116 



HARDWICKE'S SCIBNCE- GOSSIP. 



disagreeable odour ; though I have constantly made 

 its acquaintance, I have not noticed this.— Joseph 

 A'dderson, jmi. 



Pleas in Winter. — "What becomes of the fleas 

 in winter ? " I have sometimes been asked, for, as a 

 general rule, the)' occasion little annoyance to the 

 human species during the winter months, though 

 many animals are pestered with them " all the year 

 round." In a curious old calendar of "natural 

 phenomena," I find recorded not merely the month 

 when these insects get lively, but an exact date in 

 Tebruary given when " fleas begin to bite," a date 

 it is perhaps kindness to suppress. In the winter 

 of 1872-73, it has been observable that the mild tem- 

 perature and, possibly, the humidity of the air, have 

 kept fleas on the move, and many persons have 

 noticed the unusual annoyance they have caused 

 at a time when such is not looked for. Doubtless 

 there is a succession of broods during the greater 

 part of the year, and the new spring brood may be 

 produced by some " old stagers " who winter in odd 

 nooks aad corners, unless, indeed, eggs are deposited 

 in autumn, and remain unhatched until the spring. 



— /. R. s. a 



Definition oe Strtjctubes.— In examining the 

 minuter parts of the smaller floral structures, for 

 instance the very minute scales of the glumes of 

 some grasses, I find the best magnifying glasses are 

 frequently inefi'ectual in discovering and clearly and 

 distinctly defining what is required, namely, the 

 form, position, &c., of the object under examination, 

 whereas the lowest microscopical power, by reducing 

 the field, fails also to answer the necessary purpose. 

 Can you, or any of your correspondents kindly aid 

 me in this matter ? Is there any instrument espe- 

 cially adapted for the purpose needed by me, and 

 where obtainable ?— Charles Thomas. 



Skeletons oe Animals. — I have found the fol- 

 lowing a good method for preparing skeletons. 

 After " catching your hare," skin it and boil it down 

 slowly until the bones separate readily from the 

 flesh— they will so better when hot,— wash the bones 

 well.in soda-and-M'ater to remove all grease ; then 

 soak the bones in chloride of lime and water for 

 three or four hours, and lay them out in the sun to 

 bleach. In animals of the size of a cat, and smaller, 

 great care must be taken to lose none of the small 

 bones in the feet. After cleaning one foot it is a 

 good plan to place the bones in a small muslin bag, 

 before proceeding to the next, carefully marking 

 each bag. In small animals a wire should be run 

 up the backbone to keep the vertebrae in their pro- 

 per order. This will save a good deal of bother if 

 the carcase boils to " rags," as sometimes is the 

 case. If the body cannot be got into the pot, it 

 must be cut up, but take care to injure none of the 

 bones. If "T. A. R." wishes for any more informa- 

 tion, I shall be happy to give him any I can, if he 

 will send his address.—^. C. Herveij, Tokesdown, 

 Bournemouth. 



Localities of Rare Plants.— It is very re- 

 freshing to find, from many of your valued corre- 

 spondents, that several rare indigenous plants are 

 yet to be found in various parts of the kingdom. 1 

 an\ afraid that, as the localities are given, ruthless 

 collectors and fancied botanists will, in their igno- 

 rant selfishness, soon bring about what every true 

 lover of the science would deplore, i. e., their almost 

 entire disappearance. I would therefore take the 

 liberty of suggesting to your readers that any one 



who may know of the locality of any rare plant, 

 should not give it in his communication, but ofier 

 to send it to any botanist, in case he would apply 

 for it direct, and send a stamped envelope. Last 

 year I went twice to Red Hill for the sole 

 purpose of finding the Mespilus germanica, which 

 is said in the local and other floras to grow between 

 that place and Nuffield. I made a very diligent 

 but unsuccessful search, and as I saw many new 

 houses on that line of road I could not help fearing 

 the tree had been cut down or destroyed. 1 have 

 not tlie privilege of knowing any botanist residing 

 near Red Hill, or I would have applied to him, but 

 if any of your correspondents 'can give me precise 

 information as to where that rare tree may be found, 

 and communicate direct with me, I should be truly 

 grateful. — H. E. JFilkiiison. 



Can a Queen Bee Sting your Hand ?— On 

 page 69 your correspondent Mr. Hunter says, "I 

 cannot now receive the new opinion, that the 

 queen bee cannot do what has been so often 

 described ; " but he also says, " I never knew her 

 majesty make any attempt to vindicate her outraged 

 dignity." Now this should convince him that the 

 queen is not endowed with the power to sting the 

 human flesh, as I have handled hundreds of queens 

 in raising Ligurian bees, and never could make the 

 queen use her sting, whatever provocation I have 

 adopted. I have often compelled them to show their 

 sting bysqueezingtheir abdomen, and thenlhave put 

 the sting against the back of my hand, but I could 

 never make the queen sting me whatever I did — 

 nay, you may pull the queen to pieces and you can- 

 not make her sting you. This is a very wise pro- 

 vision of nature, as, if the queen was to use her sting 

 like a worker bee, at the least provocation, the colony 

 would come to grief whenever a queen was touched, 

 provided there were no brood or eggs in the comb 

 from Avhicli the bees could raise another queen, as 

 the bees always die after they have left the sting 

 in your flesh. The queen bee never uses her sting 

 except in combat with another queen or to destroy 

 roval brood. I have seen many such combats, 

 and have put both fertile and unfructified queens 

 down the hole in the top of my unicomb-revolving 

 observatory hive to see the result. Thi bees have 

 gradually drawn the two queens nearer to each 

 other, by leaving the way towards the other queen 

 more open, as if instinct taught them to know what 

 was to take place— a thing they had never expe- 

 rienced before. As soon as the queen belonging to the 

 hive has caught sight of the strange rival, she has 

 rushed upon her, seizing her with the jaws and 

 poising her abdomen, giving the fatal thrust with 

 her &ting almost before the strange queen has re- 

 covered from her surprise amongst her new subjects. 

 The old queen of the hive is generally victorious 

 in these royal duels, unless she has a young and 

 active queen to contend against, when the vigour 

 and strength of youth often gain tlie victory. 

 Whether it is their old queen or the stranger that 

 survives the encounter, the bees seem to pay them 

 equal deference, and the body of the defunct queen 

 is carried out of the hive without any respect being 

 paid to the illustrious dead. Mr. Hunter also says, 

 " the queen when handled makes no attempt to fly. 

 I find a young queen often takes flight, even when 

 the comb is gently lifted out of a hive, and if you 

 handle her will immediately take flight as soon as 

 she can get her liberty; but it is different with an 

 old queen, as she is loaded with eggs, and is not 

 inclined to fly ; but a queen bee is not made tor 

 fiiglit, as the two great sacs or inflated air-vessels 



