1GS 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



[July 1, 1866. 



NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



\ll 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 anv 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, Piccadii.lv, London, W. 



C. A. J.— The work on Aquaria will not be ready for some 



E. H. L.— See notes on "Mounting Polyzoa," in Science 

 Gossip, vol. i. pp. 65, 93, 94- , m 



L. N. P.— Your fungus is the " Nettle Cluster-cups 

 JEcidium Urticce. See Microscopic Fungi, p. 14, plate I., 



W. T. H. should insert the scientific names of the insects 

 required. 



B. S.—Asplenium marinum is found at a greater distance 

 from the sea than you name. It is common on rocks near 

 the Lakes of Killamey, but evidently its favourite locality is 

 the clefts of sea-rocks or cliffs. 



q. -yy; G.— Your specimen is one of the starry puff-ball' 1 , 

 Geu'ster hygrometricus, certainly not one of the commonest 

 species. , It , ,. 



j. R.— There is a common proliferous variety of the double 

 daisy, like the specimen enclosed. The single daisy is some- 

 times also proliferous. See Science Gossip, vol. i. p. 182. 



E. L.— Your specimen was forwarded to our contributor 



"B." 



A. M — The small red excrescences on sycamore leaves are 

 a kind of gall produced by insects. 



S. F. C— Not in " our line." If we answer one such query, 

 we shall soon have many proposed. 



C. a.— No. 1. Littorini tenebrosa apparently, but the shells 

 are much covered with alga;. No. 2. Assiminia Qrayana. 

 You should have stated their habitats; please do so.— J. E. G. 



E. B.— Your insect is Chrysis ignita, "the Golden Wasp." 

 — F. W. 



11. L.— Your flies are Bibio Johannis, so named because the 

 time of appearance is nearly that of St. John's day.— F. W. 



X. S.— No. 1 is Anduna fulvicrus. No. 3, Bibio Mara, so 

 named because the time of its appearance is nearly that of 

 St. Mark's day.— F. W, 



r. w. p,_No. 2 is the Bee Hawk-moth, Sesia bombyliformis, 

 I should suppose from your rough sketch. It is always better 

 to forward a specimen.— F. M. No. 1 is Bombylius major, 

 Linn.— F. W. 



M. R.— Your green scum is Euglena viridis, common in 

 stagnant water. . 



G e0 . p. — No. 1 is Valerian (Valeriana dioica). No. 2 is 

 Pepperwort, Thlaspi arvense.—L. 



B. F. M.— It is the Bird's-nest Orchis, Neotlia nidus-avis, 



Rich.-W. C. .*„.«« 



R- w.— Although the small mites found on the corolla of a 

 cucumber in a frame bear a strong resemblance to the 

 Aropodce, which infest the bodies of other insects, I believe 

 they are Notaspis obscitrus, Koch (Cont. Pan:., 132, 5).— 

 J.O.W. „ ,_ . . 



T. W. B.— It is impossible to determine a Noctuideous 

 caterpillar in such a shrivelled condition as yours arrived. 

 —I. 0. W. 



W. H. B.— Your orchis is certainlv Ophrys apifera, Huds. 

 — W. C. 



R. H. H. A.— We cannot depart from our ru'e. Postage 

 stamps are not generally regarded as forming any part of 

 Natural History. 



J. B.-We are aware that the reasons given by Geo. F. 

 Smith (p. 140) are not original, but copied from " Waterton's 

 Essays." It would have been better for him honestly to have 

 stated as much. 



An Apology — Correspondents who may have looked in 

 vain in the present and past number for their communications 

 must not suppose that consequently we have arrived at un- 

 favourable conclusions regarding them. The fact is, that we 

 have for some time past been in possession of far more "ac- 

 cepted copy " than we have been able to publish. Hence we 

 have been compelled to make a selection, in the hope that at 

 some future time we might be able to print all the communi- 

 cations now in arrear. Whilst thanking our numerous con- 

 tributors for their hearty and zealous co-operation, we must 

 beg their forbearance if we are reluctantly compelled to post- 

 pone their communications and inflict disappointment. 



A. L. T.— Nothing extraordinary in the circumstance. The 

 small objects were undoubtedly the eggs of the insect. 



