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H ARDWI CK E'S

SCI ENCE-GOSSI P:

1877;

WORKS BY THE EDITOR OF ''SCIENCE GOSSIP.'

HALF-HOURS IN THE GREEN LANES: a Booh for a Country Stroll

Illustrated witli 300 Woodcuts. Third Edition. Crown 8vo., cloth, 4s.

HALF-HOURS AT THE SEA-SIDE ; or, Recreations with Marine Objects.

Illustrated with 150 Woodcuts. Third Edition. Crown 8vo., cloth, 4s.

GEOLOGICAL STORIES : a Series of Autobiographies in Chronological Order.

Third Edition. Illustrated with 175 Woodcuts. Crown 8vo., cloth, 4s.

THE AQUARIUM ; its Inhabitants, Structure, and Management Illustrated

with 239 Woodcuts. Crown Bvo., cloth extra, 6s.

In the Press.

FLOWERS; their Origin, Shapes, Perfumes, and Colours. Illustrated with

Coloured Plates and numerous Woodcuts. Crown Bvo. cloth.

NOTES ON COLLECTING AND PRESERVING NATURAL HISTORY OBJECTS.

Edited by J. E. TAYLOR, F.L.S., F.G.S. Contents: Geological Specimens by the Editor;
Bones, by E. F. Elwin ; Birds' Eggs, by T. Southwell, F.Z.S. ; Butterflies and Moths, by Dr.
Knaggs; Beetles, By E. C. Rye, F.Z.S. ; Hymenoptera, by J. B. Bridgman ; Fresh-water Shells, by
Professor Ralph Tate, F.G.S. ; Flowering Plants, by James Britten, F.L.S. ; Mosses, by Dr. Braith-
v/aite, F.L.S. ; Grasses, by Professor Buckman ; Fungi, by Worthington G. Smith, F.L.S. ; Lichens,
by Rev. James Crombie, F.L.S. ; Seaweeds, by W. H. Grattan. Illustrated with numerous Wood-
cuts. Crown Bvo., cloth, 3s. 6d.

HARDWICKE & BOGUE, 192, PICCADILLY.

HARDWICKE'S

4i4imj=#0j5J5i^:

AN ILLUSTRATED MEDIUM OF INTERCHANGE AND GOSSIP

FOR STUDENTS AND

LOVERS OF NATURE.

EDITED BY

J. E. TAYLOR, Ph.D., F.L.S., F.G.S., F.R.G.S.L, &c.

VOLUME XIIL

LONDON:
HARDWICKE & BOGUE, 192, PICCADILLY.

1877.

AVYMAX AND SONS,

■OKIENTAL, CLASSICAL, AND GENERAL PRINTERS,

GREAT QIEEN STREET, LONDON, W.C.

ID b ^ d

PREFACE.

-oo>8^c

HE practice of writing a few lines by way
of Preface to the volume of a magazine
gives an Editor the opportunity of draw-
ing more familiarly near to his readers.
It feels to him as if he were giving an
account of his stewardship. The year is at
an end, another volume swells the list of its predecess-
ors, and, even whilst he writes, the Editor is already
nursing the scarcely-born infant which he anticipates
will outstrip its brethren. It is with some satisfaction
he feels that he has been able to retrieve his promise
made in the last Preface he wrote (such a short year
ago !) to improve SciENCE-GossiP by articles from
^\■cll-known and able pens.

Each year makes scientific editing a more difficult task. Science
is so extending her borders, that brevity in alluding to her discoveries
has become an art. The magnificence of the Organic world was
never so prominently brought before mankind as in our own time.
In writing the history of the intellectual activity of the latter part
of the nineteenth century, the future historian (if he be capable for
the task) will be obliged to draw attention to the vigorous pursuit of
Natural Science, and the sudden leap to a higher platform of
Philosophical Speculation which was its natural result.

All this we feel even more than we can express. To chronicle
the progress of science in such a way as we have attempted in
this volume is not effected without much anxiety to the chronicler.

PREFACE.

Our desire is for the Journal to be more efiectively entertaining and
instructive. Any hints, therefore, which our kind readers may com-
municate to us to further this end will always be gratefully accepted.

We have to return our thanks for many "words of cheer" received
during the past twelve months. To an Editor, anxiously striving
to do his best and to raise the character of his magazine, such friendly
greetings are like gleams of sunshine !

Our correspondence increases in bulk almost monthly, so that
it is impossible we can always reply to queries. But even those
who do not receive direct replies will generally find their queries
answered in some shape in one or other of the columns of SciENCE-
Gossir. If they are not always replied to directly, the fault is
not our own.

Lastly, our thanks are due to those of our " Friends in Council "
who assist us in naming specimens for querists. Some of the first
names in modern science help us in this without fee or reward,
although their time must be laboriously taxed. In the name of
our readers, as well as for ourselves, we take this opportunity of
gratefully acknowledging their kindness.

That Science-Gossip for 1878 will be fully equal to its prede-
cessors, we have every reason to believe, from the generalised
" Bill of Fare " which has already been prepared. Perhaps no better
proof of the success of our endeavours to make this magazine a
popular and yet scientifically accurate one could be adduced than
that of its increased circulation during the past year. This is
partly due, we are convinced, to the kindness of friends, who seem
particularly pleased to introduce their acquaintances to us as sub-
scribers. Of this we have received varied proof of late, and it is
a kind of proof dear to the heart of Editor and Publisher alike.

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

iEclDU'M DEPAUPEKANS, I24

Agnostius pisiformis (Tribolite), 14
Anguilla acutirostris, 7
Arnotta Plant, 181
Asaphus caudatus, 12

Blvborough Tick, 104
Butterflies, Varieties of, in the New Forest,
28

Canadian Phlogopite, m

Carboniferous Limestone, Cutting near
Uphill (Bristol and Exeter Railway),
showing Lias Fault against, 32

Carboniferous Polyzoa, 108, 109, 220, 221,

273
Clematis, Cohesion of Leaflet in, 268
Colorado Beetle, 202
Common Seals, 123
Cowslip, 269

Coxcomb Prominent Moth, 76
Crucifers, 128
Crystals in Damar, 148

Daffodils, 56

Delphinium, 248, 249

Diagram, Boxley Hill, Weald of Kent, 100

Dudley Locusts, 12

Early Grey Moth, 76
Early Thorn Moth, 76

Emerald Moth, 76
Encrinites, 132

Ferns, Varieties of, 8, 9

Flame Moth, 77

Flint Arrow-heads, 86

Flint Flake, 86

Fountain in Bell-jar Aquaria, Plan for, 66

Fossil Fungi, 270, 271

Fossil Hymenoptera, 84

Goatsucker, 149

Graj'ling Butterfly, Varieties of, 28

Greenland White Whale, 200

Grooved Hammer, 86

Grooved Stone Hammer, 85

Hebrew-Character JNIoth, 76
Herald INIoth, 76
Hoplophora ferruginea, 205

King Crab, 12, 13

Lanvon Cromlech, 85
Lemings, 105

Leschenaultia formosa, 204
Lough Inagh, 180

1\L\iden's BLt-SH Moth, 77
Moraine in Canon's Platz, Zurich, 84

Parasite of Shri.mp, 13
Pelargonium, 269
Peregrine Falcon, 52, 53
Piper nigrum, 131

Ring Ousel, ioi

Ringlet Butterfly, 29

Roman Masonry at Colchester, 85

Rorqual, the, 244, 245

Scale of Diurnal Lepidoptera, 57

Scale of Gnat, 57

Seals, 176, 177

Section of Chalk Pit at Whitlingham, 32

Section near Chard, showing Chalk, &c.,

32
Section, Geological of. Country between

Dartmouth and Plymouth, 169
Section illustrating Post-Glacial Structure

of Thames Valley, 224
Silver-washed Fi'itillary, 28
Slingstone, 86
Steller's Sea Lion, 81
Striped Hyena, Head of, 33

Tortoishell Butterfly, 28
Tribolites, 60, 5i

Urceola elastica, 130

Walrus or Morse, 4, 5
White Admiral Butterfly, 28, 29

FOREST PATHOLOGY.

By EDWARD JOHN TILT, M.D.

T is difficult to get out of
a groove, and the habit
of looking at mankind
as either healthy or
diseased sticks fast to
me, when riding about
the Windsor woods
and forests, and I am
always on the look-out
for patients among the
trees. Trees resemble
human creatures : the strongest bear traces of re-
paired mischief; many give evidence to good con-
servative surgery, in the shape of well-formed stumps
•and the healing-over of extensive wounds ; but many
trees get wounds that cannot be healed by nature,
and constitutional diseases that are fatal. Riding
the woods reminded me of my first impressions when
walking the hospitals as a raw medical student. It
then seemed to me that I could understand surgical
cases, but it was like looking into a bottle of ink to
attempt to understand fevers and constitutional dis-
eases. In the woods I am quite at home with forest
surgery, and quite at sea with the constitutional
diseases of trees.

I have asked, — what is dry-rot, wet-rot, and touch-
wood, and what relation they bear to each other, of
some who are learned in trees, without getting very
satisfactory answers, and I fall back on the learned
correspondents of SciENCE-GossiP to enlighten my
ignorance. To make clear its extent, I will note a
few facts, and the inferences suggested to me by my
acquaintance with human pathology.

Touchwood. — To grow fine timber, young oaks
•are left to grow sufficiently near each other to check
the free access of air to their lower branches. Their
scanty foliage and diminished supply of sap stops
their growth, they become brittle, lose their moisture,
and turn to touchwood. Windsor Forest is thus
strewn with the lower branches of oaks planted in
1820. I have picked out great lumps of touchwood
from the trunk of a large and still vigorous columnar
No. 145.

beech, the longitudinal half of which had been broken
away some years ago. The wood near the bark
was quite sound, but the central part of the wood,
deprived of sap and exposed to the air, had become
touchwood. Has a fungus anything to do 7uith this
process of disintegration, or how is it effected ?

Wet-rot. — During the great wet of last Sep-
tember, and in a very wet hollow of the Forest, I
one day found that a well-grown oak, about 400
years old, had snapped across at about three feet
from the ground ; and the freshness of the foliage, as
well as the cleanness of the wound, showed the
smash to be very recent. It was a fine case, with
bold splinters of sound wood, for the tree was for
the most part healthy ; but it was easy to see, that as
the sound wood approached the point of fracture it
was simply wet, then it became soaked with wet.
Nearer to the seat of mischief this soddened wood
could be easily broken up with the fingers, and
showed that a fungus was at work between its rings.
In a hollow, where the tree had snapped, could be
seen how actively this fungus was doing its work ; for
I could tear out large masses of a yellowish-white-
looking, sweet-smelling, spongy, elastic substance
reeking with wet, in which the concentric rings could
still be traced, separated by a white soft pith-like
fungoid growth. This tree had some years before
been seriously damaged near the point of fracture, for
there was a dark-coloured flesh-wound, and a hole in
this wood was lined by dry-rot, to a very limited
extent. I believe that in this case the dry-rot only
acted as a wood-perforator to flood with water the
central parts of the tree, and I never met with an-
other case in which dry-rot was associated with wet-
rot. Mr. Menzies, the highly-accomplished Deputy
Surveyor of Her Majesty's Woods and Forests, looks
upon wet-rot as a purely local disease, to be cured by
scooping out of the tree all its diseased wood, and by
preventing the access of water. I showed a bit of
the spongy substance just described to a country
gentleman, and he told me it would turn to touch-
wood when dry ; but it is now tough and semi-elastic.

B

HA RD WICKE 'S S CIENCE - G O SSI P.

What is the ultimate stage of the pathological process I
have deso'ibed ? What is the name of this fungus
of wet-rot ?

Dry-rot. — In badly-built houses wood gets the
dry-rot, or, in other words, damp develops a fungus
in dead wood, which soon crumbles it down to the
well-known russet powder. As this dry-rot of timber
cannot be called a disease, so in living trees the
brown wood crumbling into a russet powder is not a
disease, but the last stage of a prolonged process of
decay. Long before a tree shows the characteristic
signs of dry-rot, the wood has been deeply and exten-
sively discoloured ; it also loses its tenacity, and thus
shows how deeply its mode of nutrition has been
perverted. One of the elms in the Long Walk, two
hundred years old, was lately cut down, and the
whole trunk was of a deep brown colour, with the
exception of a few external rings of sound white
wood. I should suggest that the discoloration of
the wood is no more the disease than the cmmbling
wood and dust, and that the disease is some impair-
ment of the living force by which the tree started
into life, and has been able to grow. The disease
calls to its aid a fungoid growth, to damage the tex-
ture of the wood and to reduce it to powder. The
real cause of the disease is, therefore, some consti-
tutional taint, rendering it as incurable as cancer. In
examining that portion of the elm that was broken
across, after having been nearly sawn asunder, it was
beautiful to see the concentric deep brown rino-s,
separated by the broken ends of a white feathery
fluff. If that was a fungus, then it was already set
in the changes that accompany the discoloration of
the wood. Later on, the reduction of the wood to a
red dust is brought about by the fungus of dry-rot ;
but even if a fungoid growth were progressing from
top to the bottom of the tree, as in the elm, I should
no more call that internal fungus the disease than I
would say a tree was dying of the various fungi that
disfigure its beauty and foretell its death. Is the
fzingiis of dry-rot the same in all trees ? Is it the
same as the fungus of wet-rot? Is the' fungus of dry-
rot in a living oak the same as that of an oaken
beam ?

Except in the instance related, I have never met
with dry-rot and wet-rot in the same tree ; neither
have I met with dry-rot and touchwood side by side
in the same tree : but nothing is so common as to
find oaks attacked by dry-rot in their trunk or in
some large branch, while their small branches are
being turned to touchwood, and strew the ground.

Watering Window Plants with Cold Tea.
—It may perhaps interest your con-espondents about
this subject to learn that, in Germany, I have often
noticed that coffee was used for the same purpose,
and certainly all the plants so watered were remark-
ably fine.— il/rt//j'.

A RAMBLE UP SCAUR.

TO those readers of Science-Gossip who have
not had an opportunity of rambling up Scaur
Water, a tributary of the river Nith, the following
notes may prove interesting.

Starting on a glorious day in July, from the pic-
turesque village of Thornhill, with its grand rows of
lime-trees shading the "quiet streets, we soon crossed
the beautiful stream of Nith, and slowly winding our
way through avenues of lordly ash-trees, entered the
quiet village of Penfont, situate on the banks of
Scaur.

Traversing the public road for about a quarter of a
mile, we found ourselves in a well-wooded glade,
where the westerly breeze whispered amid the pend-
ing boughs of hoary oaks.

The streamlet, through the lapse of ages, has worn
a narrow channel through a massive bed of grey-
wacke rock, whirling and edding as it rolls along its
moorland tide to join the calmer Nith. Pausing
here, the visitor is struck with awe while he looks
into the seething caldron below, made more gloomy
with the fitful shade of pending trees and a multitude
of indigenous shrubs which everywhere clothe its
banks.

Here the botanist may gather on a solitary spot,
and the only locality in the district, the beautiful
Hclianthcmnm vulgare, and, in the.early spring, Draha
verna in abundance, and on the wet rocks Cardainine
hirsuta, with its near congener C. amara.

Trollius Europa:us is equally abundant in the later
spring months, and is a sight worth beholding ■^^•hen
the golden cups are opened to the sun. Various
species of bedstraws are to be gathered, and on the
dry banks and rocks one of the commonest of the
British species, Galium saxatile, displays a profusion
of flowers that would make it worthy of a place in
the well-cultivated garden. Asperula odorata we
gathered in the last stage of decay, and nestling
amid the stones Ga-anium Robertianum displayed
its pink corolla. G. pratense and G. sylvaticum were
abundant in the meadows and woods. Ranunculus
auricomus, with Saxafraga gramtlata, are to be
found in their proper season. Various species of
labiate plants were picked up on our way up the
glen, one of the rarest being Stachys betonica.

The woods were carpeted with a grand profusion of
Cow-wheat {Melampyrum pi-atense), and in the spongy
nooks Pcdicnlaris palustris, though past flowering,
was common. Splendid specimens of the Foxglove
(Digitalis purpurea), three and four feet high, were
observed by the roadside.

Emerging from the brushwood, we come upon a
small knoll, free from the undergrowth, where Ha-
benaria viridis and H. albida reigned pre-eminent.
Orchis morio, O. mascula, O. latfolia, and 0. macu-
lata grew in the more moist places, with some few
plants of Listera az'afa. Wandering up a rocky glen.

HARD WICKE 'S S CIENCE - G OS SI P.

amid a profusion of wild flowers, with the blackberry
overhanging the rocky ledges, we gathered Athy-
rium Filix-famma, Nephrodium Filix-mas, JV. dila-
tatum, Aspleniiim Trichomanes, Polypodium vulgare,
P. Dryopteris, P. Phegoptei'is,\ and Hymawphylliim
Wilsonii.

Gaining at last the summit of the hill, we roused the
red grouse from his bed of heather ; purple tracts of
the Ling (Enca cinerta) everywhere met the eye, and
in the splashy bogs we found the curious Drosera
rotundifolia in full flower, with many an xinwary
insect firmly held within its wondrous leaves.

Empdriaii nigrum we found but sparsely scattered
across the moorland, but abundance of Triglochliii
palustre in full bloom.

Arriving at the head of a small burn, we followed
its course till we got entangled in a dense copsewood,
where the stream precipitates itself down the face of
a cliff about thirty feet in height. Scrambling as best
we could, we finally emerged into the open fields at
the back of the quaint village of Tynron.

Replenishing the inner man after the fatigues of the
day, we next found ourselves on the public road
which winds along the base of Auchengibbert and
Tynron Doon hills, and then striking into a more open
country of wood and brake, of bog and meadow, we
left the scenes of our wanderings highly satisfied with
our ramble up Scaur. J. Brown.

Sunderland.

THE WALRUS OR MORSE.

{Trichechus Rosmarus, Linn.).
By Thos. Southwell, F.Z.S.

Hon. Sec. Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists' Society.

OF the many strange forms which the Zoological
Society of London has been the means of
introducing to the stay-at-home naturalists of this
country, certainly not the least interesting is that of
the Walrus. It is true that in neither of the instances
in which the young animal has been brought alive to
the Gardens, has it long survived in its new home; but,
short though its residence amongst us, the opportunity
has been afforded to many of becoming acquainted
with the Arctic stranger in prop?-id persona, instead
of through the distorted medium of the badly-stuffed
skins, or the equally bad representations of this in-
teresting animal, which, until recently, we have
possessed. The first recorded appearance of the
Walrus in this country was, I believe, in 1624, when,
according to Hakluyt's " Pilgrimes," a young one
was brought to England by Master Thomas Welden,
in the God-speed, and duly presented at Court.
In 1853 the Zoological Society became possessed of
a young one, which lived only a few days in their
Gardens. On the ist of November, 1S67, another was
received, which lived till the 19th of December, when
it unfortunately died, notwithstanding the care be-

stowed upon it, both as regards food and accommo-
dation. This last was captured by'' the whale-ship
Arctic, on the 28th of August, 1867, in lat. 69° N.
and long. 64° W., and brought to Dundee, whence
it was conveyed by Mr. Bartlett to the Society's
Gardens. The captain of the Arctic saw two or
three hundred walruses basking upon the ice, and
sent out his boats to the attack : amongst the killed
was an old female followed by her young one ; the
latter was taken on board and eventually brought to
England.

Although now confined to the icy seas of the Arctic
circle, the Walrus was probably not uncommon on
our shores in times long past. The skull has been
found in the peat near Ely, and Hector Boece, in
his *' Cronikles of Scotland," mentions it as a regular
inhabitant of our shores in the end of the 15th century ;
in the present century it has occurred several times,
although it must be considered as a very rare straggler,
sadly out of its latitude. Wallace says that its fossil
remains have been found in Europe as far south as
France, and in America probably as far south as
Virginia, and it was common in the Gulf of St.
Lawrence so late as 1770 (Leith Adams). In recent
times it has retreated before its great enemy, man,
from the northern coasts of Scandinavia to the circum-
polar ice of Asia, America, and Europe, sometimes,
but rarely, reaching as far south as lat. 60°. When-
ever met with, it is the object of ruthless persecution,
and is rapidly and surely becoming exterminated ;
but for its ice-loving habits, which render its present
strongholds always difficult, and sometimes impossible,
of access, it would doubtless long ere this have be-
come extinct.

The family Trichechidie, of which the Walrus
( Trichechus Rosmarus) is the only member, together
with the true {Phocidcz) and eared seals (Otai-iida:)
constitute a sub-order of the Carnivora, which from
the form of their swimming-paws have been named
the Puinipedia, or fin-footed. The Trichechus is
placed between the true seals and the eared seals, to
both of which families it has affinities : it is carni-
vorous, feeding on mollusca, fish, and when it can
get it, the flesh of whales. Its habits were so well
and succinctly described by Captain Cook a hundred
years ago, that I cannot do better than quote his own
words, the accuracy of which has since been amply
confirmed. Whilst in Behring's Straits, in lat. 70° 6'
and long. 196° 42', on the 19th of August, 1778,
Cook first met with the Walrus : " they lie," he says,
" in herds of many hundreds upon the ice, huddling
one over the other like swine, and roar or bray very
loud ; so that in the night, or in foggy weather, they
gave us notice of the vicinity of the ice before we
could see it. We never found the whole herd asleep
some being always on the watch. These, on the
approach of the boat, would wake those next to them,
and the alarm being thus gradually communicated,

the whole herd would awake presently. But they

B 2

4

HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

were seldom in a hurry to get away till after they have
been once fired at, then they would tumble one over
the other into the sea in the utmost confusion ; and if
we did not at the first discharge kill those we fired at,
we generally lost them, though mortally wounded.
They do not appear to us to be that dangerous animal
some authors have described ; not even when
attacked. They are rather more so to appearance
than in reality. Vast numbers of them would follow
and come close up to the boats, but the flash of a
musquet in the pan, or even the bare pointing of one
at them, would send them down in an instant. The

The number of walruses killed annually by the
Norwegian and Russian hunters is very considerable ;
probably nearly an equal number are wounded and
lost. As the female produces only a single young one
at a birth, which remains with the mother nearly two
years, "until its tusks are grown long enough to be
used in grubbing up the shell mud at the sea-
bottom," it will readily be imagined that the destruc-
tion is greatly in excess of the production, and that
they are rapidly decreasing in numbers. About the
month of August they repair to the shore, and congre-
gating in vast herds on the beach of some secluded

Fig. I. The Morse or Walrus {Trichechus Rosmarni), from Buckland's " Log-Book of a Fisherman and Zoologist."

female will defend the young one to the very last and
at the expense of her own life, whether in the water
or upon the ice. Nor will the young one quit the
dam, though she be dead ; so that if you kill one you
are sure of the other. The dam, when in the water,
holds the young one between her fore-fins" (Cook's
Last Voyage, vol. ii. p. 458, edition 1784). Since
Cook's time the Walrus has learned to fear man, its
only enemy except the Polar bear, and is more
difficult to approach. When wounded, or its young
in danger, it has been known fiercely to attack the
boats sent for its capture, striving to overturn them,
and piercing their sides with its tusks : many serious
accidents have been the result.

bay, lie for weeks together in a semi-torpid condition,,
without moving or feeding. Should their retreat be
discovered whilst in this state, great is the slaughtei-.
Mr. Lament, in his "Seasons with the Sea Horses,"
says that in 1852 on a small island off Spitzbergen
(one of the Thousand Islands), two small sloops
discovered a herd of walruses consisting of three or
four thousand, nine hundred of which they succeeded
in killing, only a small portion of the produce of
which, however, they were able to carry away. The
colour of the Walrus is brown, paling with age, and
the skin covered with short hairs ; the adult reaches
the length of from 10 to 15 feet, or, according
to some authorities, even more, and weighs froob

HA RD WICKE 'S S CIENCE - G O SSI P.

two to three thousand pounds. Its rounded head,
heavy muzzle, thickly set with stout bristles,
small, round blood-shot eyes, and formidable tusks,
give to this animal a ferocious appearance which is

walrus will yield from five to six hundred pounds of
blubber, the oil from which, however, is not so fine
as that of the Seal. The ivory tusks were formerly
much used by dentists ; at present, I believe, owing

Fig. 2, The "Sea-Horse," or Walrus, from Cook's "Voyage to the Pacific," 1784 ed., vol. ii., page 446.

Fig. 3. Vacca marina, Gesuer ; Addenda, page 369. 1560 (reduced).

foreign to its nature, except when greatly excited or
at pairing time, when the old bulls are said to fight
■with great fierceness and determination. A full-grown

to the introduction of vulcanite, very little is applied
to that purpose. Mr. Lament mentions 24 in. in
length and 4 lb. each in weight, as the size of a good

HARD WICKE 'S S CIENCE - G OS SIP.

pair of bull's tusks : a pair in the Norwich Museum
measure 32 in. in length, and the heavier of the two
weighs 9 lb. 9 oz. The immensely elongated canine
teeth which form the "tusks," are found in both
sexes, but are shorter and more slender in the female
than in the male. The skin of the Walrus is valuable
for many purposes.

Few animals, so long known to man, have, when
figured, been represented so inaccurately as the
Walrus : the hind feet are almost invariably de-
picted extended backwards, like those of the Seal
(so also in stuffed specimens), whereas in the living
animal they are directed to the front, and serve
as supports to the body in progression on the land or
ice, in the same manner as the hind limbs of the
eared seals. Dr. J. E. Gray, in an article "On the
Attitudes and Figures of the Morse," in the Proceed-
ings of the Zoological Society of London for 1853,
pp. 1 12-16, reproduces some of the wonderful prints
of this animal from old authors, most of which are
purely imaginary : fig. 3, j). 5 is copied from one of
these. By far the best portrait known, till quite
recently, is one published in Amsterdam in 1613,
where an old female and her young one are very
accurately depicted : this has been reproduced in
Bell's " British Quadrupeds," 2nd edition, p. 269.
Fig. 2 is copied from the " Sea Horse," in the fore-
ground of Cook's illustration in " A Voyage to the
Pacific," &c., 1784 edit, vol. ii., p. 446. Fig. i
is copied, by kind permission of Mr. F. Buckland,
from his "Log-book of a Fisherman and Zoologist,"
and represents "Jemmy," the young Walrus, whose
brief sojourn in the Zoological Gardens has already
been referred to. One of Mr. Wolfs "Zoological
Sketches " represents a herd of walruses in almost
every conceivable attitude, and of course beautifully
drawn and coloured.

It is much to be regretted that the extinction of
this harmless and useful animal is merely a matter
of time, and that perhaps before many years have
passed it may have ceased to exist ; the only hope
appears to be that when it has become too scarce to
render its pursuit remunerative, a remnant may still
be left to continue the species around the far-off and
unapproachable islands of the Arctic seas.

AQUARIUM NOTES.

" T)EN PLANT'S " twenty-years-old Eel, men-
-U tioned in Science -Gossir, November,
1876, page 263, seems likely to become of historical
interest, like Sir J. G. Dalyell's ancient Sea Ane-
mone, commonly known as " Granny " because of her
advanced age. The latter was taken from the sea in
182S, and must therefore be at least forty-eight years
old, if, as I doubt not, she is alive and well as when
I last had the pleasure of hearing of her. How much
plder she may be is an unknown problem : there is

not sufficient data to go upon. The conservation of
aquatic animals is but of recent date. Mr. Plant
raises a question of great interest, ' ' How long may
animals be expected to live in aquaria " ? That
depends on many things. Humanitarian principles
are often left out in the dark, and animals are only
expected to live as long as they bring in money. If
an aquarium is well and humanely managed, and the
animals hardy, practically speaking, they may be
said to live for ever. Indeed, it has been queried by
one authority whether many marine animals ever die
of old age, but only from accident, as, for instance,
being devoured by an enemy. If the conditions of
existence are exactly suited, they seem to flourish
indefinitely, as, e.g., in the case of this long-lived
Eel and Sir J. G. Dalyell's aged Sea Anemone, with
the venerable Pike {Esox lucius) in the Fish-house
of Regent's Park (Zoological Gardens), who grows
so big he can barely turn round in his tank, and with
some of my own sea-anemones, that have lived com-
fortably with me more than a dozen years. I must
confess, however, that some established daisies {Sa-
gartia bellis) have recently died without apparent
cause. Is this from old age ? It is veiy unsatisfac-
tory not to be able to account for death. But it
would seem as if the second and third generations of
daisies born in the tank flourished better than those
imported, and gradually elbowed them out. If so,
the vexation remains ; for old friends are better than
new. The longer an animal lives, the more I prize
it ; the longer the water is kept, the more valuable it
becomes. Most certainly, if " Ben Plant " has kept
this sharp-nosed eel {Anguilla aaitirostris) for twenty
years in one house, let him live another twenty. Let
him be fed regularly enough to be healthy and happy,
but seldom enough to prevent his growing unneces-
sarily. As aquarium science advances, it becomes a
serious question, what is to be done with overgrown
specimens ? As we cannot all command tanks large
enough for our desires, it might be well for small
aquaria to supply the large, for their mutual benefit,
with home-grown specimens, which, being already
acclimatized, might be supposed to fare better than
new comers in the struggle for existence. Let "Ben
Plant" sacrifice anything to keep his eel happily
with his companions. If they are too many, turn
them out to make room for his growing dimensions.
If, however, the minnows, carp, sticklebacks, and
roach are as old as himself, the case becomes com-
plicated. If another tank cannot be provided, I see
no way but to turn him back from whence he came,
or to make him over to some public institution worthy
to receive him, — say at the Crystal Palace, or any-
where under the supervision of so zealous a care-
taker as Mr. Lloyd. At some public aquaria animal
life is not valued as it should be. Mr. Plant seems
the right sort of man to keep aquaria, and I should
much like to know whether the water in his tank is
as old as his eel? I hope that it is, for the best

HARD WICKE 'S S CIENCE - G OSSIF.

aquaria are those where the water never is changed,
but only circulated or aerated by some means, and
purified by growing vegetation. The same water
has remained in one of my tanks for fifteen, in
another for seventeen years ; yet in both it is now
absohitely clear and colourless. It would also be
interesting to hear of authentic cases of aquarium
animals dying of old agcy and to elicit opinions
whether death can be traced to other causes than
neglect, starvation, extremes of heat and cold, acci-
dent, casualties, and the like.

Successful aquarium ■ keeping is no easy thing.

and 3rd, I deprecate the waste and inefficiency ac-
cruing from a periodic change of water, adopted by
some aquarium-keepers. G. S.

A FEW WORDS ABOUT FERNS,— THEIR
MANNER OF GROWTH, AND HOW
THEY MAY BE RAISED FROM SPORES.

IT is generally known, I believe, that ferns do
not blossom like other ordinary wild flowers,
but are propagated by spores instead of seeds. The

<-^.,

■^^.^^^^::M^k

^^^ffmm -' I

Mi S^^-C

Fig. 4. Sharp-nosed Eel [Aiignina ncutiivsiris).

requiring more patience and perseverance than
always falls to the lot of public companies or
private individuals. Many and great are the diffi-
culties and disappointments to be encountered. It
remains for each to think out these independently,
separately, and profit by the experience of others. I
am glad to see our editor, Mr. Taylor, has turned
his attention to this much-neglected subject, as shown
by the announcement of his book on "The Aquarium."
I advocate the following leading principles : ist, the
exclusion of limg-breathcrs ; 2nd, the system of uu-
changed zvater, purified by aeration and circulation ;

spores are usually borne on the back or under-side o'
the frond, either in linear forms or irregular clusters.
These spores are simple microscopic cells, furnished,
like pollen-grains, with a double coat, and differ
from seeds in that they germinate from any point,
while the latter are restricted in their growth to two,
— viz. the radicle and the plumule, which develop
about the same time. From the germinating spore
first arises a small bud-like process, which, by cell-
division, soon produces a leaf-like expansion, termed
a prothallium. From the under part of the pro-
thallium filamentous rootlets are given off, and, mixed

8

HARD WICKE 'S S CIENCE - G O SSIF.

with these, what are called Antheridia and Arche-
gonia. The former are scattered promiscuously over
the lower surface of the prothailium, but the latter
are more restricted in position and fewer in number,
being chiefly found in the thicker central parts among
the rootlets.

Fig. 5. Frond of Parsley-fem

{AZ/osorus cris^itis).

Fig. 6. Portion of fertile frond
(magnified).

Fig. 7. Fertile frond of
Osimmda re stalls.

The Antheridia are developed from the lower free
surface of one of the cells of the prothailium, and
are composed of a single cell, or of two, one
being superposed on the other. In the interior of
these cells another is afterwards developed, which
becomes segmented, and each segment develops into
a minute vesicle, containing a spirally-coiled filament
called an Antherozoid, or Spermatozoid. When ripe,
the top of the antheridial cell drops off, and the
vesicles escape, each emitting its antherozoid, which
differs in form from those of mosses and liverworts,
and has numerous cilia.

The Archegonia are usually produced on the same
prothailium as the Antheridia. Their external struc-
ture is that of very minute nipples, formed of four
collateral tiers of cells, with a passage down the
centre ; but the mouth of this passage or canal is
closed, until the archegonium is ripe, and then it
opens. This minute canal terminates, at its end
nearest the prothailium, in an embryo-sac. This sac
contains the germinal corpuscle, which is fertilized by
an antherozoid passing down the canal and coming in
contact with it.

It seldom happens that more than one arche-
gonium on a prothailium becomes fertilized, the
abortive ones turning bro\^^^ in the canal and embryo-
sac. After fertilization, cell-division ensues in the
embryo ; and the result is the formation of a bud
producing foliage-leaves, which gradually become more
and more perfect till the true characteristics of the
fern are fully developed.

Fig. 9. Pinnule of IVoodsia
(magnified).

Fig. 10. Scale-fern {Ccterach
officinaruiit).

Fig. 8. M'oodsia Ilvensis.

Fig. II. Pinnule of Cetcrach
(magnified).

These different stages of growth or development
may be observed by means of a microscope. Take a
frond with ripe spores and place it on a sheet of
white paper, with its front surface uppermost, and
leave it there for a day or two. After this the paper
will be found covered vrith a brownish dust : this is
composed of the spores. Then take a small piece of
porous sandstone ; moisten it with water, and place
upon it some of these spores. Place the sandstone
with the spores upon it in a shallow saucer of water,
and cover up the whole with a bell-glass. If kept in
a warm place and damp, but not too wet, some of

HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

the prothallia will soon be developed. Now, by
keeping these just damp for some time, and then
suddenly giving them a larger supply of water, you
will induce numerous Antheridia and Archegonia to
open themselves ; and in an hour or so after this the
surfaces of the larger prothallia will be covered
with moving antherozoids. If some canals of the
Archegonia be now laid open, you may occasionally
see these antherozoids in motion.

go

a

Fig. 12. Development of spores &c., of Adiantum, i to 6 ;
7, spore of Oak-fern ; 8, ditto oi Polystkhiiiii lobatinn, &c.

As a plain practical method of raising ferns from
their spores take the following.

First, get a piece of turfy peat about three inches
square and dip it into boiling water, in order to kill
all animal or fungoid life that may be in it. Then
break it up, and mix it with some fresh cinders.
Place the compost in a saucer, and spread the spores
over the surface, leaving them exposed to view on the
top of the mould. Cover the whole with a bell-
glass to protect it. If after this you keep the soil
damp but not wet, and in a warm place, you will find
the spores germinate more quickly than if they were
kept at a lower temperature.

Peat may be used by itself, but it is apt to get
soppy. Or you may sow on silver-sand, or even
porous sandstone. Do not attempt to transplant the
young ferns till they have acquired their third or
fourth fronds, and then move them into pots with
care. W. Brewster.

THE HISTORY OF THE GOURDS.
{Ciuiirbitacea:),

THE plants of this genus belong to the natural
order of the Cucurbitacea?, and are very nearly
allied to the Cucumber. There are several varieties,
some of them beautiful in form and colour, others
of an immense size. Those which are commonly
cultivated in England for food are the Pumpkin
(6\ Pepd), and the Vegetable Marrow (C. Snccada).

The Gourd tribe was well known to the ancients,
and we find them mentioned in several places in the
Scriptures. It furnished a model, according to the
marginal reading of Knops (i Kings vi. l8), for
some of the carved work in cedar in the temple of
Solomon.

The Greeks appear to have been acquainted with
several varieties of the Gourd, and they were to be
seen at Athens with other products of the spring and
summer, in the cold season of the year ; for Aristo-
phanes, in his " Seasons," speaking of the glories of
that luxurious city, says — •

There you shall at mid-winter see

Cucumbers, gourds, grapes, and apples.

And wreaths of fragrant violets.

Covered with dust as if in summer.

» « • • •

There you may see fine pumpkins joined

To the round rape and mighty turnip,

So that a stranger well may fear

To name the season of the year. — Athen-BUS, b. 9, 14.

Diodes states that the best round gourds are those
grown near Magnesia, a town of Asia Minor.
Euthydemus, the Athenian, in his book on vege-
tables, states that the seeds of the long gourd were
originally introduced from India. Pliny, in his
Natural History, tells us that gourds resemble the
Cucumber in their manner of growing, and he
classifies them into two primary kinds : the first,
which, from the rapidity of its growth, shooting
upwards and creeping along the rough surfaces of
walls and covering the roofs of houses in a very
short time, he calls the " Roof Gourd." This kind,
he says, bears a fruit of considerable weight, which
is quite immovable by the action of the wind,
although the stalks are of a remarkable thinness,
This plant is considered by Fee to be C. longior
of Dodoneeus and J. Bauhim, the long gourd and
other varieties probably of the calabash gourd— the
C. leiicantha of Duchesnes. The second kind men-
tioned by Pliny are those which creep upon the
ground, most probably the Pumpkin and its varie-

lO

HARD WICKE 'S S CIENCE - G O SSIF.

ties. Gourds were held in higher estimation by the
Romans than either melons or cucumbers, as they
were employed for more useful purposes than the
former fruits. They were considered a light, mild,
wholesome food. The young and tender stalks used
to be cooked and served up to table as a good dish.
The fhiit of the roof gourds were considered superior
to those which crept on the ground. In Pliny's
time large gourds were used as jugs and pitchers
in the baths ; but long before that time he tells
us they had been employed as casks for keeping
wine. Nisander tells us that the ancient Greeks
used to preserve gourds by the following methods : —
Gutting them into moderate-size pieces and stringing
them like beads to dry in the air ; then smoke them.
When wanted for use, each piece was well washed
and put into the stewpan with various herbs, such
as cabbages, endive, and dried mushrooms. The
Romans also preserved gourds and cucumbers, we
are told, for some months by putting them into brine.
Pliny states that the seeds of the Gourd ought to
be steeped in water before sowing, and the proper
time for that operation should be between the vernal
equinox and summer solstice, about the season of the
festival celebrating the anniversary of the foundation
of Rome called Purilia. The Roman gardeners used
to force gourds to grow into various fantastic shapes
by putting them into moulds when quite young ; thus
we are told that they were made to resemble a dragon,
a leg of a man, &c.

Pliny speaks of wild cucumbers and gourds which
were possessed of certain medical properties, and
gives us a list of eleven remedies for which they
were applied. The leaves of the Pumpkin steeped
in wine were considered good for the bite of dogs
and insects, called Sep by the Greeks, perhaps one
of the centipede tribe. The seeds were used as a
charm to cure the ague.

According to L'Obel, the Pompion or Pumpkin
was introduced into this country from the Levant
in 1570, and till about 1815 this was the principal
plant of the Gourd kind cultivated in the British
gardens.

Parkinson mentions, in his *' Paradisi " (1629), that
in his time only one kind of Pompion was cultivated,
but that it would be a waste of time to recite all the
forms and colours in which Nature listeth to show
herself in this plant. In using it as a culinaiy vegetable,
he tells us that it was customary to take out the inner
watery substance with the seeds, and fill up the
place with pippins, and having laid on the cover
which was cut off from the top to take out the pulp,
bake them together ; and the poor of the city as
well as the country people do eat thereof as a dainty
dish.

Gerard, in his "Herbal" (1636), says there be
divers sorts of gourds — some wild, others tame for the
garden ; some bearing fruit like unto a bottle, others
longer and bigger at the end, keeping no certain form

or fashion. He tells us that the juice of the Gourd
being popped into the ear with oil of roses is good
for the pain thereof^ proceeding from a hot cause. It
is also affirmed that the long gourd or cucumber,
being laid in the cradle or bed by the young infant
whilst it is asleep and sick of the ague, it shall very
quickly be made whole.

According to Miller, pompions v/ere the melons of
our early horticulturists, which word was corrupted
into millions, a name by which they are still known
in some parts of England by the uneducated classes.
It was usual in Miller's time, as in the present day,
for the English cottagers to plant pumpkins on their
manure-heaps in the fields and gardens, letting the
shoots train along the grass, without taking much
trouble or care of them. In the second volume of the
"Transactions of the Horticultural Society," there is a
description, with an account of the cultivation and
figure of the Gourd called Vegetable Marrow(5'«(:(frta?<z),
read in December, 1816, by Mr. J. Sabine. It had
not long been then known in this country. The most
probable account of its introduction is that the first
seeds were brought here in one of our East-Indian
ships, and came most likely from Pei^sia, where it is
known and called Cicrader. Phillips states that the
Vegetable Marrow was not seen for sale in our shops
or markets before 1 819. It is now extensively grown,
and the fruit generally used for culinary purposes in
every stage of its growth. This plant is considered as
a variety of the Pumpkin.

Where the climate is warm enough for them, all
the varieties of Gourd are cultivated, and form a
very important article of human food ; the super-
abundant slioots are also used for feeding cattle.
In America and islands of the West Indies, they are
extensively cultivated, and some species grow to
an enormous size. The Rev. ■ — Griffiths, in his
"Natural History of Barbadoes " (1750), mentions
some which, when cleared of their pith, are capable
of containing twenty-two gallons ; but he adds, how-
ever, such are very uncommon. Phillips relates that,
in some parts of America, the jugglers or quacks
extract the pulp out of the pumpkins, and fill them
with stones, with which they make a great noise and
pretend to frighten away all complaints of their
superstitious patients.

The Squash {C. Melopepd) is another kind of
gourd, which is a great favourite with the Ame-
ricans. Gourds were found growing by Captain
Cook in the Sandwich Islands of an enormous size.
The inhabitants applied them to all manner of
domestic purposes ; and, in order to fit them better
to their respective uses, they had the ingenuity to
give them different forms by tying bandages round
them during their growth ; they also had a method
of scorching them with a heated instrument, so as
to give them the appearance of being painted in a
variety of neat and elegant forms. Specimens of
these gourds are to be seen in most museums and

HARD Wl CK E 'S SCIENCE - G SSI P.

II

collections of natural history in this and other
countries.

The Gourd and its varieties may have sprung from
one original species, and, like other plants, have
been greatly improved by cultivation. De CandoUe,
in discussing the history and origin of cultivated
plants, refers all the squashes and pumpkins to the
Old World, but not to India, because they have no
name for them in Sanscrit. Some American bota-
nists believe that the Pumpkin and its varieties are
indigenous to that continent, as the Indians declare
gourds had been a common food among them long
before the Europeans discovered that country ; and
Champlain, who, in 1604, made a voyage along the
coast of what is now the State .of Maine, found the
inhabitants cultivating citrouilles (gourds) along
with maize. Pickering, in his "Races of Men,"
says that specimens of a small variety of gourd
were exhumed from an ancient cemetery in Peru,
like those which ai'e still seen in the markets of
Lima. M. Naudin, an indefatigable and distin-
guished botanist, has, during many years, observed
and experimented upon all the known forms of
gourds, collected from all parts of the globe and
cultivated at the Jardin des Plantes. He reduces
them to six species, only three of which, with their
numerous varieties, are used as esculents (viz.,
Cucurbita maxima, the large yellow gourd ; C. Pepo,
the Pumpkin, which he considers as probably the
most variable plant in the world ; and C. moschaia,
the Water-melon). An interesting paper on this
subject will be found in the American Joiirnal of
Science and Art, 2nd ser., vol. xxiv., and also in
Darwin's " Variation of Animals and Plants under
Domestication. "

The anther-cells, which contain the pollen of this
tribe, present inequalities and curves of a remarkable
appearance under the microscope.

The only plant among our English wild flowers
that belongs to the Gourd tribe is Bryony {Biyoriia
dioica), which may be seen climbing over our
hedges and thickets in the summer, with its whitish
flowers with green veins, and red berries in the
autumn. This plant abounds with a fetid and acrid
juice. Hampden G. Glasspoole.

OUR COMMON BRITISH FOSSILS, AND

WPIERE TO FIND THEM.

No. IIL

By J. E. Taylor, F.L.S., F.G.S., &c.

TO a young and enthusiastic geologist, perhaps
there is no class of fossils to which so
much interest is attached as the THlobites. They
are extremely elegant objects, and are easily
identified. Their strict limit to the primary rocks
makes them geologically valuable as means of iden-

tifying strata. Even non-geologists remember their
glib, half-scientific, half-popular family name, and
will occasionally air it as if it were the complete key
to paleontology. A good collection of well-arranged
trilobites looks better in the cabinet than perhaps
any other fossils. There is such a variation from the
leading type that one cannot wonder the number of
genera should be so great. No two are externally
alike, and the deviation is sometimes so extreme that
the Trilobites are no longer trilobed.

Trilobites are among the few fossils which possess
the associations of folk-lore. Ammonites and encri-
nite stems, Gryphea and Cycadites, share with them
the feeble notice which the curious gave to them in
pre-geological days. At that time all fossils were
called "petrifactions," and all were equally regarded
as evidence of the universality of the Noachian
Deluge. Perhaps nowhere are Trilobites more abun-
dantly visible than in the Wenlock limestones, near
Dudley. The latter have been upheaved to a very
high angle, and the surfaces of the hard limestone
slabs are so thickly bestrewn with fossils, that it is
impossible to place the tip of one's finger without its
coming into contact with some of them. These
limestones are not even moss-clad, but are constantly
clean, from weathering. The fossils are slightly
harder in mineral substance, and therefore stand out
in relief. They are veritably museums of Upper
Silurian fossils, and although hard to extract with the
hammer, the student may while away many a sum-
mer hour in gloating over these lovely treasures of
the ancient deep. Trilobites are there in uncountable
thousands, but nearly always in disjointed "heads"
and "tails." We cannot wonder, therefore, that
they should have attracted the attention of those fond
of natural phenomena, although in the days long
anterior to scientific explanations of them. As
"Dudley Locusts," one genus of Trilobites (Calymene)
was long known ; even the fact of their standing out
in relief from the limestone was noticed as very
remarkable, for nothing was known in those days
of sub-aerial denudation or weathering of rocks.
They were named " Trilobites " as long ago as 1 771,
by Walch, in his "Natural Histoiy of Petrifactions,"
on account of the three lobes of joints which usually
run along the body. Still their crustacean origin had
been guessed at by bold speculators, and even Lin-
neus classed them among the Entomostraca.

How utterly at sea the majority of naturalists were
as to the true nature of these singular fossils is indi-
cated by some of their generic names. Agnostus,
Asaphtis, Calyinette, &c., the commonest of these,
are only Greek words signifying "unknown," or
" concealed," &c. Still, since the time of Brongniart
they have been imiversally regarded as crustaceans,
and the universal opinion is that they are allied to the
Isopoda, only that they were legless. Mr. Henry
Woodward, F. R. S. , who has taken up Mr. Salter's
investigations among the Trilobites with great en-

12

HARD WICKE 'S S CIENCE - G SSI P.

thusiasm, believed he had detected evidences of
legs on the under side of some specimens, but others
thought these to be the remains of " calcic arches. "
It may be, however, that the extinct Trilobites really
represent a defunct order, and as such we usually find
them arranged in systematic works on Zoology. In
that case they would come in as "missing links"
between the Isopoda, of which the common Wood-
louse (Onisciis) and the Shrimp-parasite (Bopy}-tcs)
are familiar types, and the Merostotuata, of which
the well-known " King-crabs " {Li in ii Ins) are
examples. The larval state of the higher classes in

Fig. 13. Asaphus caiidatus.

Fig. 14. " Dudley Locust "
or Trilobite (Calymene
Bliciiiefibachit).

the same order frequently resembles the adult condi-
tions of the lower. In the Crustacea a very large
number of genera are alike in the youngest state.
From its resemblance to the adult condition of one
of the lowest of the crustaceans called Nauplius, this
state is usually called the ' ' Nanpliiis stage. " No other
group of animals passes through so many metamor-
phoses before reaching maturity, and each of these
is so well marked off from the rest, that it might
be regarded as a generic type. Indeed, in many
cases, genera have been founded on these distinc-
tions, so that the same animal, at different periods of
its life, was regarded not only as a distinct species,
but often as belonging to another genus. The young of
the common lobster, for instance, passes through at
least wastages, which are so unlike each other that only
careful observation has settled they are not different
animals. Even when it has reached the adult condi-
tion, a lobster is so unlike what it will be when full-
grown, that it might be set down as belonging to
another genus. It is as if we knew nothing of the
metamorphoses of the Butterfly, and therefore had
mistaken the caterpillar and chry.salis for animals
belonging to groups widely separated from the
winged insect.

The young of the Lininbis, or King-crab, greatly
resembles the adult Trilobites. As the King-crabs
succeeded the latter in geological time, it may be that

it was due to the Trilobites having been "advanced
a stage." It will be seen that a species found in the
ironstone nodules of Coalbrookdale, called Belinnrus,
more nearly resembles one genus of the Trilobites
[Trinndeits) than the King-crabs of our own days.
Again, the female Bopyrus (fig. 20), which parasiti-
cally attaches itself to the inner surface of the carapace
of the Shrimp, has a rude resemblance to the seg-
mented body of some of the less highly-organized
Trilobites. The fact of its being a parasite shows

Fig. 15. Under surface of recent King-crab (Z./ww/«.f).

that it must have undergone bodily transforma-
tion. The figures will show that the Trilobites find
their natural history place between the groups above
named. Haeckel, however, places them among the
"gill-footed crabs" {Brac/iiopoda), of which the
water-fleas are familiar examples. We do not know
on what grounds this is done, for no breathing or
locomotive organs have as yet certainly been found,
although thousands of specimens of all the genera
have been carefully examined on their under sides.
Again, the compound eyes of the Trilobites show that

HA RD WICKE 'S S CIENCE - G OS SIP.

13

they were in this respect really very highly organized,
^nd this highly-developed specialization of the sense
of sight certainly proves that they ought to be placed
much higher among the Crustacea than we find them
in Haeckel's "Systematic Survey." In many species
of Trilobites the empty eye-sockets can be seen with
the naked eye, notably so in Phacops caiidatus, in
which each eye contained four hundred facets. Ac-
cording to Owen, AsapJiHS tyrannus possessed no
fewer than six thousand eyes ! The number of eyes
among the Trilobites varies considerably ; some spe-
cies have none at all.

Fig. 16. Fossil King crab, from
coal measures of Coalbrook-
dale {^Bclinurus trilobitioidfs).

Fig. 17. Tritutcleus fiin-
briatus. Upper Llandeilo
beds, Builth.

We have already referred to the fact that the Tri-
lobites are peculiar to the primary rocks. Although
they seem to range as high as the Permian, they are
chiefly confined to the strata below and including the
Carboniferous limestone. No fewer than four hundred
species, grouped in fifty genera, have been described

Fig. 18. Compound eye of fossil Trilobite {_Asa/>hiis caudaiits)

slightly magnified.

Fig. ig. Ocelli of ditto (magnified).

from these formations, and new forms are still oc-
casionally met with. The greater number of the
species are of Silurian age ; those of the Devonian
rocks are of a well-defined character ; and those
from the Carboniferous limestone even more distinct
still. It would seem as if they reached their maximum
of size, as well as of variation, during the Silurian
period. The largest is the Asaphtts gigas, eighteen
inches in length, found at Llandillo. On the other
hand, they appear to have decreased in size as well as
in numbers when we reach the carboniferous rocks.
The genus Phillipsia, there represented, rarely includes
specimens more than three-quarters of an inch in
length. It ought to be stated, however, that we

know little about the embryology of the Trilobites .
There cannot be a doubt that many of the so-called
species, and even genera, are larval stages in the de-
velopment of the same species. We have referred
to the common Lobster as an illustration of the
clearly-marked characters appertaining to the various
stages in the life-history of the same individual. It
must be remembered also that each of these stages is
accompanied by as many "moults"; and if we reason
from our general experience of the embryology of the
Crustacea, we must allow that the Trilobites were

Fig. 20. Parasite of Shrimp [Bopyrus crangorimt) ; a, upper
side ; b, profile ; c, under side ; d, highly magnified and
aborted foot ; e, upper side of male Bopyrus, much smaller
than female ; _/, lower side of ditto ; g, part of carapace of
shrimp, swelling out to show presence of parasite underneath.

affected in the same manner. The number of larval
stages they passed through depends upon the position
they attained as regard? organization. We think this
was much higher than Haeckel imagines, and there-
fore that the stages may have been numerous. It is
to be expected that individuals would die and be
buried in the muddy ooze in each of these intermediate
states. Thus found, what more natural than to regard
them as different species, and even different genera ?
Only a fuller knowledge of crustacean embryology
will clear away a good deal of the ignorant nomen-
clature which has gathered about these interesting
creatures, and it is hardly to be expected that we shall
ever know their accurate life-history. Barrande, who
had such splendid opportunities for studying the Tri-
lobites, and who made equally good use of them,
satisfied himself, in the case of no fewer than twenty
different species of Trilobites, that they passed through
larval stages, each unlike the other. In some in-
stances he traced them from when they must only just

14

HARD WICKE 'S S CIENCE - G OSSIE .

have escaped from the egg to the fully-developed and
mature state. In the first instance they had no joints
to the body, and therefore resembled one of the cara-
paces of the "Water-fleas"; in the last they pos-
sessed ring-covered bodies, movable tails, and com-
pound eyes. This proves that, although in their
young states Trilobites resembled the Ostracoda, in
their adult life they had proceeded much further ; so
that Haeckel's classification is thus proved to be
incorrect. We ought to add that, parallel with the
instance of the development of the Lobster, all the
above changes noted by Barrande in the Trilobites,
occurred before the animal had attained a tenth part
of its full size. In Lyell's " Manual of Geology " the
student will find engravings of the Triimdens in three
stages, each of which appears specifically distinct
from the other. Another skilled observer of the Tri-
lobites was Burmeister, who was strongly of opinion
that all of them underwent metamorphoses. This
fact ought to be a warning against the careless manu- 1
facture of " species." In the case of fossils less care
has been taken in this respect than with living animals,
and, in many instances, some of those who have
christened species were geologists rather than natural- j
ists. The slightest differences have been sufficient !
to warrant a new specific name, and thus it is more
than possible that the various stages in the life-history j
of one species may be illustrating our manuals as
distinct genera and species ! Even with regard to
sex in adult individuals, little or nothing is known ; :
although among nearly all the Crustacea these differ i
so extremely. Owen remarks that the difference in
the head-plate and the terminal spines of the tail in
the two so-called species named Asaphus caiidaius and j
Asaphus longicaudatiis, may only be due to difference
of sex ; the inference, therefore, is that these two
species represent the male and female of only one. j

The earliest Trilobites (Agnostus, &^c.) are usually
the simplest in structure, so that these animals are
not an exception to the general palceontological rule
that the simpler always precede the more complex
species of the same genus or class. Agnostiis is usually
found in large shoals, something after the manner in
which the carapaces of the ancient water- fleas are
met with in some of the coal-measure shales. Owen
suggests that this disposition of Agnostiis is "as if it
were the larval form of some large trilobite." The
young of all Crustacea usually associate together in
shoals, and this suggestion might therefore be reason-
ably taken in 'consideration with what has already
been said on the subject.

The compound eyes of Trilobites are usually thickly
placed on raised halfmoon-shaped ridges, and the fact
that the sockets are so well preserved, speaks plainly
of the quiet way in which the fine mud was deposited
in which tlie animals were buried and ultimately
fossilized. Dr. Buckland spoke of these ridges as
being ' * like a circular bastion, ranging nearly round
three-fourths of a circle, each commanding so much

of the horizon that where the distinct vision of one
eye ceased, that of the other began." He also veiy
sagaciously referred to the form of the ridges and
their position on the head-shield as " peculiarly
adapted to the uses of an animal destined to live at
the bottom of the water : to look downwards was as
much impossible as it was unnecessary for a creature
living at the bottom ; but for horizontal vision in every
direction the contrivance is complete." We cannot
refrain from further quoting a well-known passage

Fig. 21. Simplest kind of Trilobite (Agnosites pisiformis).

from the same author, in which a logical inference is
drawn from the structure of the eyes of Trilobites.
' ' The results arising from these facts are not confined
to animal physiology ; they give information also re-
garding the condition of the ancient sea and the
ancient atmosphere, and the relations of both these
media to light, at that remote period when the
earliest marine animals were furnished with instru-
ments of vision in which the minute optical adapta-
tions were the same that impart the perception of
light to crustaceans now living at the bottom of the

sea With regard to the atmosphere, we infer

that had it differed materially from its actual condi-
tion, it might have so far affected the rays of light that
a corresponding difference from the eyes of existing
crustaceans would have been found in the organs on
which the impressions of such rays were then received.
Regarding light itself also, we leam from the resem-
blance of these most ancient organizations to existing
eyes, that the mutual relations of light to the eye, and
of the eye to light, were the same at the time when
crustaceans endowed with the faculty of vision were
first placed at the bottom of the primeval seas, as at
the present moment."
I That the Trilobites were bottom-feeders and
■ haunters, there can be little doubt. The late Mr.
' Salter, than whom no geologist was better acquainted
i with Trilobites, was of opinion that they not only
: lived there, but fed on the organic mud, something
! after the manner of earth-worms. The simple struc-
( ture of their mouths, and the absence of aM/^««(? or
i feelers, indicate such a habit. The inexorable limits
I of space, however, compel us to postpone a further
' consideration of this interesting subject to another

chapter.
1 {To l;e continued.)

