Apiul 1, 1SG6.] 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



upon dry fish-bones is a fact that has long- been 

 known ; but for an accurate account of the nest we 

 are indebted to Mr. Gould, the eminent ornitho - 

 logist." An explanation of these apparent contra - 

 dictions would oblige. — R. P. Ellis. 



Woodpeckers stoking Acorns. — The acorns 

 being in the bark is admitted ; but, are they put in 

 quite tight, or loosely ? If loosely, would insects 

 collect around them, and if so, would not the bird 

 devour them, leaving the acorns to do further duty. 



— a. jr. g. 



A New Insulator.— Mr. W. A. Marshall, of 

 Leadenhall Street, London, has invented an insu- 

 lating material for telegraphic and other purposes. 

 It consists in the employment of asbestos or amiantus 

 (amiantc)' for insulating purposes. The invention 

 also consists in protecting and completing the insu- 

 lation of telegraphic wire, especially for submarine 

 and subterranean purposes, previously covered with 

 the asbestos or amiantus by surrounding or inclosing 

 it in a metal tube, by preference of tin. — Popular 

 Science Review. 



Atlantic Ooze. — Mr. T. Barkas says in Science 

 Gossip (p. 70), that at the depth of 2,100 fathoms 

 he has been unable to meet with a single complete 

 diatomaceous frustule ; and, therefore, that the ex- 

 treme depths of the ocean are probably not the 

 natural habitats of the Biatomacere. I have in my 

 possession a slide of "Atlantic Soundings" obtained 

 at the depth of 2,070 fathoms, and was, 1 believe, 

 part of the ooze taken up by the United States 

 Atlantic Expedition, under the command of Lieut. 

 Maury, containing a quantity of complete frustules 

 of the genera Cosciuodiscus, Triceratium, Stauroneis, 

 and Navicula with Polycystina, including a very 

 pretty • colony of sponge spicula, consisting of 

 sphero-stellate, spicula of Tethea, Tricuspid aucho- 

 rate spicula, Triradiate spicula from Grantia, &c, 

 &c. I have also had an opportunity of seeing three 

 other slides from precisely the same locality and 

 depth, and their characteristics are almost similar. — 

 J. W. Leakey. 



Middlesex Elora.— Dr. Henry Trimen and Mr. 

 W. T. Dyer, of Christ Church, Oxford, are collect- 

 ing materials for a Flora of the county of Middlesex, 

 on the plan of the Cambridgeshire aud Essex Floras. 

 They will feel indebted to botanists for local lists, 

 notes of localities, or information of any kind con- 

 nected with the subject, and in the case of rare, 

 critical, or doubtful species the loan of specimens 

 will be very acceptable. 



Evergreen Bouquets. — I dare say it has not 

 occurred to many people who have few flowers in 

 their greenhouses in the winter, to make up 

 bouquets of evergreens of various shades (camellias, 

 if they can be got, look very well amongst them, 

 with a few ferns). I have made up several of these 

 evergreen bouquets this winter. The centre-piece is 

 114 inches in diameter, and 3 feet in circumference. 

 One bouquet consisted of the following circles raised 

 in moss, viz., fern [Pteris serrulata), to hang down ; 

 burberis, red and green leaves, alternate ; Adiantum 

 cuneatum (fern) ; red and white camellias, alternate ; 

 ivy leaves and berries, the latter coloured blue; 

 Gymnogramma sulphured (fern) ; a white camellia in 

 the centre. I have also used the following ever- 

 greens : — Cupressus Lawsoniana ; box, green and 

 variegated ; Tuxodium ; yew ; holly, green and 

 variegated, with berries ; aucuba ; arbor vitse ; Abies 

 Canadensis; fir, &c. Also, ivy leaves, with the 

 berries coloured red, blue, and white. An account 



of evergreen bouquets was given in the Gardener's 

 Chronicle about a fortnight ago, but the person who 

 wrote it objected to flowers being placed amongst 

 them. But I have tried both, and find that ever- 

 greens by themselves do not light up, but require 

 some colour amongst them, particularly if they are 

 for the dining-room. — A. W. 



The Veined "White Butterflies.— I do not 

 know if it has been satisfactorily determined if "the 

 dusky-veined white butterfly, Pontia Sabellica," 

 is a distinct species from " the green-veined white, 

 P. Napi." If it is not, the following may be of in- 

 terest :— I took a male and female -of the P. 

 Sabellieee at Cromer, Norfolk, together, in the sum- 

 mer of 1864. The male as well as the female had 

 the two dusky-black spots on the upper wings, 

 which are absent on the male of P. Napi, but it was 

 a good deal smaller than the female. The other 

 day I looked at the scales of both species under 

 the microscope. Those of P. Napi were generally 

 much larger than those of P. Sabellica?, and I found 

 some scales which I could not find on P. Sabellica ; 

 they had a fringe something like the scales of 

 P Cardamiues (orange-tip). Does not this seem as 

 if they were a distinct species ? The scales I have 

 taken from the males of all three species. Perhaps 

 some more competent entomologist and microscopist 

 than myself will study the matter. — E. 67. W. 



Aquaria Animals. — Mr. W. A. Lloyd would be 

 glad to place himself in communication with any 

 one willing to supply living aquarium animals, for 

 which liberal terms can be offered. Payment and 

 delivery to be made near London. Address, in the 

 first instance, Zoological Gardens, Hamburg, North 

 Germany. 



Graphite near the Sea of Azof. — A French 

 journal states that a vein of graphite has been dis- 

 covered in the above locality, and of a quality equal 

 to that of Siberia. The same authority alleges that 

 a source of petroleum has been found in the state 

 of Archangel, near the course of a stream which 

 falls into the Betchora. — Popular Science Review. 



The Caddis Larva is an incorrigible kidnapper, 

 seizing on any shell that may suit its purpose, with- 

 out troubling itself about the inhabitant. It_ is 

 quite a common occurrence to find four or five living 

 specimens of the Planorbis or Limncea affixed to the 

 case of a caddis larva, and to see the inhabitants 

 adhering to the plants and endeavouring to proceed 

 in one direction, whilst the caddis is trying to walk 

 in another, thus recalling the well-known episode 

 of the Tartar and his captor. In these cases the 

 cylindrical body is made of sand and small frag- 

 ments of shells bound together with a waterproof 

 cement, and the shells are attached by their flat 

 sides to the exterior. — Homes Without Hands. 



Filberts were originally brought out of Pontus 

 into Natolia and Greece, and were therefore called 

 Pontic nuts. From thence they were procured by 

 the Romans, and brought into Italy, where they ac- 

 quired the name of Abellan or Avellan nuts, from 

 Abella or Avella, a town of Campania, where the 

 best were cultivated (Pliny, b. xv., c. 22), and from 

 thence arose the French name, Aveline. When first 

 known in this country they were called nuts with 

 full beards, to distinguish them from the common 

 hazel nut, as it will be observed that the husk or 

 covering of this nut resembles a man's full beard ; 

 this was first corrupted into " filbeard " and 

 "filberd," and from thence into filbert— Phillies 

 Fruits of Great Britain, 



