HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



i4'3 



ACHERONTIA Atrotos. (Vide p. 94.) — It is not 

 a safe plan to force the puprc of A. Alivpos. Under 

 ordinary conditions, the mollis should emerge about 

 June. A large portion of the pupae of this species, 

 however, produce imagines, the same autumn, which 

 arc mostly barren females. It is very necessary to 

 keep your pupce moist to enable the moths to break 

 through easily. The best way is to keep them in damp 

 moss, which should first be baked, to destroy any 

 insects that it may contain. The pupre should be 

 looked to occasionally, for with too much moisture they 

 are liable to become mouldy. — R. Laddtmau, Norvich. 



Reason or Instinct. — Perhaps the following 

 facts may be of interest to those who have turned 

 their attention to the vexed question of the existence, 

 in the lower animals, of a faculty, if not identical 

 with reason, at least very nearly akin to it. In a 

 large boarding school in the West of England, we 

 have a spaniel that shows remarkable intelligence. 

 He owns no individual as his master, but claims to 

 belong to the boys collectively, accompanying them 

 in all their walks, going with them into the playground 

 when lessons are finished, and returning punctually 

 into the schoolroom at the first sound of the bell. On 

 Sundays we are in the habit of attending two services 

 at church, one in the forenoon, and another in the 

 evening ; while, in the afternoon, if the weather is 

 fine, we go for a long country walk. Sancho is 

 alwaj'S in a state of the utmost excitement to start 

 with us on these walks, but nothing will induce him 

 to stir when the boys are about to set out for church. 

 Yesterday, March 13th, however, his conduct seemed 

 to call for particular notice. A special service had 

 been intimated for the afternoon, and we decided to 

 attend it, and take our walk in the evening. Sancho 

 was present while this arrangement was being talked 

 over, and looked so knowmg that we resolved to 

 watch him. On assembling in the playground just at 

 our usual time for starting, Sancho was not amongst 

 us, but sat in the doorway looking very much disgusted 

 at the idea of losing such a glorious afternoon for a 

 run. No amount of calling and coaxing, howev'er, 

 had any effect upon him. He seemed to recognise 

 that we were what is vulgarly called " humbugging " 

 him, but was determined not to give way to what 

 must have been his natural impulse to rush out and 

 join us. In the evening, on the other hand, when on 

 ordinary occasions he never attempts to go with us, 

 he was full of animation, and was all eagerness to 

 start. Calling to him, I ordered him back into the 

 schoolroom, telling him it was highly improper for 

 dogs to appear in church ; but with a sly look into my 

 face he bounded off to the head of the column, abso- 

 lutely refusing to pay any heed to the prohibition, and 

 of course his sagacity and disobedience were rewarded 

 by his enjoying the walk. This is only one out of 

 many marks of intelligence that he has shown, in face 

 of which it is very difficult to believe that he is 

 actuated only by an " untaught ability to perform 

 actions necessary or useful to the animal." In an 

 interesting note by Dr. Kegan in Science-Gossip, 

 .September 1879, the writer attributes complex cases 

 of so-called instinctive actions to a powerful develop- 

 ment of the sensori-vwtor ganglia. Would such an 

 explanation hold in the present case ? True the 

 passive resistance to the dog's natural impulse might 

 be regarded as a "mode of motion ; " but it certamly 

 seems to be an unwarrantable stretching of the theory 

 to apply it in such a way. Some other explanation 

 must be found, or, to be consistent, we shall have to 

 admit that the whole moral nature of man is merely 

 the result of a " powerful development of the sensori- 

 motor ganglia." — A. Gcddie. 



NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



To Correspondents and Exchangers. — As we now 

 publish iSciENCE-GossiP earlier than heretofore, we cannot 

 possibly insert in the following number any communicatious 

 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 owx gratuitous insertion uf 

 "exchanges" which cannot be tolerated. 



H. Ckowther. — We shall be very pleased to have your 

 paper on " Molluscan Jaws." 



