daughter. It became a favourite : in the trade it was known as the parsley-leaf pattern ; and apt alliteration, lend- ing its artful aid, gave its inventor the nickname of Parsley Peel. — James Britten, British Museum. Saffron (p. 281, No. SI).— The writer quoted in the above note evidently fell into the_ error of confounding Safflower {Carthamus finctorius) ynW\ Saffron. The Safflower is a composite plant, and is not, I believe, cultivated in England. The following particulars will be seen to agree very well with the description quoted by J. F. C. :— "It has an erect cylindrical stem, branching near the sunnnit, a foot or two high, and furnished with sharp-pointed, oval, sessile, somewhat spiny leaves. ... On the opening of the flowerets they are rapidly gathered, without; being allowed to expand fully. jTliey are then dried with great care. It grows naturally in Egypt, and is cultivated largely in Spain and in many parts of the Levant, whence it is chiefly imported, and from India." (Balfour's "CyclopEcdia of India," p. 293.) It is probably to its introduction into Spain that the tradition refers. — F. V. P. Infusoria, &c. — Would you be kind enough to let me know which is the best method to prepare and mount "Infusoria"? I should like to know by what means you get rid of the water in which the animalculai are ; and by what preservative you keep the clenned infusoria? — H. Sammann. [The above inquiry is much too vague to enable us to give the information our correspondent re- quires. It is necessary to know what organisms he wishes to preserve. The terms infusoria and animalculre are very indefinite. If he means the desmids and diatoms, full explanations of the best methods of preparing and mounting those forms have appeared from time to time in the pages of this Journal. If. however, our correspondent means such forms as Eotifers, Steiitors, Stephmioceri, &c., no method has yet; been discovered of preserving such delicate and sensitive organisms.] Ancient Serpent - worship. — Mr. John S. Phene, E.G.S., has made several interestinar dis- coveries, and has just investigated a curious eartlien mound in Glen Feochan, Argyleshire, referred to by him at the late meeting of the British Association in Edinburgh as bein;? in the form of a serpent or saurian. The mound is a most perfect one. The head is a lavire cairn, and the body of the earthen reptile 300 feet long ; and in the centre of the' bead there were evidences of an altar having been placed there. The shape can only be seen so as to be understood when looked down nron from an eleva- tion, as the outline cannot be understood unless the whole of it can be seen. This mound corresponds almost entirelv with one 700 feet lonsr in America, an account of which was lately published, after careful survey, bv Mr. Squier, The sinuous wind- ings and articulations of the vertebral spinal arrangement are anatomically perfect in the Argyle- shire mound. Beneath the cairn forming the head of the animal was found a megalithic chaml)er, in which were a quantity of charcoal and burned earth and charred nut-shells, a flint instrument beautifully and minutely serrated at the edge, and buiued bones. The" back or spine of the animal form was found beneath the peat moss to be formed by a careful adjustment of stones, the forniation of which probably prevented the structure being obliterated by time and rain. Once more Borrago (see p. 239, vol. vii.}.— My authority for the Italian borrrtpine is Buttura, Diet, fraiigais-ital. et ital.-fratigais (Paris, 1832), and so it must be written, as the a in the second syllable is not long, but short. The Spanish borraxa is the old-fashioned mode of spelling of what, since 1815, is written borraja : the pronunciation of both was in all times the same (with deep guttural j). The Portuguese horragens is the plural of borragem Also in other languages there are plant-names used in both numbers ; as, for instance. Span, herro and herros=ioater-cresses. TheDutch hernctgie is derived from the old verb bernen or barnen, to-day brcrnden, 22 HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. i.e., to burn, most certaiiilj^ witli allusion to the rough, somewhat stiiigiug hairs of the plant. So much in defence of what I wrote. — A. Ernst, Caracas, Venezuela. The "Ltvek."— There appears to be a great diversity of opinion as to the bird now known as the lAver, which figures so conspicuously in the arms of Liverpool. Can you tell me what bird is meant t—Inciidrer. TBi-rETALOTJS PRniROSE.— On the 11th Novem- ber I gathered, in a wood near Battle, several blooms of Primula vulgaris (common primrose), one of which was a curious variety, with only three petals. It does not seem very unusual for prim- roses to bloom in the autumn, as in the year 1S65 I gathered some on September 26th. I may also mention that on the 19th November I observed three swallows flying in the sunshine at Battle. The temperature in tlie shade at the time was bdow freezing.— t/. //. A. Jenner. Mice im Tkaps. — IVill any of your readers ex- plain the phenomenon of the death of mice caught iminjured in a live-trap? A house-mouse — after being in the trap a short tinio, shaking the wires and trying every means of escape — seems to resign itself to its fate and at once die, instead of patiently and without further struggle awaiting the coming of the trapper, as a rabbit does in a snare. It is found in a sitting posture, plump and sleek, but cold and stiff. A field-mouse taken in a similar trap remains alive for a longer time, but dies alter some hours in a similar manner. lias the mouse the power of dying of its own will ? Or are fright and exhaustion the causes of death? Neither the one nor the other can be nearly so great as it must suffer, often for alengthened time, from a cat before she destroys it. — Plalomys. Walken'g Eekns, &c. — On a recent visit to a noted watering-place, called Bedford Springs, in Bedford County, Pa , I was very much pleased to find oue of the ilnest specimens of the Clwmtozorus rhizophylluYii (Walking Fern) I ever saw, situated on a rock jiist above v.'here a strong spring arises. The rock was entirely covered, so)ne of the fronds being a foot in length. Should any of the readers of SciENCE-GossiF wish any leaf fungi, I will gladly supply them, by sending their address to me. I have quite a variety of them. I notice Roestelia physota growing on the leaf of Fyrus coronaria (sweet-scented crab-apple), which is, indeed, beau- tiful. I have also a collection of diatom aceons de- posits, and desire to send them to you, or such as may desire them. They are niostly from Pennsyl- vania.— Dr. J. Curtis, Knoxville, Tennessee. A House to Let.— ;-In the aquarium at the Crystal Pahice a very diverting entertainment was lately given by the Hermit Crabs. A fight was in progress between a little crab and a big one ; but it was a spiritless aflair, the big one evidently dis- daining so sniall an oiiponent, and the small one, naturally taking adv.autage of such lukewarmne-s, wanted the big one's shell, and would probably liaTO continued to annoy him had he not caught sight, of a comrade who was leisurely examining an empty whelk shell (as a man might look over a house he fancied). Towards this comrade he went, and a smart encounter followed, — a struggle for the possession of the residence. They held one an- other's claws to gain advantage in the attack, until at last the comrade seemed tired of the contest, and retired, doubtless satisfied with his old house, and not thinking the new one worth fighting about. The little crab having obtained possession of it, turned it quickly over into a convenient position, and rapidly drawing his defenceless posteriors from their confined shelter, inserted them into the uew oue, and marched off victor. — R. W. B. G. Oak Eggar. — Are the urticating properties of the oak eggar {B. ajiercus) larvae commonly knowTi ? On taking one of these caterpillars into my hand last autumn I immediately experienced a smarting sensation (resembling the sting of a nettle, only not quite so painful) in the part which came iu contact with the creature, and the pain continued for four or five days. I was out of health when I touched the larva, so perhaps that had something to do with the smart occasioned, for another person with me at the time, on takiug up the caterpillar, felt no pain whatever.—^. B.. S. White Varieties. — It may be interesting to some to know that I have found white varieties of the following plants : — Ajiif/a reptans, two or three specimens ; Betonica oJJicinaUs, a single spe- cimen; Geranium Robert iannm, a, large number of specimens ; and Hyacintlms non-scriptus, a few specimens. All these grew on a clay soil, with the typical plants. I also found growing on a very chalky soil one large specimen of Cichorinni Tntybus. I think a white variety of this last plant is uncom- mon.— T. B. Blow, Welioyn, Herts. The British Eorget-me-not {Myosotis). — The British species of Eorget-me-nots— namely, M. pa- lustris, repens, and ccespitosa — are often confounded with each other. We frequently find, especially in old herbaria, both 31. ctespitosa and M. repens labelled Myosotis palustris. AH the three species inhabit bogs and the margins of ditches and ponds, and may with propriety be called by the old familiar name Porget-me-not ; but this is no reason for assuming that they are all one species ; besides, by attending carefully to a few well-defined character- istics, they may at first sight be easily recognized. The two first, \\^meA.3I. palustris and M.repe)is,\m\Q angular stems, dark-green foliage, a rough habit of growth, and creeping roots ; on the contrary, M. ccespitosa has a liglit-greeu, translucent, and elegant appearance, with tufted fibrous roots, and roundish stem. Myosotis palustris (Kipholf?).— Roots creep- ing, blackish; stem angular; pubescence of the stem spreading; flowers large, bright blue, with a yellow eye ; calyx divided about one-third way down ; seg- ments broad, triangular, single-ribbed; raceme usually leafless. M. repens (Don.) may be known from the preceding species by its smaller and jialer- colourcd flowers, leafy raceme, leaves tapering off to an acute point, and lanceolate acute calyx-seg- ments. M. ccespitosa (Schullz), whole plant of a slender, tiifted, elegant apiiearance ; roots fibrous, not creeping; stem roundish, clothed with white close-pressed pubescence ; calyx divided halfway down ; segments lauceolate, 3-ribbed ; corolla small, concave, equalling the tube ; lobes entire. The flowers of M. palustris and repens are seldom found except of a bright blue colour, but white varieties of M. Cfcspitosa are not unfrequent. On Delamere Forest I have seen lar^e masses of M. palustris and caspitosa intermingled; the latter, however, had only white flowers. Although these species prefer a damp or boggy soil, they may be grown success- fully in the garden border. — James F. Robinson. liARDWlCKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 23 A Strange Eepttle. — You may incline to notice a curious creature lately found in a garden in this town. It is a specimen of the Crowned Tapayaxiu {Phnjnosoma Blaimnllii), common in America, and often made a pet of in California. Itis betwcena lizard and an iguana, and is, including the tail, about five inches in length. It is covered all over ^Tith triangular spines, and has two long horns at the back of the head. The 1ail, which is not a long one, is bordered on both sides with spines, and the entire animal is plated with armour, like the Arma- dillo. The feet are very delicate and beautiful, ter- minated with long, sharp, and elegantly curved claws. When in its native state it canrun with considerable rapidity, but in confinement it remains almost stationary, even when touched. It feeds on insects, and is said to be very partial to red ants. How it came into this locality is at present a mystery, and how long it has been there is also un- known.— Irwin Sharp, }resfoii-siiper-3Iare. GrrSY-MOTH. — In the Septeinber number of SciEXCE-Gossip, pase 215. Mr. J. R. S. CliHord mentions a Gipsy {Liparis dispar') which was taken near Odiham in 1870. He may be interested to know that I have lately seen a tine male of species, taken flying, last summer, iu the same locality. It is much darker, and slightly larger than those speci- mens which we obtain by breeding. It was captured by a Mr. Holland, of Reading, and I have no doubt of its authenticity. This moth is easily reared from the e^g, and I was much pleased with the brood I reared daring the past season. Tiie larva are strik- ingly handsome ; but I was not successful in ob- taining a female equal in size to the figure in Newman's "British JNioths." Have other entomo- logists remarked this ? — John Henderson. TErratum, under "White Varieties,*' on p 281, vol. vii. for Burgllfield read Burghjield. — /. //.] Reuieby wanted.— In reply to "A. E. ]\I.,"'I forward the under-mentioned receipt, which has been found efScacions in removing from the ceiling of a church dark stains whicli were supposed to have been caused by the admixture of sea sand in the mortar or cement. Wash to be laid on with a com- mon whitewash brush : 4 gallons of clean soft water, 1 pint of oil of vitriol. For colouring after ; 1 bushel of Huddleston lime slaked iu warm water, 4 lb. of Ptussia tallow melted in hot water, 1 lb. of green copperas dissolved in warm water, 1 lb- of Englisb umber, all mixed together, reduced to a proper thickness for layin? on the work v>'ith strong beer- grounds laid on with a brush. — J. C. T. Cleaning Skeletons.— I have had the following receipt given me for cleaning skeleton?, and it has answered perfectly to the present time. After skinning and disembowelling the animal, cover it with unslaked lime, adding a little water. Look at it occasionally, and remove the flesh, which will come off easily. This method bleaches the bones, preserves the ligaments, so that the skeleton must always be in its proper position, and does not smell at all. All kinds of animals — birds, lizards, fee- can be done this way. — Alfred C. Haddon. The Natd Worm. — I have had for some days, in the live-box of my microscope, one of the tribe of annelids. I have frequently examined him with a Ross's 1-incli object-glass. It is the Nais, about half an inch in length, and has hanging about the body (most of them being near to his tail) a goodly number of Vortlcella microstoma ; some budding, some dividing, some sessile, some stalked, but all fringed with cilia ; some have become detached whilst the Nais has been swimming in the live-box. It is the only specimen of the Nais I have found so adorned. Is it often found ? The Naid worm is a beautiful subject for microscopic observalion. The specimen I have been examining shows considerable power of elongation and contraction. Its move- ments in the box have now been incessant for six days. The cephalic portion elongates the most. The bristles, which arc seated upon tubercles, are very flue, beautifully transparent. The movements of the animal are very rapid, but he docs not seem to use the bristles for progression, but seems to advance like a snake or eel, wdiilst the tail termi- nates by a disc like a leech. The elongation of the animal takes place in each segment between the bristles. Whilst at comparative rest (I have never found it still) the encephalic segments are shorter than those which carry the vascular trunk ; and when the head is protruded it looks like the snout of a pike. I have not made out the mouth suffi- ciently to describe it with precision. The parasites upon him do not interfere with his freedom of movement. — Alfred Carpenter, Croydon. Double Lemon. — A friend has sent me a re- markable example of a lemon, which, on being cut across, was found to have a smaller lemon growing inside it. The inclosed fruit was about the size of a nutmeg, completely covered with yellow rind, which had the texture and the aroma of the ordi- nary external skia. It was a little irregular in shape, showing the marks of union of the carpels of which it is formed, but the sutures are completely united. A section of the inner fruit shows a small quantity of pulp and juice in each carpel, but no attempt at pips. The lemon itself was squeezed before the inner fruit was discovered, so it is im- possible to say whether it contained any pips ; but it is believed that it did not. The smaller fruit was attached to the base of the larger one without any iaterveuing stalk. The genus Citrus is very prone to form supernumerary carpels iu its flowers, and these occasionally protrude through the apex of the ripe fruit ; hut it is unusual to find them completely inclosed. In this case I am inclined to think that the ovules have taken the form of carpels rather than that there was a second whorl of pistils in the flower. — Robert Holland. PicKis BuooMUAPE. — In Science-Gossip for 1871 (p. 119) there is a paragraph by "J. B., Brad- ford Abbas," referring to this plant as being " abundant in the hedge-rows and clover-fields of Dorset." There is, I have no doubt, a mistake here as to the name of the plant intended to lie re- ferred to. The true Picris Broomrape {Orhanche Picridis, P. Schultz) is by no means a conunou plant, and has only been recorded from Cambridge, Pembroke, Kent, and Isle of Wight. Although from its ascertained range it is very possible the plant may be found in Dorset, it is not likely to be abundant, as represented by " J. B." The plant he refers to is probably Orhanche -minor, which is very common, in the South of England at least, on clover; it occurs, but much less frequently, _ on other plants, and I have seen it on a Gazania iu a garden. 0. Picridis is held by many botanists to be merely a variety of this species, from which it differs very slightly. I do not think it has been found on any plant but the Picris.— F. I. Warner, Winchester. 21 HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. NOTICES TO COPcRESPONDENTS. All cnramunicatioiis relative to advertisements, post-office orders, and orders for the supijly of this Journal, should be addressed to the Publishkr. All contributions, books, and pamphlets for the Editor should be sent to 192, Piccadilly, London, W. To avoid disappointment, contri- butions should not be received later than the 1 5th of each month. No notice whutfirer ran be taken 0/ cnmmimifn- tions which do not contain the name and address of the wtiter,not necessarily for publication, if desired to be with. held. We do not undertalte to answer any queries not specially connected with Natural History, in accordance with our acceptance of that term ; nor can we answer queries which might be solved by the correspondent by an appeal to any elementary book on the subject. We are always prepared to accept queries of a critical nature, and to publish the replies, provided some of our readers, besides the qnerist, are likely to be interested in them. We do not undertake to return rejected manuscripts unless sufficient stamps are enclosed to cover the return postage Neither can we promise to refer to cr return any manuscript after one month from the date of its receipt. All microscopical drawings intended for publication should have annexed thereto the powers employed, or the extent of enlargement, indicated in diameters (thus: x 320 diameters). Communi- cations intended for publication shoum oe written on one side of the paper only, and all scientificnames,ondnamesof places and individuals, should be as legible as possible. Wherever scientific names or technicalities are employed, it is hoped that the common names will accompany them. Lists or tables are inadmissible under any circumstances. Those of the popular names of British plants and animals are retained and registered for publication when suffi- ciently complete for that purpose, in whatever form may then be decided upon. Auup.ess, No. 192, Pkxadilly, London, W. L. H. S.— The late nest of Song Thrush is probably a second liatch. It is not uncommon, especially as the autumn was so fine. E. H. S. — Not an uncommon occurrence, especially after a wet season. H. F. P. — Ti-idontium (Dicranum) pellucidum. — R. B. J. S. W. Durham. — The remains of plants embedded in mica-schist are not fossil, but merelv roots which had pene- trated through the softer portions of the rock and been left there : the same circumstance may frequently be observed in boulder clays. Rev. G. Pinder.— Answer next month. S. A. Brennav. — The list of white varieties of wild flowers has not been received. T. S. — Green variety of Fluor Spar (Fluate of Lime), pro- bably from Alston Moor, Cumberland, where it is common. E. A., Clifton. — CampyJus linearis. B. L. T. — 1. Tapes pidJastra. 2. Xassa reticulata, both common British marine shells. S. Williams.— The Eyed Hawk-moth (Smerinthics ocel- latus) , J. A. — Mrs. Keating was the lady to whom stamps were sent. She is very likely travelling about. R. E. L. — You omitted to inclose the fern whose name was required. H. J. —No. 1. Tunicate {Butryllus). No. 2. A lichen {Lecidia), H. T. M.— The shells are of the commonest kind, and their names might have been found in any elementnry work on British conchology. No. 1. Lymnea stagnalis ; 2. Planorbis corneas; 3. Planorbis mart^inatus ; 4. Planorbis vortex. E. H. S. — No. 1 is the Wedge-rust fungus {ilelampsora). No. 2. Oak-spangles. T. E., Bucks. — A common fossil in the Lias formation {Gryphea incurva). Probably from the drift-beds, where it had been re-deposited. L. D. — See Lyell's "Antiquity of Man," also Lubbock's " History of Civilisation." .1. O., Liverpool. — We shall be happy to assist you as far as possible; but first " try." R. N. — Probably " White rust " (Cistupvs candidvs) ; leaf much decayed. Pktra. — A good recipe for cleaning skeletons will be found elsewhere in our columns. EnwARn B. — Not a seaweed at all. Se3 Sciexck-Gossip or November laat. R- S. A., Birkenhead.— 1. Uydrobia silviB. 2. Rissnii. 3. Kellia. 4. Nussu 7iifida. 5. Worm-tubes (Spirorbis) on back of seaweed. EXCHANGES. Notice.— Only one " Exchange'' can be inserted at a time by the same individual. The maximum length (except for correspondents not residing in Great Britain) is three lijies. Only objects of Natural Hi-tory permitted. Notices must be legibly written, in full, as intended to be inserted. Wanted. — Some or all of the following ferns, established plants, — need not be large. Adiantiim macro/ihyltum, tone- 7-itm (if true), and trnpeziforme ; Asplenium prceniorsum, Iretum, and diniidiatuni ; for which a liberal exchange iu other varieties will be given. List sent to select from. — Address M. M., Post Office, Favershani, Kent. Send stamped and addressed envelope for a leaf of the Evergreen Oak. Any object of microscopic interest accept- able.—E. H. S., Norwood Lodge, Streatbam, Surrey. Wanted dried specimens of Nos. 5, ", 10, 30, 32, 43, Loud. Cat., for other plants. — Address A. H., Spring Bank, Burnley. Stales ok Pktrobius (land variety) and of Manrntomn major (well mounted), for well-mounted microscopic slides. — Rev. W. M. Hutton, Lezaque Vicarage, Ramsey, Isle of Man. St.\tobi,asts of Atcvnnella fiingnsn (mounted) in exchange for other good mounted microscopic objects.— John C. Hut- cheson, 8, Linsdowne Crescent, Glasgow. P. CoRVDON for other lepidopte-a ; Bombyces preferred. List to W. J. Lovett, Ho'ly Mount, Croydon, P01.VGAI.A OXVPTKRA, Pyrola nrenaria, &c., for British Leguminiferhieh certain butterflies, such as lo, Paphia, Rhamni, and Galathea, have become scarce, or have even disappeared. We ask, " How is this— is it due to the builder or the agriculturist ? " No ; his reply is, that it is caused by the "merciless pur- suit and wholesale slaughter carried on by the makers of buttefly pictures. The numbers thus annually destroyed are almost incredible. I have known 250 ' peacocks ' used in the construction of an elephant, and upwards of 500 ' tortoiseshells ' in the figure of a crocodile three feet long. A portrait of Lord Brougham in butterflies, the checked trousers depicted by Galatheas' wings, is considered a clever work of art ! " Now this seems laughable, but it is really serious, and the practice, if extensively 'pursued, will do more ndschief than is produced by the extensive captures made by some collectors for the purpose of exchange. No doubt the growth of towns and the cultivation of waste lauds have their influences too, but these are not irremediable. I believe that we shall have at last to institute a society, the object of which shall be the preser- vation of our butterflies from extensive spoliation. No doubt, iu many instances, the common sense of individuals, if it could be appealed to, would lead them to desist from a course as suicidal as that of the man iu the fable, the luckless killer of the goose which produced golden eggs. J. E. S. C. POLYXENES. "POLYXENES, or Polyxenws.—" A little oblong jr animal, with tufts of minute scales on its sides, and a pencil of hairs at its tail. It has twelve pairs of feet, and is found under the bark of trees," so say Latreille, Cuvier, and Lamarck. This is my Polyxenes — Polyxenes Lagurus — or Hare-tailed Millipede. But how came he by so fine a name ? Polyxenes (if it mean anything) means " One who entertains many friends." Let us see who his friends are, and what sort of company he keeps. Strip off a piece of dead bark from the yew-tree, and examine the under side M'ith a magnifying-glass 32 HAEDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. — a very qucstiouable and sinister-looking party in- deed. Wood-lice and small spiders run this way and that, like a gang of pickpockets in Rag-fair disturbed by P'liceman X. on our first approach ; but a bolder fellow, of villanous aspect, in a striped uniform, and armed with a pair of tremendous scorpion claws and with hoo pairs of ci'ocodile jaws beset with long teeth, walks leisurely about back- wards, forwards, or sideways, like his cousin the crab, as it best suits him ! This is no less a person- age than Chelifer cimicoides ; and it is a matter for congratulation that he is no bigger than he is, for a more formidable-looking monster it is impossible to imagine. Let us put him away for further con- sideration on some other occasion, and go on with our observations on Polyxenes and his habitation. Now the latter is anything but neat and tidy ; and I shrewdly suspect that our friend carries on the immMMMiiinM^ Tig. 16. Polyxenes La gurus, x 33. business of an old clo' man ; for in every direction his own left-clf wearing apparel, together with the tattered garments of spiders and earwigs, are seen dangling on the walls by shreds of cobweb, as I suppose, "to be sold a bargain ! " Let me recommend you, my dear young nature- lover and happy possessor of a microscope, to col- lect some of these old clothes, which, by the way, you will find, as the advertisement has it, " Quite equal to new," as well as living specimens of Poly- xenes; for \ihether examined as opaque or trans- parent objects, with spot lens or open diaphragm, with high or low powers, they will give you many an hour of pure enjoyment ; that is, if you are made of the stuff which I hope you are. You will then begin to think, with me, that "Polyxenes, the enter- tainer of many friends," is not such a very great mis- nomer after all. " Eirst catch your hare," says careful Mrs. Glasse. " Eirst catch j'our Hare-tail," say I ; and, having caught him, put hira in a pill-box lid, and examine him first with a pocket lens, and then with a two-inch or inch objective. Mark his graceful movements. He runs as if on castors rather than on feet ; and, sure enough, if you examine his under surface, you will see that his legs, although he has from twelve to eighteen pairs of them, are very liny and feeble-looking supports indeed. On close in- spection, they will he seen to be four-jointed, and armed with a single claw. He is altogether a harmless and defenceless-looking little animal, and no match for that ruffian "Chelifer," whom we de- tected loitering about the premises, and whom we have remanded, without bail, for future examina- tion. Fig. 17. P. Lagurus. Hairs on Feathers of Tufts, x 230. Now let us examine our little Polyxenes as to his outward form and adornments. He is oval in figure, but flat, and fringed with tufts of so-called scales, which, however, more nearly resemble feathers; and stretching from tuft to tuft across his back are double rows of like, but shorter, feathers. Here let me remark, that the numbers of tufts and rows vary according to the age of the in- dividual examined; for he does net— as a true insect does — change from worm to grub, and from grub to his mature form, but simply " shuffles off his mortal coil," — skin, hairs, and leggings all com- plete, now and then, and takes unto himself a new row and an additional pair of tufts and legs with each new habit, until he has attained his full com- plement. He then leaves his shufiled-ofF " mortal coil " hanging upon a fragment of dirty cobweb, as before described. Now let us look at his tail. Not much like a hare's tail, but a collection of beautiful silvery hairs, quite different from the feathers of the tufts, as we shall see heieafter. This tail I have caught him expanding like a fan, and I have a mounted specimen of the slough so HARDWICEE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 35 displaying it ; but in general he carries it as a flat, broad pencil. When spread, the fan is made up of small bundles of the peculiar tail-hairs, with a long feather or two in their intervals. Let us examine these hairs under a power of about two hundred diameters. They are nearly one-fourth the length of the whole body (which whole length, by the way, may be called a line or a line and a half), and are prettily ornamented with small and nearly opposite branches placed in pairs along their stems, and lying close to them, to the number of twelve or fourteen. But the crown, or top of the hair, is its principal beauty. It is grace- fully bent over, like the head of a bell-flower, and forms three, or sometimes four, pendants, slightly clubbed at their extremities, the one nearest to the stem extending lowest down it, and the outermost finishing in a spur directed upwards. When the tail is expanded, these pretty heads are somehow Fig. 18. P. Lagurus. Hairs of Tail, x 200. locked together in groups, so as to form conical apices to the bundles which I have before de- scribed, while the tiny branches of the stems give to the whole a beautiful dotted appearance, well seen with reflected light. A small group of the "feathers" proceeds from the extremity of the body, gracefully dividing the fan into two parts. We will now examine the feathers of the tufts. They are continued, as I have said, across the back in double rows, and their quill ends, if I may so de- scribe them, are hooked, apparently to afford lever- age for their elevation or depression ; for I have sometimes seen the little creatures walking about with the front of each pair of rows elevated, and the hind one flat upon the back ; and when at the same time the tail was expanded, the effect was very pretty, and I have almost thought that " as proud as Polyxenes " might be substituted for " as proud as a peacock," thereby relieving the glorious bird from the monopoly of pride which has been forced upon him. The limb of the feather, which is of a rich brown colour, is club-shaped, being thicker at the extremity than near the quill, and slightly curved. It is four-sided ; that is to say, if it were possible to cut one transversely, the section would appear as a cross, and each of the four borders is deeply serrated. A fringe of these feathers sur- rounds the anterior part of the body and head, but in these positions they are not arranged in tufts. There is much more to be said about our little myriapod, — of his several simple eyes,* his stout seven-jointed feelers, of his mouth, his gizzard lined with teeth, and of his skin, so beautifully marked and pitted for the attachment of the tail-hairs ; but my aim is rather to whet the appetite of some young microscopist than to satisfy it. There is plenty more for him to examine before the interest of our subject is exhausted ; and having well enter- tained himself with this "entertainer of many friends," I would say to him, in the words of the other Polyxenes, i.e. Shakespeare's : " I beseecli you, If you know aiight wiiich does behove my knowledge Thereof to be informed, imprison it not In ignorant concealment." Diss, Norfolk, November, 1871. T. A. A RIVER- VALLEY AND ITS TRIBUTARIES. THE excavation of a river-valley, including all its branches and minor feeders, is a problem still to be satisfactorily solved, although the new school of subaerialists would persuade us they understand all about it. They state "that for one valley which happens to run a long the line of a dislocation there are fifty or a hundred which do not ;" and an ardent Scotch advocate of the theory even goes so far as to assert "there is no point which the detailed investigations of the geological survey have made clearer than this." I, however, during about twenty years of work in the field, have found that valleys in connection with which there could not be a break are, comparatively speaking, rare, while those having their associated disloca- tions are numerous ; and of the rest, few, probably, if their structure was visible, would be unconnected with cracks or dislocations of the underlying rocks. The rocks at the downthrow side of a fault seem nearly always to be more susceptible of denudation than the rocks at the other side; consequently, as a valley forms, it is inclined to gradually extend away from the original line, which would lead a theorist or hasty observer to suppose no connection between the two to exist. The favourite example of the subaeriahsts to prove their theory is a flat shore, from which the tide is retreating, and on which minute river-systems form. This, however, is not a true representation of the earth's surface, as it is more or less wet ; but if an observer will visit the strand on a warm day.hewill • Tliese eyes are easUy seen in living specimens, but difficult to make out in dead ones. 34 HARDWiCKE'S SCIEN CE-GOSS IP. find that as the sands dry they form systems of cracks exactly similar in appearance to a river- system, having maia valleys, with branches and minor ramifications ; also, if a shower of rain falls, it is in these cracks that the water will drain off. By the following simple experiment any one can form systems of river-valleys, lake rock-basins, volcanoes, faults, and the like ; and as it is sa easily tried, the readers of Science-Gossip may judge for themselves whether the statements of the subacrialists are stable or unstable : — Get some lime-mortar and a good-sized table or board. After the mortal" is well mixed, incorporate in it some pieces and fragments of unslaked lime (pieces only partially burnt are best for the experiment) ; then spread the mixture evenly with a trowel or flat board on tlie table : as the pieces of lime begin to slake, they will swell and form volcanoes (from which will pop up a minute sliower of lime flour), gradual upheavals, and systems of faults. If the mortar is well mixed prior to adding the unslaked lime, and the latter is only partly burned, cracks will form in the plaster as it dries, before the lime begins to slake, and the subsequent upthrows due to the lime swelling will, in connection with them, form the systems of faults. If, however, the lime begins to slake before the plaster is dry and cracked, a few long shallow cuts with a knife will act similarly to the cracks. After the lime has all slaked and the plaster is dry, the board or table may be slightly elevated at one end, and then subjected to a shower of water out of a very fine garden syringe, or it may be put cut under a soft rain. After these valleys, due to cracks, are sub- jected to "rain and rivers," regular river-sj^stems will form, valleys with sloping sides will gradually be developed, while at the junction of two or more cracks there will be minute lakes in typical rock- basins. Moreover, in some valleys there will be long narrow lakes, similar to the loughs so common in mountain glens. Various other phenomena may be studied in this simple experiment, but at present I only wish to draw attention to the connection between systems of cracks and rivcr-vallevs. The thicker the coat of plaster the more marked the results ; and the experiment may be varied by spreading the plaster in layers, and not in one thick coat. G. II. KiNAHAN. NEW BOOKS. nnilERE are few sciences which liave made more J- rapid strides than those of geology, electricity, and magnetism. The latter subjects lie some\vht,t out of our usual lino, but we are nevertheless glad to have the opportunity of recommending to such of our readers as r,rc interested in these important sciences, or who wish to know something about them ; a book* which has been before the world for more than twenty years, has done great good during that time, and has now reappeared in an enlarged and revised form, under the able editorship of Professor Noad. This little work impresses us as being exactly the kind of book to put into the hands of a youth interested in magnetic and elec- trical science. It includes the history of discovery in these departments, more particularly a lucid summary of the researches of Faraday and others. The clear and attractive style in which it is written and edited shows that both author and editor are fully en rapport with their readers^ The next workf is more in our line. We have frecpiently been asked to recommend a good work on elementary geology, and have found a difiiculty in doing so. Scientific writers are apt to take too much for granted on th-3 part of tlieir readers, and we think that even Mr. Tate is not altogether free from this common error. But it is, in our opinion, the best of its class, whilst its price will bring it within the reach of the poorest student's slender pocket. This book is partly based on the well- known rudimentary treatise on geology by Major- General Portlock, originally published in Weale's series. The additions, however, and especially the number of illustrations, have made quite a new book of it. We like the author's arrangement, and especially the clear and unbiassed manner with which he has placed before his readers the views of diiferent geologists on moot questions. If any- thing, the work is too full, and the reader is apt to be bewildered by the number of subjects brought before him, and the haste with which the limited space obliges the author to pass over them. The next worksj are all pretty much of the same cliaracter— that is, they have a kind of scientific basis, which serves for the books pretty much as a text does to a sermon. The latter is frequently taken by the preacher, and there is an end of it. The two first books are marked chiefly by rhapsody. They contain many fine passages, and some suggestive ones. The reader, however, cannot get away from the feeling that everything is being strained to the utmost. The views of Michelet, who is a disciple of the Eourier school, are now pretty well known in England. Regarding the earth as herself an animate being, whose natural phenomena are but the expressions of her varied life, it is not dilEcuIt • "Rudimentary Magnetism." By Sir W. Snow Harris, F.R.S., ^c. Revised and enlarg'ed by Dr. IT. M. Noad, F.R.S. Lockwood & Co., Londcn. t "Historical Geology." By Ralpli Tate, r.G.S., &c. London: Locltwood & Co. I8"l. % " Tiie Mountain," from the French of Michelet. By the Translator of " The Bird . " "Nature; or, the Poetry of Earth and Sea." From the French of Madame Michelet. " Beautiful Birds in far-off Lands ; their Haunts and Homes." By Mary and Elizabeth Kirby. London : T. Nel- son & Sons. HAllDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP, 35 to see that many of them must be viewed from au original stand-point. The descriptions of moun- tain scenery are, apart from the singularity of these views, very graphic, and the illustrations, both in the " Mountain" and " Nature," of the most superb character. The translations by Mr. Adams are clear and readable, considering that he had a diffi- cult task before him. As books to place on a drawing-room table, to be taken up for a few minutes, and admired (not studied), we know few more suitable tlian those we have just mentioned. To "Beautiful Birds," a good many of the foregoing remarks equally apply. The style is clearer, and less rhapsodical. In fact, many por- tions of the book are most attractively written. The illustrations (printed in oil-colours) arc of the very finest we have seen. Altogether the work is got up in such a tasteful style that it must take a leading place among gift-books. It is hardly scientific, although its subject is so ; but it brackets, so to speak, the purely literary with the technical, and includes, in a happy man- ner, a good deal of what is known about the most beautiful of foreign birds, interwoven here and there with a little of the apocryphal. MOSSES ABOUT LONDON. TN accordance with a rule laid down some time -*- ago, among other restrictions which space en- forces, is that of foregoing the temptation to give lists of plants, insects, shells, &c. The extended circulation of Science-Gossip renders this injunc- tion necessary, inasmuch as the plants, &c., cata- logued ia any one district cannot have any great interest for people at a distance. It was owing to the prizes oifered to collectors, that we last month gave the list of mosses in the neighbourhood of London, thinking so far to aid our metropolitan readers. For the same reason we have the pleasure of adding the following from Dr. Capron : — In addition to the species mentioned in the paper by Mr. T. Howes, the following mosses, not usually met with, may be found in the vicinity of Dorking. Gomshall, and Sheire : — Hypnum delicatuluni ; H. exanulatum ; H. irri- guum ; H. loreum ; H. Megapolitanum ; H. pohj- morphum ; U. straminetcm ; Leptoion Smithii ; Neckera crispa ; N. pumila ; OrthotricJium anoma- lum ; 0. Bruchli ; 0. pulchellum ; 0. stramineum ; O. tenellum ; Pterogonium gracile ; Schistostega pennata; Seligeria calcarea ; Splachnum ampmllu- ceiim (Leith Hill) ; Torhda vinealis ; T. Hortischuc- liiana ; T. cunelfolia ; T. marginata ; T. latifolia ; Trichostomum crispidum ; Tetrap)lus pellucida ; Leptobrpum pyrif'orme. Many of these are necessarily only found in small quantity, and must be looked for at their proper season, and I only give them to show that much may be done within so short a distance from London. Sheire. E. Capron, M.D. THE GLASS- ROPE SPONGE. Uyalonema mirabUis (Gray). By p. Kitton. "We now proceed to speak of the nature of animals, not willingly omitting any part, however mean it may appear ; for though many things among them have no charms for the bodily senses, yet, notwithstanding, even there creative na- ture has unspeakable delights in store for those philosophic muids whicli can investigate and distinguish the cause of their formation. . . .- . We must enter on the investigation of each individual without any feeling of disgust, inasmuch as in every one some bjeautiful provision o£ nature exists." — Aristotle.. rpHE common notion of a sponge is generally -■- derived from the substance used for domestic purposes. The sponge of which I am about to give a brief description would, therefore, never be recognized by the popular mind as related t© the sponge of commerce, nevertheless such is un- doubtedly the fact. The simple sarcodous substance, which in one case weaves a soft leather-like reticu- lated structure, in the other elaborates a siliceous skeleton composed of spicula of varied size and outline, some like long threads of spun glass a foot or more in length, whilst others do not exceed the thousandth of an inch. The Eyalonema, or " Glass-rope " sponge, was formerly supposed to belong to a class of organisms called Axiferous Zoophytes, or Barked Corals. The " Glass-rope," with its " warty bark," was supposed to have been distinct from the sponge-like mass forming the base in which it appeared to grow. Dr. Gray describes it as having a siliceous axis. " The axis is formed of many twisted fibres, and its lower end, instead of being expanded, is gradually tapering and is parasitically imbedded in a fixed sponge. " "The part above the base is in dif- ferent specimens covered, to a greater or less extent (and evidently in the perfect state is entirely), with a kind of leathery bark, with large truncated nip- ple-shaped scattered tubercles, having flat crowns with radiating grooves and a central depression." In general the specimens are withdrawn and cleaned from the spongy base, and the lower axis is cleaned ; but I think it is evident that they all are attached to such a sponge in their natural state. Tiie bark is formed of two distinct layers; the outer having the appearance of an aggregation of grains of sand united together by a small quantity of animal matter ; the inner having imbedded in its substance numerous very fine capillary fibres, of precisely similar textia-e to those which form the axis of the coral, but of much smaller size ; and this portion of 36 HARDWICKE'S SCIEN CE-GO S S IP. tbe bark evidently extends between- and invests each of tbe fibres of the rope-like axis, Dr.Gray's description is exact so far as the external appearance of the sponge is concerned, but his surmise that the so-called spongy base is a distinct organism, recent observations have proved to be in- correct. This basal portion is an integral portion of the sponge, and, when growing, is uppermost, the il rig. 20. IB^ Fig. 19. hyalonema mirabilis, 5 nat. size. Fig. 21. long fibres being buried in the ooze, as in tlie allied forms Fharonema {Holtenia) Carpenteri and P. Grayi, (See Monthly Microscopic Journal, vol. iii., for a most interesting paper on theseand other nearly allied forms, by W. S. Kent, T.Z.S., F.RM.S.) The earliest known specimens of this sponge were from Japan, but witliin the last few years other habitats have been discovered. Professor Perceval Wright found it in situ in Sctubal, off the coast of Portugal, in 18G8, obtaining many Cue specimens from that locality, and had the oppor- tunity of examining them whilst alive. He states that the siliceous stem is truly a part of the sponge- mass, and that the "Polythoa" (bark) was simply parasitic upon the stem. Some of the Setubal specimens were very large, the stems of several measuring nearly two feet in length, and the head consisting of a somewhat oval mass, about eight inches in the long and four inches in the short diameter. On opening out the sponge, the interior concave surface was found to be lined with a delicate network of spicules and sarcode ; a number of large openings {oscula) were also seen, and these were covered with a network of sarcode, the edges of the meshes thickly covered with spicules, called by Dr. Bowerbank " spiculate cruciform spicules " (fig. 28). The professor then goes on to say that he " has seen the parasitic Polythoa in a living state on the siliceous axis of the Hyalonema, and that he watched the polyps expand their tentacles, after the fashion of any other zoautharian, to prove that, though they have mouths, these mouths are their own, and not at the service, directly or indirectly, of the Hyalonema." Dr. Bowerbank is, liow- ever, of opinion that the Polythoa is a portion of the sponge, and not parasitic. The evidences in favour of the latter supposition are (at least so far as I have been able to ascertain), firstly, that the Glass-rope has never been found without the "bark;" secondly, the spicules are siliceous (in all other spicule-beariug species of Polythoa they are calcareous) ; and that some of them are common to every portion of the sponge ; neither am I aware that the Polythoa has ever been found investing any other organism. The spicules in this sponge are perhaps more beautiful and varied than in any other sponge hitherto discovered. In describing these forms I have adopted the terminology used by Dr. Bowerbank in his work on the British Spongiadce. Pig. 19 represents the sponge slightly reduced in sizo. Pig. 20. — A portion of one of the fibres, auchoriug- spicules, of the " Glass-rope," showing its lami- nated structure, and a transverse section of same, showing mode of growth. The primary fibre is in- vested with the sarcodous material : this secretes a siliceous casing, which again becomes covered with sarcode, the process being indefinitely repeated ; X 400, Pig. 21. — Bi-clavatc, cylindrical, the shaft slightly curved, attenuated below ; the obtuse spiculate ends gradually increasing towards the somewhat turgid centre ; common in the coriaceous envelope (Polythoa); x 200, Pig. 22.— Attenuated rcctangulated hcxradiate spicule, common in all parts of the sponge ; x 200. Pig. 23. — Cylindro-cruciform, shafts smooth, the ends spiculate ; x 200. IIAIIDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. Fig. 24. — Cyliiidro-cruciform ; shafts densely spi- culate. Tig. 25— Spined, cylindrical, x 200 : 22, 23, 21, and 25 are found in abundance in the coriaceous sbeath (Polythoa), less plentifully in the inter- stices of fibrous axis, and very rare in the body of the sponge. Fig. 26.— Multi-hamate, bi-rotulate ; shaft cylin- drical, slight, papillate ; x GO. Fig. 22. showing stellate rig. 27.— Side view of ditto, arrangement of the hooks. Fig. 28. — Abnormal form of the above, x 100. Fig. 29. — Spiculated cruciform spiculum, as- sociated with the above in the body of the sponge, and the interstices of the fibrous axis ; x 200. Fig. 23. Fig. 30. — Simple, bi-hamate, acerate, having each end of the spiculum curved in the form of a hook ; X 400 ; very rare. Fig. 31. — Quadri-hamate ; common in the body of the sponge ; x 1,000. The above do not comprise all the forms of spicula to be found in this remarkable sponge. Professor Thomson has taken a great number of specimens, and his promised memoir on this genus is anxiously looked for. Fig. 1i. Since writing the above, I have had the oppor- tunity of examining a series of specimens belonging to the Rev. J. Crompton, of Norwich. Three of them were of considerable interest, as throwing light U-' Fig. 25. Fig. 26. upon the parasitic nature of the Polythoa. One of the specimens was almost entirely divested of the parasite, but near the top was a small piece of some frondose alga, attached, or rather entangled, round the Glass-rope by several tendril-like filaments. 38 llARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. The surface of the fragment is covered with the Polythoa, identically the same as that found invest- ing the " rope." The other two'spccimeiis are still Fig. 28. more remarkable : the Polythoa covers the rope, but beneath it may be seen in one specimen a piece of fine twine, and in the other a piece of blue paper or cloth. The twine and paper had evidently been wound round the rope in order to keep the filaments Fig. 29. Fig. 3\ Fig. 31. together, and the Polythoa (apparently atl ached to some riband-like alga about tiiree-quarlers of rai inch in width), wound round afterwards. This was probably done by some of the Japanese fishermen who dredged up the specimen.* "Among earth's 'things of loveliness' we recog- nize two as perfect and peerless : ia the Lake of Geneva, the Beautiful— a noble and exalted liar- mony; in the Lake of Lucerne, the Sublime." — " The Mountahiy from the French of Michelet. * Specimens of figs. 24 and 28 may be obtained from Mr. Chas. Baker, 2+4, Higli Holboni. THE POOD OP BEES. Tl'AYING only recently returned to England, ■*--•- after a residence of some years in Prance, and wisliing to make myself up to the mark in British Katural History, I have borrowed Science- Gossip for 1S70, in which I observe there is a controversy as to the food of bees in their separate journeys. Not being a bee-keeper, I cannot con- tribute any information on this point, but I think it may be interesting to the curious on the subject of the food of bees to learn that in Prance there are no greater pests to the fruit-garden, especially to the grapes, than the common honey-bees. They are not content with levying a very handsome tithe, but two successive years they devoured four-fifths of my crop, besides attacking all the best of my pears and apples. In short, they are much worse than the wasps, as these are not abundant and troublesome every year as the bees are. Now, as under the Prench paternal government bees are not allowed to be kept in towns for fear of their stings, it seemed to me to be hard lines for us townspeople to be obliged to keep bees for the peasants without any safeguard for our fingers from these poaching insects ; raid therefore, tiiinkiug that paternal government did not go quite far enough in this matter, I ventured to propose at one of the m-eetings of the Linusean Socdety of Nor- mandy, at Caen, that we should petition the proper minister for a decree that every bee-master should be obliged to have a flower-garden for his bees, it being the fact that, as a rule, no flowers are growu except in or near towns — not any in the villages — and that the bees, having no food after the seed- clover is cut, flock to the towns to feed upon the grapes and other fruits then ripening. My proposition, as you may suppose, only created a general smile at my greenness in supposing that a body like the Linnaan Society of Normandy, high as it stands in science, could have the slightest influence with an Imperial minister. While upon the subject of Prench societies, I may mention that, having lost my crop of potatoes by the cockchafer grub, and knowing that the paternal government had offered rewards for the best mode of preventing their ravages, I proposed, in another society of which I was a member, that a committee should bo formed to consider the subject. This was done in the montli of November, and a report was made in July of the sccor:d year following, when I had again lost my crop each season, the main recommendation of the report being that during the season of the perfect insects tliey should be caught and thrown into boiling water I Advice very similar in kind to the celebrated method of destroying fleas ; only tliis was in the dry, while the former was in the wet form.* * It isafactthat maiiy Frenclivillagersliave never seen boil- ing water, t'.eir only vessel being the sonp-kettle; and if you want an aiif a la cuque it is simine.-cd, not boiled, iu tlie souii. HARDWICKE'S SCIEN CE-G OSSIP. 39 Another word, to conclude the subject of cock- chafers. M. le Marchant, a pharmacieu at Caen, has made many experiments on the tenacity of life in the Cockchafer when apparently drowned, and he has found that after complete immersion for a considerable period, till decomposition has begun, if taken out of the water and exposed to light and air, they have still shown signs of life. T. Ogin Wakd, M.D., Oxon. CLEANING SKELETONS. HAVING read Mr. A. C. Haddon's receipt for cleaning skeletons in Science-Gossip, p. 23, I write to state why I consider it a metliod which no true osteologist would ever think of using. Lime ruins bones for scientific purposes. It tones down all the sharp edges, modifies the pro- tuberances, and makes undefined tliose peculiarities v/hich, though minute, are nevertheless of the utmost importance in comparing one skeleton with another. Though Mr. Haddon is so far right in saying that lime will bleach the bones, I am also convinced that when they are bleached in the sun, they not only remain uninjured, but also gain a far richer acd purer colour. I have dug up bones that have lain for some time buried in the ground, when they have been at first of an unsightly brown or even deep black hue ; but by exposing them for a time in the air, on a stone terrace facing the south, most of them have been brought to a pitch of almost ivory whiteness. Mr. Haddon also remarks that lime preserves the ligaments. I am not clear how far this is an advantage. Eor purposes of study, the bones should not be all connected, as it precludes the proper examination of the articulations. I have generally found it preferable to have the skull and all the limbs disconnected from the trunk, and the component bones of the limbs of one side all separated from each other. If it should be desired to preserve the whole skeleton intact, it is almost as easy, with a little care and attention, to do so with great perfection, either by letting the flesh quietly rot off, or by the maceration in water and blood ; for the flesh will of course decay before the harder and tough ligaments. Maceration is best if expedition is required, since it will prepare an ordiuaiy-sized specimen in about a fortnight, if most of the flesh is first removed. When time is no object, the process of simple decomposition is the least trouble. A small pit should be excavated, provided with rough shelves, roofed in, with steps leading down to it, and protected from the intrusion of animals. On these shelves the specimens may quietly be left to rot, if they are looked at from time to time. What odour there is, rises but little above the surface of the ground, and is rapidly blown away. In the summer the maggots increase to such an extent, that a specimen is sucked clean with im- mense rapidity, and at all seasons the work is much assisted by divers predacious insects. I liave many bones prepared in this way,, in as beautiful a con- dition as 0!ie could wish to see, and with this additional satisfaction, that every groove and every prominence is as clear and sharp as it ever was in the living animal. I am well aware how freely dealers use lime in preparing their bones for sale, and I have often had [cause to lament that bones which I have purchased should have had their real beauty .taken away and much of their value de- stroyed, through the ignorance of the person who prepared them. A very weak solution of lime is sometimes necessary to dry those bones in which there is an unusual quantity of oil. This is the only case in which it can be recommended. Sup- posing all the bones of a small specimen should chance to be entirely separated, as you clean each, bone lay it aside in its proper relative position. They then can all be fastened on to a slab of wood, by pins stuck on each side of them and wedging them tight. The vertebrae should be threaded on a fine stick. This method takes care and time, but the result is very satisfactory. Whatever bone chances to be required, can be set free in an instant by the removal of two or three pins, and it can be as readily replaced. Edwakd Eentoue Elvitin. . Booton, Norwich. LAW TO PROTECT CURIOUS ANIMALS. WILL you pennit me to say that if in my earnestness to protect some of our useful, curious, or ornamental little creatures from being exterminated, I may have hurt the feelings of any of your correspondents, I much regret it ? I like also.to set myself right on another point. As these creatures are mostly designated " vermin " by pre- servers of game, I may be suspected of being un- friendly to protective laws ; on the contrary, I be- lieve if the Legislature, yielding to a pressure from those who have no game to preserve, were to lessen that protection, it would be a mistake ; I would rather see it extended to those occasionel visitors who every now and then endeavour to re-establish themselves in these islands'; viz.. Bustards, Sand- Grouse, Hoopoes, Waxen Chatterers, and such-like, which are instantly shot down by so-called natu- ralists, either for the sale of their stuffed skins or to gratify a morbid ambition. Many of our creatures are nearly gone, — the Chough, the Badger, the Dabchick, the Hooting or brown Owl. The destructiveness, if any, of tliis latter creature is much overrated. I have had them perfectly tame, going where they would to seek their food, and returning to my shelter, and I do not 40 HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE- GOSSIP. recollect seeing anything like feathers in their pel- lets, but only beetles' wings and other insect re" mains. Even in the colonies, if the curious and very helpless creatures could be made a sort of royal game, it would be very desirable. It is much to be feared that in very few years' time the Platypus, the Apterix, and other marvels of those lands, will fol- low the fate of the Great A uk, the Dodo, the Dinor- nis, and the Moa. It is a question how far man has a right to exterminate every or any race of God's creatures that may be supposed to lessen the in- crease of another. Geouge Cox. BOTANY. Poisoning Dkied Plants. — It is commonly recommended to wash specimens for the herbarium with a solution of corrosive sublimate. Is this really necessary ? I have never used any poisoning process at all ; and though I have many specimens in my herbarium which have been there for thirty years, I have never been troubled with either mould or insects. My plants have not been particularly well cared for : during one period of ten years they were pretty much their own guardians. Neither camphor nor any other perfume has protected them ; they have accompanied me in half a dozen changes of residence, yet they remain safe and whole, and show no signs of ruin. The only circumstance which I know of in their favour is, that they have been kept in closed boxes — not air-tight, however. Now if my plants have been kept so well under such conditions, without poisoning, where is the necessity for that troublesome and rather dangerous process ? Will some of your correspondents tell us their experience in the matter ? — F. T. Moil, Leicester. ZOOLOGY. Death's-head Hawk-moth.— Superstition has been particularly active in suggesting causes of alarm from the insect world ; and where man should have seen only beauty and wisdom, he has often found terror and dismay. The yellow and brown- tail moths, the death-watch, and many others, have all been the subjects of his fears. Butthe dread excited in England by the appearance, noises, or increase of insects are petty apprehensions when compared with the horror that the presence of the Acherontia occasions to some of the more super- stitious natives of Northern Europe. A letter is now before me from a correspondent in German Poland, where this insect is a common crea- ture, and so abounded in 1829 that my informant collected fifty of them in the potato-fields of his village, where they call them the " Deatli's- hcad Phantom," the "Wandering Death-bird," &c. The markings on its back represent to their fertile imaginations the head of a perfect skeleton. with the limb bones crossed beneath. Its cry becomes the voice of anguish, the moaning of a child, the signal of grief. It is regarded not as the creation of a benevolent Peing, but the device of evil spirits, enemies to man, con- ceived and fabricated in the dark; and the very shining of its eyes is thought to represent the fiery element whence it is supposed to have proceeded . Plying into their apartments in the evening, it at times extinguishes the light, foretelling war, pes- tilence, hunger, "death, to man and beast. — Journal of a Naturalist. Dk. Knaggs describes, in the Entomologist's Monthly Magazine for January, a species of Noctua {Agrotls helvetina) new to Britain. Several specimens were captured in the middle of November last, near Derby. This is a rare species abroad, but has been known to occur in Germany, Prance, Switzerland, &c. The larva is unknown. New Species of Rail. — The President of the Zoological Society describes a new species of Rail, to which he has given the name of Porzana bicolor, in the January number of the Magazine of Natural History. Its colour is chiefly grey, especially on the lower parts of the body, the upper being ferruginous-olive and dark slate-colour. It was shot at Rungbee, Darjeeling. Blind Animals of the Kentucky Mammoth Cave. — In the American Naturalist for December last, there is given a lengthy and interesting descrip- tion of the various creatures found living within this famous cavern. The fishes, all of which are blind, will be described in a future number. One beetle {Anopthalmus) was totally blind, and in another {Adelops) there were only pale spots, or rudimentary eyes. A wingless grasshopper (Rhaphidophord) was fou)id jumping about with great alacrity. A species of Campodea was also discovered hiding under stones in damp places, and this too was eyeless. A small spider, white and very small, was in the same condition. The " Harvestmen " were represented by a species {Acanthocheir armatd), also white, and equally blind. A myriapod was found having rudimentary eyes. Most interesting, however, are the blind crawfish {Camharus j)ellucidus'), in which the eyes are rudimentary in the adults, but much larger in the young. The writers think that tliis is an evidence that the inheritance of the blind con- dition is probably due to causes first acting on the adults and transmitted to the young, ending iu the production of offspring that becomes blind through habit. The strangest of those eyeless creatures mentioned, is, perhaps, an isopod {Ccecidota) , inas- much as it is nearly allied to species in the Austrian caves, which are in a similar condition. The Liver. — In reply to " Inquirer," in your January number, I beg to say that the sketch here- HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 41 with, from a'copy of a seal of tl:e borough of Liver- pool, of , early .date (circ. 1350), appears to supply the'information requested. The device is the Eagle of St. John, the label.held in its foot being inscribed with the name Iohes. , In the beak is a conven- tional leaf or flower, which T believe is copied as a seaweed in the recent rendering of the bird. If the original is^uot much_like a living bird, it will still MICROSCOPY. Tjest Scales. — In answer to your correspondent " S. L. B." I can assure him that the " test scale " to which he refers is obtained from Lepidocyrtus, and from an insect, eutomologically speaking, exactly coinciding with L. curvicollis. I can also assure him that no amount of age will develop the " test Fig. 32. Ancient Seal of the Borough of Liverpool (circa 135C). be found to retain so intermediate a position' be- tween the natural and heraldic forms as to require but'a very small stretch of imagination on the part of " Inquirer " to trace the descent. 1 am aware that to account for the name of the town an imagi- nary bird, the Liver, has been suggested, and the Cormorant and Ibis have been severally assumed to be the prototype of the Liver. But the Cormo- rant is too common a bird to have attracted atten- tion there; and the occurrence of the Ibis cannot, I fear, be proved to have been observed in either Lancashire or Cheshire. — T. G. Bayfield. The Liver (p. 22).— The bird figured in the armorial bearings of the town of Liverpool, accord- ing to Burke, is a cormorant, holding " in his beak a sprig of laver, vert." The word " laver " is a common synonym for " ze^-wrack" but most gene- rally applied to the " Porphyra," a genus of seaweed sometimes prepared as a condiment ; but the green laver (vert) is Ulva latissima, a species of algce with very large fronds. I have no doubt that this (aver, taken with reference to the "Porphyra," has ori- ginated the idea of a /?fer-coloured bird, that finds such favour with certain etymologists ; but it is hardly fair to argue seriously about heraldic animals. The cockatrice, the dragon, and the wyvern have long since been consigned to the regions of fable ; and the real royal Li-Ver, whether we may suppose it should resemble a cormorant, a crane, or a heron, is equally fanciful.— Jf. Hall. scale " upon the ordinary L. cnrvicoUis. The habi- tats of the two insects are different ; I have found both, and last autumn mounted a large num- ber of "test scales," any of which will, I doubt not, convince "S. L. B." that they are not of the ordinary YmA.— Joseph Beck. Eecent Fokmation of Flint.- In a sounding made by Capt. J. Perry, of Liverpool, at Porto Seguro, Brazil, mixed with some rare and curious diatomaceous forms, may be found several species of Poraminif'era and Entomostraca. The addition of nitric acid for the purpose of cleaning and preparing this material for mounting has brought to light the very interesting fact, that many of the chambers of the shells of the Foraminifera, and, in some cases, the carapaces of Entomostraca, were filled with silex, bearing considerable resemblance to or- dinary flint. The recent siliceous casts of Fora- minifera hitherto detected have all been of a dark green colour, resembling the foraminiferous casts found in the greensand. Tlie forms found in the Porto Seguro material were Orbitolites, Miliola, and Rotalina.— i^. K. Eels in Paste.— In the absence of other forms of microscopic life during the chill, dark days of winter, the young microscopist will find both in- struction and amusement in studying the develop- ment of the so-called "paste-eds" ; and the fol- lowing hints as to the method of obtaining them 4-2 HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. may therefore be of service. The paste must con- sist of flour and water only. The pastes sold in sliops usually contain resin — tliis is fatal to the production of the "eels." The paste should be made thick, and boiled ; when cold it should be well stirred and beaten with a wooden spoon, and this process must be repealed daily to prevent the growth of mould ; it is necessary, however, to examine a portion, to ascertain if it contains eels. In warm weather a few da.vs will generally produce a plentiful supply ; in cold M^ather a longer time is necessary. If the paste is too thin, they will creep up the sides of the vessel, and it will be necessary to place them on some thicker paste. The young eels exhibit very faint traces of internal structure, but as they increase in size the mouth and alimen- tary canal may easily be seen ; and in the mature forms the embryo young may be detected coiled up within. The only preparation necessary for ob- serving these forms is to place a little of the paste in a little clean water, either in the live-box or on an ordinary glass slip, and cover it with a piece of thin ghiss. These animalcules may be kept for years if a little fresh paste is occasionally added, — 'f.k. The Maeki.vgs on the Battledoue Scales of PoLYOMMATus Alexis. — In a paper read before the Koyal Microscopic Society, Dae. G, 1S71, by Dr. J. Antlion}^, the author states he had long felt assured that the ordinary coarse representations of the battledore scales were most imperfect and erro- neous, and he had therefore proceeded to examine, under various conditions, of and with the best optical appliances. His observations extended over scleral months, aad after the elimination of all pro- bable sources of error, lie has satisfied himself that the remarkable structures exliibited by these scales were not in accordance with the usual representa- tions of them. The objectives used were an eighth and twelfth ; with these powers, and light free from all obliquity, he observed the dots on tlie ribs of the scale bore considerable resemblance to the glands on Anagallis [as represented in tlie author's figures, they bear no inconsiderable resemblance to dumb- bells]. As the columns arc perpendicular to the plane of the scale, the head column and base arc in the same axial direction, and it is therefore neces- sary to find a scale slightly Jilted up or doubled over to detect the true nature of the dots. Tlie author's observations are illustrated by two whole-page plates of figures. — ILordhly Microscopical Journal, January, 1872. Pleukosigiia. — At the November meeting of the East Kent Natural History Society, Col. Horsly continued his experiments on the effects of diiFerent modes of illumination, especially as regards the appearance of the lines or markings on the valves of Vleuros'ujma angulatiim, P. quadratum, and P. Hip- pocampus, usiug a }-inch objective and transmitted light. The results were so remarkable as to throw doubts on the taxonomic value of the current description of tlie direction of those markings. Thus in the two former species the markings appeared either transverse or oblique, according to the direc- tion of the light (or rather according to the position of valve). In P. Hippocampus the lines always appeared longitudinal and transverse. This appa- rently optical deception admits of a very simple explanation — those forms with oblique striation, the second row of dots mocking the first ; thus. If a valve is nearly at right angles to the illuminating pencil, the lines appear oblique ; if in the same direction as the ray, they appear trans- verse. P. Hippocampus, and all forms described as having longitudinal and transverse strias, have the dots arranged in this manner, ; and, ol; course, the strise, from whatever direction they receive the illuminating ray, can never appear oblique. The ease with which the transverse or longitudinal lines are resolved depends upon the closeness of the dots ; if they are closer in a trans- verse direction, the longitudinal strife are more easily seen ; if in a longitudinal direction, then the transverse striae are more easily seen. — P. K. "There is a special provision made by Nature for the Mangrove. The seed drops at the proper season, and is in danger of being carried away by the stream from the muddy bank on which alone it could grow ; but it is possessed of a small rootlet, by which it can attach itself at once to the swampy ground, and remain there at security. These root- lets are put forth, and the stem gradually rises up from the midst, and another mangrove is added to the great belt of trees that lines the bank." — "Beautiful Birds in Far- ojf Lands." "In the sunny regions of the tropics, Nature seems to preserve her freshness and beauty without interruption. There are no chilling winds or nip- ping frosis to scatter the foliage of the forest. As one leaf witliers another takes its place, so that the green canopy is always full and compact. There is neither autumn nor winter, but peiiDctual summer reigns." — ^' Beautiful Birds in Far-off Lands." "It becomes possible for us to determine, through comparison with those animals with whicJi we are already acquainted, the homes or abodes of species yet unknown to us, or, by means of an exact know- ledge of its locality, to determine in prospective the form and colour of a species."— ".ffzVc? Life" by Dr. Brchm. HAflDWlCKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 43 GEOLOGY. Cretaceous Reptiles. — In the American Natu- ralist for December, Professor Cope gives a vivid dcscriptiou of a geological expedition to Kansas, to explore the cretaceous strata. The account of nearlj' entire skeletons of extinct reptiles met with is most intei'esiing. Among theiu were brouglit to light — the bones of pterodactyle, two species of Clidastesi a diuosaurian, a crocodile, aud various species of fish ; all new to science. One veiy large fish is described, furnished with a powerful dentition; which has been named Fortlieus molossus. This seems to have been very abundant in that part of the cretaceous sea, and to have been as much the dread of its contemporaries as the smaller saurians. One singular reptile was discovered, having affinities to the Turtle family. If such was the case, thg remains indicate a total expanse of twenty feet. This animal has been named Protodega gigas. A large Clidastes was also discovered, whose skeleton was forty feet in length. Some of the reptiles mentioned, such as Lnodon dyspeJor, a new species, are said to exceed in length the dimensions of any known reptile. New Species o? Fossil CopvAL.— Mr. Vicary, of Exeter, has just described a new species of fossil coral, allied to ilertiliiia, in the upper greensand which caps the new red sandstone about five miles to the south-west of Exeter. Ho regards this as probably supplying a link between past and present forms of corals. Tkilobiies. — Professor Van Eeneden has re- cently read a paper on the systematic position of the King Crabs and Trilobites, in which he says that the analogy between the LiiuuU and the Trilobites, and the affinity which connects these two groups, cannot be doubted by any one who has studied the embryonic development of the former. He states that tlie Trilobites must be separated from the Crus- tacea, and form, with the Scorpions and other Arachiida, a distinct branch, the origin of which has still to be ascertained. There can now be little doubt that the Trilobites had articulated legs, like those of the Limuii. Origin of Ameer. — Professor Zuddach shows that the trees which yielded the amber must have grown upon tlie greensand beds of the Cretaceous period, flourishing luxuriantly on the marshy coast wliicb then surrounded the great continent of Northern Europe. Probably the temperature was then much higher than it is now; and this even at that epoch extended to the now frost-bound Arctic regions, a fact which has been proved by the remark- able plant-remains of temperate climes which have been recently discovered there. The amber flora of the Baltic ai-ea under review contains northern forms associated with plants of more temperate zones; and thus cainphor-trees {Ciniiardonmm) occur Mitii willows, birches, beech, and numerous oaks. A species of Thuya, very similar to the American Tliuiia occideiitalis, is the most abundant tree amongst the conifers ; next in abundance Widdrmg- lonia, a great variety of pines and firs, including the amber pine : thousands of these, it is supposed by the professor, might have perished, and while the wood decayed, the resin with which the stem and branches were loaded might have been accumulated in large quantities, in bogs and lakes, in the soil of the forest. If the coast at that time was gradually sinking, the sea would cover the land, and in due course carry away the amber and masses of vegeta- ble detritus into the ocean, where it was deposited amidst the marine animals which inhabit it. But in higher districts the amber pines would still flourish, aud so amber still continue to be washed into the sea, and deposited in the later formed greensand, aud still later overlying formation of the " brown coal." The OraGijf oe Plants.— Messrs. Hall &Daua have recently shown that during the earlier part of the Upper Silui'iau period North America was covered by a great internal ocean. At the begin- ning of the Devonian period a slow and gradual emergence commenced, and eventually the dry land was covered with a peculiar and abundant flora. One genus of plants, Psilophyton, is common to Germany, England, and North America. The com- parison of fossil plants of the Devonian rocks of Europe aud Canada is very difficult, on accourit of their having so limited an area in the former con- tinent. The above authors believe that acrogenous plants alli;'d to the Club-mosses, and perhaps such simple forms as Eophjton, extended back to the Primordial period, and that we may look for the actual origin of land-vegetation in the Laurentian epoch. ' The plants of the Lower and Middle Devonian are supposed to have*, the aspect of the remains of a decaying flora verging on extinction ; whilst in the Upper beds there appear a great number of forms which afterwards were domi- nant. A CORRESPONDENT iu the Standard has given an account of a fine specimen of ichthyosaurus recently found at Charmouth, Dorset. Its length was six feet, the orbits of the eyes being seven inches in diameter. Within the pelvic cavities of this indivi- dual were tlie fossil skeletons of four young ichthyo- sauri. This circumstance of the female ichthyosau- rus being found fossilized with the fcetus in situ is not new, and from it is deduced the conclusion that they were viviparous. 44 HARUWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. NOTES AND aUERIES. White Ants. — A friend of mine has his house infested by small white ants. Can any of your readers inform me how they can be got rid of? — P. W. Rogers. Whitebait. — A good suggestion has been made by Mr. J. K. Lord, in Land and Water, to the effect that an experiment should be made in the Crystal Palace Aquaria whether all the fish called " white- bait " grow up into herrings, sprats, shods, gobies, smelts, &c. Eauthtvoems.— In last month's Science-Gossip, your correspondent E. P. P. wishes to know of more authorities on the subject of worms. I find that an anonymous writer in a series of papers in a magazine of some few years back, gives the follow- ing account of the comm.on earthworm. (He is talk- ing about a man being pained by cutting the worms in pieces with his spade.) "If some theories once current had been correct, this severing the body should have caused only the multiplication of the individual ; for it was believed that each part con- tained vitality, and became a perfect animal. The progress of knowledge dissipated this idea, and esta- blished the belief, that if an earthworm be cut in two, only the piece which bore the head would be found alive after the lapse of a few hours; that on this segment a new tail would be gradually formed, and all appearance of injury, in time, effaced. It Avas also asserted, that 'if the division be made near the head, the body will remain alive, and will renew the head, and the head, with its few attached segments will die.' " The statement that the head will be thus renewed, has, however, been recently called in question in A Report on the Structure, Habits, and Classification of the British Annelidce, by Dr. T. Williams. In this valuable communica- tion it is stated, that "the views w^hich commonly prevail with reference to the regenerative powers of these animals are greatly exaggerated, if not altogether incorrect. A true head is never repro- duced. If a worm of any species, the Naisfiliforniis, for example, upon which the principal of my obser- vations have been instituted, be cut into two parts, the anterior never reconstructs a true tail; nor does the posterior ever re-organjze a true head; but both fragments will live for a considerable time, and the anterior extremity of the posterior fragment will suck in nourishment, swell in size, and become more vascular, while it preserves the distinctive orgauization of one of the middle rings of the body. It never re-forms a true head." — //. A. A. Alauda akboeea. — How is it possible to de- scribe this delightful bird, the Tree Pipit? The months of song are IMay and June ; and if it be true that the Cuckoo at this time sings night and day, it is also certainly true that the Tree Pipit quite makes up by day for the short rest it takes by night. Por the complete enjoyment of this bird's music, I will suppose the reader in a hay field, rcdo- .lent with sweet clover and grasses, and the many hundred odours of early summer. I would then draw his attention to a little bird on the top of the nearest tree, repeating three or four times in suc- cession notes so like tliose of the canary, that it would be quite excusable to mistake tiiem. He will then notice the producer of those sounds shoot suddenly upwards, like a sky-rocket, to the height of a hundred feet or more, flutter its wings like a wind-hovering kestrel, and so descend gently to the top of another adjacent tree, uttering all the while the softest cadence of half-notes it is possible to imagine. After a short rest, there will be a repeti- tion of the canary song, another successful ascent, another quivering descent towards the top of the first or some other tree hard by, ever warbling in the most evident and wildest enjoyment its deli- cious diminuendo cadence from the top of its flight to the moment when it seizes the topmost twig of the selected tree. Colonel Montagu says this bird is rare in Cornwall, and Mr. Morris makes the same remark, but both are evidently in error ; for in May and June, in this neighbourhood, no other bird of passage is so common, and certainly no other to be compared to it for general interest. How long it stays here I cannot tell, for it ceases singing the end of June or beginning of July, and then I am unable to distinguish it from the titlarks. Evidently Alauda arborea is a much more appropriate name for it than Alauda trimalis, as it frequents woody and rich districts, and not crossways and downs, like skylarks and titlarks. I hope every reader of these remarks, who is not already familiar with this bird, will make it a point of becoming so next hay- season; the song and flight are so peculiar, that it will be impossible to mistake it for any other. — Joseph Brew, Nansladron, ViTRiNA pellucida. — Can this species with- draw itself completely into its shell ? Our most recent manual —Tate's "Land and Presh-water Mollusks " — adopts the negative side, but without giving any fact or authorities. Having consi- derable doubts on the matter, I consulted such works as I possess or have access to, and the fol- lowing is the result. Our standard authority- Mr. Jeffreys, in his "British Conchology "—writes, "the whole of the body can be withdrawn into the shell." MacGillivray, a careful and accurate ob- server, in his " MoUusca of Aberdeenshire," says, " when young, very active, and incapable of with- drawing entirely within the shell ; but when full- grown, as I have observed, it can withdraw itself completely." In Reeves's "British Land and Presh- water Mollusks," the author offers no opinion, but adduces M. Moquin-Tandon in the affirmative ; and Mr. Berkeley, " who has observed this moUusk with great attention, and published its anatomy in the "Zoological Journal," in the negative. We have thus— Jefi'reys, MacGillivray, and Moquin-Tandon, who consider that it can withdraw completely into its shell, and Tate and Berkeley, who say that it cannot ; the balance being decidedly on the affirma- tive side. With the light of MacGillivray's obser- vations before us, may not Messrs. Tate and Berkeley have drawn their conclusions from imma- ture specimens ? I oiler this as a possible solution only. I will conclude with a note of a fact that came under my own notice. Jn one of my coucho- logical rambles in November, 1871, 1 met with half a dozen very fine V. pellucida, which I put into a chip box. On my return home the box was placed on a sideboard in a room in which was a fire. Opening the box a few hours later, I found each animal iiad withdrawn into its shell, leaving the latter adhering to the side of the box by a slight film of mucus round the edge, as is the invariable habit of the genus Helix and others under such circumstances. But though able to retract com- pletely into its shell, it cannot, seemingly, do so to the same extreme extent as the generality of the univalved mollusks, and leave a considerable space HAEDWICKE'5 SCI EN C E-GOSSIP. 45 within the aperture between it and the animal. I have never met with this species in a hybernated state, nor heard of any instance. I do not think that it hybernates at all ; its hardy nature renders such a resource unnecessary. But I am inclined to think that it sestivates in extremely hot and dry weather, though I cannot remeniber having met with it in that state naturally. Perhaps some of the readers of Science-Gossip can throw a little light on tiiis part of its economy.— i^. G.Binnie, Herlaugh Lodge, Tadcaster. Mice in Traps. — Your correspondent " Pliilo- mys," in last month's number of Science^Gossip, notices the fact of mice dying whilst uninjured in live- traps. That this occasionally, but not gene- rally, happens, must be known to most persons who have employed live-traps for the capture of these vermin ; but it does not appear to me, from actual observation, that the little creature " seems to resign itself to its fate, and at once die." On the contrary, 1 have always found the dead mouse to be bathed in perspiration, giving out a most unpleasant odour ; and I infer that death is the result of the fearful but vain struggle to escape from the prison-house, and is most probably caused by the rupture of some internal organ. The sufferings of mice in the grasp of a cat are possibly not so severe as we should naturally imagine, for in Livingstone's " Missionary Travels in South A.frica,"p. 12, the doctpr describes his own sensations when caught by a lion. " The shock produced a stupor, similar to that which seems to be felt by a mouse after the first shake of the cat. It caused a sort of dreaminess, in which there was no sense of pain nor feeling of terror, though quite conscious of all that was happening. The shake annihilated fear, and allowed no sense of horror in looking round at the beast. This peculiar state is probably produced in all animals killed by caruivora, and, if so, is a merciful provision by our benevolent Creator for lessening the pain of death." — JF. B. T., Scarborough, White Varieties. — In your last, Mr. Blow speaks of the Cichorhcm Intybus, with white flowers, as an uncommon plant. 1 may state that previous to so much building round the_ town of Epsom, it was not unfrequently met with in the Parade Fields. About three years ago, I found at Half-mile Bush (Epsom) the Solanum Dulcamara, withwhite flowers ana yellow berries. I went after it this last season, and although I found, in the same locality, plants with purple flowers and red berries, I could not see a vestige of the white variety I have alluded to,_ and would suggest whether plants may not sport from coloured to white, and, under favourable circum- stances, return to their pristine condition. — }V, T. Iliff, Upsom. Ebgotized Grass. — When I sent to Science- Gossip the notice of the ergotized Alopecurus agrestis the weather was fine and open, and I never dreamt of all the frost which has followed. This frost, 1 am bound to say, scattered all the ergot in a few hours, having left the affected culms per- fectly bare of ergot and seed ; and of course the cold has not let any fresh ergot become developed. These facts I was first led to suspect on noticing that the crops of a brace of partridges shot in the field were literally stuffed with the ripened seeds and ergot from the grass; and upon going to look for it in the field, I was vexed at finding it all destroyed. I mention this that jou may kindly, in your next number, intimate to my numerous correspondents the cause that I have not responded to their request for specimens. I sent you all that 1 had gathered before the frost came, and will, if possible, satisfy my friends either with the ergot or something of interest, as I should be sorry to appropriate their stamped envelopes. — Jas. Biiikman. SiiiiEw-MousE. — In Staffordshire, this much-per- secuted little animal is called the Nursrow. Bailey's Dictionary gives another odd name, viz. Shrove- mousc, and defines a shrew-mouse as " a field-mouse of the bigness of a rat, and colour of a weasel, very mischievous to cattle, which going over a beast's back will make it lame in the chine; and its bite causes the beast to swell to the heart and die." Bailey derives shrew-mouse from the Danish skoumusz; but, as applied to a scolding woman, derives shrew from the Teutonic scheyren (modern German, schi-eien), to make a bawling. Webster gives as the derivation of shrew, used in either sense, the Saxon word screawa. Which is correct ? —G. H. H. A Hare Eish. — In a recent number oi Land and Water there was a note on the capture of a rare fish off the Northumberland coast — t!ie Long Flounder {Platessa elongata). Only four or five specimens of this fish are on record. It is still more singular to find it ranging so far north as Northumberland. The specimen has been placed in the Newcastle Museum. Stag-beetle.— Has "A. E." fSciENCE-GossiP, p. 283, vol. vii.) ever been bitten oy a stag-beetle ? His observations would imply as much without actually asserting it. They were numerous where I formerly lived, and I have often tried to get them to bite a stick, but never succeeded in doing so ; indeed, the insects always appeared remarkably inoffensive, and, so to speak, tame. Notwithstanding the for- midable appearance of the masculine mandibles, their length would rather tell against their power ; and I should certainly feel more shy of a nip from the less imposing, but I suspect more effective, jaws of the female. — Q. Gmjon, Fentnor. Processionary Moths (pp. 106 and 184, vol. vii.). —In the first of these articles we are told, after naming the three species of the so-called " Proces- sionary Moths," that " neither of the species is found in England ;" and in the latter, that the larva3 have made their appearance in a garden in Dorset " for the last dozen or fourteen years." It is well known to those who have paid attention to insects, that the species in question are none of thern British. Are we to understand by the communication of our fair friend that these species of caterpillars were introduced, and are now thriving in her garden? 1 su'^pect the caterpillars of the Lackey-moth {B. Neustria), and not the Processionary Moth, are those observed in Dorset. It is a well-known fact, that several species of caterpillars found in England possess an urticating nature from the spines adorn- ing their bodies ; amongst which those of A. Caja, L. auriflua, B. trifoUi, and many others, are lamiliar examples to those who are in the habit of rearing them. — G. B. C., Bingicood. Talking Bullfinch.— A male bullfinch, in the possession of Mrs. Cooke, Old Catton, Norwich, cin speak three separate sentences,— "Come along,' " Look here," Pretty, pretty, pretty dear, the first very distinctly.— //^. B. 40 HARDWICKE'S SCIEN CE - GO S SIP. Eix& Ousel. — It is not a very iiiicommon oc- currence to see the Ring Ousel in Dorset and Wilts duriu? the autumn months. Tliese birds visit the mountainous districts of this country in the sprinj? of the year, travelling southvk^ard as the autumn approaches. About six years ago, a gentleman caught one of these ring ousels, near Cerne Abbas. If I remember rightly, it was towards the end of November, during very inclement weatlier. The bird was a very beautiful specimen of the male Tardus torquatns, and was in my mother's posses- sion for sometime. We christened him Charlie, after the donor, and he became one of our best-loved household pets. In a very few weeks Charlie lost all his natural shyness, and became charmingly at- tractive. He would come to the side of his cage and utter a peculiarly clear strong note, almost like the song-note of a thrush, and beg to have his head rubbed. He would peck crumbs out of rny mother's hand in the most delicate gentleman-like manner imaginable. We fed him like our other birds, on mixed seeds, home-made German paste, &c., and he appeared well and happy. His end was most un- timely and sad. A neighbour's cat, having a pencliant for birds, attacked the cage one day, ;md succeeded in putting an _ end to poor Charlie's existence, as well as killing two canaries, who shared his home, and were great friends of the ring ousel. — Barbara Wallace Fyfe, Nottingliam. BoMBTX QuEECTJS. — I have personally ex- perienced the urticating property of the hairs of B. Quercics, noticed by your correspondent in last month's Science-Gossip. I opened some cocoons of this species, and both my brother and I got the hairs from the cast skin of the caterpillar into our hands and faces, causing considerable irritation. I have been told that it is only the hai'.s of the female larvae that are irritatiug, but I don't think so. 1 had often previously handled the caterpillars without getting the hairs into my skin. — Harry Leslie. Birth and Death op a Hippopotamus. — An interesting event took place at the Zoological Gardens on the 9i h of January. A baby hippopota- mus was born, and great endeavours were made to keep it alive, but in vain. The little animal was unable to suck, and after three days it died from lack of nourishment. Some difficulty was experi- enced in getting the baby away from its mother, and when it had been safely placed in the hands of its foster-parent, Mr. Bartlett, tlie indefatigable curator, managed to get about a pint and a half of milk down its throat. It was too far gone, how- ever, to rally, and died almost immediately. The young hippopotamus could swim as well as its mother. Geophilus electkicus.— The following notes on an electric centipede, which I kept in captivity for some days a few years ago, may prove interest- ing to your correspondent Mr. Henderson : — " Oc- tober 13th, 18G9. A fiiend brought me an electric centipede {GeopJiilns cledricus) this evening. He found it on Primrose Hill. I laid it on some damp earth in a small glass jar. When I breathed on it, it writhed about and became luminous. The lumi- nosity had sometimes a greenish, sometimes a bluish tint. The green seemed to be con lined to the head and the blue to the body; but of this I am not sure, for the colours were usually so intermingled, and the diiFerence between the shades was so slight, that it was almost impossible to distinguish between them. The power of showing light appeared to be weakened by frequent exercise. After a time my breathing on the centipede only caused its head to become luminous, and at: length the luminosity en- tirely ceased. 14th. Tliis morning I took the cen- tipede into a dark closet, and breathed on it two or three times, but with no effect. In the evening my breathing on it had the same effect as it had last night. Pirst its whole body became luminous, after a time only its head was lighted up, and at length it showed no light at all. 15th. To-night it again showed it,s light, but not so brightly as heretofore. 16th. This evening also the centipede became lumi- nous, but not so brightly even as last night. I think the insect was injured in some way by the roughness of its captor. It appetirs to me to be dying. 20 th. I have not been able to make any observations dur- ing the last few days, and this morning 1 find the centipede is dead." These notes were not made from memory, but at the time, and may therefore be de- pended on. It will be seen that the insect lived in captivity exactly a week. It never showed any dis- position to crawl from the spot on which it lay when first put into the jar, and never moved, I think, except when breathed upon, or otherwise disturbed. This inertness I attribute to its having been injured when it was taken. — John Landels. A. ATROPOS, Pupa. — Your correspondent "E. L." may succeed in breeding perfect specimens oiA.atro- pos by placing the pupa in a hat-box containing damp moss, which should be kept moderately warm near a fire. Sphag^mm moss is the best for the purpose, and it should be prepared by baking it, to destroy any insects it may contain. Without sufiicient moisture the moth cannot break through the pupa- case. If not forced in this way, but allowed to remain in the pupa state during the winter, they seldom come to anything in the following year. — H. A. Auld. Daylight Aurora.— On Priday, January 5th, about four p.m., I observed a peculiar appearance of the sky in the N.E. It consisted of fine dark rays, or stripes, coming apparently from a centre not far belov.' the horizon. A friend of mine oliscrved a similar appearance on Saturday, the 6th, at the same hour. Have these phenomena any connection with " aurora by daylight," mentioned in your last num- ber ? — Julia Colsoji, Sicauage. The Unicorn.— I was much interested in Mr. Kittou's article on medieval science. These histo- rical reflections are useful as indicating the degree of real progress which has been made. If it is not outside your province, I should like to be informed if there is any connection between the unicorn, em- ployed as a supporter of the British arms, and that figured in Mi\ Kittou's paper from the seal of Mar- garet of Scotland ? The latter, it will be remem- bered, was given to illustrate the medieval tradition of how the fabulous animals were caught. — T. E. Malvern Naturalists' Club.— The Rev. W. Symonds, P.G.S., who has presided over this elub so admirably for eighteen years, has at length re- tired. The members have sliown their sense of Mr. Symonds' merit by presenting him, after a luncheon given for the purpose, with a splendid silver epcrgnc. To Mrs. Symonds, on the same oc- casion, was presented a capital portrait of her husband. T'he address from the members set forth IIARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 47 the -^reat obligations under which the club laboured to Mr. Symonds, for his able and long presidency. The presentation was made, on behalt ot the club, by Sir AVilliam Guise, Bart., President of the Cotteswold Naturalists' Club. Bony Excrescences in Skin of Tuiibot.— Can any of your readers inform me of the use of the bony excrescences in the skin of the common turbot f They are scattered at too Jjreat distauces tobeot any 'service as defences. These bodies are chieily confined to this and other species of fish all of winch I believe are what are commonly called tiat-tisli. —H.B. PAKTPaDGE's Plight.— The velocity of the Par- tridge's flight is curiously illustrated by an occur- rence recently communicated to me by a friend. A covey of partridges got up in a field and flew oil towards a road, along which ran the telegraph. One of the birds was observed to strike the wnes and fall after continuing its flight a short distance. On being picked up it was found that the wire had completely severed the head from the body. The bird was a fine cock partridge, and the spot where it had fallen was twenty-two yards distant Irom the telegraph. — 0. H. H. Singing Mice.— It appears to me, from personal observation, that the phenomenon of the so-cailed singing mouse must be referred to some other cause than that of happiness. Two cases have fallen under my notice. The first mouse was caught lu a live-trap, and soon drew attention to itself by the peculiar sounds it uttered. It is some years ago, but I re- member the huddled-up form which it assumed, and the apparent indifference to anytliing which it mani- fested. I forget whether it ate food in captivity. It lived but a short time, continuing the sound in the presence of a friend. The second mouse was noticed under a sofa, and when attempts were made to cap- ture it, it would merely run to the other end of the sofa, and, assuming the same luiddled-up form, con- tinue the sound. This was killed whilst being cap- tured; but both gave me the idea of their being diseased and wretched. I would rather refer the cause to disease of the respiratory organs,— in fact, call it a kind of wheezing. Something analogous to this occurs to an old lady of my acquaintance, who is liable to a peculiar affection of the bronchial tubes, which produces a constant twittering or chin-upin^, remiudiug one strongly and ludicrously of a bird. This is called by the lady herself "the little bird m her throat." There is also a resemblance between mice in this state and birds at certain seasons, which favours the theory of their being under the iufluence of the tender passion. A goldfinch, in particular, that was in my possession for several years would, at a certain time every year, puff up his body and ruffle the feathers, keeping up, at the same time, an incessant twittering, increasing the sounds vehe- mently on my approaching the cage. I have every reason to believe that rats utter the same sound, but in a lower key.— -ff. /. Bacon. AuBOREscENT SiLVER.— I have prepared many of these beautiful slides as described by "P. K.," SciENCE-GossiP, p. 17, but finding it very diSicult to remove the piece of copper wire without disturb- ing the crystals, I adopted the plan of using a long piece of thin copper or brass wire, and bent a portion into a T shape to rest on the table, or the coil itself did as well, the end of the wire being bent down to touch the slidii in the centre of the drop of nitrate of silver solution. When the feathery deposit of metallic silver was formed, the finger or n pencil passed under the wire would raise it without disturb- ing the crystals, it being simply a perpendicular lift. If the action is continued too long, a blue tinge will result from the formation of nitrate of copper. By . using different thickness of wire and strength of solution various effects are obtained.— G^. Giiyon, Ventnor. Oak Egga-R. — I believe the nrticating properties of the Oak Eggar [B. Qiiercils) larvre are more known than "E. H. S." thinks, for in the south of Devon it is a very common insect : the side hairs are those that are injurious. I have taken one of ihose crea- tures in my hand with a kid glove on, and the hairs so stuck into the glove that every tiaie I used it I had a fresh sting, and the irritation continued for several weeks. The larva; of the Pox (L. Riihi) has the same properties, only stronger ; even touching the cocoon of either larvte, which is composed partly of the hairs of the caterpillar, the fingers are stung. As to the effect only occurring on persons of delicate health that is not correct, but it may be more pain- ful on fine skin. If the insect is handled very ten- derly, there will not follow any iuconveiiieuce. — J.G. PoDTJRA Scales.— I have in my collection and now take especial care of it, a slide of test scales of the Podura, mounted by the late Mr. R. Beck. I re- member him telling me that he found the Podura in the rock-work in his mother's garden. He was, as is well known, a keen observer, and mightthus make discoveries which would escape the notice of some. After reading Mr. M,Iutyre's excellent article in Science-Gossip, I commenced a hunt for them, and in the cellar found a lead-coloured species, some few of wliich yielded a scale equal to Mr. Beck's. I must, however, say that I did not get one slide in twenty, nor one scale in five thousand, that was of any use. Perhaps it is this diificulty in meet- ing with well-marked scales which makes "L.L.B." doubt if they can be found. In Mr. Beck's slide I notice there are only two well-marked ones. Perhaps, as suggested, the age of the insect has something to do with it. At all events, they appear the exception, not the rule.— £". G., Matlock. A Bare Plant.— At page 168 of your vol. for 1S67 is a notice of that curious plant Bhyllactidiim pulchelbm, and as localities were asked lor, it may be worth while to state that it is very abundant in the neighbourhood of Chester. While examinmg recently some anacharis under a low pov/er, 1 observed the under surface of the leaves thickly dotted with it, in some cases forming a riband nearly the length of the leaf. Tlie anacharis was taken from an out-door tank supplied with water from the Dee. It has also been found in one or two ponds in this neighbourhood.— C. Mills. Initial Letters.— The following is the reply of the Secretary of the Post Office on this important subiect:-ru/e paragraph 200, page l^Bnlish Postal Guide. "Letters addressed to imtials at the Pcste llestante, or to a District or Branch Office, are returned to the writers " Ihis does not apply to receiving-houses, where the letter-receivers mav take in letters addressed to " ini lais it they consider that they would be lustihed m so doing. At Provincial Post Offices also, the postmasters may take in letters addressed to initials if they think proper. 48 HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. NOTICES TO CORHESPONDENTS. All communications relative to advertisements, post-office orders, and orders for the supply of this Jonmal, should be addressed to the Pltblishkii. AU contributions, books, and pamphlets for the Editor should be sent to 192, Piccadilly, London, W. To avoid disappointment, contri- butions should not be received later than the 15th of each month. No notice whatever ran be taken of communica- tions which do not contain the name and address of the writer,not necessarilv for publication, if desired to be with- held. We do not undertake to answer any queries not specially connected with Natural History, in accordance with our acceptance of that term ; nor can we answer queries which might be solved by the correspondent by an appeal to any elementary book on the subject. We are always prepared to accept queries of a critical nature, and to publish the replies, provided some of our readers, besides the querist, are likely to be interested in them. We do not undertake to return rejected manuscripts unless sufficient stamps are enclosed to cover the return postage Neither can we promise to refer to cr return any manuscript after one month from the date of its receipt. All microscopical drawings intended frr publication should have annexed thereto the powers employed, or the extent of enlargement, indicated in diameters (thus: x 320 diameters). Communi- cations intended for publication should oe written on one side of the paper only, and all scientific names, and names of places and individuals, should be as legible as possible. Wherever scientific names or technicalities are employed, it is hoped that the common names will accompany them. Lists or tables are inadmissible under any circumstances. Those of the popular names of British plants and animals are retained and registered for publication when suffi- ciently complete for that purpose, in whatever form may then be decided upon. Address. No. 192, Piccadilly, LONDON.W. E. F. B.