IIAllDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



263 



altar-tomb surrounded by iron railing, within which 

 several self-sown trees had got, and quite em- 

 bowered the tomb with a dense growth of verdure. 

 As far as I remember, three of the trees were ash, 

 hawthorn, and elder. This was the tomb of a lady 

 once residing in the parish, but whose family had 

 long left the neighbourhood. In a churchyard not 

 far from Worcester, an ash-tree, nature-planted, 

 has been suffered to spring up within the railing of 

 a lady's tomb, and as it grows larger will probably 

 displace both tomb and railing. The lady's family 

 left the parish some years since. So only last 

 summer 1 observed two large trees— hawthorn and 

 sycamore— within the railing of a tomb in Conway 

 churchyard. North Wales. Tliey were evidently of 

 many years' growth, and had completely embowered 

 and almost hidden the tomb. These are not trees 

 that are planted over graves, for the weeping- 

 willows and evergreens that are often placed in 

 cemeteries by lamenting friends seldom grow so 

 well as these wildings planted by Nature's hand. 

 The Ash, from having winged seeds, is the most 

 likely tree to get into neglected spots, and will even 

 mount upon old pollard willows. But I have "no 

 tale to tell " about these vegetable intruders, and 

 should not like to reflect on the memory of the 

 dead whose remains they shadow. These intrusive 

 seedlings are, however, quite in the usual course of 

 vegetable growth, though old tombs in country 

 churchyards are more commonly invested with ivy 

 or hidden by brambles. But occasionally trees get 

 within churches, as at Ross, Herefordshire, where 

 the stolons of a felled elm in the churchyard have 

 forced their way within the sacred structure, and 

 now embower a pew, tvhere, it is said, the famed 

 " Man of Ross " used to sit ! This is made a wonder 

 of by the Rossites, and photographs of the intru- 

 sive elm have been made, and are sold to inquisitive 

 visitors. As "shady rows" of elms, as Pope says, 

 were planted by the Man of Ross, there is some- 

 thing poetical and grateful in an elm offering a 

 frondal bower to his memory where he once sat 

 and worshipped. In Kempsey church, near Wor- 

 cester, in a recess of the north wall, is the recum- 

 bent efligy of a knight in armour, which is shadowed 

 by a horse-chestnut in full foliage ; and by whatever 

 chance the tree has sprung up within the church, it 

 is allowed to grow there, and makes a pleasing 

 object in contrast with the white walls of the 

 chined.— Echoiu Lees, F.L.S., Green Bill Summit, 

 Worcester. 



Earthworms, &c. — A short time ago I witnessed 

 a curious encounter. An earthworm about three 

 inches in length was in violent contortions, twisting 

 itself into the shape of the letter S, and throwing 

 itself out again, evidently striving to rid itself of 

 an enemy. On closer inspection, this enemy was a 

 small thmg about half an inch in length with a 

 brownish head and lighter-coloured body, which 

 had lastened itself like a weasel on the body of the 

 worm. I tried to secure the assailant, but it 

 vanished too quickly for me into the light niould. 

 I had but an imperfect view of it. Could it have 

 been a wireworm, or are you aware of any insect 

 likely thus to attack the common worm ? The next 

 morning 1 secured the worm with a piece off its 

 body : this part was quite paralyzed, and in a few 

 hours the worm was dead. — If. A. C. 



Addek-bites.— Permit me to call your attention 

 to a case (a fatal one) of poisoning by the bite of 

 an adder, x\hich occurred m Sutherlandshire, and 

 has been recorded in Land and JFater of August 1. 



I drew your attention, two months ago, to a case 

 that had occurred in Sussex, but 1 did not see any 

 notice of it in Science-Gossip. My reason for 

 wishing the matter should be alluded to is simply 

 this : I, a few years ago, mentioned that I knew of 

 instances wherein the bite of a viper had caused 

 death ; and my assertion drew forth much contra- 

 diction. That I stated a fact has been fully borne 

 out since, by the unfortunate occurrence of several 

 fatal accidents from a like cause. — //. E. Watney. 