Colour of Birds.— In addition to the white
specimens of birds specified by A. P., I have a hedge-
sparrow quite white, except parts of the pnmary
feathers.—^. .S". IVesl ey.

HA RDWl CKE 'S S CIENCE - G SSIF.

15

MICROSCOPY.

Amphitetras Antediluviana. — In the number
of Science-Gossip for December, 1867 (vol. iii.
p. 271), Mr. F. Kitton contributed a valuable paper
on the genus Amphitetras, and amongst others, de-
scribed this species, together with two varieties of it :
/3. With sides deeply incurved, and angles much pro-
duced ; and y, with five incurved sides. Of the
latter (which is figi.u-ed) Mr. Kitton remarks : " This
variety appears to be rare, as I know of only one
locality in which it has been found, viz., Hayling
Island, Hants, in which it was rare." I have seen
no record of the occurrence of this beautiful diatom
elsewhere, and therefore have much pleasure in
adding a second locality, also in Hampshire, viz.,
Lymington. Last week I collected material from
two places, the shore of the Solent below South
Baddesley, exactly opposite Yarmouth ; and the bank
of the river 'facing Lymington. The first gathering
yielded Ainphi. antediluviana, var. /3, in great abun-
dance, but without the typical form ; the second pro-
duced var. /3 in less numbers, sparingly intermixed
with var. y. Should Mr. Kitton care to see a speci-
men, I shall be happy to send him a slide on receiv-
ing a line from him. I would be glad to know
whether this beautiful pentagonal form has been
found in other counties.—^. D. Marquand, Brock-
inhitrst.

Waterproof Cement. — I should like to know
the formula for a cement impervious to water, and
which neither peels off nor cracks. The cement is
required for the purpose of spinning rings on dry test-
slides, so that immersion-lenses may be used without
the water running in. The cements used by English
mounters and MoUer are neither impermeable nor
durable. Perhaps I may get the required informa-
tion through the kindness of some of your readers
who have employed such a cement, and tested its
qualities. — A. S. G.

A Word about the "Pygidium." — That old
well-known "test," the pygidium of the flea, is one
of the first objects a young microscopist desires to
possess, and a veiy curious apparatus it is. I shall
be thankful to any one learned in such matters who
will tell me what is supposed to be its use to its pro-
prietor. I cannot find it mentioned in any woi-k on
insects in my possession. But the flea is not the
only possessor of a pygidium, though it certainly is
A I in that line ; nor is it always single, or to be
looked for in the same position. Generally it is to
be found in pairs at the extremity of the abdomen ;
but not always, for in the Ixodes of the tiger and
Indian bullock we find two on the underside of the
abdomen, nearer the upper than the lower end. The
Chrysopa perea and vulgaris have pygidia in the usual
locality; and, I believe, several other insects have

the same, but I cannot recall their names. Perhaps
the most uncommon pygidia are those of the Agrion
pidchclliun, a very interesting insect in many points.
Like all dragon-flies, it is a voracious feeder, and de-
vours all it can catch in the insect line daily. It
possesses a powerful set of jaws for breaking up its
prey, and gastric teeth, well suited for "grinding the
bones to make its bread," like the giant of our
nursery days, save that he preferred Englishmen to
English insects. The ovipositor has a formidable set
of jaws, something like those of the Sirex, and its
pygidia are large and mammiform, quite at the ex-
tremity of the abdomen. Its wings are also worth
studying. In short, I know no insect possessing
more points of interest, and strongly recommend it to
the notice of those who take a pleasure in such things.
If asked where it is to be had, I may say that it is not
in any list of objects that I have seen. My specimens
oi Agrion pulchelluni and Chrysopa are by Mr. Enoch,
of 30, Russell Road, Seven Sisters' Road, N., who
has, I believe, a good supply of both. But, if the
want be made known, others possibly may be found
able to supply them. — John Bramhall.

The Viviparous Blenny. — This well-known
fish, rejoicing in such other popular names as the
" Greenbone," " Eel-pout," &c. [Zoarces vivipancs),
retains its ova until they are hatched within the body
of the female, and therefore come into the world
alive. I obtained several females lately, full of
young. Although the female had just died, I cut
open the belly, and liberated some hundreds of young.
One of the latter, placed under the microscope, and
viewed with a quarter-inch objective, showed the
circulation of blood in the transparent tail-end of the
body for more than five hours afterwards. It is the
best object I know of for showing blood-circulation,
the shape of the corpuscles being often clearly de-
fined. — y. E. Taylor.

Parasites on Midge. — Is it generally known
that the small midge Psyehoda is infested with para-
sites ? I have often found this midge with from one
to four of what, for a better name, I must term lice,
small creatures somewhat resembling cheese-mites,
but of a yellow or light cinnamon colour. They cling
to the abdomen, ranged closely together, with their
heads towards the heart of the midge. On being
disturbed, they run away very quickly. I have suc-
ceeded in mounting on a slide one good specimen
along with the fly. I have also noticed in pressing
one of these live midges under a glass cover with a
view to mounting, on one occasion one, and on
another occasion two, minute worms expelled from
its body. Under the microscope their appearance and
motion closely resembled thread-worms [Asearides).
The vitality of these parasites was very extraordi-
nary. They lived more than a quarter of an hour on
a glass slide, kept moist with spirits of turpentine ;
and under dammar (dissolved in benzole) they con-

i6

HARD WICKE 'S S CIENCE - G SSI P.

tinued to wriggle about for a considerable time, ap-
parently not much inconvenienced by a dose of these
ardent spirits. — A. M.

How TO RESOLVE TEST DiATOMS WITHOUT

ANY SrECiAL Apparatus. — Turn the instrument
at right angles to the sun ; close the diaphragm
so as to cut o§^ all light bdaiv the stage; or, if that
cannot be done, place a piece of black paper behind
the slide. Bring the light on to the object at the angle
zvhich suits it best. This is easily done by moving the
microscope to the right or left. If necessary, increase
the light by the use of the stage or stand bull's-eye
condenser. That is all. A black ring round the
covering-glass is an objection when the cover is small,
as it interferes with the light. To carry out this plan
successfully, only two things are necessaiy — viz. , the
sun and an object-glass, capable of resolving the test,
just before it. It is not intended to supersede the
use of the apparatus, for the sun is far too uncertain
an illuminator to 'be depended upon, and most men
work by night ; but it may be useful to those who
cannot afford to purchase any apparatus— not even
an oblique illuminator, the cheapest of all. I must
justify this allusion to my pet child by stating that I
have not, and never have had, any pecuniary interest
in its sale. Having been asked questions as to its capa-
bilities, I can only repeat what I have before stated,
viz., that by its help I can resolve tests which I never
could touch before, though possessing achromatic
condensers, spot lens, &c. — John Bramhall, St.
yohCs Vicarage.

Dammar. — I have used this as a mounting medium
during the last four years, and with the most satis-
factory results. The manipulation is very simple,
and herein lies its great value to the microscopist.
With all due deference to Mr. Williams (p. 254), I
do not think that 3.ny finishing varnish is required if
a thick solution of dammar in benzol is used. —
F. Coles.

ZOOLOGY.

To Secretaries of London Natural His-
tory, ETC., Clubs. — We shall feel obliged by the
secretaries of the various Natural Histoiy and Micro-
scopical Clubs in and around London communicating
to us the titles and addresses of their societies, with
a view to publishing a list of them. The date of foun-
dation might be added, as well as the names of presi-
dents and secretaries.

The Disease in Pheasants — " Gapes."— Some
years ago I paid considerable attention to the malady
called "gapes," in consequence of its destroying a
large number of valuable Cochin-China chickens
belonging to a friend. To begin with, I found the
affection to be most prevalent during a wet,

miserable season ; the bird which simulated "gaping"
by the opening and shutting its beak, was really
gasping for breath, as a very cursory examination
made out that the trachea was more or less clogged
up with parasitic worms, as Dr. Dickson properly
described them, of "a letter Y shape." As I had
paid no particular attention to Helminthology, I
confess this " Siamese Twin" formation puzzled me
extremely, until I had some conversation about it
with Prof. Siebold, the eminent naturalist, who had
paid great attention to parasitic worms ; he put the
matter clear, and pronounced my "double-headed
worm "to be Syngnathus," and to be the male and
female in copula, the smaller body to be the male,
and the union to be ''■permanent." I have not Cob-
bold on parasitic worms to refer to, but I daresay he
would enter into detail respecting a pest which has
doubtless destroyed more game and valuable poultry
than all the other bird-maladies put together. My
business was to find a remedy for a disease about
which the poultry-fanciers were naturally becoming
clamorous, and I hit upon a very simple and very
effectual method of cure, which found its way into
The Field, was received enthusiastically, and was, I
believe, the means of saving thousands of valuable
lives, for the lives of Cochin-China chickens in that day
might well be described as "valuable." There was
eventually a delightful simplicity in treating the little
feathered patients, and all depending upon the dislike
all kinds of worms are known to entertain for " tur-
pentine." A small feather or camel-hair pencil, and
a bottle of this said turpentine formed the Materia
Medica. The operation for the relief of "gapes"
was a rapid one, and consisted in dipping the feather
or camel-hair pencil in the turpentine, and at the
instant the chicken, held in the left hand, gaped,
inserting the brush or feather so charged as deep as
possible into the trachea, and twirling it round to
insure a fair distribution to the worms in possession.
The chicken laid on the ground naturally gave a
series of kicks and flourishes, and, I may say, in-
variably coughed up a great mass of the said Y-shaped
worms, and then went on liis way, I have no doubt
rejoicing exceedingly. I believe that this simple pro-
ceeding was in all cases effectual where it was adopted
before the bird was actually moribund, and I could
not find that the malady " gapes " recurred in the
same individual. Should it, however, do so, the
turpentine treatment might again be employed, as I
certainly never saw its use followed by any but the
happiest results. As I always read Science-Gossip
with pleasure, I am glad to be able to contribute a
short paper, which, I trust, will not be found devoid
of interest.— >/i« Anthony, M.D., F.R.M.S.

The Rosy Cribella.— (OV^^//rt rosea. MuUer.)
— When dredging during the past autumn off the
entrance to Lame Lough, I was fortunate enough to
secure a magnificent specimen of the above rare star-

HARD WICKE 'S SCIENCE - G OSS IF.

17

fish. Forbes, in his work on the British starfishes,
records it from only two British localities, — the coast
of Ayrshire and the Nymph-Bank, off Waterford.
The only other notice 1 can find of its capture is by
Dr. J. R. Kinahan, F.L.S., who dredged several
specimens in Dubhn Bay (i860). The specimen in
my possession measures 8J inches across, and is of a
brilliant orange colour. It was brought up from a
depth of 47 fathoms, associated with living Tere-
bratula, Crainia, and other deep-sea mollusca, «S:c.
The bottom was rocks or stones, upon which our
dredge frequently caught, and which, with the strong
current that was running, made dredging operations
very difficult. It would be interesting to know if the
species has been observed in other localities, and
under what conditions. — William S^vnnston, Belfast.

The Doubleday Collection. — The collection of
Lepidoptera formed by the late Henry Doubleday was
left in charge of trustees, to be placed in a museum
in Essex, if a suitable place could be found. The
Haggerstone, East, West, and South London Entomo-
logical Societies formed a committee of eight for the
purpose of obtaining the collection for London
entomologists. After communicating with the trus-
tees and the director of the South Kensington
Museum, the cabinets were received at the Bethnal
Green Branch Museum. The question then arose
how it was to be inspected. We petitioned the
director again on the subject, and that gentleman
very courteously provided a private room for the
collection, with an attendant to show it to visitors.
Still we had not obtained all we wished for, as the
hours for inspection were from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.
I again wrote to the director and asked that arrange-
ments might be made to open it until 9.30 p.m. on
Tuesday nights, when the director again met our
wishes. I have, therefore, on behalf of the com-
mittee, to express our thanks to the director and
officials for these extended acts of courtesy. — D.
Pratt, Sec. East London Entomological Society.

Spiders and their Webs. — C. L. W. in
Science-Gossip, No. 143, pp. 251-254, speaks of
some Epeini spiders being in the habit of laying
up a store of food in the egg cocoon ' ' for the sus-
tenance of the young spiders from the time they leave
the egg till they leave the cocoon " ; the evidence in
support of this is the presence of "shells of the
larvee of the house-fly," in "one of the cocoons,"
together with young spiders just ready to leave it.
I would suggest that the "shells" observed were the
empty pupce cases of a parasitic fly who had laid its
eggs within the cocoon, probably soon after it was
made ; the larvee of the fly had then fed upon as
many of the spider's eggs as they needed, and so
passed through their transformations, leaving the
empty pupte cases behind, with the unconsumed
remainder of the spider's eggs. No case, so far as I
am aware, is on record in which such a habit as that

supposed to be proved by these empty cases in a
spider's cocoon has been authenticated. The destruc-
tion of spiders' eggs within the cocoon by the larvce
of parasitic insects is well known ; and if this be the
true explanation of C. L. W.'s case (as I believe it
to be), the only notable point in it is, that the para-
sites should have left any of the spider's eggs un-
touched. — O. P. Cambridge, Bloxivorth.

New Kind of Porcupine. — At a recent meeting
of the Zoological Society, Dr. A. Gunther, F.R.S.,
read a report on some of the recent additions to the
collection of mammalia in the British Museum,
amongst the more remarkable of which was a new
form of porcupine, from Borneo, proposed to be
called Trichys lipitra ; and a new marmozet, obtained
by Mr. T. K. Salmon, near Medellin, U.S. of
Columbia, to which the name Hapale leucoptis was
given.

An Intra-oval Egg. — In the Museum of the
College of Surgeons are six specimens of so-called
double eggs, i.e., eggs contained in the interior of
larger ones. My friend Mr. C. J. Lambe-Eames
has submitted to me a case of a similar kind, but, if
I may venture to say so, of even greater interest than
any of the older specimens. Subjoined is the history
of this particular egg : — On September 26 a game
bantam hen of rather large size, which had only been
a short time in Mr. Eames's possession, and had shown
the peculiarity of never laying except when separated
from the male bird, laid an egg normal in colouring,
but of rather abnormal size. When that egg was
broken, Mr. Eames's attention was drawn to the fact
that a smaller egg was floating in the albumen near
the small end. The outer egg was of the ordinary
white colour, the inner one of a darker hue, re-
sembling those laid by the Cochin or Bramah breed.
It has been since called to mind that that particular
hen has not unfrequently laid coloured eggs of the
normal size. Since producing the intra-oval egg the
hen has laid about two more, and then ceased laying
entirely. The last egg was laid about the end of
September. In Chance's curious book on Bodily
Deformities, at page 69, is a record of a similar case
in respect to a swan's egg ; and in his appendix, Lec-
ture ii., another of a hen's egg in many particulars
strikingly similar to the case we are bringing forward.
The swan's egg is said by Chance to be in the Museum
of the College of Surgeons, but a careful search there
has failed to find it. From the drawing in Chance's
book it is evident that our specimen diff"ers from both
of those recorded there, as it does from all in the
College Museum, in the very great difference between
the sizes of the inner and outer egg. I bring this
case forward with a desire for enlightenment, and
with the hope that some reasonable explanation of
this remarkable phenomenon may be forthcoming
from some of the readers of SCIENCE-GOSSIP.—
Edward B. Aveling, D. Sc, Lond.

i8

HARD Wl CKE 'S S CIENCE -GOSS IP.

BOTANY.

The Flora of Marion Island.— At a recent
meeting of the Linnean Society, Mr. H. N. Moseley,
who was one of the naturalists on board the Chal-
lenger, read a paper on the above subject. He
stated that Marion Island possesses considerable
interest, from its isolation and being within the
Antarctic drift. It is about i,ooo miles from the
African continent, 450 from the Crozets, 1,200 from
the desolate Kerguelen Island, above 2,000 from
Tristan d'Acunha, and 4,500 from the Falklands, to
which, nevertheless, its flora appears related. It is
of volcanic origin and snowclad. The rocks at half-
tide are covered with Darvilca ittilis, above high tide
Tillcca inoschata is found in abundance, and beyond
the beach a swampy, peaty soil covers the rocks,
where there is a thick growth of herbage. This is
principally composed of species of Acicna, Azorella,
and Fcstuca, the first of these three being the most
abundant plant on the island, though the latter grass is
by no means scarce. The cabbage-like plant Frhigka
antiscorbutica is less profuse than at Kerguelen's
Land. Some of the ranunculus group are met with
at water pools near the sea. Four kinds of ferns
were obtained, Loniaria Alpina being the most
numerous. Lichens are scarce, but mosses in plenty
form yellow patches, which stand out conspicuously
midst the green vegetation, which rises to an altitude
of probably 2,000 feet. From the occurrence of
Pringlea on Marion Island, the Crozets, and Ker-
guelen Island, and the existence of fossil tree-trunks
on the two latter, Mr. Moseley thinks there was an
ancient land connection between them.

A New View of the Absorption of Organic
Matter by Plants. — Prof. Calderon contests the
ordinary view that the nitrogen of the tissues of
plants is derived entirely from the nitrates and
ammoniacal salts absorbed through the roots. He
adopts the theory that the source is the nitrogenous
organic matter which is always floating in the air.
The nutrition of plants he divides into three classes :
necropIiagoHs, the absoq:>tion of dead organic matter
in various stages of decomposition ; plasmophagous,
the assimilation of living organic matter without
elimination, or distinction of any kind between use-
ful and useless substances, such as the nutrition of
parasites ; and biophagoiis, the absorption of living
organisms, such as that known in the case of the
sundews and other insectivorous plants. A further
illustration of the latter kind of nutrition is, according
to Prof. Calderon, furnished by all plants provided
with viscid hairs or a glutinous excretion, the object
of which is the detention and destruction of small
insects. To prove the importance of the nitrogenous
substances floating in the air to the life of plants, he
deprived air of all organic matter in the mode de-

scribed by Prof. Tyndall, and subjected lichens to
the access only of this filtered air and of distilled
water, when he found that all their physiological
functions were suddenly suspended.

"Mushrooms and Toadstools." — Nobody has
now the right to complain of being unable to dis-
tinguish between poisonous and edible fungi. Here
is a book written by one of our best fungiologists,
with two large folded plates, one containing litho-
graphed figures of the chief poisonous, and the other
of the principal edible fungi, altogether of sixty
species, for the sum of one shilling ! It is published
by Hardwicke & Bogue, 192, Piccadilly.

Another Insectivorous Plant.— Allow me
to call the attention of your readers to a remarkable
insectivorous plant which has recently been brought
to my notice by my nephew, F. Brittain, of Sheffield.
It is met with over a large portion of the American
continent, but the specimen I refer to was found in
France. The plant is named Apocyniiin androsizmi-
folium. Its especial peculiarity is that the insects
are caught by the petals, which close upon the
insect and retain it a close prisoner, in the manner of
the Venus' Flytrap {Dionea miiscipnla). I have not
had an opportunity of examining the physiology of
the plant, and cannot say at present if the action be
produced by glands or hairs, or any other agency.
The dried specimen I have has but one leaf and three
flowers. Every flower has a fly in its deadly embrace.
In two instances the wings project outwards ; in one
only a leg is seen. In the three cases the entire
body of the insect is quite covered by the petals. I
showed my specimen to Prof. Williamson, of Owens
College, lately, but he could not give me any infor-
mation, as the plant was new to him. I have referred
to Darwin's interesting work on " Insectivorous
Plants," but I don't see in that book any notice of
the plant I have referred to. Probably this plant
may be known to some of your American readers ;
if so, I hope they will enlighten us as to its habits
and natural history. The flowers of the dead speci-
men are of a dull yellow colour, but I am inclined to
think that they are of a reddish colour when living. —
Thos. Brittain.

Erica vagans. — A friend of mine, who attended
the recent meeting of the British Association at
Glasgow, brought me, on his return, a specimen of
this beautiful Cornish heath, which he found growing,
apparently quite wild, on the hill-sides, about half a
mile from the inn at Stronachlacher, near the head of
Loch Katrine. My friend says that he could see
no signs of its having been planted there, or of its
having escaped from cultivation. It was growing
amongst patches of Calluna, Erica tetralix, and
Polypodium phegopteris, and to all appearance was
just as indigenous as these. Your botanical readers,
however, will know that Cornwall is the only recog-

HARD WICKE 'S S CIENCE - G SSIP.

19

nized station for this heath, and its existence so far
north is at least curious. Perhaps some of our
northern botanists can inform me whether it has been
previously noticed in the locality I have named, and
whether there is any evidence of its having been
introduced there.— y. JV. Oliver, Birmingham.

Proposed Amateur Botanists' Exchange
Club. — Most amateur collecting botanists have long
felt the need of an exchange club, where they could
without expense send all their spare duplicates at
the end of each season, with the certainty of having
a large return parcel of dried and correctly-labelled
specimens from otlier parts of the British Islands,
which can seldom be secured without this medium.
Again, most botanists would be glad to secure a few
good critical species of the Ritbi, or Roses, and be
thankful to see the pile of grasses and sedges on
their herbaria shelves increasing with reliable spe-
cimens eveiy year. It is proposed at once to esta-
blish an Exchange Club to further this object, to be
composed of botanists from all parts of the United
Kingdom, who will contribute a few specimens every
year : no membership fee required, each member
paying the carriage of his own parcels. Surely one
hundred can be found willing to give in their names,
who are connected with our large naturalist field
clubs, and to these it will prove a boon long desired.
Botanists wishing to join are requested to send in
their names, not later than the end of January, 1877,
to the Editor of Science-Gossip, when rules, best
method of drying, labelling, and packing specimens,
with other useful information, will be forwarded to
each appHcant. The last edition of the ' ' London
Catalogue," published by Hardwicke & Bogue, 192,
Piccadilly, will be used by the members, both in
labelling and marked for desiderata. To save ex-
pense, it is proposed to publish the Yearly Report in
Science-Gossip.

GEOLOGY.

Observations on the Geology of East
Anglia, etc. — This is the title of an important paper
recently read before the Geological Society of London
by S. V. Wood, jun., F.G.S., and F. W. Harmer,
F.G.S., &c. The subjects discussed in this paper
were threefold, viz., — i. The unfossiliferous sands of
the Red Crag ; 2. The unconformity between the
Lower and Middle Glacial deposits ; 3. The mode in
which the Upper and Middle Glacial were accumu-
lated. The views of the authors under the first head
were similar to and confirmatory of those advanced
in the previous paper by Mr. Whitaker ; but they
pointed out that the Red Crag, which these sands, in
an altered form, represent, could not belong to the
Chillesford division of that formation, by reason of
the casts of shells which had been preserved not com-

prising any of the more characteristic Chillesford
species, and of their including among them forms
confined to the older portions of the Red Crag. They
also pointed out that the Chillesford Clay had been
removed over all the area occupied by these sands
by denudation prior to the deposition of the Middle
Glacial, which rests upon these sands wherever they
occur. The removal of the Chillesford Clay, the
authors consider, was due in part, if not in all, to the
great denudation between the Lower and Middle
Glacial, which gave rise to the unconformity discussed
under the second head. This unconfonnity they
illustrate by lines of section traversing most of the
river valleys of Central and East Norfolk and Suffolk.
These show that such valleys were excavated after
the. deposit of the contorted drift, and out of that
formation and the beds underlying it. They also
show that the Middle and Upper Glacial have been
bedded into these valleys, as well as spread (the
middle only partially, but the upper moi-e uniformly)
over the high grounds formed of contorted drift out
of which they were excavated, and thus generally
concealing that deposit, which manifests itself only in
the form of occasional protrusions through these later
formations, but which they consider constitutes,
though thus concealed, the main mass of the two
counties. The authors also describe a glacial bed as
occurring at various localities in the bottom of some
of these valleys, -and which in one case they have
traced under the Middle Glacial. This they regard
as having been formed in the interval between the
denudation of the valleys and their subsequent sub-
mergence beneath the Middle Glacial sea ; and inas-
much as such valley-bed invariably rests on the chalk
in a highly glaciated condition, they attribute its for-
mation more probably than otherwise to the action
of glaciers occupying the valleys during an inter-
glacial interval of dry land. They also suggest that
if this was so, it is probable that the forest and mam-
maliferous bed of Kessingland, instead of being
coeval with the preglacial one of the Cromer coast,
may belong to this interglacial interval — that is to
say, to the earliest part of it, before the glaciers ac-
cumulated in the valleys, and when the climate was
more temperate, any similar deposits in these inter-
glacial valleys having been for the most part sub-
sequently ploughed out by the action of the glaciers.
In discussing the subject under the third head the
authors point out the many perplexing features which
are connected with the position and distribution of
the Middle Glacial formation ; and while they admit
that as to one or two of these the theory which they
' offer affords no explanation, they suggest that the
theory of this formation's origin which best meets the
case is as follows, viz.,— As the country became re-
submerged, and as the valley glaciers retreated before
the advancing sea, the land-ice of the mountain
districts of North Britain accumulated and descended
i into the low grounds, so that by the time East Anglia

20

HARD WICKE 'S S CIENCE - G O SSI P.

had become resubmerged to the extent of between
300 and 400 feet, one branch of this ice had reached
the borders of the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex,
Herts, and Bedford, ploughing out and destroying
any Lower Glacial beds that had been deposited over
the intervening counties upon which it rested, and
over which we ought otherwise, having regard to the
depth of the earlier submergence under which they
were accumulated, to find them, but do not. The
Middle Glacial formation, consisting of sand and
gravel, they attribute principally to the action of
currents washing out and distributing the morainic
material, which was extruded on the sea-bottom by
this land-ice ; that ice itself by keeping out the sea
over all the country on which it rested, which was
then below the sea-level, preventing the deposit of the
Middle Glacial in those parts. The termination of
this current action was accompanied by increased
submergence, and by a gradual retreat of the land-ice
northwards to the mountain districts, until Britain
was left in the condition of a snow-capped archipelago,
from which eventually the snow disappeared and the
land emerged. To the moraine extruded from the
base of this ice and into deep water they refer the
origin of the Upper Glacial Clay, the moraine mate-
rial remaining partly in the position in which the ice
left it, and partly lifted by the bergs which became
detached from the ice. Such part of it as was lifted
was dropped over the sea-bottom at no great distance
from its point of extrusion, and in that way the marine
shells occurring in a seam of sand in the midst of this
clay at Dimlington and Bridlington on the Yorkshire
coast became imbedded, the moUusca which had
established themselves on the surface of this moraine
material having been thus smothered under a lifted
mass of the same, which was dropped from a berg.
The authors point out that precisely in the same way
in which the Middle Glacial is found stretching out
southwards and eastwards beyond the Upper Glacial
Clay in Suffolk and in Herts, and is succeeded by
such clay both vertically and horizontally, so does
the earlier formed part of the Upper Glacial Clay, or
that with chalk debris, stretch southwards beyond the
latter formed part, or that destitute of such debris,
and is succeeded by it, both vertically and horizon-
tally. This, they consider, shows that the Middle and
Upper Glacial deposits, which constitute an unbroken
succession, were due to the gradually receding posi-
tion of the land-ice during their accumulation, the se-
quence being terminated with the Moel Tryfaen and
Macclesfield gravels, which were accumulated during
the disconnection and gradual disappearance of the
ice, and while the land still continued deeply sub-
merged.

The Sivatherium in Spain. — At a late meeting
of the Geological Society of London, Prof. Calderon
read a paper on " The Fossil Vertebrates of Spain,"
in which he stated that remains of the Sivatherium

and Hyanarctos had been found in that country.
The President (Prof. Duncan) remarked that the
presence of these animals, if confirmed, would be
particularly interesting as showing a great western
extension of the Miocene fauna peculiar to the
Sivalik hills, in India.

The Siberian Mammoths and Hairy
Rhinoceri. — The long woolly hair with which
these extinct animals were clothed has been
deemed a plain proof of their special adaptation
to an extremely cold climate. Some years ago
the teeth of a Mammoth w-ere subjected to close
scrutiny, and some dark vegetable matter found
in the hollows was microscopically examined, and
found to belong to coniferous vegetation, such as is
to be found in the extreme North, the inference being
that the Mammoth most probably fed on the young
shoots of fir-trees. Very recently M. Schmalhausen
has made a communication to the St. Petersburg
Academy, on the constituents of a mass of dark-
brown matter extracted from hollows in the teeth
of a rhinoceros in the Irkutski Museum. That this
was truly the remains of fodder of the animal seemed
clear from the appearance and the macerated charac-
ter of the vegetable substance, of which only the
woody and cuticular parts showed a more or less
distinct structure. The greater portion of the piece
consisted of leaf- remains, with here and there a
fragment of stem. For the most part the stem
and leaf-fragments were those of monocotyledonous
plants, probably of Graminese ; there were also, in
less quantity, leaf-fragments of dicotyledonous plants.
Besides leaf-shreds of Coniferae, there were woody
pieces which indicated the existence of Picea [Obo-
vatal), Abies {Sibirical), Larix [Sibirica?), Gnctacea:,
Betitlacecc, and SalieineiC. It seems unquestionable
that these remains must be referred to northern plants
and to such as are still partly found in the arctic or
sub-arctic regions.

Geological Map of Scotland. — We have
received a new geological map of Scotland, by
Professor A. Geikie, F.R.S., the Director of the
Geological Survey of Scotland. It is unquestionably
the best which has yet been issued. The specific
colours for the various formations and outcrops are
well-chosen and distinct, so as to catch the eye at
once. The dip of the strata is marked, as well as
the places where they are contorted. Signs and
tokens for anticlinal and synclinal axes, and for
faults, point out clearly to the student where these
phenomena most abound. The colours and symbols
chosen for the igneous rocks are excellent. The
topography of the map is by Mr. T. B. Johnston,
F.R.G.S. The map is published by Messrs. W. &
A. K. Johnston, Edinburgh.

Carrot. — The wild carrot may always be known
bv the red flowers in the middle. — E. T. Scott.

HA R D WICKE 'S S CI EN CE-GO SSIP.

21

NOTES AND QUERIES.

Locusts at Cheddar, Somerset. — Your cor-
respondent's (H. W. Livett) account of the locust
found at Wells, reminds me that while staying at
Cheddar last year (1S75), I was told that the year
before a large' numljer of locusts visited that village ;
and the villager who was my informant said that
they created great havoc among the vegetable produce
of his garden. His description exactly tallied with the
appearance of Pachytyhis migratorius, a specimen of
which is in my possession, and was sent to me from
Egypt by a relation. — Charles IVilliajyis, Redland.

Fertilization of Flowers. — A little work on
bees which I read some time ago, states that bees
collect pollen only on flowers of the same species,
in order not to mix the pollen of different flowers
together, and I have several times observed this
statement as perfectly true during the time when
resedas, roses, and geraniums adorned a bed close
to a bee-hive. The same bee or humble-bee which
had been on a reseda would only visit resedas,
another only geraniums, &c. I quite agree with
A. B., Kelso, that this seems to point out a certain
law of nature which favours the more perfect fer-
tilization of flowers. — Blanche.

Feeding Cuckoos. — In the volume of Science-
Gossip for 1874, I sent an account of a young
cuckoo, but I never saw anything in its way of
feeding different from usual. We used to feed it
two or three times a-day, from the time almost of
its birth till we lost it ; and the parent hen bird
used to come and feed it within two or three yards
of us. The cuckoo had a large mouth, and opened
it wide to be fed, but certainly never put out its
tongue to have the food placed upon.it. The parent
bird always put its beak in its mouth like any other
bird ; and the way in which it got on its back to feed
it when the cuckoo was sitting on the top of a post
was very amusing. The male bird would sometimes
feed it, but it always struck us as being somewhat afraid
of it.— ^. T. Scott.

Death's-head Moth. — As none of your readers
answered this question in Science-Gossip for Octo-
ber, allow me to state that something of the same kind
occurred to me. Finding the caterpillar under a
potato-plant on the earth, I put it in a box containing
some cotton-wool which I had in my pocket. On
coming home I put the box down on the hall-table,
where it was left till next morning, when I wanted to
place the caterpillar in a larger box ; but, to my
surprise, I found it had used some of the cotton-wool
to make a kind of cocoon, glued firmly together, i
through which I could see the caterpillar lying stiff"
and motionless. After three more days the skin was
thrown off and the reddish-brown chrysalis appeared
in the cocoon. I suppose the caterpillar used the
cotton-wool because it could not bury itself in the
earth when the change of nature took place. — Little
Lambie, Cannes.

Hedge-hogs and their Food. — I think I can
add some information to the article by Mr. Charles
W. Whistler, in the August number of SciENCE-
GossiP on the Hedge-hog. Asking a friend if he
could tell me anything about this animal, he related
to me the following story : — A farmer here having an
order for some apples, ordered his men to pick them,
put them together in a heap, cover them with some
sti'aw, and leave them to be packed the next morning.
Coming the next day to pack them, they found but
few, and could not find the thief. About a week

after they were stopping a ditch which divided two
fields. The men found a heap of straw ; removing
the straw they found a quantity of apples, and further
on found quite as many potatoes ; besides this they
caught several hedge-hogs. These were supposed to
be the thieves, for they were seen afterwards rolling
themselves over, and the apples stuck on their skin.
—y. W. Mee.

Skeletonizing of Starfish. — Being once de-
sirous of obtaining the skeletons of some of these
creatures, I adopted the plan usual with vertebrates,
viz., simple maceration in water; and both those I
thus treated came out well, one of them being still in
my possession. The water should not be changed
too often, and the skeleton should be removed when
the flesh is sufficiently rotten to be washed away by
the current of water from a tap. — David A. King.

Sparrow-hawk and Crow. —Whilst shooting
one day in September last I saw a crow chasing a
hawk. The hawk settled once, but on rising was
again pursued by the crow ; they finally disappeared
over a brow. My companion told me this was of
common occurrence. — David A. King.

Seeds Digesting.— W. G. P., in his paper on
the Mistletoe, rather seems to uphold the idea that
seeds swallowed whole will digest. I thought it
was perfectly well known that this is not the case,
but that uncooked and unbroken seeds always pass
unaltered. — E. T. Scott.

An Unidentified Bird. — A short time since I
purchased of a young Arab a little bird of the finch
family, but which I had never before seen nor read a
description of. I am convinced that it is no native of
these parts of Syria, nor yet a regular passing visitant.
The bird is about 44 inches long, of a warm cin-
namon-brown, with black head and neck, and some
black about the vent. The bill is similar in shape to
that of a bullfinch, and of a light leaden-blue colour ;
the tail is rather short in proportion to the body.
This bird tries to sing, but does not produce any
sound until near the close of his effort, when an
attentive listener may hear a few very sweet notes,
resembling those of a canary-bird. Can any one
inform me what this bird's name is, and where a
description of him may be found ; also, whether
there is any reasonable hope that his voice may yet
"come out"? — W. T. Van Dye A, Bey rant, Syria.

VoLVOX Globator. — I endeavoured last season
to renew my acquaintance with the above, but en-
tirely without success, as I have not been able to
obtain one single specimen. I do not think that the
absence of the Volvox from the different ponds which
I have explored in'the neighbourhoods of Finchley,
Hampstead, Hornsey, &c., can be attributed to the
voracity of Rotifera, unless the latter have been
exceptionally prolific this summer under the influence
of the extraordinarily hot weather. I am more inclined
to think it is owing to the increase of building ope-
rations, whereby the virgin ponds become either
disturbed or impregnated with alkaline and other
matter, that we experience difficulty in finding the
favourites we could so easily procure a few years ago.
I have indeed had to give up whole days recently
"out of town" in the endeavour to obtain a few
objects worthy of investigation. As regards the
caddis worms (of which I have collected some extra-
ordinary specimens this year), I think they are not
injurious, to any great extent, except to the plants to
which they attach themselves ; and as their micro-
scopic value is of itself microscopic, I would suggest
the advisability of dispensing with their presence in

22

HARD WICKE 'S S CIENCE - G O SSIF.

any aquarium kept solely for the purpose of rearing
or preserving either Rotifera or any similar small but
edible objects. In answer to your correspondent's
inquiry, I would observe, that the Volvox globator is
to be obtained in certain places long after the "fort-
night in June " to which he refers ; but as he does
not intimate the locality whence he writes, it is impos-
sible to form an opinion about the freak of nature
which he alleges has taken place for the last few
years. It would afford me great pleasure to learn
where I can again readily come across the Volvox
in the vicinity of London, as it is a tedious task to
have to search for this interesting stranger in new and
unknown neighbourhoods. Ponds with sandy or
gravel bottoms are, I believe, the best in which to
search for our now scarce friend ; and when found he
should be placed in a light-green-coloured bottle and
exposed to the light (not the sun), when his graceful
evolutions can be easily observed without even the
aid of the microscope. I need scarcely remind your
readers that the Volvox globator forms one of the
prettiest animated objects that can be exhibited at a
soiree, and is specially attractive to the ladies. —
G. E. Ladbury.

"Science-Gossip Section Machine."— Permit
me to add my testimony to that of Greenwood Pirn
(whose paper in this month's GossiP on Section-
cutting is most interesting), as to the excellency of
the Science-Gossip Section Machine. All who use
it will, I feel sure, agree that for cheapness and neat-
ness of working it cannot be equalled. Until one of
these section machines was given me by a relation,
I never could procure really good specimens fit to
mount and show ; but now I find no difficulty at all.
Let me advise all readers of Science-Gossip who
may be in want of an instniment of this kind to give
the one which bears the name of one of the most
popular of our present scientific journals a fair trial,
before laying out money on a more expensive, and,
perhaps, not so effective an instrument. — CJiarlcs
Williams Redlaiid.

Golden Pheasant and Bantam. — A short time
ago a gentleman living in the neighbourhood of St.
John's Wood bought a golden pheasant, and thinking
it would be rather lonely, he gave it a bantam hen as
a companion. The birds bred, and in the course of
time the hen hatched five chickens (three cocks and
two hens). When the chicks were about eight months
old he gave me a pair, which I have had about two
months. For about three weeks after I got them they
uttered the same peculiar cry as the pheasant, but
now the cock has left that oft", and crows veiy much
the same as a bantam. The feathers of the cock are
very similar to those of the golden-laced bantam,
except those on the back and shoulders, which are of
a brick-red colour. There is no peculiarity in the
plumage of the hen, but the head is rather more like
that of a pheasant than that of a domestic fowl. Is
it a common occurrence for the golden pheasant to
breed with the domestic fowl ? If any of your readers
can give me any information on the subject I shall be
much obliged. — G. W. Landels.

Cuckoo's Eggs.— May I venture, without giving
offence to any one, to express a liope that such of the
readers of Science-Gossip as are interested in the
cuckoo-egg controversy, but have not given much
attention to it, will accept the true version of that
theory, as it is admirably expressed by Mr. South-
well in your November number, page 260 ; for really
the rubbish that has been written about that question,
and the ridiculous dress in which a very beautiful
theory has been vested by some, who were com-

pletely at sea as to the real question at issue, has
made more than one ornithologist shy of expressing
his views on the matter, lest he too should be mis-
represented, and opinions attributed to him the very
reverse of those he entertained. As Mr. Southwell
has referred to my translation of Dr. Baldamus' paper,
which was printed in the Zoologist in April, 1868, I
feel bound to thank him for his timely rescue of the
learned doctor from the mud with which he has been
too liberally bespattered by some. And as Mr. South-
well very fairly acknowledges that his own opinion is not
in favour of the theory above-mentioned, I hail a true
exposition of that theory from him, as from an unpre-
judiced and competent authority. While, on the other
hand, I should not be honest if I did not as openly
acknowledge that the more I have studied Dr. Bal-
damus' view, the more convinced I am that it contains
the nucleus of a great truth ; though I do not think
we have yet reached the whole of it ; nor can we
speak otherwise than very reservedly and cautiously
on a question which has not yet been settled, and
about which our best ornithologists are not yet by
any means agreed. — Alfred Charles Smith, Yatesbury
Rectory, Calnc, Wilts.

Colour of Eggs. —In reply to the inquiry of
"A. P.," in the November number of Science-
GossiP, page 259, for information in regard to the
species of birds which have been ascertained occa-
sionally to assume white or parti-coloured plumage,
I beg to refer him to a list of fifty-seven species which
I| published in the Zoologist, in 1853, pages 3,969-
3,980, at the conclusion of a paper " On the General
Colour and the Occasional Variations in the Plumage
of Birds " ; but I would add that a great many addi-
tions might now be made to that list from subsequent
observation. In short, so numerous are such instances,
and in so great a variety of species, that I have come
to the conclusion that in all probability no species of
bird is altogether exempt from a liability to this acci-
dent, or deject, as I think it should be called, however
peculiar and sometimes beautiful such white or
mottled specimens may be, inasmuch as constitutional,
or hereditary, or other weakness, appears to be the
general cause of the absence of the pigment or colour-
ing matter which forms the normal hue of more healthy
members of the species. Therefore I would depre-
cate the preservation of such abnormal and unnatural
specimens as I would of any other deformities. —
Alfred Charles Smith, Yatesbury Rectory, Calne,
Wilts.

Rare Birds.— Does it not seem a pity that every
rare bird that visits us should be shot ? Last No-
vember a fine specimen of the bittern was shot at
Sutton Coldfield. A hoopoe was also shot about
five miles from Birmingham. Is it not rather rare
for the hoopoe to be taken so far north ? — G. T. B.

An Ancient Cat.— At Gundagai, New South
Wales, there is in existence a cat which is said to have
attained the extraordinary age of 100 years. It
\vas brought from England in the Golden Grove one
of the three storeships that accompanied the first
fleet of convict ships, which cast anchor in Botany
Bay on the 20th of January, 1788. This vessel may
be characterized as the Noah's Ark of Australia. She
conveyed thither — one bull, four cows, and one calf;
one stallion, three mares, and three colts ; one ram,
eleven sheep, and eight lambs ; one billy-goat, four
nanny-goats, and three kids ; one boar, five sows,
and a litter of fourteen young pigs ; nine different
sorts of dogs ; and seven cats, including that of Gun-
dagai, which is supposed to be the sole survivor of
the magic number of seventy-seven quadrupeds

HARD WICKE 'S SCIENCE ■ G OS SI P.

23

brought by the Golden Grove. The cat passed into
the possession of a pensioner of the Imperial Govern-
ment, who settled in Gundagai in 1839, and who was
drowned in the local deluge of June, 1852,

The Cuckoo. — Too much has already been said
about the cuckoo, but having many opportunities of
observing its habits I cannot resist adding to it. I
have seen a good many nests with cuckoos' eggs in
them, and all were the same size and colour, but all
were in the nests of the meadow pipit or the sky-
larks. I never saw a cuckoo's egg in any other nest.
The cuckoo does not suck nor destroy the eggs that
hers are deposited with, but I have known several
instances of the cuckoo extracting one egg in place of
that she had left, and on one occasion I was an eye-
witness of the fact. Having got the nest of a meadow
pipit one night about eight o'clock and while examin-
ing the three eggs (only three had been laid at that
time) my attention was directed to the cuckoo circling
round me, and thinking it had something to do with
the nest I concealed myself, and had the satisfaction
of seeing the cuckoo alight at it. I waited about ten
minutes, but my curiosity was greater than my
patience, I therefore scared her away, and found
nothing but the three eggs as before. But concealing
myself again the cuckoo returned, and giving her no
disturbance this time I was surprised when she left to
find one of the pipit's eggs gone, and the cvickoo's
substituted in its place. Now if the cuckoo carried
her egg in her bill to the nest she would have nothing
to do but place it there and leave it, but this was not
the case, the pipit's nest was much disfigured with
the transaction, and the pipit screamed loudly all the
time. I have seen the cuckoo destroy young birds by
throwing them out. of the nest, and tearing them with
her bill ; but what could be her reason I could not
conceive, unless it was to make them lay again and
have a chance of disposing of her egg. I saw two
young cuckoos in the nest this year, one I took home
and fed it on gooseberry caterpillars, but all the cater-
pillars I could get were soon exhausted, it had such
a wonderful appetite. I then gave it the flesh of
small birds, which it took with great relish, and
though it was quite tame and healthy, it was discon-
tented with confinement, and after keeping it a few
weeks I gave it its liberty. — W. Sim.

The Cuckoo. — Once more I intrude a few obser-
vations, and I would direct attention to that qitcvstio
vexata, the Cuckoo. Probably no member of the
vertebrate kingdom has provoked more discussion
than this bird. The recent numbers of the Science-
Gossip have furnished the lovers of nature with
many interesting details relating to this truly won-
derful bird ; old authorities have been searched ; old
theories brought out in a new form ; and some of the
most ingenious of Science - Gossip contributors
have ventured to launch forth original remarks
founded upon facts or surmisal. One of your con-
tributors in the last number quotes a remarkable
passage from Bishop Stanley's " History of Birds,"
which, if wholly reliable, tends to intensify the
mystery in which the habits of this bird are in-
volved. Bishop Stanley, I may mention, also relates
an instance in which a young cuckoo was adopted
by a young thrush, and the protege, with the base
spirit of ingratitude, took one of the thrush's eyes
out, because it could not resist the temptation of
swallowing a fine plump worm, which the cuckoo
had expected to receive. The sporting naturalist
Vaillant, after having shot several golden cuckoos
(Cticiilus auratus) with eggs of their species in their
gullets, came to the conclusion "that the female

cuckoo deposits her egg in the nest of another bird,
conveying it thither in her beak." The persistent
mobbing of the cuckoo by smaller birds, which one
sometimes sees, is due, either to its accipitrine-like
contour, or to a knowledge of its habits and propen-
sities. A bird which was a source of error to the
older naturalists, from Aristotle to Pliny, has still
many points in its biography which are controver-
tible. If we admit that it possesses the power of dis-
cerning the different colours, when it places its eggs
in the nest of a bird whose eggs correspond to its
own ; or, that it has some regard to number when
it cautiously and with great foresight, places its egg
in a nest where the laying is not completed, so as
to secure the incubation of its egg; also, when it
breaks one of the eggs in the nest, after introducing
its own, so as to make the number the same as
before ; or that it possesses prudence, when it only
puts one egg in each nest, thus providing effectually
for the welfare of its offspring, the foster-parents
not being able to meet a greater demand upon their
resources — by subscribing unconditionally to all these
facts, we must admit that the cuckoo has perfect
reasoning powers, and, consequently, real intelli-
gence. In short, this bird is a great example of the
endless variety of ways and means which nature
adopts for the perpetuity of species ; every prepara-
tion is made, and all possible contingencies provided
for. — F. L. C. Richardson.

Albinism in Birds. — In addition to the list
"A. P." gives of the birds that have been found
white or ivoiy-coloured, I may mention the follow-
ing : — Kestrel {Falco Tinnimcidus) ; green wood-
pecker [Picits viridis) ; redwing ( Tiirdus iliacns) ;
fieldfare { Titrdtts pilaris) ; curlew {Nmnenitis ar-
qiiata) ; landrail (Gallimila crex) ; snipe (Scolopax
g'allinago) ; wood-pigeon {Columba paliimbns) ;
missel-thrush ( Turdiis viscivorus) ; wren (Sylvia
trochihis) ; house-martin {Hirundo nrbica) ; crow
{Co!~ziHS corone) ; partridge [Perdix cinered) ; pheasant
(Phasiajius colchicus), andwoodlark {Alauda arbor ea).
Two or three of the above I have in my possession,
and the others have been proved from various reliable
sources. — C. D. Wolstenholvie.

The Wryneck. — I once kept a young wryneck
for some time, and always fed it on house-flies. It
did not generally eat the legs and wings, but preferred
the fleshy parts of the insects. It ate very voraciously.
I may add that it was anything but shy, and would
eat from any one's hand. — A. H.

Woollen Moths. — I am much pleased to see
that the subject of destroying woollen moths has
given rise to so much discussion in Science-Gossip.
I agree with Mr. J. S. Wesley to a certain extent, but
I must say I think the most eft'ectual way of destroying
the larva that is in the woollen material is to tie
them in a bundle, and bake the material for a short
time, thereby destroying all life eggs, &c., then well
brush, and place them in the drawer if you like. —
]Villia?n Bean.

Communications Received up to 8th ult. from : —
G. H. K.— T. S.— W. B.— G. S.— A. R. G.— E. S. L.— R. M. M.
— W. E. G.— F. S.— A. B.— T. S. W.— S. C. A.— Dr. H. P.—
L. H. H.-W. G. P.— A. M.— F. J. G.— D. A.— O. P. C—
J. B.-J. W. M.— J. W. S — F. C— R. M. C— Mrs. G.—
J. J. M.— W. T. V. D.— Dr. G.-R. G.— J. W. G.-W. G. P.
-C. W.-F. C.-H. A.-E. T. S.— M.-B.-A. C. S.-T. B.
-W. L. S.— H. F. W.— E. D. M.— Dr. J. A.- H. N. R.—
W. S.-A. S. G.— W. B.-D. B.-J. B.-C. D.-F. C.-W. S.
—J. P.— J. B. jun.— J. W.— V. M. A.— G. P.-C. A. G.—
A. M.-T. D. R.-A. J. R. S.-W. H. W.-Dr. J. H.-
T. C. M.-L. P.-C. W. S.-H. L.-T. H. P.-Dr. P. Q. K.
_j. w. O.— T. C. R. G.— A. P.— J. L.— S. C. M.— H. M.^
&c., &c.

24

HA R D WICKE 'S S CIENCE - G O SSIF.

NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS.

To Subscribers.- — The compilation of the classified index
of the last twelve volumes of Science-Gossip has proved a
more difficult and painstaking task than we at first imagined.
It is now in a forward state of preparation, and we crave a
little grace from our numerous correspondents, who have
already applied for it.

To Correspondents and Exchangers. — As we now
publish Science-Gossip at least a week earlier than hereto-
fore, we cannot possibly insert in the following number any
communications which reach us later than the 8th of the
previous month.

A Subscriber. — You will find Jardine's " Naturalist's
Library " one of the best systematic works on Natural History
yet published, and all the more advantageous to the student in
that he can obtain any work bearing on his own particular study.

S. C. Adams. — Obtain Prof Harvey's three volumes of
" Phycologia Britannica." This has e.Kcellent coloured plates,
and gives the geographical distribution and varieties of the
chief species of sea-weed. Mr. W. H. Grattann's excellent and
cheap little book on British Sea-weeds will also help you.
These plants have a very extensive geographical distribution,
as all lowly-organized forms usually have.

F. J. Greenfield. — It is no uncommon thing for flowers to
change colour when plucked. Many do so after pollination ;
those of the hawthorn, to wit, whose petals usually assume a
pinkish tinge when fading. The cause is due to a chemical
change in the colouring matter of the cells of the petals.

S. C. M.— The pods are those of Iris fcctidissima, with the
capsules open, showing the bright red seeds within.

John Roper. — The fossils are : i. Ammonites lautus; and
2. a coral ( Trochocyathus^.

Miss R. R.— Dr. Lankester's " Half-hours with the Micro-
scope," especially the new edition, which is considerably en-
larged, would answer your purpose fully.

T. O. (Sale). — The plants are: i. Drosera roticndifolia ;
2. Finguicula vulgaris ; 3. Habenaria viridis ; and 4.
Narthcciwn ossifragtnn.

J. Battersby.— Prof. Nicholson's "Advanced Text-Book
of Zoology," price 6s., published by Blackwood & Sons, is the
best you could get.

R. Greenwood. — The mineral was iron, not copper, pyrites
(iron sulphite). It may be told from copper by its superior
hardness. A knife will scratch copper pyrites, but will not
touch iron pyrites.

J. J. (Burton.) — Get Cooke's " Microscopic Fungi," pub-
lished by Hardwicke & Bogue, 192, Piccadilly.

R. M. Christy. — We are sorry to say that, owing to the
loose way in which it had been packed, your slug came to us
amid a mass of hardened silvery slime, representing a fossil
stocking-needle. Next time send one inclosed in oil-silk, to
protect it from the air.

J. J. M.— The "jelly" was a species of Nostoc, showing the
bead-like connection of cells.

E. Grove. — The depredators are either mole-crickets or the
large species of ear-wig.

A. R. C— The only book we know is Page's " Handbook of
Geology and Physical Geography," published by Blackwood
& Sons.

Miss T.— Mrs. Lankester's " British Wild Flowers worth
Notice " has coloured plates of the commoner species, and it is
the cheapest we know of.

W. Thompson. — You will find all the monstrosities relating
to the different parts and organs of plants fully treated of in
Dr. Master's " Vegetable Teratology," published by the Ray
Society, at, we believe, one guinea.

Acolyte.— Consult Baily's "Characteristic British Fossils,"
for the Primary rocks ; and Prof. Nicholson's " Manual of
Palaeontology" for the rest.

Thos. Palmer. —Your shells are : i. Nasoa reticulata ;
2. Dentalium entale ; 3. Cyprea Eiiropo'a ; and 4. Tellina
Bait hie a.

W. Hambrough.-— The leaves of the water-cress sent us are
not unusually found in the state you observed, especially when
the growth of the plant has been unusually rapid.

EXCHANGES.

Plants from United States of America and Canada, to
exchange for British plants ; English and other European
Ferns particularly desired. Only well-preserved specimens
wanted and given in the exchange.— Lyman H. Hoysrad,
Pine Plains, Dutchess Co., New York, U.S.A.

First 6 vols, of Science-Gossip, bound in two, for micro
slides, &c., &c.— J. S. Harrison, 48, Lowgate, Hull.

A FEW specimens of Synapta and Chirodota violacca, or
other good micro material wanted in exchange for well- mounted
objects, &c.— W. L. S., 6, Dagnall Park Terrace, Selhurst, S.E.

For Seeds of Collomia (spiral fibres), .send stamped and
directed envelope to F. Coles, 248, King's-road, Chelsea, S.W.

Wanted, rubbing of IMonumental Brasses, for Seaweeds,
Ferns, or bound volumes of Science-Gossip.— F. Stanley, 6,
Clifton Gardens, Margate.

Wants to exchange Limtiea stagnalis, Unio tianidus,
Uttio pictonim, Anodonta cygnea, Anatina, or Helix arbus-
torjim, or any other common or rare shells from Yorkshire, for
any other as good from any county in England. — J. Whitenham,
Cross-lane Marsh, Huddersfield.

" Berkley's Cryptogamic Botany," quite new, uncut, cost
one guinea, offered in exchange for Gosse's "Anemones,"
" Devonshire Coast," "Tenby," "Marine Zoology," or other
good work on Natural History, or a Kelner Eye-piece, large
Bullseye Condenser, or other microscopic apparatus. — C. A.
Grimes, 8, Crafford-street, Dover.

For specimens of P/^Wrtr/rt cristata, Laoinedia genicnlata,
and Lepralia hyalina, send stamped envelope or object of
interest to T. Comlidge, 5, Norfolk-street, Brighton.

Nos. 24, 34, 40, 58, 67, 81, 100, 125, 133, 136, 146, 235, 276,
273, 282, 2S7, 305, 273, &c., 7th Edition London Cat., for other
flowers, plants, or mosses. Lists to W. E. Green, 24, Triangle,
Bristol.

Igneous Rocks wanted in quantity from known localities ;
liberal exchange in Shells, Fossils, Crustacea, Minerals, or
Microscopic Objects,— Thomas D. Russell, 48, Essex-street,
London, W.C.

Slide of Fossil Fibrous Wood (from Shropshire clay, iron-
stone), in exchange for other good slide or material. Un-
mounted Marine AlgiB wanted. — J. P., 63, Legh-street,
Warrington.

Portion of wing of Morpho, showing scales in situ, Opaque
Slide, Fijian Tapa Cloth, balsam mounted for polariscope, in
exchange for first-class Slides. — J. W. S., 7, Charlemont-
terrace, Cork.

Five hundred Slabs of Polished Madrepores ; will ex-
change for Gault Fossils, Silurian Corals and Fossils, one
good polished-slab for each Gault, or good Specimen of Trilo-
bite ; will exchange also for good Foreign Shells. Some few
British Shells also required.— A. J. R. Sclater, 9, Bank-street,
Teignmouth, Devonshire.

Artemesia campestris (hinn.) or OrobancJie caryopkyllncea
(Sm.), for Nos. 23, loi, 106, 156, 535, 536, 544, 545, 546, 674,

851, 913, 950, 971, 1,020, 1,089, IJI2I, 1,133, I>220, 1,247, 1.279,

1,312. 1.329. 1.343. 1,484. i,6i8, 1,622, 1,624, 1,632, 7th ed.
" Lon. Cat." — A. B., 107, High-street, Croydon.

I should be glad to hear of some one with whom to ex-
change,a few British Land and Fresh-water Shells. — Robt. M.
Christy, 20, Bootham, York.

HALF-an-ounce of Upper Peruvian Guano, containing an
abundance of Aulacodiscus scaber, with a number of other
good forms, A. Coinbesi, &c., &c., in exchange for the same of
Monterey Stone or Earth. Alss a number of duplicate Diatom
Slides in exchange.— Address, Mr. Powell, 327, Camden-rd., N.

Micro Material, consisting of Sections, Zoophytes, Leaves,
&c., in exchange for other objects. — H. Livesej', 6, Upper
Phillimore-gardens, Kensington, London, W.