— The larva found crawling on the pavement is that of a Telephortis (Soldier-beetle), either T. fuscus 01 T. rusticus. It is very carnivorous. J. M. H.— Young larvje of the Burnet Moth, which were hatched and died soon afterwards. W. B. S.— Next mcnth. R. V. T.— Mosses. 1. Tlagiothccium elegans ; 2. Tricho- stomum Uttorale ; 3. Bryum atropurpureum, with B. inter- medium, — R. B. A Constant Reader asks whether Stephens really in- serted in his " Illustrations of British Entomology," the six orders of Diptera, Horaaloptera, Aphaniptera, Aptera, Hemiptera, and Homoptera ? [In reply we beg to state, that the orders named were not included in Stephens's "Illus- trations," except a few plates of Diptera, with descriptions of the species at the end of the work.] S. A. D.— A great deal is left to taste in the arrangement of dried plants. You can fasten them by thin slips of paper gummed at each end, which may be carried across the fruit- stalks of the mosses. More than one specimen of the same moss, or more than one species of the same genus, may be mounted on the same sheet, if there is space enough. We don't know there is any particular rule as to their separation of the genera. Have them to succeed each other in their allied order, as you will find them in all good works on muscology. Will A. E. M. kindly communicate his address to the Editor ? P. A.— Obsidian, or " Volcanic glass," a peculiar igneous rock, whose appearance is due to the rate at which it cooled. T. Johnson.— Seeds cf common Goosefoot {Galium aparine). H. J.— The shells sent are, 1. Littorina riidis ; 2. Tellina JSallhica, a shell especially abundant in the Baltic and German Ocean. H. Gilbert.— The growths attached to confervse on the slide sent are diatoms, Gompho7iema tenellum. — F. K. J. B. L.— The fungus on the leaf of Chctrophyllum temulum is a Sphceropsis. Rev. G. Pi.vder.— Not insects' eggs at all, but a fungus, a Nectria, probably Nectria Cinnaharina. The spores, which are present in great quantities, will determine the species. J. G. sends plants with yellow flowers found on sandhills, and having excrescences full of larvK, on which sparrows feed greedily. The excrescences, or galls, are produced by Aula.r Sabaudi. Hartig^, one of the Cynipidse. The gall is many- celled, and probably would produce twenty or thirty flies in the spring. The plant is either Hieracium sabaudum, or H. umbellatum, on both cf which the Aulax occurs. Philip Barker.— You will find all the information you re- quire concerning olyect-glasses and angular aperture in the last volume of the Microscopical Journal. J. P. — 1. Foa subctrrulea ; an alpine, or starved variety of P. jiriitensis. 2. The supposed Jti»cus is really part of two plants, one resembling a variety of I'oa nemoralie, the other a portion of Scirjius. EXCHANGES. Notice. — Only one " Exchange " can be inserted at a time by the same individual. The maximum length (except for correspondents not residing in Great Britain) is three lines. Only objects of Natural Hi.-tory permitted. Notices must be legibly written, in full, as intended to be inserted. Exchange.— K. Urticce, Gulathea utalanta, Ocellatus, S. Populi, Caj'i, Lubricipeda, Minthastri, Bucephala, Vinula, QueiCics, Grnssulariafa, Gumma, S. Ligustri, pupae of S. Populi, Ocellatus, Buce/ihala, for pupa of Carpini.—R. Garflt, Market Square, Alford, Lincolnshire. No. 34, 80, 397, 1087, 1223*, 1255, 1296, 1307, 1353, 1364, &C. in exchange for other British Plants.— Apply to J. A. 59, Woodhousie Lane, Leeds. Achatina acicula, in exchange for other British shells.— Address, Hugh Perkins, Sibford, near Banbury. Exchanges wanted of geological specimens of all forma- tions.—Apply to Rev. Dr. Gloag, The Manse, Galashiels, N. B. Can any one supply me with two or three specimens of each or either of the two following ferns -.—Hymenophyllum Tunbridgense or Hymenophyllum Wilsoni? Any one doing so will greatly oblige T. B. Blow, Welwyn, Herts. Vallisneria spiralis (growing plant) offered for a good mounted slide of crystals for polariscope.- Address, W. H. Gomm, Somerton, Taunton. Eggs.— Gyr-falcon's, Merlin's, and Greater and Lesser ^Yhite Heron's, &c., in exchange for other eggs.— Address, A. C. A., Post-offlce, Staines. Wanted.— Unmounted specimens of British and Foreign Zoophytes (correctly named). Exchange given in micro- scopic slides. Send list to E. Ward, 9, Howard Street, Coventry. Well-mounted Slides of Entomological specimens, Leaf Fungi, &c., for other good Microscopic objects. Lists ex- changed.—J. Ford, Stamford. Spicules oi Alcyonium digitatum and Spongilla fluviatilis, mounted, in exchange for other good mounted objects. — John C. Hutcheson, 8, Lansdowne Crescent, Glasgow. Spicules of Gorgonia and Spatangus for spicules of Grantia compressa and Spongilla fluviatilis. — Edith Meyrick, Downshire Lodge, Blessington, co. Wicklow, Ireland. Coal-measure Fish remains for Devonian fossils.— G. W. Rowbotham, 2, Parsonage Street, Derby Street, Salford . Wanted, Nos. 17, 47, 90, 93,9-1, 105.110, 170, 177, 209, 307, 309, Loud. Cat., for others.— Addres^, R. and T., Withiel, Bodmin. Fungi, for plants of the same order. Sphceriacei pre- ferred.- Charles B. Plowright, The Hospital, King's Lynn. Eggs of Heron, Landrail, Goatsucker, and common Gull, in exchange for any unmounted Microscopic objects.— G. H. Stabington, Station Hill, Basingstoke. European Coleoptera, named and mounted, offered for named British species.— W. H. Groser, 15, Thomhill Road, N. British Land and Fresh-water Shells, in exchange for others.— Address, J. A. G., The Elms, Banbury, Oxon. Turgis ciliata.— a beautiful opaque object for the bino- cular, for other good objects, mounted or unmounted.— T. H. Saunders, 34, North Fourth Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U. S. BOOKS RECEIVED. " The Canadian Entomologist." " The American Naturalist." " Rudimentary Magnetism." By Sir W. Snow Harris, F.R S., &c. Second edition, revised by Professor Noad, F.R.S., &c. London: Locksvood & Co. 1872. " Land and Water." Co.mmunications Received.— C. E. B.— G. H. K.— J. F. R. — \. H.— G. G.-G. B. C.-G. H. H.-C. F.— T. G. B.— J B B.— C. M.- F. F. M.— H. G.— W. R. T.— F. G. B.— J. D. — W T I — T. C. O.— J. B.-J. B. L.— J. A.-C. L.-E. F. E. — II B — T. E.— J. M. H— W. B.— R. L.— H. L.— W. H. B. -C ' L — R. F. T.-J. C.-J. L.-H. A. A.-G. H. S.-W. D. R. — G McL.-F. M. K.— H. J. B.-E. M.— J. C. H.-A. L — C B P-S.A. D.— W. B. S.— C. J. W. R.— C. C— T. G.— W. P.— J. A. (Leeds)— J. E.— E. C. Lefroy (ne.\t month}— T. H. S.— S.-J. A. G.-W. H. G.- J. B. HARDWICKE'S SC lEN CE- GOS SIP. 49 COLLECTING AND PEESEEVING. No. ir.-MOSSES .«- By R. Braithwaite, M.D., F.L.S. N making a col- lection of the vegetable pro. ' ductions of a country, we find considerable dif- ferences in the structure of the various groups of plants, and in the tissues of vphich they are composed ; and hence special inanipulation is requisite in dealing with certain orders. Some are of so succulent a nature, or have a framework so easily disintegrated, that they con- tain within themselves the elements of destruction, and present the greatest difii- cuity in satisfactory preser- vation, while others are so slightly acted on by external agents, that little trouble is required to prepare specimens of permanent beauty. The Ferns and Lycopods, being generally appro- priated by the collector of flowering plants, will be treated on with the latter, and following these come the Mosses, to which we will now direct attention, taking the alliance in its broadest sense, as including the three groups of Erondose Mosses, Bog Mosses, and Liver Mosses, or Hepatic^, all of which are readily collected and preserved, and yield an endless fund of instructive entertainment to the microscopist. But it may be asked. Where is the game to be found ? Where are the pleasant hunt- * Mr. Hardwicke has arranged to supply a mounted speci- men illustrative of the above paper, and of the List of British Mosses now preparing, price Sixpence. No. 87. ing-grounds in which they most do congregate ? We answer, everywhere may some species or other be met with ; yet, though many are cosmopolitan, the majority have their special habitats, and some their special seasons, both being considerably influenced by the presence of moisture. Collecting. — The bryologist has one advantage over the phsenogamous botanist, for it is not impera- tive that mosses should be laid out and pressed im- mediately ; and hence less care is required in collect- ing them, than is bestowed on flowering plants ; the necessary apparatus is confined to a pocket-knife, to remove specimens from stones or trees, a stock of stout waste paper, and a vasculum, or, better still, a strong bag, in which to carry the packets. When collecting the plants, it is well to remove any super- fluous earth or stones, or to squeeze out the water from those found in bogs ; and then each is to be wrapped separately in paper, and the locality marked outside ; or the more minute species may, for greater safety, be placed in chip boxes. On reaching home, if we do not prepare the specimens at once, we must not leave the parcels packed together in their receptacle, or mould will soon attack them and spoil the whole ; but we must spread them out on the floor until quite dry, and then reserve them to a convenient opportunity to lay out ; as in the dry state they may be kept for years unchanged. It often happens that our line of study is devel- oped by some fortuitous circumstance. A neglected flowerpot in a corner of the garden attracts atten- tion by its verdant carpet of moss, or, peeping over the wall, we see the crevices between the bricks bristling with capsules of Tortula rimralis, the red- twisted peristome freshly brought to view by the falling away of the lid, and, taking a bit indoors to submit to the microscope, we are so captivated there- with that we then and there determine to become a 50 HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. bryologist. Nor is this all that a journey round the garden will disclose : the neglected paths yield other species not less worthy of examination, and old apple-trees are not unfrequently tenanted by mosses. Extending our walks to tlie commons, lanes, and woods, we may find on tlie ground and banks, in bogs and on the stumps and trunks of trees, a num- ber of species greatly extending our list, while others again are only met with on tlie clay soil of stubble-fields; a, various species of Fottici and Ephemerum : appearing in October, their delicate texture is developed by the constant moisture of winter, and with it also they vanish, to appear no more until the succeeding season. Travelling yet farther away, we find that each locality we visit yields some novelty : old walls and rocks of sand- stone or slate, limestone districts, and above all, a mountainous country, are rich in species we seek in vain elsewhere. Here peatbogs, and rocks dripping with water, ever supplied by the atmosphere, or the tumbling streams everywhere met with, are the chosen homes of these little plants, and thither must the collector resort, if he would reap his richest harvest. Winter and spring in the lowlands, and a later period in the elevated districts, will be found most productive of fruiting plants. Preparation, of Specimens. — So rapidly does the cellular texture of the mosses transmit fluid, that, when soaked in water, we see them swell up and expand their little leaves, and in a short time t4iey look as fresh as when growing ; hence a basin of water, a towel, and drying-paper are all we require to prepare oiir specimens for the herbarium. If the tufts are lai'ge, we must separate them into patches sufficiently thin to lie flat, and by repeated washing, get rid of adherent earth, mud, or gravel. This is conveniently accomplished by holding the tuft in the palm of the hand, under a tap, and allowing a stream of water to pass through it ; then by pressure in the folded towel we remove superfluous moisture and immediately transfer to paper, arranging the plants as we wish them to lie permanently, and placing with each a ticket bearing the name : a moderate weight is sufiicient to dry them, as with great pressure tlie capsules split, and thus the value of the specimens is decreased. It not unfrequently happens that two or three species grow intermixed : these must be carefully separated at the time of soaking, and any capsules required to show the , peristome must also be removed before the plants are submitted to pressure. Uxamiiiafion of Specimens. — We have very much to learn about a moss before we can become mas- ters of all the characters that pertain to it as a specific individual. We must observe its branching, the mode of attachment of the leaves to the stem, and their direction ; the form and structure of a separate leaf, the position of the male flowers, and lastly the position and structure of the fruit. Eor the efficient determination of these we require a microscope (the simple dissecting microscope is amply sufficient), a couple of sharp-edged, triangu- lar needles fixed in handles, and a few glass slides and covers. Having soaked our specimen in water, we lay it on a slide, and by cutting througli the stem with one of the needles, close^to the attach- ment of a leaf, we can rea'dily remove the leaf en- tire, and two or three may be transfen-ed to another slide, and placed in a drop of water uuder a cover : the same thing may be roughly accomplished by scraping the stem backwards with one of^the needles ; but in this way the leaves are often torn. Fig. 33. — Tortula muralis. 1, Leaf and its areolation 2. Capsule. 3. Calyptra. 4. Lid. 5. Male flower. 6. Antheridia and pataphyses- By examination of a leaf we notice its form, the condition of its margin, whether entire or serrated or bordered ; the presence and extent of the nerve ; and lastly, and most important of all, the form and condition of its component cells ; and for this a higher power is required. With a l-in. object-glass and C eyepiece we can observe their form, and whether their walls are thickened so as to render them dot-like ; their contents, whether chloro- phyllose or hyaline; and their surface, whether smooth or covered with papillae ; for often these points are so characteristic, that by them alone we can at once refer a barren specimen to its proper family or genus. Preservation of Specimens. — This may be dis- cussed uuder two heads :— 1st, as microscopic objects ; 2nd, for the herbarium. 1. The parts required for microscopic examina- tion are the capsules and peristome, entire speci- mens of the smaller species, and detached leaves. The capsules having to be viewed by condensed light, must be mounted dry as opaque objects ; and for this purpose I use Piper's wooden slides, with revolving bone cover ; and in one of .these we may fix a capsule with the lid still attached, another laid on its side, but showing the peristome, and a third with the mouth of the capsule looking upward, a position very useful for the species of Orthotri- chum, as we are thus enabled to see the inner HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 51 peristome ; and with tliem also maybe placed the calyptra : should the cost of these be an object, a cheaper substitute may be found in shallovr, black- ened pill-boxes. To preserve the leaves in an expanded state we may employ the fluid media used for vegetable tissues, or, when time is of consequence, llimming- ton's glycerine jelly is a convenient material in which to mount them, a ring of dammar cement being first placed on the slide, and within this the liquefied jelly, to which the expanded specimen is quickly transferred, and the cover securely sealed by gold size. Preparations of this kind are of the highest value as types for comparison with actual specimens we may have for determination. Fig. 34. Cern'odoii purpureus. a. Male plant. 1. Leaf and its areolation. 2. Capsule. 3. Calyptra. 4. Two teeth of the peristome. 2. In mounting specimens for the herbarium, we must be guided by the limits which we have fixed on for the extent of the same ; and I may first describe the method adopted for my own collection. Every species has a separate leaf of cartridge-paper measuring 14ixl0| inches, and on this the specimens are fixed, each mounted by a little gum on a piece of toned paper ; thus 4 or 6_to 12 specimens, according to size, arc attached to each leaf, — varieties have one or more additional leaves ; and to each is also fixed a triangular enve- lope, inclosing loose capsules and leaves for ready transfer to the microscope, and also a label in- dicating the name, habitat, and date of collection. A pink cover for each genus includes the species, and a stout millboard cover embraces the genera of each family, with the name of which it is labelled outside, the whole shutting up in a cabinet. Another form is that seen in Rabenliorst's Bry- otheca Europpea, quarto volumes of 50 specimens, one occupying each leaf, and so arranged that the specimens do not come opposite to each other. Others again use loose sheets of note-paper, within each of which a single specimen is mounted ; but this, from their size, is very cumbersome. Or we may take a single well-chosen typical specimen and arrange many species on a page, as is seen in the beautiful volume of Gardiner's "British Mosses " or Mclvor's " Hepatica; Britannica;." Wiiatever plan we adopt, our specimens, once well dried and kept in a dry place, are unchangeable, and are always looked upon with pleasure, each recalling some pleasing associations, or perchance reminding us of some long-lost friend, in companionship with whom they were collected or studied. A stock of dupli- cates must also be reserved, from which to supply our friends, or exchange with other collectors for desiderata in our own series : these may be kept in square cases of various sizes, cut so as to allow the edges of the top and sides to wrap over the other half folded down on the specimens. The Hepatica; of the family Jungermaniacere arc treated precisely as mosses, the capsules, however, show but little diversity, and will not require sepa- rate preservation ; but the elaters, or spiral threads accompanying the seeds, are elegant microscopic objects. The Marchantiacea; must be pressed when fresh, as they do not revive with the same facility as other species, owing to their succulent nature and numerous layers of cells. Classification. — On this I have fully treated else- where ("The Moss World," Popular Science Re- view, Oct., 1871), and it may suffice here simply to indicate the families of British mosses and their mode of arrangement. The cell-texture of the leaf takes an important place in the characters, and in accordance with this principle the Cleistocarpous or Phascoid group is broken up and distributed in various families. We have tv\'0 orders; one in- deed, comprising only the genus Aiidrecea, is distin- guished by the capsule splitting into four valves united at apex ; the other, including the bulk of the species, has in most cases a lid, which sepa- rates transversely, and usually discloses a peri- stome of tooth-like processes. The structure of these teeth again enables us to form three divisions. In the first they consist of amass of confluent cells ; iu the second, of tongue-shaped processes, composed of agglutinated filaments ; and in the third, of a double layer of cells, transversely articulated to each other, the outer layer composed of two rows of firm coloured cells, the inner of a single series of vesicular hyaline cells, on which the hygroscopic quality of the tooth depends. Sub-Class SPHAGNINiS. Bog Mosses. Earn. 1. — Sphagnacese. Sub-Class BRYIN^. Prondose Mosses. Order 1.— Schistocaupi. Earn. 1.— Andreseacese. Order 2.— Stegocaupi. Div. 1.— Elasniodontes. Earn. 2. Georgiacese. D 2 HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. Div. 2. — Nematodoutes. Fam. 3. — Buxbaumiaceae. Fam. 4. — Poljtricliacese. Div. 3. — Artbrodontes. Subdiv. 1. — 'Acrocarpici. *Disticbophylla. Fam. 5. Scbistostegaceai. \ Fam. 6. Fissideutacete. **Polysticbopbjlla. Fam. 7. DicranacefE. J, 8. Leucobryacea). 5, 9. TricbostomacefE. „ 10. Grimmiacese. 3, 11. Orthotricbacese. Subdiv. 2.- Fam. 17. Hookeriacese. J, 18. Fontinalacese. J, 19. Neckeraceae. Fam. 12. Splacbnaceaj. „ 13. FunariaccEB. „ 14. BryacCcC. „ 15. Mniacese. „ 16. Bartramiacese. Pleurocarpici. Fam. 20. Leskeacese. „ 21. Hypnacese. Sub-Class HEPATICIN^. Liver Mosses. Fani.l. Juugermanniacese. ,, 2. MarchautiaceEe. Fam. 3. Antbocerotaceaj. ,, 4. Bicciacese. Among species wbicb may be generally met iJvitb by beginners on the look-out for mosses, we may enumerate tbe following : — On JFalls. — Tortula muralis and revoluta, Bryum capillare and csespiticium, Grimmia pulvinata, Weisia cirrbata. Ill Clay Fields. — Pbascum acaulon, Potiia trun- catula and Starkeana. On IFaste Ground and Heaths. — Cei'atodou pur- pureus, Funaria bygrometrica, Campylopus turfa- ceus, Bryum argentcum, nutans, and palleus, Pleuridium subulatum, Dicranella beteromalla and varia, Pbyscomitrium pyriforme, Pogouatum aloides, Polytricbum commune, piliferum, and juni- perium, Tortula unguiculata and fallax, Bartramia pomiformis, Jungermannia bicuspidata, Lepidozia reptaus, Ptilidium ciliare, Frullania tamarisci. Shady Banks and Woods. — Catbarinea undulata, Weisia viridula, Tortula subulata, Muium bornum, Dicranum scoparium, Hypnum rutabulum, 'veluti- num, cupressiforme, prrelongum, purum, and mol- luscum, Plagiotbecium denticulatum, Pleurozium splendeus and Scbreberi, Hylocomium squarrosum and triquetrum, Tbuyidiumtamariscinum, Fissidens bryoides, Plagiocbila asplenioides, Jungermannia albicans, Lopbocolea bideutata. In Bogs. — Spbagnum cymbifolium and acutifo- lium, Gymnocybe palustris, Hypnum cuspidatum, stellatum, aduncum, and fluitans,' Jungermannia inflata. Roclis and hj Streams. — Grimmia apocarpa, Tri- dontium pellucidum, Hypnum serpens, filicinum, commutatum, and palustre, Scapania nemorosa, Metzgeria furcata, Marchautia polymorpba, Pellia epipbylla, Fegatella conica. On Trees. — Ulota crispa, Ortliotricbum affine and diapbanum, Crypbsea hetercmalla, Homalia tricbo- manoides, Hypnum sericeuro Isotliecium myurum, Frullania dilatata, Radula complanata, Madotbeca, platypbylla. Small as tbis list is, it wUl be found to yiebl ample store for investigation, and if true love for the study be thereby excited, the circle of forms "will be found to widen with every new locality visited. If we have contributed in any way to facili- tate tbe pursuit, then is our object fulfilled, and we may conclude with tbe words of Horace, — Vive, vale ! si quid novisti rectius istis, Candidas irapeiti, si non, his utere mecum. CANINE GYRA.TIONS. "IVrO one who has ever kept a dog or who has had -^^ opportunities of observing the habits of that most interesting auimal, can have failed to remark tbe extraordinary and apparently unnecessary way in which a dog scrapes himself round and round in circles preparatory to settling down to rest ; and it is undeniable that this habit is not confined to any particular class of dogs, but is observable in a greater or less degree throughout tbe entire canine race. Now, as tbis mode of procedure is certainly not produced, like some other fashions, by the re- quirements of modern civilization, but dates back from the most rem.ote antiquity, several theories have been set up to account for it. Tbe most notable of tbese is the Darwinian theory, which is briefly as follows. In tbe remote ages of tbe world tbe surface of tbe earth was for tbe most part covered with very long grass, in which the wild dogs used to wander about. When, therefore, they requbed to lie down, they were obliged to make several turnings in order to beat down the grass, and prevent suffocation, and dogs of the present day imitate tbeir ancestors, although they have no longer any cause for doing so. It is diificult to see what tbe dogs could have procured as food, unless indeed, in those remote ages, they were graminivor- ous animals, or viractised the horrid rites of canni- balism ; and, judging froni my own experience of walking iu long grass, I should think tbat, once having attained a recumbent position, they would be slow to rise to the perpendicular again. But there are two facts which greatly invalidate this theory. In tbe first place, the prairies at tbe pre- sent day are occupied by the Wisb-ton-wish, or Prairie-dog {Spermophilus Ltidovicianus), to the en- tire exclusion of any species of our domestic dog. This little animal, which may perhaps be tbe proge- nitor of tbe canine genus, is a rodent, and burrows a subterranean babitation after the manner of the Mole, raising a mound, on which it sits in the day- time. Tlius it certainly would not get into tbe habit of lying iu tbe long grass. Moreover, this way of turning round is not peculiar to dogs, but is also shared by the less fortunate feline tribe. Dog- HARDVyiCKE'S SCIEN CE-GOSSIP. 53 fanciers are apt to forget that there are other ani- mals in existence besides their especial favourites and, much-abused and little-noticed as they are, cats possess many qualities worth studying, and a great deal of instinctive cleverness which is not appreciated by the world at large. Of course there are cats and cats, and every one has not the same abilities ; but it will be found that the excellences of the tabby race are most valued by men of a high order of in- tellect. But this is a digression. Cats do not turn round quite so much as dogs, but they do, as a rule, make oue or two gyrations before they finally roll themselves in a ball ; and as cats are undoubtedly a climbing race, and not accustomed to sleep on the ground, and as most probably the same effect is owing to the same cause both in dogs and cats, we may reasonably infer that the Darwinian theory in this respect is incorrect. It has been affirmed that dogs always revolve three times ; but this is a manifest absurdity, and palpably untrue. It appears, however, that they [usually, if not always, turn in the contrary direction to the sun (i. e. from west to east), and this may be explained by the fact that in so doing they recline on their right sides, a practice almost universal among human beings, and by no means confined to people with weak hearts. Almost all shells have what is called a right-handed spiral, and vegetables will each only climb by one kind of spiral, the Hop one way, the Convolvulus the other. There would seem, therefore, to be some connection between the vegetable and animal worlds, in this matter, and I believe that pigeons and large birds, in ascending and descending, invariably de- scribe the same helix. Can any other reader of Science -Gossip throw light on this most interesting subject? Blachlieaih. E. C. Leekoy. A GOSSIP ABOUT CANARIES. r\^ all our "Feathered Eriends" it would be ^-^ difficult to find oue more familiar, sociable, and cheerful than the Canary, becoming so remark- ably tame, showing such pleasure in being noticed, setting itself up so sprightly, tlioroughly entering into the kindness bestowed, and answering every word spoken to it. It will also show a great deal of affection for those in the habit of noticing it, calling loudly until something is said to it. I knew an instance where one would come from its cage at the ringing of a bell ; upon which it was treated to a little sweet biscuit, hemp-seed, or maw-seed, as a reward for obedience. If time and care be given, the Canary may be trained to do almost anything, and with moderate care at moult- ing time a canary will live over ten years. Some of our Yorkshire birds are very graceful, but not so stronger such good songsters as the Nor- wich birds. The song of the Canary, however poor, is composed of imitations of the best song-birds the world produces, e.g. the Nightingale, Woodlark, Skylark, and Titlark. Not only has it this delight- ful song, which in the above-mentioned birds lasts only two or three mouths (the Woodlark excepted), but it will sing its beautiful, changeable song almost the whole year round. In the Canary we get many shades of yellow, from the beautiful junk to the mealy or almost white, with a great variety of splashed birds, called by some persons " mule " Canaries. Add to this the fancy birds, such as the "Cinnamon," "Lizard" " London Pride " &c., and we get a pleasing variety not found in any other song-bird. Then, as a domestic pet for nesting and rearing its young, the Canary is, as a caged bird, without a rival. It will build its nest and bring up its young with almost as much felicity as a bird in the field; but to succeed, you should have a large cage for each pair, or, if a double cage, it should have a movable partition, so that when one hen is at nest the male bird may be shifted to the other hen. It is a common thing for canary hens to rear their young without the assistance of the male bird. If in an aviary, and you are not breeding fancy birds, you may let your birds loose without pairing, at the rate of one male to three hens ; and for all purposes I would advise amateurs to try Norwich birds. In one season from a pair of such I reared twenty young ones ; German birds, on the contrary, are almost certain to fail. It will be found an excellent plan, in rearing canaries in an aviary, to tie some twigs of birch at the thick end, fastening them at the same time to a small piece of wood at the place where tied, so as to spread the birch in a semicircular form. The piece of wood should be about the same size as the nest- box. When this is done, place the diameter of the semicircle against the wall, and drive a nail through the part which is tied. You can then place your nest-box in the centre, and all is ready. When the young birds have left the nest, remove the whole, and it may be easily cleansed. This is presuming you have given them a corner of a room, just large enough to give them a small tree in the centre and a shallow pan to bathe in. Your birds should be put together about the beginning of March, at which time you must give them hard-boiled q^s, and crumbed bread. There is no occasion to chop the egg, merely take the shell off oue end and give it to the birds in an egg-cup ; there will then be a saving of time and less waste. C. J. W. EUDD, " North, south, east, and west,— on all sides birds are to be found. Long before man appeared, they were settled inhabitants of this eai thly sphere,"— "Bird Lifer by Dr. Brehm. 54 HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. THE BLIND PISHES OF THE KENTUCKY MAMMOTH CAVE. WHATEVER value in itself the Darwiuiau theory of "Natural Selection" may pos- sess, there can be no doubt that its promulgation has given a marvellous impetus to natural science. Many of the views taken in connection with it have enabled us to understand certain phenomena which before were inexplicable. Chief among these may be mentioned the doctrine of retrogradation. It is a mistake to suppose that the Darwinian theory countenances progression only — it endeavours, also, to explain degradation. Thus, on certain islands the beetles are wingless, although nearly allied to species in which the wings are well developed. This is explainable on the ground that on islands where the sea and land breezes blew strong, the beetles best gifted with powers of flight would be the first to suffer, would be carried seawards, and perish; whilst the weakest-winged beetles would stand the best chance of remaining behind, and of stocking such islands with beetles that would certainly inherit what would have been elsewhere a defect in their parents, but which thus turned out to be the means of the perpetuation of the race. or semi-developed condition. The "Cat-fish," family {Sllurida) is interesting to naturalists on account of the singuhir and diversified arrange luent and position of the eyes of its members, which are thus enabled to adapt tliemselves to a variety of physical conditions such as are not so largely shared by any other fishes. As regards the degree of optical development, also, the eyes of the various species are very peculiar. They range from partial and even total blindness to perfect sight ; and are placed in every possible position about the head. The blind members of this group, however, seem to inhabit subterranean streams, one species, taken in the Conestoga river, Pennsylvania, having its eyes quite rudimentary. This species was believed to have found its way into the river from the subter- ranean streams which are known to empty them- selves into it. The most striking feature about the appearance of the blind fishes of the " Mammoth" cave is their want of colour. This alone would indicate the length of time during which they have existed out of the light; whilst the darker shades of blind fishes in other caverns equally point to a shorter period during which the species has been exiled into darkness. We mentioned in a zoological paragraph last mouth, the various animals inhabiting this re- Fig:. 35. Amblyopsis spel<£vs, nat. size. This law of retrogradation, operating whenever it is of advantage to the species operated upon, is, perhaps, still better illustrated by the occurrence in ancient caverns and subterranean rivers of animals wholly or partially blind, which are never- theless closely related to neighbouring species in which the sight is in its normal condition. The fishes of the celebrated "Mammoth" cave in Ken- tucky have long been known to naturalists, and regarded as curious freaks, rather than as illustra- tive of the operation, of an important natural law. The natural history of these fishes, and their rela- tions to others of the piscine tribe which are found occupying similar habitats elsewhere, have been care- fully and elaborately treated upon by Professor Putnam, in the American Naturalist for January last. As is well known, we have fishes existing, such as tlic Lancelet, in which not only the eye but the entire nervous system is in a very nidimentary markable cave, which were in a similar state of blindness ; so that the limited subterranean fauna is very interesting, as showing the effects of conditions of life, not only on exterior form, but also on in- ternal structure. The blind fish from this cave, longest known to naturalists, is Amhhjopsis spe- hcus (fig. 35), a name which indicates both its de- fective vision and subterranean habitat. The eyes of this fish are quite rudimentary ; but to make up for this defect the head is covered with a number of papilla;, or organs of touch, which the numerous fine nerves leading to them indicate must b.c of a very highly developed character. The nearest allies of the Amlthjopsis are the Mimiows. How well the sense of touch serves it is best shown by the fact that smaller fish, upon which it fed, have been found in its stomach. It is probable that the move- ment of its prey in the wafer iuQuenced the delicate tactile organs so as to enable it to follow the prey BARDWICKE'S SCI EN CE-GOSSIP. 55 rapidlj^ The habits of the AmLbjopsis are solitary, and, notwithstanding its blindness, it is extremely ditficult to be caught. At the slightest motion of the water it darts rapidly away, and then suddenly stops. They come to the surface to feed, where their tactile organs, being brought to the level of the water, can be of most service. At this time, says Professor Cope, they "swim in full siglit, like white aquatic ghosts!" At any noise, down tliey sink to the bottom, to hide beneath the rocks or stones. The head is flat above, and thus enables the mouth to be at the surface. Hence the tactile organs and the mouth are placed in immediate rapport. The number of eggs laid by these fish is about one hundred ; but there is every reason for believing they are hatched in the body ; so that the fish is viviparous. Unfortunately, the condition of sight in the young — a very important fact in the history of the degradation of the eyesight of the species — has never been carefully examined. The length of the Amhlyopsis is about four ana a half inches. So rudimentary are the eyes that they are only exposed after the removal of the skin. Their longest diameter is about the sixteentli of an inch. The optic nerves are placed in contact with the aborted eyes. Although mentioned as a charac- teristic fish of the "Mammoth" cave, i\\^\Amhly- opsis is by no means confined to it, but has quite an extensive distribution, "probably existing in all the subterranean rivers that flow through the great limestone region, underlying the carboniferous rocks in the central portion of the United States." Fig. 36. Typhlichthys suhterraneus, nat. size. Another species found associated in the cave with the above is Typhlichthys suhterraneus (fig. 36), whose name again illustrates its sightless condition. This fish is only about an inch and a half in length, and the next most peculiar character to its blindness is that it is without ventral fins. It has been found in natural wells as well as in the waters of this extensive cavern, in Kentucky, Alabama, and Ten- nessee. The fishes are all about the same size. All the females yet examined contained only about thirty eggs in their ovaries. The next remarkable genus of fish, greatly resembling the above, from the same geographical region, is Chologaster, of which there are two species, — cormitus and Agassizii. The former (fig, 37) was first found in the ditches of the South Carolina rice-fields. It is only about three inches in length, and is provided with eyes. Its specific name is given to it on account of the horn-like projections above the snout. It is believed to be a viviparous fish, but, like the Typhlichthys, has no ventral fins. Having eyes, it has none of the papillary ridges, or organs of touch, possessed by the blind species above named. It is further distinguished from its blind Fig. 3/. Chologashr cornutus, nat. size. neighbours by being coloured. Thus Chologaster cornutus is brownish-yellow, with dark, longitudinal bands ; whilst C. Agassizii (fig. 38) is of a brownish colour, similar to many of the minnows. The latter species is known only to the subterranean district already mentioned, whilst the former extends to the southern coasts, on the eastern side the Appalachian chain. Fig. 38. CJiologaster Agassizii, nat. size. It seems strange to find blind fish, with rudi- mentary eyes, living in the same subterranean waters with other species in. which the eyesight is still pre- served. .That the fonner have had their eyesight atrophied, there can be little doubt, the position and arrangement of the optic nerves being sulficient proof. In many respects, however, the Chologaster is a transitionary forui between the really blind fishes and those living naturally in open waters. The only explanation of the relations of these fish is, that Amblyopsis and Typhlichthys have been tenants of the subterranean district much longer than the Cholo- gaster, and hence have been adapted to the circum- stances more perfectly. How little is the value of eyesight to the Chologaster is indicated by the Am- hlyopsis preying upon it 1 This theory of the longer habitaucy of these cave- waters by the former genera is borne out by the fact of their white, colourless skin, free from ornament, whereas the Chologaster has both colour and stripes. Professor Putnam thinks that originally the district now occupied by these subterranean streams was a salt and brackish- water estuary, in which the progenitors of these fishes lived. As the waters became less brackish and more fresh, and the district was elevated, only such species would survive as could adapt them- selves to the changes. Hence he belitves the Chologaster cornutus living in the ditches of the South Carolina rice-fields to be now living " under very similar conditions to those under which others of the family may liave lived in long preceding geological times." The Professor, it should be HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE- GOSSIP. said, believes in the immutability of the species notwithstanding — a position which, we think, he hardly makes sufficiently clear to produce con- viction. J. E. Tai'lok. REMARKS ON POLYTHOA INVESTING THE GLASS-ROPE SPONGE. By E. KiTTON. O INCE the publication of my paper on Hyalonema '^ in the last number of Science-Gossip, I have had an opportunity of making further examination of the curious parasitic growth generally found upon the anchoring spicula ["the Glass-rope "]. I stated in my previous remarks that I had found, on the Rev. J, Crompton's specimens, the Polythoa investing Fig. 39. Polythoa on Hyalonema. the ribbon-like fronds of some species of algse, and also that I found it growing on a small piece of some frondose alga that had become entangled on the Glass-rope. On making a microscopic examina- tion, this proves to be a portion of the ova-case of a species of dog-fish. Pig. 39 represents the ova-case with investing Polythoa of the natural size ; tig. 40, one of the tubercles enlarged about six diameters. Fig. 40. Polytlina enlarged. The examination of the Polythoa, when found apart from the sponge, has enabled me to ascertain the spicules peculiar to it, and to correct some. of my previous statements. Pigs. 24 and 25 appear to be the only forms of spicula really belonging to the Polythoa. My previous observation had been made on the forms obtained by boiling a portion of the rope and Polythoa in nitric acid. This of course not only separated the spicula imbedded in the coriaceous substance of the Polythoa, but also the various forms of spicula interwoven in the inter- stices of the Glass-rope. The examination of the Polythoa after soaking in water for some days, revealed the presence of minute grains of sand, showing slight traces of arrangement : this is most conspicuous on the ridges of the tubercles. After the destruction of the animal matter by nitric acid, the sUiceous re- mains consist of sand and spicula in about equal proportions. A careful examination of this parasite in a living state, or a specimen preserved inspirit, is necessary for a complete elucidation of this very remarkable organism. BEES IN THE HIMALEH MOUNTAINS. T ITTLE is knoM'n relative to the domestication -*-' of bees in these mountains, even by those long- resident on the spot, and much interest has of late been evinced in many quarters, notably by the late Mr. Woodbury, of Exeter, in an attempt to import and acclimatize the Apis dorsata, or wild bee, here- inafter alluded to, on account of its greater range of feeding and superior productiveness. I make, there- fore, no apology for republishing the remarks of that careful and eminent traveller Moorcroft, as recorded in his " Ladakh, and Resources of the Hills," vol. i. cap. ii. page 51 :— "The domestic bee is known by the name of malira, mohri, and mari ; * it is not much above half the size of that of Europe, but is very industrious and mild-tempered. "The wild beef is termed hhaonra, a name by which the people of the plains designate the hum- ble bee ; but it is not half the bulk of that insect, though larger than the domestic bee of Europe. It is of a darker colour generally, and has larger and broader wings. Its temper is irascible, and sting venomous. It commonly builds its nest under pro- jecting ledges of rock, overhanging steep mural precipices, in a situation almost inaccessible to bears and men. The hive [comb ?] contains a large quan- tity of both wax and honey. The latter, if gathered before the month oiBIiadra (about August), is fully equal to that of the domestic bee ; but in that and the following month it is said to produce intoxica- tion followed by stupefaction. The effect is, with some probability, ascribed to the bees feeding on the flower of a species oi aconite, which is in bloom in Bhadra and Asarh (September), and which, grow- * Apis iiigrucincta, or Indica. t Apis dorsata. HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 57 ing high up m the mountains, is beyond the flight of the domestic bee." All this I can confirm, having travelled in the parts of the hills vrhcre this wild bee abounds. It is also found in the plains, everywhere in the North-west Provinces, and has been described by me in a paper on " Indian Hymenoptera," in the Transactions of the Zoological Society of London, in June, 1869. Here, however, the cells are seen depending in huge black masses on the lower sides of the larger boughs of forest-trees, and the natives are in general afraid to approach them. They are so wicked that I fear they could never be domesticated, although the attempt was once made with very partial success by General Hearsay. Should the readers of Science-Gossip wish it, I will send the report of that experiment, cut out from the Exeter paper, for their amusement and information. C. HoKNE, E.Z.S., late B. C. S. Newcome, January 29, 1872. CURIOUS HABITS OF SWALLOWS. I HAVE imbibed many of the tastes of Gilbert White; but that which engrosses me most, and which I may call my hobby, is the natural history of the Swallow tribe. I have read that swallows will " mob " and put to flight a kestrel hawk. This I was rather sceptical of until lately, when my doubts were removed by that most con- vincing of proofs, — ocular demonstration. I had gone to see an old castle in the neighbourhood, which was built on the only hill for miles round, and was therefore tolerably certain to be the haunt of a pair or two of hawks. I accordingly kept my eyes open, in the expectation of seeing one, and I was soon rewarded by the appearance over the brow of the hill of a bird, which, by its graceful poise and the hovering motion of its wings, I knew to be a kestrel. His active little enemies, the swallows, a flock of whom were disporting themselves close by, had been as quick to see him as I. These at once advanced to meet the intruder, and, with the utmost audacity, brushed past him in all directions, one from one quarter and one from another, each wheeling after it had swept by and returning to the charge, while the hawk made futile dashes now and again, but was always too late to do any damage to his nimble little opponents. At last, tired of waging an unequal war, and obliged to own iiimself con- quered, he beat a hasty retreat. He was not, however, allowed to get off so easily, but was fol- lowed up by his victorious foes ; and the apparent mystery of such little birds proving more than a match for such a formidable-looking antagonist, armed literally cap-a-pie as he was, was quite cleared up ; for as he made off", evidently at his best speed, the swallows, with the utmost ease, when left at an apparently hopeless distance behind, fetched him up, then passed him (in what appeared to me most dangerous proximity), wheeled round, met him on their return journey, and then, taking another sharp turn to the right-about, repassed him, and conti- nued repeating these manffiuvres a dozen times or more. The solution of the mystery lay in their extraordinary powers of flight. The way in which the swallows made straight for him, apparently bent on a personal encounter, and then, when the kestrel was reckoning on clutching them in his talons, gliding away at a tangent, Avas, though no doubt tantalizing to the hawk, none the less amusing and interesting to me. To crown all, when the others had left ofl" the chase, presumably not think- ing it worth their while to pursue any further, it was curious to watch one solitary individual carry it on alone with such seemingly unrelenting vigour that he seemed actuated by feelings of the direst revenge. However that might be, the swallow cer- tainly effectually prevented the discom.fited foe from pausing in his enforced retreat. I watched both until pursued and pursuer vanished from my sight. I dare say the little swallow continued the pursuit until he had wearied and exhausted the hawk. On another occasion I witnessed a little incident which has, to the best of my knowledge, the merit of novelty ; and so I hope you will excuse my telling it. I saw a hare running across a large park by the wayside, and was looking about to see what had started it, but could not imagine what it could be, as neither man nor dog was in siglit. It started again (for it had stopped and sat in a listening attitude), and then I saw that the dis- turbers were a flight of swallows, who were following it up like a pack of hounds ; now one and now another skimming past the hare's ears along the ground, while the poor timid creature was putting its best foot foremost ; but all to no purpose, for its relentless tormentors seemed to take pleasure in its fright, and to enjoy the sport of teasing it. I followed the Kttle group until an undulation of the park iiid it from ray view, and was greatly sur- prised to see the dexterity with which the swallows calculated their distance so as to impress the hare with the idea they were flying straight at her, and yet, wheu they were on the point of dashing against her, took a sharp turn and swept off in a curve, to renew the attack again the next moment. I will close my epistle with an anecdote related by the Rev. Philip Skelton, as having come under his own observation, which seems to be appropriate, and which, I believe, will be new to most, if not all, the readers of this paper. I give it in his own words : — " I have entertained a great affection and some degree of esteem for sw^allows ever since I saw a remarkable instance of their sense and HAPtDWlCKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. humour played off upon a cat which had, upon a very fine day, seated herself upon the top of a gate- post, as if in contemplation ; when ten or a dozen swallows, knowing her to be an enemy, took it into their heads to tantalize her in a manner which showed a high degree not only of good sense but of humour. One of these birds, coming from behind her, flew close by her ear, and she made a snap at it with her paw, but it was too late. Another swallow, in five or six seconds, did the same, and she made the same unsuccessful attempt to catch it. This was followed by a third, and so on to the number just mentioned ; and every one, as it passed, seemed to set up a laugh at the disappointed enemy, very like the laugh of a young child when tickled. The whole number, following one another at the distance of about three yards, formed a regular circle in the air, and played it off like a wheel, at her ear for near an hour, not seemingly at all alarmed at me, who stood within six or seven yards of the post. I eujoyed this sport as well as the pretty birds, till the cat, tired out with disappoint- ment, quitted the gatepost, as much huffed, I believe, as 1 had been diverted." G. E. R. NOTES ON THE WEB- WEAVING CATERPILLARS. THE majority of insects producing cocoons and webs are found chiefly in the great group of Nocturni, formely called Bcmhtjces, from the Greek jioj-itvi, a silkworm. In the other divisions of motlis, the pupa is genearally either subterra- nean or concealed in leaves spun together. Nearly all our butterflies belong to the Detegentes, or Exposers, with the exception of the Hesperidse, which are placed under the Celantes, or Concealers. The pupae of the Noctuas are generally subterra- nean, although in them also there are exceptions. In England there is but one butterfly constructing a web ; this is the Black-veined White {dporia cratcegl), which, though here too scarce to do any damage, is on the Continent classed among noxious insects. It feeds on the Whitethorn, and appears on the wing in June and July. This species appears to be gradually becoming extinct, as it is now scarce where it was formerly abundant. The conimonest of the web-weavers is the larva of the Lackey-moth {Bombyx neustria), which may be seen on most hedges in the middle of June. It also attacks fruit-trees, and is often sufficiently common to be injurious. The most peculiar circum- stance, however, concerning the Lackey is the manner in which the female deposits her eggs. The Rev. J. G. Wood, in " Homes without Hands," gives the following account of the manner in which she proceeds, and also of the origin of the name. " When the mother insect lays her eggs, she deposits them on a small branch or twig, disposing them in a ring that completely encircles the twig, as a bracelet encircles a lady's wrist. When she has completed the circle, she covers the edge with a kind of varnish, which soon hardens, and forms a perfect defence from the rain. The varnish is so hard and binds the eggs so firmly together, that if the twig be carefully severed, the whole mass of eggs can be slipped off entire. As this tarnish produces the same effect as lacquer does on polished metal, preserving the surface and defending it from rust, the insect is called the ' Lacquer,' a word that has been corrupted into 'Lackey.' " A caterpillar well known to gardeners is that of the little Ermine-moth (Tinea padelld). The web of the larva seems designed to protect it from the attacks of birds, which seem unable to break through the tough outside case of the web. But although this may be a means of shelter from birds, it exposes them to a danger scarcely less formidable, inasmuch as, the web being very conspicuous, the larv£E may be destroyed in detail. It is fortunate that it is so, for as each web contains an immense number of inhabitants, were each larva to come to maturity, there would soon be scarcely a leaf left on our fruit and may-trees, which plants are the especial victims of its attacks. An insect tolerably well known, but not quite so common as the two last, is the Gold-tail {Leparis auriflm). This moth has in its larval stage the power of " urtication," that is to say, it stings worse than nettles. The caterpillar itself is a very pretty insect, the colours beiug black and scarlet, mingled with white. It is found in June, feeding ou' the Blackthorn [Primus spimsa). Another moth that occasionally swarms in some years, whilst in others it is hardly to be found, is the Brown-tail {Leparis chrysorrhcea'). It is very nearly allied to the foregoing, the chief distinction being that the tuft at the end of the tail is brown instead of yellow. A web-spiuner that must be well known to the readers of Science-Gossip is the small Eggar. moth {Eriogaster lanestris) ; but it has been so fully discussed iu these pages, that there is no need to write more. The Kentish Glory (Eudromis versi- color) is another of our web-weavers : it was once, as its name imports, found iu Kent. Its principal habitats are Rannoch Woods, near Perth, being very scarce in the couuty from which it takes its name. The reason why some larvse should provide themselves with webs, whilst others content them- selves with the shelter of the foliage, has never been satisfactorily explained. There is no perceptible difference in the organization of caterpillars, nor are the larvae of the web-spiimers apparently more delicate than those of other Lepidoptera. Nor is the use of the web itself very evident. In the case of the little Ermine-moth, it is evidently intended as a means of safety from birds ; its utUity iu other HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 59 cases is not so plain. The Lackey is one of those insects that are protected by some strange natural law from molestation by birds. The web cannot be needed in its case. Cannot some of the readers o f Science-Gossip give us some ideas on the subject ? Nottlng Hill. C. Lovekin. GEYLLUS VIRIDISSIMUS. ON the evening of Monday, September 11th, I had a beautifid Gryllus viridissimus brought to me. It was found on some dry grass, just where a hedge had been recently cut down, and was in perfect condition, and very lively. I had not any previous knowledge of the insect, but I imagined it must be a kind of locust, so I expected it to be a very voracious creature— a devourer of any green thing. I did not at the time remember that it had been noticed in Science- Gossip ; and, as I had an engagement, I put it into a well-ventilated box with a glass lid, and, having supplied it with a quantity of fresh grass for food, left 'it to its fate for the day. On the Wednesday morning I could not discover that it had eaten any of the grass, and it appeared to have lost both bulk and vitality. However, 1 gave it a slice of apple, upon which it fed eagerly, making quite a little cavity by the action of its mandibles, and growing evidently stouter and more lively in consequence. I soon after took a vralk to the spot where the insect bad been found, and gathered a sprig of every plant which grew near, hoping in this way to ascertain its preferences. I arranged in a vase, dog-rose, hawthorn, dogwood, bramble, nettle, hore- hound, clover, &c., and placed them under a glass shade, which rested on a perforated stand, with a patch of fresh turf at the foot of the vase, and then transferred my G. viridissimus to its new quarters, with which it seemed very well pleased. It walked deliberately over all the dowers and sprays, but did not attempt to eat any, and it finally rested with great apparent contentment upon a rose-leaf. I supplied it with a fresh piece of apple, and then turned to my volumes of Science-Gossip for in- formation. I was rewarded by finding a very interesting article, headed "The Large [.Green Grasshopper {Acrida viridissima)." The writer remarks that, notwithstanding these names, the iisect is really neither a grasshopper nor a^locust, bit that it belongs to the Gryllidae, or Cricket family ; and in a little book, " The World^of In- serts," I find it is called Gryllus viridissimus. My spe>imen has all the distinguishing characters of the iJryllida; : thighs of posterior legs large ; tibise ai'mel with spines ; abdomen terminated by .two slende. fleshy appendages; tarsi of the anterior and inermediate pairs of legs three-jointed ; au- itennae Ing, and a long ovipositor. I refer to this because the habits of my viridissi' mus differed somewhat from those described in Science-Gossip, and it might be thought that the insects were not the same. Acting upon the information I gained, I supplied my Gryllus with cabbage-stalk, but it disregarded it, and preferred the apple. 1 gave it raw beef, cooked beef, flies, a caterpillar, a grasshopper, and a ladybird. All were touched both by its antennas and its tarsi, but it did not attempt to devour any, though each remained some hours under the glass with it. The living things all came out unhurt, and the meat was not eaten. It still preferred the apple ; but as I feared it did not eat enough for a creature of its size, I put in a large plum whole. This it immediately mounted, and made a cushion of for a considerable time, its bright green colour contrasting very prettily with the purple fruit, but it did not break the skin. For ten days it ate nothing that I gave it but the apple, and it looked well and was very active. I cannot help thinking that it gained part of its nourishment by gathering animalculfe both with its palpi and tarsi. The almost continual movements of the palpi, described by Mr. Ulyett as " cleaning its teeth," seemed to me to be the gathering in of its invisible food; and on examining the palpi with a lens, I found they were covered with delicate cilia, and this, I thought, gave additional probability to the idea. I fully agree with the opinion that the frequent application of the tarsi to its mouth was not for the purpose of making them glutinous, as it often put them there when it was walking about upon my hands, and I never felt them at all sticky ; but I think it carried them to its mouth not only for the purpose of keeping them clean, but also to convey invisible food, for I have watched precisely the same mo- tions when it has been resting upon a leaf, and not n.oving from place to place at all. My Gryllus viridissimus was really a most elegant creature ; its colours were just those of a young, vigorous autumn shoot of Rusa caniiia, which, with some other sprays, I placed within the glass. Over these sprays it travelled with evident satis- faction, sometimes leaping from side to side, sometimes clasping the stem, and at other times reposing head downwards upon one of the leaves. In its positions of perfect rest you could not readily distinguish it, its appearance "was so leaf - like. Not only were its movements very fascinat- ing, but it was so tame and friendly that it quite gained upon one's affections : it would leap about the table, and from the table to the carpet, always allowing itself to be recaptured on presenting it a finger ; so that there was no danger of hurting it. I gave it some pieces of apple, cut very thin. It just lifted up the edge with two of its palpi, and then nibbled away; once it ate in my hand. But after ten days a change came over it. It would CO HARDWICKE'S SCIEN CE-GO S SIP. remain quiet for hours in some elegant, graceful position on a rose-spray, and then it would descend and appear restless; its ovipositor, from being horizontal, would become perpendicular, and it was evidently anxious to deposit some eggs ; but, for some reason or other, it failed to do so. On these occasions it avoided the turf, moss, and mould, but it made many little holes in the muslin which covered the perforations of the stand ; and once it pressed its ovipositor with some force on the palm of my hand, but it did not deposit eggs any- where. Just fourteen days after its capture the poor little thing died. Whether tlie cause of its death was its failing to deposit eggs, as it evidently_had an in- clination to do, or whetlier it did not get the food it preferred, I cannot tell. I should be very glad to know more of the habits of this interesting insect. E. A. M. MANNA or THE DESERT. AN EDIBLE LICHEN. A VALUED correspondent, B. W., having sent me some notes on this production, which he hopes may prove of interest, and elicit further information from some of your readers, I beg to hand them to you, with some additions to the literature of the subject. Figs. 41, 42. Lichen esculenttis (barren and fertile specimens). Tlie discovery of this curious plant is due to Pallas, who named it Lichen csculentns, and de- scribed and figui-ed it in his great work,"Ileise durch Verschied. Proviuzeu dcs Russischen Reiches," torn. iii. p. 700, T. II. lig. 4 (1770). As this book is not accessible to the general reader, I give copies of the figures, which are of the natural size, and add a translation of his character. "Corpiisculcs free, oblong, composed of a convolute, thick cori- aceous white crust, externally wrinkled and tuber - culose, grey or pale ash-colour. Apothecia rare, immersed, excavated, somewhat prominent, like warts. Occurs thickly among stones in the very driest limestone hills of the Tartarian desert, scarcely distinguishable from small stones, except by the expert." In the modern system the plant belongs to the genus Lecanora, and will stand as Lecanora esculenta, Duf. ; Placodium Sustcfii also being a synonym. Mr. Berkeley tells us that Dr. Arthaud published a pamphlet to prove that this must have been the manna with which the Israelites were fed, and the same view is supported by Giles Munby, Esq., in a paper", on the botanical productions of the kingdom of Algiers, read at Birmingham in 1849, before the British Association for the Advancement of Science, and published in Annals of Nat. History for Dec. 1849, p. 426. Mr. Munby resided many years in Algeria, and be tells us that it covers the sand in some parts, and grows during the niglit like mushrooms, and also that the French soldiers during an expedition Fig. 43. Section of the margin of a lobwle, from Algerian specimens, x so. south of Coustautirie, subsisted on it for some days cooking it in various ways and making it into bread. The specimens received from B. W. were collected ■ at Reboud Djelfa, in the desert south of the Great / Atlas chain, and arc not one-fifth the size of those figured by Pallas : in appearance they precisely re- resemble gum ammoniacum, but are lighter, and and when soaked in water, of a corky consistence; their taste is slightly bitter, and internally they aie of a starchy nature. A section under the microscope shows numerous gonidia imbedded in the th.ck cortical layer a lil tie below the surface. It viU thus be seen that the manna of the desert has notiiiug in common with the manna of our shcps, a saccharine exudation from Fraximts ornus, nc/ with the similar "manna of Mount Sinai" fi;>m the Tamarix munnifcra. / Presuming that the lichen is the same a/ that or HARDWICKE'5 SCIEN CE-GOSSIP. 61 which the children of Israel were fed, there is really little inconsistent with the Scriptural account ; allowing that the mauna was miraculously supplied, it might still be brought about by natural agency, for Mr. Berkeley further mentions that, lying loose on the ground, without any attachment, it is easily rolled along by the wind, and sometimes piled together in strata several inches in thickness. Nay, more, it is still, occasionally rained from heaven, being carrid up by whirlwinds, and after traversing the air for many miles, falls precisely as the showers of fish, frogs, and gnats' larvaj, which afford sensational pira-jraphs for our own news- papers. Such a shower of these lichens fell about twenty years ago at Erzeroum, during a time of great scarcity; this bread from heaven affording opportune relief to the inhabitants. Probably, as Mr. Munby suggests, when gathered alive and placed in a heap, it would in such a climate soon ferment, and then " breed worms and stink ;" the injunction to gather it daily might therefore liave a sanitary import, and as a double quantity was collected on the day preceding the sabbath, little would be found on that day ; but the Biblical narra- tive tells us, that which remained over on the sabbath "did not stink." Tlie characters also of the manna do not accord in all points, — " as small as lioar frost on the ground— it was like coriander seed, white, and the taste like wafers made with honey." Whether the manna of the wilderness was or was not a natural product is fully discussed in the Dictionary of the Bible (published by Murray in 1863, and the work of sixty-seven of the most eminent divines) ; from which it would appear to have been always considered an open question ; the Lichen esculentus, Pallas, does not, however, seem to have been known to them, or it would no doubt have been noticed, and also the peculiarity that it may be gathered all the year round. K. Braituwaite. VARIOUS PORMS OP POLLEN-GRAINS. "PVURING a walk last summer through my fields, -*-^ when getting over a wall, 1 was surprised to see my boots changed from black to a golden tinge ; naturally I felt inquisitive to learn what this proceeded from. On examining them closer with my Coddington lens, I found that the beau- tiful yellow colour proceeded from an accumu- lation of the pollen of the various M-ild flowers which vv'cre then in bloom. I gathered about a , dozen flowers of the different wild plants that grew around where I was standing. When even- ing came I amused myself by subjecting the pollen of them to an investigation under my micro- scope ; it was amazing to see the numerous forms each tiny grain presented, and the beauteous sym - metry of their varied markings. I was so pleased at the end of my research that I determined next day to get a fresh supply of the same flowers and sketch their uncommon pollen-grains. This I ac- cordingly did, and now enclose sketches of the same, giving them their common as well as botanical names. Fig. 44. Pollen of Bladder Campion, Broad-leaved Helleborine, and Scabuisa arvensis. The objects were principally magnified with a half- inch objective, and some few of the larger ones with an inch power and A eyepiece. I feel sure these curiously-shaped pollen will be interesting to many Fig. 45. Pollen of Potamogetnn densum, SanguUorba offici- nalis, and Eye-bright. of your botanical readers. I think, however, as I am writing on this subject, it will not be out of place if I give a brief sketch of the function of the pollen of a flower, and the part it takes in the economy Fig. 46. Pollen of Cnicus lanceolfity.i, Jucundus conglomeratus, and Orobus luberustcs, of the plant creation. The pollen has the peculiar power of fructifying each seed which is growing in the ovary of the plant ; the anthers contain the pollen-grains, and as soon as the flower comes into Fig. 47. Pollen of Hiemcium submidwn, Erica ciliaris, and Mentha viridis. full bloom, the pistil, then fully developed, has on the surface of its stigma a viscid fluid, which makes the pollen adhere to it. When the anther has reach e d its zenith, the pollen falls off into a channel, which conveys it into the ovary underneath. There are G3 HAUDWICKE'S S CIE NCE-GOSSIP. many cells in the tiny pollen-grain, and a fluid called I'ovilla, which gives the creative power to the ovule. As soon as the pollen falls on the stigma it sends forth a tube, long or short, as the case may be ; this descends through the style, enters the ovary, reaches the ovule, pouring in the fovilla, which gives life to the future plant, which it preserves and nourishes in the seed. The quantity of pollen in a plant is astonishing; but when it is recollected the number- less insects which feed on it, it can then be under- stood that an all-wise Creator has made provision for the different vicissitudes of the vegeiable king- dom. In conclusion, my reason for selecting the pollen of wild flowers instead of cultivated ones, was, that there are many persons who have not ac- cess to flower-gardens, especially those who live in towns, and hence cannot investigate the subject for themselves ; whereas, in the wide garden of nature, all can easily go into the green fields and gather the various flowers they care for, and by an examination of their varied pollen-grain, can gain both informa- tion and pleasure at a very small expense, granting, of course, that they possess a microscope of moderate magnifying power. The pollen-grains look charming when illuminated with a parabolic reflector, which throws them out in bold relief from the black back- ground. Pollen-grains are very easily mounted by shaking the grains off on a piece of black paper and drying them carefully ; then mount them in a shallow cell, on black paper, as an opaque object— the larger kind are the best for this purpose, such as the Mal- low, Hollyhock, &c. ; some of the darker-coloured pollen can very well be mounted in balsam. This operation requires to be carefully done, as the pollen, being soft, can be seriously injured by over-pressure. Having many of these specimens in my collection, I can well testify that tliey are highly interesting, even to those who have little interest in the subject, but still admire them, on account of their eccentricity of form. Ealph H. Westkopp, A.B., T.C.D. MICEOSCOPY. Aebobescent Slides.— If a few drops of the solution of nitrate of silver be placed in a clean copper cell cemented upon a glass slide, the growth of crystals of metallic silver will immediately start from the margin of the inclosed space and proceed with great regularity towards the centre. Crystals of the newly-formed compound, nitrate of copper, will be deposited upon the surface of the silver as the water evaporates, but by carefully immersing the slide in clean water these will be redissolvcd, and thus easily got rid of; when thus washed, the arborescent silver may be mounted either dry or in fluid, without in any way injuring or disturbing it, as will almost invariably be the case when it is precipitated upon a wire, as recommended by your correspondents in Science- Gossip, pp. 17 and 47. Slides of arborescent lead may be prepared in the same way from a solution of acetate of lead in a zinc cell (or by " P. K.'s " plan with a small skred of zinc). The similarity between the crystals of silver and lead has frequently been remarked, and it will be remembered that in nature these metals are con- stantly found in combination. Arborescent silver may also be prepared in great perfection by decom- posing a solution of the nitrate by means of a weak galvanic current. The terminal wires in this case should be of platinum, and may be conveniently brought upon the stage of the microscope through two pieces of small glass tube mounted in the same way as the stage forceps : they both hold and insulate the wires and admit of movement in any required direction. A commutator — or con- trivance for breaking or reversing the current— in- troduced between the jjlatinum terminals and the battery will add very greatly to the interest of the experiment ; a cell or trough containing the solution should then be placed upon the stage and the ends of the platinum W'ires immersed in it. On making the connection with the battery an exquisitely beautiful growtli of silver fern-like crystals viill immediately take place upon the wire, connected with the positive plate, a simultaneous growth of prismatic crystals starting from the opposite wire. On breaking the current the growth will instantly cease, and on reversing it the curious cfi'ect of the disappearance of the crystals in the inverse order of their growth will be seen until all have been re- dissolved, when a fresh growth will immediately commence upon the"opposite wires ; and this alter- nate growth and «;/-growth may be repeated any number of times by a careful experimenter, to whom details as to illumination, magnifying power, &c., will be unnecessary here. It is, however, important to mention that only a loealc current should be employed, as otherwise the process goes on too rapidly for convenient observation, and bubbles of gas are apt to be disengaged from the wires, which, in addition to disturbing the general tranquillity of the fluid, will be sure to detach the crystals themselves. A single cell of the smallest size " Leclanche " battery, or one of "Walker's" con- taining very diluted acid, will be found amply suffi- cient for Ihe purpose. The foregoing experiment; was detailed in the course of a paper read by the writer at one of the early meetings of the Quekett Club, but may yet be interesting to some readers of Science-Gossip, seeing that the subject has recently been revived in its pages. — R. T. L. Maltwood's PiNDER.— This little instrument, so well known to microscopists, has perhaps not been so generally adopted as it deserves to be. This- has arisen from two causes, the first being the some- what cumbrous method of registration usually HAllDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 63 adopted, and, secondly, from difficulty of fiuding au object registered by differeut observers and "finders," arising from sliglit errors in the Einder itself, and also from the various methods of registration adopted by different observers. Mr. W. K. Bridgeman, president of the Norfolk and Norwich Microscopical Societj', has sug- gested a plan which, by the aid of a very simple piece of apparatus, obviates, to a very considerable extent, the above-named objections to the Tinder. He inserts in the eyepiece over the diaphragm' an "indicator." This can be made in the following manner : Unscrew the top of the eyepiece, so as to expose the diaphragm ; cut a piece of card to fit firmly over it ; draw a line across the diameter of the disk of card, and cut an aperture in it of the same size as that in tlie diiiphragm ; cut a little notch in the ring in the same direction as the line, and gum a line bristle in it, the point reaching nearly to the centre ; when dry, phce in the eyepiece (close to the diaphragm) and scre\y in the eye lens, and the indica- tor is ready for use. Finders are only necessary when the object is minute, or very rare on the slide, and the higher powers are used. One of the squares in Malt- wood's finder usually fills the whole of the field of a ^ objective ; and if it so happened that au object always occupied the same position as a square, no great difficulty would be found in the registration of its position ; but it more frequently occurs that portions of squares only are in the field ; as for example, — ?» or 111 1|2- "When this is the case, the indi- cator will be found of the greatest use. Bring the object to be registered close to the point of the bristle, remove the slide, and put (he Dnder in its place, and note the exact position of the point. We will suppose that the figures are the dot representing the point of the indi- the position of the object must then be 1 cator registered thus : -] ., the dot always representing the exact position of the object when in the centre of the field. The rule for notation is that the square on which the pointer rests is that which must be written down. The error existing be- tween two finders may be detected and remedied in the following manner : Place the finder on the stage, and bring the centre square into view, which would appear thus 25 remove it and put an ordinary glass slide in its place ; make a small per- foration in a gummed label ; moisten it, and slip it on the slide, so that the aperture is central. The slide thus prepared can then be sent with the slides requiring examination ; the second observer will then test his own finder by the slide, and the error, if any, noted. I have tried the plan proposed by Mr. Bridgeman, and find that it answers admirably. One or two slight improvements may perhaps be made — a ring of thin brass might be substituted for card, and a small brass pin soldered into it for the purpose of removing it from the eyepiece when re- quired, and in place of the bristle, a piece of fine spun glass will be found preferable ; indeed, so slight a portion of the field is occupied by it, that the in- dicator may always remain in the eyepiece, and will be found useful in calling another observer's atten- tion to any object, or part of an object, that may bo desired. The test slide may be made a more per- manent record by marking the centre with a small ink-dot, and when dry, ruling (with a diamond) two lines at right angles to each other across the dot ; the point of intersection will then be found in the centre of the field. — F. Kitton. A New Goniojieter Eyepiece. — Dr. Porter and Mr. J. P. Southworth have succeeded in mak- ing an eyepiece micro neter and goniometer, which they say, equal in cheapness and accuracy, and are much cheaper, than any yet seen. The objection to the eyepiece micrometer in use is the lack of bold- ness in tbe division lines, which makes them faint, and hurtful to the eyes. To overcome this objection, they have been led to make micrometers by the aid of photography, and have succeeded. The advan- tages of their goniometers over that ordinarily in use, is, that the angles of the crystal and the degrees of the goniometer are on the same line of sight within the tube of the microscope, while in the ordinary goniometer the degrees are marked outside the tube. The photographic processes by means of which this is achieved are not new, but may be learned in any work on that subject. B 0 T A 2^ Y. Ranunculxts PiCAUiA, L.— A common name for this species sometimes met with in our Ploras is " Lesser Celandine." This is a deceptive and con- fusing name ; it is really a corruption of CIielidGiiium, and the name of celandine should with propriety only be applied to Chelidonium majus. The true English name for this plant is Pllewort. Every one who observes the " little things of nature" must have noticed the peculiar whitening of the glossy golden petals after they have been fully expanded about fourteen days. Sometimes they appear with only white patches in different parts of the petals ; at others, it commences at the tip, and runs half or two-thirds down the petals. Underneath the white patch appears as if the cellular matter was in a state of decay. The corolla is not marcescent, as in the Campanulas (Bellflowers). The term marces- cent cannot be applied to a deciduous corolla, and without doubt the petals of the Pilewort are deciduous. I am nut aware that any satisfactory 64 HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE- GOSSIP. reason has been assigned for tliis peculiar pheno- menon, which does not exist only in this species, bat may be seen in several buttercups. The changes going on in the petals of the Alkanet, Evening Primrose, &c., are different to the Pilewort. In the Evening Primrose the corolla does not suffer the loss of colour ; it is only more intense, as from light yellow often to bright pink, or purple; on the contrary, the Alkanet changes from blue to pink. May not the following be assigned as one reason for this change ?— at all events it is in harmony with first principles. At the season when the Pilewort begins to bloom, very few flowers are to be met with. The brilliant petals may then be designed to attract the honey-bee, so as to bring about more effectually the fertilization of the ovules : this being a accomplished, the corolla begins at once to exhibit the white blotches. After the whitened and withered-looking petals appear, the bee never visits the flower. I speak now from my own limited observation, which may not be in strict accordance with the observations of other botanists. The carpels are but loosely placed on the receptacle, and are easily displaced. If they fall before they are fully matured, of course germination cannot take place : thus the speckled petals may be pro- duced solely to repel bees and other insects. The petals vary much, both in number and size ; this may depend to a great extent on the richness or fertility of the soil in which they are growing. The R. ficaria of Linnaeus is now divided into two very distinct varieties, recognized chiefly by the variation in the leaf {see Syme's " English Botany ")• The botanical reader will do well to keep a look- out this spring, as their distribution does not seem to be well ascertained. The one named R. divercjer.s, E. Schultz, appears the most frequent ; whereas, so far as I am informed, the R. incumbeus is rare in our northern counties.— /c/zwes F. Rohinson. Abnormal Ericas. — Mr. Britten draws atten- tion, in the Journal of Botany, to an anandrous variety of Ulrica ciiierea, from Wiltshire, which has year after year brought forth similar blossoms. Their appearance is very remarkable, and due to the fact that both corolla and stamens were want- ing. The specimens are interesting on account of their apparent permanence. Hymenophyllum Tuni?ridgexse.~I beg to say that I know a locality for this fern not far from Llanberis. It grows, in company with 11. JFilsoni, in a somewhat dangerous "place, but was procured for me by a native about eighteen months ago. — R. M. Middle ion. Belfast Naturalists' Pield Club.— The eightli annual report of this flourishing club has just been issued. Among other interesting material there are given several localities for some of the more in- teresting plants of the district ; among others, — Carex strigosa, C. districha, Arenaria trinervis, Tortida recurviflora, Orthotrichum leiocarpum, and many others, some of which have not been before recorded. The Elora of Berkshire. — Mr. James Britten, of th3 British Museum, has just published what he modestly terms "Contributions" to the flora of the above county, but which is a most valuable sum- mary of the botanical knowledge of that part of Eaglaud. It takes the form of a list, showing how much is known, and how much more remains to be known, of the distribution of the species found within its limits. Altogether the enumeration of the species may be looked upon as a record of the pknts known to exist in Berkshire in, or pre- viously to, 1871. The county has been divided into five districts, for the purposes of floral distribution. The authorities quoted, from old GerarJe down- wards, are very numerous, and Mr. Britten may be congratulated for having successfully accomplished a very difficult and onerous task. The list contains no fewer than SM species. Mosses of the London District. — Mr. T. Howse asks in the January number of Science- GossiT for habitats of mosses near London. The following list contains some tliat I found while re- siding in London five or six years ago. In com- municating them, I must express the hope that the rapacity of collectors will not exterminate those that the inevitable encroachments of bricks and mortar have hitherto spared. I would reccommend col- lectors to explore Ilampstead Heath well, espe- cially a bog in the farther part ; also the banks and walls bordering the road from Hampstead to High- gate. A walk from Mill Hill through the lanes by Sheuley to St. Albans also yielded mc many species. Another good day's walk was from Barnes Common (where many rare plants are to be found) up the lane leading to Iloehampton ; thence across Wimbledon Common to Combe Wood : Sphagnum acutifoliim, Ilampstead Heath ; ^S". ojmhifolium, Wimbledon ; S. squarrosum, Walthamstow ; Phas- cum subulatum, Stanmore Heath; Weissia contro- versa, banks of road from Hampstead to Highgate ; IF. cirrhata, on old paling in lane from Barnes Com- mon to Iloehampton ; Dicranum scoparium, Hamp- stead ; I). hetcromallHm, Clapham Common ; Pottia truncata. Old Oak Common ; Didymodon rubellus, Highgate; Tortula muralis, Kilburn; T. subidiita, Elstree; Atrichum undulatum, Combe Wood, Shen- ley ; Pogonutum naniim, Hampstead Heath ; Poly' trichum commune, Barnes and AVimbledon Commons ; P. juniperinnm, Barnes Common; Aulacomniuni palustre, Hampstead and Roeliampton ; A. androgy- «//»/, Barnes and St. Albans; Bryum nutans, Wimble- don Common ; B. capillare, Mitcham ; B. argentenm, Kilburn ; Milium hormim,, Highgate ; Funaria hygro- HAKDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. G5 metrica, Paddingtou goods - station ; Fissidens bryoides, Hampstead, near Pincliley Road ; ¥. taxi- folius,Co[ney Street ; Hi/pmm confertum, St. Albans ; H. ndahuhm, Kensal Green and Higligate; U, prcelovgim, Hampstead ; U. striatum, H. tamarisci- mm, H. splendens, Sbenley ; E. . cuspidafum, Roe- bampton; H.fluitans, KensalGreen and Hampstead; H. compressiforme, St. Albans ; //. denticulatum, Highgate ; Scapania imdidata, Hampstead ; Junger- mannia inflata, "Wimbledon ; Lophocolea bidentata, Sbenley. — //. Franklin Parsons, M.J). ZOOLOGY. The Crystal Palace Aquarium.— A capital guide-book to tlic Crystal Palace Aquarium has just appeared, written by Mr. W. A. Lloyd, the superintendent of the aquarium. The great in- terest in natural history which this beautifully- fitted-up aquarium has already elicited will be in- telligently ministered to by this little handbook. It contains a brief history of aquarium-building, and a detailed explanation of the principles upon which that at the Crystal Palace is constructed. Then follows the natural history of the various animals living in the several tanks, with such original notes of their habits, &c., as have been studied since they were placed in their new house. The Great Auk.— Dr. Hayes, in his work on Arctic travel, just published, records a visit to Greenland, and, speaking of Mr. Hansen, a natu- ralist there, says :—" To the study of the birds of the region and their habits he has devoted much attention. The Great Auk, long since supposed to be extinct, he told us had recently been seen on one of the Whale-fish islands. Two years before one liad actually been captured by a native, who, being hungry, and wholly ignorant of the great value of the prize he had secured, proceeded at once to eat it, much to the disgust of Mr. Hansen, who did not learn of it until too late to ccme to the rescue. Mr. Hansen was at this time Governor of Godhavn, Disco Island, and had previously been Governor of Proven and Upernavik." Musical Mice. — As this subject has been dis- cussed in our columns lately, it will not be out of place to draw attention to an article in the American Natt(ralist, in which Dr. Lockwood gives a descrip- tion of a singing vesper-mouse {Hesperomys). The mouse in question was brought from Florida, and, at first, the twitterings were ascribed to swallows. One day the mouse came on the hearth, sat up, and sung for a minute or so, and then retired. Eventually it fell into Dr. Lockweod's hands, so that he could minutely study its habits. It was at night that its song usually began, and so distinct were its notes that Dr. Lockwood had them written down, and they are given in the article to which we are now referring. The notation in some parts much re- sembles that of the nightingale, only that it is in a different key. The scope of the notes was remark- able, falling an octave with all the precision possible. The mouse would burst into song, like a bird, all on a sudden. One song, named and written down by Dr. Lockwood as the " Grand Role," was singular for its strange diversity of changes. So soft and silvery were the notes, that the author remarks that if they had been uttered by a canary the bird would have been worth a hundred dollars ! This singing would sometimes last as long as nine minutes. The doctor is utterly opposed to the idea that this singing was due to bronchial disease, and gives undoubted reasons for his belief ; amongst others, that most of the notes uttered were those it would have been most impossible to have sounded under any form of bronchial alfectiou. PiKE-EisiiiNG IX Norfolk. — Norfolk is the Paradise of the Pike. We may read in the news- papers of his growing to an enormous size in some solitary fishpond, where, for aught we know, he may have reigned supreme since the days when the pre- Elizabethan monks placed him there as a young pikerel. But nowhere does the average size of pike equal their condition in the Norfolk rivers and broads. There you find them in all ages and sizes— from the three-inch jack just trying his "prentis ban' " on equally juvenile roach and dace, to the still growing, elderly individuals over three feet long. Their number is legion; and Norfolk pike-fishing, in my estimation, beats both trout- and salmon fishing for right-down good sport. If you are inclined to be sentimental, and to subscribe to Mr. Preeman's views about hunting, you have the satisfaction of knowing, when pike-fishing, that you have not lured poor herbivorous creatures to their destruction, but simply caught the carnivorous can- nibal that intended to do unto others what you intend to do to him !— /. F. Taylor, in " Belgravia." The Butterflies of the Channel Isles. — As these islands are a very favourite resort of tourists and naturalists during the summer months, it may not be uninteresting to the readers of Science- Gossip to hear what my experience has been, and I am the more induced to send these notes for insertion in your excellent Magazine because it was not until the end of a long stay in Jersey that I caught any- thing worth mentioning. In this island it is only the south-cast district which contains rare Lepi- doptera. Between the hills and the sea I found C. edusa in profusion ; C. hyale came flitting by now and then, and the rare P. daplidice was not uncommon at midday. In the luceru-fields I found A. lathonia; but this latter insect was very hard to catch. The specimens of C. edusa which I caught showed a decided richness and depth of colour which the English specimens do not possess. In fact, on C6 HARDWICKE'S SCIEN CE - GO S S IF. comparing them with their Indian brethren, there was scarcely any difference distinguishable ; and this is somewhat remarkable, considering that the ditfer- ence between the summer heat of Jersey and England is very slight. In C. hyale and P. daplldice I did not perceive any difference, but A. latlwnia was, like edusa, much darker, and the silver markings underneath were brighter. Throughout the island painted ladies (F. curdui) took the place of whites, and exhibited much variety of colouring, from brown to rose-colour. If I had netted all the whites I saw, I should, no doubt, have taken more specimens of dciplidice, for it is impossible to distinguish between the species while on the wing. This is, no doubt, a wise provision of Providence, to prevent their com- plete extermination. I have read with pleasure the paragraphs which have lately appeared iu Scienc£- GossiP, showing that butterflies settle on objects of a similar colour to themselves, and I can quite endorse the opinions of my friend Mr. E. C. Lefroy ou this point. In Guernsey, for instance, the oak- eggars, which are very common, invariably fly down the shady lanes, and settle on the trunks of trees and other dark surfaces. It is very evident that butter- flies have no eye for a pretty landscape, or, otherwise, we should have more of them in Guernsey, which, small as it is, presents a greater variety of picturesque scenery than the larger island. At any rate, I have nothing uncommon to put down in my list, as, during the whole of my stay, 1 saw nothing worth catching, if I except a few solitary specimens of .S". semele which I occasionally met with. This butterfly may have been more common iu some parts, for it is very local in its habits, and oCten confines itself to a single field, where it may be found in swarms. It is also very partial to hill-sides. I took a good many speci- mens of the Oak-eggar and Jersey Tiger, and one Brimstone butterfly {G. rhamiii), the only one I saw in the islands. Several species of diurnal moths were common in Guernsey and in Sark, which is about six miles distant. S. semele was iu great profusion. As we had sailed out for a picnic, and I did not expect to find any insects ou so small an island, I did not take my net, but I managed to knock down and capture five or six graylings with my hat. I found them to be exceptionably large ?,nd fine. I was told that the green Hair-streak {T. riibi) was very common in the Jersey clover- fields ; but though I was there during the greater part of August, I did not observe a single specimen. El-it illaries (except lathonia) and skippers were as scarce as hair-streaks ; but I caught Alexis, Argiolus, (Egon, and Agestis ; also the commoner Vanessas and browns,— F; H. Booth, Blackheath, S.R BiKDS IN Winter.— It may not be unacceptable to some among the readers of Science-Gossip to hear how we are able to watch some of the habits of a few species of birds close by our drawing- room window. Eor this purpose there is erected about three yards from the window a tripod, ori- ginally used as support for an archery target, and to the top of this an earthenware pan is suspended by three strings ; this is kept full of hemp-seed, and there is a- continual flow of birds t o it. The most frequent are the tits, of whom we constantly see four species; viz. the Great, Blue, Cole, and xMarsh tits. When no one is watching ihem, the sparrows will come iu great numbers ; but thsy will not be watched nearly so freely as the tits allow them- selves to be. Occasionally the most amusing scenes take place before our eyes ; sometimes a blue tit' will deliberately attack a great tit, and sometimes drive him away. If the great tit resists at all, he is usually " one too many " for his diminutive cousin, but usu- ally they are a little afraid of one another, as there are seldom more than one, or at most two, birds in the pan at once, though there are often others on the edge, or on tiie three legs of the tripod. I have now spoken mostly of the tits, but we have other visitors which, though not so common, are perhaps quite as pretty. These I have not space to describe. I must, however, narrate an exciting event which took place last August. A greenfinch had taken possession of the hemp seeds, and entirely forbade any other birds to come near, except our friends the tits. If a sparrow settled on the edge of the pan, he flew at him at once and drove him away. Occasionally four or five sparrows would come one after another ; and on such occasions his time was entirely occu- pied with these ; and so his dinner had to wait till they were all gone. But his conduct towards the tits was very different ; he seemed to appreciate their strength and pluck, and never attempted to inter- fere with them. This respectful conduct, however, entirely vanished when some other bird arrived. We have lately had another friend come for food in the shape of a nuthatch, or, rather, a pair of nut- hatches, which originally came for nuts, put out for a squirrel's benefit; but we managed to tempt them nearer and nearer to the house till they were tame enough to be closely looked at through the window. At one time I counted fourteen visits from these two in the space of half an hour, and each time a nut was carried away. I am told their visits were continued after I was obliged to leave my position^ These nuthatches do not often visit the tripod ; but at a house I know near CroniL-r, where the birds are fed in the same way, they frequently associate with the tits and eat the hemp-seed. At these times, when prevented from going straight to tlie pan by a tit or other bird, they will run up aud down the supports, always running head downwards when descending, and never content to fly down from the lop to the pan; they always fly away with the seed, and do not crack it on the legs of the tripod or the strings supporting the pan, as the blue tits always do. —A. F. Biixlon- HAllDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. or GEOLOGY. EossiL HvDrvOzoA. — The liydrozoa are the rarest group of orgauisiiis which have yet been met with, as, with the exception of the doubtful Oldhamia, the well-kuown characteristic fossil of the Cambrian rocks, only the impression of a Medusa has been discovered in the Solcnhofcu stone. To these Mr. James Thomson, E.G.S., of Glasgow, has added a nevr genus and two new species, from the car- boniferous shales of the West of Scotland. The generic name of Palccocoryiie has been given to the former, and Scoticum and radiatmi to the latter. The nearest related group is the anomalous Bimeria. Carbonipekotjs Reptiles. — Professor Cope has recently given a detailed account of the car- boniferous reptiles of Ohio, U. S. They are re- ferable to ten genera, and include twenty-seven species. These reptiles are of tlie most interesting character, on account of their forming so many "missing links." Most of them are batrachians, but one {Jilolgophis) resembles the serpents, with certain peculiarities of structure. The Latest Changes in the Nouthern HEMispnErxE. — It was after the emergence of Europe from the glacial sea that floral migrations began more particularly to spread over her. The climate was still rigorous in its character, the snow-line coming down in the wiuter probably to near the sea-level, as it now does in Greenlaud. Over the available area, arctic plants spread them- selves, finding luxuriant habitats in the newly- formed subsoils of the "Drift." The hairy mam- moth, woolly-haired rhinoceros, the Irish elk, musk ox, reiudeer, glutton, lemming, &c., more or less accompanied this flora, and their remains are always found in the great glacial deposits of Europe as low dow^n as the South of France. In the New World, beds of the same age contain similar- remains, indicating that they came from a commo7i northern centre, and were spread over both con- tinents alike. WHien the animals and plants of the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions of the Old and New worlds are compared, one cannot but be surprised at their identity. All, or nearly all, belong to the same genera, whilst many of the species even are common to the two great continents. This is most important in its bearing on our theory, as indi- cating that they radiated from a common centre after the Glacial period. W^hen we explore the temperate regions of the same countries, we find the floral and faunal difterences increasing, as one would expect iu remembering that many of the species date from the Jliocene epoch. In equatorial latitudes this contrast reaches i(s climax. No other theory will explain this peculiarity than that Arctic and sub-Arctic species have spread since the (tlacial epoch, whereas the southern and equatorial forms are older geographically, and were driven to their present areas of occupation by the slowly but surely advancing cold of the period in question. — /. 2?. Taylor, on tlie " Geographical Distribution of Animals and Plants," in " Westminster Review." Elint Elakes. — I had no opportunity of reading Mr. Whitley's letter on Elint Flakes in your number for August last till the close of the year. I can fully confirm Mr. Whitley's statements respecting the flint flakes from his " crusher," of which I have several, not to be dis- tiugui.shed in form from what are considered to be typical prehistoric specimens; but these crushed flakes are wanting ia one particular, viz., the patina, or white crust, the effect of long exposure to atmospheric influence ; and it is by these quali- ties of form and colour that " we learn to distin- guish between false and true weapons." I feel pretty sure I am not wrong in ascribing great importance to the "patina" as a test of the au- thenticity of flint flakes, for in and around Paris they are, almost without an exception, found only on a level with the river in all the gravel-pits with which Paris abounds. There, and there only, are they met with ; and this is so universally the case, that although I have searched almost every gravel -pit that was open last year round Pai'is and St. Germains, I only met with one flake at a higher level, and M. de Mortillet pointed to a rust-stain on its surface in proof that it had come from the surface gravel, and had been struck by the spade or some iron tool. Now this level is exactly that where the bones of extinct animals are found, and corresponds with the levels at Amiens and Abbeville, at which flint flakes have been found mingled with the bones of the same animals, and even with those of man ; yet neither Amiens nor Abbeville is on the Seine. In the South of France also human bones, as well as flint flakes, have been met wi-Ii at the same levels in river gravel. Neolithic or worked flints have almost as invariably been found at a higher level ; and the patina, when it exists is not so thick as on the flakes. M. de Mortillet assures me that flint flakes taken from peat bogs, bottoms of rivers, and other places to ^ hich air has no access, have no patina. The downs here are covered with millions of flints, both whole and broken, yet in ten minutes I found more characteristically- shaped flakes from Mr. Whitley's crusher than I could find in ten hours upon the downs. And why ? Because nature splits them by frost and heat, which do not give them regular edges and facets, while the crusher acts as primeval man did, and splits them by force applied ab extra, the effect of which is the same, whether it be a crushing power or a blow from another flint, man's sole weapon at that period. — T. Ogin Ward, M.I)., Oxon. 08 HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. NOTES AND aUERIES. Glowwoems. — In my rambles last summer I fre- quently came upou those beautiful objects, glow- worms. I have caugJit them and put them on the grass near the house, but very seldom saw anything of them after a night or two. I had a fancy to try and keep some through the winter, so I procured a white pot, bored a hole in the bottom for ventilation, and a glass shade with a small hole in the top, such as night lights are burnt under. After partly filling the pot with earth and moss, I cemented the glass to the pot with plaster of Paris, then got a small brass ring, a little larger than the hole at the top, and had some musliu tacked over it to form the cap, to prevent them getting out, then my cage was complete. I enclose a rough sketch, as I find it very useful to keep eggs in, &c. I next sup- plied the case with worms as food, but they did Fig. 48. Glowworm Cage. not seem very fond of them as diet, as I frequently saw worms lying on the nioss close to my friends witliout molestation, and most of them are now alive, and come to the surface occasionally. After I have watered the earth, which 1 do to purify them, they will eat a dead worm if hungry. Slugs seem their favourite food. Directly one is put into the case they all seem alert, and as it passes, first one and then another gives it a gentle reminder; and to judge from its actions, I should fancy it has a great objection to tiie bite, which generally kills it in an hour or so. In consequence of the dry season, I was unable to obtain any subject until the latter part of August, and am afraid I had not many eggs. I only saw about half a dozen on the moss. I kept the case indoors, and the last time I saw them glow was on December 1st. After sprinkling them with water until the 4th of Pebruary, when they seemed rather unlicalthy, I put them out of doors, the night being warm and rather damp, and I saw one glowing. I have a great wish to catcii a male, and should feel obliged if any friend can inform me how I can manage it, and also Mhere I can obtain inTormation about them, as none of our libraries in tliis neigh- bourhood seem to have it, and in return I will try to procure specimens for any reader who may wish to try to keep them in ferneries or elsewhere.— 1'. Buclc, Chelmsford . The Unicorn. — In answer to "Query" in the Pebruary number of Science-Gossi?, I beg to state that from Astle's " Seals of the Kings, &c., of Scotland," in which the signet of Margaret, queen of James 111., figured at page 4, is engraved. we learn that the unicorn was one of the royal badges of King James III., who struck gold coins called " unicorns " and "half-unicorns." In Boutell's " English Heraldry " we read (page 274) that two silver unicorns, "royally gorged and chained or" were assumed as supporters by James IV., and retained in use. At the union of the two kingdoms under Jamds I. and VI., the lion of England and the unicorn of Scotland were adopted, and with tlie exception of Protector Cromwell, who used the lion of England and the red dragon of Wales on his broad seal and privy seal, they have so continued to the present day. So much for the history of the use of this elegant though apocryphal beast. Whether Margaret adopted it as her husband's badge, or James used it in compli- ment to his wife, may be left an open question ; but I think that the ornamental addition of the crown and chain may be considered to represent the fierce and dangerous animal after his subju- gation by the force of female purity and loveliness. —T. G. Bayfield. Alauda akbokea. — I do not wish to be too critical, but may I ask your pleasant correspondent "Mr. Joseph Drew, of Nansladron." which, of two vei7 difi^erent — and by me lona: confounded — birds he means by the " Tree Pipit" ? The Tree Pipit's book-name is Anthis arhoreus, and it is, it seems, the Alauda trivialis of Pennant and Montagu, The true Tree Lark, becoming, alas! scarce in Hampshire, is Alauda arborea, of a difterent sub- genus, being a true lark. If killed— which heaven forbid any man should do by them, the two birds maybe distinguished thus roughly:— The Tree Pipit has the longer bill and short hind claw of the AidJius, and a spotted stomach ; the Tree Lark has the shorter bill and long hind claw of the Alauda, and a stomach without spots. It is also a thicker and less grey-colouied bird. The habits of the two, when singing on the wing, are so alike as to have puzzled me often. The distinction which I should make is, that the Tree Pipit, in hovering, spreads its tail like a fan, and curves its wings downward, which I have not seen the Tree Lark do. The Tree Lark certainly sings at night, as described l)y Mr. Drew, and its song is one of the most exquisite and flute-like I know, far surpass- ing that of the Tree Pipit. But when Mr. Drew speaks of being unable to distinguish his bird (after singing ceases) from the titlarks, I am doubtful which of the two birds he means. — C. Kingsley. Abnormal Tulip Stamens. — The transition betwixt petals and stamens, or stamens and petals, in the white Water-lily (Nympfuea alba) is well known to botanists. In this case it is only a normal state of the flower ; but in the following case of the single Due Van Tholl tulip the transition going on was abnormal. Upon looking over a bed of garden tulips last June, I observed several flowers witii the stamens in an abnormal state ; some of the stamens were similar to those observed in the Water-Iily,_ with the anthers elevated, apparently on one of the petals, or, to make it more plain, the filament was changed to a petal. In the other case the anther, instead of being placed at the summit of the transformed filament, was growing out of its side. In both cases the transformed filament was coloured the same as the normal petals. The above is only one of the many illustrations of the rule long ago advocated by Lindley, that all the parts of the floral whorl are transformed leaves. — James F. liobinsoii. HARDVVICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. G9 The GirsY-MOTii {Liparis dispar), p. 23. — Having Lad considerable experience in the rearing of tiiis interesting species, I beg to offer a few re- marks on that insect to your correspondent, Mr. John Henderson. ;My experience with regard to size coincides with that of Mr. Henderson, and 1 have never reared a specimen approaching that figured in Mr. Newman's work. _ 1 find they vary considerably in size, more especially the mules : I have one or two in my collection not larger than a fair-sized specimen of R. crat/rpata. On turning back to a previous volume of Science-Gossip, I find a note by Mr. Clifford on the above species : he writes, "As 'far as 1 know, all those reared by us produce what is called the northern, or dwarf type, which has been bred ' in and in ' for some years past by collectors : nor could the diminutive form be brought up to' the full size again by any mode of treatment." I know of no entomologist who has obtained larger specimens than myself or Mr. Hederson. Eurther on jNIr. Clifford writes : "On one occasion I liberated, by way of experi- ment, a largish number of these caterpillars near London, placing them on sallow, which seems most congenial to their taste ; however, subsequently, I was unable discover either cocoons or moths." Any information with regard to the above subject in these pages would be very acceptable to me as well as to Mr.Henderson. — R. Laddiman. Cleaning Sand Eoraminifera. — I have ob- tained some sea-sand which contains Foraminifera, and have tried several plans for washing out this lime which they contained, but have not yet suc- ceeded. I have tried the following plans; — 1. Washing them with a drop of muriatic acid in a watch-glass half filled with distilled water; buti found that evaporated them altogether ; so 1 put in more water, and then it had no effect at all. 2. I liave fully adopted that plan described in Science- Gossip for September, 18/0, by Mr. " J. H." by boiling them a quarter of an hour in liquor potassse, and afterwards a quarter of an hour in water ; but when I mount in Canada balsam, I find perhaps one half of a shell clean, and the rest all full of dirt. I have also tried them by boiling in soda and water, but cannot succeed. If any_ reader will kindly inform me where my error is, and of any other plan, I shall feel obliged.