72 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE- G OS SIP. 



NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



We must remind our friends, who make use of this column, 

 that the following rules should be strictly adhered to : — 

 First. That perfect specimens be sent. Secondly. That all 

 the information as to habitat, &c, that the inquirer can give 

 should be forwarded with them. Thirdly. To bear in mind 

 that drawings, unless very perfectly executed, are useless, 

 and a tyro is very apt to omit some distinctive characteristic 

 which would enable the examiner to decide the genus and 

 species of the object sent. Lastly. Never to send an object 

 for identification until the inquirer has used his best endea- 

 vours to find out for himself all the information he requires. 

 Questions are very frequently sent, which the slightest effort 

 on the part of the querist, in looking through some elementary 

 treatise, would have given all the knowledge required. 



J. L. J.— We cannot say whether "Greenfinches, Bull- 

 finches, Yellowammers, Blackbirds, and Thrushes are good 

 to eat," as we have never tried them, and more, we should 

 be very sorry to sacrifice so much music and cheerfulness to 

 a mouthful of doubtful food. 



A. W. W.— Chloride of sodium was undoubtedly meant. 



John Cairns. — The plant is the Ploughman's Spikenard 

 (Inula conyza). 



E. V. — Get Nicholson's " Elementary Zoology," price 

 2s. 6d., or "Half-Hours at the Seaside" (London: Hard- 

 wicke), price 4s. 



W. H. C. — The mischief in your aquarium may be due to 

 the Portland cement, which, you say, covers the bottom. — 

 W. H. P. 



Miss Fishbr. — The foreign mosses sent to be named have 

 been duly forwarded, and their names will be sent to you as 

 soon as possible. 



A. B. — 1. Pleuridium subulatum ; 2. Leskea pr.lycarpa ; 3. 

 Pylniea jioly untha ; 4. Hypnum albicans ; 5. H. irriguum ; 

 6. H. chrysophyllum. — R. B. 



R. C. Fisher. — Yourspecimen is an arachnid, and evidently 

 belongs to the family of Notanpidea. Plunge it for a moment 

 in hot water, and then mount it in glycerine. 



M. Howki.i,, jun.— The flower is Jasminum nudiflorum. It 

 belongs to the natural order Jasminese. 



Zealous Supporter.— Your valuable hint shall be attended 

 to. 



H. G. Webb. — You had best write to some well-known 

 London naturalist for prices, &c, and kind of tools for pre- 

 paring birds' eggs. We should think any of them could oblige 

 you. The figures given in the article on " Collecting and 

 Preserving Birds' Eggs " were done with a view to students 

 having them made for themselves. 



M.Smith. — Your specimens were all detached when they 

 came to hand, so that we could not assign any of them to the 

 numbers. 



W. Pui-i.incer.— Your fungus seems to be Didymium 

 nigripes. See Cook's "Handbook of British Fungi," vol. i. 

 p. 386. 



S. H. inquires the best method of preserving spiders. 

 Perhaps some of our readers can give him tolerably lull details 

 of the process. 



J. E. B.— You cannot do better than procure Professor 

 Balfour's large "Manual of Botany." Dr. R. Brown's 

 " Manual of Botany, Anatomical and Physiological " (London : 

 W. Blackwood), is an excellent work, but it does not deal 

 with the classification of plants ; the former work does. 



H. L. Jonrs.— Stark's "British Mosses," published by 

 L. Reeve, may be purchased for 7s. 6d. ; a second-hand copy 

 for even less. 



Mosses.— We have received several batches of mosses, 

 whose names must stand over till next number. 



J. S.— One of your supposed Hepaticae is a lichen. Get 

 the " British Hepaticse," published by Hardwicke, 192, 

 Piccadilly, price only fourpence. It contains figures of all the 

 species. 



T. Plubs.— Your specimen is the common sulphite of 

 iron. It can always be told from sulphite of copper by its 

 greater hardness, if tested by a common pocket-knife. 



W. Adams. — The lichen is Parmelin svlphurea. 



T. A. R.— Get the new edition of Lankester's " Half-Hours 

 with the Microsc jpe." (London: Hardwicke.) 



EXCHANGES. 



Notice. — Onlv one " Exchange " can be inserted at a time 

 by the same individual. The maximum length (except for 

 correspondents not residing in Great Britain) is three lines. 

 Only objects of Natural History permitted. Notices must be 

 legibly written, in full, as intended to be inserted. 



For Crystals of Tant-inin for polariseope, send stamped 

 directed envelope to W. H. Gomm, Somerton, Taunton. 



Bull's-eye Condenser Telescope, good Slides, &c, for 

 Foraminiferous Sand from Dog's Bay and twenty other places 

 (separate), Algae in fruit, named for micro-mounting, or dis- 

 played on paper for herbarium, Diatoms, Zoophytes, Polyzoa. 

