2 5 8 



HA RD WICKE'S SCIENCE- GOSSIP. 



spring ; you may meet there with perla, but not with 

 glandifera, which, as the huntsman of the Exmoor 

 stags once put it, contains far too much of the "real 

 creature." There, too, sits the garden carpet-moth 

 on the area window, overlooking its pot herbs, 

 another whity-grey edition of plaster and smoke, 

 with the licbeny marks of the British brushwood 

 almost defaced ; there crawl domestic spiders ugly 

 as crabs, and more active, wanting the redeeming 

 brand of the lichen ; the very sparrows that chirp 

 there seem to want the freckles of their gentility. 

 When the globe is covered over with this new garb 

 of tall houses and goose-foot plots, and artists' models 

 look forth from among every potsherd, we shall see 

 plainer this natural selection of wan and degenerate 

 forms. But though child-like simplicity has flown, 

 the new Caucasian type of man that has thence arisen 

 is fairer than the African and more monkey-like ; let 

 us recognise this lost woodland trait, therefore, in 

 virtue and refinement, and as for the moths and 

 spiders and sparrows which do not thus improve, let 

 us preserve for them the woodland whence they 

 derive their lichen mark of silver and of yellow gold. 

 — A. H. Sivinton. Tudor Villas, Geiy Street, Bedford. 



BOTANY. 



The Botany Examination of the Science 

 and Art Department, South Kensington. — 

 The series of questions propounded by " Inquirer," 

 in August Science-Gossip under the above heading, 

 having elicited no reply in the September number, 

 the following brief attempt to answer some of the 

 queries may be acceptable. The " School of Botany " 

 to which it would be desirable to attach oneself, 

 would assuredly be that referred to by your corre- 

 spondent as represented by " Vines and Sachs's 

 works." At least, these were the principal authorities 

 studied by myself previously to an examination in 

 botany, in which an honour certificate was obtained. 

 In addition to the above-mentioned works, every 

 botanical article to which one could gain access was 

 studied ; but probably a practical acquaintance with 

 the plants themselves, seeking to test every point 

 advanced, as far as possible, by examination of living 

 specimens, helped materially at the critical time. 

 Summer and winter, week in and week out, plants 

 both British and foreign, were laid under contribution 

 to reveal the secrets of their structure, and their 

 affinities to each other. For several years the rule 

 was made to acquire some fresh fact every day, and 

 the spirit of the resolution was carried out, notwith- 

 standing the fact, that an arduous avocation was 

 necessarily pursued as a means of livelihood. By 

 looking after the odd moments, it is surprising how 

 great is the sum of them in a few years. Your 

 correspondent remarks that a friend of his having 

 failed, is at a loss to know wherein the weakness of 



his paper lies. Possibly the following extract from a 

 report of the examiner in botany may be of Interest. 

 " The advanced stage is decidedly weak and un- 

 progressive. The candidates bring no really advanced 

 knowledge to the examination, and attempt questions 

 designedly somewhat difficult with a very moderate 

 elementary equipment, and without even in too 

 many cases a ghost of a notion what the question is 

 aimed at." These remarks apply even more strongly 

 — as is, indeed, always the case — to the honours 

 papers. " Inquirer " next gives a series of questions 

 which may be answered more briefly. It is not 

 necessary to pass all or any of the previous stages to 

 enable a student to succeed in honour ; but unless he 

 has passed in one of the previous stages, his teacher 

 cannot claim the grant. The suggestion as to 

 whether the examiners favour lady candidates more 

 than gentlemen, would not hold good in my own 

 case, not being one of the fair sex, and also being the 

 only one who succeeded out of those who sat at the 

 same time. The query as to the limits of the money 

 at disposal is out of my cognizance ; but we may 

 surely assume the examiners are gentlemen of honour. 

 At the same time, one may hold the conviction 

 strongly, that there is great room for improvement in 

 the apportionment of grants. Payment by results 

 should be materially modified, and a capitation 

 grant should be accorded for a given number of 

 attendances. The changes here suggested are, I am 

 persuaded, of real importance to the welfare of science- 

 classes generally, and would tend " to encourage the 

 study of science among' the working-classes," to 

 quote from your correspondent. The answers to the 

 other queries may be briefly summed up. It is 

 highly improbable that some subjects are more 

 favoured than others, although a new subject would 

 most likely be treated less severely than an old one, 

 as the facilities for acquiring special information are 

 fewer in such a case. The candidate's previous 

 successes, his age and profession, are all matters of 

 detail, that bear chiefly on the grant to be paid to 

 the teacher. I believe it is a fact, that the form 

 filled up by the candidate does not go before the 

 examiner, so that he may be perfectly unbiassed in 

 criticising the work before him. Being persuaded of 

 the value of scientific training upon the youth of our 

 nation, and that if our country is to secure a first 

 position among the producers of the world, it can 

 only be by the use of brains as well as hands, it is to 

 be hoped that all possible encouragement will be 

 given to these classes by those at the head of affairs. 

 y. S., Luton, Beds. 



A Day's Weeding at Clifton. — At the end of 

 August — I can hardly call it summer this year — I 

 found myself at Clifton Downs with a spare day or 

 two for an examination of the precipitous limestone 

 rocks, peihaps more from a botanical than geological 

 point of view. Wandering over the elastic turf of 



