July 1, 1S67. 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



1G7 



Poisonous Plies.— The Austrian journals state 

 that swarms of poisonous flies have made their 

 appearance in Transylvania, and that more than a 

 hundred head of cattle have perished. The farmers 

 are compelled to keep their beasts shut up, and 

 large fires are burning night and day around the 

 sheds to keep off this unwelcome visitation. During 

 one day, when rain fell copiously, they disappeared, 

 but as soon as the weather became fine again they 

 reappeared. The men in charge of the fires have 

 the greatest difficulty in preserving themselves from 

 their venomous attacks, and find tobacco the best 

 preservative. — Dorset County Express. 



Perforated Nuts.— I have frequently, in my 

 searches for shells or mosses, found the perforated 

 nuts referred to in your June number by Dr. 

 Buekell. In w r oods and shady places I often come 

 on little cozy retreats, nicely stuffed with soft moss, 

 evidently the habitation of some tiny animal whose 

 "Ivjokkeumoddings" contain numbers of shells of 

 hazel nuts, in each of which a little hole is made so 

 as to allow access to the coveted kernel. I have 

 often tried to find out who the little fellow was, but 

 I have not been successful. It is not the squirrel, 

 he graces not our sylvan shades. The holes drilled 

 in the nutshell are often so small that it is a_ puzzle 

 to think how the contents were at all accessible by 

 such means.— S. A. Stewart, Belfast. 



Double Cardamine pratensis (W. H. T. N., 

 Ludlow).— Your flowers are doubled not only by 

 the substitution of petals for stamens, but also by 

 the increased number of the former organs. Some 

 of them are the subjects of " median prolilication," 

 i.e., they have a secondary flower springing from the 

 centre of the primary one, occupying, therefore, the 

 normal position of the seed-vessel. This is not 

 an uncommon occurrence in this plant.— 31. T. 31. 



Mounting Diatoms- If E. W. Schoenebeck 

 will try the following simple process, 1 think he 

 will find no difficulty in fixing his diatoms for 

 mounting in balsam. Let him take some mucilage 

 of gum dragon (Tragacanth) and make with it the 

 thinnest possible smear in the centre of his slide ; 

 this may be kept moist by breathing on it, andthe 

 diatom 'may be laid on and pushed into the required 

 position with great facility. When dry they may 

 be mounted in balsam without any danger of displace- 

 ment, and the gum will not interfere in any way 

 with the clearness of the slide. — F. IF. 31. 



Guaco.— There is a plant in America called 

 " Guaco," and it is said that if you drink the juice 

 of this plant you can handle the most venomous 

 snakes without fear; and it they should accidentally 

 happen to bite a person, placing a small quantity of 

 the juice on the wound is said to cure it instan- 

 taneously. Is this true ; and if so, what is the real 

 name of the plant, and where is it possible to pro- 

 cure a specimen ? There is also a bird called " the 

 snake bird" which, when bitten by s,nakes (on 

 which it preys), flies towards .the above-mentioned 

 plant, eats a portion of it, and returns to the 

 attack anew.— Henry Cooke. 



[There are several plants which pass under the 

 name of "Guaco," and which are said to be 

 beneficial in cases of snake-bite. One of these is 

 Mtkanid Guaco, others are probably species of 

 AristolocJiia. In the majority of instances the re- 

 puted power is fabulous, and the substance extolled 

 is inert. — Ed.] 



Bird's-eye Pbimrose {Primula farinosa). — 

 Would any of the readers of Science-Gossip be 

 kind enough to inform me if they know which is the 

 most southern habitat for Primula farinosa ? I 

 have yet to learn if this plant is found in Wales, or 

 in Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, or any other county 

 further south than Yorkshire, where it* is plentiful. 

 It was found at Pendleton, near Clitheroe, 

 Lancashire, a few years ago, by a Preston botanist, 

 and in 1865 I unexpectedly came upon it in a boggy 

 field, a mile south of Pendle Hill, nearly two miles 

 further south than the Pendleton habitat. It is also 

 said to have been found near Marsden Hall, and 

 Worsthorn, near Burnley, in Lancashire; but I have 

 not yet been able to find it at these last-named 

 places. — T. Simpson, Burnley. 



The Caddis-worm. — Can any readers of the 

 Science-Gossip explain the following unusual in- 

 cidents connected with the Caddis Worm ? Having 

 caught a fine specimen, I introduced it into a can 

 containing some young dace, intended as contribu- 

 tions to my aquarium ; whereupon, the former 

 having grasped the latter with its feet, gradually 

 drew it within its case, until the head of the fish 

 was completely hidden. Being desirous to fully 

 comprehend the intentions of the Caddis Worm, I 

 watched the proceedings until the fish remained 

 perfectly motionless : the worm then released its 

 prisoner, who, floating underneath the surface of the 

 water, lay to all appearances dead, but after the lapse 

 of ten or twelve minutes perfectly recovered itself. 

 On putting the same worm into my aquarium 1 saw 

 it fix itself at once on a " miller's thumb " that was 

 groping about at the bottom among the stones, and 

 remain there until the unfortunate fish rolled slowly 

 on its side, and became quite stiff. Thinking it 

 dead, I removed the Caddis Worm, and found my 

 surmise w r as correct ; for though 1 left it for upwards^ 

 of two hours, I found it gave not'the slightest token of 

 life. Having previously kept several of the above 

 species in the same vessel without any hostility 

 evinced from either the one or the other, I am at 

 a loss to account for the pugnacity shown by this 

 individual specimen, and shall be glad if any one can 

 offer an explanation of it. — /. 0. T. 



Tadpoles in Aquaria.— A circular fresh-water 

 tank, which I have in a north window, had, from 

 some cause which I could not explain, become very 

 turbid. The other day I quite inadvertently put in 

 a few tadpoles, and in less than twenty-four hours 

 it became much clearer, and in a couple of days 

 was clear as crystal, and so remains " unto this 

 day." I find by observing these tadpoles, that 

 they are first-rate scavengers, and would recom- 

 mend my fellow readers who are not satisfied with 

 the appearance of their tanks to try a few, and 

 report the result.— W. 31. Nettleton, Hudders- 

 field. 



Skylark.— I have recently paid much attention 

 to This bird, with the following results :— Those 

 inhabiting upland pastures are of a much lighter 

 colour than those found on marsh lands. In sing- 

 ing, the upland larks appear to fly almost perpen- 

 dicularly upwards, and continue their song for 

 several minutes ; on the contrary, the marsh larks 

 fly spirally upwards, and sing only a short time. I 

 would certainly recommend any one, when pur- 

 chasing a bird for a cage or the avairy, to choose 

 only those that are light coloured: they will be 

 found superior in many respects. — B. 