 &c. ; Spores of Trirhomanes radicans. Parasites, 'Ferns, and 

 Rockwork Plants (living), &c. — T. McGann, Burrin, Ireland. 



"Hocn on the Microscope," and six Slides offered for 

 "Carpenter on the Microscope."— H. B. Thomas, Boston. 

 Lincolnshire. 



W. G. Piper wishes to exchange specimens of Fruit and 

 Seeds, with their Products used in Medicine and the Arts, and 

 any Fruit or Seed of interest. 



Australian Sheep's Wool for other objects, unmounted. — 

 S. W. F., Ham House, Wellington, Somersetshire. 



Wanted, Nos. 43, "3, 79 (brachycarpa), 91, 926, 135 

 (stagnira), 136«, b, c, 1304, 154, 1554, 197«, b.e, 2406, 256, 

 3226, 376, 377*. 3786. 491, 521, 650, 651, 686, 693, 724 (vera), 

 741, 742, 749, 823, 941 J. P56, 1049, 1050, 1074, 1075, 1076, 1077, 

 1089, 1100, 1158, 1226, 12336, 1334. Offered in exchange, No's. 

 113, 124, 135 (lustra), 1806, 2486, 2516, 252, 270, 277*. 278*, 

 447, 4896, 552, 5946, 655, 69'lc. 691, 694, 723, 731,776,794, 

 817,874, 1080, 10856, 1086*, 1166 (I. pygmmus), 1187. 1238*, 

 6th edition London Catalogue. — James Cunnack, Helston, 

 Cornwalll. 



For mounted Orthosira arennria, send mounted or good 

 unmounted objects to I. H. B., 3, Clifton-place, Sanehiehall- 

 street, Glasgow. 



Section of Carboniferous Limestone, mounted, showing 

 vegetable structure (by reflected light), for any other well- 

 mounted Object (Geological subject preferred).— E. Lovett, 

 Holly Mount, Croydon. 



Crag Fossils for complete specimen of Venus's Flower- 

 basket.— T. J., 192, Piccadilly, London. 



Urticating hairs of Indian Cowitch, mounted, and many 

 others.— Send list to C. C. Underwood, 25, Gloucester- place, 

 Portman-square, W. 



Rare Birds' Eggs, for others not in collection. Wanted, 

 Minerals and Insects.— J. T. T. Reed, Ryhope, Sunderland. 



Carboniferous Fisb, Foraminifera, Corals, and Brachio- 

 poda. for good mounted Micro - sections of Fossil Fish, 

 Reptiles, and Mammals.— J. Howster, Richmond, York. 



Lower Silurian Graptolites for Glass-rope Sponges, Venus 

 Flower-baskets, or tropical Echinodermata. — Address, Petra. 

 192, Piccadilly, London. 



BOOKS, &c. RECFIVED. 



" Monthly Microscopical Journal." February. 



"Journal of Applied Science." February. 



" Animal World." February. 



" Land and Water." February. 



" Les Mondes." February. 



" The Colonies." February. 



" Insects Abroad." By the Rev. J. G. Wood. London : 

 Longmans & Co. 



" Report of Microscopical Investigations on Cholera." By 

 Dr. T. E. Lewis and Dr. D. D. Cunningham. Calcutta. 



" Nematode Hsematozoa.'' By Dr. T. T. Lewis. 



" Annates de la Societe Entomologique de Belgique, 1874." 



" Bird Life." By Dr. Brehm. London : Van Voorst. 



Correspondence Received up to 12th ult. from • — 

 J. B. B.— F. K.- J. R. S.'C— W. H. W.— R. H. W— Capt. L.— 

 Col. H.— H. S.-J. H.— R. G.— W. L.— J. C— T. B.— A. D. P. 

 J. W. H.— S. W. F.— H. G. W.— J. C— J. W. L.— D. H. B.— 

 C. I. M— A. W.-T. W. W.— M. V. S — M. S.— A. B.— J. S. H. 

 —J. B. W.— S. W.— P. Q. K.-H. B. T.— R. C. F.— A. S.- 

 J. W. G.— J. B— W. H. G.— T. B. W.— M. W.— T. McG.— 

 A.B.— E. V.— W H. P.-W. 'P.- A.M.— J. H ,jun— W. R. T. 

 — C. C. U.— W. H.— T. B.-T. H. A.— W. W. P. H.- W. O. S. 

 — S. IL— W. M.— T. E. B.— T. E. J.— C. K— E. L.— 

 J. T. T. R.— H. J.— J. S.— S. M.— J. W.— W. S.-G. H. K., 

 &c. 