B. S. — We always like to have a person's full address, and 

 make it a rule not to reply otheiwise. But as your handwriting 

 suggests we are dealing with one of the fair sex, we shall be 

 content with stating the rule. Vou will find that Dr. M. C. 

 Cooke's " Ponds and Ditches," published at -25. 6d. by the 

 Christian Knowledge .Society, will be very useful as a first intro- 

 duction to the study of microscopic plants. There is no doubt 

 the plant of which you send us a rough sketch of structure is 

 one of the Co>ife>-vi?. We do not understand 'whicli examination 

 in Botany you allude to — that of the South Kensington Depart- 

 ment or that of the Pharmaceutical Society. Vou had better 

 inquire. 



F. H. Streatfield. — We have not heard of any parasites 

 being found on cheese-mites. 



"Northumbrian." — Denny's " Monograph of the Anoplu- 

 ridse " is the most exhaustive on that group of the Ectozoa. Van 

 Beneden's popular work (one of the International Scientific 

 Series) on "Animal Messmates" gives a very philosophicab 

 outline of their functions and relationships. See article on 

 "Parasites" in Mkrographic Dictionary. We always 

 publish Science-Gossip about the 25th of each month. 



M. A. Hentv. — The red insects were the well-known "red 

 spider," one of the chief pests of the gardener. The other insect 

 is the female of Cocciis sgjcatni/era (nearly allied to the Cochi- 

 neal insects) ; the body of the female acts as a cocoon for the 

 eggs she lays. 



G. H. Bryan. — The entire natural order of plants to which 

 the cucumber belongs is dangerous. Some of them are acridly 

 poisonous. It would appear as if the poison was present in the 

 cucumber chiefly in the dark green rind, in a modified degree 

 however. The most poisonous plant in this order is the Colo- 

 cyntk, and the specific poison is allied to that obtained from 

 that plant. 



J. G. Sharp. — We are always desirous to give such help in 

 assisting to name specimens as could not be supplied by the 

 querist himself. Of course, where a man can find the name of 

 a plant, animal, or fossil for himself, with a little trouble, we 

 expect he will do so. No specimens were in your letter when it 

 reached us. 



L. L. — The moss enclosed is a common species called " rope 

 moss" (Futiaria hygrojnetricaj; the fragment of other plant 

 appears to be that of the moss saxifrage (Sa.xifraga hypnsides), 

 but it is too small to tell definitely what it is. Dr. M. C. 

 Cooke's "British Reptiles" (published by Bogue) and Bell's 

 " British Reptiles " (Van Voorst) are the best works we have 

 on this subject. Wood's " Insects at Home" will give you a 

 good idea of our common insects; so also will .Staveley's 

 " British Insects." 



J. M. — It should be distinctly understood that gratuitous ex- 

 changes should not exceed three lines ; they only crowd others 

 out. 



EXCHANGES. 



Wanted, Rume.v sanguineus proper. Please state require- 

 ments to A. Heath, 114 Ebury Street, S.W. 



In exchange for foraminifera or diatomacex, a well-mounted 

 slide of the eggs of sheep fluke.— C. E. W., 31 Darley Street, 

 Bradford, Yorkshire. 



A NUMRER of eggs and stuffed birds (British) for exchange. 

 Lists exchanged. — J. A. Wheldon, 9 South Street, Scarborough. 



Unmounted leaves, Eleagnus and Hippophae spores, Lyco- 

 podium, sand from Margate, and others in quantity for mounted 

 objects. — G. H. Bryan, Trumpington Road, Cambridge. 



Would exchange good specimens of trap rocks for mineral.s 

 of various kinds or foraminiferous washings. — George Patterson, 

 J. Walker & Co., Princes Street, Greenock. 



Wanted, living specimens of the cricket and death-watch 

 in exchange for C. fiilgida (tansy beetle) or other natural 

 history objects. — Edward J. Gibbins, 20 Bootham, York. 



