HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



261 



these a slight excess of ammonia was added, when a 

 very considerable precipitate of alumina and iron was 

 thrown down. It may be observed that the figures 

 mentioned here are those derived from a strict 

 quantitative analysis, and not merely guessed from 

 the rough investigation now described. Here then 

 we had separated those two very important con- 

 stituents of the rock, and the amount thereof, say 

 nearly fifteen per cent, of the former and nearly eight 

 per cent, of the latter, seemed as seen, as it were, for 

 the first time very astonishing, and even still more 

 so when, after boiling the washed precipitate in 

 strong solution of caustic potash, the iron was left in 

 a quantity much larger than what could have been 

 anticipated. The ammoniacal filtrate from these two 

 constituents contained the rest of the bases in the 

 rock. On adding thereto a solution of oxalate of 

 ammonium, lo and behold ! an immense and bulky 

 precipitate of lime was immediately produced. It 

 represented about six per cent, by weight, so that this 

 indeed was the "surprise of the day," and the feeling 

 culminated to the acme when, after detecting small 

 •quantities of magnesia and potass in the residuary 

 solution, the big authorities on the subject were con- 

 sulted. For it would appear, what is in truth a 

 highly interesting fact, that the various constituents 

 of this Borrowdale series differ very considerably as 

 Tegards the amount of lime contained therein 

 rrespectively. The rock just analysed contained six 

 yer cent, in the form of carbonate (the brisk efferves- 

 'Cence on adding the acid showed this), and it was a 

 ■specimen of lava ash (pyroxene-porphyrite of the 

 savants) perhaps physically altered, although it 

 looked not so ; but the quartz-felsite, which seems 

 widely extended at intervals throughout the series, 

 contains only a little over two per cent., and the Skid- 

 daw slate and granite, which bounds the series to the 

 north and west, has only about one and a half per 

 cent. Wherefore this difference in the proportion of 

 lime ? The speculators of the school of Lyell aver 

 that these green slates were deposited in the sea 

 whence it derived its calcareous intermixture ; and 

 the mathematical surveyors of the district assume 

 •that a colossal dome of limestone originally extended 

 over the greater part or perhaps the whole of these 

 eruptive rocks, perhaps even to the highest summits 

 of the mountains. A comparison of the analytical 

 results aforesaid at once disposes of the former 

 hypothesis ; and the dip or angle whereon the latter 

 calculation is based would carry the stuff so very high 

 that my imagination is quite undisposed to follow it. 

 — P. Q. Keegan, 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



The Common Snake. — I have in my possession 

 a very fine living female specimen of Tropidonotus 

 natrix, which I purchased in the spring. Some 

 months ago she cast her slough, and emerged in all the 



splendour of a fine new coat. Lately she has become 

 very sluggish, and used to remain in the branches of 

 a small tree for days together. I could not account 

 for this sleepiness, for her eye had no appearance of 

 the cloudiness visible whenever they commence to 

 change their skins. However, the reason has now 

 become apparent, for within the last few days she has 

 presented me with ten eggs. In colour they are a 

 dirty white, and the outer covering, which closely 

 resembles the membrane lying immediately beneath 

 the shell of a bird's egg, is quite soft. The first two 

 were discovered on the loth ult., in different parts 

 of the cage, these I removed because a violet 

 ground -beetle, who also shares the case, had com- 

 menced to demolish one of them with evident relish, 

 and on the 12th I discovered five more. Three of 

 these last lay together, but the rest, which were laid 

 on the three following nights, were scattered about 

 over the cage. They were not connected in any way 

 with each other. I mention this fact because it 

 seems to be contrary to the observations of others, 

 notably, the Rev. J. G. Wood, who states that the 

 eggs of the grass-snake are deposited in chains, 

 each egg joined to its neighbour by a glutinous 

 substance; again, G. Christopher Davies in "The 

 Swan and her Crew," who describes them as con- 

 nected together by means of a sort of glue. I should 

 like to know whether it is common for grass-snakes 

 to deposit their eggs without the chain in question. 

 Perhaps some of your readers have met with similar 

 instances. I was very anxious to hatch these eggs, 

 and placed one of them, by way of experiment, in 

 the sun, covered with some dry leaves. However, 

 a small portion of the egg received the direct rays of 

 the sun, with the result that it was drawn up into a 

 boil, and all around the albumen was coagulated. — 

 A. E. Peake. 



The Flora of a Cart-track. — When walking 

 on the Downs to-day between Seaford and East- 

 bourne, I noticed a cart-track leading from a 

 farm across the turf of the Downs to some 

 pits from which flints were probably obtained. I 

 had been noticing the characteristic flora of the 

 Downs here : Euphrasia officinalis, Phyteuma orbicu- 

 lare, Ca77tpanula glomerata, Gentiana aynarella, etc., 

 and was much interested to find that along the 

 two ruts formed by the wheels of the cart, an entirely 

 different set of flowers grew, standing out in sharp 

 contrast to the compact and diminutive natives of the 

 Downs. Those in the ruts were : Cei-astium triviale, 

 Agrimonia etipatoria, Achillea milkfolium, Matricaria 

 chamo77iilla, EchiTiimi viclga/'e, Bartsia odo7itites, 

 Anagallis arveiisis, Polygo/mi7i avicitlare. All of 

 these are common weeds of waste or cultivated 

 ground, and their seeds had probably been brought 

 on to the downs in the mud adhering to the cart- 

 wheels. — Ri7ia Scott. 



Albinism in Plants.— It may interest those of 

 your contributors who have been making notes of the 

 occurrence of albinism in plants to know that last 

 month, being at Largs, in Fifeshire, I saw a fine 

 white variety of Ce7itaii7-ea scabiosa. At one part of 

 the Bents there was a fine display of the beautiful 

 reddish-purple flowers of this handsome plant, and 

 amongst them there occurred one root with pure 

 white flowers. — J. Ca7phi7t. 



Huge Puff-balls. — Having a very unusually large 

 Puff-ball (Lycope7-do7i. giga7tteu77t) lately come up in a 

 gap in a laurel hedge here, I think it might interest 

 the readers of Science-Gossip. It is still firm and 

 white, though slightly turning colour from the con- 

 tinued heavy rain ; it measures 36 inches in circum- 



