HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE- GOSSIP. 



283 



to be general throughout the Mediterranean region, 

 and in many plaees it occurs in great profusion. 

 It is the M. prie-dieu of the southern provinces of 

 Erance and Italy." 



Dogs and Portraits.— " J. R. D.'s" Pome- 

 ranian dog is not singular in his dislike of a por- 

 trait. Some years ago we had a Pomeranian who 

 took a particular dislike, to a portrait of my grand- 

 father, which hangs in the dining-room ; sometimes 

 she would jump up and bark at it without any 

 apparent reason, but if the wind made a noise in 

 the chimney she would often jump on to the side- 

 board (over whichtheportraithangs),togetatit. Any 

 noise whatever that she didn't understand she used to 

 refer to this picture and bark accordingly — flatter- 

 ing for the artist. I may mention that the eyes in 

 the portrait are very well done, and seem to look at 

 you wherever you stand ; this may have had some- 

 thing to do with it. — Edward Thornton Evans. 



Double Anemones. — There is at the present 

 moment living in my marine tank a specimen of the 

 " Plumose " anemone from Tenby, which has been 

 gradually developing for some time past ; another 

 about half way un the stem, and now presents all 

 the appearance of a double anemone. Is not this 

 very unusual ? — W. H. 



Breaking of Fern- cases.— Looking over the 

 back Nos. of Science -Gossip, 1 find on page 119, 

 No. 5, an inquiry in regard to the breaking of the 

 shade of a fern-case, the owner suggesting that it 

 might be due to the expansion of heated air. This 

 is very unlikely. If the shade fitted tightly in a 

 groove, this might occasion it, but the most pro- 

 bable cause is that in wiping the interior shade at 

 some time the surface was slightly scratched, and 

 this scratch suddenly extended into a crack. This 

 is no uncommon circumstance. Barometer tubes 

 are frequently cracked by wiping them with gritty 

 cloth pushed through with a wire ; and on one 

 occasion I lost several glass jars from having been 

 careless in freeing them from sand and grit before 

 wiping them out. They stood quietly on the shelves 

 for some time and then fell to pieces apparently 

 without any cause. — J. P. 



Enormous Puff-ball. — I have in my possession a 

 specimenofthe common Puff-ball, Lycoperdon gemma- 

 turn, of what 1 imagine to be a very unusual size, which 

 was found near this town on September 22nd. The 

 dimensions are as follows : — Height from the ground, 

 5£in. ; greatest diameter, 6| in. ; diameter at right 

 angles to same, 4^ in. ; circumference, 18 in. It is 

 of a very light and spongy consistency, but never- 

 theless weighs 13i oz. I am not aware that it is a 

 different species from the common one ; as, size 

 excepted, it has precisely the same appearance, 

 smell, &c, both externally and internally, as the 

 latter. — Frank J. Allen, Shepton Mallet, Somerset. 



Goldfish Breeding.— Will A. J. R. Sclater, 

 in explanation of his article in September number, 

 kindly say if the fish given away from the ponds of 

 his friend lived and grew, and also can he explain 

 how it was that the fish would breed in the ponds 

 of his friend and not in his own tank, although he 

 tried for twelve years ? Will he also explain how 

 the tanks or ponds were supplied with water, and 

 what would be about the temperature of the water 

 during.the breeding-time ? — J. B. Ky. 



Dianthus oesius. — Your _ correspondent 

 "H. A. M." has given an interesting account of 



Cheddar, but I think he is mistaken in saying that 

 the Cheddar Pink {Dianthus casius) is nearly extinct. 

 I have occasionally visited Cheddar for a good many 

 years, and have found the pink any time I have 

 looked for it, but never more abundantly than in 

 June of this year. Perhaps "H. A. M." has been 

 too "prudent" to go where the "women" go to 

 obtain them. 



EXCHANGES (continued). 



Ecos of Curlew, Common Sandpiper, Kingfisher, Dipper, 

 Red Grouse, Crow, Ray's Wagtail, Kestrel, Sparrow-hawk, 

 and others, tor other good Eggs. — R. Standen, Goosnargh, 

 near Preston, Lancashire.) 



Lepidoptkra, British Land and Freshwater Shells, for 

 others, or for works on Natural History. — W. K. Mann, 

 Granby House, Granby-hill, Clifton. Bristol. 



Well-mounted Slides or good Material for mounting; for 

 unmounted Animal Parasites, in spiiits. — John Boyd, Sunny- 

 side, Victoria-park, Manchester. 



Rare Species of British Land and Freshwater Shells offered 

 for specimens of Unio tumidus, var. ovalis, from the Exeter 

 canal, or specimens of the white transparent Bulimus acutus, 

 from Cornwall. — Address, Miss Fanny N. Hele, Fairlight, 

 Elmgrove-road, Coltram, Bristol. 



