40 



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



examined all the other species, I may, perhaps, not 

 be quite correct when I state it ought to be at once 

 known or recognized by the blue pollen-grains. 

 Geranium lucidum. — When I saw this plant growing 

 in large masses in the Vale of Llangollen I thought 

 it the most handsome of the whole genus. The 

 shining, often pink, leaves and stems are very con- 

 spicuous. When once seen, it can never again be 

 mistaken for any other cranesbill. Lime - trees 

 {Tiliaceir). — Most botanists agree in finding three 

 species of lime in the British islands — Tilia phrvi- 

 folia, T. grandifolia, and T. Europaa. Probably 

 there is much confusion respecting them, but from 

 my limited observations I do not believe any of them 

 are indigenous, excepting only T. parvifolia. Dr. 

 Bromfield looked upon T. Euyopcra as a native tree. 

 I never met with it anywhere, except where I knew 

 or was informed it was planted, generally as an orna- 

 mental tree. Formerly, by being misled with others, 

 I simply regarded or looked upon them as natives ; 

 but during the past three years I have closely studied, 

 and with a constantly growing conviction that T. 

 painjifolia is truly indigenous, the others are alien 

 and introduced. Iheris amara. — I find if the Candy- 

 tuft is grown in rich soil the flowers become double 

 by the sepals being transformed into petals, though 

 they are not like the ordinary petals, having a green 

 vein down the centre of each sepal. Cruciferous 

 plants are usually a dread to young botanists, but the 

 Iberis is at a glance detected by the lower petals 

 being at least twice as long as the upper ones* 

 Cochlcaria gnnilaudica. — I always find the petals 

 of this plant with a purplish tint. However, I do 

 not think this ought to be sufficient to make it into a 

 distinct species. In cultivation I cannot tell the 

 difference betwixt C. danica and this plant. — R. 



VoLVOX GLOBATOR. — There seems to be a preva- 

 lent idea that this beautiful object is only to be found 

 during the summer months, and that at the approach 

 of winter it dies out in its ordinai-y form, to be pro- 

 duced from resting-spores in the following spring. 

 In opposition to this, I may state that during last 

 winter I could always obtain an abundant supply 

 from a pond in the open part of the forest near Wal- 

 thamstow, on several occasions having broken a con- 

 siderable thickness of ice and taken them from 

 beneath ; the ice in one instance being sufficiently 

 thick to support a number of skaters. — W. H. 

 Gilbtirl. 



The Box. — Syme says of the Box : " Very rare. 

 Kent, Surrey, Bucks, and Gloucester are the only 

 counties of which there is any possibility of its being 

 a genuine native." Growing on dry, chalky hills, 

 may not the chalk downs of Sussex be included ? In 

 some places, as at Lavington, it woukl almost seem 

 to be indigenous, and flourishes luxuriantly. Can any 

 reader tell of other Sussex habitats in which it occurs 

 in abundance ? INIrs. Lankester has also the follow- 



ing statement : ' ' The largest box-hedge is at Petworth 

 (Sussex). It is supposed to be more than two cen- 

 turies old, and is more than 12 feet at the bottom, 

 15 feet high, and 40 yards long." I should be very 

 glad of the authority for this and for a precise descrip- 

 tion of its locality at Petworth. — F. H. Ar7iold. 



Discoloration of Cooked Meat. — The car- 

 mine spots and surfaces on the meat mentioned by 

 your correspondent "B." were no doubt due to the 

 thallophyte mentioned in Rev. M. J. Berkeley's " In- 

 troduction to Cryptogamic Botany" (p. 264), and in 

 the " Micrographic Dictionary" (second edition, sub 

 voce " Blood on Bread") as Jl/onas or Palmella pro- 

 digiosa, Cryptococats glutinis, or a form of Penicilliitm 

 rlaicciim or Oidiian. — G. S. Boiili;er. 



GEOLOGY. 



A NEW Fossil Crustacean. — At a recent meet- 

 i ng of the Geological Society, Mr. R. Etheridge, 

 jun., F.G.S., read a paper entitled, "On the Re- 

 mains of a large Crustacean, probably indicative of 

 a new species of Eurypierus, or allied genus 

 (Emyptcrus ? Stcvensoni) from the Lower Carboni- 

 ferous series (Cement-stone group) of Berwickshire." 

 The fragmentary crustacean remains described were 

 referred by the author to a large species of Eiiry- 

 ptertis. They are from a rather lower horizon in the 

 Lower Carboniferous than that from which Eiijy- 

 pteriis Scotderi, Hibbert, was obtained. The animal 

 was probably twice the size of E. Scoideri. The 

 remains consist of large scale-like markings and 

 marginal spines which once covered the surface and 

 bordered the head and the hinder edges of the body- 

 segments of a gigantic crustacean, agreeing in gene- 

 ral characters \\'ith the same parts in E. Scoideri, 

 but diff"ering in points of detail. For the species, 

 supposing it to be distinct, the author proposed the 

 name oi E. Stcvensoni. In the discussion which fol- 

 lowed the paper, Mr. H. Woodward remarked that 

 the remains of Eurypieri from the Carboniferous 

 rocks are so distinct from the Upper Silurian Eiiry- 

 ptcriol America, Shropshire, Lanarkshire, and Russia, 

 as probably to entitle them to be jDlaced in a distinct 

 genus ; and, indeed, at some future day, when more 

 remains are obtained, they may perhaps have to be 

 arranged among the Araclmida, along with many 

 curious fragments which have been called Arthro- 

 pleura, discovered in the Radstock coalfield, in the 

 Saarbriick coal-basin, and in the Manchester coal- 

 field. Eiiryptcris Scoiiloi occurs at Kirton with 

 Sphenopteris Hibberti, in a remarkable siliceous de- 

 posit, probably thrown down by an old tliermal 

 spring in the Carboniferous period. 



A NEW Tertiary Mammal. — Prof. JNIarsli has 

 described another early Tertiary Mammal from the 

 Rocky jlountain deposits. It was of carnivorous 



