234 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



diatom by its own elasticity. By reversing the 

 process the diatom thus taken from the store slide 

 may be deposited in a minute drop of water, placed 

 on the gummed cover, near the spot where the 

 group is to be arranged. It may then be coaxed 

 into position by means of the single hair. The 

 usual hunting-ground for these split bristles is an 

 old shaving-brush, and the microscopist should not 

 rest saitsfied until he has found one with which _he 

 can work comfortably.— i'\ W. M. 



ZOOLOGY. 



The Canteebury Tick {Argas reflexiis). — To 

 the question put by W. W. Spicer, on page 185, as 

 to whether the representation of the claws with the 

 foot in fig. 86 is quite correct, I must answer, they 

 are not correct ; and how I could be guilty of such 

 an oversiglit, puzzles me. Until he drew my atten- 

 tion to it (for which I thank him) 1 had not noticed 

 it. On referring to the sketch of the young Argas 

 (fig. S3), it will be seen that five out of sis of the 

 claws are placed in their proper position. Those 



Fig. 1 64. Foot and claws of Argas rejlxus (highly magiiiSed). 



sketches were taken from dead specimens that I had 

 mounted. The annexed drawing of the foot and 

 claw is from a living specimen which will rectify the 

 mistake I had inadvertently fallen into in fig. 86. 

 I have only three specimens living, and on August 

 22nd I observed that one of them had laid about 40 

 eggs. As I expect in about six or eight weeks they 

 will be hatched, I should feel obliged if any of the 

 readers of Science-Gossip would furnish me with 

 some plan to preserve them alive, as their further 

 development would be interesting to witness. — 

 James FuUagar, Canterbury. 



TETRANYcnus Lapidum {Slone Mite). — I have 

 found the ova of this insect plentifully this summer 

 on large flint pebbles. Never having met with the 



object before, I doubted as to its nature, for on 

 examining it through a lens, it has very much the 

 appearance of a minute fungus, dispersed in groups 

 within the shelter of the shallow sulci of the flint. 

 Each organism measures about the y^ inch in 

 diameter. I submitted specimens to Dr. Cooke, who 

 very soon resolved my doubts, referring me to 

 Science-Gossip, vol. iii. p. 126, figs. 93, 94, where 

 I find the insect and its eggs very accurately 

 delineated, with references to other works which I 

 have not the opportunity of making use of. It is 

 an interesting microscopical object under a low 

 power, and when submitted to x 300, displays an 

 infinite number of molecules having a vibratory 

 motion. I do not know the nature of these minute 

 bodies, but if they are embryonic germs, the ovum 

 must be wonderfully prolific. — IF. Smart. 



New Species of Euiiopean Lizaed.— Dr. A. 

 Giinther has recently described a new species of 

 Lizard from a collection of reptiles made by Lord 

 Lilford during a cruise in the Mediterranean. He 

 has named it after its discoverer, Zootoca LUforcU. 

 The upper parts of this lizard are of a deep shiny 

 black, and the lower of a beautiful sapphire-blue. 

 The largest specimen was five and three quarter 

 inches in length, of which the tail measured three 

 inches and a quarter. Lord Lilford found this 

 species inhabiting a very small island on the south- 

 east of Minorca, in considerable numbers ; and Dr. 

 Giinther now refers the lizard so common on the 

 Tilfola Rock, south of Malta, to the same species. 



EiYMOLOGt of Aphis. — The recent references to 

 this family of insects suggests a question of some 

 interest, and which has been found to be attended 

 with no small amount of difficulty, to prove whence 

 is the word Aphis derived ? As it is not found in the 

 Greek lexicons or Latin dictionaries, it was pro- 

 bably unknown to the ancients, and the pi'csumption 

 is that it was coined by Linnreus. Assuming that 

 he formed the word correctly, I believe that he 

 derived Aphis {i.e. Aphid, as the plural shows) from 

 the Greek a privative and -pJieidomai {(peiSoj.iai'), "to 

 spare," and that he meant to describe these creatures 

 as unsparing in their destructiveness. The correct- 

 ness of this derivation I am prepared to substan- 

 tiate, if called upon to do so, on philological as well 

 as other grounds. On the other hand, it v/ould not 

 be difiieult; to show the untenablcness of all the 

 other proposed etymologies with which I am 

 acquainted : e.g., from ap/iienii (aipiiji-ti), to emit, with 

 reference to the honey-dews exuded by the insect ; 

 from haptoriiai (uTrTOfiai), to touch, with reference to 

 its crowding together in masses ; from aplmsso 

 (ci^iKTo-w), to draw out, with reference to its habit 

 of sucking the juices of plants ; from a and phus 

 {i>ve, 2ud aor. part, of ^uoi), with reference to its 

 parthenogenesis. It would, however, greatly help to a 

 solution of the question if we could know in what 



