lis 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



occasionally circumscribed by those black lines 

 which are often seen to bound mycelia on dead 

 wood, and to precede a more rapid decay. I have 

 often tried, but always in vain, to coax these 

 tnyceiia into developing some fungus by placing 

 them in damp rooms, &c. When camping in the 

 mountains I frequently caused the natives to bring 

 phosphorescent wood into my tent, for the pleasure 

 of watching its soft undulating light, which appears 

 to pale and glow with every motion of the atmo- 

 sphere ; but except in this difference of intensity, it 

 presents no change in appearance night after night. 

 Alcohol, heat, and dryness soon dissipate it ; elec- 

 tricity I never tried. It has no odours, and ray 

 dog, who had a fine sense of smell, paid no heed 

 when it was laid under his nose." — G. J. Louis 

 Lamarque, Dover. 



Showers or Erogs and " Manna of the 

 Desert." — " J. R. S. C," in his notice on this sub- 

 ject in Science-Gossip for April, might have 

 added the instance adduced in the numbers of 

 Science-Gossip for March and August of last year, 

 under the head of " Manna of the Desert," which 

 go far to show ihat, like the Lichen escidentus, frogs, 

 fish, gnats, larva3, &c., may be taken up by the 

 strongest winds or whirlwinds, and after traversing 

 the air for many miles, fall in the manner described. 

 While on the subject I may take the opportunity 

 of referring to Mr. Muuby's observation on the 

 Biblical statement that the manna whicli remained 

 over the Sabbath "did not stink." In Exodus xvi. 

 23, a direction is given which would prevent de- 

 composition, viz. by scalding. " Bake that ye may 

 bake to-day, and seethe that ye may seethe." A 

 clerical friend who entirely assents to the reasoning 

 in the two former articles, has drawn my attention 

 to what he considers an important addition. — 

 T. W. B. 



(Eanthe crocata is the Water-drop Wort ; the 

 Water Hemlock is the Cicuta virosa, and there is 

 also a plant called the Water Parsnip, the Sium 

 nodiflorum. Neither of these roots has a sweet 

 taste ; so I am at a loss to determine what the 

 poisonous root mentioned by " G. L. Cornish " 

 could have been. The treatment in cases of poi- 

 soning by Water-drop Wort is an emetic. Twenty 

 grains of sulphate of zinc, or thirty grains of ipeca"- 

 cuanha, or even common mustard, if the other re- 

 medies are not at hand. Great promptness is 

 requisite, and when the emetic has done its duty, 

 diluent drinks and vegetable acids may be given. 

 Cold water poured on the head is of service, and I 

 have heard that it is beneficial to inhale dilute 

 ammonia. Water Hemlock smells like celery when 

 its leaves are bruised ; it is very poisonous. The 

 treatment is the same as above. — II. E. Watmy. 



Stratiotes (page 45).— I am afraid that neither 

 "J. S."nor "any other man" will discover the 

 "Water Soldier" on Wandsworth Common any 

 more. The largest pond on the common, for- 

 merly a favourite resort of Gyrini and other 

 aquatic insects, and popularly known as the "Black 

 Sea," has been filled up. Several of the smaller 

 and shallower ponds have also disappeared. It is 

 not veiy long, however, since I saw some plants 

 growing in a narrow streamlet on Wimbledon 

 Common, not very far from Combe Wood, and, in 

 all probability, it will be found there now in some 

 of the ponds and ditches, the recent weather having 

 been much in its favour.—/. R. S. C. 



Rearing Young Dormice (page 47). — I have 

 no doubt it is the case with some of the dormice, as 

 with the more commonly kept white mice, that 

 there are mothers which|in confinement will habit- 

 ually devour their young in spite of every precaution. 

 Most who have kept the latter animals have found 

 also that the presence of the male seems to excite 

 the female in some instances to destroy her pro- 

 geny, which may also be the case with the dormouse. 

 And it must be remembered that the female may be 

 easily alarmed in other ways besides disturbing her 

 nest, and a loud noise will cause her to attack her 

 young by rendering her apprehensive regarding 

 their safety ; nor should she be approached too 

 frequently just at the crisis. It is rarely, I think, 

 that hunger leads to this catastrophe ; it is, as with 

 cats and swine, a morbid bias given to the parental 

 emotion.—/. li. S. C. 



Larva of Arctia Caja. — Your correspondent 

 Claude Ryan observes that he has never found 

 larvae q{ Arctia Caja until the middle of April, and 

 then quite small. This year I found two or three 

 specimens as early as the first week in March, and 

 tliey had apparently been feeding some little time, 

 as they were three-quarters of an inch in length, 

 and looked more glossy than they usually do just 

 after leaving their winter quarters. — H. Lovett. 



Herald Moth.— On the evening of the 26th of 

 March I caught a fine specimen of this beautiful 

 moth on the wing, in a flower-garden close by the 

 dwelling-house. Mr. Newman says, "August and 

 September are the time for their appearance, but 

 they are fond of hybernating through the 

 winter in lofts, toolhouses, &c.," where I have 

 often found them all the year round, yet never 

 caught one on the wing before. Is this not rather 

 a rare occurrence at this time of the year ? — Arthur 

 Smyth. 



Occurrence of the Camberwell Beauty. — 

 There is no doubt, I think, that, altogether, the 

 last has been the worst season for the entomologist 

 which has occurred since 1860; and, as has been 

 noticed before in such years, at a time of general 

 scarcity, some conspicuous rarities turn up. That 

 choice butterfly named above {V. Antiopa) has been 

 seen and captured at different places, widely sepa- 

 rated from each other. At Shirley, on August 25th, 

 a number were seen on the wing. This occurrence 

 is singular, as the locality is not very many miles 

 distant from the district whence the species got its 

 name years ago, when it appeared so plentifully as 

 to be also called the " Grand Surprise." How it is 

 that a I'are butterfly suddenly appears in this way is 

 still a mystery. We can hardly suppose that these 

 individuals have crossed the Channel, nor is it 

 likely they could have been liberated from imported 

 pupae. — /. R. S. C. 



Parasites on Cage'Birds (p. 213, last vol.).- 1 

 suspect not much can be done in the way of remedy 

 applied to the bird itself. I was recommended to 

 try Dumont's Insecticide, and blow this with the 

 bellows upon the parts attacked ; but in this case 

 the bird (a goldfinch) died the next day; which 

 was not a promising fact for further experiments. 

 A larger bird might, it is possible, be operated 

 upon successfully. These ticks, mostly of the genus 

 Acarus, breed in the woodwork of cages, and must 

 be there sought'out and destroyed. In other cases, 

 as perhaps with the starling mentioned, these crea- 

 tures are nurtured in seeds, or other food, and 

 thence transfer themselves to the birds. — /. R, S, C. 