— Z. H. The " Liver." — In last month's number of Science-Gossip there are two notices from cor- respondents, about Liverpool, and the origin of its name. We all know that there never was such a bird as the " Liver," but very few seem to have any idea as to what the name really means, or whence it is derived. It appears to me that we must seek it in the old language of the country. We know that in ancient times the " old British " was spoken in the district, which in these days is represented by the Gaelic and the Welsh. _ Now we find in the Gaelic a M'ord which is sometimes spelled "Leth- thir," or "Lcthir," or "Leithtir," which means the " side of a country," or " near to the sea ; " and in the Welsh " pwl " means a " pool." Putting the two words together we have "Leththirpwl," or "Lethirpwl," or "Liverpool," a "pool near the sea." The above explanation of the meaning and origin of the name is to some extent confirmed by the ifact that the old inhabitants of the country in the neighbourhood call the place " Litherpul," or " Lirpul," to this day. We have the name, or rather the first part of it, yet spelled near to the original in the name of a district to the north of the town, which is called " LitheAwciA ; " and the names of several places in the neighbourhood are doubtless derived from the same source; as, " Orms- kirk," "Runcorn," "Wallasea," " Orrell," &c. ; as also the names of the two rivers, the " Mersey " and the " Dee."— /o//« Joynson. White Ants.— In reply to P. "W. Rogers, respecting ants, he will find the following remedy effectual : — Burn some sulphur in a saucer over- night, and place it in their haunts, repeating it for three successive nights ; then whitewash the cup- boards all over, mixing a teaspoonful of creosote to every pint of whitewash. — W. H. 6., Somerto)i, Taunton. The Vitrina pellucida. — Having taken a large number of these interesting mollusks this season, lam in a position to afiirm _ that they can completely withdraw themselves within their shells, if by the term "within" we understand that no part of the animal would be cut off supposing a flat surface were drawn across the mouth, similar to the epiphragm of other hybernating andajstivat- ing snails. They are neither very shy nor irritable, and therefore do not retreat on the slightest touch, like some others ; but that they can withdraw them- selves, I am completely satisfied. The immature animals certainly cannot entirely ensconce them- selves, the hinder part of the foot being always "left out in the cold," and also a part of the mantle in front, which is turned back over the shell. There is, however, a vast deal of difference between the contractile power of this species and that of other univalves. I have never been able to see any inside margin of the shell in an adult living specimen, nor iiave I ever taken one with an epiphragm, which induces me to think they do not hybernate as the Helices and others. But I have found them firmly adhering to pieces of decaying wood in a damp place under wet leaves : this seems, however, to be only a kind of torpor after a heavy glut, for the Vitrine is a great gourmet, esiiecially when it can command a poor earthworm for its repast. I am decidedly of opinion that they area very short- lived race, that their lives seldom indeed exceed nine or ten months ; for during the latter part of 1871 I was able to find any number of large or full- sized specimens ; now, in the same places, 1 can only find empty and tenantless shells, and a large number of small or immature animals ; and if this be the correct view, there can be no need of hybernation in their case. J. G. Jeffreys, in his "British Con- chology," offers no suggestion with regard to the aestivation of the inhabitants of these pretty shells ; and, generally speaking, the habits of these animals have not been very closely watched by any British conchologist, most of them contenting themselves with merely copying or echoing the views of M. Moquin-Tandon. Woidd it not be an interesting occupation for two ar three persons in different parts of the country to take them especially under attention, with a view to comparing notes at the end of the year, and publishing the result of their observations in Science-Gossip, on the conclusion of their labours ? Should the idea be thought worth entertaining, I would like to join one or two persons who would "be willing to assist in the undertaking. Autumn seems to be the best time for taking full- sized specimens for collections, but the present season is a good one for taking them in order to watch their habits in confinement, since all are now young animals ; and I presume that very 70 HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. little preparation would he needed to preserve tliem, as the Yitrine is not a great traveller, generally remaining in the same leaf-beci the mnjor pHrt of his natural \\i&.—Hngh Perkins, Sibford, near Banbury. Poisoning Dried Plants.— As requested by your correspondent in the last number of Science Gossip, I beg to submit my experience with regard to the above subject. I have never used any poisoning process at all, and though I have had some of the most delicate plants in my posses- sion for five years, I have never been troubled with mould or insects. ' I think tliat any persons who are auuoyed with either (especially mould) have them- selves to blame, as they dry their specimens in too great a hurry. If the plants are carefully dried, it is reasonable to suppose that they wnll keep for years without the addition of any chemical substance. — E. McE. II., Glasgow. The Tufted Duck.— On or about the 2Sth of January a specimen of the Tufted Duck {Anas fuligula of Pennant), otherwise known as the Black Widgeon, was shot on "Wetmoor, near the town of Laugport, in Somersetsliire. It was a male bird, of the usual dark olive-colour, with this peculiarity, that the greater wing-coverts had much less white about them than ordinary,— merely a narrow v/liite streak in fact, and the lower part of the breast was buff instead of white. Is it not rather unusual to meet with this bird so far west ? The variation of colour soems, I think, something uncommon. The country has been covered with deep water for many miles in this neighbourhood, more so than usual, and wild birds of various kinds have been very numerous. — P. P. Wasps. — It perhaps is not generally known that these insects will hawk at and carry off flies. Sitting one day in my ofBce, I observed a wasp giving chase to a house fly. It captured its quarry on the wing, made a circuit of the room, and then flew to the window, and devoured the fly in less than a minute. Another instance has come under my notice. Walking along a country road during the autumn, my attention was attracted by a buzzing sound, and looking down, I was aware of quite a little cloud of dust raised by a fierce struggle between a wasp and a large fly, commonly known as the " Blue^ bottle." Several times the fly shook itself clear of its adversary, but it was too much injured to rise; the wasp very quickly returned to the attack, running swiftly over the ground. I was on the point of taking the poor fly's part by killing them both, but the wasp was too quick ior me, and rose on the wing, bearing the fly with it. 1 however succeeded in knocking thein both to the ground by a smart blow with my hat ; but although struck down, the wasp kept its voracious hold, rose again, and bore off its prey. I think this an extraordinary example both of the strength and voracity of these insects. — G. J. L. Lamar q^te, Dover. Geological Guide to Sicily.— Could yon tell me if there is any Geological Guide-book to Etna, or Sicily generally ? 1 intend to be a month or two during this summer in Sicily and southern Italy, and should like to observe the more important geological phenomena. There must be a good many books on the subject surely, if one knew where to find them. 1 have Phillip's "Vesuvius." If I could get something similar for Etna, that would be the very thing. I don't mind whether it is in English or French ; German would be better than nothing.— A Subscriber. Justices' Science. — A recent number of Nature states that at Chelmsford the magistrates declined to grant the use of the Shirehall for a lecture on the sun, illustrated by experimen's in spectrum analysis, on the ground that the electric light might endanger the safety of the building ! Do Animals ever commit Suicide?— Tnthe recently published volume of additional selections from the miscellaneous writings of De Quincey, one paper, rather brief, takes up the question of suicide, and asserts, incidentallj', that animals do not, and cannot, be guilty of it. He adduces two cases, on which much stress was laid ; one that of a ram, the other of a horse, both of which were supposed to have thrown themselves down a declivity. The occurrences, he believes, were matters of accident ; yet, on the other hand, I cannot but tliink that if animals become mad, as is granted, such a perver- sion of natural instincts may ensue that self-preser- vation ceases to hold any sway. And again, the fact that the scorpion, when surrounded by perils, will deliberately sting itself to death, has been reported i by a number of independent witnesses.—/. R. S. C. Paste Eels. — I think I am safe in promising disappointment to all who attempt to obtain paste ' eels in the way suggested by " F. K." in last month's Science- Gossip. I have known many persons try ! his plan, and the result, in every cise, was total failure (unless the receptacle previously held some) ; j and necessarily so : success would be a demonstra- ■ lion of spontaneous generation ; and our philosophy ; has not jet reached that point ; and, besides this, ' there is the fact that these creatures produce i young, which would be superfluous if paste alone • generated them. They are a lively set of interest- ing beings to every one who possesses a microscope and patiencp, and easily bred, if a few specimens are placed on the surface of the paste, which I prefer ! rather thin. " F. K." refers to tlie young, coiled up in the body of the parent ; and if reference is made to Science-Gossip of December, their surprising mode \ of exit thence will be learned. — In a preceding ' paragraph "F. K." mentions soundings.from Porto I Seguro; will he favour me with one of his slides : in exchange for one prepared from the same 1 material in a different way "^—A. Nicholson, Fare- I ham. CoRMOHANTs AT HoME. — " T. J. B." in his notice i of habits of coi'morants has omitted one very 1 curious practice they pursue. After diving for fish, ! their wings appear to become too wet to allow of I their flying, and it is a very amusing sight to see them standing on rocks with their wings spread out, evidently to dry. This I have witnessed on the nortli coast of Ireland near the Giant's Cause- way, where they are common. — A. JF. M. Late Tadpoles. — In the'pools of a'deep quarry a few miles from here, frequented by Natterjacks {Bufo calamiia), I saw, so late as November Sth, a dozen or more tadpoles in a half-torpid stute, some with, and some without legs. Is this not a somewhat uncommon occurrencs? — W. H. JFarner, Kingston, Abingdon. Alauda arrokea (p. 44).— What bird does Mr. Drew refer to by the name of Tree Pipit (Alauda^ arborea) ? Alauda arborea is the sjcieutific name of the Woodlark ; Anthiis arboreus that of the Tree Pipit. 1 suppose he means the latter bird, but has made a mistake in the scientific name. — W. H. Warner, Kingston, Abingdon. HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 71 Dried Elotveks.— I would give " W. W. H." the information asked for with great pleasure, if I knew the process whereby tlie exquisite little card of flowers wliicli I alluded to had been made to retain their brilliant tints ; but very probably the corre- spondent, or at any rate reader, of Science-Gossip ■who so kindlv sent me the specimen card will see " W. W. H.'s " note, and reply to it— Hele/i E. fl'ahiei/. TiiE SwoKD-Fistr. — In the Leisure Hour for Jan- uary is an article on the Sword-fish {XipJiiasgladim). The dsscription appears to apply more properly to the Saw-fisli {Prist is antiquorum). Will any corre- spondent of SciENCE-Gossir say whether the fish described is a new species, or whether the writer of the article has fallen into an error in describing the Saw-iish as the Sword-fish? The former, it is well known, is furnished with a formidable weapon, which is a prolongation of the upper jaw, and which is armed on each side with sharp teeth, extending in a line from base to point. Although the fisii has un- doubtedly the power of inflicting terrible wounds ■with the saw, it must be evident to any one that it would be almost impossible for such an instrument to pierce the thick timbers of a ship, more particularly as the point of the saw is blunt and slightly turned up; added1othis,theprojectingteeti, placed at right angles to the body of the saw, would effectually prevent its entrance into any hard body. The Sword- fish (Xiphias fjladhis) is armed with a very different weapon, — a long, hard, solid horn, a sword often attaining to the length of several feet : with this sword, which is destitute of tcetli. the Xiphias has been known to penetrate the planks and beams of ships, and, being unable to withdraw it, the weapon has been snapped off and has remained in the timber; or it is probable that the force of the blow has broken off the bone. If my memory serves me, a specimeu, fixed in a block of wood cut from a ship's side, is to be seen in the British Museum. — E. E.R.- The Ermixe in Nortii Wales.— A specimen of the Mustela erminea has just been brought in to me by my friend and neigliboiir Mr. Jo!m Jones, of Cae Uorrin, one of our mountain farms. It is supposed to be rare, as none of the gamekeepers have ever seen the animal before in these parts. The Stoat, Weasel, &c., are common enough, but this beautiful creature is, so far as we can ascertain, quite a rarity hereabouts. — W. P. EooD OF Hemipteea a-nd of Snakes. — A couple of very young Englisli snakes, about six or seven inches long, have been in my possession for some weeks. As they had not been observed to take any food, though insects and worms had been inclcssd with them, and happening to remember some old tale of a snake being fed by a child on bread and milk, on the chance of their taking it I placed a small portion of this simple diet in their vase. On inspection a short time alter, 1 was surprised to see a hemipterous insect {Coreiis scapha) busily engaged with its rostrum deep in the mixture, evidently im- bibing the liquid portion with considerable relish. It struck me as a curious circumstance for an insect, undoubtedly a vegetable-feeder, to take so readily to this diet, and it seems probible that this large field- bug would have little reluctance to suck blood if the opportunity oifered. Perhaps some reader of Science Gossip will try the experiment, which want of time and other reasons prevent my doing. I should be very glad also to be informed of the food on which such diminutive snakes exist, as they cannot possibly swallow the s'liall mammals and reptiles on which their elder brethren sub>ist, and no book that I have consulted gives the dinner carte of these interesting juveniles. It should be added that they have not bsen observed to pay any atten- tion to the bread and milk. — George Guy on, Ventuor. Mounting Objects. — Will any of your corre- spondents who have tried mounting objects in gum dammar give me their experience ? I dissolved the gum in benzole. The solution was clear enough at first, but after a bit it became slightly opalescent. Is this opalescence a disadvantage, as I supposed it to be, and how can it be got rid of ? Should the solution of the gum be saturated ? — W. Z. Nash. The Shre'w-motise (p. 45).— The word " shrew " is applied to Sorex araneus in the sense of " evil : " it means the malign mouse, an animal supposed to ' work evil by means of magic spells, as is the case with the evil-eye, a superstition still lingering in some remote parts of the country. Etymologieally, the ' word "shrew" is allied to the German "schnige" in the sense of awry ; the Anglo-Saxon form is "screawa," connected with oldEnglish "schreward," a rascal ; cf . " schre wd," as malicious, badly disposed ; i.e., not simple, innocent and confiding, but wickedly I informed, wily, artful, too knowing. The Danish word quoted from Bailey appears to be meant for I "skovmuus," the 2Iyoxus, i.e. the Wood-mouse; ! cf. German " Feldratze." The shrew, in German, is " die Spitzmaus," in allusion to its pointed snout. — A.Hall. The Chameleon. — A friend of mine is anxious to find out the secret, if there be one, of acclima- tizing the Cliameleon. He has made one or two attempts, but to his grief failed in both. My friend's house is situated in a valley near the castle of Not- tingham, well sheltered from the cold north and east winds, altogether one of the prettiest, wannest, ; aud sunniest parts of our good old town. Below j the house, a little further down the valley, having ; a full southern aspect, stands a greenhouse full of choice exotic plants, and consequently very warno, I where he kept a lovely specimen of the GhanKeleo tribe, which had been presented to him. The charra- ' ing little creature's habits of life were to ray friend a curious aud interesting study. Slow and cautious in its movements, yet ever on the qui vive for insect prey, which it rapidly caught with its tongue. Its briglit eyes gleamed with eager watchfuluess, no action or movement seeming to escape its notice : in fact, it was a most wonderful and novel pet. Its great power of abstinence from food, and very ex- traordinary manner of gulping in the air and puffing out its body to twice its size, formed a most amusing study. One day, however, death paid a visit to the poor little chameleon's home. In time another chameleon took its place, and it also perished. My friend fancies the climate is too cold, and that it was the change from their tropical homes which caused the death of the two chameleons. They had a plen- tiful supply of insects, and their deatii was not caused by the old woman's fable, that "the chame- leon lives on air," and as in a case which came under my notice some years ago, when a poor animal was starved to death simply through stupid ignorance. We are aware that these reptiles are most success- fully kept in the Zoological Gardens in London, and I should be glad if any of the correspondents of Science-Gossip could give my friend a little in- formation on this point. — Barbara Wallace Fyfe, Nottingham. 72 HARDVVICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS. Ati communications relative to advertisements, post-office orders, and orders for the supply of tliis Journal, should be addressed to the Pibi.isher. All contributions, books, and pamphlets for the Editor should be sent to 192, Piccadilly, London, W. To avoid disappointment, contri- butions should not be received later than the 15th of each month. A'o 7ir,tice whatever ran be taken of communica- tions which do not contain the name and address of the writer, not necessarily for publication, if desired to be with- held. We do not undertake to answer any queries not specially connected with Natural History, in accordance with our acceptance of that term ; nor can we answer queries which might be solved by the correspondent by an appeal to any elementary book on the subject. A. N.— Gum dammar is used for mounting purposes, in- stead of Canada balsam. The following is the recipe:— Dissolve one ounce of gum dammar in one fluid ounce of turpentine ; dissolve one ounce of mastic in two fluid ounces of chloroform. Filter both liquids, and then mix. J. S. T.— The land-shells sent are Clausilia, laminiata. M. T., Croydon.— The fern sent is Pleris hustata ; but the fronds are young, so as to render identification somewhat difficult. It comes from the Cape of Good Hope, and was introduced into this country in the yeap 1823. T. A., Leeds.— The mould growing on a Beaufoy vhiegar- cask in a damp cellar belongs to the order Mucedines. It is lihinotrichum lano&um. E. L.— 1. Niicleolifcs dimidiatus ; 2. Spine of Cidaris, from the Middle Oolite. Not of much value for exchange, unless they arc in a better state than those sent. They are evidently Drift specimens. The fossils above mentioned are character- istic of tlie Middle Oolite. W. D. Roebuck.— 1. Agriotes obscurus (the larva of which is one of the "wire-worms"). 2. Coccinella ll-piinctafa (C. dispar is only a dark form of C. hipunctata, and is black, with about four red markings ; not red, with eleven black spots, as in this insect). 3. Notiophilus sal/striatus. i. Cala- thus melanocephalus. There are no works whereby exclu- sively British Coleoptera can be named. Stephens's " Manual" professed to supply this want, but is now quite obsolete and unreliable. Spry and Shuckard give recngnizablo outline figures of most of the now acknowledged British genera ; but the student must rely on the standard European works by Erichson, Kraatz, Thomson, and others. For information on this and other points see Rye's " British Beetles," Lovell Reeve & Co., lOs. 6d. R. S., Belper.— The scales on the slide sent are those of some species of Macrotoma, perhaps M.plumbea. The scales of the forms belonging to this genus show affinities to those of Lepisma. See Sir John Lubbock's paper on the Thysnnura, in the "Trans. Linneau Soc," and Mr. Mclntyre's Notes on the Scale-bearing Podurce, in vol. i. of the Monthly Micro- scopical Journal. — F. K. F. W. Harris, Jun.— Doubtless the growth of the mould ■would be caused by damp in the first instance. A very slight degree of damp is sufficient. The mould may be destroyed by the application of spirits of wine with a camel's-hair pencil, and if a'small quantity of bichloride of mercury (corrosive sublimate) is dissolved in the spirits of wine, it will prevent the specimens from being again attacked The proportion should be about six grains of bichloride of mercury to an ounce of spirit. Capt. Perrv, Liverpool.— The slide came to hand with the centre smashed; enough, however, remained for exami- nation. The forms are neither foraminifera nor diatom-, but concretions of carbonate of lime, probably identical with those found in the skhi of the shrimp or prawn. If examined by means of polarized light, the globules will display the black cross precisely the same as seen in the shrimp or prawn -, if the tentacles of the Pht/salia had been examined soon after its capture, the globules would have been seen in situ.—F. K. EXCHANGES. Notice.— Only one " Exchange'' can be inserted at a time by the same individual. The maximum length (except for correspondents not residing in fireat Britain) is three lines. Only objects of Natural History permitted. Notices must be legibly written, in full, as intended to be inserted. Wanted Microscopic leaf fungi (unmounted); objects of interest in return. Li.sts exchanged.— H. D., 1, Stanley Road, Waterloo, Liverpool. Tongue, eye, or spiracle of Drone -fly, professionally pre- pared and well mounted, offered for transparent section of coal or granite.— C. D., I87, Oxford Street, Mile End, E. Hklix kevei.ata for Clausilia Rolphii. — John Purdue Ridgeway, Plympton, Devon. No«. 7.5, 157, 158. 160, 679, 6s6, 1149, 116.'), 1272, &c. &c., Lond. Cat., for other plants.— G. H., 57, Bell Street, Calton, Glasgow. Fervs, including Woodwardia radicans, Hypolepis repens, PJiym'itodia interquafolia, and others, in exchange for others new to me.— Address, L. B., Shooter's Hills, near Longton, Staffordshire. Wa.vted, well-mounted anatomical injections, transparent and opaque. State what is wanted in return. — Capt. J. A. Perry, 42, Speelow Lane, Liverpool. Exchange.— Prepared; Skin of Sole (unmounted) for Scale of Carp. — Miss Edith Meyrick, Downshire Lodge, Blessing- ton, CO. Wicklow, Ireland. Cretaceous Fossils of Cambridge in exchange for fossils of other formations.— W. J. S., 9, Victoria Street, Cambridge. Transparent sections of fossilized lath wood. Send stamped envelope. Any Microscopic material acceptable. — Address, Charles Butterworth, 4, Sandy Lane, Shaw, near Oldham. Carboniferous Fossils in exchange for Devonian and Silurian. — S. Barmingham, Arkendale, Reeth, Yorkshire. For Pollen of Digitalis purpurea send stamped envelope to T. H. Martin, 86, Week Street, Maidstone. Ten Microscopic objects (well mounted and clean) for well-mounted objects showing anatomy, &c., of Coleoptera and Lepidoptera. For list and particulars address J. W. Barwell, Messrs. Winstanley's, Hujton, near Liverpool. Cuticle of Palmyra Leaf (from Ceylon) prepared for polariscope (unmounted), offered for stamped envelope, and any object of microscopical niterest [except botanical). — B. Bellingham, Brierly Hill, Stalfordshire. Slides of beautiful diatoms from the Yarrow, Melbourne, Victoria, in exchange for other equally good tlides.— A. N., Fareham. Fossil Diatomace.'e, from Caithness (cleaned), very rich in species, for good Microscopic objects; also a few Oolitic fossils, from Sebastopol, for characteristic fossils (mesozoic preferred). — Wm. C. Crawford, Eagle Foundry, Glasgow. For section of Sarsaparilla stem, send envelope to Walter White, Dereham Road, Norwich. Any good material ac- ceptable. Wanted Hyalonema mirahilis for Euplectella speciosa. — Mr. Hambrook. Stroud Street, Dover. Wanted Phasgnnura viridissima (Great Green Grass- hopper) and Spojigilla fliiviatilis (Fresh-water Sponge), for specimens.— Rev. H. H. Higgins, Rainhill, Liverpool. Wanted live eggs of Silkworm for Microscopic slides. — J. Barrow, 3, Egerton Terrace, Birch Lane, Longsight, Man- chester. Peruvian Guano offered in exchange for good mounted objects.— G. Bowen, 93, Hampton Street, Birmingham. C. DUPLARIS, N. C. nif^rum, A. Riifina, O Macilenta, S. Satellitia, PI. Cerago, H. Silago, A. Aprilina, H. Proteus, A. pyramidea, M. Oxycunthip, &c., for exchange. — Joseph An- derson, Jun., Alresford, Hants. BOOKS RECEIVED. " Contributions to a Flora of Berkshire." By James Britten, F.L.S. "The Eighth Annual Report of the Belfast Naturalists' Club." " The Zoologist." February. " The Canadian Naturalist." " The Journal of Botany." February. "Annals of Natural History." February. "Entomologist's Monthly Magazine." February. " The American Nalm-alist." January. " Guide to the Crystal Palace Aquarium." " Notes on Chalcidise." By F. Walker, F.L.S. " Deschanel's Natural Philosophy." By Professor Everett. Blackie & Sons, London, Glasgow, and Edinburgh. " Worms : a Series of Lectures on Practical Helmintho- logy." By Dr. Spencer Cobbold, F.R.S., &c. London : J. & A. Churchill. Communications Received. —R. B.— F. K.— G. H. W. D. R.— J. A.-C. H.— H. E.W.— H. F. M.— A. H.-E. W. L. N.— W. P.— B. W. F.— J. B.— G. B.— R. S— L. J. J.— A. N.— J. B.-T. H M.— W. J. S.— J. R.-S. C- — E. McH.— H. P.-W. H.-J. S. T.-J. A. P.-J. T.- — C. B.— S. B.— C. K.— W. C— W. A. T.— G. J. L. — R. T. L.-W. H. G.-W. W.— J. H.— H. D.— C. J. Captain P.-J. O.-C. L.— T. B.— A. E— B. B.-F. —A. N. F.— T. W. U.— J. N.— G. H.— Dr. H. F.— G. H G. B. P. (Lynn). K.— H. R. H.— -P. P. E. M. L.— D.— J. VV. . H.— HARDWICKE'S 5C lENCE-GOSSIP. 73 COLLECTING AND PEESEEVING. No. III. -BIRDS' EGGS. By Thomas SouTHiyELL, F.Z.S. EFORE sayiug a word as to pre- paring specimens for the cabinet, I wish to impress upon the young oologist tlie absolute necessity for using the greatest care and diligence in order satisfactorily to identify, beyond possibility of doubt, every specimen before he admits it to his collection. With- out such precautious, what might otherwise be a valuable collection is absolutely worthless ; and it is better to have a small collcctiou of authentic specimens than a much larger one, the history of which is not perfectly satis- factory ; in fact, it is a good rule to banish from the cabinet every egg which is open to the slightest doubt. There are some eggs which, when mixed, the most experienced oologist will find it impossible to separate with certainty, and which cannot be identified when once they are removed from the nest. The difiiculties in the way of authentication are by no means slight, but space will not allow me to dwell upon them ; the most ready means, however, is that of watching the old bird to the nest, although, even in this, as the collector will find by experience, there is a certain liability to error. In collecting abroad it will be found absolutely necessary (how- ever reluctant we may be to sacrifice life) to pro- cure one of the parents with the nest and eggs. As we are writing for beginners at home, we trust such a measure will rarely be necessary; but that an accurate knowledge of the appearance of the bird, its nesting habits, the situation, and the materials of which the nest is composed, will be found amply sufiicient to identify the eggs of our familiar birds. This knowledge of course is only to be obtained by No. 88. patient and long observation, but it is just by such means that the student obtains the practical insight into the habits and peculiarities of the objects of his study, together with the careful and exact method of recording his observations, which eventually enable him to take his place amongst the more severely scientific naturalists whom he desires to emulate. I will first describe the tools required, and then proceed to the mode of using them. Eigs. 49 and 50 are drills used for making the hole in the side of the egg from which the con- tents are discharged by means of the blowpipe, fig. 51. Eig. 49 has a steel point, brass ferrule, and ebony handle, and may be used for eggs up to the size of the Wood-pigeon's ; fig. 50 is all steel, the handle octago- nal, to give a firm hold to the fingers in turning it, and may be used for eggs from the size of the Wood-pigeon's upwards. The points of both are finely cut like the teeth of a file, but longitudinally. The blowpipe, fig. 51, is about 5h inches in length (measured along the curve), and is made of German silver, which from its clean- liness, lightness, and freedom from corrosion, will be found the most suitable : it should be light and tapering, and with a Driiis^'for ptrforating ring at the upper end, to pre- Birds* Eggs. vent it from slipping out of the mouth when used. A piece of thiu wire, fig. 53, should be kept in the tube when ]iot in use, to E 74 HARDWICKE'S SCIEN CE - GO S SIP. prevent it from becoming stopped up by any foreign substance. A common jeweller's blowpipe may be used for large eggs, such as those of gulls and ducks. Fig. 53 is a small glass bulb-tube, which may be used for sucking out the contents of very delicate eggs, and other purposes, which will be explained hereafter. The small drill and blowpipe may be carried inside the cover of the note-books. Fig. 51. German silver Blowpipe. Fig. 52. Wire for unstopping ditto. Fig. 53. Glass Bulb-tube, for sucking eggs. The sooner a fresh egg is emptied of its contents after it is taken from the nest the better: this should be done by making a hole ia the side with the drill (choosing the side which is least conspicu- ously marked) by working it gently backwards and forwards between the forefinger and thumb, and taking great care not to press too heavily, or the egg will burst with the outward pressure of the drill : a very small hole will generally be found sufficient. When this is done, take the egg in the left band with the hole dowmvards, introduce the blowpipe, by blowing gently through which the contents may soon be forced out. Water should then be intro- duced by means of a syringe or the bulb-tube, wbich may be filled and blown into the egg. After shaking, blow the water out again by means of the blow- pipe ; repeat this till the egg is free from any re- mains of the yolk or white : should the egg not be quite fresh, it will require more washing. Civre should be taken to wet the surface of the egg as little as possible. After washing the interior, lay the egg, with the bole downwards, on a pad of blotting-paper to drain till it is quite dry. Should the eggs be much incubated, I should recommend that the old birds be left to complete their labour of love ; but a valuable egg may be made available by carefully cutting a piece out of the side, extract- ing the young one, and, after replacing the piece of shell with strong gum-water, covering the join with a slip of very thin silk-paper, which may be tinted so as to resemble the egg, and will scarcely be noticed. This is a very rough way of proceeding, however, compared with Professor Newton's plan of gumming several thicknesses of fine paper over the side of the egg to strengthen it, through which the hole is drilled ; the young chick is then cut into small pieces by means of suitable instruments, and the pieces removed with others :* the paper is then damped and removed from the egg. The old plan of making two holes in the side of the egg is very objectionable : a hole at each end is still worse. Many eggs would be completely spoiled by washing, none improved. There is no necessity for washing at all, except such as aro very filthy, and these eggs (which you may be sure are not fresh) are not such as should be willingly ac- cepted as specimens : a little dirt only adds to the natural appearance of the egg, washing in most cases certainly does not. Never use varnish to the shell ; it imparts a gloss whicb is not natural : all eggs should not have a polished appearance like those of the Woodpecker. Corrosive sublimate dissolved in spirits of wine may be applied as a wash to the inside of eggs which are not fresh when blown, as the lining in such is very liable to decay, or to be attacked by insects. It should be used very carefully'as follows :— Suck a small quantity up into the bulb-tube and discharge' it into the egg ; after shaking it, to insure the entire surface being wetted by the solution, blow out the superfluous moisture and allow the egg to dry. Should the yolk be dried to the side of the egg, a solution of carbonate of soda should be introduced : let it remain till the contents are softened, then blow out and wash well. Great care must be taken not to allow the solution to come in contact with the outside of the egg. Having blown the egg, and allowed the inside to become quite dry, procure some thin silk-paper gum- med on one side, and with a harness-maker's punch * "Suggestions for forming Collections of Birds' Eggs." By Professor Newton. Written for the Smithsonian Institu- tion of Washington, and republished by Newman, 9, Devon- shire Street, Bishopsgate. HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 75 62. Gkeat Sedge-wabbler {Si/lvia turtoides, Meyer). C2. Received of , from the cabinet of Mr. . «62. Taken by , a servant of , on the banks of the river Tongrep, near Valken- swaard, in the south of Holland, on the 9th June, 1855. The birds may be heard a long way off by their incessant " Kara, cut out a number of little tickets suitable to the size of the hole in the eg^, moisten one of these, and place it with the gum side downwards over the hole, so as to quite cover it ; cover the ticket with a coat of varnish, which will render it air-tight and prevent its being affected by moisture. The egg thus treated will bave all the appearance of a per- fect specimen, and if kept from the light will suffer very little from fading. The note-book has been mentioned : this should be a constant companion ; nothing should be left to memory. When an egg is taken, a temporary pencil number should at once be placed upon it, and this number should correspond with the number attached to an entry in the note-book, describing the nest (if not removed), its situation, number of eggs, day of month, and any other particular of interest. When the egg is ready for the cabinet, as much of this information (certainly, name, date, and locality) should be indelibly marked upon it, as conveniently as can be done (neatly, of course, and on the under side) ; also the number referring to the collector's general list of his collection, into which the im- portant parts of the entry from the note-book should be copied. Never trust to gummed labels, which are always liable to come off : by writing the necessary particulars upon the Q^g itself there can be no confusion or mistake. Most collectors have their own plan of cataloguing their collection. I have adopted the following, which I find to answer very well. Obtain a blank paper book, the size of common letter-paper, rule a horizontal line across the centre of each page, and make a complete list of British birds, placing only two names on ea«h page, one at the head of each division, pretixiug a progressive number to each name : this number is to agree with that marked on the egg of the species named. Then follow the locality whence the egg came, by whom taken (if not by myself), or" how it came into my possession, with any other particular worthy of note. With all eggs received in exchange or otherwise, this note should, if possible, be ob- tained in the handwriting of the person from whom they are received, and the slip on which it is written be affixed in the book under the number. When specimens of the eggs of the same species are obtained from various localities, those from each locality should be distinguished by a letter prefixed to the number. The plan will be better understood by referring to the following extract :— Kara, Kara." A few years ago not one was to be found near Valkenswaard. A. B ^62. Bought at Antwerp in August, 1865. 118. Mealy Red-pole {Fringilla borealis. Tew.). 118. Nyborg, at the head of Mask Fjord (one of the two branches into which Waran- gar Fjord divides). East Finmark, Nor- way, July, 1S55. The birds were very plentiful, and only one species seen, which appears quite identical with that which visits England every winter. C. D. E By means of these entries, and the corresponding number on the egg, mistakes are impossible, and the name and history of each egg would be quite as well known to a stranger as to the possessor. It needs not to be said that this catalogue is replete with the deepest interest to its compiler. In it he sees the record of many a holiday trip and many a successful find. Some of its entries,— for the earliest date back five-and-tvpenty years, are memorials of companions long since dead, or separated by rolling oceans, but on whose early friendship it is a pleasure to dwell. Nothing can be more vexatious and disappointing than the receipt of a box Of Valuable eggs in a smashed or injured condition from want of care or knowledge of the proper method of packing. A simple method is recommended by Professor Nevpton, which, from experience, 1 can confidently recommend : — Roll each egg in tow,.wool, or some elastic material, and paisk them closely m a stout box, leaving no vacant space for them to sliake ; or a layer of soft material may be placed at the bottom of the box, and upon it a layer of eggs, each one wrapped loosely in old newspape*"; upon this another layer of wool or moss, theS again eggs, and packing alternately until the box is quite full. Bran, sawdust, c%c., should never te used ; and it should be ascertained that the box is quite filled, so that no shaking or settlement cm. occur. Almost every collector has his own plan for con. structing his cabinet, ans together into a large cage, and along with them any other warblers I may happen to have : they are thus warmer and more comfortable, and a large cage gives room for giving them a much larger assortment of food, which may be arranged in small hang-up tins all over the cage near the perches. A blackcap's cage should only be wired in front, and the perches should be covered with green baize. Another advantage attends keeping all the birds together in winter: by seeing each other eat different foods, it is astonishing how they get used to eating food which, if alone, tiiey would not touch. I have known nightingales which would eat nothing but beef and egg, in this manner, by the society of blackcaps and garden warblers, lake to feeding on ail the above-mentioned foods. Kendal. J. S. Metcalfe. ON THE ERUIT OF THE CALAMITE. rpHE readers of Science-Gossip will remember -*- I promised, at the close of my article on the Calamite, in the September number, 1871, that I would send short descriptions of some of the known plants and fruits of our coal-measures : I shall now try to describe the supposed fruit of the Calamite. I say "supposed" because I have reason to doubt that it is the fruit of the Calamite proper, although it is held to be such by Binney, Carruthers, and others : my reason for expressing this doubt I will explain further on. This fruit is known as VoJkmannla Blnneyi, and is a strobilus : these strobili arc found attached in whorls to the nodes of the plant (o which they be- longed. (Sec Mr. Carruthers' Lecture "On the Cryptogamic Eorests of tiie Coal Period," delivered at the Royal Institution of Great Britain, April IG, 18G9; also Mr. Binney's Monograph, published by the Palajontographical Society, plate G, fig. 1.) Those who arc conversant with the structure of the fruit of the common "horse-tail" of the present day will see a family likeness between it and the fruit we have now under notice. Yet there is a marked difference between them ; for while the for- mer is terminal at the top of the plant, the latter was produced in the whorls at the nodes "or joints of the stem or branches. Again, while the former shields its sporangia by simple peltate scales, the latter are protected by additional scales or bracts that pass between the peltate scales and then ascend the outside of the fruit, as seen sketched in fig. 56, a. Fig-. 56. Vertical section of Fruit of Calamite. The sporangia are produced from the underside of the peltate scales, as in fig. 5G, h. There are six of these sporangia-bearing scales in each whorl, and double that ^number of protecting scales outside them. The central axis or pith of this fruit is of a vascular nature, and the walls of the vessels are barred with transverse stria;. The centre of the fruit is often full of these barred vessels (fig. 57, a). It will be seen by reference to the vertical section (fig. 5G) that one or two of these vessels are given off and enter each bract at every whorl : the same arrangement is also found in the strohilus of Lepido- icndron Ilarcovrtii. The spores of the fruit under notice are spherical, and appear to have a double cell-wall. I have found no appearance of claters at- tached to thcni, though Mr. Carruthers asserts he has seen them. I have noticed the outer cell-wall broken in many cases, and I am afraid jNIr. Carru- thers has mistaken this broken outer wall for an elater. I have come across these spores almost in nAllDWlCKE'S SClENCE-GOSSir. 81 every positiou, but never could detect the presence of the elaters. It seems to have been made out by Mr. Binney and other fossil botanists, that all cones or strobili are only altered forms of the branches on which they are borne, and if so, the central axis of the cone must be of a similar form to that of the stem and branch. Mr. Binney has proved this to be the case so far as Lepidodendron. IL.trcourt'd is coucerued; Fig:. 57. Transverse se:tioa of fruit of Calitnite. and if it holds good in one instance, we have reason to expect it will do so in others. Now it will be remembered by those who read ray former article on the Calamite, that no vascular pith or axis was represented in the sketches I gave. No calamite I have ever yet cut has shown such a vascular pitli, and yet we are told that the fruit here described, having a vascular axis, throwing off bundles of ves- sels to every bract, is the fruit of the Calamite. It may belong to some member of the family of Cala- ■mites, but I do not believe it belongs to the Cala- mite I described in my last article. Two new species of fiuit found by myself have been described in recent memoirs of the Manchester Philosophical Society, by Professor W. C. William- sou. The first of these fruit she calls a new form of Calamitean Strobilus, the latter he describes under the name of Volkmannia Dawsonii. The first of these answers to the theory laid down by Mr. Binney, and v.as evidently borne from the end of the stem or branches : it has no vascular axis or pith, but has a hollow woody cylinder with nodes or joints ; a thin cellular layer lines this cylinder, as is seen in the stem of a calamite ; from the nodes bracts are given off to support the sporangia (the spores are of a peculiar kind, cuch spore seeming to possess a nucleus), but there are no intermediate protecting, bracts, as in the accompanying sketches. The latter cone (Folkmannla DawsGiui) is more nearly allied to the one in our sketches, having a vascular pith or centre, giving off bundles of vessels to each bract. It has a great number of sporangia, each sporangium being supported from the base of the bracts by a sporangiophore : its spores are like those of Volkmannia, and are very numerous. Por further description of these two last cones, I refer my readers to the "JMemoirs of the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society," third series, vols. iv. andv. John Butterwobtii. Goats, Shciw, near Oldham. MY AQUARIUM. A PEW years since I commenced a marine aquarium, and often returned from my ram- bles on the rocks to place, with boyish pride, the many mingled bright and sober tints of the Smooth Anemone {Adimu uieserubruaiithemum) in a finger- glass or dish, watching with wonder and delight the turquoise-like beads which shune as gems between their waving tentacles. It would be tedious to trace, step by step, the successive stages which have marked my progress in collecting various specimens ; suffice it to say, that I have truly exemplified the Darwinian theory of development with regard to my aquarium : so I think a description of the one I possess at present may prove interesting to may readers of Science- Gossir. It consists of a bell jar holding about five gallons of watci', which, from its gently sloping slides, pre- sents a large surface to the atmosphere. Although generally protected from the direct rays of the sun, I observe that the inner surface of the glass is gradually beiug covered with algse, thus obscuring the view ; so I clean out* the aquarium, and, as I replace its contents in their proper element, will enumerate the specimens it contains. I abstract the water by means of a siphon, and then carefully place the varied animal life in a dish. There — now it is quite empty. Having wasbed off the confervaj with weak acid, I re-fill it with the same water that was taken out ; I then suspend, by means of a float, a large tuft of common green ulva, growing on the back of a dead crab, and throw in a quantity of clean gravel to the depth of about three inches. This fulling through the water in a continuous shower, carries with it a con- siderable amount of air, which naturally rushes to the surface ; but being waylaid by the weed, quickly covers it with myriads of globules. The aquarium is now ready for the reception of the live stock, so I proceed to arrange these with a view to colour, size, habits, &e. Here is a splendid * If life were properly balanced, this should never require to be done.— Ei). S. G. S3 HARDWICKE'S SC IE N CE-GOSS IP. shell of a Gasteropod, with three fine specimens of the Plumose Anemone {Actiniloba pliimosa), dis- tributed on its snowy surface and spiny projec- tions. This I place immediately in the centre, so that it appears magnified from every side. I now tunnel a deep groove in the gravel, in which I coil the long and muddy cases of the Sabella spiralis, propping the opening with stones, in order that its umbrella-like plumes of spotted brown may contrast with the gay tints of the Plumose. What strange iri-egular mass is this ? Why, that is the top shell of one of the Lamellibranchiata, and those tubes, like tobacco-pipes, and the leathery sand-cases fixed to it, are the structures of Tubico- lidse. I will place this as a radiation from the centre, and you will soon see the gorgeous bran- chial tufts of Serpula;, varying from the purest white and pink to the deepest crimson, from the faintest magenta to the richest purple, slowly expand, -mingling with the white and feathery plumes of the smaller Sabella. k circular space, once the resting- place of some large limpet, remains quite bare ; on it I will place this fine strawberry anemone, with his richly-spotted surface of yellow and red. Next comes an empty whelk-shell, so elaborately covered with the twisted architecture of serpulee, that it is very difficult to recognize its form. This is cer- tainly the handsomest specimen I have. The base is literally covered with small tubes, each possess- ing its beautifully coloured annelid, while, from the centre, six serpulfc of unusual size erect their lime buildings, branching out in semblance of a lady's fan. Clinging round the orifice of the shell is a fine "Sample of Actinia clavafa, or Weymouth Anemone, its white and pink body streaked with warty pro- jections of deeper hue, its long and delicate tenta- cles of pearly white. Close by its side a small white crassicornis displays its short but beautifully transparent teutacula, forming a contrast to the elegant length of clavata. And now an oyster- -shell claims attention : this is likewise built over by serpulse, interspersed with small sabellse. Round the edge are three deep water-daisies, with their beautifully shaded disks of brown and pink ; also two delicate miniata are seen drooping from an overhanging bunch of serpulse, their elegant filamen- tous tentacles sweeping the gravel as they fall from the chequered disks of grey and black. Some time since I had a pretty Eolis and a Boris, but both died for want of proper food. This piece of rock will just complete our circle round the centre shell. Besides the numerous serpulse, I see there is a hillock of polyps— the orange-tinted Alcyonium digitatum, and the dirty- looking form of one of the tunicated molluscs. Ah ! here is a small and delicate Ophiura throwing its long arms over the tubes in search of prey. Wait a moment while I place this obliquely against the glass, for underneath there is the pretty sand and gravel case of the Terebella. I am especially care- ful as to the position of this, for I like to watch the play of his hydra arms with my hand lens. Two pieces of coralline {C. officinalis), a fine col- lection of sertularia, the prickly round of Echimis miliaris, a gentleman who, by the bye, plays much the same havoc as a hedgehog might be sup- posed to do, and two grey mullets, complete my stock. I leave them to recover from their alarm at being disturbed, and when, to-morrow morning, I view them through the crystal water, beautiful indeed will be my miniature garden of the sea. Here gor- geous flowers of prismatic hues will expand beneath a canopy of green, mingling with tinted, waving palms, ever and anon, mimosa-like, closing their petals with lightning speed as some dark shadow falls across the glass, again to unfold their beau- teous shapes with graceful motion in the limpid water. There the ever-flowing tendrils of the long- armed hydra twine around the sober shade of larger flowers, or creep in careless, idle sport be- tween the coral arches ; while little fish, like silvery birds, cleave the yielding medium, and cause the sea of plumes to wave like grass in summer's breeze. But how softly the gloom of night is clos- ing, hiding the gay vision, only that new beauties may appear. The fairy scene reminds one forcibly of Schleiden's description of the Indian Ocean. A shower of Noctilucsc, fresh dipped from the phos- phorescent sea, and gently poured into the aqua- rium, again illumine the globe. Gaily dancing hither and thither, up and down, scintillating in and out my garden paths, they complete a picture of loveliness beyond my powers of description to portray. If I fail here in describing the view as it appears to the unassisted eye, how shall I attempt to give even a faint idea of the new world which the microscope discovers ? I place a filament of ulva in a watch-glass, and, aided by a good objective, a wondrous vision is unfolded, so full of beauty, so exquisitely adapted to the performance of every function, that wonder changes to the deepest reverence, as thought flies upward to the Great First Cause. Looking closer we gaze into a green forest teem- ing with life. Busy " builders " arc erecting their homes side by side ; all round them are the living flowers— the harebells of my forest, Vorticillidse— while close at hand, what I may truly term the Victoria Regia — Stephanoceros EicJwrnii — rears its stately crown. Here some active animalcule, bustling and fussy, comes dashing along, right and left, and then off with a jerk to unexplored regions, to be succeeded by others so gentle and graceful, that " In their very motion there is rest." Weymouth. Walter B. Cole. HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 83 NEW BOOKS.* TN the volume which heads our list, we have the -*- result of careful, philosophical, and conscien- tious thought. Mr. Leifchild has, we think, attempted too much, for the subject is of such a ramifying nature that any work treating of it must necessarily appear diffuse. The author has here grappled with all the leading questions in natural science whose deductions appear to be, or actually are, at variance with revealed religion. He does so in a manner that proves he is at least well acquainted with them,— a qualification that is not always pos- sessed by writers who take his side. Although we differ toto ccelo from many of his conclusions, we are happy to afford our testimony to the original thoughts which sparkle in his pages, and to the excellent and attractive English in which they are couched. Like him, we feel that natural science, rightly viewed, is not antagonistic to true religion, whatever it may be to some human dogmas which have associated themselvesparasitically with it. But we do not take the extreme view of the material- istic tendencies of the modern pliilosophy that Mr. Leifchild does. We think that, occasionally, in combating them, he falls into the common error of fighting with giants of his own creation 1 His chapters on Darwinism are well worked out, and will be read with pleasure even by the most confirmed Darwinian. There we have associated the views of Darwin, Wallace, Spencer, Mivart, Huxley, Beaie, and others who have taken sides on this important subject. Still, we tkiuk Mr. Leifchild has not thoroughly understood the Darwinian theory as to the formation of species, ior lie repeats the stock opposition argument about "connecting links" not being forthcoming from the ^geological deposits ; whereas the true naturalist is aware that, compared with the existing fauna and flora, all the fossil species are more or less of this nature, both geuer- ically and specifically. We agree thoroughly with the author that " Evolution demands an Evolver," but we demur to purely scientific questions being treated on theological, instead of on scientific grounds. To whatever conclusions our researches may lead, we are bound honestly to follow them if they be but true ! We have no right to dictate beforehand the only paths along which scientific thought may travel. Having spoken thus candidly of a book * " The Higher Ministry of Nature viewed in the Light of Modern Science." By John R. Leif3hild, M.A. London : Stodder & Houghton, 18/2. " Science and Humanity." By Dr. Porter, President of Yale College. London: Stodder & Houghton. 18/2. " Worms," a series of Lectures on Practical Helmintho- ogy. By Dr. Spencer Cobbold, F.R.S. London: J. & A. Churchill. 1972. " Elementary Treatise on Natural Philosophy." By Pro- fessor Everett. London: Blackie & Son. I872. which cannot fail to impress the reader as the product of no ordinary mind, we leave it to make its undoubted mark. Of Dr. Porter's address, here published, we can say little, and that little not altogether favourable. After a careful reading through, we have not felt impressed by any part, except that devoted to a strong, almost violent, tirade against Herbert Spencer's philosophy, wliich he tells us " will soon cease to be the wonder of the hour." Of Spencer he pityingly adds, that "he will suffer a more complete neglect than he will fairly deserve." Our acquaintance with Spencer's writings leads us to conclude that Dr. Porter has not yet risen to the stage of fairly comprehending them. Addresses like these must injure the cause advocated far more than anything else. It is gratifying to get on the ground of pure scientific research, as we do when we come to Dr. Spencer Cobbold's work on Practical Helmin- thology. That gentleman has elevated a study both repulsive and disgusting, into one at once attractive, philanthropically useful, and important. The book before us is the result of a course of lectures delivered on worms at the Medical College of the Middlesex Hospital, and deals pretty fully with all those forms of internal parasitism which ordinarily come under the notice of the physician, together with a list of cases illustrating the symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of internal parasitic diseases. The last book on our list is not connected with the sciences to which the pages of Science- Gossip are devoted, but we can recommend it, especially for the number and value of its illustra tions. It is a translation, with additions, by Professor Everett, of Deschanel's work. SKETCHES IN THE WEST OF IRELAND. By G. H. K. Introductory Remarks. TRELAND is only a few hours' sail from either -*- England or Scotland, but it seems to be a greater terra incognita to the inhabitants of Great Britain than Europe, Asia, Africa, America, or even Australia; yet in this island there are places worthy of being visited and explored ; and in these sketches it is proposed to call attention to some of them. To the natives of the sister isle, one of the most unknown parts of Ireland is the barony of Burren, county Clare, lying on the Atlantic Ocean, and bounded on the north by Gal way Bay (fig. 58). In this area there is a peculiar botany ; the rocks also are remarkable, while the county teems with megalithic and other ancient structures. 81- HARDWICKE'S SCIE?; CE-GOSSI P. Fig. 5S. Terraced Hills of the Burren, as seen from the lorth of Galv. ay Bay. The rocks in tliis part of Clare are piincipally of upper carboniferous limestone age ; there are, however, in places, outlying patches of the lower coal-measure shales, while to the south and south- west the limestone disappears under these newer rocks. These latter, hereafter, will be more fully described, and a few words may now be said about the limestone,— the rock par excellence^ of " the Burren"* {cui/jUcc, a stony or rocky district). Here the carboniferous limestone, contrary to its general Irish character, forms hills and mountain groups, both strange and unique in outline and aspect, as the sides of the hills, valleys, glens, and passes consist of huge nearly horizontal steps, continuous for miles (fig. 59) round the hills, up and down the valley, in and out of the cooms, and in fact every- where forming a imiversal character of the country. These everlasting rocks give the hills a most barren and poverty-stricken aspect ; yet the country is far from deserving such a character. A stranger, looking over a vast tract, sees nothing but grey, cold rock, with loose stone walls interscctiDg it here and there ; but what.will astonish him most will be a herd of large heavy cattle enjoying them- selves, apparently on a diet of limestone. If, however, the crags are traversed, he will find that all the cracks and crannies are full of most luxuriant herbage, on which the cattle browse, the great draw- back to the pasture being a scarcity of water. On account of the nature of the rock, all water that falls, percolates the mass, and would entirely dis- appear but for a fev/ shale partings and chert layers between the nearly horizontal beds, that stop its descent ; thereby bringing it out as springs in dif- ferent places. This water is so valuable, that from time immemorial rectangLih.r troughs have been excavated in the thick beds of limestone as storage- cisterns for the surplus. * This rock in England is commonly knovin as " mountain limestone." In Ireland, however, except in Queen's county, Clare, and county Sligo, it generally forms a low undulating country, occupying the great central plain. F;g. ;9. Terraced Hills, Glen Colombkin. The country, however, is used more for winter than summer pasturage, not only on account of the small water-supply, but also as the climate is so mild, that cattle do not require houses during the winter months, while they increase rather than diminish in flesh : even in the old annals we read of the fat cattle from the Burren.* This country, therefore, is a favourite winterage for the cattle belonging to the extensive stock-owners of South Galway and other places. The Burren may be approached from the north, south, or east ; the latter, however, in these railway limes, seems to be the best route, besides having the advantage of prominently and abruptly bringing the traveller into contact with its wild and picturesque * Ten hundred oxen from Burren was part of the tribute of Cashcl to the kings of Erin. HAIIDWICKE'S SCIENC E.GOSbiP. 85 scenery, as be drives or walks from Gort, a small town and station uu the Atlienay and Enuis Hall- way. Previous, however, to leaving Govt, some time might profitably be spent in exploring the natural curiosities in its ncighbouihood ; their description, however, may form the subject of the first chapter- PECULIAR TROUT OE LOCH ISLAY. Br Jas. Thomson, E.G.S. ON the S.E. side of the inland of Tslay, in the neighbourhood of Mc Arthur's Head, and extending inland for several miles to the west, there extend a series of bold conical quartzito hills. The highest of these is 1,000 feet above the level of the sea. Situated in the interstices of these hills are numerous tarns, or small lochs. In one of those lochs occur trout with abnormally-formed caudal tins. The loch is known in the island by the nameof Loch-Na-M:iorichcn (Gaelic), which means, in English, the "Shelly Loch;" it lies on the western extremity of a plateau about a mile in breadth, and 900 feet above sea-level. It is bouudcJ on the east by Ben Vigar, 1,000 feet above sea-level ; on the south by Ben Urrara, 1,400 feet above sea-level ; and by Ben Van, about 1,200 feet above sea-level ; while to the west there is a gradual descent to the sea, which is about seven miles distant. The sur- rounding of the plateau is in outline like an amphitheatre on a grand scale. Ten hundred and forty-four yards to the east of Loch-Na-Maorichen, at the base of the hills, there is another loch, called Loch-Na-Breac (signifying, in English, "Trout Loch)," which is about 100 feet above the level of Loch-Na-Maoricheu. This is a deep, broad sheet of water, and is sur- rounded by a ridge of quartzite rock, varying from 30 to CO feet in height, and forming a complete barrier between it and Loch-Na-Maoricheu. This loch abounds with small trout having the usually formed hoiiiocercal caudal fins. The surplus v/ater is carried away by a small runnel on the north side of the loch, and flows down the valley on the north side of Loeh-Na-ilaorichen, about 150 feet below the level of the latter, joining the Lerggen stream two miles further down the valley. To the south, and at a considerably lower level, are several small lochs, in which no fish have been found during the last thirty years. One of these. Loch Urrara, is a dark, deep sheet of water, and has been many times lislied, but in no instance have any fish been caught. Loch-Na-Maorichen is 250 feet long by 234 feet broad, and is surrounded by a ridge of quartzite rock, which on the west is CO feet, on the north and east 30 feet, and on the south 10 feet above its level. On the N.E. there is a small runnel 15 inches broad, and from 18 to a few inches deep. This outlet is partially filled with water for a distance of 48 feet, where it is finally lost to view. In descending the valley, there is evidence of an old watercourse, which can be traced down to the burn that carries away the surplus water from Loch-Na-Breac. This old water- course is well filled up with peat moss and surface vegetation, while the surplus water, in rainy seasons, can only be seen oozing tlu:ough the moss. It will be apparent that there is now no connection between Loch-Na-Maorichen and any other sheet or water- course. FiiT. Co. Peculiar Trout of Loch Islay. Var. a, Acuminate tail. On the south side of the loch there is evidence of a second outlet, in the form of an elongated depression, the bottom of which is covered by angular fragments and masses of quartzite, similar to what we now find around the south-eastern margin of the loch ; but at present this outlet is fully six feet above the level of the water in the loch. In and surrounding the south-east margin of the loch, an area is covered Vt'ith angular fragments and boulders of quartzite rock. The surface of these stones is dotted with numerous little black oblong spots, which, when examined, are found to contain the larvai of the little dark flies so frequently found moving about under the banks and sheltered places of pools and streams. Fig. 61. Peculiar Trout of Loch Islay. Var. b, Ruuudei tall. It has been asserted that the fish found.in this loch feed upon small shells. Possibly this may have arisen from its name, which, as before stated, means " Shelly Loch." If there have been shells in it, it must have been a long time ago, possibly during the earlier part of the post-tertiary age, as there is not the slightest trace of shells in the loch now. This is testified by the contents of the stomachs of the fish, four of which I have carefully examined, and found to contain the larvse of insects, flies, and several small fresh-water beetles. In some of the stomachs were flies, larvse,.&c., all more 86 HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. or less mixed with fragments of vegetable matter ; the only form of the latter distinguishable was an alga, Bulbochceta setlgem. The trout of this loch differ from the fish found ia other lochs iu Islay, in the form of their heads and caudal iins. In other respects they possess the usual characteristics of loch trout. In colour they are yellowish-brown, with red and dark brown spots iaterspersed over the body and dorsal fins. The ventrals and anals are formed as in other trout, and are perfect to the apex, the rays tapering off to the most delicate film. The pectorals are in no way eroded or effaced. The caudal fins, however, are not bifurcated, but are all more or less rounded. Some varieties are acuminate in the centre (fig. 60), the rays mea- suring only I- of an inch from thek base to the apex. The variety whose caudal fins are rounded (fig. 61), terminate more abruptly than the acumi- nate form, and are covered at the apex with a thick succulent skin. Some naturalists have suggested the possibility of friction having pro- duced these abnormal forms of the 'caudal fins. This opinion I cannot for a moment entertain, for, if friction had produced it, we should expect that the rays of the pectoral, ventral, and anal fins would aJl be more or less worn as well. This, how- ever, in no instance have I found ; all are perfectly preserved, and, as before stated, are seen tapering to the most delicate point. Further, if friction was the cause, we should naturally expect to find similar forms in some of the lochs iu the innnediate neighbourhood. This, however, has in no instance been done. Mr. McKinzie, a keen sportsman, has fished the lochs in this part of the island for thirty years,' and has in no instance found a single fish formed like those found in this particular loch. During that time he has never found a single fish in Loch-Na-Maorichen whose caudal fius were not of this abnormal shape. This variety being restricted to this particular loch, and the physical conditions being similar to some of the other lochs in the district, I cannot «ee how friction could be the producing cause. These fish difler also in the form of the head, which is shorter, and more especially in the proportion from the orbits to the point of the snout, which is more obtuse than in the ordinary trout. It more resembles the buU-irout, and seems to form "an interesting variety of Salmo erio.r, or " bull-trout," I would suggest as a fitting name for this variety, Salmo Islayensis. I leave to others the interesting task of accounting for the origin of such a distinct variety of fisii, whose abnormally-marked variations must be advantageous, or it could not have excluded the ordinary form, and maintained possession of this isolated sheet of water. " Humboldt relates, that on the banks of the Orinoco he saw a parroquet a hundred years old, which spoke in an unknown and extinct tongue." B A T S. TN " G. M. M.'s " notes on these interesting -*- little mammals on page 18, he says, " Who can tell where they hide themselves during the day and throughout the winter ? " Both of these questions I can readily answer. During the puUing-dowu of part of these premises several years back, many bats were found hid away in all sorts of holes and cran- nies. Bats also retire after their nocturnal flights to chimneys, old masonry, caves, and hollow trees. The eaves of large buildings are also a favourite ren- dezvous for all kinds of bats. In an old work on quadrupeds I have at my elbow, mention is made of a bat-hunt during three successive days under the eaves of Queen's College, Cambridge. The first day one hundred and eighty. five were taken, the second sixty-three, and the third two. They were all of the high-flying species known as the Noctule or Great Bat (Nodulina ultivolans), and each measured fifteen inches iu extent of wing. Have any readers of Science-Gossip noticed with what adroitness a caged bat will make its escape through any couveuient crevice, and how easily it manages to squeeze itself through almost impossible apertures ? Last September, when about retiring to rest, word was brought me that one of these ghostly creatures had taken possession of a bedroom intended for a coupleof individuals higherinthe scale of beings than the intruder ; and would I kindly assist in return- ing the latter to the "realms of air"? I went, and there sure enough was the terrible, hobgobliu-like creature flitting round the room like a departed spirit, and flapping its leathern wings in appalling proximity to the four-poster. What was to be done ? It was highly absurd to think of occupying the room while this dreadful "spectre was flapping its ghostly wings above the bed. Various likely and unlikely means of induciug the creature to make its exit were tried, but all with the same success, — that is, none. At length the fertile imagination of the humble penner of these lines suggested an attempt to net him with his companion in many a long entomological ramble — to wit, a butterfly-net. The net was brought, adjusted on the stick, and a valiant charge made at the ill-omened intruder. After spinning round and round like a teetotum for some time, and making vain dives at the apparition, a dexterous turn uf the wrist brought the opening of the net in a line with Plecotus communis, and the game was triumphantly bagged. I put my member of the cheiroptera into an old birdcage, stuffed up every likely means of egress, and left it for the night. I went early next morning to look at my prisoner ; but he had/' broke the jug" a la Jack Shcppard, and skedaddled no one knows where, for 1 have never popped eyes on my midnight visitor since. He must have squeezed himself through wires not half an inch apart. Several others of my bat-pets have evaporated iu HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 8/ the same mysterious mannei*. The Bat in frosty weather remains at home and hybernates till a milder temperature prevails. Some years back I foimd a Long- eared Bat {Plecotus communis) hyber- uating in the cellar of this house in winter. His membranous wings were closely folded round his body, his beautiful semi-transparent ears nicely tucked away, and his little bead-like eyes wrapped in profound sleep. It was rather puzzling to me how the little fellow could snooze away so soundly situated as he was, for his head hung where one would be apt to look for his tail under ordinary circumstances. His dreams— if bats dream at all — must have been full of surprising adventures in such a night-marish and apoplectic position. To sleep with the head downwards is, however, as natural to the Bat as a horizontal posture is to us. The Bat is but a partial hybcrnator, and only disappears in frosty weather. Every mild evening during the present winter the Bat has been flitting about in front of this house in quest of the few gnats and other small insects which gambol about iu winter. Occasionally he is imprudent enough to venture out in frosty weather, and then he often pays dearly for his temerity. I once had a bat brought me which had ventured forth from its retreat one sharp frosty night, and had been picked up more dead than alive. It is probable that it had chosen too warm a nook for its retreat, which, unaffected by tlie weather, had caused the little animal to imagine that a similar genial temperature was prevailing without. After feeling the warmth of the iire for a short time, it revived and flew round and round the room, and when tired suspended itself head-downwards from a flowerpot. William Henby Warner. Kingston, Abingdon. MICROSCOPY. Paste Eels. — ^My directions for procuring paste eels ought perhaps to have concluded, after the manner of old-fashioned recipes, with probatnm est. The directions are according to those I received from that veteran microscopist Pritchard, the author of the "Infusoria, &c." Is Mr. Nicholson quite satisfied that spontaneous generation is a fallacy, and that the experiments of Dr. Bastian and others prove the contrary ? Has Mr. Nicholson ever made any experiments with various infusions, or has he ever found the " eels " in what is called " mothery " vinegar, or the fungoid growths on paste or preserves, or the mycelium developed in distilled water, even when kept in closely-stopped bottles, or a similar growth in the inferior surfaces of dry moulded slides ? Does Mr. Nicholson seriously say these forms would not have appeared if the spores or germs had not been placed there intentionally ? I must, however, ask him where he finds in my note any assertion that these eels are spontaneously generated ? I only stated that these forms would be found in paste, if certain directions were followed. I am inclined to imagine that they* like Bacteria, Vibriones, and moulds, are pro- duced from germs floating in the air or existing previously in the flour. Possibly the Anguillula glutinis is the same as A. tritici, although it is stated that the former is more energetic than A. tritici. Dr. Carpenter states that paste eels frequently make tfieir appearance spontaneously in the midst of paste that is turning sour, in other words, when acetous fermentation has commenced. This would lead to the inference that A. aceti was also identical with A. tritici and A. glutinis. Perhaps Mr. Nicholson will favour the readers of Science- Gossip with liis method of obtaining a supply of anguillulse without first putting them into the paste. I suppose he is not prepared to assert that portions of paste containing these forms have been succes- sively handed down by the discoverer from one observer to another — in fact a kind of apostolic succession. — F. K. Ox THE Mobility of Spines on Certain Insects' Eggs. — In a paper by Mr. H. Davies E.R.M.S., communicated to the Quekett Club, the author states his observations on the spinous processes found on the eggs of certain parasites, particularly those of the black-quilled Peacock and the Mallee-bird. He observed on the former, that the curved petaloid spines rapidly uncurl, straighten and contract on the lid when the eg^ is placed under water! They remain thus closed until the QgS becomes dry by evaporation, when the spines loosen, then gradually and gracefully recurve until the egg assumes its flower-like form. A group of these eggs in drying makes a pretty sight in the microscope. The author suggests the proba- bility that the spines contract over the lid in wet weather, and thus restrain the hatching of even mature eggs until the weather is more favourable. Sections OF Coal.— Mr. J.Slade (in Proceedings of the Quekett Club) gives the following directions for the preparation of sections of this material :— A piece of coal being selected, a surface is at first obtained roughly by a file or a piece of sandstone, then a finer by means of a hone or a piece of fine glass- paper, then a still finer by means of pumice-stone, and, after rubbing upon Arkansas stone, finally brought to the highest polish possible by friction upon plate glass. If the coal be very friable (which it sometime s is), it will be necessary to macerate the specimen m thin lac varuish, and dry it, before the whole process can be accomplished. In order to secure success, it is impossible to bestow too much pains in this preliminary operation. Having made a good surface, next cement it to a glass slip by 88 HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. marine glue. The marine glue requires careful selectionj as the glue usually sold contains particles of the . undissolved materials, which are visible under the microscope. However, having obtained the right sort, cut thin slices, lay them upon the glass and meltover a flame ; when thoroughly melted, drop the specimen (the polished surface being down- wards) into it, aud press out the air-bubbles. When the air-bubbles appear between the glass and the polished surface, they must be got rid of, otherwise it is useless to proceed ; for long before the spe- cimen is thin enough to show structure, the coal over the air-bubble comes away, leaving a hole. If they be not present, the preparation may be proceeded with, first reducing it on sandstone, and then finishing it with pumice-stone; and after scraping away the superfluous marine glue, mounting in Canada balsam aud covering in tiic usual way. As the grinding goes on, it must be frequently examined under the microscope. The first to appear will be the spore-cases, aud a careful coutiuuancc of the grinding will finally render the spores visible. Spores and spore-eases are to be found in every successful pre- paration of coal ; but their relative proportions aud degrees of preiCrvation vary considerably; thus Wigaa cannel almost entirely consists of spores, very fewspore-eases'; Bradford coal, spores and spore-cases iu nearly equal proportions ; Silkstone coal, spore- cases few and much compressed, spores in abundance ; Moira coal, Leicestershire, spore-cases beautifully preserved, and in some spores in situ ; while coal of Australia consists almost entirely of spore-cases. [The impurities in the marine glue may be separated from it by t}ing it in a piece of linen or flannel, immersing it in hot water, and squeezing it vv'ith a piece of wood.] — F. K. A Hint to Microscopists.— I would suggest to those who are seeking entomological objects, that the empty pupa-ca^es of butterflies and moths would be found to furnish some nice slides. Small portions of the envelopes which encase the an- tennae and legs could be exhibited iu their entire state; of the shell which wmps over the wings and body, sections might be mounted as opaque objects, or, in many instances, I should think, thin slices would be found to be transparent. But the student niust not suppose, should he chance to find one of the pupaj or clirysalids wiiieh are be- spangled with metallic markings, that when tlie insect within has emerged he will get a splendid slide therefrom, for these disappear when tiie case has lost its tenant. — /. B. S. C. "In the presence of the Alps, no worldly autho- rity can preserve its lying prestige ; the only sove- reignty which there exists is that of reason, truth, aud eonscieuce." — " T/ie Mountain," //-om the Frencli of MicJicltt. ZOOLOGY. Blind EisHES. — In the Eebruary number of the American Naturalist, Professor Putnam adds an important fact to his interesting paper on the above subject, obtained from Dr. Hartriug. He states that a specimen of one of the blind fish, Typhlichthys, was placed in a jar of spirits, when shortly after- wards eight young fish were observed. Their birl h was due to the sudden immersion in alcohol. When these young flbh were examined with a magnifyiug-glass, they were seen to be totally de- prived of eyes ! It will be rcmem.bered that in the adult state these fish had their eyes aborted. Parasite on Pieuis Baf^ (the small Cab- rage BuTTERrLx) IN CANADA.* — The uews of the appearance of a;i effective parasite on P. Uapa will, we doubt not, be hailed with delight by our Lower Canadian friends and the gardeners of the North- Eastern States. Mr. P. S. Sprague, of Boston, Massachusetts, has kindly sent us several specimens of both sexes of this new arrival, respecting which he writes as follows :— " The F. Rapce chrysalis parasite proves, on exami'iation by Dr. Packard, to be the introduced Flcroijialus piiparum. My son gathered about fifty of tlie chrysalids, every one of which was infested, as many as forty specimens coming from a single one. The female walks over the chrysalis, feeling with her anteuncefora suitable place to insert her ovipositor, aud when found, drills a hole, wdiich takes upon an average one minute in tiu:e." The following excellent com- munication by Mr. Sprague's son, who bids fair to become an eminent entomologist, we copy from the Rural New Yorker. " A new Enemy to the Cabbage-worm : — Although I am a little boy, I think I can write something which will please the old folks. Almost everybody who raises cabbages has had a great many destroyed this year by a little green caterpillar, and I suppose they have seen a new white butterfly, called the Pieris Bapa, flying round them. This butterfly lays a little white egg on the leaves, which iu a few days hatches out a little green caterpillar, which eats until it grows about an inch in length ; then it goes aud hunts up some sheltered place where it can go into a chrysalis. I was looking for some chrysalids for my father, flhen I saw a little fly walking all over them ; by- aud-by it made a little hole in the chrysalis to lay its eggs iu. Tliis fly is almost one eighth of an inch long ; it is of a golden colour. Some of the flies have yellow legs and others have dark onts; they have four wings ; the body is pointed at the end : there are about fifty of these flics in a chrysalis. The chrysalis looks as if it were all right ; but if you * This peet was introduced into Canada from Europe a few years ago, and has multiplied so rapidly as to have become already a source of serious uneasiness. — En. S.-G. HARDVYICKE'S SCIEN C E. GOSSIP. 80 break it open, you will find it full of little grubs. Tliis little fly kills so many of the clirysalids that in a few years the butterflies will not bo so common, and cabbages will not be destroyed.—//. IF. S., Boston, 3Iass." From the " Canadian Entomologist,^ December, 1871. Deep-sea Dredging.— Professor Agassiz has addressed a letter to a friend on this interesting subject, in which he recapitulates the various forms of organic life which may be expected to be dis- covered still living in the deeper and still unexplored parts of the sea-bottom. The principles upon whicii he bases his prognostications are that there is a correlation between the grades of animals in the complication of their structure, their order of suc- cession in geological times, their mode of develop- ment from the egg, and their geographical distri- bution upon the surface of the globe. The Tapir.— The British Museum has received a series of specimens, of different ages, of Tapinis villosKS, from the Cordilleras of Ecuador. The adult male is black, closely covered with rather short hair ; the young is covered with abundance of longer hairs. The young is also marked with broad grey streaks, more or less confluent, or united into short grey lines. The nasal bone of the adult is elongate. TV'iiY Butterflies and Moths are scarce AFTER A damp WINTER. — The circumstance that a cold and dry winter is more favourable to tlie development of lepidopterous insects than a mild and wet one has been variously explained ; and there is no doubt that several causes are concerned in it. The effects of excessive moisture upon pupse, it has been already noted, are decidedly un- favourable, and kill many which would defy severe frost and its accompanying dryness. Mildness in the winter season is harmful to a certain portion of the hibernating caterpillars. It is tiie general habit of some of these to feed through the winter at intervals, and others remain almost invariably quiescent, waiting for the development of vegetable life in spring. These latter are roused from their torpor by an unseasonable geniulity. They seem to require food, but, in some cases, there is none to be had appropriate for them ; and they often die from inanition, or are killed by some change of the weather. Eggs also, which should remain un- hatched until March and April supplied the leaves needed by the larva;, are developed into life in Eebruary, or even in January, and tlie result is necessarily the death of the particular breeds. So that, looking at the matter from a hoitieultural point of view, the gardener, if he grumbles for some reasons at a wet and mild winter, has also reason for satisfaction thereat, in the probable diminution of the number of caterpillars which will annoy him in the following summer. — /. It. S. C. BOTANY. Insect Fertilization. — A whole acre of mig- nonette would not emit more perfume than a single plant of the Fan Palm of the Rio Negro {Mauritia carard). In approaching one of these plants througli the thick forest, the sense of hearing would, per- haps, give the first notice of its proximity, from the merry hum of winged insects which its scented flowers had drawn together to feast on the honey, and to transport tlie pollen of the male to the female plants ; for it is chiefly dioecious species of palms that have such sweet flowers. The absence of odoriferous flowers from the grasses seems to show that insect aid is not needed for effecting their fecundation, but does not render its accidental con- currence a whit less unlikely. If the flowers of the grasses be sometimes fertilized in the bud, it is probably exceptional, like the similar cases re- corded of orchids, and many other families. — A. Spruce. Peculiarities in the Dock. — Being an ardent lover of wild flowers, and something of a botanist, I venture to think that a few details of my botanical experience may not prove uninteresting to your readers. During the last two summers I have given my attention to a group of plants which I had hitherto entirely disregarded as too uninteresting to be worth more than a glance ; but as I had set myself the task of making coloured drawings of all the wild flowers I could meet wiih, and having transferred to the pages of my book of " Wild Flowers '"' ail the more attractive flowers in my neighbourhood, I could no longer neglect this hitherto despised tribe, the Dock {Rumex). I there- fore set to work at them ; but to draw them was no easy task, and to name them, when drawn, still harder. The varieties seemed endless, no two speci- mens appeared exactly alike ; and when I thought I had decided on the name of a species, I could not satisfy myself the next day that I was right. When I mention my difiiculties more specifically, perhaps those who best deserve the title of botanists will acknowledge that these diffieulties do exist, and those who are only students and beginners may find these diifieulties lessened for them if I relate as briefly as I can the course and result of my own observations. When we turn to any botanical wwrk and look at the descriptions given of any species of the tribe Bumex, we find that the tubercles on the petals are a very distinctive feature of the plant ; but in no botanical work that I am acquainted with have I found any remark in reference to what stage of the flowering process the tubercle is developed, I venture, therefore, to offer my own experience and observations made on this point. In the early part of July I found a very fine specimen of one of the water-docks on the edge of the river Stour, within 90 HAKDWICKE'S SCIfiN CE-GO S S IP. half a mile of Blaudford, a small town in Dorset- shire. 1 had never before seen either of the water- docks, and was uncertain which of them I had found. There being only tliis one plant— a very fine one, I was careful to gather only a small piece, and made a drawing of it : it was then in full bloom ; the anthers, covered with pollen, were protruding beyond the petals, which were totally devoid of tubercles. I visited tlie same plant again about three weeks later, and not a tubercle was to be seen, but here and there, on a very few of the petals, was soinethiug like a brown skin. I took this piece to a friend who had a powerful microscope. He submitted these brown-skinned petals to a close investigation, but could only describe them as an irritation on some of the petals. Whatever they might be, they were very rare ou the plant. After a careful examination, we decided that there were no tubercles, and agreed that the plant must be Htimex aquaticiis, the Grain- less Water-dock. I thought this point settled when, about three or four weeks later I again visited my dock, what was my surprise to find each petal bearing a large tubercle, very much raised in ap- pearance, like white beads tinged with pink, the whole appearance of the plant being totally altered. I made a drawing of my dock in its tubercled state and named it Uumex hydrolapathum, there being now not the least doubt as to its proper nomenclature. The point I wish to make evident is the length of time that had elapsed from tlic first flowering of the plant to the development of the tubercles, at least six weeks, which is a difficulty an unexperienced botanist like myself is totally unprepared for. I also observed closely R. crispus and R. ohlusifolius, and found that in both plants the tubercles M'cre not developed till after the flowering of the plant. As far as my observations went, I came to the con- clusion that no tubercles are developed till after the anthers and pollen have disappeared. I think also that in many of the species the teeth are not de- veloped till a late stage of the flowering of the plant. I shall be glad if any botanists will furnish me with their experience on this point. Another difiiculty arises from the discrepancy in the descrip- tions given by various botanists. Sowerbj', in "British Wild Flowers," describes R. crispus as having only one tubercle ; Withering, whose de- scriptions 1 have generally found the most accurate, says of the same plant, "petals all bearing a tubercle." Lindley says, all bearing very large tubercles. Withering has no R. pratensis at all. — F. M. K. New ruNGL— Mr. T. Britton, of Manchester, who is well known as a botanist, has recently added two new species to our British flora. One is a fungus found on the Butter-bur {Petasites vulgaris), and named Badhamia capsuUferu, B., whicli Mr, M, C. Cooke has declared to be new to our flora. The other was,found at Chelford, in Cheshire, during Christmas week, and is also new. Mr. Phillips, of Shrewsbury, has identified it as Ferichcena qtcer- cina, F. G E 0 LO G Y. Fossil Horses.— At a recent meeting of the Californian Academy of Sciences, it was stated by Professor Marsh, of Yale College, that in the Miocene and Pliocene deposits of East Oregon a large number of species of fossil horses had been discovered. Among them was one only two feet in height. Others of the two-toed type had also been collected. Fossil Fish in Palesiike.— Ou reading a paper in the January number of ScIenceGossip on " Sciencs in the Tenth and Twelfth Centuries," 1 was reminded of a passage iu Joinvilie's " Histoire de Saint Louis " which may prove interesting to geological readers, as showing the simple childlike wonder with which fossils were regarded in the tliirteenth century. While recounting the events of the Seventh Crusade, which took place in 1248, the good knight pauses to remark, in his quaint way, how, "tandis que le roy estoit a Sayette, li apporta Ten une pierre qui se levoit par escalcs, la plus merveilleuse du monde ; car quant Ten levoit une escale, I'en trouvoit entre les deux pierres la forme d'un poissou dc mer. La pierre estoit le poissou ; mais il ne failloit riens en sa fourme, ne yex, ne ariste, ne couleur ne autre chose que il ne feust autre tel comme s'il feust vif. Le roi mauda une pierre, et trouva une tanche dedans, de brune coleur et de tel fagon comme tanche doit estre."— ",\Vhile the king was at Sayette [Sidon] a stone was brought to him which was formed in layers, the most wonderful stone in the M^orld, for when a layer was raised, there was found between the two stones the form of a sea-fish. The fish was of stone; but nothing Was M'anting in its form, neither e^es, nor bones, nor colour, nor any other thing, which was not just as it would be if it were alive. The king sent for a sloue, and found a tench wilhiu, of a brown colour, and of such fashion as a tench ought to be." I presume that there can be no doubt that some kind of fossil fish is here alluded to ; and 1 am curious to know whether there is modern testimony to prove that fossils of a similar kind are still to be found in the neighbourhood. — -G. F. IFarner. Fossil Hydrozoa (p. G7). — The comparative rarity of fossil Hydrozoa may be partly due to the perishable nature of many of the organisms consti- tuting this class. None of the oceanic Hydrozoa seem capable of preservation in a fossil state ; but the Hydroida are well represented in Paheozoic IIARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 91 rooks, though, if we except the Medusoid im pression said to have beeu observed by Professor Agassiz in the Oolitic lithographic slate of Soleu- hofen, they appear to be absent in rocks of more recent age. The Athecata, or Tubularian zoophytes, are represented in a fossil state by the SUurian genus Conjiioides and the Carboniferous genus Palceocori/iie, and the Thecaphora, or Sertularians, by the Silurian genera Dendrograptus and Ftilo- graptus, and probably, also, Callograpdus and Dictyonema. Then there are the Ilhabdophora or Graptolites, an entirely extinct sub-order of the Hydroida, found exclusively in Silurian rocks, and consisting of sixteen genera, with nearly ten times as many species. The Hydrozoa are thus repre- sented in Palaeozoic rocks by at least twenty genera and from about ISO to 200 species of hydroid zoophytes.—/. Uopkinson. NOTES AND aUERIES. Dried Plowers.— From what Mrs. Watney has written to Science-Gossip last mouth, I have ventured to hope that, with the editor's kind per- mission, a few words on the subject of an amateur Hortus siccus may not be unwelcome to some of its readers. Of course to the botanical student, a Hortus siccus has au extensive signification, and brings with it visions of volumes of brown paper, and large collections of withered plants, and hard Latin names. Now, to an amateur who has plenty of leisure, all this might be changed, and knowledge be gilded over by beauty's magic wand. I think one of the most charming occupations in which one can indulge during a summer vacation is the study of Nature, i have liad some little experience in preparing jjlants for tiie little cards to which Mrs. Watney alludes ; and, some six years ago, when my father had the honour of contributing to the pages of Science-Gossip, we had several elegant wreaths and bouquets of wild and exotic llowers on card-board. The modus operandi of preparing the blooms, leaves, &c., is simple enough, care and attention only being required as to the time of gathering them, and the delicate manipulation whilst preparing and fixing them on the cards. Whilst visiting the Ciiannel Islands, some of our most richly-coloured and handsome wreaths were made, but nothing, in my idea, could rival the spring blossoms and wild fiowers found near our Dorset home, in the lanes and on the downs. One collection of single violets, purple aud white, inter- mixed with feather mosses {llypiuim trichomanoides and H. rufescens), with a few violet-leaves, and a frond or two of fern, was a particular favourite of mine : they were gathered and mounted in 1859, and for years kept their freshness and colour. The best time for plucking the blooms, leaves, aud especially ferns, is when they are ripe, i.e. in their prime. Immature petals and leaves are apt to droop and fade before there is time to bring them home and press them. Bright, warm, dry days are the best to select for botanic excursions. Having collected the quantity and variety required lor a wreath or bouquet, whilst they are yet fresh, take some good pink blotting-paper, fold it to the size of an ordinarily large book, place the flowers carefully between the leaves, so that the blooms may be kept in as perfect a form as possible. Take for an example the simple little primrose ; separate the bloom from the stalk, and, on laying it down on the paper, the amateur will find some little trouble in fixing it for pressing so as to preserve the symmetry of the flower. Having arranged the subjects at proper distances, place the blotting- paper under some large books, and put heavy weights upon it. Should the collection not be made all at once^ the leaves and blooms will keep in this way well ior a month or so, and they should be exposed as little as possible to the light till mouuted. A week or ten days will suflice in an ordinary way to press the subjects. When they are sufliciently dry for mounting, select some white Bristol board, arrange the design intended to be formed, then fix them to the card-board with liquid gum. The same instruments may be used as in mounting seaweeds for the smaller and more delicate blooms. When completely grouped, place them again under pressure, and leave until quite dry ; then take out the card-board, and varnish or not. Any one who may take the trouble to form one of these very lovely natural pictures, will be more than repaid for the time expended in prepar- ing it. Would not an album (say like a photographic alburn) filled with little cards tastily arranged with specimens of local floras, mouuted in the way 1 have now described, be a pleasant and pretty sou- venir of summer holidays, liavmg the Latin names, and the locality the specimens were found in, together with the date, inscribed on the back of the card, or on the margin? 1 see some of the cor- respondents to Science-Gossip are writing on the subject of Poisoning Dried Plants. I have now a collection of plants gathered by ray father whilst a student at the Edinburgh University in 1S39, and they were simply pressed and kept between coarse blue paper.— i/arZii^ra Wallace iyfe, Nottingham. Glowworms.— Mr. T. Buck, Chelmsford, wishes to know how to catch male, glowworms. Let him put a lamp or candle in au open window when the females are shining, and he will have as many as are about. — 6'. Kingsley. Glowworms. — I think if your correspondent Mr. Buck will go with a lighted lamp or lantern, some warm dark night in June or July, into the woods or lanes where the glowworms abound, he will have no difficulty in getting males. 1 used to find them a nuisance rather than otherwise when " sugaring" in the woods in the South of England. They flew in my face, settled on my coat-collar, waistcoat, aud whiskers, and were especially fond of perching oa the edge of the rim of my liat. — Male Glow^vorms (page 68).— In reply to Mr. Buck, I may state that the male beetles are not to be found during the day, nor so readily at the evening dusk, as are the temales. When the night is further advanced, however, they fly abroad briskly, and as the pages of various magazines testify, have frequently been mistaken for fire-flies. In and about woods are favourite resorts, aud they have been noticed dashing to and fro near the lan- terns carried by entomologists engaged in moth- huntiug. Kegarding the longevity of ihe insect in confinement, 1 may add that 1 am aware of one instance where some females were brought into a house aud allowed to wander away. All disap- 92 HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. peared but one, and that turned up some five or six months after, alive and luminous, in some odd corner, very mucli to the surprise of the iumates. How it had kept itself alive no one could tell. — /. B. S. C. Chameleons. — These reptiles, being the natives of very warm climates, require a vast amount of care when brought over 1o England, and it is but rarely that we hear of a pet chameleon living for any length of time in confinement, simply because their quarters are not sufiiciently heated. The tem- perature of an ordinary gieen-house would most decidedly be too cold : a sfovehouse would be better. A friend of mine made pets of two chame- leons soon after her arrival in Ceylon, and she described them as most pugnacious in their conduct to each other, though perfectly harmless and gentle as indoor residents. They used to fight, and when engaged in battle, the ludicrous way in which they slowly opened and shut their jaws invariably made her aunt, an old lady, "yawn." They were both male reptiles, so she gave one of them his liberty, put him up a tree, and procured from a native ser- vant a lady chameleon, who, in a short time, laid some eggs in a little heap of sand at the bottom of the large wire inclosure, which Miss E. had confined tliem in. The eggs never hatched, the heat of the sun not being sufficiently powerful on that spot ; for in a wild state chameleons always deposit their eggs, and leave them to be matured by the warmth of the sun. If your correspondent Miss Eyfe were to write to ''Mr. Prank Bnckland," she would probably obtain from that gentleman full informa- tion as to how they are treated in the Zoological Gardens. 1 have been told that they give them meal-worms, a food much relished by them, and that they sprinkle the plants in their case with water daily, because chameleons never drink water from any vessel, and therefore it, is found requi- site to supply them Mith liquid in a like way to what they obtain it in thrir native forests. — Helen E. Watney. The Chameleon.— Many of your readers will doubtless be interested in hearing that one of these curious animals has recently been found at Maid- stone. My authority, after speaking of a poetical allusion to its "triple claw," snys:— "The triple claw is correct enough ; it appears to be but triple. "When the claw, however, is distended, no fewer than five extremely minute talons, like those of a kitten, are developed, and by these a firm hold of even a considerable-sized branch is obtained. By placing the two wrists together as a man docs when he is manacled, then throwing both hands open as widely as possible, you see the shape of each foot; and, by imagining the talons spoken of to be at the ends of tiie fingers, an idea may be formed of the great holding-on power the Chame- leon possesses. The eye is extremely difficult to describe fully. It is sunk in a conical tube or leceptacle, evidently to protect it: this tube revolves in any direction with the ball of the eye, so that, although the latter is remote, no obstacle is prescn!ed to the vision. The eye is very small, but brilliant in the extreme, somcMhat like that of a toad, but not a quarter of the size. A 'hood,' apparently, but which is not movable, covers the neck. The back is arched, and very thin all along the top. The inside of the mouth is a bright red. AVhen inhaling the atmosphere, and viewed through a glass, the whole body of the animal appears rugged like the bark of a tree, and s^e/Mike to the touch. The length of the body is about six or seven inches." The animal was very slow in its movements. Its colour was invariably black or dark at night ; it appeared white on one occasion, but green or yellow seemed to be its favourite colour. It slept suspended by its tail, and was capable of elongating its body at pleasure. It lived about a mouth after its capture, and died during the cold weather. My authority considers that it was imported from Spain among some Esparto grass, an article frequently deposited on a wharf adjoining a garden in which the chameleon I M'as found. — /. S., Jun. \ What does Gkyllus viridissiml's eat ?— Eor the information of " K. A. M.," I might state that it is strongly suspected, tlumgh not absolutely proved, that this species is occasionally carnivorous ; and should this be so, its food would probably be aphides, and other small fry of that cliaracter. From the apple supplied to the specimen watched by ''E. A. M." small insects or other living creatures may have been got. Buds of different trees and plants are doubtless resorted to for food by this " most green " and very lively gentleman, whom it is much easier to hear than to see or catch. The eggs are deposited in the ground during the summer or autumn, but the femnles are said to select for the purpose a sandy or friable soil, and the captive insect was probably dissatisfied v.ith the earth which was within its reach ; or its reluctance to oviposit may have arisen from the circumstance that it was not impregnated. — /. R. S. C. Ichthyosaurus. —In your February number you refer to a notice in the Standarcl as to an ielithyo- saurus said to have been recently found at Char- mouth, with foetal young in situ. Do you know if this specimen has been examined by any competent authority — if so, by whom ? Further, would you kindly say where specimens with foetus in situ, upon which you found your closing remarks, may be seen ? Your reply to these queries will, I am sure,be of in- terest to many of your readers. — G. Potter. \_ We do not know if the identical specimen re- ferred to has been examined. But specimens arc not rare showing the position of the foetal young. For proofs as to the viviparous nature of the Ichthjoumri, see Owen's " Palaeontology," Page's " Handbook," &c.