282 



HA RD WICKE' S SCIENCE- G OS SIP. 



The hedgehog stole up noiselessly within about three 

 feet of the reptile, then suddenly sprang forward and 

 caught the snake's tail in his teeth. Then quick as a 

 flash he rolled himself into a ball, and seemed to be 

 awaiting an attack. The snake so rudely awakened 

 from its slumber came angrily towards its enemy and 

 began striking at him with its fangs. At each bite 

 the snake's mouth was lacerated by the hedgehog's 

 quills. This, of course, made the reptile furious, and 

 it darted back and forth, first to one side and then 

 the other of its assailant. The latter watching a 

 favourable opportunity sprang forward and again 

 seized the snake's tail in his teeth, then rolled himself 

 up as before. The snake struggled and bit and 

 twisted this way and that, but the hedgehog still 

 held on. The reptile was bleeding at the mouth and 

 began to show signs of exhaustion, but it kept up the 

 struggle as long as it was able to move. Finally, when 

 it was completely played out, it became still. The 

 hedgehog then unrolled himself, ripped the snake open 

 and proceeded leisurely to devour it. — Dipton Burn. 



Liparis salicis. — My experience in breeding this 

 moth is that when fresh from the pupa the wings 

 are tinged with yellow, which very soon changes to 

 pure white. I believe this is caused by the fluids 

 contained in the wings (when fresh) not being 

 completely absorbed into the wings, for if you handle 

 them at this time, the wings are quite limp. This 

 year I have bred and examined a very large number 

 of these moths. In August, I found them in all the 

 stages at Southport, viz. :— ova, larvae, pupa, and 

 imagos. The specimens before me at present do not 

 show any signs of the yellowish appearance, but are 

 all pure white. — F. IV. Faple, Bolton. 



Helix Nemoralis var. Hortensis. — The shell 

 referred to by Mr. McBean is a well-known one 

 which he will find fully described in Jeffrey's " British 

 Conchology," vol. i. pp. 186-187. The variety 

 differs chiefly in colour, the mouth of the shell being 

 white-lipped while the type (nemoralis) is reddish- 

 brown or black. — J. Mac Naught Campbell, Glasgow. 



[At one time I remember having seen little bottles 

 of coloured sand arranged like pictures. If I re- 

 member aright they are sold in some of the watering 

 places on the south coast of England. Can any 

 reader of Science-Gossip say where they are to be 

 obtained ?— J. M. C.\ 



White Sparrow. — The sparrow observed by Mr. 

 Hannan Watson is no unusual sight in Glasgow. 

 White and pied varieties of the common sparrow 

 have for many years been familiar to me here in 

 Kelvingrove Park, where I have from time to time 

 seen them, for the past eighteen years at least. In 

 the exhibition grounds yesterday (Sunday 4th Nov.) 

 I noticed a female, whose flight feathers were entirely 

 white, contrasting strongly with the soot-begrimed 

 colour of its companions with whom it was feeding, 

 and in the month of August last I saw four pied 

 birds, probably from the same nest, in a group of 

 about a dozen feeding near the museum in the park. 

 — J. Mac Naught Campbell, Glasgow. 



Preserving Gault Fossils. — Can any of your 

 readers suggest a method of preserving fossils of the 

 Gault from decay ? I find that those which I have got 

 from the coast (Folkestone) are crumbling away of 

 heir own accord. Is there any solution they can lie 

 coated with that will prevent this ? — J. H. A. Vcrinder. 



Depila.tion. — Would you kindly inform me, 

 through the medium of your valuable paper, the best 

 means, to your knowledge, for the prevention of 

 human hair falling out in large quantities? — IV. M. 



NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



To Correspondents and Exchangers.— As we now 

 publish Science-Gossip earlier than formerly, we cannot un- 

 dertake to insert in the following number any communications 

 which reach us later than the 8th of the previous month. 



To Anonymous Querists.— We must adhere to our rule of 

 not noticing queries which do not bear the writers' names. 



To Dealers and Others.— We are always glad to treat 

 dealers in natural history objects on the same fair and general 

 ground as amateurs, in so far as the "exchanges" offered are fair 

 exchanges. But it is evident that, when their offers are simply 

 Disguised Advertisembnts, for the purpose of evading the cost 

 of advertising, an advantage is taken of oxx gratuitous insertion 

 of " exchanges " which cannot be tolerated. 



We request that all exchanges may be signed with name (or 

 initials) and full address at the end. 



Special Note.— There is a tendency on the part of some 

 exchangers to send more than one per month. We only allow 

 this in the case of writers of papers. 



