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HARDWICKE'S SCI E N C E -G O S SIP. 



Sciupus PARVULUS. — In the exchange which you 

 kindly inserted for me in a recent Science- 

 Gossip relative to the above plant, I stated that 

 A.rklow, CO. Wicklow, was "the only British station 

 at present existing:," wliere it grew. That statement 

 was erroneous, and I desire with your permission to 

 correct it at once. The Hampshire station, is, 1 be- 

 lieve, extinct, but through the kindness of Mr. A. 

 Bennett, I learn thwl Scirpus parvul us was discovered 

 in 1S69 near Poole harbour, Studland Bay, Dorset, 

 by Mr. J. C. Msmseil. I may add, that although I 

 visited the Arklow station twice this autumn for 

 specimens, only about ten plants were found in flower. 

 Thousands occurred in the barren state. — Richard 

 M. Barrington, Fassaroe, Bray. 



CoEN-CEAKE. — I faucy the birds whose decrease 

 in England during the last few years Mr. Anderson 

 and Mr. Warner rail attention to, must have mi- 

 grated to North Wales ; for I really never heard so 

 many crakes in any place, as I did near Beaumaris, 

 a small town in the island of Anglesea, where I 

 have been living for the last three years. I am sure 

 there must have heen a small colony of them in the field 

 attached to a house I rented. The rasping noise of 

 their cry often kept me awake a great portion of the 

 night, and directly I had the grass cut they moved 

 to other quarters, sufficiently near the house to be 

 heard. I like the wild cry of the Plover and of 

 various sea-birds, as they are borne away by the 

 night wind over the sea, but the note of the corn- 

 crake, like the scraping of as late-pencil, puts one's 

 teeth on edge. — Helen E. Watmy. 



Water-rat, or Vole {Arvicola ampliibiiis) . — One 

 day in August last I noticed a large heap of freshly 

 turned-up earth among growing potatoes in our 

 garden, and thinking a mole to be the cause, a trap 

 was procured, and next morning the culprit was se- 

 cured. At the first glance I took it to be a common 

 brown rat, but looking at it more closely found it 

 was a water rat, and the man from whom the trap 

 was procured declared that these aquatics burrow 

 quite as much as the mole itself. This I do not 

 dispute, seeing the efft-ct of its industry around, but 

 what I consider very strange, is the fact of this lover 

 of water being located in a walled-in garden at a 

 great dis'ance tVom its more congenial haunts. In 

 Letter 28 of White's "Selborne" a somewhat similar 

 instance is related, the rev. gentleman being ap- 

 parently as much puzzled as myself to account for 

 such a deviati<in from regular habits. In that case, 

 the animal was turned up by the plough in a chalky 

 field at a distance froivi water, and was snugly en- 

 sconced in an " hybernaculum," well provisioned 

 with potatoes. — W. U. Warner, Kingston, Abingdon. 



Duration of Bee-hives. — In a mansion in 

 Kent, recently renovated, it became necessary to 

 disturb a colony of bees which had been known for 

 thirty years to have inhabited the roof. A large 

 quantity ot honey was procured, and 40 lb. of comb 

 were removed i'roni between the rafters. Is it an 

 unusual circumstance for bees to perpetuate them- 

 selves for such a length of lime in the same locality ? 

 -A. L. 



WASPS.^Sonoe time ago, as I was returning home 

 from a walk, I strolled into an unfrequented lane 

 where I saw the following curious incident. In the 

 middle of the roadway a large wasp seemed evidently 

 engaged in some very important undertaking. Ap- 

 proaching carefully, I found it severing the head 

 from the body of one of its own species. Unfor- 

 tunately, my presence caused the insect to fly off 



before it had completed the separation, leaving the 

 sufferer, however, quite dead. I have heard that 

 wasps make war on every other fly, and that even 

 the spider himself dreads their approach, but I have 

 neither heard nor read of anything like the above 

 incident. — G. 0. Howell. 



Mounting Microscopical Material.— Is there 

 any one who will mount microscopical material sent 

 to him ? I have a great many lingual ribbons of 

 mnllusca collected in Jamaica, but unmounted, 

 which, if mounted, would be very useful for ex- 

 changes.— C. P. G. 



Young Mice and their Mother. — On looking 

 in a mousetrap I found a mouse with six young 

 ones (apparently born in captivity). On examina- 

 f tion it was discovered that all the young mice were 

 headless, their heads having been, evidently, de- 

 voured by their hungry mother. Is it usual, when 

 pressed by hunger (there being no bait left), for the 

 old ones to devour the heads only of their offspring f 

 When taken out of the trap the mouse was nearly 

 dead.— £". S. 



Mounting Mosses, &c. — Could any of your 

 correspondents inform me of the best way to mount 

 the leaves of mosses, &c., for the microscope ? It 

 has been recommended to mount them between slips 

 of glass, so that they can be moistened when it is 

 wanted to examine them; but I find that if this is 

 often done they ultimately decay. I have tried 

 balsam, but without good results. Would the 

 substance called coaguline answer the purpose? — 

 E. JF. J. 



British Shrews.— I think "J. W." will find that 

 in the new edition of Professor Bell's "British Qua- 

 drupeds," now in the press, the " Oared Shrew " will 

 be omitted, as it is inOw considered to be only a 

 variety of the Water-shrew (Sore.rf odious). I have 

 examined several intermediate varieties, and am of 

 opinion th it the S. ciliatus of Sowerby {S. remifer 

 of Yarrell) is not a true species (the continental *!>'. 

 remifer), as believed by Mr. Yarrell.— ?. S. 



Local Names.— I had a collection of birds' eggs 

 given me a short time since, and among them were 

 two labelled " Feather-poke " and " Ground-lark." 

 Both the egffs are about the size of the House- 

 spnrrow's. The names are evidently local, but I 

 cannot find either of them in Atkinson's " British 

 Birds' Eggs," although it contains most local names. 

 Perhaps sonie of your readers will inform me. It 

 would, I think, form a very interesting volume if 

 some one were to get the name of each bird, animal, 

 or in fa''t an\ thing of interest from each county, 

 as almost every bird, &c. has a local name, which is 

 very puzzling in other neighbourhoods. — Arthur 

 Smyth. 



Microscopical Queries. — Will any of your 

 readers inform me what are the best media for 

 attaching ebonite cells to the glass slips? I have 

 tried Kay's coaguline, cements, marine glue, &c., 

 but do not find any of them trustworthy. Could 

 you also inform me where I should be likely to 

 procure a micro-lantern on hire for a night or two ? 

 I want a lantern suitable for exhibiting transparent 

 microscopic slides on a screen. — Micro, Hull. 



Mounting Crystals.— A " Constant Reader " 

 (p. 237) will find two very good articles on Micro- 

 scopic Crystals in Science-Gossip for 1S60, at 

 page 33 (E'ebruary), and page 125 (June).— ^4. S. 