— Ed. S.-G.] Piiyllactidium ruLciiELLUM {ante, p. 47 ; Science-Gossip, IS67, p. 178).— I found many specimens of this phint in 1870 on leaves o'f Anaeharis taken out of a small stream near Win- chester.- i\ /. Warner. Stag Beetle. — If G. Guyon had used his finger instead of a stick, he might perhaps have felt the etfccts of a pinch from the long mandibles of the Stag Beetle. If, when they are flying, they should be stopped, or if they are irritated in any other way, they will generally grasp anything which is placed near them. I know a m:in who allow'cd one to take held of his finger, which caused it to bleed con- siderably.— A. E. Poisoning Dried Plants.-;- Your correspondent J. T. Mott asks whether it is necessary to wash plants with corrosive sublimate to preserve them trom insects. 1 am of opinion that it is necessary, as I have seen specimens not done so, completely eaten into holes. 1 have a considerable number of RARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. d) spncimens myself, and have 'washed tlicm all, and fiud no inconvenience from the ravages of insects. I also think with Mr. Mott that a close box is a great help to preserve them.— T. B. Bloic, WeUvyn, Herts. Alt; AD A abbohea.— In reply fo ]\Tr. TTarner, I beg to say he is quite right in correcting the scientific name given by me to the Tree Pipit. The mistake occurred partly throngh carelessness and partly from my dislike to the term Anthts bein? used to designate any of the Lark tribe ; for, why have a word so indefinite as to be applicable to 'any small bird, when we have such a capital generic appellative as Alauda ? In answer to \lx. Kingsley, I would state that my present observa- tion enables me to distinguish four kinds of larks in this neighbourhood— Skylark, Wood-lark, Tit- lark, and Tree Pipit. The first three reside with us all the year round, the last is a bird of passage ; and, as I said in my note, " the song and flight are so peculiar, that it will be impossible to mistake it for any other." Doubtless there are other varieties of larks in our beautiful fields and woods ; bnt, as I never shoot for purposes of verification, and have acquired my experience of the songs of birds from living specimens kept in ' confinement, or the in- struction of friends during happy rambles over hill and dale, I do feel certain of knowledge gained in such a practical manner ; and I do not hesitate to assure Mr. Kingsley he will no longer find any diflacnlty in distinguishing the Tree Pipit from the Wood-lark, if, next May and June, he lie about on fine sunny days in the hay fields, and watch tjie skv-rocket ascent and fluttering descent of this de- lightful bird. I thank Mr. Kingsley for his kind courtesy in giving me credit for an observation which i am sorry to say I have never made, that the Alauda arborea (or Tree-lark, as he calls it) sings at night. I most fervently hope that such is the case in Hampshire, where he lives, for 1 am not, quite sure whether I do not prefer Wood-krk to Skylark music ; and, in wishing him the enjoy- ment of its mellow strains by night as well as by day, I can fancy no sweeter lullaby.— /o^e;?/? Drew. The Lesseu Pettychap. — Mr. Westropp sends us the notice of the very enrly appearance (the 9th March) of the Lesser Pettychap {Sijlvia Jdppolais), which may • interest some of our ornithological readers. Sta-KLTiigs. — Do starlings usually remain with us during the whole winter? as those which have lived on my house for the last three or four years have never left us at all this winter, but have been seen and heard on the Vicarage roof and cliimneys every fine, or even fair dav. What does their winter food consist of ?— fi". 0. 'S., Gateshead. Wood-Pigeons. —What is the general food of wood-pigeons, especially in the winter? They are accused of eating corn. &c. ; but we had some this week (purchased on Feb. 16, from Scotland) ; the crops of three were quite full of turnip-tops, one of turnip-tops and clover, and one of clover only; and the birds in very good condition. Is such food usual ?— iT. 0. S., Gateshead. The "JjVTEk" (p. 69). — It is unfortunate for Mr. Joynson's theory that the bulk of his examples are Saxon : ex. gr., Ormskirk, Runcorn, Wallasea. Since it is to the Saxon we must look for the true derivation of "Lither," Litherlaud I understand to mean the district since re-christened as "Water- loo." It is in Sefton or Sephton parish {ton, A.-S.), near Seaforth (true A.-S.), Crosby [by is Scandina- vian), Aintrec, Netherton, and Thornton, both pure Saxon. Premising that the word " pool" was com- mon to both Saxon and \Velsh, I may just remark on tlie inconsistency of joining Gtelic and Welsh to produce a compound : it may not be impossible, but it is unusual. I do not find " pool " in Geelic, while the Welsh "LI" would produce a different sound from the "L " in Litherpool. In Anglo-Saxon we have several forms of the root Lide ; bnt our best illustrations may be drawn from the lowland Scot- tish. Jamieson quotes: Lithe, adj., "calm, sheltered." Lytbe, verb and noun, and Lither, adj., as "lazy, sleepy;" Lithi3 is comfortable. Much stress. has been laid on the word lither as " landing- place ; " but it is far preferable to take it as indi- cating the sheltered pool at the Mersey side. Mersey is pure Saxon. — A. Hall. White Varieties (p. 45). — White varieties of many plants may be only occasionally seen, appearing under certain conditions, and lasting only so long as these conditions prevail, while in other cases these varieties seem to be permanent ; but I believe that all varieties, whether natural or brought about by artificial means, tend to return to their normal state. Last autumn but one, while stay- ing at Ardlethen, Aberdeenshire, I noticed some plants of the Harebell Campanula (C. rotmidifolia) with some flowers perfectly white, while others, on the same plants, had a tinge of blue ; but last autumn, on the same spot, not a white flower was to be seen — all were blue. The plants were growing at the edge of a narrow band of Silurian limestone, the adjoining rocks being gneiss and granite. — John Hopkinson. Geological Guide to Sicily (p. 70).-;-Should " a Subscriber " not meet with a suitable guide-book to Etna, he may perhaps find the required informa- tion in the following works : — Eerrara, " Descriz- ione dell' Etna ; " Palermo, 1818 ; Hoffmann, "Geognost. Beobachtungen," Berlin, 1839; Lyell, "Principles of Geology ; " Scrope, " On Volcanoes." The following papers in the Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society may also be consulted : — Abich,"On some points in the History and Formation of Etna," vol. xv. p. 117; Gemellaro, "On the Gradual Elevation of the Coast of Sicily," vol. xiv. p. 501, and " On the Volcanic Cones of Palermo and Motta, Etna," vol. xviii. p. I^.—Johi Hopkinson. Gold-fish. — Having a large number of gold-fish, I gave some of them to a friend. Soon after he had received them, he told me he had seen some little ones in the globe with the others, but that the large ones ate them as soon as they appeared. A few days after he saw the above, he saw some spawn in the globe, and some m.ore of the small ones appeared: these he has taken out. I shall feel obliged if you, or any of your readers, can tell me if this is a common occurrence, and if there is any way of rearing these small fish. — Tom V. Bevey, Wolsingham. Abnormal Cerastitjm (pp. 259, 279, 1571).— 1 was, in all probability, wrong in referring this curious specimen to Arenaria, though I did not speak very positively about it. I and others have again examined specimens, and the evidence seems to be in favour of its being a Cerastium.— Robert Holla nd. 94 HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. The English House-fly in New Zealand.— One lar^e blue- bottle fly is a terrible torment in New Zealand. Not only does he "fly-blow" the meat, but he lays his eggs in the blankets also, with the usual unpleasant results, if tbey are not at once got rid of. But the house-fly was, until lately, unknown. The folio -.vhig history was told to me by a friend lately returned from Christ- church, New Zealand, where he had worked for the last six years. A few years ago it occurred to a resident in New Zealand that if the common house- fly could be introduced from England it would assist in exterminating the blue-bottle. Accord- ingly, when the time came for him to take a holiday to the old country, he did not forget to collect flies just before his return. He kept them in a box during the voyage, and fed them with bread and bits of sugar, and not many lives were lost. The party arrived at an accommodation-house on the Hakaia river, and here the caution of our naturalist appears to have deserted him. He opened his box either to feed or display his flies, and through some inad- vertence the whole of them escaped. But the experiment was not without some results. My friend and informant came to England a few months ago, and he says that the common house-fly is thoroughly domesticated in New Zealand, but with what result with regard to the blue-bottles he is unable to state, more than that where the flies are numerous the blue-bottles are certainly scarce. Does this account of the introduction of house- flies appear true? I relate it as it was told to me, but it:.seems to me unlikely that the flies would have lived through the voyage. Have any of your correspondents heard the flies accounted for before, or this story in any other form ? — M. A. D. ^The Ermine in North Wales.— What does "W. P." in last month's Science-Gossip mean by saying that the Ermine is rare in North Wales, but the" Stoat, Weasel, &c., are common enough " ? Of course he is not ignorant of the fact that the Ermine {Mustela Erminea) is simply the Stoat in its winter coat. I have lately seen a specimen of the Erminea which was killed before it had completed its transformation; the lower half of its body is white and the upper brown. I should like to know the meaning of " W. P.'s " communi- cation, as it would be a curious fact if most of the stoats die before assuming their winter dress. — W. W. Variety of the Tufted Duck.— I should be glad if " P. P." would kindly favour us with a more minute description, of the plumage of the duck he mentions in the February number, also the colour of the iris, the legs and feet, when fresh, and the extent of the bulf colour upon the lower part of the breast. Does it blend with the dark colour of the lower neck, or is the band across the chest well defined, and of the usual colour? I should also like to know if any of the buff colour extends to the sides and vent-feathers. —~T. Southwell. Why do Caterpillars weave Webs? — The author of a paper in last month's issue of Science- Gossip, on the "Web- weaving Caterpillars," invites observers to offer their opinions on tiie reasons why some lepidopterous larvaj are endued with this habit, it is not easy to give a satisfactory answer which will meet all cases. One thing would strike us as notable at the outset ; namely, tliat a very Jarge number — the majority in fact— of those which spin webs or form nests are hairy caterpillars, and therefore, as a consequence, the less in need of any protection of their own making to screen them from birds ; for I presume, in the caterpillar-hunt- ing species, it will be found, as a rule, that they prefer smooth-skinned to hairy individuals when they can get them. And again, it must be remem- bered that many solitary larvae which do not form a web for their protection are in the habit of employing their silken store occasionally in spinning a web, or else some slight shelter for themselves in windy weather,_or during the periods when they are casting their skins. Among the uses which caterpillars' webs^ subserve, these may be indi- cated :— 1. They aflord the caterpillars a screen from rain, high wind, and moderate also the influences produced by changes of temperature. 2. They protect them during their changes of skin. 3. They may insure the caterpillars a firm foothold while feeding, often a circumstance of importance. Some species are most cai'cful to extend their webs or nests so as to cover the different boughs or twigs upon which they feed. 4. They ward off the attacks of birds, at least sometimes, and may also prove a safeguard against parasitic insect enemies. As to the Lackey {B. Keustria), which Mr. Lovekin has referred to amongst others, it is observable that when the caterpillar becomes of good size its social habits cease, and each wanders separately. 1 was certainly not aware, however, that this caterpillar is more fortunate than its brethren in being nearly exempt from the peril of being devoured by birds. The Gold-tail {L. aitriflua), though conspicuous enough in the early summer, does not then conceal itself by a web, which, in this species, is only formed as a winter retreat. — /. R. S. C. Large Green Grasshopper. — I found that this insect would readily eat raw beef some years ago, and I then noticed the fact in Science-Gossip. 1 have since tried some experiments with another specimen, and found it was very partial to apple- leaves and small grasshoppers; but the uncooked meat offered him was refused; so I came to the conclusion that grasshoppers, like human beings, differ in their taste respecting diet. — Hele/i E. Watney. Singing Mice.— I cannot give the same experi- ence of singing mice as your correspondent last month. The singing mice in my present residence, on the banks of the Khine, sing while running in the room, and only seem to intermit while feeding, and but for a moment. The sound varies from a soft cheep-chirp to that of a spring running down when over-wound, but more regular, and gives the idea of activity and glee. These mice, both singing and mute, are much larger than English house mice, and often dig large holes in the earth round my plants in pots. They also eat the leaves of some plants, so as to strip them, and only yester- day bit off the tops of a bouquet of violets (Neapolitan), primulas, &c. On several occasions they have attacked my canaries, which I suppose to be unusual. Can your other correspondents in- form me if they have experienced the like? All the mice frequenting my house are singularly bold, and comparatively indifferent to noise, continuing their employments while the iron of my stove rattles I'rom their efforts. Cheese is held of no avail here in trapping mice; they can only be tempted by meat. — Tedesca, Prussia. HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 93 Spo'nge Spicules.— All I can say in reply to " H. R.," is that one fragment of freshwater spon2:e — and one alone — furnished the spicules figured in Science-Gossip, which, on account of the birotulate spicules of the ovary, was referred to S.fluviatilis. If it combines the characters of the two species, systematists must settle the question. — C. Scotland and the Unicorn (p. 46).— The unicorn supporting the British arms on the sinister side is derived from Scotland, but whether connected with that figured on Queen Margaret's seal, I cannot say. James I., as King of Scotland, had for iiis supporters hoo unicorns : and on succeeding to the English throne he introduced one of them as a supporter of the arms of the United Kingdoms. — G. II. H. Spring Eungi.— Admirers of the beautiful during their walks this spring should look in damp sheltered situations, where fragments of rotten sticks are overgrown with moss, for the gorgeous cups of the Carmine Peziza (P. cocciiiea). A spe- cimen of this plant when once found never fails to elicit admiration from tliose to whom it is shown. The December number of Science-Gossip con- tained an account of the Orange Peziza {P. aurantki). This species is autumnal, grows on the naked ground, and has its sporidia rough witli little granules. The Carmine Peziza is to be found in winter and spring, growing on fragments of wood, which may, or may not, be buried in the soil. Its sporidia are oblong and quite smooth. The interior of tiie cup is of a rich carmine hue, the exterior whitish. Tlie Rev. M. J. Berkeley mentions a variety that occurred at Kilmory which was quite sessile, and orange externally. Has it been the good fortune of any of your readers to meet with this variety ? — C. B. P., Kmr/'s Lynn. Oolitic Eossils.— Wishing to compile a list of fossils of the Cornbrash, Eorest Marble, and Puller's Earth, I shall feel greatly obliged to any geologist who will send me a list of the species that he has observed in those formations. I should also be glad to know of any good and easily accessible sections of those rocks in the West of England. — H. J. Parsons, II. D., Beclciiujton, Somerset. The PASSiON-rLOWER. — In the restoration of our churches now in progress we are frequently told that in windows and screens the Passion- flower is used, evidently under the impression that such a flower had been previously used there. Can any of your readers give an authority for the early appropriation of this elegant flower to the purposes of ecclesiastical symbolism ?— ^. C. Daggeu-moth.— I dare say my question is a stupid one, but it is one I should nevertheless like to see answered. What proof have we that the insects, Acromjcta psi and tridens, are not the same species with a permanent variety in the larva ? The extreme similarity between the perfect insects of the two (so-called species) renders it impossible to distinguish between them in the perfect state. — C. Lovekin, Notting Hill. Canine Gyrations, — Your correspondent Mr. Lefroy finds a speculative analogy (between the gyrating habit of dogs and the spiral growth of certain plants. It may interest him to know that a "similar connection between the vegetable and animal world in this matter" was humorously suggested by the late Mr. Wilson, the bryologist, who, in a letter to nie a few years since, after describing the male inflorescence of Sphagnum, concludes thus : — "Dogs are said to gyrate because they cannot at once find the head of the bed ; these spermatazoids perhaps from indecision of character, or uncertainty as to the route, being only partially _ endowed with instinct." Perhaps this explanation of the canine habit may be found as satisfactory as that suggested by Mr. Darwin. — C. F. White, IFindsor Road, Ealing. Name of the Lackey Moth (p. 8.5).— xi contri- butor to SciENCK-Gossip has quoted a statement re- garding the English designation of the above species, which I canuot but believe incorrect. The Rev. J. G. Wood adduces no proof that the name "Lacquer" Moth was once applied to it, and, in course of time, corrupted into " Lackey." The assertion of other authors is much more plausible ; namely, that the caterpillar gave rise to the name which the moth bears in one of two ways. Some say it is like a "lackey" because of its variegated clothing, resembling in its costume certain serving- men or lackeys who used to attend upon noblemen a century ago or thereabouts. Eootmen's fashions have, however, now been considerably modified. Others, again, will have it that the slow and steady way in which these caterpillars follow each other on their excursions for, food while young was com- pared by some observer of the olden time to the stately procession of retainers preceding some person of dignity. I venture to think either of these suppositious more plausible than the one quoted.—/. R. S. C. Stag Beetle. — lu answer to G. Guyon, p. 45, 1 can also state that I have never experieucsd any severe bite from a male stag beetle {L. Cerous). I captured several last yeai', and handled them with- out hurt ; but I should advise "A. E." not to try the female cermis, or he will get a liard grip for his pains, as I know, to my cost, their sliarp jaws will nearly pierce the skin. I have often surmised what is the cause of the male insect having such large antlers, as it is evidently not for feeding purposes, or the female would be likewise provided ; the fact of their possessing but little power also denies the imputation of fighting or burrowing with them.^* John Henderson. Sandpipers.— -Is it usual for sandpipers to stand on the shore and allow the waves to wash over them, as some here were observed to do so ? — H. 0. R., Weston-super-Mare. The Bull-frog.— This reptile, which is the largest of the frog tribe, is very common in the swampy parts of Canada. It is from six to seven inches in length, and the hind legs are eaten, and esteemed a great delicacy, somewhat resembling, but superior to, chicken. — E. C. Lefroy. A White " Brimstone."— A friend of mine has in his collection a variety of the Brimstone butter- fly {Gonepteryx rhamni), male, having in the centre of tlie anterior wings a large patch of deep orange. Erom its difl'ering from the Brimstone in no other respect, I presume it to be a hybrid between that and the Clouded Yellow {Colias edusa). — H. Moore, 67, Preston Street, Brighton. Erratum.— I find a slight typographical error in my note on the Gipsy-moth on page G9. In the ninth line from top for mwles, read males. — R. Laddiman. 03 HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS. W. D. — The ordinary way of becoming: a Fellow of the I.innean Society is to get proposed by two Fellows, who can testify to personal knowledge of the candidate, and of liis fitness for election. If you know a F.L.S., communicate to him your desire, and no difficulty will follow. J. L. — We have inquired, but are sorry we cannot pive the information our correspondent dpsires respecting: dried sea- weeds. A little powdered quicklime will get rid of the bhick slugs, and do the ferns no harm if it be used in moderation. Common salt also may be used, and, perhaps, with greater safety. P. A. S.— P.^eudomorphic crystals of rock-salt from the Trias : they are common in the upper beds, and have been formed by the slow replacement of fine mud in the moulds left by the salt cubes. A. S. — The specimen of lizard sent is the " Smooth Water. Newt " {Lophinuf! pii7ictahis), or " Water Evat." The tradi- tion is pretty general as regards its reputed stingina: powers, and as unfounded as it is firmly believed in. For a full pccount of this reptile, and a refutation of the theory of " ftinsting:," see Cooke's "British Reptiles." Hardvvicke, London. J. P. G. — The specimen sent is evidently a lichen, but it is not sufficiently good for identification. R. V. T.— The lichens on the rock fragments have given ns no little trouble. We have submitted tliem to several fungologi^its, but all are of opinion that they are in too imma- ture a condition to have the species distinguished. Frantis Bt'CKELr,. — We cannot inform you where a slide of tlie lactiferous vessels of plants can be obtained. Why not mount them yourself? They are easily procured by mace- rating the leaves, &c., of plants containing them, and when obtained, mounting them in a solution of gelatine and carbolic acid. — F. K. R. H. N. B. — Your sketch is much too indefinite to enable us to say whether the crystal is anything unusual. The characters of cry.'tals vary according to temperature and strength of solution employed.— F. K. W. L. N.— Both the " Oak-spangles " and " Silk-buttons " are very common on the backs of leaves, especially on those of the Oak. They are formed by an insect — a species of Cynips. For full account, see Sciknce-Gossip, vol. ii. p. 228. R. Browv. — The plants are — A. Variety"of Chennpodium Bonus Henricus. B. Ckenopodium botryoides. C. Chenopo- dium album. W. H . W.— Tlie fly sent is the common Sand-wasp {Ammo- phila siibnlijaa). It deposits caterpillars of different species of GeometrtdiE in its sand-burrows, for the nutriment of its young.— C. G. B. E. C— The insect commonly known as the " New Forest Fly," which is so troublesome to horses, is Hippobosca equina, Linn.— C. G. B. M. H. — The plant is Gulinsnga parviflora, a native of Peru, which has been completely naturalized in the neighbourhood of Kew for some time. — B. W. Sargent. — The directions given in Hogg on the Microscope are those usually employed. The foUowin ;: plan may, perhaps, be found useful when it is desirable to mount quickly : — Place the specimen in liquor potass?e, boil for a few minutes, wash in warm distilled water, boil again in carbolic for a short time ; the preparation may then be soaked in benzole, and afterwards mounted in balsam in the usual manner. Entomological specimens are, however, best mounted in some preservative fiuid (a dilute glycerine and carbolic acid will be found well suited for that purp-fse). E. C. Jei.lv. — Von do not say whether your zoophytes are killed with the polypi expanded, or are only the polypdoms. If the former, weak spirit would not be sufficient to prevent decomposition. Goadby's fluid, or dilute glycerine and car- bolic acid, would be best. If they are the polypdoms only, wash away all traces of salt, and dry between blotting-paper. When required for mounting, soak them for some hours in the mounting fluid, and they will regain their original form. EXCHANGES. Notice. — Only one " Exchange '' can be inserted at a time by the same individual. The maximum length (except for correspondents not residing in Great Britain) is three lines. Only objects of Natural History permitted. Notices must be legibly written, in full, as intended to be inserted. Larv/e of C. vi/liru, and eggs of B. Neu.itria, for eggs, larvae, or pupje of other Lepidoptera.— H. A. Auld, 62, Gran- ville Park, Blackheath. A liberal exchange in selected Diatoms, Spicules, &c., for real UrPKR Peruvian guano; presence of A. formosus to be test of genuineness.— J. K. Jackson, Talbot Street, Oldbury, Birmingham. Erratum.— In A. N.'s exchange offer in March number of SciEXCE-Gossir, for "Yarrow," read " Yarra." HippoTno.\ niVARicATA, unmounted, for Hippothna catenutaria. — Miss Jelly, 2, P/inces Road, St. Leonards-on- Sea. For Thus les Mois or Carina Starch and Scales of Gold- fish send stamped envelope and object to Miss E. De B. Meyrick, Downshire Lodge, Blessington, co. Wicklow, Ireland. COLIAS, E.lusa, Vaifssa polyrhloros, Limeni/is, SibyUri, Hespinn Comma, for other Lepidoptera. — Joseph Andersoc, Jun., Alresford, Hants. Hawein'ch, Cuckoo, Kingfi^hrr, Sparrow - hawk, and Tawny Owl's eggs in exchange for others. — Frederick Ander- son, Alresford, Hants. For.\minifkra from High and Low tide, Connemara, West coast of Ireland, ditto from the Mediterranean. Send stamped envelope and any object to Joseph Clegg, Jun., Croft Bank, Shaw, near Oldham. Pecten operculahis, Cardlum Nof»egicum, &c., for other British marine shells.— A. W. Langdon, Llanrwst House, Hastings. Fresh Microscopic Fungi (including Chister-cups), during the coming sea>ion for unmounted objects. Lists to H. English, Woodstone, Peterborough. For Hairs of Angora and Pekan send stamped envelope and objects of microscopical interest ti J. Sargent, Jun., Fritchlcy, near Derby. SECTION'S of Brazilian twigs, fmir varieties; send address and stamp with any microscopic material to Joseph Asten, Baron Street, Rochdale. Leptotriciium snb'ilntiim, Dcsmntodun nervosus, Trichoa- tnmum litturitl'', &-c., offered in exchange for others. Send lists to R. V. T., Withiel, Bodmin. For spiral fibro tissue from seed of Trngopoffon prafensis, send stamped directed envelope to T. H. Martin, 86, Week Street, Maidstone. Oi.dhamia in exchange for Trilobltes.— James Gourley, Killinchy, co. Down. Wanted to take in exchange or buy, a good specimen of the Kingfisher. Stamped envelope and particulars to W. H. Hunt, Hendford, Yeovil. British Lichens wanted ; Belgian Mosses and Lichens offered in exchange. Address E. Marchal, an Jardin Botanique, Brussels. A nujiber of Lepidoptera in exchange for various species, of birds' eggs.— R. Kay, 2, f^pring Street, Bury. PoLARiscopic and other objects ; rare Chemical Crystals, Polyzoa, &c., mounted or unmounted, for other good objects. Address,j Rev. J. M. Mello, The Rectory, Brampton, St. Thomas, Chesterfield. British Birds' Eggs for others, and British or foreign Lepidoptera.— S. L. Mosley,Almondbury Bank, Huddersfield. Barbadoes Poi-vcystina, symmetrically arranged in bal- sam, opaque ; in exchange for good slides of named diatoms. — G. H. Sti!bington,3, Agne? Villa, Basingstoke. Crystals of Oxalmate of Ammonia for other good mounted objects ; anatomical preferred. — R. Smith, Jun., Stone House, Belper. YouNO state of Balanus balnnoides ; Scalariform tissue from fern ; Spicules of Halichondria pnnicca ; Palates of Mollusca for other mounted objects.— Johu C. Hutcheson, 8, Lansdowne Crescent, Glasgow. BOOKS RECEIVED. " The Higher Ministry of Nature." By J. R. Leifchild, M.A. London : Hodder & Stoughton. " Science and Humanity." By Noah Porter, D.D., LL.D., &c. London : Hodder & Stoughton. "The Lens." A Quarterly Journal of Microscopy. Chicago. " The Journal of Botany." March. " Annals and Magazine of Natural History." March. " The Zoologist." March. " The Amci-ican Naturalist." February. "The Entomologist's Monthly Magazine." March. " Practical Physiology, a School Manual of Health." By Dr. Lankester, F.R.S., &c. Fifth edition, enlarged. London: Robert Hardwicke. Communications Received. — G. H. K.— T. S. — F. K M. K — C. G. B — T. G. B— B. W. F.-C. F. W.— J. S. M J. H. M.— E. C. L.— W. H. H.— W. M. M.— C. K.— H. R _W. W.— A. H.— H. E. W.— J. R. S. C— W. W.— M. S J. H.— R. L.— C. C.-T. C. B.— J. II.— J. A.— J. S.-G. N — T. H.— A. W. L.-R. H.-H. M.— G. T.-H. W.— B. G G. F. W.-S. L. M.— J. M. M.— M. A. D.— R. K.— R.H.N — H. O. S.— J. G.— J. P. G.— A. S.— W. L. N.— H. E. W E. L.— C. S. P. P.— W. (Oxford).— W. H. W.— W. B. P J P. G —J. L.— E. C. J.— R. H. W.— E. D. B. M.— E. C J. A — F. A. -J. D — W. S.-J. C— H. E.— A. W. L.— E. L.— W. A. G.— W. D.— M. H.— E. W.— A. N.— W. D.— H. A.— T. P. L.— C. G. R.-F. C— J. R. J.— C. F.-H.H. H W. D.— H.G.— R. S.— H. M.— H. A.— G. H. S.— J. C. H S. M.J.— R. P.-R. P. U. HARDWICKE'S SC lEN CE-GOS SIP. 97 COLLECTING AND PEESEEVING. No. IV.-FLOWERING PLANTS AND FERNS. By James Bbitten, F.L.S. /:<^ HE kindred sub- jects of the col- lecting of plants and their ar- ement rans in the herbarium have been treat- ed of over and over again, and it might almost seem as tliough nothing further needed to be said upon the matter. But in spite of all that has been written, it cannot be said that anything like uniform excellence has been attained, either in the collecting or drj'- ingof specimens: on the con- trary, much carelessness is still exhibited in both particulars, and the following remarks on the subject may therefore be useful to some, at any rate, among the readers of Science-Gossip. It has been found impossible to treat both points adequately in one paper, so, on the present occa- sion, we shall devote ourselves to collecting, leaving the arrangement and matters connected therewith for another occasion. The great aim to be kept in view in collecting is to obtain as perfect and comprehensive a speci- men as possible ; that is, one showing every part of the plant, — root, leaves, flowers, and fruit. It is not always practicable to show all these upon one specimen, and in such cases such a number must be selected as will carry out this plan. The wretched scraps with which some collectors con- tent themselves are not only useless to their owners, but annoyances to every one who has to do with them, or who is requested to pronounce an opinion upon them. Even among the readers of Science- Gossip there are those who do not scruple to send for determination single leaves, or a terminal shoot No. 89. of a flowering plant, or a pinnule of a fern without fruit; a proceeding which is unfair to those to Fig-. 6-2. Vounp: Plant of I/wii.cpa Qunmocl'it (frciR EecRiicU lU 's " Organographie.' ' 98 HARDWiCKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. whom they are submitted, inasmuch as they either have to risk their reputation for accuracy, or to appear uncourteous by refusing to have anything to do with such specimens. To begin at the beginning, how rarely do we find the embryo of any species represented in a collec- tion, of dried plants. It ought to be there, not only as essential to the complete presentment of the history of the species, but as in Certain cases indicating relationships which are not apparent ■when the plant is more advanced. Those who have not observed them would be surprised to find how much variety of form exists in the cotyledons alone, from the fleshy cotyledons of many of the Leguminosae, the Horse-chestnut, &c., to the foli- aceous ones, or seed-leaves, of other plants. Among the latter may be noted and compared the Fig. 63. Lime (Tilia europaa). lobed or palmate cotyledons of the Lime (fig. 63), the glossy dark -green somewhat kidney-shaped ones of the Beech (fig. C4), and the pinnatifid ones of the common garden Cress {Lepidium sativum), the obcordate ones of the Mustard or Radish, the long narrow thin ones of the Sycamore (fig. G5), the sinuous or corrugated and bilobed ones of the Walnut, — and many more which will occur to the observant reader, or which may be collected by any one who will take the trouble to watch the ger- mination of plants. And by making such collec- tions, unexpected discoveries may aiise, which will yet further confirm what has been said about the variety in form and structure even in these begin- nings of growth. Plants which are, on account of their general affinities, reckoned among the dicoty- ledons, may be found on investigation to have but one cotyledon, as Dr. Dickson observed to be the case with two of our Butterworts, Pinguicula. vulgaris and P. gmndiflora, the third species, P. lusitanica, being dicotyledonous; or even to be acotyledonous, as is the case with the Dodder {Cuscuta). In the latter-named genus, it is of im- portance to collect young specimens, as showing that the plant, although parasitic as soon as it comes in contact with a suitable foster-plant, is of independent origin. A search among young plants will no doubt lead to the discovery of some abuor- Fig'. 64. Beech (Fagus sylvuticus). malities, such as the tricotyledonous embryos lately discussed in Science-Gossip. Of some plants, such as the Furze, the true leaves can only be found at an early stage of growth ; in others, much variation may be noted in many points between the first leaves and the more perfect ones which suc- ceed them ; some, as the Holly, at once developing leaves similar to those which arc produced through- out the life of the plant, and others going through many modifications before the ultimate shape is attained, as in the Ash, Elder, Ivy, Maple, &c. The roots or rhizomes also require to be much more fully represented and carefully collected than is usually the case. In every instance where the size of the plant does not prevent, the subterranean HAllDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP, 99 and subaqueous parts should be carefully procured and preserved. Dr. Trimcn has lately directed attention to the conn-like tubers of the Water Plan- tain (Jlisma)* closely resembling those of the Arrowhead {Sagittaria), which have been described and figured by Nolte, but " do not seem to have been observed, or at least properly ^mderstood, in this country. They are buds remaining dormant through the winter, and containing a store of nutriment, to be employed in the development of the new plant from the tuber in the next year." Fig. 65. Sycamore {Acer pseudo-platunus). Showing Coty- ledon, and fii-st and second pair of leaves. AU drawn by Miss Giles, trom specimens lent by Mr. O. A. Favvis. Similar bulbs are developed by the Progbit {Eydrocharis) . In determining many grasses and rushes, it is of importance to ascertain whether the rhizome is creeping or csespitose, and it is therefore essential to collect good specimens. In the case of such plants as the Coral-wort {Dentaria bulbifera) and Tooth-wort {Lathrcea squamarid), the root- stocks are eminently characteristic. Of such para- sites as the Broomrapes {Orobanche), some care is requisite in obtaining specimens in which the con- nection between the parasite and its foster-plant may be preserved and shown. Tiie absence or pre- sence of tubers should also be noted, and if present, they must be represented. Passing on to the leaves, we may note the im- portance of obtaining in every case the root-leaves of each species. These are often very different in form from the stem-leaves, as in such species as the Harebell {Campanula rotundifolia), Pimpinella, \_ _ • Journal of Botany, vol. ix. p. 306. Saxifraga, the Earth-nut {Bimium flexuosum), and many more; in some instances, as in the Jersey Bugloss {Echiiim plantagineum^, they at once cha- racterize the species. Still more important arc these lower leaves in the case of water-plants : in the Arrowhead {Saglttaria), for example, they are narrow, and resemble those of the Bur-reed {Spar- ganinm) ; and in the Water Plantain {Alisma Plantago), the submerged leaves are equally dif- ferent from those which rise out of the water. This difference is still more noticeable in the case of the aquatic Ranunculi, where a knowledge of the submerged leaves is essential to the discrimina- tion of the various forms or species. Where practicable, the whole plant should be collected for the herbarium ; but when, from its size, this cannot be accomplished, leaves from the root, the centre of the main stem, and the lateral branches, should be taken. As to the stem itself, that must be represented : in the Buhl, indeed, it is essential. "To judge properly of a bramble from a preserved specimen," says Professor Babington, " we require a piece of the middle of the stem with more than one leaf; the base and tip of the stem are also desirable, like- wise a piece of the old stem with the flowering shoot attached to it ; the panicle with flowers, and the fruit. We likewise want to know the direction of the stem throughout, of the leaflets, and of the calyx ; also the shape of the petals and the colour of the styles : a note of these should be made when the specimen is gathered." Passing on to the flowers, we shall find it neces- sary to represent them in almost every stage, from the bud to the perfecting of the fruit. It is of course in most cases possible to select an example in such a state as to show upon the same plant buds, flowers, and fruits ; but where this is not the case, each of these particulars must be supple- mented by additional specimens. The turn which botanical investigation has recently taken towards the study of the phenomena connected with fertiliza- tion has given the collector another subject to which his attention may be profitably directed. It has been observed that in some plants the stamens are developed before the pistils, in others the pistils are matured before the stamens ; while in yet a third set, stamens and pistils are simultaneously perfected. These three groups of plants are termed respectively protandrous, protogynous, and synacmic, and a very little observation will show that example of each are suificiently common. Then in dioecious and monoecious plants, both male and female flowers must be collected ; and in some cases, as in the Willows, four specimens are necessary to the complete presentment of the species, showing respectively the male and female catkins, the leaves, and the fruit. Some plants produce two distinct forms of blossom, as is F 2 100 HARDWiCKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. noticeable in the Violets and the Woodsorrel, cue being conspicuous and usually barren, the other insignificant and often apctalous, but producing perfect fruit. The pollen will afford occupation to the microscopist : the researches of Mr. Gulliver and Mr. Charles Bailey have demonstrated that important distinguishing characters are in some instances furnished by it. While on this point it may be suggested that it is convenient in many cases to collect several specimens of the flowers alone, which, when dried, should be placed in a small envelope or capsule, and attached to the sheet on which the plant is represented. In the event of any examination which may be requisite after the plant is dried, these detached blossoms will be found very useful, and will prevent the necessity of damaging the specimen. In the case of such plants as shed their corollas very readily, as the Speedwells, it is as well to put them in press as soon as collected ; and the colour of many may be retained by the same means. The fruits and seeds of plants are too generally neglected by amateur collectors, but are essential to the completeness of a specimen. It may be found practically convenient to keep these in a separate place, and detached from the plant ; and in many cases of dried fruits it is advisable to sort them into tbeir places without previous pressing. By this means the modes of dehiscence will readily be seen : pulpy and succulent fruits should be pre- served in spirit. In such plants as the species of Sea Sandwort {Lepigonum), and some Chenopodia, important specific characters are drawn from the seed ; as they are from the pods of Melilotus and the fruits of Jgrmoiiia. In collecting ferns, well- fruited fronds must be selected, as it is impossible to determine specimens without fructification. Grasses should be selected when in flower and fruit, but must not be allowed to attain too great an age before they are collected. We have been speaking so far of the things to be collected, and space will not allow us to dilate at any length upon the apparatus necessary to that end. Nor indeed is this necessary ; a good-sized vasculum, with one or two smaller boxes for the pocket, in which the more delicate plants may be preserved ; a strong pocket-knife or small trowel, for procuring roots, and a hooked stick wherewith to fish out water-plants, or pull down branches, are the principal things required. To any one residing for any length of time, or even only for a few days, in a"! district, a " London Catalogue " is an im- portant acquisition, in which should be marked oif all the species met with : by this means the flora of the neighbourhood is ascertained at a very slight expenditure of time and trouble. It is not advis- able to collect too many plants at once, or to crowd the vasculum, unless under exceptional circum- stances; nor should the desire to possess rare plants tend, as is too often the case, to the neglect and exclusion of commoner ones. A careful and observant collector will frequently meet with forms which deviate more or less from the accepted type of a species. When these ap- pear to offer any marked characters, they should be noted ; and in all cases it is well to preserve any forms which, from external circumstances, have a different appearance from the normal state. The differences produced by soil and situation alone are very considerable, and though the essential charac- ters are usually to be discerned, the interest and value of a herbarium is very much increased by a selection of examples showing the range of a species. Campanula glomerata offers a good example of this : in damp meadows it is from one to two feet high, with a large spreading terminal head of blossoms, while on chalk downs it is often not more than as many inches, with only one or two flowers : in this state it was described by Withering as a gentian, under the name of Gentiana collina ; and the same author gives as Campanula imiflora a one - flowered mountain state of the Harebell (C. rotundifolia) . The collector will also do well to keep a look-out for deviations in structure, which are often of great interest. In short, nothing should be neglected which can tend to the perfect presentment of a'species in the herbarium : its utility is commensurate with its completeness. The mere collector may be satisfied with scraps of a rare plant and the absence of com- moner species ; but the real worker, for whose benefit these hints are offered, will pride himself rather upon the possession of instructive examples, which may be of assistance to himself, as well as to all those who may consult them. Botanical Department, Britisli Museum. THE TEST PODURA, ll/rY first acquaintance with the Test Podura was ■^-^ about four years ago, when I secured a few specimens at Theale, in company with the ordinary Lepidocyrtus. Eor a period of twelve months after this, my friend Mr. Blatch sent me up various colonies of Lepidocyrti, among which, as I saw by the scales deposited on the cover of the cell, a test-bearing insect occasionally occurred. So much were they alike, however, in their best condition, that I repeatedly failed to distinguish their respec- tive characteristics. But at last Mr. J. Beck gave me a specimen to report to hina upon, that he might compare notes with me ; and this time I did grasp two distinctive features of the test-insect which, from subsequent acquaintance with it, seem to be permanent. Eirst, a small tuft of cilia above the head, at the junction of the prothorax and neck. Second, the possession HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 101 of numerous large scales, renderiug it a less gor- geously iridescent creature than the ordinary Lepi- docyrtus ; there being fewer angles of incidence for the decomposition of the light on its exterior than when the scales are small. Fig-. 66. Head of Test Podura (Lepiduryrlus curvinoUh). A. Tuft of cilia. As the structure of all Lepidocyrti scales is pretty much the same, I will lay down, as a sug- gestion, some data for a really fioe test-scale. The scale should be about "007 of an inch long in the longest, and about "0025 wide in the widest part ; and in the portions where the markings are best developed there sliould be not more than six or seven of these in the ywots of an inch linear, mea- sured longitudinally. The markings should more- over be clear and distinct ; and if this latter re- quirement is satisfied, the size of the scale is of less importance. The markings of some very few scales exceed the dimensions I have given, but such scales are of extreme rarity, and it will be found sufficiently difficult to come somewhat near the requisites named above. During the whole of last summer I kept five test insects in a cork cell together, in the hope of their laying eggs, as by this sign I should know if they were a distinct species by following up the inquiry ; but the summer passed, and when the cold weather set in, my five pets died off one by one, without leaving a vestige of eggs. This fact, as well as the general [strong resemblance to the ordinary Lepi- docyrtus which the test-insect bears, strengthens my suspicion that the test characteristics are merely those of the male insect in certain localities. I have never been able to distinguish the sexes, nor yet have I ever seen copulation, though there is no difficulty in obtaining eggs, or rearing the young, if the colony originally obtained is numerous. I have never obtained eggs from a solitary podura, however long it may have been in my possession. The test-insect has to my certain knowledge been obtained at Theale, about the rockwork of a green- house, and in the ale-stores, localities abundantly inhabited by the ordinary Lepidocyrtus,* but always See Science-Gossip, 186;, p. 55, figs, ag and 40. with great rarity. In my last hunt I only cap- tured one in a take of about forty Lepidocyrti. The above hints may lead to the discovery of the insects in other localities, and I shall be glad to hear what success attends the search. S. J. McIntiue. PASSAGES IN THE LIFE OF "PHARAOH." T SAW him first " that night in June." We had -■- friends to dinner. Some of the guests had arrived. I was sitting quietly all ready-dressed, and doing my duty in the drawing-room. The win- dows opened on to our suburban lawn. My brother, just arrived from his office in the City, beckoned me mysteriously from the room. "I have a wild animal for you," he said, and led the way to a little place where the coats were kept, and where a small fish- basket stood on the table. Wonder and joyful an- ticipation took possession of my mind, but my brother endeavoured to induce me to exercise re- straint and caution. " It is a savage creature and will bite. You had better take care how you touch it." I accordingly peeped cautiously into the fish- basket, and there I saw a mass of yellow furry down. "A young gosling!" was my first thought, but only for one instant, for two large brown eyes and an old sad face with a hooked beak were turned up towards me. There was no mistaking the little owl. We carried him down into the kitchen. I found he only bit at me because he was hungry, and that he was too young to feed himself. He had the air of a very wise, sad, old man. No feathers showed as yet, nor could his wings be seen when closed. He stood like a little triangle on his two little feet, his head (looking very much too large) being the base of the triangle. His melan- choly was deep and settled; it made the tears almost come into one's eyes to look at him ; but as he grew older a certain dignity and philosophic placidity of demeanour gradually replaced this look of unutterable sadness. He set to work at once to walk all over the kitchen floor, and stare at every one and everything. He showed no fear, but seemed totally unlike a bird in his ways. I was quite unaccustomed to owls, and how to feed him properly was a great anxiety to me. I looked into our natural-history books and did the best, I could; if he had been older, I might have managed better; but as it was, I very much doubted whether I should rear him. My brother had bought him for half a crown in Leadenhall Market. The young owl had three little brothers with him. I got a large airy basket with a lid for his cradle ; I cut up some raw meat and tried to feed him ; he seemed to have no notion of eating. I used to have 103 HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. to open his beak, hold his throat, and thrust down the meat as far as possible. The first night I was so anxious about liini I kept his cradle in my bed- room, but he leapt up aud down and made so much noise I was obliged to let him out, and whenever I woke in the night I could hear his footsteps (he has a singularly heavy tread for a bird) round and round the room. I got up in the dark to feed him, but such a horrible swearing, hissing sort of noise pi-oceeded from under the bed that I tumbled back in a hurry, till daylight should enable me to master the situ- ation better. I named my bird " Pharaoh " — there was some- thing so truly ancient and mysterious about him. IVIy principal trouble was this : Pharaoh had a dreadful cold in his head ; his nose was really always run- ning, and in the morning he could scarcely breathe, aud used to be continually making noises between a snuffle and a cough. I bathed his beak and breathing-holes with hot water as often as I could. I did not believe he could survive such an unnatural kind of complaint as it appeared in his case. I gave him hot brandy- and -water out of a spoon twice, and got my brother to go and speak to the man who sold him. The man in the market said that young owls always had colds in their heads when taken early from the nest. The cold con- tinued for a long time, but did not seem to affect his general health. Pharaoh began to take his food better and to scream incessantly for more; it was quite a work to supply him. I could very seldom get mice. I ap- plied at the corn-chandler's, but never got any. I collected snails off the garden wall, was obliged to crack them, and stuff them down Pharaoh's throat, and this was not a pleasant business at all. Once a frog was killed and cut up. We had some empty stables across the yard, and two large lofts above. Pharaoh slept in one of these ; he made his way at once to the corner he liked best, and kept to it. The little unfledged creature would be sitting at the top of a long steep flight of stairs waiting for break- fast, or if I was late, he would come down, and across the yard, and into the hall, I do not think he ever was young or foolish. He walked upstairs whenever it was possible, and would be found sit- ting boldly on the foot of some one's bed. Going up as many stairs as he could find seemed a special pleasure to him. While Pharaoh was young, I noticed that he preferred dark places, but now, at nearly a year old, he is perfectly accustomed to broad sunlight, and sits contentedly in its full blaze. Some friends of mine gave me a dreadful account of two young owls caught on Tooting Common, and put into a hamper together. It \vas supposed that they could not feed themselves, so they were stuffed accordingly ; but one day, when the hamper was opened, it was discovered that one of the owls was dead, and that his brother had eaten up the greater part of his body. Tliere must have been mismanagement some- wlieie. Pharaoh feared nothing. We had a beautiful cat, whom I never quite trusted with regard to the owl, and a very pretty black-and-tan terrier called Troubadour. When Pharaoh came into the dining- room at breakfast-time, we used to throw bits of bread near him, to see which of the animals, who were both greedy, would dare to touch ihem. The cat would sometimes, the dog never. The back of a red velvet chair in the drawing-room was Pharaoh's favourite place, though he was not often allowed there. I found him a charming green bower in the foliage of the Westeria which covered the house on one side. I carried him there once or twice out of his yard. One day I lost him, and hunted all over the stable ; the yard gate into the garden was shut, and Pharaoh could not fly. At last I looked in the Westeria, and there sure enough he was ; he had been seen going up a ladder, and over the wall, and round the house to get at it. Some people were almost inclined to believe that lie had put the lad- der there himself to get over, such was the confi- dence in his sagacity. He was a general favourite, would go out and pay calls, sitting on my wrist, aud spend whole afternoons in the pantry, where the parlour-maid used to take him to sit, if she fancied he felt lonely. By this time my bird was growing beautiful. A wonderful heart-shaped sort of bonnet of grey feathers came round his face : his face was pure white, with the feathers brushed back. Two up- right ridges of white feathers stood out like a nose above his beak, aud his eyes shone large and deep, and full of discernment. His wings were very beautiful, but unfortunately their development was noticed while I was away for a short time, and an inexperienced hand cut away all the shorter feathers of one wing. This made no difference in his flying, and on my return I was obliged to cut the long feathers also. It has spoiled his appearance dread- fully. The feathers at the back of his neck are fawn-coloured, and so very deep and soft, and of a light grey colour underneath : a new crop came up I noticed only a few weeks ago. His breast is white, and each outer feather has a minute black spot. The cook told me one day that she really could not have Mr. Pharaoh in her kitchen ; he was " as full of fleas as he could be." I was very indignant, and searched all through my beautiful bird without a sign of any insect ; at last I discovered she had taken his little spots for nasty fleas. But with this description of his beauties, Pharaoh is only a barn-owl, I believe; bird-fanciers to whom I have shown him tell me they never saw an owl so tame, and I believe it is very unusual. I have taken hill! railway journeys shut up in his old cradle HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. lUc and let liim out in the carriage to show my fellow- passengers : I have left him for au hour or two in the cloak-room, where he behaved with perfect pro- priety and surprised the porters. I once took him away with me on a three weeks' visit to a country house. He was very much ad- mired, came in-doors a good deal, was brought into dessert the first evening. He often sat on the top of the library door, preening his feathers and making a curious singing noise, peculiar to him when very friendly and contented. He makes it to me gene- rally when I talk to him, and scratches my face gently with his beak. While on this visit I found out what Pharaoh could be frightened at. He was in a shed at the farm, where I left him sitting on a rail ; a party of little calves were in the shed, and one of them trolted towards Pharaoh, who, in a sudden fit of terror, jumped into a tub of water, from which I rescued him. He runs up my arm to my shoulder if he is frightened, as I find he is at a horse sometimes, and I just tuck him under my jacket if we meet any. He will nestle quietly for any length of time. 1 found out that he likes to take a bath ; I did not think of supplying him with one till I saw him trying to bathe in his jam-pot of drinking-water. If it raius, he goes out and sits in it till he looks the most wretched little object, his very small though plump body showing its shape through the tight soaked feathers. We moved in the autumn to a house quite in the country ; I had a little fowl-house with a small wire enclosure put up in the farmyard, in order to keep four bantam fowls ; I put Mr. Pharaoh in as well, as an experiment. It has turned out perfectly ; they all five roost on the same perch, Pharaoh always in his own particular place ; and I have seen him turn out a hen which got into it once. I do not think he cares for the fowls, or they for him, and they live peaceably on the plan of complete indifTerence ; he is tiresome sometimes in making the nests untidy with feathers, and sitting and screaming when he is huugrj^, but he scarcely ever screams now as he did when an infant. I have put up a perch in the outer wired place, and he sits there occasionally. A few days ago a friend sent me a pair of brown and black guinea-pigs ; I thought I would have a sort of happy family. I have had an old wine-case turned into a little house for the pigs, with a little hole for them to come in and out just as they please, and have the run of the fowls' little yard, the same as Pharaoh has. That wise prince has discovered the luxury of the warm box, and actually goes in at the little door and sits in the hay with the two poor little guinea-pigs. I only hope he may be a safe friend for them. Pharaoh has never killed anything himself except a black beetle, and that we had to push back every time Pharaoh missed his mark. At last he struck it with his beak, took it in his claw and ate it like a small sweet-cake. I have mice now for him, and plenty of birds are shot for him by our farm man. He had a rook once that lasted some days : it was extraordinary to see him pull off mouthfuls of feathers and eat them. 1 once watched him eating a starling ; he pulled oft" the head first, and swallowed it ; it looked so strange to see the starling's long sharp beak gradually dis- appearing down Pharaoh's beak, which is very little larger. He eats a mouse whole generally, unless it is a very large one, and then he will sometimes take oft' the headfirst. I took him to pay a call the other day, and a friend gave him a specimen of the long-tailed field-mouse; Pharaoh with jerks and throwing back his head swallowed the fat body of the mouse, and then with half-closed eyes and swollen nose (which are always his characteristics when he has had plenty to eat), he sat on a wooden chair in my friend's room, the long tail hanging gracefully from his beak. The tail grew gradually shorter, but it was some time before it disappeared entirely. The orifices of Pharaoh's ears are very large, and iiidden in ,the thick grey feathers of his face : his hearing is very acute. I was sitting in-doors one day with him, and he turned suddenly and made his little quick caw-like noise and stared out ; I listened, and after a minute could hear a faint step on the gravel a long way off, gradually coming nearer, and Pharaoh watched carefully till some one passed the window. He knows if he sees any creature for the first time, and looks at it with great attention. When we first came here, I took him to see the pig. He followed every movement of the pig with his great surprised eyes, and whenever the pig grunted Pharaoh made a little observant remark. The next time I took him he did not notice the pig more than a moment, but sat on the wall of the sty, and stared the other way. He can turn his head so as to look down the middle of his back ; but the thing it is most curious to see him do, is to twist his face gradually round till his chin is exactly in the place where the top of his head should be by nature. He does this when he is looking at anything in a very scrutinizing manner and cannot understand it, or thinks a bird is being brought for him. I think an owl about the most companionable bird any one can keep. This spring there will be, no doubt, a fresh supply of owls in the market, or in their country homes. It is well worth while to bring one up ; no taming seems necessary, no wild- ness seems possible to my Pharaoh, though I notice now and then a little disposition to bite strangers, particularly gentlemen; but if anyone speaks gently to him before touching him, there is never any diffi- culty. Pharaoh is a wonderfully nice bird ; he adapts himself to any circumstances ; he lived for three weeks in a green-house, looking beautiful 104 HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. upon a vine-stem, and generally sitting close to a liot-water pipe, but he came back contentedly to his little draughty fowl-house in w-inter weather, where one would almost have fancied — " Tlie owl for all his feathers was a-cold." M. A. D. SMELTS AND SMELTING. THERE are few of our readers who have not enjoyed that most delicate of all delicacies — the Smelt. If they have not, we have no other feeling for them than that of profound pity, tem- pered by envy at their prospective enjoyment. Not to have partaken of this fish, is to be ignorant of how appreciative is the human palate. Were you, gentle reader, to make your appear- ance in " what used to be " the ancient city of Norwich — as a local magnate unwittingly termed it —you would see the process of " smelting " going on every night with considerable energy. Do not full into the error that something metallic is here meant, and that your eyes would be greeted with a " Black Country " sort of appearance. We are referring to fishing, not to iron or steel manufacture. At the head of the river Wensum is a place called the New Mills, -where the water from what is called the " Back River " has to pay toll in the shape of turning large water-wheels before it is allowed to emerge. This part is very deep and tolerably broad. The sides of the river are flanked all the way down by quaint, peaked cottages or granaries, whose warm, red tiles look remarkably picturesque. Here and there the barges peculiar to Eastern counties rivers, with their single tan-coloured sails, are moored to the quay. The water boils and surges into foam, and at night the effect is heightened by about a dozen flat-bottomed boats, to the sides of each of which a large oil-lamp is attached, whose flame is sputtering and flaring, and casting its yellow glare over the water, giving to the scene quite a Rembrandtesque effect. You have not to wait long before you see that each of the men in the boats is clothed with home-made oil-skin garments, and that he is armed with a fine-meshed net, to which a rope is attached. This is a "cast-net," and every now and then you observe him gathering up the net over his left arm, and with his right, making a move or two before he throws the whole away from him. The result is that the net falls on the surface of the water in a regular circle ; the rope is attached to the centre, and around the edges are a series of perforated leaden bullets, which innnediately sink the net to the bottom, causing it to inclose any fish that may have been attracted to the spot by the glare of the light. And this is the way in which the Smelts are obtained. The Smelt {Osmerus eperlanus) comes up the river Yare from Yarmouth every spring to spawn. Yarrell mentions that in some parts of England this fish inhabits fresh water from August to May. We know not how this may be, but are certain that along the Eastern coast their fluviatile migra- tions end when Yarrell says they begin. On the night of the 10th of March the smelters commence their work. As regularly at the end of April the smelt-fishing is over. It seems a pity that this fish should be so largely taken when full of spawn, for nobody attempts to catch it when the season is over, and, early in May, you may see shoals of them, thin, emaciated, and shotten, hurrying down to the sea. In the numbers which arrive consider- able variation occurs ; not unfrequently, three or four smelters will be out the whole night, and not take more than a dozen fish among them. The labour of "cast-netting" is considerable, for when wetted, the net weighs twenty-five pounds, and a smelt-fisher's patience must rank next to that of Job, or he would never make one throw after an- other without taking a fish ! On other occasions he may take a score or two at a single cast. As the market price is about three to four shillings a dozen, there is considerable of the gambling spirit imported into the fishing. Who knows but the next throw may be worth five shillings ? And thus the patient fisherman is deluded into making a night of it, always intending to go home after he " has had just one more cast " ! A good deal of this uncer- tainty is due to the fact that about twelve miles down the river, nets are now drawn across, so that only those which get through the meshes find their way to Norwich. The men in the latter place grumble sorely, but they are unable to help themselves. Fig. 67. Scale of Smelt, x 16. Wehave known the smelts to come up in such num- bers that it was easy to detect the peculiar cucumber smell which distinguishes them, by walking along the riverside ! This odour is supposed to have given them their name. Perhaps the circumstance of this fish entering fresh water elsewhere at a different season of the year may be due to local causes. Dr_ Parnell mentions that it ascends the Forth in HARDWICKE'S SCIEN CE-G OSSIP. 105 March, and deposits its yellow spawn about two miles below Stirling bridge. It is singular to find that, as a rule, the females preponderate considerably over the males in numbers, the latter coming up the river a few days later than the former. A fish often sold in the fish-markets as the true Smelt, is in reality the Atherine, or " Sand Smelt," which seems to be peculiarly marine. Its flavour is slightly like the true Smelt, but not so powerful or so agreeable. Anatomically it is distinguished by the firm rays in its second dorsal fiu, the true Smelt possessing only a small adipose and somewhat rudi- mentary fin instead. In fig. 67 we have engraved the scale of this fish. The Norwich smelters have a peculiar custom : most of them are dyers by trade, and endeavour to pick up a little money by smelling at night. Of course, after a good night's work there is usually little dyeing done on the morrow ! In some of the families smelting lias very likely been carried on for generations. The men have certain rules, which allow only so many fisliers to go out at a time ; whilst each man takes his turn at the best "holes." They regard amateurs or outsiders with the greatest suspicion, although anybody who likes can fish if Ihey choose. But that universal British solvent called " beer," will do anything, and melt even the heart of a smelter ! In this way you may get per- mission to be in his boat, or may draw yours along- side and try your luck at a cast. Supposing the attempt be your first, the odds are that in casting the net you will yourself follow it before you are aware J. E. Tayloh. THE CUCKOO. I HAVE often seen and heard descriptions of the nesting habits and peculiarities of this interesting bird, but I have a theory of my own on the subject, which I have never seen stated else- where, and which rests upon facts within my o'wn observation. When I was a boy, I lived on the border of a furzy down, covered with gorse, fern, and heath, and therefore of course patronized by those pretty little birds, the Stonechats. In the nest of one of these, a cuckoo deposited an t^^, which in due course developed into a birdling, the mingled pride and terror of its foster-mother. While it was in this state, my sister and I discovered the nest ; and, from the disparity between its size and that of its fellow-nestlings, we concluded that it was a young cuckoo. We of course communicated the tidings to our other sisters and brothers, and scarce a day passed but one or two of us visited the nest. One morning when I went, accompanied by my sister as before, what was our horror to see four little dead birdies lying on the ground outside the nest, and the young cuckoo, with another on his broad back, conveying it, the fifth and last, to tlic edge of the nest, and then deliberately heaving it over. I was then too young to notice much, but this scene made such an impression on me that I don't think I shall ever forget it. When the young cuckoo was fully fledged, we caged it, and it sur- vived until November, but then it died, owing either to the coldness of the climate or to its migratory instinct being thwarted. Last summer I was going for a walk, and sat down on the side of a hill where I was nearly hid from observation. While enjoying the sunshine and the view over the sen, I heard the cuckoo. I looked round, and presently saw two birds in a field about 100 yards distant, and watched them for some time. After flying about the field, playing with one another for a few minutes, one of them flew up into a tree close by, and commenced repeating his note, which ended, I noticed, in a guttural " cucka-cuck," quite distinct from the usual "cuckoo." The only analogous sound that I can think of, is a turkey's note of defiance. Wlien this bird had seen whether the coast was clear, he and his mate (whom, by the bye, I did not once hear repeat their peculiar note, which makes me disposed to believe that the female cuckoo is mute) flew to the iiedge close by me ; and, after a while, the female quitted the hedge, and flew over my head towards the brow of the hill, while her mate continued to repeat his mono- tonous strain, varied with an occasional cucka-cuck. In a few minutes she returned, followed nearly to the hedge by a bird, which, as far as I could see, was either a lark or a meadow pipit. I had seen this occurrence frequently before, and my curiosity was aroused, so I came out of my hiding-place (much to the surprise of the pair of cuckoos, who beat a precipitate retreat) and walked in the direc- tion in which I had seen the cuckoo fly, in the expectation of finding a lark or pipit's nest, and therein a cuckoo's e^g. Nor was I mistaken ; for, on looking about, after a very short search, I found a pipit's nest with a cuckoo's egg quite warm in it. This egg, with the help of a pin, I at once pro- ceeded to blow ; but what was my astonishment to find that, instead of being, as I thought, fresh laid, the bird was quite formed, and just ready to burst the shell. This incident gave me a notion that cuckoos were not quite such careless and heartless mothers as naturalists have represented them to be, for 1 conjectured that this cuckoo's object must have been to see how her offspring was getting on. I determined to observe the next cuckoo or cuckoo's egg that I came across, and indeed I was heartily sorry for having destroyed the egg which I had just found. I was one evening, about seven o'clock (it was abnost midsummer) searching for the nest of a 106 HARDWICKE'S SCIENC E-GOS SIP. grasshopper-warbler, whose uote I had heard iu a j certain field on several successive evenings. While thus engaged, I saw a cuckoo, followed by a grey wagtail, flying over a neighbouring wood. After a few minutes the wagtail returned, and I went in that direction, but failed to find her nest. On the following evening I was again engaged seeking the grasshopper warbler's nest, and I again saw the cuckoo pursued by the wagtail. Once more I sought for the wagtail's nest, and again failed. Next year, however, I hope to meet with better success, and to ascertain for a fact whether or not the custom of the Cuckoo is to visit its eggs and young periodically, and, if so, how often. I should be much obliged if some other lovers of natural history would help me. I should take great pleasure in vindicating the character of the Cuckoo from the charge of deserting its young to the mercies of strangers. I have heard it said that the physical conforma- tion of the Cuckoo incapacitates it from the work of incubation, and that, consequently, its maternal instinct teaches it to deposit its eggs to be hatched iu the nests of other birds. According to my idea, it would seem a painful blot on the Cuckoo if it did not feel anxious for the welfare of its young, and manifest its watchfulness and care by frequent visits. I would much rather believe that the Cuckoo pays daily visits to its eggs and young ; and, when they are all fledged, gathers them, though reared in diflTerent homes, into one family, and then takes them, under its fostering care, to distant lands. G. E. R. THE GLASS-ROPE SPONGE, IN the April part of the "Annals of History," Dr. E. Gray has the following strictures on my papers en Ilyalonema in the February and March numbers of Science-Gossip : — "Mr. E. Kitton makes some remarks on Paly- tlioa investing the Glass-rope Sponge, and figures some of the animals growing on the surface of a ray's ova-case, evidently considering that this proves their parasitic nature. He mentions a se- cond case in which they are growing on a riband frond of some species of Algae. I regard both these instances as proving just tlie contrary — ' the Alga had become entangled with the glass-rope.' The egg-case of the Ray is often to be found attached by its elongated ends to the glass-rope. I believe the figure only represents some of tbe eggs or buds of the Palythoa growing on its surface, to M'hich they have become accidentally attached, and that they will never come to perfection, so as to form a crust or develop the ropc-likc spicules. " My reason for believing this to be the case is, that the polyps are more isolated ; they arc of different sizes, some being very small ; some are crowded one upon the other, so as deform their shape, very unlike the uniform crust they form on the glass-rope ; and I have no doubt of their being incapable, from theii' position, of developing the usual rope. " Mr. Kitton states that the examination of the Palythoa, when [found apart, has enabled him to ascertain the spicules peculiar to it. Eigs. 21 and 25 of his previous paper appear to be the only forms of spicula really belonging to the Palythoa. He omits to state that the spicules are siliceous, like the other spicules found on the rope and bark of Hyalo- nema, which have not hitherto been found on Palyt hoa ; and the two forms he mentions from a polyp only differ from those found on other parts of that coral iu being thicker and more spinous. "In a previous number of Science-Gossip, Mr. Kitton figures Hyalonema, fig. 19, with its para- sitic sponge and the various spicules he has observed in different parts of it (figs. 21—31). These figures are good, except fig. 20, representing the ends of a broken fibre of the rope. He does not seem to be aware that Hyalonema is more common without its parasitical sponge at the top than with it ; but the specimens with the sponge were formerly more sought for by travellers, and brought to England, whilst the Russian specimens, being collected by naturalists, were chiefly without this parasite, and now we constantly receive them without any appear- ance of sponge covered with living polyps up to the tip." In reply to the remarks which Dr. Gray has done me the honour to make on my papers, I beg to say that I am still unconvinced of the parasitic nature of tbe sponge, or that the Palythoa is non-parasitic. Until I saw the specimens belonging to the Rev. J. Crompton, I was very much inclined to believe that the Palythoa was an integral portion of the sponge ; but when I saw it growing on the alga as stated, and this not entangled on the glass-rope, but carefully twisted round it, and below it some fine twine, I could only come to the conclusion that the long anchoring spicula did not belong to the Paly- thoa. The ova-case of the Dog-fish was attached to the glass-rope by one of its long tendril-like filaments, but the rope itself had none of the Palythoa growing upon it : in both cases the crust and tubercles were as well developed as when growing on the glass-rope. Dr. Gray says I omit to state that the spicules in the Palythoa are siliceous ; if, however, be will refer to my first paper, he will find 1 particularly allude to their siliceous nature, considering that to be evi- dence of their spongeous origin. My reasons for considering the sponge and rope as one organism, are, that many of the forms of spicula occurring in the heads of the sponge arc also found between filaments forming the rope, par- ticularly the spiculate cruciform, the attenuated HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 107 rectangulated, hexradiate, and (rare) tlic multi- hamate birotulate spicules. The occurrence of long anchoring spicula in Pharonema Grayii and F. Carpenteri is, I should imagine, very conclusive evidence that the rope in Uyalonetna is a portion of the head. Dr. Gray says he supposes I am not aware that specimens of Hyalonema occur more frequently without than with its parasitic sponge. This is very probably correct ; but they had no doubt lost the sponge, either from the decay of the sarcode or been pulled off by the dredger or diver ; in the former case, the rope, when divested of its spongy head, would in all probability soon be invested by the parasitic Palythoa. Dr. Perceval Wright, who has had the opportunity of exanuning specimens in a living state, is quite satisfied as to the para- sitic nature of the Palythoa. Norwich. Fued. Kitton. LAND-SLIP NEAR NORTHVVICH, CHESHIRE. A FEW weeks ago the writer went in search of a reported land-slip in the salt district of Cheshire. An occurrence of this sort is not unfre- quent in the neighbourhood of tlie Salt-works, as those who happen to live near them know to their cost ; and any one traversing the nai'row, tortuous, and unpicturesque streets of Northwich may see the results of minor sinkings of the land, in houses whose walls bear mayks of " faults," one part having slipped, leaving rents from basement to roof; others, whose windows are all awry, presenting a some- what grotesque appearance. This sinking and disturbance of the land are caused by the salt- mining operations carried on beneath. The salt-beds occur in what geologists denom- inate the Triassic formation, from its tripartite character, and it is in the red clays of the upper group of rocks in which salt is found, either in a state of solution as brine, or in masses of pure rock salt 90 to 100 feet thick. Beneath these lie the well-known " water-stones," bearing the ripple- marks and reptilian impressions. Arriving at Northwich, I learned that the place of which I was in quest lay about six miles away, and close to the Whitegate station, on the line from Northwich to Winsford. Proceeding thither, I found the object of my search in among the fields, which are all used for agricultural purposes, and belong to the adjacent farm of Marton Hall. One of the peculiarities of this land-slip is its distance from any salt-works, the nearest being at Winsford, about two miles off. The chasm, which is almost of a circular shape, is upwards of 300 y^rds in circumference, and about 60 or 70 feet deep ; the sides are'remarkably steep, and expose the reddish clay of which the whole of the land-slip is composed. At the bottom lies a lake of water of a greenish hue, which is brine, and as the declivity was so steep and the clay wet from recent rain, I refrained from descending, having in my mind the "facilis descensus Averni" and the fear of a sudden and undesirable pickling in the briny water below. The shape of the interior of the chasm is that of an inverted cone, or the empty crater of a volcano, and the first question that naturally rises to one's lips is^ Where has the land gone ? for here you have not, as in many land-slips I have seen, the earth or rock lying in confused and broken masses around, but there is not the remotest trace of anything that once stood there ; hedges and trees all have disappeared into the bowels of the earth, and lie beneath the water that covers the bottom. Before offering an explanation of these curious phenomena, I must premise that most of the salt used for culinary purposes in England is made from the brine, which is pumped up from the brine-holding strata beneath ; and we may fairly presume that the district for miles round the actual workings is thus being gradually drained. Supposing then that water percolating through the overlying beds, or some system of underground drainage, has come into contact with the deposit of rock salt, this would in course of time be dissolved, and, as the district becomes drained of the brine, leave hollows or caverns ; and presuming some weak spot in the superincumbent beds of clay overlying one of these hollows or caverns, one can easily imagine the clay gradually falling away and taking the place of the original salt-deposit, until at last the surface laud, not having sufficient support from beneath, has fallen bodily into those presumable subterraneous caverns, which originally were filled with salt. M. S. THE SAFERON {Crocus sativus). A SHORT note drawing attention to this Eastern plant having appeared in Science-Gossip for December, will you grant me space for a few details ? Although this crocus is found in a wild state on the sunny plains of Italy, it most decidedly has been traced to the East originally. It is one of the plants mentioned in the garden of the Wise King (Cant. iv. verse 14), and the Arabs of the present day value highly the virtues of their Zafran. The flowers are lilac-coloured, the stigmas a deep orange ; and tiiese stigmas, with a portion of the styles, afford the saffron of the shops. The saffron crocus was first cultivated at Walden in the time of Edward III. by a Sir Thomas Smith, 108 HARDWICKE'S SCI EN CE- GOSSIP. and the place was henceforward known as Saffron Walden. If you want to grow saffron, you should plant the bulbs in July, in rows. The soil ought to be rich and light. About the third week in September you will see the leaves appear in little delicate tufts ; they grow immediately from the bulb, and are enve- loped in a thin membrane or sheath. The flowers proceed from the leaves on a very short scape, and may be expected to bloom early in the month of October. They will come up in succession for a mouth, six or ten, or even moi'c, from one plant ; and, to insure fine saffron, ought to be gathered early of a morning, the stigma and style picked out and dried carefully in the sun. The leaves keep green in winter, but die off in May ; so a saffron-bed looks very bare and ugly from this month until autumn. English saffron is|cousidcred thebest. The Spanish Azofra7i is dipped in oil to preserve it, and this is supposed to take from its value. Saffron is a favourite remedy with old women for " lowuess of spirits " (for diseases which medical men would at once recognize as nervous), but it will in some constitutions produce most undesirable effects, and make the before crying patient burst into fits of excessive laughter, reminding one of those very remarkable pictures which so often accompany the advertisements of " an immediate cure for the toothache." The scent of the Saffron was highly valued by the ancients. Virgil mentions "saft'ron odours." He also says bees love to feed on this flower. " Et cum scena croco Cilici perfusa recens est," writes Lucretius ; and Pliny also says that wine in which saffron had been steeped was sprinkled in theatres, the safirou growing in CiHcia on Mount Corycus being the finest of all. The Hebrews call this plant, or the produce of it (for I am not quite certain which), Karkom; and I read in a book of Eastern travels lately that a lilac flower exactly like this crocus grows on the bare dry sand near " Wady Ramleh." The Meadow-saffron is a different plant ; from it colchicum is produced : and we likewise have an 'L-arly purple crocus — the C. vermes, or|spring crocus ; but neither of the latter possesses any medicinal virtues, I believe. Helen E. Watney. SUPPOSED PAUASITE OP ELM. rriHE above was found under the bark iu com- -^ pauy with Clausilia, and its description is as follows : — The tongue, armed with closely-set recurved teeth, and evidently trifid, traversed in its entire length by a narrow channel, is apparently designed to penetrate and extract the juices of the softer and decayed parts of the bark. The whole apparatus is Fig;. 68. Tongue of Parasite. represented in fig. 68 ; the three parts being folded toget ucr. Fig. Gd. Pygidium of Parasite, x 160. Two projecting toothed processes are Fig. 70. Feet of Parasite. riARDWICKE'S SClENCE-GOSSir. 109 Fig. 71. Supposed Parasite of Elm, x j.o. also showu, X IGO. The upper part of the figure gives the connection with the cephalic se;;ment. Eig. 69 represents one of the two (pygidia ?) x 160. The surface next the eye (ventral) is in focus the indistinct hexagonal areolation belonging to the dorsal side of the organ. The minute dots repre- sented give the object a delicate beauty of aspect, very difficult to reproduce in a drawing. Fig. 70 gives a representation of two of the feet, (1) in which the unci are well developed, and the pulvilli comparatively small, belonging to the first pair of legs ; (2) which shows the pulvilli much more conspicuously, the unci being very small, appertaining to the third pair. The feet are drawn to the same scale as fig. 69. Fig. 71 shows the entire insect x 40 diameters, mounted in balsam. It is hoped that the description and drawings may lead to the identification of this possible stranger. Cjiakles E. Burton. INDIAN ANT JOTTINGS. By Chaules Hokne, late B.C.S., &c. WHEN I was young I read in Proverbs vi. 6, " Go to the ant, thou sluggard ; consider her ways, and be wise, which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest." Hence I inferred that all ants were thus provi- dent, not being then aware that many species ap- pear to remain all the winter in a dormant state of hybernation ; nor hnd 1 until very lately heard of any grain-storing European ant. At a late meeting of the Entomological Society of London, a com- munication was read from a gentleman at Nismes, South France, recording the habit of some ants in storing grain, seeds, &c., near that place. To prove it, he had scattered some hempseed near, and they had been carried into the nest, and shortly after- wards he discovered their husks outside. I think he added that in some cases, before storing, the germs had been bitten out, which would argue great fore- sight on the part of these intelligent little creatures ; but be this as it may, the fact of storing was fully proved. At our last meeting there was a further note from the same gentleman from Capri, still farther south, where he had observed similar habits in ants. But my notes carry me to the far East, where I often watched this most interesting class of insects, and briefly recorded my observations, unfortu- nately cut short by illness, and the necessity of return to Europe, which must be my apology for their want of completeness. But before transcribing, I would remind my general reader that all ants may be seen carrying oif food to their nests for present consumption, and that this food consists of a great variety of sub- 110 HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. stances. This is disposed of inside the said nest, being often masticated and the juice extracted by the workers, and then given in an inspissated form from their mouths to the young grubs, which are in general tended by their nurses with the greatest care. It is indeed very curious to watch tliis feed- ing process ; but to proceed. Under date Nov. 7tb, ISGG, I find in my luituial liistory note-book as follows : — Mainpuri. This morning as I was walking across the " Oosur," or waste plain, wliere it was very sandy, being cut into small ravines, and clollied only here and there with fine grass disposed in clamps, thus forniing little hillocks of sand blown by the wind, and ar- rested in its course by the grass, I came across a long line of ants, travelling four deep, some coming empty, and others laden each with one grass-seed on their way home. I followed up the procession to the nest, which was subterranean, and at the mouth of which on the level plain there was no trace of elevation caused by the soil brought up from below, owing to the habit of these ants of taking each grain of sand to some distance along their road, and depositing it on one side or the other. There may liavc been five or six entrances to the nest, in and out of which a prodigious number of ants were passing, the species of which has been described by Dr. Jerdon. They were of a medium size, shortish bodies, and of a reddish-brown colour, • — Podomyrtiia rufo-nigra, Jerdon. Around the mouth of the nest, forming a circle of perhaps eighteen inches in diameter, was a space beaten flat, and kept clear by these said ants, from which radiated in every direction thirteen roads, each about four inches in width for about 30 to 40 yards, wlieu they branched off and became narrower, being ultimately lost amongst the grass roots. These paths were fairly straight ; they did not cut through elevations, but M'ent round them. From a careful examination, it appeared that they had been cleared of all obstacles, such as small stones, twigs, &c., but that their smoothness re- sulted only from the tread of countless feet. The bearers of burdens took the seeds into the nest, which I did not dig up, and certainly stored them there, after having prepared them, probably by tlie removal of a portion of the outer husk. Of tliese Imsks there were large collections near the entrances to the nest, all carefully set aside by the ants. In times of famine, 1 am told, not only are the nests rifled of their grass-seed stores, but these heaps of apparent husks are collected and ground with otlier grain to eke out a subsistence. This kind of grain has a name, " Jurroon," derived from " Jharna," to sweep, literally, sweepings. I much regret that I have not preserved specimens of this " Jurroon," for it is very unlikely that the ants after taking it to their granary, should again throw it out, and yet, if grainless, what benefit could there be in eating it ? The season of the year when I observed them (November) is the beginning of the cold wea- ther, and no rain would probably fall (excepting a little at Christmas) till next May or June. Later on seed would be rare ; and how the nest fares at a time when floods of water often pass over the plain I cannot conceive. It is clear that some escape, and we know with what prodigious rapidity these colonies increase. But these jottings have been recorded merely to show how this species of ant store grain against a time of scarcity, and fully bear out the. state- ment in the text with which I commenced this paper. MICROSCOPY. PiTCHSTONE, PoBPHYRiNE, &c. — One of the most interesting of volcanic products to the micro- scopist is the variety of pitchstone found in the Isle of Arran. When thin sections of this material are examined with a two-thirds or half-inch objec- tive, beautiful dendritic forms will be found perme- ating the vitreous mass. The casual observer is apt to declare that these frond-like forms are fossil mosses, arid is unwilling to believe that they have Fig. ~1. Section of Pitchstone. a crystalline origin. 'I'he pitchstone from the Isle of Arran differs from obsidian, in containing a variety of crystalline minerals ; the beautiful den- dritic forms are produced by the acicular crystal- lization of pyroxene. Tlicse crystals are cither isolated or combined ; in the latter condition, they appear like microscopic ferns, fronds, or tufts of Batraeliospermum entombed in glass. The trans- parent material in which these crystals occur HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. Ill consists of vitreous nicattcr formed wiiliin the great volcanoes of the Miocene epoch ; and the melted mass, slowly cooling, allowed the crystalline ele- ments mixed with it to crystallize. According to Dana, pitchstone is composed of albite or oligo- close, rather than ortlioclose, that is, it contains soda, or soda and lime, instead of potash : its chemical constituents are silica, alumina, iron lime, and soda. Porphyrine is an artiflcial produc- tion, and is introduced here as an illustration of the production of crystalline forms when molten vitreous matter is allowed to cool slowly. This substance is of a beautiful crimson colour, and is said to be manufactured only in llussia, where it is used for mosaic-work : its composition is asserted to be a secret. As a microscopic object, it appears to be little known, probably owing to its Fig. 73. Section of Porphyrine. scarcity : under the binocular, I know of few objects that can compete with it. The beautiful fern-like crystals embedded in the transparent base would alone interest the observer; but, in addition to this elegant outline, the fern-fronds are of a beautiful crimson colour. The most effective way of viewing them is with a two-thirds objective, and Lieberkiihn. Many very beautiful crystalline forms, adapted for microscopic observation, may be produced by means of the blowpipe. The following is the plan recommended by Mr. Sorby, F.R.S. :— A small quantity of borax is mixed with some mineral salt or oxide, and a little of it placed in a small platinum ring of about one-eighth inch diameter, and then fused with the blowpipe. After fusing, the bead is to be kept for some little time at a dull red lieat ; when cool, the ring containing the bead may be cut off, and the whole mounted in Canada balsam. The author advises the use of a four-tenths objective for the examination of the crystals. The following salts and oxides produce beautiful crystalline forms :— borate of magnesia. zirconia, theolite (native tungstate of lime), mo- lybdate of strontia, apatite, native phosphate of lime. A full description and figures of the crystals will be found iu vol. i. of the Monthhj Micro- scopical Journal, p. 347. New Microscopical Journal. — We have received the first number of a new journal of natural history and microscopy, published iu Chi- cago, under the name of The Lens. The principal paper iu it, however, is taken from the Monthly Microscopical Journal — illustrations as well. A little leniency may be shown to this common trans- atlantic fault, on account of the great fire. We congratulate the editors ou so soon recovering the loss then inflicted. On Staining Tissues. — It is desirable to stain sections of all soft tissues, whether from healthy or diseased specimens. Eirst, because it enables us more accurately to distinguish germinal or nuclear matter from formed material, or tissue proper, by their differences in receptivity of colour ; and secondly, because it brings into relief all consti- tuents of soft tissue, and therefore renders their study easier and more satisfactory. The staining material which aids me most, and therefore suits me best, is the alkaline solution of carmine made after Beales's formula. The sections should be placed in the carmine solution as soon as they are made, and they should be made as soon as possible. No positive rules can be laid down as to the precise time required for the completion of the staining process. It will vary, within certain limits, accord- ing to the character of the tissue and alkalinity of the solution. In regard to this latter point, I may properly say that the carmine solution should neither be neutral nor intensely alkaline : in the former case, all portions of the tissue will probably be stained alike ; in the latter case, much of the younger or softer portion of the formed material sur- rounding the germinal matter will be destroyed by the excess of alkali. I generally permit my own sec- tions to remain iu carmine for three or four hours. Having completed the staining process, the sections should next be immersed in a mixture composed of Price's or Sarg's glycerine and distilled water, aa 3iv., acetic acid gtt. xx. This answers the double purpose of rendering the so-called nuclei (germinal matter, bioplast) sharp and clear, and of com- mencing the process of impregnating with stron;^ glycerine ; it will also remove the superfluous car- mine. After being soaked in the glycerine an*', water mixture for from twelve to twenty-four hours they should be transferred to the following mixture : purest and strongest glycerine, si-; P^n'c acetic acid, gtt. V. They should be allowed to remain in this mixture until they are fully saturated therewith. This will take from two days to as many weeks. — /. N. Banforth, 31. D., in the " Lens." 112 HARDWICKE'S SCIEN CE -GO S SIP. ZOOLOGY. A Pakasitic Rotifer? In some water taken from ajpond near this place last Cliristmas, I found a few days ago several specimens of Daphne covered with a species of Rotifer, of which the following is a sketch. The power used was a quarter-inch. If Fig. "4. Parasitic Rotifer (?) on Daphnia, you or any of your correspondents can enlighten me as to the name and habit of this rotifer, I shall be much obliged, as it is quite new to me, and I can find no mention of it in any work on Infusoria which I have at hand. A British Turtle. — A young Hawksbill Turtle (Chelonia inibricata) was a few days ago ex- hibited in the streets of Hastings. It had been cauglit by a fishing-boat thirty miles off Beachy Head. The occurrence of this turtle in British waters is of very rare occurrence. The carapace of this individual was about a foot long.— ^. W. L. Reptile Hygroscopy.— Toads have a fine appre- ciation of moisture in the air. Near the writer's residence is a sheet of water, situated on the top of a hill. In spring great numbers of toads come from the fields around and make for the pool, no doubt made aware of its proximity by their hygroscopic sensibility, and designing to deposit their ova at its margin. Unfortunately for themselves, they are not able to ascend the fence in question, and so fall victims in numbers to thoughtless boys.— i2. G. Popular Science.— The last number of tlie Popular Science Beview contains several capital articles, from the pens of some of our most eminent scientific men, all of which will be read with great interest. Among them are papers "On the Struc- ture of Camerated Shells," by H. Woodward, P.G.S. ; another on "The Temperature and Move- ment of the Deep Sea," by Dr. Carpenter ; one on the " Physiological Position of Alcohol," by Dr. Richardson; and the last "On the Nature of Sponges," by H. J. Slack, P.G.S. In addition to the above are other articles by R. A. Proctor and S. J. Mackie, on the " Eclipse of last December," and"TheLithofracteur." Marine Aquaria. — The success which has at- tended the foundation of a marine aquarium in the Crystal Palace has induced a number of gentlemen to start a company for the purpose of establishing one in Manchester. A site has already been ob- tained in the vicinity of Alexandra Park, and the aquarium at Sydenham will be taken as a pattern. It will be a promising feature in the future educa- tion of youth, when one of their amusements in every town and city will be an introduction to the many strange forms which inhabit the dark caves of ocean. North American IIymenoptera.— Mr. E. T. Cresson has commenced, in the Pebruary number of the Canadian Entomologist, a series of descrip- tions of North American Hymenoptera. The first part begins the family Ichneumonidse, with the genus 3Iesochorns. By the statute of incorpora- tion, the Entomological Society of Ontario is required to furnish the Commissioner of Agri- culture with an annual report of insects noxious or beneficial to agriculture, and the last report of this kind is now announced as ready. New Species of Sericoris.— Mr. C. G. Bar- rett has described, in the Entomological Magazine for March, a species o{ Sericoris, allied to Cespitana, which is new to science. Its habitat is in Ran- worth Pen, Norfolk, in July. Mr. Barrett has named this new species Bouhkdayana, in honour of Mr. Doubleday, the well-known entomologist. Saw-flies and Water.— A communication has been made to the Entomological Society by Mr. P. Cameron, to the effect that the gall- making saw-flies avoid those parts of willow-trees that overhang water, on account of the impossibility of tlie larvae descending for the purposes of pupation in the earth. A similar fact has been recorded with regard to the American plum-weevil. Fresh-water Polyzoa.— Mr. Stewart recently explained to the South Loudon Microscopical and Natural History Club that he had succeeded in killing Polyzoa with the tentacles expanded, by adding a few drops of the best French brandy to the water in which they were living. He supposed they were overcome by the liquor before they could draw in their tentacles. " The name ' Lory ' has been given to this tribe of Parrots because they have the habit of saying the word 'Lory' over and over ngu'm"—" Beaittifnl Birch in Far-off Land-i." HAilDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 113 BOTANY. Chlorophyll in the Lower Organisms. — Professor Famintzin has communicated to the Academy of St, Petersburg a paper on the use of inorganic salts as an important aid in the study of the development of the lower chlorophyll-contain- ing organisms. His solutions were made with a view to tracing the kind and amount of variability in the development of the lower alg^e under culti- vation. Among other means he employed a solu- tion of lime, potash, and magnesia, in which he found alga; developed with remarkable freedom. Colouring Matter in Fungi.— Mr. H. C. Sorby has determined the existence of at least thirty distinct colouring substances in fungi. The majority contain at least two, and many of them several, different kinds. Twenty of these have such well-marked optical qualities that they could be recognized without difficulty in other plants, but only one of them, a fine orange- colour, is known to exist in any plant not a fungus. As far as Mr. Sorby's observations extend, there is little or no specific agreement between the substances found in fungi and those met with in alga; and lichens, though the two latter orders are closely related in this respect. The Passion-flower. — The earliest passion- flower introduced to the Old World is Passiflora incarnata, in 1629, from North America ; but the universal favourite, P. carulea, was not known here till 1699, from Brazil. Hence it is vain to expect a pre-Reformatiou example of this genus. Yet from the pertinacity with which decorators use this flower, especially at Easter-tide, it is evident that they assume it to have been a sacred emblem. I have been told the following is the interpretation given to the various parts of the flower. The columella is typical of the scourging-post ; the 10 petals and 3 sepals, the thirteen apostles ; the 5 stamens, the five wounds; and the 3 stigmas, the nails. The crown of thorns is represented by the inner circle of rays, and the crown of glory by the larger circle ; while the leaves are emblematic of the open hand that struck the blow ; and the ten- drils, the scourges and bonds. Yet an authority, erroneous though it may be, must exist, for this wide-spread use of the ornament; and this it seems is the Rose-en-Soleil, the favourite badge of Edward IV., and used so repeatedly by him and his partisans. The badge is frequently to be met with in quarries of church glass ; and the colour being yellow and outline only, it bears a consider- able resemblance to the common Passion-flower, especially when on greenish glass. I have seen it in the church of St. Martin at Palace, Norwich, and also in Ely Cathedral, and was there told by the verger that they were passion-flowers. At Martham, in Norfolk, the carver has used the P. ccenilea as his model with considerable success as an ornament. —T. 0. Bayfield. The True Shamrock,— St. Patrick's day has passed and gone, but I have not till now had au opportunity of putting a query which perhaps some of your correspondents may be kind enough to answer for mc. In the first place, what kind of plant may the so-called 'Urue Shamrock" be ? and secondly, what might be the supposed derivation of that word? for concerning the right answer to these two questions, a vast deal of uncertainty seems to prevail in the minds of people in general. Now, if we take into consideration that there are, as I believe, somewhere about a hundred and fifty species of trefoils, some being perennials and some annuals, and that the colour of the flowers varies from dark crimson, and sometimes scarlet, to purple on the one hand, and to white, cream-colour, and pale yellow on the other, it will be perceived that it is somewhat a difficult task to point out accurately which may be the said "true Shamrock." Of course, any one species would do as well as another to illustrate the doctrine of the "Trinity," and as far as that goes, there need be no preference given to one especial kind at all. I remember, when re- siding in England some years ago, having a small plant sent over from Ireland by a friend, of what he termed true Shamrock (we had plenty of what, to my uninitiated eyes, looked like shamrock grow- ing on the lawn), — that, however, he called clover. Great care being taken of this true shamrock ; the result was that in about three weeks it could not be identified from the clover above mentioned. Since then I liave doubted the propriety of singling out any one kind of trefoil as the veritable sham- rock of St. Patrick. — J. S. William Durham. Berries or Arbutus. — A fact in vegetable Teratology of which we have seen no notice, not in Dr. Masters's volume for instance, is presented by the little Arbutus (so called) with mucronate leaf, often cultivated in gardens. In early summer its red berries, whilst yet on the plant, will be found, when they are opened, to have their seeds in a growing state ; that is, each one with green leaflets as well as radicle. — R. G. New Fungi.