HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



95 



Heather, &c.— If J. W, and C. S. G. (in the 

 February No.) strolled over the moors of Devon and 

 Cornwall, they would certainly find quantities of 

 white heather, but always growing among the normal 

 colour. It is frequent about Lynmouth, on Dartmoor 

 and Exmoor, &c. I have a fine specimen of Erica 

 tetralix in my herbarium gathered at Trentishoe ; the 

 leaves were of a lighter green, but in no cases were 

 the flowers inferior. It cannot be the soil or situa- 

 tion which produces the white flower, as it is always 

 found growing with the normal colour ; it is the same 

 with SciUa nutans. Geranium Robertiaitum, <S:c., — 

 W. B. 



Cormorants. — I have to thank the Rev. H. W. 

 Lett, M.A., for his answer to my query relative to 

 cormorants breeding about inland lakes ; and also 

 other correspondents for their interesting notes about 

 these birds. Though previously unaware that they 

 built in the localities referred to, I knew that they 

 were frequently to be met with far inland, having 

 often observed them myself many miles from the sea, 

 especially in the winter season. Indeed, they are at 

 this time of the year quite a common sight on Upper 

 Lough Erne, between 30 and 40 miles from the 

 nearest salt-water. 



Sea-gulls (vide p. 283, No. 204) are also not 

 infrequent visitors, some being observable, not only 

 during, or immediately preceding a storm, but almost 

 any day of the year. I have in my possession a fine 

 specimen of the lesser black-headed gull, shot in 

 August 18S0, near Clunish Island, Upper Lough Erne, 

 about 20 miles, as the crow flies, from the nearest 

 part of the coast. — F. If. II. 



Scott on the Harebell. — Sir William Hooker 

 in the " British Flora," calls the Campanula rotunJi- 

 folia, the harebell ; and quotes Scott's lines, "E'en the 

 slight harebell," &:c., in confirmation. I should con- 

 sider no man's opinion superior to that of the late 

 Director of Kew. On the other hand, in the " Treasury 

 of Botany," edited by Lindley and Moore, we find 

 " Harebell {Hyacinthus non-scriptus.)" Then, in the 

 •' Illustrated Handbook of British Plants," by A. 

 Irvine, the genuine name harebell is only used for 

 Cainpamda. Babington used only hairbell ; this I 

 regard as a distinction without a difference. Grindon, 

 in the " Manual of British Plants," employs harebell 

 for Campanula. We now cite Sir Joseph Hooker 

 and Bentham respectively, who both term the Cam- 

 pamda, harebell. Here we have the evidence of 

 five against one. Surely this is overwhelming ; why 

 need we any further discussion ? I thought, in my 

 simplicity, this matter had been settled years ago, in 

 the pages of the "Naturalist," where much good 

 temper was lost, all for nothing. — R. 



Parrots and their Food. — We have a green 

 Indian parrot, able to repeat numerous sentences 

 pretty distinctly, to sing a song, whistle a tune, &c. 

 We have now had it about five years, and during that 

 time its principal food has been bread soaked in 

 sweetened milk and tea, for its breakfast, and but- 

 tered bread for its other meals. In addition to this 

 we often give it a piece of raw apple, turnip, &c. 

 Upon this diet it thrives amazingly. We give it no 

 water. For the last year or two it has received a 

 tepid bath every morning, summer and winter, which 

 it enjoys immensely. I quite agree with your corre- 

 spondent, "J. H. M.," that animal food causes it to 

 pluck out its feathers, probably on account of its 

 exciting properties acting on an animal which, in its 

 natural state, is accustomed to live almost wholly 

 ou vegetable food. — J. A. T. 



NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



To Correspondents and Exchangers. — As we now 

 publish Science-Gossip earlier than heretofore, we cannot 

 possibly insert in the following number any communications 

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



To Anonymous Querists.— We receive so many queries 

 which do not bear the writers' names that we are forced to 

 adhere to our rule of not noticing them. 



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 advertisements, for the purpose of evading the cost of 

 advertising, an advantage is taken oi owe gratuitous insertion of 

 "exchanges" which cannot be tolerated. 



