HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



283 



dining to ash colour ; and the primaries are almost 

 black. The lower part of the back and rump is black ; 

 the upper coverts of the tail are white ; and the tail 

 feathers are black. The forepart of the breast, the 

 lower belly, and the covert feathers beneath the tail 

 are white ; and the legs and feet are of a dark lead 

 colour." Can anyone inform me of its habits ; 

 whether it is often found in this country, and where 

 this specimen probably came from ? — J. Jacob. 



Curious conduct of a Dog. — I shall reply to 

 Mr. Goddie's comments (p. 263) as briefly as possible. 

 Actions resulting from association of ideas do not 

 exhibit any of the ingenuity or adaptation of means 

 to ends which characterises actions resulting from or 

 guided by reason. As an illustration of the former 

 class, I may cite the well-known case of the dog who 

 carried a penny in his mouth, marched to a baker's 

 shop, dropped the money on the counter, grasped in 

 his mouth the roll given in exchange, and returned 

 triumphantly to his master. Here we have no 

 evidence to suppose that the animal understood the 

 principles of contract, or the value of coin, as a means 

 towards an end ; his whole conduct clearly resulted 

 from association of ideas, and also imitation. Mr. 

 Goddie is quite right in controverting the sweeping 

 assertion he alludes to. It is quite true that animals 

 think mostly by the power (which man also possesses) 

 of considering absent objects by means of signs, and 

 also by association of ideas. But the power to inter- 

 pret written or printed characters does not involve 

 an effort of reason on the part of man or of any lower 

 animal. It cannot be denied that the various calls, 

 cries, etc., which" animals use possess a certain 

 amount of expression, i.e., they serve to express 

 emotions or feelings, and perhaps also certain ideas, 

 which are instinctively understood by their fellow- 

 creatures. But there is no evidence whatever to 

 prove that the lower animals are endowed with what 

 is undoubtedly the chief function of language, viz. 

 as an aid to and register of the important processes 

 of abstraction and generalisation. It has never yet 

 been demonstrated that any action of any of the lower 

 animals can be attributed to or directed by an abstract 

 notion (such as roundness, sourness), or to a general 

 notion (such as man, round, etc.) ; but there can be 

 no doubt that the memory or association of the con- 

 crete does, by virtue of the symbolic power already 

 alluded to, very considerably influence and direct the 

 conduct of such creatures as the dog, etc. — P. Q. 

 Kcegan, LL.D. 



Preserving Larvae of Lepidoptera. — Can any 

 reader of Science-Gossip inform me the best way to 

 procure dried specimens of the above ? I have a few 

 autumn larvae in spirits of wine at present. How 

 should I proceed now? — C. S. 



Local Names.— In September last (Notes and 

 Queries), P. S. Taylor mentions " oaf" as the Suffolk 

 for finch. A Norfolk friend tells me that in his parts 

 these birds are called " ulf," or to preserve the 

 analogy with the other county in spelling " oalf." 

 Is "oaf" a degenerated form of "oalf," or has 

 P. S. Taylor failed to catch the liquid when hearing 

 the word spoken ? In Norfolk, greenfinch = ' ' green- 

 oalf ; " bullfinch = ' ' bulloalf, ' ' etc. I observe that in 

 the botanical saloon of the New Natural History 

 Museum small charts, exhibiting the past and present 

 distribution of the natural orders, are being prepared. 

 Would not the publication of these, in "sheet" or 

 "book" form, be a boon to those who stand to 

 botany in the same relation as " zoographers " do to 

 zoology ? — Ernest G. Harmer. 



What Bird ?— Inthe September number, p. 207, 

 E. H. K. asks the name of a bird "nearly twice the 

 size of the house sparrow," and from his description, 

 I believe it is the nuthatch {Sitta Eiiropcea) ; but if 

 so, he is mistaken as to the size. The nuthatch is 

 rather shorter than the sparrow. And again in 

 the October number, p. 238, he describes what 

 appears to be the spotted flycatcher [^Mmcicapa 

 grisola). — H. L. 



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 fan 

 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 onv gratuitous insertion of 

 "exchanges" which cannot be tolerated. 



R. C. — " Our Common British Fossils " has been unavoidably 

 delayed in publication, but will appear shortly, perhaps by 

 March. Dr. Traquair's Monograph on the Carboniferous Fishes 

 is the best of the kind on that subject. 



J. W. Gregory.— Lindley & Hutton's "Fossil Flora of 

 Great Britain," in 3 vols., gives illustrations of the fossil plant 

 of the Primary and Secondary rocks as known a quarter of a 

 century ago. The different volumes of the Palseontographical 

 Society's publications contain figures and descriptions of many 

 new species of Tertiary and other fossil plants. 



W. Smith. — The objects you enclosed are^! galls, commonly 

 called " oak spangles." They are formed by an insect called 

 Neuroterus Icnticularis. 



F. H. Streatfield. — Your small bottle contained the eggs 

 of some mollusc, probably Linuuea, and the larva_of a species 

 of dragon-fly. 



W. J. Simmons (Calcutta).— Thanks for your notes. Get, if 

 you can, Mr. G. Newport's " Monograph of the Class Myrio- 

 poda," or "Transactions of the Linnean Society," vol. .xix., 

 p. 265, or the "List of Myriopoda in the British Museum;" 

 M. Gervais' "fitudes pour servir a I'Histoire Naturelle des 

 Myripodes," published in the " Annales des Sciences Natu- 

 relles," tome vii., 1837, would also help you. 



H. L. (Maidstone). — We believe it to be the true type of 

 Mentha aquatica, Linn., and not any of the described forms 

 of Sole's species. 



T. J. N. (Bawtry).— It is the hedge-maple {Acer ^seudo- 

 platanus), very rare in fruit. 



W. B. (London).— You send too many species, except we 

 devoted an entire page for the names. They are all named 

 correctly, except it be Hypnutn incurvatum, Webera nutans, 

 and Hypnuvt sylvaticum. Examine again the leaves of the 

 above species and let us know the result. 



J. H. D. (Lisburn). — It is one of the cup-lichens, but too 

 minute to ascertain correctly ; it is not uncommon on other 

 plants in damp wet seasons. 



E. G. — The ferns are : i, Todea ; 2, Polystkhum acutum ; 

 3, Polypodium serraium. 



Miss B. — We are sorry we cannot name your sea-weeds with 

 any satisfaction, as they are all without fruits. 



T. H. H.- — We have no doubt you would procure "The 

 American Naturalist," " Oologist," and other American 

 scientific serials at Trubner's, Ludgate Hill. The price of each 

 number of the former is 35 cents. 



W. Patekson.— Write to Mr. J. H. Kendal, F.G.S., Cocker- 

 mouth, Cumberland, for information on both questions. 



EXCHANGES. 



Excellent microscope, with accessories in box, with twelve 

 interesting slides, for medical coil or other electrical apparatus. 

 — Offers requested by C. Wheawill, Marsh, Huddersfield. 



Wanted, birds' eggs, side-blown, of many species, to fill up 

 gaps in collection. Good exchange in botanical or entomologi- 

 cal specimens, or micro slides. — E. D. Marquand, Hea, Madron, 

 Penzance. 



Wanted, parasites (internal and external), mounted or un- 

 mounted, in exchange for Anatomicil, Pathological, Diatoms, 

 g.c. — F. L. Carter, 20 Trafalgar Street, Newcastle-on-Tyne. 