Vol. I. of Cassell's "Popular Natural History," unbound,
for Pupae (living) of Atropos, &c. — C. Swatman, Mr. Feld-
wick's, London-road, Sevenoaks.

In exchange for other mounted Natural History Objects :
Proboscis of Blow-fly, Atnphipleura pellucida, Navictim.
rhomboides, Pleurosigma angulatmn, Pleurosigina fasciola,
Podura Scales. —Address, T. C. Maggs, Yeovil.

Fossils, from Somerset and Dorset Oolite, for Silurian from
Dudley and Ludlow. — J. Purdue Ridgeway, Plympton, Devon.

Lintncra glabra, Ancylus Jluviatilis (var. nlbida), A.
lacustris, Zonites radiatulus, nitidus, and excavatus. Helix
fusca. Helix caperata (var. alba), C. rugosa (var. dubia), &c.,
offered for good British Marine or Foreign Shells ; or would
exchange for British Land and Fresh-water Shells with collectors
in other countries. — Lister Pearce, Hebble-terrace, Bradford-
road, Huddersfield, Yorks.

BOOKS, &c., RECEIVED.

" The Geology of England and Wales." By H. B. Wood-
ward, F.G.S. London : Longmans & Co.

" Cross and Self-fertilization of Plants." By C. Darwin,
F.R.S. London: John Murray.

" The Smoker's Guide." London : Hardwicke & Bogue.

" Transactions of the Literary and Philosophical Society of
Liverpool." Vol. xxx.

"The Yorkshire Naturalist." December.

" The American Naturalist." November.

" Botanische Zeitung." November.

" Les Mondes," November.

" Land and Water." December.

" Monthly Microscopical Journal." December.

" British Journal of Photography."

HA RD Wl CKE 'S S CIENCE - G OS SI P.

THE MISTLETOE I ITS GROWTH, AGE, AND THE USAGES

CONNECTED WITH IT.

By EDWIN LEES, F.L.S., F.G.S.

HE elaborate paper on the
History of the Mistle-
toe that appeared in
Science - Gossip for
December last is not
quite exhaustive, and
requires supplementing
with a few further re-
marks. Thcauthorofthe
article rather strangely
says that the oldest
specimen of mistletoe that he has heard of was
no more than fifteen years old. Surely he must
be a young observer, or his own experience would
have extended far beyond this. Nearly forty years
ago I mentioned, in the Cheltenham "Looker-on,"
and afterwards in my " Botanical Looker-out in
England and Wales," that there was an oak growing
on the Ridgway in Eastnor Park, Herefordshire,
with a mass of mistletoe upon it ; and this tree, with
the mistletoe upon it — perhaps a little diminished by
the attacks of curious explorers — still exists, and if
the oak is allowed to stand, will continue to grow
there, I have no doubt, for many years to come.
Indeed, as far as my observation goes, the Mistletoe
veiy rarely dies upon the tree that sustains it, though
detrimental to the well-being of the tree, and so
justly called the " baleful mistletoe" by Shakspeare.
Having myself long ago gone into the history of
the Mistletoe, I have come to the conclusion that
the domestic use of it in England at Christmas time
is to be traced to the northern nations, who dedicated
it to Freya, the Scandinavian Venus ; and a great
deal of what has been stated about the Druids is
mythical. At all events, the Romans upset the
Druidical superstitions, and it is hardly probable that,
during their sway in Britain for about four hundred
years, the Mistletoe would be permitted to be
held in any honour. But the northern nations had
always regarded it in a superstitious light, and their
inroad and settlement in our island re-introduced the
No. 146.

use of the plant for irreverent or mirthful rites con-
nected with sexual intercourse ; and thus it ought
never to appear in sacerdotal ornamentation. The
Druids no doubt honoured the Mistletoe religiously,
*' with a sense of mystery and awe "; but in the present
day it is only regarded mirthfully, and in connection
with loving or sportive influences. The plant there-
fore, I do not think has been with us derived from
Druidical lore, and it is curious enough that in Wales,
where Druidic influence was longest felt, the Mistletoe
is almost unknown, and little regarded or sought after
by the Welsh -speaking people.

The Druids, it is asserted by various authors,
gathered the Mistletoe at the commencement of the
new year, but the Druidical new year did not cor-
respond with our Christmas time, but began in March,
for Toland, in his " History of the Druids," says
that the Druidical New Year's day was the loth of
March, " which was the day of seeking, cutting, and
consecrating the wonder-working all-heal." Accord-
ing to Pliny,' the virtue of the Mistletoe was to resist
all poisons, and make fruitful any that used it. This
latter idea seems to connect it with its present appro-
jiriation as a hall or kitchen guest, and unfits it for
sacred uses, though why it should be thought conducive
to fertility does not clearly appear, unless its numerous
white berries were considered indicative. Peter
Roberts, however, in his " Popular Cambrian Anti-
quities," has remarked, that "the blossoms fall off
within a few days of the summer solstice, and the
berries within a few days of the winter solstice. This,
then, rather than any medical virtues of the herb
itself, which are at least dubious, was probably the
true cause of its estimation." The same Welsh author
says the British Druids called the plant Gjvdd, meaning
the Herb, by way of pre-eminence, but that it was
commonly called Uchel-Wydd, or the high-growing
herb, by the Celtic population.

It was only the Mistletoe of the Oak that was
esteemed medicinally, and an observant friend of
mine has assured me that he knew an old oak that was

c

26

HARD WI CKE 'S S CIENCE - G OS SIP.

entirely stripped of its mistletoe by country people,
who considered it a remedy against fits. This may
accomit in some degree for the rarity of the Mistletoe
upon the Oak, or its loss from any tree where it was
once known to grow. Ray, indeed, mentions our
plant as a specific in epilepsy, as well as useful in
apoplexy and giddiness, and some years ago Sir
John Colbatch published a " Dissertation concerning
the Mistletoe, a most wonderful sj^ecifick Remedy for
the Cure of convulsive Distempers." This seems to
have been the last serious effort made in behalf of
the medical virtues of this mystic plant, but it failed
to keep it within the pale of the " Materia Medica" ;
for, as Sir James Smith rather sarcastically intimates
in his "English Flora," — "a plant of viscum
gathered from an oak is preferred by those who rely
on virtues, which, perhaps, never existed in any
mistletoe whatever."

The Mistletoe abounds far too much in the apple
orchards of Worcestershire and Herefordshire, but
passes over pear-trees, and long observation has only
given me two or three instances where pear-trees
had mistletoe upon them. The apple was known to
the Druids, and it has been suggested that the wily
priests furtively transplanted their mystic plant from
apple-trees, where it was sure to grow, to oaks,
where othenvise it would be unlikely to be found.
This is rendered not improbable by what Davies
says in his "Celtic Researches," that the apple-tree
was considered by the Druids the next sacred tree to
the oak, and that orchards of it were planted by them
in the vicinity of their groves of oak. This was cer-
tainly an astute plan for keeping up the growth of
the Mistletoe.

With regard to the propagation of the plant by
birds, I have no faith in the nasty Latin adage as to
its spreading from their deposited ordure. Black-
birds, thrushes, and fieldfares are fond of the mistle-
toe-berries, and when their bills get sticky from
eating them, they wipe their mandibles on the branches
of trees where they rest, and from the seeds there
left enveloped in slime young plants take their rise.
I have thus observed mistletoe bushes extending in
long lines across country where tall hawthorns rise
from hedges bounding the pastures ; for, next to
apple-trees, mistletoe is most plentiful upon the Haw-
thorn. Bat rather curiously, in modern times, the
parasite has shown a predilection for the black Italian
poplar, which has been much planted of late years ;
and wherever in the midland counties this poplar has
been planted, the Mistletoe is sure to appear upon
the trees in a short time. The Lime is also very often
obliged to support the plant, which disfigures its
symmetry, raising huge knots upon its branches; and
I have observed limes that must have nourished jjro-
tuberant bushes for thirty years or more. The MajDle,
the Ash, and the Willow have frequently mistletoe
bushes upon them ; but, common as the Elm is, that
tree almost entirely escapes an intrusion ; and, in-

deed, I never but once saw mistletoe upon an Elm.
On the Oak it is veiy imcommon in the i:)resent day,
and where apparent it is on trees of no very great
age, whatever their descent may be.

My friend Professor Buckman, who has written
economically upon orchards in his useful book on
" Farm Cultivation," asserts that while the Mistletoe
is hurtful to the tree in hastening its decay, yet in
apple-trees it has the effect of pressing on their
maturity and fruit-bearing earlier than would be the
case without the parasite, which ui'ges a quicker
g:-owth upon its foster-parent. The tenant of an
orchard would thus be benefited for a few years,
though premature decay would be the result.

Authors may differ as to the etymology of Mistle-
toe, but it appears to me that our common English
name has no very recondite origin. Alistion is an
obsolete old English word, used, however, as late as
in the writings of Boyle ; and this is defined in Dr.
Johnson's original folio edition of his Dictionary as
^^ the state of behig mingled.''^ Now this is truly the
condition of our plant, which is intermingled with the
foliage of other trees, and mixes up their juices with
its own ; and is indeed in rural places still simply
called the Mistle. If to this we add the old English
tod or toe, signifying bush, we have at once the deri-
vation, meaning the mingled bush, mixed up and
growing among foliage dissimilar to its own. Still,
in winter its stiff and leathery evergreen leaves and
dense bushy aspect give it a visible position on its
own account ; and thus the epithet of ^' frigore
viscum " given it by Virgil, is peculiarly applicable.
It is certainly remarkable that the hanging up of
mistletoe in houses for mirthful purposes and emble-
matical of Christmas should so long endure that the
Midland towns have their markets filled with it as
Christmas approaches, and loads of it find a ready
sale in the North of England, where the plant is a
rarity, if found at all.

SPORT IN THE NEW FOREST.

THE interesting paper which appeared in the
last volume, on the " Lepidoptera of the New
Forest," has induced me to think that a short
account of a visit there last summer might not prove
unacceptable to some of the readers of Science-
Gossir.

Although the list of entomological captures be but
meagre, yet this does not at all i-epresent the amount
of enjoyment to be derived from a holiday in this
locality, even by the most enthusiastic collector of
insects ; and although his collection may be in no
way enriched, yet delight in the beauty of the woods
should keep him from disappointment. The cha-
racter of the scenery of the New Forest is almost
unique among English woodlands, and its vast ex-
tent and the size of its timber render it quite so. In

HA RD WICKE 'S S CIENCE • G O SSIF.

27

the solitude of its deep oak woods, unaltered in many
places since the time of its planter, the various orders
of creation dwell and increase undisturbed by the
hand of man as in perhaps no other place in England.
And this the entomologist finds to be specially the
case with his chosen objects of study, as the numbers
of nets by day and lights by night which are to be
seen in its precincts abundantly testify.

To us dwellers in a northern county the New
Forest is always a " land of promise." The southern
entomologist may only care for its gi'eat rarities and
peculiarly local species ; but to those who inhabit a
locality where Rhamni is rarest of the rare ; where
the whole groups of " Fritillaries," " Hairstreaks,"
and "Skippers" are utterly unknoAvn ; where even
jtEgeria and Hyperaiithiis are not to be missed, —
where, in short, about seventeen species of the sixty-
five to seventy species of British Diurni only are
obtainable, the very commonest species of the Forest
are worth having, while its great rarities are prizes
more to be vaguely hoped for than definitely expected.

Thus we set out to visit the New Forest, bent quite
as much on eniiching our minds and eyes with the
fairest sylvan scenery of England, as our cabinets with
choice entomological captures.

It was a drizzling rain when we alighted from the
train at Lyndhurst Road Station, and the long,
straight road to the town looked anything but in-
viting. However, with knapsack on back and
folding-net in pocket, we sallied forth. The dreary
heaths and stunted fir plantations near the station do
not certainly impress one with the idea of the glorious
lichness and fertility of the South of England ; but
as one gets further on the trees get thicker and more
stately. After about a mile the rain ceased, and the
sun shone forth with transient gleam. Hardly had it
done so when a splendid Paphia rose from the fern,
and sailed off on easy wing ; then the nets came out ;
the hurried run forward, dexterous turn of the arm,
and quick drop, were the work of an instant, and
none but an entomologist could appreciate the delight
with which the captive struggling within the gauze
was regarded. Hardly had he been effectually boxed
when a Sibylla was started, and then a Sylvaniis;
and both run down, and then a T. Querctts, all new
insects to us, although by many to be regarded with
contempt. Then the brightness passed away, and
with it all the butterflies. So we continued on our
way till we arrived at Lyndhurst, with its long yellow
street, its curious church perched on a small hill, and
its large and comfortable "Crown." Lyndhurst,
however, we quickly discovered, was a much nicer
place to look at than to stay in ; in fact, the population
seemed far too large for the houses, and we should
advise any one who contemplated a visit to that
wood-encircled town to make sure beforehand of a
comfortable lodging. Although it may be quite true
that to the ordinary Britisher, the greater part of
whose life is passed in an artificial and monotonous

way, it is really enjoyable for a season to throw oft
all conventionalities, and take the varying chances of
travel with all the zest of novelty, yet excess destroys
the charm in this even more quickly than in most
other things. However, our choice of accommoda-
tion being limited — in fact, restricted to the only
empty apartments in the village, or to return by the
way we came — we accepted the former, and deter-
mined to live as much as possible out of doors, in
which we were fortunately pretty successful.

The next day rose in unclouded splendour ; so we
soon equipped ourselves with nets and boxes, and
took the road to the woods of Denny, which are con-
sidered as some of the best in the Forest for insects.
On the way, by the side of the oak plantations, a few
Sibylla were captured, as also Paphia, and a few
other things; then came a bare and bleak heath,
where Senielc and Algeria were abundant ; but both
moor and insects seemed as old friends ; so we con-
tinued, and after crossing a marshy hollow, came up
into a splendid piece of rank vegetation under the
shadow of the mighty oaks of Denny. Then the real
sport began. Adippe was numerous, Paphia more
so ; but Sibylla was nearly past, and all the specimens
we obtained were rubbed, and quite unfit for the
cabinet. Great tall thistles and other flowers grew
in uncultured profusion in this place, and on their
petalssat these great butterflies, "opening and shutting
splendid wings." Skippers buzzed backwards and
forwards ; in fact, the place was alive with insect
life of every kind. One was quite bewildered, fairly
brought to a standstill by cinbarras de riches ; the
killing-box would not act quickly enough, and nets
had an unaccountable propensity to catch in brambles ;
but this sport, though exciting, was tiring — up and
down hill, net in hand, hat gone, coat-tails flying
behind, with tin boxes clinking in the pockets thereof,
and at the same time attacked and bitten by the
hateful forest fly. After a short time at this we were
glad enough to sit down sub tegmine fagi, and pin
out our captures, and then up and at them again.
Proceeding a little further, a grand Polychloros was
netted, and just after a beautiful female Argiolus, and
then a male of the same species — Qiierats, Rhamni,
and Sinapis — added to the slain, while L. quadra
and Trapezina rewarded our beating among the
oaks ; and the same operation in the heather doomed
Myrtilli and a few others to the ammonia-box and
setting-board. The old entomologist would have
smiled at the rapture which gi-eeted the boxing of a
good specimen of these to him common things ; but
profusion or the contraiy are only relative qualities,
and the position might just be reversed in the case of
Opima or Zoiiaria. For Ms we hoped in vain,
although we were told that several had been taken
that year. Among our Paphia were many of the
dark variety of female ; but none were of veiy first-
rate quahty, as they had been on the wing too long ;
in fact, we discovered that the early part of July,

C 2

28

HARD WICKE 'S S CIENCE - G O SSIF.

instead of the end, would have been the better time
to visit the Forest ; but as it was we had got quite as
many as we could easily set, and returned home hot
and tired, but well contented with our day's sport.
In the evening we tried sugar ; but the clear coldness

Fig. 22. The Grayling {Sntynis Scmelc). Upper Side of INIalc

Fig. 23. Under Side of Male Grayling.

Fig. 24. Upper Side of Female Grayling.

Fig. 25. Uiider Side of B'emale Grayling.

of the night, and the undimmcd brightness of the
moon, jirevented our having any more aristocratic
visitors than one undaunted Pronuba, which seemed
to glare at us with mocking eye. So we departed,
our hojies of Proinissa and Spoiisa seriou.sly shaken.

The next day we devoted more to seeing the Forest
than to entomology, and took the road to Boldre-
wood. Here the Forest is appreciable in all its
grandeur ; the great thick oak woods crown the
eminences, and mighty beeches stand out in solitary
majesty into the sea of fern which swells in long
undulations deep into the hidden recesses of the
Forest. The beeches of Mark Ash are perhaps
some of the finest trees in the Forest ; their tall.

Fig. 26. Silver-washed Fritillary {Argynnis Pa/'/iia).
Upper Side of Male.

Fig. 27. Large Tortoiseshell JjuUe^v^y {Vanessa />olychlo>oi}.

Fig. 28. White Admiral (Z^////tv/;V« 6";7y'//<r). Upper Side.

smooth stems rise \x\) straight and branchless, like
pillars in a cathedral aisle, while the light coming
dim and green through the far-off roof of leaves gives
that sense of solemn beauty which is so impressive in
these silent depths of the woods. Where the sun
gleams through in an open glade, the bramble-
buslies are absolutely swarming with Paphia, Sibylla,
Rhainni, and ^-Egei-ia ; and in such places we se-
cured a few more Argiohis and J'alczina, and other

HARD WICKE 'S SCIENCE - G OSSIP.

29

things we wanted. After passing through Boldre-
wood Hall Park we emerged on a dreary moor, which
description of land seems to divide the Forest equally
with the actual trees. From Stoney Cross, the other
side this heath, the view is most extensive, stretching
far away in every direction over long sweeps of forest
and moorland ; in fact, this is the finest view of the
Forest as a whole in the district. Nor should the
visitor to this spot forget to turn aside to the stone of
Rufus, placed on the spot where tradition says the
Nemesis overtook the Red Kinc for the sins of his

Fig. 29. White Ad1nir.1I. Under .Side.

Fig. 30. The Ringlet I^Epinef>hele hypcranthiis]. Upper Side.

/

- 1* ^1

Fig. 31. The Ringlet (JEpinepJiele liypo-anthus). Lower Side.

father, and now enclosed in an iron case bearing
appropriate inscriptions on each side.

The way back to Lyndhurst led through Minstead ;
but it being late in the afternoon, no more sport
could be expected. Sugar that night was little better
than before ; three Fyrainidic and a few other com-
mon Noctua completed the list, and the last hope of
the red underwings vanished away. Alas ! the
golden days of sugaring for the Catocalidir, as Mr.
Anderson describes, seem to have departed for ever.
Indeed, sugar seemed quite to fail us for the whole
time we were out. The next day being very wet,
finished our campaign, and we left the Forest with
as much regret as our lodgings with delight, and

betook ourselves to a fresh locality, only envious of
those who lived near enough to the New Forest to
be able to make its glades a frequent resort. For
those who would really study the entomology of this
forest a short stay is nearly useless, as different
species come out at different periods all the year
round, and of course any systematic beating or
sweeping for larva? is impossible in a hurried holiday.
Yet he must be sadly lacking in perception of the
manifold riches of Nature, whether artist, entomo-
logist, ornithologist, botanist, or antiquary, who
cannot find some new objects of study or acquisition
even in the shortest stay in this vastest and grandest
of the forests of England. W. E. S.

AN EARLY SUMMER RAMBLE ON THE

EAST COAST OF KENT IN 1876.

By Dr. E. de Crespigxy.

THE aspect of the deserted quays and promenades
of a gay place of resort in early summer re-
minds one of the dreary desolation of a banqueting-
hall on the morning following a revel. The "high
jinks " for which the watering-places of Thanet are so
renowned " in the season" are not as yet. Boatmen
idle about the doors of the hotels which face the little
harbour ; shopkeepers eye you as you pass with sullen
listless looks, and there is hardly a lodging-house but
is garnished with a notice in the windows that the
apartments are to let. Not a soul upon the sands but
the shrimper trudging homewards "his weary way."
There is, however, no lack of life out at sea in the off-
ing ; steamers, with or without a sailing craft in tow,
pass up and down the Channel between " the Good-
wins " and the shore in scores, to and from all parts
of the world south of the Downs ; but the naturalist,
of whatever department of his subject a student, is
nowhere and at no time at a loss for amusement, and
a botanist visiting this part of the Kentish coast, even
in June, may count upon adding many an uncommon
plant to his herbarium.

The coast of Thanet fronting the Straits is remark-
able for its perpendicular chalk cliffs, which do not,
except at one or two points, exceed two hundred feet
in altitude. They extend from near Margate to a
little below Ramsgate. On these cliffs grow. Beta
maritinia, Cheiranthiis Chciri, Centhranthus ruber,
Diplotaxis tentiifoUa, Parictaria diffusa, Statice spathu-
lata (not in flower). The country above is open and
level, consisting of chalky corn-fields, almost treeless.
The few small copses en evidence are carefully walled
or fenced in : hedges there are none. Of constant
occurrence, both in 'the cultivated fields and by the
roadsides, is Lcpidium Draha, so abundant as to form
a characteristic production : it is known to the country
people as "Thomson's weed," and looked upon by
the farmers as a great pest, spreading everywhere
with much rapidity. Scandix pecten- Ve/ieris and

HARD WICKE 'S S CIENCE - G SSIP.

Veronica Biixbaitwii were common, and along the
margins of the cliffs, Potetium Sangiiisorba, both
Resedas, Sclerochloa rigida, and Smyrnium Olusatrum.

At Pegwell Bay, two miles below Ramsgate, the
chalk cliffs disappear, and a low-lying, somewhat
marshy-looking comitry succeeds, which extends in-
land and is watered by the Stour. In the distance
towards Deal the country is again hilly. Along the
bay runs a road vid Sandwich to this port. Left of it
is a narrow stretch of sand and gravel and grassy flats,
overflown by the sea at times ; right of the road are
marshy well-drained pastures, upon which feed count-
less herds of cattle and sheep innumerable. The
undermentioned plants grow here, in addition to others
of ordinary occurrence. Cliffs about Pegwell :—
FiT!iicidiii>i vidga)r, Smyi-niiiiii Ohtsairiivi. By the
shore : — Artemisia maritima, Ar?neria viaritima
(flowers in bud), Airaflexuosa, Beta maritima, Carex
arcnaria, C. divisa, CocJdeaiia officinalis, EiyngiiDii
maritimuui (not in flower), Mcdicago minima,
Phleum arenarinin, Psamma arennria (not in
flower), Plantago maritima, Trifoliiiiii scahriim,
Triglochin maritimiim. Ditches in the marshes : —
Apiimi graveolens, Hydrocharis morsiis-ranic (not in
flower), Mcnyanthes trifoliata, Phragmites conimnjiis
(not in flower).

At Sandwich, near the Custom-house, grows Poly-
pog07i monspclliensis, but it was too early in the season
to look for this with any prospect of success.

Ramsgate is much exposed to the north-east winds,
from which there is little protection ; Dover, on the
contrary, although on the same line of coast, lies
snugly sheltered from rude Boreas by chalk cliffs
rising to treble the height of those about Ramsgate.*

The town lies at the foot of these cliffs and in a
gorge extending westwards. A pebbly beach and
perpendicular cliffs washed by the sea at high
water, with here and there a small sandy bay,
characterize the coast : inland are chalky downs, hill
and dale, well cultivated for the most part, and
varied in manyj places by patches of wood. On
the cliffs and downs : — Anthyllis zndncraria, Arabis
hirsuta (by Biggles's Tower), Avena pubescens, Bras-
sica oleracea. Beta maritima, Cheiranthtis Chciri,
Cistus Helianthemiim, Carex glatica, Chlora pe?--
foliata, CHthmum maritimnni (not in flower),
Crambe maritima (below Abbot's Cliff), Carlina vul-
garis, Diplotaxis teniiifolia. Euphorbia Cyparissiiis
(slope near Biggles's Tower), Glaucium cornicidatuvi
(shore below Abbot's Cliff), Hippocnpis comosa,
Hippophae rhamnoides (below Abbot's Cliff), Iris fa-
tidissima (below Abbot's Cliff), Ka:leiia. cristata,
Ophrys aranifera (Abbot's Cliff and elsewhere, — fre-
quent), Orobanche major (below Abbot's Clift), Orchis

* Life enough here, in season or out of season ; what with
the coming and going of steamers, the marching and counter-
marching of troops, the military bands, the bustle and salute-
firings attendant on the arrival and departure of august person-
ages, there is always something or other going on ; but " high
jinks " there are none ; the place is, as a worthy tradesman of
our acquaintance informed us, "so awful respectable."

ustidata (slope north of the Castle), Rubia pcregrina
(below Abbot's Cliff, — not in flower), Silene mdans
(abundant ; and other common plants of the chalk for-
mation), Echinm, Limim catharticiim, Szc. By the
steam above river, Mentha sylvestris.

Towards Folkestone, at the base of the cliffs,
is some wild broken ground : here Cynoglossiim
officinale. Lithospernmvi officinale, Hippophae rham-
noides, Mentha rotiindifolia (by a pond), (ic. Fields
and waysides about : — Bnnium Jlexnosnm (near
Hougham), Scaiidix pecten-Venei-is, Lepidium Draba
(scarce), Lithospernuim arvense, Papaver Argemoiie
(pasture St. Radigund's Abbey), Carex pra:cox.
Copses in that direction : — Asperula odorata, Habe-
naria bifolia. Iris fa:tidissima , Listera ovata, Laviinm
galeobdolon, Milium effitsum, Neottia nidus-avis.
Orchis milita?-is, var./usca (plentiful). Orchis mascula,
macidata, Sedtctn Telephtim (not in flower). Hedges
in the lanes, &c. : — N'ephi-odiun Filix-mas, Scolopen-
drium vtdgare, Aspidiiim acideatum. St. Margaret's
Bay : — Brassica oleracea, Arabis hiisitta, Crithmum
maritimtan (not in flower), Glaucium corniculatum,
Ophrys aranifera (cliffs about), Silene nutans.

Within a mile or so of Folkestone the high chalk
hills by the sea-coast bend to the right, and are con-
tinued westwards. The low cliffs about the town
here are composed of blue clay : their elevation
does not exceed two hundred feet. On and above
these, Armeria maritima (in profusion), Carex arc-
naria (occasionally), Psamtna arcnaria (foot of the
cliffs), Sinapis nigra.

About Faversham the country is somewhat flat,
and a salt-water creek comes up to the town, where,
in addition to plants common to similar localities, we
dhsQywcA Alliicm oleraceunt, Armeria maritima, Obione
portulaeoides, Peucedanum officinale (plentiful, flowers
budding), Trifolium maritimum. Ditches in the flats
by the creek : — Hippuris vulgaris, Schlerochloa pro-
ciuidiens, &c.*

A GOSSIP ABOUT NEW BOOKS.

IT is only within the last twenty years that it has
been found jDossible to construct a philosophy of
natural history. The views of Mr. Darwin and his
school have undoubtedly laid the foundations, and its
practical use is seen in the suggestive way in which
new lines of research are being opened out. The
natural sciences are in such a state that almost every
month fresh light is thrown on old relationships by

* Spartina sfricta grows about the mouth of the creek, but
some distance from the town. The archsologist will find, both
at Dover and in the neighbourhood, several interesting archi-
tectural remains in a good state of preservation ; no part of the
country is more prolific in this respect. The church tower of
St. Mary the Virgin, Sa,\on ; the church of St. Margaret, one
of the finest specimens of the early Norman style e.xtant ; those
at Barfreston and Patri.x bourne, well worth a visit, both of them,
for their singular and beautiful perches ; with many others ; to
say nothing of Canterbury Cathedral, a medley of ancient
styles in itself On an old wall near St. Martin's Church,
grows Fcstiica psciido-myurus.

HARD WICKE 'S S CIENCE - G O SSI P.

31

some thoughtful paper ; or new methods of viewhig
structures hitherto not understood, or misunderstood,
are developed. Biology is fast becoming a demon-
strable science, to which all others are auxiliary.

The new book by Mr. Charles Darwin (" Cross-
and Self-Fertilization of Plants." London : John
Murray) will be hailed with welcome by all true
naturalists, whether they assent to his developmental
views or not. The relationships between the colour,
shapes, and perfumes of flowers, and the visits of
insects, have delighted modern botanists with the
clear light they have thro^^'n on structures that before
were regarded as more or less arbitraiy. Sir John
Lubbock's little book has put all amateur botanists
in possession of tlae outlines of the facts, and now
Mr. Darwin's new book stamps the theory with all
the emphasis of varied proof. Tlie present work has
a value not even second to that encyclopsedia of
Darwinism, ' ' The Variation of Animals and Plants
under Domestication." It literally bristles with
personal experiments, and tlie reader finds himself
arriving at certain inevitable conclusions long before
the author himself draws them. Moreover, the
conclusions have a practical bearing, alike to the
horticulturist and the breeder of stock, which such
individuals would do well to accept. We have re-
garded the brilliant speculations as to the direct
connection between colour, perfume, and often shape
in flowers, and the cross-fertilization induced by
insect visitations, as one of the most notable scientific
promulgations of the last five or six years. But here
we find that Mr. Darwin has been quietly experi-
menting upon the theoiy for deven years, with a view
to proving it ! And the present book gives a detailed
account of every experiment, both in self- and cross-
fertilization of well-known British and exotic plants.
We hardly know which most to wonder at — the
patient and never-tiring industry, the minute accuracy
and conscientious truthfulness of the experiments, or
the important and brilliant conclusions which are to
be drawn from them ! No fewer than 1,101 crossed
plants and 1,076 self-fertilized plants have been ex-
perimented upon by Mr. Darwin. These belong to
fifty-seven species, selected from fifty-two genera and
thirty great natural families. The conclusion drawn
is that an extraordinary advantage in height, weight,
and fertility is derived by plants from crossing, and
that in every instance this gives them an advantage
over self-fertilized flowers. It is very certain that
these experiments have considerably enlarged our
certain knowledge of the raison iVetrc of the chief
attractions of flowers ; and at the same time, by
showing how almost every winged insect is actively
engaged in the all-important work of floral crossing,
we are led to see more clearly than ever the intimate
union between, and the absolute necessity for the
existence of, widely-separated groups of organic
objects.

" The Geology of England and Wales," by H. B.

Woodward, F.G.S. (London: Longmans & Co.),
has obtained deserved and noticeable commendation
from the leading, scientific journals. A more carefully
compiled work does not exist in our language. The
student feels instinctively that Mr. Woodward is a
field geologist, and is narrating the conclusions to
which he and his confreres have arrived. Our
geological literature owes a large debt of gratitude to
the officers of the Geological Sui-vey of Great Britain.
They are to the front in every department of the
"stony science," and their work is nearly always
marked by a conscientious care that other writers
would do well to imitate. Mr. Woodward is well
known as an active member of this useful corps, and
one who has done good work by his contributions to
special geological literature. The present book is
more geological and stratigraphical than palceontologi-
cal ; and indeed, to a large extent, it takes the place
in modern times that the work, bearing the same
title, by Messrs. Conybeare and Phillips, did to the
geologists of fifty years ago. The maps and sections
are most excellent ; indeed, the woodcuts of the
latter call for special commendation on account of
their marvellous truthfulness. We are enabled, by
the kindness of the publishers, to lay several of them
before our readers, who will at once see how well
woodcuts can represent actual geological features.
The author commences with the Laurentian forma-
tion, and gradually works on to the latest of the
Tertiary series, describing the chief sections, the
characteristic fossils of the beds, the physical features
produced by the various rocks, and the writings and
opinions of local and other geologists who have made
them their special study. In this way every British
formation is exhaustively described, whilst the magni-
tude of the work forbids both tautology and obscurity
of expression. So clearly is even every subdivision
of each geological formation described, that the work
is a chart, as well as a manual. The concluding
chapters on " Denudation and Scenery " are well and
clearly written, and there is a copious glossary of
geological and other terms. There is a reproduced
article on "Darwinism," which perhaps Mr. Wood-
ward would have done well to have left out, as,
although it is ably written, it seems to us out of place
with the general character of the work. With this
hardly-to-be-mentioned exception, we have nothing
but words of the highest commendation to say of a
book which we feel certain will take an important
place in all geological libraries.

Unquestionably there are few men who either have
better opportunities or can contribute more accurate
information concerning the habits of wild creatures
than sportsmen. Unfortunately for science, such
gentlemen usually treat us, when they do write
books, to nothing beyond enthusiastic descriptions of
hairbreadth escapes and adventures, or of successful
"dodges" in overcoming their prey. In "The
Large and Small Game of Bengal and the North-

32

HARD WICKE 'S S CIENCE - G OS SI P.

Fig. 32. Sectionof Chalk-pit at Whitlingham, near Norwich, showing Chalk overlaid with
Crag and Lower Drift. (From Woodward's " Geology of England and Wales.")

Fig. 33. Section at .Snowdown, Chard, showing Upper Greensand, Lower Chalk, and Chloritic Marl.

Fig. 34. Cutting near Uphill (Bristol and E.xeter Railway), .showing the Lias faulted
against Carboniferous Limestone.

Western Provinces of
India " (London : H. S.
King & Co.), Captain
Baldwin, F.Z.S., shows
how it is possible to com-
bine the ardour of tlie
sportsman with that of
a naturalist. This book
is written in that fresh
and lively style -which
usually marks w'orks of
the class. The author
^^•as long quartered in
one of the best game
districts of the Bengal
Presidency, such as the
Central Provinces, Oude,
Assam, and Central
India, where both large
and small game are
abundant ; and, as he
kept accurate notes of
his experience and obser-
vations, and now gives
them in the work before
us, our readers will under-
stand that it is really a
most valuable contribu-
tion to the literature of
natural history. The
author also tells us that
on five different occasions
he made extensive sport-
ing expeditions into the
interior of the Himalayas,
and twice visited parts of
the most unfrequented
and least-known quarters
of that little-known range
of mountains. On one
occasion he made his way
along the snow passes
into Thibet. The reader
gets the benefit of this
varied geographical,

sporting, and zoological
experience in a narrative
which most happily com-
bines all three. We have
no doubt whatever that
the author's hope that
some young hunter about
to start for the East will
find some useful hints
from his experiences,
will be abundantly real-
ized. The chapters on
"Tigers" and "Tiger-
hunting " are, as we

HARD WICKE 'S S CIENCE - G O SSIP.

might expect, the longest and fullest of any ; but
Captain Baldwin was a noted Nimrod, and here
narrates to us all that it is possible to say on this
subject. Among other animals whose habits he ob-
served minutely in his sporting adventures, are the
panther, the leopard, the snow leopard, the red lynx,
the cheetah, Indian black bear, Himalayan black
bear, hya;na, Indian wolf, wild dog, wild buffalo,
Indian elephant, rhinoceros, wild boar, and the nu-
merous kinds of Indian deer and antelopes. The
game birds of the regions visited by the author are
more numerous than in any other part of the world,
— the pheasants and partridges notably so. Captain
Baldwin devotes many chapters to the most interest-
ing of these birds, including the pea-fowl, jungle-
fowl, spur-fowl, the various species of pheasants and
partridges, the quails, sand-grouse, bustards, plovers,
cranes, woodcock, wild geese and ducks; &c. Each
species is prefaced with a technical zoological descrip-
tion ; there is quite as much science as sport in the
subject-matter of every chapter, and the text sparkles
with many a well-told anecdote and tale of adventure.
The sketches are by the author, and are for the most
part both artistic and vigorous, as will be seen by the
example here adduced. It is impossible for the

Fig. 35. Head of Striped Hyena.

naturalist not to derive both pleasure and profit from
Captain Baldwin's ably-written work.

Already two books based on the "Challenger"
Expedition have been given to the public, and yet
the authoritative description of the results from the
pen of the chief of the scientific staff has not ap-
peared. We have received ' ' Log Letters from the
Challenger,'''' by Lord G. Campbell (London :
Macmillan & Co.). It does not profess to be a scien-
tific description of the work of the voyage, but is
merely an historical account of the famous cruise.

As such the book is welcome, for there can be little
doubt that Sir Wyville Thomson will find quite
sufficient on his hands in the shape of scientific dis-
covery to leave this to other writers. That the pre-
sent volume is intended as a sort of pendant to
Prof. Thomson's eagerly-expected book, is evident
from its being published by the same firm. The
only chapter of a scientific nature in Lord George
Campbell's book is the last, in which we have some
notes chiefly on the various kinds of oceanic ooze.
This is illustrated by a coloured map, showing the
distribution of the areas, from Mr. Murray's paper
read before the Royal .Society. But the author comes
of too scientific a stock not to take a deep interest
in the actual work of the voyage, and so we find
frequent references to it in the vigorously and even
picturesquely written, but professedly unscientific
account of the cruise.

SCIENCE IN THE PROVINCES.

NO fact better illustrates the spread of natural
science than the increase in the number of
societies founded for the purpose of mutually studying
the various branches of natural history. A great
deal of real good work is thus effected ; and
although the larger number of every society con-
sists of members who are not active field naturalists,
yet those who are thus receive a sympathy and en-
couragement they would not have obtained a quarter
of a century ago. The natural history features
of each neighbourhood thus get a better chance
of being worked for the benefit of science generally,
whilst the " ornamental members " at least come into
contact with genial natures, flowery meadows, craggy
rocks, purling streams, and sunny blue skies, during
the ordinary summer rambles. The facilities for
publication of memoirs enable each society to issue
its " Transactions," and in most of these we find ex-
cellent papers, some of which would ornament the
annual volumes of the Metropolitan learned societies.
The North Staffordshire Naturalists' Field Club have
recently issued a handsome volume to their members,
containing addresses and papers, delivered or read
during the last three or four years. This plan is
better than that of publishing a thin, paper-covered
annual brochure, whose insignificance causes it soon
to be lost. Among the papers in the above volume
we have one by a well-known anthropologist. Dr. J.
B. Davies, F.R.S. (illustrated), " On the Interments
of Primitive Man." Mr. John Ward contributes a
short paper " On the Fossil Trees in a Hanley Marl-
pit," and a more important and lengthy communica-
tion (illustrated), "On the Organic Remains of the
Coal-measures of North Staffordshire." No man is
better able to speak on this subject than Mr. Ward,
whose knowledge of carboniferous fishes is well
known among palaeontologists. Mr. Molyneux has

34

HARD WICKE 'S S CIENCE - G SSI P.

an essay on " The Trentham Gravel -beds," which
are of Triassic age ; and Mr. J. D. Sainter one on
"The Geology of Mow Cop, Congleton Edge, and
the surrounding District." The veteran naturalist,
Mr. R. Garner, F.L. S., has some humorous and
suggestive " Lines on a Fossil Tree," as well as
other papers. In Zoology the Rev. Thomas W.
Daltry, F.L.S., besides contributing the "Introduc-
tion" to the volume, has a valuable paper " On the
Macro-Lepidoptera taken and observed in North
Wales by Members of the Club " ; and in Botany,
Mr. W. S. Brough has written a thoughtful essay
on "The Literature of Botany." Besides the aboye,
we have papers on local Archa;ology and general
questions' related to science. The Bedfordshire
Natural History Society and Field Club have issued '
their first volume of "Transactions." This society
originated through a discussion as to whether Acorits
calamus was indigenous to Britain. It was shown
by several local naturalists to be abundant on the
banks of the Ouse near Bedford, and this incident i
led those concerned in the inquiry to form themselves ;
into a club. Several well-known names hail from j
the Bedfordshire district, and we are glad to see
them in this volume. Thus, Mr. James Wyatt,
F.G.S., has two papers, one on the " Geology of
Sandy," and another on "Land and Freshwater
Shells found in Bedford Gravels." Mr. W. Hill-
house, F.L.S., has "A Contribution towards a New
Flora of Bedfordshire," and an essay on "The Bo-
tanical Divisions " of the same county. Mr. T.
Gwyn Elger, F.R.A.S., contributes a very capital
paper "On the Scope and Objects of Natural History
Societies." Besides the above, we have a paper, by
Mr. W. B. Graham, "On the Geology of Sharn-
brook," and others by Dr. Prior, Captain De Vismes,
Dr. Adams, Mr. Blower, &c. We heartily con-
gratulate the Bedfordshire society on the interesting
character of their first volume. The Cardiff Natu-
ralists' Field Club is one of the most successful in
point of numbers of any in the kingdom. Tire in-
defatigable honorary secretaries have managed to
interest most of the educated people of the neighbour-
hood in the club, and we are therefore not suiprised
to find so many summer excursions are arranged for.
In the winter months the society introduces to the
members some of the leading scientific men of the
day as lecturers in the several departments of science
in which they are known workers, A good deal of
general useful work is thus effected. In the "Pro-
ceedings " of the club recently issued, we find a
capitally-written account of the excursions. The
abstracts of numerous papers are well done, the most
important being those by Mr. Waldron, " On Roman
IMining in the Mendip Hills" (illustrated) ; by Mr.
R. Drane," On Four British Birds," — a capital sketch
of the Green Woodpecker, Cuckoo, Kingfisher, and
Quail. Mr. Cruttwell contributes an essay on "The
Age of Reptiles," and Dr. Taylor a most readable

one on "Animals living before Man." Mr. J. W.
Lukis, the well-knovm antiquary, was then President
of the club, and his lecture on " Some of the
Primitive Customs of Man " is exceedingly instruc-
tive, and refers as much as possible to local illustra-
tions. "Man and his Habitations" is the title of a
paper by Mr. James Milward. The various Meteoro-
logical " Reports," by Mr. Franklen G. Evans, are
scientifically valuable. The "Proceedings of the
Liverpool Field Naturalists' Club for 1875-6 " opens
with a most valuable address by the President, the
Rev. H. H. Higgins, "On the Names of Plants,"
and gives us brief but graphic n'siunc's of field ex-
cursions, &c. ' ' The Proceedings of the Belfast Natu-
ralists' Field Club " for the same year is also before us,
and, as usual, contains some excellent papers on
"Vegetable Parasites on the Human Body," by Dr.
J. M. Scott; "The Beginnings of Life," by W. J.
Browne, M.A. ; "Practical Hints to Collectors of
Lepidoptera," by Rev. J. Bristow, M.A. ; and a
capital account of dredging operations in Belfast
Bay and the adjacent waters. At Norwich we find
a useful and social "Science-Gossip Club," which
meets fortnightly in the winter for the reading and
discussion of papers. A Report of Proceedings
from June, 1875, to June, 1876, has just been pub-
lished by the Committee, and in it we find some good
abstracts of papers by Messrs. Squirrell, John Parker,
S. C. Sothern, M. Knights, T. E. Gunn, J. B.
Bridgeman, John Gunn, F.G.S., T. G. Bayfield,
F. Kitton, and others. The ground taken up is
perhaps broader than it is deep, but there can only
be one opinion as to the value of associations like
these.

A CHAPTER ON THE DUCKWEEDS

{Lemnacecr).

Bv J. T. Riches.

DURING the later summer months, there may be
seen upon the surface of almost every stag-
nant pool of water, minute, more or less spherical
plants, floating on the surface, and by close ex-
amination we find them to consist of a small leaf
(frond) budding out from the margin, and one or more
slender roots proceeding from the under part of the
frond; and it is extraordinary good fortune if we
chance to find them producing flowers, as one may
ask old or young botanists whether they ever saw
them in flower, and by far the greater number never
have. We need not say what these tiny floating
organisms are, as everybody knows a "duckweed"
when he sees it ; but everybody does not, in a
scientific sense, know what a duckweed really is, —
its structure and peculiarities. And there are many
young students of nature who can distinguish accurately
the different species of duckweeds, yet could not, if we

HA R D Wl CKE 'S S CIENCE -GOSS IP.

asked them, give their structural characteristics. It is
to such readers of SciENCE-GossiP that we think a
short account of them will be acceptable.

Of course, like all other known organized beings,
the Duckweeds are classified and form a distinct
family, viz. LemnacecB, the genus Lemna, of which
there arc four species found in Britain, being the type
of the natural order. Thus we will briefly enumerate
the general characteristics of the natural order
Lemnacea:. Plants consisting of solitary or clustered
green fronds, cellular, or with rudimentary trachea
developed, rootless, or witli one or more simple
slender roots pi'oceeding from the under parts of the
frond, usually tipped by a membranous . sheath ;
propagated by budding from marginal clefts in the
frond, and by autumnal hybernating bulbils ; very
rarely by seed. Flowers most minute, 1-3, contained
in a spathe or without a spathe ; floral row absent.
Stamens i or 2 ; anther 2 -celled, dehiscing cross-
wise ; pollen round, muricate or not ; ovary i -celled ;
ovules varying from I to 7, ortholropous, anatropous,
or semi-anatropous. Fruit bottle-shaped, not splitting,
or splitting transversely. Seeds i or more, with
fleshy albumen, or without albumen.

The Duckweeds are the smallest known flowering
plants : they are more or less in all climates, but
more especially in temperate regions. They are
rarer in the tropics, as the great heat dries up the
swamps, and the violent rains greatly agitate the
water. They are closely allied to the Aroids by the
genus Pistia, which approaches them in the form of in-
florescence, and the seed-structure of the genus Grantia
closely corresponds with that of Pistia, and the ovule
of Lcm7ia trisulca is very similar to the ovule of
Orontium. Some scientists give Arum maculatiim
the honour of being the progenitor of the Duckweeds ;
but let that be as it may, their affinity with the Aroids
cannot be doubted. Lindley united them with the
Pistias and established the natural order Pistiace?e ;
but undoubtedly, as classified by other botanists,
the Pistias form a good section of the Aroids, rather
than a distinct family.

The principal genera composing the family are,
Lemna,TeImatophace, Spirodela,Wolffia, and Grantia.
It would appear that Linneus established the genus
Lemna, and included under that category the four
species known in Britain. But later on Schleiden
established two other genera ; viz. Telmatophace, in
which he placed Z. gihha of Linneus, and Spirodela,
in which L. polyrhiza of Linneus was placed. Since
then, however, the two lattar genera have been made
subordinate to the geuus Lemna, which is certainly
desirable, as the characters upon which they are
founded are insufficient for generic rank.

Perhaps it will be well to glance at the characters
of Lemna proper ; also those of Telmatophace and
Spirodela of Schleiden.

I. Lemna proper. — Root single; ovule solitary,
semi-anatropous ; seed horizontal, with a copious

supply of albumen, — including Z. ;/««w, Linn., and
Z. trisulca, Linn.

2. Telmatophace (Schleiden). — Root single; ovules
varying from 2 to 7, anatropous ; seeds erect, with a
scanty supply of albumen, or none, — including Z.
gibba, Linn.

3. Spirodela (Schleiden). — Roots numerous ; ovules
2, erect, anatropous, — including Z. polyrhiza, Linn.

It will be easily seen that the above characters may
all be included in one genus, making the two latter
genera only sub-genera, as Dr. Hooker has already
done.

The characters as he gives them are, " Fronds with
one or more simple roots. Flowers in marginal clefts
of the fronds. Stamens 1-2. Anthers 2-celled ;
pollen muricate. Ovules i to 7." And we think the
four British species may be easily disposed of in that
way. Those four species we will now briefly describe.

1. Z. minor, L. (fig. 36). — Frond \-\ inch, ob-
ovate or oblong, slightly convex below, green above,
paler beneath. Young frond sessile upon the old,
soon disconnected. Spathe unequally 2. lipped.
Stamens 2. Style moderately long. Distribution
almost ubiquitous.

2. Z. trisulca, L. (fig. 39). — Frond \-\ inch, vary-
ing in shape, usually obovate-lanceolate ; tip serrate,
or very often entire, proliferous on one or both
sides ; young fronds hastate, placed crosswise to
the old. Distrib. Europe, Siberia.

3. Z. [^Telmatophace, Schleiden, fig. yi^S'^'^^i L. —
Frond \-\ inch, obovate, or nearly round, opaque,
pale green, large air-cells beneath ; young fronds
sessile. Stamens 2. Fruit bursting crosswise. Dis-
trib. throughout Europe, Siberia, North Africa ,
America.

4. Z. [Spirodela, Schleiden, fig. ap) polyrhiza, L. —
Frond \-\ inch, broadly obovate, sometimes nearly
round, dark green above, purple beneath ; tracheae
copious. Spathe 2-lipped. Stamens 2. According
to Dr. Hooker, the flower of this species is unknown
in Britain. Distrib. throughout Europe, Siberia,
North America, &c.

Besides the genus Lemna we have another genus
represented in Britain,— viz. Wolffia ; the characters
of which are — "Fronds very minute, rootless, pro-
liferous. Flowers bursting through the upper surface
of the frond, without a spathe. Anther sessile,
i-celled. Ovary globose; style short ; ovule i, erect,
orthotropous. Fruit indehiscent. Seed with scanty
fleshy albumen.

There is only one species of Wolffia known in Britain,
viz. IV. arrhiza, L., which is the smallest known
flowering plant ; the frond being only about ^V i"ch
long, and -^ inch broad, loosely cellular beneath.
This is found in ponds in Essex, Middlesex, Hants,
Surrey, &c. Fig. 38 represents the inflorescence of
Wolffia ; fig. 41 represents a section of another plant
belonging to Lemnacea; not known in Britain, dis-
tinguished from Wolffia by the presence of a root, a

?>(>

HA Jin WICKE 'S SCIENCE ■ G OSSIP.

filamentous stamen, and seed with a copious supply
of albumen.

Having then taken such a glance at the Duckweeds,
we might reasonably ask, ' ' What is their place in the

Fig. 36. Lcmiia iiiiiw, L. : a, entire plant ; /-, inflorescence ;
a', spathe ; b, pistil ; c c, stamens (mag.)-.

Fig. 37. L.gihha, L. : a, plant seen from above ;
b, side view.

Fig. 38. Wolffia: a, anther ; b, pistil ; c, young shoot.

Fig. 39. L. trisulca, L. (mag.).

Fig. 40. L. polyrhiza, L. (mag.).

economy of Nature ? " Several reasons have, and
might be, assigned for their existence, but no doubt
the most feasible one is, as has already been suggested,

to protect from the solar light those inferior organ-
isms of the animal kingdom which inhabit swamps,
and at the same time serve them for food. Whether

Fig. 41. Grantia jnicroscopica : section showing the
filamentous stamen, n, and pistil, b.

the latter is true or not, the function of protection
seems reasonable : for this end, vegetative reproduc-
tion would certainly be the best, being much quicker
than reproduction by sexual union.

MICROSCOPY.

VOLVOX GLOBATOR. — In the spring of last year I
found many of these beautiful organisms with very
little trouble, and am looking forward to the coming
season when I may once again see them. My hunting-
ground was confined to two small ponds by the side
of the road that leads from Higham Station [S. E. R.]
to the village of Shorne, near Gad's Hill, and thence
along the old Dover highway towards the other part
of Shorne and Gravesend. Now these ponds were
certainly not "clear pools on open commons," the
habitat usually assigned, nor were they, however,
polluted by man's refuse of any kind. In the dippings
I brought home, besides the VolvocinejK, I found
many of the small crustaceans (and these are sad de-
vourers of their vegetal companions) ; but no Rotifer.
In another specimen of water from the canal by the
side of the railway, I found numbers of rotifers
(chiefly Brachiornis aniphiceros) together with some
Volvoces. The date of this excursion was neither the
fortnight in June, spoken of by your correspondents,
but quite new to me, nor after, but was made during
the first week in May. Thus the active stage may be
found at least from May till July, and of course resting-
spores can be found (thougli with greater difficulty)
during the rest of the year. At the time stated I met
with many active and developing volvoces, but far
more abundant were the nearly allied Pandoriiiu:.
These, with their cask-shaped colony, their thirty-two
gonidia arranged in five parallel transverse bands, the
whole revolving on their long axis whilst they move
in its direction, are, I think, even more beautiful than
their less symmetrical, though spherical brethren. In
a pleasant garden - pond in Sussex, I found, last

HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

37

autumn, a few resting-spores of the Volvociiiecc, but
to which species they belonged I beheve it impossible
to decide, save by watching their development. I
have never seen the orange-coloured resting-spores—
the results of conjugation— which were described by
the recently deceased'Ehrenberg as distinct forms
under the names V. aitrcns and ]\ stdlatits. Each
has a thick double envelope and bright orange-
coloured central mass, the latter being covered with
spines. I found I could demonstrate the cilia by
oblique illumination almost as well as by iodine
staining. I should be very glad to learn from some
of your correspondents how best to preserve Volvo-
cinea. "A thing of beauty is a joy for ever," but the
joy in my case is confined to sweet memory. Calcic
chloride and glycerine very much alter the gonidia,
though the temporary action of these reagents renders
evident (or forms de novol) the double lines connect-
ing the gonidia. Though the multiple nature of
Volvox has been clearly proved, yet a correlation — a
sympathy — of even the proximate cause of which we
are entirely ignorant — a sympathy whose analogue we
see in all Nature — is observable in the identity of the
direction in which the pairs of cilia on the gonidia
move, no less than in the carrying out of the principle
of the division of labour, by which some of the gonidia
take on the sexual function, some producing sperma-
tozoa, others germ-cells, whilst the rest undergo no
change, but continue the nutritive process. — David
A. King.

Forms of Heliopelta.- — In looking over some
unprepared diatomaceous earth (Nottingham deposit)
I found a complete double frustule of Heliopelta, which
I singled out and proceeded to clean under a micros-
cope on a glass slide by itself. After a little manipu-
lation with a very small camel-hair brush, wetted, I
succeeded in splitting the frustule in the middle, and
saw with suri^rise what I had not remarked previously,
that the five sides had a different number of rays and
septa. One had four rays (Maltese cross) called in
the Micrographic Dictionary H. Leeiiwenhockii, and
the other with five rays and septa. Have any of your
readers come across a similar abnormal (?) form ? In
the Micro. Diet. I see there is a query about the fnis-
tule being single. The form I found was undoubtedly
a double frustule. I find that authorities differ as
regards the names of the various Heliopelta ; some say
that H. Metii has four rays and septa, whereas the
Micro. Diet, terms it //. Leeiiwenhockii. Which is
correct? — G. M. Gowan.

Fluid Cavities in Crystals. — At a recent
meeting of the Chemical Society, Prof. W. N. Hartley
made a communication entitled "A Further Study of
Fluid Cavities," in which he described the results of
his examination of a large number of topaz and of
rock sections, mostly granites and porphyries. The
fluid contained in the cavities was almost invariably
water, but it was very remarkable that the cavities

often took the form of the crystals in which they were
contained, and nearly always arranged themselves
symmetrically with regard to the faces of the crystal.

Diatoms, &c. — I have some beautiful gatherings
of Diatomacece in situ, on marine algK, &c., and
shall be happy to correspond with persons interested
in their study. I find a very good way for preserving
them is, to dry the algre on the slide, and, when
ready for balsam, to drop on some pure benzole first,
which will remove the endochrome from the valves,
and replace the air they contain. This discoloured
benzole can be soaked out by blotting-paper, and the
balsam laid on as usual. I find the best medium is
balsam diluted with benzole, which can be applied
without heat, as air-bubbles give very little annoyance
with this medium, Walter White, of Litcham, sells
tubes of "damar" which can be used in the same
way with very satisfactoiy results ; and in many cases
there is nothing gives such satisfaction, and certainly
I know nothing so easily worked, and have algas,
now in it for four years, as perfect and beautiful as
the first day. There is not the least change, and
their natural colour is as bright and lovely as when
in their native element. I also find "damar" a
capital medium for mounting scale-mosses, &c. — T.
3IeGan7i, Burren, Ireland.

How to filter Water to obtain Minute
Organisms. — Dr. A. Meade Edwards writes as
follows to the Ar/ierican yournal of LTicroscopy : —
"I can tell you of two good ways of accomplishing the
above object ; both of which have their applications
under special circumstances, and both of which I have
used for several years with great satisfaction. First,
a modification of the conical muslin bag. Have a
conical muslin bag, but leave the point open, and place
therein a one-ounce wide-mouthed phial, which fasten
by means of string tied around its neck, or, better
still, with a rubber ring. Now pour your water into
it to any extent. The water will run through the
meshes of the muslin, and the minute organisms will
gradually collect in the phial below. When you have
enough, remove the phial, turn the bag inside out and
wash it thoroughly in clear water, replace the phial
by another, and you are ready for another haul.
Such a bag having a stick tied across its mouth, and
a large cork fixed to the phial, can be towed after a
boat or ship, and the ' wonders of the deep '
gathered in any quantity. My second device I have
commonly made use of in examining potable water ;
and I have the sediments so collected from several of
our large cities. Anon it is my intention to publish
something with regard to what I have therein. Take
a large glass jar of a half to one gallon capacity — a
large beaker or 'specie jar' will do, or even a pitcher
may be used on a pinch ; fill it with the water we
wish to ' concentrate ' at night, and let it stand.
Next morning carefully pour off all the water except
about a pint. Fill up again, and let it stand until

38

HA , RD WICKE 'S S CIENCE - G OSSIF.

night ; pour off again, and go on so for at least a
week. At the end of that time we shall generally
find we have a pint of pretty thick sediment without
the admixture of any fibres that might come from a
muslin strainer."

ZOOLOGY.

