44 



HARDWI CKE 'S S CIENCE- G O SSIF. 



in structure it was removed by Vaillant from the 

 genus Lumbricus, and made the representative of a 

 new genus called Echinodrilus. The worm is only 

 an inch in length when full grown, and has from 

 three to six setae in each group, four of which groups 

 or combs are placed on each segment save the first. 

 It is abundant in the one locality where it is at 

 present known to occur. The worm is being figured 

 or described elsewhere. 



The Colours of Shells.— In reply to Mr. 

 .Barnes, the only publications on this subject, besides 

 ihose published by myself (Science-Gossip, August, 

 J890, and "Naturalists' Gazette," July and August, 

 1890, with a note in the " Zoologist " the year before 

 last), Mr. Pace's note (Science- Gossip, September, 

 1890), and Mr. Frj-er's article (Science-Gossip, 

 .■November, 1890), known to me are as follows : — 

 Mr. T. D. a. Cockerell, Science-Gossip, January, 

 ]888 (referred to by Mr. Fryer) ; Mr. J. W. Taylor, 

 "Valedictory Address," "Journ. Conch.," April, 

 1888 (referred to by Mr. Fryer as the supposition of 

 Mr. Taylor on p. 242, ante, but really being the 

 :5upposition of Mr. Ashford) ; E. Schumann, " Schr. 

 Ges. Danz." (2), vi. p. 2 ; Bandelot, " Bull. Soc, 

 Strasb." i. (1868), pp. 132-134; Dietz, "J. B. Ver. 

 Augsb." XXV. (1879), p. 92; Hartmann, " CJastro- 

 poden d. Schweiz," 1840-44, p. 17 ; Colbeau, " Bull. 

 Soc. Mai. Belg." vii. p. 89; Gredler, " Nachr. 

 Mai. Ges." 1878, pp. 33-37; Tryon, "Structural 

 and Systematic Conchology " ; Williams, " Land and 

 Freshwater Shells," p. 19; H. E. Poulton, "The 

 Colours of Animals " ; Eimer, " Organic Evolution " ; 

 Cockerell, " Zoologist " (3), x. p. 341 ; Simroth, 

 " Nachr. Mai. Ges." xviii. pp. 65-80 ; Dodd, 

 "Journ. Conch." iv. p. 304; Eimer, "Tag. 

 Deut. Nat. Vers." Iviii. p. 408. In addition to 

 .these there exists a note of which I have not the 

 reference by me, but think it was published in the 

 "Journal of Conchology." This is by Miss Hele, 

 and records the darkening of H. aspersa by feeding 

 on lettuce. Possibly there are other papers of which 

 I have not summaries in my note-book. An inter- 

 esting paper by the Rev. Mr. Pearce, on the varia- 

 ftions in Helix caperata, has been lately published in 

 ihe "Journal of Conchology." In addition, the 

 following papers may also interest Mr. Barnes :— 

 Krukenberg, "Verg. Physiol. Vortrage," iii. 1884; 

 Macmunn, " Q. J. M. S." 1877 and 1885; " Proc. 

 Birm. Philosoph. Soc." iii, 1881-83, and vol. v. ; 

 •"Journal of Physiology," vols. vi. and viii. ; "Phil. 

 Trans." 1885 and 1886; "Proc. Physiol. Soc." 

 1887 ; " Brit. Ass. Reports," 1883 ; Lankester, 

 "Q. J. M. S." vol. xxii. ; Poulton, "Proc. Roy. 

 •Soc." 1885; Pockhngton, " Phar. Journ, Trans." 

 vol. iii. ; Moseley, " Q. J. M." xvii. ; and the papers 

 of Mr. Gulich, " Nature," July i8th, 1872; "Journ. 

 Linn. Soc"; "Zoology," vols. xi. and xx.— y. IV. 

 IVilliams, 



BOTANY. 



The Value of Attractive Characters to 

 Fungi.— Mr. C. R. Straton writes to "Nature" as 

 follows : — The importance of attractive colours and 

 odours, and of modifications of form to flowering 

 plants is now perfectly understood ; but the value of 

 attractive characters to Fungi has received compara- 

 tively little recognition. At first sight it would seem 

 unnecessary that a plant, unsusceptible of fertilisation, 

 should possess characters apparently designed to 

 enlist living creatures in its service : there is no pollen 

 for them to carry, and no ripe seed for them to 

 distribute, and attractive characters, such as colour, 

 taste, and odour, are extremely well marked. The 

 colours which fungi exhibit include almost every hue 

 from white to black. We have the brilliant red of 

 peziza cups : the orange-scarlet of the Amanita 

 mitscarius, with its cap gaily speckled with white ; 

 the crimson of the Russula emetica ; the rich yellow 

 of the Cantharellus cibarius ; the blue of the bruised 

 Boletus luridus ; the amethyst of the Agariacs 

 laccatus ; and the dark green of the bruised Ladariiis 

 deliciosus, with every possible shade to the deepest 

 jet. But not only have fungi colours that are 

 attractive by day ; some, like the Agaricus okamts, are 

 phosphorescent by night. Many tropical species 

 light up the jungle in the hours of darkness ; and in 

 this country the coal-mines are often found illuminated 

 by one of the polypores which propagates itself on the 

 timbers of the workings. The tastes and odours of 

 fungi are equally varied and attractive. Many 

 Agarics have an odour of fresh meal ; the Hydnuin 

 repandum rejoices in the flavour of oysters ; the 

 Armillaria mucidus in that of nuts ; the yellou' 

 chanterelle in that of apricots ; others have the scent 

 of various flowers, such as the violet and woodruff ; or 

 of aromatics like anise ; while a large number have 

 an indescribable damp-cellar or fungus smell, such as 

 slugs delight in. Many, like the shameless stinkhorn 

 {Phallus iinpudicus) emit an intolerable stench, which 

 so strongly resembles " the carrion of some woodland 

 thing " that blow-flies and ravens quickly find it out. 

 There can be little doubt that these are attractive 

 characters. What, then, can be the service which 

 these characters induce animals to perform for 

 fungi ? To answer this let us review briefly the 

 life-history of any fungus possessing characters of 

 an attractive kind. The common mushroom 

 [Fsalliota campcstris) is particularly agreeable to sheep 

 and oxen, and is abundant in autumn in rich pastures, 

 although there is still much in our knowledge of its 

 life-history that is incomplete, yet it is evidently 

 composed of two main periods : first, a parasitic 

 period passed in the body of an animal host ; and 

 secondly, a sapropliytic period passed on some suitable 

 organic soil. Let us sow the spores of a ripe mush- 

 room as carefully as we may, none of them will 



