HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



239 



Brackley, on the outside of Northants, bordering on 

 the counties of Bucks and Oxfordshire. — H. Blaby. 



More Variations. — I have a milk-white speci- 

 men of the field-mouse {Arvicola arvensis), caught in 

 the hay field a few days ago. This, I think, is a 

 curiosity. Although I have caught scores of these 

 animals when rambling about the fields, I never saw 

 or heard of a white one before. — H. Blaby, Brackley, 

 Northants. 



Trumpet-Fish. — I have a son a sailor, and he 

 brings me home shells. He was lately in Java, and 

 he was much interested in a fish which made a noise 

 like a trumpet. He heard it only at one place, 

 Sourabeya, in Java. Other sailors told him they 

 never heard it anywhere else. Perhaps some of your 

 scientific contributors may be able to tell us 

 something about it. — Janet Carphin. 



The Birthplace of the Electric Telegraph. 

 — As the writer of the paper bearing this title, and 

 ' commented on by Mr. Farrant, I should like to say a 

 few words. Your correspondent points out that so 

 early as the middle of the last century discharges of 

 electricity had been sent through wires of consider- 

 able length, etc. Ronalds himself, years before he 

 made his telegraph, had often experimented in the 

 same way, as he mentions both in his book and in 

 an unpublished MS. autobiography, now in my 

 possession. The point of importance is this, that 

 although many were on the brink of the discovery, it 

 was reserved for Mr. Ronalds to be the first to 

 practically arrange a method of electric communi- 

 cation by means of dials at any distance, and not to 

 have merely formulated a system of electric inter- 

 communication on paper. He did it first, in 1816, 

 and described it en paper seven years later. — W. G. 

 Kemp. 



The Song-Thrush. — One of the most useful 

 birds about the garden during the summer months is 

 that early spring musician the song-thrush (T. 

 miisicns), the throstle and mavis of the poets. From 

 June till August this year the thrush has haunted our 

 little garden, and it has been my pleasure on many 

 occasions to watch its movements when engaged in 

 searching for the big shell snails (II. aspersa), which 

 lurk, during the day, in crevices of the walls. 

 When discovered the mollusc was dragged forth, 

 carried to some convenient stone, and there ruth- 

 lessly smashed by the bird with repeated strokes. 

 Previous to flying off with its booty to its nest in an 

 adjoining orchard, the bird always rubbed the now 

 shell-less snail in the earth several times in 

 succession ; this I imagine was to assure a firmer 

 grip of its slimy prey. We had two or three of these 

 welcome visitants to our garden this summer ; and 

 one of them, I regret to say, met with a very sad 

 end. In its persevering search for the snails, it had 

 got its head tightly wedged some distance into the 

 wall, and, being thus unable to extricate itself, had 

 perished miserably. Poor bird ! no more shall we 

 hear thy early spring carol from the " windy tall elm 

 tree." — W. H. Warner, Fyfield, Abingdon. 



NATURAL HISTORY NOTES. 



Errata in September number. — White beet should 

 be white bat, and Ardhea should be Ardkea. 



A white variety of the linnet was observed in this 

 locality last month. 



The radiant form of Centaurea nigra grows in this 

 locality. 



Montague's "Dictionary of British Birds," edited 

 by H. W. Newman, and Dallas in his "Natural 

 History," assert that the gannet or solan goose is 

 incapable of diving. The editor of " Cassell's 

 Natural History " is correct, as I can bear testimony, 

 as I have remarked gannets plunging down into the 

 sea and being perfectly submerged. — Rev. S. A. 

 Brenan, Knocknacarry, co. Antrim. 



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 our 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. 



W. D. Rae.— We shall be very pleased to have your paper 

 on the marine conchology of the coast of Aberdeen. 



R. A. Bullen. — The beetles belong to the Brachelytra, 

 family Homalidce. Its scientific name is Anthobiam ophthal- 

 micum. It is usually taken on umbelliferous plants, and is a 

 common insect. 



M. R. Y. (Surbiton). — Do you mean the cardinal grosbeak 

 or the crested tanager 1 The former is a North American bird. 



W. Weaver. — Your specimens are as follows : — No. 1 is the 

 maple-leaved goosefoot (Chenopodium hybridum) ; rather rare. 

 No. 2 is probably a monstrous form of the deadly nightshade 

 [Atropa belladonna), with malformed flowers. 



E. M. Westley. — Send us a specimen of the poppy you 

 mention, for identification. 



Young Geologist. — The specimens you sent us are not 

 "travelled fossils," but nodules formed by separation in the clay 

 beds. The flat nodules were formed in a similar manner, but 

 under slightly altered conditions. All are highly calcareous, 

 and the limy matter was probably derived from dissolved 

 shells. Get the geological survey memoir relating to the 

 pleistocene deposits of the great Cheshire plain. 



O. Custance. — The shrub you sent is Euonymits varie- 

 gatus, with a flattened or fasciated stem. 



J. Bell. — For the diagrams of coloured edible and poisonous 

 fungi, apply to Messrs. W. H. Allen & Co., Waterloo Place, 

 London. 



EXCHANGES. 



Science-Gossip for 1834 and 1885, unbound, in exchange for 

 John's "Forest Trees of Britain," 1 vol. edition, or other 

 works on botany or ornithology. — W. H. Warner, Fyfield, 

 Abingdon. 



Desiderata, British dragonflies and orthoptera, particu- 

 larly cockroaches, crickets, longhorn grasshoppers and locu-ts, 

 fiesh and unset preferred. Duplicates, British and foreign 

 lepidoptera, dragonflies, and other insects. — Editor, " Natu- 

 ralists' Gazette," Birmingham. 



Wanted, any books on the microscope, also foreign shells in 

 exchange for choice microscopic slides of every description, 

 and rare British marine shells.— R. Suter, 5 Highweek Ruad, 

 Tottenham, London. _ 



Wanted, one or two dozen common sphinx larva?. God 

 exchange given.— C. H. H. Walker, 12 Church Street, 

 Liverpool. 



Helix fortunata, cingulata, madcrensis, &c, in exchange 

 for foreign land and ireshwater shells. Lists exchanged.— 

 Colonel Parry, 18 Hyde Gardens, Eastbourne. 



Offered, thirty-two photos {5i by 8 inches, mounted on 

 cards) of views in New Zealand, comprising the Terraces, 

 volcanic and mountainous scenery. Will exchange for dis- 