Marine Aquaria. • — I always read with great
interest the occasional contributions of your corre-
spondent "G. S." on the management of Marine
Aquaria ; but there is one point which she strongly
insists upon, respecting which I cannot entirely agree
with her ; I allude to change of water. That a system
of frequent and entire renewal of water is bad, I will
freely admit, causing as it does sudden changes of
temperature and density, which will often prove fatal
to delicate animals. But an occasional partial renewal
— say, to the extent of one-fourth or fifth of the bulk of
water, if carefully and judiciously made — I have found,
in an experience of nearly twenty years' successful
aquarium-keeping, to be productive of the best results.
I haveforyears been in thehabitofdravvingoff a portion
of the contents of my aquaria — say, once in three or four
months, and replacing with fresh sea-water previously
allowed to stand for twenty-four hours to settle, and
I see no reason to be dissatisfied with the practice.
On the contrary, I always find that for some days
afterwards the anemones open better, and the fish
and Crustacea are more lively and vigorous. That
this should be so seems to be consistent with reason
and the laws of nature. The animals we keep in
aquaria are mostly of shore-haunting species, and are
accustomed in a state of nature to the regular ebb and
flow of the tide twice in something over twenty-four
hours. This source of health and nutriment they are
entirely deprived of in confinement ; hence the de-
terioration which most of them gradually show in
even well-managed aquaria. It is indeed often a
matter of wonder to me that, considering the immense
change of the conditions of life which aquarium
animals experience in the transfer from the sea to our
tanks, we are able to keep them in as good health as
we do. Anything like a periodic tidal flow is, of
course, impracticable in any but large public aquaria,
and in small private tanks the trouble incurred is
generally an obstacle to a frequent exchange even from
a resene stock of water, however beneficial this might
be. It therefore seems to me a pity, for the sake of a
hard-and-fast rule, to debar our captives from the
evident enjoyment and increased vigour imparted by
an occasional supply of water fresh from their native
sea. — Edward Ilorsnailc, Dover.

Embryology of Fish. — Dr. Gunther, the well-
known ichthyologist, has recently discovered that the
young of the Sword-fishes and Chretodons differ in
structure very much from the adults. In the young
of Chretodon the front of the body is shielded with

large bony plates. In those of the Sword-fish the
scapular arch is prolonged into a horn at the lower
part, and the ventral fins are absent. No "sword"
is possessed by them, but the jaws are long, and are
both armed with teeth. As the Sword-fish grows,
the upper jaw gradually alters, and the "sword" is
formed.

"The Popular Science Review."— Tlie Janu-
ary number of this favourite review commences under
new editorship, Mr. W. S. Dallas, F.L.S., having
replaced Dr. H. Lawson in the editorial chair. The
present number is a capital one, and includes papers
by the Rev. W. S. Symonds, entitled, ' ' Among the
Volcanoes and Glaciers of Auvergne " ; another by
Professor F. W. Rudler, F.G.S., which will be
largely read, inasmuch as it exposes one of the
"dodges" practised at some watering-places, on
" Agates and Agate-working " ; an article (we pre-
sume by the Editor) on " Echinoderms " ; a paper
by Mr. E. G. Ravenstein on "The Arctic Expe-
dition," &c. The articles are well and abundantly
illustrated ; and besides them we have the usual
monthly summary of progress in the various sciences,
physical and natural, as well as cleverly-written and
telling reviews of new books.

Bathybius. — It will be remembered that the re-
searches of the naturalists on board the Challenger
threw great doubt on the reality of Bathybius as an
organism. Dr. Bessels, of the Polaris Expedition,
however, states that he discovered in Smith's Sound
a form exactly like Bathybius, only a simpler struc-
ture (?), to which he has given the name oi Proto-
bathybius.

Cribella rosea, Muller. — In a publication of
Cork Cuvierian Society, entitled "Contributions to-
wards a Fauna and Flora of the County of Cork, read
at the Meeting of the British Association held at
Cork in the Year 1843," Youghal is given as a
station for C. rosea. In 1868 I gathered specimens
of this echinodenn at Church Bay, outside Cork Har-
bour, at the low tide-mark, among the rock-jjools,
along with Uraster glaeialis, Linn. ; U. violacea.
Mull., and Palmipes membranaceus, Retz. In the
following year I saw several specimens lying on the
shore after a storm near the Old Head of Kinsale. —
H. J. Ryder.

The Insects of the Arctic Expedition. —
Mr. M'Lachlan has remarked, in the Entomologist'' s
Alonthly Magazine, on Captain P'ielden's collection of
the insects of the Arctic expedition. The greater
number of the insects were collected near Discovery
Bay in 81° 42' N. latitude ; some of the Lepidopte)-a
are even from 82'' 45'. The most interesting fact is the
occurrence of five or six species of butterflies within
a few hundred miles of the North Pole, especially
when taken into consideration with the fact that Ice-
land and the large islands of the Spitzbergen group,

HARD WICKE'S S CIENCE- G O SSI P.

39

although in lower latitudes, have apparently no
butterflies. In Lcpidoptcm Mr. M'Lachlan observetl
four examples (2 <?, 2 ? ) of the genus Calais, pos-
sibly two species (? Boothii and Hcda). Apparently
three species of Argynnis or MeULca (or both). A
Chrysophaiius apparantly identical with phlaas. In
the Noctuidic, only one individual— an Acronycta.
In the Gt'omdridic, one Amphidasis or Biston, and
several Cheimatobioid forms with apterous females.
Of the Cra/nliitc's, one Phyds, perhaps our ftcsca.
The Hymenoptcra are represented by a Bombics, and
one of the Ichncumonidic of considerable size. In
the Diptcra there is one large fly, probably belonging
to the Tachmidce, and perhaps parasitic on the larvae
of some of the Lipidoptcra. One specie of Tipiilidi£ ;
and a considerable number of Ciilicida:, and of what
looks like a Sinmliiim, which, however, do not ap-
pear to have .annoyed tlie membei's of the expedition
in these high latitudes. Mr. M'Lachlan saw no
Coleoptera, Hciiiipfera, no^c Ntiiroptcm ; but the bird-
lice are naturally well represented.

BOTANY.

Fertilization of Flowers. — The fact of bees
visiting tlae same species referred to by your corre-
spondent " Blanche," was, as Mr. Darwin points
out in his recent work ("Cross- and Self-fertiliza-
tion," &c., p. 415), observed by Aristotle, and Mr.
Darwin himself adds that •' ' bees are good botanists,
for they know that varieties may differ widely in the
colour of their flowers and yet belong to the same
species." Mr. Darwin and another great authority.
Dr. Hennann Midler, arrived at almost exactly the
same conclusion witli respect to the reason of this,
viz. , that the insects, by learning ' ' how to stand in
the best position on the flower, and how far and in
what direction to insert their proboscis, are thus
enabled to work quicker." (Darwin, op. cit., p. 419,
Miiller, " Bienen Zeitung," July, 1876, p. 182, ab-
stracted in "Nature," December 28th, 1876, p. 178.)
I have myself observed, however, several interesting
exceptions to the rule, bees flying to several distinct
species of similarly-coloured flowers, others only
settling on one species, but turning aside occasion-
ally at the siglit of a somewhat similar one ; and one
bee visiting a great variety of flowers of all hues and
kinds indiscriminately, whilst other bees of the same
species confined their attention to one species of
flower. — G. S. Boulgcr.

Celtic Names for the Mistletoe. — Welsh
has several names for the Mistletoe : — Uchelfar, high
branch (iichel and bar); iichdfa, high-placed {iichd
and Ilia); iichdlaivr, high-placed {iickd and llawr, a
floor). This last name occurs in the old Welsh
laws in a passage quoted by Pughe in his Dictionary,
"a branch of mistletoe sixty pence in its value."

Uchdwydd, the high shrub [uchd and gtvydd, a tree
or shrub); awyrbrcn, the air-tree (awyr, air, and
pren, a tree); gwysglys, perhaps compounded of
givisg, a dress, and //ys, a hall ; gzvyso only means a
stream or bias. Hoadlys, the joy of the hall (Jiocn,
gladness, and llys). Holliadi, all-healing {^holl, all,
and iach, healthy). This last is the name in the
Irish branch of Celtic, as the Erse, tiile-iccadh (from
tiilc, all), and the Gaelic nW-ioc (from nile, all, and
ioc, cure). The Breton name is huelvar, compounded
of kud, high, and bar, a branch. The French ^/«
has no connection with the Welsh gwydd ; Littre
and Brachet both follow Diez in deriving it from
viscus (compare Ital. visco, vischio ; Spanish, visco,
Neoprovengal, vise). Gii may represent y in French';
thus vagina becomes gatnc. I do not remember any
place in old Welsh poetry which refers to the Mistle-
toe ; it is not alluded to in Taliessin's cui'ious ' ' Bat-
tle of the Trees." The lines from Taliessin's "Chair,"
which your correspondent quotes from Davies, have
probably no reference to the Mistletoe. The Rev.

D. Silvan Evans translates " the tree of pure gold"
as "wood the purifier," i.e., prcn puraivr for prcn
piiraur. (See Skene's "Four Ancient Books of
Wales," vol. i. p. 535 ; ii. 153.) I may perhaps
mention that, in addition to the allusion in Virgil,
there is also a fragment of Sophocles's "Meleagar,"
where he speaks of "mistletoe-bearing oaks." —

E. B, Cowdl, Cambridge.

Field Notes on British Botany. — Hypcriacm
pidchrnin. —This species, which is not uncommon in
sunny spots, is easily recognzied from all our St.
John's Worts by its scarlet pollen, slender cylindrical
stems, and sessile cordate leaves. In aestivation
(when in bud) it may be at once known by the buds
being tipped with deep red. In some sheltered
nooks, where it appears a little earlier in flower,
the petals are found to be a bright orange-colour.
Hyperiaun AnglicnTU. — Is this species really distinct
from Hyperiaun Androstvmuin ? The only difference
in most specimens is that the styles ai-e much longer
than the stamens. Hyperiaun perforatum. — Have any
of our readers observed the petals of this pretty way-
side flower deeply notched at the sides ? Sometimes
they appear as if some child had been playfully
cutting out a small piece with a pair of scissors.
Geranium Robertianuin. — The cottagers on Delamere
Forest call this " Rubwort " and " Redweed." The
commonly-received English name of Robert may
have been a corruption of this perhaps older name of
"Rubwort." Papaver Khceas. — The petals are a
rich crimson, not, as is often described, scarlet.
When merely in flower, and before the development
of the capsule, it may be known from all its nearly
allied sister species by this character alone. Gera-
nium columbinum. — This ought certainly to be named
the Dove's-foot Cranesbill, if the specific name is
followed. It has blue fallen. Not having closely

40

HARD WICKE 'S S CIENCE - G O SSI P.

examined all the other species, I may, perhaps, not
be quite correct when I state it ought to be at once
known or recognized by the blue pollen-grains.
Geranium lucidum. — When I saw this plant growing
in large masses in the Vale of Llangollen I thought
it the most handsome of the whole genus. The
shining, often pink, leaves and stems are very con-
spicuous. When once seen, it can never again be
mistaken for any other cranesbill. Lime - trees
{Tiliaceir). — Most botanists agree in finding three
species of lime in the British islands — Tilia phrvi-
folia, T. grandifolia, and T. Europaa. Probably
there is much confusion respecting them, but from
my limited observations I do not believe any of them
are indigenous, excepting only T. parvifolia. Dr.
Bromfield looked upon T. Euyopcra as a native tree.
I never met with it anywhere, except where I knew
or was informed it was planted, generally as an orna-
mental tree. Formerly, by being misled with others,
I simply regarded or looked upon them as natives ;
but during the past three years I have closely studied,
and with a constantly growing conviction that T.
painjifolia is truly indigenous, the others are alien
and introduced. Iheris amara. — I find if the Candy-
tuft is grown in rich soil the flowers become double
by the sepals being transformed into petals, though
they are not like the ordinary petals, having a green
vein down the centre of each sepal. Cruciferous
plants are usually a dread to young botanists, but the
Iberis is at a glance detected by the lower petals
being at least twice as long as the upper ones*
Cochlcaria gnnilaudica. — I always find the petals
of this plant with a purplish tint. However, I do
not think this ought to be sufficient to make it into a
distinct species. In cultivation I cannot tell the
difference betwixt C. danica and this plant. — R.

VoLVOX GLOBATOR. — There seems to be a preva-
lent idea that this beautiful object is only to be found
during the summer months, and that at the approach
of winter it dies out in its ordinai-y form, to be pro-
duced from resting-spores in the following spring.
In opposition to this, I may state that during last
winter I could always obtain an abundant supply
from a pond in the open part of the forest near Wal-
thamstow, on several occasions having broken a con-
siderable thickness of ice and taken them from
beneath ; the ice in one instance being sufficiently
thick to support a number of skaters. — W. H.
Gilbtirl.

The Box. — Syme says of the Box : " Very rare.
Kent, Surrey, Bucks, and Gloucester are the only
counties of which there is any possibility of its being
a genuine native." Growing on dry, chalky hills,
may not the chalk downs of Sussex be included ? In
some places, as at Lavington, it woukl almost seem
to be indigenous, and flourishes luxuriantly. Can any
reader tell of other Sussex habitats in which it occurs
in abundance ? INIrs. Lankester has also the follow-

ing statement : ' ' The largest box-hedge is at Petworth
(Sussex). It is supposed to be more than two cen-
turies old, and is more than 12 feet at the bottom,
15 feet high, and 40 yards long." I should be very
glad of the authority for this and for a precise descrip-
tion of its locality at Petworth. — F. H. Ar7iold.

Discoloration of Cooked Meat. — The car-
mine spots and surfaces on the meat mentioned by
your correspondent "B." were no doubt due to the
thallophyte mentioned in Rev. M. J. Berkeley's " In-
troduction to Cryptogamic Botany" (p. 264), and in
the " Micrographic Dictionary" (second edition, sub
voce " Blood on Bread") as Jl/onas or Palmella pro-
digiosa, Cryptococats glutinis, or a form of Penicilliitm
rlaicciim or Oidiian. — G. S. Boiili;er.

GEOLOGY.

A NEW Fossil Crustacean. — At a recent meet-
i ng of the Geological Society, Mr. R. Etheridge,
jun., F.G.S., read a paper entitled, "On the Re-
mains of a large Crustacean, probably indicative of
a new species of Eurypierus, or allied genus
(Emyptcrus ? Stcvensoni) from the Lower Carboni-
ferous series (Cement-stone group) of Berwickshire."
The fragmentary crustacean remains described were
referred by the author to a large species of Eiiry-
ptertis. They are from a rather lower horizon in the
Lower Carboniferous than that from which Eiijy-
pteriis Scotderi, Hibbert, was obtained. The animal
was probably twice the size of E. Scoideri. The
remains consist of large scale-like markings and
marginal spines which once covered the surface and
bordered the head and the hinder edges of the body-
segments of a gigantic crustacean, agreeing in gene-
ral characters \\'ith the same parts in E. Scoideri,
but diff"ering in points of detail. For the species,
supposing it to be distinct, the author proposed the
name oi E. Stcvensoni. In the discussion which fol-
lowed the paper, Mr. H. Woodward remarked that
the remains of Eurypieri from the Carboniferous
rocks are so distinct from the Upper Silurian Eiiry-
ptcriol America, Shropshire, Lanarkshire, and Russia,
as probably to entitle them to be jDlaced in a distinct
genus ; and, indeed, at some future day, when more
remains are obtained, they may perhaps have to be
arranged among the Araclmida, along with many
curious fragments which have been called Arthro-
pleura, discovered in the Radstock coalfield, in the
Saarbriick coal-basin, and in the Manchester coal-
field. Eiiryptcris Scoiiloi occurs at Kirton with
Sphenopteris Hibberti, in a remarkable siliceous de-
posit, probably thrown down by an old tliermal
spring in the Carboniferous period.

A NEW Tertiary Mammal. — Prof. JNIarsli has
described another early Tertiary Mammal from the
Rocky jlountain deposits. It was of carnivorous

HARD WICKE 'S S CIENCE - G OS SI P.

41

habits, and about the size of a large wolf. In general
characters it resembles the Hytruodon, but had only
four incisor teeth, and seven lower n.olars, on each
side. The top of the skull is marked by a very
large sagittal crest. Prof. Marsh has called it
Dromocyon vorax.

Proceedings of the Geologists' Association.
— We have received No. 9 of the fourth volume of
this work, giving papers on the ' ' Geology of Lewis-
ham," by H. J. Johnson Laris, F.G.S. ; "On the
British Palteozoic Arcadcc," by J. Logan Lobley,
F.G.S. ; on "The Bagshot Sands of the Isle of
Sheppey," by Major F. Duncan, F.G.S.; and one
on " The Mill-Hill Cutting, Sheppey," by W. H.
Shrubsole. There are, also, four well-written de-
scriptions of excursions made by the members of the
association to various places of geological note.

"The Intrusive Character of the Whin
Sill of Northumberland." — This was the sub-
ject of an important paper recently read before the
Geological Society by W. Topley, F.G.S., and G.
A. Lebour, F.G.S. The authors stated that the
Carboniferous Limestone series of the North of
England contains a bed (or beds) of basalt, known as
the " Whin Sill," regarding the nature of which
opinion has long been divided. Some writers regard
it as truly interbedded and contemporaneous ; others
look upon it as intrusive, and as having been forced
laterally between the planes of bedding. The latter
opinion is that held by the authors, who stated that
through South and JNIid-Northumberland there can be
no doubt as to the intrusive character of the Whin
Sill. This conclusion can be established by the line
of outcrop of the trap, and also by the evidence of
individual sections. A review of the literature on the
subject was given by the authors, showing that the
opinions of geologists are very much divided as to the
nature of the Whin Sill. But amongst the practical
miners of the North of England there are very few
who will admit any doubt that the Whin lies evenly,
and at one constant horizon, amongst the strata.
Clear cases to the contrary are looked upon as merely
local variations, possibly due to successive eruptions
of submarine lava. The Whin Sill serves them as a
definite line, and the limestone next above it is always
called the " Tyne Bottom Limestone." The question
is thus of considerable economic importance. It is
also of interest in reference to the volcanic history of
Britain and to classification. Prof. Phillips took the
Whin Sill 'as the base of the Yoredale Series ; the
Gi'eat Limestone he regarded as its top. But the
work of the Geological Survey has shown that the
Whin Sill lies at different horizons in different places ;
sometimes it even lies above the Great Limestone
itself. In other words, the Whin Sill, zuhich is sup-
posed to mark the base of the Yoredale Series, some-
titnes lies above the limestone which forms the top of
that series. With the disappearance of the supposed

base-line of the Yoredales goes also any good reason
for drawing a line here at all. The so-called "Tyne
Bottom Limestone " cannot be traced definitely
through Northumberland, and the beds above and
below this horizon have the same general character.
The authors traced the Whin Sill through North-
umberland, as far north as Dunstanborough Castle,
showing the varying positions at which it occurs in
the Limestone series, and noting points of interest in
some of the sections. The Whin shifts its position
amongst the strata to the extent of 1,000 feet or more.
It frequently comes up in bosses through the bedded
rocks, and bakes the beds above it quite as much as
those below, especially when those beds consist of
shale. As to the age of the Whin Sill, nothing
definite can be said. It is frequently thrown by faults
and lodes. There is no certain case of its being
unaffected by faults which throw the neighbouring
rocks, although there are a few doubtful cases which
seem to point in this direction. As the Whin Sill
does not approach the Permian area of Durham, the
fact that some of the faults there are believed to be
pre-Permian cannot be applied as a test of age in this
case. In other districts in Britain in which intrusive
basaltic sheets occur amongst the Carboniferous rocks,
there is good reason to believe that in most cases they
are pre-Pennian, or at least pre-Triassic. Whether
or not this be the case with the Whin Sill cannot be
determined. No light is thrown on this question by
the composition of the rock. Mr. Allport has shown
that it resembles, in all essential characters, the
basalts of other Carboniferous districts, some of
which are possibly contemporaneous, some certainly
intrusive.

NOTES AND QUERIES,

Ants and Ant-eaters. — Having read the follow-
ing account in a book about ants and ant-eaters, I
thought it would interest the readers of SciENCE-
GossiP. A traveller in South America says : — " We
rode over hills used as pasture-ground, which were
literally dotted with the upright and fallen columns
that had been erected by the termites or white ants.
These curious edifices, and their still more curious
architects, have always had a great attraction for the
naturalist. The hillocks are conical in their shape,
but not with a broad base and tapering point as those
built by the termites of Africa. Exposure to the sun
has rendered them exceedingly hard, and doubtless
many that are seen in the uplands of St. Paulo and
Minas-Geraes are more than a century old ; for houses
whose walls have been built from the same earth are
still in existence which were built by early settlers in the
seventeenth century. Sometimes the termites' dwell-
ing is overturned by the slaves, the hollow scooped out
and made wider, and it is then used as a bake-oven
to parch Indian corn. In my ride over Soldade I
saw a number of very large vultures, who during the
rain had taken refuge in the houses that had been
vacated by the white ant. These insects do not, how-
ever, always dwell in columnar edifices of three and
six feet high . I have seen in some portions of Brazil

42

HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

the ground ploughed up to the extent of lOO feet in
circumference by one nest of white ants. Again, they
will climb trees, carrying building materials with
them, and erecting a small archway (resembling what
carpenters call an inch bead) over them for protec- ,
lion against their sworn enemy the black and brown
ant, and on the loftiest branches they will construct
their nest. My introduction to the cupim, or white
ant, was in the house of our former consul, ex-Go- j
vernor Kent. A box of books sent out by the
American Tract Society was placed in a lower room,
and the next morning it was announced to me that
the cupimjhad entered my property. I hastened to
the room, and, turning over the box, beheld a little
black hole at the bottom, and white, gelatinous-look-
ing ants pouring out as though very much disturbed ,
in^'their occupation. I opened the box, and found
that a colony of cupim had eaten through the pine- ;
wood, and then had pierced through ' Baxter's Call, [
'Doddridge's Rise and Progress,' until they had
reached the place where Bunyan's Pilgrim lay, when
they were rudely deranged in their literary pursuits, j
On another occasion, I saw a Brussels carpet, under ^
which cupim had insinuated themselves, and had
eaten out nearly all the canvas before the proprietor
made the sad discovery. The writer, at Campinas, j
witnessed the depredations of the white ants in the
taipa* houses. They insinuate themselves into the '
mud walls, and destroy the entire side of a house by j
perforations. Anon, they commence working in the |
soil, and extend their operations beneath the founda- ;
tions of houses, and undermine them. The people dig ':
large pits in various places, with the intent of exter-
minating tribes of ants which have been discovered on
their march of destruction. Mr. Southy states, on
the authority of Manoel Felix, that some of these in-
sects at one time devoured the cloth of the altar in
the convent of St. Antonio, at Maranham, and also
brought up into the church pieces of shrouds from the
graves beneath its floor ; whereupon the friars prose-
cuted them according to due form of ecclesiastical
law. What the sentence was in this case we are
unable to learn. The white and other ants have,
however, enemies far more tangible than bulls of ex-
communication in the Mynnecophaga, or the great
ant-eater, the Tamajidua, and the little ant-eater, of
which the last two have a prehensile tail. The great
ant-eater is a most curious animal, but well adapted
to the purposes for which it was designed by the
Creator. Its short legs and long claws (the latter
doubled up when in motion) do not hinder it_ from
ninningat a good pace ; and when the Indians wish to
catch it, they make a pattering noise upon the leaves
as if the rain were falling ; upon which the Myrme-
cophaga cocks his huge bushy tail over his body, and,
standing perfectly still, soon falls a prey. In the
northern part of Minas-Geraes, a naturalist once came
suddenly upon the great ant-eater, and, knowing the
harmless nature of its mouth, seized it by the long
snout, by which he tried to hold it, when it imme-
diately rose upon its hind legs, and clasping him
around the middle with its powerful forepaws, would
not release its hold till a pistol-ball was lodged in its
breast. When the great ant-eater sleeps, it lies on
one side, rolls itself up so that its snout rests on its
breast, places all its feet together, and covers itself
with its bushy tail. In this way it may be easily
taken for a heap of hay. The Indians of the Upper
Amazon poshively assert that the great ant-eater
sometimes kills the jaguar by tightly embracing the
latter, and thrusting its enonnous claws into the

Clay house.

jaguar's sides. The aborigines also declare that
these animals are all females, and believe that the
male is the ' curupira ' or demon of the forest. The
peculiar organization of this animal has probably led
to this error."— y. W. Mce.

Our American Cousin the Robin {Tardus
mi^mtorius). — The Englishman when he settles in
either Upper or Lower Canada, hearing his
neighbours speaking about the robin, is apt to
imagine that none other but the far-famed Robin
Redbreast of nursery folk-lore is referred to : he could
not, however, make a greater mistake, and sooner or
later, with much sorrow, he learns a far different bird
is called Robin by the backwoodsman than he knew
in his English home. Now for the reason : doubtless
the Pilgrim Fathers, when they went over the Atlantic
in the Mavflo-ocr, to form a settlement where they
could worship God with a freedom denied to them in
their native land, were short of one thing. _ A great
number of objects would crowd around their every-
day life of bustle and activity, to remind them of home,
because in many points similar ; but when winter came
on, with its snow and frost, to some extent compelling
them to a forced idleness for a time, they would then
think more of homely associations, especially in
walking abroad they would, methinks, long to see
the homely familiar birds, so welcome in the far-
off Fatherland. They would not have to search far
before finding the robin, a bird, too, so like in general
appearance the " redbreast" that it could not be long
without a name, and was at once hailed as the robin ;
■ but mark, dear reader, it was not called, after all,
I Robin Redbreast. As before stated, in many points
it is similar to our Redbreast, but it is much larger,
being about the size of the starling ; it has a chocolate-
coloured dress, tinged with bright red over the breast.
\ Its song does not resemble our robin in the slightest,
being much louder and more flute-like ; in one point,
as our brothers in the New World are very loud in its
' praises, it is not pugnacious. We have been honoured
i by having a little red-breasted companion every win-
I ter for several years as a constant visitor at our homely
' cottage in Cheshire, but we do not thank him, for
he will have no rival near : every sparrow dreads
his approach, and as all the family take a pleasure in
attending to the wants of a very large flock of feathered
friends in severe weather, we often feel grieved when
witnessing a contest betwixt the robin and some
other little bird. This is not the case with the American
robin— he becomes very familar and tame, and is
friendly with all the neighbouring songsters. Miss
: Cooper in her book, so full of interesting country
scenes and observations, often mentions the appear-
ance of the friendly robin ; in fact, this alone adds a
; thorough charm to the volume. A few years since
a communication was read before the Boston Natural-
ists' Society, by Prof. Tredwell, giving the results of
many carefully conducted experiments and observa-
tions, to show how many worms or other insects were
destroyed by the robin alone. He stated that on one
day, the fourteenth day after birth, it ate sixty-eight
earthworms, or 41 per cent, more than its own weight.
. The length of these worms if laid end to end would
i be about 14 feet, or ten times the length of the
intestines. Do we not owe much to the labours of
our feathered tribes, and does not Providence induce
us to protect, or rather cherish, such birds as the
homely red-breast, by throwing them a few crumbs
during wintry weather, thus preserving life, to keep up
the balance in nature ? — Apis.

Friendly Spiders.— " Spiders are unamiable,
quarrelsome, spiteful creatures, even to their own kin,''

HARD WICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

43

— such is the character these Arachnids bear, though
I do not beheve they always deserve it. Upon the
window of an out-house, last summer, I noticed there
were spread the webs of several spiders, two being in
close contiguity. A fly bounced into one of these two
webs, and his size gave the occupant trouble. Hearing
the buzzing (or feeling the vibration of the threads,
for it has been conjectured by several naturalists that
spiders are deaf), the spider in the adjacent web
entered and gave his aid, and the two spiders sucked
the juices of the fly very amicably. I have seen, how-
ever, as I must confess, under other circumstances,
when one spider has approached another's prey, that
the owner has either fled or " rushed to the charge "
and fought, or frightened away the intruder. —
J. R. S. C.

Early History of the Domestic Cat. — It
is certainly a singular circumstance that an animal
so noticeable where it occurs as is the domestic cat
is not named in the Bible, nor even indii'ectly referred
to. And yet the Jews, one would suppose, kept cats
at an early period of their separate existence as a
nation ; at their exodus from Egypt the people must
have known well an animal to which their oppressors
were partial, living and dead. Some have conjectured,
liowever, that their Egyptian memories of the cat led
the Jews to regard this quadruped with superstitious
dislike. A recent correspondent of the Academy
maintains that the ancient Greeks had cats, though
the contraiy has been formerly argued, and it would
appear by his references that the habits of the cat
Avere observed with some accuracy, if it be the
animal intended by the Greek word he quotes, as
the satirist compares women to cats. And if we asked
the old Greeks why they are like the feline race, the
uncomplimentary response would be, that the resem-
blance lies in the quality of caprice, and in a fondness
for wandering abroad. — J. R. S. C.

VoLVOX globator. — As far as my experience
goes, I should say tliat the end of summer is
decidedly the best time for obtaining this beautiful
organism. I have frequently sought it in May and
June, both here and round Canterbuiy — the latter a
neighbourhood, I believe, singularly favoured by
many of the less common forms of pond life, but
always without success. The finest gathering I ever
had was obtained quite late in September, from a
veiy small pond in a gravel-pit near Brabourne, in
this county. The pond was only 6 or 7 feet across,
and was perfectly green with Volvox ; so that the
contents of an ordinary stage cell would show forty
or fifty specimens. This was in 1870, the September
of which year was remarkably fine and warm ; but
early in October cold autumnal rains set in, when
the Volvox suddenly and entirely disappeared. I
visited the same pond in August, 1871, but though
the weather was hot, and the conditions apparently
unchanged, could find none. Not having been in
the neighbourhood since, I cannot speak respecting
subsequent years ; but, like many other forms of
microscopic life, I have no doubt that its appearance
in any given locality is somewhat intermittent. —
Ediuard Horsiiailc, Dover.

The Cuckoo, and why she does not Build a
Nest. — The Danish legend is that every village girl
when she first hears the cuckoo note in early spring
kisses her hand, and asks the following question,
"Cuckoo, dear cuckoo, when shall I marry?"
Whilst the old women ciy out, " Cuckoo, when
shall I be released from this world's cares?" The

bird, in reply, cries " cuckoo" for every year that
is to elapse before their desires will be granted, and
in so doing all her time is occupied. The season for
building a nest goes by, and at last, in despair, she
lays her egg in another bird's nursery, generally in that
of the hedge-sparrow. — Helen E. Watncy.

Cuckoo's Eggs (p. 23). — Whether the Cuckoo is
possessed of the remarkable instinct attributed to it
by some writers (as to the selection of a nest where
the eggs correspond in colour with its own) is more
than I can say ; but I know that two cuckoos' eggs
found by me in the nests of water-wagtails {M. Vur-
rdlii) almost exactly corresponded with those of the
rightful owner of the nest, and that an egg of the
same singalar and interesting bird taken from the
nest of the little Tree-pipit (.4. m-borcus) bore a
striking resemblance to those of that bird. The eggs
found in the wagtails' nests were thinly speckled,
while the one taken from the pipit's was very thickly
streaked. Each of these varieties agreed in the most
perfect manner with those previously deposited by
the real owner, the only difference noticeable being
the superior size of the intruded egg. The men who
work in stone-pits inform me that the Cuckoo may
be often seen flapping about the heaps of stones in
its search for the nests of the dishwashers (wagtails),
and from the position of these nests I know perfectly
well that the Cuckoo must use either its bill or its
claws in conveying its eggs into them. — W. H.
Warner, Standlake, Oxon.

The Mistletoe. — Some short time ago several
letters appeared in Science-Gossip respecting the
trees on which the ]\Iistletoe has been found. One
of your correspondents mentioned the Pear. May I
ask, whether your correspondent actually saw this
instance, or whether the statement was made on the
authority of others ? I am induced to ask this ques-
tion because I have never heard the Pear men-
tioned, though it is one of the first trees, after the
Apple, on which we might expect to find it. And
some years ago a relation of mine was present at a
large rent-dinner in Herefordshire, in the midst of
the apple and pear-growing district, and he asked
the farmers whether any of them had ever seen the
Mistletoe on the Pear. Only one of them thought
he had once seen it, but he would not speak posi-
tively. A Herefordshire friend once showed me an
interesting collection of photographs of all the oak-
trees on which the Mistletoe was there known to be
growing. There were, I think, about nine or ten of
them, and I was told that another had been found
since those photographs were taken. I was told, by
a good authority, that a fair-sized plant of Mistletoe
was once found in that part of Herefordshire upon a
wild rose, but I did not see it. It is very curious to
see how long the young shoots of the mistletoe-seeds
will exist with no other nourishment than that of
their own juice. If a berry be made to stick against
a pane of glass in an ordinary window, it will soon
throw out two arm-like shoots, which will turn in-
wards towards the dark, and not towards the light.
They will last for several months, but will not in-
crease after a certain gi-owth. — H. M. M.

The Mistletoe. — In reading the interesting ac-
count of the traditional uses and virtues of the
Mistletoe, by "W. G. P.," in a late Science-Gossip,
I see no mention made of the reason why we can take
the well-known liberty with the fair sex beneath its
shade ; can any of your correspondents explain this
curious suiDcrstition ? — IV. T. E.

44

HARD WICKE 'S SCIENCE - G OSSIP.

Mistletoe. — I can inform " W. G. P.," that in
Germany tins plant is known by different names, Mis-
tcl, however, being the most common. Ginstcr ; Kin-
ster ; Kenstcr ; the first of these names is also given
to a plant the flower of which is used for dyeing pur-
poses. Hcili^c Krcitzholz ; the German of Lignum
Sancfir Criicis. Alahrenzacken ; the same as the
Dutch, Marentakken. Af holder, or Afterbaiim ;
^/and after from the old aftar, aftir, not genuine,
false ; liolder, elder ; haiini, tree. — H. Macco.

Hara'EST Bcgs. — The best remedy that I know
of for the bites or stings of harvest bugs is "Liquor
Ammonice Fortissimus " (spirit of ammonia) which
should be applied to the exact spot by means of a
camel's-hair brush, and will be found to give imme-
diate relief. — Frank Johns, JFinlon.

Harvest Bugs. — Your correspondent, G. H.
Piper, complains of the pain caused by the bite
or sting of the harvest bug ; it is almost impossible
to altogether stop their intrusion, but if "toilet
vinegar" be applied to the wound, it will speedily
allay all irritation. It can be bought of almost any
chemist. — // F. JVyatL

Harvest Bugs. — In reply to G. H. Piper re-
specting harvest bugs, I remember in the month of
September passing through a field of barley when out
shooting about three years ago, and unfortunately some
of these unpleasant little insects found me out. They
will not trouble you very long, and the best antidote
to allay irritation is eau-de-Cologne. — Williani
Bean.

Breeding of Hawfinch. — In the number of
Science-Gossip for November, I see that " R."
discredits the statement of the hawfinch having bred
in this country. I have in Kent found in the breed-
ing season as many as six nests in as many days, and
in one season more than twenty nests were known in
the neighbourhood. I have seen the bird, not only
in winter but in summer, in almost every place I
looked for it, especially at Oxford, and near Henley.
It is very shy, which accounts for " R.'s" not having
often seen it. But it is by no means a rare bird. —
H. N. R.

Hawfinch. — R. says, "I believe it must have
been a mistake to record it as having bred in this
country." If he looks at Yarrell, vol. i., p. 559, 3rd
edition, he will find an account too long for insertion
here of its nidification in Eppmg Forest, from the
pen of no less an authority than the late Henry
Doubleday. Amongst other things, he says, " I can
safely assert that they are permanent residents."
Further on, Yarrell says, "in a letter from Mr. H. D.,
the situations of five nests are thus noticed," and
other authorities are adduced. What says Professor
Newton? I have not yet seen his new edition of
Yarrell, as far as the Hawfinch. — J. S. ',Vesley.

Bees and Flowers. — I have noticed that the
Honey-bee does not visit the Monk's-hood, although
the Humble-bee takes plentiful supplies from it.
Near the Monk's-hood grew a plant of the " Red-
hot Poker" {Tritomia), which the Honey-bee made
the most of. From this flower you can shake showers
of nectar, so that it must be a first-class bee-plant for
bees. I suppose the Humble-bee could not get into
the long narrow bells of this flower. The Humble-
bee patronized the Fuchsia up to September, then
seemed to hand over all claims on it to its active
little cousin. — T. McGann.

Colours of Shadows. — When getting dusk yes-
terday (Dec. 21) I lighted my study-gas early, and
noticed, what I have often done before, that the
shadows of the plants in the window thrown on the
white blind were distinctly blue ; the shadow of my
hand or figure was the same. The subject has been
mentioned in SciENCE-GossiP with regard to table-
lamps, but not with regard to gas. What is the
cause of the shadow being blue, as all blue disap-
pears the moment daylight is gone ? — //. 0. Slerland.

Sparrowhawk and Crow (p. 21). — I can as-
sure Mr. King that it is a common sight in the
countiy to see crows (rooks, I suppose, are meant)
chasing hawks. I once saw a couple of beautiful
little hawks most shamefully maltreated by a flock of
rooks, which, after a time, divided into two parties,
one of which continued to buffet the weaker-winged
hawk, while the other followed in chase of its more
vigorous companion, which, however, contrived to
make good his escape. — ]V. 11. Warner.

Death's-head Hawk-moth (p. 21). — My ex-
perience in rearing the "Death's-head" has always
led me to believe that the caterpillar, under any cir-
cumstances, does not build a cocoon ; why then should
the one spoken of by your correspondent evince so
decided an inclination for doing so ? I have reared
many different kinds of caterpillars, and always found
that the earth-burrowers when unprovided with mould
made no attempt to construct a cocoon, but changed
into the chrysalis without further ado. — W. H. War-
ner, Standlake, Oxon.

Orchids in Surrey. — Can any one tell me the
best hunting-ground for Orchids in .Surrey, not much
farther south than Box-hill, where the greatest number
of species are likely to be met with, time being
limited?— y. R. JV., Kingston.

Apocynum androS/EMIFOLium. — The following
is a copy from a work by Mr. Maxwell T. Masters. —
"The Fly-trap of North America is cultivated as an
object of curiosity in that country. The S scales in
the throat of the corolla secrete a sweet liquid, which
attracts insects to settle on them. The scales are
endowed with a peculiar irritability, the cause of
which has not been accurately determined, but which
causes them to bend inward toward the centre of the
flower when touched, and to retain the unlucky insects
as prisoners. Numbers of dead insects may be seen
in the several flowers of this plant. The movement
of the scales probably serves to scatter the pollen on
the stigma. They are widely distributed on the
temperate parts of both hemispheres, and as flowers
in cultivation." The English representative is Vinca
minor, — Periwinkle. — Tlunnas Hcbden.

Bleaching Ferns, &c. — I shall feel much obliged
for any information on the preparation of ferns and
mosses for mounting as fire-screens, window-blinds,
&c. &c. I have dried and pressed them in such a
way as to be very fit for herbarium purposes, but on
exposure they become brown and unsightly after a
while. I am told the best way is to bleach them and
then dye in aniline colours, and shall be glad to hear
how the bleaching is best done inexpensively. Per-
haps some kind reader could tell me how they are
mounted with butterflies, &c., between sheets of
glass for window-blinds, panelling. — T. AleGann.

Northern Holy-grass. — I think Mrs. Edwards
and myself only differ as to terms. I can understand a
flower being called " hermaphrodite " which has
both stamens and pistil, but not the stamens and

HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

45

pistil being so termed, as they are by Mrs. Edwards.
I consider that the term ' ' hermaphrodite " might
well be confined to thoseplants which are normallyself-
fertilized — i.e. both morphologically and physiologi-
cally bi-sexual. All "synacmic" plants are not so.
Plants which have stamens and pistil in one flower,
but are not self-fertilized, should be called "mono-
clinous." "Perfect" is a technical term, and does
not mean finished or complete. As applied to a
flower, it means having all its essential organs present,
not necessarily at the same time ; or it may be used
of a single organ in opposition to " aborted." "Ma-
tured," with reference to the stamen, means on the
point of discharging its pollen ; with reference to the
pistil, it means that the stigmatic surface is viscid with
its secretion, and in a condition adapted for the
growth of pollen-tubes. As I said in my last letter,
Hicrochloe borealis, though monoclinous, or morpho-
logically hermaphrodite, is not physiologically her-
maphrodite, not being synacmic, but protogynous. —
G. S. Boulder.

Capture of "Disr-AR.'' — On asking just lately
a young entomological friend \\hat captures he had
made in the present year, he informed me that when
near Belfast, in the middle of August, he had taken
Dispar in a garden. Unfortunately, he had mislaid
the box in which he brought it home ; but, from his
description, I can have no doubt that the insect he
took was Dispar. I thought the capture was worthy
•of mention. — Windsor Hambroiigh.

The Study of American Antiquities. — I
beg to inform those of your readers ■who are in-
terested in this subject that the Second International
Congress of Americanists will be held at Luxem-
bourg on September 10-13 "^ the present year, when
it is hoped that many English will attend. I shall
be happy to supply tickets or any further informa-
tion.—.-/ Delegate for England.

Locusts (p. 21). — I am inclined to think that the
Locust (properly so called, and not G. viridissiimts)
does really occasionally occur in the British isles. I
am told that a specimen of the insect was captured
in this parish (Standlake, Oxon) a few years ago,
kept for a long time under a glass, fed on green stuff,
and finally taken to an experienced naturalist and
collector living in the vicinity, who was fully per-
suaded of its identity. — ]V. II. Warner.

Snowdrops. — The very evidence adduced by
J. L. Vincent in favour of the snowdrop being indi-
genous (its " flourishing in the greatest profusion on
the sandy banks of the rivers in Mid-Devon "), is to
my mind direct evidence against its being indigenous.
I, too, know many such instances. The sandy sides
of rivers, especially beneath the level of floods, are
its usual habitat, but these instances are always below
towns, villages, or gardens. I have never found
them above. There is, to my mind, no more sus-
picious locality for a doubtful plant than the sides of
a river. One often finds undoubted garden-flowers
in such places. — J. S. Wesley.

Seeds Digesting (p. 21). — Mr. E. T. Scott is
perfectly correct in his assertion : witness the neigh-
iDOurhood of ivy-bushes frequented by blackbirds ;
there any one may have ocular demonstration that
seeds swallowed whole are not digestible. — W. H.
Warner.

Pronunciation of Names. — I cannot but think
that Gleichenia, Sellignea, and Lachenalia, on being
coined as Latin derivatives of barbarous words, must

acquire a Latin pronunciation, just as the Hebrew
words borrowed by the Greek. They are therefore
equivalent to Glikenin, Sellignea, and Lakenalia. So
Fuchsia should not be pronounced either Fewshia,
as now, or Fooksia like the German name whence
it is derived, but, as "ch" is equivalent to "s" in
Latin {e.g., "chinensis" and "sinensis"), Foossia.
— G. S. Boiilger.

Cause of Coloration. — Though no doubt we
can as yet be said to have little, if any, definite know-
ledge of the cause of colour in birds, butterflies, or
flowers, your correspondent "H.B.'s" opinion, that all
flowers grown in a cellar would be white, is at variance
with the result of most past experiments, though these
are certainly not altogether satisfactory. White
Persian lilac is produced at Paris by growing the
coloured species in the dark ; but it is, as yet, an
article of faith, that, whilst chlorophyll, the green
colouring-matter of leaves, is dependent on light for
its colour, other colours are independent of that
agency. — G. .S". Boiilger.

Early Primroses. — February,! believe, is usually
considered to be the earliest month in which we find
the Primrose {Primula vnlgaris) in bloom. Some
of the readers of this paper will, no doubt, l)e sur-
prised to hear that the woods about Little Baddow
are already (Jan. 1st) becoming gay with these ordi-
narily spring flowers. This early flowering is pro-
bably owing to the unusually warm, damp weather
there has been for this time of year. I have looked
in vainfor any recorded instances for such early flower-
ing ; any readers, therefore, who know of more
instances of this unusual flowering, would, by
recording them in this paper, confer a favour on those
who take interest in noticing the peculiarities of
plants. — C. W. H., Chelmsford.

Density of Sea-water. — Your correspondent Ch.
Fred. White, in giving his kind advice to J. F. James
and others (p. 280, last vol.), seems to have overlooked
that with all thermometers, registration below zero is
the inverse of what it is above zero, so that of the
two, 3° 67' C. and 2° 55' C, the former above zero, or
( + ), would indicate the ivariner temperature, iDut
below zero, or ( — ), it indicates the colder. Now, as
it is a known fact that all water, fresh or salt, when
agitated, requires a lower temperature to freeze than
when perfectly still, and as, according to quotation
the contrary is stated, it follows that J. F. James is
fully justified to make his remark. Probably there
is a misprint or slip of the pen, which it would be
well to see corrected. — H. Maceo.

The Glastonbury Thorn. — The enclosed spe-
cimen of the Glastonbury thorn has just been sent
me from Somersetshire ; it has been out for more
than a fortnight. It seems to bear a resemblance to
the common hawthorn, by possessing the same strong
smell. In case the readers of Science-Gossip be
interested in the subject, I take the liberty to send
the following, copied from Miss Pratt's "Flowering
Plants ": — " Culpepper mentions a thorn, which grew
at Romney Marsh, and another near Nantwich, in
Cheshire, where it flowered both at May and Christ-
mas ; though, he says, that if the weather was frosty
it did not flower for the second time until January,
or till the hard weather was over. " — If. y. T.

VoLVOX globator. — I found the Volvox glo-
bator from early in April to the 29th November
last year, and was exhibiting the same a few days
since. I did not try the earlier months of the
year. — George Pearce.

46

HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

Teucrium ChaMjEDRYS. — The following extract
from Green's "Universal Herbal," &c. &c. (1820),
may interest Science Gossip. After describing the
plant and its medicinal uses, the writer tells us that
it is a " native of many parts of Europe, the
islands of the Archipelago, and Palestine, near Jera-
salem. In England it is scarcely indigenous, being
chiefly found on the ruins of old buildings." — F.S.

Parasites on Cyclops. — On some specimens of
the common Cyclops, I have often observed some
parasites consisting of a head with cilia like Vorti-
cella, but wanting the spiral stalk. Can any one tell
me what they are? — A. //.

Water-vole. — R. speaks of the rat, the water-
ra/ and the water-vole. The water-rat zV the water-
vole. See Bell's "Quadrupeds," p. 316, 2nd edition.
— y. S. Wesley.

The Plague of Flies. — We are much annoyed
each summer by flies, in two rooms of our house.
They swarm every warm sunny day on the windo\\'s
and ceiling ; killing and driving out of the windows
seem to have no effect, as they reappear the next day
as strong as ever. We think they must hide them-
selves in the woodwork, which is varnished, not
painted, as the rest of the house. Can you, or any
of your correspondents, tell us of any way of getting
rid of these plagues ? — E. CHI.

Local Plant Names.— /;-w fxiidissima, called
by the country people " glading " root, corrupted
from " Gladwin " root, cure for dropsy and scarletina.
A curious little incident occurred in this neighbour-
hood regarding the local name of Hypericum caly-
cimtm. A lady driving through a demesne saw a
quantity of this plant growing, and asked the gate-
keeper what it was, and for answer was told that it
was called "The Rose of Sharon, or the Lily of the
Valley." The common "peony " is known in these
parts as the "piano rose." Scrophularia nodosa is
known by the name of " rose-noble, " which at first
strikes one as a very strange name for a plant with
such an insignificant flower. The name may have
originated in its being a cure for the rose, which the
country people call a rash, and the term noble may
have come from its being a cure for the "king's evil."
— Rez'. T. A. Brenan, Cloghban, co. Tyrone.

Gold-fish. — ■ An olive carp has been in our
aquarium for three years and a-half. At the begin-
ning of that time it was about \\ inch in length,
and is now an inch longer. During the last six
months it has gradually changed to a bright golden
colour, with the exception of the fins, which retain
the original dark hue. Is this change usual ? — E. S.,
Leeds.

The Common Nettle. — I have seen in books
of travels that when the rook is met with in wild and
unpopulated districts it is a sign of a human habitation
being at hand. But only lately have I heard that the
nettle is also a sign of the late presence or actual
presence of man. A friend of mine was one day
driving on a coach through one of the Scotch deer-
forests. Several times during the drive the whip
pointed to a bed of nettles, and said there had been a
house there, though long before his time. On being
asked how he found out, he said that the nettles only
appeareil wliere the iiand of man has turned up the
ground, and in the greatest profusion about the house-
door. He also said that when a hut is made in a
place quite free from them, they appear in a few
months. This is another case of the sudden apjjear-
ance of plants which cannot be accounted for by

Mr. Edwin Lees's hypothesis, the deer-forests having
no trees in them. — Daccarp Ackone.

/Estinomus yEDiLis. — It may be interesting to
some of your correspondents to hear that I found
about ten days ago, in the town of St. Peter's Port,
Guernsey, a perfect specimen of the extraordinary
beetle, popularly known by the name of Timberman
{ALsti)W)nus tedilis). I believe it is not common to
find this insect so far south. — Adela M. Collinso7i.

Local Names of Birds. — Mr. J. G. Henderson
is no doubt aware that the Northumbrians as a rule
cannot pronounce the "r," and hence yorlin with
them will sound very like yowlin, yowley, or yoalin.
It is merely a corruption of the same word. Hogg,
the Ettrick .Shepherd, who had a good knowledge of
the local names of the fauna and flora of Scotland,
introduces it in that beautiful lyric, "Kilmeny in the
Queen's Wake,"—

"It was only to hear the Yorlin sing,
And pu' the cress-flower round the spring,
The scarlet hypp and the hindberrye,
And the nut that hang frae the hazel-tree."

Dipton Burn.

The Venomous Spider of New Zealand. —
Mr. J. M. Meek, of Waiwera, sends the following
narrative of the effects of the bite of the kapito, or
native spider : — " It was on the morning of the 24th
ult., at three o'clock, my son (a man of thirty-one
years of age) was awakened from his sleep by the bite
of one of those poisonous insects, and came into our
bedroom about an hour afterwards, and exclaimed to
his mother and myself, ' I am bitten by one of those
spiders that the natives have so often spoken to me
about, and am full of pain. See, here it is, in the
bottom of the candlestick.' I looked at the insect,
whose body was about the size of an ordinary pea,
and in colour nearly appiroaching to black. His
mother, on looking at his back, saw the puncture the
spider had made, and immediately commenced suck-
ing the wound. I proceeded to the hotel, and
obtained the services of Dr. Mohnbeer, when, on my
return with him to my house, my son was suffering
the most excruciating pain in the groin, the virus
apparently working its way in that direction. After
an application of ammonia by the doctor, the pain
shifted from the groin and worked its way up the
spine, affecting the arms and chest during the remain-
der of the day and lasting till the following morning,
my son moaning with pain the whole time. On
Tuesday the pain became intense, the virus working
its way into his legs, causing the veins to swell very
much. We applied turnip poifltice to the wound,
and when taken off a quantity of black fluid came from
the sore. During the afternoon the pain in the legs
and big toes still continued. Dr. Mohnbeer pre-
scribed a liniment, which after rubbing well into
the legs, caused a black, inky-coloured fluid to emit
itself through the pores of the skin in large drops,
from which time my son began to improve, and has
continued improving ever since, but suffers much from
weakness. From the time he was bitten on the Mon-
day till the Friday following he lost exactly 12 lb.
in flesli. I forgot to state that, when he was first
bitten, I gave him small doses of brandy at intervals
during the first two days, which seemed to have the
effect of greatly relieving the pain. I am informed by
Te Hemera, native chief here, and also by other
natives, that many fatal cases among their ranks have
taken place by the bite of the katipo ; tliey also
believe the sufferer is sure to die if they cannot find
the spider ; but, on the contrary, if they find it and
burn it in the fire, the patient gets well in three days.
If they cannot find the insect, they set fire to the house

HARD WICKE'S SCIENCE GOSSIP.

47

and burn building, effects, and everything else. In
this case, the spider was found, and Ur. Mohnbeer
has it preserved in spirits in his surgery. I write this
to caution persons to look well to their bedclothes
before retiring to rest, as I have witnessed persons
suffering from the bite of snakes and other reptiles
in Australia, but never saw any one in such agony
as my son during the time the poison was taking
effect."

Birds. — Could any of the readers of Science-
Gossip oblige me with a list of the birds to be
found round the coast of Kent? — Henry Lamb, Maid-
stone.

Habits of Herons (No. 144, p. 283). — Mr.
Arnold asks if heronries are ever built in other
trees than oak or fir. The nests in Lord Portman's
park (Bryaastone), I may tell him, are in Elm trees. —
W. K. Tate.

Herons. — I can inform F. H. Arnold that herons
do sometimes have their nests in a rookery ; one had
its nest two years in succession in the Fyvie rookery,
no other heron's nest being known of within six
miles. The rookery and heronry at Hatton, near
Turriff, were at one time connected : the trees are
now cut down, they are separated a little ; the herons'
nests at that place are mostly in spruce-trees of a
great height. — W. Sim.

Herons. — In answer to a question asked by F.
H. Arnold in the December number of Science-
Gossip as to whether herons build only in fir and oak
woods, I wish to state that there is a wood near here
composed principally of beech, no oak nor fir, and in
which there are two heronries. There are also
rookeries in the same wood, but at some little dis-
tance from the heronries. — The Needle); Strangford,
Co. Down.

Heronries. — In answer to F. H. Arnold's queries
respecting the habits of herons, I may state that there
is a large herony in North Germany, not very far
from the town of Bremen, at a place called Stiihe,
where the nests are built exclusively on fine beeches.
The birds find their food in the marshes on the
western banks of the Weser, about twelve miles dis-
tant from the colony. — V. M. (Elsson.

Tennyson and his " Sea-blue Bird of
March."— I think I can set "J. R. S. C.'s" mind
at rest on this vexed question. My father, the late Mr.
B. B. Woodward, who was a great lover of nature,
was at first much puzzled concerning this passage,
which he knew must refer to the Kingfisher ; but
what connection existed between it and March he
was unable to discover, until he asked Mr. Tenny-
son himself. Mr. Tennyson informed him that the
Kingfisher was the bird intended, and that it abounded
in the Fenland during the month of March. Jn
Memoriam was written while he was staying in that
district. — B. B. Woodivard, British Museum.

Anthropoid Ape in South America. — It is
curious that the idea of the existence of an anthropoid
ape in the dense tropical forests of South America
is so firmly held by the natives, who are, like most
savages, acute and exact observers. Warned by
our experience in Africa, where the Gorilla existed
unknown (except a casual mention in the Latin
classics) to very recent times, and by the fact that
the forests of Brazil are comparatively unexplored,
we ought, I think, to hesitate before pronouncing
decidedly against the idea. Legends of the existence
of such an ape exist in Brazil, and I fancy that

Captain Burton alludes to the subject in his work
upon the " Highlands of Brazil." At any rate,
Captain Masters, in his work entitled " At Home
with the I'atagonians," says (p. 120) that he was told
that the Chilotes aver that an animal called the Tranco
or Trauco inhabits the western forests of the Cordillera
(of Chili). An intelligent Chilian officer — Gallegso
— also informed him " that there was no doubt of its
existence, and described it as possessing the form of a
wild man, covered with a fell of coarse, shaggy hair.
This animal is said to descend from the impenetrable
forests, and attack the cattle." Humboldt also men-
tions the traditional existence of this monstrous ape,
and it has been suggested that it is a legend of the
former existence of the fossil ape, whose remains
are found in South America. Reading Barrington
Brown's " Canoe and Camp Life in British Guiana,"
I find the following information about a similar
monster in Guiana: "The first night after leaving
Peaimah, we heard a long, loud, and most melan-
choly whistle, proceeding from the direction of the
depths of the forest, at which some of the men ex-
claimed, in an awed tone of voice, 'the Didi.' The
' Didi' is said by the Indians to be a short, thick-set,
; and powerful wild man, whose body is covered with
hair, and who lives in the forest. A belief in the
existence of this fabulous creature is universal over
the whole of British, Venezuelan, and Brazilian
I Guiana. On the Demerara rivers, some years after
1 this, I met a half-bred woodcutter, who related an
I encounter that he had with two Didi — a male and
j a female — in which he successfully resisted their
! attacks with his axe. In the fray, he stated that
he was a good deal scratched, &c." All this
evidence seems singularly circumstantial, and tra-
vellers might with good results follow up their in-
quiries on the spot. When we learn that the recent
inundations in Spain stranded on the fields unex-
pected denizens of the river Guadalquiver — whose
occupants ought by this time to be pretty well
known, — what liisus natiine may we not expect to find
in the fastnesses of tropical America ? — Francis
A. Allen.

Query about Marigold. — In the first act of
the " Two Noble Kinsmen" these lines occur: —

Oxlips in their cradles growing,
Mary-golds on death-beds blowing,
Larkes-heeles trymme.

The Mary-gold is evidently the ALarch marigold,
which is contemporary with the Primrose, first-born
child of Ver. Was it ever especially used to strew a
corpse ? Can any of your correspondents tell me
whether the wild columbine {AqiiUegia vulgaris), also
a spring flower, is called larks-heel in any part of the
country ? The Delphinium consolida (field larkspur)
is somewhat later, and seldom found at the same
time as the Primrose. — J. P., Maidenhead.

Abundance of Convolvulus arvensis.- — The
dry, hot summer which so seriously diminished the
number of our wild flowers in many districts,
especially where the soil is chalk or limestone, and
the land is intersected by few streamlets, served to
stimulate the growth of a few species. Amongst
these, I particularly noticed, in fields about North
Kent, the great profusion of C. arvensis, which so
bespangled, in some cases, the rows of potatoes,
that the pinkish white bells appeared to be the most
conspicuous object on the surface. And yet, on ex-
amination, I could not assert that the "weed," as
the agriculturist would naturally style it, interfered at
all with the rightful growth of our valued esculent. —
J. R. S. C.

