144 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



[June 1, 1S66. 



NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



All communications relative to advertisements, post-office 

 orders, and orders for the supply of this Journal should be 

 addressed to the Publisher. All contributions, books, 

 and pamphlets for the Editor should be sent to 192, 

 Piccadilly, London, W. To avoid disappointment, contri- 

 butions should not be received later than the 1 5th of each 

 month. No notice whatever can be taken of communi- 

 cations which do not contain the name and address of the 

 writer, not necessarily for publication, if desired to be with- 

 held. We do not undertake to answer any queries not 

 specially connected with Natural History, in accordance 

 with our acceptance of that term ; nor can we answer 

 queries which might be solved by the correspondent by an 

 appeal to any elementary book on the subject. We are 

 always prepared to accept queries of a critical nature, and 

 to publish the replies, provided some of our readers, besides 

 the querist, are likely to be interested in them. We 

 cannot undertake to return rejected manuscripts unless 

 sufficient stamps are enclosed to cover the return postage. 

 Neither can we promise to refer to or return any manu- 

 script after one month from the date of its receipt. All 

 microscopical drawings intended for publication should 

 have annexed thereto the powers employed, or the extent 

 of enlargement, indicated in diameters (thus— X 320 

 diameters). Communications intended for publication 

 should be written on one side of the paper only, and all 

 scientific names, and names of places and individuals 

 should be as legible as possible. Wherever scientific names 

 or technicalities are employed, it is hoped that the common 

 names will accompany them. Lists or tables are inad- 

 missible under any circumstances. Those of the popular 

 names of British plants and animals are retained and regis- 

 tered for publication when sufficiently complete for that 

 purpose, in whatever form may then be decided upon. 

 Address No. 192, Piccadilly, London, W. 



J. A. Jun. — The newspaper story is marvellous. Is it true? 

 Unfortunately such accounts are seldom worth the space it 

 occupies to reprint them. 



J. R.— The "British Amphibia" are contained in "Our 

 Reptiles." 



F, W. C. — The marygold is so common that the seed may 

 be obtained anywhere. 



G. E. F.— It is Ch&tomium elatum. Forfigure and descrip- 

 tion see Cooke's Microscopic Fungi, pages 175 and 221. 



W. H. K.— Add molluscs. Two or three snails will soon 

 reduce your conferva. 



E. S. A. — Bats have often been observed on the wing dur- 

 ing the day. See Zoologist, pp. 6, 35, 75, &c. 



J. H. F. — You will observe (page 14) that we have already 

 described a fountain, as applicable to the aeration of 

 aquaria. 



N. E. C. — We do not know a good work on falconry, but 

 perhaps some of our correspondents can inform you. 



E. H. F. — For chloroform and balsam, see S.G. vol. 1. p. 45. 



B. I.— You would get more information on dissecting from 

 " Davies on Preparing and Mounting Objects " than we could 

 afford space to detail. 



J. C. M. — The subject is a doubtful one, End we are not at 

 present disposed to enter upon it more fully. 



W. H. W. — Newts take to the water during the breeding 

 season and afterwards to the land. They do not always (but 

 generally) attach their o%*a to aquatic plants. For further 

 particulars see " Our lieptiles," published by Hardwicke, 192 

 Piccadilly. 



T. (Bristol). — It is impossible to answer without seeing 

 specimens, and examining them microscopically. 



Oak Egger Moth. — A correspondent would be glad of a 

 few eggs of the " Oak Egger Moth," and will forward a 

 stamped envelope to anyone who will kindly oblige him with 

 a few. — S. J. B., t Alpha Place, Trafalgar Road, Mosely, 

 Birmingham. 



S. M. — The specimen of flowering shrub is Amelanchier 

 glabra from North America. 



H. M.— Little white slugs or earthworms. 



W. B.— Your plant called " Billy Buttons " is Saxifraga 

 grunulata, apparently from your very fragmentary specimens. 



S. A. — To mount pollen consult "Davies on Mounting," 

 page 47 and 74. 



E. W. — We can by no means undertake the naming of 

 diatoms. Moreover, your slide was broken to atoms in the 

 transit. 



