HA RD WICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIF. 



28' 



apparent to anybody who pursues the study of plant 

 life with even a modicum of scientific instinct. — P. Q. 

 Kecgan. 



The White Flower Question — I have several 

 times found the heather on the hills in this neighbour- 

 hood bearing white blossoms, but more frequently 

 the flowers were only partially white, being tinged 

 and sometimes blotched, with pink or purple. I 

 have also found, with Mr. F. H. Davey, that the 

 white flowers became pink when dried, but quite a dif- 

 ferent shade from the usual colour. The plants bear- 

 ing white blossoms have generally been found in 

 positions facing the south-west, but it does not appear 

 likely that saline matter can have been brought by 

 the wind into this district. Two summers ago I 

 found a white poppy with a yellow centre in a corn- 

 field near here, growing amongst others with flowers 

 of the normal colour. Diligent search was made, 

 but the specimen appeared to be a solitary one, as no 

 other poppies bearing white flowers were found. — 

 Frederick G. Biiig. 



A Fight with a Lizard. — Mr. Roger Price 

 sends an account of an adventure with a large lizard 

 on the Bailywith farm, in Bechuanaland. He was 

 riding over the farm with its occupant, Mr. George 

 Willmore, when "suddenly one of Mr. Willmore's 

 pointers came upon the large lizard which the Dutch 

 call legovan (iguana). A tierce fight at once began, 

 the lizard smiting the dog again and again with its 

 long tail, with much dexterity and fury. For some 

 time it would seem as if the dog would have to give 

 in ; but after a while he rose to the occasion, and 

 fought most pluckily, pressing the legovan so hard 

 that eventually the ugly and furious beast began to 

 run away with all his little speed, the dog following 

 up his advantage. At this stage the lizard got near 

 the horse ridden by Mr. Willmore, which is, happily, 

 a quiet beast. In a twinkling he began to climb up 

 one of the hind-legs of the horse, and, reaching the 

 tail, he scrambled up that. I had already warned 

 Mr. Willmore that the lizard was climbing his horse, 

 but it was not until the furious reptile had got on to 

 the horse's hip, just behind the saddle, that Mr. 

 Willmore began to realize his position, and it did not 

 take him long to get out of the pigskin and on to 

 mother earth, leaving the infuriated reptile master of 

 the situation, so far. Once on the ground, Mr. 

 Willmore set to unhorsing the intruder, which he did 

 by pushing him oft' with his gun. Then the beast 

 made for Mr. Willmore himself and began climbing 

 up his leg, but being beaten off, the fight between 

 it and the dog was renewed with fierceness. The 

 lizard got hold of the dog's lip, and retained his 

 hold for some time. Nothing daunted, the pointer 

 managed to bring his mouth round so that he had the 

 lizard's head between his teeth, which he clenched 

 with such vigour that the beast let go his hold. As 

 he seemed inclined to make for the horses again, we 

 gave him a wide berth ; and calling away the dog, 

 we left the beast to his own devices, there being no 

 reason for killing him He and the dog mauled one 

 another considerably, but neither got any particular 

 harm. 



The Common Snake. — Several of your corre- 

 spondents having recorded the fact of the common 

 snake laying eggs in captivity, perhaps they may be 

 interested in the following. In August 1 888, having 

 captured near Dover, a common lizard {Zootoca 

 vivipara), I kept it for several weeks in a glass- 

 covered box, feeding it with flies, &c., which it was 

 soon tame enough to take from my fingers. One day 

 I observed that the ■ animal was getting awfully fat 



and lazy, not to be accounted for by the number of 

 flies which constituted its daily meal, which, in fact, 

 were getting somewhat scarce, when one morning to 

 my surprise, instead of a lot of living youngsters I 

 had expected, I found in the cage several — I think 

 over half a dozen, but can't remember exactly now — 

 jelly-like eggs, each containing a tiny lizard, alive 

 certainly but not apparently ready to be born yet. 

 Are they not generally born alive ? The lizard, alas ! 

 died next day, after a short period of renewed activity, 

 and all the eggs came to nothing. — Caroltis. 



NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



To Correspondents and Exchangers. — As we now 

 publi'ih Science-Gossip earlier than formerly, we cannot un- 

 dertake to insert in the following number any communications 

 which reach us later than the 8th of the previous month. 



To Anonymous Querists. — We must adhere to our rule of 

 not noticing queries which do not bear the writers' names. 



To Dealers and Others. — We are always glad to treat 

 dealers in natural history objects on the same fair and general 

 ground as amateurs, in so far as the "exchanges'* offered are 

 fair exchanges. But it is evident that, when their offers are 

 simply Disguised Advertisements, for the purpose of evading 

 the cost of advertising, an advantage is taken of owt gratuitous 

 insertion of "exchanges," which cannot be tolerated. 



We request that all exchanges may be signed with name (or 

 initials) and full address at the end. 



Special Note. — There is a tendency on the part of some 

 exchangers to send more than one per month. We only allow 

 this in the case of writers of papers. 



To our Recent Exchangers. — We are willing to be helpful 

 to our genuine naturalists, but we cannot further allow dis- 

 guised Exchanges like those which frequently come to us 

 to appear unless as advertisements. 



P. H. G.— .'^.11 articles inserted in Science-Gossip are sent 

 by writers gratuitously ; nevertheless, we have an abundance 

 and much choice. Most of the leading scientific writers of the 

 day have risen to fame through our columns. No other 

 scientific journal has such a circulation, or better means of 

 introducing new men. 



A. Clark.— Kent's splendid work on the Infusoria was 

 published in parts. It amounted to 3/. unbound. Messrs. 

 Wesley & Sons, Essex Street, Strand, may have a secondhand 

 copy. Write to them. 



T. B.— Get Professor Roscoe's Elementary Book on 

 Chemistry, published by Macmillan & Co., price 2^. kd. -A 

 good and cheaper work is by Professor Meldola tprice if. kd.), 

 published by Murby & Co. 



Miss B. Hope.— The Rev. O. Cambridge's book on " Dorset- 

 shire Spiders" is an English classic work on the subject. 

 Have you seen the Rev. Dr. McCook's fine two-volumed 

 work, splendidly illustrated, published by subscription by the 

 author, Boston, U.S.A. 



EXCHANGES. 



Wanted, foreign land and freshwater shells ; good fossils 

 given in exchange. Foreign correspondence invited. — A. 

 Tarver, 11 Westbury Road, Croydon, Surrey. 



Offered, about 400 species of fossils of the tertiary Parisian 

 grounds, well named and in good state of preservation, and in 

 good number. Wanted in exchange, fossils, shells, prehistoric 

 objects, and postage stamps. — Mr. Louis Giraux, 22 Rue Saint 

 Blaise, Paris. 



Micro-slides. Wanted, test objects for high powers, in 

 exchange for selected slides of fossil diatoms. — J. B. Bessell, 

 F.R.M.S., 8 Elmgrove Road, Bristol. 



Montacuta bidentata, M. substriata, Cardium ecMnatjnit, 

 Astarte sulcata, Psaiii.ferroensis, Scrob. alba, Corbula gibba, 

 Rissoa striata, R. semistriata, Skenea fila?torbis, Ctzcum 

 glabrum (with spiral early stage), Scalaria communis, S. 

 turtoncs, Actceon tornatilis, Philine aperta, Paludiiia con- 

 tecta (over li in. high). Vertigo pyg^iuea, &c. ; also correctly 

 named unmounted forams offered for good specimens of British 

 land, freshwater, or marine shells not in collection. — G. W. 

 Chaster, M.R.C.S., Southport. 



Wanted, a good and extensive collection of fossils from 

 various formations. Offered in exchange, or part exchange, a 

 good collection of minerals contained in twelve cases, fitted 

 with trays, stained and glazed. — Thomas W. Reader, 171 

 Hemingford Road, London, N. 



Wanted, L. C, 8th ed., good specimens of 27 (fruit), 45, 



