22 



HA RD WICKE'S SCIENCE- G 0SS1P. 



Fungus Crop of 1887.— I can fully corroborate 

 your correspondent, Mr. Waddell, in his note of 

 last month, as to the remarkable scarcity of fungi 

 during the past season. As he has remarked, this 

 is more particularly noticeable with regard to the 

 pasture species, always excepting the common mush- 

 room {Agariats campestris), which seemed to be 

 peculiarly abundant. In fields where last year I 

 could have gathered basketfuls of the various species 

 of Hygrophorus, scarcely a single specimen was to 

 be found this year, and many of the species I have 

 •entirely failed to notice. In localities where for 

 years I have never missed a supply of Lepiota rachodes 

 and L. procerus, not a single specimen appeared this 

 year. Woodland species do not seem to have been 

 so scarce, although they too have been erratic. I 

 never remember seeing such a general profusion 

 of Faxillus involutes, and Boletus edutis was also 

 wonderfully prolific ; one small patch never failed 

 to supply me with a luscious dish three times a 

 week for a couple of months. The Lactarii also 

 seemed to be more than usually abundant, but the 

 Russulse appeared to be scarcer than common. Species 

 which grow upon either dead or living trees were 

 ■comparatively plentiful ; and I was fortunate in find- 

 ing several rich supplies of Tricholoma pcrsonata, 

 which I have hitherto found to be scarce in this 

 district. — J. P. Soulier, Bishop Auckland. 



"The Annals of Botany."— No. 2 of this 

 serial is published, containing papers by Sir J. D. 

 Hooker, on " Hydrothrix, a New Genus of Ponte- 

 deracere," by F. W. Oliver, " On the Obliteration 

 of the Sieve-tubes in Laminaria ; " ' "The Life- 

 history of Lycopods," by F. O. Bower; "On the 

 Terms Phyllome and Caulome," by F. O. Bower ; 

 "On the Absorption of Water, and its Relation to 

 the Cell-wall in Mosses," by J. R. Vaizey ; "On the 

 History of Certain Plants, as Alexipharmics, or 

 Snake-bite Antidotes," by D. Morris ; " Notes on the 

 Genus Taphrina," by B. L. Robinson; and a host 

 of various Botanical Notes, by S. H. Vines, Schon- 

 land, Bower, Isaac Bayley Balfour, etc. ; altogether 

 making up a magnificent series of contributions to 

 practical botany. 



GEOLOGY, &c. 



Encroachments of the Sea. — For some time 

 past, the sea has been encroaching on the pretty little 

 town of Cromer (Norfolk), which is situated on the 

 top of an extensive range of cliffs, and, during the sea's 

 encroachment, it has exposed a forest bed. During 

 the last month or two the sea has been " hard at 

 work," and has shown extensive beds of clay, 

 pebbles, cakes of lignite, blue clay, and numerous 

 fragments of wood, including two large trees, supposed 

 to_be fir. The following Mammalian remains, with 



many others, have been found : — Tarsal bones of 

 Elephas, distal joints of Bos, calcareum of Cervus 

 libra, joints of cervus, portions of -lower incisor of 

 Trogontherium, astragalus of Cervus, portion of 

 hyaena's jaw, with teeth missing ; several fish vertebrae, 

 a few bones of Platax Woodivardi ; also several root- 

 stocks of Ostnunda rcgalis which have not been pre- 

 viously found near Cromer. This interesting section 

 is now filling up with sand, and in a little time will 

 no doubt disappear. — J. B. B. 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



Yellow (or Ray's) Wagtail. — For two or three 

 days during the past week, my garden was visited by 

 this pretty little bird, which I had never before 

 observed here. I counted ten at one time on quite a 

 small lawn, which had been newly mown, and they 

 had evidently pounced upon some dainty insect, as 

 they were not at all discomposed by a cat which 

 eagerly watched, and tried to spring on them, but 

 when disturbed, soon flew back again. The sun 

 shining at the time displayed the brilliant yellow ot 

 the breasts of some to great advantage. Is it not 

 unusual for them to come so near a town ? — S. J\I. P., 

 Weymouth. 



Munchausen Science. — (Science-Gossip, page 

 226). — Paragraphs under the heading of Popular 

 Science are worse than useless when facts are not 

 strictly adhered to, and any one who tries to prevent 

 erroneous statements being perpetuated does good 

 service to science. The statement that 20 or 30 feet 

 is no uncommon length for a specimen of the marine 

 worm Nemertes Borlasci appears to Mr. Williams an 

 exaggerated magnification, and he refers to the 

 subject under the above title. Is, however, the 

 statement wrong, in fact, and should it be ascribed to 

 the Baron ? I express no opinion whether Kingsley's 

 " Glaucus," published in 1859, may or not be re- 

 garded as containing "pretty stories founded on 

 fact ; " but, as to the size of the worm, I would refer 

 your readers to Dr. Mcintosh's monograph of the 

 British Nemerteans, published by the Ray Society 

 in 1874. He says (p. 183) in his description of it, 

 " Body 15 to 30 feet, to as many yards in length, and 

 from I to 4 lines in breadth. . . . even now I am not 

 quite satisfied about the limit of its growth, for after 

 a severe storm in the spring of 1864, a specimen was 

 thrown on shore at St. Andrews which half filled a 

 dissecting jar 8 inches wide and 5 inches deep — 

 30 yards were measured without rupture, and yet 

 the mass was not half uncoiled." — H. Bamsden, 

 M.A., F.E.S. 



Lacuna pallidula. — Can' any correspondents 

 tell me why, though Lacuna pallidula and Lacuna 

 vincta are described as " plentiful on our shores," we 

 so seldom find even an empty shell, especially of L. 

 pa/lidulat Which kind of sea-weed is it the animal 

 feeds on ? I have not yet succeeded in getting a 

 living specimen of any Lacuna. — C. E. Gubbins. 



Lapidary Work. — In answer to F. Hay ward 

 rarrott's enquiry on " Lapidary work " I beg to send 

 the following extract from "English Mechanic," 

 August 5th, in answer to any enquiry on " Polishing 

 Pebbles." "Here are a few hints which may be 

 useful, and if the querist should happen to be at the 

 seaside next autumn, he may see the work done. 