E. H. W. — The bivalve was apparently Pisidium amnicum, 

 but was broken up, so as not to be easily identified. 



T. R. J.— Improved Ball's dredges may be had of Mr. 

 Ilighley, Green Street, Leicester Square. 



E. C. J.— You would find all the information you desire 

 concerning British land shells, &c, in Tate's "British Mol- 

 luscs." We cannot answer in full questions which a good 

 manual would solve. 



W. A. G— The parasite of Zootoca vivipara is a species of 

 Dermanyssus, possibly D. lanius, or, more probably, new, 

 but there was only one specimen iu the quill, which was 

 carelessly closed. — I. O. W. 



EXCHANGES. 



Advertisements.— Specimens offered for sale must be in- 

 serted and paid for as Advertisements. Only those submitted 

 for exchange or gratuitous distribution can be inserted here 

 free of charge. 



Spicules and Earths.— Ten slides for exchange.— J. A., 

 jun., 12, North-terrace, Clapham, S. 



Platino- Cyanide of Magnesia and Salk ine 

 (mounted) for Deutzia scabra or other objects.— J. A., 81, 

 Litchfield-road, Tredcgar-square, Mile-end-road. 



Carabus nitens and Cicindela campestris for any other 

 good beetles.— H. Hutchinson, Waring Green, Brighouse. 



Pi'P/E of Lkpidoptera.— W. T. H., at Mr. Dry's, opposite 

 East-street, Old Kent road, London. 



Birds' Eggs for ova, larva;, pups, or imagos of Lepido- 

 ptera.— G. T. Poriitt, 8, Clare-hill, Huddersfield. 



Cuticles of Leaves and Petals, also Foraminifera 

 and Diatoms.— T. Brittain, Fallowfield, Manchester. 



Echinus Spines.— Mr. W. A. Lloyd has sent us a few' 

 sections for distribution on receipt of stamped envelopes. 

 Address, W. A. L., care of the Editor. 



Whalebone.— Sections required by T. H. M., 78, Week- 

 street, Maidstone. 



Emperor MoTn (Saturniu pavonia).— Larva; required for 

 shells or ferns.— E. C J., Eldon Vilia, Redland, Bristol. 



BOOKS RECEIVED. 



" The Autobiography of a Gossamer Spider," by Michael 

 YYestcott. London : Groombridge & Sons. 



"The Autobiography of a White Cabbage Butterfly," by 

 Michael Westcott. London: Groombridge & Sons. 



" Dr. Gairdner on the Function of Articulate Speech, 

 with a Case of Aphasia." Glasgow : Bell & Bain. 



" North Staffordshire Field Club." Reports 1S65-6. Hanley: 

 Allbut & Daniel. a _ 



"Nature and Art," No. 1, June, 1S66. London: Day 



& Son. .»#.,. j 



"Sur la Culture des Algues Marines," par M. Cohn de 



Brcsltiu. 

 " Report of the Belfast Naturalists' Field Club," 1865-66. 



Communications Received.— S. J. Mel.— C. A. J.— H. E. — 

 B. F. M.-A. M.— J. A.— E. H. H.— J. J. R.— J. A.— E. H. L.— 

 J R.-T. P. B.-L. N. P.- J. L. B.— H. H— F. W.-W. T. H.— 

 J H -B.S.— E.B.— T.B.W.— E.S.— W.B.— G.W.G.— C.A.— 

 S C — R. L.— J. R.— C. A. (Tottenham)— J. G. B.— A. G. N. M. 

 — S. A. S.-E. L.-J. C— A. M.— G. T. P.— J. G.-S. F. C— 

 R C. D.— J. Q.— W. R. T.— P.— B. Melle— J. Y.— R. T. M. A. 

 — G E. F.— W. A. L.— R. W. P.— J. G. G.— E. H.— A. B. F.— 

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

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

 (Hanwell)-W. R.-E. G. W.-R. H. H. A.-J. F. R.-G. S. 

 -W A. G.— E. C. J.— S. H.— T. D.— C. K.-H. W . — G. I .— 

 J P.-W. H. E.— D. C. T.— F. H. M.— J. B.— W. E. W.— 

 O W. T.— J. G. W.— J. A. M.— W. B.-H. T. K.— H. E. W.— 

 W. H. G.-F. A. A. 



