HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



119 



right temperature for drinking ; at last she put her 

 mouth too far in the dish and scalded her nose, but 

 not to such an extent as to make her forsake all 

 intention of drinking the same : she only altered her 

 mode of taction by using her paw instead of her 

 mouth. She put her paw in the dish with great 

 hesitancy, and several times withdrew it in double- 

 quick time, until at last she found that the milk was 

 the right temperature. It seems to me that pussy 

 must have reasoned the matter out somewhat in this 

 manner : my paw is better protected from harm than 

 my nose, therefore there is least chance of its being 

 scalded. — W. J. Scipio. 



Lobsters and Trout. — A friend of mine, a good 

 observer, writes to me from Coll Island, Argyllshire, 

 as follows : " I find, by inquiring of the fishermen if 

 they have caught plenty of lobsters or not, I can tell 

 whether to go trout-fishing or not. If the lobsters 

 are moving, the trout are rising, and vice versd.'''' I 

 shall be glad to hear if any readers of Science- 

 Gossip have observed or heard of the same thing. 

 It seems to be almost impossible that lobsters in the 

 sea, and trout in lochs and freshwater streams, can 

 be influenced simultaneously by any known physical 

 agency. — Norris F. Davey, Abergavenny. 



Flow of Sap — Sunflowers. — I believe that 

 the flow of sap depends chiefly on the degree of 

 temperature, and little on light. Growth goes on in 

 darkness as well as in light, so that sap must flow 

 whether the moon is at full or not, to allow of 

 organisation ; the water of organisation is indispen- 

 sable to growth. Of course, the moon's light would 

 be an additional advantage, as assimilation would be 

 induced, subdued light being most favourable to this 

 process. Assimilation cannot go on in darkness nor 

 in intense light. The position of sunflowers and 

 other heads of flowers is governed by the above laws. 

 The fact that growth is more rapid on the shaded 

 side of the peduncle, or flower-stalk, tilts the disk 

 over in such a position as to enable it to receive the 

 light direct on the florets, whether north, south, east 

 or west, and fixing it so after growth has ceased. 

 The foxglove ■ (digitalis) is a good example. — Thos. 

 Axon, Stochp07-t. 



Hairs on PuPjI. — Will some one let me know on 

 what pupa I shall find hairs. I have as yet only 

 found them on the empty pupa skin of Orgyia antiqiia. 

 In this case the hairs were distributed over the skin 

 in roughly circular patches of thirty and upwards. 

 In shape they were flat, gradually tapering to a fine 

 point, and so twisted as to have the appearance of 

 a string of beads of gradually decreasing size. Each 

 hair has a minute ball at its base ; and the skin 

 immediately surrounding it, and for about six times 

 its diameter is much lighter in colour than the rest. — 

 A. IV. Watson. 



Life-history of a Flea.— Fleas lay their eggs 

 in cracks, in cushions, and in boards, or in the midst 

 of dust, and their larvre, which have no legs, and 

 which therefore must live where they have been 

 born, can only exist in consequence of the nourish- 

 ment brought to them by the adults. Were they 

 abandoned they would perish, but they have excellent 

 mothers who never leave them ; for after a flea, 

 should it be a mother, has gorged itself with blood, 

 it seeks its young and disgorges a small quantity, so 

 as to keep them alive. The larvK shut themselves 

 up in silken cocoons when they have attained their 

 full size and undergo their metamorphosis into the 

 condition of nymphs. — " Transformalioti of Insects ,* 

 by Professor Dutican, F.R.S. (/. 419). 



NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



To CORRKSPONDKNTS AND EXCHANGERS. As WC nOW 



publish Science-Gossip earlier than formerly, we cannot un- 

 dertake to insert in the following number any communications 

 which reach us later than the 8th of the previous month. 



To Anonymous Quekists.— We must adhere to our rule of 

 not noticing queries which do not bear the writers' names. 



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 fair 

 exchanges. But it is evident that, when their offers are simply 

 Disguised Advektisemknts, for the purpose of evading the cost 

 of advertising, an advantage is taken oi owx gratuitous insertion 

 of " exchanges " which cannot be tolerated. 



We request that all exchanges may be signed with name (or 

 initials) and full address at the end. 



Special Note. — There is a tendency on the part of some 

 exchangers to send more than one per month. We only allow 

 this in the case of writers of papers. 



EXCHANGES. 



