7° 



HARDWI CKE ' S S CIENCE- G O SSI P. 



very small extent j Professor Seeley observed that in 

 this case it was unsatisfactory to have to deal mainly 

 with negative evidence. As Dr. CroU has not attempted 

 to estimate the significance and origin of the boulders 

 which occur in many geological dei:)osits, we are not 

 bound to do the work for him. Every geologist 

 admits that glaciation would be a necessary incident 

 in any period of time if the land were high enough. 

 Boulders thus formed on land might be imlsedded in 

 a marine stratum when the land was subsequently 

 depressed without indicating their age or origin. 

 The contention for glacial periods was superfluous. 



The Antiquity of Man in America. — We 

 have received a copy of Dr. C. C. Abbott's address 

 on the above subject delivered before the Cleveland 

 Meeting of the American Association for the Ad- 

 vancement of Science (Section of Anthropology) in 

 August of last year. Dr. Chas. C. Abbott entitles it 

 the " Evidences of the Antiquity of Man in Eastern 

 North America." This evidence consists almost 

 entirely of the stone implements which have been 

 found in such abundance in the Trenton Gravels in 

 the Delaware valley. Dr. Abbott shows that the 

 implements made of argillite are not, as has been 

 supposed of Indian origin, but date back far previous 

 to the occupation of America by the Indians to a 

 time when they were manufactured by man coeval 

 with the mammoth and the mastodon, and when the 

 climate of Greenland extended to the mouth of New 

 York Harbour. That the argillite implements were 

 not made by the Indians, nor the flint and jasper ones 

 by Paleolithic man is shown by the fact, that, except 

 where they have become associated by subsequent 

 ■cultivation of the soil, the two are seldom found 

 together, the Indian implements occurring in the 

 surface soil, while the paleoliths are found in the 

 (Travels. The theory of the Esquimaux being the 

 descendants of the paleolithic men of North America 

 is upset by three skulls found in the Trenton gravel. 

 These skulls are unlike either those of the Esquimaux 

 or those of the Indians. 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



Migration of Butterflies. — This "Indian 

 summer " has closed with a heavy thunderstorm that 

 raged all last night. Just now the air down here is 

 perfectly still, not a leaf stirring, but looking up we 

 can see by the motion of the clouds that a current of 

 air is coming from the north. Borne along by it are 

 hundreds of l:)utterflies, some flying so high that they 

 only appear like black specks on the fleecy white 

 clouds, iaut all moving onward as if with a fixed intent. 

 They fly with a rapid movement of the wings, now 

 and then soaring and floating on the air, and so are 

 carried onwards until the rapid motion begins again. 

 Unless you saw them, I tliink you would hardly 

 believe how high these small creatures fly, and how 

 strong they are on the wing. This migration of butter- 

 flies is nothing new to us. Every year about this 

 time we have what we call "a butterfly norther." 



One year it was stormy, and the butterflies blown 

 about, settled in hundreds on the trees about our 

 home. One large white oak was covered with 

 them, and when the sun shone out they looked 

 monotonously beautiful as they opened and closed 

 their fire-coloured, silver-lined wings. I should like 

 to know whence they start, and whither they go. 

 Wherever they are born, in their larval state, they 

 must commit great havoc on the foliage. It is a 

 curious fact that these clouds of butterflies always 

 consist of this one species. I will try and get one and 

 send it as a specimen, and shall be greatly obliged if 

 any reader of Science-Gossip will name it for me. 

 While I write they are still coming from the north, 

 and passing high over our heads on their journey 

 south, they have been doing so all day ; some that 

 are flying lower seem disposed to settle, so I hope I 

 niay secure one to send. Several people in different 

 parts of this country have also noticed this yearly 

 migration of butterflies. — J. W. B. Blunt, Kerr Co., 

 Texas. N'ovember, 1888. 



The Sheep Panic near Reading. — We beg to 

 call attention to a remarkable circumstance which 

 occurred in this immediate locality on the night of 

 Saturday, November 3rd. At a time as near eight 

 o'clock as possible the tens of thousands of sheep 

 folded in the large sheep-breeding districts, north, 

 east, and west of Reading were taken with a sudden 

 fright, jumping their hurdles, escaping from the fields, 

 and running hither and thither ; in fact, there must 

 for some time have been a perfect stampede. Early 

 on Sunday morning the shepherds found the animals 

 under hedges and in the roads, panting as if they had 

 been terror-stricken. The extent of the occurrence 

 may be judged when we mention that every large 

 farmer from Wallingford on the one hand, to Twyford 

 on the other, has reported that his sheep were similarly 

 frightened, and it is also noteworthy that with two 

 or three exceptions the hill-country north of the 

 Thames seems to have been principally affected. We 

 have not heard, nor can any of the farmers give any 

 reasonable explanation of the facts we have described. 

 The night was intensely dark, with occasional flashes 

 of lightning, but we scarcely think the latter cir- 

 cumstance would account for such a wide-spread 

 efTect. We would suggest the probability of a slight 

 earthquake being the cause, but, perhaps you or 

 some of the readers of Science-Gossip may be able 

 to offer a more satisfactory explanation. — Oakshott 

 &= Millard. 



Centipedes. — I have been greatly interested in 

 Miss Gould's article, and should much hke to see a 

 complete list of the British species, with short hints 

 by which to distinguish them, or be referred to a 

 work giving this information. Some are probably 

 local. I have turned over a great number of stones and 

 sought in other likely places when searching for 

 mollusca, but I never remember to have seen either 

 No. 4 or No. 7 in the illustration. My experience 

 with Gcophilus clcctricits is that it gives much more 

 light than the glow-worm ; I remember seeing one 

 among grass on a road side, the surrounding grass was 

 also luminous and my fingers became so on capturing 

 the animal. — IV. A. Gain. 



Herring in Shore. — A friend and I had our 

 holidays at the sea-side on the loth and nth August 

 last, and had some sport, fishing among the ro(.ks. 

 One of the fish we caught was a saith, which we cut 

 up and found two large herrings in its stomach. To 

 all appearance it had just caught them in the pool 

 where we were fishing ; they were entire and fresh. 

 The herring were near the shore. The Banff and 



