HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



165 



Local Names extant in rural Oxfordshire. 

 — "Bald coot," — the common coot {Fulica alra) ; 

 " dog tree," the dogwood {Coriius saitguiuca) ; 

 "feather," the horse-tail; "five-leaved grass," the 

 fritillary {Frilillaria melcagris) ; " gentlemen and 

 ladies," the common arum {Anon maciilci/inn) ; 

 "goosey ganders," the early purple orchis (Oir/iis 

 viascula) ; " golden chain " the laburnum ; "golden 

 knobs," buttercups; "harvest throw," the shrew 

 (Sorc.x vulgaris); "hipson," the fruit of the wild 

 rose (Rosa call! na) ; "honey bind," ihe honeysuckle ; 

 "humming fly," the hoverer fly [Eristalis tenax) ; 

 "jack blay," the h\tok (^Cyprinus alluirints) ; "Jenny 

 bunt tail," the will o' the wisp; "Jenny fuddler," 

 the wren (Troglodytes 2'iilgaris) ; "land drake," the 

 land rail (Crex pratensis) ; "lockchest," the wood 

 louse (Oniscus asellus) ; "molly horn," the heron 

 (Ardea cinerea); "moon," the white ox-eye (Chry- 

 santhemum kucant/iemtun) ; " Norman thrush," the 

 missel thrush (Turdus vlscivorus) ; "packman," 

 the spotted snail (Helix aspcrsa) ; "pigweed," the 

 cow parsnip (Heracleum sphoitdylium) ; "pug-fist," 

 puff-ball ; " purses," freshwater mussels (Unio tumi- 

 dus) ; "sill-green," the house leek (^Sempervivum 

 tectoruni) ; "snake's flower," the white campion 

 (Lychnis vespertina') ; "silver feather," silverweed 

 (Potcntilla anserina) ; "toad's cheeses," rank fungi. 

 — IV. H. JFarner, Standlake. 



Turnstone. — The reason of my inserting a query 

 respecting this bird in the December number of 

 Science-Gossip was to elicit proof from others of 

 so extraordinary a circumstance as that two birds 

 about the weight of a common quail could turn over 

 a fish of the size mentioned by Mr. Edward. A friend 

 of mine, a naturalist, who has large experience of 

 British birds, extending over three-quarters of a 

 century, tells me he has never heard of or seen 

 a turnstone scraping or turning over anything so 

 weighty, and diflScult to move. As regarding my 

 good taste which Mr. Laver animadverts on, I 

 think all will agree that Science-Gossip is written 

 for sifting the truth of statements and not taking 

 them for granted, although they have come from a 

 savant.— S. A. Breiian, Clerk, Allan Rock, co. Tyrone. 



Late Tadpoles. — In connection with the in- 

 teresting fact mentioned by W. B. R., I may say 

 that in March last year I gathered a quantity of frog 

 spawn which produced a good stock of tadpoles. 

 These I fed on watercresses, and managed to develop 

 them all into frogs except one which remained in the 

 tadpole state until January this year, when, taking 

 it out to put under the microscope I unfortunately 

 lost it. It retained the branchiae till October or 

 November, but after that I could not distinguish them, 

 though it must have had them in some measure, for it 

 very rarely came to the surface to breathe. I mean to 

 try the rearing experiment again this year, and should 

 be very glad if any correspondent could let me know 

 how to keep the young frogs alive after they leave 

 the tadpole stage. They have invariably died with 

 me, the longest period I have been able to keep one 

 being eight days. — G. R. R. 



Phosphorescent Centipede. — The scolopen- 

 dnim has long been known to be phosphorescent in a 

 slight degree, but nothing I have read equals that 

 referred to in L. M. D'Albertis's "New Guinea," 

 published in 1880, in which he says, "I observed a 

 centipede (Scolopendrum) running along a wet rope. 

 It attracted my attention by the phosphorescent light it 

 threw out and left behind it. I tried to catch the poor 

 little animal, but scarcely had I touched it with a pair 

 of pincers than it threw out a quantity of phosphorus, 



which besides shining on the rope, fell on the table 

 beneath, illuminating everything with its yellow light, 

 and for some minutes I could gather up phosphores- 

 cent matter with the pincers." Vol. ii. p. 94. I think 

 such a remarkable instance of animal phosphorescence 

 worthy record in the more widely read pages of the 

 Science-Gossip Magazine.— ^f'i Buddeu, Ipswich. 



Burrowing Caterpillar.— A caterpillar was 

 brought to me on February 8th, and I was told that 

 its habit was to burrow in the earth during the day 

 and come up in the night to eat the polyanthuses, both 

 leaves and blossoms, but evidently preferring the 

 latter. It was not a single specimen, as there were 

 many other similar larvje following the same course 

 at the time. The grub was about \\ inches long, a 

 good deal scattered in form ; in colour, dark bottle- 

 green, with distinct black markings, the legs very 

 short and thin, and the under part of the body, a 

 slight reddish-brown. It had no horn or other pro- 

 tuberance, and no hair. I placed it in a pan half 

 full of earth, and for the next five days it "ot down 

 each day into the earth wholly out of sight, returning 

 to the surface at about 8 or 9 p.m. eating the prim- 

 roses that I had placed for it there. On the sixth 

 day it went down and did not come up at night, and 

 I conclude is now undergoing its change to the pupa 

 state. I shall be glad if any one can give me informa- 

 tion as to what species this animal belongs. 



Catalogue of West Kent Flora. — In an article 

 on " Silent Science Workers," the Standard sa.ys that 

 the West Kent Natural History Mia-oscopical and 

 Photographic Society has catalogued the plants of 

 this district. Can any one tell me where I can get 

 this catalogue ? I should also be glad to hear a little 

 more about the Society.— C Fredlborters, Grafton 

 House, Forest Hill, Kent. 



Blood Corpuscles. — Dr. Carpenter in "The 

 Microscope" says that "the red blood corpuscles 

 present in every instance the form of a flattened disk, 

 which is circular in man and most mammalia, but is 

 oval in birds, reptiles, and fishes, as also in a few 

 mammalia (all belonging to the camel tribe)." Could 

 any of your readers suggest what difference it makes 

 to an animal whether its blood have circular or oval 

 red corpuscles, and why the camel should differ from 

 the other mammalia in this respect ? — E. Parry 

 Roehampton. 



Acherontia Atropos.— It is not unusual for 

 Achcrontia Atropos to remain in the pupa state 

 throughout the winter, and emerge the following 

 summer, but collectors, I believe, as a rule, find it 

 rather difficult to get imagines from such pupa, as the 

 moths, though oftentimes perfectly formed, from some 

 reason or other, seem to have no power to burst 

 the pupa-case. Having been somewhat successful in 

 rearing this insect, I will give a few particulars which 

 may be of service to your correspondent J. Wilbum. 

 During August and September of 1877, I had in my 

 possession a dozen larvce, which were found feeding 

 upon potato leaves. For these I very carefully 

 prepared some very finely sifted earth in flower-pots, 

 into which they entered with the exception of two, 

 which changed into pupte on the surface. One of 

 these produced a very fine moth in November. I had 

 often read of the power of squeaking in this insect, 

 but although from time to time several specimens had 

 passed into my hands, I had never detected the least 

 sound, and began almost to doubt the veracity of the 

 statement. However all my doubts were then set at 

 rest, for the moth in question was an excessively noisy 

 insect, and squeaked loudly, and not alone in the 