EXCHANGES. 

 ~ Duplicates.— Blackbird, thrush, missel thrush, hedge spar- 

 row, house Sf arrow, starling, robin, whitethroat, swallow, 

 greenfinch, and chaffinch ; also in shells, L. stagnate (hne), 

 H. virgata, and var. submaritima of same.— Desiderata, very 

 numerous other eggs, shells, and many butterflies.— N. Hewett, 

 3 Wilton Terrace, Fulford Road, York. 



Wanted, Helix fusca, H. revelata, H. pygmwa, Bu. mon- 

 tanus, &c. in exchange for other land and freshwater shells.— 

 John Radcliffe, m Oxford Street, Ashton-under-Lyne. 



For exchange, land and marine shells from Gibraltar and 

 Tangier, and freshwater from the Engadine. Desiderata, rare 

 British forms, or any foreign shells not in collection. Lists on 

 application to— F. W , Drapers' College, Tottenham. 



Offered, darts of Helix aspersa, nemoralis, hortensis,^ 

 caperata, &c. Desiderata, L. involuta, several species of 

 Vertigos, Acme lineata, &c— W. Hy. Heathcote, M.C.S., 

 East View, Preston. 



Wanted, Vols. IV. Morris's "British Birds," and Bree s 

 "Birds of Europe," also Wallace's " Malay Archipelago," in 

 exchange for Vol. I. Morris's "British Birds," mounted birds,, 

 coins, &c— H., 26 Market Place, Newark. 



For exchange, eggs of cuckoo, kingfisher, ptarmigan, wood- 

 cock, goldfinch, dunlin, hawfinch, and many others, in clutches 

 or separate. Wanted, one-holed eggs of the common British 

 birds. — Jas. Ellison, Steeton, Leeds. 



Splendid collection of moths and butterflies, over 300 dif- 

 ferent species; list sent on application. Will exchange for 

 Rover bicycle.— Fiennes A. N. Beasley, Ardenham House, 

 Aylesbury. 



T. caput-serpentis (attached), Cr. anomala (on stones), P. 

 7-radiatus, Lima elliptica and subauriculata, Nuc. nitida and 

 tenuis, Leda pygma-a and minuta, Luc. spini/era, Ax.ferru- 

 ginosus, Ast. sulcata and triangularis, S. siliqua, V. arcuata 

 (6i inches), Th. prcetenuis. Dent, entalis (live), Tr. mille- 

 granus (small), Trick, borealis, in exchange for other Brituh 

 marine species not in collection. — A. Somerville, 34 Granbjr 

 Terrace, Hillhead, Glasgow. 



Choice Wenlock limestone, and other good fossils, in ex- 

 change for scientific books, chalk fossils, or offers. — A. Y. 

 Ovant, Cottesville, St. Oswald's Road, Small Heath, Birming- 

 ham. 



West Indian and West African specimens, about sixty 

 kinds, mostly in glass-top boxes, including various seeds, shells, 

 sugar-cane, &c, also snake in spirits, suitable for exhibition or 

 private collection. What offers? safety bicycle wanted, good 

 make. — W. Pix, 167 St. Thomas's Road, Finsbury Park, 

 London. . . 



Natural history books in exchange for microscopic slides 

 or cabinet. Microscopic slides for exchange. — S. Harrison, 

 Dalmain Road, Forest Hill. _ 



For test scales of podura {Lepidocyrtus curzncollis), send, 

 stamped envelope to— Joseph Wall, 42A Everton Brow, Liver- 



Wanted, micro slides in exchange for Rutherford's freezing 

 microtome.— Suter, 5 Highweek Road, Tottenham. 



Darts of several species of helix offered for British and 

 foreign land and freshwater shells.— W. Hy. Heathcote, M.C.S., 

 East View, Preston. 



Wanted, wings of damaged butterflies of a brilliant cha- 

 racter 'exotic), which will do for microscope mounting, in 

 exchange for mounted or unmounted parasites.— 28 Haver=tock 

 Hill, London, N.W. 



Wanted, a good book on spiders ; will give good exchange. 

 — W. J. Fuller, 91 Tamworth Road, Croydon. 



Fossils troni all British formations wanted, in exchange for 

 fossils, minerals, shells, &c— John Hawell, M.A., Ingleby 

 Greenhow Vicarage, Northallerton. 



Wanted, S. vircscens, S. oblonga, Z. radiatulus, Pupa 

 ringens, H. carthusiana, all the vertigos except antivertigO" 

 and pygma-a, and many varieties. Offered, large examples of 



