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HARD WJCKE ' S S CIE NCR - G O SSI P. 



many doubtful, and one or two new forms of the free- 

 swimming rotifera. Since my last note was written 

 I have become fully aware of the good things in 

 store for all enthusiastic lovers of these charming 

 animals, and I hope that Dr. Hudson will soon be in 

 a position to make some announcement as to its 

 appearance. The first portion of Mr. Bousfield's 

 suggestion, in the concluding part of his communica- 

 tion, is very good, and I shall be happy to further the 

 object in view, the more so as I have a large number 

 of drawings of the less-frequently recurring forms. 

 The last portion of this suggestion is, I am afraid, 

 impracticable There would be little difficulty in 

 sending specimens of the fixed Rotifers, but the roving 

 fraternity would be difficult to manage, as we seldom 

 get pure gatherings, as a diatomist would say ; that 

 is, we generally find numerous species, representing 

 probably several genera, all together in one gathering, 

 and if the particular specimen of interest was only 

 present in limited numbers, there would be a great 

 difficulty in indicating which you meant ; and if this 

 was got over, by good drawings and precise descrip- 

 tions, the receiver might never come across it in the 

 wilderness of weeds. This difficulty being got over, 

 I predict a large field of usefulness to the " Rotifer 

 Exchange Club,"— y. E. Lord, Kawtcnstall. 



The Essex Field Clue. — Part S of vol. ii. of 

 the Transactions of this flourishing society has just 

 appeared. It contains the conclusion of Mr, R. M. 

 Christy's valuable paper on " The Species of the 

 genus Primula in Essex ; with observations on their 

 variation and distribution, and the relative number 

 and fertility in Nature of the two forms of Flowers " 

 (illustrated) ; a Report of the Committee appointed 

 to investigate the ancient earthwork in Epping Forest, 

 known as " Loughton " or " Cowper's " Camp, 

 (illustrated); "Notes on the London Clay, and 

 Bagshot Beds at Oakhill Quarry, Epping Forest," by 

 thehon. sec. Mr. William Cole. Besides the above, 

 there are abstracts of short papers read, a Journal of 

 Proceedings, &c. 



BOTANY. 



Mimicry of Mint by Dog's Mercury. — We 

 have several pots of common lamb mint in our 

 garden, and a few days ago we made a curious 

 discovery in connection with one of them. One pot 

 had only one genuine plant of mint in it, the rest of 

 the vessel being filled with dog's mercury {Merairialis 

 percmiis), in colour, shape, and habit closely re- 

 sembling mint. To a botanist, of course, the de- 

 ception would be evident at once, but a casual 

 observer would, I know, find it difficult to detect the 

 difference, unless he knew exactly what to look for. 

 The imitating plant, which had probably been con- 

 veyed there in the first instance by birds, had 



almost crowded the unfortunate mint out of existence, 

 for although in a fairly flourishing state last year, 

 there was now, as I have said, only one plant left, 

 and that in a somewhat sickly state. I do not think 

 that in a wild state one could possibly mistake the 

 two plants, but here, placed close together as they 

 were, and under the same conditions, except that the 

 dog's mercury was in more luxuriant quarters than 

 it usually inhabits, the resemblance was, at a glance, 

 almost perfect. — P. S. Taylor. 



Skeleton Leaves. — These may easily be made, 

 in the case of most leaves at any rate, by macerating 

 for a few days in rain-water. The leaves should be 

 placed in a plate or dish, and the water changed 

 daily, or every two days. In a short time, varying 

 according to the leaf operated on, the outer tissue 

 will become soft ; when it should be carefully removed 

 with a camel's hair brush. It will occasionally be 

 necessary to use the fingers as well as the brush, but 

 this should be avoided if possible. The skeleton may 

 be bleached by several methods ; but for scientific 

 purposes they are perhaps better in their natural 

 state. — H. Sno'cuden Ward. 



Skeleton Leaves, — A simple method of obtain- 

 ing skeleton leaves is to make a solution of chloride 

 of lime (one oz. chloride of lime to a quart of water), 

 and then to steep the leaves in it for from four to six 

 or seven hours, according to their size. On taking 

 them out, the skin will be found to peel off easily, by 

 the aid of a small camel-hair brush, — W. G. H. 

 Taylor. 



Senecio vulgaris, var. radiatus. — It may 

 interest your botanical readers to know that I gathered 

 two plants of Smccio vulgaris, variety radiatus, on 

 the sand-hills between Wallasey and Leasowe, in 

 Wirral, Cheshire. I gathered them on the 23rd of 

 May, and I went again about a month later, and 

 found several plants which were just recognisable as 

 the same variety, although they were almost over and 

 dying down. — S. Slater. 



Sagittaria sagittifolia. — Last autumn, I 

 planted two strong specimens of this plant in a pot, 

 and sunk it in a shallow tank, wishing to have it 

 under my observation. Early this spring, intending 

 to examine its roots, I turned the pot over, and, to my 

 surprise, at first sight it seemed to have entirely 

 disappeared. After a careful search in the mud, I 

 found two small tubers about the size and shape of 

 snowdrop bulbs, hard and very compact, and coveral 

 with a thin, duck -green skin. Is this the manner in 

 which this plant usually hybernates ? and is this fact 

 generally known ? — B. P. 



A " Sport " in Hibiscus. — My attention was 

 called by my sisters one morning lately, to a strange 

 freak on the part of our buff-coloured, double- 

 flowered hibiscus. On a branch on one of the 



