HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



4i 



by red and mottled clays. Out of forty-five species 

 at Beauvais only six are common to the Thanet Sands 

 and ten to the Woolwich Series. Out of seventy- 

 five species in the Woolwich and Reading Beds 

 nineteen occur in the Bracheux Beds, if we add 

 to these latter the Sands of Chalons-sur-Vesles. 

 Respecting the Basement Bed of the London Clay 

 (Oldhaven Beds in part), Prof. Prestwich would 

 exclude the Sundridge and Charlton fossils, which 

 should be placed on a level with the Upper Marine 

 Beds of Woolwich. He allowed that the former 

 were deposited on an eroded surface, but this involves 

 no real unconformity, whilst the palceontological 

 evidence is in favour of this view, since out of fifty- 

 seven species in the Sundridge and associated beds, 

 only sixteen are common to the London Clay. He 

 therefore objected to the quadruple division. Either 

 the Oldhaven should go with the Woolwich or 

 with the Basement Bed. He admitted that the term 

 " Basement Bed" is objectionable, and preferred Mr. 

 Whitaker's term for the series, as he would limit it. 

 The Lower Bagshot Sands, Prof. Prestwich would 

 call "London Sands," whose Belgian equivalent 

 is the Upper Ypresian, and the French the 

 Sands of Cuise-la-Motte, forming the uppermost 

 series of the Lower Eocene. A group of fossils has 

 been discovered in the Upper Ypresian sands of 

 Belgium, which leaves no doubt of their being of 

 Lower Eocene age, and consequently the Lower 

 Bagshots must be placed upon the same horizon. 

 There is no separating line of erosion between the 

 London Clay and the Lower Bagshots, the upper 

 part of the former is sandy, and the lower part of the 

 latter frequently argillaceous. Similarly no definite 

 line can be drawn between the Upper and Lower 

 Ypresian ; but in both countries this series is separated 

 from overlying beds by a well-marked line of erosion. 

 So also in France the base of the Calcaire Grossier 

 (Bracklesham Beds) is a pebbly 'greensand resting on 

 an eroded surface of the Sands of the Cuise-de-la- 

 Motte. In Belgium, in Whitecliff Bay, and in the 

 Bagshot district the Upper Eocene rests upon an 

 eroded surface of the Lower Eocene. 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



Green Tree Frogs. — While staying at Mentone 

 some eighteen months ago, I sent a parcel, containing 

 twelve or fourteen green tree-frogs, to a friend in 

 Brighton who wished to see some, as he had heard 

 a great deal about them ; but, on their arrival, not 

 knowing what to do, as they were so lively after their 

 journey, he released some in the garden among the 

 shrubs, but from that moment he saw no more of 

 them ; the remainder he gave to two friends to keep 

 in their greenhouses. A few weeks after, I happened 

 to be at his house, when he told me that he had 

 searched everywhere, but cDuld find no signs of the 



frogs which he had liberated, and in the course of 

 conversation informed me that his next-door neigh- 

 bour had a duck, which quacked in a very peculiar 

 manner, different to any that he had ever heard 

 before. On his mentioning this, I suspected that, 

 instead of a duck, it was one of the frogs which had 

 clambered over the wall, and taken up his quarters 

 there. Later on, my attention was called to the sound, 

 which, on being localised, was found to proceed from 

 the upper part of a large bush growing against the 

 wall, but no frog could be found, the foliage being so 

 thick. During the summer months, the frogs strayed 

 from garden to garden of an evening after sunset, or 

 whenever it came on to rain : one would commence 

 croaking, and directly afterwards another would 

 answer from perhaps six or eight gardens away, and 

 then a third, until it almost reminded me of an 

 evening in the Riviera. When the cold weather 

 commenced, they evidently perished, for they were 

 heard no more. Wishing to study a little the habits 

 of these most interesting creatures, I obtained (some 

 sixteen months ago) eleven from the same locality, 

 which I placed in a small fern-case ; they seemed to 

 like their quarters much, especially one corner which 

 I arranged to form a pool of mud ; but, as regards 

 feeding them, they disposed of blow-flies, houseflies, 

 spiders, or, in fact, any insect which showed signs of 

 life — dead ones they would never touch — in such 

 quantities that they seemed to be never satisfied, 

 their favourite diet apparently being blow-flies, bees 

 or wasps, the stings not disturbing them in the least, 

 and the more they buzz the better they like them. 

 During the winter three of the smallest died, and the 

 surviving eight, evidently owing to the liberal supply 

 of food, have grown considerably. It is astonishing, 

 considering the size of them, what a quantity they 

 can manage to eat or rather swallow. I have seen 

 them tackle and successfully put out of sight, three 

 and four large cockroaches, legs, elytra, and all, and 

 then quietly retire to some obscure corner to go to 

 sleep for a week or ten days, and digest their hearty 

 meal. Since their confinement, they have become 

 very tame, and afford an endless source of amusement 

 to my friends, who, when they happen to hear one 

 croak, express their astonishment that such small 

 creatures should be able to produce a sound almost 

 as loud as a duck. The approach of winter is 

 already very perceptible in their behaviour ; they are 

 very sleepy, and have but little appetite for the 

 dainties with which I tempt them, soon they will 

 search out secluded corners, and prepare for their 

 winter sleep.— M. R. 



The Term " Rudimentary " as used ey 

 Darwin. — The writer of the article on this 

 subject resents in strong terms the use which Mr. 

 Darwin makes of the term "rudimentary" in his 

 " Descent of Man," as an insult to the human race. 

 I cannot help thinking that this is rather far fetched, 

 and surely it is far better, and requires no very great 

 stretch of generosity or magnanimity to look in this 

 case more to the spirit than the letter. No one of 



