HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



H3 



the most exquisite little bulbs I ever remember to 

 have seen. Should any of your readers be visiting 

 that locality this ensuing month, it would be worth 

 their while to see whether any of these varieties 

 are still to be found there. The hill to which I 

 allude is that from which the castle was battered. 

 I will take this opportunity of mentioning that on 

 the 23rd of November last I saw a Glastonbury 

 thorn that was quite patchy with white blossoms. 

 It had buds, leaves, blossoms, and ripe berries, all 

 at the same time. I saw it again on the 15th of 

 April. It had three or four stray blossoms, but 

 nothing like what it had in November!; and on the 

 11th of this month (May), it was nearly as thickly 

 covered with blossom as any ordinary thorn bush, 

 but it did not look healthy. — II. M. M., Weston 

 super-Mare. 



Natural History in Novels.— The following 

 is taken from the new novel " Katerfelte " (page 

 104). Is it in accordance with the observations of 

 any of your readers ? " Do you remember, brother, 

 how one night in the apple-water country, on the 

 banks of the Wye, we took a rooster off his perch, 

 and brought the poor dwrd chiriclo [bird] into our 

 empty barn by the light of a single lantern? 

 How Mother Stanley bade us lay the fowl's bin 

 against the bare boards, and draw from it a line of 

 white chalk to the far edge of the threshing-floor, 

 and how the helpless creature believed itself tied?" 

 — R. S. T., Surrey. 



The Gooseberry Caterpillar. — The goose- 

 berry caterpillar is the larva of a saw-fly {Nematus 

 ventricostis). These pests are little greenish cater- 

 pillars, spotted with black, and feed in thousands 

 on the leaves from May till September. They form 

 clusters of little black cocoons between the leaves, 

 and the flies have dull orange-coloured bodies and 

 black thoraces. Hand-picking is the best, and I 

 believe the only remedy for their extirpation. — 

 W. H. Warner, Standlake. 



Viper's Bite. — A boy in Oxfordshire was once 

 bitten by a viper. The, doctor, on being called in, 

 gave directions that the reptile should be searched 

 for, killed, and its fat applied as a curative, which 

 was accordingly done, and the patient recovered. Is 

 this a common remedy ?— W. II. Warner, Standlake. 



[It is a very old tradition, at any rate.— Ed. 

 S. 0.] 



Brown Bat. — A rat was observed in a neigh- 

 bour's yard, a few weeks back, dragging along the 

 body of a dead comrade. — W. H. Warner. 



Gray's Banded Newt (0. vittatus).—]la.% this 

 rare species of newt been lately observed in any 

 part of the United Kingdom ? I should be glad of 

 any information respecting it other than what has 

 been published in Mr. M. C. Cooke's work on 

 reptiles.— /F. #. Warner, Standlake, Witney, Oxon. 



Horse-chestnut Trees. — Along the side of the 

 road between Woolwich and Charlton there is a 

 row of horse-chestnuts : three of these trees in- 

 variably come into leaf every year long before the 

 others. Can any correspondent explain the reason ? 

 They are situated in an open meadow, therefore one 

 has no more protection than another. — W. L. E. 



Local Names.— I am anxious to obtain the local 

 names of plants in my locality. How am I to set 

 about it ? I have no time except before 8 a.m., and 

 know no country men. I also want to know any 



local superstitions or uses for plants. If any one 

 would send me anv such I should feel ereally 

 obliged.— W. G. Piper, care of F. Sutton 8,- Co., 

 Bank Plain, Norwich. 



Etymologies. — Can any one help me with the 

 Etymologies of the following names ? I believe no 

 name was ever given without a reason, and I want 

 to get hold of the reasons. The following is only a 

 partial list: Frankenia; Githago; Dianthus, from 

 Bios anthos, but why ? " Deptford Pink," why so 

 called ? Sagina; Illecebrum; Knaicel; Ela'tine; 

 Hypericum. — W. G. P. 



Epiphytes. — Has the ash of Epiphytes ever been 

 analyzed, or have they none ? If they have an ash, 

 where do they get it? If they have none, the 

 presence of ash in land plants must be accidental, 

 not essential. By Epiphytes I mean plants which 

 depend on other plants for mechanical support, but 

 which draw no nourishment from their supports, 

 but only from the air. 



Empetrum. — Has the epidermis of the lower (or 

 inner) surface of the leaf of Empetrum ever been 

 examined microscopically for stomata? If there are 

 any there, what is the use of them, as they are quite 

 enclosed, and shut away from the external air ? 

 (Hooper). Will any one kindly send me a small 

 living plant for microscopical purposes, as it does 

 not grow anywhere near here ?— W. G. Piper, care 

 of F. Sutton, Bank Plain, Norwich. 



Aspen. — In a Russian Eolk-tale I find an aspen 

 stake is driven into the dead body of a witch, and in 

 another tale an aspen club is used to beat a witch- 

 horse to death. Is there any superstition which 

 would account for this, as these tales are not 

 generally so particular without cause ? 



Ants. — Some time ago, wishing to rear some 

 wasps, I with difficulty succeeded in capturing a 

 nest. In some of the cells there were little wasps, 

 in others honey ; most were covered with a stiffish 

 white cap. One by one the wasps left their cells, 

 and began feasting on the honey. Going one day to 

 the box where I kept them, I found it literally filled 

 with ants ; common black ones. They were de- 

 vouring eagerly, not only the honey, but the wasps 

 also. A day or two later, on visiting my colony, I 

 found ants lying dead all over the box ; only a few 

 live ones were left. On my next visit the dead were 

 in orderly piles, as if the remaining ones had swept 

 them into little heaps, while a day or so later they 

 had all disappeared, with the exception of a few 

 live ones. In the first place how did the ants 

 discover the wasps, which were in a window-seat in 

 the second story? Did they smell them? And 

 secondly, how did they first sweep up and then 

 carry off their dead companions ? If any reader of 

 Science-Gossip can answer these questions, I shall 

 be glad to have him do so.— AmyC. Pearson, Plain- 

 field, N.J., U.S.J. 



Adders Swimming. — Adders have frequently 

 been observed swimming in Loch Doon, Kirkcud- 

 brightshire, some of them having been thrown in, 

 others having entered the water of their own 

 accord, evidently with the purpose of swimming to 

 the other side of the loch, a distance of about a 

 quarter of a mile. When observed they were 

 moving along rapidly, with their heads raised about 

 three or four inches above the surface of the 

 water. — F. J. Allan. 