Mrs. U. (Surrey). — We believe it is an aberrant form o 

 Carex glauca, L. To clear up any doubt, we will submit it to 

 an authority on the Carices, and let you know the result. 



H. _C. B. (Wandsworth). — Thanks for the microscopic 

 material. 



J. A. (Edinburgh). — The mosses are : No. i, Hypmtm velu- 

 tinum, '2, Polytrkhuvz commune, 3 and 4, Tortula mtiralis, 

 5, Mniian hormun, 6, Hypnum cupressiforme, 8, Polytrichuin 

 commune; the rest not being in fruit, we cannot determine. 

 Would you kindly send other specimens ? 



Miss W. (Maidstone). — The Pezizas are not confined to any 

 one kind of wood. We can only detect the moss (some species 

 of Hypnum) in your letter. A useful volume is Edwin Lees' 

 "Rambles;" this would help you, and it is very trustworthy 

 and interesting. 



J. E. (Leeds). — It is a form oi Polystichunt lohatum, a fern 

 differing widely according to locality. 



A. W. O. (Windsor). — So far as we can see, from a hasty 

 examination, they are correctly labelled, but they are puzzling 

 species. 



F. H. Smith. — You cannot get a more comprehensive book 

 on the subject you name than Sir Joseph Hooker's " Students' 

 Flora of the British Islands," published by Macmillan at los. (>d. 

 H. D. Barclay. — The question as to whether the earth lives 

 or not is a very ancient one, and we cannot see what benefit 

 would be derived from the discussion of such a subject when so 

 many of greater and more practical importance are demanding 

 attention. 



J. H. — A correspondent has kindly informed us that the Rev. 

 H. N. Ellacombe has written an exhaustive book, called " The 

 Plant-lore of Shakespere." 



S. Brenan. — Life has not been discovered on a meteoric 

 stone, nor is it likely it ever will be, seeing how fused and 

 vitrified the outside of all meteoric stones are, through the heat 

 produced by friction in passing through the atmosphere before 

 they reach the earth. The idea that life might have originally 

 been introduced upon one planet by meteoric agency was first 

 mooted by Sir William Thomson, in his Presidential Address 

 before the British Association at Edinburgh in 1S71. Since 

 then an ill-informed German doctor of medicine thought he had 

 discovered _/<7«iV^ in meteoric stones, but this has been com- 

 pletely disproved. 



J. Smith. — Van Beneden's "Animal Messmates," published 

 by Kegan Paul & Co., price $s., will be a good commencing 

 book, as it will introduce you to the true nature of parasites. 

 Denny's " Monograph of the Anopluridae " is the most ex- 

 haustive illustrated work on the subject we have. 



H. R. Alexander. — We are not in the habit of pointing out 

 any microscopic maker's name in particular to our readers, but 

 we advise you to write to any of the makers you mention in 

 your letter, and tell them what you want and the price. They 

 are all good and honourable men. You may obtain Stark's 

 " British Mosses " (secondhand) at such scientific booksellers as 

 W. Wesley, Essex Street, or W. P. Collins. 157 Great Portland 

 Street. Tripp's "British Mosses," 2 vols., containing several 

 hundred figures, may generally be had for about £2. Dr. 

 Braithwaite's work now issuing (see notice in our botanical 

 column) would be the best work you could obtain. 



C. DowsoN. — You will find the fullest information as to the 

 development of saw-fishes in Dr. Gunther's recently-published 

 " Study of Fishes." It is very probable that the fish to which 

 your snout belonged might have been longer than we stated. 



A. E. B,— You cannot do better than join the Essex and 

 Epping Forest Naturalists' Field Club. It is an excellent 

 society, publishing its transactions, and doing good scientific 

 work. 



M. C. W. — Dr. Nicholson's monograph work on fossil corals 

 might be of use to you. You will find in the vols, of the 

 Palaeontojraphical Society descriptions and figures of most of 

 our fossil corals, from the Silurian upwards, described by Haime, 

 Milne-Edwards, and Martin Duncan. Professor Phillips's 

 " Geology of Yorkshire " (just republished) gives illustrations 

 of most carboniferous limestone fossils. For plants of__Coal 

 Measures see Lindley and Mutton's " Fossil Flora." 



