HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



14: 



April 25, Ranunculus auricomus and pignut in flower 

 — oak in leaf— wild arum in flower ; April 26, 

 " milkwort " and "hawthorn" in flower — corncrake 

 heard; April 28, "London pride," " Potentilla 

 ttnserina," and " Trifolium minus" in flower ; April 

 30, beech, rowan-tree, Wych elm and lime in leaf; 

 May 1, orange-tip butterfly seen ; May 3, "Potentilla 

 tormcntilla," " Ajuga reptans" Carduus lanceolatus, 

 and Ranunculus acris in flower. — Erratum : In May 

 No., p. 119, the words "and laurel," under date 

 March 14, should be deleted.— Rev. S. A. Brenan, 

 Cushendun, co. Antrim. 



The Variation in the Colour of Birds' 

 Eggs. — In 1883 I found, near Maidstone, a nest of 

 the nightingale {Philomela luscinia), with five eggs in 

 it. There was a gradual variation of colour on each 

 egg, forming five distinct tints, and varying from a 

 light blue, very slightly coloured with brown, to a 

 perfect light-brown ; the intermediate colours con- 

 sisted of tints of bluish-brown. The eggs with the 

 two extreme colours I have in my collection ; the 

 other three I left in the nest, for I only take those 

 eggs which vary considerably from the ordinary type. 

 If " clutch "-taking increases, it will be well for 

 naturalists, especially ornithologists, to have certain 

 nests and their contents included under the "Wild 

 Birds' Preservation Act." — E. T. B. 



Fungoid Growth on Limax agrestis. — Whilst 

 out collecting at Newlay, near Leeds, I met with 

 two specimens of L. agrestis which were covered with 

 a fine fluffy fungoid growth. Both specimens seemed 

 to be somewhat shrivelled, but otherwise were 

 perfectly normal. Is not this an unusual occurrence ? 

 — W. E. Collinge, Springfield Place, Leeds. 



Snow Bunting in Worcestershire. — I notice 

 i in last month's Science-Gossip is a notice of the 



nesting of the Snow Bunting in Worcestershire. This 



must be an error, I think. Who has seen the eggs? 



Only one or two authentic records (from extreme 

 ' northerly points) of this bird breeding in Britain 



are in existence. — H. W. M. 



Monster Purple Orchis. — It may interest 

 some of your readers to know of a monster purple 

 Orchis I found last year. The flower-head alone 

 was ten inches, the whole growth out of the ground 

 tw.o feet, number of flowers on spike about 45 to 50. 

 I made an exact sketch of it, which I should be 

 happy to send if it would be of any interest. — Marion 

 Cro-vdley. 



The Redstart. — On February 17th, 1887, a neigh- 

 bour of mine set a trap to catch some birds ; there was 

 rather a deep snow on the ground at the time. He 

 . caught several birds, and among them was a redstart 

 (Rutieilla phanicura). On the 20th February this 

 year my neighbour called me to see another redstart. 

 Is it unusual to see redstarts in midwinter ? They 

 are said to leave in autumn and return about the 

 15th April. The bird caught is stuffed. — H. Blaby. 



Curiosity of a Hedge-Sparrow. — This year 

 a pair of hedge-sparrows made their nest in some 

 pea-sticks standing in a corner in my garden, and as 

 I wanted to move them I told my boy he should have 

 the eggs when the whole of them were laid, which 

 was on April 23rd. The eggs were taken, and I put 

 a dead chaffinch on the nest I happened to have, and 

 concealed myself in a shed close by, where I 

 could see the nest, and waited the result. I 

 expected to see a commotion when the hedge- 



sparrow came back to her nest, but I was disap- 

 pointed. She hopped to the nest, and after some 

 sidling of the head and shuffling of the wings, the 

 sparrow hopped on the nest and sat on the dead 

 chaffinch, and continued to sit for four days. 

 By that time the nest was quite offensive, the 

 chaffinch being nearly rotten. I thought this very 

 singular, and that it might perhaps be interesting to 

 some of the readers of Science-Gossip. — H. Blaby. 



NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



To Correspondents and Exchangers. — As we now 

 publish Science-Gossip earlier than formerly, we cannot un- 

 dertake to insert in the following number any communications 

 which reach us later than the 8th of the previous month. 



To Anonymous Querists. — We must adhere to our rule of 

 not noticing queries which do not bear the writers' names. 



To Dealers and Others. — We are always glad to treat 

 dealers in natural history objects on the same fair and general 

 ground as amateurs, in so far as the "exchanges" offered are fair 

 exchanges. But it is evident that, when their offers are simply 

 Disguised Advertisements, for the purpose of evading the cost 

 of advertising, an advantage is taken of out gratuitous insertion 

 of " exchanges," which cannot be tolerated. 



We request that all exchanges may be signed with name (or 

 initials) and full address at the end. 



Special Note. — There is a tendency on the part of some 

 exchangers to send more than one per month. We only allow 

 this in the case of writers of papers. 



T. Rogers (Manchester). — Science-Gossip is usually pub- 

 lished about the twenty-sixth of the month. You had better 

 get your copies direct from the publishers. 



EXCHANGES. 



Offers wanted for works on conchology, and "The Micro- 

 scope." — M., 56 Clarendon Villas, West Brighton. 



Barbadoes earth, very rich, offered in exchange for mounted 

 specimens illustrating physiology of plants, with description. — 

 — J. H. Hart, F.L.S., Botanic Gardens, Trinidad. 



Offered, for good cabinet specimen each, barite, fluor 

 spar, labradorite, hypersthene, pyroxene, andesite and ser- 

 pentine, or good series small ammonites for polishing, fifty 

 varieties South Australian marine shells, including sp. chione, 

 dosinia, modiola, voluta, cypra^a, &c. — E. H. Matthews, Post 

 and Telegraph Station, Yorke Town, South Australia. 



Duplicates. — British land, freshwater, and marine shells, 

 also birds' eggs and British Lepidoptera. Desiderata, Con- 

 tinental, American, or Australian specimens. Continental 

 correspondents can apply in French, German, or Italian. — 

 William Hewett, 6 Howard Street, Fulford Road, York. 



Wanted, Helix pomatia, cartusiana, alive ; also Clausilia 

 biplicata and Rolphii, or any foreign land or freshwater shells. 

 Offered, P. ringens, umbilicata, secale ; Zonities excavatus, 

 glaber, purus, and var. margaritacea, Z. fulvus, and other 

 land and freshwater shells ; also many marine species wanted 

 European correspondents desired. — Fred. Rhodes, M.C.S., 

 26 East View, Eccleshill, near Bradford, Yorks. 



Wanted, shells from the Mediterranean and Red Sea. 

 Offered, auriferous quartz, native gold in quartz, quartz, var. 

 rock crystal, river deposit, silver ore, &c, all lrom Nova 

 Scotia. — W. Jones, jun., 27 Mayton Street, London, N. 



What offers for Bower's "Practical fJotany," Vines' " Phy- 

 siology of Plants," and Schiitzenberger's " Fermentation " ? 

 Excellent condition. — Hon. C. Leigh, 3 South Place, Knights- 

 bridge. 



Transverse section of fossil coral, Cyatkophyllum dianthus 

 and Forties petaltiformis, longitudinal section of C. dianthus 

 and Orthis canalis. Desiderata, glass top or bottom boxes, 

 marine foraminifera, star-fish, or any good mounting material. 

 No diatoms wanted. — H. Durrant, 4 Boulton Road, West 

 Bromwich. 



Slides of " Challenger," and other choice foraminifera, for 

 good foraminiferous material. — J. Ford, Wickham Lodge, 

 Kew. 



Wanted, Continental and foreign hydrobia. British land 

 and freshwater shells and hydrobiae offered in exchange. — 

 A. J. Jenkins, 6 Douglas Terrace, Douglas Street, Deptford, 

 S.E. 



