190 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



172. It is very doubtful whether the name stagnina 

 ought not to have been retained. 



343^ alter to c. 



936 of 8th ed. is 1059 of 7th ed. not 106c, which is 

 937 8th ed. 



1 144 8th ed. is 985 7th ed., not 986 



1 145 8th ed. is 986 7th ed. 



1 166 "p," the p is wanting. 



1463 p. no should be 1493 



151 1 Mr. Beelys calls my attention to this, that the 

 character I have assigned to this belongs to L. mcicro- 

 stemon, Gay, which is very rare in Britain. 



1562 Schrank, not Schreb. 



Unusual Germination. — I see in the July part 

 of your paper an account of an "Unusual Case of 

 Germination." I have frequently seen the seeds of 

 lemons sprouting inside the lemon, although never so 

 much so as to produce leaves as in the above account. 

 — Prosper H. Marsden. 



The Botany Examination of the Science 

 and Art Department, South Kensington. — 

 Can any of the readers of Science-Gossip inform 

 me what school of botany it is necessary to attach 

 oneself to, or what books it is necessary to read in 

 order to pass the Honours stage of the examination 

 in Botany under the South Kensington Science and 

 Art Department? I know a few thoroughly com- 

 petent botanists of many years standing who have 

 repeatedly sought to pass that test and been rejected. 

 The examiners, I am aware, insist upon a sound 

 knowledge of Physiology ; but one of my friends, who 

 went in last May, carefully studied Vines's and 

 Sachs's works on the subject, besides going through 

 a considerable training in experimental and micro- 

 scopic work, and has just received an intimation that 

 he has not done sufficiently well to make it necessary 

 for him to attend the practical part of the examination 

 at South Kensington. He is considerably puzzled to 

 know where the weakness in his paper lies, for he 

 felt thoroughly at home in the questions, and could 

 have easily answered all that were set, but of course 

 he was confined to a limited number. Is it true that 

 the examiners require a candidate to have passed all 

 the previous stages before they will grant a pass in 

 Honours ? or that the examiners favour lady candi- 

 dates more than gentlemen ? Or that the amount of 

 money at disposal for grants or passes is limited, and 

 that the number of passes is regulated accordingly? 

 Or that some subjects are favoured by the Depart- 

 ment more than others? Is it also a fact that the 

 form which is filled up by the candidate does not 

 go before the examiners? Why should it be so 

 particularly insisted upon that the candidate's pre- 

 vious highest success should be stated in this form ? 

 What have such matters as the age and profession of 

 the candidate to do with the examination ? Are not 

 these examinations intended to encourage the study 

 of science among the working-classes rather than | 



among persons who have received a special university 

 training ? These are a few of the questions that I 

 should like to see answered, and unless they are 

 answered the present increasing want of public 

 confidence in the honesty of the Department will go 

 on until the whole scheme becomes a farce and a 

 failure. Perhaps a question in the House of Commons 

 would settle the matter. — Inquirer. 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



A Starling in Trouble. — A labourer hearing 

 an unusual noise proceeding from the roof of an out- 

 house, observed that a starling had caught its leg 

 between two tiles and was endeavouring to get free, 

 at the same time screeching as loudly as possible 

 apparently from fear and pain. He thinking that 

 the starling being unable to extricate itself would 

 starve, went in search of a pole in order to put it out 

 of its sufferings. But another starling hearing the 

 screeches of its companion came to the rescue, and 

 commenced tugging and pulling at the refractory leg, 

 which by the combined efforts of the two was soon 

 released uninjured. — Edzoard Goodwin. 



Flies in Windows. — Can any of your readers 

 explain how it is that when a fly buzzes on the 

 window-pane it turns its back to the glass ? As far 

 as I can see it is done solely for enjoyment, and that 

 the fly could not get up such a fine sensation by 

 having its feet towards the smooth surface. Secondly, 

 do flies turn their backs to the surfaces of leaves,, 

 trees, stones, rocks, &c, and enjoy their buzz against 

 them, or is this an acquired habit of theirs since the- 

 discovery of glass ? — J. Smith, Monhredding Kikvin- 

 ning. 



Answer to Query at p. 100. — Tremella is a 

 fungus. There are several species, and in all of them 

 the whole plant is gelatinous, and more or less 

 folded. Most of them have the faculty of absorbing 

 and holding water almost like a sponge. They shrink 

 into small compass in dry weather, but quickly swell 

 out again under the influence of the first shower. 

 One species {Tremella mesenterica) is known in many 

 places as witches' butter, and is often common oni 

 dead branches.—//. W. Lett, M.A. 



Several Natural History Queries — Can any 

 of your readers inform me : (1) If they have ever seen 

 a toad in the stomach of a fish, and if so, will they 

 kindly mention what fish ? (2) Have they ever seen 

 a frog clinging to the head of any fish, as so minutely 

 described by Walton ; if so, did the fish suffer in any 

 way ? (3) When pike have paired off in the spring, 

 have they ever seen three, or say a brace, so close 

 together, (i.e. side by side) that it would have been 

 possible to snare them at one go ? Say two weighing 

 3 lbs. each. Can any of your readers give any reason 

 for jack indulging in this habit before spawning ? 

 Do perch, for instance, carry on in this manner? I 

 merely ask the question, because on one occasion 

 I caught nearly forty perch and there were only three 

 males in the lot. Female bream are often attended 

 by three or four males. A female toad again is often 

 followed by, I should be sorry to say how many males. 

 Lastly, when frogs and toads have coupled, can 

 any of your readers inform me when impregnation 

 takes place ? Is it before, after, or at the time of 

 shedding the spawn ? Can you give me any reliable 

 information ? — Mi A. 