— On the 6th of April I again met with the new Badhamia {B. capsulifer, B.), and I hope in a few weeks to meet with more of it, when I shall have pleasure in supplying any of my friends with specimens, as far as I can. Mr. Cooke's description, from Berkley's "Outlines of Badhamia," is as follows :— " Peridium naked or furfuraceous ; spores in groups, enclosed at first in a hyaline sac." With the exception of a Badhamia on Jungerman- nia, which I have never met with, all others hereto- fore known to be British, have been found on wood. 114 HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. The new one is to be found on the under-side of the leaf of PetasUes vulgaris, known in this district as Butter-burr, and in some parts of the country is called wild rhubarb. The other new fuugus referred to in Science-Gossip last month, and which I found at Chelford, Cheshire, 1 don't expect to meet with until mid- winter. I may add that I found Uromyces ficaruv and ^cidium ranuncula- cearum on the 25 th March ; these dates being un- usually early. — Thomas Bnttain. GEOLOGY. New Fossil Butterfly. — The American Natu- ralist for March states that Mr. S. H. Scudder has discovered a new genus of fossil butterfly from Aix, which was deposited in the Marseilles Museum. The name giveu to it "is Sati/rites lieynessii. The specimen consists mainly of the two fore wings, the venatioa of which is very distinct. This but- terfly is of the foi'ui and has the general appear- ance of Portlandia, although it is more nearly related to the East-Indian genus Debis. Butterflies allied to Indian species have been found fossilized in the miocene beds of Croatia. FRA.NCE DURING THE JuRASSIC PERIOD. — M. Saporta has come to the conclusion, from a careful examination of the fossil plants of the Oolitic or Jurassic epoch in France, included cquisetums, ferns, conifers, and cycads, that that country en- joyed a mean temperature of 25° Centigrade — nearly the same as that now prevailing in tropical countries. Fossil Fish in Palestine,— Under the above heading, a correspondent (G. F. Warner) in last month's Science-Gossip, quotes a passage from an early history of the Crusades, descriptive of a stone from the neighbourhood of ancient Sidon, which in- closed a' fossil fish ; and he wishes to knovir whether there is modern evidence as to sucii remains being still found in Palestine. It will interest him, and possibly some of your readers, to know that the evidence is abundant and conclusive that many genera and species of fossil fishes abound in the rocks of the Lebanon. They have been figured and described by many authors, but chiefly by De Blainville, Agassiz, Kotschy, Keckel, Pictet, Humbert, Egerton, and others. The fossils are found in a limestone, which is easily split in the direction of its bedding, and it is referred to the Lower Cretaceous period. In nearly every layer a scale, or a bone, or a fish, in a more or less perfect state of preservation, may be found. The colour of the stone is yellowish ; tliat of the organic remains (which include some sm.all Crustacea as well as fish) is a rich reddish-brown. Examples are far from uncommon in which the profile of the fish, with the l)ones and the fln-rays in their normal position, are most perfectly conserved ; and occa- sionally groups of many individuals occur. Among the species arc representatives of three "of the four orders of fishes as founded by Agassiz ; viz., Placoid, Ctenoid, and Cycloid; and probably among the un- described species, of which there are several, a Ganoid may be discovered. More than fifty well- authenticated species have been described ; those belonging to the Cycloid order are the most numerous, there being no less than nine species of Clupea or Herring. Specimens have for many years been preserved in public museums and in some private collections, both at home and abroad. The British Museum possesses a fair collection of tliese remains, among which is exhibited a specimen pre- sented long ago to that institution by the eccentric Lady Hester Stanhope, who resided for many years in the Lebanon ; and also some fine examples, some being new forms, from a large series collected by the B,ev. H. B. Tristram during his scientific explo- rations in Syria and Palestine. If your correspon- dent desires further information respecting this subject, I would refer him to Pictet and Humbert's " Nouvelles Recherches sur les Poissons Fossiles du Mont Liban," 1866, where he will find a summary of all that has been written relating to it.— 7/''. D. American Mastodon. — An interesting dis- covery has recently been made in the vicinity of Jauiestown, New York. The remains of a skeleton of Mastodon giganteus was found imbedded in a post-tertiary deposit of peat and marl. The tusks were estimated to be twelve feet in length before they were much disturbed or broken. What is singular is, that, in proximity to the visceral cavity, a mass of undigested food, eight or nine bushels in quantity," was met with. The food consisted of shoots and .twigs of pines and firs. The height of the skeleton is judged to have been fifteen feet, and its length seventeen or eighteen feet. It had six teeth, the largest of which weighed five pounds and a half. New Fossil Fish. — Sir Philip Egerton has just described a new genus of fossil fish from the lias of Lyme Regis,' to which i. he has given (he name Prognathodus. Dr. Giinther is of opinion that in its dentition it establishes an additional piece of evidence in favour of the connection between the Ganoid and Chimseroid forms. A New Fossil Bird.— Prof. Marsh has de- scribed the skeleton of a large fossil bird, stand ing at least five feet high, which he met with in the Upper Cretaceous deposits of Western Kansas. Although a true bird, it differs widely from any known recent or even extinct form. The name he proposes to give to it is Hesperornis regalis. In many respects, this unique fossil he considers to be most comprehensive in its relationships. HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 115 NOTES AND QUERIES. Sandpipers. — ^Ifc is not usual for any sandpipers, except the Purple Sandpiper, to do what "H. G. R." describes. — 0. Sugaring for Noctua.— Will some of the correspondents of Science-Gossip be kind enough to advise me how to make the best mixture for " Sugaring for Noctua " ?— //. Elliott. EiELD Clubs. — The Leeds Naturalists' Pield Club and Scientific Association meets every Tues- day evenino:. Rooms, Leeds Mechanics' Institu- tion, Cookridge Street. President, Thomas Hick, B.A., B.Sc. Joint secretaries, James Brodie and Wm. D. Roebuck. Golden Eagle in Somersetshire. — It is worthy of record that a pair of golden eagles were seen some years since in the extreme west of Somerset, above Porlock. One of tiiem was killed on Oare Common, near Badgworthy Wood; and this bird, preserved and mounted, is now in the possession of Mr, Snow, of Oare. — /. Gifforcl, Parks, Miuehead. Erratum.— In "Canine Gyrations," page 53, eight lines from the bottom, instead of the words " may perhaps," read " can scarcely." — E. C. L. House Plies and Blow-flies (p. Oi). — 1 take leave to doubt the assertion that, either in England or New Zealand, the former species would in any way assist in exterminating the latter. Where one is abundant, it may sometimes happen that the other is scarce or absent ; but, frequently enough, both are numerous and annoying at the same time. How shoukl one affect the otiier ? Their larvae feed upon different substances ; M. domestica breeds in dung and stable refuse, while its relative, M. vovtitoria, is, as all know, a meat-devourer. The blow-fly, however, has its insect enemies ; and amongst them is, I think, a parasite of the Dipterous order, whose history I have read, but cannot at this moment refer to. — /. R. S. C. The Clione. — I have carefully investigated oyster-shells, stones, &c., and find similarly sized cavities in stones, and as clustered as in oyster- shells. There is invariably, on close examination, to be found a shell, in some stage of development, in the tunnel, as far as my observation goes. I go against the theory that tlie sponges bore for themselves. I have found this shell as small as a butterfly's egg in the tunnels both of limestone rock and oyster-shells. — 0. E. B. A Suggestion. — Having seen in Science- Gossip several complaints of the inaccui'acy of Local Ploras, Botanists' Guides, &c. &c., I think the following (if practicable) would be a remedy. To form a botanical club or society, with a re- corder to keep the lists of localities sent, &c. ; and, when complete, to have them published. I think that a great number of botanists in all parts of Great Britain would be willing to give aid to such a plan. I should like to hear the opinions of other correspondents on this subject, through the medium of this journal. — /. B. Bloio. Himenophyllum Tunbiudgense. — In the March number of Science-Gossip, Mr. R. M. Middleton says tliat he kuov.-s a locality for this fern not far from Llauberis. I find tlie following in Davies's "Welsh Botanology," page 99 (pub- lished 1813); — "//. Ttinbridgense ■ Y\\mY.\&&VQdi Pern. At Trewilmot and Holyhead mountain ; very scarce." It would be interesting to know whether it is to be found in those localities now or not. — Bev. JF. Davies. Clothes Moths.— I should feel greatly obliged by your informing me how to destroy thoroughly the tiny moths that eat woollen garments. I have suffered a wholesale destruction of coats, trousers, flannel shirts, &c., that has driven me, a very poor man, to the verge almost of madness. I liave tried cam- phor, insect-powder, pepper, &e, ; but all in vain. What can I do to save the remnant of my clothing that may be yet left to me, for I hardly dare to examine my clothes ? Being short of boxes, I kept these garments mostly in bags that originally brought coffee or rice to England ; but they have entered my two boxes even. I have caught and killed hundreds of these {Tinea, I think they are called) in only a week during last summer and autumn.— TT. I\I. 31. Endromis versicolor. — In the March issue of Science - Gossip, an article appears on " Web- weaving Caterpillars," and among those instanced, is that of Endromis versicolor (the Kentish Glory- moth). I should like to ask the writer (C. Lovekin) whether he so terms this larva from personal obser- vation, and if not, whence his authority ? During a series of years I reared hundreds of the larvae and distributed thousands of the eggs, yet never saw the least approach to web-weaving ; indeed its habits are directly opposed to that theory. When hatched, the young larvae are black ; they proceed at once to station themselves oa the twigs of the Birch, in a position so as closely to resemble the small black stumps so numerous on that food-plant. After their first moult they are green, and it is then al- most impossible to distinguish them from the cat- kins of the Birch ; when more advanced in growth, they resemble the developed leaves _ in colour and contour : tlms protection by assimulation is afforded, and. web-spinning is not only unnecessary but would be contrary to the usual economy of nature. A life history of this insect may be found in the Entomologist for April, 1865, page ISi. — George Gascoyne. Hybernation of Swallows. — Prom time to time there have appeared, in Science-Gossip, papers on the supposed Hybernation of sv/allows, whether above or beneath the water. The followhig incident may perhaps throw light on the origin of some of the ideas current on this subject. In the early part of the year 18-43 I was residing at Great Glcnham, in Sufiblk. One morning about the beginning of March, I was told that a swallow had been seen coming out of a pond near our house. _ I expressed my dis- belief in the correctness of this information, but was assured that there could be no mistake. Some days afterwards our gardener came to me in triumph, and told me that he had brought me the swallow, which had been found dead near the pond where it had be- fore been seen. On taking it in my hand, I saw at once, from its webbed feet, that it was a storm petrel {Thalassidroma pelagica or T. LeacJiii) ; but, being quite a boy at the time, I was not then aware that there was more than one species. I must confess that, at first sight, it looked very like a swallow, and I should not have been surprised had the mistake been made by far better observers. Doubtless the poor bird had been driven inland by a violent gale, 116 HAUDWICKE'S SCIENCE- GOSSTP. with which we had been visited a few days previ- ously, and had rested on the pond until disturbed by our informant. Had not the bird been found, the rising of the swallow from the pond would have seemed incapable of satisfactory explanation. — E. N. BloomMd. Do Animals ever Commit Suicide ? In support of the theory of your correspondent " J. U. S. C," viz., that animals do sometimes commit suicide whilst in a state of insanity, I may call attention to the following incident of indubitable veracity recorded in Jesse's "Anecdotes of Dogs :" — "A fine, handsome, and valuable black dog of the New- foundland species, belonging to Mr. Eloyd, solici- tor, Holmfirth, committed suicide by drowning it- self in the river which flows at the back of its owner's habitation. Eor some days previous the animal seemed less animated than usual, but on this particular occasion he was noticed to throw himself into the water and endeavoured to sink by preserving perfect stillness of the legs and feet. Being dragged out of the stream, the dog was tied up for a time, but had no sooner been released tlian he again hastened to the water and again tried to sink, and was again got out. This occurred many times, until at length tlic animal, with repeated efforts, appeared to get exhausted, and by dint of keeping his head determinedly under water for a few minutes, succeeded at last in obtaining his object, for when taken out this time he was in- deed dead."— ^. A. Auld. The Sword-fish (p. 71).— My attention has been fully directed to the subject named by *'E. H. R.," and I concur with him in the opinion that the reverend gentleman who wrote the article alluded to has fallen into a very grave misap- pi'ehension. The fish which he d.escribes as the Xiphias gladins, I take to be a species of sea- pike : the small specimens found on our coast are known as Gar-fish {gar, A.-S., "spear, pike, or javelin"). It was formerly classed with the Jack, as Esox belone ; Cuvier named it Beloiie vulgaris, but it is now described as Lepidosteus luc'ms ; Lepidosteus, from its liaid scales ; lucius (pike) being a misnomer, derived from the Fleur-de-lis, or White Lily of Erance. Two species may be seen at the British Museum and the College of Surgeons ; viz., L. lucius, the Gar-fish, and Z. osseus, the Bony Pike; the latter is, probably.Hhe fish figured in the Leisure Hour for J anuai'y, the woodcut in question being altogether unsuited for the true Sword-fish (A', gladius), or for the Saw-fish {Pristis anti- quorum). — J. Hall. Flea-bites ! — The extraordinary amount of irritation and swelling which these occasion in some instances can hardly be accounted for on the supposition that this bite is a simple incision. In Science-Gossip of last year, an interesting account was given of the tongue and lancets of the flea ; but 1 cannot help thinking there is something which the microscopic investigator has missed as yet; viz., some gland or other apparatus which yields a poisonous fluid, that is thrown into the puncture. If there is anything of the kind, it must be exceedingly potent, since the supply of it cannot be large, and a flea will leap hither and thither upon the human skin, biting a dozen times in quick succession, each bite being followed by the usual result. From a friend whose experiences in this direction are particularly painful, I glean the fact that the bite of what is (presumabljO the male flea, or at least the smaller individual, is most to be dreaded.—/. R. S. C. Mice and Birds. — In reply to your correspond- ent " Tedesca's " question, I beg to state that one night, a few weeks since, I observed one of ray birds, a linnet, which was ill, roosting near the lower part of my aviary. The following morning it was found dead, and partially devoured by the mice. During the summer of 1870 I missed one of my hen canaries from the food-troughs, and, on examining the nest-box where she had been sitting, I found nothing but a mass of feathers, with scarcely a vestige of the poor bird amongst them : the mice had eaten all, even the bones, beak, and claws I Whether these birds were living or dead when the mice attacked them, remains of course an open question, but I have every reason to think that they have destroyed numbers of unfledged canaries in the nests. Can any one suggest a plan to prevent their entrance into aviaries and large cages ?— Z". M. P. Fungi. — I shall esteem it a great favour if any of your correspondents who have had experience in preserving fungi will kindly inform me of the best mode of preparing them for the cabinet. — H. A. Auld. New Fungi.— Allow me to correct an error which appeared in the last number of Science- Gossip, p. 90, in reference to Perichtena quercina, E., found by Mr. T. Brittain. It was not 1 who identi- fied the plant, but C. E. Broome, Esq., to whom I sent it, being myself unable to identify it. This may appear a trivial matter ; but when a gentleman takes the trouble to identify a plant, it is out just that he should have the credit for so doing. — William Phillips. Wood-Pigeons. — The turnip tops found in the crops of the Wood-pigeons are precisely what might have been expected, the green leaves and shoots of the turnip forming their favourite winter food. These are varied with clover-leaves in the spring ; later on, seeds of the dock, chickweed, charlock, and other " pests of the farm." About harvest time, the above, with the addition of wheat and barley ; after harvest, acorns and beech-mast, of which they are very fond. There is no doubt Wood-pigeons will feed on corn when they 'can get it ; but their opportunities for harm are limited, for good unlim- ited ; and the immense quantities of noxious weeds destroyed by them, at all seasons of the year, far outweigh the harm done, at certain seasons, in places where they unduly viktGxxw^.— Tlws.Soiithwell. ViTRiNA pellucida. — It is very probable that those who assert that the Vitrina is incapable of wholly withdrawing into its shell, and those who assert to the contrary, are both right. My own observations lead me to believe, that when the Vitrina is found in a moist condition, no amount of irritation or force employed can make it with- draw itself entirely within its shell; but if put in a dry place, and left without moisture, it is then capable of shrinking entirely within the shell, so as to enable it to fit the mouth of the shell to any flat surface it may be attached to. Having kept a couple of Geomalacus maculosus for a few months under a bell-glass, and having introduced a few Vitrina pellucida under the same cover, I was surprised to find the Vitrina shells empty in a few days : this led me to believe that the Vitrina had IIARDWICKK'S SClEx\CE-GOSSlP, 117 become a prey to the Geomalacus. Since then I liave introduced more Viiriua^, and a few of the following species : — Zonites glaber, Z. mtidulus, Z. punts, Z. cnjstallbms, two Helix ftisca, two H. caperuta, two H. Jiirsuta, and three Clausilia lamiHat(i,yi\{\\ the following results : all the shells representing the genus Helix are empty, with the shells more or less scraped away and perforated ; all the Vitrina shells are empty, but left perfect ; and some few of the Z. purus and Z. crystallinus are tenantless. The Clausilia and the other two species of Zonites remain untouched. Whether all these may have fallen victims to the rapacity of Geoma- lacus maculosus, may be questionable, but I would suggest that the probable cause of your last month's correspondent from Banbury finding so many of the Vitrina shells empty, might be owing tojthe ravages of the black slug, Arion ater, and its congener the Arion hortemis. Experiments carefully observed would no doubt determine this point. Allow me to say further, that in my experiment with the Geomalacus I added occasionally a piece of carrot, which seemed to suit the taste of this rare Irish slug ; also a dead shell of Succinea pnlris has been nearly eaten away. — Thos. Rogen. Does the Moon affect Lunatics ? — Could you inform me in what way the moon affects lunatics ? Having heard that it did, and being unable to find it in any book, I should be glad if you could inform me through Science-Gossip. — R. P. U. Sparus.— On the 15th ult. a fisherman of Helford harbour brought to me a Sparus boijps, which he had just caught in a herring-net. It was twelve inches in length and two inches in depth. The silvery gleam of the body and of its yellow stripes was most brilliant ; there were patches as of bur- nished gold in front of the eyes. The first British recorded specimen was caught near the entrance of Ealmouth harbour in J 842, and was brought to my brother, Alfred Pox, who had a coloured drawing of it taken, of which Jonathan Couch published a copy in his valuable book on British fishes. It is a more faithful representation of this beautiful fish than that given by Bloch. Dr. Cocks, of Ealmouth, sent a Boops, caught at a later period (in the same fishing-ground), to the British Museum. I have often seen this fish in the market of Algiers. The Sword-fish is justly esteemed there ; its flesh is, I think, preferable to that of other Scomberidse ; such as the Thunny or Mackerel. It probably swallows the blood and other juices of the fish that it wounds, as it is almost toothless. Its ear-bones must be very minute or rudimentary, as I could not discover any. — C. Fcx. The Swokd-fish.— The author of the article "Notes from fliL; South Pacific," in the Leisure Hour for January, has not, in my opinion, " ialleu into error in describing the Saw-fish as the Sword- iish ; "at the same time, I have not seen a sword- fish with the saw-like teeth which are figured in the cuts illustrating his paper. The Saw-fish (Prisiis aniiquorum), length in some instances, 12 to 15 feet (a specimen of which is in my posses- sion), is of the Shark family, and has its head pro- longed by a long flat plate, bearing osseous spines inaplanted like teeth on each margin, and resem- bling a saw. The specimen before me measures 34 inches in leujrth, and has 26 teeth on each side, each tooth being U inch long. It was found in a river in Demerara. Your correspondent " E. H. H." is certainly right in saying it would be impossible for the Saw-fish to penetrate the timbers of vessels with his saw" although it is a powerful weapon to attack whales and other cetaceous animals ; whereas the Sword-fish is a well-known enemy to ships, one of these "swords" being found, some years'ago sticknig to the depth of eighteen inches in the lovyer timbers of Her Majesty's sliip Fawn. The writer in tlie Leisure Hour says the fish he describes has been pronounced "delicious" food bv all who have tasted it ; moreover the flesh of the Saw-fisA is hard and lU-tasted. Upon the whole, it is clear that the hsli described in the Leisure Hour whatever species of sword-fish it may be, is not the Sawfish.— H. Allinuham. Fossils. — A correspondent in last month's bciENCE- Gossip asks for information relative to corn-brash and forest marble fossils in the West of England. In answer thereto, I beg to state that in a little work published by Stanford, of Charin» Cross, entitled "Geology of Weymouth and the Isle ot 1 ortland,_ there is a good deal of interesting matter relating to the above, with list of fossils" &c.— 1*. W. Ekimstone Butterfly.— There is a variety of this species with orange-coloured patches in the lore wings, which occurs in Prance. Possibly it is a specimen of this variety to which Mr. H. Moore refers in his note in last month's Science-Gossip. A hybrid between two such widely separated species as Gonepteryx Rhanmi and Colias Edusa would be most unlikely to occur.— ffarri/ Leslie. A White Brimstone (p. 95). —I scarcely believe Mr. Moore is justified in imagining that the butterfly referred to is a hybrid between G. Rhamni and C. Edusa, since this variety of the Brimstone and the typical form have both been reared from the same batch of eggs. This variety is occasionally met with. In the south of Europe a variety is met witli called G. Cleopatra, in which the orange patches cover nearly the whole of the upper wings.— /T. H. Warner, Kingston, Abingdon. Passion-flower.— I liave been told that the pas- sion-flower was used in the early Christian churches as a symbolic reveration of faith, because of the resemblance discovered by some of the Catholic fathers in difi"erent portions of the flower to our Saviour's passion. Thus : the five anthers are the wounds ; the stigmas represent the nails ; the rays of the corona, the crown of thorns ; and the ten parts of the perianth are apostles ; Peter and Juda being absent— the one who betrayed, the other who denied our Lord.— if. E. Watney. Starlings.— These birds, like swallows, are migratory birds. In the northern parts of this country, where the winters are severe, the Starling, on the approach of the cold season, wings its flight southward, returnmg to its old haunts about Febru- ary or (if the season be inclement) March. In the south of England, during mild winters, they will often remain. At Charminster, a pretty little Dorset village, we had frequently the Starling all the year round, unless a very severe season set in, and then we missed them for a short time. The country people in Dorset are very fond of starling dumplings; and they are often sold for a shilling a dozen by the labourers. The chief winter food of starlings con- sists of berries of all descriptions ; such as moun- tain ash, haws, and grain. A gentleman of my acquaintance used to make quite a friendship with a 118 HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. colony of starlings which dwelt on the eaves of a neighbouring house. During the summer time, when the cherries were ripe, he used to lay some on his window-sill, and, being an invalid, it used to pass many a weary hour pleasantly away, watching his pet starlings. During the two years of his confine- ment, those birds became quite tame and sociable, really looking out for their dessert and their hand- ful of coni, which was daily placed for them. One day a friend sent him some starlings for a dumpling, when he remarked he would ns soon think of turning cannibal as eating any of those poor starlings, for they had beguiled many a sad and painful hour, and their voices were heard first in the morning, and their cheerful chatter was his lullaby at eve. I do not fancy I could relish them myself, altliough I be- lieve they are very savoury. — Barbara Wallace Fyfe. The Stabling.— In reply to " H. 0. S.," the Starling is resident in England throughout tlie year, and is probably also a partial migrant. In mild winters, the old birds sometimes continue to frequent the trees or buildings where they nest. Their food consists almost entirely of earthworms, snails, insects and their larva?, with an occasional seed or berry ; but these form the exception. In autumn they congregate in immense flocks, which repair night after night to the same roostiug- place. These flocks begin to assemble as soon as the first broods leave their nests, and go on in- creasing with successive broods till they are, later in the season, joined by old birds also. Early in the morning they disperse to their feeding-grounds, again to return with the setting sun to their chosen resting-place. — T. Southwell. Collection Catalogues.— I observe, among the advertisements in Science-Gossip, an an- nouncement of the publication of a printed form of catalogue, prepared by Mr. Harting. It is no doubt a useful plan, but it does not fully explain itself. Will some one who has experience in cataloguing explain how he would set about to make a catalogue of a collection of say 2,000 botanical specimens, supposing that the specimens have already the necessary particulars attached to each, but not collected in a book, and that the collection is still rapidly increasing in all depart- ments, phanerogamic and cryptogamic ? It is easy enough to write out a catalogue of a completed collection, either alphabetically or in the order of classification ; the difliculty lies in dealing with the additions, so as to avoid future confusion. Is there any better plan than the day-book and ledger ; that is, to enter every addition consecutively in one book, with a consecutive number to each, and afterwards post them into a fully classified cata- logue ? This plan is cumbersome and slow. — F. T. Mott. Does Gas-light kill Plants?— I should be glad if some of your able correspondents would inform nic whether gas, or the gas-light, kills plants? It is commonly supposed it does, but I should think wrongly, as the gas given ott' must form nourishment rather than otherwise. — F. T. Mites.— A neighbour last summer requested the writer to inspect his daughter's house, as it was, especially the drawing-room, which had been lately newly furnished, infested with a very minute species of mite. So extreme was the nuisance, that the maker of the furniture had been sent for from a town a long way off to examine it, and even an action seemed not unlikely. Though the little pest was scarcely visible to the naked eye, the edges of the moreen curtains, the chair-bottoms, the iusides of the piano and chiffonier, as well as other parts of the house and furniture, were quite white with them. I recommended the best means I could think of to destroy them, — ventilation, brushing, fumigation with sulphur, the use of carbolic acid, &c. The only other way, besides through the medium of the furniture, in which they were suspected to have been imported, was in a box of C^s. The acarus was extremely hairy, pointed in front, and gibbous beiiiud ; but I send jnouuted specimens, which may be given to any- body who takes an interest in the mites. — B. G. Lesser Pettychap, ok, CiiirF-ciiAFF {Sylvia Mppolais). — The early appearance of this lively little warbler is recorded on p. 93, by Mr. Westropp, who noticed it on March 9th. Six days later it was chirping in a shrubbery close to this house. Now, are there not good grounds for believing that this little bird does not migrate, since it has shown itself able to bear the severe frosts and heavy snows which prevailed since its arrival ? It stays later than the otiier small emigrants, for I heard it in the woods last year so late as the second week in October. I am no believer in the hybernation of birds, but I have long had an idea that this species does not leave this country at all, but retires in winter to sheltered spots in woods, where it picks up a subsistence from the trunks and branches of trees, like the tits and other small birds. The disuse of its song, and its small size, would render it very unlikely to be noticed by ordinary observers. While on the early appearance of birds of passage, I may state that the Blackcap {Cnrruca atricapilld) has been in full song here since the 30th of March, and that I noticed three sand-martins {Hirundo njoana) about their old haunts the following day. — W. H. Warner. Paste Eels.— With some others I have often been troubled to procure these creatures, though carefully following the directions of the books. At others, I have found them abundantly in paste which has been put away and not touched. I have often seen it stated that some peculiar ears of corn, when soaked a short time, will abound with eels in the grains ; and if so, may not the difficulty some persons find in getting them, proceed from the flour not having any of these particular corns ground up with it? As to their "spontaneous generation," I believe they arc generated one from another, as is evident in the eggs and young ones. — E. T. S. Paste Eels.— I have tried "F. K.'s"plan for obtaining A. glutinis several times, and I have not succeeded once. The following is a better (at any rate cleaner) way of preserving tiiem when they ap- ])ear than "E. K.'s." I copy it from Dr. Jabez Hogg's work on the microscope. He says: "The best means of securing a supply for any occasion, consists in allowing any portion of a mass of paste in which they show themselves, to dry up, and then lay it by for stock ; if at any time a portion of this is intro- duced into a little fresh-made paste, and the whole kept warm and moist for a \&\i days, it will be found to swarm with these curious little worms." — W, Sargant, Junior. Paste Eels. — My little random shot has induced "P. K." to shelter himself behind Mr. Pritchard, and thus brougiit me face to face with a giant ; but the little wrigglers in question,haviug beenmyoccasiona. HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 119 pets for more than forty years, I may, perhaps, be allowed to indulge a little obstinacy in holding my opinion still. I am compelled to notice this subject again, because " F. K." has become catechist. I leave my unknown questioner to guess for himself, assuring him, at the same time, that my little scraps of scientific knowledge induce me to attribute "Apostolic succession" alike to cats, rats, mice, and — Paste Eels ; and to the belief that there is a much greater difference between " Paste Eels " and ' Wheat Eels " than there is between a slieep and a goat. -A. Nicholson. The Eumine in Nokth Wales (p. 71). — Your correspondent " W. P." is, it seems, unaware that the Ermine is in reality the Stoat in its winter dress. This animal, like the Scotch or varying hare [Lepiis-variahilis), turns white in winter. The change from brown to white is more apparent in Northern Europe, but I have myself seen a speci- men of the Mustela erminea hanging up in a wood here which was quite white, except a tinge of brown along the back. The M. erminea, whether in its summer or winter dress, whether as a stoat or an ermine, may easily be distinguished by the tip of the tail being always black. — W. H. Warner. The Ermine. — I believe the cause of the con- fusion is that the majority of stoats do not, in this comparatively mild climate, fully change their coat in winter. They are seldom pure white. — G. E. E. The Ermine in North Wales (p. 71).— It would seem probable that the discrepancy in ques- tion may be due to the comparative mildness of our climate, and the exceptional mildness of the past winter. It appears quite certain that the change observed in i the fur of our stoat, the Ihtstela erminea, is a result of the effect of severe cold. As a boy I was familiar with the Stoat in farms at the south of England, but I never met with it in what is called its winter coat. The finest ermine comes from northern latitudes. If all our stoats were found to produce the fur called ermine in perfec- tion, no doubt we should cultivate the trade for our home market. — A. H. Rats at St. Helena. — A gentleman who has passed many years of his life at St. Helena, told me lately several stories about rats, so curious that I thought them worthy of record. He said that at one time the common brown rat was ex- tremely common all over the island, in fact, a per- fect pest ; and to avoid its attacks his father had constructed a large store, rat-proof ; i.e., a rat once in could not get out again. A number, however, came in with produce and goods from the ships, and bred there. Around this store were Venetian blinds to the windows, and one day one of his men, when it was raining, watched a rat sitting on the Venetian, and putting out his tail to collect on it the drippings of water at the edge : he then withdrew it and licked it. The servant told his master, who imme- diately understood that the rats could get no water inside the store, and therefore directed that a but- ter firkin should be cut down to four or five inches, and in the top a large circular wire rat-cage trap should be fixed. Several small planks were placed for the rats to get up to the entrance to the cage, which exactly fitted the firkin. No food would have induced the rats to enter the trap, but water did, and many were thus captured. When caught they were given to the dogs ; but there was one rat which would not leave the trap for many days. He was well identified day by day, till, becoming in- cautious, he leapt down, and was immediately killed. There is one peculiarity with these rats, viz., their very often building or making their nests in the trees. I have in India several times found rats' nests in trees ; but then they have always been stolen nests, such as deserted abodes of the squirrel or sparrow ; but here my friend, who is no naturalist, tells _mc that they construct them principally of fir spines, on the ends of the boughs, some twelve or fifteen feet from the ground, in the common fir-trees. The spots selected are just where the overlapping bough nearly meets the lower one. He said that all know the rats' nests, and that he had seen them fired at, when many rats were killed, and fell out to the ground. He could tell me no more, and I think that, if original nests, as he held them to be, some grass must be woven in during their construction, as fir spines have but little power of cohesion. The situation of these nests was worthy of notice, although there is scarcely a situation where a rat's nest has not been found.— C. Home, F.Z.S. Gryllfs viRiDissMrs. — I am sorry I cannot at present render much assistance to "E.A.M." (p. 59). 1 have occasionally kept these large green grass- hoppers for a few days : they never voluntarily at- tempted to eat anything ; but when a fly, stuck on the point of a needle, was held near the mouth, they would readily take and eat it. If possible, next summer I intend to study this insect more minutely : the larva is very pretty, and a brighter green colour than is the perfect insect. — C. G, R. LiPARis dispar.— At p. 69 Mr. Laddiman ex- presses a desire for information respecting this in- sect. I have reared several broods (" in-and-in ") ; in 1870 my moths were very fine, most of them, both males and females, were as large as those figured by Mr. Newman. I have this day carefully measured a female in my collection, and find it to be, from tip to tip of the expanded wings, two inches and three-quarters, which is exactly equal to the figure in " British Moths." Measuring a male in the same manner, I find he exceeds Mr. Newman's by one-twentieth of an inch. Last summer my Z. dispar were not so fine, but I believe this was owing to the unfavourable season, as several other species were comparatively small. I have not met with much variety in L, dispar; the principal varia- tion consists in the general ground-colours, most observable in the female, some being of a creamy, while otliers are of an ashy-white tint, with the blackish wavy lines more or less developed. Al- though my moths were not so large, they were well marked last year, and the males displayed more . variety than usual, the upper wings of some ap- proaching to a sandy-brown colour, and others were quite dark or cinerous. I have a few eggs of L. dispar to part with. If Mr. Laddiman or Mr. Henderson would like to have some of this strain, I shall be most happy to oblige them. The Editor has my address, and will kindly furnish it if required.— C. G. R. How TO Stock a Pond.— Will one or other of your experienced readers give me some hints for stocking with fish a newly-made lake of water con- sisting of about two acres ? The depth averages 2 feet 9 inches, with several holes of deeper water. The bottom is gravelly. There is a constantly run- ning spring, but not very rapid. What fish should I put in with a view to angling ? Would it be any use to try trout? Where should I obtain a supply of fish for the purpose ? — F. C. 120 HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS. E. W.— The larva is that of Meloe angusticoUis. For a full account of this and other parasites on the bee, see article in SciBNCR-Gossip for 1870, pages 2 and 3, entitled " The Para- sites of the Honey Bee," by Dr. A. S. Packard. Enquirer.— We have received the piece of pnmmed paper said to contain specimens of mites. We do not undertake to name specimens unless sent in a fit state for examination. We cannot ask those gentlemen (all of whom are authorities in their special departments) who kindly undertake to assist us, to prepare specimens for examination. It is also neces- sary that the sender should furnish us with all the informa- tion as to habitat, &c., he is able to give. We are always anxious to assist the student in natural history, but he must also put his own shoulder to the wheel. L. T.— The moss is the commonest that grows, the Screw Wall-moss {Turlulamuralis). Kkw Subscriber.— Answer next month. Ignoramus.— The small larvie- cases found on espalier apple-tree are those of Culeophas anutipentmlla. A. L., Scarborough.— You will find Stark's " British Moss- es" (Lovell Reeve & Co.), price 7s- 6d., a capital introduc- tory book to the study of mosse.o, containing a good number of coloured illustrations. R. De I>.— The jelly-like substance adhering to leaves is probably the ova of some species of shell-fish, perhaps of Limnea. It is not the common stickleback, which builds a nest. Richard Smith, Belper. — Tissues may be placed in the carmine staining fluid as soon as cut, unless maceration in glycerine is requisite to soften them. You will find all the in- formation required for staining the various tissues in Dr. Beales's" How to work with the Microscope." Unscientific Astronomer.— There is a society called the " Observing Astronomical Society," different from the Royal Astronomical Society. The Hon. Secretary's name is Wil- liam F. Denning, from whom all information may be obtained. — Address Messrs. Wyman, 74, Great Queen Street, London. A. H. A., Liverpool.— The Podurpe in the piece of wall-paper are Achortttes purpurescens, common in damp places.— r. J. McI. B. E. F. — Mineralogy is now included as part of chemistry, rather than of geology, as was formerly the case. There can he no doubt that tlie connection between the two former is far more natural, although mineralogy is of great service to the geologist, especially in his lithological investigations. Roy.- You will find a full account of the natural history position, functions, and habits of the sponges in Nicholson's " Advanced Text-book of Zoology," or in the " Manual of Zoology," vol. i., by the same author. A. Smith. — The parcel of grass sent is the Sweet-scented \ernaX Gr&is, {Antho.ranthum odoratum). It is the presence of this grass which gives the well known scent to newly-mown hay. A. J. D.— A capital chapter on " Mimicry " will be found in Wallace's " Contributions to the Theory of Natural Selection." Bates first broached the doctrine in his " Naturalist on the Amazon." See article in last number of the Entomological Magazine on mimicry in insects. .1. B.—Hypnum commutatttm : a little Anodus will be ac- ceptable.—/}. B. EXCHANGES. Notice.— Only one " Exchange'* can be inserted at a time by the same individual. The maximum length fexcept for correspondents not residing in Great Britain) is three lines. Only objects of Natural History permitted. Notices must be legibly written, in full, as intended to be inserted. For Pollen of Convolvulus send stamped directed envelope to John H. Martin, 86, Week Street, Maidstone. Foreign Coleoptera offered for British ditto or Lepidoptera. — W. H. Groser, 15, Thornhill Road, Barnsbury, N. Twelve varieties of cotton wool (named). Send stamped envelope and any microscopical material to Levi Tetlow, Lees, near Manchester. For Haematopinus stiis (Pig Louse) and Poli/.renus Lugurtis (Pencil-tail), unmounted, send well-mounted object of interest to C. F. George, Kirton Lindsey, Lincolnshire. Badhamia CAPSui.iFKR, the new British leaf-fungus, for other objects of interest.— Address, with list, Thos. Brittain, 52, Park Street, Green Heys, Manchester. Sbpiostaire (Cuttle-lione) and Puccinia nmbilici offered for stamped envelope and any object of Interest.— H. Munro, Lyme Regis, Dorset. Wanted, Coal-measure Fossils for Mountain Limestone and Limestone Shale Fossils.— Send list to S. Borraingham, Arken- dale, Richmond, Yorks. A Fossil Tooth in coal (mounted), for any human parasite also mounted.— J. M. Hoare, The Hill, Harnpstead, London. Uredo potkntili.arum ; for specimens of this fungus send stamped envelope to J. R. Focklington, The Oval, Red- land, Bristol. Any object of interest acceptable. Wanted to exchange, rooted named specimens of the rarer Sedums and Saxifrages ; also wanted to purchase, Nos. from 23 to the conclusion of Sowerby's " Grasses."— Address J., 3, Bromley Terrace, Cirencester. Wanted Silkworms or eggs, for British ferns.— J. Stalker, Brathay, Ambleside. Toi's LES Mois, the largest known starrli, offered for any object or material.— Address W. F. Henley, Wilts Dorset Bank, Warminster. Wanted, three or four specimens of the Large Stag Beetle (LucanusCervvs), for dissection, for microscopic slides. —Address J. S. Harrison, 86, Portland Street, Hull. Cvclostoma elecans and Helix pomutUi for other British shells.— B. F. Buxton, Easneyc, Ware. Wings and sections of British and Foreign Lepidoptera, named, for other good microscopic material. — Chas. J. Wat- kins, Painswick, Gloucestershire. For Hair of Buffalo (unmounted) send stamped envelope and object of microscopical interest to E. Lovett, Holly Mount, Croydon. Collection of Norwich Crag Fossils in exchange for books on Geology.— G. S. Tooke, King Street, Norwich. YoK Puccinia Anemonx (Anemone Brand) send stamped envelope ; no exchange required.— Thos. Brittain, 52, Park Street, Green Heys, Manchester. For Parasite of Humble Bee, send stamped envelope and any microscopic object to J. Sargent, Jun., Fiitchley, near Derby. Sections of Uterine Tumour stained with carmine and mounted in glycerine, in exchange for other equally good ob- jects.—R. Smith, Jun., Stone House, Belper. Eggs of Kestrel, Dipper, Water-rail, &c., for eggs of Spar- rowliawk, Nightjar, Green Woodpecker, &c.— Arthur Smyth, Parracombe, N. Devon. Trachea of Centipede or Ox Parasites, in exchange for well-mounted Polycistina.— H. B. Thomas, 13, Market-place, Boston, Lincolnshire. For Cuticle of Cotyledon Umbilicus prepared for the pnlar- iscope (unmounted), send stamped envelope and any object of microscopical interest.— W. H. Gomm, Soraerton, Taun- ton. BOOKS RECEIVED. " The American Naturalist." March. " The Canadian Entomologist." Nos. 2 and 3. " Annals and Magazine of Natural History." April. " Quarterly Journal of Microscopical Science." April. " The Journal of Botany." April. "The Entomologist's Monthly Magazine." April. " The Zoologist." April. " Notes on Chalcidire." Part VI. By Francis Walker, F.L.S. London: E. W. Janson & Co. " Les Mondes." March. " Land and Water." Nos. 322, 323. Timb's "Year-book of Facts for 18"2." London: Lock- wood & Co. " Journal of Applied Science." " Popular Science Review." April. " lUustrirte Natur Wissenschaft." No. 13. "Proceedings of the Bristol Naturalist's Society, 18"1, May to December. Communications Received up to l.">th April.— R F. W. — W. J.-J. R. P.-C. H.-G. G.— J. S. H.— W. F. H.— J. H. K. — J. S.-B. L.-W. W. S.— A. S.-T. C. M.— C. R.-R. G.— J. M. W.— W. K. F.-S. J. McI.— J. B.— E. T.— B. W. F—R. S. —A. H. A.-C. F.-J. B.— W. G.-J. H. G.— J. S. W. D.— R H M.-E. T. S— A. N.~E. N. B.-W. H. W.— H. E.W.- A. H — E. M. P.— T. G. B— W. B.— T. B.— T. S.— F. K.— J. F. 1 -J. H. M.— W. D. R.— J. M. H.— J. M. C— T. B. B.-S. B.— R. De L.-J. C. M.— C. R.— M. C. L.— A. L — A. J. D.— W. P. I — F T. M.— G. E. R.- J. F.— VV. B.— W. H. G.— H. E.— C. L. — G B. C— G. H.— W. S.— C. F. G.— H. L.— M. E. B.— G R R.— T. W.— J. R. J.— F. A. P.-E. L.— C. W.-C. J. W. — H D.— B. G.— B. F. B.— J. S., Jun.— F.— F. J. W.- J. L. C. — W H. G- G. S. T.— G. H. H.— F. M. M.— H. B. T.— A. L. —A. S.-T. W.-R. S.— J. S. D.-C. J. W. R. HxiRDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 121 COLLECTING AND PEESEEVING. No. V— BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS. By Dr. Kxaggs. HE collector of Lepictopt er a ^ho aspires to success must lead the book of nature as lie runs. If he have not the wit to to account each little fact which may come un- der his observation, neither he nor science will be the better for his collecting. He should, whenever he makes a capture, I'now the reason ichy, or he will never make a successful hunter. He should be ever on the alert, his motto, nunq^iiam clormio. Some collect for profit, others for pastime ; but the aim of our readers, I take it, is not only to acquire a collection of really good specimens, but also at the same time to improve their minds ; and the best way of effecting this purpose is to hunt the perfect insect, not so much for itself as for the sake of the golden eggs, which, with proper care and attention, wi!l in due course yield the most satisfactory results in tl'.e shape of bred specimens. This being the case, and space being limited, it seems best to simply touch upon the preliminary stages of insect existence, pointing out as we go those methods of collecting and preserving which experience has shown to be the most successful. There can be no doubt but that egg- hunting is a very profitable occupation, and far more remunera- tive than mo&t people dream of, particularly as a means of acquiring the Sphinges, Bombyces, and Pseudo-bombyces. Eggs, speaking generally, are to be found on the plants to which the various species are attached; and a knowledge of the time during which the species remains ia the esg state, Mo. 90. as well as the appearance of the eggs as deposited in nature, should if possible be acquired previous to proceeding to hunt. The most practical way of as- certaining the food and time is to watch the parent insect in the act of depositing her ova ; but when the plant has been thus discovered, the best way is to capture her, and induce her to lay at our homo. Vriien eggs are inconspicnous, of small dimensions, or aitfully concealed, the use of a magnify ing-glass is invaluable. Eggs may be preserved by plunging them in boil- ing water or piercing them with a very fine needle, or they may have their contents squeezed out and be refilled by means of a fine blowpipe, with some coagulable tinted fluid ; but the shells themselves, after the escape of the larva?, form, when mounted, beautiful objects for the microscope. The three most successful plans of obtaining cater- pillars are searching, beating, and sweeping. The first requires good eyesight and a certain amount of preparatory knowledge ; the others are a sort of happy-go-lucky way of collecting, useful enough and profitable in their way, but affording a very limited scope for the exercise of the wits. In searching for larva?, the chief thing is to observe the indications of their presence. A mutilated leaf, a roughened bark, a tumid twig, a sickly plant, an unexpanded bud, an abortive flower, or a windfall fruit, should at once set us thirking as to the cause; or, agair, the webs, the silken threads, the burrowings and trails, or the cast-off skins of larva;, may first call our attention to tlieir proximity. Of course, larvse may be found on almost all plants, as well as in the bark, stems, or wood of many; but the collector should fortify himself with a knowledge of what each plant is likely lo produce, and hunt accord- ingly; for though indiscriminate collecting may sometimes be successful, it does not tend to improve the intellectual powers. Beating is the more applicable method of working trees and bushes. It is carried out by jarring the 122 HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. larvae from their positions by the aid of a stick or pole, in such a manner that they will fall into an inverted umbrella or net ; or a sheet may be spread beneath for their reception. Sweeping with a strong net, passed from side to side with a mower. like movement, is better adapted for working low ground -herbage. The umbrella net, shown in fig. 75, is, perhaps, the best for this purpose. It is FJsr- 75, Umbrella Net. constructed by hinging two lengths of jack-spring on to two pieces of brass, and adapting them to the stick of the net, the upper piece of brass being fixed, the lower movable. When captured, larvae should be transferred to chip boxes, or else to finely and freely perforated tins, the latter better preserving the food. Avery bandy box for the purpose is formed by fitting a second lid on to the bottom of a chip box, and then cutting from the second lid and bottom a hole, as shown in fig. 76 (2); larvfe may then be inserted through the hole; but when the lid is shifted round, and the holes are not opposite, of course there will be no opening, as in fig. 76 (1), and the contents are secured from escape. 1 ■ • -2 Fig. 76- Box for Larvsc. Larva-preserving is carried out by first killing, and then squeezing and extracting the contents through the anal orifice by means of a crochet hook. AVhcn this has been done, the skin is inflated, but not to such an extent as to distend the segments, and is kept thus inflated while it is being dried in a heated metal chamber. Afterwards, if the colours are observed to have faded, they may be cautiously restored by the application of paint. These objects, mounted on suitable artificial leaves, are then ready for the cabinet. Chrysalis-collecting is conducted according to the situation of the object sought. Some are to be found in the chinks of bark or under loose bark, which may be detached by means of a powerful lever. Some are "suspended from trees, bushes, copings, hanging bead downwards, or girded by silken threads to low plants or walls ; others are to be found in the stems or trunks of their food- plants ; many are concealed in cocoons of more or less perfect construction, others again amongst fallen leaves, but the majority are to be met with under the surface' of the ground ; in which case we shall have to dig for them by the aid of a trowel or broad chisel. The best situations for subtei'ranean pupoe are open park-like fields, borders of streams, open spaces in fir woods, and they are usually situ- ated within a foot or so of the tree trunks, at the depth of two or three inches, though sometimes considerably deeper. Of course both larvae and pupae of aquatic species will have to be sought for in their element, among the plants they frequent. Chrysalis-preserving is a simple matter: the pupae may be killed by plunging them into hot water or by baking ; frequently, however, we find that the natural polish disappears with death, and this may be restored by varnishing. It is advisable that the cocoons also, where practicable, should be preserved, to give a notion of their appearance in nature. Moths and butterflies may be sought for at rest or on the wing. They may be disturbed from their hiding-places or they niny be attracted by various alluring baits. At rest on stems of grasses and other plants, butterflies may be taken on dull, sunless days ; but it requires some experience to detect a butterfly with its wings raised up over its back : the little " Blues " may thus be freely l)oxed in their localities. Again, such butterflies as hjbernate may be found in old sheds and outhouses, or under stacks. Moths may be taken at rest on tree trunks, palings, and walls, or amongst foliage and ground herbage. Some species are to be freely captured in this way after their evening flight is over. Of course, for evening work, a lantern to assist our vision will be indispensable. On the wing, some butterflies arc exceedingly active, others comparatively sluggish; some fly high, others low. In hunting them, the chief points to be remembered are not to alarm, but rather cautiously to stalk our game, and strike, when we have an opportunity, with precision. It is import- ant also to avoid throwing a shadow over them, liAKDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 123 and it is a good plan to get to wiudward of them — anything like flurry will be fatal to success. Moths which fly by day may be chased in the same manner, but some may be observed disporting tliemselves round trees ; these must be watched, and netted as they now and 'then descend. Others fly at a very low altitude, and are only brought into the field of vision by our assumption of the recumbent position. At night again, though we watch for anything stirring in the air, among the trees or the herbage, our tactics are somewhat modified ; for if the insect be of whitish colour, we should so place ourselves that its form will stand boldly out against a mass of dark foliage, whereas, if it be dingy in hue, we must take the sky for our background. Disturbing insects, and thus causing them to start forth, and so render themselves visible, is another metliod of collecting. This is carried out in various ways. First, the occupants of high trees may be ex- pelled by jarring the trunk with a heavily-loaded mallet, or by tliwacking the trunk with a long hazel stick; but a sharp look-out must be kept, for some sham death, and fall plump down, while others make off as fast as they can. Other plans are to pelt the trees with stones, or pump on them with a powerful garden-engine, or beat them with a long pole ; and of all trees the most profitable for this purpose is the yew ; though firs, oaks, beeches, and other trees are not to be despised. Tor beating bushes there is nothing better than a walking-stick, and for low herbage a long switch passed quickly from side to side with a tapping movement is best adapted. The tenants of tree trunks may be disturbed by brushing the surface •with a leafy little bough, or, better still, by the use of a strong fan, with which a powerful blast may be driven, the net being held in such a posi- tion as to intercept such insects as are blown off. Thatch-beating in the autumn is a very profitable employment, particularly in the matter of Depres- sarue. Sweeping need only be mentioned here, for motlis collected by the process are anything but perfect insects. There are various methods of attracting moths and butterflies. The first is effected by confining a virgin female in a muslin cage, the frame of which may be very eadily formed by bending three V^^^-s — -{/ pieces of cane into circles, and \,\. J y fixing these together at right . \, angles, as shown in fig. 77. Frame of Cage for When this baited cage is placed Virgin Lepidoptera. -^ ^ favourable position, and the weather is propitious for the flight of the males, the latter will, in some cases, congregate, and may be freely captured. Then, the food-plant of the species is an attraction UA—T~A « at whicli we stand the best chance of procuring impregnated females. Various kinds of blooms possess alluring quali- ties for insects : of these, sallow and ivy are the greatest favourites with collectors. They should be worked after dusk by means of a lantern and net ; but the combination of a lantern fixed to a Fig. 78. Lautern and Net. long stick, with a shallow net beneath and a little in advance of it, as sliowu in the cut, is the apparatus best adapted for the purpose ; the object of the net being to intercept any insects which may hap- pen to fall under the stimulus of light. These attractions should be first well searched over and afterwards, a sheet (split if necessary) having been carefully s])read bslow the bushes, a gentle shaking should be administered. Besides these blossoms, heather, ragwort, bugloss, catchfl}', bramble, various grasses, and a vast number of ctlier flowers, are wonderfully attractive. In working patches of bloom we should remain stationary and strike as the visitors arrive. Again, over-ripe fruit, the juicy buds of-certain trees, sap exuding from wounds in trees, are aU more or less attractive. The secre- tion of aphides, commonly called honey-dew, ob- servable in hot seasons on the leaves of nettles and various other plants and trees, is also well worth attention, and is at times very productive of insects. Sugaring is the next attraction, and a very im- portant one it is. "Sugar" may be prepared by boiling up equal quantities of coarse " foots " sugar and , treacle in a sufiieieut quantity of stale beer, a small quantity of rum being added previous to use, and also, if considered advisable, a flavouring of jargonelle pears, anise-seed, or ginger-grass. This mixture should be applied by means of a small paint-brush to the trunks of trees, to foliage, flowers, tufts of grass, or indeed to any object which may present a suitable surface ; for in some localities we are put to shift to kuow whereto spread our sweets. This operation should be performed just before dusk, and soon afterwards the baited spots should be visited and, by the aid of a lantern gently turned on them, examined, a net being held beneath the while. The best form of net for the purpose is formed by socketing two paragon wires into a Y- piece and connecting their diverging extremities G 2 124. HA RDW ICKE'S SC I EN CE-GO S S I P. by a piece of catgut", as shown in fig. 79. The catgut, being flexible, will adapt itself (see the dotted line) to the surface of a tree trunk when pressed against it. With regard to insects cap- tured at sugar, they arc usually remarkably quiet, Fig. 79. Net for Sugaring. Fig. 80. Box with linen joints. and may be boxed without dilEculty, and, with a few exceptions, may be conveyed home in the boxes, care being taken to let each have a separate apartment. The boxes should be strengthened Avith strips of linen pasted round the joints, as shown in fig. SO, otherwise accidents may occur, particularly on M'et evenings or on rough ground. The skittish indi- viduals may be best captured by means of the sugaring-drum, of which a cut is given in fig. 81. This apparatus consists of a cylinder, one end of which is covered with gauze, the other provided with a circular valve, which works in a slit. For Fig. 81. Sugaring-drum. use, the valve is opened and the cylinder placed over the insect, which naturally flies towards the gauze ; then the valve is closed, the corked piston, shown at the lower part of the cut, placed against it, the valve re-opcncd, the piston pushed up to the gauze, the insect pinned through the gauze, and the piston withdrawn with the insect transfixed it to. Light is another most profitable means of at tracting. The simplest way is to place a powerful moderator lamp upon a table in front of an open window which faces a good locality, and then wait net in hand for our visitors, which usually make their appearance late in the evening, and continue to arrive until the small hours. Those ^^ho prefer J3|^.:i!:i''^''^'f'if"''"jf[iiiJ!| Fig. 82. Cyanide-bottle and Ferrule. it can use the Americau moth-trap, which is self- acting, detaining such insects as may enter itspcr tals, or those who can afford the space may fit up a room on the same principle. Street lamps are very profitable in certain localities, and amply reward the collector who perseveriugly and minutely examines them. The apparatus depicted in fig. 82 is very useful for taking off sueli insects as may be on the glass of the lamp : it consists of a cyanide-bottle attached by a ferrule to the end of a sufficiently long stick. "When placed over an insect, stupefac- tion is quickly produced. A net of the sliape re- presented in fig. 83 is also very useful for getting at the various parts of the lamp. >' The best methods of stupefying and killing insects on the field is the cyanide-bottle, prepared by placing alternate layers of cyanide of potassium and blotting- paper in the bottom of a wide-mouihcd bottle, the mouth of which is accuiately stopped with a cover, which is better for the purpose than a bung. The cldoro- form-bottle, which is generally made with a litlle nipple, through which the fluid flows slowly out, and covered with a screw-top, as in the cut, is also handy. Tlic chloroform should be dropped over perforations in the box containing our patient, these perforations having been previously made by a few stubs of a pen- knife. After the fluid is dropped, our thumb should cover it, when the vapour will quickly eater, and rig. 81 Cliloro- form- bottle. HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 125 the inmate speedily become insensible. Afterwards the coup de grace may be given to the insect by pricking it under the thorax with the nib of a steel pen dipped in a saturated solution of oxalic acid. If we are smokers, a puff of tobacco may be blown into the box with like result. If we are destitute of any apparatus, and brimstone lucifers for the purpose of suffocating our captures under an inverted tumbler cannot be obtained at some roadside inn, we must fall back ou the barbarous practice of pinching the thoraces of such as cannot be carried home in boxes. At home we shall find the laurel-jar and ammonia- bottle the most useful. The former is made by partially filling a large wide-mouthed bottle or jar with cut and bruised dry leaves of young laurel : if any dampness hang about them, we shall have the mortification of seeing our specimens become mil- dewed. The latter consists in adding a few lumps of carbonate of ammonia, or some drops of strong liquid ammonia, on a sponge, to the bottle in which our captures, with each box lid slightly opened, have been placed. But it must be borne well in mind, firstl}', that ammonia is injurious to colours of most greeu insects ; and secondly, that if the specimens be not well aired after having been thus killed, the pins with which they are transfixed will become brittle and break. Insects should be left in the ammonia for several hours, and are then in the most delightful condition for setting out. To pin an insect properly is a most important procedure. The moth, if of moderate dimensions, may be rested or held between the thumb and fore- finger of the left hand, while the corresponding \ f y a \ ! / ^^ -= 11^ --- ^-^ Fig. 85. Front View of properly pinned insect. digits of the right hand operate by steadily pushing a pin through the thorax, bringing it out between the hind pair of coxa; until sufBcient of the pin is exposed beneath to steady the insect in the cabinet. Fig. 86. Side View of ditto. The direction of the pin should be. perpendicular when the insect is viewed from the fron^, as in fig. 85, a ; but a lateral view should show the pin slightly slanting forwards, as in fig. 86, b. Pins made for the purpose in numerous sizes are sold l)y Mr. Cooke, of New Oxford Street. Setting out moths and butterflies is an operation which, if skilfully performed, adds much to the bejiuty of the future specimens. The method of setting most popular is carried out by means of saddles and braces. These so-called saddles arc pieces of cork rounded as in the sectional figure, a ^0msg,,^^^^ Fig. 87. Cork Saddle for setting out insects. groove being cut out for the reception of the bodies of the insects : they are generally strengthened by a strip of wood, upon which they are glued. Braces are wedge-shaped pieces of card or thick note- paper, the thick end strengthened, if necessary, with a disk of card fixed by shoemaker's paste, and pierced with a pin through it, as shown in fig. 88- I Fig. 88. Braces for setting out. The mode of application of these appliances is beautifully shown in fig. OO.® But before these straps can be applied, the wings must first be got into position by means of the setting-needle and setting-bristle, which are thus manipulated; the setting -bristle, by the way, being formed by fixing a cat's whisker and a pin into a piece of cork, at the angle shown in fig. 89 : — After the Fig. so. Pin, Biistle, &c., for setting out. insect is straightly pinned upon the saddle, and the legs, antennae, and, if necessary, the tongue, got into position, the left fore-wing is to be pushed or * This figure and the following have been kindly lent by Messrs. Reeve &, Co. 12G HARDWICKE'S S CIEN G E-GO SSIP. tilted into its place by iiieans of the settiug-neeclle, whicli is merely a darning-needle witli a handle ; and simultaneously it is to be held down by the bristle ; then a small brace should be applied to the costa of the fore-win^. Next the hind- wing should in like manner be adjusted, and as many braces as arc coujidered necessary to keep the wings in this place should be added. Lastl.r, the right side of the insect should be treated in a similar way. Vig. go. Moth set out on cork saddle. A very useful mode of setting, invaluable when we are destituie of saddles, is known as "four- strap" setting, and is -well explained in fig. 91. Fi^. 91. Four- Strap setting. In this case the lower straps are first put into such a position, that when the insect is placed over them, the middle of each of the cosltc will rest upon them ; then the wings are got into posi- tion, and the second pair of straps are applied over the wings, the latter retaining their position through the elasticity of their costfc: two more straps are generally added to secure the outer borders of the wings, as shown in the drawing; but these, though advantugcoiis, are not absolutely necessary. The saddles, with their contents, should be kept in a drying-house, which is a box adapted for their reception, and freely ventilated, until the specimens are thoroughly dry, when the latter may be cautiously removed, aud transferred to the collection. To preserve our collection from decay, consider- able care and attention is necessary. In the first place no insect which is in the least degree sus- pected of being alfccted by niitcs, or mould, or grease, should upon any account be admitted to our collections. It is best to be on the safe side and submit every insect received from correspondents. whether mity or not, to quarantine, by which is meant their detention for a few v.-eeks in a box the atmosphere of which is impregnated .with some vapour destructive to insect life ; such as that of benzole. Oar own spccinjiens v.'c should kyauizc by touching the bodies of each with a camel's-hair brush dipped in a solution of bichloride of mercury of the strength sis grains to the ounce of spirits of wine,— uo stronger. As for mould, it is best destroyed by the appli- cation of phaenic or carbolic acid, mixed with three parts of ether or spirit. As preventives, the specimens should be kyanized as above. Caution in the use of laurel as a killing agent must be exer- cised, and the collection must be kept in a dry room. Grease may be removed by soaking the insects iu pure rectified naphtha or benzole, even by boil- ing them iu it if necessary. When the bodies only are greasy, they may be broken off, numbered, and. treated as above. After the grease is thoroughly softened, the insects should be covered up in pow- dered pipeclay or French chalk, which may be sub- sequently removed by means of a small sable brush. As a precaution against grease, it is advisable to remove the contents of the abdomina by slitting up the latter beneath with a finely-pointed pair of scissors before they are thorough-dry, and packing the cavities with cotton-wool. The males.espccially of such species as have internal feeding larvee, should be thus treated. Some prefer to keep their collections in well- made store-boxe?, which possess many advantages over the cabinet ; for example, they may be kept like books in a bookcase, the upright position ren- dering the contents less liable to the attacks of mites ; they are more readily referred to, aud are more portable, and they admit of our gradually ex- panding our collections to any extent. Cabinets, on the other hand,'are preferred by many, for the reasons that they are compact and generally form a hand- some article of furniture ; moreover, good cabinets are madc_cntirely of mahogany, which is the best wood for the purpose ; deal, and other woods con- taining resinous matter, having a decidedly in- jurious effect cu the specimens. As a preservative, there is, after all, perhaps nothing better than cam- phor ; but it should be used sparingly, or its tendency will be to cause greasiness of the specimens. ART IN ITS RELATION TO NATURAL SCIENCE. PAINTINGS, and works of art generally, have not hitherto been introduced into Scienck- Gossip, but, on reflection, it appears that the fine arts would be advanced by the appHcation of science to them. Anatomy, perspective, the HARDWICKE'S SCIEK CE-GO S SIP. 127 geological striictare of rocks, the principles oa which water finds its level and also is conformable to the rotundity of the earth, natural history, and especially botany, are needful for the accomplish- nieut of artists in their several departments. In fact, truth, which science asserts, is the soul of painting and poetry alike ; and no real and sub- stantial feeling of grace or beauty, in any of her forms, can be divorced from it. We shall, therefore, consider it to be strictly within the province of Science-Gossip to endea- vour to eliminate from every branch of art the enor- mities which have been perpetrated under her guise, such as horses galloping with their four legs distended like rocking-horses, flon'-ers and plants mere apologies for their originals, &c. In commencing the npplication of science to works of art, we propose to deal very gently with those exhibited this year at the Royal Academy, and to do little m.ore than indicate some marked errors. No. 25, by Sir E. Landscer, R.A., is a charming but rather sketchy portrait of Lady Emily Peel, seated, with her dogs, deservedly favourites, courting her notice on either side. The artist has paid little attention to the flowers at her feet, as little apparently as the dog which in its haste to reach its mistress has upset the vase whicli contained them. This is a pretty episode ; but it is vain for Sir Edwin to divert our attention from the flowers by the charming portraiture of the lady. Nature seems to assert her rights and to claim for her flowers a fair delineation, not as photographs, nor as principals in the picture, but such as is truthful and pleasing, and not to leave it necessary to ask what they are intended for. No. 223, " Hearts are Trumps : Portraits of Elizabeth, Diaua^ and Mary, Daughters of Walter Armstrong, Esq.," J. E. Millais, R.A. This gorgeous painting, per- haps the best that the artist has ever produced, is entirely free from the defects of No. 25. The exquisite flowers on the one side are most artisti- cally set off by the screen on the other, under which the ladies are seated at their game of cards. As they are portraits, they do not admit of the criticism which would attach to one of them at least, who holds the king of hearts, but does not seem to be delighted, scarcely contented, with her good luck. The sister, who holds the fewest hearts, appears the most contented. Had the subject been ideal, it would have been open to criticism on this score ; but, as it is, it is difficult to find fault with it, and we anticipate that it will be one of the chief attractions in the exhibition. No. G, "In the Valley of Rocks, North Devon," T. G. Cooper. We have much pleaure in singling this out among many as a faithful representation of the geological struc- ture of the rocks, at the same time that the artist proves that he is alive to the sentimental by his placing the right hand of the shepherdess upon the 1 neck of a lamb, and a nosegay of wild flowers in her left. No. 130, "Passing Clouds, near Capel Carig, North Wales," B. W. Leader. Por the same reason we call attention to this picture as very beautiful, and geologically correct, and werepeat our conviction, that the more closely and scientifically the geological features are represented, the greater will be the pictorial charm. Time will not allow me to specify the many excellent pictures in which the rules of science may be said to be faithfully carried out. I will only mention the " Yew-trees of Borrowdale," by E. A. Pettitt, a most effective painting, but in which the natural colours are slightly departed from. No. 658, " My Punishment is greater than I can bear," G. E. Watts, R.A. The anatomical correctness of this gigantic work is, perhaps, open to censure, and we do not regret that it is deposited in the Academy, where it will be out of sight A EEW OBSERVATIONS ON THE SMOOTH NEWT. {Lissotrito.i punctatus.') r\N the 29th of May last (1871) I obtained a ^^ female Smooth Newt (Lissotriton pimctatus) , and observing it to be big-bellied, conjectured that it had not yet laid its eggs. In this I was not mis taken, but, notwithstanding my close attention, was unable to discover it in the act of depositing them. This, probably, was owing to my ignorance of the manner in which they were deposited, my idea being that they were laid in some such manner as those of the frog or toad — viz., in spawn. The way in which they are deposited, and their further development into the tadpole phase of their exist- ence, form the subject of this short paper. On receiving the Newt it was put into a large rectangular aquarium, containing about three gal- lons of water, and having in its centre a piece of artificial rockwork in the form of an arch. Disposed throughout were a number of plants of Vallisneria spiralis, Callitriche venia, and G. autumnalis ; also some water-moss upon the rockwork and at its base. I frequently observed the Newt among the plants, but nothing else being noticed, I began to think I had been mistaken in my supposition of its being an impregnated female ; and it was not until the 17th''of June that anytliing transpired to con- firm my first impression. On the afternoon of that day, however, while watching the aquarium, which, besides the Newt, contained a few minnows, loaches, and a large number of frog-tadpoles, my eye caught something darting about, scarcely visible but for the bright golden'eyes which ever and anon glanced like gems, as the colourless sprite darted hither and thither. It must ultimately have fallen a victim to some of the fisli, as I shortly after lost sight of it. 128 HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. never again to see it ; or, indeed, any other iu this aquarium. Subsequent experience proved that the minute newt-tadpole was included in the frog- tadpole's bill of fare, which, by the way, is very comprehensive, a disabled member of its own community not being objected to. The aquarium liad a few days pi'eviously been cleaned out, the plants thinned, and a few sprigs of CallitricJie venia, which had some of their leaves folded down, and kept iu that position, I had placed iu a sniall bottle with water. On looking at them I found the Jeaves a little separated, and within the cnfoldure Fig:. 92. C«W(')-fc7ie werno, with leaves containing ova of Newt. something resembling a small caterpillar snugly coiled up in its cocoon. Suspecting what they really were, I kept a close watch on their develop- ment, and was not disappointed, as they proved to be the young of the Newt, and were curious and interesting objects for study. The following is my diary of observation : — June 12 (11 a.m.).— One of the germs, which I suppose to be those of the Smooth Newt, was hatched. It was about three-eighths of an inch long ; head obtuse, rounded; eyes large and brilliant, black, with bright golden iridcs : colour of body, pale yellow or amber ; two dark-coloured streaks, commencing on head, and combining at tlie point where the tail commences, were continued to its end, which was as fine as a needle's point. Under- neath was a dark streak, formed, I think, by the intestines ; behind the head, on either side, was a delicate fringe — the hranclna (breathing organs). consisting of several points directed outward and backward, and so transparent as barely to be visible. Erom the same point, along the centre of the back, ran a fin, more transparent still — so transparent as to be invisible, except in certain lights, and with the aid of a magnifying-glass. Development of Germ. — It was inclosed in a globular jelly-like substance, which expanded at its growth ; Fi?. 93. Sliowing; different stages in development of ova, k from 1 to 4, &-C. • the two halves of the leaf separating at the same time, and showing the tadpole neatly coiled up, with Its head and tail in close proximity. Erom the posi- tion and appearance of the eggs, [ should suppose them to be covered outwardly with a glutinous sub- stance, which, when the egg was laid in the fold of the leaf, and the halves compressed, adhered to them, thus keeping the leaf in that position. As the tadpole increased in size, however, it required more space, and with its growth the two portions of the leaf separated, thus allowing the water a freer access to the t^g, and determining its shape, which appeared to be that of a perfect sphere. The furthest developed one was, in its outer part, the half of a perfect sphere ; while the inner half, still in the double of the leaf, was compressed and elongated, giving to the whole egg a pear-shape. See fig. 93, a, &c. June 23. — The tadpole occasionally changed its position in the tgg; the head and tail, liowever, always keeping in same position, near together. After twice rapidly changing its position in the egg, the head of the tadpole burst the envelope, and, after a few moments' rest, it dropped slowly out, and resting with its head between a leaf and the side of the bottle, was in a most favourable posture for observation. I could now see the brancliia: and fin with the unassisted eye, and found that, in addilion to the back-fin, another ran along the under-side of the tail^from the vent. After remaining in this position for a few minutes, it darted away stickleback-like. Immediately after its coming out, the ^s^ collapsed, and on cxamina- HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 129 tion I loiind it to consist of a transparent substance, much resembling gelatine, and no larger (when out of the water) than an ordinary-sized piu's-head ; thus favouring the opinion of its expansion by the absorbing of water during the development of the germ. June 24. — Those hatched lay quietly at the bot- tom of the water, rarely moving unless disturbed. Two more developed, both occasionally moved, the movement being a turning of the body half, or more than half, round in the egg; it, however, was so quick as to elude deflning. June 28.— All the eggs now hatched. July 2. — All the young got fore-feet, which were very pale and transparent, so much so, indeed, as barely to be visible. The largest was nearly half an inch long, the shortest three-eighths ditto. July 5. — All the young nearly of the same size. The head, legs, feet, and branchiie were all covered with minute dark-coloured dots ; those on the head brown, as were also the two streaks, which, running, the whole length of the body, then combined and continued in one to the end of the tail. These were, as I afterwards found, composed of a multitude of these minute dots. The head was large, and branchiae more developed ; the legs longer, and toes long in proportion, the middle one (only three visible) being much the longest, and almost equal in length to the rest of the leg ; - the whole not exceeding 2-12ths of an inch. The germs had the power of bending the body to either side, and also of elevating the posterior part. When they moved, they did so by quick, short starts for- ward. July 11. — No observable change. July 18, — A little larger, and tail-fin spotted, or rather dotted. July 21. — The young were kept in a vessel amongst decaying vegetable matter, which fostered a growth of Conferva;, amongst which the tad- poles became entangled. On disengaging them they were still living, but died shortly after ; thus bringing my interesting observations to a close. In closing I may add, that during the whole period from their discovery both eggs and tadpoles were kept out of doors in the open air, Newcastle-tipon-Tyiie. C. R. E. ' NEW BOOKS.-- rpiiERE are few greater luxuries to a literary -*- naturalist than that of cutting the leaves of such a splendid volume as that which heads our list. The paper-knife would fain linger long over its work, and drops listlessly out of the hand when the last page has been severed ! To a student this work is * " Corals and Coral Islands." By James D. Dana, LL.D. London: Sampson I,ow & Co. 1872. " Botany for Beginners." By Maxwell T. Masters, M.D., F.R.S. London : Bradbury, Evans, & Co. 1872. I "May Flowers." By the Rev. James Harris, M.A. ■ London: Griffith & Farran. 1872. I indeed a treasure. On no subject in marine zoology have more mistakes been made than in the natural history of Corals, Eor years past some of the best naturalists in all countries have been working on them. Milne-Edwards, Haines, Darwin, Duncan Dana, Agassiz, Pourtales, and others have contri- buted memoirs. Our fossil corals have been better illustrated than our recent, as witness the magnifi- cent volumes of the Pakcontographical Society. No other class of marine objects throws such light over past history, over the temperature and olher physical conditions of primeval seas, as corals. With Darwin's wonderful generalizations before us, out of the fossil corals of our Silurian and carboni- ferous limestone hills it becomes tolerably easy to- describe the physical geography of the seas m-. which those limestones were deposited. And yet, with all the importance attached to corals, and in- spite of all that has been written about them, as well as the erroneous notion abroad concern- ing these interesting organisms, we have hac^ hitherto no manual specially devoted to their con- sideration. The student has been forced to wade toilsomely through the scientific memoirs of his own and other tongues, if haply he might find what he sought after. Hence it is that we hail this volume as a boon to the student ; as a splendid manual on coral -zoology, finely illustrated, and written by a man who perhaps knows more about the practical natural history and literature of the subject than any other philosopher. Professor Dana's work enters minutely into the relations between the Hydroids, Bryozoans, &c., and Corals — the uon-coral-making actinoid Polyps, as well as the coral-making— that is, between the sea- anemones which deposit no lime, and the coral animals which do. The chapter on " Life and Death in concurrent Progress in Coral Zoophytes " is deeply interesting, and we should gladly transcribe it for our readers, did space permit. Perhaps the most interesting part of the work, however, is that which treats on Reef-forming Corals, and the causes which influence their growth and distribution in latitude, depth, &c. The principal coral reefs and islands throughout the globe are particularized, the author having personally visited the most important. The formation, rate of growth, and origin of coral reefs, are elaborately treated on at con- siderable length. We have said enough, however, to indicate to the student a valuable work, one that will help the zoologist nearly as much as the geolo- gist. We proceed to quote a few paragraphs rela- tive to the mode in which the genera of some of the commonest compound corals grow to their mature sizes. Speaking on this important subject. Prof. Dana says :— " When the budding is not con- fined to any particular polyp or cluster of polyps, but takes place universally through the growing mass, the coral formed is more or less nearly hemi- 130 1 1 A R D W I C K £ ' S S C I E N C E - G O S S 1 P. spherical ; and often the process goes ou with such extreme regularity that these hemispheres are per- fectly symmetrica], even wlieu enlarged to a dia- meter of ten or fifteen feet. In the growth of these liemispheres, the enlargement takes place in the spaces between the polyps ; and whenever these spaces begin to exceed the width usual to the species, a new mouth opens, commencing a new polyp ; and thus the growth of the mass involves multiplication of buds. Species of Pontes also grow into hemispheres and rude hillock-like forms througli the same method of budding, and some of the masses in the tropical Pacific have a diameter of even twenty feet. Myriads of living polyps are combined iu a single such mass, for each is but the fifteenth or a twentieth of an inch in diameter. Besides this metliod of budding, there is also a kind of superior budding called spo7itaneous fission, which consists in a spontaneous subdivision of a polyp, by which two are made out of one. This spontaneous fission is the common kind of hudding in the large Astrea tribe. Many of the astrea hemispheres of the Pacific, grown by this method, have a diameter of ten or fifteen feet. . . Some- times, when a new mouth forms iu an enlarging disk, there is not at once a separation of the two, but the disk continues to enlarge iu one direction and another, and then another mouth opens, and so on until a string of mouths exists in one elon- gated disk ; and, finall}', a separation occurs, but only to commence or carry forward another long series. In this way the corals with mcandrinc furrows are made, some kinds of which are popu- larly called Brain-corals, and pertain to the Mean- drina family. In all such species the tentacles stand in a line on either side of the line of mouths." Dr. Masters's little book appears to us to come up to what it professes to be — a "Botany for Be- ginners,"— better than any we have yet seen. It is written in simple, yet attractive English. Tiie illustrations are numerous and good, and every one serves as a useful text for further enlargement. Tiie author is a botanist of high standing, and his experience as a lecturer enables him to introduce his remarks to the student iu an untechnical, and yet scientific manner. The most remarkable feature in this'book is the correlation of the various details, all taken from simple and familiar flowers, and the modifications which each part has undergone in different plants. The fact that the woodcuts arc by Mr. Worthington Smith will be a sufficient voucher for their correctness and finish. The llev. Mr. Harris's little hrochure—" May Flowers," — is what it calls itself, — a popular and scientific description of the wild flowers of the month, with their habitats, properties, &c. It is cheerfully and pleasantly writteu, varied by a good deal of original folk-lore, and cannot fail to interest young beginners in the charming science of Botany. A GOSSIP ABOUT THE HAWFINCH. AS several of the contributors of Science- Gossip last year took some interest in the Hawfinch, perhaps a few remarks concerning it in au aviary may be acceptable. The Hawfinch, although not plentifully found, is not considered a rare bird : some few are sometimes seen in Eppiug Forest, where its nest is annually taken. It is generally believed that it destroys small birds, and so cannot be trusted in au aviary. Such is not the case. I have kept it for months with canaries, finches, tits, and warblers, without the least injury to any. When first taken it is rather shy, but does not dash about as most small birds do ; if kept in a small cage, it sits with a somewhat timid, pensive look, and if approached, will tighten its feathers, open its large mouth, and stand quite defiant ; of course, in an aviary it makes off at once, but iu a short time it becomes tame aud sings a few coarse notes, but not louder than those of the Bullfinch. When thoroughly established, it will allow you to approach very near it, and even to pass under the branch it may be standing upon; at nigbt, similar to the Bullfinch, you may do almost what you like (short of touching him), as the Hawfinch rarely moves. On going from place to place, the rest of the birds seem to keep clear of the Hawfinch ; when at the feeding-pan, other birds do not approach ; for although it is so inoffensive, most of the birds fear it, with this exception, sometimes the Blue Tit will dine at the same time, and at the same dish ; Farus carideus will cling to the edge of the feeding, pan supported by his tail, until fairly driven away by the Hawfinch with open mouth. The food of the Hawfluch is hemp and cauary- seed, with sop-bread and milk ; kernels of the plum are greedily devoured: a plentiful supply of water is necessary, as he is fond of bathing. Being above the ordinary size of finches, he is somewhat ornamental and always to be seen; and though his colours arc not the brightest of his species, he is not a little attractive. The Hawfinch is rather a clumsy-looking bird, with a large head, and bill of extraordinary thickness and of great strength, of a flesh-colour in winter, and becoaiing a deep blue in spring. The head is a light brown ; the throat and feathers round the base of biii black; the back a dark brown; the wings marked with white, something like the Chafliuch ; the tail short, uuder-part pale brown; plumage soft and blended; its fliglit is swift, and it alights peculiarly heavy for a bird of its size. The nest of the Hawfincli is rather loosely built; the young have a spotted breast, something like a young thrush, but the white and glossy feathers of the wings are almost as bright as in tbe old ones. The nestlings should be put iu a dark cage, with HAIIDWICKE'S SCIENCE. GOSSIP. 131 some hay to keep them clean and warm. Eeed them upon scalded bread and rape-seed, mixed with the yolk of hard-boiled egg;. The rape-seed should be soaked for twelve hours, then simmered for a few minutes, then strained and rolled with rolling-pin, taking care to get as many of the husks away as possible : it will then be ready for mixing. This pre- paration will do for almost any kind of young birds : they should be fed every two hours, from early mom until sunset. The Hawhuch so brought up will answer to a name if frequently mentioned at feeding-time. I have heard of them imitating a few words ; and indeed the formation of the bill seems to favour such a remark. Those I brought up from the [nest made an attempl, but I am sorry to say I cannot give any account of their ability, as they died in moulting. My impression is that they could talk. C. J. W. RUDD. THE PRODUCTS OF WASTE. rrMLE number of important commercial products -*- now manufactured from m.aterials which were formerly thrown away, being at first sight valueless and repulsive, has within the last ten years been marvellously increased. Those gorgeous colours the aniline dyes, exhibit- ing almost every shade of the solar spectrum ; stupendous blocks of alum ; beautiful yellow and red crystalline masses of ferro- and ferri-cyanide of potassium ; enormous cakes of paraffin, a chemical curiosity a few years ago, but now one of the largest of our manufactures ; the variety of lucifer- matches in connection with the development and production of phosphorus ; the almost endless com- binations for artificial manures ; the still greater assortment of paper in its useful applications ; — all these might have been seen together in the last exhibition, though but few perhaps of the many thousands who gazed with pleasure at that interest- ing collection were aware that they were mere chemical products of the dust-heap and sewer. Dirt has been aptly defined as valuable matter in the wrong place ; and that such is the truth is evident from the fact that all the manufactures first al- luded to, as well as those of Prussian blue, disin- fectants, glue, &c., have sprung into existence by the application of chemical principles to such waste products as coal-tar, gas-vrater, rags, and bones. In the destructive distillation of coal for the production of ordinary gas, a quantity of offensively-smelling water and a considerable bulk of tarry matter are also produced. These were formerly thrown away as useless and deleteriou?, but now they are utilized. The noxious odour of the gas-water is due to the presence of sulphur and ammonium compounds, and by simply adding sufficient quicklime the alka- line compounds are decomposed and ammonia gas is liberated. This is conducted into chambers filled with carbonic acid gas, and thus the common salt, known as carbonate of ammonium, is produced. More than 2,000 tons of this useful chemical arc annually made from refuse gas-water. If instead of quick- lime, hydrochloric acid be added, sal-ammoniac is obtained, from which nearly all the medicinal pre- parations of ammonia are produced. The quantity of sal-ammoniac thus manufactured from year to year exceeds 4,000 tons. If again sulphuric acid be employed in the place of hydrochloric acid, sul- phate of ammonium is the result, about 5,000 tons of which are annually used for manures. When to a solution of sulphate of ammonium, one of sulphate of aluminium is added, the crystalline substance called alum is obtained, so generally useful in the arts. The sulphuric acid used in preparing alum may also be eliminated from gas-water. The sul- phur impurities referred to before are removed by means of a mixture of sav/dust and iron, sulphide of iron and water being produced ; air is then passed through the mixture, the effect of which is to convert the sulphide of iron back again into oxide, the sulphur at the same time separating in the form of powder. The sulphur is then burned in a pro- perly constructed furnace, and by causing the fumes to combine with nitrous and aqueous vapours in leaden chambers, sulphuric acid is obtained. Let us pass now to the tarry matter, the other waste product of the distillation of coal. This is a very complex body, containing a large number of substances, most of which are volatile, some acid, some alkaline, and some neutral. By appropriate chemical means these components of crude coal-tar are obtained in a state of purity. The lighter por- tions, known as coal-naphtha, consist principally of benzol, a liquid of great utility in the arts. By treating benzol with nitric acid, nitro-benzol is pro- duced, which is used, on account of its sweet taste and almond-like odour, to perfume soaps and flavour confectionery. Aniline, the base of all the dyes bearing that name, is obtained from the action of nascent hydrogen or nitro-benzol. Carbolic acid is another product of the fractional distillation of coal- tar. By the action of nitric acid, carbolic acid is converted into carbazotic acid, which is now used as a yellow dye. Perhaps the most interesting of all the products of coal-tar is solid paiaffin, a colour- less crystalline fatty substance, which may truly be termed "condensed coal-gas." It is found na- turally in the coal-measures and other bituminous strata, constituting the minerals known as fossil wax, ozokerit, &c. It exists also in solution in many kinds of petroleum, and may be obtained by distilling off the more volatile portions and expos- ing the remainder to a low temperature. The greater bulk of paraffin is, however, obtained from coal-tar. The oil produced from paraffin will only burn in the 132 HAKDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. presence of a wick, and is tlierefore perfectly safe ; when burning, it splits up into olefiaut gas, thus producing a brilliant white light. To sum up : from the two waste products of coal in the manufacture of gas are obtained carbonate, chloride, and sul- phate of ammonium, sulphur and sulphuric acid^ coal-naphtha, benzol, nitro-beuzol, aniline, carbolic and carbazotic acids, and solid paraffin. The next division of this interesting subject is rags. First and foremost of the many applications of this humble material is the manufacture of paper ; for this purpose M'c buy from other nations no less than 15,000 tons of rags annual!)', besides using 70,000 tons from the waste of our own population; the whole representing a money value of £700,000. The trausTormation effected by the action of certain chemicals on paper is very striking. A sheet of common white blotting-paper, which will scarcely bear its own weight when wetted, is converted in a few seconds by the action of sulphuric acid into a substance 'possessing all the properties of ordi- nary animal parchment, and so strong that it can be only broken with difficulty. Great as this change is, strange to say, no chemical alteration has really taken place ; the acid merely produces a molecular change, and is entirely washed away at tlie end of the process. Hags from woollen materials undergo many peculiar metamorphoses ; old clo' crier s first collect them ; they are then successively converted into mungo, shoddy, and devil's dust, and reap- pear as ladies' superfine cloth ; they then degenerate into druggets, and are finally used for the manufac- ture of flock-paper. After undergoing all these trans- formations they are used by the agriculturist as manure, on account of the large amount of nitrogen they contain. The presence of this element makes them of great use also to the chemical manufacturer ; he boils them down with pearUoli, horns and hoofs of cattle, old iron hoops, blood, clippings of leather, and broken horseshoes, and produces the beautiful yellow and red salts known as the prus- siatcs of potash. Prom these again the rich and valuable pigment called Prussian blue is made ; and thus do our old rags enter upon a fresh career of beauty and usefulness, to form in their turn other waste products, which may again be utilized through the power of man's intelligence. The vast and important subject of bones now demands attention. Of these we import more than £400,000 worth, and the uses to which they are applied arc endless. Bones are composed of half their weight of phosphate of lime, about a third of their weight of cartilage or gelatine, and the re- mainder of earthy matters. The gelatine is ex- tracted by boiling water under pressure, and is used to stiffen calico, &c. ; when purified, it con- stitutes the nutritious aliment known as calf's-foot jelly. When bones are heated without access of air, the organic matter of the cartilage is decomposed, oily products passing over, and a black carbonaceous residue being left : tbis is bone-black, or animal charcoal, greatly used as a deodorizer and disin- fectant. Bones, when calcined and heated witli sulphuric acid, yield superphosphate of lime, so highly esteemed as a manure. The last and cer- tainly the most important application of bones is the manufacture of phosphorus. The bones are first burnt to remove all traces of animal matter ; the resulting bone-earth, as it is called, is then subjected to the action of sulphuric acid, by which superphosphate of lime is produced. This acid phosphate is then mixed with charcoal and strongly heated in a retort, when it splits up into normal phosphate and phosphoric acid, the latter being finally reduced by the charcoal to phosphorus, while hydrogen and carbonic oxide are liberated as gases. The combustible and poisonous properties of phosphorus make it very dangerous to employ in the arts ; but Professor Schrotter discovered that when ordinary phosphorus Mas heated for some time in a closed vessel to a temperature of 470° it lost its power of igniting spontaneously and became of a deep red colour. By making use of this discovery, matches can now be made with- out danger either to those who manufacture them or to those who use them. The safety-match is made by putting the oxidizing material alone on the match, the red phosphorus being mixed with emery and pasted on the side of the box. We have thus mentioned a few of the valuable applications of substances which some years ago were looked upon as utterly worthless. Coal-tar, rags, and bones rise from the sewer and dust-heap, and are transformed by chemistry into gorgeous luxuries and necessities of civilization, giving em- ployment in their transformations to thousands of our vroiking classes. C. Leicester. ON THE ECONOMY OF THE ERESH- WATER POLYP. HAVING for more than two years past had a number of Hydras in small glass aquaria under my (I* might almost say daily) observation, 1 thought, simple and limited as those observations may be, that they perhaps would prove interesting to the readers of Science-Gossip. The Hydras are most interesting animals, and have long attracted the attention of naturalists generally, on account of their extraordinary powers of reproduction. The Hydra vulgaris, which is the same as I have in my glasses, was discovered by Leeuwenhok, in 1703 ; but its wonderful power of digestion, and of nndti- plication after division, were first discovered by Tiembley in 1740. Having noticed, at the end of last December, that HAKDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. m a number of Hydras in my aquarium had become b'.udded with white liemispherical-sbaped Jumps, rather prominently raised in the centre (as sliown in iig. O-l, a), I took some of them out of the water, and examined them under the microscope in a shal- low cell ; when I observed in the extreme tips of those lumps a number of moving objects, having the appearance of so many minute animalcules, which kept up continual and rapid movements. After a Fig. 9J. Hytlra, s-howing iirominences a, and b eruptions. lime, I distinctly saw an eruption of some of those protuberances, and springing out from them, with considerable force, a number of those moving ob- jects (fig. 9t, d), which appeared to disperse them- selves in the water around the Hydra. At that time the Hydra did not take food, and the tentacles gradually contracted, and finally the whole body dissolved into a confused mass of whitish granules. Now the question arose in my mind as to what these living moving things could be that occupied Ihekrnpsand finally escaped into the water sur- rounding the body of the Hydra, Were they the spermatozoa escaping from the sperm-cells fertiliz- ing the ova in the ovi-sacs ? Both the sperm-cells and ovi-sacs are to be found on the same polyp, and at its final dissolution the ovum sinks t,o the bottom and lies hidden in the mud, from which ovum the Hydra is reproduced in the following spring. This appears to me to be the case, and though this manner of the formation of the Hydras from ova has never been traced or witnessed, yet I think we have reason to conclude that this is tlic fact, as after the disappearance of the Hydras in the autumn, 1 have during the winter closely examined the water and plants growing in it, and have not been able to find one single Hydra; and then again in the spring, I have observed a very icw small ones indeed, and after a time have found them increasing by gemma- tion or budding, which is tlie usual manner of their Fig-. 95. rirst stage in ilcvelopmcnt of Hydra. propagation during the summer months. All this can be witnessed by any one during the summer by keeping them in a small aquarium under obser- vation. The reason why I think the small Hydras that make their appearance first in the spring are produced from ova is the fact that, ^vhen produced by budding, I have always observed that the young m- 1 Fig. g6. Second stage in development of Hj dra. on:s do not leave the parent stem until they are fuUgrown, and as large as the parent itself; and even sometimes a bud is seen on the young one be- fore it leaves the parent stem. So I conclude that those very small ones which fiist appear are pro- LSI IIARDWiCKE'S SCIENCE- GOSSIP, duced from the ova. Some of them when first observed are a mere rounded lump, showing the tentacles like a star (as shown on fig. 95), others I find as it were in a more advanced slate, as that marked litr. 96, but without a footstalk or sucking disk. And again others with a very short footstalk, as in fig. 97; and so on until they commence budding .^^^"^^ are produced from ova. There is another way of multiplying the Hydra besides gemmation and ova- tion, which is by mechanical subdivisions; that is, by cutting them into slips as you would plants. Ti'.is I have proved several times, and now have some on which I have tried the experiment. In one Fig. 97. Development of Foot-stalk, in the usual way. So I think it very feasible that Fig-. B8. Development of Foot-stalk, the small Hydras that appear in tlic early spring Fig. TQ. Hydra a'tacking Water-flea. glass there arc eight Hj'dras whicli are the results of my cutting four into parts. Cuttin'^- them does Fig. 100. Hydra wiiliout tentacles. not appear to aCTect them much, for the part con- taining the tentacles, when severed, sinks gradually to the bottom of the glass, with the tentacles still il A 11 J ) \ V 1 C K E ' S S C I E K C £ - G O S S I P . 