44 



HARD WICKE 'S SCIENCE - G OSSIP. 



Mistletoe. — I can inform " W. G. P.," that in 

 Germany tins plant is known by different names, Mis- 

 tcl, however, being the most common. Ginstcr ; Kin- 

 ster ; Kenstcr ; the first of these names is also given 

 to a plant the flower of which is used for dyeing pur- 

 poses. Hcili^c Krcitzholz ; the German of Lignum 

 Sancfir Criicis. Alahrenzacken ; the same as the 

 Dutch, Marentakken. Af holder, or Afterbaiim ; 

 ^/and after from the old aftar, aftir, not genuine, 

 false ; liolder, elder ; haiini, tree. — H. Macco. 



Hara'EST Bcgs. — The best remedy that I know 

 of for the bites or stings of harvest bugs is "Liquor 

 Ammonice Fortissimus " (spirit of ammonia) which 

 should be applied to the exact spot by means of a 

 camel's-hair brush, and will be found to give imme- 

 diate relief. — Frank Johns, JFinlon. 



Harvest Bugs. — Your correspondent, G. H. 

 Piper, complains of the pain caused by the bite 

 or sting of the harvest bug ; it is almost impossible 

 to altogether stop their intrusion, but if "toilet 

 vinegar" be applied to the wound, it will speedily 

 allay all irritation. It can be bought of almost any 

 chemist. — // F. JVyatL 



Harvest Bugs. — In reply to G. H. Piper re- 

 specting harvest bugs, I remember in the month of 

 September passing through a field of barley when out 

 shooting about three years ago, and unfortunately some 

 of these unpleasant little insects found me out. They 

 will not trouble you very long, and the best antidote 

 to allay irritation is eau-de-Cologne. — Williani 

 Bean. 



Breeding of Hawfinch. — In the number of 

 Science-Gossip for November, I see that " R." 

 discredits the statement of the hawfinch having bred 

 in this country. I have in Kent found in the breed- 

 ing season as many as six nests in as many days, and 

 in one season more than twenty nests were known in 

 the neighbourhood. I have seen the bird, not only 

 in winter but in summer, in almost every place I 

 looked for it, especially at Oxford, and near Henley. 

 It is very shy, which accounts for " R.'s" not having 

 often seen it. But it is by no means a rare bird. — 

 H. N. R. 



Hawfinch. — R. says, "I believe it must have 

 been a mistake to record it as having bred in this 

 country." If he looks at Yarrell, vol. i., p. 559, 3rd 

 edition, he will find an account too long for insertion 

 here of its nidification in Eppmg Forest, from the 

 pen of no less an authority than the late Henry 

 Doubleday. Amongst other things, he says, " I can 

 safely assert that they are permanent residents." 

 Further on, Yarrell says, "in a letter from Mr. H. D., 

 the situations of five nests are thus noticed," and 

 other authorities are adduced. What says Professor 

 Newton? I have not yet seen his new edition of 

 Yarrell, as far as the Hawfinch. — J. S. ',Vesley. 



Bees and Flowers. — I have noticed that the 

 Honey-bee does not visit the Monk's-hood, although 

 the Humble-bee takes plentiful supplies from it. 

 Near the Monk's-hood grew a plant of the " Red- 

 hot Poker" {Tritomia), which the Honey-bee made 

 the most of. From this flower you can shake showers 

 of nectar, so that it must be a first-class bee-plant for 

 bees. I suppose the Humble-bee could not get into 

 the long narrow bells of this flower. The Humble- 

 bee patronized the Fuchsia up to September, then 

 seemed to hand over all claims on it to its active 

 little cousin. — T. McGann. 



Colours of Shadows. — When getting dusk yes- 

 terday (Dec. 21) I lighted my study-gas early, and 

 noticed, what I have often done before, that the 

 shadows of the plants in the window thrown on the 

 white blind were distinctly blue ; the shadow of my 

 hand or figure was the same. The subject has been 

 mentioned in SciENCE-GossiP with regard to table- 

 lamps, but not with regard to gas. What is the 

 cause of the shadow being blue, as all blue disap- 

 pears the moment daylight is gone ? — //. 0. Slerland. 



Sparrowhawk and Crow (p. 21). — I can as- 

 sure Mr. King that it is a common sight in the 

 countiy to see crows (rooks, I suppose, are meant) 

 chasing hawks. I once saw a couple of beautiful 

 little hawks most shamefully maltreated by a flock of 

 rooks, which, after a time, divided into two parties, 

 one of which continued to buffet the weaker-winged 

 hawk, while the other followed in chase of its more 

 vigorous companion, which, however, contrived to 

 make good his escape. — ]V. 11. Warner. 



Death's-head Hawk-moth (p. 21). — My ex- 

 perience in rearing the "Death's-head" has always 

 led me to believe that the caterpillar, under any cir- 

 cumstances, does not build a cocoon ; why then should 

 the one spoken of by your correspondent evince so 

 decided an inclination for doing so ? I have reared 

 many different kinds of caterpillars, and always found 

 that the earth-burrowers when unprovided with mould 

 made no attempt to construct a cocoon, but changed 

 into the chrysalis without further ado. — W. H. War- 

 ner, Standlake, Oxon. 



Orchids in Surrey. — Can any one tell me the 

 best hunting-ground for Orchids in .Surrey, not much 

 farther south than Box-hill, where the greatest number 

 of species are likely to be met with, time being 

 limited?— y. R. JV., Kingston. 



Apocynum androS/EMIFOLium. — The following 

 is a copy from a work by Mr. Maxwell T. Masters. — 

 "The Fly-trap of North America is cultivated as an 

 object of curiosity in that country. The S scales in 

 the throat of the corolla secrete a sweet liquid, which 

 attracts insects to settle on them. The scales are 

 endowed with a peculiar irritability, the cause of 

 which has not been accurately determined, but which 

 causes them to bend inward toward the centre of the 

 flower when touched, and to retain the unlucky insects 

 as prisoners. Numbers of dead insects may be seen 

 in the several flowers of this plant. The movement 

 of the scales probably serves to scatter the pollen on 

 the stigma. They are widely distributed on the 

 temperate parts of both hemispheres, and as flowers 

 in cultivation." The English representative is Vinca 

 minor, — Periwinkle. — Tlunnas Hcbden. 



Bleaching Ferns, &c. — I shall feel much obliged 

 for any information on the preparation of ferns and 

 mosses for mounting as fire-screens, window-blinds, 

 &c. &c. I have dried and pressed them in such a 

 way as to be very fit for herbarium purposes, but on 

 exposure they become brown and unsightly after a 

 while. I am told the best way is to bleach them and 

 then dye in aniline colours, and shall be glad to hear 

 how the bleaching is best done inexpensively. Per- 

 haps some kind reader could tell me how they are 

 mounted with butterflies, &c., between sheets of 

 glass for window-blinds, panelling. — T. AleGann. 



Northern Holy-grass. — I think Mrs. Edwards 

 and myself only differ as to terms. I can understand a 

 flower being called " hermaphrodite " which has 

 both stamens and pistil, but not the stamens and 