Stocking Aquaria.— When living by the sea I 

 used the two following methods, recommended by 

 the Rev. J. G. Wood, to obtain aquarium objects. 

 I either chipped off the piece of rock to which the 

 anemone was attached, and transferied it bodily to 

 my aquarium, or I used a very thin paper-knife, 

 and slowly peeled the Actinia from the rock. lu 

 using the last method great care must be exercised, 

 or the sucking base will be injured. In selecting 

 anemones it is best to pick out the smallest, as 

 they seem hardier, and do not require so much 

 water. With regard to fish, I always obtained 

 specimens from the nets of the fishermen, or from 

 the rock-pools at low tide. Of course in keeping 

 fish, anemones, &c., you must have fronds of algae 

 in the water, or your specimens will not thrive. 

 With regard to food, it is better not to feed your 

 anemones much, as they will live for months 

 without any, and be none the worse for their fast. 

 If you give them anything, let it be a tiny morsel 

 of meat. — }F. H. Rean. 



Ocops. — In answer to Mr. Harry Leslie, I think 

 I can say that the term " Ocop " is applied in Devon 

 principally to Melolonthidce (cockchafer), and is a 

 corruption of oak-web, probably from Anglo- Saxon 

 " wibba," a worm._ The smaller chafer with green 

 thorax — I forget its name, common on fern — is 

 always called Pern-web, as it is Bracken-clock in 

 Scotland. It is famous as a trout- bait. — Charles 

 Kingsley, Eversley Rectory. 



Ocops. — The word "Ocops "which your corre- 

 spondent Harry Leslie has heard applied to 

 various beetles in South Devon, is, I beheve, the 

 same which in North Devon is given to cockchafers 

 only. I have always understood that the word is 

 a corruption of oak-web, and that cockchafers were 

 so called because, at certain seasons, they are found 



in great numbers on oak-trees.- 



-W. F. Richards. 



BOOKS, &c. RECEIVED. 



"A Synopsis of British Mosses." By C. P. Hobkirk. 

 London : L. Reeve & Co. 

 " Popular Science Review." October. London: Hardwicke. 

 " Monthly Microscopical Journal." October. 

 "Journal of Applied Science." 

 "The Animal World." 

 " American Naturalist." September. 

 " Les Mondes." 

 " The Colonist." &c., &c. 



Communications Rbceived prom : — W. E. — W. R. H. — 

 B. M.— H. W.- J. E. R.— T. B.- W. T.— C. P. O.— J. H. B. B.— 

 H. M.— C. D.— J. W.— F. W.- J. P.— J. G.— A. W. L.— L. A. B. 

 — H. A. K.— R. W.— W. G.— A. N.— J. H. B.— J. C— W. D. R. 

 —J. T.— W. P.— W. H. P.— H. G. W. A.— W. S.— T. B. W.— 

 V^r. L. S.— J. G.— J. K. J.-H. G G.— E. H.— W T.-C. H. B.— 

 W. R. H,— J. B. M.— F. H. A.— B W.— F L— W. M.— J. W. H. 

 — D. B.— Dr. S.— E. H — J. K. J- J. S— H. B. T.— R. T. S.— 

 W P. F.— F W.— W. M. R.— E. W.M.— C. U.-R. R.— J.T.— 

 W. H.— C. V. G.— W. W. S.— T. B.— W. W.— B. W. G.— A. W.— 

 W. G. P.— G. R. W.— W. H. G.-W. F. S.-J. A.-G. D. B.— 

 A. F. F.— J. P.— J. T. T. R.— J. S.-J. M. K.- H. P. A.— 

 A. deS. G.— C. G— J. K.— L. R. T.-K.-C. F. W.— S. A. B.- 

 J. W.— A. C. H.— W. A. v.— T. L.— M. M.— J. W,— W^. S. P. 