48

HARD WICKE 'S SCIE NCE - G OSSIP.

NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS.

To Subscribers.— The compilation of the Classified Index
of the last twelve volumes of Science-Gossip has proved a
more difficult and painstaking task than we at first imagined.
It is now in a forward state of preparation, and we crave a
little grace from our numerous correspondents, who have
already applied for it.

To Correspondents and Exch.\ngers. — As we now
publish Science-Uossii" at least a week earlier than hereto-
fore, we cannot possibly insert in the following number any
communications which reach us later than the 8th of the
previous month.

A. W. S.— Many thanks for your valuable .suggestion. The
point you note had not occurred to us before ; but it shall be
attended to henceforth.

F. C. S. — We believe the "Science-Gossip Section-Ma-
chine " can be obtained from Mr. Walter White, Litcham,
Norfolk.

H. J. Ryder.— The price of the "London Catalogue"
(which may be had at 192, Piccadilly) is sixpence.

I.. R. R. — The "pinky stone" is a fragment of calcite
(crj'stallized carbonate of lime), coloured with a small quantity
of iron o.\ide.

T. Merrvfield.— One of the best trees to grow in towns is
.undoubtedly the Oriental Plane. We are surprised that it is
not more cultivated, under such conditions, than it is ; for it
■would grow, we believe, even in our manufacturing towns. If
that man is a public benefactor who makes "two blades of
grass to grow where only one grew before," what shall we say
of him who makes a tree to grow where none grew before ?

S. E. M.— Your plants are : i. the Viper's Bugloss {Echiutn
-i'nlgarc ; 2. the Nodding Marigold (Bidens cermia); and
3. the celery-leaved Buttercup {Rannnculits sceleratiis).

Rorert Tetlow (Leeds).— Get Woodward's " Geology of
England and Wales," published by Longmans & Co., at, we
believe, 14s.

W. Bradley.- The objects you mention as imbedded in
orange and apple pee! are doubtless the pupa-cases of Ccratites
citripcrda.

T. B.— The "mineral" you enclosed is a fragment of carboni-
ferous limestone, land the fossils imbedded are corals [Lithostro-
tion sociale), one of the commonest and most characteristic of
the carboniferous beds.

H.M.M.'VPLESON. — Accept our thanks for your kindly courtesy.

J. B, Johnson. — If your correspondent will send the mosses
you refer to, we will do our best to have them named, if they
are in a fit state to be authoritatively identified.

C. H. S.— For dressing skins see Swainson's treatise on
Taxidermy.

To Correspondents. — Our best thanks are due to numerous
corre.spondents for hints and suggestions all intended for the
improvement of our magazine. As far as possible, we shall
avail our.selves of them.

R. Middleton. — We are sorry to say the specimen of a longi-
corn beetle was much too imperfect to identify. Send us a perfect
.specimen. We cannot undertake to give names of any imper-
fect specimens of natural history objects, and unfortunately we
are usually treated to these, on account of people not likely
to send their best objects.

S. E. H. — Your coloured drawing of a fungus is evidently
that of Agarictis lactnarius.

H. E. Forrest. — You had better get " Half-Hours at the
Seaside," price 4s., where you will find all your queries
answered much more fully than we have space for, as they are
only very elementary questions. No. 3 is a frond of a red sea-
weed {Dflesseria), and the "little cells" you speak of are tho.se
of a Polyzoon called Mcmbrajiifora.

A. K. L.AST. — We have never heard it authoritatively stated
who was the author of " Vestiges of Creation." It was
generally laid to the door of the late George Combe. For the
second query consult Bell's " British Quadrupeds."

W. J. v.. Junior. — Science-Gossip is generally published
on the 25th of the month. Your most expeditious way to get
it would be to have it .sent directly from the publishers.

EXCHANGES.

Wanted, for scientific research, small quantities of pollen
(named, but unmounted) of any plants. — G. S. Boulger,
Cressingham, Reading, Berks.

Wanted, clean short specimens of .Shore Birds (Gulls,
Plovers, Sandpipers, &c.). British and foreign birds' eggs,
and other objects of natural history, given in exchange. — Send
list of desiderata and particulars to C. Dixon, 60, Albert-road,
Hceley, near .Sheffield.

Wanted, back volumes of Science-Gossip. Microscope
slides given in exchange. — W. A. Hyslop, 22, Palmerston-
place, Edinburgh.

Any one interested in good diatomaceous material, fossil,
recent, and /« siiu, &c., or in Marine Alga; for microscopic
work, or Herbarium, Sertularians, Holothuridea, Echinidea.
Crustacea, Foraminifera, &c. &c., all unmounted, are
requested to send stamped address. — T. McGann, Burren,
Ireland.

Gemularia cuculata. — Having a fnv slides of this rare
zoophyte mounted in dnmar, I shall be glad to exchange one of
same for other good slide. — J. Smith, Legh-street, Warrington.

Wanted to exchange two dozen miscellaneous Micro Slides
for others. Send list to W. D. Bray, Lurgan, Ireland.

Head of Botnbyx Ferny i. Send a stamped directed envelope
to W. H. Gomm, Somerton, .Somerset.

Nos. 143, 45, 107, 124, 366, 618, 875, 906, 991, 1,036, 7th
Edition London Catalogue, for other plants. Lists to H. R.
Moiser, F.G.S., 2, South View, Heworth, York.

Wanted, to borrow or purcha.se, Astrue's " Histoire Naturelle
de Languedoc," " Flora of Shetland," Edmonstone's "Glossary
of Shetland Words."— W. G. Piper, Bank Plain, Norwich.

For specimens of Boracic acid, Lycopodium, Salicine, and
Tobacco seed, .send stamped envelope to F. Coles, 248, King's-
road, Chelsea, S.W.

For Sections of Palm Nut, Polar, and Cotton-seed, .showing
oleo-resin cells, send other good unmounted objects to R. H.
Philip, 28, Prospect-street, Hull.

For well-mounted stained .Section of Kidney, or Diatom
Gallionella in bal.sam, send well-mounted object of interest
to W. H. Gilburt, 41, Clarence-road, Coborn-road, Bow,
London.

A Grasshopper Warbler's nest in exchange for good Sea-
birds' Eggs. — A. W. Martin, Evesham.

Irish and .Scotch Alga;, a good series of each, wanted in
exchange for North and .South Devon and Cornish Sea-weeds,, or
of Australian and American growth. —Address, H. G., 15, Mul-
grave-street, Plymouth.

For specimens oi AngiiinariaspiitnlaViX\^ Fhistra Joliacea,
send stamped envelope or object of interest to J. W., 7, Farm-
1 road. Hove, Brighton.

; W.-\nted, Exotic or European specimens of Lepidoptera, in
I exchange for several good British species. — J. T. Willis, Adwick-

le-.Street, Doncaster.
I MAiiiNEAlgas with Diatoms /"««"/?/, well mounted, in exchange
for other good slides.— W. Nash, 11, London-road, Reading.

Pollen of Hollyhock, Mallow Stamens, &c., for other well-
mounted slides. — J. C. H., 13, Great Cheetham-street, Man-
chester.
1 S. & E. African .Shells offered for Foreign Land and
Marine, or the rarer British Marine. — Address, J. S. G., 2,
Lower Belmont-terrace, Portswood, Sruthampton.

BOOKS, &c., RECEIVED.

"Log-Letters from the ChaUe}iger." By Lord G. Camp-
bell. London ; Macmillan & Co.

" Large and Small Game of Bengal." By Capt. Baldwin.
London : H. S. Kinsr & Co.

"Transactions of the North Staffordshire Field Naturalists'
Society."

"Transactions of the Bedfordshire Nat. Hist. Soc."

" Les Mondes." January.

"The Field." January.

" Land and Water." January.

"Popular Science Review." January.

" Monthly Microscopical Journal." January.

"Ben Brierley's Journal." January.

"The Lancet." January.

" Potter's American Monthly." December.

"American Naturalist." December.

" Botanische Zeitung." December.

" Monthly Journal of Education." January.

"Journal of Applied Science." January.
&c. &c. &c.

Communications Received i'p to ioth ult. from : —

F. K. T. S.— H. O. S.— T. McG.— J. W.— Dr. E. de C —

G. M. G.— H. G.— F. S.— W. H. G.— W. H.— H. I. T.—
E. D. M.— Prof. C— E. B. C— H. E. W.— F. H. A.—
C. W. H.— H. S.— W. D. B.— J. R. S.— A. A. P.— W. L. N.
_J. T. W.— W. H. W.— W. H. G.— T. H.— J. B.— H. R. M.
— H. J. R.— H. G. P.— C. D. — F. H. A.— H. E. W.— J. F. R.
— D. A. K.— C. W. H.— H. M.— L. R. R.— W. H. L.—
C. J. D.— J. C— F. A. A.— H. R. S.— F. L. C. R.— M. F.—
H. W. T.— Prof. B.— S. B.— W. A. H.— J. R. N.— J. C. H.
— H. M. M.— W. J. B.— E. H.— W. B. G.-J. H. B. — F. C. S.
—A. H. M.— J. RL- W. L. W. E.— W. T. E.— H. F. W.—
P.. B. W.— S. M.— F. C— W. H. W.— W. H.— W. C. -
J. W. O.— R. W.— N. M. G. W.— J. L.— J. W. G.— T. J. R.
—J. W. -T. J. W.— T. W.-W. R. T.— W. N. C— H. L.—
Dr. v.— C. D.— E. L.— R. G., &c. &c.

HARD Wl CKE 'S S CIENCE ■ G O SSI P.

49

..-y^Ac^^^^^^:v^^..c^^^^^^.^^..<^^i^:^^g^o^

AN ANGLO-SAXON HERBAL.

By F. K ITT on, Hon. F.R.M.S.

WENTY years ago the
Master of the Rolls
suggested the desira-
bility of publishing the
texts of various valuable
MSS., the property of
the Government ; and
that eveiy effort should
be made to obtain as per-
fect a text as possible.
Various MSS. were col-
lated, and the deficiencies of one MS. were made good
by another. Among the numerous volumes pub-
lished, probably the most interesting to the readers of
Science-Gossip would be the following : " Leech-
doms, Wordcunning, and Starcraft of Early Eng-
land," and from which we now propose to give some
specimens.

The learned editor (Rev. O. Cockayne, M.A.,
Cantab.) gives the probable date of the MS. of the
Herbarium as not earlier than A.D. looo, nor later
than A.D. 1066; of the writer or compiler nothing
is known : it must have been a most expensive work,
as it has coloured illustrations of the plants described
therein.

The author (or more correctly, the translator, the
Herbal being a translation from the Herbarium
of Apuleius) does not appear to have adopted any
arrangement, not even an alphabetical one, neither
does he invariably give the Anglo-Saxon equivalent
for the Latin name.

The plant whose properties he first describes is
Betonka officinalis. " The wort that one names
betonicam is produced in meadows and on clean
downlands, and in shady places ; it is good for man's
soul and for his body ; it shields him against mon-
strous nocturnal visitors, and against horrible visions
and dreams." The medical qualities of this plant
seem to have been numerous and diverse ; it would
cure broken heads, sore eyes and ears, prevent
drunkenness (that is, if a man were so minded), weari-
ness from riding or walking, snake-bites, and the
No. 147.

bite of a mad dog. The various methods of pre-
paration occupy five royal 8vo. pages.

Plantago major, Way bread, properly Waybroad. —
This herb had, or was imagined to have, numerous
virtues, but it did not equal the preceding in the
number of ailments it could cure ; its various prepara-
tions were good for fevers, wounds, snake-bites,
stomach disorders, for corpulency ("if a man would
that his womb [belly] dwindle "), and foot-addle
(fotadle — gout).

The herb Quinquefolium, that is, five-leaf,
Potentilla reptans. — This plant was good for ten
disorders ; the most important was the cure of cancer
("blind a cancer"); it was to be seethed in wine
mixed with pig's grease, and worked into a plaster
and laid on the wound, which would soon heal.

Vcrbenica, or Ashthroat. — "This wort, which is
named by some verbenaca, and by another name,
ashthroat, is produced everywhere, on smooth lands
and on wet ones." The i-oots of this herb wreathed
about the swere (neck), were highly beneficial in
ulcers and glandular^ swelhngs ("kernels"); for
calculus, the roots were to be boiled in hot wine.

Hyoscyaimis iiiger, Henne belle, sometimes belene
(now Henbane). — According to the Glossaiy, this
name was given to it on account of its bell-shaped
capsules : it was also called Henne-wol {tuol meaning
poison).

Polygonum Bistort a, Ncedre-wyrt (Adderwort).
Acorns Calamus, Bee-wort. — " That bees may not fly
away, take this plant and hang it in the hive, and
they will stay."

Alchemilla vulgaris, Lionfoot.

Ranunculus scelcratus, Cluf-thunge (Cloffing),
cluf = clove, thunge = poison, in allusion to the
form and poisonous qualities of the root. This plant
js described as growing in damp and watery places.
"Whatsoever man eat of this wort fasting leaves his
life laughing."

Arte?nisia vulgaris, A. dracunculus, A. pontica. —
The Herbal recognizes the three forms, but they are
all classed under the English name of Mugwort

D

so

HARD WICKE 'S SCIENCE - G OSSIF.

(Midge-wort). OrcJiis ? &c. Raven's-leek.— It is
said to grow on high downs and in " hard places, and
also in meadows, in cultivated lands, and sandy

ones. "

Erythrcea pulchella, Field-wort. Cyclamen hedercE-
folitim, Slite = Sowbread. Polygonum aviculare,
Unfortrsedde (Untrodden to pieces*), Knot-grass,
Anstolochia clematitis 1 Smear-wort. Some doubt
exists as to what plant is meant by Smear-wort ; the
Saxon name literally means Butter-wort. The com-
piler of the Herbal says it is Aristolochia. "This
wort, that some call Aristolochiam, and others name
Smerowyrt, grows on down lands and solid places."

Nasturtium officinale, Croese, Watercress. — -"This
plant is not sown, but is produced of itself in springs
and brooks." This is an interesting fact, as evidence
of spontaneous generation amongst the higher order
of plants.

Colchiaan autumnale, Great-wort. — The roots of
this plant mixed with oil cure pimples on a woman's
■&ce.

Convallaria majalis. Glove-wort, Lily of the valley_
— According to the Herbal, it was also called Apol-
Snaris, and was said to have been first found by
Apollo, who gave it to ^sculapius, the leech, whence
he set on it the name. Its healing properties seem
to be confined to curing sore hands. Apollo's discovery
does not appear to have much medical value.

Anthemis nobilis, May. Teucriiim chamcedrys. Hart-
clover (Heort-clcefre). Dipsacus sylvcstris, Wolfs-
comb, valuable as a diuretic. Ajuga chamc^pitys,
Henep, Hemp. Ranunculus ficaj'ia, Raven's-foot.
Sambucus ebulus. Lithe-wort (according to Bosworth
this plant is Celandine).

Lactuca Scariola, Wood Lettuce (Wudu lectric). —
It is said when the earn (eagle) will fly up so that he
may see more clearly, he will touch his eyes with the
juice and by that means obtain the greatest bright-
ness.

Agiimonia eupatoria, Garclive (Garclife). — The
derivation of the name is somewhat obscure : gar
evidently means a spear, a javelin ; clife is cliff; the
Glossary suggests that the last syllable is derived from
hlifian (to tower).

Asfodelus ramosus, Woodroffe (Wudu rofe).
Rumex acctosa, Wood dock (Wudu docce, Surdocke,
Sourdock). Chlora perfoliata, Earthgall (Curmel).
Erythrcta Centaurium, Feferfuge (Fever fue).
Malva sylvestris, Hocleaf. Cyjioglossum officitiale,
Hundes tunge (Hound's tongue). Panicum crusgalli,
Atterlothe (Alter, poison, venom ; lotAe, evil). Marru-
dium vulgare, Horehound, Harehune (Hare's honey).
Sparganitwi simplex, Foxesfoot. Scmpervivum tec-
iorum, Houseleek, Singrene, Evergreen. Achillea
iomentosa, Solwherf, Sigelwearfa [Sigel, the sun, and
hwearfan, to turn). — "This wort is produced every-
where in cultivated places ; it hath with it some won-
derful divine qualities, that is, that its blossoms turn

♦ Not to be trodden out or killed.

themselves according to the course of the sun, so that
the blossoms when the sun is setting close themselves,
and again when he upgoeth they open and spread
themselves."

Papaver somniferum, Poppy, Popig. Campanula
Trachelium, Hals- wort (Throat-wort), so named from
its supposed curative properties for throat diseases.
Ceterach officinalis, Brune wyrt. Brown wort. Rtis-
cus aculeatus, Cneowholen, Knee holly. Butcher's
broom. Bosworth translates holen-rush. Knee-rush
would seem a more appropriate name than knee-
holly. Symphytum, officinale, yalluc, Comfrey. 7;7-
folium ar-jense, Haran hyge. Hare's-foot. The
derivation of this name is obscure ; Haran is evi-
dently hare, but hyge is not foot. The Glossary con-
nects hyge with the modern English verb to hie
(higan). The MS. text has "genim thas w^yrte the
man leporis pes and otherum naman haran hige "
(take this plant, which by some is called leporis pes and
by another name hare's-foot). If the compiler of the
Herbal had not so positively translated /i-^^^rw/d-i- into
haran hige, we should rather have referred hige to
hag or hyg, hay. Trifolium pratensc, Clcefr, Clover.
Verbascum thapsus. Felt-wort (Mullein). A twig of
this plant borne by any one was a charm against
frights or hurts from any wild beast or any evil coming
near. Senecio vulgaris, Grande swelge, Groundsel
( ? Ground swallower). Rosmarinus officinalis,
Bothen, Rosemary. Poly podium vulgare, Efor fearne,
Ever-fern.

Antirrhinum orontium, Hound'shead. Rubusfruti-
cosus, Bremel, Bramble. Achillea millefolium, Gearwe,
Yarrow. This plant seems to have been in high re-
pute as a medicine ; no less than sixteen preparations
of it are given for as many different diseases. Mentha
Pulegium, Dwarf Dwosle, Pennyroyal. "This plant is
named pulegium, and by another name, dwarf dwosle,
hath many leechdoms, though many men know them
not. This plant is of two kinds (genders), wer (man)
and wife (woman) ; the wer hath white blossoms and
the wife hath red or brown ; either is beneficial and
wonder-like, and they have in them wondrous virtue "
(fourteen leechdoms are given). Saxifraga granulata,
Sundcorn. Artemisia absinthiuvi, Waremoth, Worm-
wood. Atropa mandragora,'^l'3.\\^X2kQ. "This plant,
which is named Mandragoram, is great and illustrious
of aspect, and it is beneficial. Thou shalt take it in
this manner : when thou comest to it, then thou
understandest it by this that it shineth at night like a
lamp. When first thou seest its head, then inscribe
thou it instantly with iron, lest it fly from thee. Its
virtue is so mickle and famous that evils immediately
flee fro.Ti an unclean man when he cometh to it ; but
thou shalt not touch it with iron, but delve about it
with an ivory staff, and when thou seest its hands and
its feet, then tie thou it up ; then take the other end
and tie it to a dog's neck, so that the hound be hungry ;
next, cast meat before him, so that he may not reach
It, except he jerk up the wort with him."

HARD WICKE 'S S CIENCE ■ G O SSI P.

5i

Vcratrum album, Tunsing ^yyrt (Tungilsing wyrt),
from Timgil, a star, and wyrt, a plant.

Some of the remedies given in the Herbal are
ludicrous and harmless, but many of them are dis-
gusting and dangerous, and I should think it probable
that the practitioner of the period must have killed
more than the diseases he tried to cure. As a specimen
of the first-named, I quote the following recipe : —
" Against a woman's chatter, taste at night, fasting, a
root of radish ; that day the chatter cannot harm thee."

One of the cui'es for cancer was compounded of no
less than forty-two plants made into a salve with
tar.

In many cases certain magical rites accompanied
the preparation of the medicine, and in others a
certain number of Paternosters. The following
remedy for lunacy has the merit of simplicity. " In
case a man be a lunatic "' (inonat'i seoc, monthly sick,
in allusion to the paroxysms supposed to occur when
the moon was at the full), " take skin of a mereswine
[porpoise], make into a whip, swinge the man there-
with ; soon he will be well. Amen."

THE PEREGRINE FALCON
{Falco peregrimis).

THE Falcon now under notice is the perfection of
its kind, when carefully and properly trained.
The Gyr is' indeed a larger and stronger bird, and
was used for the very best sport ; but it is extremely
difficult to procure, great expense and trouble have
to be incurred to obtain it. It has a very obstinate
temper, and requires a great amount of training,
while, on the other hand, the Peregrine can be
procured in our own island, is more docile and
tractable, and does not require such severe training
as the Gyr. For these few reasons, it was much
more liked, and much more used by falconers.

There was a time when the Peregrine might be
found abundantly on the British isles ; but, alas ! that
time has passed ; and now, instead of being held in
high repute, and tended with jealousy and care,
this noble bird is classed with the rest of the " winged
vennin," which profusely deck the gable-end of the
keeper's house.

In days gone by, the Peregrine was used a great
deal in the chase. Falconry in those days was
considered a fit pastime for persons of high rank and
position in life ; but nowadays it is little used. The
falcons were distributed according to the rank of the
person ; thus the Gyr and the Peregrine were for
kings and princes, while the other falcons were
distributed according to their relative strength,
courage, and power of wing, to persons of different
degrees of rank. Even the peasant had a falcon
allotted to him — the Kestrel {Falco Tinmincuhis).
In falconry the male is called the " Jiercel, and the
female the Falcon," As in other falcons, there is

great disparity of size between the two sexes ; the
female being from two to three inches longer than the
male ; she is heavier in proportion to her size ; and
she is hkewise possessed of more courage.

The Peregrine is a bird possessed of first-rate
powers of flight. The final rush^ (that is flight, or
rush direct on to its prey) is perhaps not so swift as
that of the Gyr ; but in straightforward flight it is
thought by many to fly even swifter than the Gyr.
The rate at which the Peregrine flies is exceedingly
great, one hundred and fifty miles an hour being com-
puted as /;/// speed. The long pointed wings, together
with the ample tail of the Peregrine (which enables it
to hover, although not to such a degree of perfectioa
as the Kestrel), make escape almost a matter of impos-
sibility, as it can turn with such ease and quickness.
The finest flights, which bring out the Peregrine's
extraordinaiy power of wing, are those with wood-
cocks {Scolopax riisfieola) and curlews {Numeniin
ai-quata) — not on account of their excellent flight, but
because of their numerous turnings and twistings.
Those flights showing the dauntless courage and spirit
of the Peregrine, are with the Heron {Ardea ernered).
Both the birds being high and graceful fliers, some
good sport is seen ; and it is only by strategy and great
exertion that the Heron is at last brought down a
victim. Both strive to fly highest, for whilst below
its victim, the Falcon has little or no power 5
although one has been known to strike from below
When the Peregrine does get overhead, the Heron,
as a last resource, throws back his neck and protrudes
his bayonet-like bill in the face of his enemy ; and ia
that position awaits its dread onslaught. If the
Falcon be rash, and make a dash at its intended
victim, it will assuredly be transfixed on the spear-
like bill. This seldom occurs, for a good falcoa
would not do this, but, awaiting its opportunity, would
strike the wary Heron on the wing, and if it be
successful in disabling its foe, whilst descending to
the earth, it would follow close behind, and on the
Heron reaching the ground, soon put an end to its
existence.

The Peregrine seldom or never strikes with his beak
when in pursuit of his prey; always with his for-
midable feet. So powerful is the force with which
the Peregrine strikes, that it has been known to cleave
birds open, to sever their heads from their bodies,
and even to cut a snipe in two. The Peregrine has
been known also to pursue and capture a bird while
having another partially eaten in the grasp of one of
its claws. The Peregrine spends a great portion of
its time on some high cliff by the seashore. It is a
sight worth seeing, to behold a Peregrine on one leg
on some crag which overhangs the sea, and notice
how it launches itself into the air, and, after marking
out a victim from a flock of seafowl disporting
themselves, dashing in among them, and amidst loud
screams of terror bearing off some unlucky guillemot

cr tern {Steriia arcika).

D 2

52

HARD WICKE 'S SCIENCE - GOSSIP.

Numerous are the stories that we hear of this bird's
dauntless spirit — of its following hunters on the
moors, and carrying off the game from under "their
very nose " ; of its flying away with the hunted hare,
and thus putting the dogs off the scent ; and many
others, far too numerous to mention.

Swift as the Peregrine flies, it is seldom it comes

circle, and again awaits its chance. When once the
Peregrine has compelled its prey to take cover, it
does not wait patiently like the Goshawk {Falco
pabanbarius), but immediately abandons it and goes
in search of another victim. In Falconry the Falcon
(female) was flown at very large game ; that is, at
birds often much larger than itself, and endowed

-"'CJ'"^'*^ 1,;.

Fig. 42. Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus), on the look-out.

to harm through it ; for if in its flights any obstacle
arise — a fence, a huge rock, or some natural rising
on the earth's surface — it is cleared as if with a
bound. In the final nish at its victim, should it
miss its aim (an occurrence which rarely happens),
instead of dashing itself against the earth (as one not
used to seeing this magnificent bird in his wild
nature would be led to expect), it rises in a beautiful

with great strength ; such as herons and ducks, and
sometimes even at geese.

The food of the Peregrine consists of the various
kinds of aquatic birds, together with grouse, par-
tridges, rabbits, hares, &c. Small birds are consumed
entirely, the feathers and bones being afterwards
ejected in the form of pellets. Birds about the size
of a partridge ar« carried off to some quiet nook.

HARD WICKE'S S CIENCE - G OS SI P.

53

and there disposed of at leisure ; but, on the con-
trary, if the bird or victim be too large and weighty
to be carried off, it is eaten on the spot on which it
happens to be killed.

All birds alike are dreaded by this depredator. It
is even more feared than man ; and should one
appear in sight when a flock of ducks or other
aquatic birds are enjoying themselves on the surface
of some lake, instead of instantly taking flight, as
they certainly would if the intruder were a man,
they all disappear as if by magic, instinctively
knowing that if they take to flight some of them are
sure to fall victims. As the Falcon cannot procure
them while they are on the water, it tries to compel

The Peregrine is not found in Australia ; but there
is a species very similar, which Gould says is quite
distinct from it. It is called the Black-cheeked Falcon
{Falco inelanogeiiys). This is quite as bold as our
Peregrine, carrying off and attacking birds twice its
own size, and it is said to be quite a favourite with
the aborigines. In the United States and the whole
of North America there is a bird very similar to the
Peregrine ; so much so that many naturalists say they
are but local varieties. This is the far-famed Duck
Hawk {Falco Anatum) of the Prince of Canino, who
is one of the few who say this American hawk and
its European representative are distinct. I think so
too, for the following reasons. The American bird

Fig. 43. Peregrine Falcon on the Wing.

them to take to their wings, by performing gyrations
immediately over their heads, whenever they appear
above water ; thus gaining the desired result of so
terrifying them that at last some of them take flight,
when 'of course the Falcon follows in hot pursuit.
Sometimes, however, the ducks, instead of diving
and seeking safety on the water, all rise in a compact
body, and endeavour to procure safety by unity ; but
the Peregrine is not to be balked so easily, and soon
dashes at some outsider or straggler, and carries it off
in triumph. Birds pursued by the Peregrine will
often allow themselves to be taken by man rather
than fall in the clutches of their pursuer ; so great is
their terror of this courageous bird.

is an inch or two the longest, besides being larger in
proportion. Again, Wilson says "that it permits
the duck to fall previous to securing it. The circum-
stance of the hawk's never cairying off the duck on
striking it, has given rise to the belief of that service
being performed by means of the breast, which vulgar
opinion has armed with a projecting bone, adapted to
the purpose." He says the hawk never carries off the
duck. Now its European ally, the Peregrine, is known
often to cany off birds equally heavy as a duck, if
not heavier. He says : "In the breeding season the
Duck Hawk retires to the recesses of the gloomy cedar
swamps, on the tall trees of which it constructs its
nest, and rears its young secure from all molestation."

54

HARD WICKE 'S S CIENCE • G O SSIF.

The Peregrine never frequents swamps of any
description — always rocky ground. In Thompson's
"Natural History of Ireland," vol. i. p. 35, we find
4he following: — "On two occasions I had oppor-
tunities of remarking this falcon (Peregrine) in haunts
similar to those which, according to Wilson, it frequents
in America." These, however, are not mentioned as a
general habit, but rather as exceptional cases. Mr.
Mudie says "the Peregrine seldom nestles in low
countries and never in marshy ones. " Again, Wilson
says it constructs its nest on tall trees. The Peregrine
has never been known to construct its nest on a tree
of any sort, — always on the rocks.

Besides, the natural disposition of the Peregrine
leads it to frequent the rocky parts of the seashore
or inland lakes, rather than the swampy parts of a
country. Not having skins of the two birds at hand,
I am not able to point out the difference which I feel
quite sure exists, for Mr. Thompson says ' ' that the
American birds are larger than the European and of
a darker shade of colour." I think, however, I have
pointed out the chief differences between the two
birds. How a great naturalist like Wilson could
liave pronounced birds with habits and haunts so
strikingly at variance with each other to be the same,
I cannot say ; but such it is. Be it as it may, the Duck
Hawk is not very abundant in the United States,
because Mr. Wilson experienced great difficulty in
procuring a specimen.

The Peregrine, however, is not the largest of the
Falconidie ; the Gyr (including Iceland and Green-
land Falcon) being only superior to it in size and
perhaps in spirit, but certainly not in the ease and
gracefulness of its flight. The Peregrine is also a
KDUch more numerous species than the Gyr. Seven
species of falcons are to be foond in the British isles ;
Tiz. the Gyr {Faico islandkus), Greenland Falcon
{Falco candicans) — (these two were long confounded
as one and the same bird, until Mr. Hancock took
the matter in hand, ably proving, by the aid of
numerous specimens of both species, the distinction.
Rev. J. O. Morris, in his " British Birds," says he
"cannot see it,"and puts them both under one name —
the Gyr), — Peregrine [Fako peregrinus), Hobby {Falco
subbutco), Red-legged Falcon ■ {Fako rufipcs).
Merlin {Fako czsalon), and the Kestrel {Fako
Tinmmcidus).

The Peregrine, like numerous other birds of prey,
appears to be less abundant than it really is ; yet in
no place is it any way numerous. Over the British
isles it is generally diffused, and is found in
fcivourable situations either on the coast or in the
interior ; but chiefly the former. It has been said
that every rocky headland around our coast contains
a pair of "Blue Hawks." This will show that it is
laot rare ; but if the persecution against all species of
falcons or hawks goes on at the rate it has done,
we shall have reason in the course of a few years
time to regret the absence of the Peregrine from our

coast scenery. The Peregrine is most abundant in
Scotland, particularly on its northern and western
shores. In Ireland, Mr. Thompson says, ' ' it in-
habits suitable localities throughout the island, both
marine and inland." In our country — England — it
is least numerous ; Flamborough Head, on the coast
of Yorkshire, is said to breed at least one pair every
year ; so does the Needles in the Isle of Wight ; the
Isle of Man ; and in a few other situations round the
English coast it is known to bring up its young.

The chief attraction which lures the Peregrine to
the seacoast is the numerous seafowl there to be
found. According to different authors, it is found in-
habiting the whole of Europe and many parts of the
adjoining continents of Asia and Africa.

The Peregrine is rather an early breeder, com-
mencing operations about the end of March or begin-
ning of April. The nest, or eyrie, as it is termed, is
placed on those rocks, either on the coast or more
inland, which are most precipitous and inaccessible.
It spends a deal of time near its nest, occasionally
taking a long flight. The nest is a slovenly structure,
with very little or no beauty about it, except in its
adaption to the wildness of the surrounding scenery.
It is built of sticks intennixed with sea- weed and other
such-like coarse materials. It is lined with sea-weed
or a little hair, or perhaps the nest is entirely without
lining of any description. Sometimes the Peregrine
takes possession of the nest of the Raven {Coi-z'ks
corax). It is situated on some portion of the pre-
cipice jutting out into the sea, or perhaps in a crevice.
Wherever it is placed, it is used by the birds for a
succession of years. Sometimes no nest at all is
made, the eggs being deposited on the bare rock.
The eggs are laid very early in spring and are from
two to four in number; two and three being the
general number ; and when there are more, one is
smaller than the remainder ; probably one of them is
addled, though four young birds have been taken
from one nest, all being of equal size. This was an
exception to the general rule. The eggs are of an
extremely beautiful and elegant colour. The ground-
colour (often not perceptible on account of the pre-
dominance of the markings with which the egg is
profusely marbled) is of a light reddish-brown, with
blotches, streaks, and dots of a still darker shade, ele-
gantly distributed over the surface of the egg. The
older the parent bird, the darker, richer, more
abundant will be the colouring matter on the egg.
Indeed this rule applies to all species of the Falconidse.
It is no easy matter to procure either the young or
the eggs of this falcon, on account of the situation
chosen, and one has need of a strong nerve, a cool
head, and a steady arm before he can essay an attempt.
The way in which they are generally taken is by a
man being lowered from the summit of the rocks by
means of a rope ; sometimes, however, the nest is so
situated that an expert climber would have no diffi-
culty in procuring them without the aid of ropes.

HARD WICKE 'S SCIENCE - GOSSIP.

55

An account of an eyrie situated on the Isle of Man
will perhaps interest the reader : — This eyrie has been
situated on the Isle of Man for many years. It is
placed on the west side of the island, on the very
highest part, the cliffs here rising from the water to a
perpendicular height of nearly 400 ft. ; this renders the
taking of the nest rather difficult. The eggs or young
ones were eagerly sought for year after year by a
gentleman or his gamekeeper, who resided on the
mainland. If the eggs were taken, they were
generally placed under a hen to be hatched. This
did not drive away the falcons, and they continued
to use the same nest every successive year, although
it was repeatedly robbed. When small game was
scarce, the Peregrine used to commit great havoc
among the rabbits with which the island is overstocked.
This rather pleased the keeper than otherwise, as the
rabbits are only a nuisance and in the way ; but on
the falcon (not content with rabbit) beginning to make
too frequent visits to the poultry-yard, one of them
was shot. This was in the year 1874. The other,
after a day or two spent in hovering round the isle,
as if loath to leave its old home, at last quitted the
place, and was not seen again until the spring of last
year (1876), when either this or another falcon was
observed surveying the old place of nidification,
looking if it had been disturbed, or perhaps looking if
thei-e were a more suitable spot to situate its nest.
After a few days spent in this way, and not seeming
to fix on any particular position, itdisappeared, and
had not been seen again in June, 1876. The Pere-
grine goes by the name of " Falcon Hawk" in the
Isle of Man. It is a much-liked bird by all who
reside there, and ""its familiar form, together with its
courageous nature, makes its loss seem more ap-
parent ; but of course it was allowed to stay as long
as it kept within bounds.

There is (or was a few years since) an eyrie of
" Falcon Hawks " at Barra Head, which is much
easier of access than the last-mentioned. I am told
by the keeper that he captured one when it had but
recently learnt to use its wings. It had wandered in
a dense fog, and flown down into the court. It was
a noble bird, and so much did the keeper appreciate
its courageous spirit that he shot sea-birds for it, and
with these fed it for over a fortnight. Thinking then
that the falcon would best like its liberty, he gave it
its freedom. The eyrie on this isle is situated on the
south-west side, among some high cliffs ; but as it is
jDlaced very near their summit, and as the land rises
gradually to the cUffs, it is a very difficult matter to
get at it. They were seldom or never molested, but
allowed to bring up their broods in peace, and have
bred there for a great many years.

The Peregrine is as elegant in both colour and
figure as he is in flight. The head and back part of
the neck, and a patch below the eye, are of a deep
blue-black ; the back and upper half of the wings a
darkish blue or slate-colour, while the other half of

the wings is brown. The long ample tail is of a deep
dark blue, crossed or barred by still darker bands,
getting lighter towards the rump. The breast is of a
very light yellowish-brown, and the belly of a darker
yellowish-brown. The strong legs, large feet and
toes are of a bright, rich yellow, and the claws are
black. The base of the bill is yellow, but the beak
itself is a blue-black, getting deeper towards the
point. The tooth is very prominent in the upper
part of the bill. Altogether the Peregrine is a very
compact bird, and well fitted for its occupation.
The length of the female is from 17 to iS inches,
while the male is only from 14^ to 15J inches, or
about the length of a large female sparrow-hawk.

T. W. Dealy.

DAFFODILS.

" Daffodils
That come before the swallow dares, and take
The wind of March with beauty."

I VENTURE to send a few notes, which for the
last two or nearly three years I have made upoa
this most beautiful of spring flowering bulbous
plants. The genus Narcissus forms a distinct, and
very natural group belonging to the order Amarylli-
dacea.

The common Daffodil {Narcissus Pseudo-Jiarcissus)
is distinguished by having the cylindrical cup, longer
than the funnel-shaped tube ; the filaments are
adnate (or lie) along the lower part of the tube, and
the style subulate {i.e. not broader than thick, com-
pared to an awl), and three-furrowed. It is charac-
terized by a perianth, or floral envelope of six seg-
ments, within which is a more or less campanulate
or bell-shaped corona, or crown. There are six
stamens, which, in the common wild Daffodil, are in
one set, and spring from the base of the corolla-tube ;
in most of the other species the stamens are divided
into two sets, and in some cases they are adherent to
the corolla-tube nearly its entire length, but invariably
become free at its mouth, and never adhere to the
mouth of the crown, as in other species of this
order.

I had a boxful of these elegant flowers sent me
last March, and, being invalided at the time, I care-
fully watched the development of the flowers as they
stood by me in water.

At first, the six stamens, with their long anthers,
entirely covered the pistil with its crown-like stigma ;
but as the latter ripened, it protruded far beyond,
and out of the way of the stamens ; therefore I con-
clude, that in its wild state it is not fertilized by the
pollen of its own individual stamens, but from that of
other flowers, carried by bees and other insects,
which, I presume, are for the most part the fertilizers
of this lovely flower. I would here remark that the

56

HA RD WICKE'S SCIENCE-G OSSIP.

ovary is inferior or adherent to the perianth-tube,
three-celled. Fruit a capsule, with several seeds,
opening in three valves.

Though the Daffodil {N. Pseudo-narcissus) is a
rare plant in Scotland and Ireland, and in many parts
of England, it is by no means uncommon in Stafford-
shire, being found in Eaves Lane, Stoke Meadows,
Bagnall, Baddeley Edge, Stanley Hill, Chorlton,
Madeley, Lichfield, &c. At Skeet, a village near

Fig. 44. — A. Daffodil {Narcissus Pseiuio-narcissus).

Newcastle, the seat of the Rev. W. Sneyde, there is
a field called the Daffodil Meadow. It grows also at
Trentham, the seat of the Duke of Sutherland. It
was in 1873 when, for the first time, I saw the wild
Daffodil growing in a rich, lovely part of Staffordshire,
near Sandon, the seat of the Earl of Ilarrowby.
The meadows were full of them, looking like a cloth
of gold. I cannot find words better to describe the

impression they made upon my mind when I
saw them than those of Wordsworth : —

" I wander'd lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host of golden Daffodils
Besides the stream, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing to the breeze

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the Milky Way,
They stretch'd a never-ending line.

Across the margin of a bay.
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance."

first

Fig. 4S. Floral Parts, &c., of Daffodil.

I. Section of flower. 2. Section of leaf.
Leaves of Perianth. 4. Section o{ JJower-scape.

It is in moist woods and thickets, as well as in rich
meadow-land, we must chiefly look for the Daffodils ;
though in the orchai'd belonging to the Hall where I
was visiting, they very thickly skirted the margin of
a pool ; indeed, all growing in this locality were finer
and more abundant along the banks of a brook or
stream forming one of the tributaries of the Trent.

The popular names Daffodil, Daffodilly, and
Daffa-down-dilly, are in all probability corruptions
of the word Asphodel or Asphodelus. The old name
Lent Lilies had reference to the time when most of
the Narcissus family flower, while the name Chalice
Flowers had reference to the obconical form of the

HARD WTCKE 'S S CIENCE - G O SSIjP.

57

corona, which nearly resembles in shape the cup or
chalice used for holding the sacramental wine. In
1874 I again visited the lovely spot above referred
to, in time to see the pretty village church decorated
for Easter-day with this poetic flower, in unison with
the Primrose, Rose, and wild Ivy, and very artistic
the eiTect was.

According to some authors, the generic name is
derived from the classical story of the youth Nar-
cissus, as related by Ovid and other ancient authors ;
while Pliny and others derive the generic name from
the Greek word iiarcc, on account of the narcotic per-
fume. This is so great that the smell in a close room
is said to often cause faintness and headache.

The perianth is of a paler yellow than the corolla-
tube or cup, which is an outgrowth of the perianth.

In Hertfordshire and other counties, an old custom
still exists of gathering these flowers, and placing
them on sticks, and these bouquets are carried by
children into towns while singing the old ditty,
" Daffa-down-dilly is coming to town." They term
this custom "going a daffying."

Few flowers except the Ivily and Rose, have re-
ceived more fanciful tributes from poets of all ages
than this. Herrick's is perhaps the most touching : —

" Fair Daffodils ! we weep to see
You haste away so soon :
As yet the early rising sun
Has not attain'd his noon.
Stay, stay,
Until the hastening day
Has run."

Virgil and numerous others have also alluded to

these beautiful flowers.

E. Edwards.

ERRORS OF INTERPRETATION; WITH
ESPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE EX-
AMINATION OF SCALES OF INSECTS.

By Jabez Hogg,

Surgeon to the Royal Westminster Ophthalmic Hospital, Hon.
Member of the Belgian Microscopical Society, &c.

{Read before the Belgian Microscopical Society, Sept. 29, 1876. )

SCALES of insects and other minute objects,
when viewed under high-power lenses, and by
certain methods of illumination — as by rays of light
transmitted in an oblique direction — assume appear-
ances that become sources of error in the interpreta-
tion of structure. Even those experienced in the use
of the microscope may for a time remain under some
misconception with regard to details of objects, or the
differentiation of constituent tissue. It has for many
years past been my aim, both by teaching and writing,
to put beginners on their guard on matters of so
much importance.* Nothing in my opinion has more
tended towards the promotion and perpetuation of
errors in microscopy than the promulgation of in-

flated notions on the value and importance of
"amplifiers" and "aplanatic searchers" as acces-
sories to the microscope. Indeed, it is contended
that the "aplanatic searcher "is an absolute necessity
for obtaining increase of magnification, and enabling
the observer to compare the known with the unknown ;
that by its aid we " improve the penetration, amplify
magnifying power, intensify definition, and raise the
objective somewhat further from its dangerous proxi-
mity to the delicate covering glass, indispensable to
the observation of objects under very high powers."*
A gentleman of some experience in the use of this
instrument, and who has apparently thoroughly im-
bibed the erroneous views of the author of the
" aplanatic searcher," believes that to such an acces-
sory we must look for increase in magnification. He
writes: "From the great improvements in object-

* See the several editions of my book,
scope," from 1854 to 1870, pp. 63 et scq.

'On the Micro-

Fig. 46. Scale of Gnat. Fig. 47. Scale of Diurnal

Lepidoptera, showing "beading."

glasses made within the last few years, it would be
reasonable to infer that opticians have reached the
limit of perfection in that direction, and that future
progress in the power of the microscope must depend
mainly upon the eye-piece or intermediate arrange-
ment of lenses between the eye-piece and object-
glass. "+ He thereupon proceeds to construct an
"amplifier " by means of which " the microscope can
be increased four or eight-fold without apparent loss
of definition." A close examination of "amplifier'

* Dr. Pigott. The Monthly Microscopical Journal, vol. iv.
p. 62, and vol. v. p. 129.

t The Rev. J. H. Wythe, M.D.
News, May, 1876, p. 237.

The Cincinnati Medical

58

HARD WICKE 'S S CIENCE - G OS SI P.

and " aplanatic searcher " will convince the impartial
observer that in principle and in construction they are
opposed to geometrical and practical optics, and break
down on being put to experimental proof.

Not many years since similar attempts were made
to interpose an "amplifier" between the object and
field-glass of the telescope ; but it led to no practical
results. Barlow's lens, an elegant optical toy, is not
known to have been the means of making any dis-
covery in the hands of the astronomer ; on the con-
trary, it was, soon after ^its introduction, discarded
because it produced spectral images. That any mere
amplifying apparatus should have been seriously pro-
posed for obtaining "transcendental definition" and
increasing the power of observers with the microscope,
is very sm-prising. It is asserted by the inventor of
the " aplanatic searcher " that in principle the instiii-
ment involves the correction of the residuary chro-
matic and spherical aberrations in the image-pencil
after it leaves the objective, and is in course of pro-
jection to the conjugate focus. This, it will be
observed, is equivalent to asserting that every lens
made is, to some extent, imperfectly constructed ; and
this I suppose no practical optician will dispute.
But if this i-easoning be followed out to its logical
conclusion, we are brought to the strange and almost
inconceivable proposition that an objective constructed
as nearly as possible on the most rigid geometrical
formula;, but with a residuum of uncorrected aber-
rations, all its errors are made to vanish by means of
the "aplanatic searcher." This contravening accessory
to the microscope has been conscientiously employed
by a number of practical men ; among others, a former
President of the Royal Microscopical Society of
London. He writes of it, ' ' Even the name of the
instrument, a ' searcher,' seems to imply that its
application is wholly empirical ; even in his own
hands it has been observed that while the desired
appearance is sometimes speedily produced, at other
times a considerable amount of manipulation has
seemed to be required for that purpose. Under these
circumstances it appears that the controversy that has
existed as to the beaded appearance of podura scales
must still be considered an open question. Reviewing
this, however, under the dictates of common sense,
when observing the familiar podura ' notes of admi-
ration,' well defined and free from colour, I cannot
resist the inference that in the objective all aberrations
are nicely balanced, and the object truly represented
' in the visual image ; on the contrary, when the same
object is viewed as rows of ill-defined beads loaded
with colours, it is difficult to avoid suspecting that the
appearance is a spectral illusion, resulting from some
unexplained diffraction or interference ; and this sus-
picion can hardly be dispelled by anything short of
rigid mathematical demonstration."*

* Charles Brook, P'.R.S. President's Address. Monthly
Microscopical Journal, February, 1874, p. 94.

Admitting then, that the " aplanatic searcher"
does "amplify magnifying power," it is mere
amplification, that can be obtained by various well-
known eye-pieces, tried, but ^not even generally
accepted, by microscopists. That any piece of
accessory apparatus of the kind, ' ' searcher " or
"amplifier," should be vaunted as "an improve-
ment," or as a valuable means of "increasing the
resolving or defining power " of the instrument, at
this advanced age of its history, is to me quite
remarkable. That the makers of such accessory
appliances have never ventured to exhibit them in
public, is also very significant ; it is reasonable to
suppose that, had they possessed any merit, they
would have been the first to bring them prominently
into notice, and advocate their employment with a
zeal quite equal to that of their inventors. This,
however, has not been done ; and without entering
deeply into the optical principles involved in the
construction of the "' aplanatic searcher " — and which
would involve a fruitless discussion on empirical
optics,— it will occur to every practical mind, that, ■
supposing such an accessoiy to effect some amount of
correction— and the omis of proof or demonstra-
tion rests with its inventor, — it can be unmistakably
shown that residuary aberrations should be removed
by a more rigid adherence to mathematical formula;
in the construction of the objective, which would
involve far less expenditure of optical means, and
loss of light, than by any extraneous arrangement of
lenses in the body of the microscope.

In what way " aplanatic searchers and amplifiers "
tend to increase errors of interpretation rather than
the elucidation of structure, is intelligibly explained
in Dr. Woodward's valuable communication to the
Mo7ithly Microscopical Journal, " On the Structure of
the Gnat's Body-scale."* " By varying the illumina-
tion from a strictly central to a gradually increased
oblique condition, all the more familiar phenomena
of diffraction can be produced, even to the beaded
structure." Microscopists are well acquainted with
the fact (and it is almost unnecessary to recall it to
the minds of the members of a learned society), that
if we interpose minute diaphragms between a strong
source of light and an objective, the phenomena of
diffraction will be produced. Such objects as gnats'
body-scales, podura scales, or the frustules of diato-
macere, may be regarded as so many minute forms of
diaphragms, not necessarily diaphragms in the com-
mon acceptation of the term, that is, apertures cut
out of an opaque material ; but in them we have
tissue or substance more or less transparent and re-
fractive in combination, in the highest degree com-
plex, and producing the phenomena of diffraction in
almost infinite variety and complexity. The admir-
able photographs of the gnat's body-scale, made by
Dr. Woodward, conclusively prove this, and as effec-

* Monthly Alicroscopicai yournal, vol. xv. p. 253.

HARD WICKE'S SCIENCE - G OSSIP.

59

tually demolish the ' ' beaded structure " theory ; or,
as Dr. Anthony pertinently puts it, "strike at the
root of a vast number of descriptions of (jnasi-
beaded tissue, said to have been seen in many objects
when examined under high power lenses."*

By a simple contrivance, the arrangement of a few
thin glass rods placed at right angles to each other,
and made to revolve in contrary directions, the late
Mr. Hennah demonstrated how easily illusory ap-
pearances can be produced and photographically
depicted. As the light is made to strike the rods
in a more or less oblique direction, a variety of very
curious spectral phenomena will appear. These can
be considerably varied and rendered more deceptive,
as the foci of objects placed behind the rods ai'e
made to fall within or upon their front surfaces, f I
have repeatedly amused myself by producing
" beaded " and other phantoms with a series of rods
so arranged. I have also by using a very oblique
pencil of light, observed "beads" in many of the
scales of Lepidoptera. The drawing fig. 46 was
made whilst I was engaged on the paper published
in the Monthly Microscopical jfoicrnal, 1872, "On
Gnats' Scales"; fig. 47, a large scale from the wing of
one of the diurnal Lepidoptera, was drawn at the
same time ; both of which convey some idea of "rows
of beads," and have since been proved by Dr. Wood-
ward to be illusory or spectral. A thorough investi-
gation of all the circumstances and facts at our com-
mand in connection with this question can only lead
to one conclusion — that nothing new has either been
made out or discovered with regard to the structure
of i3odura or gnats' scales by the aid of the
"aplanatic searcher," or "amplifier"; and further,
that rows of red, green, and blue "(^^a^z-beads,"
when seen in them, are solely due to diffraction
phenomena and increase of chromatic aberration,
produced by the introduction of a series of lenses into
the body of the microscope. Moi'eover, the charm
of novelty cannot be claimed for these beaded appear-
ances : they were described and figured in the third
volume of the "Transactions of the Microscopical
Society of London," 1848, by Mr. Warren De la Rue,
who described cross strim on the scales of Amathusia
Ho7'sJic'ldii with "^beaded lines or protuberances."
When these were focussed at their summits, they ap-
peared as "brown dots. "J When these scales were
exhibited, they were pronounced by competent ob-
servers to be "the overlying pigment-cells " between
the two layers of membrane. The interference of
"overlying pigment" in a corrugated tissue might
be expected to produce'a delusive appearance, and it
scarcely admits of a doubt that the generally received
description of the structure of the podura-scale is the

* JMonthly Microscopical jfournal, vol. xv. p. 256.

t BTonthly Microscopical Journal, vol. v. p. 195.

% Warren De la Rue, F. R. S. &c. "On the Markings on
the Scales of Amathubia Horsfieldii," Micros. Soc. Trans.,
December, 1848.

more correct one. The bead-like swellings or dots
observed in these scales, and in those of many of the
Lepidoptera, are simply aggregations of minute
particles retained between layers of membrane thrown
into wavy longitudinal folds, again crossed by ribs or
strics. These, when slightly out of focus, appear as
varicose dots or beads.* This is fully confirmed by
careful focussing ; when first the upper series of
varicose ribs come into view, then, by slightly depress-
ing the objective a lower set is seen, the upper set
almost disappearing. By another slight movement
of the fine adjustment, the true ribs are lost sight of,
and the "exclamation dots " come into view, or the
object assumes a variety of colours. This train of
phenomena is frequently reversed, in consequence of
the relative differences between the upper and lower
series of strice. In the darker-coloured scales or
scales slightly charred and broken, the stria and pig-
ment ai-e best defined.

The footstalk of the scales of the larger Lepi-
doptera is sometimes seen filled with colouring matter,
of an albuminoid or fatty nature. Scales examined
before the insect is dead, or whilst it is under the
influence of chloroform, and still attached to the wing,
are seen to terminate, not as a simple stalk, but as a
series of diverging rootlets, as represented in the
accompanying drawing. I infer, then, that all scales
and wings are nourished in a somewhat similar
manner as hairs and the epidermal coverings of
animals. The colouring matter of the scales heightens
the iridescent effects, and aids in imparting beauty and
variety to the gossamer wings of the insect tribe.
Besides the charm of colour, the scales of Lepidoptera
are exceedingly variable in form ; being oval, oblong,
cordate, curvate, filifonn, or capillary ; with free
ends, rounded, truncate, toothed, &c. These, and
other peculiarities, have a certain value for the ento-
mologist in the study of the laws of evolution, varia-
tion, and distribution of species, while to the micro-
scopist, all modifications tending towards persistency
materially assist in the differentiation of the fauna.
In the Lepidoptera especially, changes in form and
colour eventuate in that interesting phenomenon, now
known as " protective mimicry." I have no hope of
presenting an exhaustive examination of these
interesting objects, and must content myself on the
present occasion with a few brief remarks on a few of
the more curious forms of scales, and which, I trust,
will induce other workers with more time at command
to follow up the subject. Among the diurnal Lepi-
doptera the scales of the genus Papilio terminate in a
double footstalk, and somewhat resemble an ancient
weapon, a "bipennis." On the anterior wing of
Papilio Polydamzis, two curious scales are found;
one leaf-shaped, and very pointed, the other not

* See Dr. Woodward, " On the Structure of the Podura
Scale," jW. M. J., vol. v. p. 158 ; also, Dr. Maddox, " On the
Structure of the Scales of some of the Lepidoptera,'' M. M. jf.,
vol. V. p. 247.

6o

HARD WICKE 'S S CIENCE - G O SSI P.

unlike a footprint in sand. P. Agamemno7i exhibits
a singular variety : the footstalk is to one side of a
filiform scale, scarcely distinguishable, except under a
high power, from hairs. These are toothed at their
upper extremity. Another scale, almost peculiar to
the species, is diamond-shaped. It bears a close
resemblance to the ace of diamonds. The scales on
the under wing oi Parnassus Apollo are for the most
part leaf-shaped, but more obtuse than those o^
Papilio Polydamus ; whilst certaiia scales of Pai-nassiis
Phixhus veiy nearly resemble those of P. Apollo. They
occupy different positions, — a diversity between two
closely-allied species worth noting, and of service in
the determination of specific identity.

From the pretty little genus Thais, one of the
INIediterranean fauna, is obtained an elegant scale, in
form resembling a single flower of the Lily of the
Valley, and may, in future, be distinguished as the
"Lily-scale." F. Cassandra furnishes, besides the
"Lily-scale," another of an irregular shape, three-
pointed, elongate, and not unlike an ancient partisan
or halberd. Anthocaris Ettpompi (Orange-tip), of
Sierra Leone, furnishes us with a white scale, iiTeguIar
in form, and with a double footstalk : its orange
scales have triple footstalks, and are remark-
ably attractive objects under a medium power.
Seen in clusters on the wing, they form a brilliant
prismatic band of a golden hue. The scales of Pkris
Daplidice, although leaf-shaped, are widely cleft ;
while those of P. Bella afford typical examples of the
" battledore scale." The scales oi P. Pyrrha differ in
the two sexes, and are diversified in form and other
characters. Triangular scales, confined to the anterior
portion of the wings, are found in all the Callidryas,
and among the genus Colias the lily-shaped scale
prevails. A somewhat remarkable scale is found on
the wing of the female Colias Ediisa (it is something
like a phial-bottlc), and in an Indian species an arrow-
headed scale. A wing scale of Idea Ilestia bears a
striking resemblance to a fragment of sea-weed
(Fucus). It is triangular in form, and deeply serrated,
while scales taken from other portions of the wing
are very nearly square. Among the beautiful species
ArgynnidcE, a very few scales presenting variety are
found. One bears a resemblance to a palm-branch
and for this reason may be designated the "palm-
branch scale."

From these cursory observations it will be seen
that the scales of Lepidoptera present attractive
variations, which furnish evidence of that beauty of
design tliat generally pervades the works of Nature.

The Domestic Cat (p. 43). — The cat is men-
tioned in Baruch, ch. vi. (tlie Epistle of Jeremy).
Inver. 21, the prophet, describing the helplessness of
the idols in the heathen temples at Babylon, says : —
"Upon their bodies and heads sit bats, swallows,
and birds, and the cals aho." — JV. R. Tate, Bland-
ford.

OUR COMMON BRITISH FOSSILS, AND
WHERE TO FIND THEM.

No. IV.
By J. E. Taylor, F.G.S., &c.