Other Rare Plants wanted, for Astrantia major, Lychnis 

 viscaria, Carum vertieillatum, Rutnex maritimus, Senebiera 

 didyma,'- Calamagrostis lunceoluta, &c. &c. — H. L. J., 33, 

 Bridge-street, Cambridge. 



Well- blown specimens of Puffin, Razorbill, Shag, Herring 

 Gull, Lesser B. B. Gull, Oyster-catcher, ftc, for other good 

 Eggs.— Alfred Bindon, 22, Argyll- street, W. 



For the beautiful little Millipede, Polyxenes la gurus (alive 

 or dead), or its hairs mounted, send two good mounted 

 Slides. The Millipede is illustrated in Science-Gossip for 

 1872, page 31. No lists accepted.— C. Eaton, 48, Curriers- 

 lane, Ipswich. 



Eggs of Great Crested Grebe, Ring-Ousel, Red-breasted 

 Merganser, Quail, Lesser Tern, Black Tern, Arctic Tern, 

 Creeper, Kestrel, Mealy Redpole, Woodchat, Shrike, and 

 others (with one side hole), for other good Eggs. — T. W. 

 Dealy, 142, Clarence-etreet, Sheffield. 



Mookeria la>te-virens (not in fruit), THchostomum flexicaule , 

 ilycerella julacea, offered for Bartramidula Wilsoni, (Edipo- 

 dium Griffithe.anum , Bryum demissum, Buxbaumia aphylla, or 

 other rare Mosses.— Miss Fisher, 6, Wallerton-road, St. 

 Peter's-park, Paddington, W. 



Wanted, 39, 135, 194, 220, 260, 345, 36fl, 535, 637, 701, 746, 



772, 1029, 1103, 1135, 1208, 1225, 1229, 1233, 1263, 1282, 1293, 

 1321,1341,1342, 1352, 1363, 1411, 1474, 1618, Lon. Cat., 7th 



edition. Send lists of Desiderata.— J. Harbord Lewis, 180, 

 Mill-street, Liverpool, S. 



BOOKS, &c. RECEIVED. 



"The Octopus." By Henry Lee, F.L.S., &c. London: 

 Chapman & Hall. 



"Optics and Light." By Dr. Lommel. London: H. S. 

 King & Co. 



" Monthly Microscopical Journal." November. 



" Land and Water." * November. 



" Boston Journal of Chemistry." October. 



'* American Naturalist." October. 



"The Western." October. 



"Ben Brierley's Journal." 



" Transactions of Watford Natural History Society." 



"Transactions of Eastbourne Natural History Society." 



" Journal of Applied Science." 



Communications Received up to 8th ult. prom :— 

 F K.— G. H. K.— J. R. S. C— C. H. G.-J. P. B.— J. E. S.— 

 w \y w.-J. F. R.— F. R. M.— C. M. C— S. A. B.-G. B.— 

 W' E.— R. B.— E. M. F.— R. S.— W. W. R.— T. P.— H. B. T.— 

 J L H.— C. P.— T. W. W.— J. P. G.— E. C. O.— W. K. M.— 

 Dr L L.— H. J. T.-M. M.— G; S.— J. P.— A. J. R. S.— 

 WS.jun.— J. W.-J. B.— W. H. P.— W. G.-J. H. F.-W. P. 

 _ A e— W. F.— F. W. R.-A. M. C.-J. P.— C. M. C— 

 H E w— T. W. D.-H. B.— A. B.— W. W. W.— C. D.— C. B. 

 — Dr' C. C. B.— W. H G — C. E.— E. N. B— J. C.-J. C. T.— 

 F H . w.— W. G. C— E. D. M.-E. E.— C. P. O.— H. J. M.— 



f" e f.- h. l. j.— g. h. k.-f. m. h.-j. h.-w. e.— B. B. 



— G O. H.-E. M. -J. P. B— J. G.— L. R. G.-C. L.— J. H. U. 



— R L — T. B. W.-W. H. G.— F. C.-T. B.— T. B. L.—T. J. 

 — F* H F.— J. H.— H. T. R.-J. S. M.— W. W.— C. M. C— 

 R h F.— T- H. B.— C. H. M.— J. H. J.— H. P. M.— W. G. C. 

 — F H. A- J. H. M.-J. B.-F.— W. G. C— W. P.- J. R. T.— 

 H C. C. M.— W. G. D.-M.-W. W. W.-J. S. A.— J. H.— 

 A. J. R. S.— O.— J. H. G.— E. H. W.— &c. &c. 



