102 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE- GOSSIP. 



offering a bandicoot (Mas giganteus) on one occasion 

 to a llamadryas snake. The former showed fight, 

 and the latter seemed to show the white feather; 

 so the rat was knocked on the head, possibly thus 

 saving the snake's life. The typical specimens of 

 this fierce and rare reptile, with the whole of Dr. 

 Cantor's splendid collection of zoological specimens, 

 were presented by him, shortly before his lamented 

 death, to the East-India Museum, where I presume 

 they may now be seen. I think it but fair and due 

 to the memory of a first-rate naturalist to set the 

 reading public right, through your columns, especially 

 as the Ophiophcigi's, long familiar to me and other 

 observers in India, seems to be exciting a good deal 

 of interest and attention at home.— L. C. Steicart, 

 Deputy Surgeon-General. 



The British Association Meeting. — This 

 year's meeting commences at Bristol on the 25th 

 of August, under the presidency of Sir John 

 Hawkshaw, the celebrated engineer. It promises 

 to be a very agreeable week. The local secre- 

 taries are'making all the necessary, and we may say, 

 extra arrangements. Excursions are fixed to visit 

 Chepstow, Tintern Abbey, Salisbury, Stonehenge, 

 Cheddar Cliffs and Caves, Glastonbury Abbey, 

 Cadbury Camp, Bath, &c. A capital sketch-map 

 of the district, showing all the places of interest, 

 geological, archaeological, and otherwise, has been 

 sent to every old member of the association. The 

 local secretaries are Messrs. TV. Lant Carpenter 

 and John H. Clarke. 



Provincial Societies.— We have received the 

 fourth and fifth Annual Reports of the Wellington 

 College Natural Science Society. It is a record of 

 good and useful work, containing botanical, ento- 

 mological, and zoological lists of the local flora and 

 fauna. The Yorkshire West Biding Naturalists' 

 Society numbers some well-known names among 

 their members, so that their excursions to places 

 of interest both read well and chronicle interesting 

 facts. One of them reports the nightingale this 

 year as far north as Lumb and the neighbourhood 

 of Almondbury. This fact is attested by competent 

 ornithologists who have heard it. 



Liverpool Literary and Philosophical So- 

 ciety.— This well-known society has just published, 

 in a handsome and well-edited volume, the Proceed- 

 ings of the sixty-third session. It includes the 

 President's address (by Mr. A. J. Mott) ; a lecture 

 by Dr. Carpenter, on " The Psychology of Belief" ; 

 a lecture by Sir S. Baker, on " The Past and Euture 

 of the Nile Basin"; a capital paper by Mr. 

 Thomas Ward (accompanied with a map), on "The 

 Great European Salt Deposits," with a theory as 

 to their origin; besides other elaborate essays on 

 historical, jesthetical, and general literary subjects. 



The volume concludes with a " Synopsis of an 

 Arrangement of Invertebrate Animals" in the 

 Liverpool Eree Public Museum, with an introduc- 

 tion by the Rev. H. H. Higgins, M.A. 



Bee-keeping. — We cordially recommend Mr. 

 John Hunter's neat and compact " Manual of Bee- 

 keeping" to those of our readers who delight in 

 keeping this intelligent and useful insect. It is 

 well printed and fully illustrated, and the price 

 (half a crown) brings it within the reach of all. 

 Mr. Hunter writes clearly and well, and is evidently 

 an enthusiastic bee-keeper, and therefore, of course, 

 desirous that others should be. The " Manual " is 

 published by Hardwicke, 192, Piccadilly. 



STAR-FISn, AND HOW TO PRESERVE THEM. — 



Lately dredging about ten miles off the mouth of 

 the Dart, I got some very rare star-fishes. I have 

 tried for many years to kill them before they dis- 

 member themselves, which they will do almost as 

 soon as tbey come out of the water. I am happy to 

 say 1 have succeeded at last, as follows -.—The star- 

 fishes, as soon as taken from the sea, must be placed 

 directly in a large can of sea-water before they have 

 time to throw off their members. They are safe 

 now until you get home. When there, get a shallow 

 dish, and pour in some spirits of salts, diluted with 

 one-half cold water. Take the star-fishes out singly, 

 and immerse them in the liquid quickly. It kills 

 them instantly. Then place them in a dish of clean 

 water. Directly after you will find the star-fishes 

 quite perfect, and not dismembered if done quickly. 

 Now place them on a flat piece of board (the under- 

 side uppermost) in the sun until nearly dry. Then 

 turn them there, for a short time, repeatedly, and 

 then let them remain until thoroughly dry. Sea- 

 urchins can be killed instantly in the same way. 

 They never move after immersion.— .4. J. R. Sclater, 

 Teignmouth, Devon. 



BOTANY. 



The Glastonbury Thorn.— As the Glastonbury 

 Thorn seems to be creating some little interest, I 

 have .thought that the following remarks may be 

 interesting to the readers of Science-Gossip. The 

 ancient legend is so well kuown that it need not be 

 repeated here. The original tree stood on an em- 

 bankment on Weary-all Hill, and which is now 

 known as the Sea-wall. It is here that St. Joseph 

 is supposed to have landed, and planted the Thorn, 

 or, as some say, his staff, "in Memoriam." This 

 tree was cut down by a Protestant soldier of Charles 

 I., as it was thought to be a relic of Popery. The 

 original stump remained till about the year 1750. 

 There are many thorns in the neighbourhood which 

 claim to be offshoots of the original tree. The most 



