03 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



W. D. — The ordinary way of becoming: a Fellow of the 

 I.innean Society is to get proposed by two Fellows, who can 

 testify to personal knowledge of the candidate, and of liis 

 fitness for election. If you know a F.L.S., communicate to 

 him your desire, and no difficulty will follow. 



J. L. — We have inquired, but are sorry we cannot pive the 

 information our correspondent dpsires respecting: dried sea- 

 weeds. A little powdered quicklime will get rid of the bhick 

 slugs, and do the ferns no harm if it be used in moderation. 

 Common salt also may be used, and, perhaps, with greater 

 safety. 



P. A. S.— P.^eudomorphic crystals of rock-salt from the 

 Trias : they are common in the upper beds, and have been 

 formed by the slow replacement of fine mud in the moulds 

 left by the salt cubes. 



A. S. — The specimen of lizard sent is the " Smooth Water. 

 Newt " {Lophinuf! pii7ictahis), or " Water Evat." The tradi- 

 tion is pretty general as regards its reputed stingina: powers, 

 and as unfounded as it is firmly believed in. For a full 

 pccount of this reptile, and a refutation of the theory of 

 " ftinsting:," see Cooke's "British Reptiles." Hardvvicke, 

 London. 



J. P. G. — The specimen sent is evidently a lichen, but it is 

 not sufficiently good for identification. 



R. V. T.— The lichens on the rock fragments have given 

 ns no little trouble. We have submitted tliem to several 

 fungologi^its, but all are of opinion that they are in too imma- 

 ture a condition to have the species distinguished. 



Frantis Bt'CKELr,. — We cannot inform you where a slide 

 of tlie lactiferous vessels of plants can be obtained. Why 

 not mount them yourself? They are easily procured by mace- 

 rating the leaves, &c., of plants containing them, and when 

 obtained, mounting them in a solution of gelatine and 

 carbolic acid. — F. K. 



R. H. N. B. — Your sketch is much too indefinite to enable 

 us to say whether the crystal is anything unusual. The 

 characters of cry.'tals vary according to temperature and 

 strength of solution employed.— F. K. 



W. L. N.— Both the " Oak-spangles " and " Silk-buttons " 

 are very common on the backs of leaves, especially on those 

 of the Oak. They are formed by an insect — a species of 

 Cynips. For full account, see Sciknce-Gossip, vol. ii. 

 p. 228. 



R. Browv. — The plants are — A. Variety"of Chennpodium 

 Bonus Henricus. B. Ckenopodium botryoides. C. Chenopo- 

 dium album. 



W. H . W.— Tlie fly sent is the common Sand-wasp {Ammo- 

 phila siibnlijaa). It deposits caterpillars of different species of 

 GeometrtdiE in its sand-burrows, for the nutriment of its 

 young.— C. G. B. 



E. C— The insect commonly known as the " New Forest 

 Fly," which is so troublesome to horses, is Hippobosca equina, 

 Linn.— C. G. B. 



M. H. — The plant is Gulinsnga parviflora, a native of Peru, 

 which has been completely naturalized in the neighbourhood 

 of Kew for some time. — B. 



W. Sargent. — The directions given in Hogg on the 

 Microscope are those usually employed. The foUowin ;: plan 

 may, perhaps, be found useful when it is desirable to mount 

 quickly : — Place the specimen in liquor potass?e, boil for a few 

 minutes, wash in warm distilled water, boil again in carbolic 

 for a short time ; the preparation may then be soaked in 

 benzole, and afterwards mounted in balsam in the usual 

 manner. Entomological specimens are, however, best 

 mounted in some preservative fiuid (a dilute glycerine and 

 carbolic acid will be found well suited for that purp-fse). 



E. C. Jei.lv. — Von do not say whether your zoophytes are 

 killed with the polypi expanded, or are only the polypdoms. If 

 the former, weak spirit would not be sufficient to prevent 

 decomposition. Goadby's fluid, or dilute glycerine and car- 

 bolic acid, would be best. If they are the polypdoms only, 

 wash away all traces of salt, and dry between blotting-paper. 

 When required for mounting, soak them for some hours in 

 the mounting fluid, and they will regain their original form. 



EXCHANGES. 



Notice. — Only one " Exchange '' can be inserted at a time 

 by the same individual. The maximum length (except for 

 correspondents not residing in Great Britain) is three lines. 

 Only objects of Natural History permitted. Notices must be 

 legibly written, in full, as intended to be inserted. 



Larv/e of C. vi/liru, and eggs of B. Neu.itria, for eggs, 

 larvae, or pupje of other Lepidoptera.— H. A. Auld, 62, Gran- 

 ville Park, Blackheath. 



A liberal exchange in selected Diatoms, Spicules, &c., for 

 real UrPKR Peruvian guano; presence of A. formosus to be 

 test of genuineness.— J. K. Jackson, Talbot Street, Oldbury, 

 Birmingham. 



Erratum.— In A. N.'s exchange offer in March number of 

 SciEXCE-Gossir, for "Yarrow," read " Yarra." 



HippoTno.\ niVARicATA, unmounted, for Hippothna 

 catenutaria. — Miss Jelly, 2, P/inces Road, St. Leonards-on- 

 Sea. 



For Thus les Mois or Carina Starch and Scales of Gold- 

 fish send stamped envelope and object to Miss E. De 

 B. Meyrick, Downshire Lodge, Blessington, co. Wicklow, 

 Ireland. 



