212 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



Local Floras. — I am acquainted with the fol- 

 lowing local floras :— Hall's "Flora of Liverpool," 

 183S : Melville's " Flora of Harrow," 1864 ; Trim- 

 mer's "Flora of Norfolk," 1S66; Deakin's " Flower- 

 ing Plants of Timbridge Wells and Neighbourhood." 

 In Curtis's " Topographical History of Leicester- 

 shire " there is a list of the plants of the county. — 

 A. H. A. 



Local Name for Ladybird. — In the south of 

 Lancashire I have heard the Ladybird (Coccinella) 

 called a " god's horse." This is very like the French 

 popular name, "Bete-k-Dieu." — A. H. A. 



Wakon Bird. — About this time last year a 

 correspondent asked what was the Wakon Bird of 

 the North American Indians? It is a bird which 

 they hold sacred, and call the "Bird of the Great 

 Spirit." Some suppose that it is the same as the 

 Bird of Paradise. (See Morse, " American Geo- 

 graphy.")—^. H. A. 



Anecdotes twice told.— Helen E. Watney 

 (" H. E. W.") begs to say, in reference to a 

 communication of " J. J.," that both the anec- 

 dotes mentioned by him as having appeared 

 in Country Life, were written by her to that 

 journal — she has not been guilty of cribbing. She 

 deemed herself at liberty to mention, when writing 

 on a like subject in Science-Gossip, the same anec- 

 dotes again. She wrote in Country Life as " Wah- 

 Wah-Tay-See," and as "Firefly"; but Science- 

 Gossip forbids a nam deplume. As to his remark 

 about the "Nursemaid," she was upper nurse in 

 "H. E. W.V employ, and doubtless considered 

 herself quite " a young lady," and always spoke of 

 her father, a London tradesman (tailor), as her 

 " papa •" therefore " H. E. W.," in the anecdote 

 referred to, wishing to be brief, wrote "young 

 lady." " J. J." is, indeed, a modern " Zoilus." 



Fossil Oolitic Plants (Science-Gossip for 

 July, p. 157, figs. 7G and 77). — There appears to me 

 a very striking resemblance between the above 

 figures and a transverse section of the stone of the 

 common date {Phcenix daclylifera) . Perhaps Mr. 

 J. S. Tute would compare the two, and let us know, 

 through Science-Gossip, whether they are iden- 

 tical or not. — J. Bowman, Lamplugh. 



Destruction or Earthworms and Black- 

 beetles. — I can indorse all Mr. Henry Deacon 

 writes as to the use of lime-water for the destruc- 

 tion of earthworms ; but I would like to add a 

 caution to his note. See to the strength of the 

 preparation, should you ever need to apply it to a 

 plant-bed, for I lost some very valuable flowers once 

 by giving too strong a solution. Two handfulsof 

 quicklime in a pail of water, and allowed to remain 

 until it clears, is the right proportion— the test your 

 own or your gardener's tongue. When the water 

 is clear, pour it oil', and if, on applying it to the tip 

 of your tongue, it tastes strong, dilute it. The tem- 

 perature also must be noticed, for if under 80° it 

 will injure the roots of your plants, should they be 

 hothouse ones. I (ind lime of the very greatest 

 service in my garden, and have beguu applying it 

 already ; for on entering on my present residence, 

 I found the kitchen-garden infested with grubs ; 

 the gooseberry caterpillar has been an especial pest 

 this season. By the way, a frieud of mine has sent 

 me what he says is an unfailing receipt for the 

 destruction of this foe, but it cannot be applied until 



spring, when the first set of leaves are out. Salt is 

 the best thing I ever tried to dislodge worms from 

 walks ; but of course it is out of the question on 

 grass lawns. I fancy worms are beneficial helps on 

 pasture land, and would not drive them from my 

 field on any account ; but _ on garden or croquet 

 lawns they are most objectionable. A pet hedge- 

 hog will soon clear the house of black-beetles. It 

 is a quiet little beast, eats bread-and-milk like a 

 cat, and only wanders about at night ; is particularly 

 fond of beetles, and will very quickly destroy a 

 colony of them. — Helen K Watney, Bryn Hyfryd, 

 North Wales. 



Anthea cereus. — In August, 1S69, whilst 

 shrimping in the spring tide, I noticed a large and 

 beautiful Actinia (the Anthea cereus) fastened to a 

 long and wide frond of sweet tangle. It was 

 further out than low-water mark, and situated 

 between some large rocks, from one of which the 

 laminaria was growing. _ There was just wash 

 enough to keep the tangle in constant motion. The 

 tentacles of the Anthea were every moment busy 

 fishing in all directions, and as the creature was 

 near the surface and the sun shining directly upon 

 it, the beautiful colours given out in the glancing 

 waters it would be quite impossible to describe. 

 But my chief object in mentioning the circum- 

 stance is, to show that the power of locomotion in 

 these flower-like animals must be pretty well 

 developed, and doubtless is enjoyed by them to a 

 much greater extent than is commonly supposed, 

 from the passive condition in which they are 

 usually discovered. — Joseph Drew. 



Hawfinch (Coccothraustes vulgaris). — In Jan., 

 1S66, I watched one of these birds for a considerable 

 time. It was perched on a holly that grew close to 

 the window of the room in which I was sitting, and 

 feeding on the berries ; this was near Midhurst, in 

 Sussex. I have never seen the bird in Buckingham- 

 shire ; but last autumn, when walking in a neglected 

 orchard, near Denham, in that county, I found the 

 ground thickly strewn with cherrystones, which 

 were all halved, exactly in the manner described in 

 John's " British Birds in their Haunts," as though 

 cut by a sharp instrument ; from which I infer that 

 this bird frequents that neighbourhood.— M. D. 



Hawfinch (p.lSl). — A friend of mine, living near 

 Ockham, iu Surrey, has a live hawfinch, which was 

 taken from the nest in a neighbouring wood last 

 June— W. B. Tate. 



The Hawtinch.— In answer to " C. A.," who 

 invites records of the occurrence of the Hawfinch 

 (Coccothraustes vulgaris), 1 may inform him that it 

 is tolerably common in this part of Sussex (Uckfield), 

 and builds every year in my own grounds — notably 

 in an orchard. — W. N. J. 



The Hawfinch (Coccothraustes vulgaris). — In 

 reply to your correspondent "C. A.," in last 

 month's Science-Gossip, I would venture to offer 

 the following memoranda respecting the above bird. 

 I have found it nesting in Gloucestershire in 1S70, 

 in the neighbourhood of Campdcn. It also bred 

 near Bristol last year, and again in the same place 

 this year. (Field, 1871, p. 506.) I have taken the 

 nest in Leicestershire, some years ago, not far from 

 Birstal, in that county. Here I may mention one of 

 the peculiarities iu the migrations of this bird, i.e., 

 large flocks will appear in a part of the country 

 where not a single individual has been noticed for 

 years, and when no particular feature in the season 



