July 1, 1S67."J 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



165 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



Struck by Lightning.— Oh Friday, the 7th of 

 ■Tunc, during a thunderstorm, which passed over 

 Shiere, near Guildford, a man, who was ploughing at 

 the time, and his two horses, were instantaneously 

 killed by the lightning. The tobaceo-box and knife 

 which were in the pocket of the deceased plough- 

 man, were rendered magnetic. No mark of any kind 

 was visible on the bodies of man or beast. — E. C. 



Gold Fish. — Would any of your correspondents 

 have the kindness to inform me what is the best way 

 of rearing gold fish out of doors ? About a fortnight 

 ago I put a few of them into a small pond in my 

 garden, thinking they would there take care of 

 themselves. Two of the number have already died, 

 and a third looks as though he would soon follow. 

 I may mention the pond is about 9 feet by 5 feet, 

 and in depth slopes from 8 inches to 14 inches. The 

 bottom was recently laid with Portland cement. 

 There is a constant change of fresh water, as a jet 

 rises from the centre of the pond, and trickles down 

 from a series of basins. A few worms appear to 

 have crawled in, and there is also a little vegetable 

 debris in the form of leaves and scales, that have 

 blown in lying at the bottom.— G. A. W. 



Gnat -Bites. — Prevention is better than cure. 

 Upon that principle I advise D. G. to garnish his 

 hat this summer with a bunch of elder flowers. The 

 scent of this blossom is much disliked by the insect 

 in question. When the elder bloom is over, I think 

 that washing the face with elder-flower water before 

 going out, might answer the same purpose. At 

 any rate, I know it is a very soothing application 

 after a bite.— Helen Wainey. 



Gnat-Bites.— In reply to "D. G.," I can inform 

 him, that if he rubs the place bitten with a piece of 

 washing soda, or with hartshorn, it will stop the 

 irritation. I used to have a bite trouble me for 

 weeks sometimes, till 1 tried this. The poison 

 seems to be of an acid nature. Flies, during the 

 summer, are very troublesome, too; but this may 

 be effectually prevented by bruising two or three 

 elder-leaves, and rubbing them over the face and hat. 

 The flies will not settle. In driving, it is a good 

 plan to do the same with the head. &c., of the horse. 

 It saves a deal of misery. — E. T. Scott. 



Meerschaum. — " What is meerschaum, and how 

 is it identified when manufactured into pipes ?," asks 

 C. M. in Science-Gossip. The word meerschaum 

 is the German for sea foam, and it is so called from 

 its lightness and white appearance ; but it really is 

 a mineral of soft texture, not unlike chalk. It is 

 composed of silica, magnesia, and water. The Turks 

 absolutely employ it as a substitute for soap in 

 washing, for it is quite soft and soap-like when first 

 dug from the earth, and it lathers in water, and will 

 remove grease. When shown at the Exhibition of 

 1851, the jury came to the conclusion that there 

 was no certain test for distinguishing the true 

 meerschaum from the imitation, but the pipes made 

 of the false are generally heavier and less perfect 

 than those made from the true. There are many 

 blemishes caused by the presence of foreign mine- 

 rals in the genuine. I am told by smokers that the 

 much-admired yellow colour, which is brought out 

 after long smoking, is produced by the blocks 

 having been kept for some time in a mixture of wax 

 and i&t.— Helen Watney. 



What is Meerschaum ? — In reply to your corre- 

 spondent " C. M.'s" inquiry, " What is Meerschaum, 

 and how is it recognized when manufactured into 

 pipes ?" perhaps the following may suffice : — 1. It is 

 a hydrated silicate of magnesium. 2. Its chemical 

 composition is (Mg 2 Si 3 + f H), and its percentage 

 composition is, — 



Silica 02-6 



Magnesia 2S'3 



Water 91 



100-0 (Nicol). 



Several varieties are known. 3. Generally asso- 

 ciated with hornblendic rocks. 4. It breaks with 

 a fine earthy fracture, that is, like fine-grained chalk. 

 5. Its hardness is about 2°, or, in other words, it may 

 be scratched with the finger-nail. 6. Its specific 

 gravity is 0'8, hence it will float in water, and it is 

 from its being picked up at times floating on the sea 

 that the Germans call it "foam of the sea," this being 

 the meaning of the word meerschaum. 7. It has a 

 greasy or soapy feel, in common with most magnesian 

 minerals. 8. When a fractured surface is applied 

 to the tongue it adheres strongly. It is brought 

 principally from Asia Minor, Greece, near Madrid 

 and Toledo, Moravia, and Wermelnnd. The best 

 tests are those numbered 4, 5, 6, and 7. The above 

 account is that given by Professor Smyth, M.A., in 

 his course of lectures on "Mineralogy," to the 

 students of the Royal School of Mines, Jermyn 

 Street. I may, perhaps, add the pipes are made 

 from the solid mineral, which is steeped in od or 

 wax, only the inferior articles being made from the 

 compressed scrapings. The specific gravity of it 

 is one of its most distinctive properties. Specimens 

 may be obtained from most dealers in minerals. — 

 Archd. Liversedge. 



The Oxlip. — I have often found the oxlip grow- 

 ing with the cowslip, both in Wales and Hampshire, 

 but I don't remember ever having seen it growing 

 with the primrose. I have seen it stated that Pro- 

 fessor Henslow found the primrose, cowslip, and 

 oxlip, produced from the same root ; but the general 

 opinion, I know, is that the Primula elatior is a 

 hybrid between the cowslip and the primrose. The 

 oxlip is of much more vigorous growth than the 

 cowslip, has scentless, pale yellow flowers, and the 

 tube of the corolla is much longer than the calyx. 

 A friend of mine brought in a very fine specimen 

 this spring which he had found growing with cow- 

 slips in a field .at the back of the lodge. — Helen, 

 Watney. 



Squirrels Perforating Nuts. — Having had a 

 squirrel in confinement for the last eight months, I 

 can endorse what Mr. Buckle says with regard to 

 their method of breaking open the nutshell before 

 beginning to eat the kernel. My squirrel always 

 bites a little irregular hole in the nut, and then 

 breaks off a portion of the shell sufficiently large to 

 enable him to get at the eatable morsel it contains, 

 which he immediately sets about devouring with 

 great apparent relish. What squirrels when at 

 liberty may do to nuts growing upon trees I do 

 not know. — Helen Watney. 



Tail of Locust. — In the Clerical Journal for 

 June, 1866, there is an account of a flight of locusts 

 over Bethlehem ; and, in describing one which had 

 dropped, it is said to have had a tail like that of a 

 scorpion. Is there a known variety with such an 

 appendage ? — /. M. P. 



