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HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



NOTES AND aUERIES. 



Colours by Candle-light.— Can any of your 

 correspondents inform me why blue flowers look so 

 differently by candle-light? Annual larkspur re- 

 tains its vivid colour. The uew Myosotis looks 

 black. Vicia cracca and the perennial Veronica, 

 found in old-fashioned_ gardens, are a very red lilac. 

 Ageratum Mexicanum is much the same as by day- 

 light. I only give these as instances. In water- 

 colour drawing, we know that Prussian-blue looks 

 blue by candle-light, and cobalt looks black. I 

 should think that a microscopist might find various 

 problems in my question. — S. Horsley. 



Collection Catalogues. — Evidently the com- 

 poser has as much difficulty in understanding my 

 plan of indexing (see page 175), as I have in ex- 

 plaining it. In setting up the example, he has 

 placed "Elm" under column D, and "Eagle" 

 under P, whereas they ought both to be under E. 

 These errors, although palpably only typographical, 

 may have puzzled some readers. — Alex. 'E, Murray. 



Hymenopteba in Town. — During the hot days 

 of last month my brother brought me a specimen of 

 Uroceras gigas which he caught in Cheapside. It 

 was stunned, but the movements of the abdomen 

 and long ovipositor might well cause certain mis- 

 givings as to its friendliness towards us when in 

 bodily health. The appearance of this hymenop- 

 terous insect in the city does not appear to be a 

 common occurrence. Perhaps the fact will be 

 interesting to your readers. — Theodore C. Izod. 



The Liver (p. 163).— The Yellow Iris would 

 hardly apply to the Mersey, it being a large tidal 

 river with salt or brackish water. Besides, the 

 real Liver "pool" was not a marsh, but a flooded 

 inlet of the stream. This pool, I am told, formerly 

 ran up to Church Street, of which fact, authentic 

 proof has survived to the present generation, though 

 now all covered in. Further, the form LicernooX 

 is the more reeent name, as before stated ; its older 

 form being Lii'ierpool. — A. H. 



' Hunting for Insects' Eggs. — This is a pursuit 

 which may be "strongly recommended" to all those 

 who take an interest in Entomology, and the micro- 

 scopist also will be able to turn to account the 

 objects he finds. It cannot be said, indeed, that it is 

 " all prizes and no blanks ; " and some of the sur- 

 prises one meets with are a little unpleasiug. Thus, 

 in Swanscombe Wood, during last June, I found on 

 an oak-leaf twenty-six eggs, arranged most regularly 

 in rows, forming a sort of square. To my eye they 

 seemed like those of some large moth, possibly of 

 rarity, as they were of good size, and not unlike 

 those of the Eggers. ilvieh to my disgust, when 

 they hatched out, there appeared on the leaf no 

 caterpillars, but a party of larvaj evidently belong- 

 ing to the Hemipterous order — vulgo, tiie Bugs. 

 Curious and squat creatures were they, with striped 

 bodies, and antenn;\; of remarkable length in pro- 

 portion. I was not, however, tempted to try to rear 

 them.—/. E. S. C. 



Influence of Gas upon Plants.— In addition 

 to what has been said on this subject, it may be re- 

 marked that among the substances, cither present 

 in gas or the products of its combustion, are sul- 

 phur compounds ; as bisulphate of carbon, sulphide 

 of hydrogen, and possibly sulphuric acid vapour. 



These are not only not " food for plants," but, on 

 the contrary, inimical both to animal and vegetable 

 life. But, as recommended by your other corre- 

 spondents, syringing with clear rain or other soft 

 water, combined with the other usual precautious, 

 will enable window gardeners to keep many plants 

 in health and vigour. 



Coloured Hawthorn.— I have two fine havv- 

 thoiTi bushes. The flowers used to be pink, but are 

 now white, with only a pink tinge when the blossom 

 is going off. Cau any correspondent say if there 

 is any means of restoring the colour ? — E. T. S. 



Microscopical Societies. — Cau any of your 

 correspondents inform me where to obtain a list of 

 the Microscopical Societies in Great Britain '^—S. 

 Ireland. 



Gamekeepers and Zoologists. — A gamekeeper 

 passing through a field near my house, a few days 

 ago, called to me that there was something in one 

 of the traps (set for rabbits). On going, I found a 

 fine weasel in it. After examining it, as it was a 

 beauty, I asked if it was of any use. " No, only to 

 throw away," was the answer ; adding that he had 

 caught a white one in a trap a few days ago. " But 

 you did not throw that away ? " " No, I gave it to 

 Joe Green, for stuffing." Let me beseech all young 

 naturalists to make the acquaintance of game- 

 keepers, particularly of old ones. It is astonishing 

 \yhat an amount of rare objects may be brought to 

 light by these means. If you meet with a bird, or a 

 fish, or an animal you may not happen to know, 

 take it to some old gamekeeper. If you want to 

 know if such or such a bird, &c., was ever known 

 in the neighbourhood, ask the " old keeper." If 

 you want to start a little museum, engage the 

 assistance of all the old keepers. We had an " old 

 keeper" employed in our M'oods in winter. This 

 old worthy was a mine of information on all matters 

 relative to flood and field, and, having once charge 

 of a very extensive marsh (Martin Mere), it would 

 make one's month water to hear him tell of the 

 bitterns, the ruff's, grebes, " and lots of birds that 

 nobody knoiced nothing aliorit" formerly met with 

 there. This person once brought me a dabchick, 

 and another time a hoopoe, and, lastly, a couple of 

 Bohemian wax-wings. — Thos. Williams. 



Where are the Swallows ? — A correspondent 

 notes the disappearance of swallows from some ac- 

 customed haunts near Ilampstead. It may be of 

 interest to note that they have appeared this season 

 in considerable numbers south of the Thames, in 

 localities, as at Brixton, where they have not pre- 

 viously been noticed. — A. II. 



Squirrels and Fruit.- I observe in your No- 

 vember number some remarks on Squirrels, and I 

 am now in trouble, for some of these little animals 

 get to my cherry-trees, and play havoc with my 

 fruit ; and I am told they will get my strawberries 

 when they find them out. If this be so, I am in 

 fear they will annoy me by getting my plums and 

 wall-fruit. If some of your correspondents can tell 

 me if they generally are ainioying unto fruit, or can 

 suggest any remedy that I can adopt to keep them 

 ofl; I shall be obliged.— iV. ;S'. IF. 



Bees in a Strange Place.— A week or ten days 

 ago a swarm of bees was found to have taken pos- 

 session of the small cart-box in front of one of my 

 farm-carts. They had probably been there a few 

 dajs before they were discovered, for they had 



