UARDJVICRE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



47 



quite wrong. Moreover, the maggot figured is not 

 the maggot of Musca domestica, neither is the chrysalis. 

 Again, Musca domestica never lays its eggs on meat, 

 nor will they, when hatched, feed on it, as far as I ever 

 observed. The egg is much too large if only mag- 

 nified 30 times, as the egg of M. domestica scarcely 

 ever exceeds ^ inch, which x 30 would be only I J inch, 

 while the figure is 2\ inches full. In fact, Mr. Robson 

 has been examining one of the flesh-flies under an error. 

 If confirmation of my correction be required, I refer to 

 Samuelson and Hicks, or, in fact, any work on the 

 subject. — E. Hoi vies. 



Double Orange. — In opening an orange by 

 "peeling" it, I have just come across what, to me, is 

 a novelty amongst the many oranges in the dissection 

 of which I have assisted, aided by my little household 

 of seven or eight persons, but probably is well known 

 amongst your botanical friends. However, as it may 

 interest some of your readers, I send you a few 

 remarks on it. On turning back a portion of the 

 peel I found to my astonishment, instead of the usual 

 orange pulp with its thin cuticle, the yellow peel of a 

 miniature orange, of a conical form, having on one 

 side a very distinct seam or opening reaching from 

 the base to the apex of the cone. That the infant 

 orange was easily separated from the giant, that had 

 buried it alive within its own body was shown by the 

 nature of the union between the two, gaps occurring 

 between the woolly substance of the larger orange, 

 and the similar covering of the base of the cone. On 

 carefully inserting a penknife between the two I 

 found that the complete form of the embryo, if I am 

 right in using that term, was that of two cones base 

 to base ; but whilst that end which I have described 

 as lying just under the peel of its consumer was 

 covered with a peel of the same nature and colour, 

 but more delicate in texture and of a lighter hue, the 

 end which joined the body of the orange was im- 

 bedded in the usual white woolly substance but of a 

 finer grain, but no yellow peel, except that it had a 

 decided yellow tinge at its apex. I have said that 

 the embryo separated easily from its matrix. There 

 was, however, on one side a small tough aggrega- 

 tion of fibres, forming a sort of hinge, after all the 

 rest of the looser fibrous matter was separated. Per- 

 haps some of your botanical friends will be good 

 enough to tell me if they would consider this to be 

 the undeveloped fruit stalk. By the help of a pocket 

 glass on removing the embryo entire, I found that the 

 under part, by which I mean the cone-like end which 

 touched the body of the orange, was covered with 

 the usual vein-like fibres, only, of course, very 

 minute ; and most interesting of all the folding in 

 process of the fruit leaf's development was very 

 clearly shown. Dissecting the embryo the centre 

 was found to consist of a small sac containing a few 

 cells of the same shape as the orange pip, but they 

 were pulpy and yellow. — M. A. S. 



Intelligence in Man and Animals.— The 

 anecdotes of animals which have from time to time 

 appeared in Science-Gossip and other publications, 

 and a little personal observation and reflection, would, 

 I should have thought, have suggested to your 

 correspondent, Mr. H. D. Barclay, that what is called 

 instinct in animals often passes under the name of 

 reason in man, and that the difference which exists is 

 chiefly one of development. Mr. Barclay says : " The 

 great difficulty in the investigation of the minds of 

 animals appears to be that man instinctively and 

 unconsciously, unless checked by reflection, explains 

 their actions, especially in extraordinary cases, by 

 his own modes and laws of thought." Perhaps Mr. 



Barclay will kindly inform us how else we are to 

 explain their actions if we are not to use our "own 

 modes and laws of thought." If an animal does pre- 

 cisely the same thing that a man would do under 

 certain circumstances, are we not justified in con- 

 cluding that animal and man are moved by the same 

 power ? Is not memory an act of reasoning ? Is it 

 simply instinct that induces a dog to starve itself to 

 death on the grave of its master ; or risk its life 

 unbidden to save that of a helpless child? The 

 wonderful feats that animals have been taught to 

 perform, contrary to their natural habits, and the 

 marvellous memory exhibited by many, are proofs, I 

 think, that they are endowed with something more 

 than mere instinct. The impression that the intelli- 

 gence of animals differs from man's only in degree is 

 founded on good evidence, and the difference between 

 the intelligence of the beggar and the prince would in 

 all probability be far greater than that between the 

 beggar and his dog. —A. C. Rogers, Red Lodge, 

 Southampton. 



Glyciphagus plumiger.— In the July number of 

 Science-Gossip, Mr. A. D. Michael announced the 

 capture of a single specimen of this acarus, and after 

 remarking on one in the possession of Mr. George of 

 Kirton Lindsay, says, "we may, I think, fairly claim 

 this as a British species, although only a single indi- 

 vidual has been detected in each instance." I have 

 been fortunate in capturing a large number, male and 

 female, of this interesting mite, and as in the former 

 case, they were found among the fodder in a stable in 

 this city. As there is a considerable quantity of 

 foreign hay used in this place, it is quite probable it 

 may have been introduced, but the fact of its being 

 alive and active, in the middle of December, during a 

 very severe frost, shows that it is hardy enough for 

 our northern climate. — J. Lambert, Edinburgh. 



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 9th of the~ previous 

 month. 



John Lambert (Edinburgh). — Many thanks for your excel- 

 lently mounted slide of Glyciphagus plumiger. 



T. R. Jones (Flint). — The fossils are: — 1. Producta Llan- 

 gollietisis, very abundant in the Carboniferous limestone rocks 

 near Llangollen, North Wales ; and 2. Fragment of fossil coral 

 from same strata, called Lousdaliajlori/oriiiis. 



H. L. Smith. — You will find the best account of our British 

 newts in Cooke's " British Reptiles," published by Hardwicke & 

 Bogue, 192 Piccadilly, at 6s. Itgives a full account of Lissotriton 

 punctatus. 



H. Bangham. — We cannot undertake to give the name of a 

 moth from a magnified drawing of one of the antennae, although 

 the structure much resembles that of the antennae of the fox- 

 moth. 



W. Bennett (Hereford). — Your bat cannot be without ears. 

 Perhaps they are very small, and, if so, it may be the whiskered 

 bat or the barbastelle. You should show the specimen to some 

 competent naturalist, as it is desirable to know more about our 

 British bats than we do. 



Tracy Apfleton. — A good and cheap popular work on 

 ornithology is that on "Birds" by Adam White, published by 

 Routledge, at 7s. 6d. The same firm have also issued the 

 " British Ornithology," by P. H. Gosse, at the same price. 



J. N. D. (Tuxford). — We quite agree with you in your 

 remarks as to Wood's work. The best book we know as a 

 calendar is the Rev. Leonard Jenyn's " Observations in Natural 

 History, with an Introduction on the Habit of Observing as 

 connected with the Study of that Science, also a Calendar of 

 Periodic Phenomena in Natural History." It is published by 

 Van Voorst, at 10s. 6d. 



New Cross Microscopical Society. — C. W. L. enquires 

 for the place of meeting and name of the secretary of the above 

 society. Perhaps some of our readers will answer him. 



