HARD WICKE'S SCIENCE- G OSSIF. 



131 



Inula critJntioidcs, the golden samphire, is common 

 on the cliffs. The little harbour of Boscastle is 

 formed by a deep romantic chasm into which, through 

 a narrow opening, the sea forces its passage and with 

 a dead hollow sound struggles among the adjoining 

 rocks and caverns. At the base of the cliffs the sea 

 has worn several large passages which in some places 

 penetrate at least half a mile into the bowels of the 

 earth. Into these subterraneous caverns boats 

 manned and armed frequently enter, by help of lights, 

 in search of the seals which make these their homes. 

 Near here the Sea Holly {Eryugiunt inaritimitni) 

 grows on the sandy shore, whose roots are made into 

 a sweetmeat called " candied Eryngo root." 



Let us now leave the sea and take the road lead- 

 ing to the large slate-quarry at De la Bole. In the 

 hedges along the roads we find Centranthus ruber 

 (Red Valerian), Fceniculum vulgar c, Artemisia vul- 

 garis, Tainarix Gallica, Reseda luieola, Reseda luica, 

 Serratula tinctoria. Salvia verbenaca. Verbena offici- 

 nalis, Achillea Ptar mica. Inula Conyza, Ononis arvensis 

 and Verhascum Thapsus. Crossing two fields we 

 enter a small lane, by the side of which grow in 

 large quantities, Aspknium Adiantum - nignttn, 

 Asplenium Ruta-muraria, Aspknium Trichomanes, 

 the false Maiden-hair, as well as Ceterack officinarum, 

 and Aspknium lanceolatum. Near here I found pure 

 white specimens Cii Digitalis purpurea. Ononis arz'ensis, 

 and Stachys Betonica growing within a sliort distance 

 of each other. Chrysanthemum Parthenium and 

 Epilobum hirsiitum are common all along this lane. 

 Soon we arrive at De la Bole, and turning to the left 

 we enter the well-known slate quarry, from which 

 the best slate in England is obtained. It is sup- 

 posed to belong to the Devonian period, and the state- 

 ment at the end of last year that a fossil bird had been 

 found in the slate was challenged successfully. This 

 quarry has been worked for over a hundred and fifty 

 years, and is more than five hundred yards long and 

 two hundred broad. The deepest part is over sixty 

 fathoms. The strata of the slate lie in the rock, which 

 is at first in a loose shattered state with lamincX of 

 unequal thickness, dipping to the S.W. This continues 

 to the depth of twelve fathoms of useless stuff. Then 

 come ten fathoms of firmer brown stone, called '* top- 

 stone," used for pavements. 



It now mends in quality, reaching the best about 

 thirty fathoms from the surface. This good slate is 

 •of a greyish-blue colour, and of such close texture 

 that it sounds like metal when struck. The masses 

 are raised from the bottom in trucks, running on an 

 inchned railroad and drawn up by a stout rope 

 wound round the bobbin of a machine, about four 

 feet in diameter. 



Not far from De la Bole is a silver-lead mine, 

 which has remained for some time unworked or 

 *'scat." It is well worth a visit from the mineralo- 

 gist, as within a very small distance fine specimens of 

 iron, copper, silver-lead, three kinds of mundic, and 



various kinds of "spar" may be found. Beautiful 

 specimens of quartz are found here crystallised in 

 various forms, the most usual of which is that of 

 a hexagonal prism surmounted with hexangular 

 pyramids. The most pellucid of these are called 

 "Cornish diamonds," and are considered superior 

 to every diaphanous crystallisation in Great Britain. 

 They are generally found in small conclaves in the' 

 midst of the metal lodes. The clearer they are, the 

 better do they cut glass. 



Not far from here are two very large lodes of the 

 best antimonite, up till now unworked, but soon to be 

 taken in hand by a company. 



The distress in Cornwall in consequence of the 

 closing of many of the mines has been very great, 

 but there is every prospect now of a revival of the 

 trade, which will stop the constant emigration of the 

 working classes from the county and refill the 

 numbers of cottages at present unoccupied. 



In conclusion, I will just mention the more im- 

 portant minerals that have been or are found in 

 Cornwall : 



Gold has been found among the stream tin, and is 

 always considered the perquisite of the miners, who 

 collect the grains in quills for sale. 



Silver is obtained from the silver-lead at the rate of 

 140 oz. of silver from i ton of lead ; also found native. 



Copper and iron in all forms and the historic tin 

 are of course the staple products ; native bismuth in 

 small quantities, and cobaliine, wolfram, molybdenite 

 and uranitc also have been found here ; titanium 

 from a mineral called menachante ; zinc from blende ; 

 three kinds of mundk, called from their colours silver, 

 brass and brown mundic, the first being of hardly 

 any commercial value, but prized for its very pretty 

 crystals ; and grey antimony in large quantities and 

 in a very pure state completes the list. 



The College, Brighton. 



LIST OF ASSISTING NATURALISTS. 



Middlesex. 



London. — Henry Hillman, Prest. North Middlesex 



Nat. Hist. Assoc, 26 InglebyRoad, Holloway, N., 



and 456 King's Road, Chelsea, S,^V. General 



Zoology. 



Lancashire, 



Fylde District. — James T. Lightwood, Pembroke 

 House School, Lytham. Conchology. 



Folk - lore, county Tyrone. — The country 

 people consider wheat is better sown in the dark of 

 the moon as a preventive against smut. Animals 

 mated at that time are prolific to a certainty. If 

 frogs spawn near the edge of pools, this is considered 

 to be a proof that the summer is to be a wet one 

 but if in the middle, a dry season. — S. A. Brenau. 