T. H. — Your moth is Hadena oleracea. The only available 

 book for moths and butterflies is Stainton's Manual, pub- 

 lished by Van Voorst, London. 



E. H. — We believe it to be entirely fabulous. 



M. A. L. — The expression in itself is correct enough, but of 

 its meaning or connection we are profoundly ignorant. 



G. R. J. — No. 1. Query not sufficiently clear. 2. By expo- 

 sure to atmospheric agency, and working out by means of 

 needles and other pointed instruments. 3. Fractured speci- 

 mens are best kept as they are. — II. T. 



J. A. — No such locality known. 



J. S. sends us the common polypody, yellow dead nettle, 

 and stitchwort to be named; could he not also have found 

 a daisy and a primrose ? 



T. R. J. — We have not been able to obtain information 

 about " dredges " in time for the present issue. 



H. S. — We cannot undertake such a string of queries ; it is 

 our plan to attend to one thing at a time. Surely a little 

 trouble in looking over some elementary work would have 

 enabled you to answer most of the queries for yourself. 



W. R. — We confess ourselves sceptical of much of the 

 sub-division proposed for the species of " water-ranunculus.'' 



M. M. — Go to a heap of rubbish that has lain some time, 

 turn over the broken tiles and brickbats, and underneath 

 them, if you do not' find the objects you seek, you will at 

 least secure employment for your microscope till next month. 



W. W. — Your red sea-weed is the common Plocamium 

 coccinenm. 



R. S.— We cannot undertake the naming of foreign zoo- 

 phyte) or other objeots of natural history ; we find already 

 plenty of employment with the queries or subjects connected 

 with our own country. 



EXCHANGES. 



Campylodiscus costatus for other objects. — H. M.,jun., 

 46, Union Grove, Wandsworth-road, Clapham. 



Birds' Eggs and Minerals for objects of interest. — 

 E. G. D., St. Blazey, Cornwall. 



Campylodiscus spiralis for Cosrinodiscus radiatus. — 



B. T., 57, Lowther street, Whitehaven. 



Mosses : required fresh specimens of andrerea, Buxbaumia, 

 Splachnum, Neckera, Phascum, or Schistostega, in fruit.— 



C. F. White, St. Anne's Heath, Chertsey. 



British Land and Freshwater Shells for eggs of 

 British birds. — J. H., Ashford, Scarborough. 



Rare British Plants.— Address, J. F. R., Stamp Office, 

 Frodsham, Cheshire. 



Communications Received. — E. T. S. — J. W 

 J. A.— R. P.— W. S. J.-M. P.— C. A. J.— W. A. L — 

 B.T.— S. J. B — J. R.— T. B.— G. F. S.— R. J. J.— N.- 

 S. F. M.— F. W. C— G. E. F.— W. H. K.— A. M.— F, 

 R. B.— J. H. F.— W. W. S.-G. R. J.-G. T. P.— T.- 

 H. R. B.— E. G.— H. U— W. W- I. P.— J. W. L.— J. 

 J. S.— Benardin— J. S— C. L.— V. K. — E. H.— C. A.— 

 — T. II.— T. P. B.— M. J. P.— W. R. T.— J. B.— M. 

 W. H.-J. N.-J. S.— W. C— S. A.— B.— H. M.— E. 

 J. J.R.-M.D.— W. B.— C.F.W.— E.W.— J.H.A.— E 

 J. 13.— R. M.— W. L. S.-T. R. J.— T. W. 



S. C.— 

 W. B.— 

 -E. L.— 

 . S. A.— 

 -F. S.— 



C. G.— 

 J. F. R. 



A. L.— 



G. D.— 

 .G.W.— 



Local Names. — W. B. 



Books Received.— " The Action of Fungi in the Produc- 

 tion of Disease," by Tilbury Fox, M.D. Edinburgh : Oliver 

 & Boyd. 



Ferns, Britisii and Foreign : their History, Organ- 

 ography, Classification, and Enumeration, with a treatise on 

 their Cultivation," by John Smith, A.L S. London: Robert 

 Hardwicke. 



