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HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



ference, and 34 starting from base round the top to 

 root. Again, there are two more near it, one ahnost 

 entirely eaten by slugs before coming up ; the ether, 

 at present young, measures only 16 inches by 16. I 

 noticed in Science-Gossip a number or two back 

 mention of bats flying in the sunshine. Before seeing 

 your paragraph I myself had noted the same thing, 

 and thought it uncommon ; first, in January or early 

 February, in spite of the cold, one was flitting in the 

 bright sunshine outside our fence at about half-past 

 ten A.M. Again, just as we were looking for the 

 swallows (late this year) I noted two flitting about 

 merrily for an hour or two before noon, and for the 

 first minute thought they must be the long looked-for 

 swallows come at last. The enclosed are, as you will 

 see, a curious form of monstrosity in an everlasting, 

 and some little shells, the latter taken from the 

 gizzard of some snipe shot about 27th January, 

 having just arrived at some ponds near here. Could 

 • you tell me if they are brackwater shells ? — R. Moxon, 

 Siin-cy. 



An Ancient Earthquake. — Could any of your 

 readers give me any information on the following? 

 In Camden's " Britannia " of 1610 there is a map of 

 Herefordshire by Christopher Paxton, and near 

 Woolhope I find marked "Kynnaston chap — 

 which was dreuen doune by ye remoueng of ye 

 ground," and in the description of the county 

 Camden tells us: " Neere unto the place where 

 Lug and Wy meet togither eastward, a hill, which 

 they call Marcley Hill in the yeere of our redemption 

 1571 (as though it had wakened upon a sodaine out 

 of a deepe sleepe) roused itselfe up, and for the space 

 of three dales togither mooving and shewing itself 

 (as mighte and huge an heape as it was) with 

 waving noise in a fearful sort, and overturning all 

 things that stood in the way, advanced itselfe forward 

 to the wondrous astonishment of the beholders by 

 that kinde of earthquake, which as I deeme naturall 

 ' philosophers call Brasmatias." Old Drayton iu his 

 " Polyolbion " refers to it also : 



"B ut Marcely, grieu'd that lie (the neerest of the rest 

 And of the mountain kind), not bidden, was a guest 

 Unto this nuptiall teast, so hardly it doth take 

 As (meaning for the same his station to forsake), 

 Inraged and mad with griefe, himselfe in two did vine 

 The trees and hedges neere, before him up doth driue, 

 And dropping headlong doune, three dales together fall. 

 Which, bellowing as he went, the rockes did so appall. 

 That they him passage made who Coats and Chappcls crusht 

 So violentlie he into his valley rusht." 



Selden, in his notes to the first edition, 1613, says, 

 referring to this : " Alluding to a prodigious division 

 of Marcely Hill in an earthquake of late times, 

 which most of all was in these parts of the island." 

 Can any of your readers inform me whether anything 

 is now to be seen at Marcely Hill of the effects of 

 this earthquake mentioned by Camden, Drayton and 

 Selden.- — Ilcnry yanus, Mcrthyr Tydfil. 



Double Plum. — I enclose a sketch of a curious 

 double plum, which you may perhaps find of interest 

 to you. Also the two stones and the fruit-stalk. 

 It was given to me by a friend, and was grown 

 in his garden at Hounslow. The plum was of a 

 purple colour, with a pellucid greenish flesh, and 

 the two stones were close together, the spaces being 

 filled with '* gum." You will observe that they fit 

 into one another in some sort of a fashion. The 

 reverse side to that represented in the sketch was 

 similar, as far as I could see, in all respects, except 

 that the suture was not quite so deep. The sketch 

 is natural size. — T. Alfrai Dymcs. 



Natural History of Slow-worms. — It may 

 be interesting to some of your readers to hear that 

 three days ago one of several slow-worms I have in my 

 possession presented me with a family, the number of 

 which I do not yet know. Is not this very late in the 

 year ? Professor Bell gives June or July as the usual 

 time for the bearing young. The most interesting fact 

 aliout it is that the young slow-worms have been not 

 only born, but bred in captivity, for I have had the 

 old ones in my possession for about eight months ; 

 the usual period of incubation is from six to eight 

 weeks,— /i^ D. Tilly. 



Ringed Snake. — Since writing to you on 

 September 17th my snake (female specimen of 

 Tropidonotus natrix) has died, and as it was a very 

 fine one, and it is, I believe, rather unusual for a 

 snake to lay eggs in captivity, I thought it might 

 interest some of your readers to hear something of its 

 anatomy. Up to September 15th it had laid ten 

 eggs, all of which were separate. On the 27th it 

 seemed very unwell, and died in the afternoon. The 

 tenacity of life exhibited by the muscles was extra- 

 ordinary, for although the head and anterior extremity 

 of the body were stiff and dead, the rest twisted and 

 moved about for several hours whenever a stimulus 

 was applied. I must say I fail to understand why 

 the muscle-plasma should coagulate so slowly in the 

 case of a snake or slow-worm, and yet so quickly in 

 man and the higher animals. Entire length of snake, 

 two feet eleven inches, including the tail, six inches. 

 When the skin was stretched upon a board it measured 

 three feet two inches without the tail at all. It is a 

 curious fact that the membrane which in most other 

 animals is split and serves them as eyelids should 

 remain intact in a snake. The difference in habits 

 of the snake and slow-worm is not very great. Both 

 crawl along the ground and are subject to the same 

 inconveniences in regard to sight, such as dust, etc., 

 and yet the slow-woim has a split membrane, and the 

 snake has not. Doubtless this fact serves very well 

 to distinguish the snakes from the lizards, when to- 

 all appearance they would seem to belong to one 

 class, but I should like to know what explanation is 

 offered to account for this peculiarity in structure. 

 It cannot be indicative of a very low form of life, for 

 in the class of Batrachians next below them in the 

 scale we find very well- developed eyelids. The 

 tongue of this snake measured 4J inches. Of this 

 2i inches was ensheathed and black, whilst the 

 remainder consisted of a bundle of muscular fibres. 

 Two thin rods of cartilage, presumably representing 

 the hyoid bone, ran, one on either side of this 

 muscular part, and they, together with the tongue, 

 were fastened to the trachea by a small muscle. The 

 left lung only was present, although the trachea 

 divided as usual into right and left bronchi. The 

 interior of the lung was sac-like, and resembled in 

 appearance the linked armour which was formerly 

 worn by knights in battle. The liver measured 

 eight inches. The ovaries, two in number, contained 

 in all 113 ova. Of these twelve were perfectly 

 developed, and resembled those already laid. One- 

 of these fully-developed ova had passed down the 

 oviduct to within a couple of inches of the cloaca, 

 and was larger than any of the others. The oviduct 

 around it was much inflamed and injected with blood, 

 and I suppose this was the cause of death. In the 

 tissue between the intestine and oviduct was a quantity 

 of white coagulated substance, which I imagine to be 

 the remains of an ovum which in some inexplicable 

 manner had escaped from its proper channel. There 

 was nothing peculiar in the other organs. I was 

 much surprised at the very slight development of the 



