HA RD W1CKE S SCIENCE- G OSSIP. 



The apparatus which the lapidaries, who abound at 

 every seaside town, use for cutting and polishing 

 pebbles, is usually of the roughest kind. The tools 

 required are : a lathe of the most simple description, 

 a piece of sheet- iron or tin-plate about four inches in 

 diameter, rounded and fitted to the lathe like a 

 circular saw, a tool like a butcher's steel, with a 

 square point tempered hard, a slab of Bath stone 

 (flag), and a small piece of Water-of-Ayr stone 

 (known in lithography as snake-stone, or the latest 

 name given it is Tam-o'-Shanter stone). The 

 circular plate dips into a trough containing a mixture 

 of emery, quartz, sand, and water. With it the 

 pebbles may readily be sawn into slices. The slices 

 must then be affixed to a wooden face-plate by means 

 of a cement composed of resin, shellac, and Venice- 

 turpentine. You will thus be enabled to turn them 

 to the desired shape. They are polished by rubbing 

 on a flag of Bath stone with a little fine emery. This 

 will make them pretty smooth. To get a fine polish 

 rub them in the same manner, using putty powder 

 instead of emery, or you may rub with Water-of-Ayr 

 stone. To give the operator a command of the stone 

 he is polishing, it is usual to fix it in the centre of a 

 flat piece of wood, about two feet long, with the 

 cement before mentioned. The stone must be kept 

 wet whilst being operated upon. Many of the 

 pebbles found on the sea-shore contain fossil remains, 

 which are brought out in a striking manner by 

 polishing, and as the substance in which the fossils 

 are imbedded is frequently semi-transparent, the 

 pebbles may be dried and used as photographic 

 negatives." — 6". Mason, Gloucester. 



Poisonous Fungi.— Could any of your botanical 

 readers supply me with the names of the fungi eaten 

 in the two fatal cases of poisoning which occurred in 

 Northumberland, and at Bexley, Kent, in September ; 

 also in any other fatal case ? — JP. F. G. 



Types of Storm Clouds. — I do not know 

 whether Mr. Barber is really serious in proposing 

 the fantastic names for clouds which he gives, but it 

 really seems that if we go into the classification of 

 clouds after his fashion, we shall have a list as long 

 as a "main t' gallant bowline." What is wanted is 

 a simple classification for ordinary observers, and a 

 complex scientific one for those more advanced ; a 

 classification of clouds into two families of Strati- 

 forius and Cumuliforius meets the former case, and 

 an extension of this, as proposed by the Rev. Clement 

 Ley, the latter. A knowledge of forecasting can 

 never be gained if simply the forms of clouds are to 

 be noted : a meteorologist must understand the con- 

 ditions on which the clouds are formed first, then de- 

 duce his forecast from this. — David Wilson Barker, 

 R.N.R. 



Badges worn in Time of War. — I have had in 

 my possession for a great number of years, for it was 

 given to me by the daughter of an English officer 

 who served in the American War of Independence — ■ 

 a seed-ball of the American "button-tree," which I 

 was told had been worn in the button-hole of an 

 officer of the American party at the Battle of Bunker's 

 Hill, as a " distinguishing badge." My specimen 

 presents the appearance of having been so worn — 

 the fruit-stalk has been twisted until it has been 

 reduced to a bundle of fibres, which together are so 

 strong and tough that there would be much difficulty 

 in breaking them. Is there any record of these 

 curious "button-balls" having been so worn by the 

 soldiers who took the American side in the War of 

 Independence ? — Francis Brent, F.S.A., Plymouth. 



Fish Culture in France. — M. Jousset de- 

 Bellesme, Director of the Trocadcro Aquarium, who- 

 for the past two years has been endeavouring to 

 acclimatise American salmon in France, has just 

 given a lecture on the subject, explaining the results 

 achieved so far. In June last year, he deposited, 

 22,000 salmon fry of the American species hatched in 

 the Aquarium at eleven points of the basin of the Seine 

 from Rouen to Les Andelys, in batches of 2000. 

 The fish were then a trifle over four inches in length. 

 In October following a few of the fish caught in the 

 Loing and the Iton were found to have increased to 

 nine inches. Owing to the great mortality among 

 the small fry hatched this year, which M. de Bellesme 

 attributes to the substitution of Seine water for the- 

 pure water from the Vanne, he has succeeded in. 

 rearing only 10,000 salmon fry and 40,000 trout. 



Munchausen Science. — When sending you a 

 paragraph a few days ago, in reference to this 

 heading, I had not noticed that Mr. Bolton had 

 already (p. 237) called the attention of your readers- 

 to MTntosh's British Annelids. — H. Ramsden. 



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. 



R. C. C— Get Stark's "British Mosses," coloured plates, 

 price -]s. 6d. 



W. Hannan Watson. — Apply to Mr. Henry Laver, F.L.I. , 

 Trinity Street, Colchester, for information concerning the 

 black rat, etc. 



H. W. Lett. — Your paper on the " Sunflower" shall appear 

 shortly. 



Colonel. — Saliicus tardigrarfus'is not an uncommon species 

 of spider. You will find a full account of it in Staveley's 

 '^British Spiders," and also in Dr. Blackwall's work on British 

 spiders. 



G. W. Bulmer. — We shall be pleased to receive any paper 

 you may send us. 



A. Bennett (Croydon). — Unfortunately your paper arrived 

 too late lor the January number, as we had to go to press very 

 early on account of the holida) s. 



G. E. East. — There formerly existed a " British Natural 

 History Society," but it was in reality for the purpose of dis- 

 tributing sets of specimens to subscribers. We believe it has. 

 ceased to exist. 



EXCHANGES. 



For exchange, back vols, of" Entomologist," "Young Natu- 

 ralist," "Union Jack," "Naturalist," also odd numbers of 

 " Entomologists' Monthly Magazine," and other periodicals ; 

 full list sent on application. Dragonflies wanted in exchange. 

 — W. Harcourt Bath, Ladywood, Birmingham. 



Skins of weasel, hedgehog, and long-eared bat, etc.; speci- 

 mens of Sirex gigas, Gonepleryx rhamni, Lyaena argwlus, 

 and scores of other Lepidoptera. Wanted, dragonflies in good 

 condition.— W. Harcourt Bath, Ladywood, Uirmingham. 



Collection of British land and freshwater shells, all mounted 

 and named, also minerals, fossils, marine shells, etc., offered 

 for dragonflies, either British or foreign.— W. Harcourt Bath, 

 Ladywood, Birmingham. 



Wanted, foreign frogs and toads, alive, preserved in spirits, 

 or otherwise.— W. Hannan Watson,; 219 St. Vincent Street,. 

 Glasgow, N.B. 