IV/T Y readers will have seen from the illustrations-
iVl accompanying the last article on this subject,
the strong external resemblances between the earliest
King-crabs, such as the Belinurus, and one genus of
Silurian Trilobites ( Trinucleus). The chief apparent
difference is in the ends of their bodies, that of the
King-crab being prolonged into the dart shape which
gives to it its generic name, whilst in the Trinucleus
H is round. But we have only to glance at figures of
various kinds of Trilobites to see that they vary
among themselves in this respect. Thus in Asaphus
caudahts (fig. 13), one of the commonest of Lower
Silurian Trilobites, we have the pygidium, or tail,
drawn out into a point.

Fig. 48. Paradoxides Davidis.

Undoubtedly the Trinucleus (fig. 17) is one of the
prettiest of Trilobites. It has a look which suggests
the mysterious Egyptian figures of ancient courtiers !
The head or cephalic shield is much developed, and
on each side is prolonged into two spines half as long
again as the body. Like the Agnostus and several
others, the Trinucleus had no eyes. In this respect
we find the various genera of Trilobites differing very
much from each other. Some have a very large
number, as Asaphus tyrannus ; and thence we find
them decreasing until they are absent altogether. All
the genera of the order Trinucleidte, however, are not
eyeless ; and this illustrates the uncertainty with

HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

6i

which the power of vision seems to have been distri-
buted among these ancient crustaceans. Doubtless,
this variation was the result of special conditions of
existence, eyes being always possessed when they
were required. Thus the living male Bopvnis, or
shrimp-parasite (fig. 20), has rudimentaiy eyes, whilst

Undoubtedly many of the fossil Trilobites we meet
with in any of the above rocks, are moults,— \}i\2X is,
portions of the carapace thrown off after the manner
of the shells of lobsters and crabs. This moult ino-
process appears to have peeled off the external hard
shell in two or three pieces. Thus, the head-piece or

Fig. 49. Paradoxides Tessiin.

Fig. 51. HomalanotiiS.

Fig. 52. Phacops caudains.

Fig. 50. Acidaspis Dufresiioyi.

the female has none ; but this is entirely due to the
very different habits of life of the two sexes. Trimi-
cleiis is abundant in the Caradoc shales of Shi'opshire.
Fi'om the Cambrian to the Carboniferous forma-
tions we find certain Trilobites peculiar to the various
geological systems. Thus, Paradoxides and Agnostus
are peculiarly Cambrian ; TriimclcJts and Asaphus
are almost exclusively Lower Silurian ; Phacops and
Calymene are markedly Upper Silurian ; Brontes and
Harpes are among characteristic Devonian fossils ;
whilst Phillipsia and Griffithsides are genera of small
Trilobites — the last of their race — which are peculiar
to the Carboniferous limestones.

cephalic shield, is usually found alone ; the thorax, or
ringed part, is also abundantly found separate ; whilst
the pygidium, or tail, is frequently met with apart

Fig. 53. Ogygia Buchii.

from the others, although it is usually adhering to the
thoracic part. Of course, animals which have died
and been buried in the mud are found with all the
above parts adhering to each other. The carapace or
shell differed in its character in various species. In

62

HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

some it appears to have been very thin, in others
harder. As a nile, it was chitinous, after the manner
of tlie elytra: of beetles, altliough there can be no
doubt this was often strengthened by the presence of
hmy matter. In the carboniferous Trilobites {Phil-
lipsia, &c. ) the carapace seems to have contained
more limy matter in its composition than other species.
In this genus we always find the moultings in
the two parts of body and tail, and head. In the
Calymenes (fig. 14) the thoracic or ringed part is
frequently found by itself, and not seldom the rings
are detached, as if the whole mechanism of the coat-
of-mail-like armour had become loosened and got
scattered about. Undoubtedly the chemical composi-
tion of the carapace differed accordingly as the habits
of the Trilobites varied.

The Cambrian Trilobites, as a rule, differ from their

Fig. 55. Trimtclcus
L loydii.

Fig. 54. Head-shield and Caudal
shield of Phillipsia.

Silurian descendants and representatives in having a
larger number of rings or segments to the thoracic (or
middle) part of the body. The tail part (caudal
shield) is, however, less developed than in the Silu-
rian species. The side-lobes of some genera, Pat-a-
doxidcs and Acidaspis, are fringed, and, in the case of
the latter, further adorned with spines. Some of
these may have been sexual distinctions, although we
are now forced to regard them as specific. Dean
Buckland and many other naturalists have regarded
an isopod crustacean abundant in the seas around
Tierra del Fuego and the Straits of Magellan, as
being nearly allied to this group of Trilobites. This
crustacean is called Serolis. Its cephalic shield has
compound sessile eyes, arranged in halfmoon-shaped
lobes exactly like those of some Trilobites. The
segments or joints of the thoracic portion of the body
are fringed, as in Faradoxides, and there is a movable
caudal or tail shield, as in Phacops catidatus, an
abundant Silurian Trilobite. Only the antennae and
mouth-organs differentiate them. But these are very
thin and weak, and after death may soon be detached,
as various geologists believe was the case with some
Trilobites. The legs are fitted for crawling about,
but, as is frequent in animals living in sea-water, they
are also weak and thin. The Serolis is a slow
crawler and swimmer, and is usually found on sea.
weed. Some geologists have imagined that a few

Trilobites had genetic relations with the common
Apiis of our ditches and ponds. Sufficient has been
said, however, to show how large a middle space
the numerous family of Trilobites occupy. At the
one extreme they nearly touch the King-crabs, and
at the other the aborted shrimp-parasites, as in the
case of Agnostiis. Perhaps the living Serolis better
rejiresents the average forms of Trilobites than any-
thing else.

Fig. 56. Serolis Falricii. Fig. 57. Underside o'i Scrolls Fahricit.
a. Eyes. b. Feet. c. Organs of Mouth.

Fig. 58. A/>!is Jiroduciiis.

The Cambrian strata have recently been made to
extend upwards as high as the " May Hill "group, so
as to include rocks formerly classed as Lower
Silurian. They are well represented in many parts
of Great Britain, notably in North Wales and the
Lake districts. Trilobites of various genera may be
met with in many localities which are usually visited
by tourists for the sake of the scenery alone. It is
one of the privileges of the geologist, that his calling
takes him tosome of the wildest, grandest, or most beau-

HARD WICKE 'S S CIENCE - G OS SIP.

63

tiful scenes in nature. Although, in not a fev/ instances,
rich fossiliferous strata occur in unlovely places, amid
densely-populated neighbourhoods, as at the Wren's
Nest, near Dudley ; yet as a rule fossils are most
abundant where the rocks crop out along moun-
tain or hill sides or sea-cliffs. In searching for them he
startles the grouse or the moor-fowl, finds many a
lovely mountain plant solitarily blooming, and inhales
fresh air which seems to him like draughts of old
wine 1 Scenes of unsurpassed loveliness are thus re-
vealed to him, in the grandeur of rock-masses, or the
panoramic stretch of the valleys below and beyond.
What wonder if men who have had to toil the year
round for thebread which perisheth, in dingy offices or
amid the noise and bustle of machinery, should so value
the week or twoof summer holiday, which enables them
to devote themselves to those geological pursuits
which have all the charm and excitement of hunting
without any of its cruelty ! For, if the geologist wish
to change the area of his labours from the mountain-
side to the sea-side, he can do so at leisure, without
interfering with his success in fossil-hunting. Some
of the veiy best sections are those to be seen in our
sea-cliffs — some of the richest fossiliferous districts
are where the student may be taking in a fresh stock
of health whilst he is following his bent, and have
silently impressed on his memory scenes of beauty
which will last as long as his own individuality !
Perhaps it is this direct contact with Nature in all her
varied moods which makes such enthusiasts of geolo-
gists. Not even botanists are more devoted to their
hobby; and it is undoubtedly this enthusiasm which
makes geological investigation not to depend upon
companionship for success.

The recent absorption of most, if not all, the Lower
Silurian rocks into the Cambrian system has, of
course, largely added to the number of localities
where fossils are to be obtained. The Menevian beds
near St. David's, in South Wales, are exceedingly
rich in Trilobites ; among which Paradoxidcs Davidis,
the largest of its order, is abundant. This species
sometimes attains a length of two feet, and is, there-
fore, strongly contrastable in this respect with the
little Agnosttts {^g. 21) and i\\Q FhiUiJysia (fig. 54).
The South Welsh valleys are little explored, although
the geological student might do so to his double ad-
vantage, for they are equally rich in scenery and in
fossils. Monmouthshire presents an area of country
where we have, perhaps, a more varied geological
outcrop than anywhere else in Great Britain. Near
Newport a patch of Silurian strata abounds in several
species of Trilobites, notably Asaphus and Ogygia
(figs. 13 and 53).

Maentrog and Port Madoc have long been cele-
brated for their rich yields of Trilobites. The student
may obtain them, in many places, from the slates
which build up the walls by the roadside, whilst in
the quarries there are usually bands or seams espe-
cially full of them. Few localities are better worth

a visit, for we are here within the charming circle of
Snowdonia. The lower Lingula flags are well deve-
loped at Maentrog, and one Trilobite is so abun-
dant in them that it was proposed to call them
^'■Olemis'''' beds. Two species of the obscure little
Agnostus are associated with it, along with various
other fossils. At no great distance up the higher
parts of the valley is Festiniog. A diminutive rail-
way, with cars of the same proportion as the narrow
diameter of its "permanent way," runs up one side
of the valley to Festiniog, and the geological student
can take advantage of it in his rambles, and thus pass
over the outcrop of beds rich in Trilobites. Another
locality for Cambrian Trilobites is the neighbourhood
of Dolgelly, a district whose magnificent scenery of
wild mountain and umbrageous valley is annually
drawing to it a larger number of tourists and visitors.
Here Conocoryphc, Agnostics, &c. may be found in
certain places in tolerable abundance. The student
might advantageously work his way to Dolgelly by
Tremadoc, at which place he will find abundant em-
ployment for his hammer. At the village of Pen-
morfa the slates are often crowded with remains of
Trilobites. Garth Hill is also a capital collecting-
ground. In many places the Llandeilo flags are so
full of Trilobites that Sir Roderick Murchison gave
them the name of " Trilobite Schists." Perhaps the
neighbourhood of Builth is the best place for obtaining
them. Several species of Ogygia occur, associated
with numerous other fossils.

The Cambi'ian and Silurian rocks of the Lake dis-
trict are not so abundant in Trilobites as those of
North Wales and Shropshire, although we have
found them in the rich fossiliferous shales of Apple-
thwaite Common, and on the Lancashire side of
Windermere, — chiefly Asaphus. Calymene, Homalo-
notits, and others occur in the Dafton shales, of
Upper Llandeilo age. In the Coniston limestone,
also, we have Illtcmis, Chciriirus, Agnostus, &c., all
of them well-marked genera of Trilobites.

In the Silurian proper (the upper Silurian of geolo-
gists only a few years ago), we find Trilobites reach-
ing their maximum of existence, both in genera,
species, and individuals ; and we have tolerably cer-
tain evidence that after this epoch they began to
decline until they became extinct. In the loveliest
parts of North Wales, as at Conway, the Devil's
Bridge (near Pentre Voelas), Craig Hir, and at
Mynydd Fronfrys, about four miles from Llangollen,
among the mountains, we find abundance of fossils,
and among them are various species of Phacops,
Calymene, &c. The pretty village of Woolhope, near
Hereford, is another charming collecting-ground, rich
in Upper Silurian fossils ; and here we find Ilhcniis,
Honialonotus, Phacops, &c. Trilobites are also abun-
dant in the Wenlock shales forming part of the
Malvern Hills. Of the Dudley limestone and its
treasury of these peculiar ancient forms of life, we
have already spoken. The neighbourhood of Ludlow

64

HARD WICKE'S S CIENCE- G SSI P.

has also long been knovm as a rich storehouse
of Trilobites of various species and genera.

In the Devonian beds it is only here and there we
can meet with Trilobites in any abundance. One of
the best localities we know of is Newton Abbot, in
Devonshire, where the limestone contains numerous
Trilobites. The Pilton beds yield certain species of
Phacops in plenty. The Trilobites are most abundant
in the Middle Devonian strata of England, owing to
the probable fresh-water conditions under which most
of the other beds were deposited. The carboniferous
limestone, both of England and Ireland, is frequently
rich in Trilobites of the genei^a Phillipsia and Grif-
fithsides, named after two distinguished geologists. At
Castleton, in the Peak of Derbyshire, along the out-
crop of the strata forming Tre-cliff, is a band especially
crowded with Phillipsia ; and in the curious gorge
to the immediate south of the cavern called " Cave
Dale " (undoubtedly an ancient cavern with the
roof worn off ), we may find this Trilobite associated
with a wonderfully abundant collection of other
fossils. At Salt Hill, Clitheroe, in Lancashire, the
shales which part the limestone bands are seen
crowded with the evidently moulted remains of
Phillipsia.

The large number of species, even of British
Trilobites, obtained from the various strata above
mentioned, are grouped into certain families. We
have first the Agnostidcv, characterized by their small
size, by the head and tail being covered with two
nearly equal shields, and the jDossession of not more
than two body-rings. This family was eyeless. The
Oletididic or Paradoxidiv had long bodies, with
numerous free segments. The caudal or tail shield
was small ; the side lobes were prolonged into curved
spines. A large number of the more ancient genera
of Trilobites belong to this family. The Asaphida:
were tolerably large oval Trilobites, with smooth
carapaces, and possessed about eight body-rings.
Illccims and Ogygia are included in this group. The
TrimuleidtE had a large head-shield, ending in two
long spines, one on each side. The body-rings were
five or six in number. The Cheiriiridct included
seven distinct genera, which had a geological range
from the Cambrian to the Devonian strata. The
facial sutures of the head-shield ended on the outer
margin. The number of rings or segments ^^'as
eleven, and these were free at their ends. The
CalymenidtE had carapaces roughened over with
granules or tubercles, and the number of body-rings
was usually thirteen. In Jlonialoiiotiis, one of the
two genera composing this family, the body-rings
are not so distinctly trilobed as usual. Phacopida was
a family of Trilobites with large facetted eyes. The
number of body-rings is eleven. The Lichadic had
small head-shields, and a tail or pygidium with a
broad limb. It contains only the genus Lichas. The
Proetida includes the carboniferous genera Phillipsia
and Griffithsidcs. Their number of body-rings was

usually nine. The carapace of Phillipsia is generally
roughened witJi granules. Acidaspidcz had a very orna-
mental carapace, with eight to ten body-rings, and
the segments of the side lobes (pleurae) directed
backwards. The tail had also two or three segments,
furnished with prominent spines. The Bronteida:
had a large expanded tail or pygidium. The Harpeida:
were noted for the horseshoe-shaped head-shield,
whose angles were greatly prolonged. The body
was numerously jointed, usually with twenty-six
segments. Only one genus, Harpes, belongs to it.
Lastly, we have the Cyphaspidic, whose head-shield
was also prolonged into spines, and the carapace
marked by spiiiy or pitted surface ornamentations.
The number of body-rings varied in the different
genera from ten to twenty-two. These are among the
less common of the Trilobites. It will give us much
pleasure to hear from any correspondents respecting
habitats where any genus of species of Trilobite is to
be plentifully found.

METROPOLITAN NATURAL HISTORY
AND MICROSCOPICAL CLUBS.

THE following is a list of some of the clubs in
London devoted to natural history pursuits,
&c. :—

Medical Microscopical Society (founded December,
1872). — This society meets at the Century Club, 6,
Pall-mall-place, \V., on the third Friday of each
month from October to May inclusive, at 8 p.m.
There is no entrance-fee, and the subscription is los.
per annum. The members are qualified members of
the medical profession and students of medicine or
compai-ative histology whose qualifications are accept-
able to the society. The objects of the society are
the discussion of questions in normal and pathological
histology, medico-legal and medico-chemical micro-
scopy, mechanical and optical arrangements requisite
for the proper examination of specimens, the prepara-
tion of the same, &c. ; the formation of a cabinet of
preparations for the use of members, and the ex-
change of specimens and matei'ial. The officers for
1877 are — President, H. Power, F.R.C. S., &c. ;
Ho)i. Secretaries, J. W. Groves, C. H. Golding-Bird.
South London Entotnological Society (established
1872). — Meets at the Assembly-rooms, 104, West-
minster-bridge-road, S.W. (side entrance). Presi
dent, i^TI, Mr. J. Piatt Barrett, Radnor-street,
Peckham. The society has been formed to promote
entomological science in South London. Meetings
of the members are held every alternate Thursday,
from 8 to 10 p.m., in the above Assembly-rooms,
when papers are i-ead, exhibitions of specimens made,
and discussions take place. A libraiy is being
formed as rapidly as funds will permit, all surplus
money being devoted to the purchase of books. The
society's room is easy of access from all parts of

HARD WICKE 'S SCIENCE - G OS SI P.

65

London, and the committee cordially invite the co-
operation of all entomologists, especially those who
are willing to further the objects of the society by
reading papers and exhibiting their captures. Since
its fonnation the society has rapidly increased in
numbers, a large portion of the members being ex-
perienced collectors. Subscription, 6s. per annum,
with an entrance-fee of is. Hon. Secretaries — Mr. G.
C. Champion, Mr. W. C. Chancy.

Greetihithe Naturalists' Society (founded 1872). —
President, Rev. J. M. Gatrill ; Secretary, S. Martin.

East London Natural History and Microscopical
Society (founded 187 1 ). President, J. M. Knight,
Esq. — Meetings held fortnightly on first and third
Thursdays in each month, at the Board School,
High-street, Bromley. Gentlemen desirous of join-
ing the society can obtain further information from
the Hon. Secretary, Mr. Harry Smart, 8, The Para-
gon, Hackney, E.

Toivei--liill Microscopical Club (established July,
1872). — Its meetings are held on the second Tuesday
in each month, with excursions on Saturdays in the
summer months. The Soiree held in February.
President, Mr. James B. Crosfield; Hon. Secretary,
Mr. R. Sedgwick.

The Charterhouse Science and Art Society (founded
October, 1875). — It has for its object the reading and
publication of papers connected with the numerous
subjects embraced by science and art, and the collec-
tion of objects for a museum which has been esta-
blished in the school. President, Rev. G. S Davies,
M.A.; Secretary, S. D. Titmas, B.Sc, F.C.S.

Greenwich Microscopical and N'atural History
Society. President, Prior Purvis, M.D., London;
Hon. Secretary, Geo. Dannatt. — Meets on the first
and third Thursdays in each month. Annual sub-
scription, los. Each member supplied gratis with a
monthly copy of Hardwicke's Science-Gossip,
and entitled to two tickets to the Annual Soiree.
The last Soiree was held in the Lecture Hall, Green-
wich, on February 14th.

[We shall be glad to hear further from the honorary
secretaries of other London societies, inasmuch as
we hold it to be of importance that the existence of
such clubs should be widely known.]

MICROSCOPY.

Securing Cover-glasses. — Your correspondent
"A.S.G.," in the January number of Science-
Gossip, asks for some plan of securing the cover-
glass over dry objects, so that the water used with
immersion-lenses will not run in and spoil his tests.
Perhaps a plan I have for years adopted may meet
his wishes, and, therefore, I ask you to find room for
this small communication. The method I advocate
consists in filling in the angle between the edges of

the covering-glass and the slide with a compound of
wax and Canada balsam, which can be easily done
by melting this mixture, and dipping a heated piece
of wire into it, and then running it round the edge
of the cover, and so sealing it up that any cement
put on afterwards cannot run in : the wax composi-
tion sets directly it touches the cold slide. This plan
may also be adopted in mounting any opaque object
in a deep cell, allowing the removal of tlie cover
should a dewiness at any time become apparent on its
inner surface ; it is also a useful thing sometimes to
employ this composition for the rapid construction of
temporary troughs for the examination of microscopic
life, and I hope the knowledge of this may meet the
want of "A. S. G.," as well as the many microscopic
readers of your journal. — T: Chatiers White.

Heliofelta Metii.— The separation of the
frustule into two valves, with the number of rays
differing, is not unusual. I have often found this to
be the case, not only in this genus (if it be really
distinct), but in Actinoptychus the valves themselves
often separate into dissimilar plates (and which I
designate secondary plates, and called by Schmidt in
his Atlas, regeneration-valves) ; this secondary plate
in Heliopelta and Actinoptychus is usually marked
with fine decussating punctate, appearing under a low
power like watered silk, or moire antique. The only
exception to this, so far as I am aware, is in A. undu-
tatus. The secondary plate in this species is faintly
but coarsely punctate, the punctje connected with
each other by fine lines ; the surface is scarcely
undulate, and not divided into compartments like the
primary plates. Frustules of Aulacodisca also fre-
quently have valves in which the nodules differ in
number. I have separated frustules of A. viargari-
taceits, one of the valves having only four, whilst the
other had six ; and some double frustules have had
different numbers on all four valves ; this is, however,
not peculiar to that species. I have detected it in the
following : — A. Kittoni, A. Kittoni, var. Africamts,
A. Oreganus, zxidi A. pulcher. The same thing occurs
in Eupodisc2is Argus and E. Rogersii. As entire frus-
tules do not mount well, excepting in front view, the
following hint for separating the valves may be useful.
Push the specimen away from the other diatoms, and
let it dry (taking care, however, that it does not skip
away, which it is very apt to do if the valve is upper-
most : I always keep the trestle upon it until it is
perfectly dry) ; then transfer it to a drop of water
on a clean slide. The expansion of the air inside
frequently splits the frustules ; if it does not, heat it
quickly over the lamp, and success is almost certain.
Before the drop dries up, add another, and examine :
manipulation with the breath will thoroughly detach
them, and also separate the primary and secondary
plates.- — F. Kitton.

Crystal Prisms of Allium Porrum.— The

66

HARD WICKE 'S SCIENCE - G OSSIP.

tissues of Alliitin Po)-riim (the Leek) abound in
crystal prisms. To obtain them with ease, take a
small portion from the bulbous part of a boiled leek,
and press out on a slide with a little water ; examine
with a :}-inch, and myriads of the crystals will be
met with. The crystals being very minute, nothing
lower than a J-inch will be of much use. To mount
the crystal prisms use glycerine jelly or damar. Any
reader interested at the present time in j^lant crystals
should refer to Professor Gulliver's admirable paper
on " Raphides, Sphaeraphides, and Ciystal Prisms "
(Science-Gossip, 1873, p. 97). — Charles F. W, 71
Williams, Rcdland.

Varnishing Cells. — I often see complaints
from some of your correspondents about varnishes
running in aud spoiling then- objects. May I be
allowed to suggest a plan which I have tried myself,
and which I find answers veiy well ? It is true it can
only be applied to a certain class of objects ; but
where it can be applied, I think it will be of some
use — at least to those who, like myself, do a good
deal of mounting. The cell (for it is only where a
cell is required, and one made with varnish) should
be held over a spirit-lamp till the varnish becomes
quite sticky ; the object should then be placed in it,
and the cover gently pressed down till it is hermeti-
cally sealed. In an hour or two it will be dry enough
to place on the turntable, when, if it is properly
done, there will be no fear of the varnish running in.
The cell should not be more than two or three days
old, as it gets too dry to softoi, otherwise it will
crack when dry. — E. W., Lewisham.

The Pygidium.— Allow me to correct an error. I
stated in my paper on ihe Pygidium (p. 15), that I had
found a pair on the Ixodes of the tiger and Indian
bullock. Further examination with a higher power
convinces me that these are not Pygidia but spiracles.
— John Bravihall.

"How TO Choose a Microscope." By a
Demonstrator (London : Hardwicke & Bogue). — We
feel personally obliged to the author of this brochure
for its publication. We are constantly being
asked to recommend tlie "best microscope,'' and
the "best maker." We hardly need say how invi-
dious this task is, and our only answer usually is
silence. Now, any designing purchaser may learn all
about the microscope and its adjuncts. In this pam-
phlet all the separate parts of a good microscope
are explained so clearly that it is impossible to mis-
take them ; and if it were possible, that would be
rendered difficult by the eighty illustrations, simple
but vigorous, which assist the text. The writer is
evidently a man of experience, and knows exactly
how to anticipate a student's difficulties and wants.
All intending to buy a microscope should first pur-
chase this pamphlet, and those who have one will
here learn how they can add to it.

ZOOLOGY.

A Fountain with Bell-jar Aquaria.— All
who have read our Editor's "Aquarium" must, I am
sure, have foimd much in it that was new to them,
and nothing but what was useful. Amongst other
practical suggestions, the advantage of a circulation
of the contained water is insisted on. Leaving out
the cry of trouble — a cry unworthy of consideration
— a great difficulty at first presented itself in arranging
for circulation in the inverted bell-jar form of Aqua-
rium. What was desired was a waste-pipe that
would work automatically, always keeping the water-
line constant ; for a siphon, when it had reduced an
excess of height, would empty itself and would not,
unless sucked, work on a fresh accession of water.
A hole through the bottom of the aquarium gave the
chance of leakage, was difficult to make, and weak-

Fig. 59. Simple Hydrostatic
Arrangement for Aquarium.

Fig. 60. Horizontal
Section of Ditto.

ened the vessel. I was therefore led __to devise the
following simple hydrostatic arrangement. A glass
tube bent in an ordinary gas-flame, after the manner
known to all who have dabbled in chemistry, was
made to fonn four curves, as represented. The
curves A and c are made in planes, at right angles to
those of B and D, which are parallel, so that a hori-
zontal section througli xy, which represents the
water-line, would show the sections of five pipes, A,
B, c, D, and E, while MN is in each case the side of
the aquarium. The ends of the tube at x and y must
be cut off with a file on the same horizontal line,
which must be at the distance from M, the brim of
the bell-jar, at which it is desired to have the water-
line. Thus, with the aid of the little apparatus de-
scribed in the "Aquarium" a fountain can, by the
means just described, be adapted to an inverted bell-
jar, and the tube-apparatus, when once filled, can be
removed without emptying itself. — D. A. K.

Vanessa Antiopa (female) I caught at Cromer
November 15th, 1876. This butterfly is in splendid
condition. — A. Savin.

A New Species of Echidna. — The unexplored
area of New Guinea promises to yield many new and
perhaps strange species to naturalists. Announce-
ment has been made of a new species of monotre-
matous mammal which has been called Tachyglossus
Bruijiiii. Only two species of this animal, formerly
called Echidna, and which is nearly related to the
Ornithorhvncus, had previously been known. The

HARD WICKE 'S S CIENCE - G O SSI P.

67

chief difference in the new species is the greater
length of the snout. Tlie entire animal seems to be
much greater in size than its Australian bretlrren.

Varieties of Medusa. — At a recent meeting of
the Linnean Society, Mr. G. J. Romanes read a paper
on varieties and monstrous forms of ]Medusa. He
said that among the naked-eyed group of jelly-fishes,
with their lowly organization and tendency to budding,
monstrosities are comparatively rare. In the cases he
had met with, especially in Aurelia anrita, the devia-
tions from the normal type always occurred in a mul-
tiplication, or abortion, or suppression of entire
segments. This affects the segments of the disc in a
symmetrical manner, whilst the ovaries and manu-
brium, to a certain extent, may not be implicated.

Entomological Notes. — July 12th to 31st, at
Pegwell Bay, I took Galathca, Alexis, Argiolus,
Polychloros, Atalanta, yaiiira, Linea, and Sylvaims,
very abundant. L. Qiierais and Satin-moths com-
mon. July 15th, took a new specimen of C. Hyale,
but, although I frequented same locality till end of
month, saw no more. Took Edusa within i\ miles I
of Marble Arch. August loth, in Warm-lane,
Cricklewood, took a ? Edusa. August 23rd, in field
at .back of Rockhall-terrace, Cricklewood, took $
Edusa. Saw another, but unable to catch it. Sep-
tember 6th, saw $ Edusa in Regent's-park, but
unable to catch it, as without net. On February 4th,
1877 — unusually warm — captured two 7-spot lady-
birds in St. John's Wood-road, N.W. Warm-lane,
Cricklewood, is a very fair collecting-ground. Query?
What is the proper generic name of Cardamines?
Mr. Morris szys Mancipium ; Mr. Colti-aTin, Erichloe,
and Mr. Stainton, Anthoca^-es.

The Classified Index to Science-Gossip. —
We apologize for the unexpected delay in the publi-
cation of the classified index to the twelve volumes
of Science-Gossip. The work has been of a more
laborious kind than we imagined. We hope, how-
ever, it will be issued with the present number, or,
at all events, only a few days afterwards.

" The Uses of Animals to Man." — We are
glad to see a reprint of the course of Lectures
delivered at [the South Kensington Museum, under
this heading, by the late Dr. Edwin Lankester,
F.R. S. No writer was better able to treat this com-
prehensive subject than he. The subjects are prac-
tical in their importance, and are treated in an un-
usually suggestive manner. They include " Silk,"
"Wool," "Leatlier," "Bone," "Soap," "Waste,"
"Sponges and Corals," "Shell-fish," "Insects,"
"Furs," "Feathers, Horns, and Hair," and
"Animal Perfumes."

New Species of Deep-Sea Ascidians. — Mr.
H. N. Mosely, naturalist on board the Challenger
during her three years' cruise, has given an account of
two new and remarkable species of deep-sea Ascidians.

One of them, named Hybythius calycodes, was brought
up from the North Pacific from a depth of 2,900
fathoms. It is stalked and cup-shaped, and is be-
lieved to be allied to Boltenia. It differs from that
genus, however, in possessing a series of cartilaginous
plates, symmetrically developed in the soft test. The
second species is called Octacnemus bythius : this was
brought up from a depth of 1,070 fathoms. It is
star-shaped, with eiglit rays. The gill-sac is nearly
absent in it, and the usual gill network entirely so.
Muscular prolongations of the tunic run into the
curious conical protuberances of the test. The
nucleus is contracted and small, like that of Salpa.
This singular species is believed to be without living
allies.

Swarm of Locusts. — It appears "that a swarm
of locusts passed over Yorkshire last autumn. At a
recent meeting of the Entomological Society of Lon-
don, Mr. McLachlan exhibited some of the locusts,
on behalf of Mr. W. D. Roebuck, of Leeds. Mr.
McLachlan is of opinion that the species visiting
us is not Pachytylus migratoHus, but P. cinerascens,
which is supposed to breed in the north of Europe.

Large Specimen of Unio. — On March 7, 1876,
near Repton, Derbyshire, I took a specimen of Unio
tumidus, 4f in. in breadth, 2| in. in length, and
weighing 42 ounces. Jeffreys (" British Conchology,'
vol. i. p. 34) says, in his article on this shell, "The
Rev. A. M. Norman has recorded, in the ' Zoologist '
for 1857, having taken specimens at Fleckney and
Wistow, in Leicestershire, of the extraordinary (sic)
dimensions of nearly 4^ in. in breadth, and more
than 2 in. in length, the weight being over 3 ounces."
It would be interesting to many conchologists besides
myself, to know whether any specimens of equal or
larger dimensions and weight have ever been taken.
— W. W. Fowler, Repton.

BOTANY.

"Fertilization of Orchids," by Charles Dar-
win, F.R.S. — -We have received a copy of the second
edition of this, one of the most striking of all
Darwin's works. It was the first to call attention to
the various contrivances by which Orchids, both
native and exotic, are fertilized by insects ; and how
the seemingly strange and fantastic shapes and struc-
tural parts of these singular plants could only be
understood from this point of view. A good deal more
has been learned concerning Orchids since Mr. Dar-
win first drew attention to them, and in this second
edition we find all the new discoveries included. We
are glad of a reprint of this valuable book, which it
has been impossible to purchase for two or three
years back, owing to its being out of print.

"The Symmetry of Flowers." By John
Gibbs (Chelmsford : John Dutton, Tindal-street).--

68

HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

The perusal of this charming little brochure, published
at fourpence, has given us much pleasure. It sets
forth the typical structure of symmetrical and un-
symmetrical flowers in a manner that is as clear as it
is deeply interesting. The author is an operative
botanist, one of those men who follow science for
its own sake, and not for its emoluments. Those of
our readers who obtain a copy will, we are sure,
thank us for recommending it.

Orobanche minor. — Vegetable phenomena are
now things of everyday life. One cannot, with the
present knowledge of things, but discover peculiari-
ties in every living organism. It is generally looked
for, and generally asked, What is the peculiarity of
anything in question ? A peculiar phenomenon came
under my notice a short time since ; viz. , several
plants of Orobanche minor showed themselves hap-
pily growing with some geraniums in pots, also with
some Bouvardias, and no doubt robbing them of a
great portion of food. These plants of Orobanche
were taken up and placed in other pots, since which
time one of them has grown about eight inches. The
question arises, How has this growth been sustained ?
Does Orobanche draw up moisture from the soil by
its own roots ? Have the hairs (which are copious
enough) upon the stem and every part, which are
always bedewed with moisture, anything to do with
the absorption of food ? It would be well to have
these questions answered. Perhaps the readers of
Science-Gossip can throw some light upon the
matter. — J. T. Riches.

The Science-Gossip Botanical Exchange
Club. — The following are the proposed Regulations
of the above newly-formed Club. i. The object of
the S.-G. Exchange Club is to facilitate the exchange
of dried specimens of British plants. Any lover of
botany can become a member, on promising to send
a parcel of dried plants, carriage-paid, not later than
7th October, to Messrs. Hardwicke & Bogue, Office
of Science-Gossip, 192, Piccadilly, London. 2.
Specimens sent for distribution must be carefully
dried ; must not exceed in size half a sheet of demy
(16 in. by 10 in.), and must illustrate the species they
represent as completely as possible. Grasses and
sedges should on no account be dried without roots.
3. Each specimen must have a label bearing the
number and name of the species, as given in the last
edition of the " London Catalogue " ; also the
locality and county where, and the date when, the
specimen was collected, and the collector's name.
To guide those who have not been accustomed to
distribute specimens, we give an example : — -

No. 233 : Geranium rotundifolium, Linn.

Loc. : Near Conway.

County : Carnarvonshire.

Date : 7th June, 1877.
Collector : John P. Jones.

The label should be attached to the specimen. 4.
Each parcel must be accompanied by a list of the
plants the member wishes to be sent in his return
parcel. This list is to be made by drawing a short
line in red ink before their names in the London
Catalogue. The name of the member and address
should be written on the outer cover of the Catalogue.
Note. — The London Catalogue can be procured from
Hardwicke & Bogue, 192, Piccadilly, London, W.,
post free, 7d. — Manuscript lists will not be received.
5. From ten to fifty specimens of any rare plant may
be sent for distribution, though no common species
need be preserved. By looking over the Catalogue
any one may be guided as to what example would be
acceptable, but none with a greater census than forty
should be dried for the Exchange Club. Our friends
need scarcely be reminded that neatly - dried and
carefully-selected examples of any species are at all
times valuable. Members sending the most valuable
parcels will have their return parcels selected before
those who send inferior ones. 6. Anything that the
collector may deem noteworthy must not be written
on the label, but on a separate paper : these will
afterwards be published in the yearly Report. 7.
The specimens sent out in the return parcels will
afterwards be of great value, from the fact, that each
example will pass under the eyes of one of our best
British botanists, so as to make each label thoroughly
trustworthy. In the case of critical species, or
sub-species, all doubtful examples will be placed
before a competent authority. 8. About eighty
botanists have already signified their wishes to join
the Club. May we ask each one of these to secure
another name, and to promise the coming season to
work with a will ? Upon this zealous effort depends
our success : let it not be localizing in its tendency,
but a national club.

Apocynum andros^mifolium. — Mr. T. Brit-
tain, who communicated the fact of this plant pro-
bably being "carnivorous," has forwarded to us the
following copy of a letter from Mr. Charles Darwin
on the subject : — " I am much obliged to you for
calling my attention to the very curious case of the
Apocynum. I am quite unable to understand the
meaning of this trap-like arrangement. I do not
believe that it is of any benefit to the plant, and cer-
tainly it is none to the unfortunate insects. I have at
present a plant in my hothouse, and if it flower I
shall attempt to solve the problem. I may mention
that a well-known naturalist in Brazil, Fritz Midler,
has been hitherto baffled by trying to understand this
plant."

Water-glass. • — Can any reader of Science-
Gossip give me directions for mounting micro-
objects in water-glass? It is mentioned in the
Micro - grapliic Dictionaiy, but no directions are
given for using it, and it is said to spoil after a time.
Is this -iol—A. H. S.

HARD WICKE 'S S CIENCE - G OS SIP.

69

GEOLOGY.

The Gigantic Land-tortoises from the
Ossiferous Caverns of Malta. — This was the
subject of a paper lately read before the Geological
Society by Prof. Leith Adams. The author
described three extinct species of tortoises from the
Maltese rock-cavities, one of which was of gigantic
proportions, and equalled in size any of the living or
extinct land Chelonians from the Indian or Pacific
islands. The characteristic peculiarity in the two
larger species is a greater robustness of the long
bones as compared with the denizens of the Mascarene
and Galapagos islands with which he had been
eaabled to contrast them. The largest, on that
account, he had named T. robusta ; it rivalled the
gigantic Testiuio ephippiimi (Giinther) in size, showing
affinities to it in a few minor characters. A smaller
species, T. Sprattii, and a small Lutremys, not
distinguishable, as far as the few remains extend,
from the recent Z. etiropcca, besides many fragments
of shields of tortoises of various dimensions, had
been obtained. These Chelonians were found in
conjunction with the remains of the dwarf elephants
and other members of the remarkable fauna, col-
lected by Admiral Spratt and the author in the
ossiferous rock-cavities of Zebbug, Mnaidra, Benghisa,
&c. The paper contained a list of the animal remains
hitherto recorded from the Maltese fissure-caverns,
including three species of dwarf elephants, two
species of hippopotamus, two gigantic species of
myoxus, a gigantic swan, and other animal remains.

" The Stone Age in New Jersey." — This is the
title of a lengthy paper in the last Smithsonian Report,
by Dr. C. C. Abbott, an old and welcome con-
tributor to our columns. It is numerously illustrated,
and the author makes out a clear history of the
ancient people who were driven forth or exterminated
by the original " Red Indians." From the evidence
here carefully' accumulated and logically worked
out. Dr. Abbott shows how, in New Jersey alone,
there is abundant proof of the high antiquity of the
human race.

"The Royal School of Mines Magazine." —
Parts I and 2 of a new magazine, published by
Wyman & Sons, have made their appearance during
January and February. It is conducted by students
of the School of Mines, and present and past
students /urnish the well-written and various
literature which fills its pages. There are some
capital geological articles by Messrs. F. Drew, C. L.
Morgan, and others, and other contributions of a
high-class character. We congratulate the students
on having made a most creditable literary debut.

The Geology of Walton-on-the-Naze and
Harwich. — The Geological Survey of Great Britain
have just issued a short memoir, by W. Whitaker,
F.G.S., on this district. It is a most interesting

neighbourhood for its complicated geology, but Mr,
Whitaker has worked out the details with his usual
clearness. The details of well-sections and lists of
fossils are most valuable.

How to Strengthen fragile Fossils.—
Some Tertiary fossils are remarkable for being not
only wonderfully perfect in the rock, but unfortu-
nately for being also terribly fragile out of it. By
soaking such tender specimens in a little dilute
silicate of potash and then warming them gently,
they are toughened almost instantaneously and can
be handled with impunity.^ — L.A.G.

Pal^bospalax MAGNUS. — On the l6th of January,
1877, I found, at the Runton Freshwater deposit
along the Norfolk coast, a perfect lower jaw of the
above extinct species of mole, — A. Savin, Cronier.

NOTES AND QUERIES.

Early-flowering Ivy. — Passing along a stretch
of brick wall thickly invested with ivy, on the 15th
of September, I was awakened to the fact, through
hearing a sonorous hum overhead, that the green
blossom, so pleasing to a host of insects, was yielding
its store of honey earlier than usual. This must be
ascribed to the intense heat of August, which had
hastened the development by two or three weeks.
This may be agreeable enough to many of the
Hymenoptera, which were put upon "short com-
mons " in consequence of the scarcity of wild-flowers
through the lack of rain. But, on the other hand,
there are various moths to which the ivy-bloom
furnishes food, and in a season like the present it
does not follow that their emergence from the pupa
state will be sooner, to correspond with the flowering
of the ivy ; for the growth of spring and summer
caterpillars is affected, not only by the temperature,
but by the condition of the food-plants. — J.R.S.C.

Tea-leaves as a Manure.— The value of tea-
leaves as a manure for window plants is undeniable.
I first became aware of this from the circumstance of
a lady friend being unusually successful with several
species of lilitim grown in a window. On inquiry
she told me that they were mulched frequently with
tea-leaves. Acting on the hint, I have found the
same material excellent in the case of cyclamens. —
Rus in Urbe.

Mica in the Arctic Regions. — Now that so
much interest is evinced in everything relating to the
Arctic regions, it may not be unteresting to recall to the
minds of yoMX geological readers an incidentof one of the
old Arctic expeditions, which has, within the last few
months, received corroboration from our enterprising
Yankee brethren. Those who recollect the quaint
records of Frobisher's courageous expeditions in
search of a passage to Cathay round north-west
America may remember that in his first voyage in
1576, one of the seamen happened to pick up a stone
as a memorial of his voyage, and that when his wife
" cremated" it as a useless trifle, " it glistered with a
bright marquesset of gold," whereupon the gold-
finers of London became much excited ; and the
thrifty Queen Elizabeth advanced part of the money
for a second expedition in 1577. On some of the
islands near Frobisher's Strait or Cumberland Land

7°

HARD WICKE'S SCIENCE - G OSSIP.

(opposite Labrador) 200 tons of the supposed gold
ore were discovered and put on board ; but on tlie
return the cargo proved a sadly disappointing one.
From the accompanying extract, the Americans appear
to have rediscovered this " mine," which proves to be
of viica, and not of gold, as poor Frobisher and the
London gold-finers imagined ; so that Frobisher's
discovery is at last turned to practical account._ The
brilliant appearance of mica might well deceive the
somewhat credulous Jack Tars of the sixteenth cen-
tury, Avho took the Esquimaux for "porpoises" or
"strange fish" when they first saw them in their
"kajaks" (or canoes), and let one old woman go (to
her great delight no doubt) as a "devil or witch" ;
but how the Cockney gold-finers came to mistake mica
for gold is indeed a cnix, and shows the necessity for
a little "technical education" in these matters. —
Francis A. Allen.

Black and White Crows (?). — I fancy the bird
seen by your correspondent, F. M. C. Whittaker, and
described by him as a black and white crovy, is a
stray specimen of the Nutcracker Crow, a bird of
rare appearance in the country, and which answers
the description given, as to plumage ; though the
description of its habits, as given in Wood's
Natural History, hardly agrees with those given by your
correspondent. The following is the description of
the bird as given by the authority referred to : —
" The Nutcracker Crow, whose true position in the
scale of creation has so long bewildered naturalists,
is about the size of a jackdaw, but its form is more
slender, and the tail is longer. It is seldom found in
this country, but is very common in more northern dis-
tricts. In its habits it displays a singular mixture of
the Woodpecker and the Nuthatch, and exhibits so
few of the well-known habits of the Crows, that
observers might well be perplexed where to place it.
It is now supposed to be a connecting link between
the Crows and the Woodpeckers. It runs about the
branches of trees, using its tail for a support, and
pecks away the bark, in order to reach the insects
beneath. It also pecks open the fir cones, in search
of the hidden seed, and breaks nuts by repeated
strokes of its bill like the Nuthatch. It is usually seen
in flocks, but is not so wary as the Crows." From
the above it will be seen that the habits of the Nut-
cracker Crow are very dissimilar to those of the bird
seen ; but from the engraving of the bird, given in
the above work, I fancy they are identical, the Nut-
cracker being speckled something after the manner of
a starling. — Jos. Laing.

The New Insectivorous Plant {sec January
Science-Gossip, page 18). —Your correspondent
Mr. Brittain will find a good figure and description
of Apocynaiii androsaemifolium, and the mode sug-
gested by which the flower retains the insect entrapped,
in the 8th vol. of Curtis's Botanical Magazine, plate
280, published November, 1791. — F. B., Staines.

Crocuses Changing Colour in the Shade.
— The influence of light, heat, and soil on the colour-
ing of all plants being very great, I have no doubt but
that these three causes combined worked the change
of hue A. E. Worcester describes as having taken
place in his crocuses. Every vegetable that grows in
the shade is pale, but the more plants are exposed to
the light the greater the amount of brilliant colouring
they actiuire. Colour, say sap green, in plants
is said to arise from their nitrogen, red from their
oxygen, and blue from their hydrogen character ; there-
fore some chemical combinations must, I conclude,
take place between the fluids or gases of plants (I do
not know the correct term) and the colouring proper-

ties of light. There are three rays (colours) in a
beam of light, — red, blue, and yellow, and according
to the ray or rays reflected by the flower, so will be
its colour. Parts of the colours or rays in a beam of
light get absorbed in the body or flower on which
the beam falls, and parts get thrown back ; reflected,
they enter the eye of the gazer, and fix the colour of
the flower. The power certain plants have of absorb-
ing light depends on their chemical constitution ; so
when a flower changes hue, its constitution has under-
gone a chemical change, and this change may be
effected by soil. — //. E. Watney.

"Vestiges of the Natural History of
Creation." — Respecting the unknown authorship
of the above work, mentioned in your "Notices to
Correspondents," the following passage may not be
uninteresting to your readers, which appears in the
"History of Booksellers," showing that the late
Robert Chambers, of Edinburgh (whose earliest
essays, published in his Journal, had been upon geo-
logy ; and to this branch of science, it is said, he
became more and more addicted), if not the author,
must at least have taken a very prominent part in its
production: — " // tvas known that the proof-sheets
passed the hands of Mr. Robert Chambers ; and on
no better authority than this, not only did the public
believe the story, but the ' Vestiges ' was entered in
the Catalogue of the British Museum under his name.
A writer in the Critic boldly stated, ' on eminent
authority,' that George Combe was the author; and
though this was contradicted, and though the author-
ship is still a mystery, it would appear that Combe
had, at all events, something to do with the work.
In 1848 Robert Chambers was selected to be Lord
Provost of Edinburgh ; he was requested to deny
the authorship, but his refusal to plead, and his con-
sequent retirement, were probably due to his contempt
for people who could make the authorship of a book
a barrier to civic honours." Taking the above state-
ments as correct, I think we may infer that either
Combe or Chambers was the author, though it will
not allow us to fix with certainty on either. — H. G.

[The recently published "Life of Robert Cham-
bers," by his brother, has, we believe, no mention of
the authorship of this work.— Ed. S. G.]

Early Primroses and other Flowers. — In
reply to C. W. H. Chelmsford's observations, I
write to say that, at the date he gives (the ist of
January), primroses were out in full bloom all around
Hockley, and that tufts of buds had been daily ex-
panding in the hedge of this garden for some time
previously. I gathered, on the shortest day in the
year, quite a pretty nosegay, composed of primroses,
violets, monthly roses, periwinkles, and the exqui-
sitely perfumed flowers of the Cliimonanthusfragrans.
The Blackthorn has been in bloom, in a rather
sheltered hedge near the village, for the last three
weeks ; and an oxlip, one solitary specimen, has
likewise put in a claim for our admiration. Snow-
drops and crocuses have also come out. — Helen E.
WatJiey, Bei-ry-givve, Liss, Hants.

Early Primroses. — It may interest some of the

readers of Science-Gossit that common prim-

i roses were in full flower in Beaumaris, N. Wales, fully

I six weeks ago, and other plants are equally forward. —

J. S. Riches.

Early Primroses, &c. (p. 45). — In the neigh-
bourhood of Watford primroses have been in flower
here and there nearly all through the winter, and
from the middle of January the Hawthorn has been in

HARD WICKE 'S S CIENCE - G O SSIP.

71

bloom. At Ware, the Winter Aconite has been in
flower since the 2nd of January, and a cowslip was
out on the 14th ; while the Thrush has been in full
song since the i8th of December. — J. H., Watford.

Early Primroses. — "C. W. H." will see in
Science-Gossip, vol. vi. jj. 45, that primroses wei-e
gathered in the woods near Hurstpierpoint on
Christmas . eve, 1869. I have had primroses in
flower on a railway bank adjoining my garden since
the first week in January, and a friend has had them
blooming since November in her garden. Last year
mine were in flower from the end of October until
the end of April. — Alicia Bogtie, Surbiton.

Strange Death of Fowls. — Last autumn I
noticed that some of my chickens were troubled with
over-distended crops, and were not relieved by being
made to fast for several hours. A day or two after
this symptom first showed itself, the fowls were gene-
rally seized with that peculiar spasmodic upward con-
traction of the crop, such as most birds get after eating
plentifully without drinking. This was again followed
toy a partial paralysis of the legs, owing to which the
birds became unable to walk naturally, lifting the feet
very high and throwing them far forward, altogether
presenting a very awkward appearance ; at this stage
the bird would grow mopy and ruffled in appearance,
yet generally ate voraciously all through the illness,
the distention of the crop increasing daily, and the
breath growing somewhat offensive after the paralysis
showed itself; and death followed in all but two
cases (a strong young cockerel and a fine good-sized
hen) within three or four days. On making a post-
mortem examination, I found all the indications of
death by starvation, with this exception^that the
crop and gizzard and the duct connecting them were
as full of grain and other food as they could be, but
all the intestines almosf absolutely empty and much
emaciated. On opening the crop, I could find
nothing to explain all this ; but in the gizzard I dis-
covered in one case about twelve, and in another
forty shot, of various sizes. The mystery was solved,
a clear case of lead poisoning. The fowls had
evidently mistaken shot, carelessly spilt in places to
which they had access, for some sort of grain, and
swallowed it accoixlingly. All who died with these
symptoms (eight or ten in number) I examined, and
always with the same result. Three or four I dosed
with olive-oil, and among them were the two that
recovered, — whether from that, or their own hardy
constitution is more than I can say ; all that died
were young birds, hatched last spring ; of all the
old fowls, only the hen above mentioned seems to
have suffered. Have any of the readers of Science-
Gossip ever had such an experience ? and if so, have
they found any good remedy ? I would be much obliged
for information on this subject. — W. T. Van Dyck.

The Siskin or Aberdavine.— This bird used to
make its appearance in the vicinity of Beyrout, and
through a large region of Lebanon, in the early part
of the winter, and stayed till spring, being more
plentiful every other year ; but now, for the three or
four past years, only a very occasional straggler has been
seen ; and whereas they used to be sold at the rate of
two for a penny in the streets, it is now very difficult
to find one at all, and then it cannot be procured for
less than a couple of shillings or thereabouts. Has
this been the case in other than these localities ? — -
W. T. Van Dyck, Beyrout, Syria.

Sparrow-hawk and Crow. — I owe "J. W. D."
many thanks for pointing out the grOss blunder in my
note concerning the "Sparrow-hawk and Crow" in
the October number. The sparrow-hawk, in the act

of clinging to the church spire, with outspread wings,
appeared at first sight to be a large one. I was not
undeceived on the point until it flew away from the
place, followed by the crow. In writing the note to
our paper, describing what I had seen, I gave my
first impression as to its size, when I first mentioned
that quality, which was a wrong one. The passage,
" I found the cause of the commotion to be a large
sparrow-hawk," &c., should I'ead, "I found the
cause of the commotion to be a sparrow-hawk," &c.
I have seen it several times since I wrote, and am
assured of its unusual smallness. I will also correct
a typographical error in the same note. The word
" stacks " in the passage, " as he was walking through
a field just cleared of stacks of corn," should read
"stooks." On August 26, while out shooting, my
brother killed a sparrow-hawk. Round the bird's left
leg was knotted a piece of string. It must have been
on for some time, the string having grown very dark
with exposure. My brother did not notice when it
was on the wing, that it was impeded by its un-
pleasant appendage. — A. P.

The Heron. — One of the great advantages of
Science-Gossip is, that it elicits correspondence
from all parts of the world. I cannot forbear thank-
ing those who have favoured me with facts as to the
habits of the Heron. One point only I should like
to know supplementarily. Is the Heron a bird of good
flavour? In mediaeval times it was so considered ;
but the prevalent idea is that it is far otherwise.
Will any one who has recently tasted a heron kindly
give me his opinion ? — F. H. Arnold.

The Boxtree. — This tree grows in gi-eat abun-
dance in a wood on the northern slope of Walson-
bury Beacon, which is not far from the Devil's Dyke,
Sussex. It has the appearance of having been planted
there a long time ago ; but young trees are growing
up in all directions. Many of them are from eight to
twelve feet in height. When I saw them, March 13,
1875, they were flowering profusely. — IV. B. G.

Geology, &c., of Lyons. — I should be glad to
receive any information on the Geology, Botany,
and Natural History of Lyons, and of the departments
of Rhone, Ain, and Isere, or the names of any French
books on the subject. — Letters to be addressed to
R. iV. , 40, Rue des Missionnaires, Lyon, France.

VOLVOX GLOBATOR (p. 2i). — If this is dying out in
the immediate neighbourhood of London, it may still
be found at no great distance. On the 1st of July it
was collected in abundance in the small pools adjoin-
ing the Elstree Reservoir, by members of the Quekett
Microscopical Club and the Watford Natural His-
tory Society, who also found it in pools on Bricket
Wood Common, near Watford, on the 3rd of June. —
J. H., Watford.

BOOKS, &c., RECEIVED.

" Fertilization of Orchids." By Chas. Darwin, F.R.S.
Second Edition. London : John Murray.

" Across Africa." By Commander Cameron, R.N. London :
Daldy & Isbister, 2 vols.

" Half-hours with English Antiquities." By Llewellyn
Jewitt. London : Hardwicke & Bogue.

"Text-book of Botany." By Otto W. Thome, translated by
A. W. Bennett, M.A., F.L.S. London: Longmans, Green,
&Co.

" Life of a Scotch Naturalist." By S. Smiles. London :
John Murray.

"Monthly Microscopical Journal." February.

" Land and Water." February.

"Yorkshire Naturalist." February.

" Botanische Zeitung."

" Les Mondes."

" Royal School of Mines Magazine."
&c. &c. &c.

72

HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS.

To Subscribers. — The compilation of the Classified Index
of the last twelve volumes of Scienxe-Gossip has proved a
more difficult and painstaking task than we at first imagined.
It is now in a forward state of preparation, and we crave a
little grace from our numerous correspondents, who have
already applied for it.

To Correspondents and Exxhangers. — • As we now
publish Science-Gossip at least a week earlier than hereto-
fore, we cannot possibly insert in the following number any
communications which reach us later than the 8th of the
previous month.

M. M. — The " E.xchanges " in our last page are mainly con-
fined to Natural History subjects.

W. E. T. — We refer you to "The Aquarium: its Inhabi-
tants, Structure, and Management," just published at 6s., by
Hardwicke & Bogue, 192, Piccadilly, for fuller answers to all
your aquarium questions than we have space to give. The
book is copiously illustrated, and you need not have any
difficulty in successfully carrying out your object.

R. W. — Many thanks for your suggestions.

I. Crawford. — Swainson's "Taxidermy" was published by
Longmans, at, we believe, 6s. Grattann's "Seaweeds" was
published at the Bazaar Office, London, at 2s. or 2s. 6d.

J. W. G. — The specimen sent is Gorgonia flabelhim.

T. Lisle. — Get Wood's "Insects at Home" (Longmans),
the new and, we believe, cheaper edition.

E. H. — Our correction is the right one.

Dr. D. — We should advise ringing the slide with asphalte.

R. N. V. — The calculations based on the observations made
during the late "Transit of Venus" Expedition have not yet
been published.

W. G. P. — The only work we know is Stainton's "Tineina
of Southern Europe," i6s. (Van Voorst) ; Rye's " British
Beetles," los. 6d. (Reeves).

W. Saunders. — Get Greene's "Insect Hunter's Com-
panion," and Merrin's " Lepidopterist's Calendar," — both of
them cheap books.

C. V. Green. — We omitted to say that the specimens of
fungi were in a state of deliquescence when they reached us,
and utterly unidentifiable.

W. H. Legge. — We believe your egg is a lighter specimen
than usual of the Blackcap Warbler — not the Garden Warbler.

J. H. P. (North Shields).— We should imagine the "Micro-
graphic Dictionary," published in half-crown parts by Van
Voorst, would be the kind of book you require.

W. J . Vandenbergh. —We are afraid your fossil from the
Suffolk Coprolite pits has been over-estimated in value. Frag-
ments of deers' antlers are often met with. You had best send
it to us for further remark.

H. J. McG. — Your specimen is the Winter Aconite
(Eranthis hyeiualis), not a truly indigenous plant.

A. W. RosLiNG. — You had better send us a specimen. They
appear to be eggs of some kind, but we cannot undertake to
name them from your drawing.

To Various Querists. — We are not aware by whom, or at
what price, the volume of the North Staffordshire Field
Naturalists' Club (noticed in our last number) is published.
You had better inquire of the President, Mr. John Ward,
F.G.S., Longton, Stoke-on-Trent.

EXCHANGES.

A large selection of Macro-Lepidoptera in exchange for
Pupae of almost any species. — W. K. Mann, 14, Wellington-
terrace, Clifton, Bristol.

Offered, Van Beneden's "Animal Parasites" (5s.);
Scrivener's " Greek Testament " (4s. 6d.) : Keble's " Christian
Year" (3s 6d.)— all new. Wanted, a good flora, Lubbock's
"Wild Flowers and Insects," or other books. — A. R. R., 12,
Great College-street, Brighton.

Photo Magic Lantern Slides of Diatoms, Parasites, &c., in
exchange for other lantern slides ; comic or coloured preferred.
Also, lot of other photo slides, for exchange or otherwise. —
For particulars, address Wm. Tylar, 165, Well-street, Birming-
ham.