135 extended. And should a water-flea come within the reach of the tentacles, they readily seize it and Fig. 101. Hydra after cutting. draw it to the mouth of the polyp. The flea will struggle M'itli the polyp, and will drag it about at Fig. 102. Hydra tiiree hours after cnttins the bottom of the glass, as the Hydra has no foot - stalk or sucker to hold on with, being cut asunder. But, liowever, it holds fast on the flea, and finally absorbs it. The foot-part of the severed Hydra still continues to hold on to the plant or side of the glass where it was fixed when it was cut in two ; and, stretching out its full length, patiently waits until a new head and tentacles are formed, before it can catch its prey to satisfy its appetite. I have figured the forms of some of the polyps three hours after being cut in two. I have seen the tentacles reproduced in a few hours after the operation, sufii- cieut to enable the Hydra to catch and absorb the water-flea. In one of my glasses are several Hydras the results of my cutting two to pieces ; one I cut in two, the other I cut into several pieces, and they are all restored to perfect animals. James Fullagak. MICEOSCOPY. List of rouMS ix Mollek's Diatomaceex PnoBE Platte. — Triceratium Eavus, Pinnularia nobilis, Navicula Lyra, Navicula Lyra, var., Pinnu- laria interrupta, 1-inch objective ; Stauroneis Phce- niceiiterou, Grammatophora marina, Pleurosig a Balticam, f -inch ditto ; Pleurosigma acuminatum, Pleurosigma angulatum, ^-inch ditto ; Pleurosigma fasciola, Grammatophora subtilissima, Surirella gemma, Nitzschia sigmoidea, -g-inch ditto ; Cyma- topleura elliptica ; Navicula crassinervis, I'^-inch ditto ; Nitzschia curvuhn, ^-inch ditto ; Amphipleura pellucida, yViiich ditto. The above is a copy of Mollcr's list, with the powers usually necessary to resolve the forms'; but, being mounted in balsam, the striae are much more difiicult to resolve than when mounted dry. KUzschia curvula (Smith) of lists is not that form, but N. sigma of Smith, The former is not a Nitzschia, but a Surkella,— the S. intermedia of Dr. Lewis. The illuminating ray requires to be more or less oblique in all cases where the ofcj;;ctive is less than ^. Fui^GoiD GiiowTiis ON Leayes of Coleus. — A paper was read before the Royal Microscopical Society, by Mr. H. J. Slack, P.G.S., &c., on the supposed fungus on Coleus leaves. A microscopic examination of the leaves revealed certain peculiar appearances on their under surfaces, which had hitherto been attributed to fungoid growths. When a leaf of a Coleus is examined by means of a lens, a number of globular bodies of a beautiful yellow tint, highly translucent and refractive, and the majority of them marked with a cross like that impressed on the well-known cross-bun, mny be detected. These bodies are pretty uniformly distributed, without any regard to the variegations of the leaf-colouring matter. The colours of these bodies, when healthy ISO HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. and well filled with their refractive matter, varied from a rich topaz to a pale sherry tint, and they glittered like jewels when well lit up. Empty cells rudely resembled a mushroom in form, with a stout stem and a round head marked with a cross, but the texture did not look in the least fungoid, nor could any mycelium he detected or the leaves. The author details a series of observations on leaves of many varieties of Coleus, and in all stages of growth, and has come to the conclusion that these supposed parasitic growths are in reality only glan- dular hairs, similar to those on Mentha viridis (gar- den mint), &c. Dr. Braithwaite suggested that they might contain the matter producing the foetid odour possessed by the Coleus plants. — Monthly Microsco- pical Journal, Part XIII. Our readers, particularly those interested in the Diutomaccsc and Desmidecc, will learn with regret the death of M. Louis Alphonse de Brebisson, of Falaise, and formerly Councillor-General of Calvados. He was author of various papers on the Diatomacese, &c., and was member of many scientific societies. Of late years he devoted him- self almost entirely to the study of the Diatomacese^ and was one of the very few, perhaps the only Frenchman, who made those organisms the subject of really scientific investigation. He was always ready to impart any information or gatherings to those in- terested in the simpler forms of vegetable life, as the acknowledgments of Kiitzing, ]labenhorst, llalfs. Smith, and others testify. The writer of this notice would also record his obligations to him for the frequent supply cf specimens and material. He departed this life at his residence, on the 25th day of April, in the 74th year of his age.— i^. K. Drum of the Ear of the Frog. — Mr. C. Baker, of Holborn, has just published some trans, parent injected preparations of this organ. These slides, besides exhibiting the ramifications of the capillaries, admirably display the pigment-cells ; the cartilaginous structure is also well defined when the object is examined by polarized light. A paper on the organs of hearing in frogs, by Dr. C. Hesse, of VViirzburg, wnll he found in Siebold and KoUiker's "Zeitschrift fiir wissenschaftliche Zoo- logie," Part III. Dr. Beale's formula for the preparation of the carmine solution is as follows -.—Ten grains of car- mine in small fragments are to be placed in a test- tube, and half a drachm of sti-ong liquor ammonite added by agitation, and the heat of a spirit-lamp , the carmine is soon dissolved, and the liquid, after boiling a few seconds, is to be allowed to cool. After the lapse of an hour, much of the excess of ammonia will have escaped. The solution is then to be mixed with 2 oz. of distilled water, 2 oz. of gly- cerine, J oz. of alcohol. The whole may be passed through a^filter or allowed to stand for some time ; the perfectly clear supernatant fluid may be poured ofi^ and kept for use. I do' not think it is generally known to micro- scopists that the addition of a little gum camphor to the parafine-oil in the microscope lamps burnin-' that fluid is a very great improvement. About fifteen grains of camphor, put into an ordiuary- sized lamp, about one hour before using, will cause the lamp to give a far more intense and brilliantly white light than the parafine-oil alone would give. — John A. Perry, Liverpool. ZOOLOGY. Blind Fishes.— Is the Typhlichthys viviparous ? Such would appear to be the case from the " im- portant fact" alluded to on page 88.— i^. /. //'., Winchester. New Lopiioid Fish.— In the May number of the "Annals and Magazine of Natural History," Dr. Liitken describes a new Lophoid fish, under the name of Oneirodes Eschrichtii. It comes fronr high northern latitudes, off the coasts of Greenland, and from a great depth of water, probably abyssal. It is distinct, however, from an allied deep-sea Lophoid found near Madeira. The mouth is hori- zontal, and the whole fish is remarkably smooth and rounded. Its total length is only eight inches. It is very rare, and from this circumstance and the depth it comes from, very probably it has a long- extended antiquity, and its allies may be looked for among fossil forms. Notes of a Cowcatcher Ride through Nebraska.— It was our good fortune to have a special train from the Platte river to Omaha, and as the novelty of riding in the cabin of the loco - motive had long since worn off, the cowcatcher" was next resorted to, and with results that had not been anticipated. Sitting carelessly on the beam that supports the iron framework, " nursing one leg," I was suddenly struck in the face by a small object, that decidedly made an impression ; others came in quick succession, and before I could solve the problem, a large grasshopper {Edijmla IlaUh- manni, Scudd.) struck my boot, glaaced and rolled into my lap. Having no bottle at hand, I imme- diately secured it in a leaf from a railroad land document that had been handed to me, and placed it in my pocket. By this time we were running at forty miles an hour, and grasshoppers pelted us like driving sleet. They seemed to fl[y or jump up * A contrivance, as its name implies, for throwing off the line any cattle or other animals which may have strayed upon it; a very common case on those lines which are not fenced in, but simply laid across tlie extensive plains.— Ed. S.-G. HARDWICKE'S SCIEN CE-GOS SIP. 137 from the track at our approach, but uot in suffi- cient time to get out of the way, and so we literally ran into them. Those that struck the engine were generally injured — in some cases completely smashed— and blown off at either side, and it was only those that happened to strike on our clothing that were worth preserving. Occasionally a stray dragon-fly or unlucky wasp would get in the way, and even tiger-beetles flew into the trap. Now and then a large wingless Brachypeplus, witli its coarse spines, would make its presence felt. But all were fish that came to the net, and soon the leaves of my pamphlet were exhausted, all my pockets fdled, and by the time the station was reached, I was only too glad to return to the car and bottle my treasures. Jn less than half an hour I took more insects than I had room for, and, what was still better, found two new species. We were much interested in watch- ing the birds as they flew up before us. The majority of the flock would pass to one side or the other, but one or two would attempt to keep ahead of the engine, straining every muscle, till, finally, they would fall apparently exhausted, or be struck, and drop lifeless. One was captured alive by simply reaching out the hand and taking it. On all future trips through new country, I shall endea- vour to get into the good graces of the conductor and engineer, and thus secure a place under the head-light ; for, aside of its being a good " collect- ing-ground," one gets a splendid view of the country, without dust, without the usual jolting, and with a delightful breeze into the bargain, though it doesn't do to reflect too much on the possibility of shipping a cow or ivio.— Charles B. Dodge, in " Canadian Entomologist" Jan., 1872. Pahasitic Rotifer (?) — I saw a little creature like that described in the May number of Science- Gossip as "a Parasitic Rotifer" adhering to the side of one of my water-observing bottles, where it remained some days. I thought at first it was a cypris, and have been much puzzled about it. It did not move about, but had a very rapid ciliary motion as it stuck to the glass. I mentioned it to our great naturalist here, and wished him to see it, but I could not detach it from the spot. I hope soon to observe some more, and then I shall call attention to them. I have before mc now two large bottles of water, which a month ago were not over sweet, but full of Hydra virid/s and the com- mon Entomostraca ; and now the water in both bottles is as sweet as possible and quite clear, through the agency of these minute creatures. How beneficial they must be in cleaning our ponds and ditches ! — Enquirer. Economy of the Lary^ of the Small Eg gar {E. lanestris).— ! have no doubt Mr. Barrett has hit upon the true cause, or rather the causes, why we do net succeed very well in rearing these in breeding-cages, or in-door contrivances : — firstly because they require sunshine, or plenty of air ; and, secondly, because they need ample space to extend their nest as they increase in size. Double cocoons occur, amongst others, of the Bombgces and Cuspidates. I have seen them in the Puss (Z). vimda) ; and the caterpillars of that species, if kept together in company, are rather fond of placing their cocoons upon the top of those formed by their brethren. In this case, the result is dift'erent from what occurs in the double cocoon. The one which is superimposed usually contains a living piipa, and the lower cocoon a dried-up pupa or larva, it having probably died from want of air.—/. B. S. C. Irritating Effects of Caterpillars' Hairs (p. 2:2, Jan. No.).— I am inclined to think that " G. II. S." is quite correct in supposing that dif- ferent persons are very differently affected by the urticating larvfe ; but the reason is not so much any peculiarities in health of a transitory character, but arises from varieties of temperament. The mode of handling has also much to do with it, and, possibly, the state of the weather. I have often bred larvaj of B. quercns to maturity, yet never experienced anything unpleasant. Others, how- ever, besides " G. II. S.," have complained of such an occurrence, but the species is certainly rot one, like caja and aurijhia, under an evil repute for its urti- cating properties. — /. B. S. C. BOTANY. The best Method of Drying Plants so as to PRESERVE THEIR Colours.— The materials required are common cartridge-paper, thick white blotting- paper, cotton wadding and millboard, all cut to the same size. The plants should be gathered in dry weather, and soon after the flowers open, when their colours are brightest. Succulent plants (such as Daffodil, Orchis, or Stonecrop) should be put into scalding water, with the exception of the floicers, for a minute or two, then laid on a cloth to dry. Arrange the specimens and papers in the following order :— Millboard, cartridge-paper, wad- ding (split open, and the glazed side placed next to the cartridge-paper), blotting-paper; the specimens having small pieces of wadding placed within and around the flowers to draw off all the moisture as quickly as possible, blotting-paper, wadding as before, cartridge-paper, millboard. When the speci- mens, &c., are thus arranged, heavy weights should be put on them: about 301b. the first day, GO lb. afterwards. Remove them from under pressuie in a day or two ; carefully ti^ke away all the papers, &c., except the Llctting-papers beticeen icMch the specimens are placed ; put these in a warm air to dry, whilst the removed papers, &c., are dried in 138 HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. the iun, or by the fire. When dry (but uot warm), place them iu the same order as before ; put all under the heavier pressure for a few days, when (if not succulent) they will be dry. Flowers of different colours require different treatment to preserve their colours. Blue flowers must be dried with heat, either under a case of hot sand before a fire, with a hot iron, or in a cool oven. Red flowers are injured by heat: they require to be washed with muriatic acid, diluted in spirits of wine, to fix their colour. One part of acid to three parts of spirit is about the proportion. The best brush with which to apply this mixture is the head of a thistle when in seed, as the acid destroys a hair-pencil, and in- jures whatever it touches (except glass or china) : therefore it should be used with great care. Many yellow flowers turn green eveu after they have re- mained yellow some weeks ; they must therefore be dried repeatedly before the fire, and again after they arc mounted on paper, and kept in a dry place. Purple flowers require as much care, or they soon turn a light brown. White flowers will turn brown if handled or bruised before they are dried. Daisies, Pansies, and some other flowers, must not be removed from under pressure for two or three days, or the petals will curl up. As all dried plants (ferns excepted) are liable to be infested by minute insects, a small quantity of the poison, cor- rosive sublimate, dissolved in spirits of wine, should be added to the paste, which it will also preserve from mould. The best cement for fixing the speci- mens on to the paper or cardboard is gum-paste. It is composed of thick gum- water, and flour raixedjn warm v.-ater, by adding the two together, warm, and of a consistency that will run off the hair- pencil. — O. H. Erkattjm in Mr. Britten's Paper. — The lettering to fig. 05 (page 99) should read as follows : — Maple {Acer campestre), showing coty- ledons and first and second pair of leaves. Drawn (as well as the two preceding figures) by Miss Giles, from specimens lent by Mr. 0. A. Eerris. The Shamrock of Ireland. — The Dutch clover, Trifolittm repens, is, according to the authors of "Cybele Hibernica," "the plant still worn as ' sham- rock' on St. Patrick's day (March 17), though Medicago lupuliua, also one of the Leguminosaa, is likewise sold in Dublin as the Shamrock." Edward Llhwyd, the celebrated antiquary, writing iu Dec, 1699, to Tancred Robinson, says, after a recent visit to Ireland, "their shamrug is our common clover." ("Phil. Trans.," No. 335.) Thrclkeld, the earliest writer on the wild plants of Ireland, gives " Seamar- ogc " (young trefoil) as the Gaelic name for Trifo- Hum pratense album, and says expressly that this is the plant worn by the people in their hats on St. Patrick's day. Wade also gives Scamrog as equivalent io'T/repens. The Wood Soirel, 0.z'«//s acetosella (the Gaelic name for which is Scalgan), a perennial plant, frequent on shady moist banks, aud in damp^places ni woods and thickets, is also stated by other^writerslto; be^theltrue Shamrock, "Sham niar-oge " or " Shamrug." The delicate bright green trefoil leaves of this plant have a sensitive property, and close towards evening ; they also possess an agreeable acid taste, and on that account are frequently used in salads on the Continent. It is, however, only the small trefoils, or clover, particularly the T. repens mentioned above, which are now generally used as an emblem on St. Patrick's day in Ireland ; aud more especially as at this period of the year the leaves of the Wood Sorrelhave not usually appeared above ground ; and even if it could be obtained, the clover which is pulled np with the root is a much more durable plant for the purjiose, as it retains its freshness for some time. — W.II.B. Plants in Hertfordsuire.— It may be in- teresting to some botanists to know that a list of localities of plants growing in Herts has just been published by the Rev. R. H. W^ebb. It shows a considerable increase in discoveries of localities of new plants. — T. B. Blow. GEOLOaY. Graftolites. — Professor Allman has a splendid paper on the natural history position of these peculiar zoophytes, in the " Annals aud Magazine of Natural History " for May. He regards the serrated and other projections which characterize them, as representing the " nematophores " iu such living genera of Hydroida as Antenmdaria. A HiTGE Pterodactyle. — A new species of this extinct flying reptile has been found in the cretaceous deposits of America, which must have measured across the tips of the wings at least twenty-five feet. Eye-stones. — The bound volume of Science- Gossip for 1871 has just come to hand; and in look- ing over the "Notes and Queries" columns, I ob- serve quite a number of communications on " Eye- stones." I must confess I was surprised not to find in the entire volume' a correct account of what they really are. These " eyestones " arc found in the head of several species oiAstacus Bartoiiii,OY "crawfish," as they are familiarly called here. When a mere lad, myself and playmates invariably carried several of these stones in our vest pockets for the purpose of removing particles of dirt or other small sub- stances which might get into our eyes. "V\'c obtained fresh ones by catching the crawfish, opening the head, and removing the " stones " from H A R D W I C K E ' S S C 1 E N C E - G O 5 S 1 P . 139 there ; old ones were found among tlic course sands left exposed by tke lowering of the water in the streams. I once liad about fifty of them; my father requested me to place them in a tea-saucer, and having done so, my mother poured several spoonfuls of strong vinegar over them, when these stones apparently suddenly became possessed of legs, and went " crawling " around in every direction. —John H. Klippad, Ohio State Agricultural Geo- logist. NOTES AITD QUERIES. TriE Queen OF Spain Fiiitillaey {A. lathonia). — This butterfly is so exceedingly rare in the British islands that little is known of its habit s_ here, and the brief accoiait given by Mr. Boolh of its capture in Jersey has its value, especially as he notes that the species occurred in luctrn-fiekls. Its occa- sional occurrence by solitary individuals only, in Kent, Suifolk, and various places on or near the coast, has seemed a remarkable thing, since we find that its brethren of the same family, when they do appear, are generally in parties, the fritillaries being fond of "assembling." All, or almost all, the specimens which have been thus taken have been on the wing in autumn, when I presume the Jersey insects were also taken, yet on the continent of Europe it is undoubtedly double-brooded. Any further particulars which Mr. Booth may have to communicate about the "Queen of Spain,",: as observed by him, vrould be very acceptable, I am sure, to the readers of the Entomologist or Science- Gossip.—/. R.S. C. GoLD-EiSH. — Buckland, in his " Curiosities of Natural Plistory," says, "One cause why these fish do not increase, is that they devour each other. The spawn is eaten, and the young fish also, by their comrades. To keep up my stock I have been obliged to take out the spawn, and keep the young fish dur- ing the first few months of their lives in separate vessels." — C. IFairond. BiKD-FLY. — An ornithomya abounds on the short- horned owl, the well-known species often met with by sportsmen in broad daylight. We have not seen it mentioned that a species of bird-fly is common on the short-horued owl. — R. G. Balanifoem Oak-galls. — I inclose a twig from an oak which is covered with such galls, looking a good deal like barnacles. They are probably the work of a species of Cynips, perhaps C. Sieholdli, re- corded as nev/ to England in the last number of the Entomologisf s Annual. The insects are all fiown.^ R.O. The Dodder [Cuscuta). — I found this plant in our county of Stafford for the first time in lb70, growing on red clover. Last year there v.'as no clover in the field, but the plaut appeared on some vetches; consequently it must have increased by shedding its seed, and the young plaut must at first have lived an independent life. I presume the species is C. trifolii, Bab.-r/^. G. Stag Beetle. — Both the male and female stag beetle will bite when sufficienthj irritated. The fe- male will often do so, but the nsale not so frequently. Some years ago 1 had brought to me a very fine male, L. ccrnus, Vi'hich had been caught on the pave- ment in Holborn. 1 found it diificult to kill. (I used then to place a little carbonate of ammonia in a small box, and insert the insect, when it would as a rule quietly die.) After being in the box some minutes and the insect not showing any signs of dying, I took it out with my fingers, and immediately expe- rienced a severehite. The insect bit me so severely as to make me wince. Although the great length of the (male) mandibles would seem to tell against their power to bite, still the insect can exert suffi- cient force to deter any one from trving a second time.—//. B. b\ Ottepv. — On the 3rd of April a full-grown female otter was captured at Slyal, Cheshire. It was caught in a trap which had been set for rats, and was only held by two toes of its left hind foot. It crossed the BoUin with the trap on its foot, and tried to conceal itself in a rabbit-burrow, but the chain of the trap having got entangled in a bush, prevented the otter from getting more than half its body un- derground. Another otter was caught near the same place on the 13th February, 1S7Q.—G.H.II. Scarcity of Moths, &c.— Your correspondent " J. R. S. C." seems to me to draw unnecessarily r.pon his imagination in trying to account for the alleged scarcity of moths and butterflies after a damp winter. Even the fact requires to be substantiated, since the years of greatest scarcity of these insects have been those which followed a wet summer rather than a wet winter. Unquestionably a superabun- dance of rain is exceedingly destructive to larva both in summer and Vviutei', and probably also to jjuppc, which are exposed to it ; but the great ma- jority of pupra are protected by a silken or earthen cocoon, or placed in a sheltered position, and it re- mains to be proved that moisture can, in their natural retreats, get at them to any serious extent. "J. E,. S. C." seems to overlook the facts that in mild winters the ground is open to the careful investiga- tion of birds ; tiiat predaceous beetles and their larvee are lively and require food ; that those formidable foes to pupai of all kinds, the earwigs, are also able to carry on their destructive researches at a time vvlien there are but few flowers to serve them as food ; and worse than ail, that mice are able to search out their favourite tit-bits at the roots of trees, the sides of palings, on hedge banks, and else- where ; so that, without the assistance of damp and mould, there is abundant reason for any scarcity of perfect insects. Of hybernating larvse the very large majority feed upon low plants which are al- ways to "be obtained ; how then can the larvae be tempted forth by the mildness of the weather, and killed iy starvation? And in the case of the few species wliicli pass the v/inter in the egg state, it is iiardly necessary to remind "J. R. S. C." that the same amount of warmth which hatches the eggs pro- vides the food upon which the larva? feed, while in those cases in wtiich the eggs naturally hatch before the opening of the leaves, the catkins of some trees, and the bark of the young shoots of others, serve the voung larvae for food until the leaves appear. — C.G.B. Shoi;e Wainscot {L. U floral is). —\ have much ])leasureiu announcing this district as a new locality for Littoralis. 1 believe it is only known in three other places at present; viz., Isle of Wight, New Brighton in Cheshire, and Lytham in Lancashire. Erom the nature of the coast I thought that Lit- toralis ought to be here, and that it only wanted 140 HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. looking for to find it. After searching for three days, I found a larva dead on the sand, evidently- dropped by some bird. I tlien set to work with re- doubled energy; I soon found two more, and I now possess seventeen good lively specimens, and have good hopes of obtaining more as my eye gets prac- tised in finding them. — J. C. Herveij, Pokesdown, Riiigwood. Canine Gyrations. — I have been much amused when perusing the scientific disquisitions on my habit of turning round, head foremost, several times previous to my lying down to sleep. Be assured, Mr. Editor, there is no need of any learned lucubra- tions concerning my so-called "gyrations." If man were covered with thick hair from bead to toe, he too would make simdar turnings, in order that he might lie down in comfort with his outer envelope smoothly packed beneath him. As regards his hair- protected head, man does act on a similar plan when about to icst it on a pillow, or to place it in a nightcap, though from length of habit, he is, periiaps, unconscious of the practice; but, depend upon it, he would find himself sadly discomforted were he to lie down with his hair "against the grain; " and, with- out assuming any great amount of science, I may venture to claim from my illustrious biped friend permission to continue an obvious and simple means of comfort to myself as a hair-covered quadruped. — Fido. Habits of Spidees. — In the earlier numbers of Science-Gossip, it was, I consider, very clearly proved that under certain conditions the geometric f pider will devour its own web. I do not think, liowever, that it has ever been observed that the web of the house spider serves for its provision during the winter months. I may preface my re- marks by stating that for some time past I have been in the habit of keeping spiders in confinement, in order to watch their habits ; and among others, I procured, at the latter end of last summer, a very large and hairy-legged black spider {Tegenaria, sp.) in an outhouse near London. I obtained also, at the same time, a still larger spider, the finest I have ever seen in this country, which lived in confine- ment only about six weeks. Its first or front pair of legs were much longer than the others, and measured exactly dy'o in. from claw to claw. I should be glad to learn ils name, and whether it is not, as has occurred to me from their similarity in many respects, the male or female of the still living species of spider, which has a larger body and "iihorter, but equally hairy, legs. 'J'hese spiders seem to care only for the common little brown housefiy, and \ull not, however hungry, touch a blue-bottle. Tha number of files sucked dry by the surviving spider previous to the end of last year was most astonishing; and the more flics it consumed the more web it spun, in layers one over the other, as close in texture almost as tissue-paper. But the winter came, the flies disappeared, and I expected my spider w ould hybernate or become torpid ; no such thing, howc ver, happened, and in midwinter it seemed just as active as ever. I then noticed some curious holes in the web, which looked as if it had been cut away with some sharp instrument, and it kept on going and going, until altogetiier about six or seven supeiiicial inclies of this paper-like web had been devoured. But the spider did not thrive jii this food, and became very thin. Now 1 cau again piocure him flies, and he is getting plump. Contrary to the observations of some of your pre- vious correspondents, this spider is very readily cheated, and has now become so tame that he runs out to be fed, whenever I open the jar in which he is confined, to give him a fly. He used formerly to retire to the recesses of his cell on such occasions. This spider is, as most of his tribe, nocturnal in his habits, and feeds chiefly at night. I estimate the extreme spread of his longest legs to be about three inches. 1 should be glad to learn his specific name, and to know whether he is usually a house spider; he was originally dislodged from behind a gas-meter. How many diiferent kinds of spiders are known as house spiders ? I have certainly come across two, it" not three. — Gilbert R. Redgrave. The Winter Food of Wood-Pigeons.— In answer to your correspondent's query on this sub- ject, I send a few observations of my own. Having had a great deal of pigeon-shooting on a farm be- tween Guildford and Woking, where during the winter months there is generally a flock of several thousands, which roost in the fir plantations near, I find as a rule that they have been feeding on acorns and clover, acorns especially as long as they can get them ; but if not looked after well, they will very soon destroy a field of young clover, which they arc very fond of. During harvest they are very destructive in the pea-field, but I have not noticed their feeding on other kinds of corn. — /. L. a Plantain-leaved Leopard's Bane (Dorouicitm plantagineim). — This is, I believe, considered a rare plant, found only in a few places in England. It may not be uninteresting to some of the readers of Science- Gossip to know that I have found it grow- m" at Astley, near Stourport. The plant is now in full hlomw.^ Thofdcis Wedley. Do Birds eat the Shells of their Eggs or NOT ? — We have watched our canaries liatching their eggs, and have never found any shells about the cage. The same with hedge-sparrows, &c., in the garden. Mrs. Howitt, in her paper "Birds and their Nests," in the Family Friend, seems to think that birds carry their eggs away to prevent the nest being discovered. Can any of your readers solve this question ?— i''. M. M. Starlings.— A lady contributor to Science- Gossip, Miss Barbara Wallace Fyfe, in whom I am pleased to recognize an old friend, and whose talented father first introduced me to Science- Gossip, must, I am sure, mean, when she says that starlings are, like swallows, migratory birds, that they partially migrate from one English county to another, — not that they, like swallows, quit these shores, i know from personal observation that they winter in Hants, Dorset, and also in this part (Anglcsea) of North Wales. They assendjie in large fiocks, and invariably, if there are rooks in the vicinity, accompany these birds. — 3Irs. Alfred Wuiiicy. A SCIENTIFIC education is one of the needs of the time. Science is transforming the world and revo- lutionizing opinion. The leaders of thougiit are trained in the laboratories rather than educated in the schools. As a means of mental discipline, scientific study is fast cstablishijig itself on a level with the '■ humanities " of olden time as a teacher of patience ; of the humility that sits at Nature's feet and learns her ways ; of the intellectual tiiorougliness which gathers all the facts be'.ore it H A 11 D W ] C K E' S S C 1 E N C K- G O S S 1 P. 141 generalizes, Science lias no equal. Its s))irit, if not always that of its professors, is toaclialjlcuess ; its liictliod, if not invariably their temper, is humility ; its instrument is reason emancipated from passion ; nnd the tendency of its sludy is to lift men out of the region of instinct and impulse into that of reason. As an exclusive culture it would doubtless be onesided ; it is, however, as a counterpoise to an existing: oncsidedness that wc need to have it adopted in all our schools.— Dr^iV^ News. Sugaring fok Nocture.— The original and best mixture for this purpose is 1 lb. of stro)i(j foots sugu', a tablespoonful of gin or rum to half a pint of porter or ale. The success greatly depends on the quality of the sugar and temperature of the night : when the latter is warm, moist, and with a moderate wind, failure seldom occurs from June to jNIovember : prior to June the bait is of little use. Do not be discouraged. I remember once sugaring in the Isle of Wight for a fortnight at the same place : the first week I think hardly a dozen moths aijpeai"ed ; the second week as many thousands. Tlie proper way to apply the sugar is with a moderately large painter's brush. Make one or two stripes on the tree, say a foot long. If economy is desired, saturate some pieces of coarse calico, about 4 or 5 inches square, with the mixture, and dispose the squares wherever you please, gathering them up again on your last round. With the addition of a very little more syrup, these will last many months and be a great saving iu sugar. This plan is especially applicable on the coast and other places where there are no trees. On the sand-hills at Deal, which is a place of this description, the practice used to he to tie up the long grass in knots, and sugar on them. I have seen four or five collectors there at one time, each of whom had his particular route, liaving tied his knots iu daylight. — An Old Eiitomo- logisf. Grtllits vieidissimus.— This grasshopper I have taken not uncommonly when sugaring for mollis: they sucked the syrup greedily — probably llicy might thrive ou sweets .in captivity. — An Old Eiilomologist. Scottish Natural History.— I should feel much obliged if you, or any of the readers of Science-Gossip, could inform me of any work ou Scottish Natural History and Scottish Lepidoptera; or on the Natural History and Lepidoptera of Edin- burgh, or of the South of Scotland.— (?. Ford. Saffron. — Somebody has observed that " the deeper the M^ell of knowledge that the rill of popu- lar information flows out of, the better." I fear the well pertaining to Helen E. Watney is not of a fathomless character, or she could not have penned the last paragraph in her article in the last number of Science-Gossip (see p. 108). She says, "The Meadow-saffrou is a different plant ; from it colchi- cum is produced." What is colchicum ? And she further adds, "that it possesses no medicinal virtues, she believes." Now it so happens that saffron-, i\\& dried style and stigma of the 6Vo«« sativus, is held in very little esteem as a mediciue at ihe present day, being chiefly employed as a colour- ing and flavouring material ; whereas the iMeadow- safFrou {Colchicum autumiiale) has been held in great repute from a very remote period ; and pre- parations from the bulb and seed are daily pre- scribed by medical men, and kept in every chemist's shop in the kingdom, — U. B. Saffron and Meabow-Saffron. — Your talented correspondent Mrs. Watney, in giving some details of tlic growth of saflVon in last month's Gossip, dc- tcribes the plant as flowering a week or two after the appearance of the leaves. I have hitherto be- lieved the reverse to be the order of progression, and I fhid my text-books tell the student that the leaves "appear just as the flowers begin to fade." This is perplexing to one unable to set doubts at rest by personal observation of the plant. Although saffron may still, as Mrs. Watney states, be a fa- vourite remedy for nervousness with old women ou account of its slightly stimulant action, it is no longer of importance as a medicine in this country, if we except its administration to our feathered pets when moulting, — a common practice ; whether beneficial or otherwise I know not. It is now chiefly employed as a colouring agent, the deep orange tint which it readily imparts cither to water or spirit, rendering it of considerable use in the arts for colouring toilet soaps, lozenges, &c. I should like, if you will permit me, to say a few words on Meadow-safl'ron {Colchicum ant iimnale, Linn.). Mrs. Watney says she believes that neither colchicum nor the " early purple crocus — the C. vermis or spring crocus " (? Scilla venia, Huds. — L believe we have no indigenous crocus) possesses any medici- nal virtue. This, however, is so far from being the case with the colchicum, that it may be advisable to sketch its properties and medicinal uses, and thus nip error in the bud. This plant belongs to an almost universally poisonous order {Melanlhace<:e), and is itself no exception to the rule. Beth the corn and seeds contain an alkaloid {Colchicia), which is a powerful poison. In small doses re- peated, colchicum is largely used in medicine to relieve the pain of gout and rheumatism, and is tJie active ingredient in several celebrated nostrums for the cure of gout. Colchicum seeds are remarkable for their hardness, as those wdio have pulverized them with pestle and mortar will doubtless remem- ber.-/, jr. While. Sugaring for Nocture.— In answer to Mr. Elliott's question "how to make the best mixture for sugaring for noctua;," I may state, that for some time past I have been accustomed to use a compound made of the undermentioned ingredients, which has proved most efficacious; viz., ^Ib. of moist sugar, I lb. of black treacle, and about a glassful of " porter " (beer). These should be allowed to sim- mer until reduced to nearly the same cousistency as treacle, and before being used should have half a wineglassful of rum added. — H. A. Auld. Does Gaslight kill Plants?— Gas is most assuredly injurious to the growth of plants, and even to the preservation of cut flowers. I am very fond of both, and always have a large supply in my rooms, where I burn a great deal of gas. I find that the heat and smoke from the gas have a very deleterious efiect on growing plants. They flag and droop, having a scorched, withered look. The only way in which I can keep them at aU fresh is by constantly using a sponge and lukeicarm water ; first syringing them well and then sponging the leaves. After this operation it is wonderful how refreshed the plants look. When they show signs of droojnng very much, I remove them to a room where there is no gas used, for a week or tw-o, and the change of air seems to restore them ; but to koep plants in a room where there is much gas burnt constantly is simply a matter of mipossibiluy. 142 HAEDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. They require a great deal of extra attention to pre- serve them for even a time, and unless given a ehauge of air, very speedily droop aud die. Cut flov^^ers in water are almost worse to preserve, the water becomes heated and causes the stems to decay rapidly : so, to make them last for a few days, it is necessary to change the Avater before leaving them at night, and I find a very good plan is to put tliem in a dark cellar till morning. Gas stoves are considered very injurious in hothouses ; in fact, if tliey are used, they are generally placed outside the hothouses, and hot-air or water-pipes introduced. — Barbara Wallace Fyfe. How TO Stock a Pond. — I know that the Hon. Grantley P. Berkeley, of Alderney Manor, Poole, Dorcet, had a new river made in his estate and stocked it with (ish from ova. I saw some of the beds prepared for trout ova, and they came on beautifully and most successfully. 1 dare say if " P. C." will write to Mr. Berkeley, he will give him the information he requires. — Barbara Wallace Fyfe. Sea-Eagles. — It is most probable that the eagles killed in Somersetshire were immature Sea-Eagles.— G^. SurrosED Paeasite of Elm. — The parasite on Elm figured in the last number of Science- Gossip is the common Dog-tick {Ixodes vicinus), which is found in all sorts of unusual situations ; in fact, anywhere, and only attaches itself to the dog when it happens to meet with one. I have fre- quently found it among grass in sweeping for small diptera.— ^. Capron, M.D. Local Ploras.— Referring to a suggestion in Science-Gossip (page 163, July, 1S71), concerning Local Ploras, I would advise botanists, entomo- logists, geologists, and " ists " in general, who con- template a visit to the Isle of Wight, to procure Venables's guide, published by Stanford, Charing Cross (price, I think, G^.). I may safely affirm that lie who has once made this book his companion when on the island will not be likely to repeat his visit without it. Allow me to suggest that naturalists, when they visit any locality and come across any really useful guide to the botany, &c., of the place, should let the same be known for the benefit of brother naturalists.— i/. R. Warrington. South London Entomological' Society, 26 and 28, Newington Causeway, S.E. — Meetings held on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. Objects— formation of a library and diffusion of entomological science by means of papers aud exhibitions. Subscription, (Sd. per month. New members are invited. — Treasurer {pro fern.), Mr. J. G. Marsh, 842, Old Kent Poad. Hon. Secretary, to whom all com- munications should be addressed, Mr. J. P. Barrett, 33, lladnor Street, Peckham, S.E. Endromis versicolor (page 115). — In answer to Mr. Gascoyne, I beg to inform him that the state- ment as to this species being a web-weaver was made not from my own experience — which would incline me to ilr. Gascoyne's way of thinking, — but from an observation of Newman, who informs us, at page 47 of " British Moths," that " the caterpillars come out about the 1st of May. At first they are gregarious, spinning a web over the twig, and. attaching themselves by their claspers." In my own collecting experience I have only once been able to obtain the larvae, and then, like Mr. Gas- coyne, did iiot observe any attempt at web-weaving. I imagined at the time that this arose from my having reared them from the egg, and the conse- quent cessation of a necessity for external defence. — Charles Lovekin. Shamrock. — An Irish lady tells me that " the true Shamrock is the Trifolium repens, and sham- rock is the Irish name lor this plant." I always thought the Trifolium repens was the clover known generally as "Dutch clover," and this lady's de- finition of the Shamrock confirms it ; for an Irish gentleman brought me, last summer, a root of tJie Shamrock, and 1 exclaimed on seeing it, " How like the Dutch clover we used to sow on the upper fields at home." The Arabic for trefoil, strange to say, is Shanirakh, and the same plant was held sacred by the Persians in Iran, as emblematical of their Triads. Then, again, readers of Pliny's works will remember that he says "serpents ai'e never seen on trefoil, and it prevails against the stings of snakes and scorpions." There seems somewhat of a coincidence between this and St. Patrick's miracle of the reptiles ; but, alas ! for Pliny's veracity, I saw a snake last year on some trefoil. — H. E. Watney. The True Shamrock (p. 113). — ^The etymology of this word is clearly from the native Irish, viz. : seamrog, i.e., trefoil, the tliree-leaved wild clover. The prefix seam is to all intents and purposes our word "charm," phonetically altered. The "s" has the power of " sh," and the word is allied to seun, "an amulet ;" cf. the Welsh sicyn, "magic." Trifolium repens, known as white or Dutch clover, is the native Shamrock of Ireland ; although some, mistakenly, claim the name for Oxalis acetosella, the common Wood Sorrel; but that in Irish is seamsog. It is usual now to show fancy or cultivated trefoils as the true Shamrock ; but it could scarcely have been so in St. Patrick's day. The real poetical charm, however, clings to the four-leaved Shamrock. —A. H. Are Plants injured by Gas and Gaslight ?— The presence of gas in a room would most certainly be very injurious to the well-doing of plants grown in that room. Plants, like human beings, require a season of rest. They sleep in the dark ; therefore to keep them constantly under the influence of light would weaken them, and eventually destroy them. In this way gaslight kills them. There is, we all know, a very close resemblance in the functions of animals and leaves. The air inhaled by animals pro- ceeds to the lungs, and acts on the blood. The air inhaled by plants, through tlieir foliage, acts upon the sap. Oxygen aud carbonic acid gas combined form the air essential to the health of plants, and as we in sleep exhale less carbonic acid than in our waking hours, plants give out a diminished quantity of oxygen during the night ; but an over-amount of carbonic acid in the air will destroy plants. It is a singular fact that nearly every flower requires a particular degree of light for its full expansion. . I have been trying some experiments during this last year with respect to the effect of light on plants, but have only proved what was well known before ; still the chemistry of botany is a most interesting study, and 1 wish some of tlie readers of Science- Gossip would kindly recommend me a good work on it. — Helen E. Watney. Phosphorescence. — What is the correct expla- nation of the luminosity of two pieces of loaf-sugar rubbed together in the dark ? Is it electric or phos- phoric light ?—R. II. Nisbett Browne. iiA HDVVICKE'S SCI EK C E-G O S SIP. 143 Gold-tail Moth.— In Mr. Lovekin's "Notes on the Web-weaving Caterpillars," on p. 5S (or 85 in my copy), he includes in his list the Gold-tail, a species which I never knew to be a web-weaver at all, if we except the tiny web (or rather cocoon) in which the young caterpillar hybernates during the winter. His remarks would seem to apply to the social tent-weaving caterpillars, the habits of which are not shared by the Gold-tail caterpillar. In this neighbourhood the caterpillar of the Gold- tail is seldom or never found on the Blackthorn, but feeds in great profusion on the Hawthorn, and also on the Elm.— /T, H. JFarner, Kingston, Abing- don. CtrRiors Habits op Swallows.— I can confirm " G. E. R.'s " remarks under the above heading in so far as to prove the repugnance exhibited by the Swallow tribe to the birds of prey, having on two or three occasions seen a flock of Hirundines chasing small hawks ; but with this difference, that the pursuers were not swallows but sand-martins {Hirundo riparia). In addition to the anecdotes related by " G. E. E.," as to the pugnacity of the Swallow, I will mention another which proves the Swallow to be an intelligent bird, and also occa- sionally actuated by a revengeful spirit. A gentle- man when out shooting one day brought to the ground a hen swallow which was skimming in the air in company with her mate. The latter at once dashed at the gentleman, struck him iu the face with its wing, and continued pertinaciously to annoy him for a long time. Eor weeks did the revengeful little bird maintain " war to the knife " with the murderer of his -gentle partner, attacking him 'whenever an opportunity offered. _ On_ Sundays it failed to recognize the gentleman in his change of dress, and let him pass unmolested. This anecdote has been well attested. — W. H. JFarner, Kingston, Abingdon. Vakiety of the Ttjfted Duck.— I procured a variety of this duck about the end of April, 1869. The crest was a deep crimson, the head fading into deep black towards the neck, and then beginning to be streaked with silver, and gradually merging into a broad white band immediately above the chest. The silver streakings and black then began again, and continued down the back. The breast was marked with one ring of black, and was pure white all the way down from that. The legs and feet were flesh-colour ; tlie iris was orange-yellow. I carefully observed all the specimens in the British Museum of Fulignla cristata, but they were all more or less buff-coloured. The reason for tbe peculiarity was, I think, the duck's beginning to put on summer plumage. — G. E. R. Lesser Pettychap. — The Lesser Pettychap, it may not be generally known, is the same as the Chiff-chaff; the correct Latin name of which is not Sylvia hippolais, but S. rufa. — G. The Sappkoj; again. — At page 281, vol. vii., of Science-Gossip, "J. E. C." inquires what plant Mr. Walter Thornbury, in describing the town of Saffron Walden, refers to, as " a plant resembling a thistle, yet without down," &c. The plant is the Cartha- mus tindorius, Lin.,— Bastard Saffron, or Safflower, an annual of the Composite family, and a native of Egypt, having sharp-pointed, oval, sessile, spiny leaves. The flowers grow in bracts inclosed iu a roundish spiny involucre ; the florets are of an orange-colour, turning red as they dry. The dried flowers are exported in large quantities from Egypt and the Levant ; are used for dyeing, and also to adulterate the true saffron. I cannot think that this has ever been cultivated in England for com- mercial purposes, as it is a half-hardy annual. The (rue safi'ron is the dried stigmas of the Crocus satims, and was first cultivated at Saffron Walden somewhere about the time of Edward III., from which circumstance the town has derived its name. — Josh. B, Bodman. A Shower op Ebogs.— I really thought, until I read " M. A. B.'s " inquiry in the January part of Science-Gossip, that showers of frogs, like showers of gold, were exploded myths. Doubtless the latter fable had its moral, and we occasionally see an elderly " Zeus " of modern times win a fair young " Danaii ;" but I do not believe the former either serves to " point a moral or adorn a tale," unless it be a fairy one. I will, however, briefly relate to " M. A. B." what a very good naturalist friend of mine said to me iu explanation of this very subject, apropos of a newspaper account of "a shower of frogs." Every female frog is capable of producing 1,000 young ones ; these little froggies hide in crevices and under stones, waiting to come forth directly the first summer showers pour down. They appear in. multitudes immediately genial rain falls, and some good folks, ever since the days of Ai'istotle, have been found to imagine that they drop from the clouds, or that they have been taken up from a marsh by a whirlwind, and let fall. In the case of fish it is different, seeing that they are never said to grow on trees, or on laud, save in comic song-books. A whirlwind is the cause of their sudden descent from an element they are not sup- posed to inhabit, — the air, to another region equally unsuitable, — the earth. Some curious facts are re- corded in the "Proceedings of the American Academy of Science " with respect to frogs. You have so many American contributors to your pages, that I look with interest to replies from them on the subject of frog showers.— if. E. Watney. Abnormal Cherries.— There is a Morella cherry-tree against a north wall in our garden,^ which for two years past has borne numbers of double, triple, quadruple, and one quintuple cherry. The occurrence of these forms in 1870 led me to examine the flowers in 1871, and from a superficial observation I found that to each flower there were from four to ten pistils and as many ovaries, some proving abortive and some fruitful. It was in the summer of 1871 that the quintuple specimen occurred. — P. P. The White Ermine {Ardia lubricipeda). — People don't usually trouble themselves mucli about the meaning of Latin names, yet some may have speculated as to the reason why the above- named was called " slippery-footed." It might have arisen from the fact that the moth, when taken up or touched, at once loses its foot-hold, and feigns death, and therefore seems as if it had an insecure or slippery hold of whatever substance it is reposing upon. But I am rather inclined to think that the habits of the caterpillar originated the names ; for it has two very distinct modes of progression. Under ordinary circumstances it crawls along rather lan- guidly, but should it be alarmed, or suddenly roused, it moves with a degree of velocity which is really as- tonishing, though this is not kept up for any length of time ; hence it may have received the appellation lubridpeda, because at certain moments the cater- pillar can slide or glide along as if it were pass- ing over a slippery or lubricated surface. — /. R. S. C. lli IIARUWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS. All communications relative to advertisements, post-office orders, and orders for the supply of this Journal, should be addressed to tiie PirBLtsitKii. All contributions, books, and pamiihlets for the Editor should be sent to 192, Piccadilly, London, W. To avoid disappointment, contri- butions should not be received later than the 15th of each month. A'o noti'.c ivh'iterer run he tiiken of cotnmunicii- tiiins which do nut ciintnin the iiiiine and nddre>is of the uriter, not necessarily for publication, if desired to be with- leld. We do lint undertake to answer any queries not s-pecially connected with Natural History, in accordance with our acceptance of that term ; nor can we answer queries which might be solved by the correspondent by an r.ppeal to any elementary book on the subject. Ghegory. — It is not our custom to particularize any indi- vidual dealer or tradesman to the disadvantage of the rest. E. I. — Our experience of Gum Dammar leads us to give the ])relerence to Canada balsam !or mountinp; DiatomaceK ; we find that the striae are less easily resolved when the gum is used ; for vegetable and insect preparations it answers very well, but is not more easily manipulated than Canada balsam. J. M. W. — The small black spots on the raw American cot- ton are the spore-cases of CAtp^owM/m, a genus of microscopic fun2:i. See page 1/5 of Cooke's " Microscopic Fungi" (Hard- wicke, London) for further detailed account. I.TossKS. — 1. Hi/pnum serpens ; 2. Homaliatrichomanoides; 3. Aiiomodon viticulosus ; 4. Leucubvyum glaucuni, — li. B. A Ne*v Slbscriber. — The supposed new species of beetle is a common weevil {Otiorhj/nrhiis siilcnfn.i. Fab.), a species well known to make havoc among all kinds of plants. We would suggest to our correspondent that beetles do not grow in the perfect state, and that the e////r« are not "pseudo- wins-cases." See SciKXCE-Gossip, vol. for 1870. R. H. I..— Your query had been mislaid. The parcel sent contained a moss, a species of Hppninn. which is very sensi- tive to moisture. It is common at the base of old trees. G. n. — The egg-cases and eggs are those of the common Dog-fish, which may be distinguished from those of the Skate by the longer tendrils of the four ends. E. M. P. — The specimen sent is Clur/tonin. perfoliutii, an American plant which has domesticated itselfiuthis country. It is fometimes eaten as a salad. T. \V. — We cannot undertake to name specimens of the nature of those sent. They were the midribs of the fronds of some Rhodosperm sea-weeds. That is all we know. H. B. T. — We know of no other plan for preparing chalk for microscopic examination than that usually adopted ; viz., rubbing the lump of chalk down with a toothbrush in a cup of water, and when a sufficient quantity is obtained, pouring it into a test-tube or a two-ounce phial, and shaking it well, and decanting all that does not subside in the course of two minutes, tepeatuig the process as long as the water continues cloudy. The deposit remaining in the test-tube may then be b ilcd in some liquor potassae and again well washed. If the chalk is hard and does not readily yield to the brush, a lump of it may be boiled in a weak solution of glauoer salt and then caicfiiUv waslied. The oriranisms in the chalk generally re- quire to be mounted in Canada baham. EXCHANGES. Notice.— Only one " Exchange '' can be inserted at a time by the same individual. The maximum length (except for correspondents not residing in Great Britain) is three lines. Only objects of Natural Hi>tory permitted. Notices must be Ugibly written, in full, as intended to be inserted. Leaf of Oiiosma tnurirum with peculiar stellate hairs (mounted!, in exchange for other well-mounted objects.— J. Sargent, Jun., Fritchley, near Derby. Section of Porcupine's Quill (mounted), for any good microscopic object well mounted and of interest.— J. M. lloare. The Hill, Ilampstead. Caudicum Norvk(;iu,-\i, Prctimculus f^Ii/chimris, Stc, for other British marine shells.— A. W. Langdoii, Llanrwst House, Hastings. A liberal allowance in Diatoms (selected and arranged in groups), for Ilyulonema mirn/iitis, Wheel-plates of Chirodota, or Anchors of Synapfa.— G. Moore, Dereham Road, Norwich. EoGS of the Puss Moth in exchange for others.— G. A. Bi.kenhead, Post-office, Sale, near Manchester. Griphites, Rhynconella, and Corals, in exchange for other fossils. — H. Richards, 10, Ellingboro' Crescent, Weston- super-Mare. For Reproductive Organs of Moss (Bryum hornum). senl stamped directed envelope to J. H. Martin, 86, Week Street, Maidstone. Carefully mounted slides of Glnnrn Erde, or cuttle-fi^li shell, for polariscope, offered for mounted palates of mollusks or other slides.— A. B. C, Belmont, Dartmouth. A FEW British Birds' Skins and Sternums of Eagle Owl, Long-earod do.. Goshawk, Glaucous Gull, and Lesser B'.ack- backed Gull, for birds' eggs, or Lepidoptera in any stage. — S- L- Mosley, Almoiidbury Bank, Huddersfield. Spicules from Doris tnherculata mounted, for other mounted objects. — John C. Hutclieson, 8, Lausdowne Cres- cent, Glasgow. W'an'tkd, Animal Parasites (mounted), correctly named. Entomological slides offered in exchange. — Address, E. Lovett, Holly Mount, Croydon. Lepism.a. saccharina. — Send stimped envelope. — S. C. Hincks, Runfold Lodge, Farnham, Surrey. MouNTKu Microscopic objects in exchange for other mounted objects. — T. W. Cowan, Horsham. S.MALL, but fair, specimens of Parn'isxia palustris, Sili- fhnrpia eiiropeea, Htimeni>pltyllum Tunbridgt:)iSP, Sec, for other of the rarer British plants.— Mrs. A. Allen, Barcombe Rectory, Lewes. Microscopic objects (mounted) in exchange for otiier ob jects.— T. W. Cowan, Korsham. SiPTixGS of Sponge Sand, for object and stamped en- velope.—H. R. Warrington, 9, St. George's Terrace, Baras- bury. Wa-vted, Fish Remains from the Coal Measures, for Wen- lock and Woolhope Brachinpnda. — Apply, sending lists, to the Rev. W. H. Painter, 2, Belgrave Street, Derby. Roots of Ophioglo^sum for roots of Botrychiiim Lunnriti. — Miss Ida Rawlins, Gwastad Hall, Wiexham, North Wales. Three single-lined Gorgonias, attached to valve of Tflliim, for three inches of Glass-rope sponge. — R. J. Nelson, Stokej Devonport. Eggs of Water and Land Birds offered for larva: or eggs of E. VfrsicoUira. — Mrs. Battersby, Cromlyn, Rathowen, We.st Meath, Ireland. Larv.'e and Pupre of B. Querots and Caja, eggs of.?. Fnpidi, for larva.' or pupaj of Villica, C. Dotitinula, kc.—R. Gailit, Market Square, Alford, Lincolnshire. yEciDiu.M Ari offered ill exchange for equally rare fungi, good botanical or po'ariscope objects.— Henry Pocklington, 12, Margaret Street, Hull. BOOKS RECEIVED. " Corals and Coral Islands." By James D. Dana, LL.D., Professor of Geology and M'lieralogy in Yale College, &c. London ; Sampson Low & Co. 1872. " Botany for Beginners." By Maxwell T. Masters, M-D-, F.R.S. London: Bradbury, Evans, i*v Co. 1872. " May Flowers." By the Rev. James Harris, M. A., Head Master of Cathedral Grammar School, Cliester. Loudon : Griffith & Farran. 1872. " The Journal of Botany." May. "The Canadian Naturalist and Quarterly Journal of Science." No. 3. " The American Naturalist." No. 4. "The Canadian Entomologist." No. 4, April. "The Lens." Part II. " Report of Geological Survey of Ohio." 1870. " Fourth Annual Report of Noxious, Beneficial, and other Insects of the State of f.lissouri." " Fruit Trees," from the French of Du Breuil. London Lockwood Si Co. COM.MUN'ICATION'S Rkckivkd.— A. C. 11.— F. K.— G. M. — C. R.— A. W. L.— J. S.— J. H.— H. R.— H.B. S.— Z. E. G.— II. E. W.— T. S.-R. J. K.— G. A. B.— C. J.— W. A.- J. C. H. — C. G. IS.— A. H.— W. H. B.— F. K.-J. H.— R. L.-R. H.— R. W.-H. E. B.— J. S.— F. B. B.— C. L. W.-R. H. A.— W. S. G.— E. W.— R. H. A.-R. G.— 11. P.— H. E. F.— H. B. T.-J. S.— iM. A. D.-A. P. J.— C. A. R.— C. C. A.— J. H. C. —J. T.— J. R. D.-J. A.-L. T.— J. R. S. C— W. E.- H. F. P. — C. S.— G. H. H.-C. J. W. R.— J. G.— W. K.— A. G. G.— J. B.— G. O. H.— S. B.-W. H. P. -J. Le B.-W. B.— J. G.— C. R. E.-C. L.— J. F.— J. A. P.-T. B. B.— A. B. C.-G. F.— H. A. A.— H. B.— J. W. W.— P. P.— J. B. B.-W. H. P.— G. E. R.-C. L.-E. C— W. H. W.— G.-B. W. F. HARDWICKE'S 5 C lEN CE- GO S S I P. lis COLLECTING AND PEBSEEVING. No. VI.— BEETLES. By E. C. Eve. ^^ 11 E general rules, so ably expounded by Dr. Knaggs in his recent article on Lepidoptera in this Magazine, as to con- stant alertness and making "the reason why " the starting- of investigation, apply equal force to the col- ot' Culeoptera, and need here recapitulated. But 0 not, in the instance of latter, require generally to be observed, except as to the perfect state of beetles ; for, owing to Ihe hidden earlier conditions of life of most of those insects, and to the long period during which these conditions exist, it is but sel- dom that the pursuit of rear- ing them, so universally and profitably adopted by the Lepidopterist, is found of much use to the collector of beetles. And this is very much to be regretted ; because, in the majority of cases, if the latter succeed in rearing a beetle from its earliest stage, and keep proper notes of its appearance and habits, he will probably be adding to the general stock of knowledge, as the lives of comparatively few, even of the commonest species, are recorded from the beginning. It may be, also, in addition to the reasons above mentioned for the usual want of success attending the rearing of beetle larvse, that the fact of bred specimens being frequently (from the artificial conditions attending their development, and from their not being allowed that length of time which, in a state of nature, they require after their final change before they are ready to take an active part in their No. 91. last stage of life), not nearly so good as those taken at large, militates considerably against the more general use of this method of adding to a collection. In this respect, of course, the Lepidopterist is actuated by precisely opposite motives ; as for him a bred specimen is immeasurably superior to one captured. And the fact of so few beetle larvae being known at all, or, if known, only to the possessor of somewhat rare books, renders it very likely that a mere collector, finding a considerable expenditure of patience and trouble result in the rearing of a species of which he could at any time readily pro- cure any number of specimens, may very probably abandon rearing for the future. These observations, however, are not in the least intended to dissuade any one from breeding or en- deavouring to breed beetles. On the contrary, it is obvious from them that it is precisely by attending to these earlier stages that the earnest student (novice or expert) has the most chance of dis- tinguishing himself, on account of the more open field for discovery. And in the instance of many small, and especially gregarious, beetles, breeding from the larvae is frequently very easy, if only the substances (fungus, rotten wood, roots, stems of plants, &c.) containing them be carefully left iu precisely the same state as when found, and be ex. posed to the same atmospheric or other important conditions. In fact, to insure success and good specimens, it is best that in their early stages beetles should be "let alone severely." It may be here observed, that we have been lately in this country indebted to the minute observations and great tact of some of our best students of Micro-Lepidoptera (in which branch of entomology we are second to none in Europe), for some most interesting additions to our knowledge of habits, and for long series of insects usually rare in col- lections. Dismissing then the earlier stages of beetles, the following observations will apply only to the imago, H 146 HARDWICKE'S SCIEN CE-GO S SIP. or " beetle proper." And here I would repeat bow evident it is, that tlie knowledge of " the reason why" is especially indispensable to the beetle-col- lector, judging from the extreme rarity of the occur- rence of any new or valuable insect in the stores of a mere random collector or a beginner. For him, no old hand detects an equivalent to DapUdice or Lathonia in his 'duplicate boxes : whereas, among Lepidopterists, " school-boy's luck " is proverbial. I can give no reason for this statement, founded on my own (by no means trilling) experience in the way of examining specimens. And in this idea I think I am corroborated by the very great rarity in old collections and records of many species now uni- versally common ; the directions in older manuals, as to looking under stones, on walls, paths, &c., pretty clearly showing that the majority of captures in the olden time were what are now irreverently designated as " flukes." Still, it is astonishing to ■what good account a sharp observer may turn these casual meetings, often to him resulting in the dis- covery of "the reason why" as to the particular species accidentally found, and to the correlative increase of his collection. And, apart from any- thing but individual captures, many good (and more bad) things will constantly occur to such a collector. One, for instance, who will startle his friends in the streets, by suddenly swooping with his hat after an atom flying in the sunshine, or who is not too proud to pick up another, racing on the hot pave- ment, during those days of early spring, when the insect myriads, revelling in warmth and light, after their long winter's durance, may be seen madly dashing about, even iu towns : on such a day, for instance, as that whereon a certain well-known doctor among the beetles found that living cara- bideous gem Anchomenus sexpundatus, far from its native Sphagnum and heath, wandering on the flag- stones of the W.C. district. But, before referring to special modes of hunting, it may be as well to mention the insirumenta belli required for the equipment of the Colcopterist in this country. These are but few, and of the simplest kind; indeed, in entomology, as in the gentle art of angling, it is often the most roughly accoutred that secures the best basket. The umbrella-net, figured at p. 122, used both for beating into and sweeping^ cannot be dispensed with, and a beating-stick can be cut out of the nearest hedge. The net itself should be of fine "cheese-cloth," or some strong fabric that allows the passage of air, but not of beetles ; other- wise, if of too close a fibre, it is apt to " bag " with the inclosed air, and reject its contents during the operation of sweeping. The net being of course used with the right hand, its left top edge especially bears the brunt of the attendant friction, and gets soon worn ; it is consequently advisable to have an outer strip of stout "leather-cloth" sewn strongly over the riai there for some little distance, extend- ing that protection also to the right top edge, though not for so long a space. The curved handle of the stick should be" sawn off as soon as possible ; it frequently catches in the pockets of the sweeper, causing a jerk to the net, and dispersal of its con- tents. Eor a similar reason, the feruled apex may be well removed. Some collectors keep the sharp cutting edge of the spring sides of the net uncovered, sewing the net itself to holes drilled at intervals on the lower side of the springs. It will be found handy if the bag of the net be cut to a point from the front towards the handle side : this causes the contents to gravitate to the bottom, as far as possible from the point where the rim meets the substance swept. A common umbrella (easily slung by a stout string over the back when not in use) is an admir- able (some think, superior) substitute for this net, as it can be held up higher by the ferule, and tall bushes and trees (of which the branches nearer the top are usually most productive) can be beaten into it with more certainty of their beetle-contents being caught. The steel frames will be found in the way when the beetles are being bottled; consequently, a good large gingham may be consecrated to collect- ing, and its inside (not the open ribs) covered all over up to the middle (leaving no aperture there if possible) with thin white calico, stitched over the frame. Another good form of net for sweeping or dragging in long grass and herbage, is of the common fishing landing-net description, made of very stout wrought-iron or steel wire, either in a simple hoop, if a moderate size only be required, or with a single-stopped hinge to fold into two, or with three such hinges, folding into four, as maybe desired. 1 have used one of these four-folding nets for years, and never found it fail. One end is ham- mered out flat and perforated, the other forming a male screw, bent at right angles with the body of the frame, passes through the hole, and fits into a female screw in a strong and long ferule, fixed iu the usual way to the end of a stout oaken walking- stick. As the power exerted in sweeping with such a net is great, and the action continuous, the simple screw is not enough, and a small screw-hole is drilled right through the ferule and the screw end of the net ; a small thumb-screw, in shape like an old-fashioned clock key, going transversely through both, and effectually hindering lateral displacement. The framework of the net and the ferule are better made of the same metal, because, if made of two metals of different density, the stronger soon wears away the weaker; [and the stick must be inserted deeply into the ferule, and held on with two deep pins or small screws on opposite sides, one being insufficient to stand the strain. The net, of the same substance as that above mentioned, is made with a loose "hem" to slip on the frame b6fore screwing it in the ferule. HAEDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 147 A leather-cloth edging all round is advisable, and the bag should be cut long enough to prevent the possibility of the contents jerking out. Another very good plan for securing the frame to the ferule is to have both ends of it soldered together into a deep square-sided plug, fitting into a corresponding hole in the ferule. The small cross-screw or pin is here also to be used, but the angles of the plug naturally keep a much tighter hold than the worm of a screw. Such a frame as this cannot, of course, be folded. f For water-beetles, a similar net to that last- mentioned is effective, but it should be stouter and with a flat front, for dredging closely against the sides and bottoms of ponds. The best substance for its bag is fine sampler canvass ; and a very large stout bamboo cane is at once light and strong for its stick. To avoid friction, the bag may be affixed to small wire rings let^into holes on the lower edge of the frame, or running on the frame itself. A sieve is one of the most remunerative imple- ments, and may be procured either simple or fold- ing. It consists of a stout wire- framed circle, con- nected by a strong linen baud, six inches deep, with the bottom of an ordinary wire sieve, the meshes of which are wide enough to allow any beetle to pass through. Leaves, grass, flood-refuse, ants' nests' materials, cut-grass, sea-weed, haystack and other debris, are roughly shaken in this over a sheet of brown paper, which should invariably form part of a Coleopterist's apparatus. A stout piece of double water-proof material may be substituted ; and, in marsh-collecting, must be used as a kneel- ing-pad. For ordinary bark-collecting, a strong ripping- chisel (of which the blade is well collared, so as not to slip) is as useful a tool as can be i)rocured; but for real tree-working, no ordinary portable imple- ment is thoroughly effective. Light steel hammers witiialever spike may delude the collector; but a woodman's axe, a saw, a pickaxe or crowbar, will often be found not too strong. For cutting tufts, fee, a strong garden pruning-knife is good, and an old fixed-handled dinner-knife (carried in a sheath) better. For holding the results of the operation of these instruments, the collector needs but one or two collecting-bottles, — one rather small and circular, of as clear and strong glass {not cast) as can be got, with a wide mouth and flat bottom. Its neck should not slope, but be of even width, or the cork will often get out of itself. This cork should be a deep one, and be perforated longitudinally by a stout and large round quill, the bottom of which should be level with the bottom of the cork, the top pro- jecting some inch and a half, with the upper orifice not cut off straight, but slightly sloped diagonally, so as more easily to scoop up beetles from the net or hand. It is closed with an accuratehj-fiUincj, soft, wooden plug, rather longer than the quill, reaching exactly to the bottom of it, but with its top pro- jecting above the top of the quill, and broader than it, so as to be easily pulled out by the teeth when the hands are occupied. Tlie bottle should be secured by stout twine to the buttonhole, enough play being left for it to reach the net in any ordinary position. I usually secure the external junction of quill and cork with red sealing-wax, and have more than once found the bright red catch my eye when I have lost my bottle. [N.B. This loss will always happen to every collector ; generally after a peculiarly lucky day's work : so use the string-preventive.] The body of the bottle may usefully be half-covered with white paper gummed on. A few stout, plain glass tubes, papered in like way, and with plain corks, should be carried for special captures ; and a cyanide-bottle, as mentioned at p. 121,* or one con- taining bruised and shredded young laurel-shoots, will be found useful for safely bringing home larger species, or such as would devour their fellow- captives. Put in these latter, beetles almost instantly die and become rigid, needing a stay of two days or so to become relaxed, in which condition they will then safely remain for a considerable period. In the first collecting- bottle a piece of muslin should be put, to give the contents foothold : these are brought home alive, and killed by bodily immersion in boiling water, after which they are placed on blotting-paper to drain off superfluous moisture. Good things should always, when practicable, be set out at once, as the pubescence is apt to get matted if they are consigned for too long a period to the laurel- or cyanide-bottle ; but such as remain unmounted can be put in a little muslin bag, and deposited in laurel until a more convenient oppor- tunity. Beetles also, when taken in large numbers durinj an expedition into a productive locality, ma.y be collected indiscriminately into a bottle containing sawdust (sifted to get rid both of large pieces and actual dust), and a small piece of cyanide of potas- sium. Each night, on reaching home, these will be found to be dead, and they can then be transferred to a larger bottle or air-tight tin can, partially filled with the same materials and a little carbolic acid to check undue moisture. Filled up with sawdust, this will travel in safety for any distance, and almost any time. Species of moderate size, say up to that of an ordinary Harpalus, are in this country usually mounted on card. Much is to be said both for and against tuis ijractice ; it enables the proportions and formation of limbs to be well appreciated, and it preserves the specimens securely"; but there can be no doubt that it prevents an inspection of the * " Killing-bottles," containing a layer of cyanide of potassium and gypsum, may be bought at most natural- history apparatus dealers, and are useful as relaxing depots. H 2 148 HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. under side, except at tlie trouble of extra manipula- tion in floating off and reversing, and that the gum used clogs the smaller portions of the insect that come in contact with it. Specimens larger than those mentioned should be pinned through the centre of the upper third of the right wing-case, and the limbs extended in position with pins on a setting- board, made of a flat strip of cork glued on deal. Both these and the mounted examples must be left to dry, for a week at least, in the open air; if the boards are fitted to a frame, let them be so placed that the specimens are bottom upwards. Specimens 'dry more rapidly in spring and summer tliau at any -other lime, and of course more readily in dry -\Teathcr. Tor mounting specimens, five or six small pieces of the finest and most transparent gum tragacantli, or " gum dragon," with the same number of pieces of clear gum arabic, are to be put in a wide-mouthed bottle with about a large wine-glassful of cold water. In a short time (twenty-four hours at most) the gum absorbs the fluid and swells; then add half as much more water, and stir the mixture, wliich, on being left for another twenty-four hours at most, will be ready for use. The gum should be dull white, of even texture, and not quite fluid. Never make a Jarge quantity at one time, or be persuaded to put amjtldng else into it. Card for mounting should be the whitest, smoothest, and best that can be pro- cured. " Four-sheet Bristol board " for large spe- cimens, and three-sheet for ordinary use, are about the proper degrees of thickness. Robersons, of Long Acre, artists' colourmeu, have promised the writer to turn out cardboard of this kind with an extra milling, to insure a good surface. Upon strips of this card, pinned on a setting-board, the insects to be set out are mounted, one at a time, and not too close to each other, each on a separate " dab " of the gum, the limbs being duly set out with a fine pin or needle mounted in a paint-brush stick. A pin with the point very finely turned, so as to form a minute hook, is very useful; and for extremely minute work a " bead-needle " is valuable. The gum-brush should not be used in setting, but one or two very fine-pointed camel's-hair brushes may be found of advantage. Before mounting, reverse the specimen on the blotting-paper, and brush out its limbs as far as practicable M'ith a damp flat brush. Very refractory individuals may require to be gummed on their backs ; as soon as the gum is dry, their limbs can be more easily got into position, and they can then be gently damped off their tem- porary mount, and treated as above. A small pair of brass microscope-forceps, ground or cut to a minute point, will often materially assist in getting refractory limbs into position. Erench white liquid glue (not made of shell-lac) is useful for fastening down larger specimens, as it is very strong and dries readily; and with a very small quantity of it rows of specimens can quickly and securely be rouglily mounted, in the continental way^ which is preferable in many cases to leaving the insects for a long time in laurel before setting them out. Such specimens can afterwards, if desired, be relaxed by leaving them on damp sand, or in the cyanide- or laurel-bottle, and be then set in the way above indicated. Care must be' taken, in setting, not to put the specimen lop-sided on the card, or to distort its segments unnaturally by pulling them out of posi- tion, &c., and not to allow gum to lodge anywhere on the upper surface. It is easy, soon after a spe- cimen is securely mounted, to remove with clean M'ater and brush any superfluous gum. In preparing such insects as are liable to " run up " in drying [e.g. the StapliyVmidce), the abdomen should be duly pulled out by a bead-needle inserted at its apex; and, to prevent the contraction of the internal mus- cles in drying, this part may be held with the liquid glue above mentioned. Usually, by putting these insects as soon as mounted into a box and keeping it closed for a few hours, while the first drying takes place, the proper dimensions of the abdomen may be preserved, and thus the natural facies of the insect retained. The contents of the bodies of very large insects may well be removed, either by the anal orifice, or by an incision on the lower side of the abdomen. The Oil-beetles {Meloe) alone require careful stuffing. This is best done by separating the entire abdomen from the metathorax, beneath the elytra, and close to their point of inser- tion : the body is then easily emptied and washed out, and may be filled with cut-up wool, which packs closely : when gummed on again, the junc- tion is not visible, and the entire insect preserves its M'onderfuUy obese appearance. To save time, in mounting many specimens, it is better to merely gum straight on the strip of card as many specimens as can be managed at a sitting. The left side of each of these can then be slightly damped with cletir cold water, 'and its left limbs set out : when all are thus done, the first one will be nearly, if not quite, ready to have its right side treated in like manner ; and so on to the end. Very refractory specimens will sometimes require to be even held down with little braces of card on pins, and to have each liuib damped and set out by a separate operation. The card of large specimens will often curl upwards in drying, owing to the amount of damp ; to counteract this, the loicer face of the card may be washed with a wet brush, just before gumming its surface. Before putting insects away, when dry, the indi- vidual specimens should be cut off the strips of card by a straight cut ou each side, one at right angles to the sides in front, and another behind, all (ex- cept the last) close to the tips of the limbs as set out, so that the whole card forms a parallelogram : HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. ' 149 a very little practice will enable the operator to do this both certainly and quickly. No two individuals, save perhaps a male and female, of whose sexual relations there can be no doubt, or an example mounted on its back, to show its underside, along with a member of the same species, should be allowed to continue on one card ; much less should a TOio of any species be left together. And each specimen should have sufficient card left behind it to allow of a glass of high power being passed be- tween it everywhere and its pin. The pin should perforate the card in the middle of, and close to, its liiuder margin ; and the whole card be lifted three- fourths up the pin, to keep it from mites and dirt as much as possible. Proper entomological pins can be obtained of all sizes at the agents of Edelsten, 17, Silver Street, St. Martin's-le-Grand, also (with all other apparatus) of any natural-history agent or dealer in London ; such as Mr. E. W. Janson, 28, Museum Street, or Cooke, New Oxford Street. " No. 8 " pin is, perhaps, the most useful size. In removing many specimens, proper insect-forceps will be found handy : these can be obtained at the two last addresses, or of 15uck, cutler, Tottenham Court Hoad. Specimens will occasionally become discoloured with grease, usually from defective drying, though many water-beetles and internal feeders, and most autumn-caught specimens, are specially liable to this defect. Benzine is an effectual remedy for it, and for mites, and can be liberally applied with a brush. Carbolic or pheenic acid, dissolved in that fluid (or alone, see p. 126), is "an effectual safeguard against mould from damp. To re-card a specimen that has become discoloured (whether from either of these causes, or from age), it is only necessary that it should be floated in cold water for a few minutes ; the insect can then be dried, well saturated with benzine, and again mounted, looking as fresh as ever. But in re-carding specimens it is necessary to be very careful with such as were originally kept too long in laurel- or cyanide-bottle, as they are apt to become so rotten that a little damp will cause a "solution of continuity." As to storing the specimens when quite dry, I can add nothing to the excellent observations of Dr. Knaggs at p. 126, the same remarks applying with equal force to Colcoptera; except, perhaps, that, even when the collector has (and is satisfied with) a cabi- net, he is likely, in proportion to the real work done by him, to establish type-boxes of all the difficult groups. Eor the examination of insects, readily manipu- lated by being pinned singly on a square flat thick piece of cork or bung, a pocket glass is, of course, necessary. In this case, the best instrument is the cheapest in the long run, whatever it cost ; and one by a good maker, such as Eoss, with modifications of four powers, will suffice for any ordinary work. Eor very small species, a Coddington, of the clearest definition and highest power attainable, is of im- mense help. But when the collector finds that he needs a compound microscope to separate species, it is the firm opinion of the present writer that that collector had better take to some other pursuit than studying Colcoptera. To any one, however, whose researches entail an examination of the minute cibarian and other organs of beetles, whether for purposes of classification or otherwise, the com- pound is absolutely necessary ; though even then the lower powers are usually sufficient. Eor rough dissection, all that is needed are a very small ocu- list's lance-headed dissecting-knife and a stout and fine needle. With these, under a lens mounted on a little stage to allow the free use of both hands, much may be done. The writer, however, has seen and used a very pretty (and comparatively inexpen- sive) dissectiug-staud, with various powers and much latitude of motion, by Ross. After mentioning that, in sending mounted beetles by post to correspondents, it is far more practical to use a strong box, not too deep, to fasten the pins securely, with a layer of manufactured wool in the lid (glazed side towards the beetles, so as not to catch limbs), and to put more wool outside, and write the address and affix the stamp on a label at- tached, than it is to pack carelessly, write " with care " outside,* and then grumble at the Post-office because the insects are broken, I think I cannot, with use, say anything more upon beetles in their preserved condition ; and I will therefore now give some hints as to their haunts when alive. To exhaust the accidental-capture system above alluded to, mention must first be made of sand-pit collecting, a most profitable employment, especially in spring and early summer. A clean, straight- sided silver-sand pit is the best, and, if in or near a wood, its attractions will be at their highest. Beetles, flying of an evening and by night, dash against the pit sides and fall to the bottom ; others merely crawl in for shelter, or tumble over the sides, and many seem attracted by the mere damp at the bottom or in the corners. Old collectors used to recommend a sheet spread out to attract insects ; and there is no doubt that a certain number can be found by such means, just as they can be picked up floating on horse-troughs or on ponds. Artificial traps exist in the corridors of the Crystal Palace, some half-inclosed country railway stations, and such places; crawling up the windows of which many specimens are to be found. But these can only be considered as indications of what species occur in the district, as they are mere stragglers. Deliberately laying traps in sand-pits, on commons. * It is, however, always as well to write " Insects," signi- fying contents that are " caviare to the mUlion," and, there- fore, not likely to be appropriated en route. 160 HARDWiCKE'S SCIENCE- GOSSIP. &C.J will be foimd most productive : small dead animals, fir-brauclies, dead leaves, &c., can be examined time after time with profit in such situ- ations. After heavy floods, as during severe droughts, beetles may be found in great profusion ; in the former case by sifting the refuse left by the water; in the latter by diligently examining the damp residuum of former ponds, and, if no damp be found, ])y even searching below the surface where it last occurred. The wet hay, often decayed and mouldy, at the bottoms of stacks, which bad farmers have placed directly on the ground, will be found to teem with beetle-life ; as will the margins of dung and vegetable-refuse heaps, wood-stacks, cut grass, &c. ; and many good things may be taken by gently waving a light gauze net to and fro, just before sun- set, close to such places, whither the instinct of nature impels the flight of myriads. In winter, isolated tufts of grass in wet places, on the margins of streams, the crests of banks, &c., must be cut close to the ground, and gently torn in pieces over brown paper. Wherever many insects seem to be found, it will in most of these cases be found advisable to sift the fragments, and bring home the beetles and small stuff unexamined in a bag with a string at the neck to prevent their escape. Moss should be treated in this way, and the layers of black and rotting leaves found in woods, especially at their outskirts. Beech leaves usually produce many species, and the autumn and spring are the best times for hunting for them. In winter, also, many species will be found hybernatiug in grass at the roots of trees, under bark, &c., in conditions not usual with them at other times. In autumn, fungi, in woods especially, will be found most productive. rJ General sweeping, except during the winter, will always be more or less remunerative. No general rules can be laid down for this ; in a good neigh- bourhood (on chalk or sand, or both joined) beetles will swarm almost anywhere in due season, and the most unlikely-lookiug spots will frequently be found the best in the end. In luxuriant herbage, among low shrubs, in the close-growing vegetation of hill- sides, the sweeping-net may be plied with success ; but the best way, with all Plnjfophaga at least, is to start with a fixed idea as to catching certain definite species, and then, at the right time, to hunt for such plants as these are known or supposed to frequent ; and, such failing in the district, to try their allies. Of course, the collector will not fail to sweep flowers in woods and lanes, whereon, in the hot sun- shine, many showy beetles bask. Many good things will be found by sweeping under fir-trees, especially towards evening, and even by night; in many places, especially marshes, nocturnal feeders may be secured by the vague use of this net. By night also many species may be found at sugar put ou trees for moths, and on ivy or sallow-blossom. Beating is most productive in early summer, especially in the second year's growth of young cuttings in woods, and the Oak, Hazel, and Poplar will generally yield many species to the tap of the Slick. Good thick, and especially old hedges, must also be always carefully thrashed into the net ; very many good things, otherwise not procurable, will reward this toil. Another scheme for getting rare species is to beat the tops of trees with a long pole, placing beneath a sheet or teut- covering. Breaking away the extreme edges of banks, throwing water on them, treading heavily on the margins, diligently examining grass and roots close to the M'ater, reeds (especially if cut and on the ground in heaps), &c., will bring to light great numbers of wet-looking beetles. Water-beetles, pure and simple, must be dragged and dredged for, especially round water-plants beneath the surface, and along the sides of ponds, in eddies of running streams, in the moss on stones in them, and on the stones themselves, &c. The Coprophaga will be found readily in the droppings of various Mammalia, and also in holes bored in the ground beneath, often to a great depth. An easy and clean way to secure them is to throw droppings, ground and all, into water, the beetles coming to the surface. As to wood-beetles, they must be sought for under and in bark, in solid wood, in decaying branches, and such places ; a rule to be remembered is that most of these occur at the tops of trees :. hence the paucity of so many species in collections. Indeed, to properly hunt for the majority of them, it is necessary to obtain carle blanche and a ladder^ if any success be hoped for. Pelled trunks are, of course, easy to manipulate ; and their freshly -TJut stumps, exuding either resin or a peculiar and often sweet mv.cor, are very attractive to many beetles, as is freshly-cut sawdust, and, most espe- cially, the (to us) fetid and acrid juice resulting from the attacks of the larva of the Goat-moth. Rotten fruit, &c., is also not to be passed by with- out examination. Many small species occur in, or can be reared from, the topmost twigs of trees blown down by the wind. Dead animals, as before mentioned, must be ex- amined, as must the vegetation and soil near them. A keeper's tree in a wood will always produce something for the collector, who need only hold his net beneath the gibbeted fera and bang their hides and bones with his beating-stick. During different stages of decomposition and desiccation, beetles of widely varied aflinitics will result from this method of collecting. Ants' nests would require a special notice, so pro- HAUDWICKE'S SCIEN CE-GOSSIP. 151 ductive are they : their material can be sifted and their neighbouring "runs" or pallis examined, traps laid near or on tliem, and periodically cleared out, &c. Bees' and wasps' nests also produce good, though fewer species, and are, moreover, not quite so easy of access. The nests of birds, especially if the latter are gregarious, and, indeed, the habitations of any animals, will be found to harbour many beetles, amongst other insects. In gardens, the beetle-collector should lay cun- ning traps of cut grass, twigs, planks, bones, &c. ; by a periodical examination of which he will secure many good things. If there be a hothouse about the premises, it and its belongings will always act as a bait. Large tracts of waste land and commons, though superficially apparently unproductive, often contain congregations of good species, in some little oasis of damp or vegetation ; moreover, on them several peculiar beetles occur. Hills and mountains will often suddenly repay tbe toil of the collector, who has despondently worked his way up, turning over stones, and finding comparatively nothing. The moss, &c., attending the channels of any streams in such places should be carefully searched, and the stones on the top especially not neglected. River banks and salt marshes are invariably frequented by good insects, and the very heaps of seaweed, dry or wet, on the shore harbour countless beetles. In sucb places small sand-loving plants should be pulled up by the roots, and, with the neighbouring soil, shaken over brown paper. The sand itself may in many instances be scraped, and buri'owing beetles brought to light ;■;' but if the hunter comes upon a dead fish or bird, a full bottle will be his. Thus it will be seen that almost every locality contains beetles, if the collector can only detect them (and it may be as well here to impress on him that it is better to bottle a dubious insect and ex- amine it at home, than to reject it for being appa- rently common). Still there can be no doubt that certain soils and districts are much more productive than others; for instance, most of the midland and western counties, and some of the south-western, are not by any means so pi-olific as the eastern, southern, and many parts of the northern districts of Great Britain ; clay being the worst of all soils for the Coleopterist. The collector will do well, after a first hurried "burst" at all beetles that come in his way, to select a special group, and lay himself to work it carefully, buying or borrowing the works of autho- rities upon it, and making himself master of the botany connected wi^i it, if it be a group of plant- frequentiug habits. By such a way of working, he will more quickly, though step by step, acquire a good collection, and a stock of useful knowledge, Thau by any other. He will of course keep a regis- ter of the date and place of capture, and any pecu- liarity of habit of each insect he takes. Figures of the date of the year (usually the last two are sufli- cient), followed by -another set, commencing with 1, will usually be quite enough ; corresponding entries being made in the first column of a ruled diary. These figures may be written ir ink on the under- side of the card of a mounted specimen, or on a circular disc of paper, pierced by the pin of one too large to be carded. THE pirate: {Aphrodederus sayanus, Cuv.) By Chakles C. Abbott, M.D. /^VER and under the pebbles and roots, through ^^ grassy hill-top meadow, and dashing down a dozen feet of sober-sided rocks, sports, with never- ceasing cheerfulness, that glorious streana Belle Brook , laughiug a sweet rippling laugh at the cen- tury-old hemlocks that lean their towering trunks over and far above it, and then, in a quiet nook, kissing their feet as if to atone for its presumption, and off to."i.fresh woods and pastures new," rushing in hot haste over scores of opposing boulders, and then, worn by the wild play with ten miles of mountains, languidly seeking a rest in the bosom of the Delaware. In a wondrously crooked arm of this Belle Brook, I captured the savage customer here figured, as he is figured. I had always considered this "arm" the most interesting stream of its size, in an ichthy- ological view, I had ever visited ; for, from trout, the pisciau prince, to lampreys, the fag-end of findom, there is everything that the waters of the whole county can boast. Now, I am sure, this " arm " must take the lead. In Science-Gossip for February of the present year, I briefly referred to capturing this peculiar fish at odd times, with a hook and line ; but verily ! I never imagined that an adult "pirate" could be taken in such a plight as this one is; although swallowing smaller fish is no unusual practice with them. I had been taking some small cyprinoids and a few large etheostomoids for specimens, when suddenly down went the little cork far out of siglit, and the little ash whip, that 1 used as a pole, bent nearly double with the strain upon it. I supposed a small pike or large sun-fish had seized the hook, or a pestiferous spotted turtle, which seems to delight in exciting the ire of the best-natured anglers ; and I was not a little astonished when this fine pirate, with a full-grown hybopsis sticking from his mouth, made his appearance. He bad contrived somehow to suck in the hook at the angle of the jaws, and then put off wath it, determining, I suppose, to season his fish diet with warm sauce. Yv''el], I landed him, took his picture just as he ap- peared, and here it is ! Never had a fish a more 152 HARDWICKE'S SC I E NCE -G O SSIP. angry look than he. And liis looks only reflected his feelings ; for had his jaws not been fixed by the minnow that projected from them, he certainly would have bitten me. Carelessly handling them in the bottom of a sccop net, they have more than once seized my finger, and held ou like grim death. We well remember seeing one once w'ith a firm hold upon a lamprey {Petromyzon), and in spite of all the latter's exertions and vehement rubbing against stones and the exposed roots of the over- hanging trees, the Pirate held on, apparently the projecting portion of the sMallowed minnow, he was brought nose to nose with his fellow, and there they remained the greater part of a day. In May (in New Jersey) the young fish make their appearance, and are a favourite food of the adult fish, which will account for the fact of the species not being as abundant as the many cypri- uoids we have, known as "Roach," "Chub," '' Dace," and " Shiners." The "Pirate" is found in' the majority of the streams along our seaboard, from New York to Fig. 103. The Pirate-fish (Aphrodedenis sayanus). forcing its teeth deeper and deeper into the lam- prey's flesh, judging by the movements of his head and jaws. Presently he loosed his hold very sud- denly, and was gone like a flash; and the cause proved to be that a new enemy, in the shape of a cat-fish {Amiurus), had intruded upon his favourite haunt, the tangled roots of a water-birch that stood upon the very edge of the stream. If undisturbed, the " Pirate " will remain, during the day, among these roots, gently moving to and fro a distance of about one-fourth his length, pro- pelling and receding by a scarcely discernible move- ment of his pectoral fins. On the approach of evening, however, a disposition to move about shows itself, and slowly, without apparent object, he wanders here and there, until he finds one or more minnows near him, when his whole manner changes, and, all activity, he chases these little fish until an opportunity presents itself, when, with a rapidity of movement equal to that of a pike, he rushes upon his victim and swallows it, almost invariably head- foremost. As is frequently the case, the swallowed fish is too large for the throat of the swallower, and in that case, he resumes his favourite position, and there remains until the fish has been digested, or he has been enabled to wear away with his teeth the projecting portion of ,the swallowed fish. This habit is easily demonstrated by confining the "Pirate" in an aquarium, where we ohce saw a still stranger sight, as but one minnow was allowed to two " Pirates," and the smaller having seized Louisiana, a long stretch of land, and one that in- cludes three or four distinct ichthyic faunas, this being one of the few species that is common to them all. Trenton, New Jersey. U. S. A. THE CHARLOCK. By Major Holland, R.M.L.I. IN Sowerby's English Botany there are coloured plates and full descriptions of three distinct plants, each popularly or provincially known as Charlock. All three belong to the order Crucifera ; two are species of the genus Raphanus, and the third is a species of the genus Brassica. It is about the latter — the Charlock, or Corn Mustard — Brassica Sinapistnim— that I am about to gossip. The Erencli call it Moutarde des champs, an apt designation, which at once distinguishes and identifies it, denotes its generic or specific aifinities, and tells us of its habitat ; the German name Ber Acker Senf has precisely the same signiGcation as the French. " It is a troublesome weed oifarable land through- out England, but is capable of being used when boiled as a pot-herb, and is so employed in Sweden and Ireland. It is much relished by cattle, and especially by sheep, but is nowhere cultivated as fodder. The seeds form a good substitute for llARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 153 mustard, and have been used as food for birds ; but, being pungent, are not desirable lor them." ■ 1 remember what a pest it used to be (and I haA'e no doubt is still) on the poor, thin, chalky soils of the Sussex downs ; it flourishes on the sandy clays of the Bracklesham Beds here on the scacoast of South Hants, where its bright yellow corymbs give a^ golden glow to many a broad acre of the late- sown barley ; and it has got such a hold upon the stiff rich lias, the oolites, and marls of fair, fat, and fertile Gloucester, that the muse of Severn-dale seized upon it as a theme for a rural lay, and the sturdy joskins make the welkin ring, and startle the echoes of the Cotteswolds with the rustic strains of "A GLOSTERZHUR ZONG ON THE KERLOCK."* " The Kerlock plant 's a zite to zee, As a zhiiies in the yields like gowld ; But all yent gowld as glitters vree, I wur' once by my veather towld. " Zo I'll teVe a heow f an' cut un al! up. All out o' tha' Barley ground ; An' arter that I'd like to kneow Whur' a bit o'nast t can be vound? " But a zays, zays he, as 't 'yunt no use Vor to gwoo to a girt expense; Vor t'wuU come ageun, whatever thee doos, lu a yur or two vrom yence. " But Pa'sson zays as every weed, lake the Turtnuts and Whaet we seows, Mus' all come up vrom a zort o' zeed, Zo I wun't let 'un zecd if I kneows : " But I'll tcke a hcow an' heow 'un all clane, Right out o' the Barley ground ; Vor if I doant let 'un zeed, 'tis plane Nat a bit o' nast can be vound." While the above-mentioned plant is of the Mustard tribe, the other two, known by the same common English appellation, arc of the Radish race. The first oi i\ies,e, Eaphanus RapJianistrum — the wild Char- lock, wild Radish, white or jointed Charlock— the Radis sauvage of the Ereneh, and Der Acker Uettkj of the Germans — is said to be the vagrant and de- generate offspring of the cultured originals brought to our shores by the conquering legions of Caisar: others declare that the radish was first introduced into this country from China only about 250 years ago. Radishes certainly attain to great size and perfection in " the laud of Sinim." I have grown an egg-shaped variety, with a bright pink skin and very white flesh, in a garden I once had on the banks * From the Proceedings of the Cotteswold Club. t Anglic^, Hoe. The root is the Saxon Heawan, to cut. + Ndst, a generic term for dirt, applied more particularly to weeds. Picking nast, or burning nast, will mean picking couch, burning weeds, &c. The root of this word, though difiacult to trace, is not entirely lost. Its primary meaning is that of fllth or dirt ; a sense preserved in the adjective nasty. It has no substantive form in English. The Swedish has nesa, dishonour, shame; and the Old Norse, neiss, shameful ; secondary derivatives from the same root. of the Wong-poo, which reached to an enormous size, without becoming rank, coarse, or stringy, or losing their delicacy of flavour ; but I do not see why we should imagine that our cultivated radishes came from the far East ; and that even our wild Raphanus Raphanistrum is but a Roman escaped from civilization and fallen in savagery; while Raphanus raaritimus — the Sea-charlock, or Sea- radish — a comparatively rare species, scantily inhabiting here and there a cliff or sandy bank on the coast, is the only true native radish, indigenous to our British soil. Bcntham is of opinion that our garden radish, Raphanus sativus, is only a variety of the wild R. Raphatiistrum. Mr. Sowerby, in his splendid and unrivalled work, gives us the history of (as well as the tales and legends connected with) all our native plants ; and what pleasure and enjoyment are added to our rambles over the wild commons, and to our strolls through the quiet green lanes, by a knowledge of this quaint plant-lore, which he has so laboriously and patiently brought together and placed before us in such attractive shape. He tells us how the homely radish was a classic root, highly esteemed in the brave days of old, when simplicity, frugality, and temperance lent vigour to the life of the stern conquering race, before wealth and sloth, and luxury and sensuality had eaten out the iron heart of the warrior nation : " A Roman meal. Such as the mistress of the world once foun* Delicious, when her patriots of high note. Perhaps by moonlight, at their humble doors. And under an old oak's domestic shade, Enjoy'd, spare feast— a radish and an egg." Ye gods ! what digestions men must have had in the days "iiitoiisl Catoiiis" what consciences must the Fatres conscripti have possessed when, after dining on raw cow-cabbage and vinegar, they could sup on turnip-radishes and cold hard-boiled eggs, and lie down to rest upon their hard beds without fear of nightmare. Even in much later times, when the gluttony and self-indulgence, the ostentation and lavish M-aste of tiie noble and great, had begun to alarm the higher-minded and more thoughtful citi- zens, a stomach that could dispose of "three fat snails {Helix pomutia), two eggs, a barley cake, a lettuce, sweet wine, and snow " for supper, accord- ing to the custom of Pliny the younger, must have been tolerably sound. I remember reading, many years ago, of a poor crazy old woman who wandered about the fields in all weathers, tearing up the Charlock when it began to bloom. Her son, an idle vagabond, who shunned all steady regular work, had managed to live by smuggling and poaching; at last he was tempted to M'aylay and rob a poor travelling pedlar : he attacked him one wild stormy night as he was crossing some fields by a lonely, unfrequented foot- 134 HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. path, strikiug the old man down from behind with a bludgeon; while rifling Lis pockets, the moon suddenly appeared from behind a black cloud, and lighted up the robber's features ; the pedlar recog- nized him, and calling him by name, told him that the slow but sure hand of justice would overtake him one day. " You shan't be a witness against me, at any rate, I'll make sure of you ; dead men tell no tales : " and the robber became a murderer. " You shouldn't have talked about the gallows, old man," said the rufiSan, jeering the dying man ; " where will the witnesses be when you're buried deep down, and the waving corn grows over the place— aha ! who'll be your witnesses then, I won- der?" "These! these!" moaned the victim, tearing up a handful of blood-bedabbled weeds from the trampled earth, and dashing them all wet and reeking in the murderer's face, — " the wild Charlocks that see me die, shall nod their yellow heads at you, and my blood's cry to Heaven for ven- geance shall be heard, and the yellow blossoms shall be my witnesses against you as long as the Char- lock blooms wild in the cornfields." The wretch trembled as the dank plants struck him, and stained his face; then he dragged the body away and buried it deep down in a newly-ploughed field ; and corn was sown and grew up over it, and all trace of the horrid deed seemed to be put for ever out of sight. But the pedlar was missed from his accustomed beat, and people began to talk and wonder if he had met with foul play, and they joked the assassin, and asked him whether the money he spent so freely had been taken from the missing traveller. The spring came round, and the weeds sprang up amongst the green corn ; but in one lone field there came such a mass of 'yellow charlock-weed in one particular spot that the farmer noticed it, and sent men to root it up ; but it sprang up again and again, and the guilty miscreant quaked when the neighbours talked about it, and at last he was seen stealing out at night and tearing the rank weeds up. Suspicion was aroused, the soil was turned up, and the body of the missing pedlar was found and identified. The terror-stricken murderer confessed, and told the whole tale ; he was hanged, as he vreli deserved to be; his .poor widowed mother went mad with grief; but, unable to realize the actual death of her only child, and with the pedlar's dying cry for ever ringing in her ears, she wandered in the fields tear- ing up the Charlock, that its golden blossoms might not wag their heads and bear witness against her lost and ruined son. Bury Cross, Gosport. " When Alexander the Great went on his Indian expedition he opened the way fur many discoveries. The Ringed Parakeet was soon afterwards brought to Greece."