72 



HARDWICKE'S SCI E N CE- GO S S I P 



NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



We must remind our friends, who make use of this column, 

 that the following rules should be strictly adhered to : — 

 First. That perfect specimens be sent. Secondly, That all 

 the information as to habirat, &c., that the inquirer can givO 

 should be forwarded with them. Thirdly. To bear in mind 

 that drawings, unless very perfectly executed, are useless, 

 and a tyro is very apt to omit some distinctive characteristic 

 which would enable the examiner to decide the genus and 

 species of the object sent. Lastly. Kever to send an object 

 for identification until the inquirer has used his best endea- 

 vours to find out for himself all the information he requires. 

 Questions are very frequently sent, which the slightest effort 

 on the part of querist in looking through some elementary 

 treatise would have given all the knowledge required. 



E. Mayers. — Your butterflies came to hand, but we don't 

 know what to do with them. We have paid for the parcel. 

 Please not to send us any more. We are always willing to 

 oblige our correspondents in a reasonable manner, but we 

 cannot undertake to sell objects for them. 



A. E.M.— Many thanks for your suggestions. Wearealways 

 glad to receive them from contributors. That about publish- 

 ing Gossip weekly has already been made, but we do not see 

 our way clear to it at present. 



K. H. — Your supposed fern is an exotic Lycopod, or club- 

 moss. 



P. B.— Your fungus was a young specimen of Polyporus 

 sguamosus. 



E. C. Jelly. — Your specimens were — 1. Asteroma veronica; 



2. Septorid fraxini ; and 3. Fusidium album. 



F. T. — Your specimens were the larvae of the Drone-fly 

 (Eristalis tenax). The long tail is the organ by which they 

 breathe. 



G. R.— The "Horse-hair Eel" {Gordlut aqunticus) in nnt 

 transformed from soaked horse-hairs. In its early stage it is 

 an internal parasite of an insect, generally a beetle. It leaves 

 it to deposit its eggs in water. See Science-Gossip for 

 1865, pages ]07 and 197. 



J. E. F. — You cannot do better than get Van der Hoeven's 

 large two-volumed work on Zoology. It is still one of tlie 

 best authorities. The pronunciation, however, is not marked 

 in it. We are in the constant habit of using Van der Hreven, 

 and prefer it to any other for fulness in detail. 



W. T. Iliff. — Thanks for the specimens of Tussilago peta- 

 sites and T. fragrans. The latter still retained its perfume 

 when it arrived. 



Brtlm. — Mosses: 1. Weisddviridula;2.IIyj)numlutescensi 



3. S. preelongum ; 4. H. cupressiforme. — R. B. 



H. H. CooKB. — The eggs marked No. 1 are those of some 

 species of Pigeon ; they are easily distinguished from the 

 eggs of the Owl by their polished surface, and the finer texture 

 of the shell. No. 2 is the egg of the House Sparrow (P. dn- 

 mesticus) ; 3. a variety of the Song Thrush occasionally met 

 with ; 4. Lesser Redpole, and 5. (if the egg referred to in the 

 note which accompanied the eggs) a malformed egg of the 

 Redstart. Without the description of the nest, it would 

 have been impossible to recognize this egg. — T. S. 



Medicus. — We know of no preparerof microscopical objects 

 who prepares specimens of morbid anatomy and pathology. 

 There is little or no demand for them, and they do not as a 

 rule, keep well. More can be learned, in the way of pre- 

 paring them yourself, by taking in the Monthly Microscopical 

 Journal, or by studying Beale's " How to work with the 

 Microscope," than by obtaining such ready-made preparations. 



Rev. J. H. Cooke. — Your fungus is Peziza coccinea, one of 

 the commonest species of the genus. 



S. Tagg. — We are sorry we could'not answer your query 

 sooner. The Duck is the " Shoveller " {Anas clypeata). The 

 fossil shells (of which your sketch was too rough and 

 vague to make anything distinctive out) are evidently Lower 

 Carboniferous forms, probably from the Yoredale shales, and 

 some species of Nautilus. 



C. J. Wilson.— The " London Catalogue of British Plants " 

 is published by Hardwicke, 192, Pidcadilly, price sixpence. 



EXCHANGES. 



Swiss Lepidoptera for British. — Tertiary Fossils from the 

 Isle of Wight, for Fossils from the Coralline crag. — C. 7, 

 Buckingham Place, Clifton, Bristol. 



For Atlantic Soundings, send object and stamped addressed 

 envelope to Jno. H. Martin, 86, Week Street, Maidstone. 



British and European Mosses for the rarer Mosses, Jun- 

 germannise, or Lichens.— T. H., Highfleld, Sydenham Hills. 



A NUMBER of well-blown Eggs, in exchange for well-set 

 Lepidoptera. List on application to J. Walser, 14, Sudeley 

 Street, Brighton. 



DisTiLLATioM FROM VAPOUR OF CoKE. — An interesting 

 slide of this remarkable liquid will be given in exchange for 

 any specially good object.— Send list to Alfred Allen, Felstead, 

 Essex. 