Well-blown Eggs of Kestrel, Red-backed Shrike, Spotted
Flycatcher, Wren, Lapwing, Partridge, Pheasant, Moorhen,
and a few others, to exchange for other eggs, side-blown, one
hole. Sea-birds particularly wanted. — T. E. Doeg, Evesham.

Wanted, a few perfect Specimens of the Colorado Potato
Beetle, in exchange for micro slides, or sections of wood,
Foraminifera, &c.— Address, A. H. Searle, 20, Essex-villas,
Kensington, London, W.

For exchange or otherwise, an "Amateur" Printing-presb
type, &c. Also a Binocular Microscope, with apparatus. —
Address, E. J. Dickson, Canonbury, Falkland.

Last four vols, of Journal of Horticulture, unbound, and
last vol. Pop2tlar Science Review, unbound, for back vols.
Science-Gossip, unbound. Wood's " Natural History of Man,"
unbound, or other good literature.— A. Lockyer, George-lane,
Woodford, Essex.

For a packet of Diatomacese, collected last summer from
Jersey, send a stamped directed envelope to W. H. Gomm,
Somerton, Somerset.

Pritchard's " Infusoria, Living and Fossil," coloured plates,
1841 edition, for good German or French \ objective, or other
microscopic apparatus.— T. Brown, 7, Spencer-street, E.G.

For slides of Pennsylvania Freshwater Diatoms, and Rich-
mond, Va., or New Jersey fossil ditto, send other good slides
to E. Pennock, 805, Franklin-street, Philadelphia, U.S..'^.

Several objects to exchange for other slides, or gathering of
Volvox globator or PluDiatella repens.— Y.. Howell, Gas-
works, Yeovil.

Four dozen well-mounted slides will be given for the first
nineteen numbers of the Transactions of the Quekctt Club. —
B., 69, St. Giles-street, Norwich.

Fossils from Cambridgeshire Coprolites in exchange for
others.— A. Floyd, 5, James-street, Cambi-idge.

Wanted, Wood's "Tourist's Flora" and Cost's "Marine
Zoology." Microscopic slides given in exchange. — Rev. J. J.
Muir, Waterloo, Liverpool.

Good Diatomaceous Material or Marine Soundings wanted
in exchange for good slides. — W. Nash, 11, London-road,
Reading.

For specimen of Puccinea Bujrei a.nd Peridertniitin coUnn-
nare, send stamped addressed envelope to H. Murro, Lyme
Regis, Dorset. Any named micro fungi acceptable.

Wanted, past Nos. of Quarterly Journal of Microscc^ical
Science, and Monthly Microscopical Jourtuil. — T. E. Blom-
field, Launton Rectory, Bicester, Oxon.

A French botanist, M. Gautier, Narbonne, France, wshes
to correspond with some one who will send hina English plants
in exchange for Mediterranean ditto.

Transparent Coal Sections (E. Spines and others) foe good
diatomaceous material, recent and fossil. — M. Fowler^ 20,
Burn-row, Slamannan, N.B.

American Land and Freshwater Shells offered in exchange
for other foreign or the rarer British species. Send list. Exten-
sive exchanges desired with Continental and Colonial col-
lectors. — Edward Collier, 7, Dale-street, Manchester.

Wanted, during the season. Eggs of the larger kinds of
Silkworm Moths, especially Regalis. Will exchange British
Lepidoptera. — J. T. Willis, Adwick-le-street, Doncaster.

Nos. 386, 389, 390, S58, 865, 1,526, 1,527, 1,537 offered in
exchange for others, London Catalogue, 7th edition. — W. J.
Hannan, 6, Tatton-street, Ashton-under-Lyne.

Wanted Eggs of North American Game-birds, — Falconida
or Anatidae. Can offer British Birds' eggs. N. B. corre-
spondence invited. All letters answered. 1'. W. Dealj*, 142,
Clarence-street, Sheffield.

Utricularia vulgaris, U. minor, U. inierntedia, U. 'teg-
lecta, Drosera anglica, D. longifolia, in e.\change for
Microfungi, Lichens, or other microscopic objects. — ■!'.
Brittain, S, York-street, Manchester.

Communications Received w to 9TH ult. from : —
E. T.— W. H. W.-J. H. R.— P. B. M.— J. H. P.— F. B.—
E. F.— R. R.— R. S.— T W. D.— J. H. N.— N. F. H.—
J. W. S.— D. J.— D. J. P.— A. B. M.— J. F. R.— W. A. L.—
W. J. v.— G. C. D.— A. H. W.— M. H. A.— H. S.—
G. H. G. C— J. T. R.— J. S. G.— M. K.-F. S.— W. W. F.
— R. B.— T. S.— J. M. M.— J. J. M.— H. E. W.— C. F. C —
N. P.— E. P.— W. H. W.— W. H.— F. W. M.— D. D.—
W. T. V. D.— E. H.— J. P. S.— M. L.-T. F. W.— F. E. H.
— H. T.— I. H. K.— W. K. B.— J. F. R.— T. B. W.—
Dr. G. D. B.— F. A. A.— G. S.— A. S.— R. N.— H. E. W.—
W. H. G.— H. G.— E. C— -M. F.— F. H. A.— W. B. G.—
W. S. B.-J. C. W.— Prof. G. S. B.— F. L.— W. P. B.—
H. P.-S. R.— A, B.— T. J. S. — F. B. M. -L. S.-
J. B. S. M. I.-J. W. P.- L. T.-H. G.— H. P. M.-J. T. R.
— W. W. F.— J. J. M.-J. E.-G. M. D.— T. W. D.-A. J. R.
— H. T.— W. G. T.— D. A. K.— L. A. G.— J. T. W.— W. R. T.
— R. T. G.— F. C— F. T. M.— Dr. P. Q. K.— Dr. C. C. A.—
A. F.— C. W. C— E. H.— M. M.— A. F.— A. J. A.— W. R. C.
— E. C— W. E. T.— J. F. G.— W. M.— R. W.— W. G. P.—
H. W. T.— I. C— W. L. W. E.— E. W. W.— E. W.— H. G.—
J. W. G.— W. B. G.— W. K. M.— W. L. S.— D. D.— W. T.—
H. E. W.— E. R. B.— T. L.— T. W.— G.C.— W.W.— T.W.T.
— T. E. D.— W. H. I.— A. D. M.— A. B.— H. B.— W. 1. H.
—A. H. S.— P. W. B.— C. F. W. T. W.— C. F. W.—
R. M. C— H. P. S.— Dr. D.— T. W.— A. L.— T. P.— A. M.—
G. L. B.— A. C. C— R. N. Y.— F. F.— E. V. B.— F. A.—
T. W. D.— H. J. McG.— A. W. R.— G. D.— H. H.— C. W. B.
-H. I. T.— J. A. P., &c. &c.

HARD WICKE 'S SCIENCE - G OS SIP.

73

^MaS;^v^MC^^®»^^^

QUARTZ I ITS VARIETIES AND MODES OF FORMATION.

By the Rev. J. MAGENS MELLO, M.A., F.G.S.

UARTZ is in its many
forms probably the
most abundant, as
well as one of the
most beautiful, of all
the various minerals
which enter into the
formation of the earth's
rocky surface. To
describe it and its
principal varieties, and
to give a short sketch of the modes of its occurrence
and of its formation, will be the object of these papers.
Among the elements known to chemistry is one
named Silicon, sometimes called Silicium ; the oxide
of this substance, which is never found in a free state
in nature, constitutes Silica, the chemical name for
Quartz and all its varieties. Its pure crystallized
form is familiar to us as the colourless and transparent
Rock Crystal.

Rock Crystal. — As Rock Crystal, the typical form
of quartz is a hexagonal prism terminated at each
end by a rhombohedron, when broken it will be
seen to have a conchoidal or splintery fracture.
Rock Crystal is very widely distributed, being found
in rocks of all ages. The most beautiful and perfect
specimens are usually obtained from large cavities or
geodes in the older igneous rocks, and also from
veins in these and other rocks. The size and colour
of quartz ciystals vary greatly ; some are so small
as to be microscopical, whilst others are of very
considerable bulk. In the museum of Beme may be
seen specimens of both the clear rock crystal and
also of black or smoky quartz upwards of a foot in
length ; there are also some very large ones in the
British Museum. Quartz crystals are often found
presenting almost every shade of colour, — yellow,
brown, black, red, blue, violet, and green. Various
names have been given to these coloured varieties.
The violet, blue, and some of the yellow, and even
of the white crystals, which, when fractured, are seen
to have a peculiar undulated structure, which Sir D.
No. 148.

Brewster pointed out, have been classed together as
Amethysts, a name often popularly restricted to the
violet crystals, which owe their beautiful tint to the
presence of oxide of manganese. Violet amethysts
are not uncommon in the geodes occurring in
volcanic rocks in many localities ; but the finest are
obtained from Siberia, Persia, India, and Ceylon ;
whilst Brazil yields white and yellow amethysts.
The yellow and brown crystals known as Cairngorms
are varieties of rock crystal or of crystallized quartz,
if we restrict the term rock crystal to the clear
colourless specimens. The darker brown and black
ciystals, as well as those designated as Cairngoi'ms,
may be grouped under the common name of Smoky
Quartz. The dark green quartz is called Prase, and
is coloured by amphibole ; there is also a lighter gi-een
species known as Chrysoprase, tinted, it is said, by
oxide of nickel ; whilst oxide of iron probably
gives colour to the numerous red varieties. The
common milk-white quartz, which is the ordinary
quartz of veins and of quartz rock, will be found, on
microscopical examination, to be really transparent
quartz, but so full of minute cavities as to cause it .
to assume its milky opacity.

Quartz Rock. — Quartz Rock, or massive quartz, is
often found in mountainous masses, hundreds of feet
in thickness. Many of the quartz schists and mi-
caceous schists consist chiefly of quartz irregularly
split up by thin leaflets of mica.

6'(?«r/jA);/i'.— Sandstone rocks, often consisting of
little besides more or less rolled grains of quartz, will
have been derived from the breaking up, under
various denuding agencies, of rocks in which quartz
has been the prevailing mineral.

Quartz Veins. — Veins of quartz have already been
mentioned. These ai^e very frequent in the old slate
and schist rocks, sometimes forming broad and irre-
gular bands ; at others, mere threads traversing the
other materials. Such; veins will often present
open spaces in which the quartz will be found regu-
larly crystallized.

Flint, Chert, Horn stone. — Flint and Chert are

74

HARD WICKE 'S S CIENCE - G O SSI P.

forms of quartz usually occurring as concretions in '
limestone rocks ; sometimes, however, as bands
of considerable thickness. The black colour so
common to the flints of the chalk fonnation and
to the chert nodules and bands in the mountain
limestone is due to the presence of carbon. Horn- :
stone is merely a variety of chert. ;

Chalcedony, Agate. — Chalcedony has been described :
as a mixture of crystalline and amorphous quartz ; j
its tendency is to assume a botiyoidal or stalactitic j
form ; and its numerous variations of colour and
modes of occurrence have led to the adoption of
different distinguishing names. Camelians and sardes
are only colour distinctions of chalcedony ; and the
immense family of agates, including the onyx and
sardonyx, is more or less composed of chalcedony,
disposed in layers, regular or irregular, and combined
with other forms of quartz, such as amethyst, jasper,
&c. This latter name is applied to an aluminous
variety of quartz : it is opaque, and has a less
crystalline appearance than ordinary quartz. It is
very varied in colour : some beautiful red. brown, and
green-banded stones are obtained in Siberia, in Egypt,
and elsewhere. Bloodstone is considered to be a
mixture of chalcedony and jasper, coloured by
metallic oxides.

Opal. — One of the most beautiful forms of quartz
is Opal, which is nothing more than amorphous
silica combined with water, which has filtered out
from the rocks, usually igneous ones, and is found in
cavities and fissures in those rocks. Bohemia, Hun-
gary, Auvergne, and Queensland yield opals, some
of them of great beauty and value.

Having thus briefly pointed out the principal
varieties of quartz, and the modes of their occur-
rence, we will next turn to the history of their forma-
tion. We shall find that quartz may have been
formed by more than one process in the grand labora-
tory of Nature.

According to Cotta, there are two modifications of
chemical composition in quartz, which are dis-
tinguished by their different degi^ees of solubility.
" The one is insoluble in water and in every acid
except hydrofluoric, and the other is soluble in
water at high temperatures, especially in the presence
of other acids and alkalies." The insoluble variety of
quartz may, it is said, in process of time become
"converted into the soluble by the contact-influence
of infiltrated moisture." It may, however, be noted
that ordinary quartz, if fused with carbonate of soda,
becomes soluble in water, and from this solution
gelatinous silica is precipitated by hydric chloride.
Years ago it was noted tliat silica when combined
with an alkali is sokible in water, and that thus the
decomposition of felspar might in some instances be a
source of silica in solution. The residKe of decom-
posed felspar, when it has been examined, has been
found to contain only a portion of the silica ilue to
it, the remainder having been dissolved. In a similar

manner mica is another mineral which may be a
source of supply for pure silica. A fact of some
importance in studying the mode of the formation of
quartz is that, unlike felspar and other minerals, which
in crystallizing pass at once from the fluid to the
solid state, quartz passes through an intermediate
viscous, or colloid condition before it assumes the
crystalline form. It is, comparatively speaking, only
very recently that we have had any practical ac-
quaintance with this colloidal form of silica. The late
Mr. T. Graham, by his most valuable experiments
in dialysis, succeeded in obtaining pure silica dissolved
in water, which rapidly assumed a gelatinous con-
dition.

The three principal agencies that have taken part
in the formation of quartz are heat, water, and
organic life. When we examine, by the aid of the
microscope, certain forms of quartz, such for instance
as the crystals occurring in some of the quartz por-
phyries, and occasionally in the pitchstones, as well
as much of the quartz of granite rocks, we find that
they contain minute cavities which inclose very fre-
quently tiny crystals of other minerals ; in the quartz
of granite these are very often found to be alkaline
chlorides, or sometimes the cavities are filled up with
glassy mineral matter ; as, for instance, in the quartz
of some of the Icelandic trachytes. Other cavities
are found, especially in the granitic quartz, filled with
gas, or sometimes with water, or liquid carbonic acid.
In these latter cavities small bubbles will be found
which are movable ; the smaller ones, indeed, appear
to be endowed with a kind of perpetual motion of
their 'own. The quartz in these rocks must have
crystallized at a very high temperature, — indeed, where
glass cavities occur, from a state of true igneous fusion.
Mr. Sorby has shown, in a recent paper,* that the
solvent power of liquid water at the temperature of
about 412 deg. C. is very great : its action on glass
has been such as to produce quartz ciystals from it.

There seems to be clear proof that the quartz of
the granite rocks which contains partially filled fluid
cavities, and cavities inclosing crystals of common
salt, &c., has been formed in a partially melted mass
of rock, and began to crystallize when that mass was
exposed to the solvent action of liquid water, at a
temperature not far below 400 deg. C, but yet not
sufficiently high to expand the water into steam.
Mr. Sorby concludes that "by far the larger part of
the quartz in granitic rocks was set free and crystal-
lized through the action of liquid water, at a tem-
perature of a dull red heat, just visible in the dark.
Tlie exact temperature may, however, have varied
considerably, since if the pressure were not sufficiently
great, the water might remain in the form of steam
until the rock had cooled somewhat more." It has
been noticed as somewhat remarkable that the quartz
in granite should have been usually the last mineral

• Miiurral Ma^asine, No. 2, 187^.

HARD WICKE 'S S CIENCE - G O SSIP.

75

to crystallize, although it is that one which is the
most difficult to fuse, and which [would therefore
naturally be expected to have been solidified before
the felspar and the mica. But it has been sliown that
when quartz is in combination with other mineral
substances, it is often as readily fusible as they are ;
and thus what must be called accidental circumstances
may have led, in the case of the rocks in question, to
its being crystallized after the felspar, which we so
generally find to have modified tlie form of the
quartz ; this latter appearing as a glassy paste in-
closing the accompanying minerals, instead of having
a definite form of its own. It has also been ob-
served that the felspar in solidifying would liberate a
sufficient quantity of heat to enable the quartz to re-
tain its viscous state (Durocher) ; just as, on the other
hand, in the quartz porphyries we see an instance of
the analogous effect of the crystallizing quartz upon
the felspar. It is asked how the enormous masses
of quartz which form some of the schistose rocks can
have been produced ? We must appeal to metamor-
phism. The contact of highly-heated eruptive matter
might thus alter a quartz or sandstone into an almost
pure quartz rock. Heat and pressure combined are
mighty agents, which might also effect a similar
change during the course of long ages.

That water at a high temperature can hold quartz
in solution is well illustrated by the deposits of sili-
cious sinter, thrown down by thermal springs, as, for
instance, the Geysers of Iceland, and by others in
Kamtschatka and in New Zealand : this silica often
encrusts mosses and other substances in the same way
that we may see calc-tuff forming petrifactions in
other localities. The delicate feathery crystallizations
of silicious sinter are extremely beautiful.

The quartz of veins appears generally to have been
deposited from aqueous solution, and will be seen, as
has been already remarked, to contain innumerable
cavities inclosing water. Occasionally these watery
cavities are of large size, and may be observed with-
out any instnimental aid.

(71; be continued.)

THE ENTOMOLOGY OF EPPING
FOREST.

EPPING FOREST, being a large tract of beauti-
ful woodland, affords ample scope for pleasure
and recreation to the lover of nature ; no matter
whether a collector of fungi, a botanist, an ornitholo-
gist, or entomologist, or naturalist in any shape or
form : here is situated, as if for the special benefit of the
inhabitants of this great metropolis, a beautiful re-
creation-ground, in which each can carry on the par-
ticular branch of Natural History in which he takes
the greatest delight.

To the entomologist, Epping Forest seems to have

a special charm, the glades in the neighbourhood of
Servardstone and High Beech being both fiill of good
sport and sylvan beauty. Let us commence our
rambles in the old forest in the month of April. The
scene of our sport shall be Chincford, and that em-
barrassing little insect Pidaria the chief object of it.
It is just getting dark, and as much as we can do to
keep our feet out of the little rivulets or brooks which
are continually coming in our way ; but, lighting our
lanterns, which are a great boon for other than ento-
mological purposes, we proceed to examine the blos-
soms of the Sloe. We are fortunate enough to obtain
a few of this local insect, whilst flying about are
Geometers, Badiafa, Sitffitmata, and Ilhaiai-ia, and
on sallows in the neighbourhood, Noctuas, Cruda,
Gothica, Instabilis, Rubrkosa, and Lithorhiza. In
the month of May, when every hedge is showing itself
off to its best, and when the air is teeming with in-
sect life, we may with great pleasure take another
ramble in the same locality. At Fairmeads Plain,
High Beech, we shall be delighted to see flying here
and there over the bracken that pretty little fritillary,
A. Eiiphrosynic, and later on in the month, Selene,
the small pearl-bordered fritillary, but not so plenti-
fully as her twin sister. In meadows adjoining, and
on the outskirts, we may count on getting Carda-
mines, Argiolns, Tages, and most of the common
butterflies out this month ; and we may also come
across the half-noctuas Mi and Glyphica, together
with those pretty Geometers Jacobcca and Mac2ilata,
and flying about in the sunshine two of the Hooktips,
Hamnla and Falcula. On a bright day in this month
we shall not return home with empty boxes, and
shall have had quite enough to do to set our
captures.

The beginning of June is the best time for larva-
beating. In the first week we may expect to obtain
by beating the Oak the larva of Tliecla Quereus, and
shall by this means be able to procure a far more
beautiful and perfect series for our cabinets than by
the most careful selection from those obtained on the
wing. On blackthorn, Cczndeocephala (very plenti-
ful), B. CratiEgi, and Quereus, together with Thecla
Betiiltc, will reward the perseverance of the col-
lector. In the evening, we may get by dusking,
in the neighbourhood of Walthamstow, Geometers,
Petraria, Obliquaria, perhaps Papilionaria, and
Russata ; and among the Cuspidates, Spinula and
Cainelina ; whilst on sugar Batis and Berasa are
beginning to appear, together with Trilinea, Psi,
Plecfa, and hybernated specimens of Libatrix. By
beating the bushes in the daytime, Temerata, the
Clouded Silver, will reward our exertions, and not
unlikely Ptmctaria, Atomaria, and Prunaria will
come across our path.

July brings many fresh moths and butterflies with
us. In the neighbourhood of oak-trees we shall see
Thecla Quereus, giving us a glimpse now and then of
his rich purple colours ; but we shall not obtain many

E 2

76

HARD Wl CKE 'S S CIENCE -GOSS IP.

without a long-handled net (say about fifteen feet).
Flitting about over the blackberry bushes, and often
settling on the blossoms, is Hypcranthus, and scud-
ding here and there over the long grass in the glades,
basking in the sunshine, are the two common skip-
pers Linea and Sylvamts in great profusion. At High
Beech, on the rushes, we shall be pleased to take in
plenty that local little butterfly L. ^goii, and
among the furze-bushes close by Geometer Paluiii-
baria, and on the heath we shall perhaps meet Por-
■i)hyrea. Sometimes we may be honoured \\ith a

FIk- 6i- The Large Emerald Moth {Gco?nctra pap'diouarux).

Fig. 62. Hebrew-Character Moth {Tiem'pcr.aipa gothtca).

r^

Fig. 63. 'l"he Coxcomb Prominent {Notodouia caineihia).

visit from A. Adippe, or perhaps see the chaste under-
side of A. PapJiia, flapping his wings whilst settled
on the flowers of a neighbouring bramble ; but they
are neither very plentiful. At dusk we may expect
Ruhiginata, Syringaria, and perhaps Poirellus, whilst
on sugar, Fimbria, JantJiina, Pitta, Oo, and Pinastri,
together with many commoner noctuas, occur.

We must now pass on to August, the harvest
month, not only to the farmer, but also to the ento-
mologist. On a bright sunny day in this month we
may expect G. Rlianini in nice condition, on the out-
skirts and in glades TItcc. Bciitla: is beginning to make
his appearance. Sugaring is now in its prime ; on a
favourable evening the trees are literally swarming
with such insects as Nictitans, Trapcziiia, Pyraniidea,
Typica, Maura, and A'lipta, with an occasional sprink-
ling of Affinis, Dijfiiiis, Libatrix, and more rarely
X. Aiirago. Towards the latter end of the month
XaiithograpJia and C. nigrum begin to make their

appearance, and in the beginning of September
Liinosa, Pistacina, and Suffusa are to be met with
on sugar. By visiting the neighbourhood of Wan-
stead, we shall find on the broom the larva of Pi si in
plenty, and by beating in the same locality, or at
dusk, we shall get Spartiata. Later on in the month

Fig. 64. The Herald Moth (Couoptera libatrix).

Fig;. 65. Early Thorn Moth \Sclcnia illmmi-ia).

Fig. 66. Early Grey Moth [Xylocaiii/a lithorliiza').

Fig. 67. The Oak Hook-tip Moth {Platyptcryx iiaimda).
(P'emale and Male.)

OxyacantJia and Satdlitia will give us most work at
sugar, and almost immediately October commences
Vaceinii and Spadieea will join them. O. niacileiita
and Lota are also to be taken, together with Exoleta :
these last may also be taken feasting on blossoms of
the Ivy.

The part of the year most suited to entomology is
over, and we must now be thinking of arranging our
captures and looking forward to as pleasant and pro-
sperous a season's sport as we have just enjoyed.

HARD WICKE 'S SCIENCE - G OSSIP.

77

Many are the recollections of past pleasure when we
think where this rarity was caught, or the lovely
scenes with which this or the other capture is con-

Fig. 68. Maiden's Blush Moth EphyTa pwictaria).

Fig. 69. The Flame [Antklea ritbidata).

nected ; so that often the thought of pleasure gone by
is brought back to our memory, and Me can really
enjoy the pleasure over again. A. J. R.

THE ECONOMICAL PRODUCTS OF

PLANTS.

By J. T. Riches.

THE Bikh or Bish Poison of Nepal .—Thi?. most
virulent poison is the produce of one or more
species of Aconitiun, which is a very important genus
oi Raimnculacea:, and characterized by coloured sepals,
the upper one being large and helmet-shaped, from
which has originated the name of ' ' Monkshood," com-
monly applied to the plants belonging to the genus.
It is well known that A. ferox, Wallich, which is
thought by some botanists to be a variety of A.
Napcllns, is the principal species from which the
poison is obtained, although other species may also
yield it. It is obtained from the leaves and roots of
the plant. The plant is a native of Nepal. The
root-stock is perennial, sending up an annual her-
baceous stem, with acuminately-lobed leaves, purple
flowers, with a semicircular helmet. The poison is
used to a great extent in Northern Hindostan for
poisoning the arrows used for tiger-shooting. The
effect very rapidly reveals itself, for we have read of
a tiger shot from a bow in Assam being found dead
only sixty yards from the spot.

Aconite Root. — This drug is the produce oi Aconi-
turn Napellns, Linn. ; a plant very commonly grown
in gardens, and which was originally thought to be
indigenous to Britain, but that is now open to doubt.
It is found wild in the South of Europe, and the
greater portion of the bulk used in this country is im-
ported from Germany. Some, however, is cultivated
in this country. The stem is about three feet in
height, with dark green glossy leaves deeply pal-

mately divided. Flowers arranged in erect clusters,
of a dull purple colour. The roots are clustered and
tapering, dark brown externally and white internally .
The taste of the fresh root is bitter, but after a while
a numbness and tingling of the lips and tongue is ex-
perienced. The acrid narcotic principle of the root
is due to the presence of an alkaloid known as
" Acotine," which is a white amorphous solid sub-
stance, extremely virulent ; so much so that one-
fiftieth part of a grain would kill a cock-robin. The
alkaloid is prepared from the roots, and is used, as
well as a tincture of the root occasionally, with suc-
cess externally for the removal of neuralgic and
rheumatic pains. And it need scarcely be said, that
the greatest caution is necessary in using it. This
root has often produced fatal results by being mis-
taken for horseradish root : probably this has beeii
brought about by taking up the root after the flowers
and leaves have died away, as it would be impossible
for such a terrible blunder to occur when the plant is
in a state of leaf and flower, owing to the great dis-
similarity of the two plants in that particulai'. The
root of the Horseradish may be distinguished from
the Aconite by being much larger, of a dirty yellow
colour externally, and having rings at the top of the
root, indicating the place of fallen leaves. It is ad-
visable that all young students should have in their
Materia Medica, or Herbaria, specimens of each
mounted side by side, when the distinction will be
obvious enough. Figures of the plant may be seen
in Wood's "Med. Bot," plate VI.; Lindley's
"Med. Bot.," p. 151.

Sweet Sop, Sonr Sop, Ciistard-apple, and CJieri-
nioyer. — These are the names applied to four very
important and largely cultivated tropical fruits, fur-
nished by different species of the genus Anona, a
genus of trees and shrubs, natives of South America
and the West Indies. The flowers of the genus are
somewhat remarkable (although not an uncommon
exception) in having several ovaries placed on a re-
ceptacle slightly united at their bases, which, before
the fiuit matures, are completely united into a many-
celled fruit. The Sweet Sop is the produce of Anona
squamosa, Linn., a native of the Malay Archipelago,
as other genera of the family are, but is cultivated in
the East and West Indies. The fruit is ovate, scaly,
with a thick rind inclosing luscious pulp, concerning
which, however, tastes greatly differ. The Creoles
greatly fancy it, but the delicate palate of a European
requires time before the taste is appreciated. The
fruit produced in the Malay Islands is much superior
in flavour to any other. The Sour Sop is the produce
of Anona muricata, Linn., a native of the West Indies.
The fruit of this species is very large, often weighing
two pounds. It is greenish and covered with prickles,
with a moderately thick rind inclosing a white pulp
of a very agreeable sub-acid flavour. The Custard-
apple, or BuUock's-heart, is produced by A. reti-
culata, Linn,, a native of the West Indies, cultivated

78

{HA RD WICKE 'S S CIENCE - G O SSIP.

as well in the East Indies. The fruit is very large,
but the pulp is not so much relished as any of the
other kinds. The Cherimoyer of Peru is produced
by A. Cherimolia. The fruit is somewhat heart-
shaped, and scaly externally ; much esteemed by the
natives — nay, thought by the Creoles to be superior to
any other fruit in the world, but not so by Europeans,
although we have heard Europeans greatly admiring
the fruit, and have brought home seeds as relics
of remembrance. Specimens presei-ved in spirit may
be seen at the Kev^' Museum.

Gocculus indicus.- — This term is applied to the fruit
©f Anamirta Cocculus, a plant belonging to the
family Menispermacea:, most of which are climber^i.
The name applied to this drag would lead to the
conclusion that it was obtained from the genus
Cocculus. It must, however, be borne in miiid, that
such is not the case. It was formerly included in
that genus, but has since been separated and esta-
blished as a distinct genus ; the characters, in fact,
admit of such a rank.

The characters of tlie genus Cocculus are thus :
flowers unisexual, the male flowers with six sepals,
six petals, and three stamens ; the female flowers
with three ovaries placed on a short stalk. The
genus Animirta has unisexual, dioecious flowers,
with six sepals but no petals. The male flowers
have numerous stamens united into one bundle
(monadelphous) ; the female flowers with three
ovaries attached to a thick receptacle.

The plant is a native of the East Indies, growing
especially in Malabar and the Eastern Archipelago,
from whence the supply of this countiy is obtained.
It is a climbing plant with a light-coloured bark.
Leaves cordate, smooth, light green, paler beneath ;
flowers pendulous ; fruit slightly ovate, somewhat
lai^er than a 'full-sized pea, dark brown externally,
wrinkled, containing a yellowish, oily, kidney-shaped
seed. The quality of this substance is extremely
acrid, poisonous, and intoxicating ; its legal uses are
not very important, while no doubt the illegal uses to
which it is applied are otherwise. An ointment,
which was formerly more used than at the present
time, is obtained from it. It is also used for taking
fish. But the amount annually imported far exceeds
what is required for legal purposes. Where does
the superfluous portion find a home ? It is said that
the extract is very largely used for the adulteration of
porter ; and of course the result of such adulteration
is to produce giddiness and intoxication ; and it is to
such wholesale system of adulteration that the many
ills which are often heaped upon " malt liquor" may
be attributed. The poisonous nature of this drug is
due to the pi'esence of a chemical substance known
as " picrotoxin." This plant is figured in Wallich's
•'Asiat. Res.," vol. xiii. PI. 15, 16; or, what is
more desirable, the plant itself may be seen growing
in more than one place in the Royal Gardens,
Kew.

THE MICROSCOPE IN GEOLOGY.

THE annual address of the President of the Royal
Microscopical Society (H. C. Sorby, F.R.S.,
&c.) for the present year, will, I fear, scarcely meet
with the unqualified approval of the "Microscopist."
It contains no hints about "pretty objects," &c. ;
but, for those who look upon the microscope as an
invaluable instrament of research, it will be read with
much interest. Unlike the usual addresses, it does
not contain a rc'snme of the work done with the
microscope during the past year. It might be fairly
called a lecture on the microscopic stracturc of rocks,
as the following outline of its contents will show : —
The application of the Microscope to Geology ;
Structure of Stratified Rocks ; Preparation and
mounting of the objects ; Object-glasses used. On
the Microscopical Characters of Sands and Clays : —
Origin of the IMaterial, viz. : Quartz, Mica, Horn-
blende and Schorl, Felspars, Pumice, Iron oxides,
Sorting the material. Pi-actical application of above
described : General Principles ; Identification of the
constituent materials ; Application of similar prin-
ciples to the sections of Rocks ; Application of the
above to special cases, viz. : — Millstone-grit of South
Yorkshire ; Sand of Egyptian Desert ; Sand derived
from Schists, Clays, &c. ; Volcanic Ash-beds in
British Strata. Conclusion.

The author, after alluding to the labours of " our
late distinguished Honorary Fellow, Dr. Ehrenberg,"
in the study of the organic constituents of rocks
remarks that very little has been done in the applica-
tion of the microscope to the investigation of the
nature and origin of loose and unconsolidated sands
and clays. . . . Seeing that this great subject had
hitherto been so much neglected, and is yet the very
foundation of our knowledge of the history of those
rocks which constitute a large portion of the accessible
framework of our globe, it appears desirable in my
address this evening to treat this subject in a syste-
matic manner.

The study of the microscopical structure of strati-
fied rocks is very naturally divisible into two very
distinct questions, \'iz., the nature and origin of the
materials deposited, and the changes which have
occurred since deposition, but on the present occasion
I must almost entirely confine myself to the former.

When the stratified rocks are sufficiently hard to
allow of their sections to be made, many facts may
be better seen in slices cut perpendicular to the
stratification, than by attempting to disintegrate the
rock and examine the detached particles. If the
particles are lield together by calcic or ferrous oxide,
or by any of the oxides of lime, they may be set free
by the action of cold dilute hydrocliloric acid, or by
a stronger hot solution, or if not reducible by these
means a small stiff brush may be used ; but violent
mechanical separation by crushing must be avoided.
When the particles are separated they should be

HARD WICKE 'S S CIENCE - G OSSIP.

79

attached to the slide by a weaJc solution of gum, and
when dry, mounted in Canada balsam.

In order to detect the minute iluid and glass
cg.vities, an amplification of about doo linear is
desirable. Mr. Sorby states that the Messrs. Beck
constructed for him a low angle i (75° angle of
aperture), which performed admirably.

"In studying loose and unconsoUdated sands and
clays, little or nothing can be learned respecting the
stmctural arrangement of the particles. Our atten-
tion must be almost entirely confined to their mineral
nature, external form, and internal structure.

" The examination of a comparatively recent deposit
may be extended into comparatively remote epochs,
and in a similar manner the study of the ultimate
constituents of the very oldest stratified rocks might
enable us to form some opinion respecting the nature
of still earlier rocks, of which no other record remains.
This appears to me to be a question of so much
interest, and its solution so dependent on microsco-
pical investigations, that I venture to bring it before
you in some detail, even although the conclusions
have a more direct bearing on geology than on those
branches of science which usually claim the attention
of this Society." F. Kitton.

EARED SEALS.
By Thomas Southwell, F.Z.S.

Hon. Secretarj' of the Norfolk and Norwich
Naturalists' Society.

WIDELY distributed on the lonely shores and
islands of both hemispheres of the globe,
are found certain animals known as Sea Lions and
Sea Bears : they belong to the order Pinnipedise, and
are closely related to the true seals (Phocid^), and
Walrus (Trichechus) ; from both of which they are
distinguished by the possession of an external ear ;
hence the family to which they belong is appropriately
named OtariidiZ. Unlike the true seals, which seem
to have the head set upon the body, almost vidthout a
neck, the eared seals possess a long and remarkably
flexible neck and body ; and their limbs are so modified
as to admit of being used in progression on dry land,
with the body raised from the ground. Instead of
the short stiff hair of the true seal, they are covered
with a coat of coarse hair, longer in some parts of the
body than in others, and at the base of which, in some
species, is found a thick soft coat of under fur, which,
when properly dressed, forms the beautiful " seal-
skin " so much prized by the fair sex when made into
jackets, &c. These are called Fm- Seals or Sea Bears.
Those in which the under fur is not present are called
Hair Seals or Sea Lions. Mr. J. W. Clark, of Cam-
bridge, in an excellent paper on the " Sea Lions,"
delivered at the Zoological Society's Gardens on
April 22, 1875 (forming one of the "Davis Lec-
tures"), and published in the Contcinporaiy Revirju for
December, 1875 (to which I am much indebted for

what follows), remarks, that he strongly suspects it
will turn out, when the subject has been thoroughly
investigated, that all the Otarias have under fur at
some pei-iod of their lives. Dr. Gray, in his catalogue
of the " Seals and Whales in the British Museum,"
has divided the family into nimierous genera and
species, in some cases upon very slight grounds.
Mr. Clark, however, is of opinion that in the present
state of oiu- knowledge it would be better to retain
the originial genus, Otaria, as founded by Peron in
1 81 6, under which he includes all the species which
have been made out with certainty, and which he con-
siders do not exceed nine or ten in'number, remark-
ing, however, that as we become better acquainted
with the family the number will probably be increased.

Various species of Eared seals are found widely
scattered over the seas of the world : commencing in
the north, with the Prybilov Islands, in Behring's Sea,
the Aleutian Islands, they extend southward to Cali-
fornia and the Galapagos Islands ; round Cape Horn
and the adjacent islands to the river Plate ; the
Cape of Good Hope, the far-off shores of Kerguelen's
Land, and the coasts of Australia and New Zealand.
The range of some species is very extended ; that of
others more or less restricted. Space will not allow
of my noticing each member of this interesting family,
but I will select two individuals, which will fairly
illustrate the habits and appeai-ance of the whole.

The best known of the fur seals is the Northern
Sea Bear, Otaria ttrsina, which, although almost
entirely confined to the islands of the Prybilov
group in Behring's Sea, is there at the proper season
of the year found in great numbers. The male,
which reaches its full size at the age of six years,
measures about nine feet in length, and is dark brown
or nearly black in colour, with a grayish tinge about
the head, neck, and anterior parts ; the ears in both
sexes are pointed and slanting backward. The fe-
male arrives at maturity at the age of four years, and
does not reach above half the size of the male ; her
colour is silver-gray, becoming darker with age. The
young are black at first, which changes to silvery-
gray ; the under fur is very silky and of a reddish-
brown colour. A single young one is produced at a
birth, which takes place about the middle of July.
In addition to the value of the skin, each fur seal
yields a gallon and a half of oil, and the flesh is said
to be very good eating. Of the general appearance
of the animal the accompanying drawing (fig. 70) will
convey a more correct idea than would along description.

The limbs are encased in a coating of tough
bare skin, which extends beyond the ends of the
toes of the hind flipper, the toes themselves being
nearly equal in length, and the three middle ones
armed with claws. The fore flipper has the thumb
the longest, and the other digits decreasing rapidly in
length give it a very fin-like appearance contrasted
with the square margin of tlie hinder extremity :
there are no claws present on the fore flippers. The

8o

HARD WICKE 'S S CIENCE - G OS SI P.

eyes are large, glistening, and very expressive. The
great haunt of this species during the breeding season
is the small group of islands in Behring's Sea, dis-
covered by Prybilov in 1 786 and named after him.
Upon the discovery of the islands the Russians at
once established a fur company there, and, says Mr.
Clark, "slaughtered annually, for thirty years, from
80,000 to 90,000 animals, luithoiit regard to sex or
system. About 181 7 it was observed that they had
diminished in number. Still no change took place.
But in 1836 only a tithe of the former number ap-
peared, and then the system was adopted which is
practically the same as that enforced at the present
day by the government of the United States, to whom
the islands now belong" {^Contemporary ReiAe^v, vol.
xxvii. p. 36). In Scammon's "Marine Animals

middle of July the "rookeries" are full. At this
time it has been estimated that on the Island of St.
Paul's, with a beach extending for eight miles in
length and 129 feet in depth, over three millions of
breeding fur seals with their cubs are to be found,
and on the smaller Island of St. George are 163,420
more ; add to which the yearlings and males under
six yeai"s of age, estimated at two millions more, and
the astounding total of five or six millions of fur seals
are found to congregate upon these small islands.

Upon the arrival of the females or "mothers," the
duties of the " bachelors " commence : following the
females, they compel them to land, when, imme-
diately, down comes the nearest old male, who, with
much clucking and many bows, contrives to get be-
tween the lady and the water: "then his manner

HUffLE

Fig. 70. Northern Fur Seal (fitarla 2irsina),'^'xi\.^x Scammon.

of the North-western Coast of North America" is a
long and interesting account of the bree ding habits of
this species, from which the following is condensed.

By the middle of April the first old males make
their appearance at the breeding- places in the
Prybilov Islands, and after landing and reconnoitring
depart, to return, however, in a few days with the
first party of males of all ages; then follow fresh
animals daily till all the males of various ages have
arrived. The old patriarchs, called ' ' married seals, "
immediately land and take up their stations in the
"rookery," often, it is said, returning to the same spot
year after year, each reserving for himself a space
equal to about a square rod for the accommodation
of the ten or fifteen wives he is expecting shortly to
arrive. The young males are compelled to stay in
the water, and are called "Bachelors." About
15th June the females begin to appear, and by the

changes, and with a harsh growl he drives her to a
place in his harem," alas ! only to be seized by the
nearest male above, as soon as her lord is otherwise
occupied ; the new lord in his turn being subjected to
the same robbery till the males farthest from the
sea have secured their complement of females. The
poor "mother" often gets roughly used in thus
passing from mouth to mouth (for she is lifted about
like a kitten) ; and, should a fight for her possession
occur, is not unfrequently pulled in two. When all
the places are filled up tranquillity prevails, the old
males keeping order, each in his own harem, and
driving off all intruders. The young are born two
or three days after all is quiet, and carefully tended
by their mothers. By the middle of August the young
are all born and the females again pregnant ; the old
males then resign their charge to the younger males
and go off to sea to break the long fast which has

HARD WICKE'S S CIENCE-G SSIP.

8i

continued during the whole of their stay upon the
land. The pups do not take readily to the water at
first, but soon learn to love the element in which so
much of their future life is to be spent. By the ist of
October the seals begin to leave the islands, the males
going last and keeping to themselves.

The seals engaged in breeding are on no account
allowed to be disturbed, all those which are killed
belonging to the "bachelor" class, and of these only
about 100,000 ai'e killed annually, those of two or
three years of age being selected. The bachelor seals,
as before observed, are not allowed to occupy the
"rookeries," but take up their station on the slopes
above ; they can thus be surrounded and driven

suitable age are allowed to escape and return to the
shore ; those destined to be killed are driven to the
killing-place, some six or seven miles distant (out of
sight and smell of the rookeries), by easy stages of
rather over a mile a day ; hei-e they are allowed to
rest and cool themselves, as, if too much heated, the
fur is loosened. When required for killing, from 70
to 100 are separated from the flock, driven together,
and those selected quickly dispatched by a blow on
the nose ; tlie rejected ones are allowed to go to the
nearest water, and quickly return to their old haunts.
This goes on till the whole flock is disposed of. The
skins, after being removed, are salted in bins, and
afterwards packed, the flesh sides inward — with a

Fig.'yi. Steiler's Sea-lion {Otaria Stclleri), — after Scammon.

away without alarming the breeding seals. The
killing commences in June, but the best months are
September and October, although more care has to
be exercised then, as at that time a large number of
females are mixed with the young males, from which
it is difficult to distinguish them (not a single female
is allowed to be killed), whereas, earlier in the sea-
son, males alone occupy the slopes, and it is only
necessaiy to select those of the proper age. When it
is determined to make a drive, a party of men ap-
proach quietly and creep between the seals and the
shore, when, starting up with a shout at a given sig-
nal, they commence driving the seals inland. As
they proceed, as many as possible of those of an un-

little fresh salt between them — for shipment. On
arrival in this country the skins are properly dressed
and the long hairs removed by paring down the flesh
side of the skin till the roots of the hairs, which are
deeper seated than those of the fur, are cut through ;
all the coarse hair is then brushed off and the beauti-
ful under fur alone is left ; this is at first of a reddish-
brown colour, arranged in little curls, which in the
subsequent process of dyeing lose their crispness, and
the skin, which in the rough was sufficiently unattrac-
tive, is now converted into the beautiful silky fur so
well known as " seal skin."

By the wise regulations of the American Govern-
ment an annual rent of 50,000 dollars and a tax on

82

HARD WICKE 'S SCIENCE- G OSSIP.

each skin taken, are realized from the Alaska Com-
mercial Company, to whom the islands are leased,
and the breeding herd still maintained undiminished ;
so that a permanent source of industry and profit is
established, which, should nothing unforeseen occur,
may continue for an indefinite period. What a lesson
to the Governments interested in the northern seal
fisheiy, both in prudence and humanity !

In the South Seas, the fur seals, being unprotected,
have been nearly exterminated, slaughtered without
regard to sex or age, and their skins so carelessly
cured that in one instance 100,000 rotted on the
voyage home, and had to be dug out of the ship's hold !
Well might a correspondent of Mr. Clark's exclaim, "I
should as soon expect to meet a sea-lion on London
Bridge as on any one of the islands in Bass's Strait ! "

I will now turn briefly to the other section of the
Eared seals, the Sea-lions.

Steller, the naturalist to Behring's second expedi-
tion in the year 1741, discovered a sea-lion, to which
he gave the name of Leo marinus, and first described,
in a paper published after the death of its author, in
the " Transactions of the St. Petersburg Academy
for 1751." Thisspecies, Otaria Stellcri [Euiiictopias
Sfellcri of Gray), inhabits Behring's Straits, and the
coasts and islands of the North Pacific, its range ex-
tending westward to Kamschatka and the islands of
the Ochotsk Sea, and southward along the west coast
of North America to California and the Galapagos
Islands. The adult male varies much in colour from
dull grey to black or reddish-brown ; the head and
neck are much elongated, the upper lip furnished
with strong flexible whiskers of a whitish colour ; the
eyes full and expressive, especially when excited ;
ears cylindrical, tapering, short, and lying nearly in
a line with the body. The female is of a light brown
colour. The total length of the full-grown male is
about twelve feet, that of the female a little over six
feet. Many of my readers have doubtless seen the
pair of Steller's sea-lions now living in the Brighton
Aquarium ; to those who liave not, the accompanying
figure (fig. 71) will convey an idea of their general
appearance. For an interesting account of the habits
of this species in confinement and an excellent figure,
I beg to refer the reader to an article by Mr. Lee in
Land and Water iox February 5th, 1876.

Although not yielding the beautiful fur of com-
merce, almost every part of this useful animal seems
to be of value to the natives of the coasts on which it
is found : the skin forms excellent leather for boats
and tents, the flesh is used for winter food ; from the
lining of the throat tlie legs of their boots are made,
and the soles from the skin of tlieir flippers ; a large
quantity of oil is extracted from their blubber ; even
their stomachs, intestines, and sinews, have their
uses, and the whiskers are sent to China, there to be
used as ornaments by tlie Celestials. In its habits
this species greatly resembles the preceding. Scam-
mon says that, like the fur sea), it congregates in

great numbers at the breeding time, which takes
place on the Californian coast from May to August,
and upon the shores of Alaska from June to October ;
but in disposition it is much less shy, frequenting
"not only remote and secluded places, but also
thickly-inhabited coasts ; entering inland bays and
rivers ; at times disporting itself among the shipping,
and quite frequently making some detached rock or
reef, contiguous to the busy shore, a permanent
abode, where it seems to enjoy its approximate union
with civilization." Not far from the city of San
Francisco, on an island called the "Seal Rocks," a
colony of these animals, wisely protected by the au-
thorities, exists. There in happy security they dis-
port themselves (watched by the inhabitants, who
frequent an hotel erected near the spot and called
"Ocean House"), sometimes basking in the sun, at
others sporting in the waters, into which they plunge
from rocks at least twenty feet high, with a mighty
splash amid showers of spray, their gambols en-
livened by a running accompaniment of incessant
barking. At their " rookeries " or breeding-places,
the polygamous males are not so fiercely jealous as
the fur seals, but, unlike the latter, there appears to
be very little attachment between the parent and its
offspring, and still less between the lord and his
numerous wives. Their food consists of fish, mol-
lusks, and sea-birds, and in the capture of the latter
great ingenuity is displayed. During the time they
frequent the "rookeries," however astonishing it may
appear, little or no food is taken by the males, and
not much more by the females. The mode adopted
for their capture is similar to that pursued in the case
of the fur seal as already described. After the
breeding season they disperse in all directions ; and in
proof of the migratory habits of this species it is re-
corded, on the authority of Professor Davidson, of the
U.S. Coast survey, that a large male sea-lion, killed
in June, 1870, on the coast of California, at Point
Arenas, in lat. 30°, bore in its body a spear-head
such as is used by the natives of Alaska. On the
coasts of Siberia and Kamschatka, the sea-lions as-
cend the rivers to feed upon the salmon, and are
taken by the natives in stake nets or captured upon
the ice in spring. In the southern regions Scammon
says sea-lions escape capture by the feeble Fuegians,
but the Patagonians kill them for their skins, which are
also inflated by the natives of Chili and Peru and used
as boats. In conclusion he remarks that in the far north
and south, where they are Irunted by the natives solely
for domestic consumption, they do not materially di-
minish in number, but that on the shores of California
" they will soon be exterminated by the deadly shot of
the rifle, or driven away to less accessible haunts."

The larger Southern sea-lion, Olaria jiibata, now
living in the Zoological Society's Gardens, was
brought from the Falkland Islands, where it was
captured in 1867 ; the smaller one, O. piisilla, is from
the Cape of Good Hope, where it was taken in 1871.

HA RD WICKE 'S S CIENCE -GOS SIP.

83

A GOSSIP ABOUT NEW BOOKS.

THE Christmas publishing season was marked by
an issue of several scientific and other works
from the press, which cannot fail to have great
influence. Chief among these may be mentioned
Commander Cameron's "Across Africa" (London:
Daldy, Isbister, & Co.). The story of African travel
and adventure has lost none of its charm by often
telling. Cameron was among us last autumn at the
Geographical Society, the British Association, and
elsewhere, in plain but pithy language narrating his
eventful journey. Now we have the full and com-
plete story, in two handsome volumes, crowded with
illustrations of scenery, natives, natural history ob-
jects, &c. So full of fresh matter is the book that
there is little or no room left for those sporting ad-
ventures which, we may be sure, were indulged in.
The time occupied in this journey across Equatorial
Africa was nearly three years and a half. In many
places Commander Cameron's was the first European
face which had been seen. The entire route was
crowded with most interesting and importaiit inci-
dents, so that we can well believe the author when
he tells us how his book would have swollen to an
unwieldy size had he included his party's adven-
tures and sports. As a work of African travel it
stands higher in literary execution than any other.
Much as we have heard of African Equatorial explora-
tion in recent years, conducted by German and Eng-
lish travellers, we do not think any writer has kept
more to the point in narrating it than Cameron. We
say this in no invidious spirit ; we have reason to be
proud of that glowing spirit of adventure which has
impelled all alike to peril their lives for the sake of
adding to our knowledge of unknown and important
countries. But, in spite of the studied plainness with
which Commander Cameron has kept to the strict
particulars of his route, the physical characters of
the scenery, and the manners and customs of the
various countries through which he passed, this rather
enhances the charm of his narrative than otherwise.
We feel we are listening to a man who has something
to tell us that nobody else can narrate. Then, again,
no other African writer has so thoroughly exposed
the iniquitous traffic in slaves which goes ori in Equa-
torial Africa, nor traced it so thoroughly to its source.
If the knowledge of an evil is the first step towards
its cure, then we have to thank Commander Cameron
for taking that step. Let us hope that the uplifted
voice of the civilized world will denounce the curse
more vehemently than ever, and yet more perempto-
rily demand its immediate suppression ! In conclu-
sion, we can only refer our readers themselves to this
quietly thoughtful and impressive book, and they will
rise from its not unexciting perusal, as we have done,
all the more prepai-ed to honour the gallant author
who bore so patiently evils which other travellers
have immediately and cruelly resented, with the

noble spirit of an enlightened and a Christian
man.

"The Life of a Scotch Naturalist," by Samuel
Smiles (London : John Murray), has created a gi-eater
sensation than any other book of its kind. It is a
noble record of a brave and noble life. With Thomas
Edward, the subject of it, we have from time to time
had similar epistolaiy intercourse to that which we
abundantly enjoy with many others of his stamp. It
was to ourselves that he appealed in the case of the
"auld been," figured on page 369 of this work ; and
it was in the ' ' Answers to Correspondents " of our
pages that it was finally named from the photograph
Thomas Edward sent us. Two good results have
already issued from the publication of this remark-
able book — one, that Thomas Edward has been
placed by Her Majesty on the Civil List, and so
rendered independent for the rest of his life, and free
to follow his delightsome pursuits after the "auld
beasties"; and the other, that his life has been the
means of widely interesting educated people in the
studies of operative naturalists, and in natural his-
tory generally. For, useful though Edward's life has
been, we feel like the English king when he heard of
the results of Chevy Chase, — we know there are "five
hundred men" as good as he ! And in making this
remark we are not detracting from the position which
Thomas Edward has so nobly attained. We have in
our mind's eye the men who compose the botanical
and natural histoiy societies in Lancashire, Yorkshire,
and elsewhere — operatives in mills or workers in
coal-mines — men whose only education, perhaps, was
obtained in a Sunday-school, but whose acquaintance
with plants and insects and birds and fossils would sur-
prise any one whose life has been spent in the schools 1
We are constantly in correspondence with such men,
of some of whom Mr. James Cash has so well written
in his " Where there's a Will there's a Way." Such
men as these are one of the glories of modern Eng-
land, and it is delightful to feel that the educated
classes are being stirred in their favour, so as to give
them that recognition their services so richly deserve.
To return to Mr. Smiles's book : when we say that for
style it is not excelled by any of his other books,
those who have read the latter will know how attrac-
tive it is. The illustrations, which are by Mr.
George Reid, are a labour of love, and all of them
are artistic in the highest degree. The frontispiece
is the full-page etching of the rugged and powerfully-
lined head of Thomas Edward himself. In conclu-
sion, we thank ]\Ir. Smiles for this book : it is em-
phatically a good one, and its influence for good will
not end when it is placed on the shelf.

"The Primeval World of Switzerland," by Pro-
fessor Heer (London: Longmans, Green, & Co.), is
a welcome contribution to our geological literature.
Swiss tourists who desire to do more than gaze in
wonder at the Alps, will here find the difficult strati-
graphy of that wonderful region clearly worked out.

84

HARD WICKE \S SCIENCE - G OSSIP.

The various localities where fossils are to be found in
the various formations — from the Carboniferous series
to the Miocene, are all noted ; and, as many of them
lie within the usual range of the tourist, this book
will be all the more welcome to him of geological
tastes. The details of the Miocene beds are given at
great length, as m c should have expected beforehand,
seeing that they attain a greater develoiDment in

Switzerland than anywhere else, and are there
crowded with fossil plants, flower-bearing and cryp-
togamous, in hundreds of species, as well as with the
remains of insects which were associated with this
magnificent flora. To Professor Heer is due the
great merit of working out the details of these
Miocene fossil plants, and of showing how they were
related to genera and species now growing elsewhere.

i! ft

glii'l.'ii.:

m&^%s&^/Wm^

flu','

I'lVii'i

«ifci'';i i;i,ji v'l'iiiia^'S

pifSMii \\\m\i\\ Mfcj'^

f 111 u

Fig. 72. Moraine in the Canon's Platz in the City of Zurich. (From Heei-'s " Switzerland.")

Fig. 73. Various Genera of Fossil Hymenoptera, from the Miocene strata of Moudon. (From Heer's" Primeval Switzerland.")

HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

85

but widely distant, geographically speaking. Pro-
fessor Heer has spent the best part of his life, and
won numerous scientific laurels, in deciphering this
great stone l^ook of Miocene Switzerland. Hitherto,
the only way the geological student could get at
Professor Heer's results was either second-hand,
thi-ough the pages of "manuals," or by unearthing
them from scientific journals and memoirs. Now we
have the full and complete results set before us by
the author himself, and we are thankful for them.

has grown into a completeness it did not possess
before. Intending students and actual workers in
this department of research will therefore welcome;
Mr. Llewellyn Jewitt's "Half-hours with English
Antiquities " (London : Hardwicke & Bogue). No
other writer was more fit to undertake the somewhat
difficult task of making these things plain as Mr.
Jewitt has done. The work is richly illustrated by
vigorous and artistic woodcuts, some of which we arc
enabled to reproduce here for the benefit of our

Fig. 74. Roman Masonry at Colchester. (From Jewitt's " Half-hours with English .\ntiquities.")

Fig. 75. The Lanyon Cromlech.

Fig. 76. Grooved .Stone-hammer, with
twisted Withes for holding.

The work is in two volumes, abundantly illustrated
with capital woodcuts, of which we are enabled, by
the kindness of the editor, to reproduce several.
Numerous full-page lithograph illustrations are also
introduced, giving us " ideal landscapes," &c., of the
various geological epochs. A coloured geological
map adds to the completeness of this work for practi-
cal purposes. We should say that the present is an
English translation, edited by Mr. James Heywood,
F.R.S., who has in every way done his part well,
and presented to English geologists the best book on
Swiss geology we have yet received.

Within the last few years the study of archeology

readers. The arrangement and style of the book arc
alike excellent. The former includes chapters on
"Barrows," "Stone Circles, Cromlechs, &c.,"
"Flint and Stone Implements," "Celts and other
early Instruments of Bronze," " Roman Roads, Tes-
sellated Pavements, Altars, Temples, Inscriptions,
&c.," "Ancient Pottery," "Arms and Armour,"
"Sepulchral Brasses, &c.," "Coins," "Church
Bells," "Stained Glass, Tapestry," &c., "Personal
Ornaments," &c. From this list the reader will sec
how important an introduction is the above work tt>
the study of archaeology.

" Text-books " of science are among the notable

86

HARD WICKE 'S S CIENCE - G O SSI P.

features of modern literature, and they indicate the
course of thought, perhaps, more strikingly than any
other works. We have now to welcome Professor
Thome's "Structural and Physiological Botany,"

Fig. 77. Grooved Hammer.

Fig. 78. Sling-stone.

