HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



143 



bent and occupied, the weaker it waxeth.'— Lilly's 

 JEuphues." The meaning of the quotation is thus 

 apparent. — Robert Holland. 



Hornet Sting. — Reading an old number of your 

 periodical (January 1st, ISfiS), I met with the fol- 

 lowing remark relating to hornets : — " Fortunately 

 the family has received but little or no annoyance 

 from these pugnacious, and often malignant crea- 

 tures." Now, hornets are very common in this 

 district : last year we captured a score or more 

 in the house. The people of the district express 

 great horror of them, but fail to give me a reason 

 for it ; as, when I ask them (and I have inquired of 

 many) if they have ever heard of any one being 

 stung by a hornet, the universal answer has been, 

 "No." Perhaps some one of your correspondents, 

 whose experience has been less satisfactory, will 

 give some information as to the effect of the sting 

 of the hornet, as compared with that of the bee or 

 the wasp. — Edmund Tonics. 



Dolomitic Conglomerate.— Your correspondent 

 in the April number, writing about the fossils in 

 the "Dolomitic Conglomerate," near Frome, has 

 evidently been working in that remarkable pebbly 

 conglomerate, which Mr. Charles Moore defines to 

 be of Rhsetic age. As he is apparently unacquainted 

 with Mr. Moore's valuable researches in that neigh- 

 bourhood, allow me to refer him to a paper on the 

 " Abnormal Conditions of Secondary Deposits when 

 connected with the Somersetsihre and South Wales 

 Coal-basin," Quart. Journ. Geolog. Soc, vol. xxiii., 

 where, at pages 488-90, he will find his questions 

 answered, and a good description given of those 

 instructive sections in the Vallis.— II. II. Wimwood. 



The Name Pine- Apple (p. 114). — There is little 

 doubt that the original " pine-apple tree " was Pinus 

 sylvestris ; and that the Ananassa took the name 

 from the resemblance of its fruit to a fir-cone, aided 

 perhaps by the belief that it, too, grew upon a tree. 

 Parkinson speaks of the " West Indian delitious 

 Pines," as being " like to a cone of the Pine-tree, 

 which we call a Pine Apple for the forme ; " he also 

 says, " The Spaniards and Portugalls call it Pinas, 

 from the likenesse, and so doe most countryes, fol- 

 lowing that name." (See Theatrum Boianicum, 

 p. 1626, for other matter bearing on the subject.) 

 Fir-cones are referred to as "pine-apples" in "Good 

 Words for the Young," 1869, p. 344 ; and Halliwell 

 gives " Fir-apples " and " Deal-apples." From 

 North Yorkshire 1 have " Berk-apples." Of course, 

 "Apple " is a general term for a fruit, as " Apples 

 of Sodom," "Love-apple;" aud it is even applied 

 to objects which are not fruit, although resembling 

 them, as " Oak-apple." — James Britten. 



Awbe: Acanthis (p. 119). — lam no ornitholo- 

 gist, but I think I have seen the former name applied 

 to the Bullfinch in some old work. Is not " the 

 Byrde Acanthis" likely to be the Goldfinch? — James 

 Britten. 



Naturalist's Dredge.— I shall be glad to 

 know where and at what price a naturalist's dredge 

 can be obtained. — G. H. H. Row, Foster-lane, 

 Cheapside. 



_ Gentian" (pp. 91, 116, 118).— My query was 

 simple, — is there an English equivalent for the 

 " Surge et ambula" of Linnaeus ? (p. 91) ; whereas 

 my respondents run off into the virtues of Gentian 

 and allied plants, — information to be found inLindley 

 and Moore's " Treasury of Botany " under Gentiana, 

 and elsewhere.— B. T., M.J. . 



A Budget of Queries.— Will any of your readers 

 have the goodness to inform me where I can find 

 any researches on the following subjects? — 1. Grow- 

 ing flowers under glasses of different colours. 2. Ou 

 the effects of placing full-blown flowers in the dark. 

 3. On the restoration of faded colour on silk, or 

 other materials, by placing them in darkness. 4. On 

 the change of colour in certain animals in winter. 

 5. A.uy experiments demonstrating the effects of sun- 

 shine on a common fire. 6. On the phenomena 

 resulting from examination of the blind fish in the 

 river of the Mammoth Caves of Kentucky. 7. Some 

 years ago Professor Daubeny, of Oxford, made some 

 experiments on vegetables placed under coloured 

 glasses; and about the same time I made some on 

 the colours of flowers, with a different object. I 

 dare say all the subjects to which I have referred 

 have been examined, but I cannot find where. — 

 G. J. W. 



The Descent of Man ("C. E.").— This corre- 

 spondent, opposed though he may be, and honestly, 

 to the Darwinian theory, should not forget that 

 abuse is not argument ; and that, if he really feels 

 himself competent to break a lance with Mr. Darwin 

 or his disciples, he must first of all read the "De- 

 scent of Man " carefully ; and then, not forgetting 

 that his opponent is a gentleman, and one of very 

 considerable attainments, he may proceed to the 

 attack in the spirit of a gentleman. Whether we 

 are prepared to accept Darwinism or not, we should 

 certainly decline, even as a strong opponent, to 

 insert such a communication. If " C. E." desires 

 to succeed as a controversialist, he must learn to 

 conquer the temptation to indulge in personalities. 

 Once for all, we may as well state that, although 

 we have no desire to give up space to such a 

 lengthened controversy as this subject of the 

 "Descent of Man" would involve, we should not 

 offer the slightest objection to, but rather welcome, 

 a thoroughly logical and gentlemanly refutation of 

 the theory, if any one thinks that such a theory can 

 be disproved. If it were such an easy matter as 

 " C. E." supposes, he may rely upon it that the 

 conflict would not be left to him. 



Earthworms. — My own little garden and lawn 

 was, last year (like that of your correspondent in 

 your last number, "H. E. Wilkinson "), so infested 

 with earthworms, as to be a source of great trouble 

 and annoyance to me. I am now comparatively 

 free from them, and would recommend the following 

 simple method of dealing with them. At early 

 morning, or after a warm shower, when they are 

 generally near the surface, mix a small quantity of 

 corrosive sublimate with water (about half a gill to 

 an ordinary-sized watering-pot will be sufficient), 

 and well saturate the lawn or path. In half a 

 minute its effects will be seen by bringing to the 

 surface all within its reach. They may be gathered 

 up into some vessel, and their destruction hastened 

 by a good sprinkling of common salt. If they are 

 numerous, as in the case of your correspondent, 

 three or four square yards would be found sufficient 

 to be watered at a time. I may add, that I think 

 the grass of my lawn is rather improved than other- 

 wise by the operation. — W. Groombridge, Brixton. 



Bleaching Zoophytes. — I have seen Sertularian 

 zoophytes mounted for the microscope, that have 

 been beautifully bleached until white as ivory. Can 

 any one give a hint of the process ? Chloride of 

 lime does not accomplish it; at least I have not 

 succeeded to the extent desired. — B. W. 



