6 4 



HARD WICKE ' S S CIE NCE-GO SSI P. 



radula, and also in fiont of the same, were large 

 round, or triangular bodies, covered with chitinous 

 teeth, between which the food apparently was ground 

 before entering between the teeth of the more delicate 

 xadula. The animals of both genera being her- 

 maphrodites, their male and female generative organs 

 were found to be connected in the same individual. 

 In both genera they seemed to resemble each other to 

 some extent, but, as could be seen by the drawings, 

 -those of Pneumodermon were the most complicated, 

 as having near to the exterior porus an additional 

 large prostate gland. 



Birds in North Wales. — It may be interesting 

 to naturalists to know that several species of birds, 

 which I believe to be uncommon, have been shot up 

 the estuary of the river Mawddack, at Barmouth, 

 during the winter, viz., shoveller {A. clypeata) ; golden 

 eye (A. clanguld) ; red breasted merganser (Mergus 

 serrator), chough, &c. I should like to call the 

 attention of your readers to a rather striking incident 

 which came under my notice on Saturday, January II, 

 whilst walking past Aberamffra Harbour. Between 

 twenty to thirty wrens {Troglodytes Europeans) flew 

 from the rigging of the "Mary Jones" (a small 

 schooner) to the branch of an oak-tree close by. There 

 they remained for some time, until the approach of 

 evening compelled them to seek shelter elsewhere. 

 Will any of your readers kindly tell whether this 

 is a common occurrence or not ? — Joseph J. Cotton, 

 Barmouth. 



BOTANY. 



The Cultivation of Mistletoe.— As an old 

 and successful grower of mistletoe, I would inform 

 Mr. Bonar that its seeds vary, commonly contain 

 two, and sometimes three embryos. It would have 

 been found, long ago, that nothing is easier than to 

 cultivate this plant, had not two erroneous statements 

 been circulated in books, viz. : (i) that the berry, not 

 the seed must be rubbed on the branch destined for 

 its growth ; and (2) that a tioteh is to be made in the 

 bark to receive it. Take the seed out of the berry, 

 and smear it on a smooth part of the bark, and it will 

 adhere and grow. Where the radicle comes into 

 contact with the bark, the latter swells. No further 

 change occurs till the next year, when the tiny plants 

 rise on end, open their cotyledons, and emit a minute 

 shoot. They grow the length of one internode, 

 annually ; so that the age of a bough of mistletoe is 

 readily known. — Martin M. Bull, Jersey. 



Symphytum tuberosum, near Edinburgh. — 

 May I venture to point out a mistake into which 

 Mr. King has fallen, when he says with regard to 

 *S'. tuberosum, "a somewhat local plant in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Edinburgh," a larger acquaintance with 

 our flora will convince him that, instead of being 

 "local," it is exceedingly common in the neighbour- 



hood. It is very abundant on both banks of the 

 Braid Burn, and also on the banks of the Water of 

 Leith through many miles of its course. On the 

 other hand, S. officinale is certainly "beal" in this 

 part of Scotland, its place being filled up by S. 

 tuberosum. I have not had so much field work in the 

 south, as in the north, but, while in England I have 

 been struck by the absence of what with us is a 

 " common plant." For one station for " officinale " I 

 can give twenty for " tuberosum." — A. Craig- Christie. 



Plurality of Petals in the Genus Ranun- 

 culus.— I have repeatedly found, not only Ranun- 

 culus Ficaria, as Mr. J. A. Weldon mentions it in the 

 last number of Science-Gossip, but also R. bulbosus 

 and acris with more petals than they should have, 

 owing to a certain number of stamens having turned 

 into that state. Several times have I looked in 

 meadows, where R. bulbosus and acris grow abun- 

 dantly, and found specimens with from five, six, seven 

 and so on, up to twenty. This is generally the case 

 when the ground is of good quality. I have also met 

 R. Jlatnmula reptans and sccleratus with more than 

 their usual number of petals, six or seven for instance. 

 Once I met a specimen of R. confusus with six petals. 

 — T. Temper e, Manchester. 



GEOLOGY. 



Fossil Reptiles related to Mammals. — There 

 has lately been disclosed a large series of remains of 

 American reptiles which appear to have been ex- 

 tremely abundant during the Permian age over the 

 whole continent. This was one of the most remark- 

 able faunas known in the history of the earth — 

 distinct from what went before and what followed it. 

 The structure of all the species is very complicated, 

 but all agree in certain characters. The scapular 

 arch, by the presence of an epicoracoid and certain 

 other bones, forms a circle like the pelvis ; and this 

 gives significance to the name Pelicosauria, which 

 Professor Cope proposed to give to the group. The 

 specialised shape of the tarsus, the perforated ver- 

 tebrae surmounted by tall knotted spines, and various 

 other anatomical features have been dwelt upon at 

 length by him. A series of skeletons of very similar 

 structure have been discovered in the Permian beds 

 of South Africa ; but they differ from all American 

 examples in their long sacrums, and in not having 

 the vertebrae perforated. Owen had called these 

 fossils therodonts, intending that the name should 

 cover the American permian reptiles as well : but 

 this Professor Cope considers impossible, since the 

 American fossils are of a type distinct from the 

 African. The two types together form an order of 

 very high rank in the classification of vertebrates, 

 which presents the nearest approach of any group of 

 reptiles to the mammalia. Hence Professor Cope 

 has designated, them theromorphous. The presence 