— " JBeauii/2el Birds in Far-off Lands " SPARROW BRAWLS. rpHE social habits of our attached friends -*- the Sparrows, must at this time of year attract the notice of the most unobserving. Like other parasites, they are not long out of sight at any season, but on the approach of spring, every nook around the homestead rings in turn with their squabbles, and there is not a city garden with a shrub in it, which does not re-echo with their eager reproaches. The noise, considering the size of the performers, is wonderful. The greater frequency of these affrays in the spring months leads to the presumption that they arise from jealousy amongst the male birds. But this I believe to be an error. My lot is cast in a large seaside town, and the chief enjoyment I can get of the beauties of nature is derived from a few poplar trees, planted, by necessity, much nearer to my study-window than a country gentleman would think desirable. The necessity, however, like most of the decrees of Providence, is not without ad- vantage. It brings my feathered friends, in whom I delight, under much closer observation. Here, in their season of verdure, the trees are visited by Chiff-chaffs, Willow-wrens, and two species of Tit- mouse ; whilst in severe weather strange visitors are driven down from the hills, such as the Missel- thrush, the Blackbird, the Song-thrush, arid the Redwing. Redbreasts, Brown Wrens, Hedge- sparrows, and House-sparrows are here at all seasons, and the last fully as]; saucy and cunning as any of their tribe. For some considerable time I have been in the habit of watching their conduct, and whenever the first note of discord has arisen, I have noted their proceedings with particular attention. As would be supposed, the actors are one female and several males. The latter, however, are not, as would be expected, contending with one another, but all— excepting one, teasing rather than seriously attacking the hen, who always occupies the centre. One of the male birds does nothing but flounder about in a ridiculous manner, throwing back his head, drooping his wings, and uttering a peculiar chirp, which seems to goad the rest of his sex to frenzy. The female frequently rushes at this lackadaisical performer, and pecks at him with fury. He never returns the blow, but retreats a short distance, whilst one of the males attacks the hen from behind and diverts her wrath upon himself. I have never seen the male birds assail one another at such times. Sometimes their emotion, whatever its nature, is so vehement, that they are all down together in inextricable confusion ; but the moment the paroxysm is over, they always act as I have described above. It is the cry of the male bird beginning his singular performance before the female, which instantly summons all the cock-birds in the vicinity to the scene. The first comers dash I HAKDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 151; into the melee without a moa^ent's hesitation. The late arrivals often take no part in the afTair, beyond cheering on the principals with a few sharp notes- At length, as in human squabbles, the absurdity and uselessness of the whole thing seem to strike every one — the outsiders retire, and the chief actors begin to draw off : the lover, if such is his character, performs with less empressement, the lady becomes hiore indifferent to his " chaff." Agamemnon and Menelaus go off together Kara (cXto-iae te vias re, Paris himself steals away by degrees, and Helen is invariably left quite alone. Such arc the facts, as I have witnessed them, over and over again, but their significance is not so easy to determine. It should be remembered that these birds are not polygamous, like ruffs and capercailiics, and domestic fowls, whose desperate combats are intelligible enough. There is no greater provocation to jealousy amongst spaiTOws than amongst linnets or buntings, which are not in the habit of brawling in this manner, sparrows, indeed, are hardly gregarious in the breeding season ; each male bird has his own mate, and the pair bring up their family in as exemplary a manner as many a Christian couple. Nevertheless, there is not one of these staid, business-like charac- ters who is not ready, at a moment's notice, to engage in a furious set-to with his neighbours about one of the other sex, for whom he cares nothing a minute before or after. Moreover, these squabbles are not confined to the spring season. I have wit- nessed them in every month in the year, excepting during the moulting season. I will not hazard any theory respecting them, content to draw the attention of your readers to the facts of a very curious, how- ever common, phenomenon ; the object of which, like the night-crowing of the roost-cock, or the serrated claw of the rern-owl, is, I believe, very little understood, H. PUPA ene:\iies. ON May 2nd, I went to my pupa-cage to look for " fresh arrivals,"and was very much 'asto- nished to find the pupaj were being carried off bodily by a number of large red ants. Several had been partly devoured, and others injured beyond re- covery; but by a prompt and vigorous attack, the pupse were rescued and removed, while the ants were destroyed by a copious douche of boiling water. A little searching revealed the colony, at about three yards distant from the breeding-cage. I stirred them up with a stick, and gave them a dose of the hot water; a thin stream of ants were travelling along the wall, having no doubt been informed of the " grub " by their relatives. As I keep all my pups oid of doors, and exposed to the changes of the atmosphere, such dangers must be risked. I simply place the pupa on the top of a layer of fine sifted mould, mixed with de- cayed tan and silver sand : as I never moisten them, they do not damp off, and I have lost but few frora dry rot. I once covered them over with moss, boiled, according to instructions ; but I never saw any advantage derived from it ; and as you cannot see how the pupaj are without disturbing it, I have discontinued using any moss for some time. There are a great many other plans for rearing pupai successfully, each of which has its supporters and followers, who of course believe it to be " in- fallible." I have tried several others, and with more or less success. I should say laying them in bran is per- haps the worst, as then they invariably dry up ; cotton wool produced the next smallest percentage of perfect insects. Another enemy of the moth in its pupal state is the Earwig {Forficula) ; also Cocktail or great Hove Beetle {Creopldlus maxiU losus), and such "Reptiles." The Rev. Joseph Green, in his valuable little work on "Pupa-digging," says, "I have known a slug crawl in a straight course more than a foot up the side of my cage, to get at a chrysalis, and then feast on it till there was nothing left but the empty skin." He also states that he has seen an earwig eat a soft pupa, and gives an account of las pupoe being devoured by a brood of Tinea pseudo- Sjpretellu. Other enemies of the pupse, more especially when at large, are Gcldmice, which are fond of soft pupae. Those who damp their pupae will also suffer losses from mould, which is very destructive to some kinds, especially those which have been moved from the cocoon. It is curious what clusters larvae will often form, piling the cocoons one above another, till some are not visible. I had last summer iu one of my larger breeding-cages, a group consisting of 5 Drinkers {Odone&tis potatoria), 3 Oak Eggars {Lasiocampa Quercics), 7 or 8 Lackeys {Bomhyx Neustrla), 5 Eigure-of-8 (J)ilola caruleocephala), 4i Gipsies {Liparis dispar), and a single Tiger {Chelonia Cajd). I need scarcely say, I did not leave them to come out in this position, or many would no doubt have been undeveloped. I think I have given a tolerably good list of the various enemies or diseases to which the pupa2 of Lepi- doptera are liable ; but if others have been noticed by subscribers to Science-Gossip, I shall be glad to see their remarks. J. Hendekson, Jun. " England is the sister of Holland, but, being more enveloped, I think, iu misis, owing to the vi-arm waters of the Gulf Stream, it did not recog- nize until a later period the grandeur of its mari- time horizon."—" Nature," hy Madame Michelet. 15G HARDWICKE'S SCI ENCE-GUS SI P. SHUIMPS AND PRAWNS. IT is astoiiisliing, in vulgar classification, how size and colour determine conclusions. Its reason- ing is based on just the opposite grounds to those of science. The latter investigates, analyses, wants to know the reason for every organ, rudimentary or otherwise, and refuses to be satisfied with the statement that they are complementary. It has too much faith in the wisdom of the Creator to believe in sports or freaks of any kind whatever. Every organ, whether in use or not, has a meaning ; and, if we could get at it, it would doubtless help us to the history, not of the individual merely, but of the species and even genus to which its possessor be- longs. Among the common zoological objects with which the public generally come in contact, perhaps no greater ignorance is displayed than in their notion g that when they have arrived at a certain size ihey separate from the older ones, the latter retiring farther from the shore to, return again, however, when they have reached the adult condition. It is only when they have arrived at the latter stage that the fishermen condescend to regard them as true praw//s^a.\'id to charge for them as such ! Tiie tail of the "red shrimp," or prawn, is worthy of notice. It is composed of five plates, capable of being folded like a lady's fan. Each plate is edged with setaj, and when alarmed, by expanding the tail and suddenly striking the water with it, its possessor can drive itself backwards to a surprising distance. It is almost comical to watch this animal investigating a strange locality^o see how gin- gerly it seems to walk on the very tips of its long feet, and how its swimmerets or paddles are mean- time rapidly working beneath the abdomen. It progresses by means of these swimmerets exactly on the principle of a paddle-boat, and uses its tail only to retreat from danger. Another common species of prawn is often sold as a shrimp. This is the Pakemon squilla (fig. 105), which resembles the true shrimp even more than Tig, 104. Palitmon serratus. of "shrimps." The old adage that all is fish which comes into the net is realized here, for all are shrimps tiiat are sold as such. The only difTerence recognizable is that some are known as " red shrimps," and some as " brown." The appetizing flavour of these delicate crustaceans is perhaps not conducive to popular examination or dissection other than the stomach requires, or the great differ- ence between the "red" and "brown" so-called shrimps would be recognizable at once. In fact, the "red shrimp" is not a "shrimp" at all, but a young prawn ! It is known in many places as the "Rock shrimp," from its habits. The rostrum, or prolongation of the carapace between the antennw, is the distinguishing feature of the prawn. In our common species this is toothed like a saw (fig. 104), whence its name of Falamon serratus. Of its two pairs of antennre, the outer are very long, twice as long as the animal's body. It is only in the young state that this species approaches our shores ; but its times and seasons are well known to " shrimpers," and it falls a victim to its littoral curiosity. Bell tells us that in some parts the fishermen consider they drive away the true prawns ; but the Professor believes this is due to the fact Fig. 103. Palamon squilla. the foregoing'; si ill you may trace a similar ser- rated rostrum. The antennre are not so long, and only the first pair of legs have pincers, whilst in the fore-mentioned species the first two pairs are provided with them. The common shrimp has a simple hook, bent, and springing out of a thickened base. The serratus when adult is four inches long, the squilla attaining only half that length. Two other and rarer species of prawn inhabit our seas, but these are not often sold as shrimps. In Great Yarmouth, however, another genus of crustacean shares the honour with the prawn of being an edible shrimp. This is the Pandalus annulicoriiis, whose serrated rostrum and long autennse give it a great resemblance to the serratus. So abundant is it cff (his part of the Norfolk coast, that its capture provides many fishermen with con- stant employment. It differs from the true shrimp in occurring at a considerable distance from the shore; hence it goes by the name of the "sea shrimp." The greatest length it attains is tw^o and a half inelies. . And now for our old, true, and tried friend, whicli HAllDWICKE'5 SCIEN CE-G OSSIP. 157 has generously lent the credit of its great name to the species above mentioned— the Crangoii vulgaris (fig. 106). Practically it is distinguished from them by its common name of "sand-shrimp," and still more as the " brown." Notice its speckled back and body, and you have before you another of those instances of mimicry which naturalists are seeing throughout the animal kingdom. Nothingcouldmorc resemble the fine sandy bottom on which it squats, and its protection is rendered doubly sure by the jets of sand it casts up, and which settle down over it and hide it. Here you have no rostrum, but a broad, flat head, on which the eyes are placed at wide intervals between. The internal pair of anteunse terminate in two short feathered filaments, and the two movable plates outside them, bristling with sctaj, distinguish the shrimps at once. The female shrimp carries her spawn underneath lier Fig. 106. Common Shrimp [Crang-on vulgiiris), abdomen the whole year round — an occurren ce which you will never find in connection with the so- called "red-shrimp," for the simple reason that the latter is only in a juvenile stage. The spawn is entangled among the "false feet," or swimmerets. There could not have been a better arrangement, considering its babits of burying itself in the sand, than the manner in which the eyes are arranged for seeing— on the top of the head. The "brown shrimps " are fond of company, and their antics on a sunny day are very joyous and vivacious. They dart about, and even skip out of the water, in their exuberance of spirits. But they are always found in shallow water, and that where there is a fine sandy bottom. Singularly enough, wherever the true shrimp occurs you get few or no " red shrimps " or prawns, one group invariably replacing the other. J. E. Tayloi?. SAWS OE SAW-ELIES. A LTHOUGfl most of the books on the micro- -^^^ scope contain an accurate description ol the saw of the saw -fly, and the method of its use, yet in none is there any mention of the variation in the I^rm of the saw in the different species of the insect. Some deposit their eggs in the hard bark of certain plants, others make incisions through the softer structures of the leaves ; and thus the arrangement of the teeth, and the formation of tlie saws them- selves, vary, all making most beautiful microscopic objects. No doubt if we could know for certain the exact structures these various arrangements are intended to divide, our own mechanicians might obtain many valuable hints from studying the saws of these little insects. I have already collected and mounted, during the present season^ more than a dozen saws, all perfectly different in \\xKm' Fig. 10". Saws of Sa«'-flies. Xo. I. Saw of Large Green Saw-fly. 2. Black ditto. 3. Small flitto. 4. Brownish ditto. 5. Black Saw-fly, with white banded abdomen. 6. Large Yellow Saw-fly. 7- Yellow ditto, with black thorax. formation, a few of which I have delineated. They are drawn from nature, with the neutral tint reflector, the i-ineh objective being used. Eig. 1 is the most remarkable saw I have yet seen ; for, be- sides being beautifully toothed, along its sides are arranged a series of scales placed in rows, the uses of which it is difficult to imagine. Having many times watched the process of depositing the egg, after the requisite incision has been made in a leaf by the insect, I cannot agree with those authors who state that the egg is passed along the saws, which form together a sort of tube for its passage to its destination. The real ovipositor is placed above the saw, and when the egg is being deposited, 15S HAEDWICKE'S SCI ENCE- GOSSIP. the saw is withdrawn into its sheath, the large size of the egg, and the very structure of the saw itself, making it impossible for the process to be accom- plished as described by them. This can readily be proved by obtaining a saw-fly full of eggs, and sub- jecting it to pressure under the microscope, when the exact relation of the parts will be sqgu.— James W. Gooch. THE AECHJilOLOGY OP EARE PLANTS. HAVING seen a paper by my friend Mr. Edwin Lees in Science-Gossip for April, in which he mentions the occurrence of the Adrantm major on the Weo Edge in tiiis parish, I beg, with your permission, to make a few remarks on its probable history in that spot. When a plant is found growing some hundreds of miles away from its native country, it becomes an interesting questiion to determine how it may have been transported to its new abode. That it lias spontaneously started into existence, I presume no one will at the present time maintain. Few either would contend that the introduction of plants has taken place in a capricious way without law or sys- tem. The researches of Darwin and Lyell have clearly shown that the flora of every district is more or less related to that of the adjacent country, and that if any strange forms occur, their presence may be traced to some distinct cause. In many cases, this cause may be extremely difficult to determine ; but in some, by carefully attending to the sur- rounding circumstances and conditions, it may be possible to form a more or less probable con- jecture. Now it seems to me that the suggestion which was made to me some years ago by a friend wlio takes much interest in the antiquities and natural history of this neighbourhood, as to the occurrence of the Astrantia on Weo Edge, has much force, and is, moreover, particularly interesting, as it connects the spot where it grows with tliose dim ages of a remote past which we all delight to picture to our minds, and so to jealize the kind of people who lived in them. The place — and it is the only place in England where the Astrantia grows with any appearance of being indigenous— is tlie summit of an abrupt cliff of Lower Ludlow shale, some 550 feet above the valley through which a small stream, called the Onny, flows. As elsewhere in the neighbourhood, this formation or ridge of hills is crowned by a band of what is known by geologists as the Aymestry limestone, and it is on the soil formed from the decay of this limestone that the plant in question has found a congenial home. And now, a few words as to its foreign abode. Mr. Bciitham in his Botany has the following notice of it : — " In woods and pastures in central and southern Europe, not 'nearer than central France ; occurs apparently wild in Stokesay Wood, near Ludlow, and between Whitbourne and Malvern in Herefordshire ; probably originally escaped from some old cottage garden." I remember a few years ago taking a friend, who had travelled in Italy, to the top of the Weo Edge, without telling him of the fact of the Astrantia growing there, and was much struck by his ex- clamation of pleasure and surprise when he recognized the plant, then in full blossom, which he had last seen flourishing on one of the mountains in the north of Italy. Can we show that any inhabitants of Italy ever had access to this spot? An answer to this ques- tion has been found in a most unexpected way. Within a few miles of the Weo Edge, and close by an ancient Eoman road which wends its way between the two places, was discovered a few years ago the remains of a Eoman villa, including the hypocaust,';or thick'mass of concrete, supported on a number of little pillars, by which the rooms were warmed. Imbedded in this concrete was found, by Mr. Staekhouse Acton, on whose ground the villa was discovered, a peculiar shell, the Peutamerus Knightii. Now it so happens that this fossil, which is of a remarkable and unmistakable character, is very abundant indeed at the Weo Edge, but is ex- tremely rare, if it occurs at all, which is very doubtful, anywhere nearer to the site of the vUla than that hill. The inference from this is apparently inevitable ; the Eoman mason who constructed the hypocaust used lime brought from the iWeo Edge, which is, moreover, the best to be had in all the country round. Many other facts tend to the same conclusion. The Astrantia grows chiefly on a kind of bank which formed part of an old encampment, such as might have been constructed to defend a few dwellings, as we may well suppose the Eoman colonists had frequent occasion to do. (3) The ground all round the spot is completely honeycombed by the remains of ancient limekilns, and there are innumerable mounds everywhere of the rubbish which was thrown out in raising the limestone ; and (3) that the spot was frequented by waggons long before the present roads were made is shown by the remains of roads, long since unused, deeply sunk below the level of the soil, showing how much they were frequented in early times. Is it then improbable that whenthe villa of which I have spoken M^as in the course of erection (and there is reason to thiuk that many others of a similar kind once existed in the neighbourhood), a number of Eoman workmen may have settled on this spoi, and that they, in some way, brought this plant vith them ? How many instances are there of flowers HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 159 much less attractive, having been conveyed by man to considerable distances, by accident or design ! Indeed, Mr. Bentham has told me that the Astrantia itself was often an inmate of old cottage gardens ; showing that it was not despised as an ornamental plant ; in fact, though not a showy one, it is by no means common-looking or unattractive. One more reason may be added to the above ; namely, that the extent to which it has spread throughout Stokesay Wood points to the time of its introduction as being very remote. J. D. La TorcHE. Stokesay. MICROSCOPY. On an Ijipkoved Reflex Illujiinatob, for THE Highest Powers of the Microscope, by F. H. Wenham. — The above is the title of a paper read by one whose name has become a household word among microscopists, and all who use the microscope owe him a deep debt of gratitude for the many useful adjuncts he has from time to time invented, and given to the public, without fee or reward. Two of the best known are his paraboloid and binocular prism. The former, as most of the microscopical readers of S.-G. are aware, is used for giving a black field, whilst the object is brilliantly illumiuated, and few objects are more beautiful than JPleurosigma formosum, Heliopelta Metii, or Aulacodiscus formosus, when illumiuated by means of the paraboloid. This method for obtain- ing a black field is all that can be desired when no higher objective is used than a \ ; but when the highest powers came into more general use, it was felt that the black field illumination to be used with them was a desideratum. The author proposed for this purpose a small truncated lens, attached to the slide by means of oil of cassia or cloves, and beneath this the paraboloid : this produced some very good effects, but, to quote Mr. Wenham's own words, it was a clumsy and unhandy combination, and so difficult to manipulate that even in the hands of experienced microscopists it sometimes failed to show satisfactory results. The new illuminator seems in every wiiy to be a great improvement on the old plan, and if carefully made would produce very satisfactory results. The illuminator consists of a cylinder of glass, half an inch long, and y% in diameter ; the lower convex surface is polished to a radius of -^ ; the top is fl.at and polished, starting from the bottom surface ; the cylinder is worked off to a polished face at an angle of 6-1° ; close beneath the cylinder is set a plano-convex lens of H focus. The action of the cylinder will be understood by referring to the following diagram (twice the real size), a is the cylinder, b the lower plano- convex lens, d;\d, f/rays of light reflected upwards from the mirror. If the two sides of the cylinder had been parallel, the rays would have passed on to e ; but as one of the sides forms an angle with the base, the rays impinge on the sloping side, and are reflected from it upon th^ flat surface at such an angle as to suffer total reflection, ''s shown by the Fig. 108. Diagram of Reflex Illuminator. black lines (/) : if, however, a drop of water is placed on the surface of the cylinder, and brought into contact with the lower surface of a slide (c)j the rays pass through, as shown by the dotted lines' and are now totally reflected by the upper surface, the black lines at g representing the reflected rays ; but if an object, such as a diatom valve, or a podura scale, is in close contact with the slide, it becomes brilliantly illuminated, one portion of the ray passing into it, the other being reflected j thus giving a perfectly black field. The apparatus is made to rotate on the focus as a centre. The required objects on the slide are found by a low power. The light is thrown up either by a plane or concave mirror : the former is generally the best and most controllable. Having got the best effects, say on a diatom or insect-scale, by tilting the mirror, we now proceed to rotate the illuminator During this, the most exquisite unfolding of structure takes place. The inventor then proceeds to describe the superb appearance of the podura scale when illuminated by this contrivance. He says Amphipleura pellucida assumes a substantial appearance not seen iu any other way, and at once displayed its strife with au g that had never resolved them before. In an addendum he describes some experiments in order to ascertain, if possible, the distance at which objects on a total reflecting surface were rendered visible by light transmitted iu consequence of their presence or contact thereon, and from these experiments he inferred that no light or colour effect would be produced if the object was not within the distance of an undulation that would produce colour; this would be less than the ten-millionth of an inch. For further details we must refer the reader to the June number of the Microscopical Journal. — F. Kitton, IGO HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. Monthly Microscopical Journal. — The June number of this journal is one of the best we have seen for some time, containing some first-rate articles, well illustrated, by our best writers. The new volume commenf'Oo witli July, and we would advise our microscopical readers to note the fact. PoLARiscopE Object (Glance Erde). — The powder of this mineral forms a good polariscope object, somewhat similar to the scrapings of the shell of the cuttlefish. Mounted in Canada bal- sam and viewed through a seleuite plate, the play of colours is very brilliant, especially with a deep blue ground. If plates of mica of different thick- nesses are placed on the selenite, many other tints may be obtained. I do not know if this is a com- mon polariscope object, but I have not met with it before. -A. B. C. ZOOLOGY. Protection of Wild Eowl.— Every naturalist and lover of nature will be glad to know that the Wild Fowl Protection Bill passed its second read- ing on the 12th of June. The feathered favourites which add such animation to our sea cliffs, and the rare birds which have hitherto been shot down to their present rareness, will now have a chance in the arduous battle of life. Provincial Societies. — The Transactions of the Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists' Society for 1S71-2 are more than usually interesting and valuable on account of the great number of papers they contain, by competent and well-known observers, on local natural history. The Presidental address by H. Stevenson, F.L.S., is a masterly review of the work to be done, and of the papers read. An im- portant paper by Mr. F. W. Harmer, F.G.S., on the Marine Mollusca of the Norfolk coast, is paralleled by another on the "Land and Fresh-water Shells" of the neighbourhood of Norwich, by Mr. T. B. Bridgeman, in which the writer states that 40 species of land shells and 38 fresh-water shells had been met with. Mr. T. Southwell, the hon. sec, contributes a paper on the " Occurrence of Ffioca hispida on the Norfolk Coast;" Mr. Stevenson another on the " Scoulton Gallery;" Mr. J. E. Taylor, F.G.S., a paper on "The Norfolk Broads and Mercs, geologically considered ; " Mr. C. G. Barrett one on " Coast Insects found at Brandon," whilst Mr. Fred Kitton concludes with a paper of more than local interest, on the "Spongcous Origin of Flints." This paper wc hope to tran-fer to our pages. The "Transactions" have several pages devoted to ornithological and general natural liistory notices, chiefly by i\Iessrs. Stevenson and Guruey. Fish Building Nests.— Professor Agassiz writes from St. Thomas, to give an account of his discov- eries concerning the Gulf weed and its living inhabitants. The most interesting of the latter is a fish which builds a nest. The nest is a ball of sargassum about as large as two fists, and is obviously carefully formed, with elastic threads trending through it in all directions. AY hen such a nest was put into a bowl of water, it was seen that the central portion was much more closely knitted than the rest. On the threads appeared, also, a multitude of beads irregularly strung, of about the size of a pin's head, and these beads, on examination, proved to be eggs. With a little care the eggs were preserved, and soon a dozen little fishes rewarded the Professor's new marine- hatching establishment. These fishes eventually proved to be the young of the common CUronedus pictus, a fish which is thus shown to construct a floating harbour for the protection, and eventually for the commissariat of its progeny. The creature which performs this wonderful work has, it seems, special un-fish-like faculties for the purpose. The pectoral fins are supported by a kind of prolonged wrist-like appendages, and the rays of the ventrals are not unlike rude fingers. With these limbs. Professor Agassiz saj'S, these fishes have long been known to attach themselves to seaweed, and rather to walk upon it than to swim. It is now clear, also, that they use them for the construction of their nests. A Bare British Snake.— Eecord has been made of the occurrence of that rare snake. Coluber Austriacits, in Dorsetshire. The first authenticated specimen was captured in June, 1854', and three or four others have been met with since. The Dorset individual measured over twenty-one inches in length, and when disturbed, quickly approached the intruder, with head erect, and tongue rapidly moving in and out, putting on a very defiant look. Neav Species of British Coleoptera.— In the last number of the Entomologisfs 2Ionihhj Magizine^ Mr. E. C. Pi,ye describes three new species of beetles. The first, Scydmcenus prceteritm, about half an inch long, was taken at Croydon, Erith, and in the Isle of Wight. Several other localities are also mentioned. The second species is named Tlialacrus Brisonti, taken near Gravesend ; length about one line. The third is c^&^A)ithicus Scoticus, one line and a quarter long, found in some numbers on the shores of Loch Levcn, and elsewhere ia Scotland. Sponges. — In the Jane number of the Annals and Magazine oj Natural Uislorij, Mr. H. J. Carter, F.Il.S., describes two new species of sponges from the Antarctic Sea, as well as a new species of Tdlnjra, fro:n Shetlaiul. The latter part of the HARDWICKE'S SCI E N CE-G OS SI P. 161 article is taken up with an interesting and elaborate account of the production of sponges, commencing from the zygosis of the sponge-animal, and tracing the gradual development of the spiculaj. Dr. J. E. Gray, E.E.S., in the same number, has an article on the classification of sponges, in which he makes some alteration in the paper on the same subject published in the "Proceedings of the Zoological Society," May, 1SG7. , Noxious and Beneficial Insects.— A good example is set by the trans-Atlantic authorities to other states. Mr. Charles Y. Riley, State ento- mologist, has just published his " Third Annual Report on the Noxious, Beneficial, and other Insects of the State of Missouri." The subject is exhaust- ively treated, and the illustrations numerous. The larvs, chrysalids, and pupfc of all the insects which affect the agriculturist are carefully deline- ated, and their habits, structure, &c. plainly de- scribed; so that tlie American agriculturists possess an advantage over those of other countries in knowing which are their enemies and which tlieir friends. The Report of the Entomological Society of Ontario for 1S71 has also just appeared, including reports on some of the noxious and bene- ficial insects of the province, illustrated by upwards of a hundred woodcuts. The insects affecting the apple, the wheat crops, and the cabbage, are de- scribed by the Rev. C. J. S. Bethunc, president of the society ; those affecting the grape, the currant, and gooseberry, have been undertaken by Mr. W. Saunders, vice-president ; whilst Mr. E. B. Reed has given an account of the insects in connection with the plum, potatoes, cucumber, melon, &c. The Report, therefore, is of a most valuable character, and the work well done. The PiioTOZOA, &c. — Dr. T. C. Hilgard has recently stated before the New Orleans Academy of Sciences, that he recognized no such classes as Protozoa or Frofop/ii/f a. He remarks that "all the so-called Infusoria, all the Protozoa, Protophyta, and fresh-water Algse, so-called, are severally and collectively, in all known cases, the immature, but even thus self-multiplyinggerms of higher (or adult) forms of plants and animals, otherwise well known for themselves.-" Lauva oe the Eox-Moxn {Bomhjx ruLi).— The occurrence of this species in the larval state on the Sea Buckthorn is a little singular. It would be curious to note whether they would eat the leaves if they were at all moist with salt-water. These larvffi seem usually to prefer bramble or blackthorn, but they are occasionally found feeding upon clover and heather. Many entomologists have recorded it as their experience that the larva of rubi cannot be brought through the winter without some difficulty, most individuals dying off in confinement during November. I hope Mr, Garfit will be more fortunate with his brood. As he asks for information, I beg to quote Mr. New- man's suggestion for carrying them through. He decidedly discards the "coddling" plan of treat- ment which some have great faith in, and advises thus : — " Obtain a tea-chest, or some other large use- less wooden box without a lid ; fill the bottom with heathy turf cut from a common, put the larvis with their food on the turf, and cover the box with wire gauze. Thus prepared, leave the whole in your garden, exposed to wind and rain, and the moths will emerge in due time." No doubt, it will be advisable to protect this receptacle from very heavy rains. I suspect, saving in very cold weather, these larva; are seldom entirely inactive ; and they should be supplied with green food now and then, which they will nibble a little. Another mode might be tried ; namely, that of dividing them off into par- ties of about a score in each, these being placed in flowerpots, with a little dry moss at the bottom, the top being tied over with gauze. In any case, efforts must be made to obtain for the survivors (which may be but few) as early a supply of leaves or expanding buds as possible, directly the influences of the spring are showing themselves upon vegeta- tion.—/. B. S. C. Salmon Spawning.— It is astonishing to see in what enormous quantities, and to what great dis- tances, the salmon ascend the Siberian rivers. Dozens of small streams which we passed in the interior of Kamschatka, seventy miles from the sea- coast, were so choked up with thousands of dead, dying, and decayed fish, that we could not use the water for any purpose whatever. Even in little mountain brooks, so narrow that a child could step across them, we saw salmon eighteen or twenty inches in length, still working their way laboriously up stream, in water which was not deep enough to cover their bodies. We frequently waded in and threw them out by the dozen with our bare hands. — Tent Life in Siberia. Young Caterpillars in Coneinement.— The jam-pot will be found very serviceable for these, amongst the Micro-Lepidoptera. It has long been used by the rearers of the Tiueina, as leaves kept therein do not dt-y up speedily. The top is covered with a piece of plate-glass in that case ; but, in using it for young caterpillars of the Bombyces and Geometrse, I have tied it over with gauze or muslin. Small twigs of shrubs, or stalks of herbaceous plants, may be kept fresh in such a receptacle for some days. One drawback, however, is this, that what answers very well iu so far as the food is concerned, does not always suit the young larvae. Whsn the weather is cold, and they happen to place themselves on the sides of the pot, they are liable to become cramped, and are afterwards 162 HARDWICKE'S SCIBNCE-GOSSIP. scarcely able to move about, or grasp leaves and twigs for some days. Indeed, in the case of some species, this -will prove actually fatal, as I found last spring with a brood of the Emperor (S. car- pint), and the Pale Tussoch (0. pudibimda). Pos- sibly, some contrivance might be resorted to which "would obviate this ; such as lining the pot with paper, or some other material which caterpillars could easily fis themselves upon, and which would not chill them, yet still keep the leaves sufficiently cool. I hai^e known some young larva3 to be fed successfully for weeks shut up in glass tubes corked at both ends, or in" bottles with widish mouths. The plants will need to be renewed occasionally — more frequently, of course, than if placed with their stems in water, according to another plan sometimes pursued. I3ut, by this " bottling-up " method, the tendency of many small larvae to wander from their food may be overcome : as they grow larger, an atmosphere thus confined seems prejudicial to them. — J, B. S. C. BOTANY. ' Collection Catalogues.— I have experienced the difficulties pointed out by Mr. P. T. Mott, in a collection catalogue, and perhaps the plan that I now pursue may suggest one still better. It is not long since I commenced an herbarium, and I have only used Mr. Harting's catalogue since the summer of 1868. Pirst, I thought of confining my collection to British plants, and in order to number and arrange these, I took Hooker and Arnott's "British Plora," and numbered consecutively every species in the book. In my catalogue I put this number opposite the specimen collected. As, how- ever, I afterwards concluded to preserve plants from any part of the world, and also, where speci- mens were not attainable, to introduce pictures — which inmany cases, especially with orchids, convey a better idea of the plants than dried specimens — it became necessary to alter the plan of my catalogue ; but I retained the same principle, simply putting Hooker and Arnott on one side, and using Lindley's "Vegetable Kingdom" inits place. The only number I use at present is the number of the natural order in that work. I allow a cover to each genus. On the cover I write the number, and the name of the order, and under that the sub-order, tribe, &c., with the name of the genus at the left-hand corner. The name of every genus only is indexed, and all the pages of the catalogue in which it is to be found are annexed. As to the pictures, I write them in red ink, and if several of one order come in at once, they may for present convenience be arranged alpha- betically ; as, LII. Batcmannia, Calasctum, &c. ; Dendrobium, &c. ; Eucyclia, &c. Everything is entered in the catalogue when it enters the herba- rium, and not before, and as each addition is made the index is entered up. I can lay my hand on any specimen that is put by, in two or three minutes ; the others will not be of much practical use until they are arranged. I have about 2,000 of the for- mer, and a few hundreds (three or four) of the latter. When the catalogue is full, there will be some difficulty in the second volume. I shall then have a separate index, and arrange the first one in it alphabetically, as far as it goes with the reference (Vol. I.), and go on with further-additions as before. My catalogue has 300 pages, and is a convenient size. I thmk the index (with 112 lines under each letter) will prove to be rather small under some letters, for I have already only ten lines left under C, though the only genus I have under Y is Yucca : but so far, Mr. Harting's catalogue has answered my purpose very well. — R. H. A. Bkitish GEKTiANACEiE. — lu the Journal of Botany for June, Mr. James Britten, F.L.S., has an interesting paper on the various species of the above group, in which he has collected and arranged a good deal of valuable material from fugitive and other sources. He expresses his opinion that Gentiana Amarella is not specifically distinct from G. Germanica, a chain of intermediate varieties connecting them. Gentiana Pneumonanthe is de- scribed as still growing in the locality where it was long ago discovered, — Nettleton Moor, near Caistor, Lincolnshire. This rare plant is tolerably common on St. Paith's Bogs, near Norwich. GEOLOGY. GlACIEKS in THE RoCKY MOUNTAINS. — Mr. R. Bliss writes that last summer he and another American geologist obtained ample evidence of the former existence of glaciers in the Pocky Mountains, and of some of the valleys having been filled with ice. The rocks were polished, striated, and fur- rowed. Their glaciation was traced to a height of more than eight hundred feet. It was previously thought that these mountains did not include any evidence of glaciation. A PossiL Bird of Prey. — The remains of an extinct and gigantic bird of prey have been dis- covered in South Island, New Zealand, associated with those of Dinornis. It most nearly resembles the New Zealand Harrier (Circus assimilis). Dr. Haast states it to have been twice the size of the Great Wedge-tailed Eagle of Australia {Aquilu audax), and belonged to the genus Ilurpagornis. This huge raptorial is supposed to have preyed upon the young or feeble individuals of the extinct Dinornis. The Stone Age in New Jersey. — The two profusely illustrated articles which appeared in the HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. ica American NaturaU&t under tlie above bead, from tlie pen of Dr. Abbott, have been reprinted. Dr. .Abbott has classifled the various implements found in his ueiglibourhood, and compared them with those published in Nilsson's " Stone Age." One peculiar feature about them is that they are mostly composed of material not found in the district. The pamphlet is ably and clearly written, and indicates extended and careful observation. The Geology op Ohio. — The State of Ohio has just published a handsome volume, abundantly illustrated with maps, sections, &c., of the Geo- logical, Eeport of the State for 1870. The Intro- duction, by Professor Newberry, chief geologist, is of a very interesting character. The entire survey, stratigraphical as well as pala3ontological, seems to have been most exhaustively carried out. Other reports are to follow this, of a more detailed and elaborate character. Among other incidents, Pro- fessor Newberry mentions the finding of a large boulder of quartzite, half imbedded in the coal at Nelsonville. Evidently this stone had settled into the coal whilst it was in a comparatively soft state ; but how it got there is a puzzle. The professor thinks it probable that shore ice may occasionally have formed, and thus the boulder might have been brought. Is it not more probable, considering the general character of the carboniferous vegetation, that this stone might have been entangled among the roots of a drifting tree, which, when stranded and decomposed, left it in situ among the coal, of which it has since formed a part ? Deep-sea Corals. — Count Pourtales has just described the deep-sea corals, &c., collected during his recent expeditions. The most interesting of these is the Haplophijllia paradoxa, dredged off Bahia Honda, at the depth of nearly two thousand feet. It is referred to the Rugose corals, which have hitherto been confined to strata below the coal-measures. The nearest allied form to it is a fossil species in the Permian, CcdophyUumprofundmi. The species, therefore, is of great antiquity, and may be regarded as a belated form, analogous to the Trigonia, still living in Australian seas. It is a significant fact that nearly all the rare species allied to extinct forms inhabit the deeper parts of the sea-bed. NOTES AND QUERIES. LtTNAK IiJELtTENCES.— Get Lardner''s Iluseum of Science and Art, No. 2, price fivepence, and you will find there a very interesting note on supposed lunar influence in cases of mental derangement. Dr. Lardner, however, while giving the popular no- tions and opinions of others on the subject of lunar influences in this and in other matters, clearly thinks that few \\7.\efact for a foundation. Hippo- crates and Galen bcLeved firmly in the influence of the moon ; they said that the critical days in various diseases corresponded with the intervals between the moon's chief phases ; namely, the 7th, 14th, and 21st of the sickness. Lunar eclipses always made Bacon faint, but he was no lunatic; and Gall states that he has observed patients who were of weak in- tellect peculJMrlv excited at full and new moon. Should " 11. P. tJ." fail to obtain the little work I have mentioned (as I see it was published in ISSIO, I will, with pleasure, lend him the book.— IT. E. Watney. Canine Gyrations. — I heard a few years ago a solution given to the question alluded to by Mr. C. F. White. It was during a course of lectures on science delivered by Mr. G. D. Wood, of Queen's College, London. He remarked that the gyrations made by the cat and dog were part of their natural hereditary instinct, which cannot be eradicated. Wild animals of the feline tribes, when in a wild state, sleep in a sort of lair or bed, which they make for themselves, among tall grass, weeds, rushes, &c., and which is formed by these gyrations, the animals turning themselves round and round, not to find the head of the bed, but in order to prepare a bed where to lay their heads. — Barbara Wallace F^fe, Notting- ham. The Liver.— In this locality (Langport, Somer- set) a large portion of the moors through which the Parrett runs abounds with the Yellow Iris (F sited- Acorns'). These plants are commonly called by the " natives " livers, and the land where they grow is designated liver-ground. Was not Liver- pool, then, a tract of marshy ground in which these livers flourished and on the margin of which the germ of the now mighty commercial giant first took xoQi?-W. B.Paul. Wasps' Nest. — Can any of your readers give me a receipt for preserving a w asps' nest, which was taken in a bush ? I have had it some time, in the hope that the smell would gooff by the young larvse drying up ; but such does not seem to be the case. I should be glad to know of an effectual cure for it. — J.L.C. Nemertes. — Will you allow me to ask in your magazine some questions respecting a "Nemertes" fished up at Hunstanton some days ago ? It came up in a trawl-net from about three fathoms' depth, ' and when first seen was knotted up round a bit of sponge. We put him on the deck, and he then unwound his coils to a length of three feet each. There appeared to be five or six of these slender snake-like feelers. Tlieir colour was a deep brown, almost black, and velvet to the touch, and their diameter did not exceed one-eighth of an inch. We kept this Nemertes on shore in a bucket of sea-water, while we searched for a description of him ; but were obliged to throAV him away next morning. We could find no description of any nemertes possessing different feelers ; and I there- fore venture to trouble you with these questions. — Fred. Cresswell. Saefron.— Allow me to take exception to tw^o paragraphs in Mrs. H. E. Watney's learned disqui- sition on Saff'ron at p. 107, Science-Gossip, for May. First, Mrs. Watney tells her readers that "English saifron is considered the best. Tlie Spanish Azafran is dipped in oil to preserve it, and this is supposed to take from its value." The truth is, that English saftrou is now seldom 161 HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. or never seen, and as a commercial article Spanish saffron, or Azafran, if Mrs. Watney prefers it, is generally regarded as the best kind: though it might at one time have been dipped in oil, such is not the practice now. Next in quality to the Spanish comes Frencli, and then Italian. A reference to p. 349 of Lindley and Moore's "Trea- sury of Botany," or p. 444 of Beiitley and Red- wood's new edition of "Pereira," will confirm these statements. The next paragraph of Mrs. Vv'atue.v's I have to deal with runs as follows— "The Meadow Saffron is a different plant ; from it colchicum is produced ; and we likewise have an early purple crocus, the C. Vermis, or spring crocus; but neither of the latter possess any medicinal virtues, I be- lieve." The colchicum produced from the Meadow Saffron, which is the Colchicum autumnale, L., does really possess medicinal virtues; it is an article well known to every medical man, and is given in different forms, in rheumatism, dropsy, &c. Wine of colcliicum is a popular specific in gout. In point of medicinal value the Colchicum is a more important plant than the Crocus. — John R. Jackson, KeiD. The Saffkon. — I am much obliged to both your correspondents " H. B." and J. W. White, for drawing my attention to an error which appeared in my notice of this plant published in the May numliier of Science-Gossip. I seldom read my effusions in print. I ought to do so when proofs are not furnislied, and critics, who have drunk " deeply " of the " Pierian spring," on the alert. I also know that I am a careless writer, and that the best of P. D.'s is not infallible. I believe I wrote, or at any rate I intended to do so, — "There are three species of crocus besides the saffron crocus, — the naked-flowering, the lesser, and the spring cro- cus ; neither of which possess any medicinal virtues." The C. nudijlorus, or naked-flowering crocus, produces its bloom before the leaves. Mr. White probably alludes to tliis species. "H. B." asks, "What is colchicum?" As I have sent up a notice of the plant from which it is extracted, 1 will only subscribe myself, — H. E. Watney. Tufted Duck. — I should doubt the bird described by "G. E. R." being a Tufted Duck, or, at least, a sure bred one in any state of plumage. I infer from its having a crest that it was a drake. —G. Pigeons. — Can any of your correspondents inforui me if it is a common circumstance tor two birds to be hatched from one egg ? I have a pair of Beards so hatched. They are both healthy and alive. — Columba. Chemical Puopeiities of Pdngi.— What are the chemical properties of the fungi wliicli cause the luxuriant growth of grasses on the fairy rings? Does the manuring property arise from the decom- position of full-grown fungi, or is it attracted from the atmosphere or soil by tlie spawn ? — 11. IT. D. SuGAKiNG^— Reading the article on moth-collect- ing by Dr. Xnaggs reminded me of my old plan of boxing insects alter sugaring. I carry a number of "Vesuvian" boxes, and when the insect is quietly settled, I place over it the half-opcm drawer, and sliding it in, capture my prize without risk from handling, or any necessity for a net. I also use a small, flat, dark lantern, fixed by a leather strap round tlic waist, which arrangement leaves the hands at perfect liberty. — //'. G. The "Game Cock."— Is the "Game Cock," now happily scarce, merely a variety of the genus " Gallus," handed down to us, unmixed, from remote antiquity ? Or is it, as I have been told by one who speaks, as he says, from personal knowledge, across between the cock pheasant and the farm-yard hen ? —J. W. B. Natural History Guide to Scarborough. — It may be of interest to some few readers of Science-Gossip, who may perchance visit Scar- borough, to know that there is a guide to that place containing a list of the local fauna and flora of the neighbourhood, and also the precise spots where they occur. These lists have been compiled by several eminent naturalists resident in the vicinity of Scarborough, and who have for some time past worked the neighbourhood with consider- able patience. The botanist, zoologist, entomologist, and geologist will find this book a most valuable assistance in their pursuits whilst sojourning there. The publisher is S. W. Theakstou, of Scarborough. —H. A. AuUl. A Microscopical Difficulty. — Believing that a record of failures is sometimes as useful as a notice of success, I wish to mention a difficulty I have long experienced in the preparation of a certain class of microscopic objects, and to request the advice of some of your more experienced cor- respondents in suggesting a remedy. I have long taken much interest in the preparation and mount- ing of the various spiculaj found in the skins of British and foreign Synaptee, Holothurise, and Chirodotse, as well as those of Gorgonise ; but hitherto without the invariable success 1 hoped for. The difficulty has been, how to remove the soft parts completely without destroying the calcareous spiculae. I have tried liquor potassse pure, and in almost every degree of dilution ; but the result has been that, after a time, a portion of the fleshy sub- stance becomes insoluble, or is converted into a sticky substance, like birdlime ; on further boiling to remove this, the spiculse begin to corrode, and after a time disappear altogether. Thinking that the previous preservation of some of these specimens in spirit may have hardened the skins, I have tried previous maceration in pure water, but without success. In the cases where I had mounted some that were clean and very carefully and well washed, they remained perfect for some years, but vdtimately the same corroding process began to show itself, although I had no reason to suppose there was any fault in the Canada balsam. 1 should, however, observe that some prepared apparently in the same way ten years ago remain as good as ever, though I really cannot say why ; showing that my failure is not an unavoidable one. 1 shall feel extremely obliged for any suggestions that yourcorrespoudeuts may kindly oli'er.— A'. Battersby. IIow TO Kill Moths.— I see in your May num- ber of Science-Gossip a request for some receipt for destroying moths, i have one, which has kept them off lor about thirty years. I believe it never fails to keep off moths, but am not sure it will destroy them. Spirits of wine, 4 pint ; spirit of turpentine, f pint ; camphor, 3 oz , to be shaken before using, and kept in a stone bottle. The woollen clothes or furs to be wrapped in linen, and crumpled-up pieces of Wottiug-paper, dipped in the liquid, to be placed in the box with ihc.n, so that it smells strongly. This requires renewing about once a year. — Maryaret Lotoe. HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. iG5 Gold fish. — There being a considerable sale of these fish here, and consequently a system of rearina: I find from inquiry that the difficulty experienced by "T.D.," from the cannibalism of the seniors, is thus obviated: — On the surface of the water lay a trellis-work of reeds, upon which place a suffi- cient quantity of fine grass taken fi-om a pond or river-bank, to protrude about two inches below. The sjiawn will adhere to this, and must be removed by lifting the frame, and gently shaking it over the top of another receptacle, where tliey are hatched and kept till strong enough to fight their own bat- tles. Should no grass be obtainable, carefully pulled tow can be used. — F. B. B., MaUn. Marine Aquaria (p. 112).— As stated in last month's Science-Gossip, a marine aquarium is to be established inMaucheste". It will be very simi- lar to the one at the Crystal Palace, but with such improvements as experience has shown to be ndvis- able. The building will measure 120 ft. by 70 ft., and will be divided into three ; viz., two side galle- ries, each 120 ft. by 15 ft., and a grand saloon 120 ft. by 40 ft. There \yill be about forty tanks iu each side gallery, ranging in capacity from 300 to 3,000 gallons, whilst the grand saloon will con- tain two tanks — the largest vet constructed, — each 30 ft. by 10 ft. by 8 ft., capable of containing 15,000 gallons apiece. In the grand saloon also will be the tidal tanks, whicb will vary in capacity from 20 to 200 gallons. Lastly there will be table aquaria provided for the smaller inhabitants of our ponds, ditches, and streams, and an ever-flowing fountain, or miniature lake, for the larger.— G'. //. U. The Parrot a Cuckoo. — Last spring our grey parrot was hung up in his cage outside the kitchen- door. He hung among shrubs thnt grew near the woods where the cuckoos were calling all day long. Of course the parrot learnt to imitate the sound, and his "cuckoo" was as perfect as possible. When the summer was over, Polly ceased to cuckoo, and seemed entirely to have forgotten her accomplishment. One day last February she was hung out in the sun ; no cuckoos had arrived as "yet to remind her with their voices, but she struck up cuckoo of her own accord, as if the spring and the warm sun had brought the idea back to her memory. In consequence several people mentioned as a fact that they had heard the cuckoo iu February. Polly is cuckooing brilliantly now, and will evi- dently take up the habit regularly every spring of her own accord. — M. A. D. Extraordinary Tenacity of Life in Cater- pillars.— In April I had in my possession several larvae of tlie Tiger-moth _(^:f. Caja), which were then about half-grown. While changing their food, one of them without my perceiving him got out, and in moving about I accidentally trod upon him, forcing out the whole of the intestinal canal and digestive apparatus which runs down the centre of the body, through the anal aperture. I removed these parts and placed the caterpillar on one side in a small open box, and two days afterwards was astonished to find that it had not only crawled out of the box but a further distance of some two yards. On taking th-e caterpillar up I discovered it to be still alive, but died about ten hours afterwards ; so that it lived some fifty-eight hours without food and without intestines.— C. A. Byau. Curiosities of Bird Life.— At the end of last March, a pair of Blackbirds built their nest iii a yew-tree, and in due time reared their brood : after having turned them out on "the wide world" to do the best they could for themselves, the parent birds quietly ret_urned to the old nest, cleaned it out, and re-lined it ; the hen bird then proceeded to lay, and is again hatching. I know it is the same pair of birds, from the fact of the hen having alight- coloured brrast, and white feather in her tail: tliis I should think is a verv uncommon case. — Ralph II. lFestropp,A.B.,T.C.D. A Microscopical _ Difficulty.— Having some spare time, and wishing to employ it in an intel- lectual manner, I some time since purchased a microscope, an excellent binocular instrument, with a complete set of object-glasses, &c., and also Carpenter, the Micrographic Dictionary, and several other books, intending to devote an evening or two a week to the study of the animal and vegetable inhabitants of the ponds in my neighbourhood, which are numerous and prolific in beautiful objects ; but, at the outset, I encountered a difficulty which nearly twelve mouths' perseverance has not enabled me to overcome ; and I am sure that some of your able correspondents, if they would give their assistance by an article or articles in Science- Gossip, would be conferring a great boon, not only upon myself, but upon hundreds of others who are similarly situated. My difficulty is this : having collected my specimens, animal or vegetable, to know how to set about examining them, and especially how to find out their names. This latter problem solved, books become really useful, but they afford little assistance in attaining this object. No doubt the best and easiest way of getting over the difficulty, would be to obtain the aid of some skilled microscopist ; but 1, like many other would- be naturalists, reside in a country village, far re- moved from the realms of Science, and where it is utterly impossible for me to obtain, even at intervals, such assistance. Under these circumstances I trust you will pardon my trespassing on your space, with the suggestion, that some of your correspondents should take up the matter in your columns. — J.U.C. Golden Eagle in Somersetshire.— Mr. Gilford would add to the interest of his communication on this subject if he would kindly add some more particulars, such as the date of the capture, and a short distinctive description of the bird, especially of the feathers of the tail, and also of those of the tarsus, if any. This might give us some notion as to the age of the birds, whether they were merely young birds driven oft' by their parents, and wan- dering about, or adult birds about to settle in the Dooue valley. The question as to the feathered tarsus would settle the question of identity, should such questions arise. — C. S. The Woodpigeon's Cry.— Perhaps the follow- ing very amusing incident, with regard to the Wood- pigeon's cry, may not prove uninteresting to some of your readers, whilst the facts are entirely new to all. The circumstances happened some years ago, at Narberth, S. Wales. It was nearly midnight, when a thief made his way to a farmyard, in the vicinity of the ancient town, for the purpose of helping himself to a plump sheep. He reached the yard, and was just iu the act of carrying off his booty, when he thought he heard some one behind him speak iu a subdued tone. He listened, and trem- bled ; but all was still ; not a sound was to be ' heard. But, presently, just as he was on the point of moving, he heard the supposed voice again, this time clearer, saying in lengthened sepulchral notes, 166 HAKDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. "Take two sheep, Taffy!" The affrighted Taffy instantly let go his hold of the sheep, and dashed from the spot with lightning speed, miagnnng that a certain unmentionable personage was eyemg him. It turned out, however, to be a wood-pigeon, ■which uttered tlie cries on being disturbed by the marauder. — G. 0. Howell. Cuts fob Microscopic Objects.— Allow me to suggest, for the benefit of those of your readers who may be unable to obtain convenient clips for preparing microscopic objects, that the clips used in making ucck-ties are exactly the thing wanted. They are very convenient, and occupy very little space. I constantly use them myself, and should any of your readers be unable to obtain some themselves, I will forward any 1 number on receipt of value. They are Is. a dozen— Horace E. Bmcne. EiELD Clubs.— Could you, or any of your cor- respondents, tell me of a field or microscopical club near Clapton or Dalston ? I have written to three mentioned in your columns, but they are closed. Might I suggest that when clubs are thus brought before the public their secretaries should take the same [means of notifying their closings ? It ■would save much time.—/. B. Davies. Age of Eerks.— 1 do not remember having seen mention made of the age of ferns. ^Fila- Mas seems to live long, for I have many specimens that were planted twenty-one years ago, when they had already attained a respectable size. They were planted in deep peat, but have had to contend with those adverse influences which render gardening difficult in a garden at the back of one of the houses in Grosvenor Street ; and, nevertheless, they have again brought forth their ten or twelve vigorous fronds, and seem inclined to do so for many years to come.— ^. /. T. The Cuckoo.— a wish is expressed by the writer of the article on the Cuckoo in the May number that any one would assist him by communicating their observations on the Cuckoo's habits ; and as it so happened that a few years ago a cuckoo deposited its egg in a hedgesparrow's nest in some ivy against my garden-wall, I had the pleasure of daily wal ching the growth and peculiar habits of the young bird, and I was especially struck by the fact, that the whole time it was under the fostering care of the hedgesparrows, an_ old cuckoo fre- quented tlie trees in the immediate locality of the nest, apparently signifying by its call its own know- ledge of the young one's whereabouts, and a natural interest in its welfare. I discovered the young bird shortly after it was hatched, and, before it could fly, I frequently took it out of its nest, and showed it to niy friends. When it became too big for the nest, but still unable to fly, it got out of the nest, and roosted in the currant or gooseberry bushes in the garden. This continued for, 1 suppose, nearly tiiree weeks or more ; and, even after it could fly tolerably well, it would allow me to catch it ; and it was especially amusing to sec the little hedgesparrow feeding the cuckoo, so much larger than itself. During the ■whole of this time, I have no doubt it was the parent bird which frequented the spot, for shortly after the young one became fully fledged and well able to fly, both it and the others disappeared together ; thus confirming your correspondent's and my own ideas that the Cuckoo is not so un- natural a parent as is generally supposed. — C. J. Rowley. Passiflora c.erulea.— It is a mistake to say that this plant was not introduced till 1099. It is figured and described as a well-known plant culti- vated in England, both by suckers and seeds, in Parkinson's Paradisus in Sole, 1629. He likewise gives a figure of it as falsely depicted by the Jesuits, showing plainly the instruments of the Crucifixion, and has some very amusing observations on their j misrepresentations, which he compares with a cor- rect figure of the plant. It is also figured and described in Johnson's addition to Gerarde (1636). I am aware that Loudon gives the date 1699 as that of its introduction, but it is certainly an error. ' — Eden Wanoick. I ^ How to Destroy Clothes Moths.— In reply ! to " VV.M. M.," it may be stated that the eradication \ of these insects is confessedly a matter of diffieulty. The moths, as " W. M. M." is probably aware, are not the real offenders, that is to say, they do not ! actually cause the damage, though injurious, as ! they are the parents of the destructive larvae 1 and to kill them, or prevent them from depositing their eggs, is important. Camphor and benzole are of service; also sulphur ; but these things must be used in a confined space, since their odours, if diluted with air, will only stupefy, and the moths revive again. The larvae defy any applications of this sort, though it is possible the fumes of strong tobacco, being dense, might kill, if brought into close contact with them. Baking the garments, could that be done, would prove destructive to the insects in all their stages. — /. B. S. C. What's the Use of Saffron to Cage Birds ? —Mrs. Watuey's article upon this plant of many memories suggests to me to put into print a ques- tion which has often occurred to me. There is a very general belief amongst bird-fanciers, as well as that numerous portion of the public who keep a solitary caged bird, that saffron infused in the water given to the bird at the time of moulting (or even at other times when a bird is "out of sorts"), is of particular benefit. I have followed the popular idea, and often thus administered it, but very much incline to the opinion that it is inefficacious. If it acts at all, the effect must certainly be produced on the homoeopathic principle, since the saffron itself will not be touched by the bird, and the amount of soluble matter imparted to the water by the few- blades of saffron added to the water must be small indeed. The action, if any, must be stimulating, as it is thus noticed to influence the human subject; but then it needs to be given in considerable quantity. A good deal of the saflVon sold, however, is partially exhausted, both of its colouring and active principle, ere it gets into the market. — J. B. s. a A Nest in a Garbage.— A few days ago I saw, in a neighbour's garden, a hedgesparrow's nest built amongst the flowering branches of a large " curled green." The nest was placed on the end of the stalk, where the top had been cut off, so that there was very little or no shelter above ; and a heavy thunder-shower had drowned the young birds. I do not tiiink I ever saw a bird's nest in a cabbage hci^ore.—Boljert Holland. Stickleback. — When passing by a stream last month, a small fish attracted my attention. On taking it up, I found it to be a stickleback {Gasierosleus aculeal us, lihrn.), but round the lower half of its body were a quantity of small fine hairs HARDWICKE'S SCIBKCE-GOSSIP. 167 of a whitish colour. I took it hoime and kept it in water, but it only lived three days. The hairs increased in quantity and length so much, that by the time it died its body was completely covered. There was another in a similar state. Can any of your readers give me an explanation of this ? — C. L. W. Montagu's Harrier.— On the 1.5tli of May my friend P. Brent, Esq., of Plymouth, kindly presented me with a fine old male Mon- tagu's Harrier {Circus Ilontagui), in the flesh, which he had purchased of the _ warrener at Trowlsworthy, on Dartmoor, In its crop and stomach I found no less than fourteen lizards, all six inches in length, and nearly perfect, with the exception of the brittle tails of some, which had come off, but were still lying by the sides of the reptiles in the stomach of the bird. There were also the remains of many others. How exceedingly guick the sight and actions of the Harrier must be in capturing so many of these agile creatures, for we are all familiar with the rapid movements of the lizard, which instantly vanishes on the slightest alarm. Young or immature specimens of Montagu's Harrier in their brown plumage are occasionally met with in Devonshire ; but one in the ash-grey of maturity is rarely seeu, and, but for the discern- ment of Mr. Brent, this fine specimen would doubt- less have been entirely lost, or have shared the ignominious fate of many other (rapacious) ornithological rarities, by being nailed on door or wall. — /. Gatconibe. Yellow-hammer {Ember iza cih-ineUa).— Is it usual for the Yellow-hammer to build on spruce fir, as I have this season found three nests of these birds upon one tree, from four to six feet from the ground ; and all of these nests were within a very short distance from each other ? When I found the first nest it had no eggs in it. I then commenced to examine it, and found it to be built of the same materials as the Yellow-hammer's. I was surprised at this, for I never thought of this bird being in this situation; and I expressed my surprise to my son. I went on farther, and found the second one, and it was without eggs also. The nest was of the same construction as the first; I had no further evidence of it being this bird's. I still went a little farther, and found the third of these nests, which had three eggs in it. I then had no further doubt about their being the Yellow-ham- mer's.—/. Taijlor. ;- Tawny Owl {Syrnium Aluc6).—0xi April 25th, an acquaintance passing by showed me a young owl of this species, which had just been procured from a hollow tree in Kingston Park. It was a most funny little bird, nearly full-feathered, the brown limbs of the adult plumage appearing here and there. His head was a mass of soft downy feathers, and his legs neatly covered with a pair of very respectable stockings, warm and comfortable, except a bare patch liigh up the leg, worn off by the friction of resting on that part. This little owl, though in juvenile attire, had an air of wisdom far beyond his years (or weeks), and his look of settled melancholy was enough to make a person decidedly uncomfortable. One would imagine, to look at his severe, grave, and misanthropical physiognomy, that the weight of centuries had rested on his head, and that his share of the trials and troubles of the world had been by no means unlimited. He was dis- covered in broad day perched bolt-upright at the entrance of the hole, and taking a few winks of the "balmy," A tap on the trunk, and the large goggle- eyes opened in that methodical way known to the owners of wax dolls, and the hitherto unknown object developed into a^ baby-owl. A ladder was procured, his capture effected, and an inspection of his domicile led to the discovery of a good-sized rabbit, provided no doubt by his thoughtful parents for their darling's dinner. The little owl is now kept in an out-house and regaled with callow birds, preparatory to doing duty as a feathered policeman or beadle in a gentleman's garden. Query — Is not the above date somewhat early for young owls, or at least for such a fully-developed specimen as this was?— 7/-^. H. IFanier, Kingston. A Shower OP Progs. — I quote the following from "The Life of Thomas Cooper," written by himself (pages 20-1). 1 know my noble old friend — the author of the "Purgatory of Suicides" — too well to believe for a moment in the possibility of a mistake on his part in this matter. " The ride in the carrier's cart, too, between Hasen and Gains- borough, had its delights. One time, we set off from Kasen late at night, and drew up in an open field, sometime before the morning broke, to let the horses graze a little. I have a most lively recollec- tion of awaking in the cart, and looking out in amazement at what seemed to be hundreds of small, dull, strange-looking lights, scattered over the wide field. My uncle told me they were glowworms ; and he had never seen so many together before. Nor have I ever had such a vision of wonder as that, since boyhood. * * * * * My mention of the strange vision of the field of glowworms reminds me of another natural pheno- menon I witnessed when a boy. I saw a shower of live frogs. I record this, because I have read, not only in that beautiful old book of Piaj 's, " The Wisdom of God intUe Creation," but in later books affecting great fidelity to facts in science, that such a sight is impossible. I am as sure of what I relate as I am of my own existence. The minute frogs, jumping alive, fell on the pavement at our feet, and came tumbling down the spouts from the tiles of the houses into the water-tubs." The italics are Mr. Cooper's own. The date M'ould be fifty-five years ago, or more. — JF., Oxford. Irritating Effects of Caterpillar's Hairs. — These being very sharp-pointed, enter the skin, and act like little thorns. The number produces a very unpleasant effect, and the more so the thinner the skin. They are quite as bad as cowage, and the hairs ou the leaves of the red dogwood are as bad as either, but a little oil rubbed on the skin will usually set all right. — E. T. S. Birds Eating their Eggs. — Some time ago I was asked a similar question about hens. They use their egg shells and the small bits of skin adhering to them to feed their newly-hatched chickens, and I expect other birds do the same. The lime in the shell helps to strengthen the bones of the chick. — E. T. S. Lesser Pettychap (p. 143). — Your correspon- dent " G.," while endeavouring to set others right, is himself wrong. S. ricfci is the name given to the bird by continental authors, while S. hippolais is retained by British authors. " G." is also wrong in saying that it may not be generally known that the Lesser Pettychap is the same as the Chiffchaff ; all the works I possess givius both names.— /iT. H. Warner, Kingston. 168 HARDWICKE'S SCIEN CE - G 0 S S IP. NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS. All communications relative to advertisements, post-office orders, and orders for the supply of this Journal, should be addressed to the Publishkr. All contributions, books, and pamphlets for the EniTore should be sent to 192, Piccadilly, London, W. To avoid disappointment, contri- butions should not be received later than the 15th of each month. No notice whatever can be taken of communica- tions uhic/i do not contain the name and address of the writer, not necessarily for publication, if desired to be with- held. We do not undertake to answer any queries not specially connected with Natural History, in accordance with our acceptance of that term ; nor can we answer queries which might be solved by the correspondent by an ai^ieal to any elementary book on the subject. J. W. H. — The pretty flowers sent are those of the " Milk- wort" {Polygala vulgaris), pink and blue varieties. F. G., Norwich.— Your query is difficult to answer, but on the whole it is possible that the Chaffinch, having a more general distribution, is more numerous than the House Spar- row ; that is, taking- the country through. L. T. — You are quite right,— the moss is Pottia truncata. F. C. — See last number of SciKNCK-Gosrfp, Dr. Knaggs's artic'e on " Collecting and Preserving." The larvK in public collections are preserved by professionals, who keep their mode of working as secret as possible.— C. G. 15. H. M. J. H.— A first-class work on British Diptera (illus- trated) is that by Mr. Francis Walker, F.L.S., published by- Reeve, Covent Garden. A New Subscriber, Torquay.— Your query respecting storm-glasses should have been sent to some publication devoted to physical rather than to natural science ; but we -will endeavour to answer it. The instruments usually sold are closed at the top, and have a brass cap cemented over them. We have made them of Eau-de-Cologne bottles, and after filling, simply corking them. We never heard of any opening being lelt ; in fact, if there were, the fluid would quickly evaporate. They, as you are probably aware, are per- fectly useless as indicators of the weather, and the crystalline changes that take place are most probably due to changes of temperature. If you push the cork a little way into the tube and pour a little asphalt varnish on the top of it, you will find it will seal up the opening effectually. H. G.WiSE. — We cannot without seeing the instrument assign a reason for the imperfect illumination of the field in your binocular. Try a piece of fine ground glass between the object-slide and the condenser ; this will diffuse the light and very materially add to the stereoscopic effect. Our instru- ment performs well even with as high an objective as a J when the ground glass has a strong pencil of light condensed on the under surface. J. G.,jun., Londonderry. — Colloid Silica can be obtained by dialysing a preparation of silicate of soda (which may be procured at most chemists). This is decomposed by hydro- chloric acid, and the liquid is placed in a dialyser, and the dia- lyser placed in pure water. After the lapse of a short time the crystalline material passes through it, leaving the colloid si ica bclind. A di nyser resembles a little tambourine, and is made of a ring of gutta-percha, over which is sti-etched parchment-paprr (writing-paper will do). The dialyser is floated in a vessel containing distilled water. — F. K. DiATo.M. — We think A. would suit you best. A Subscriber, Ashburton. — Immersion lenses are made on a principle devised by Amici, which was adopted by Hart- nach and Nachet of Paris, and several of the American «)])ticians, but did not find favour here until the last few years, when the advantages of objectives constructed on the immer- sion principle began to be recognized. An immersion lens is so called from tlie circumstance of a drop of water being placed between the front lens and the object itself, on the thin covering glass, so that the rays leaving it pass through a film of vrater instead of air. It is well known that the loss of light from the reflection of oblique rays from a surface of glass is much less when they pass from water into glass than from air Into glass. Immersion objectives require special corrections for the purpose, and are useless if used as an ordinary dry lens. Our leading opticians are therefore adapting an extra front combination to the ordinary high power, by means of which they can be used either as wet or dry lenses. Several papers on the construction and advantages of immersion len- ses will be found in the Munthly Mic. Jour. — F. K. H. H., Leeds.— The Water-beetle is Hydroporus depnssus, recently out of pupa. Your specimens were smashed. They ought to have been enclosed in a cork cell, or in a quill or small box. J. S. D. — Instruments, &c., for egg-blowing may, we should think, be obtained at any first class philosophical instrument maker's, Sec. G. B. — The plant sent is Neottia nidns-avis. A. A. C. — We cannot tell what is the best fond for birds in aviaries, unless we first know what kind of birds are kept. F. F. M.— Specimens mislaid. Numbers I and 2 are difficult to determine. They are the midribs of sea- weeds ; but we cannot tell the species. Number 3 is a zoophyte, Membruni- pora pilosa. John Le Bas.— The specimens were not exuviae of fishes, or anything organic. No organic remains whatever are found in mica-schist. The specimens seem to us to be decomposed felspar, with a proportion of iron. A Working Mav. — You had better ask us some definite question in our " Notes and Queries," and you will have no difficulty in obtaining an answer. Z. E. G.— Your mosses were named in last month's issue. J. C. K. — The specimens attached to the Clematis branch are not cocoons, but the female of a species of Coccus, or " Scale insect," which has been introduced into this country. Like the Cochineal insect, the body of the female becomes the shelter for the young, the mother dying to provide them with this protection. The eggs may be seen underneath the scale. Thomas Ro.mans.— The fungus on the leaves of Ragsvort is an JEcidiuin. See Cooke's " Microscopic Fungi," coloured illustrations. London : Hardwicke, 192, Piccadilly. Anony.mous — We beg to draw the attention of several of our correspondents to our rule of not answering questions unless accompanied by the real name and address. EXCHANGES. Notice.— Only one " Exchange'' can be inserted at a time by the same individual. The maximum length (except for correspondents not residing in Great Britain) is three lines. Only olijects of Natural History permitted. Notices must be legibly written, in full, as intended to be inserted. Strombus, Cyprrea, and other foreign shells, for British Marine shells. — A. W. Langdon, Llanrvvst House, Hastings. Living Dytiscus or Co/ymbetes offered for slide of clean dia- toms.— H. E. Freeman, 1, Rose Villas, Wood Green. For palate of Cyclostoma elegans send stamped and directed envelope to J. H. Martin, 8(3, Week Street, Maidstone. Eggs of Red-footed Falcon, Grasshopper Warbler, Scoter, Crested Grebe, Eared Grebe, Sclavoniaii Grebe, Pintail, Long- tail, Scaup, and Eider Ducks, Sandwich Tern, &c.,for others. T. H. Phuler, Vale Royal, Northwich, Cheshire. A vvell-.aiountei) Tongue of Bee, for Diatoms from Guano, mounted and named.— H. B. Thomas, 13, Market-place, Boston. , Will A, C. A., Post Office, Staines, kindly send a list of his duplicate eggs to T. H. Phuler, Vale Royal, Northwich, Cheshire } For F lustra foliacea send stamped directed envelope to P. Smith, Legh Street, Warrington. For GempWariVi /or!c«/o/a send stamped envelope and ob- ject to Miss E. de B. Meyrick, Downshire Lodge, Blessington, Co. Wicklow, Ireland. CvcLOSTo.-MA elegans and Helix Pomatia in exchange for other English shells, — B. F. Buxton, Easneye, Ware. For exchange or otherwise, an excellent English J-in, object- glass of 120 degrees angular aperture, in perfect condition. — Apply to the Rev. J. Bramhall, St. John's Vicarage, near Lynn, Norfolk. Vallisneria, Frog-bit, Lemna frisulca, Drosera, Chelifers or Petrobii, for marine or fossil diatom material. — J. G. R. Powell, Matlock Bridge. BOOKS RECEIVED. " The Stone Age in New Jersey." By C. C. Abbott, M.D. '• Report of the Entomologicid Society of tlie Province of Ontario " for 1871. "The American Naturalist," May. " Hypotheses." By F. J. Finois, "The Canadian Entomologist." No. 5. " Land and Water." " Les Mondes '' " The Insect World." By Louis Figuier. New Edition, revised. London : Cassell, Petter, and Galpin. " Transactions of the Norfolk and Norwich Naturalist's Society," 1871-72. Co.MMUNICATIONS RECEIVED FRO.M F. K. — F. P.— C. J. L. — J.H. G. (M.D.)-G. E. X.-T. S.— W. H, P.— T. L— S.A. B,— W. E. S.-T. C. O.— W. H. G.— J. G, R. P.— J. B.— A. W. L. —J. H. M.— H. E. F.— W. S.-T. H.P.— H.B.T.— E. D. 1!. M. — B. F. B.-R. H. A,— Dr. H. F. P.— J. R. D.-E. J. T.— C. A. R.— E. W.— J. R. S. C— C. L. W.— R. H— J. G.— J. T. — H.-Dr. C. C. A.— J. D. L. T.— J. R. J.— F. B. B.— G. H. H. — M. A, D.— C. A. R,— R. H. W.— J. H. C. C. S.— G. O. H.— H. E. B. HARDWICKE'S SC lEN CE-GOS S I P. 169 COLLECTING AND PEESEEVING. No. YII— SEAWEEDS. By ^\ . IT. GnATTAXX, N a former article published in Science - Gossip a iew years ago, I gave some di- rections for col- lecting and pre- serving Marine Algse, or seaweeds, and although, I think, it would be difficult to simplify those directions, or even to add much that would be really serviceable to young begin- ners in this delightful pur- suit, it is my intention, in going over the ground once more, to be as explicit as I possibly can ; and here, on the threshold of the subject, I have a few words to say to one or two occasional contributors to this journal, who, in calling attention to the beauty of mai'ine vegetation, and urging young persons to collect and preserve Algse, have advised them to ignore books on the subject, and to go to the shore, use their own eyes, and collect for themselves, &c. I am sorry very greatly to differ with such advice. Collecting in this way may be amusing enough to those who care not for science, but when it leads to parcels of sea- weeds, picked up at random, being sent to botanists with a request that the names of such plants should be sent to the writer, it is the reverse of pleasure to the scientific botanist, for it gives him infinite trouble, and enables him to convey but very imper- fect information to his applicant. The editor of this journal has often been thus appealed to, and packages of decayed rubbish have frequently been sent to me for examination, containing species, or No. 92. rather fragments of plants, which for the most part, were utterly worthless and defied identification. Almostall collectors commence by mounting plants which a little experience proves to be really what the old poet termed " (/Iga projeda vilior" ; but as sfeaweed-gathering, like everything else, requires practice, beginners must not be disappointed because they do not find rarities or fine specimens whenever and wherever they may seek for them. When I think of the ditficullies I experienced at the outset of my study of marine botany, especially in the collecting and drying of seaweeds, I feel strongly inclined to urge all beginners to obtain some information concerning Marine Algae before they go to the shore to collect for themselves. A very few hours of study with an experienced algolo- gist, or even a perusal of some illustrated work on British algte, will save much trouble and materially assist the unpractised eye in selecting specimens for the herbarium. I may here mention as highly useful to incipient algologists Dr. Landsborough's "British Seaweeds," and Professor Harvey's " Manual," either of which may be obtained for a few shillings; but if my readers are resident in Loudon, I advise them to pay a few visits to the Library of the British Museum, and there inspect Dr. Harvey's " Phycologia Britannica." In this magnificent work they will find coloured figures of nearly every British seaweed, with drawings from magnified portions, and various structural details of the highest value to students'; and I once more impress on all collectors the importance of some degree o f book-learning ere they sally forth, bag or vasculum in hand, to cull the lovely " flowers of the ocean," or gather what best may please them from the rejectamenta on the shore. ■ If the collector wishes to learn, not merely the names of plants, but to distinguish species, he will do well to provide himself with a copy of Harvey's I 170 HARUWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. little volume the "Synopsis of British Seaweeds," and a Stanhope or Coddington lens, by means of which he can examine portions of delicate plants as he finds them, and compare them with the descriptions given in the " Synopsis"; in this way, if he have any success during his excursions, he will quickly become familiar with most of the plants which are cast ashore or grow within tide- marks. Time will not admit of, neither is space in this iournal available for, a single line beyond what may be practically serviceable to my youthful readers ; therefore I will hasten to describe the course of action in seaweed-collecting as I have practised it for mauy years. At once, then, to the shore, but not to the sandy shore, for only useless decayed rubbish, or here and there some straggling plants of Zostera marina, or grass-wrack, will be met with there. The collector must away to the rocks, and search carefully every pool he meets with, from a little distance below high-water mark, and so on down to the water's edge, always remembering that it is better to collect while the tide is receding than as it is coming in. Presuming that few persons will think of collect- ing seaweeds much earlier than the month of May, let me observe that most of the accessible species of olive and green plants which grow on rocky shores and in tide-pools, will be found from May to Juue in pretty fair condition, but very few red plants, except those which grow on the shady sides of rock-pools, or under the shelter [of the larger oliv'e weeds, will be met with untU a considerable space is laid bare by the receding water at the low spring tides, about a day or two before and after the full moon. As nearly all the rare red weeds grow in deep water, they are seldom taken in any degree of per- fection unless they are dredged ; but in the summer months, say from June to the end of August, many Hue plants are occasionally thrown up from deep water, and others are found growing on the stems of the great Oar-weeds, portions of which are cast ashore, beautifully fringed with one or more species of Delesseria and other rare Rhodosperms — in fact, during the rising tide, diligent collectors may se- cure many a lovely deep-water plant as it comes floating in, but which, if allowed to remain long ex- posed to the action of sunlight, will fade in colour and decompose before it can be mounted. This is especially the case with all the soft gelatinous red plants, such as the Callithamnia, and all the Gloio- cladia;, as well as a few of the softer olive weeds ; and here I may observe that there is one genus of beautiful olive plants, the Sporochnacece, which must on no account be put into the vasculum with any of the delicate red plants, for they not only very rapidly decompose, but injure almost all others with which they are placed in contact. The species are not numerous, and they may jbe easily recog- nized, after having been previously studied from the coloured figures either in Harvey's " Phycologia," or in Bradbury & Evans's "Nature-printed Sea- weeds." It is also a" curious fact respecting this genus, that while they are all of a beautiful olive tint in the growing state, they invariably change to a fine verdigris-green in drying ; and indeed this is very generally the case with the filamentous olive weeds, the Euci, or common rock-weeds, as con- stantly turning quite black after mounting : whence the term, that of "Melanosperm," which is given to the subdivision to which all the olive weeds belong. As there are so few seaweeds which have gene- rally known common names, I shall make no apology for using the names by which they are knovni to Science, presuming that all intending collectors will, as I have already suggested, gain some know- ledge of Terminology ere they go out "seaweeding." Beginners should be cautioned against the very natural error of bringing home too mauy plants at a time ; they must be moderate in their gatherings, or be content to risk the loss of some choice speci- mens, which will decompose unless they are attended to before night. The first thing to be done upon arriving at home, is to empty the collecting-bag into a white basin of sea-water, and to select the best and cleanest plants as soon as possible, giving each a good swill before placing it in another vessel of clean water, and getting rid of rejected plants at once, so that the basin first used will be available for rewashing the weeds before they are severally placed in the mounting-dish. When a day is fixed on for seaweeding, the collector should order a large bucket of clean sea-water, which, after being left to settle, should be strained through a towel, so as to be as free as possible from sand and dirt. Two" or three large pie-dishes will be necessary, the deeper the better, and white, if such can be ob- tained. Place these on a separate table with towels under them, and reserve a table specially for the mounting-dish and the parcels of papers, calicoes, and blotting-papers. The large white bath used in photography ^is very well adapted for mounting seaweeds ; the lip at one coruer is convenient for pouring off soiled water, and its form— that of an oblong— is most suitable for receiving the papers on which the plants are to be mounted.. Beside this vessel should be placed the following implements :— A porcupine-quill, two camel-hair pencils, one small, the other large and flat, a pair of strong brass forceps, a penknife, a pair of scissors, a small sponge, an ivory paper-knife, and two thin plates of perforated zinc, somewhat less in length and breadth than the inside of the mounting-dish. Smooth drawing-paper, or fine white cartridge- paper, is generally employed for mounting. The operator should be provided with three different HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 171 sizes of paper, and these should have each a piece of very fine calico and four pieces of blotting-paper to correspond. The process of mounting one of the filamentous or branching species is as follows : — The specimen being cleaned and placed in the mounting-dish, a piece of paper of suitable size is laid on one of the perforated zinc plates, and both are then slipped quickly under the floating weed. The root or base of the specimen is then pressed down on the paper with a finger of the left hand, while the right hatid is employing [the forceps or porcupine-quill in arranging the plant in as natural a position as possible, ere the zinc plate is gently and gradually raised at the top or bottom, as may be necessary, to insure a perfect display of every portion of the plant ; but if, upon drawing it out of the water, it should present an unsightly ap- pearance from too thick an overlapping of the branches, the whole must be re-immersed, and a little pruning of superfluous portions may be em- ployed with advantage to the specimen and satis- faction to the operator. Care should be taken that the water be drained off the paper as completely as possible before the calico is laid over the plant, and this is accomplished by raising the paper containing the plant as it still lies on the zinc plate, and transferring it to a thin board placed in an inclined position against one of the basins, and with the large camel-hair pencil paint off the water as it runs away from the specimen, and absorb what re- mains, when the paper is laid flat, with the sponge. Delicate species may be left to drain for a few minutes, while the operator is arranging other specimens. When the water is sufficiently drained off, the paper is then laid on the blotter, and the piece of calico is placed upon the plant— a sheet of blotter being laid upon the calico. Care should be observed in subjecting plants to pressure, which, in the first instance, should be sufiicieut only to help the absorption of water. The first set of blotting-papers should be changed in half an hour after the whole batch of specimens have been placed in the press, and these must be thoroughly dried before they are used again. After the second or third change of blotters, the plants should remain under strong pressure for two or three days ; but the pieces of calico must not be re- moved until it is pretty certain that the papers and plants are quite dry. With the exception of the Euci or common rock- weeds, I never place seaweeds in fresh water : with these, especially Fuciis serratus, F. nodosus, F. vesiculosus, and F. canaliadatus, a few hours' immersion in fresh water is an advantage, as it soaks the salt out of their fronds and renders them more pHable. As all the Euci turn black in drying, and few of them adhere well to paper, I arrange my specimens in single layers between the folds of a clean dry towel, and keep them under pressure until they are quite dry ; they may then be put away loosely, or gummed on sheets of paper. The foregoing directions for mounting filamentous seaweeds are applicable to all the branching species of Olive, Red, and Green plants ; but in each of the three subdivisions there are a few species which are so gelatinous, — in fact, so soft and spongy, that they require the utmost care during pressure, other- wise they adhere to the calico and break off in fragments as it is drawn away. Such plants must be left to dry in a horizontal position for ah hour or so before the calico and blotters are placed over them, and pressure must be very slight until they have adhered closely to the paper. Among the Chlorosperms, or green plants, there are the various species of Codium, young plants of which only are manageable or indeed desirable. In the Melano- sperms, some species of the genus Mesogloia will require care and patience in mounting, as well as the long string-like plant, known as Chorda filum ; and again, the spreading tuberous mass called Leathsia tuberiformis, portions of which should be cut from the rock, the sand scraped and washed out, then laid on the wet paper, and allowed to shrink for some hours ere calico blotters and pres- sure be applied. These difliculties are much more numerous among the Rhodospcrms, or red sea- weeds, experience only teaching the best method of treatment. I will, however, mention the names of some very troublesome plants, the fronds of which, if subjected to pressure too soon, burst and discharge their carmine contents ; not only pre- senting an unsightly appearance, but destroying the specimen. These are Griffithsla corallina, Dudres- nala coccinea, Naccaria Wiggii, all the Chylocladia, and the rare Gloiosiphoma, as well as the slimy worm-like plant known as \Nemaleon multifidim. In addition to these troubles among the red plants?, there is an opposite difiiculty connected with several Rhodospcrms which must be pointed out ; and that is owing to an absence or scarcity of gelatine in their substance, which is in some of a stout, leathery, or horny nature, and in others is due to a coating of carbonate of lime, which completely en- velops the vegetable structure. Among the former may be mentioned the several species of Phyllo- phora, and several among the genera Gigartina, Chondrus, and Sphserococcus ; and in the latter, all the calcareous Algae, especially the well-known Corallina officinalis and Jania nihens. All these, and several others of a membraneous nature, among the olive as well as the red weeds, must be first mounted in the ordinaiy manner, and when they are tolerably dry and begin to shrink away from the paper, fill the mounting-dish with stale skimmed milk; refloat the plants on their papers in the milk, and indeed go through the same process as before with the sea-water, but be careful to absorb all the milk from off the surface of the plants and i2 172 HAKDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. the back of the papers, and then, after the usua time for drying and pressing, the most obstinate seaweed will be found adhering perfectly to the paper, and will remain so permanently. One more difficulty must be referred to for the benefit of young beginners, who, in mounting some of the Larainaria and that peculiar olive weed called Himanthalia lorea, may wish to preserve the thick-branching roots and stems. Pirst wash the roots as clean as possible, and then, with a sharp penknife, make a clean cutting horizontally of the whole root and some little distance up the thick round stem ; then, after having removed the cut portions, place the inner surface of the root and stem on the paper, and the gelatinous matter which oozes from the plant will cause the roots to adhere firmly to the paper, and in drying, the usual olive tint of the various species of Laminaria will be finely preserved. Some botanists employ a mixture made of isinglass, dissolved in alcohol, to fix some of the horny or robust species on paper ; but if gum is made use of, it is better to employ gum traga- canth than gum - arable, because, in drying, the former has none of that objectionable glare which is peculiar to gum-arabic. Fig. 109. Seaweed Press. As regards the best method of pressing seaweeds, I think I can hardly do better than refer my readers to the above figure of a Seaweed Press, which I invented for myself many years ago, in which I have pressed many thousands of beautiful seaweeds. Almost any degree of pressure can be obtained in it : first, by the thumb-screws on the iron rods at each corner, and, finally, by means of the clatep which is strapped on the top of the press. Any intelligent cabinet - maker or iron- monger could provide such a press from an inspec- tion of the figure, the cost, of course, varying with the dimensions and the number of boards. With respect to localities favourable to seaweed- gathering, I may specially mention the south coast of Devon ; from Exmouth, where Bnjopsis and Padina pavoma grow in perfection, to Torquay and the coves of Torbay, and down the coast to Ply- mouth, Cawsand Bay, and finally Whitsand Bay, the " happy hunting-grounds " of the enthusiastic algologist. On the north-east coast, Filey and Whitby must be mentioned, as well as the shores upwards from Tynemouth to Whitley. Peterhead is also a good locality, the rare Edocarpus Mertemii, and Callithamnion jloccomm being found there in abundance. Other favourable stations in Scotland, well known to me, are Lamlash Bay and Whiting Bay ; nor must the Isle of Wight be forgotten, for in the rock pools, at Shanklin especially, the most magnificent form of Padina pavonia may be found growing during the summer months in the utmost profusion. In conclusion, I beg leave to say to those of my readers who, in the pursuit of algological know- ledge, may chance to find themselves in an unex- pected difficulty, it will give me pleasure to afford them information and any assistance in my power. Templestowe, Torquay. SKETCHES IN THE WEST OF IRELAND. By G.VH. Kinaiian. The Neighboukhood of Gokt. G\ ORT is situated on a plateau of limestone, ^ bounded on the west by the hills of Burren, and on the east by the mountain group called Slieve-Aughta, the latter being composed of Cambro-silurian rocks, capped in places by the lower carboniferous conglomerate, grits, and sand- stones (commonly called old red sandstone), forming table-topped hills ; moreover, the latter rocks and their accompanying shales are banked against their flanks. The Cambro-silurian black shales at Belvoir are remarkably rich in well-preserved grap- tolites. The limestone plain may be noted on account of its system of subterranean rivers. A large infall of water flows from Slieve-Aughta into loughs Cooter and Coole, and the connection between the latter and Galway Bay— a distance of five miles — to the nearest point at Kinvarra, is underground ; while over a large portion of the plain it is impos- sible to say whether the drainage is south-west- ward through the river Furgus to the Shannon, or north-westward to Galway Bay. The Lough Cooter catchment basin includes a considerable portion of Slieve-Aughta, while from HARUWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 173 the south eud of the lake flows the Beagh river, having an overground course for about two miles, when the stream disappears into the limestone rock under a boulder-clay-drift cliff about 70 feet high, the place locally being called "The Caldron." From here the river course can be traced for nearly a mile by breaks in the roof of the subterranean passages, forming marked precipitous hollows, or cavities, known as the "Devil's Punch-bowl," the "Blackweir," the " Ladle," and the " Churn," to " PoUduagh," a cave out of which the water rushes to daylight. From PoUduagh northward for about three miles there is an open river to the ruins of Kil- tartan Castle, where it again takes the ground ; however, farther west, in Coole demesne, it appears for a short distance, and eventually flows into Coole Lough, having first mingled its waters with those of another subterranean river that receives the drainage of the northern portion of Slieve-Aughta. From Coole Lough the waters flow underground to Caherglassaun lake, and from thence to the sea at Kinvarra, a large stream appearing through the joints of the limestone in the vicinity of Dungorey Castle. Where the Beagh river takes the ground at " The Caldron " it is yearly cutting into a high bank of boulder-clay-drift that contains blocks and frag- ments of sandstone and limestone, all of which dis- appear. The latter may dissolve in the water and thereby be carried off in solution, as the chert which they contain forms an angular gravel in the bed of the stream ; but the sandstone blocks could not be similarly disposed of. Some of the latter, un- doubted! j% are ground up ; for, when the stream is in flood, and the waters, hurrying underground, form a rushing gurgling whirlpool, the blocks can be heard rolling about and grinding against one an- other. This, however, can scarcely account for the disappearance of all, as hundreds of them cotne down each winter ; yet when the water is low during the summer months, only a few of them are to be seen ; therefore it only remains for them to be carried underground. This, when the stream is seen in its summer aspect, would appear impossible, as the water flows on to a filter of blocks and gravel ; but when the fioods arise, these gradually get into motion, until at last all are being whirled round and round, while some possibly find their way into the vent and are carried away in the stream. In favour of this theory it may be pointed out that blocks of sandstone are found in the bed of the subterranean stream at Pollduagli. The exit of the river in the vicinity of Kiltartan Castle is remarkable. It is evident that at former periods the water flowed at two higher levels, but in each case, as the subterranean passage increased, they fell into disuse. The highest level is now quite abandoned by this river, and a small stream flowing southward into the river occupies it, while the middle level is still used, but only in high floods. If there is an over-supply of water, too much for the lower embouchure, the water rises to the second level, along which it flows to a cavity in the roof of the under-passage, where it finds an exit, and rushes down, forming a whirlpool ; thereby proving that the internal capacity of the passage is greater than its entrance. In the country about Gort, as also in many other limestone tracts in Ireland, at the ingress or egress of the subterranean rivers, sheets of water may form, that are locally called " Turloughs ;" or a furlough may exist in a hollow under wnich there is a snbterranean stream, the latter bursting up and overflowing during freshets, forming a sheet of water. Many of the small lakes hereabouts have no surface-outlets, and although they do not become dry in summer, yet are a variety of turlough, a good example being the small lake called Lough Kinlea, about six miles west of Lough Rea. The water in this lake in dry weather lies at the bottom of a deep cup-shaped hollow at least thirty feet lower than the adjacent road, while in floods the surface of the lake reaches or even overflows on to the road ; but, on account of the steepness of the sides of the hollow, the difference between the area of the water in flood and drought is small. A remarkable furlough is formed during floods in connection with Coole Lough. During the dry weather the drainage from all sides flows into the lough ; but if a flood arises, the subterranean vents arc insufficient to carry oif the waters ; consequently tliey rise, fill the lough, and overflow to the south, forming an extensive furlough in the hollow adjoin- ing the Newcastle Racecourse. The extent and sudden rise of the floods may be judged from the following :— On the 12th October, 1852, a cricket- match was played on the racecourse of Newcastle, and in the adjacent streams there was scarcely any water ; but in the succeeding week there was rain, and on the 21st of the month the whole of it was covered, in places being over twenty feet deep. The area under water, including the flooded land about Coole Lough, was at least 500 acres. It should, however, be mentioned that this October was the wettest of the seventeen years preceding, the rain- fall being 7'61 inches, while the average was 4'03 inches, the other wet years being 1846, 1851, and 1853, whose figures respectively were 6"85, 5"35, and 572 inches by the Rev. C. Mayne's rain- gauge at Killaloe ; the rainfall of October, 1SG2, being nearly twice the average of the preceding seventeen years. Some of the low-situated lakes and turloughs are afi'ected by the rise and fall of the tide, the rising of the tide damming up the subterranean egress of the fresh water, causing the latter to rise in the lakes or turloughs. In some of these during 174 HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. floods the rise and fall, from the extent of the wa- ter being only a few inches, is nearly imperceptible; but when the lakes are low the rise and fall is as apparent as that of the tides in Galway Bay. This phenomenon can be well observed in the " Slug!?aghs " in the vicinity of the mine on the west of Caherglassaun Loush, and at Hawkhill Lough, between three and fo '■ miles west of Gort. There are various ruins in i he vicinity of Gort, that woidd more or less interest the archffiologist ; but special attention must be directed to the old castle a mile S.W. of Lough Cooter, the walls of which were paiuted in fresco," some of which still remain. The flora also is interesting; as, however, nearly all the rare plants are found in the Burreu, one description hereafter will do for all. TEMPORAEY APPEARANCES AND DISAPPEARANCES OF PLANTS. TTAVING read with much interest the paper by -"-■- Mr. Edwin Lees in the April number of Science-Gossip, " On changes in the localities of some of our rarer plants," I am induced to offer a few notes on some instances of the temporary dis- appearance of species which I have noticed in tliis neighbourhood, with the flora of which I have been acquainted for more than a dozen years. Erodium moschatum used to'*grow on an old wall within one hundred yards of where I am now writing : it was observed there by my father nearly thirty years ago. This is the only place in which I have ever found it, and I have observed it there now and then for many years ; but some seasons I have failed to find it after a careful search. lu 1868 the wall was pulled down, but the Cranesbill was very plentiful around its site, and, the soil being rich, attained an immense size. The next two summers it grew scarcer, and this year I can find no trace of it. In 18G2 a heap of sand was thrown up out of a quarry in Beckington, which in the summer was covered with a scarlet blaze of poppies ; among them two or three plants of P. Argemone, a species which I had never seen in the neighbourhood before, and did not see again, although 1 looked for it in the same place nearly every year, until 1868, Avhen I found it there again, and I have found it in each succeeding year. The only_ station for Atropa Belladonna near here is Earleigh, Hungcrford, where a single plant grew among the ruins of an old castle for many years ; but the station being unfortunately too well known to collectors, it grew smaller year by year, until in 1869, finding none left, I feared that it was lost. In 1870, however, I noticed one or two young plants on a bank some little distance off, which are now growing nicely, and will, I hope, establish the spe- cies firmly, if not pursued by collectors with too sedulous attention. When a boy, I remember being shown by my father in a field near Beckington, a plant of Lathyrus Aphaca ; but this singular vetch I never saw agaia until the year 1869, at least fifteen years afterwards, when I found several plants of it growing in a hedge that, I am in the habit of passing several times a week. I refrained from gathering many speci- mens of it, thinking that I would let it remain and seed ; but next time I passed I was mortified to find it all gone — some one having cut the grass on the bank to give to his horse. In 1870 I did not see any ; but last year it was growing there again. I never saw Campatmla hyhrida nearer here than the Wiltshire chalk downs, except in the year 1869, when a wheat-field a mile off was quite full of it — probably introduced with seed coim. Many liliaceous and orchideous plants bloom very seldom; consequently, if one of them grow sparingly at a station, it may be missed for several years, the root-leaves escaping notice, and yet reappear. I have noticed this with Gagea lutea, Fritillaria Meleagris, CepJialanthera grandiflora, Epipactis lafifoUa, and others ; and hence I have not quite abandoned all hope of meeting with Ophrys muscifera and Tnlipa sylvesiris, each of which my father has once found. I have noticed that root parasites, such as LathrUTTERFLIES, bkds, and flowers are tlie -*-^ poetry of uature. What would the world be without their bright colours, sweet songs, and fra- grant odours ? Every one with an eye for beauty is charmed with the hues of the Lepidoptera. It is a common error with the non-entomological to sup- pose that bright colours are confined solely to the Papilionidse. I have often enjoyed, when showing my collection and have brought out the drawer con- taining the Euchelidse and Chelonidse, to hear the exclamation of surprise, " Those moths, I thou ght they were butterflies, they are so pretty ! " Of the effect of heat in intensifying colour, the Cleopatra of Madeira, compared with our own Q. Rhamni, affords a striking example, the orange spots in the latter being suffused over a great por- tion of the wings of the former. In early spring, when the sun has but little power, the first butter- flies we meet with are those with little or no colour ; namely, the Whites. As the season advances the tints become brighter, and whites with orange- tipped wings (Cardamines) appear; but it is iu summer and autumn, when the sun is in his might, that the choicest and loveliest specimens of our Lepidoptera are found. Then it is we look for Iris, in his robe of purple ; Atalanta, iu her vivid scarlet, approaching nearest to the glories of the tropics ; lo, of softer, but not less exquisite beauty ; Edusa, the Blues, the Golden Skippers, and Argynuidi. Beautiful though the Papiliouida; of this country may be, however, they are far excelled by exotic insects. Here is a wealth of colour iu which the eye can revel with delight. Many possess a metallic lustre of which we have but one example — the Coppers ; others, when in certain lights, or held in certain positions, change their colours very remark- ably, no doubt owing to scales of different shades being placed transversely, like the threads in shot silks. It is somewhat curious that blue, though of such frequent occurrence in buttterflies, is entirely absent iu the Heterocera ; the band on the hind wings of C. Fraxini — in reality a French grey — being the closest approximation ; while the crimson prevail- ing so much among moths is wanting in butterflies. Again, it is noticeable that the bright colours of moths — and many of them are not surpassed by butterflies, witness the Tigers, Cinnabar, and Cato- calidse, — are confined to the hind wings, the upper being of sober hues, or at least only streaked and flecked with the bright tints of the lower. When settled, the hind wings of moths are always hidden from view. May not this be taken as another instance of the wisdom and care of the great Creator for the meanest and feeblest of his crea- tures ? It is indubitably a means of protection, by which, being rendered less conspicuous objects, they are enabled to elude the vigilance of many a hungry bird. Joseph Andekson, Jui?. COLLECTION CATALOGUES. ■jy/TR. F. T. MOTT, in Science-Gossip for May, -^'-■- asks for information as to the best means to form a catalogue of a collection of 2,000 objects in such a manner that additions may be constantly made to it without leading to confusion. I have adopted a plan of my own, which I have found very useful, especially for indexing, and which I think may also answer Mr. Mott's purpose. I will give an exam- ple how I proceed, when wishing to form an index or other alphabetical list. While on the subject, let me say that in my opinion the neglect of a good index often deteriorates much the usefulness of a great many most valuable works, and I sometimes, for my own use, form an index to a book if I am likely to have to refer to it often, whilst reading it. Taking a sheet of ordinary ruled foolscap, at right angles to the existing lines I rule others, and on these the various entries are written. Close to the edge of what would ordinarily be the front of the paper, between the first twenty. six lines I set dowii the letters of the alphabet, and then the sheet is ready for use. Suppose, for example, it is the page of Science-Gossip on which Mr. Mott's query occurs that I wish to index. I begin by writing under the letter S— Starling, The, 118 ; next under C, Catalogues, Collection, 118; next under G, Gas- light, Does G-L kill plants ? 