Eggs of the Little Auk, Heron, Phalarope, Stint, Grouse, 

 Widgeon, Harlequin Duck, Scoter, and many others for rare 

 eggs. Minerals and Fossils for lusects.— J. T. T. Reed, 

 Ryhope, near Sunderland. 



Wanted, Lias Fossils in exchange for Mountain Limestone 

 species.— John Harker, Richmond, Yorkshire. 



VVell-mounted Sections of Teeth, &c., from coal, for well- 

 mounted Geological Microscopic Slides,— H. B. Thomas, 13, 

 Market Place, Boston, Lincolnshire. 



Zonitps excaiHit'JS, Zonites purus, Hflix- lamMaf.a, fir 

 other British Land and Fresh-water Shells.— J. Whitwham, 

 Cross Lane Marsh, Huddersfield. 



Cyprcea Enropcea, Nerita viridalis, Planorbis contnrtus, 

 P. nitidus, lleliipomatia, Ctjclostoma elegans, for other British 

 Land and Fresh-water Shells.— B. F. Buxton, J. Hewitt Esq., 

 Rottingdean, Brighton. 



Microscopic Objects in exchange for Sponges or other 

 objects of hiterest,— T. W. Cowan, Horsham, Sussex. 



Hypnum verrucosum and Hypnum intermedium for other 

 good Mosses,— Send lists to J. Bagnall, Jun., 102, New John 

 Street, West Birmingham. 



Wkll-mountek Sections of Crocodiles' Teeth for other 



well-mounted slides. Diatoms preferred. Send list. W. 



Nash, Stroud, Gloucestershire. 



Acarus (Madras) on Plants and Osteological preparations, 

 offered tor Deep- sea Soundings and Diatoms. — J. H. Wollaston, 

 Wells, Somerset, 



For large Dendritic Spots on Blue-wove Paper, send stamped 

 directed envelope and object of interest to S. W. Godfrey, 

 6, Amersham Grove, New Cross, Deptford. 



Rbd-throated Diver, Scaup Duck, Richardson's Skua. 

 Dipper, Red Grouse, Curlew, Hawfinch, Landrail, and Wood 

 Lark, for other equally good eggs. Unaccepted offers not 

 answered.— Fred, Anderson, Alrestord, Hampshire. 



Lepidoptera for other Lepidoptera, Britisn or Foreign, 

 or microscopic slides. — Joseph Anderson, Jun., Alresford, 

 Hampshire, 



BOOKS RECEIVED. 



"The Lens." November, 1872. 



" Nineteenth Annual Report of Brighton and Sussex Nat 

 Hist. Soc. 



"The Ocean World," from the French of M. Figuier. 

 New edition, revised by Dr. Percival Wright. London • 

 Cassell & Co. 



"Tlie Astronomical Almanack for 1873," by Dr. HoUis. 

 London : Simpkin & Marshall, 



"Records of the Rocks," by the Rev. W. Symonds. L.indon: 

 John Murray. 



" School Manual of Geology," edited by A. J. Jukes Browne. 

 Edinburgh ; Adam & Charles Black. 



" Les Mondes." 



" Land and Water." 



" American Naturalist," January. 



" Canadian Entomologist." 



" The History of Polperro." By the late Jonathan Couch, 

 with life of Author, by Thos. Q. Couch. London : Simpkia 

 & Marshall. 



" Report of Birmingham School of Nat. Hist. Soc." 



" Gardener's Oracle and Floricultural Year-book, 1873." 



"Moore's Gardening Guide, I873." 



" On a Hsematozoon inhabiting Human Blood," By T. R. 

 Lewis. 



" Report of Microscopical Researches on Cholera." By T. R. 

 Lewis, M. P. 



" Ozone andAntozone." By Dr. C. B. Fox. London : J. & 

 A. Cliurchill. 



Communications Rfceived prom — R. M. B.— T. P. B. — 

 G. R. R.— W. V. A.— J. H. M.-J. C— B. F. B,— F. W,— 

 G. R. J.— R. A. P.-T. Q. C— H. A. A,— W. W. H — F. C. F. 

 —A, M.— G. W.— E. K, T.— H. P. M.-J, S W. D. - W. H, McL. 

 — J.H.— J. W.-H. H. C— G. S, S.— W. R.— H. B. T.— J. H. 

 — T, T. R.-T. A. R,— F. G. E.— H. M. A. — VV. H. W.-J. B. 

 — ^V, T. L,— P, S.— K. H.— G. A. L.-J. F.— F, A,— J. E. F.— 

 J, H.— A. E. S,-J. W,— J. R. J.— L. V. H.— T, H.— W.H.— 

 W. S. P,— A. A.— T. B.W.— E. H— E, J.— H. S. H.— D. G.— 

 H. A, A— G. S. S.— J, H,— M. L. G.-J, D. La T.— F. M. W. 

 — H, M, W.-F. K.— T. S.— T. W. C — H, M, A.— J, B,— E, A. 

 N.— C. H,R.— F, C. R.— A, K,— F. A. & J. A.-J.H. W^— 

 W, L. N.— J. B.— C. J. W.— S. W. G. 



