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HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



Zootica Vivipara. — It seems marvellous that a 

 cold-blooded animal like this lizard should bring forth 

 its young alive, but I believe the explanation of the 

 phenomenon to be as follows : Zootica vivipara is 

 extremely fond of basking in the sun, and it will lie 

 for hours on the hot sands unless disturbed. The 

 females when they are full of eggs are especially 

 prone to this, and I think it highly probable they do 

 this instinctively, and instead of burying their eggs in 

 a dunghill, as the viper does, incubate them them- 

 selves (if the expression may be permitted) by lying 

 in the hot sunshine in the manner just described. — 

 Albert H. Waters ; B.A., Cambridge, 



" Pond-life in the Parks." — It would be 

 interesting if E. H. W., who writes from Birming- 

 ham, would give some details concerning some of the 

 species in his list of Rotifera. Two of them, Di- 

 stemma forjicula and Kattuhis lunarisi, appear to be 

 new to Britain, unless, indeed, as it seems difficult not 

 to suspect, the latter is identical with Gosse's Ca'lopus 

 porcellus (see " The Rotifera," vol. ii. p. 67). The 

 only habitat assigned to the former in Dr. Hudson's 

 supplement is "Near Berlin" (p. 31). It seems 

 doubtful whether Monura dulcis has been found in 

 England before; Gosse mentions ("The Rotifera," 

 vol. ii. p. no) specimens of what he supposed to be 

 this species, sent him by Mr. Lord ; but the only 

 habitats given at p. 47 of the Supplement are " Near 

 Berlin ; possibly Cattaro." Ptygura melicerta is 

 assigned by Dr. Hudson to the genus QScistes, under 

 the name of CEc. ptygura. Brachimus amphiceros is 

 considered by the same authority as a variety of B. 

 pala. The Tardigrada are not generally included 

 among the Rotifera, nor has Chcetonotus a place in 

 Hudson and Gosse's work. — J. IV. Blagg. 



BOTANY. 



Vegetable Teratology. — The following 

 " sports " may be of interest : (1) Inula dyscnterica, 

 in which the same peduncle bore two distinct flower- 

 heads pressed close together back to back. (2) A 

 double cherry, i.e., two pedicels joined together to 

 within \ inch of the top, each bearing a fruit. (3) 

 Bellis perenuis, in which the involucral bracts were so 

 large that they looked like a cluster of small leaves ; 

 this was found in mid-winter. (4) Plantago lanceo- 

 lata, in which each peduncle bore, instead of a 

 simple spike, a whole plant in miniature, leaves 

 included. In Jersey I have often seen this plantain 

 bearing clusters of spikelets, instead of solitary spikes. 

 Is this a common form ? — J. E. C. 



The Botany of Sutherland. — I was not very 

 surprised on reading Mr. Bennett's remarks (p. 44) 

 relative to my paper on Sutherland in the last 

 September number. The fact is that the floral 

 features of north-west Scotland are rather puzzling 



both as regards the peculiar aspects of certain species 

 of plants, and also the life-zones wherein they are 

 found. Recognising these difficulties, I actually did, 

 prospectively as it were, take the advice of Mr. 

 Bennett, and gave myself considerable trouble in 

 consulting Watson and other authorities in order to 

 verify as far as possible the rather surprising " finds " 

 which I personally noted on the spot. Moreover, I 

 observed one particularly conspicuous flowering 

 plant, totally new to me, of which, after turning over 

 nearly the whole of Sowerby, I cannot say that I 

 know the name. However, to discuss particulars, it 

 may be admitted that the R. lingua may have been 

 a large variety of R. flammula, that Orchis morio 

 may have been mistaken for another species (although 

 it was uncommonly like some I had recently seen 

 from Surrey), that Pinguicula Scotica is a slip for 

 Primula Scotica, and that Salsola maritima may be 

 termed S. Kali. On the other hand, that I actually 

 did see Geranium pusillum and Linum angustifolium 

 I have not the shadow of a doubt, but both were 

 probably aliens, the former appeared as if an 

 offshoot from a garden. Galium mollugo, as far 

 as I remember, was observed in or near a wood — a 

 very rare thing in Sutherland, and, as to Valeriana 

 dioica, the plant seen was the plant known to me by 

 that name. I have not got by me just now the notes 

 referred to, so that I cannot perhaps do full justice to 

 the subject ; but I may add that the " collecting " of 

 plants, rare or common, save for direct and immediate 

 personal research, has never been my practice, and, 

 as respects other individuals, has always been a 

 subject for expostulation. — P. Q. Kegan. 



A New British Plant. — Mr. Charles _ Bailey, 

 F.L.S., sends us a copy of his paper reprinted from 

 the "Memoirs and Proceedings of the Manchester 

 Literary and Philosophical Society," on " Arenaria 

 Gothica as a Plant New to Britain." The specimens 

 of plant were found by Mr. Bailey, at Ribbleshead, 

 Yorkshire. The find is all the more interesting, in 

 that the plant had hitherto been restricted to two 

 Swedish localities. 



New British Alg^e. — At the meeting of the 

 Linnaean Society of London, December 5th, 1SS9, 

 Mr. E. M. Holmes exhibited, as a new British marine 

 alga, a specimen of Gracilaria divergens, a rare 

 native of the warmer portions of the Atlantic and 

 the Mediterranean, which had been recently found 

 at Brighton by Mr. J. Miles. The specimen ex- 

 hibited possessed tetrasporic and cystocarpic fruits 

 not described by Agarth. 



Destruction of Rare Plants. — In the last 

 number of Science-Gossip there is a very interesting 

 article on rare plants, and their becoming more rare 

 in consequence of being so much hunted after and 

 rooted up. Primula farinosa is very plentiful in 

 Teesdale, and I think that it will never be extermin- 



