42 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



nearly all cases be found pointing away from him." 

 In the second volume of Balfour's " Comparative 

 Embryology," page 146, the position of the embryo 

 of the chick is defined thus : " Its long axis is placed 

 at right angles to that of the egg, and the broad end 

 of the egg is on the left side of the embryo." Can 

 these statements be reconciled ? or which of them is 

 to be accepted ? — J. A. O. 



"The Butterflies of Europe." — Part YI. of 

 this beautiful work has been sent us. Its illustrations 

 fully keep up the high art character we have had to 

 eulogise in previous numbers. 



The Unicorn. — All readers interested in the 

 zoology of mythology will read with delight a pam- 

 phlet published by Messrs. Longman, and written by 

 Robert Brown, jun. F.S.A., called "The Unicorn : a 

 mythological Investigation." All that great learning, 

 acute scholarship, and extensive knowledge of the 

 subject can bring to bear, is here very pleasantly con- 

 centrated on the fabulous animal which has been play- 

 ing a part in mythological and heraldic history since 

 the days of the ancient Assyrians, Greeks, and Egyp- 

 tians. 



BOTANY. 



LUZULA NIVEA.— " Panicle decompound, falling 

 short of the floral leaves. Stalks about 6-flowered. 

 Sepals lanceolate, acute, without mucro ; outer \ 

 shorter than inner. Leaves hairy. Flowers very white. 

 Perennial 6, 7. Alpine valleys. France, Switzer- 

 land, North Italy, Tyrol."— Wood's "Tourists' 

 Plora." This plant was gathered by me last summer 

 in Damside Wood, about thirteen miles south-west of 

 Perth and little more than a mile from Auchterarder. 

 Auchterarder consists of one principal street, about a 

 mile long. It is built on the side of a low hill, and 

 the motto on its arms is — " A city set on a hill cannot 

 be hid." It was burned by the Earl of Mar in 1715, 

 after the battle of Sheriffmuir, that Argyle and his 

 followers advancing in pursuit might find no shelter. 

 The wood is a mere strip, extending for about half a 

 mile by the side of the road which leads from Perth 

 to Glasgow. It consists for the most part of firs, 

 though the elm, the oak, the beech, with "grey, 

 smooth trunk," the "siller saugh," and the hoary 

 birch have all their representatives. On a slight 

 elevation at the east side stands Damside House, the 

 summer residence of the proprietor, II. Macduff 

 Duncan, Esq. The slope to the south and west of 

 the mansion is laid out in grass and planted with 

 shrubs and ornamental trees. On the edge of this 

 shrubbery among the grass the Luziila was found. I 

 noticed only one plant with two flowering stems. 

 From the situation and the fact that there was only 

 one plant, it may very well be a "garden escape," or 

 an introduction from abroad. Perhaps those of your 



readers who may have gathered the plant will give a 

 description of the localities in the pages of SciENCE- 

 GossiP, in order to have it determined whether the 

 plant has any claim to be regarded as a native or not. 

 A friend is anxious to know if the plant has been 

 discovered in Forfarshire. Could any of your readers 

 give the information and the localities ? Another 

 uncommon plant which I found in the same wood 

 was what I take to be Doroniciim pardalianches 

 (Leopard's-bane). Lest I should be mistaken, I en- 

 close a specimen for identification. — William Martin, 

 Aberiithvcji. 



Colours of Flowers. — Below is a table, which 

 I have compiled, of the colours of some British wild 

 flowers, having reference to the months in which 

 they open. Number of plants catalogued, 1143. 



* Including brown, orange; dark yellow, light yellow, 

 sulphur, straw, buff, &c. 



—Alfred Waller. 



Local Names of Plants, co. Fermanagh. — 

 Cleavers or Goose-grass {Galiujn aparine), "Robin- 

 run-the-Hedge"; Gotsc ( [flex Eur opcstis), "Whin"; 

 Alder (Alnus gliitinosa), "Elder"; Elder {Sam- 

 htictts nigra), " Boor-tree " ; Dog-rose (Rosa can iita). 