COLIAS, E.lusa, Vaifssa polyrhloros, Limeni/is, SibyUri, 

 Hespinn Comma, for other Lepidoptera. — Joseph Andersoc, 

 Jun., Alresford, Hants. 



Hawein'ch, Cuckoo, Kingfi^hrr, Sparrow - hawk, and 

 Tawny Owl's eggs in exchange for others. — Frederick Ander- 

 son, Alresford, Hants. 



For.\minifkra from High and Low tide, Connemara, 

 West coast of Ireland, ditto from the Mediterranean. Send 

 stamped envelope and any object to Joseph Clegg, Jun., 

 Croft Bank, Shaw, near Oldham. 



Pecten operculahis, Cardlum Nof»egicum, &c., for 

 other British marine shells.— A. W. Langdon, Llanrwst 

 House, Hastings. 



Fresh Microscopic Fungi (including Chister-cups), during 

 the coming sea>ion for unmounted objects. Lists to H. 

 English, Woodstone, Peterborough. 



For Hairs of Angora and Pekan send stamped envelope 

 and objects of microscopical interest ti J. Sargent, Jun., 

 Fritchlcy, near Derby. 



SECTION'S of Brazilian twigs, fmir varieties; send address 

 and stamp with any microscopic material to Joseph Asten, 

 Baron Street, Rochdale. 



Leptotriciium snb'ilntiim, Dcsmntodun nervosus, Trichoa- 

 tnmum litturitl'', &-c., offered in exchange for others. Send 

 lists to R. V. T., Withiel, Bodmin. 



For spiral fibro tissue from seed of Trngopoffon prafensis, 

 send stamped directed envelope to T. H. Martin, 86, Week 

 Street, Maidstone. 



Oi.dhamia in exchange for Trilobltes.— James Gourley, 

 Killinchy, co. Down. 



Wanted to take in exchange or buy, a good specimen of 

 the Kingfisher. Stamped envelope and particulars to W. H. 

 Hunt, Hendford, Yeovil. 



British Lichens wanted ; Belgian Mosses and Lichens 

 offered in exchange. Address E. Marchal, an Jardin Botanique, 

 Brussels. 



A nujiber of Lepidoptera in exchange for various species, 

 of birds' eggs.— R. Kay, 2, f^pring Street, Bury. 



PoLARiscopic and other objects ; rare Chemical Crystals, 

 Polyzoa, &c., mounted or unmounted, for other good objects. 

 Address,j Rev. J. M. Mello, The Rectory, Brampton, St. 

 Thomas, Chesterfield. 



British Birds' Eggs for others, and British or foreign 

 Lepidoptera.— S. L. Mosley,Almondbury Bank, Huddersfield. 



Barbadoes Poi-vcystina, symmetrically arranged in bal- 

 sam, opaque ; in exchange for good slides of named diatoms. 

 — G. H. Sti!bington,3, Agne? Villa, Basingstoke. 



Crystals of Oxalmate of Ammonia for other good 

 mounted objects ; anatomical preferred. — R. Smith, Jun., 

 Stone House, Belper. 



YouNO state of Balanus balnnoides ; Scalariform tissue 

 from fern ; Spicules of Halichondria pnnicca ; Palates of 

 Mollusca for other mounted objects.— Johu C. Hutcheson, 8, 

 Lansdowne Crescent, Glasgow. 



BOOKS RECEIVED. 



" The Higher Ministry of Nature." By J. R. Leifchild, 

 M.A. London : Hodder & Stoughton. 



" Science and Humanity." By Noah Porter, D.D., LL.D., 

 &c. London : Hodder & Stoughton. 



"The Lens." A Quarterly Journal of Microscopy. Chicago. 



" The Journal of Botany." March. 



" Annals and Magazine of Natural History." March. 



" The Zoologist." March. 



" The Amci-ican Naturalist." February. 



"The Entomologist's Monthly Magazine." March. 



" Practical Physiology, a School Manual of Health." By 

 Dr. Lankester, F.R.S., &c. Fifth edition, enlarged. London: 

 Robert Hardwicke. 



Communications Received. — G. H. K.— T. S. — F. K 

 M. K — C. G. B — T. G. B— B. W. F.-C. F. W.— J. S. M 

 J. H. M.— E. C. L.— W. H. H.— W. M. M.— C. K.— H. R 

 _W. W.— A. H.— H. E. W.— J. R. S. C— W. W.— M. S 

 J. H.— R. L.— C. C.-T. C. B.— J. II.— J. A.— J. S.-G. N 

 — T. H.— A. W. L.-R. H.-H. M.— G. T.-H. W.— B. G 

 G. F. W.-S. L. M.— J. M. M.— M. A. D.— R. K.— R.H.N 

 — H. O. S.— J. G.— J. P. G.— A. S.— W. L. N.— H. E. W 

 E. L.— C. S. P. P.— W. (Oxford).— W. H. W.— W. B. P 

 J P. G —J. L.— E. C. J.— R. H. W.— E. D. B. M.— E. C 

 J. A — F. A. -J. D — W. S.-J. C— H. E.— A. W. L.— E. 

 L.— W. A. G.— W. D.— M. H.— E. W.— A. N.— W. D.— H. 

 A.— T. P. L.— C. G. R.-F. C— J. R. J.— C. F.-H.H. H 

 W. D.— H.G.— R. S.— H. M.— H. A.— G. H. S.— J. C. H 

 S. M.J.— R. P.-R. P. U. 



