HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



45 



A veterinary surgeon, Mr. Moir, of the city of 

 Armagh, was sent for, and he made a post-mortem 

 examination of the dead beasts, and found in all 

 their paunches a quantity of yew-leaves, and to them 

 and nothing else could be attributed their death. 

 The cases have been reported at full length in the 

 Belfast newspapers of the 17th of November, 1887. 

 — H. W. Lett, M.A. 



Cats and Violata. — In our garden, we had a good 

 many roots of Viola scmperfloreiis which seemed to be 

 eaten by snails and caterpillars. But one day, to our 

 surprise, we found a cat contentedly munching the 

 leaves. This happpened more than once afterwards. 

 The cat never seemed to suffer in the least from the 

 effects of its curious meal. Can any reader account 

 for this extraordinary feast ? — A. Verinder. 



Popular Science. — A Suggestion. — One pro- 

 minent feature in Science Gossip, rendering it a 

 welcome visitor to the homes of many English 

 naturalists, doubtless is that it is constantly 

 endeavouring to foster a love of nature in those 

 with whom it comes in contact, and most especi- 

 ally in those just entering upon mature life. The 

 facilities its pages offer for recording facts of interest ; 

 the excellent medium, it is so well recognised as 

 being, whereby specimens may be exchanged, or 

 mutual sympathy and help secured, each combine 

 to render it a great promoter of those pure pleasures 

 the observation of nature so invariably gives to 

 those who practise it. There are many who, with 

 sympathies keen as our own to appreciate the 

 beautiful in things around them, yet pass through 

 life apparently unconscious of much in their sur- 

 roundings which excites the admiration of, and 

 affords pleasure to, their fellow-men. Let us take as 

 an instance the case of young men engaged in 

 business in our large towns. How many of them 

 are there who know practically nothing of the 

 wonderful facts revealed by the microscope ! A 

 chance paper here or there, or an occasional peep 

 through its secret-revealing tube, bounds their 

 knowledge, and, alas ! also their interest in the 

 great world of little things. For these persons of 

 little opportunity let me bespeak the sympathy of 

 "our readers," and ask each one having the oppor- 

 tunity to seek to increase and extend the knowledge 

 to others their training and experience has rendered 

 so pleasurable to themselves. Particularly available 

 is this suggestion to persons united with associations 

 formed for the purpose of mutual culture and 

 improvement ; such as are to be met with in most of 

 our large towns and in not a few of our villages. 

 An experiment to this end has recently been made 

 by the writer of this article, with most encouraging 

 results. Our course of proceeding was simplicity 

 itself. We first secured the aid of a few friends by 

 asking them to place their microscopes at our 

 disposal for an evening. We (that is my friend Mr. 

 Wooller and myself) then gave two short addresses, 

 announcing as a principal feature that the objects 

 chiefly referred to in our remarks would be exhibited 

 for inspection, and further that we were willing to 

 give all information in our power to reasonable 

 querists. Cnoosing as my subject the past influences 

 of minute organisms, such as foraminifers, diatoms, 

 &c, in building up the hills and rocks around us ; and 

 also referring to their unobtrusive but important 

 functions still going forward, I emphasised my 

 remarks by exhibiting a series of slides under the 

 microscopes, illustrative of the subject. After a 

 short interval for general conversation and refresh- 

 ment, Mr. Wooller spoke upon the revelations 



of the microscope regarding our immediate sur- 

 roundings, referring particularly to the light it has 

 thrown upon the germ-origin of disease, and also 

 upon the question of spontaneous generation. After 

 which a number of living diatoms and other minute 

 forms of vegetable and animal life were introduced 

 for inspection. I have frequently given my services 

 as an exhibitor of microscopic objects to the pro- 

 moters of social evenings and similar gatherings, but 

 nothing approaching the interest evidenced at the 

 meeting referred to have I before witnessed. And 

 this fact I attribute entirely to the circumstance that, 

 by reason of our explanatory remarks, the friends 

 present were able to understand somewhat the 

 nature of the objects at which they were invited to 

 gaze. Feeling there must be many readers of 

 Science-Gossip acquainted with these societies and 

 similar associations, I make bold to plead that an 

 experiment, so satisfactory to its promoters, should 

 be repeated by those located in other districts who 

 possess kindred sympathies and like opportunities. 

 The numerous queries, as to the cost and amplifying 

 powers of the various microscopes employed, point 

 hopefully forward to a time when some whose 

 interest was thus cursorily aroused may adopt a 

 more permanent pursuit after the knowledge of those 

 beauties and marvels of nature so lavishly distributed 

 around them. — T. Corlidge. 



Pond Dredging and Collecting. — Will some 

 reader be good enough to give a few hints on 

 collecting Infusoria, Rotifera, Polyzoa, &c, stating 

 best description of net to use and how to use it ? 

 The information would, no doubt, be interesting to 

 others besides myself. — L. 



Yew-Trees, their Size and Age. — With refer- 

 ence to your correspondent P. J.'s query, the late 

 Mr. Edwin Lees, in his "Botany of Malvern" 

 (p. 100), says : " The two finest yews in the Malvern 

 country are in Cradley churchyard — the largest is 

 26 feet in circumference at a yard from the ground. 

 These may be calculated at about 800 years old." 

 Now taking tr as 3|, 26 feet circumference gives 

 8 T 3 T feet diameter, and about 50 inches radius. And 

 if the tree is 800 years old, it has added a ring of 

 the breadth of T ' 6 of" an inch each year. Surely P. J. 

 is wrong in calculating the age of the tree by the 

 length of the diameter. — A. G. Tanslcy. 



Yew-Trees, their Size and Age.— In the in- 

 teresting note by P. J., p. 21 of the current number 

 of Science-Gossip, there appears to be an omission 

 of one item in making the calculation. Instead of 

 the whole diameter, should it not be the half of it, 

 and hence the age reduced in the same proportion ? 

 By the method adopted each annual ring is reckoned 

 twice over, that is, on the opposite sides of the 

 centre. In the case quoted, the circumference of 

 33 feet would give a diameter of about 11 feet, and a 

 radius of 5.^ feet. Then, taking a line as the average 

 thickness of a year's growth, we have 5^x12x12 

 = 792 years, which is probably nearer the truth. 

 We have a few yew-trees in churchyards in South 

 Beds, and hope to have opportunities to measure 

 them, when the results will be forwarded. —J. 

 Saunders, Lutou. 



Yellow (or Ray's) Wagtail. — The note under 

 this heading, page 22, is rather vague. S. M. C. does 

 not give the date when the wagtails were seen, nor 

 does he say how near his garden is to the town of 

 Weymouth. If they were observed later than 

 September, it is not likely they were Ray's wagtail 



