164 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



GEOLOGY. 



The Museum of the York Philosophical 

 Society. — An excellent little handbook to this well- 

 known museum has just been written by the curator, 

 Mr. Walter Keeping, F.G.S The part relating to 

 the collection of Yorkshire fossils is a good example 

 of how local fossils should be arranged and popularly 

 described. Within the last three years the above 

 museum has been increased by over 110,000 geologi- 

 cal specimens, purchased and collected by Mr. W. 

 Reed, F.G.S. , including his own collection and that 

 of Mr. Edward Wood, F.G.S., of Richmond. 



Glacial action in North Wales. — Any 

 geologist passing during the approaching holiday 

 season from Beddgelevt or Llyn Cwellyn to Nantlle, 

 in descending into the comparatively little known but 

 fine pass of Drws y Coed, may observe a large rock 

 surface on the left-hand side of the road, recently laid 

 bare, close to the road-side and near to the first water 

 wheel at the Copper Mine, which is well grooved and 

 largely striated, with the appearance of having been 

 planed over, in the direction of the pass, which the 

 ice must have taken in being forced down from the 

 rugged and highly precipitous heights of Mynydd 

 Mawr on the one hand, and Mynydd Drws y Coed 

 on the other. Near here I found some very definitely 

 scratched pieces of loose slate and other rocks, picked 

 out of the ancient mountain side quite recently broken 

 into for road repairs. I may add that at the mine in 

 the pass some interesting specimens of copper ore and 

 quartz crystallisation may be obtained, while the 

 scenery of the spot is remarkably bold. — Horace 

 Fearce, F.G.S., Stourbridge. 



"Missing Links " again.— This time the found 

 " Missing Link " is a mammal from the upper eocene 

 of France, from the phosphorite deposits, called 

 Cebochoerus, intermediate between pigs and monkeys. 

 A complete head and lower jaw united of this 

 animal has been found, and exhibited before the Paris 

 Academy of Sciences, 



Ballarat.— The School of Science at Ballarat 

 has just issued its annual Report, containing a sketch 

 of the work done, and the discoveries made in 

 Australia during the past year. It is accompanied 

 with diagrams, &c. 



Erratum.— Page 129, fig. 93, June No. Science- 

 Gossip, Folypora folyporata wrongly given in place 

 of Glauconomc bip'uinata. — C. Farkiiisoii. 



Polyzoa from IIalkyn Mountains.— May I 

 offer a correction in the naming of the Polyzoa from 

 Halkyn Mountains in Mr. Parkinson's paper. Figs. 

 92 and 93 are evidently distinct as to genus, and both 

 are named Folypora polypora/a—z species, so far as 

 I am aware, has not been found there. I would sug- 

 gest the following naming : fig. 89, Glauconomc 

 elcgans. Young ; fig. 92, Folypora tuberculala, Prout ; 

 fig' 93> Glauconome Jlexicarinata, Young. The rest 

 are correctly named.— C^^, W. Shrubsole. 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



Local Names. — I have often been amused to 

 hear the quaint odd names given to many natural 

 objects in this locality. A difference of a few miles 

 will give a new designation to some common species. 

 Often I have stopped a group of lads, and asked 

 them what they called such-and-such a bird, or insect, 

 or plant, and the information, given in the broad 

 Lancashire vernacular, has often made me laugh 

 heartily. One would know of nests of "spadger," 

 house sparrow; "sheppie," or " utick," — starHng 

 and whinchat. Another would have been to the 

 brook catching "nine-'een," the lampern ; or "cod- 

 heads," — the miller's-thumb ; or " beardies," the 

 loach {Cobitis barbatuhi) ; or " menners," sticklebacks 

 {Gasterostcus), the males and females of which are 

 designated respectively, "cocks" and "hens." 

 The willow wren (.S". trochilus), chiffchaff (^. kippolais), 

 and whitethroats [C. cinerea and sylviella), are 

 commonly called " peggies." The ring ousel 

 (T. torqua/iis) is " fell-ousel ; " the fieldfare, 

 "blue-back;" and the tits (Farus) are all lumped 

 together as " nopes." The water rail {li. aquaticus) 

 is called "scaragrice" — a name which is also often 

 used here to denote anything very wild or timorous. 

 The barn owl is called "huUet;" the bulfinch, 

 "thickbill ;" the greenfinch, " greenbull ;" and the 

 sandpiper (Zl hypokiica), "willy-wicket," or "sand- 

 pie." The reed-bunting {E. scfuviiiclus) is " black- 

 cap," or "black-headed bodkin;" and the sedge 

 warbler {S. phragmitis), " chitter-hi-ti," or "old 

 fella." Stonechats [S. riibicola) and wheatears 

 {S. ccnanthe) are "chappers;" and the grasshopper 

 warbler {S. lociistclla), " huzzer." The linnet 

 (Z. caiuiabiita) is called " paywee ; " the black- 

 headed gull (Z. ridibiindus), "petch;" and the 

 common gull (Z. (r(7;/7/j), "sea-gorr." Tadpoles are 

 " bullheads ; " and newts, " asks ; " and the blind- 

 worm (A. /ragil/s), " langworm." As is pretty 

 generally the case everywhere, the blindvvorm and 

 newts are looked upon by the country folks here as 

 highly "venomous." Large moths, especially the 

 Sp/ii/igid(e, Alaiira, &c., are called "bussarts," and 

 are " unlucky." Large beetles, of any kind, are 

 "thunder-clocks;" dragon-flies, "stangin (stinging) 

 hazzerts;" and spiders, " hattercrops." Shells of 

 Helix &c. are "snailhorns." The fruit of the dog violet 

 (V. canina) is called "butter-pats" by the country 

 children, from its resemblance to the half-pounds in 

 which butter is made up for market in this locality. 

 Cardamijic p7-atensis is called "Mayflower;" 

 Orchis viascula, " crowfoot ; " Geranium lucidum, 

 " bachelor's buttons ; " wood sorrel (Oxalis acetosella), 

 "bread and cheese;" and the hemlock {Conium 

 viaculatum), "kewse," or "kex." ]'icia oniithopus 

 zxiA Alchcmil la vulgaris are called "lamb's foot;" 

 and the horsetails (Equisetum) are known generally 

 as " toadpipes." The yellow rattle (R/ii/ian/hits 

 crista - galli) is "pennygrass ;" and the Solanu77i 

 dulcamara, " robin-run-ith-hedge." The fruit of 

 the sloe is called " slath," and a conserve of it is 

 in high repute amongst the country people as an 

 astringent medicine. The yellow flag [Iris) is called 

 "daggers;" the large leaves of the coltsfoot "flap- 

 per-docks;" Ranuuculus repens, " catclaws ; " the 

 seed heads of dandelion, " one-o'clocks ; " and the 

 great ox-eye daisy, " caten-aroes." I think many of 

 the local names I have mentioned are peculiar to this 

 district, and I hope the list will interest those of your 

 readers who give their attention to this subject. — 

 R. Staiulct!, Goosnargh, Frestou, Lanes. 



