HARD WICKE'S S CIENCE- G O SSI P. 



39 



although in lower latitudes, have apparently no 

 butterflies. In Lcpidoptcm Mr. M'Lachlan observetl 

 four examples (2 <?, 2 ? ) of the genus Calais, pos- 

 sibly two species (? Boothii and Hcda). Apparently 

 three species of Argynnis or MeULca (or both). A 

 Chrysophaiius apparantly identical with phlaas. In 

 the Noctuidic, only one individual— an Acronycta. 

 In the Gt'omdridic, one Amphidasis or Biston, and 

 several Cheimatobioid forms with apterous females. 

 Of the Cra/nliitc's, one Phyds, perhaps our ftcsca. 

 The Hymenoptcra are represented by a Bombics, and 

 one of the Ichncumonidic of considerable size. In 

 the Diptcra there is one large fly, probably belonging 

 to the Tachmidce, and perhaps parasitic on the larvae 

 of some of the Lipidoptcra. One specie of Tipiilidi£ ; 

 and a considerable number of Ciilicida:, and of what 

 looks like a Sinmliiim, which, however, do not ap- 

 pear to have .annoyed tlie membei's of the expedition 

 in these high latitudes. Mr. M'Lachlan saw no 

 Coleoptera, Hciiiipfera, no^c Ntiiroptcm ; but the bird- 

 lice are naturally well represented. 



BOTANY. 



Fertilization of Flowers. — The fact of bees 

 visiting tlae same species referred to by your corre- 

 spondent " Blanche," was, as Mr. Darwin points 

 out in his recent work ("Cross- and Self-fertiliza- 

 tion," &c., p. 415), observed by Aristotle, and Mr. 

 Darwin himself adds that •' ' bees are good botanists, 

 for they know that varieties may differ widely in the 

 colour of their flowers and yet belong to the same 

 species." Mr. Darwin and another great authority. 

 Dr. Hennann Midler, arrived at almost exactly the 

 same conclusion witli respect to the reason of this, 

 viz. , that the insects, by learning ' ' how to stand in 

 the best position on the flower, and how far and in 

 what direction to insert their proboscis, are thus 

 enabled to work quicker." (Darwin, op. cit., p. 419, 

 Miiller, " Bienen Zeitung," July, 1876, p. 182, ab- 

 stracted in "Nature," December 28th, 1876, p. 178.) 

 I have myself observed, however, several interesting 

 exceptions to the rule, bees flying to several distinct 

 species of similarly-coloured flowers, others only 

 settling on one species, but turning aside occasion- 

 ally at the siglit of a somewhat similar one ; and one 

 bee visiting a great variety of flowers of all hues and 

 kinds indiscriminately, whilst other bees of the same 

 species confined their attention to one species of 

 flower. — G. S. Boulgcr. 



Celtic Names for the Mistletoe. — Welsh 

 has several names for the Mistletoe : — Uchelfar, high 

 branch (iichel and bar); iichdfa, high-placed {iichd 

 and Ilia); iichdlaivr, high-placed {iickd and llawr, a 

 floor). This last name occurs in the old Welsh 

 laws in a passage quoted by Pughe in his Dictionary, 

 "a branch of mistletoe sixty pence in its value." 



Uchdwydd, the high shrub [uchd and gtvydd, a tree 

 or shrub); awyrbrcn, the air-tree (awyr, air, and 

 pren, a tree); gwysglys, perhaps compounded of 

 givisg, a dress, and //ys, a hall ; gzvyso only means a 

 stream or bias. Hoadlys, the joy of the hall (Jiocn, 

 gladness, and llys). Holliadi, all-healing {^holl, all, 

 and iach, healthy). This last is the name in the 

 Irish branch of Celtic, as the Erse, tiile-iccadh (from 

 tiilc, all), and the Gaelic nW-ioc (from nile, all, and 

 ioc, cure). The Breton name is huelvar, compounded 

 of kud, high, and bar, a branch. The French ^/« 

 has no connection with the Welsh gwydd ; Littre 

 and Brachet both follow Diez in deriving it from 

 viscus (compare Ital. visco, vischio ; Spanish, visco, 

 Neoprovengal, vise). Gii may represent y in French'; 

 thus vagina becomes gatnc. I do not remember any 

 place in old Welsh poetry which refers to the Mistle- 

 toe ; it is not alluded to in Taliessin's cui'ious ' ' Bat- 

 tle of the Trees." The lines from Taliessin's "Chair," 

 which your correspondent quotes from Davies, have 

 probably no reference to the Mistletoe. The Rev. 



D. Silvan Evans translates " the tree of pure gold" 

 as "wood the purifier," i.e., prcn puraivr for prcn 

 piiraur. (See Skene's "Four Ancient Books of 

 Wales," vol. i. p. 535 ; ii. 153.) I may perhaps 

 mention that, in addition to the allusion in Virgil, 

 there is also a fragment of Sophocles's "Meleagar," 

 where he speaks of "mistletoe-bearing oaks." — 



E. B, Cowdl, Cambridge. 



Field Notes on British Botany. — Hypcriacm 

 pidchrnin. —This species, which is not uncommon in 

 sunny spots, is easily recognzied from all our St. 

 John's Worts by its scarlet pollen, slender cylindrical 

 stems, and sessile cordate leaves. In aestivation 

 (when in bud) it may be at once known by the buds 

 being tipped with deep red. In some sheltered 

 nooks, where it appears a little earlier in flower, 

 the petals are found to be a bright orange-colour. 

 Hyperiaun AnglicnTU. — Is this species really distinct 

 from Hyperiaun Androstvmuin ? The only difference 

 in most specimens is that the styles ai-e much longer 

 than the stamens. Hyperiaun perforatum. — Have any 

 of our readers observed the petals of this pretty way- 

 side flower deeply notched at the sides ? Sometimes 

 they appear as if some child had been playfully 

 cutting out a small piece with a pair of scissors. 

 Geranium Robertianuin. — The cottagers on Delamere 

 Forest call this " Rubwort " and " Redweed." The 

 commonly-received English name of Robert may 

 have been a corruption of this perhaps older name of 

 "Rubwort." Papaver Khceas. — The petals are a 

 rich crimson, not, as is often described, scarlet. 

 When merely in flower, and before the development 

 of the capsule, it may be known from all its nearly 

 allied sister species by this character alone. Gera- 

 nium columbinum. — This ought certainly to be named 

 the Dove's-foot Cranesbill, if the specific name is 

 followed. It has blue fallen. Not having closely 