Fig. 79. Common type of Flint Flake.

translated and edited by Mr. A. W. Bennett, B.Sc,
F.L.S., &c. (London: Longmans, Green, & Co.).
The work is embellished by 600 woodcuts, all of
which materially assist the botanical student. This
is the recognized text-book of botany in the German
technical schools, and its appearance in an English
garb is therefore required. No better or more trust-
worthy editor and translator could liave been selected

than Mr. Bennett, who himself takes high rank
among our most distinguished botanists. The ar-

Fig. 80. Barbed Flint Arrow-head from Derbyshire.

rangement is both clear and exhaustive, and the
price (6s.) will, we hope, bring this most useful book
within the range of every intending student.

MICROSCOPY.

How TO FILTER WATER TO OBTAIN MiNUTE

Organisms. — Upon this subject there are some
observations of Dr. A. Meade-Edwards in your
Febraary impression, and as it appears that a second
contribution may not be wholly unacceptable to the
readers of Science-Gossif, I beg to inclose a sketch
of a little piece of apparatus designed by me for the
same purpose some three years since, and then intro-
duced at one of the meetings of our Margate Micro-
scopical Society, to which I am honorary librarian,
and which has been found both portable and usefid
at the pond-side. Indeed, by its use, one may in
half an hour collect all the living organisms con-
tained in a butt of water, and carry home in his
breast-pocket a myriad of the larger and smaller fry
which abound in pond-life. The entire apparatus
costs only a couple of shillings, and was made for me
by a local tinman, and neatly finished off with a coat
of red sealing-wax varnish, a is one of the three-
inch jam-covers patented by Mr. Jennings, and con-
sisting of a disc of tin with an indiarubber ring (b)
beneath, by which an instant and air-tiglit joint is
effected with a glass tumbler or wide-moutlied bottle.
C is a small funnel with a double wire rim, and over
the mouth of which a piece of coarse muslin — ^simply
as a strainer, to arrest duckweed, bits of stick, &c. —
may be kept stretched by a small indiarubber ring,
which will lie between the two wire rings forming the
rim ; and D is a similar tin funnel, across the mouth

HARD WICKE'S S CIENCE - G OS SIP.

87

of which a piece oi fine muslin is stretched, and con-
fined in a similar way. Arriving at the pond-side,
or at the seashore, or while the net is doAvn in tow-
ing, the collector snaps the band B around the mouth
of a glass tumbler, a jam-pot, beaker, or wide-
mouthed bottle, and proceeds at once to ladle water
in at c, which, finding its way into the containing

Fig. 81. Pond-side Filter.

vessel, rises through the finer muslin at d, and flows
off by the indiarubber tube E, the siphon-like charac-
ter of the arrangement materially assisting the opera-
tion, wiiile Desmids, Volvoces, Daphnia, Rotifers,
Floscularia, &c., are all retained in the three or four
ounces of fluid which the jam-pot or tumbler may
contain. Jennings' patent covers may be obtained at
the price of a few pence at either of the indiarubber-
shops in Ludgate-hill, or at Abbott Anderson's, in
Queen Victoria-street. — IV. Lane Scar, Margate.

New Method of Illumination. — Being in
New Orleans some three weeks ago, and having some
curiosity to see the silver microscope made and ex-
hibited at the Royal Microscopical Society by Smith
& Beck about two years ago, I called on the owner.
Dr. A. W. Smyth, and ■\\'as very much pleased with

the construction and working of the instrument, but
particularly with the effects produced by a mode of
illumination which was claimed by him as original
and exceedingly simple. It was produced by a disc
of ordinary cover-glass ground on botk sides, and
used in the same place and in the same manner as
the ordinary black-ground stop below the condenser,
the marginal rays of light passing unobstructedly
around the outer edge of the ground cover-glass,
producing a difterent and far more pleasing effect
than that produced by the ground glass extending
over the whole aperture of the condenser, and en-
tirely different to that produced by a ground glass
cap over the top of the condenser. I am sure your
readers will be pleased with this simple mode of
illumination on nearly all objects usually viewed on
black ground, as well as those objects viewed by
direct light. — jf. A. Perry.

Bramhall's Horizontal Super or Sub-stage
Reflector. — Mr. Bramhall's recommendation of
this, backed by the authority of Mr. F. Kitton, in-
duced me to order it. Some delay occurring in its
receipt, probably owing to accidental circumstances,
I resolved to make a temporary substitute, and, with
this view only; disregarding the precise instructions
given in Science-Gossip (p. 136, 1876), chose ma-
terials that came most readily to hand and promised
least trouble to adopt. A small toy mirror-plate, a
cardboard back and millboard front of the same size,
the latter punched centrally with a |-in. aperture;
two pieces of gummed covering-paper, that for the
upper side being similarly perforated ; in a few
minutes, I provided an accessor)' which enabled me to
see the transverse markings on A. pellucida under
~ immersion with eye-piece and 3-in. draw-tube.
The conditions of stand, stage, and light being all
unfavourable, and purposely accepted to severely test
asserted fitness to supply students and others with a
substitute for costly appliances which will always be
used by those who can affoixl such luxuries. This
result and others, obtained with a low angle 5th (blue
glass being interposed between condenser and the
slide lying upon it), surprised me ; the latter were
very beautiful, and not less wonderful, as I think, the
fine lines of S. gemma being distinctly visible, and
those on more difficult valves dimly so. A stereo-
scopic image of P. dngidatitm and balticnin gave a
better idea of their shape and character than I had
ever before got. Mr. Kitten's praise would seem, as
might be expected, to be well deserved, and pro-
bably both my mechanical execution and manipula-
tion are open to improvement by longer acquaintance
with this inexpensive condenser. — M. O. H.

Mounting in Dajiar. — I am very glad to see
that, at last, the use of damar as a mounting medium
is so warmly advocated, especially in the extremely
convenient form mentioned — namely, in a tube :
nothing could be cleaner, nothing more expeditious;

88

HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

as it is always ready for use. Towards the end of
his article, I see that Mr. Williams justly laments the
time that damar takes to properly fix and dry ;
indeed, I have often asked myself the question,
" Does it ever get thoroughly dry? " I having found
slides quite loose, and the damar sticky, three weeks
after mounting. A few weeks since, however, I dis-
covered a process by which an object can be mounted
in damar, finished with "black japan "or other var-
nish, labelled and put in its place in the microscopical
cabinet in less than half an hour. The apparatus
required consists of a small copper plate, fixed at a
convenient height on iron feet ; a spirit-lamp ; a few
needles ; and some bullets : conical pistol-bullets are
the best. The way I mount is as follows : Having
fixed my metal table a sufficient height above the
flame of the spirit-lamp (say about two inches), I
place my slide on the copper plate, with the object
put in the right position for mounting, and the glass
eover on top ; this I let warm for about two or three
minutes ; then (having previously warmed the tube
of damar, which has the effect of making it much
more fluid) I drop a small quantity on the slide, in
such a manner that the edge of the medium shall
come in slight contact with the glass cover : capillary
attraction causes the damar (which is now very liquid)
to gradually flow under the cover ; if air-bubbles
appear around the object, they must be removed by
slight pressure and the aid of a heated needle. If
the object is not flat, and raises the cover, a bullet
placed on the top will keep it down. The above
operation ought to take from ten to twelve minutes.
Having proceeded thus far, I remove the spirit-lamp
from under my table, and let the slide gradually cool.
When cold, the damar is quite hard, and the cover
firmly cemented. I now (with an old pocket-knife)
remove the superfluous damar, wash the slide with a
camel-hair brush dipped in turpentine, and then
again with the same sort of brush, only using soap
and water. Having thoroughly wiped dry the slide,
I finish with a ring of "black japan varnish," al-
though I believe asphalte will do quite as well, and
finally I label and put away in my cabinet ; the
whole having been completed in less than half an
hour. Of course, " practice alone makes perfect,"
and the microscopist must expect some few failures
to commence -n-ith. The failures most likely would
occur from one of the following causes : Too girat
heat, thereby making the damar boil under the cover,
which would have the effect of destroying the object,
— the only remedy would be to at once remove or
lower the flame of the lamp. Too liit/c heat, the
result of which would be that the damar would not
harden when cold. And air-bubbles : these are only
got rid of by watching and carefully pressing the
cover ; and if that will not remove them, by very
gently lifting the cover so as not to distuib the object,
and introducing a drop more damar irom the tube,
which will no doubt prove effectual. Of the two

former causes of failure experience alone can pro-
perly set right, so as to enable the operator to judge
the exact time to keep the slide heated : this any
one can easily do after half a dozen attempts. I
should be glad if Mr. Williams, or some other gentle-
man, would (if they have not already done so) try
this mode of mounting, and let me know the result,
I feel positive that most of our amateur microscopists
would use damar as a mounting medium, especially
with the afore-mentioned process, if they only knew
how easy it was to work, and what capital results
were obtainable. — E. B. L. Bray ley.

Cleaning Diatoms with Glycerine. — The
American N^atiiralist for February gives an account
of a process for cleaning diatoms with glycerine, dis-
covered by Mr. James Neil. It states that this is an
easy and effective way of separating the valves from
the foreign matter with which they are usually mixed.
Mr. Neil filled a two-ounce graduated measuring-
glass three-quarters full of glycerine and water mixed
in equal parts. The diatoms, after being heated
with acid and thoroughly washed, are then shaken
up in some pure water, and poured gently over the
diluted glycerine. If carefully done the water and
diatoms do not at first sink into the glycerine, but
gradually the diatoms sink through the water and
into the glycerine, preceding the light flocculent
matter held in the water. In a few minutes a pipe
introduced closed through the water and into the
glycerine will bring up remarkably clean diatoms,
which must afterwards be freed from glycerine by
repeated washing and decanting.

The Microscopical Society of Bath. — We
have received a copy of the annual address given to
the members of this Society by the President, Mr. J.
W. Morris, F.L.S., on February 6th. It is a
capital discourse on most of the prominent and
important topics with which microscopists have to
deal, and we think the Society have done right to
publish it.

"Errors of Interpretation," &c. — By an
error the figures illustrating Dr. Jabez Hogg's paper
on the above subject, in last month's number, were
transposed. Fig. 46 represents the "Scales of
Diurnal Lepidoptera," magnified 250 diameters ;
Fig. 47, the "Scale of a Gnat," magnified 650
diameters.

The Quekett Microscopical Club. —The
I thirty-third number of the journal of this well-known
' club has just been published. It contains papers on
a new Anti-vibration Turn-tray, by Mr. W. K.
I Bridgman ; on a new Universal Reflecting Illumi-
nator, by the same microscopist ; and a capital paper
by Mr. H. Crouch, on Microscopy in the United
States. In addition to the above are papers by
Messrs. T. C. White, W. H. Gilburt, G. F. George,
, &c.

HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

89

ZOOLOGY-
PERSONAL Observations in Natural His-
tory.— A neatly-bound little pamphlet has been
issued, written by Mr. Thomas Kingsford, of Can-
terbury, and entitled "Reminiscences of Animals,
Birds, Fishes, and Meteorology." It is a series of
personal jottings on natural phenomena, and indi-
cates the author to be a man fond of nature and
possessed of large powers of observation.

Life.— A most thoughtful and suggestive paper on
"Life," appears in the Mtdico-Chirurgical Journal
for January, from the pen of that well-known
naturalist, Mr. R. Garner, F.L.S., of Stoke-on-
Trent. The subject is treated alike from the evo-
lutionistic and specialistic point of view, the author
boldly and eclectically accepting whatever views
appear to him most explanatory of facts. He argues
in favour of teleology, and against the idea that life
is the result of organisation.

Danais Archippus. — A specimen of this North
American butterfly, taken near Hassock's Gate,
Sussex, was exhibited at a recent meeting of the
Entomological Society, by Mr. F. Bond. This
makes the third specimen of this species which has
been captured in England.

Bathybius. — Notwithstanding that Professor
Huxley and other naturalists have given up, from
discoveries made by the "Challenger," the idea of
there being such a primitive animal substance as
Bathybius, Dr. Bessels, of the " Polaris " expedition,
states that he discovered in Smith's Sound a sub-
stance much like it, only even simpler in its structure.
He proposes to call it Protohathyhius.

Provincial Museums. — We noticed, in the last
Report of the East Kent Natural History Society,
some remarks as to the usual contents of many local
museums, which remind us of the discourse on this
subject given a few years ago by Professor Gulliver.
The report shows how money is often squandered in
such institutions which might be advantageously
applied in making them worthy of their name.
Many museums are nothing better than old curiosity
shops, whose contents convey no lesson to the minds
of people. Thus the study of natural history is
retarded rather than advanced. Local museums
should be adapted to the best mental culture, and
their contents ought to explain the general principles
of nature. Systematic sets of specimens to explain
the general natural history of the district ought to be
especially exhibited, and all useless objects should be
weeded out.

The Intelligence of Ants. — The researches
of Sir John Lubbock do not lead him to think so
highly of the intelligence of ants. In another of his
remarkable observational papers, lately read before
the Linnean Society, he states that they had not sense

enough to drop from a height of only three-tenths of
an inch from the ground, but went a long way round,
owing to their want of power of calculating distance.
It appears, however, that in other respects they are
intelligent enough. Thus, they soon recognize their
friends, even after a year's separation. Slavery in
certain genera is a regular institution. The Amazon
ants {Polya-gKS riifcscens) absolutely require a slave
to clean, dress, and feed them ! Repeated experi-
ments prove that they will rather die than help
themselves.

The Watford Natural History Society.—
The sixth part of the first volume of the Transactions
of this flourishing Society has just appeared. It
contains papers on the " Herefordshire Bourne," by
Mr. John Evans, F.R.S., the President; on the
" Herefordshire Bench-marks," by Mr. John Hop-
kinson, F.G.S., Hon. Sec, and an important one on
the "Polarisation of Light" (illustrated), by Mr.
James U. Harford.

Public Aquaria.— Mr. John T. Carrington has
been appointed "Resident Naturalist" to the Royal
Aquarium Society, Westminster, in place of Mr. W.
Saville Kent. Mr. Carrington has for the last year
been studying aquarium management with Mr. W.
Alford Lloyd, at the Crystal Palace Aquarium.
Mr. C. P. Ogilvie, formerly a pupil of Dr. J. E.
Taylor, F.L.S., and who studied aquarium manage-
ment under Mr. W. S. Kent, at Westminster, has
been appointed Curator to the Great Yarmouth
Aquarium.

Marine Aquarium.— My experience of the above
may be interesting to some of your readers. Last
July, when at Westgate, I collected half a dozen
common ]\Ies., and brought them to town with me,
Hkewise two gallons of sea-water and some small
stones with ulva and callithamnion growing attached.
I had a spare bell-glass, and, wanting something
better, I fitted this up, intending it to be pro tern. ,
covering half the outside of the glass with light green
paper and copal varnish. Everything flourished so
well that, after a month, I determined to leave things
as they were. The anemones seemed at home, some
small mussels, limpets, winkles, and acorn barnacles
made their appearance, and also four small nereis;
and these always appear when the anemones are fed.
The food that I have found to suit them best is oyster
cut into small slips ; the only care I have bestowed
upon it is to remove the rejecta of the animals and
to add a little filtered fresh water when the hydro-
meter has indicated the necessity. Two months ago
I added six sagartia. These have flourished equally
well, and, a fortnight since, I discovered a colony of
over twenty young ones and sagartia attached to the
glass near the bottom. In addition, I may say that
the coats the anemones occasionally cast off, and
small pieces of ulva I have sometimes removed.

90

HARD WTCKE 'S S CIENCE - G O SSI P.

have furnished me with many beautiful objects for
the microscope, and have afforded many pleasant
evenings to myself and friends. — G. L. P., Camber-
well.

BOTANY.

Crystal Prisms ix Allium Porrum. — Mr.
F. W. T. Williams has given a very useful note on
this point (SciENXE-GossiP, No. 147), to which may
be added that these crystals are very beautiful in the
bulb-scales of many other species of Allium, as may
be easily seen in the Shallot, &c., always to be had
at Covent-garden. — Q. F.

Insect-trapping Plants. — Besides Apocynum
androsamifolhtm, mentioned by Mr. T. Britain in tlie
March number of Science-Gossip as a carnivorous
species, there are other plants of different orders
which entrap insects, and this by means and for an
end which would appear to be obscure . Thus, at a
late meeting, at Canterbuiy, of the East Kent Natural
History Society, Major Hall read an interesting
paper, to which Professor Gulliver contributed an
historical introduction, showing that the flowers of
PhysiantJms albens catch and kill such large insects
as humble-bees and noctua-gamma moths, a fact
which, so far as is known, cannot be beneficial to the
plant.— (?. F.

Cornelian Cherry {Cornus mascnla). — The
Brighton town gardener has asked for the name of a
shrub, 10 or 15 ft. high, in the Pavilion Gardens,
very old, evidently planted when the Palace grounds
were originally laid out eighty or ninety years ago.
It is the Corinis mascida, a native of Austria, but
little cultivated, I believe, in England. From the
beginning of February it has been (and is still) in full
flower, very conspicuous, presenting as it does one
mass of yellow. I have seen it in fruit in shrubberies
in Switzerland, and tasted the cornelian-coloured
berries : they have an acid taste, and are eaten by
children and made into sweetmeats and tarts. I
think it might be a pleasing addition to our shrub-
beries, as the flowers appear before those of any
shrubs. — T. B. IF., Brighton.

Teucrium Cham/EDRYS (from Teucer, son of
Scamander, and father-in-law of Dardanus, king of
Troy). — The Germanders and their allies form a most
extensive genus of herbs and shrubs, comprising
nearly a hundred species, widely dispersed through-
out the world, but abounding chiefly in the northern
temperate and sub-tropical regions of the eastern
hemisphere. Several species of Teucrium were for-
merly reputed to possess medicinal virtues, and found
a place in the Materia Medica ; but they are now
discarded by all except rustic practitioners. There
are only three British species. T. Chaiinrdiys was
once much employed in medicine, and entered as an

ingredient into the celebrated Portland powder. It
was at one time employed in gout and rheumatism,
and also as a febrifuge. T. Scordhim was once highly
esteemed as an antidote for poisons, and as an anti-
septic and anthelmintic. T. Scordonia, wood ger-
mander or sage. The smell and taste of this plant
resemble very much the hop. In Jersey it is some-
times used as a substitute for hops in beer, and by
some persons the bitter given by the germander is
preferred to that of the hop. T. Maritin, or cat-
thyme. This was fonnerly included in the " London
Pharmacopoeia," and employed in the pi-eparation of
compound powder asarabacea. It has been recom-
mended as a stimulant and aromatic in various
diseases. Cats are very fond of it, and destroy it
when they get near it. — Dipton Burn.

Lady Smith. — A link between the periods which,
in the history of botany at least, we may call the old
times and the new, has been severed by the death of
Lady Smith, wife of Sir James Edward Smith, the
celebrated botanist, and first President of the Linnean
Society. Her ladyship, who died at Lowestoft, on
the 3rd of February, lived to the ripe age of 104.

GEOLOGY.

Remains of the Mammoth and other Mam-
mals FROM Northern Spain.— Prof A. Leith
Adams recently read a paper on this subject before
the Geological Society. The author said that the
remains were obtained by MM. O'Reilly and
Sullivan in a cavern discovered at about 12 metres
from the surface, in the valley of Udias, near San-
tander, by a boring made through limestone in search
of calamine. They were found close to a mound of
soil which had fallen down a funnel at one end of the
cavity, and more or less buried in a bed of calamine
which covered the floor. The cavern was evidently
an enlarged joint or rock-fissure, into which the entire
carcases, or else the living animals, had been pre-
cipitated from time to time. The author had
identified among these remains numerous portions,
including teeth of Elephas priinigcniiis, which is
important as furnishing the first instance of the
occurrence of that animal in Spain. He also recorded
Bos primigenius and Cervus elaphiis (?), and stated that
MM. O'Reilly and Sullivan mention a long curved
tooth which he thought might be a canine of hippo-
potamus.

Geological Honours. — At the annual meeting
of the Geological Society of London, the WoUaston
gold-medal was presented to Mr. Robert Mallet,
F.R.S., for his researches in the phenomena of
earthquakes ; the Murchison medal was presented to
the Rev. W. B. Clarke, for his investigation of the
geology of New South Wales ; the Lyell medal was
given to Dr. Hector for his services in working the

HARD WICKE 'S SCIENCE - GOSSIP.

91

geology and palasontology of New Zealand ; and the
Bigsby medal was presented to Professor Marsh, of
the United States, for his labours in American
geology. The proceeds of the Wollaston fund were
awarded to Mr. R. Etheridge, jun. ; those of the
Murchison fund to the Rev. J. F. Blake ; and of the
Lyell fund to Mr. William Pengelly. In each case
the honour has been well and worthily won.

Geology of the Planet Mars. — In the Gco-
Jogical Magazine for March there appears a paper by
Mr. Edward Carpenter, M.A., on "Evidences
afforded by the Planet Mars on the subject of Glacial
Periods." He holds that the present condition of
Mais is in favour of the view held by Mr. Murphy
and others as to the cause of the earth's last glacial
period. The same journal has another excellent
paper on " A Permian fauna, associated with a
carboniferous flora, in the uppermost portion of the
coal formation of Bohemia. "

Geology of Herefordshire. — We have re-
ceived a copy of a paper reprinted from the Trans-
actions of the Watford Natural Histoiy Society, by
Mr. W. Whitaker, F.G.S., of the Geological Sur-
vey, giving a very complete list of works on the
geology of Herefordshire. Mr. Whitaker is well
known for his knowledge of geological literature, and
his services seem to be at the command of nearly all
our provincial societies.

The Cause of Activity in Earthquakes
AND Volcanoes," by Mr. R. A. Peacock, C.E.,
F.G.S. — A thoughtful pamphlet on the above sub-
ject has just been published by G. E. & F. N. Spon,
in which it is argued that steam is their active cause,
whilst heat, produced by the crushing of rocks (Mr.
Mallet's theory), is not.

NOTES AND QUERIES.

Early Primroses. — For the last four years we
have resided at a small village in Hampshire, about
twelve miles from Winchester, and each year we
have found primroses in flower out of doors before
Christmas. The place where they bloom first is on
ground where a copse has stood, which was cut down
the previous year. Snowdrops growing in the woods
were also in flower the first week in January this
year.— .-f . J. V., West Meon.

Water - Tortoises, and \vhat they Eat. —
Some time since, wishing to procure two water-
tortoises for a friend, I applied to a person in the
neighbouring city, of whom I had frequently bought
gold and other fish for my aquaria, to know if he
could supply them. His answer was, "Oh, no! I
do not keep them. I did so once ; but they always
died after I had them a few months." I asked,
"How did you feed them?" He replied, " I did
not feed them at all ; I did not think they required
feeding." Lest any of your readers should entertain
the same opinion, I venture, in the interest of the
poor animals, to give you my experience during two
years. In the early spring of 1875 I purchased, in

Covent Garden Market, two water-tortoises ; the
carapace of one measured 3^ inches in length, tliat
of the other 2J- inches. (At the present time they
measure 4 inches and 3 inches respectively. ) Never
having kept them before, I scarcely knew what food
to give them ; but, upon trying them with earth-
worms, and finding they ate them with avidity, I
supplied them through the summer with worms, occa-
sionally varied with slugs, woodlice, and blue-bottle
flies ; of the latter they seemed to be remarkably
fond. During their hybernation last winter, they rarely
ate anything ; scarcely ever coming above water ; in
the spring of 1876, soon after coming to their appetite,
and still thin and poor from their long fast. One
morning, on going into the conservatory in which
their tank is placed, I discovered a sparrow, which
had got in through an open window, and in its efforts
to escape had fallen into the tank upon a piece of
rock, in the centre of which the two tortoises were bask-
ing in the sun. Before I had time to take the sparrow
out of the water, the larger tortoise had slipped from
off the rock, caught it by one of its legs, and held it
so, until it was drowned. I now left it for two hours,
and upon my return found nothing visible of the bird
but its cleanly picked bones and its wing-feathers, — all
else had been devoured. After this I could not tempt
them to eat, not even Avith their favourite food, a meat-
fly, for nearly a week. I now thought I would try
them with another kind of food, and gave them a
gold-fish about 5 inches in length, that had jumped
out of an aquarium in the night, and so died. This
they ate eagerly, and left nothing but the head and
backbone. A week or ten days after this I dropped
from a trap upon their rock a live mouse : this the
larger tortoise no sooner discovered than he gave
chase, mounting the rock, and the mouse taking to
the water, here soon became nearly exhausted, and
soon clung to the rock. The tortoise now warily
approached him, made a grab at his head, and held
him under water until he was dead. He now, after
tearing off the head, turned the skin of the mouse
inside out, being unable to tear it, and in two or three
hours ate the whole except the skin and bones. Dur-
ing the course of the present summer they have eaten
in addition five other mice. The consequences itre
that they are in capital condition, and the brightness
of their colouring is such that they are not like the
same creatures I bought two years ago. — George N.
Hams, Clifton, Bristol.

Peregrine Falcon. — Mr. J- W. Dealy, in his
article on the " Peregrine Falcon"" (Science-Gossip,
p. 53), speaks of the so-called Falco anatnin as iden-
tical with F. pei-egrimis ; he also gives the reasons on
which he bases his opinion. I have just been looking
through the splendid series of peregrines from all
parts of the world in the Norwich Museum, and al-
though the American race differs slightly from those
of Europe and Asia, I confess that were the labels
removed I should be utterly unable to distinguish one
from the other. Mr. Gould certainly includes F.
atiatum amongst the birds closely allied to F. pere-
grinus, and which, " although closely resembling
each other, possess distinctive characteristics, and
have rightly [he thinks] been regarded as so many
different species " ; but most modern ornithologists,
including Dresser, Newton, and Gumey, think other-
wise, and regard the "Duck Hawk" as a local race
of F. peregrinus. As to Mr. Dealy 's reasons for his
faith, I do not think size is to be depended upon. In
a series from American and European localities, birds
could, I believe, be found which would not differ
perceptibly from each other. Wilson says that the
Duck-Hawk never carries off" its prey, but permits

92

HARD WICKE 'S S CIENCE - G O SSIP.

the duck to fall previous to securing it. It is curious
that Mr. Gould's plate of the European peregrine, in
his "Birds of Great Britain," represents the bird
striking down a duck precisely as the American pere-
grine is said to do by Wilson. Mr. Dealy says the
Duck- Hawk constructs its nest upon trees in the cedar
swamps, and that the true peregrine never frequents
swamps of any description, and has never been known
to construct its nest on a tree of any sort — always on
the rocks. I do not think this is strictly correct.
Professor Newton, in "Ootheca Wolleyana," pp.
102-3, gives repeated extracts from Mr. Wolley's
note-book of eggs of the peregrine taken from nests
found on the ground, amongst the bear-moss, in a
marsh : this was in Lapland. Mr. Dresser says
(" Birds of Europe ") that in the flat wooded parts of
North Germany, ' ' it appears, as a rule, to nest in
trees." In Livonia, Von Middendroff states that it
nests on the moors in the moss, "never otherwise
than on the ground." Mr. Dresser obtained eggs of
the peregrine in Northern Finland, " which were
placed on a large tussock in the middle of a great
morass." It also occasionally breeds in church
towers, and has been known to do so in the steeple
of Gorton Church, Suffolk, not many miles from
where I am now writing. Under these circumstances
I think Mr. Dealy can hardly be said to have made
out a good case in favour of Falco anatiun. Wilson
was, as Mr. Dealy says, a truly great naturalist, and
could at once appreciate the powerful influence cir-
cumstances and surroundings would have upon the
habits and mode of feeding of a species so wide-
spread over the globe as the Peregrine Falcon, even,
it might l^e, to the production of a darker shade of
plumage, or a slightly superior size. — T. Soiitlnodl,
Noj-wich.

The Herox. — In answer to F. H. Arnold's query
as to whether the Heron is a good bird to eat, he
may be glad to know that I, on my uncle's persua-
sion, tried one about three years ago ; and in spite of
the protestations of the cook, who declared that it
was carrion, found it very good eating, both roast
and hashed : its flavour is something like hare. I
am afraid he will find it, however, no easy matter to
get his friends to taste it, as there seems to exist in
England a strong prejudice against the use of herons
as food. — J. G. P. Vereker.

The Common Nettle (p. 46). — Mr. Augustus
Mongredien, in his work on "Trees and Shrubs for
English Plantations " (Murray, 1870), has a chapter
on " Man's Influence on Vegetation," in which he
gives a list of plants which follow human cultivation,
and mentions the nettle as follows : — " Urtica dioica
(the common nettle), whose presence almost infallibly
indicates that not far off" a house or shed exists, or has
existed."— ^r. R. Tate, Blandford.

Fertilization of Crucifers. — At a recent
meeting of the West Sussex Natural History Society,
when the Crucifers were under discussion, a question
was put — Why are two of the stamens shorter than
the other four? What advantage does this give for
insect fertilization ? In Sir J. Lubbock's work this
order is stated as "not offering so many special spe-
cific adaptations [for this purpose] as other groups."
Is this so ? Any observations on this point will be
acceptable. — F. H. Arnold.

Fertilization of Mosses. — Will you or some of
your numerous readers kindly answer in your journal
the two questions that arise from the following quo-
tation from " Footnotes from the Page of Nature,"

page 32

■ There is one remarkable species [of

mosses], the male plants of : which exist only in
Europe, so far as can be ascertained, and the female
only in America, and yet they propagate themselves
with as much facility as though they grev/ side by
side in the same crevice of rock." The two questions
are : (i) What is the name of this species? (2) How
do they propagate themselves ? A short answer, or a
reference to books containing the infonnation, will be
very acceptable ; but, since books are suspected things
here, a direct answer will be more serviceable. —
James Key, St. Petersburg.

Apocynum andros.'Emifolium. — The fact that
this plant is insectivorous is not new, as it is men-
tioned in Kirby and Spence (4th edit., i. 289),
where, indeed, this plant heads the list of " Vege-
table Muscicapae." — Albert C. Coxhead.

Destruction of Rare Birds. — I was glad to
read "G. T. B's." protest, in the January number of
Science-Gossip, respecting the destruction of rare
birds. I frequently see recorded in a Cornish news-
paper the name of some so-called naturalist who has
shot a rare bird visitor. Last week a Northern Diver
was killed near Penzance. Would not the fact that
such visitors had been seen and were unmolested be
much more satisfactory to all true lovers of nature
than that their skins were handed to a taxidermist
for stuffing ? — H. Budge.

Teucrium Cham.-edrys. — In the autumn of 1875
I gathered Tencrhun Chamczdrys on the walls of
Winchelsea Castle, where it grew in some abundance.
The locality is a very solitary one, far from gardens
or houses. The fact of a plant being found on ruins,
or old walls, does not appear to me, as it does seem
to one of your correspondents, to be any reason for
thinking it not to be indigenous, any more than the
grass, chickweed, or ivy that is sure to be growing in
every crevice, is to be supposed doubtful also ! —
H. E. JVilkinsoii, Anerley, S.E.

Early Flowering Plants. — It may interest
your readers to know that to-day (Feb. 7th) I found
the following plants in bloom near Hughenden Park,
the seat of Lord Beaconsfield : Lamiu)n purpure^iin,
Veronica Buxbaiimii, Getim in-banuvi, Potentilla
fragraria, Mercurialis peren)iis, Stellaria media, and
flower-buds of the Bramble ; also hazel catkins in
abundance, barren and fertile "palm." The wild
honeysuckle and elder are also in leaf, and the beech-
woods seem almost ready to follow their example. —
E. R. B.

Orchids near Boxhill. — Your correspondent,
J. R. N. , Kingston, inquires for a good locality, near
Boxhill, where many species of orchids may be
found. During residence at Guildford, I used to
visit Compton chalk-pit, a wild spot on the left
slope along the Hog's Back (one mile from Guild-
ford Station. On one occasion, in various stages of
flowering, I gathered the following species : Early
purple, Ladies' Tresses, Musk, Bee, Fly, Pyrami-
dalis. — 7^. //. Stock.

The Colours of Shadows. — The answer to
H. O. Sterland's inquiiy is simple. A shadow is
only a space from which light is cut off by an opaque
body. If the light is entirely intercepted, the space
becomes invisible ; but in practice all so-called
shadows receive some light by reflection from sur-
rounding objects. The apparent colour of the
shadow (on a white ground) in such cases is always
complementary to that of the light ; this illusion be-
ing simply the well-known effect of contrast. Thus

HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

93

in ordinary daylight the shadows are grey. If the
light contains any tinge of yellow, inclining to orange,
the shadow will contain a tinge of blue in the same
proportion. Since the yellowish light of gas contains
comparatively few blue rays, of course all purely
blue colours nearly disappear when the gas is lit : but
that is tlie very reason M'hy the shadows have a blue
tinge, and that is the only way in which the blue
tinge could arise. Tv.'o simple experiments will
illustrate this. At the time of sunset in autumn,
when the clouds are all aflame with rosy light, it will
be found that the shadow of a pencil or finger, on
white paper, is so decidedly green, that it is hard
to believe the appearance is illusory. Again, if
the green Venetian blinds be nearly closed on a
bright day, so that all the light which enters is re-
flected from their surfaces, and is therefore green,
the shadow will be found to have an equally strong
rosy tinge. — W. B. G.

Colours of Shadows. — The blue colour of the
shadow thrown by gas during daylight, may, I think,
be observed with all ordinary artificial light, but at
the same moment the shadow of the same object, or
of adjacent ones, thrown by the daylight will be seen
to be yellow-brown. The cause I take to be that the
artificial light is yellow, and that in the shadow
thrown by it, where the yellow light is absent and the
daylight only seen, the object illuminated by day-
light alone looks blue by contrast, whereas in the
other shadow, where the daylight is more or less
absent and the yellow light alone seen, it looks yellow-
brown by contrast or complementary colour.—
Albert D. Michael.

Cyclas cornea.- — Is this creature wholly or
partially carnivorous ? Having had reasons for an
answer to the above question, I made a limited search,
but did not succeed in finding the required informa-
tion. A few days since, a living frog was brought to
me witli a full-sized specimen of this shell-fish attached
to one of its toes, having been found upon a bank by
the side of a canal. Upon examination the frog
appeared to be suffering very much from its intruder ;
its eyes very red, and it moved its leg backwards and
forwards evidently tiying to get rid of cyclas. After
allowing the shell to remain for tsvo days, I removed
it and sent the frog on its way rejoicing, a small hole
having been made where the shell was fastened. It
is certain that the shell became attached in the water,
and probably when the frog was quietly reposing on
the mud, as these animals bury themselves in the
mud, at all events during the day. Was the cyclas
hungry ? If the attachment was made to satiate its
appetite, was it not a daring attempt ? I should be
glad to know if any of the readers of Science-
Gossip ever witnessed such, and whether Cyclas
cornea is really carnivorous. — J. T. Niches.

The Plague of Flies. — The common fly
{Musca domestica, &c.) has a strong dislike for the
musk-plant (Mimulus moscatus). If *' E. C. M. "
has boxes of this plant before the windows of the
rooms affected, the nuisance may be abated. — David
A. King.

Parasites on Cyclops. — The vorticella-like
parasites "A. H. " mentions as occurring on cyclops
are probably epistyles. Of these, there are many
species, most of them branched, which Vorticella in
its adult stage never is. Some species — e.g., E. vege-
tis and E. grandis — are not branched, and almost
always occur on the minute crustaceans. The animal
might be podophrya, a suctorial infusorian, having

a short stalk and head, covered with single, radiating,
cilia-like suckers. — David A. King.

Wild Strawberries in January. — I think
the following fact is worth recording. Whilst out
for a walk with a friend last week (the third week in
January) on the borders of Wales, I gathered some
wild strawberries, about half the size of peas. They
\\ere green and in a healthy state, and the plants on
which they were growing were covered with flowers
and flower-buds. — H. G., Oswestry.

YOLVOX globator in great profusion was found
by me in a pond near this town on 25th December,
1875. INIyriads of specimens were to be found there
throughout the following January, and then they dis-
appeared altogether. I have searched the pond many
times since, particularly in December last, and in the
present month of January, without finding a single
specimen. Owing to the heavy rain which has fallen
so continuously for several weeks past, the water has
been highly coloured with red marl, a condition
which may have been unfavourable to the develop-
ment of Volvox again this winter. — T. y. Scatter.

Hawfinches. — With regard to the Hawfinch
breeding in this country : they are very common in
this part of Hertfordshire, but not much noticed on
account of their shyness. I have several times
reared the unfledged young ones, and repeatedly have
had the nests and eggs of the Hawfinch brought to

me.

-E.L.

Insects and Plants. — Allow me to call the
attention of your readers to pp. 167-170, Letter IX,
in tlie seventh edition of Kirby and Spence's " Ento-
mology," 1856. There occurs the following : " Some
plants are gifted with the faculty of catching flies.
These vegetable muscicapce which have been enume-
rated by l3r. Barton, of Philadelphia {Philos. Mag.,
xxxix. 107), may be divided into three classes : First,
those that entrap insects by the irritability of their
stamens, as Apocyniini androste mifolinm , Asclcpias
svrica and curassaoica, Neriiiin Oleander, and a
grass, Leersia lenticnlaris. The second class entrap
them by viscosity ; . . . . and the third by their leaves,
whether from irritability, as in Dionrea, Drosera, &c.,
or from forming hollow vessels containing water, into
which the flies are enticed either by their carrion-like
odour, or the sweet fluid which many of them secrete
near the faux, as in Sarracenia, Nepenthes, Aquarium,
Cephalotus, &c. In this class may be placed the
common Dipsacus (Teazle), the connate leaves of
which form a basin, in which many insects are
drowned. To these a fourth class might be added of
those plants whose flowers smell like carrion (Stapelia).
Dr. Barton doubts whether the flowers can derive
any nutriment from the insects, and he does not think
the leaves of Dionxa, &c. can need any stimulus."
An experiment of "Mr. Knight's, nurseryman, in
King's Road, London," is then quoted, who "laid
fine filaments of raw beef" on the leaf of Dionsea,
which "was much more luxuriant than others not so
treated." .... " However problematical the agency
of insects as to their nutriment, there can be no
doubt that many species perform an important func-
tion with regard to the impregnation of plants, which,
without their aid, would, in some cases, never take
place at all." The Barberry, Iris, Asclepiadeos and
Orchidea;, Aristolochis, and Fig are then referred to.
Sprengel's then despised "Endecktes Geheimniss"
being quoted. " Sprengel asserts that, apparently to
prevent hybrid mixtures, insects will, during a whole
day, confine their visits to that species on which they

94

BARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP.

first fixed in the morning ; and the same observation
was long since made with respect to bees by^our
countryman Dobbs " {Phil: Trans., xlvi. 536).— 6". S.
Bonlger.

Herons and Rooks. — Your correspondent
"T. H. Arnold, LL.B.," in your Notes and Queries
for December, 1876, asks for information as to the
habits of herons, and more particularly if it is the
case that herons and rooks seldom build in company.
In the fine old woods of Dallam Tower, near Miln-
thorpe, Westmoreland, in peaceable neighbourhood,
there is a heronry and a rookery. The situation is
not far removed from Morecombe Bay, an excellent
feeding-ground for the birds. I well remember, many
years ago, hearing, at the Kendal Literary Institution,
a charmingly written allegory, read by the late Mr.
Pearon, of Borderside, Winster, on the fierce struggle
which took place between the black-coats and the
long-necked'gentlemen, and the ultimate destruction
of nests and young by the partisans of each genus, until
first a truce, and at length peaceful relations, were
established between the rival colonies. Your corre-
spondent, by writing to Thomas Gough, Esq., of
Sandside, Amside, Westmoreland, will be able to
obtain all the information which he seeks on this sub-
ject.— >/^;/ Harker, M.D., d-^r.

Strength of the Stag-beetle. — I had a
specimen of the Stag-beetle that lifted nearly three
pounds in weight. A boy brought me one a short time
since, in a glass tumbler, and I placed it in a strong
card box, four inches square, so as to examine it next
day. Before going to bed that night, I placed the
box, with the beetle in it, on a glass case, and placed
a large polished outside slab of madrepore on the
box containing the beetle. In the morning the slab
I found turned over, and the cover off the box, and
the beetle walking about the floor. Can any readers
of Science-Gossip inform me if they have noticed
any similar instance of strength in the Stag-beetle
(Liicaniis cennis) ?—A. J. R. Sclatcr, Tdgnmozith.

Cause of Coloration. — Mr. A. R. Wallace,
of London, having recently delivered two lectures at
the Literary and Philosophical Society, Newcastle-
on-Tyne, on "Colours of Animals and Plants," and
being a well-known authority on these subjects, I
think that a few notes taken at one of these lectures
would not^only be interesting to " H. B.," p. 281,
but also to the readers of Sciexce-Gossip in general.
I shall merely give a few of those which have refer-
ence to the questions raised by "H. B." He said it
had long been supposed, and was still held by some
very high authorities, that heat and light had some
direct influence in producing colour ; but many facts
were opposed to this idea. Tropical plants and
animals, although many were excessively l^rilliant,
were not perhaps more brilliant, on the average, than
those of temperate climates ; and there were some
striking examples of tropical countries, in which the
brilliant colours usually pi^esent in tropical countries
were entirely wanting. Again, we saw a wonderful
difference between different classes of animals ; and
whereas birds and insects display immense minuteness
and variety of colour, mammalia, on the other hand,
are rarely if ever brilliant. Again, the birds of the
tropics are only very partially brilliant. It is pro-
bable there are more perfectly ])lain, dull-coloured
l)irds in the tropics than there are brilliant-coloured ;
and those groups of birds which in our country are
most prevalent, and which are characterized by the
ordinaiy dull colours, where they extend to the
tropics, are generally equally dull. On the other

hand, there are some groups which exhibit their
greatest, or an equal brilliancy of beauty, in the
temperate zone. Some of the most magnificent birds
in the world inhabit the temperate regions of China
and the Hinxalayas ; and there are a few in the arctic
regions, such as the arctic duck and divers, which are
even more brilliant than those of the temperate or
tropical zone. With insects and flowers the same
thing prevails. In a great many cases colour has
no relation whatever 10 light. This was veiy well
seen in the general colour of fishes, the colours of the
upper sides of which were almost invariably black,
while the lower was white ; whereas if the effect were
produced by light, the reverse would be the case.
Again, the gorgeous colours of the greater part of the
brilliant butterflies and birds have no relation what-
ever to the general circumstances which surround
them ; and in the arctic regions, though the prevail-
ing colour is white, yet we find the raven as black as
with us. Colour answered the purpose of conceal-
ment, and the animals which had not had this pro-
tection had been killed off by their enemies. The
colour of the blacks is too extensive a subject to enter
upon. — Dipto7i Burn.

Spawn of Newts, &c.— Pardon me if I again
revive the discussion concerning the spa%vn, &c., of
newts, which occupied so much of your space some
time ago. But several of your correspondents appear
to be incredulous of my statement {vide Science-
Gossip, Dec. I, 1875) that the mother newt does not
akvays wrap up her eggs separately in the leaves of
some water-plant. In order to set the matter at vest,
on the 14th April last I procured a quantity of newt
spawn from the same pond as that mentioned before.
The spawn ivas not zvrappcd up, nor even covered,
but there was mixed up with it a small quantity of a
green slimy matter which is often seen floating on
stagnant water. That the spawn was that of the
newt was evident from the fact that each egg was
separate, and not connected into a mass like that of
the frog, or in strings like that of the toad. The
tadpoles began to hatch out on the same day. I put
two of them under my microscope, when I could
easily see the blood circulating in the branchije or
gills. I noticed that it moved much faster in the
smaller than in the larger specimen, and, what is
very remarkable, the water in contact with the gills
was moving rapidly along, closely following their
outline. Can any of your readers tell me by
what means it was propelled ? By the 24th April
the branchiate gills had entirely disappeared. By the
1st of June the front legs were just appearing, but I
was unfortunately unable to follow up their develop-
ment, for there was a sudden mortality amongst them,
and they all died in a very short time. There can be
no doubt, however, that they were newt tadpoles, as
\he. front legs were then apparent. I think that the
reason the newts in this pond do not wrap up their
eggs is, that none of the water-plants in it have
leaves fit for the purpose, being all of a more or less
filiform or threadlike shape. — //. £. Forrest.

Singular Star-fish. — I have a specimen of a
six-armed brittle star, probably Ophiothela mirahilis,
which was found entangled in a dried gorgonia from
the Pacific Ocean. I should like to learn from .some
of your readers how common it is to find six arms
amongst normally five-armed ophiuras and star-
fishes.

The Glastonbury Thorn. — A note on this^
subject appears in p. 45. May I ask the favour of
your finding room for two more paragraphs on this

HARD WICKE 'S SCIENCE - G OS SIP.

95

intCTCsting topic ? " Luscus," who dates from Bristol,
writing to the Standard ' ' says : It may interest some
of your readers to hear that the Glastonbury Thorn —
a tree of which is in my parish — is blossoming this
Christmas. The blossom is small and of a white
colour. I enclose a spray from a branch before me,
which is fairly covered with blossom. The tree on
which it grew is in an orchard, and is as large as a
good-sized apple-tree, and must be of very great age.
The legend of Joseph of Arimathea planting his staff
in the ground is well known, and generally dis-
believed, but the thorn can be traced back to a very
early period at Glastonbuiy, and was probably
brought over by some early monk (perhaps in Saxon
times) whose conscience did not revolt at a pious
fraud. Pidman's Weekly News says that a piece of
the original Glastonbury Thorn is growing in the
garden of a cottage between Hewish and Wool-
mingston. For several years past, the tree — or,
rather, a small bush — has been visited at midnight on
Old Christmas Eve by people who vow that the bush
actually blossomed while they were watching it, and
became bare again shortly afterwards. On Friday
night, the number of ' pilgrims ' to this shrine was
at least 200 — from Crewkerne, Misterton, and other
places — and those who came to scoff remained — if not
* to pray ' at least to be convinced of the wonderful
phenomenon. They say that at half-past eleven not
a sign of a flower could be seen, but that at midnight
every t\^^g of one side of the bush was covered with
delicately-tinted May light blossoms." This last
paragraph appeared in a Crewkerne paper, and was
copied, among others, by a Yeovil paper having a
circulation of some 25,000 copies in Somerset and the
neighbouring counties. Strange to say, however, it
has not been contradicted nor even queried so far as
I have ^been able to ascertain. The natives seem
quite capable of " swallowing " the above and a
great deal more about " the holy thorn." This
notice in a scientific journal may be the means of
causing some of your curious readers to endeavour to
throw a little light on this superstition or phenomenon
— whichever they may decide it to be. — VV. Mac-
millait, Castle Cary.

The Sun. — While in the fields last autumn with
my little boy, he called my attention to what he
called little black balls rising out of the sun. On
looking at the sun, I fancied I could witness similar
phenomena. Will some one kindly account for this ?
—Pater.

North Winds. — A friend of mine asks me a
question I am unable to answer, and therefore pass it
on to your readers. How is it that the row of plants
facing the north suffer less severely from the cold
than those facing the south ? — Pater.

The Domestic Cat. — I am glad that the ques-
tion of the introduction of the domestic cat into
Europe is exciting attention, for there are several
conflicting data to reconcile with the facts of history
on the matter. Professor Mahaffey, in his " Old
Greek Life," claims the Cat among the household
animals of the ancient Greeks, while the Rev. Wil-
liam Houghton (a contributor to Smith's "Dictionary
of the Bible"), in a paper on the domestic animals
of the Assyrians, in "Trans. Soc. Bib. Archccology, "
vol. V. p. I, maintains that the Cat was entirely un-
known to the ancients — Assyrian, Greek, or Roman,
and that its use and "cultus" were confined solely
to Egypt. On the other hand, there is the indispu-
table evidence that when Herodutus, in " Euterpe,"
describes the reverence paid by the Egyptians to their
cats, he does so in terms which imply that the crea-

ture was well known to his readers ; and with this
agrees also his theory of that reverence as arising
from the goddess Artemis having taken refuge in
Egypt in the form of a cat during the temporary
overthrow of the Olympic deities by the Gigantoma-
chia. Further also, in the ancient (?) mock heroic
poem of the Batrachomuomachia, at one time attri-
buted to Homer, and more probably written in the
later Greek period, as it is quite in the style of
Lucian, there are no less than three distinct references
to the Cat : the hero of the poem, the Prince Psycerpax,
was one whom "cats pursued in vain." His elder
brother "perished by the ravening cat, as near my
door the Prince unheedful sat." And the chief of the
army of the mice, when they attack their rivals the
frogs, wears a cuirass ' ' faced with the trophy of a
cat they flayed." Heroic mice indeed ! Still, despite
all these citations, it is also certain that the ancients
used a species of " Mustela," or Ailurus, or ferret, as
a destroyer of household mice ; and the early Chris-
tian bishop, Timothy Ailurus, was so named from
his thin, eager, weasel face and piercing eyes. The
discussion in the Academy unfortunately dropped,
and I was at the time too seriously ill to take it up
(indeed, I now write without my books and quite
from memoiy), still I trust that some more of your
readers may find time and inclination next month to
pursue this interesting subject further. — W. R. Cooper,
F.P.A.S.

EXCHANGES (contimied.')

Duplicates. — Fine-bred specimens of the large American
Silk-moth {Boiidtyx Cecropid) in exchange for birds' eggs, side-
blown. Accepted offers answered in three days. — John Thorpe,
Spring-gardens_ jMiddleton, Manchester.

Istkinia iiicrzus, a pure gathering, in exchange for Mon-
tery or Bermuda Diatomaceous Earths. — R. Rattray, 30,
Balfour-street, Dundee.

Globergerina Ooze, mid-Atlantic, and fossil Polyzoa,
carboniferous, for good slides. — N., 18, Elgin-road, St. Peter's
Park, London.

Very good Micro. Slides to exchange for British birds' eggs —
any except the very common. — Send list to Micro, care of Mr.
C. Gray, 11, Crooked-lane, London, E.C.

BOOKS, &c., RECEIVED.

" Vis-Inertiae, and Recent E.xplorations." By \V. L. Jordan
London : Hardwicke & Bogue.
" Land and Water." March.
" American Naturalist." February.
"Canadian Entomologist." February.
" Les Mondes." February.
" Botanische Zeitung." February.
"Monthly Microscopical Journal." jMarch.
" Ber. Brierly's Journal. " March.
" Boston Journal of Chemistry. " February.
&c. &c. &c.

' Communications Rexeived up to qth ult. from : — ^

T. B. W.— T. S.— J. F. R.— G. D.— J. A. P.— H. L T.

, A. W. R.— T. J. W.— E. V. B.— F. Q.— F. F.— C. W. B.—

I Prof. G.— W. L. S.— W. L. W. E.— H. W. T.— W. G. P.—

W. M.— E. C— W. R. C— A. F.— W. R. T.-A. J. R.—

A. C. C— W. W. I.— J. F. G.— W. E. T.— G. C— E. R. B.—

T. W. T.— H. B.— A. D. M.— W. B. G.— C. F. W.— P. W. B.

— F. T. M.— R. M. C— A. M.— A. J. A.— G. D.— S. H.—

A. B.— 3.1 A. IS.— J. W S.— G. W. C— G. L. B.— G. M. D.

— C. L, jun. — J. T. W. — T. B. A. — W. J. B. - W. Y.

' — C. F. W. T. W. — I. H. K. — Col. H. — J. H,| A. J.—

, H. A. A.— H. R. M.— J. T. R.— W. P.— T. W.— E. E.—

! E. J. L.-A. H. A. -A. J. A.— C. B.-W. L. N.-R. H. M.—

J. C -J. H. A. J.-A. H.— D. B.-A. B.-J. W.-T. H. B.—

S. J. W. S.-T. C. R.-W. T. E.-J. T.-M. F.--E. L.-S. S.

' -M. H. R.-B. B.-S. H.-F. J. A.-C. G.-E. H.-G. W.

— G. N.— H. H. C.-T. B.-B. P. -A. G.-R. R.— D. B.—

Dr. C— J. J. M.— W. G. N.— F. W. P.— M. M.— C. W. S.—

E. R. F.— A. W.— J. W.— G. K.-A. C— E. L.— W. B.—

W. H. G.-F. H. D.-A. S.-A. H. W.-G. C.-W. E. T.-

H F. F.— H. C— T. W.— F. M. H. -E. L.--M. L. W.—

H. J.— C. D.— R. V. T.-M. W.— G. B.-J. C.-E. H.—

J. W.— T. P.— W. E. L.— H. P.-C. J. W., &c. &c.

96

HARDWl CKE 'S S CIENCE - G O SSI P.

NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS.

To Correspondents and Exchangers. — As we now
publish Science-Gossip at least a week earlier than hereto-
fore, we cannot possibly insert in the following number any
communications which reach us later than the 8th of the
previous month.

C. Drinkwater. — The piece of coal you sent has white
veins of calcite (carbonate of lime) running through it.

Arthur. — There is no truth whatever as to limetrees be-
having as you say is reported.

H. D. — For popular information about earwigs, see Wood's
" Insects at Home," or " Episodes of Insect Life."

Pauline. — The virgin ferns undoubtedly went through the
antheridial and ,archegonial stages. Those borne as shoots on
the fronds, as in the cases you name, do not pass through these
stages.

W. J. Beumont. — The Dytiscits iiiarghialis leave the water
in August and fly about, so that it is not singular to find a
specimen under the circumstances you name.

C. F. W. T. WiLLi.VMS. — The slides arrived safely. Many
thanks for them.

T. Bovle. — Your fern is a young specimen of the Northern
Hard Fern (_Blechinim horcale).

T. S.MITH, JuN. — Your insect is not a beetle, but one of the
homoptera. It usually lives in fresh-water ponds, but leaves
the water for the air at certain seasons of the year. Its name
is Nepa ciiwrea.

E. V. B. — Get Nicholson's "Elementary Te.\t-Book of
Zoology," published by Blackwoods, at, we believe, 2S.

F. F. — Many thanks for your good wishes.

A. F. — The name of your moth is /'//w/rt, v. rt«rt'7i/« (female);
commoner in Ireland than in England.

F. Quarterman. — The .specimen sent was that of one of
our commonest British sponges, called Chalma ociilntn.

A. Croall (Stirling). — Address M. Gautier himself, at
Narbonne, France.

T. \V. — Your zoophyte appears to be Sertularia r?igosa, but
it is anything but a good specimen to identify.

J. A. — The seed of which you sent a sketch, found in wool,
eoes by the name of " The Devil's Horns." Botanists know it
bj' the name of JlnrtiHia Moiitcvidiensis.

G. M. Doe. — The act of spinning, indulged in by certain
snails and slugs is well known. See an article by Mr. G.
Sherriff Tye, in Science-Gossip for 1874, page 49, on " Mol-
luscan threads.''

To members of ".Science-Gossip" Naturalists' Clubs, &c. —
Will a member of above clubs oblige me with regulations and
hints for forming a " Science-Gossip" club ? — John J. Morgan,
Tredegar.

Miss Spark es. — The moss from the Arctic regions is
Distichiiiin caJ>iUaccum.

G. A. Holt. — Your mosses are: — i. Griiinnia pulvlncita ;
2 and 5. Ceratodoii purpurciis ; 3. Orthotrichujn anovtaluin ;
4. Tortilla sulndafa.

R.- R. T. — Your specimens are : — i and 3. P/iyscomiti-hun
pyyiforme ; 2. Rkacomitruan lietovsticliitm ; 4. Orthotriclinnt
cupulatutn ; 5. Griminia apocarpa,\2.r. rividaris ; 6 and 7.
Orthotridiinn affinc.

J. PERCIV.A.L. — Your moss is probably Bryjcni petidiihiiii.

R. G. — The following are the names of your mosses : — i.
Rliacomitritim lanugiiwsum ; 2. Dicfainiin /uscesce7is ; 3.
D. scopariian ; 4 and 5. Hypiium iriq7iet7'nin ; 6. H.
ciispidatnnt ; 7. H. sfrlendois; 8. Bartrnjuia /oninjin ; 9.
Hypmtm iorertin ; 10, is a flowering plant, probably 3.Sagiiia ;
II. Tortitla tortiiosa ; 12. Bariraiitia potniJbriius.—'R.'R.'ij.

H. A. (Cannes). — The names of the two species you enclose
are : No. i with a dark-looking hood over the long spike of
real flowers, is a Cuckoo-pint, Arum Arisarntn, L. No. 2,
with the light pink-lipped corolla, is a Hen-bit, or Galeopsis
angjistifolia.

J. H. G. (Gravesend). — We have never noticed the Gei-
scmiinivt as a garden or cultivated species ; so we should judge
it is a 'Jasininiiin you have observed.— J. F. R.

G. C. D. (Northampton). — Thanks for specimen of Linaria
spuria ; it is a true " peloria," at least several flowers are thus
transformed. The Khyiicospora is what we have always
regarded as the typical form ; all our herbarium specimens are
similar. IThe grass is Glycerin aguatica. Linaria ?ni>!or — yes.
Ergotized e.vample is very interesting. A short paper upon this
with drawing will probably appear soon in our pages.

EXCHANGES.

W.\ntkd, the rarer British or any Foreign Algse, Mosses, &c.
for others. — A. Croall, the Smith Institute, Stirling, Scotland.

Offered, ist Vol. of " Cassell's Book of Birds," including
Parrots, Pas.seres, and Ravens (7s. 6d.), and Ramsay's
Mineralogy (3s.), both nearly new, for a book on British
Birds.— D., 78, Claverton-street, London, S.W.

Wanted, Fleas and Parasites from Bats, also Ixodes (Ticks)
from foreign animals : good slidesor books in exchange. — H. E.
Freeman, 48,