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HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



discovered in the ponds, some speculation was made 

 on their probable introduction, and Mr. J. Bates, 

 who first noticed them particularly, had some 

 correspondence as to their probable introduction. 

 Their mode of distribution and their method of intro- 

 duction to that particular pond was a little puzzling 

 at first, as no cotton mill was within at least a 

 •quarter of a mile, and no visible connection with 

 the canal or any river, until they were discovered in 

 the canal (they had not been found in the canal 

 prior to this), when their introduction could be ac- 

 counted for by the action of the birds. This must 

 have been some time since ; as the district between 

 the ponds and the canal is now built upon, and the 

 canal is some considerable from and height above 

 the ponds, and no doubt, being the nearest Ho the 

 canal, and most suitable for the development of 

 the ova, would probably have some influence upon 

 them. I may say that the ponds are themselves 

 nearly one hundred years old, as we can ascertain ; 

 but I think Mr. Rogers' theory of their introduction 

 to England will no doubt account for their not being 

 discovered prior to 18S6. I may also say that P. 

 glaber, P. albas, B. Lcachii are also found in the pond. 

 The nearest locality for the first species of the three 

 is two miles away, and for the last no other place has 

 yet been found, so there is plenty of scope for the 

 various opinions upon this method of distribution of 

 molluscs and plants. — J. Russell Wildman, 14, 

 Harghurst, Burnley, Lancashire. 



" Book-worms."— With reference to Mr. W. J. 

 Simmons' article on " Book- worms," which appeared 

 in your July number, it speaks of the paste used in 

 binding as attractive to the insect, which, in the case 

 of the present style of binding is true, but the ravages 

 of the worm of the past were undoubtedly due to the 

 wooden boards used so greatly for binding previous 

 to the present century. My object in writing now, is 

 to suggest a sure preventive against the present pest, 

 and destruction, which binding is subject to in tropi- 

 cal climes, i.e. have all books bound in the best 

 buckram, and have directions given to the binder to 

 mix arsenic freely with the paste, and when covering 

 the boards with the buckram, to paste it on, not glue 

 it as is usual in that style of binding. The poison will 

 retain its toxical properties, and not injure the ap- 

 pearance of the book. Trusting you will find room in 

 your valuable paper for the above suggestions. — 

 A. B. C, Cambridge. 



New British Earth-worms. — Mr. W. B. Ben- 

 ham writes to " Nature " (August 2nd) as follows : — 

 ' The occurrence of any new animal in England is a 

 point of some interest, however humble that animal 

 may be, and in order to work out the species of 

 British earth-worms, I sent a letter to the ' Field,' 

 some time back, requesting readers of that journal to 

 forward me specimens. In reply, I received a large 

 number of worms from various people, amongst them 



being M. F. O. Pickard Cambridge, of Hyde, who 

 has very kindly sent me several parcels of worms. 

 One of these parcels contained some very fine gravel 

 taken from the bed of a stream, together with a 

 number of small worms about one and a half to two 

 inches in length. These turned out to be a species 

 of Allurus, a genus formed by Eisen for a worm in 

 which the male are on the thirteenth segment instead 

 of on the fifteenth, as in the other genera of the 

 family Lumbricidas. Only one species is at present 

 known, viz. A. tetrcedrus ; it is of a beautiful sienna 

 colour, with a dull orange clitellum. I wish to 

 record, for the first time, its occurrence in England; 

 and also to draw attention to the fact that it lives in 

 water, at any rate for some part of the year. Mr. 

 Cambridge has been most obliging in giving me facts 

 as to the place in which he found the worms ; they 

 occur in the gravelly bed of a stream which at certain 

 times of the year runs down so low as to leave small 

 gravelly islands two or three inches high. In these 

 islands he found Allurus ; but he finds none in the 

 banks of the stream. We already know of Crio- 

 drilus as being a thoroughly aquatic earth-worm, 

 living in muddy beds of rivers and lakes ; and 

 although this worm has not yet been recorded in 

 Great Britain, I see no reason to doubt that it exists 

 here. I should add that Mr. Beddard has informed 

 me that he received a specimen of Allurus from Lea, 

 Kent, some time after I received these from Hyde. 

 It has been recorded also from Sweden, Italy, and 

 Teneriffe." 



A very rare fish, Plagyodus (Alepisaurus) ferox, 

 has just been caught in the Karlsbfjord, in Iceland. 

 It is 5 feet 9 inches long, with small shark like fins, 

 those on the back being about a foot in length. The 

 head is pointed, and the teeth long and sharp. It 

 appeared to lie asleep on the surface of the water, 

 and a fisherman caught it by its tail, when it at- 

 tempted to bite him. Professor Liithen states that 

 hitherto only three specimens of this fish have been 

 caught, viz,, one at Madeira, one in Greenland, and 

 one previously in Iceland. It is believed that this is 

 the mysterious fish, the fase-al, i.e. the eel with a 

 mane, of which the Faroe fishermen stand in such 

 awe. 



The Boar Fish. — I have read, in Science- 

 Gossip for July, Mr. P. H. Gosse's account of the 

 appearance of this rare fish at Babbicombe, and wish 

 to add a few particulars that have occurred to me. 

 The species is common to the Mediterranean, but a 

 rare visitant to these shores. About eight or nine 

 years ago it occurred rather plentifully on the Dorset- 

 shire coast, but I have not heard of its appearance 

 since, until this year, when I was staying in Guernsey 

 at the end of the winter, and where it began to make 

 its appearance at the end of March, though not in 

 any numbers. But in May it began to arrive on the 

 Dorset coast, and became so abundant in the middle 



