4 6 



HARD WICKE ' S S CIE NCE- G O SSI P. 



of the nature of these two solanums have been led into 

 some confusion. In the preparation of a conserve 

 from the berries, probably the active principle solania 

 was dispersed, if so, not only half a pound, but a 

 much larger quantity of it could be taken with 

 impunity ; moreover, because the French chemist 

 Duval gave both extract and berries to dogs without 

 injury, does it follow that man should escape ? I be- 

 lieve goats might eat any quantity without harm. I 

 imagine no parent in his or her senses would permit 

 a child to eat Dulcamara berries unless they wished to 

 compass its death. — John Colebrook. 



Bombycide (Saturnia).— I have a fine specimen 

 of Hyalophora Cecropia (6 inches across the wings), 

 caught alive last July in a friend's garden at Clapham. 

 Can any of your readers account for this? These 

 moths surely never breed in England ? Is it not 

 likely to have escaped from some entomological 

 cabinet 1— James Ives. 



Tadpoles. — On March 15, 1878, I collected some 

 frog's spawn, placing it in a small jar in a warm 

 corner of my room, and was surprised at seeing one 

 four days later. The little tadpoles had escaped 

 from their prisons. At that time each was attached 

 to its parent egg, all traces of which further on had 

 disappeared. I also noticed the ciliary movement 

 mentioned by " R. B. C," but once^only, although I 

 made continual observations as the animals became 

 more developed.—//. //., Aldebnrgh, Suffolk. 



A Spectre of the Mountain. — During a tour 

 of two months on the Continent, I chanced to witness 

 the following beautiful phenomenon : — On Sunday 

 afternoon, September 1, 1878, we ascended the 

 Eggischorn, from the Hotel Jungfrau (which is 7000 

 feet above the sea). We reached the wooden cross 

 on the summit (9640 feet) at 4.15. The day was dull, 

 and the clouds were too thick to enable us to see 

 clearly the glorious view of the Alps ; the Aletsch 

 Glacier and Mergelen See alone being plainly visible. 

 Having stayed there about an hour, we were on the 

 point of descending, when one of our party ex- 

 claimed, "Look, there is a rainbow!" and turning 

 round I quickly added, "It is a spectre!" for gra- 

 dually the phenomenon became visible, showing our- 

 selves on the clouds facing us (in the east), surrounded 

 by a double rainbow. To make sure that we were 

 not imagining this beautiful vision, we waved our 

 alpenstocks and hats, which were clearly discernible. 

 Our height appeared somewhat elongated, so that the 

 bar of the cross was lost in the rainbow. One 

 apparent difference between this phenomenon and 

 the so-called Spectre of the Brocken, was that we 

 were not magnified, only lengthened, and that the 

 bow was more arched than is usual. There were two 

 guides and an Alpine traveller with us, none of whom 

 had seen it before. — //. J Taylor. 



Dog and Kitten. — I have a high-bred pet blue 

 terrier, who has hitherto appeared to live entirely for 

 his master, and was at any rate a terror to cats, &c. 

 In our house we have made several attempts to keep 

 a cat, but our dog Charlie would not consent. About 

 a week ago, a poor, weak, nearly starved to death 

 kitten, about two months old, walked into the house, 

 and was taken by our domestic quietly into the 

 kitchen. Some food and milk was given to it, and 

 pussy was placed snug in the corner of the fireplace, 

 out of sight of the dog ; but it was not many minutes 

 before he discovered there was a cat in the house, 

 and instantly went in the direction where she was 

 lying, in a great state of excitement and ready for 

 fight. The kitten was alarmed, and stood up. To 



our surprise the dog, instead of attacking it, ap- 

 peared to be instantly struck with its miserable 

 appearance, and made no attempt to molest it. On 

 the other hand, it showed evident signs of satisfac- 

 tion, which soon convinced us that between the two 

 there was a mutual understanding, for shortly after 

 they were lying on the rug together. The same 

 evening the usual saucer of milk was given to the 

 dog, the cat followed the dog to the milk, and both 

 lapped out of the saucer together. The cat-worrier 

 and the kitten are now great friends. If this is not 

 reason on the part of the dog, what is it ? If it is at 

 least sympathy, it is of a kind not often enough 

 shown by those who claim the sole exclusive right to 

 possess the higher quality. — Alfred Tozer. 



BOUGAINVILLEA OR BUGAINVILLEA ? — Having 



read in "Nature" of November 14 that the original 

 use of catechisms was to give precision to oral reli- 

 gious instruction, I cannot think that there is any 

 harm in an attempt to give precision to the teaching 

 of science. Precision in the use of words is a quality 

 not to be claimed by any writer who applies the term 

 biennial to a cabbage. This is done in the first lesson 

 in a little book on Elementary Botany by W. Bland, 

 Master of the Endowed School, Duffield. It is 

 nevertheless a very carefully written book, and that, 

 nearly the only error which it contains, was probably 

 the result of its author being misled by a similar 

 statement in a Science primer by J. D. Hooker, C.B., 

 P.R.S. The illustrious Director of the Royal Botanic 

 Gardens, Kew, may be excused for not knowing that 

 in my plebeian garden cabbages often live several 

 years, and flower every season, which entitles them 

 to be called perennial. Want of precision may be 

 found sometimes in the orthography of generic names. 

 One day last summer I saw and admired at a flower- 

 show a plant labelled Bougainvillea. Wishing to 

 know the Natural Order to which this plant belongs, 

 I consulted the Index to Lindley's "Vegetable King- 

 dom," but found no such word. Having, however, 

 by the kindness of a neighbouring gardener, gained 

 possession of an inflorescence of the plant, I guessed 

 from the examination of it that it might belong 

 to the Order Nyctaginacese. Turning to Lindley's 

 account of that Order, I found among its genera 

 Bugainvillea. It would be nothing wonderful for 

 a gardener's label to be inaccurate, but that on the 

 plant in question could not be said to be so, as the 

 name on it was identical with what is given in the 

 "Official Guide to the Royal Botanic Gardens," by 

 D. Oliver, F.R.S., F.L.S., Keeper of the Herbarium 

 at the Royal Gardens, and Professor of Botany in 

 University College, London. Of this authoritative 

 Guide I happen to possess the twenty-sixth edition. 

 I dare not presume to say it is inaccurate, but I 

 should like to know whether the Bougainvillea men- 

 tioned in it be the same genus as in Lindley's 

 "Vegetable Kingdom" is called Bugainvillea, and if 

 so, whether in spelling the word I ought to follow 

 Professor Lindley or Professor Oliver? So long as it 

 remains uncertain, there can be no cause for appre- 

 hension that any catechism which may be written 

 will give the precision of religious teaching to that of 

 science. — John Gibbs. 



The House-Fly and its Parasite. — In the 

 January number of Science-Gossip is an article on 

 " The Development of the House-fly and its Parasite." 

 Having given a good deal of attention to the house-fly, 

 I am able to affirm that Mr. Robson has fallen into an 

 error. The figure given is not Musca domestica. 

 The antennae are different, the eye is wrongly placed, 

 the body is not the right shape, and the abdomen is 



