HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



kitchen and market gardens around London, Nor- 

 wich, Gloucester, Taunton, Bristol, and in several 

 localities in Devonshire, Tenby, and in the Channel 

 Islands"; and Mr. Jeffrey's localities are much the 

 same. I think it not improbable that this, like some 

 other introduced species, will become more widely 

 distributed throughout the country, as it seems to be 

 gradually gaining ground, and its principal food is so 

 universally distributed. The first specimen I dis- 

 covered was devouring a large earthworm, and when 

 I took it in my hand, it did not relax its hold. A few 

 other somewhat rare shells were found by Mr. Musson, 

 the secretary of the Nottingham Naturalists' Society, 

 and myself a short time ago ; we spent a day collect- 

 ing on the Notts side of Pleasley Vale, near Mans- 

 field, and another on the same side of Creswell 

 Crags, of geological fame. In the former place, 

 amongst numbers of commoner species, we found a few 

 Cochlicopa tridehs (Azeca tridens of Tate), one speci- 

 men of Clausilia laminata (dead), and several of 

 Helix lapicida, in the same condition, but a living one 

 we could not find. However, in the latter place we 

 found one, but only one, alive ; a long search reward- 

 ing us with about half-a-dozen more dead ones. I 

 believe these, or part of them, are additions to the 

 Notts fauna. In the afternoon we spent some time in 

 one of the caves, known as "Mother Grundy's Par- 

 lour"; and besides a number of pieces of bone, we 

 found three canine teeth of the hysena, and a molar 

 tooth' of some animal we could not determine. Since 

 then I have found one specimen of Limax briinneus, a 

 somewhat rare species, according to Tate, but it has a 

 very distinct appearance, although so small. I think 

 Notts will bear a much closer investigation than it 

 has at present received, at least the northern part of 

 it ; and, doubtless, other species would be brought to 

 light. The list of mollusca found in the county at 

 present is about eighty ; and probably a list may be 

 prepared before long. — R. A. Rolfe, Welbeck, Worksop. 



Modern Zoology. — Some few weeks there ap- 

 peared in one of the daily papers a prolonged corre- 

 spondence on the sanitary value of the Eucalyptus, 

 which ultimately degenerated into a discussion on the 

 grammatical accuracy of scientific nomenclature. One 

 of the writers, speaking of an opponent, asked, 

 " Does he not know that the scientific names of the 

 lion, dog, and panther respectively are Felis leo, Felis 

 cam's, and Felis pardus V Felis cam's the scientific 

 name for the dog ! I waited, expecting that a blunder 

 so gross would be at once pointed out by some of the 

 disputants, but no notice was taken. Is not this a 

 striking proof of the great ignorance of biology which 

 exists among the " intelligent and educated classes" ? 

 —S. 



Deptford Pink. — It may interest your readers to 

 know that a fine specimen of the Deptford pink 

 (Dianthus Artneria) was found in the parish of Creet- 

 ing, near Needham Market, Suffolk, last summer. — 

 T. E. L., Creeting. 



Blackbird and Thrush. — Mr. Kerr, in his 

 article on the Tardus viscivorus, says that I have 

 fallen into a singular mistake, and that the eggs with 

 claret markings were undoubtedly those of the 

 missel thrush. First, the eggs I saw were pale 

 blue, speckled like a blackbird's and spotted with 

 the deep claret markings of a song thrush as well. 

 If the claret spots could have been rubbed out, the 

 eggs would have been like handsome specimens of 

 the T. merula. Now the eggs of the T. viscivorus 

 are invariably either of purplish-white or very palest 

 sea-green ground with surface spots and blotches of 

 reddish-brown and underlying markings of faded 



purple. In eight or nine nesting seasons I have not 

 seen one egg with "deep claret markings" ; also the 

 eggs of T. viscivorus are considerably larger than 

 those of T. merula. Mr. Kerr also says I must have 

 mistaken the bird I saw ( T. musicus) for T. viscivorus. 