118, and so on. Thus several entries cau be placed on each line, and there is only one page in use instead of, at least, twenty- six as is ordinarily the case. Although very easy to employ, the plan is difficult to explain. Perhaps it V70uld be possible to set up an example in type. » * * » ft * * * * A Alio B C D E P i G H ! I n ate Cata r 117 logue's, Col Elm, Para leoti site on, 1 18 1 ( 1 of, 10 8 i Arb utns. Berr ies of 113 Eagl 105 e,Go Iden, 115 1 Cue koo, The, * Ordinary lines. t Extra lines. If I wished to form an exact catalogue, for con- stant reference, of so many as 2,000 or 3,000 objects, I should then take a page for each letter, the leaves being fastened together at one end. Although by 176 HARDWiCKE'S SCIENCE- GOSSIP. this meaus twenty-six pages would be employed instead of one, yet the subdivisions would be so much smaller than by the usual method that the extra labour would be fully compensated for. Thus the heading for the first page would be aa, ab, ac, ad, &c., and for the second ba, bb, be, bd, &c. Notwithstanding some columns, such as bb, would, most probably, not contain a single entry, yet I should retain them, for the eye soon becomes accustomed to the position of the column for each letter, and knows at a glance the spot where the entry should be made. If you think this plan will help Mr. Mott and others, I hope you will find room for it ; if not, please consign it to the waste-paper basket. Alex. E. Mtjrkay. CARBONIFEROUS EISH. A T the base of the coal-measures there occurs in -^-^ Yorkshire a bed of coal which is different from any of those above it. This bed — the Halifax bed — is covered by a "roof" unlike that of any other coal-bed above the mountain limestone, and consisting of nodular concretions called "baum- pots," which contain not only the remains of plants and fresh-water shells, but also of fish and marine shells. The floor or sill of the coal of this series, in- stead of being, as in the other series, a peculiar fine clay, full of stigmaria, consists of ganister or gal- Uanl, a hard siliceous sandstone full of the roots of plants. The presence of this stone consequently furnishes an exact iudication of the position occu- pied in the coal-measures of that stratum in which it is found. In the " baum-pots " before mentioned I dis- covered last July, when staying in the neighbour- liood of Leeds, several remains of fish, both scales and teeth, belonging to Agassiz's two great orders of fish, the Ganoids and Placoids. The ganoid fish have been thus named by him on account of their being covered by enamel so hard that, if struck with steel, they will emit sparks like flint ; thus differing from the fish belong- ing to other orders. Another peculiarity attaching to them is this, — the union of reptilian with fish- like characters, they being able to move the head upon the neck independently of the body, and the connection of the vertebrae by ball-and-socket joint, instead of by inverted cone, as in the ordinary fishes. The representatives of this order of fishes are the Lepidosteous, or bony pike, and the Amia of North America, the Folypterm of the Nile and rivers of Senegal, and the Ceratodus of Australia. As all these genera inhabit fresh water, analogy points to the conclusion that their carboniferous ancestors lived in the same element. No doubt many of those who have found, the teeth and scales of extinct ganoids have been puzzled by not finding their entire skeletons. This is owing to these fish not having possessed entire bony skele- tons : consequently,' the cartilaginous portions of the fish have perished, whilst the teeth and scales have been preserved. In Megaliclithys, however. Professor Huxley has discovered a ring or hoop of bone in its vertebra, whilst the rest of its skeleton consisted of cartilage. Fig:. 110. Ganoid Scale of Megalic)ithys. Of the scales of these fish examples are given That of Megalichthys Hibberti (6g. 110) is of a smooth rhomboidal form, with minute punctures that are connected with one another by means of canals. The other scale, that of Acrolepis (figs. 111 and 112), is similar to the foregoing in shape, but differs from it in having its surface marked by deep chan- nels. The former genus is found only in the car- boniferous system, whilst the latter is found both in the carboniferous limestone of Derbyshire, the millstone grit and coal-measures of Yorkshire and in the Permian of Duihani. Fig-s. Ill antl 112. .Scales o( Acrolepis. The other great order of fishes, the Placoids, represented in our time by the Sharks, Dogfish, and Rays, have been so named by Professor Agassiz because they have their skins covered irregularly with plates of enamel, often of considerable dimen- sions, but sometimes reduced to mere points, like the shagreen on the skin of the Shark or the prickly tubercles of the Ray. The fishes of this order had cartilaginous skeletons, which were soon destroyed after they had perished. The teeth of these fish are of tico kinds, — either sharp and pointed, or massive palatal teeth, fitted for grinding. Of both these we have living ex- amples ; those of the Shark being representative o f tlie former, and those of the Cestracion, the Port Jackson shark, of the latter. 5#^ Fig-. 1 13. Tooth of Cladodus. Fig. 114. Tooth of Orodtts HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. m Of the former we have au example in the tooth of Cladodus (fig. 113) : tliis is a sharp couical tooth covered with shallow striations ; whilst of the latter the teeth of Orochis (fig. 114) and Psammodus are instances. The former presents a serrated edge, whilst the latter is perfectly smooth. Such are the characters of some of the fishes which formerly roamed in the carboniferous seas. Though but little is at present known of them, that little is sufiicient to fill us with admiration of the wisdom and power of Him who has created all things. Rev. W. H. Painter. HOW TO CUT VEGETABLE SECTIONS. By Waltek White. " "XTT"-^ want pretty and interesting objects." ' ' This is the cry, which waxes louder in proportion as our ranks are augmented by the enlistment of fresh recruits. Let me commend to their notice sections of stems, leaves, seeds, and other portions of plants. They are pretty, as well as interesting ; easy to mount, and moreover, when well mounted, very permanent. How to cut them is the rub. This seems to be a great stumbling- block; consequently we find very few amateurs' cabinets containing a really good selection of vege- table sections. One will tell you he hasn't time to cut them ; another, that he has tried and failed ; proverbial conquerors, of all difficulties, — namely, patience and perseverance. Assuming the reader to possess the two latter, I will proceed to put him in the way to possess the former. I first began to think of cutting sections on September 1st, 1866, from seeing on that day, in Science- Gossip, a description of an instrument which I, in my innocence, then thought would answer that purpose. How anxiously I tried shop after shop before I could find the one where I could invest my penny in a music-binder ! I need scarcely say the affair was a failure. Some time afterwards I got a watchmaker to cut me a screw, with which, a fishing-rod ferule, and a bit of brass plate, 1 knocked up an uncouth-looking piece of apparatus, which served my purpose pretty well for a long time. Yet, as the screw was not so fine or so well fitted as I could have liked, I cast about for a friend to cut and fit me a better. After many in- quiries, I came into contact with a gentleman who very kindly recommended me to try wedges instead of the long-sought micrometer-screw. I took my nondescript to pieces, and in a very short time con- verted it into a machine, which, for truthfulness, simplicity of manners, and withal lightness of figure (in the cost thereof), leaves little or nothing to be desired. Here is an outline sketch of the appa- ratus, fig. 115 ; here also is the receipt for making it. Take a brass tube (fishing-rod ferule), T, about 0 1 0 of an inch diam., and Ih in, long; inside of this T ^ s P 3 Fig. 115. Diagram of Section cutting Machine. Scale i. while a third has heard so much of the diflaculty of section-cutting from those who have attempted it, that he thought it useless to go to the expense of a machine. Now, I hold that everybody who takes up the study of Microscopy ought early to learn how to make a good microscopic section. In His- tology this acquisition is indispensable. As a means of mastering the art, nothing can be better practice than" operating on the subjects before- mentioned. There is no royal road to section- cutting, any more than there is to other branches of Microscopy; yet a few practical hints may smooth the path a little, and tempt a few to turn some of their leisure moments in that direction. The first thing necessary is a section-machine ; the second, a sharp-cutting instrument. Besides tube fit a brass plug (P) of the same length. When smeared with tallow, this should fit the tube with a water-tight joint. Solder one end of the tube (T) into a hole that will just receive it, in the centre of a brass plate (X) 3 in. x 1| in., and about ^-in. in thickness, having a hole at each corner to pin or screw it down' to the block (B). This is the metallic portion, which any country tinker can easily make. The wooden portion can just as easily be made by any coun- try carpenter — W, W, two wedges, each 15 in. long, i in. thick, and 1 in. deep at the base of angle. They should be worked up Fig. 116. Section of ditto. these, two other things are also needed— those two true out of a thoroughly sound piece of beech or 178 HARDWICKE'S SCIEN CE-GO S S IP. mahogany. Cut two other wedges of the same angle, but rather longer, k in- thick, and attach one to each side of the wedge, which is to be stationary, so as to form a groove to steady the loose wedge. This grooved wedge fix to a deal board (D), 15 X 34 by screws (S). Now comes the block (B) of beech or mahogany, 2S x 3 x IJ. Through the centre of its longest axis drill a hole to receive the tube (T). Below the tube, and through its shortest axis, sufficient of the block is to be cut away as will span the fixed wedge. The block is firmly fixed by long and stout screws to the board D, in the position shown in the figure. The tube T is now inserted in the hole, and the brass plate (which I omitted to say should be perfectly flat and smooth) is screwed or pinned down to the block. On the face of the lower wedge gum a piece of paper, with lines ruled on it about 3^0 of an inch apart, and the machine is complete. The best cutting instrument, in my humble opinion, is a razor. A small one, made of " good stuff," should be selected. If the blade is fixed in a small bradawl handle, it will; be more convenient to use. As it is perfectly useless attempting to excel in section-cutting with a tool that will not stand the usual test of cutting a hair, the reader, if he be not endowed with the accomplishment of razor -sharpening, had better make friends with some one who really is, and take a practical lesson or two. Supposing the reader wish to try his 'prentice hand upon a wood stem (transversely), this is the way to proceed : — Get a cork and trim up so as to fit the tube rather tightly ; with a cork-cutter make a hole through it in the position shown at a, in fig. 116, which should be the least trifle less in dia- meter than that of the stem. Next divide the cork lengthwise at b, taking care to escape the hole. Cut out the shaded portion (C), which is to be re- placed by an exact counterpart of deal. Cut off an inch of the stem and place in the hole (a) ; put the pieces of cork and deal in their places, and push all gradually down the tube, with C towards the operator, the plug (p) resting on the thin end of the loose wedge. Have at hand a glass vessel of methylated spirit, and all is ready for work. Tap the wedge with the back of the razor till the stem just appears above the plate ; then dip the razor in the spirit and take off a slice, cutting no^further into the deal than is necessary. Cut off a few more slices, till you begin to feel used to it ; then strop the razor' afresh and see how thin and perfect a section is to be obtained, making use of the ruled lines as a guide for the distance the wedge has to be forced. An herbaceous stem will not require tlie cork and deal packing. Strips of the same stem will answer better, care being taken to pack firmly without crushing. Leaves will generally be placed between the two halves of a cork cut lengthwise ; while seeds and other small things, such as unripe moss capsules, are best held in a mixture of wax and spermaceti. This is the mod/is operandi : Pour into the tube, in a molten state, a mixture of about equal parts bees-wax and spermaceti, and just before it solidifies place the seed in the mixture, in the desired position. When quite cold, the wax will fit the tube loosely: a thin splinter of deal forced down the tube will make it firm. This is also one of the best plans for vertical sections of stems. Some recommend cutting towards, and others away from, the operator. I prefer tlie former method. Keep the razor well wetted ; hold it firm and cut steadily, using plenty of the edge. The sections will generally stick to the razor, and can be shaken off into the spirit as fast as they are cut, thus keeping the razor constantly wet with the least amount of trouble. No rule can be given as to the thickness the sections ought to be cut ; it de- pends upon the size of the cells to be brought into view. The smaller the cells the thinner the section, and vice versa. A good transverse section should show the pith, wood, and bark all tlie way through, without a flaw. Wood stems should be gathered in the autumn, and placed immediately into spirit. They are never scarcely so good if allowed to dry. A good plan for identifying the stems after they have been soaked, is to cut on one end a Roman mimeral, against which in a book the name is placed. Without some precaution of the sort, it may be rather embarrassing to a beginner to know which is which, out of a bottleful of stems that have lain by for some time. Herbaceous stems should be cut as fresh as possible, and the sections allowed to remain iu spirit a day or two, to empty the cells of chloro- phyl, after which they sliould be well washed iu clean water. Seeds are in the best condition for cutting just as they are ripening. I have but little to say about the mounting. For transparent slides, perhaps there is no better plan of mounting the wood and seed sections than iu balsam or damar. Some of the transverse wood sections, — for example. Clematis and young stem of Dog-rose, when mounted dry and revived \)y re- flected light, are exceedingly beautiful, especially if a bright blue ground be used. Sections of her- baceous stems and the softer tissues of vegetables show best in fluid. To some of the thousands of ardent lovers of Nature, subscribers to Science- Gossip, I would fain believe my simple section- machine will be welcome. Every botanist now has a microscope; yet how few, amongst their collection of slides, can show a dozen good sections of their own preparing, illustrative of the physiology of the plants they take such pains to collect, dry, and classify. In their case, a little practice at section- cutting would throw open new sources of pleasure. HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 179 increasing the interest already attached to the beautiful study of botany, and adding yet deeper feelings of reverence towards the great Creator. THE CRAB A GEOLOGIST. THE following notice of a natural phenomenon which I witnessed may be of interest to readers of Science-Gossip :— As I was walking with a friend, some ten years ago, along the sandy shore of the Tenasseriin coast, I was surprised to see in one place a large number of apparently rolled pebbles or stones extending along the beach for some distance, just above high- water mark. The reason for my surprise was that such a thing as a pebbly beach is nowhere met with (at far as my experience goes) on this coast. The entire coast-line of Tenasserim, from Amherst on the north to the Packchanriver on.the south, consists of alternating'bold granite bluffs, which jut out into the sea, and semicircular sandy bays, with here and there an extensive mud-flat and mangrove swamp at the mouths of creeks and rivers. It is very hard to find a stone anywhere on any of the sandy beaches. Granite iDOulders of various sizes are frequently met with on the sand, but that is all. The very unusual appearance, therefore, of a num- ber of stones, resembling shingle, collected together in one place, surprised me. After my companion and I had amused ourselves with throwing about some of these stones, which were so hard as to have required a hammer to break them, we found that others (those nearest to the sea) were soft— of a firm cheesy consistency — so that the end of a walking-stick could be forced into or through [them. This naturally increased our surprise ; we therefore set ourselves to discover, if possible, the cause of this strange phenomenon. We werevnot long in doing this. The actual process of manufacture was witnessed. It may be stated here that the part of the coast spoken of is not far from the mouth of the Tavoy river, which expands into a broad estuary several miles across. This river carries down towards the sea a vast quantity of mud, the greater part of which is distributed along the coast-bottom to the south, owing to the direc- tion of the river, which flows from north to south, the run of the coast-line being the same. At Mergui, also, only sixty miles to the south, another arge river, the Tenasserim, pours down its quota of mud, and this also is coniined near the coast by the islands of the Mergui Archipelago, which stretch from near the mouth of the Tavoy river on the north, to near Junk-Selung on the south. I have dredged the bottom at intervals between Tavoy and Mergui, and found it to be mud the whole way inside the islands. The consequence of this 'is, that although some of the reaches of sand on this part of the coast are very fine, the sand is, nevertheless, comparatively shallow, and it fines off rapidly to seaward, until, a little way out, pure mud is reached. In some parts, at low water, a very thin layer of sand covers the mud below. This mud is exceedingly stifi", and of the colour of the well-known blue lias. To come now to the manufacture of these stones. The crabs, which abound on tropical seashores, were here, although too small to be worth catching for the pot, considerably larger than I had seen in similar situa- tions elsewhere ; and, as the tide was low, we saw numbers of them running about the wet sands, and, as we approached them, they would dive rapidly down into the small round holes which it is their habit to burrow for themselves. In making these holes the crabs (as is, no doubt, known to many) throw out the soil in small round pellets or balls. I had frequently noticed at Amherst the tiny round balls of sand strewed about the holes which the smaller crabs there make. When the ejected material is sand,'. these balls are, of course, at once dissolved at return of each tide. But here, as the sand was only in a superficial layer, and the crabs were larger, in making their holes they pene- ■ trated through the sand and reached the mud ; con- sequently the material thrown up was stiff clay, and the balls were larger in proportion to the size of the workers. Looking at these balls of clay as the tide was turning to flood, we soon perceived how our stones were made. The ripple of an advancing wave would first roll two of the smaller balls into one, then another wave would do the same^with two larger ones, until, by a repetition of this very simple process, rounded balls of various sizes were formed, and ultimately, as the tide advanced, flung up high and dry upon the sand, out of the farther reach of the waves. Here they lay and hardened, until, in form, in weight, and in general appearance, they resembled bond-fide water-worn fragments of blue lias. There was a long line of these stones on the sand just above high-water mark, and they must have been numbered by thousands. And, now, to offer a remark or two on this sub- ject. It is easy to imagine that these stones, so strangely originated, may, at some distant day, be imbedded in a stratum of sandstone, and may, per- adventure, form the subject of investigation by some future geologist (supposing, that is, the race o geologists to bel as enduring as the strata which they make their study), and if so, they would pro- bably be pronounced to be genuine waterworu frag- ments of rock older than the sandstone in which they were found imbedded. In this instance, our imaginary geologist will have been mistaken ; for though indeed formed partly by the action of water on a seashore, they were so formed by a constructive, and not a destructive, process ; and, moreover, they would be of exactly the same age as the sandstone. 180 HARDV.'ICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. But, if stones are being occasionally formed now by the singular method above described, why may they not have also sometimes been formed in a similar manner in the remote ages of the Past ? It crabs, as is likely, inhabited primeval seashores and disported themselves upon them as they do now (1 am, unfortunately, not geologist enough to know it there be any evidence to this point), then the same agency may have been at work in the formation of similar stones now found imbedded in existing strata, and pronounced to be waterworu pebbles of an older rock; and then also, some stones, so pro- nounced upon, may possibhj iiave had a different origin from that which has been assigned to them. In ninety-nine cases out of a hundred probably, the commonly assigned cause would be the true one ; but the little fact which I have related points to the possibility of rounded stones imbedded in ancient strata having sometimes had a different origin. I think it is also possible to conceive an instance in which the position of such stones rela- tively to contiguous beds, not easily explained on the usual supposition of their being waterworu fragments, might be accounted for by assigning to tliem an origin similar to that of the stones which I saw in the course of formation on the coast of Tenasserim. Possibly, however, I have only been describing what has frequently been noticed before; though, if not — if what I have related should chance to be new — this trifling record may prove of interest, as indicating a plan of operation in Nature's great and n.iultifarious workshop, which, I venture to think, would hardly be guessed at even by the most in- genious theorist. C. S. P. Pauisii. THE EUPLECTELLA. "VTOUR article on the Glass-rope Sponge {llyalo- -^ nema mirahills of Gray), and the figure on p. 3G, in the February number for 1872, called to my remembrance the account given me many years since by Mr. John Reeves, of Clapham, of the specimen of Glass-rope then in the East-India Company's museum. He stated that the specimen was the remnant of a stem of a Gorgonia, after maceration in acid by the natives of some island or coast in the Indian Ocean. When I fu'st saw Evpledella speciosa, and observed the beard at its base, I was led to the conclusion that this was also a preparation from a spongoid animal, bleached probably by immersion in water, during which pro- cess the ova of crabs had passed through the meshes, and became slowly the mature animals that one sees inside Eupleetella. Lately, in looking through Esper's work on corals, to find a figure of that cural-like Gorgonia of which Mr. Reeves had spoken, I was arrested by the plate in] vol. iv., No. XVI., of which I enclose a copy. There I found a Eupleetella attached to a shell, and having its spongy coat on ; while below was an enlarged figure of the natural appearance of the coat. Being in London lately, I visited the British Museum for the purpose of examining the specimen from Mr. Broderip's collection, which has the gelatinous coat Fig. 117. Tululiria clatliruta. still adhering to its cap ; but the Museum was shut, the day being a holidaj^ and I failed in ob- taining a private view, as in good old times it was the custom to allow. The figure given by Esper, however, is sufliciently marked to prove the original state of Eupleetella ; and his description, which I will quote, proves that his figure is no exaggeration. The translation from the German is as correct as I can make it. Fig. 118. Portion of ditto, magnified. . . "Net-shaped Tubularia. — In this sea-product, the organic construction of the animal is not suffi- cient to decide the way of growth and vessels of nourishment. The net-formed cavities come nearer the sponges ; but it has a shining substance, and softens in water, and the web of this is of quite different construction. It consists partly of strong threads, partly of leafy gills. It cannot be the dwelling of some foreign animal, for it is locked at the largest end. HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 181 " This product was found in the seas by Bengal, aud ^vas given to me, as a rarity, by the Lite Reverend Chemuiter, who had it of Mr. Missionary John, of Tranquebar." Esper gives, in Plate XIX. of the fourth vokime of the same work, the figure of a group of another Tubularia, which he names T. hotryoides (" grape- shaped Tubularia"), and states that in structure it is akin to T. clathrata. " The colour," he adds, " was at first yellow, but faded into light yellow, and, according to others, into white-grey." He had received this also from Mr. Missionary John, of Tranquebar, as a very rare product from the coast of the Carnatic. Rev. Gekard Smith. THE WHITE WHELK. {Buccinum nndatum^ rilHERE are few univalve shells better known 1 han -■- this. Our readers who have visited the East- end of London must have seen both the shells and their builders exposed for sale, the latter hanging out with a yellow-looking, leathery appearance, which does not tempt the palate of the novice. Our British liking for the Whelk is peculiar, and does not seem to be shared by any other nation. How far we are consumers of it is indicated by the evidence on the Whitstable Oyster-fishery Extension Bill in 1866, when it was stated that the whelk fishery on a sandy flat in that bay yielded twelve thousand sterling a year ! has survived have been numerous and extensive but they have failed to render it extinct, probably owing to the ready manner with which it seems to adapt itself to varying conditions. It is a known zoological rule that a species numerous in indi- viduals is generally also productive of varieties. Mr. Gwyn Jeffries enumerates six distinct varie- ties of the "White Whelk," besides others less so. Tiiat some of these varieties are permanent is evident from their having been also found in post- glacial deposits. Moreover, the Whelk inhabits all kinds of marine ground, from the shore to the greatest known depth. Much as it seems to dislike fresh water, it has nevertheless established itself along the mouths of rivers. All these conditions point to a great antiquity to allow the species to gain a footing and to assume distinct and perma- nent varietal characters. This we should have reasoned to, if the shells of the Whelk were not found in pre-glacial beds. The genus Buccinum has a still higher antiquity, dating back from the Lower Cretaceous epoch. Dr. Woodward enumerates about twenty recent typical species, which are chiefly to be found in northern and antarctic regions. This wide isolation of areas is significant. No one would contend for two generic creations to have occurred in seas so widely separated ; — if not, then the Buccinum must have been driven away from the intervening regions ; and such a process would take up all the time which has elapsed since the Cretaceous period. More than one hundred aud thirty species are known in the fossil state. Fig. Up. Bucchiitm undutum. The "White Whelk" is popularly distinguished from the "Red Whelk" {Fusus a?iiiquus) hj the colour of the latter, although science distinguishes them by more technical distinctions. No one can mistake its vertically furrowed and grooved exterior, its short canal, and, except when covered by its epidermis, its whitish appearance (fig. 119). It has a very respectable antiquity also, dating back from early Pliocene times. The physical disturbances it r.!i Eg-g cpses of Diicclnum undatum. Tlie " White Whelk" is greedily carnivorous, the decaying fish placed in lobster-pots, &c., being soon covered with them. On the other hand, however, it is itself a choice delicacy wiih the Cod, and thousands of whelks are caught for the purpose of exportation to the cod fisheries. The tongue of this moUusk has long been a favourite object with microscopists. It possesses no fewer than oue hundred rows of teeth. One of the commonest of sea-shore objects is the nidamental capsule of the " White Whelk," looking for all the world like a large bunch of hops (fig. 120). In each of these cap- sules there are inclosed at least a score of young mollusks, with shells complete ; so that they come 183 HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. into the world, Minerva-like, ready-armed. The spawning season is between October and May, the developement of the fry requiring about two months. J- E. Taylor. THE GREEN EIELD-CRICKET. [Gryllus viridissmns^ SEEING a paper in a recent number of Science- Gossip (p. 59), on this interesting insect, has induced me to write a few lines upon the subject, which 1 trust may be interesting to the writer, " E. A. M." ; and as she craves further information on the subject, I trust this will have the desired effect. This beautiful, and by no means rare insect, is one of tlie largest of the "merry" tribe desig- nated Crickets, and cannot fail to attract the attention of the most jiivenile of entomologists. The males in the months of July and August enliven the summer evening rambles with their shrill music ; the females are, however, much less noisy, only uttering a low call, whilst that of tlie males is a continuous song. I have more than once been deceived, whilst listening to the singing of this insect, with regard to the distance he is off, for there is a peculiarity in the sound, which leads one to judge that he is very near, yet you may go on for yards further ere you get to the spot where the Grylhcs is going through his performance. Should you be fortunate enough to catch a sight of him and wish to make him yours, you must approach him with the utmost caution, for if he hears the least sound, he at once ceases his song, and deigns not to resume it until " silence reigns supreme." I have also observed that when one of these insects takes up his abode in a certain bush, lie seldom wanders far away from his chosen haunt, but goes through his performance at sunset' evening after evening, in the selfsame spot. I l)ave on several occasions, whilst out in search of Lepi- doptera, taken three, and even four, of these insects in an evening, but I have never, except on one occasion, taken a female, which may be easily dis- tinguished by its long ovipositor. My mode of capturing him has been to follow the sound, and to approach as cautiously as possible until the creature is discovered, which is not always an easy matter, on account of its near resemblance in colour to the herbage, and if possible to get behind him, and gently take him by the tip of the wings between the forefinger and thumb, which, however, requires no small amount of caution, for if he catches sight of his enemy, he gives one good spring and is quickly out of si^ht, and you may hear him a few minutes after singing away as merrily as if nothing had happened. On one occasion I was greeted with rather a sharpish bite for my trouble, for these little creatures are quite capable of giving you an unpleasant nip, if you do not display a little care in taking them, and I was not aware, before this, that they had a tendency that way. One thing must be avoided,— putting two into the same box. together, for they are pugnacious little fellows, and will fight vigorously until one of them comes off short of some appendage ; even that will not cause him to retire from the field. If kept, these creatures will often become very tame and live for a long time in confinement, and will sing away as merrily as if in their native corn- fields or "hedgerows. As in the case of " E. A. M.," I have fed them with small flies, which they readily devour, and with evident gusto, and occasionally, by Avay of change a piece of apple, which they also relish ; in fact, scarcely anything comes amiss to these voracious little creatures ; and, alas ! they will often prove cannibals, and devour one another. I have many a time been greatly amused in watching their actions, particularly that mentioned in Mr. Ulyett's paper as "cleaning its teeth," which seems an important process— whatever it may be —in the life of Gryllus viridissinms. You may often observe him gnawing away at a blade of grass in the same manner as a caterpillar, beginning at the top and working downwards. My first speci- men I put into a cage with the sides of glass, and a black muslin top, but he amused himself by gnaw- ing the muslin through, and soon effected an exit. It would be interesting to know how the peculiar sound made by this creature is caused, for many and varied are the opinions of authors with regard to tlie origin of the sound. " In the mule," says De Geer, " in that part of the right elytrum which is folded horizontally over the trunk, there is a round plate made of very fine transparent membrane, re- sembling a little mirror, or piece of talc, of the tension of a drum. Tliis membrane is surrounded by a strong and prominent nervure, and is concealed beneath the fold of the left elytrum, which has also several prominent nervures, answering to the margin of the membrane. There is," he further remarks, " every reason to believe that the brisk movement with which the grasshopper rubs these nervures against each other produces a vibration in the mem- brane, augmenting the sound. The males in question sing continuously in the hedges and trees during the months of July and August, especially to- wards sunset and part of the night : when any one approaches, they immediately cease their song." li. Laddiuian. THE WOOD SPIDER. rpHE following is fronr the March number of the -L " Cape Monthly Magazine," published in Cape Town :— " While wandering over the wooded hills of the Kleinemond River, with my net and port- HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 183 folio in search of specimens, &c., I came suddenly upon a small recess, or opening in the forest. It was clothed in long waving grass ; through the adjacent lofty branches, a burst of sunshine had stolen in upon its centre, forming a glorious con- trast to the surrounding shade. "Two trees stood apart from the trees of the forest, near the centre of the grassy recess, and were conspicuous for the light colour of their stems, which was evidently produced by the pre- sence of a minute species of moss or lichen, similar to that which whitens rocks in high localities or mountainous regions. Suspended between the stems of the trees, was the light transparent net of a wood spider. I could scarcely distinguish its slender meshes in the bright sunshine ; the spider was upon it at the time, busy with some repairs, or probably its presence would not have been sus- pected. It was one of those peculiarly formed species, which invariably excite our wonder and surprise, having a long process or horn projecting from the centre of the body, which to a casual observer would have appeared an incumbrance of no ordinary magnitude. At ,my approach the little creature seemed somewhat startled, so off" it trotted and seated itself upon its hiding-place, the bare stem of the tree, where I soon perceived that its resem- blance to a spider or anything that had life was no longer evident ; for as it sat motionless, with the long projection from the centre, and its legs care- fully folded beneath its body, it was a fac-simile of the knots of wood or pro tiibe ranees upon the bark of the trees which it inhabited, — the long horn re- sembling the remains of a former twig or branchlet which had died or fallen away, leaving only its foot- stalk to show where once it had been. " The colouring and pattern upon the spider, in every particular, resembled that of the moss-clad stems of the trees; upon its legs when folded was a minute round patch of white, surrounded by brown, similar to the smaller patches of lichens which dotted the bark ; in fact the imitation was perfect, — a small knot of wood with the remains of a broken twig upon it. For some time, I stood near, admir- ing the beauty and simplicity of the contrivance. At length, to try the spider's faith in its conceal- ment, I waved my hand ominously near, almost brusliiug it from off the stem where it sat. The spider, however, strong in the belief of its security, was not the least alarmed, but remained immovable. " After leaving the forest and its quiet occupants the idea occurred to me that perhaps the lichens that iu a great measure covered the stems of the trees grew also upon the back of the spider, as barnacles do upon the creatures of the sea. This, however, was mere conjecture, for although I believe it possible, 1 do not think it probable. The wonderful and varied forms of spiders adapting themselves to every condition of life even under the most adverse circumstances, is evident to all who have made nature their study. Obviously, the spider's form and colouring is a provision for the safety of a creature that has no wings to flee from its enemies, or other means of protecting itself ; and it is one of the many of Nature's pretty little pieces of ingenuity, which will invariably strike a reflective mind, causing him to admire, wonder, and speculate at a beautiful contrivance for the safety of a spider, a thing, apparently of so little value. ' That ugly spider !' is the usual exclamation, an insect despised by nearly all, feared by many, and sought after by none. Nevertheless, who shall decide or condemn ? Not we, who have made the study of God's works our pastime, for he ' who marks the sparrow's fall,' regards the spider like- wise, and has set apart the work which is allotted to it ; it has its ' mission ;' for is not the spider one of those appointed to keep down the preponderance of insect life, — one of the protectors of our herbage- plants ? Go into the forest and watch its oft-reple- nished net, and mark well the creatures that are snared therein, and learn a lesson that, without our friend the ' hideous spider,' there would be a missing link in Nature's endless chain." M. E. Babber. MICROSCOPY. Cleaning Sand Eoraminifera. —The following plan is given in Mr. Davie's work on " Preparing and Mounting" : — "Eirst, thoroughly dry the sand in which the objects are ; then pour the mass into clean water, when the sand will sink to the bottom, and the Eoramiuifera, being filled with air, will float upon the surface of the water : they may then be skimmed off and dried. To clean the specimens place them in a vessel (I should think a small test- tube would answer the purpose very well), add a weak solution of potash, and boil for a short time ; wash well in water, dry, and mount according to structure." I cannot vouch for the efiiciency of this process, as I have never prepared any objects of this class myself. — Wm. Sargant,jun. CoLiiiNs's LiGHT-coEBECTOK. — Mr. CoUins has just devised an ingenious apparatus for this pur- pose, consisting of a brass stage - plate with a groove, in which rotates a diaphragm of four aper- tures, one of them being open, and the other containing blue glasses of special tint, and one with a finely-ground surface. These effectually correct the yellowness of all artificial illumination, making the light soft and agreeable to the eyesight, as well as improving the definition. It is, in fact, an improvement on Rainey's Light-modifier, so as to obtain more varied effects, and does not require any special fitting, as it can be used on any micro- scope.— Popular Science Review, ISi HARDWICKE'S SCIEN CE -GOS SIP. DiATOMACEOUs Frtjstules. — Professor H. Smith states in the " Lens," that he believes all cliatomaceous frustules to be " siliceous boxes," with either one portion (the cover) slipping over the other, as in Finnularia, or with edges simply opposed, as in Fragilaria. If we take a frustule of Melosira, it may be compared to a pill-box, one portion slipping on to the other. The great majority of diatoms are thus constituted. ZOOLOGY. Birds' Geographical Range.— There] are cer- tain though somewhat indefinite limits to the range of birds ; limits governed, however, by climate rather than by physical boundaries. Thus the Dusky Albatross {Diomedea fuliginosa) was ob" served by Captain Beecliey to be numerous in the Atlantic, from the Rio de la Plata lo the latitude of 51° south, when it suddenly disappeared ; but after rounding Cape Horn, the species again occurred at the very same latitude of 51°, and continued nu- merous all up the coast of Chili. The Tropic Birds (Phaethon), in like manner, as their name imports, chiefly frequent the ocean within the tropics ; and according to the statements of all voyagers, are very rarely seen beyond the parallel of 35°.— G^osse, " The Ocean." A Curious Insect.— 1 had an opportunity of observing a curious insect which inhabits trees of the Fig family, upwards of twenty species of -which are found here. Seven or ^ eight of them cluster round a spot on one of the smaller branches, and tliere keep np a constant distillation of a clear fluid, which, dropping to the ground, forms a little puddle below. If a vessel is placed under them in the evening, it contains three or four pints of fluid in the morning. A similar but much smaller homo- pterous insect, of the family Cercopidte, is known in England as the Froghopper {Aphrophora sptcmaria)y when full grown and furnished with wings ; but while still in the pupa state it is called Cuckoo-spit from the mass of froth in which it envelops itself! The African species is five or six times the size of the 'Eix\»\h\\.— Livingstone, " Missionary Travels." The British Association.— Great preparations are being made to render the British Association meeting at Brighton, on the 14th of August, a complete success. Philosophical naturalists will expect a treat in Dr. Carpenter's inaugural address. Modern Subdivision in Science.— " That our ancestors did not subdivide as much as we do, was something of their luck, but no part of their merit. Simply as subdividers to the extent which now prevails, we are less superficial than any;former age. But is it better to be a profound student or [ a comprehensive one ? In some degree this must depend upon the direction of the studies, but, generally, I think, it is better for the interests of knowledge that the scholar should aim at pro- fundity, and better for the interests of the indi- vidual that he should aim at comprehensiveness." — Thomas De Quincey. Rearing Atropos (p. 20, Jan. No.).— This species is often troublesome to the breeder, and it is very mortifying, after having captured the noble larva, to have it die upon our hands in the pupa state. Naturally, the larvae descend to some depth in the earth, and thus escape the effects of mud, moisture, or drouglit, heat or cold. The nearer we can bring their condition in winter to that which they would be in if at large, the greater are our chances of rearing ; and if a larva has gone down for the winter in a flowerpot, or similar article, the exposure of this out of doors throughout the winter, in a place not too exposed, may be advan- tageous. The earth with which the larvae are supplied should not be too fine, nor clayey. The difiiculty is, how to adjust the moisture which seems necessary, so as to keep the pupa in health, without bringing on any decomposition. Dryness seems, in this instance, to be more prejudicial than damp : in many other species, we know that the pupae will thrive if laid merely upon dry moss and kept moderately cool. Mr. H. N. Humphreys states that he managed thus : — " A large flower- pot being selected, I stopped up the hole with a cork, taking care to pass a quill, open at both ends, through the cork, to serve as an escape-pipe for superfluous wet, and yet not being large enough to allow of the escape of the caterpillar ; then, having put in a layer of pieces of broken pots, to secure sufficient general drainage, the pot was nearly filled with light gardenfmould, a piece of strong canvass tied tightly over, and tlie pot plunged up to its rim in a sheltered part of the garden." It being an ascertained fact that of each annual brood of Atropos a certain part (nearly, if not all, barren females) emerge in the autumn, some entomologists have recommended the "forcing-out" of any captive pupae. This has now and then succeeded; much more frequently, however, through lack of sufficient nicety in the administration of heat and moisture, the specimen is dried up.—/. R. S. C. Extracting Poison from the Rattlesnake. — The process of extracting the poison from the rattlesnake {Crotalus horridus) for medicinal pur- poses whilst the reptiles were still living, has been succesfully accomplished by Mr. J. C. Thompson and Dr. Hayward, of Liverpool. The following was the modus operandi, if any of our readers care to do likewise : — The reptiles were in separate compart- ments of a large case, fitted with a double lid for HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 185 extra security. A long staff, fitted with a thick india-rubber noose at the end, which could be loosened or tightened by the hand at pleasure, was inserted through the partially opened lid, and the opportunity quickly seized of slipping the loop over the snake's head, the loop being immediately drawn tight by means of the cord attached thereto. With a similar contrivance the tail was next fastened, and the snake, being thus securely held, was lifted out of the box on to the floor of the room. A pickle-bottle containing cliloroform was then thrust over the snake's head, and carefully held in its place by keeping time to the animal's efforts to extricate itself. As the reptile became stupefied, the noose was gradually relaxed to enable the lungs to have full play, and when it appeared powerless, the snake was laid in a long narrow box made for the purpose, with an aperture at one end, out of which its head projected while the after- operation was performed. Its jaws were then opened and fixed, and the poison-glands were pressed with forceps, then with the gloved finger and thumb, while a small blown graduated phial was held to receive the drops as they slowly oozed out through the poison-fangs. Twenty drops were the average quantity yielded by each snake. The venom is of a straw-colour, thick and gummy in consistency, and decidedly acid in its reaction on litmus-paper. It is readily soluble in glycerine or water, but is precipitated by strong alcohol, the precipitate being re- dissolved, with the addition of a little water. Its toxicological properties were fully tried on a variety of animals. Half a drop produced death in a linnet within three minutes after being injected under the wing. New' Netted Glass-kope Sponge. — The British Museum has just received a very beautiful clavate netted sponge, discovered in the Philippines, which Dr. J. E. Grey has named Meyerella claviforiiiis, after its discoverer, D.-. A. D. Meyer. The follow- ing is the description : — " Sponge simple, elongate, clavate, acute at the apex, at which are several tufts of short cylindrical fibres. The body of the sponge is elongate - fusiform, with longitudinal ridges irregularly disposed, often inosculating together, leaving various-shaped deep concavities on the sur- face. These ridges, and the very numerous irregular- shaped, often confluent elevations in the concavities between them, are furnished with various-shaped large oscules on the upper surface. The sides of the ridges and the tops of the prominences are all united by a very fine cobweb -like netted coat, formed of numerous fibres, and pierced with an immense number of very minute, exceedingly close perforations. The stem cylindrical, thick, ending in a thick cylindrical tuft of elongated glassy fibres evidently anchoring the sponge in the sand. Nume- rous cylindrical bunches of fibre are to be seen through the substance of the sponge, extending throughout the greater part of the length of the stem." New Species of Insects. — In the Eulomologist's Monthly Magazine for July, Mr, C. G. Barrett de- scribes a species of Tortrix from Great Britain, new to science, under the name of Dicroraupha her- bosam. In the same number, Mr. E. C. Bye enumerates three species of British coleoptera new to our list. Provincial Natural History Societies.— The Natural History Society of Bury, in Lancashire, al- though it has only been in existence since 1868, has already done good work. The report, from the time of founding to December of last year, has just been published. It includes a list of the plants, insects, birds, and animals of their district, all authenticated by members of the society. This is an example that might be followed by other societies with great benefit to natural science. We notice, also, an interesting excursion made by the Calder- vale Naturalists in June, for botanical and geological purposes. The Report of the Winchester Scientific and Literary Society for 1870-71 contains an ab- stract of all the papers and lectures read or de- livered before the Society ; but the most noticeable feature is a list of the flowering plants, ferns, &c., found within seven miles from Winchester. The majority of these have been collected by members of the Botanical Section during the last two years, and the list is very full and complete. BOTANY. Preserving Fungi. — Mr. S, Hibbei-d, iu his work on " Field Flowers," says : " Fungi may be dried by the simple process of bedding them in silver sand, gills upwards, in small tin boxes, and placing the boxes in a slow oven for two or three hours.— IF'M. Sargant, jun. How TO Preserve Fungi. — A correspondent in the May number of Science-Gossip wishes to know the best way to preserve fungi. I think he will find the following a good plan : — Take sulphuric acid 2 pints, distilled water 8 pints ; mix, and then add creosote 1 pint. Filter through chalk or lime, and again through filtering-paper. Bottle the fungi in this preparation, and tie down tightly. This will preserve them naturally for any length of time without destroying their colour.— /S'. J. J. Physcia parietina. — It has long been known that the common yellow wall-lichen {Physcia parie- tina) yields to hot alcohol a yellow crystalline principle (chyrsophanic acid), which on decomposi- tion by potash produces a magnificent red colouring matter; but it has not, I believe, been hitherto known that this acid is to be obtained in splendid 186 HARDWiCKE'S SCI ENCE- GOSSIP. crystalline plates by exposure of the lichen to heat in a covered vessel. A very careful management of the heat is necessary, in order to obtain the best result. If insufficient, there is no product ; if in excess, then the acid is entirely sublimed in exceed- ingly small prisms upon tlie cover of the vessel ; if the heat be exactly of the right degree and kept up a sufficient time, then the acid collects in large plates and spiculaj about the edges of the apothecia, glittering like mica and reflecting every variety of prismatic colour. In this condition the lichen fur- nishes a brilliant object for the microscope. My mode of proceeding to obtain the proper result is to place a portion of the lichen, furnished with ripe apothecia, in a small porcelain dish or watch-glass, which I cover with a bit- of window glass, and then expose to the heat of a small spirit-lamp flame, at a distance of about four inches from the source of heat. The first result, in all probability, will be a deposit of condensed moisture upon the under sur- face of the cover. This may be wiped off, and the cover replaced. If the heat is now of the right degree, small glittering crystals will, in the course of twenty minutes or so, make their appearance about the apothecia, and gradually increase in size under the prolonged continuance of the heat, until the matter yielding them is exhausted. When a good crop has been obtained the operation should be discontinued, otherwise the product might be too far volatilized. The result is exceedingly beauti- ful, and will well repay care and patience in obtain- ing it. These crystals are a delicate test for potash, striking with it a brilliant red colour.— C. /, Mailer, Eastbourne. New BKiTisn Elora. — Mr. A. Irvine, of 28, Upper Manor-street, Chelsea, is preparing a new work on the " British Plants," giving a condensed summary of the characters of the orders, genera, and species. x\s he is very desirous to obtain in- formation about all recent additions to the species, and hitherto unpublished localities, he will be glad to receive any assistance on these heads. Our Moss Flora.— The Journal of Botany for July contains an excellent article by Dr. Braith- waite, on " Recent Additions to our Moss Flora," Ulustrated by two lithographic plates of the new species. The Agassiz Expedition. — American papers state that the Agassiz expedition, at the latest accounts, was off Sandy Point, Patagonia; and that among the scientific curiosities noted by some mem- bers of the party were immense quantities of the largest known alga or seaweed, which grows on those coasts in from 6 to 20 fathoms of water, in vast beds. Patches of this seaweed were passed in open sea, with large sea- lions lying on their surface. Manna of the DESERT.-^Slnce the appearance of the article in Science-Gossip of March last, 1 have been informed that the paper read by Mr. Munby before the British Association at Birming- ham, in 1819, left an impression (an erroneous one) on the minds of some, that it was opposed to the Biblical account: it may therefore be as well to make a few additional observations, in order to remove any doubts (if such stQl exist) on the sub- ject. All will admit the manna vras miraculously supplied, but there is no more reason to suppose that it was not a natural product than the water which issued from the rock at Horeb, where the miracle consisted in its sudden issuing from the rock, not in the water itself ; so with the quails, which were miraculously seiit, but were natural quails. The statement of Mr. Muuby that the lichen grew up in the night (although afterwards qualified by the expression " springing up ") might, if taken literally, and without qualification, lead to an objec- tion that lichens are plants of slow growth ; some lichens, however (the Collemas for instance), are greatly affected by moisture, so that during the heat of the day, in such a hot climate, they would be "scarcely visible, while in moist weather they would " spring up," swell, and become prominent objects: such would be the effect of a strong dew. Thus, " when the dew that lay was gone, there lay a small round thing," &c., but "when the sun wuxedhot, it melted." (Exodus xvi. 14 and 21.) In like manner the lichens would appear to melt, or, in other words, to shrivel up and almost disappear. An interesting account, and much to the purpose, is given of the lichen by Lindley in his " Vegetable Kingdom." He says : ",The Lichen esculentus some- times appears in immense quantities in Persia, Armenia, and Tartary, where they are devoured by the natives, who fancy that they must fall from heaven, not knowing how to account for the prgdi- gious numbers of the plants, of the origin of which they are ignorant." He adds : " Parrott says that in some districts of Persia they cover the ground to j the depth of five or six inches, and Eversman, who had an opportunity of studying the species on the rivers Ember and Jaik, and also near Lake Oral, was convinced that, even in the earliest stage of growth, the plants have not the slightest attachment even to a grain of sand, but that the thallus is developed freely, as was at first declared by Pallas. A species or variety has lately been found in large quantities in Algiers; and Treviranus informs us that specimens supposed to have descended from the clouds at Mount Ararat, exist in the Museum of Natural History in the Armenian convent of St. Lazzaro, in an island of that name in Venice. The curious production in question is eaten both by men and animals in the several countries extending from Algiers to Tartary. The individual plants weigh from a few grains to two scruples or upwards HAKDWICKE'S SCIENCB-QOSSIP. 187 even when dry, and when swollen with moisture nearly twice as much." — B. W. " Grevillea."— Under this title has just appeared the first number of a monthly magazine devoted to cryptogaraic botany. When we state that it is edited by Mr. M. C. Cooke, M.A., we have given a sufficient indication of its able conduc- torship. The present number has a most beautiful coloured plate of American Pezizse, illustrating an articlc'on that subject by Messrs. Cooke and Peck. It also contains articles by Dr. Braithwaite and the Rev. W. A. Leighton; besides additions to British fungi, by Mr. Cooke, made since the publi- cation of his " Handbook of British Pungi."J GEOLOGY. Fossil Birds.— It is especially the Middle Tertiary deposits which have furnished me with a rieh harvest. Thus, in the department of the Allier I have recognized the presence of about seventy species belonging to various groups, some of which no longer belong to our fauna. Parrots and trogons inhabited the woods : swallows built in the fissures of the rocks nests, in all probability like those now found in certain parts of Asia and the Indian Archipelago. A secretary-bird, nearly allied to that of the Cape of Good Hope, sought in the plains the serpents and reptiles which at that time, as now, must have furnished its nourishment. Large adjutants, cranes , flamingoes, the Pahe- lodi (birds of curious lorms, partaking at once of the characters of the flamingoes and ordinary grallffi), and ibises frequented the banks of the •watercourses, where the larva; of insects and mollusks abounded; pelicans floated in the midst of the lakes; and lastly, sand-grouse and numerous gallinaceous birds assisted in giving the ornitholo- gical population a physiognomy with which it is impossible not to be struck, and which recalls to one's mind the descriptions which Livingstone has given ns of certain lakes of Southern Africa. — Milne-Edward's "Investigations on Fossil Birds." The Probable Existence of Coal-measukes IN THE South-east of England.— This is the sub- ject of a most elaborate article in the July number of the Popular Science Review, from the pen of Mr, Joseph Prestwick,P.R.S.j &c., late president of the Geological Society of London, It is illustrated by an excellent coloured map. We refer our readers to the article itself, as an example of clear geological reasoning. The same number also contains a capital article by Professor John Morris, on the " Newly-discovered Fossil Man," illustrated by a lithograph plate. Collection of Flint Implements, &c. — As some of your readers may at this time be visiting the metropolis, it may be useful to some to know they can verify for themselves facts which before were only presented to them in books. Those who have not seen the interesting collection of ethnology and prehistoric remains bequeathed by the late Mr. Henry. Christie should do so at once: a visit will amply repay the trouble. The museum is situate at 103, Victoria Street, Westminster, ad- mission to which is by ticket, available only on Fridays, from ten to four. The tickets are obtained at the British Museum itself on any of the open days on application. The collection (in four rooms) contains prehistoric remains of Europe, Asia, and Africa. The flint implements from the drift are here most beautifully and symmetrically arranged, and you can observe, even from that period, the advance from the rudely-chipped celt to its more polislied successor. Daggers, spear-heads, saws, arrow-heads, beside celts, chisels, and gouges, are here all represented. Some from Santon Downham, Norfolk, from Hoxne, Suffolk, the Yorkshire wolds, the Irish celt, axe, and hammer-heads, &c., of their own peculiar type. Most interesting, too, are the remains from the caves of Dordogne, France, con- sisting chiefly of the animal remains of the mammoth, hyena, reindeer, and horse, some of the bones of the former having the figure of the animal itself en- graved on them ; of flint and worked bone imple- ments, arrow-heads and scrapers, barbed spear-heads for fishing, and ornaments of fossil shells, with needles from the shank-bones of the horse. These form the most valuable part of the collection. In contrast with them is the ethnographical collection (modern races), and notably in this are the Esqui- maux, exhibiting, in the chipped arrow-heads and scrapers of siliceous materials, harpoon-heads, and bone needles, their identity with their prehistoric prototypes. Of special interest are the objects from ancient Mexico, — sculpture, pottery of different kinds, arrow-heads, &c., the most remarkable among which being a mask formed out of a human skull, coated entirely with a mosaic-work of turquoise and obsidian. The eyes are made of iron pyrites, very highly polished, so as to resemble small convex mirrors; the teeth of a white stone, the mouth being made to open ; the mask is furnished with straps, so as to be worn. Here are, also, ancient earthen pipes in the form of animals, from the mounds of Ohio, North America, which bring to mind the buried cities of the northern continent, a subject long the wonder of the historic student. In these divisions the ethnologist may study the man- ners, customs, and dress of the different races of man, shown in their war implements, articles of dress and domestic use, their musical instruments, &c., through tribes from the north-west coast of America, the Asiatic Islands, China, Japan, North and Central Africa, the Polynesian group, all ex- hibiting the characteristics of the various races. To 188 HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. be brought face to face with tlie remnants of a vast antiquity, excites in the mind of the spectator a deep and thrilling interest, as he sees in these rude emergencies of almost primitive man the gradual development into higher and still higher types of civilization. The splendid work on " Stone Imple- ments," by Mr. Evans, I'ecently published, will have given additional zest to the prehistoric branch of this subject.— aS. C. S. NOTES AND QUERIES. Migration or wood-boring Caterpillaks. — It was formerly supposed that such species as the Goat (0. lujniperda), and the Leopard {Z. JUscnli) would not quit the tree in which they were nurtured unless driven from it by some alarm. But, recent observers have stated that the Goat caterpillar does thus wander from one tree to another when of considerable size, — a proceedins which certainly exposes it to some danger. The Leopard cater- pillar, as I have recently noticed on a pear-tree, leaves its mine occasionally, and crawling to another part of the tree, re-enters it, and drives another burrow. One will thus remain sometimes in close proximity to the bark for awhile, its presence not being detected until the "frass" left behind gradually decays and loosens the bark, and the gap left becomes the resort of earwig?, beetles, and other wanderers of the insect race.^-/. R. S. C. TiNiiE destroying PuPiE. — Like others, I have observed various Tiniaj on the watch for opportu- nities to deposit eggs in cages; one species in particular, which is not the one mentioned by Mr. Greene (psendo-sprefelia), but, as I think, the bisel- liella of modern authors ; the destructor of Stephens, depositing its eggs on the gauze covering of flower- pots containing pupse, and the young larvae drop- ping to the moss and earth beneath, make their way down to their choice pabulum. Until I discovered their mode of proceeding, I was astonished to find that these moths were emerging from pots and cages which had been kept carefully closed from these marauders. — J. li. S. C. Scientific Guide-Books_(p. 142). — I think Mr. Warrington's suggestion is a very good one. Many of our guide-books arc faulty both in style and arrangement, and few can be called really excellent. As a good specimen of what a guide- hook ought to be, I would refer to the Rev. J. G. Cumming's "Guide to the Isle of Man," published by Stanford. It contains not only an excellent itinerary and history of the island, but also an account of the peculiarities of its geology, zoology, botany, and conchology. — G. H. 11. Canine Gyrations. — A canine contributor (p. 140) has given us his ideas on this subject, but 1 do not think he is altogether right. The dogs who "gyrate" most are smootii terriers and other short-haired animals, while shaggy poodles and hairy creatures in general sink down complacently on the mat with which nature has provided them, without any unnecessary ivolutions. As for our correspondent "Fido" liimself, if there be any truth in Mr. Darwin's theory, we shall soon see him in human, or at any rate in monkey, form. — E. C. Lefroy. Crows. — A lady of my acquaintance resident at Dorking, in Surrej', was very much surprised some mongths ago at seeing about twenty crows sitting on a neighbouring tree apparently in solemn con- clave. After an hour's deliberation they all flew away, and shortly afterwards a crow, almost pecked to death, was found at the foot of the _tree._ Stan- ley mentions the same thing as occurring in Scot- land and the Eeroe Islands.—^. C. Lefroy. Two Birds from one Egg (p. 164).— This may well be, for eggs with a double yolk occasionally come to table. Also, poultry-breeders often find a brood with one chick in excess of the number of eggs put with the " sitting." This is sometimes attributed to an additional egg, surreptitiously laid, but is more probably from the double yolk. — A. H. Orchis militaris. — Can any of your correspon- dents give me privately exact localities in Berk- shire, Oxfordshire, or Buckinghamshire, for Orchis militaris and 0. Simia ? I shall, of course, not abuse such confidence by playing the part of exter- minator.— R. Payne. Separating Spicules. — Your correspondent Mr. R. Battersby finds a difficulty in separating spiculse from the animal matter of Syuaptse, Holothurise, &c. May I be allowed to suggest that, as there are no bone-cleaners like ants, so these minute anatomists might assist your friend in his preparations. ]3y placing the specimens, either in a fresh state or well steeped in water, upon a plate, or some other convenient receptacle, in close ])roximity to an ant-heap, it is more than probable that he will find his work done for him after a short period, or, at any rate, so far as to render the spiculaj then fit subjects for the boiling in liquor potassa;, steeping in strong ammonia, &c. — Metcalfe Johnson. Charlock. — Under this head, in Science- Gossip of last month, Major Holland has given the name of brassica to Sinapis arvensis (wild mustard). It is not a brassica, aud, though belonging to the tribe Brassiccfc, is no more a brassica than the Diplotaxis, which also belongs to the tribe Brassicea. {See Hooker, Lindley, &c.) Major Holland refers to Sowerby's " English Botany ; " in my edition it is called Sinapis, but said to resemble brassica. To call it brassica, therefore, tends to mislead the vounger botanical readers of Science-Gossip. — T. B. W. Natural HistoPvY Societies.— In reply to Mr. Davies's inquiry after a Natural History Society somewhere near Clapton, E., I would bring under his notice the East London Naturalists' Society, of which I have the honour of being secretary. It was founded in 1S70, and is now in a thriving con- dition. I shall be happy to furnish him with all particulars on application to 23, Eairfoot-road, Bromley-by-Bow, K—Jolm IF. Love. Caterpillars in Confinement. — I think "J. R. S. C." would find the following plan pre- ferable to the usual way of keeping caterpillars. Get two flowerpots, or boxes if he prefers them, one of which will slip not halfway into the other. Into the bottom one he can put some earth, moss, aud damp sand; then he can put tlie stalks of the plants on which he feeds the caterpillars through the hole of the top pot, into which he can put the animals, and cover with glass. A small bit of nitre will keep a plant fresh a good deal longer dissolved in water.— ^. T. S. HAflDVVICKE'S SCI E N C E-GO S S 1 P. 189 Saffron to Birds. — With reference to the question of " J. R,. S. C," it may be asserted that saffron is certainly an aromatic, and is also slij^htly stimulant. The administration of saffron to birds during moulting is founded on a theory that at this period the bird should be in a kind of fever, such increased state of excitement and heat being neces- sary for the proper performance of the function of moulting. From some cause, as that the bird is debilitated, or the weather is coolsr than usual, there is not a state of vigour or sufficiently increased excitement to carry the bird safely through the process. A " chill " is given, the falling-off of the feathers is cliecked, a retrocession takes place, some internal organ is attacked, and the bird sinks either from exhaustion or from the new induced disease. Such is the theory. But " fanciers " differ in the diagnosis and treatment of the diseases of birds as much as doctors do concerning those appertaining to man. Some give in this case saffron as a stimu- lant,—of very small power, as "J. R, S. C." has pointed out, when administered in the usual manner. Others place a nail in the drinking-water, so that it may rust, believing that if the bird swallows the minute quantity of protoxide of iron which may be diffused throughout the water, a tonicity of system may be acquired sufficient to carry it through the change, which, after all, is but a natural process, becoming unhealthy only under certain conditions. — Henry J. Bacon. Where are the Swallows ?— I have watched for them in their old haunts over Hampstead Heath, near the ornamental water in the parks, &c. ; but even near Bishop's Wood, where they formerly congregated in numbers, I have seen neither swallow, martin, nor swift this year. Are they scarce in other parts of England, or have they simply forsaken the north-western outskirts of the metropolis ? — TL. M. F. Wn.^.LEs IN Garrans Bay, Cornwall. — I copy the following from the IFest Briton of June theSOth : — "pu the 12th instant the appearance of a curious sail in the bay attracted the attention of fishermen, and one of them, on getting nearer to it, found it to be the dorsal fin of a whale; so he deemed it prudent to give it a wide berth. About three months since a young fisherman, when in the bay, saw passin,^ by him a whale with a young calf ou either side of her ; but she was very pacific, and apparently sought only her own and infant's se- curity. This is the first appearance of whales here for the last ten or twelve years. Those that were previously accustomed to frequent for some years the Cornish coast,_were found dead about ten years since : one was found in Garrans Bay, and the other was towed into Ealmouth harbour." — //. Btidge. Scarcity op Butterflies in 1872.— Being in Kent through the first half of June, I was rather surprised to find how very scarce butterflies were, and one greatly missed these ornaments of the landscape. Even on bright days there were few about, except Whites, and the disappearance or re- tardation of the rest must, 1 presume, have been caused by the cold nights (and days also, not unfre- quently), and the heavy rainfall in part of May and June. The Small Tortoiseshell, frequently abundant in June, only exhibited itself now and then; of Meadow Browns and Walls there were only solitary specimens here and there; while nearlv all the hybernated Brimstones were extinguished ; aud in- stead of common Blues appearing by the dozen, as is often the case, I believe I only saw three or four. The Large Skipper was not about, though the small species (Lineci) began to come out the second week. A few battered Fritillaries were about in the woods, remnants of the brood of Eaphrosyne ; but the most abundant species (though local) M'as the Small Heath.—/. R. S. C. Montagu's Harrier.— The notice of this bird in last month's Magazine reminds me of some facts connected with one which was shot near Guildford last spring. For three or four years the keeper had said that a large grey bird came over the farm about the same time every year; he did not know what it was, and the men called it the Grey Kite. In 1872 I saw it when out with my gun one day : it was flying low by the hedge, and I was unable to get near enough to see what it was ; the following year it appeared again, this time coming within range of the keeper, who killed it : when it turned out to be a Montagu's Harrier in the grey plumage of the adult. It seemed always to be flying in a southern direction. Can any of your reaciers give any explanation of this circumstance? Is it that they are migratory birds, and would be going south at that time of year ? — /. L. C. Bees. — Having lost all my bees this spring, I placed, a few days ago, two hives half full of empty comb to dry, inverting one and settin"' the other upon it, so that they were placed mouth to mouth, the upper one projecting over the other a little in front. On July 5th I was surprised to see a score or two of bees flying about the opening, but sup- posed them to be seeking some remains of honey which might be left. About half an hour later I went up the garden, and found that a large swarm of bees had settled on the outside of the hive, and were rapidly ascending into the upper one; and. I now have them on my stand. None of my imme- diate neighbours keep bees, as I believe, therefore these must have travelled some little distance ; and the bees I first saw must have beeu pioneers seek- ing a suitable home. I£ they came with the wind, they must have topped a hedge eight feet high, at the foot of which the hives were placed, and at only a few feet distance in the other direction were some tall peas ; so that they must have flown at some height and dropped suddenly down to the \i\.\Q.— Arthur R. Graliara. The Hawfinch. — Perhaps one or two additional facts respecting the occurrence of this bird may still be interesting, although the evidence adduced in several recent numbers of Science-Gossip seems to show that it is not so rare as was by some corre- spondents supposed. About the beginning of May a deserted nest of the Hawfinch, containing six eggs, was brought to me from a neighbouring orchard. The situation, which I afterwards saw, was a very conspicuous one, — on a horizontal branch of an apple-tree, about twelve feet from the ground. The old man who took the nest, and who is well acquainted with the nidificatiou of the neighbour- hood, had never met with one of the kind before ; but the bird was not strange to him, and he had seen several of them during this spring. I have since learned that the nest has been found on more than one occasion in the garden of a gentleman of this place, and that on one at least of these occa- sions it was, like the one I have, conspicuously 190 HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. situated in an apple-tree. I learn, also, that four young hawfinches are now to be seen tog;ether, engaged in plundering green peas ; so that at least two nests of the species have been built here this season. Moreover, the bird has been repeatedly shot hereabouts. I am acquainted ■ with several preserved specimens. I may add, as showing the likelihood that the Hawfinch is pretty generally diffused, that, on my casually mentioning the sub- ject to a Lancashire friend, he replied that in a narrow space in his own locality one or two nests are found every year. Perhaps the nest is not found so often as, from the frequency of the bird, might have been expected. If this is so, I should be prepared to hear that it is not always built in such an exposed situation as those to which I have referred. It is, however, a large nest, including a broad foundation of twigs : and the general testi- mony of writers seems to be that the situation is usually an exposed one. ^ B. P. P., Haslemere, Surrey. The Bite op the Stag Beetle.— Might I add the following extracts to the correspondence which has appeared in your Magazine on this subject? The Rev. J. G. Wood says : " The female is, as far as regards the shape of the body, like the male, but her jaws are very diffei'ent in form, being much smaller, curved, and sharply pointed, as any one can testify who has been bitten by them. The male can pinch very severely with his enormous mandibles ; but the female bites much more viciously, as I can testify from much personal experience of the bites of both sexes." And in "Insect Miscellanies" Westwood says, regarding them : " The size (of male and female), however, is not the only distinc- tion, for the female possesses little more than the rudiments of the very remarkable horn-like man- dibles with which the male is furnished. This organ in the male is no less formidable than it appears, as the unwary school-boy often ex]jeriences: for it can be used as a pair of pincers, so powerfully as to inflict considerable pain." The above, and all the notes which have appeared in the Magazine, lead one to the conclusion, I think, that stag beetles do not bite unless in self-defence, and only occasionally then, as I have handled them without their attempting, when I gave them the chance.— J . Li, Li. Green Lizaeds. — I opened a green lizard, which, from a few hairs in the moutli, I presume was killed by the cat in my garden. As is well known, this species snaps sharply at the fingers if touched, though it cannot inflict a wound. The poor little creature I knew was in an "interesting" condition, and in fact the whole cavity of the body, from the sternum to the anal orifice, was occupied by eggs, thirteen of which averaged -gths of an inch in length, by fths in breadth. The liver and digestive canal were almost literally nowhere. The length of the cavity was three inches. 1 ani sorry to say that dealers are advertising here for green lizards. — Pev. J. J. Muir, Jersey. The Influence of the Moon upon Lunatics (p. 117).— Modern science refuses to recognize this, though the belief is of veiy considerable antiquity. And yet, so far as 1 am aware, no observations of importance liave been made by those having oppor- tunity to give a fair test to the supposition. It is an unquestionable fact that in most of the forms of insanity there aie changes more or less periodic in the condition 6f the patient. The old idea which has been variously stated, however, was, I believe, to this effect : that lunatics were better at the new moon, and worse at the full. There is a passage somewhere in Byron, which I cannot precisely re- member, referring to this, as an opinion existing amongst Orientals. Dr. Leslie thinks, from his ex- amination of the Syriac and other versions of the Scriptures, that the "lunatics" mentioned in the New Testament were "sleep-walkers," who, through some disease of the brain, were led to wander about by moonlight over the flat roofs so common in Eastern houses.—/. R. S. C. ^ Irkitating Effects of Caterpillars' Hairs.— The only larva I have ever found to have this irritating property when handled is that of ^. Rtibi, the Pox-moth. It is an insect that I have takeii much pains in breeding and have been very suc- cessful with, but always have needed to handle them with care. On one occasion the place broke into an open sore, and continued for some months to heal and break open again. Lately, when I have been handling them, I have singed my fingers over the gas or a match before touching anything, and have felt no _ inconvenience since I adopted that plan. The skin at the finger-ends appears too thick for the hairs to penetrate far enough to irritate, and it is only when they get to some more tender place that they affect it injuriously. They must penetrate with either end, for they will leave the finger-ends for any other part that may be touched. 1 have handled B. Querciis, A. Caja, mmflua, and many other "hairy worms," but never found any other species than PvM to have this irritating effect. — John E. Bobson, Hartlepool. LarvtE of the Small Eggar {B. lanestria).— It always appeared to me that this larva was unable to move without tiie thread coming from them ; that the " spinning " was an involuntary act ; and thus, as they crawl about for food, the web is spun. As the leaves are eaten in immediate proximity to the place where they were hatched, they have to go further for food, and the web is gradually extended with their wanderings. After the last moult this involuntary emission of the web seems to cease. They then separate and wander away from each other ; a wise provision, necessary for the preserva- tion of the species, as otherwise they would all spin their cocoons in one place, and be more liable to destruction. — John E. Bobson, Hartlepool. Skeleton Leaves. _ — I shall feel very much obliged to any subscriber who will kindly inform me the right time to gather leaves in order to obtain their skeletons; also the best method of preparing the skeletons, and of preserving them when obtained.— Z. F. H. [See article in February number on a " Simple Method of Preparing Skeleton Leaves." — Ed. S.G.] " Moth among Clothes."— Seeing no one has answered the appeal respecting the destruction of these insidious pests, I would advise your corre- spondent that the first desideratum is a box with a close-fitting lid. Nothing else will serve the pur- pose of keeping out the moths for any length of time; for where they cannot get in bodily, they will thrust in the ovipositor, and deposit their eggs. To destroy the larva; and moths, if they have entered, benzole will be found the most eificacious. This may be sprinkled over the apparel. If, as before mentioned, the lid is well-fitting, the benzole will retain its influence for a length of time. If HARDWICKE'S SCIBNCE-GOSSIP. 191 economy is an object, rags saturated with turpen- tine, alone or mixed with benzole, may be placed iu a corner of the box. It need hardly be stated that a liglit should not be brought near the box when first opened, as the vapour of benzole is highly inflammable, but soon passes off. — //. J. B. Cleaning Featheus.— Can you, or any of your readers or correspondents, inform me of any means for cleaning the feathers of stuffed birds from dust, accumulated by too long exposure in an unglazed case ? The bird I more particularly refer to is the Duck (long-tailed).— r. E. Worms in Fish.— The following curious pheno- menon came under my notice a day or two since :— A large well-favoured looking, and perfectly_ fresh grey gurnet was served up at our table for dinner ; and on the first flake being taken from the back and put on a plate, there appeared _ a long tapering red creature, which soon showed itself to be a worm. As this circumstance rather shocked those who were at the table, of course the fish was removed, and we concluded that the worm had proceeded from the parsley, with which, de more, the fish was garnished. On further examination below-stairSj however, it appeared that the whole of the vertebra of the spine wa:s thick with these wretched little, long, hairy worms. The fishmonger says he has never seen a parallel case. The circumstance seems so remarkable, that I am induced to trouble you with this letter. The presence of these worms ap- pears clearly to indicate disease, though, as far as I know, not Trichinse, as they are, I believe, infinitely more minute reptiles. If the fish had been dead long enough to breed "worms, — first, it would have smelt very strongly; and secondly, _ the maggots would not resemble one I send, which is one of the re- markable little reptiles found. If any of your readers could throw a little light upon the subject, it would much interest and greatly oblige. — H. Bent. Plants applied to Ornament. — Being at pre- sent engaged on a work on ornamental art, I am desirous of referring to as many examples as pos- sible of the use of our wild plants iu old stone carving, illumination, &c. Some of my own entries will perhaps better illustrate what I mean than any more lengthened description. "Oak, leaves and acorns, small but good, a capital at Ely " ; " Hazel leaves and nuts, naturalistic in treatment, hollow moulding, Winchester"; "Borage, naturalistic, 10th century MS., British Museum " ; " Bindweed, leaves at end of stalls, Wells Cathedral"; "Peri- winkle, 16th century MS. in British Museum " ; " Columbine, on a brass,' Exeter Cathedral." If any of your numerous readers will kindly help me, I shall gladly avail myself of their assistance. I shall be glad to know the source from whence the ex- ample is derived ; as stone or wood carving, stained glass, &c, ; whether naturalistic or conventional in treatment, and, in fact, any information respecting the example referred to, that my correspondents may feel at all interesting. As I can scarcely hope that this would be a matter of general interest, those who are able and willing to assist me will perhaps kindly address to me direct, rather than through the pages of Science-Gossip. — F. E, Uulme, F.L.S., F.S.A., Marlborough. The Cuckoo. — Iu Science-Gossip for July, Mr. C. A. Rowley gives some notes on the Cuckoo. His observations, however, are quite different from any I have heard before, as I never heard of or saw an old cuckoo frequenting the locality where its young one was hatched. Cuckoos are very common in the whole of Munster and Connaught, especially in the hill countries, and numbers of the young ones may be seen in July and early August ; yet at that time the old birds seem totally to have disap- peared. I have seen hundreds of young ones, but never remember to have remarked an old one iu their season. The advent of the Cuckoo is most marked : for miles along a coast-line he will be heard on the same day, and during the next week or fortnight these will scatter over the adjoining in- land; but where do they go? The hills in this neighbourhood were alive with them a month ago, but I have only seen one during the last week ; and although I have watched and watched, I never could find out what becomes of the young ones. The latter may be seen in August with their foster- mothers, while the corn is being cut, but after that they mysteriously disappear. A young cuckoo has a most peculiar tongue, like a table on an in- geniously constructed level. It does not feed, like other young birds, by opening its mouth to let the food be dropped in, but it shoots out the table for the food to be placed on it. They are very easily reared, and make good pets ; but unfortunately it is hard to keep them through the winter. All mine suddenly died without apparently any cause. Any one interested in the Cuckoo will find a great num- ber of facts about it published in Land and Water about two or three years ago. — G. II. K., Kylemore. Plants and Gaslight. — It is a most mistaken notion to suppose that gas kills plants simply and solely because its light disturbs their natural rest, and prevents them from going to sleep ; a view I* see enunciated in this month's Gossip. I very much doubt whether gaslight has any such effect, as its chemical action is very different to that of sunlight, which we all know has such important influeuce on the life of plants and the elaboration of their food. Be that as it may, I think we must ascribe > the destruction worked on growing plants by gas neither to the light nor to the increased heat, but to the deleterious products of its combustion, which, in the absence of thorough ventilation, vitiate the air of dwelling-rooms and render it absolutely poi- sonous. This effect would not result to the same extent if the gas we use were pure carbides of hydrogen, which iu burning consume oxygen, the product being only carbonic acid gas and watery vapour. Oue has only to turn to Mr. Leicester's Paper on Waste Products (p. 131), to find men- tioned a few of the contaminations of coal gas : these are by no means entirely got rid of in its puri- fication; so that when at last it issues from our burners, there are let loose, to spread destruction and death amongst our books, pictures, and flower- pots, to say nothing of our lungs, compounds of sulphur, sulphuric acid, ammonia (with it may be a little cyanide or prussic acid), and goodness knows what besides. Moral. — All ye who cultivate win- dow-gardening in handsomely furnished apartments, be content with good moderator lamps, and let gas have the landings, staircases, and servants' ofiices. —Jas. W. White. t Seals. — On* June 1st a seal, measuring six feet, came into the river at Cushendun, and was fired at by the coast-guard. It is twenty years since a seal was seen in this locality. It was killed the same evening at Cushendull, four miles further south, by a coast-guard, whilst it was basking on the strand. — S. A. Brenan, Clk., Cnshendimi co, Antrim, 192 HARDVriCKE'S SCIEKCE-GOSSIP, NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS. All communications relative to advertisements, post-office orders, and orders for the supply of this Journal, should be addressed to the Publisher. All contributions, books, and pamphlets for the Editor should be sent to 192, Piccadilly, London, W. To avoid disappointment, contri- butions should not be received later than the 15th of each month. A'o notice whatever run he taken of communica- tions which do not contain the name and address of the writer, not necessarily for publication, if desired to be with- held. We do not undertake to answer any queries not specially connected with Natural History, in accordance with our acceptance of that term ; nor can we answer queries which might be solved by the correspondent by an appeal to any elementary book on the subject. We are always prepared to accept queries of a critical nature, and to publish the replies, provided some of our readers, besides the querist, are likely to be interested in them. We do not undertake to return rejected manuscripts unless sufficient stamps are enclosed to cover the return postage. Neither do we promise to refer to cr return any manuscript alter one month from the date of its receipt. R. H. W. — We cannot insert mere lists, either of plants or insects. T. M. H.— Tobacco-water, or strong soap-suds, may be advantageously used for destroying the blight on rose-trees. A Subscriber. — Your query about lightning-conductors does not come within our province. Inquire in the pages of some journal devoted to mechanics or physical science. S. A. Stewart. — The moss is Hypnum filicinum. Will some of our courteous, but eager, correspondents, remember the inexorable limits of space, and that it is impos- sible to publish more than our monthly columns will allow ? We cannot depart, except under very special circumstances, from the rule of priority in contributions. Rev. R. B. C— See zoological paragraph in last Science- Gossip on " Fish building nests." Constant.— See " Half-hours by the Sea-side," just published. Kardwicke, 192, Piccadilly. L. V. Hamel. — You will find all the instruction ynu need in an article published in the February luimber of Science. Gossip, headed, " A Simple Method for Preparing Skeleton Leaves." We thought that as this was so recent, you must have seen it. W. Aldridce. — See paragraphs in present number on drying fungi. Most of the treatment is applicable to gourds. John Shepherd. — Any good bird-dealer will get you a blackcap warbler. Rev. B. B. C— See paragraph in the zoological column of last number of Science-Gossip. C. R. W. NuRSEY. — The supposed Foraminifer seems to belong to the genus Dactylopora ; but your sketch shows no pseudopodal apertures. An actual examination will be necessary to determine its nature. T. G. Darling.— The larva in the pear sent appears to be that of one of the small Gall-gnats, or Midges {Cecidomyia). Most likely it also feeds on the fruit of the hawthorn, by which its abundance is kept up. The only plan of destroying it would be by lighting weed fires near the trees at the time of blossoming. J. C. D.— Mosses: No. I, JSypnum serpens; No.2, Dict'anum pellucidu/n. A. P. Jones. — The specimens of mites (mounted) had all been distributed before your application. H. A. Allingham. — You should have sent the leaves of the plants, as well as the flowers, both packed in wet moss. The latter were sadly withered. No. 1 is Ajuga reptans; No 2, Poll/gala vulgaris ; No. 3, Geranium molle ; No. 4, unidenti- fiable. K. D.— Your plant is cow-wheat {Melampyrum pratense) . Bryum.— A, Sphagnum neglectum ; B, Aulacomnium paliistre ; C, Bryum pseudotriquetrum. — B. F. C. Fox.— The fern sent is the Bladder-fern {Cystopteris ^ragilis) . Answers Deferred.— W. A. Luff.— C'F. \V.— G. E. X. — H. P.— Louisa.— Edwin Smith.— W. E. Sharp.— E. T. S.— J. Henderson, &c. Mounted objects including rare Acarus (Aclysia Dytici; various parasites, and other objects of interest. — Send list W. O. Nicholson, Brigg. Wk.ll-mounted fossil Diatomacese from Oran, Algiers, for ditto from Mull, Bermuda, or AlgoaBay. — H. B.Thomas, 13, Market-place, Boston. For Dendritic spot on paper send stamped envelope and object to G. Booth, M, Market-place, Chesterfield. Wanted Silurian Trilobites in exchange for Carboniferous Trilobites.— S. Barningham, Arkingarthdale, Richmond, Yorkshire. For seed of Antirrhinum mujus ^unmounted) send stamped directed envelope to P. Smith, Legh Street, Warrington. Wanted Foraminifera (mounted in balsam), also sections of teeth (mounted). Good named^slides given iu exchange. — E. Lovett, Holly Mount, Croydon. Eggs or Worms of B. Cynthia offered for microscopical slides.— S. H. Gaskell, Edgeley, Stockport. Elaterite, Calcite, Fluor, and other Derbyshire minerals, for foreign, Cornish, or Scotch Minerals. — Rev. J. M. Mello, Brampton, St. Thomas's, Chesterfield. Wanted, m exchange for a mounted specimen of larva of Aphrophora spumaria, a Wing-case of Green Weevil, well movmted iu balsam. — Address, sending the object and stamped envelope, \V. Sargant, Jun., Caverswall, Cheadle, Staffordshire. Palates (mounted) of Helix, Limax, Patella, Buccinum, Littorina, &c., in exchange for objects, mounted or un- mounted.— Alfred Guthrie, Ward Road, Dundee. Wanted, Hair of Indian Bat (mounted). Two good slides offered iu exchange. — E. Lovett, Holly Mount, Croydon. British Lepidoptera for Coleoptera and birds' eggs.— E. C. Lefroy, 2, Granville Place, Blackheath, S.E. Wanted, the fish or the skin of a Perch and Carp, for firtt- class microscopic objects. — E. \V., 48, Tollington Road, Hol- loway, London, N. Wanted, a number of living specimens of the Hornet (Vespa Crabro). Postage will be paid. Offers, if accepted, answered iu a week. — W. D. Roebuck, 81 and 82, Briggate, Leeds. Foreign and British Shells in exchange for Fossils.— J. H. Frogley, Market-place, Wantage. Tubifer rivulortim, and spicules of Grantia' compressa for other good mounted objects. — J. C. Hutcheson, 8, Lans- downe Crescent, Glasgow. A Quantity of British Birds' Eggs for exchange. A list will be sent on application to G. C. Davies, 8, St, Andrew's Street, Norwich. Asbestos, mounted for polariscope, offered for other well- mounted objects. — J. Sargent, Jun , Fritchley, near Derby. SisvRiNCHiuM anceps. Dried and living specimens ob- tained at Woodfard, Galway, the only known old-world locality for very rare British plants. — R. M. Barrington, Fassaroe, Bray, county Wicklow. Wanted, mounted objects in exchange, or for foramini- ferous and diatomaceous material, &c.— J. A. Perry, 42, Spellow Lane, Liverpool. Larv.^e of B. Cecropia and B. Cynthia, toexchange for any good lepidopterous larvae for rearing. A. atropos preferred. T. Shipton, Jun., 12, High Street, Chesterfield. For spores of a Lycopodium send stamped and directed envelope to J. H. Martin, 8d, Week Street, Maidstone. Arenarsia uliginosa, Lathyrus tuherosus, and Nos. 17, "63, 88", 1203, S.-C. for any of the following :— Nos. 90, 307, 376, 483, 651, 863, 8;6, 942, 1049, 11 11 , or 1242.— Dr. F.Arnold Lees, Hartlepool, Durham. EXCHANGES. WKLL-mounted slides for the microscope, comprising Clus- ter-cups (JEcidium Epilobii), polariscope objects, entomolo- gical preparations, &c., in exchange for other good spcci- raena. List* exchanged.— J. Ford, Hamford. BOOKS RECEIVED. " Grevillea,'' a monthly record of Cryptogamic Botany. No. 1. "The Journal of Botany." July. " Entomologists' Monthly Magazine." July. *' Boston Journal of Chemistry." "The American Naturalist." "My Garden." By Alfred Smee, F.R.S. London: Bell & Daldy. Communications Received from— E. L.— W. S.— R. P. — M. J.-T. B. W.— F. E. A.-W. H. P.— A. H.-E. T. S.— B. W.-J. H. G.— K. D.— G. B.— H. B. T.-G. C. D.— T. S.— J. F.-Dr. F. A. L.— W. O. N.— H. B.— H. J. B.— B. P. P.— E. M. P.— A. R. G.-J. L. C— W.S.— J. H. J.— J. F.— M. A. W.— C. J. M.— P. S.— S. B.— C. R. W. N.— C. T. J.— J. H. F. -W. D. R.— R. Y. G.— E. R. H.— W. B. C, f