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HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



plant, as a specimen was submitted to Mr. Baker, of 

 Kew, and the finder has his high authority for saying 

 that the species is certainly taraxacifolia. I observe 

 that in your August number you give an illustration 

 of an abnormal form of cabbage leaf. This is very 

 curious, but I last summer found four precisely 

 similar leaves on a cabbage-plant at Jevington, near 

 here. These leaves, which were situate about three 

 inches above the root (the lowermost leaves were 

 normal in character), formed a sort of whorl, the 

 several leaves being at equal distances from each 

 other. — R. B. P., Eastbourne. 



Vegetable Teratology. — I noticed this week 

 in a garden at Ashton-under-Lyne several examples 

 of fasciation in the stem of Tropccolum majus. In 

 one instance the flattened united mass was nearly an 

 inch broad, and was apparently the result of the 

 fusion of three distinct stems. — J. A. Wheldon. 



Dr. Braithwaite's "British Moss Flora." 

 — Part 13, being the first number of the second vol. of 

 this remarkable work, is just to hand. It deals with 

 the families Splachnacse, Oedipodiacoe, Funariaceae, 

 and Bryaceae, and is illustrated with six exquisitely 

 finished plates, giving details of structure, etc., of the 

 mosses described. This is by far the most thorough 

 and exhaustive work on British mosses ever published, 

 or likely to be for many years to come. 



The Pinks. — The very interesting account of the 

 discovery of the Cheddar pink near Guildford leads 

 me to suggest that further search should be made for 

 it in the district adjacent. The pinks, especially the 

 annual species, are very capricious in their appearance. 

 Can any one account for this ? For four or five 

 successive years I noticed the pretty Dianthus 

 armeria in abundance at Racton, in a particular 

 locality, but of late have been unable to find a single 

 example there, although I am glad to say it is still 

 found in a distant part of the parish. At a station 

 about three miles whence I am now writing, but 

 forbear to mention, Dianthus prolifer occurred in 

 hundreds this year, occasionally not more than three 

 inches in height : but, occasionally, it is scarcely to 

 to be met with at all. I should like information as 

 to why the Cheddar pink is considered the parent 

 of the family. — F. II. Arnold, The Hermitage, 

 Em sw 07'th. 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



Colours of Shells. — As I take an interest in the 

 subject of colour, I should be greatly obliged if Mr. 

 Williams would give me references to " the few who 

 have written on the subject " of the colour of shells. — 

 E. A. Barnes. ' 



Acarus AND Bombus. — Can any one inform me 

 if a species of acarus found on Bombus terrestris kills 

 this insect ? I found two on a dead bee, of which I 



kept one for three days, during which three bombi, 

 put in the same box with it, died. — W. H. Seyfang, 

 The Cedars, Maidstone. 



Query about a Poppy.— I have gathered a 

 poppy which I cannot identify, and which I am at a 

 loss whether to consider as a hybrid or a distinct 

 species. In form of capsule, colour of petals, and 

 general appearance it is like P. Rhaas, but the hairs 

 on the stem are closely pressed as in P. Dubium. I 

 have gathered from three different localities near 

 Northampton specimens of the same. — E. M. 

 Westley. 



Fasciated Stems.— Dr. J. E. Taylor might be 

 glad to know that I observed a fasciated stem of the 

 sycamore, and also orange-lily this summer. I also 

 observed once a red moss-rose with another growing 

 from its centre ; and I had a specimen of Lathyrus 

 in my garden, the stems of which were extraordinarily 

 fasciated. — S. A. Brenan. 



Seaweeds.— A. H. B. (p. 214) points out that 

 Peveril Point, Swanage, is an excellent hunting- 

 ground for seaweeds. Will he kindly give the names 

 of the less common species he has found there, 

 whether with reproductive organs, and the month. — 

 T. H. B. 



Helix lamellata in Ireland. — Your corre- 

 spondent, J. R. B. Mansfield, in the August 

 " Gossip," in his very interesting letter about the 

 Mollusca, &c, of N. Stafford, mentions that district 

 as the southern limit of Helix lamellata; it may 

 interest him and others to know that in Ireland its 

 distribution ranges somewhat farther south. Near 

 Clonmel, in the south of co. Tipperary, and some 

 forty or fifty miles south of Cheadle, from which 

 Mr. Mansfield writes, this shell is found in abun- 

 dance. In almost any of the wooded glens, on 

 either side of the R. Suil, i.e. in co. Waterford, or 

 co. Tipperary, a handful of decaying leaves taken at 

 random would be almost sure to provide specimens. 

 I fancied that it specially loved the debris under the 

 rhododendron. The shells usually found with it 

 were, Hy. cryslalina and Carychinus minus. I 

 believe that I took H. lamellata in Killarney three 

 years ago, but cannot lay my hands on the speci- 

 mens. — Alex. H. Delap. 



Colouring of Eggs. — I am glad to find that Mr. 

 Nunn is able to confirm the accuracy of my state- 

 ment that eggs of sea-fowl do occasionally occur with 

 the bulk of the colouring at the smaller end. I also 

 think it is of more frequent occurrence than Mr. 

 Nunn seems to imagine, as several examples of such 

 varieties have come under my notice. Some time 

 ago Mr. William Hewitt, of York, who possesses a 

 very fine series of seabirds' eggs, and visits the 

 breeding stations every year for the sole purpose of 

 selecting varieties, informed me that he occasionally 

 came across such forms ; and it is very probable that 

 he has examples in his cabinet. It seems to me very 

 unlikely that such an egg as that of the guillemot 

 should be turned or reversed after once entering the 

 oviduct, but never having dissected the bird, and 

 having a very superficial acquaintance with ornitho- 

 logical anatomy, I would certainly not venture to 

 state that such a thing was impossible — therefore I 

 leave Mr. Nunn's theory to those most qualified to 

 discuss such matters, being content to have brought 

 to notice this slight emendation of the facts upon 

 which it is based. — J. A. Wheldon. 



Late Appearance of the Swift (Cypselus 

 apus). — On the evening of Sept. 24th, which was 