 Well, the size of the latter (as he says himself) is 

 quite a sufficient distinction, irrespective of the 

 different and deeper brown of the former ; and as I 

 saw the bird within a few feet of me, both sitting and 

 flying round me, I could not have made the mistake 

 he thinks I have. Now if I had been mistaken (and 

 I am quite sure I was not), the circumstance would 

 not be the less peculiar, for, instead of T. musicus, 

 T. viscivorus would have been mating with T. 

 merula, for I saw (as I stated) T. musicus and -T. 

 merula together. Again, as to the nest, I confess I was 

 much at fault for not describing it. The outside was 

 rather roughly constructed of mosses interwoven with 

 grasses, and the lining was grass cemented with mud. 

 Also, as Mr. Kerr says, the missel thrush is an early 

 breeder, builds high, and prefers the fork of a tree for 

 the site of its nest. Now this was in the middle of 

 April ; the nest was not above 6 feet from the ground, 

 and was built in a hedge, and there are plenty of 

 trees all round in which it (if it had been a missel 

 thrush) would certainly have preferred to build. He 

 also says no instance has been known of a hybrid 

 between T. musicus and T. merula. Since my first 

 notice, I see that Mr. Dresser, in his " Birds of 

 Europe," mentions two or three instances : one on 

 the authority of Count Salvadori, another on that of 

 Mr. Wier, one of Macgillivray's able correspondents. 

 He also says there is a hybrid in the British Museum. 

 I think that Mr. Kerr has not carefully read my 

 notice, or he would have seen that I did not take one 

 egg, but rather intimated the reverse. At the same 

 time I must not close without thanking him for 

 kindly asking me to send him an egg for identifica- 

 tion ; but I was not in any doubt as to what the eggs 

 were, and having a considerable number and not too 

 much room, I never take one unless I absolutely want 

 it.— G. T. B. 



NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



To Correspondents and Exchangers. — As we now 

 publish Science-Gossip a week earlier than heretofore, we 

 cannot possibly insert in the following number any communi- 

 cations which reach us later than the gth of the previous 

 month. 



S. M. — Send us the papers you enumerated. 



W. Richardson. — You will find our answer to your query 

 as to "fins" in your specimen of trilobite in the September 

 number of Science-Gossip, 1878. 



J. R. Ner 1 -. — The following are good practical students' 

 books on geology: — "Geology," by J. Clifton Ward; "Field 

 Geology," by W. H. Penning (in both of these you get instruc- 

 tions as to mapping, &c.) ; Woodward's " Geology of England 

 and Wales," and Kinahan's " Geology of Ireland." Richard- 

 son's is too old now. The second edition of Hooker's " Student's 

 Flora of the British Islands " gives the critical species of British 

 plants. 



Rita V. — Your specimens are: — No. 1. Cardials pralensis, 

 Huds. ; No. 2. Restharrow [Ononis spinosa, L.) ; No. 3. Knap- 

 weed [Centaurea nigra). 



W. L. B. (Pulborough). — A reply will be sent per post. 



E. F. C. (Leicester). — First, names of plants, kindly sent for 

 identification, are as follows: — No. 1. A variety of Geranium 

 pusilluin ; No. 2. Myriophyllum -jerticillatum, L. ; No. 3. 

 Ranunculus pscudojluitans, N. ; No. 4. Ranunculus Lenor- 

 mandi ; No. 5. Ranunculus trichophyllus, Cha : x ; No. 6. 

 Ranunculus Jloril'itudiis, Bab. ; No. 7. Callitriche pedunculata, 

 V. C. ; No. 8. Potamogeton gramineus (?) ; No. 9. Juncus ('.') ; 

 No. 10. ynncus bufonius ; No. 11. CEnanthe fluviatilis ,Q.o\. (''), 

 not perf ct specimen ; No. 12. Chara Jlexilis ; No. 13. Gale- 

 opsis versicolor; No. 14. Trifolium medium ; No. 15. Plum- 