Helix iietnoralis, reversed form (see par. in "Notes and 

 Queries"). I'or specimen, send suitable box and label, and ^d. 

 in stamps, to — Wm. Swanston, 4A Cliftonville Av., Belfast. 



Wanted, a small secondhand compound microscope, in good 

 condition, in exchange for vols. vii. and viii. of the "Boys' 

 Own Paper," unbound, and a few books on chemistry, &c. 

 Apply, stating particulars, to— W. G. Hanson, 5 Church Street, 

 West Bromwich. 



CoNCHOLOGy. — Offers wanted for a number of bivalves from 

 the river Trent, including Anodonta cygnea and anatina, 

 Unio tumidus and pictorum, and several varieties of same.— 

 Geo. Roberts, Lofthouse, near Wakefield. 



For exchange, a number of engravings of varieties of unio 

 and anodon. Wanted, pamphlets on antiquarian subjects, or 

 files of old Yorkshire newspapers. — Geo. Koberts, Lofthouse, 

 near Wakefield. 



Fossils from the oolites of Weymouth and Portland, in 

 exchange for those of other formations. Send lists to— C. W. 

 Freeman, 108 Harbut Road, New Wandsworth, London, S.W. 



Wanted, a copy of the first edition of Bower and Vine's 

 "Practical Botany." Will exchange micro or other objects. — 

 F. Bewlay, 6 Vine Street, York. 



"The World of Wonders Revealed by the Microscope" 

 (illustrated), by the Hon. Mrs. Ward, and four vols. "Natu- 

 ralists' World " (three bound), in exchange for good micro 

 slides. — R. C. Chaytor, Scrafton Lodge, Middleham, Yorkshire. 



Four insect cases, corked and glazed (imitation mahogany), 

 containing about 100 specimens of lepidoptera, British and. 

 exotic, amongst them being machaon, edusa, sibylla, corydon, 

 paphia, nerii (oleander hawk), foreign, very fine ; fraxini 

 (Clifton nonpareil), ditto atropos, ocellatus, bombyliformis, 

 Morpho }>te>telaus (large and magnificent exotic), £. glycerion, 

 E. brome, heliconias, &c. What offers? — Joseph Anderson, 

 jun.. Aire Villa, Chichester, Sussex. 



A FEW copies of "Mediaeval Yorkshire" (new, 3J. 6d.), in 

 exchange for portraits (Civil War and Commonwealth period), 

 and Yorkshire views (towns, old castles, &c.) to illustrate with 

 (Graingering). No photos. — E. Lamplough, 131 Spring Bank, 

 Hull. 



Skins of sparrow hawk, owl, guillemot, blackbird, redwing, 

 song thrush, water-hen, water-rail, snow bunting, wryneck ; 

 the lot in exchange for four first issue Jubilee sixpences, or 

 other exchange ; will part.— H. Knight, St. George's Road, 

 Great Yarmouth. 



Barbadoes earth from Cambridge Estate (authentic), rich 

 in polycystina and spicula ; one ounce in exchange for six good 

 balsam mounts. — Dr. Griffin, 66 Kingsdown Parade, Bristol. 



London Catalogue, 8th ed. I have a good specimen or two 

 of any of the following, which I should like to exchange for 

 other rare plants, viz. : 159, i8ii^, 369, 370, 586, 588, 604, 620, 

 72s. 736. 743> 76o> 819, 1052, IOS3, 1333, 1348, 1379, 1394, 1408, 

 1491, 1558, 1627, 1629, 1645, 1661, 1662, 1605, 1669, 1690. 

 Offers to — W. W. Reeves, 32 Geneva Road, Brixton, S.W. 



Offered, good violin in case complete, with tutor; cost 

 £2 15J. Wanted, Wood's "Insects at Home," and "Insects 

 Abroad," and good turntable. — Thos. Postgate, 17 Lowther 

 Street, Carlisle. 



Foreign marine and land shells (various localities) offered 

 for other foreign species not in collection. Also a few of the 

 rarer varieties of British. List sent. F. W. Wotton, Adams- 

 down, Cardiff. 



Tubes of living marine diatomaceJE. Desiderata, miscel- 

 laneous mounts.— C. H. H. Walker, Mossy Bank, Egremont, 

 Cheshire. 



American freshwater sponges. Any readers of Science. 

 Gossip living in America who are interested in above, would 

 greatly oblige the writer if, during the summer or autumn 

 months, they would procure and send to him fresh specimens 

 of spongilla with gemmules, preserved in spirits ; small portions 

 in bottles two inches long by three-quarters wide are sufficient. 



