Dec. 1, 1866.] 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



283 



Scarcity of Insects. — B. C. Ringwood com- 

 plains of the scarcity of Lepidoptera this season. 

 I can re-echo his complaint in this particular ; but 

 I do not think the causes that militated against 

 them hindered, in any way, the development of the 

 Hvmenoptera, which were in this neighbourhood 

 (within ten miles of Oxford) extremely plentiful. 

 My own notion is that the cause is due, as your 

 correspondent suggests, to the excessive rainfall and 

 the low summer heat combined. — F. B. 



" As Dead as a Herring."— In answer to your 

 correspondent " W. F.," all authors on Ichthyology 

 mention especially that the Clupeidse (the Her- 

 ring family) die almost immediately when taken out 

 of water, as also do the Scomberidse (Mackerel 

 family), and Salmonidae (Salmon tribe), but the 

 Herring appears to die soonest. The mackerel midge 

 (Concilia glaum), Mr. Couch says, dies immediately. 

 This fish belongs to the Cod family (Gadidte). The 

 general law received is, that fish having a high de- 

 gree of respiration, low muscular irritability, and 

 require much oxygen (called surface-fish), die and 

 decompose soon ; whereas bottom fish, which have 

 the contrary nature, remain long alive, and do not 

 decompose rapidly when taken out of their element. 

 — H, H. Knocker. 



In reply to " W. F.'s " query, it may be remarked 

 that, except in the immediate vicinity of fishing- 

 towns, people are not generally familiar with the 

 Herring in its living state ; comparatively few have 

 seen it alive. The prevalent idea of the fish is there- 

 fore confined to its dried condition, as the red her- 

 ring, in which it is undeniably dead. Probably this 

 has given rise to the simile. Many fish die more 

 quickly than the Herring, but these are equally little 

 known in their living state. — L. 



Dead as a Herring.— It is pretty clear that 

 your correspondent loses the point of the quotation 

 by the omission of the context. As long as I re- 

 member the comparison it has stood thus — "As dead 

 as a herring that's red. — 67. T. S. 



The Blue Bird oe Galilee— Will T. G. P. 

 allow one who has lately been reading Tristram's 

 " Laud of Israel'" to suggest that the Blue Bird 

 of Galilee is most probably the Blue Rock-thrush 

 {Petrocincla cyanea), and not the Sun-bird (Cin- 

 naris osea) ? The habitat of this latter bird is the 

 Ghor or deep valley of the Jordan and Dead Sea, 

 more especially about Jericho, and not the rocky 

 hills of Galilee.— Lester Lester, Monkton Wyld. 



Cordon bleu (Science Gossip, p. 262.)— The 

 Cotinga cordon bleu is Ampelis Cotinga, from 

 Guiana, &C.—B., Melle. 



The Swallows and the Cholera. — A curious 

 fact happened this year among the swallow tribe. 

 In the middle of July, when there were some traces 

 of the prevailing disease in the atmosphere, they 

 left their homes and sometimes their young ones, in 

 many places, and went to take refuge in the woods 

 or in parts of the province where the cholera had 

 not made its appearance. Immense swarms were 

 seen in a village where, neither this year nor in 1S57, 

 was there any invasion of the sickness. On the 12th, 

 13th, and 14th of August, a general return took place 

 in our neighbourhood, as well of the swallows as of 

 the martins and swifts. — B., Melle, near Ghent. 



Queenapple. — Can any reader inform me what 

 kind of fruit the " Queenapple " is ; or if it be a 

 district name for the Guava?— E. W., Manchester. 



Scrawl. — What fish or other animal does Tenny- 

 son mean bv "the scrawl," in his poem of "the 

 Sailor Boy"? 



1 In thy heart the scrawl shall play. 



M. M. 



Cement eor Eossils. — The fossil remains of 

 reptiles, &c, in the British Museum are embedded 

 in a cement resembling in colour the rock from 

 which they have been disinterred; the bones also 

 appear to be coloured and slightly varnished to make 

 them stand out in bolder relief. Will any of your 

 obliging correspondents be good enough to inform 

 me what kind of cement is used— say for lias fossils ; 

 likewise the varnish for same, as well as other fos- 

 sils which require to be shown up more distinctly 

 than they appear when first cleaned out ? — L. F. B. 



Mounting in hard Balsam. — Eor several years 

 Ihave been in the habit of mounting objects in balsam 

 by hardening the balsam previous to putting on the 

 glass cover. Either hold the slide with the object 

 in balsam over a paraffin or spirit lamp, or place it 

 on a support before the fire, until the fluid has so 

 far evaporated from the balsam that it sets quite hard 

 on cooling. I then take a thin glass cover, holding- 

 it with a pair of forceps, and drop on it a little 

 balsam diluted with spirits of turpentine, carefully 

 place it over the object, and expose the slide for 

 several hours to a very gentle heat to incorporate the 

 hardened and fluid balsam. — /. B. B. 



Dyeing Grass.— Can" you inform me with respect 

 to the best materials and method of using them for 

 the purpose of dyeing moss and grasses to be intro- 

 duced into a case of stuffed birds ? —J. H. 



The Swallows. — While in charge of a trading 

 station at the mouth of the Niger, about the begin- 

 ning of November, last year, I noticed during all 

 one day innumerable swallows flying overhead in a 

 northerly direction, that is, from seawards inland. 

 Amongst them and accompanying them in their 

 flight were several hawks. I did not then think of 

 the occurrence in connection with their annual mi- 

 gration, but the several notices in this journal on 

 this subject, from time to time, brought it to my 

 recollection. Flying as they were from southwards, 

 where could they have come from ; from America ? 

 They would not, I should think, begin their return 

 to England so soon as November. — E.J.L.Simmonds. 



Shell-money. — According to the relation of a 

 recent voyage, transactions are performed, in Sou- 

 dan, by barter, or by means of small shells picked 

 up in the Niger, and called there oudcias or tooodahs. 

 Could any one tell me the scientific name of those 

 shells? They cannot be the cowries (Cyprea moneta) , 

 these being marine shells. — B., Melle. 



Entada.— I shall feel greatly obliged if any reader 

 will tell me how to distinguish the seed of Entada, 

 nurscetha, B.C., from that of Entada gigalobium; both 

 are used for making snuff-boxes, &c. — B., Melle. 



L'Envoi— And so I end this little book, hoping, 

 even praying, that it may encourage a few more 

 .labourers to go forth into a vineyard, which those 

 who have toiled in it know to be full of ever-fresh 

 health, and wonder, and simple joy, and the presence 

 and the glory of Him whose name is Love.— 

 Glaucns. 



