HAKDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



1G1 



the extreme pleasure to find in it the diatomaceous 

 forms familiar to my Bermuda Tripoli slide, beside 

 a host of others ; and I at once was satisfied that 

 the lost Bermuda Tripoli was before me, and its 

 locality discovered." Mr. Stodder remarks (and 

 correctly) that Mr. Norman, in his paper in the 

 Quarterly Microscopical Journal for January, 1861, 

 does not say that the Bermuda came from Notting- 

 ham, as "E. K." represents, but only suggests the 

 possibility of the case. This needs some little expla. 

 nation on my part. When I wrote the reply to the 

 inquiry, 1 had quite forgotten Mr. Norman's paper, 

 and had only remembered various observations made 

 in his letters written ten or twelve years ago. I 

 have no doubt I too positively asserted Mr. Nor- 

 man's conviction of the identity of the deposits. I 

 can, however, add a little further evidence in favour 

 of it. Amongst other microscopic material received 

 from my old friend, Mr. Thos. Erightwell (of this 

 city), just before his death, was a small packet 

 marked " Tripoli Bermuda ; same as sent to Ehren- 

 berg. Professor Bailey." This was precisely the 

 same as the Nottingham deposit both in its external 

 appearance and diatomaceous contents. Unfor- 

 tunately Prof. Bailey does not state the actual 

 locality; probably not knowing it. The reason 

 for the obscurity of the locality of this material is, 

 perhaps, the following :— It is well known that 

 many of the polishing powders are called " tripolis " 

 (Ehrenberg calls .'many of the deposits polishing 

 powders), and no doubt this particular deposit was 

 an article of commerce in many of the Southern 

 States of America. Professor Bailey happens to 

 obtain some of it in or from Bermuda Hundreds, 

 " and to distinguish it from other tripolis" marked 

 it " Tripoli Bermuda."— F. Kitton, Norwich. 



ZOOLOGY. 



The Brighton Aquarium.— In a lecture on the 

 Brighton Aquarium and what it has done for science, 

 Mr. Wonfor, the curator of the Brighton Museum, 

 said that one of the principal scientific gains was 

 to confirm the observations that the roe of the cod 

 tribe, as well as that of mackerel and other fish, was 

 not deposited, as was previously believed, amongst 

 sand and gravel at the bottom of the sea, but floated 

 on the surface of the water during the whole period 

 of its development. This was a most important 

 fact, as it was a potent argument against a close 

 time for deep-sea fishing, or for laws interdicting 

 deep-sea trawling, while it cuts the ground from 

 under the feet of those who urge upon the Legisla- 

 ture the necessity for a close time, and who affirm 

 that very great injury is done to ova by the trawl- 

 net. 



The Manchester Aquarium.— W. Saville Kent 

 describes in Nature a novel accession to the Man- 

 chester Aquarium in the shape of the so-called 

 "Congo Snake" {Uurcenopsis tridactyla), from the 

 neighbourhood of New Orleans. It is a singular 

 eel-like animal, belonging to the Amphibia, and 

 would be taken by an ordinary observer for a com- 

 mon eel. Its legs are almost rudimentary, and are 

 furnished with three slender toes. They are used 

 for slowly crawling at the bottom of the tank. It 

 swims with great rapidity by means of undulations 

 of its body. Its length is about two feet and a 

 half, and its colour a slate-grey above and ash-colour 

 beneath. It has to come to the surface to breathe 

 at distant intervals, the air being drawn through the 

 nostrils into a lung-pouch. Although reputed by 

 the negroes to be venomous, it is perfectly harm- 

 less. 



TnE Potato Beetle.— I scarcely feel certain 

 that the recent steps taken by some of the Euro- 

 pean governments in relation to the importation of 

 American potatoes have in view the exclusion of the 

 potato beetle {Doryophora 10-lineata), but if so, the 

 authorities must be ignorant of the habits of t! is 

 insect. The prohibition of the importation of the 

 tuber is an unnecessary and useless step, seeing 

 that the beetle, in no stage of its existence, ever 

 attach it ! The eggs are laid on the leaves or stalks 

 of the plant in early summer, the larvae feed on the 

 leaves exclusively, and the pupa is formed in the 

 ground. I see no reasonable ground of apprehen- 

 sion that this beetle will ever find its way to Europe 

 at all ; but if it does, it certainly will not be in a 

 barrel of potatoes. — W. V. Andreics, 36, Boerum 

 Place, Brooklyn, U. S. 



The Snake-eating Snake.— In your issue of 

 May 1st I observe a paragraph by Mr. Erank 

 Buckland, quoted from Land and Water, wherein it 

 is written with reference to the Snake-eating Suake, 

 Ophiophagus JElaps, now in the Zoological Gardens : 

 " The learned doctor [Fayrer] gives the only 

 correct account of this creature's habits, especially 

 that of his eating other snakes." This is not the 

 case. The late Dr. Theodore Cantor, of the Bengal 

 Medical Service, one of the best zoologists that 

 ever went to India, discovered the snake in question, 

 and most fully described him and his habits more 

 than thirty years ago, under the name of Hamadryas 

 ophiophagus, in the " Journal of the Asiatic Society 

 of Bengal." I saw several specimens of this snake, 

 both alive and preserved, in Dr. Cantor's possession, 

 and assisted him, many a time and oft, in his dis- 

 sections of, and experiments with, all kinds of 

 serpents. I recollect that this species, although a 

 veritable cannibal as regards his own race, by no 

 means disdained other prey, and used to devour 

 rats, mice, and small birds. I remember Cantor 



