HARDWICKE'S SCI EN C E-G O S S IP. 



45 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



Ake Elvers Young Eels ?— As Science-Gossip 

 is not merely a monthly medium for the inter- 

 change of naturalists' gossip, but is also valuable 

 as a book of reference, I think last year's volume 

 should not have closed without a more satisfactory 

 answer to the above question than that of your cor- 

 respondent in the August number. In the case 

 quoted by him, the Severn Fishery Board failed to 

 prove their point, but in a case afterwards tried 

 the Board obtained a conviction on evidence given 

 by Mr. Frank Buckland, the magistrates consider- 

 ing that he " conclusively established the fact that 

 elvers are the fry of eels." In describing the 

 points of resemblance between elvers and full- 

 grown eels, Mr. Buckland showed the similarity of 

 construction apparent in their heads, "the lower 

 jaw fitted in above the upper so as to make a sort 

 of close-fitting little box, and the eye was exactly 

 over the level of the junction of the upper and the 

 lower jaws, the teeth were set in a very peculiar 

 way upon the roof of the upper jaw and upon the 

 edge of the lower jaw"; in their fins, — "the fin 

 began in about the centre of the body, and then 

 expanded itself into a beautiful fringe till it arrived 

 at the tail, where it further expanded into a fiat 

 and very delicate substance " ; in their gills, 

 " covered up by a most delicate curtain, which 

 acted as a valve, and as a reservoir for water • thus 

 enabling the fish ... to keep his gills moist during 

 the time he is out of water" ; and, lastly, in their 

 caudal hearts, for a "heart existed in the tail of no 

 other fish except the tadpole." A full report of 

 this second prosecution appeared in the Standard 

 of May 25th or 26th— W. R. H. 



Natural History Societies, &c., in Shore- 

 ditch. — I am moving to a curacy in Shoreditch, 

 and shall live between Paul-street and Curtain- 

 road. I shall be glad if any of your readers can 

 help me in three points. 1. Is there any good 

 general Natural History or Scientific Society in the 

 East or North-east of London? My specialties 

 are Geology, Botany, and Zoology. 2. What plants 

 or creepers would exist in Shoreditch in the open 

 air? 3. What could be cultivated in a greenhouse 

 formed by connecting two stacks of chimneys on 

 the top of some model lodging-houses ? — Rev. 

 T. W. Horstey, Witney, Oxon. 



Swallows and Starlings. — Generally speaking, 

 the swallows leave West Cramliugton at the end 

 of September, although on the first Sunday of 

 October, during the middle of the day, the weather 

 being fine, I noticed two skimming along the edge 

 of a wood. Starlings are as homely with us during 

 the winter as the rooks. It is very interesting, at 

 the close of the day, to watch group after group 

 making their way home, almost darkening the air 

 .as they fly over our heads. A starling was never 

 known to stay with us during the winter season 

 before.— John Simms. 



Lizards, &c, renewing their Tails.— I have 

 had several of the common viviparous lizards in my 

 window fernery during the past summer. One of 

 them, when captured, had lost its tail, apparently 

 quite recently. The wound seemed to scar over, a 

 dark scaly knob eventually appearing ; this quickly 

 became pointed, and continued to elongate, the 

 curious thing being that the small end seemed to 

 grow first. Before it had grown more than a third 

 of its length, it died, poisoned, I think, by being 



fed with moths killed by the fumes of cyanide of 

 potassium. Since that, the largest specimen 1 had 

 got out one day, and, when found, had managed to 

 divest itself of about an inch of its tail. It is now 

 growing in the same way, the small end first, and 

 though it does not present such a strange appear- 

 ance as the other did, the difference between one 

 part of the tail and the other, on which it is growing, 

 not being so apparent, still it has a curious look. A 

 gold fish in an aquarium belonging to my father, 

 some years ago, renewed a portion of its tail, that 

 had been eaten by a hungry stickleback. — John E. 

 Robson, Hartlepool. 



Lunar Rainbow.— On October 2nd, whilst 

 walking between Woolston and Netley, I saw a 

 perfect arc. The colours were brilliant, and the 

 effect beautiful. On Saturday, the 3rd, there 

 were frequent storms. Whilst sheltering from one 

 of these, my attention was drawn to a perfect 

 double arc, and a portion of a third being visible. 

 It was, I suppose, the reflection of the outer one, 

 as the colours were inverted, and it appeared to 

 join the highest bow. — B. W. Gothard. 



Mounting Zoophytes.— Can any reader of 

 Science- Gossip kindly inform me of an easy 

 method to mount in balsam zoophytes which have 

 been dried and kept for some time ? Davies, in his 

 work on "Mounting," gives a method adopted by- 

 Mr. Goulding Bird, but it is both difficult and 

 expensive. I think some one of the many readers 

 of Science-Gossip who manipulate these beau- 

 tiful microscopic objects, would be able to give a 

 method easier than the one described in " Davies." 

 -/. S. 



Remarkable Growth of Trees in Tewin 

 Churchyard. — Having on more than one occasion 

 visited Tewin churchyard, intent on the study of 

 the remarkable intergrowth of trees upon the grave 



of Lady Ann G , I have been induced to come 



to a different conclusion to that of your correspon- 

 dents to account for their presence, and their 

 singular growth in such a position. Trees produced 

 from seeds growing together, compressed between 

 stones, as these have been, are naturally forced to 

 unite and intermingle in infancy, which, increasing 

 as the girth of bole or branch increases with age, 

 exhibited eventually a strangely distorted and 

 an unnatural incongruity of growth. As to the 

 origin of the ash-tree seeds, is it not a fact, that the 

 remnants of the boles of old and fallen trees exist 

 on the brow of the hill to northward, and which it 

 is probable were of the ash-tree kind ? Finally, I 

 believe, either the Lady Ann became, for some 

 reason — either to memory when dead, or previously, 

 alienated from her family, and that following the 

 erection of the tomb, no heed was taken of it, 

 either in the matter of cleaning or painting. Were 

 this so — no annual stipend being paid to the 

 sexton for this purpose, and considering that sheep 

 at all seasons are turned loose therein, and that no 

 particular heed is given to any tombs, or graves, 

 but such as are wired over, &c. Does this not 

 appear feasible ? — William Ear ley. 



Observations on the Common Stinkhorn 

 {Phallus inipudicus).—Yor some time past I have 

 been interested in fungi, and have made coloured 

 drawings of all the varieties 1 have been able to 

 procure, but it was not till quite lately that I first 

 saw a specimen of the common stinkhorn {Phallus 

 impudicus), and perhaps some observations which I 

 made on it may not be uninteresting to your readers. 



