HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



191 



keeps the whole for himself ; useless because clutches 

 do not represent eggs of a species so well as in- 

 dividual specimens taken from different nests do. 

 It is really ludicrous to suppose that any one can 

 think it serves any useful purpose to keep clutches of 

 say, eight swan's eggs, thirteen pheasants, eleven wild 

 ducks — each egg probably similar in colour and shape. 

 Clutch collecting does much to prevent the increase 

 of our rarer birds ; if collectors were content with a 

 few single specimens, half the number of eggs that 

 are now taken annually would satisfy the demand for 

 them. Of course Natural History dealers are inter- 

 ested in keeping up the craze for clutch collecting, as 

 they can get more money for, say, five eggs than for 

 one. Pecuniarily the collector will find it very much 

 to his advantage to collect single specimens rather 

 than clutches, both on account of cabinet room and 

 also price of specimens, if he buys at all. I hope I 

 may induce some beginners, at any rate, to steer 

 clear of clutch collecting. Egg collectors should have 

 some thought for the parent birds ; if they have not, 

 they had far better content themselves with plates of 

 the eggs and leave the real jewels alone, as Mr. Nunn 

 says. Undoubtedly the price which is set upon 

 clutches of eggs of our rarer birds does very much to 

 make those birds rarer still, and unless oologists will 

 put some limit to their greed, they will before long 

 find the provisions of " The Wild Birds Protection 

 Act, 1880," extended to include the eggs of birds as 

 well as the birds themselves. Finally, can Mr. Nunn, 

 or any other champion of the clutch cause, show what 

 greater advantages there are in a collection of clutches 

 than in a collection of single specimens chosen out of 

 different clutches for the sake of variety in shape or 

 markings 1—E. IV. H. Blagg, Chcadlc, Staffs. 



Thunder and Lightning.— I have always under- 

 stood that a thunder-clap was a necessary result of 

 the electrical discharge which caused a lightning flash, 

 but last night, while watching those splendid natural 

 fireworks — a thunderstorm — I thought there seemed 

 to be many more flashes than thunder-claps. So, at 

 the heightof the storm, as indicated by the loudness 

 of the thunder, and the position of the lightning 

 nearly overhead, I began to count them, and while 

 there were thirty-nine flashes there were only fourteen 

 claps. Still unconvinced, I, with a pencil and paper, 

 recorded each as it occurred — fifty-five flashes to 

 nineteen claps ; and again, during five minutes, there 

 were fifty-six flashes to twenty-three claps, and yet I 

 tried to favour the thunder. It was not the distant 

 " summer " lightning, but " forked " lightning, some 

 flashes consistmg of as many as 4075 simultaneous 

 zigzag cracks in heaven ; indeed it seemed to be 

 steaddy lightning all the while, yet the thunderings, 

 though loud, were not prolonged. I would be 

 obliged if some one would explain this, or show 

 me my error. Many of the flashes were behind 

 some clouds, for they lighted up their background 

 and left them in relief ; could it be that these clouds 

 reflected the sound so that it did not reach me ? — 

 T. A. Dukes. 



Caterpillars and Cayenne Pods. — A friend 

 of mine, a chemist, had consigned to him last Christ- 

 mas a bottle (i lb.) of the best Natal Cayenne pepper, 

 properly sealed, and it has never been opened. A 

 short time ago several caterpillars made their appear- 

 ance. They were about half an inch in length, and 

 almost transparent. Coming from the bottom of the 

 bottle, they ate their way through to the top, tun- 

 nelling the pepper in all sorts of upward directions. 

 At the top the cocoons appeared, and in a i^wr days 

 moths, similar to our common silver moth, but rather 



larger and of a French grey colour, were flying aliout, 

 but lived only two days, no doubt ])erishing for want 

 of air. This occurrence my friend thinks is unpre- 

 cedented, and wishes to have your readers' opinion 

 about \.\..— y. B. Beckett. 



H. LArioiDA.— Mr. J. W. Williams, in his "Shell 

 Collectors' Handbook for the Field," gives "cal- 

 careous districts" as the habitat of this shell. The 

 same statement appears in Gray's edition of Turton, 

 I have, however, found several specimens of//, lapi- 

 cida in this neighbourhood, which is decidedly sandy, 

 the nearest chalk being at least eight miles distant! 

 Will Mr. Williams, or someone else, give an explana- 

 tion of this fact?— C/^aj. Fannell, jun., Haslemere, 

 Surrey. 



The Henbane.— In the month of July I was 

 looking for unconsidered trifles on the rocky sides of 

 the Great Orme's Head, N. Wales, when I happened 

 to find several plants of the henbane (Hyoscyamus 

 niger), a narcotic with which I am not very familiar. 

 The characters of the plant are clearly marked. It 

 is of stout, herbaceous growth, with prominent 

 alternate leaves, which are curiously cut into several 

 sharp points ; the flowers are cream-coloured, veined 

 with purple, and the centres are deep purple. A 

 double row of capsules grows on the opposite side of 

 the stem to the leaves. I daresay many readers of 

 Science-Gossip know the plant perfectly well. The 

 peculiarity which struck me about the hairy and 

 viscid henbane was, that hundreds of small aphida;, 

 or winged insects of some kind, were hopelessly 

 ensnared by the sticky hairs. As I write, there are 

 numberless dead bodies on the leaves, stems, and 

 capsules ; it might be a huge drosera plant. Are we 

 to consider the hyoscyamus insectivorous, or is this 

 merely a coincidence ? The henbane is firmly rooted, 

 with exceedingly tough stems ; it does not look like 

 an insect-feeding species. Yet, if it is not, and the 

 flies are still habitually captured, does not the habit 

 throw some doubt on the carnivorous propensities of 

 other genera? I should add that silicious particles 

 also adhere to the sticky glands of the henbane. 

 Perhaps some of your correspondents will give their 

 experiences of this deadly plant. — C. Parkinson. 



NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



To Correspondents and Exchangers.— As we 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 Querists. — 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 Advertisements, for the purpose of evading the cost 

 of advertising, an advantage is taken oi o\xt 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. 



G. Hall.— The mineral from the Neocomian limestone is 

 grey iron pyrites (ferric sulphite). 



E. Wheeler. — The objects are fungi, evidently a species 

 of Spheria ; see Cook's " Handbook of British Fungi." 



Mr. Geo. Western writes: — " In your July No., Mr. W. J. 

 Simmons, Calcutta, gives a sketch, Fie. 112, which I recognise 

 as CEcisies Ptygura, the Ptygura Melicerta of Ehrenberg. 



