HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



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remainder. Dissolve the camphor in the petroleum. 

 Mix the whole when cold. — J. S. 



Portuguese Man-of-war (Physalia pelagica).— 

 It will doubtless be interesting to many of your 

 readers to learn that a specimen of this exquisitely 

 beautiful marine creature has been picked up at the 

 Isle of Wight. During a storm which prevailed 

 about the middle of October last, I was watching the 

 waves at Bonchurch, when I observed a singular- 

 looking object on the beach. Upon a closer in- 

 spection I discovered it to be a fine specimen of the 

 Physalia pelagica. In the "Intellectual Observer," 

 published in November 1862, an accurate figure is 

 given of one, also obtained at the Isle of Wight in 

 July of that year. The colour of that found by me 

 was, however, of a richer crimson, nearly the whole 

 of the semi-transparent membrane being of that 

 colour, the surface of this membrane being tinted 

 with an exquisite blue, so that, when held at any angle, 

 the most lovely shades of purple, blue, or crimson 

 were to be obtained, giving the exterior of the object 

 the appearance of shot silk. The pendent tentacula 

 were slightly injured, but still retained their lovely 

 blue colour. Being at some distance from home, and 

 having no vessel in which to convey it, I returned it 

 to its native element, but fear that it did not long 

 escape destruction upon the pebbly beach, upon 

 which the waves were breaking with great force. — 

 Edward H. Robertson. 



"Health Primers." — By this title, Messrs. 

 Hardwicke & Bogue have issued the first instalment 

 of simple handbooks on health subjects, such as any- 

 one can afford to purchase (a shilling each volume), 

 and anyone can understand and be interested in when 

 bought. They are severally written by the ablest 

 medical writers of the day ; and the complaint is now 

 altogether removed that clearly written and inexpen- 

 sive books on subjects of this kind do not exist for the 

 benefit of the masses. The first four volumes treat 

 on — "The House and its Surroundings"; " Exercise 

 and Training"; "Alcohol: its Use and Abuse"; 

 and " Premature Death : its Promotion and Preven- 

 tion." These books are capitally got up, with good 

 type and good paper. 



Science-Gossip Folk-lore. — Mr. James Britten, 

 F.L.S., has compiled a capital and useful Index 

 to the Folk-lore in the First Series of Hardw kite's 

 Science-Gossip, vols, i.-xii. (1865-1876), which 

 has appeared in the "Records of the Folk-lore 

 Society." 



The Bony Pike (Lepidosteus osseus). — This well- 

 known living representative of the nearly extinct order 

 of ganoid fishes, so abundant in the seas of the pri- 

 mary epoch, is not uncommon in the North American 

 lakes and rivers. Within the last few months the de- 

 velopment of the young fish, as they escape from the 



eggs, has been studied by Professor A. Agassiz, who 

 says "that, notwithstanding its similarity in certain 

 stages of its growth to the sturgeon, notwithstanding 

 its affinity with sharks by the iformation of its pec- 

 torals from a lateral fold, as we\l as by the mode of 

 growth of the gill-openings and gill-arches, the Lepi- 

 dosteus is not at all so far removed from the bony 

 fishes (Teleostei) as is generally supposed." 



BOTANY. 





Epipactis purpurata (Sm.). — I have found this 

 plant growing in tolerable abundance under the shade 

 of a clump of trees. It seems to me to be quite a 

 different variety from E. latifolia. The whole plant 

 is larger, except the leaves, which are much smaller 

 and narrower in proportion, and lie closer to the stem, 

 than those of E. latifolia. The stem and roots are 

 thicker and more fleshy, and the latter grow much 

 deeper in the ground than those of E. latifolia. The 

 flowers are always of a yellow-green colour, slightly 

 tinged or lined with pink, there being no difference of 

 colour within the lip. The lower bracts are twice as 

 long, and the upper ones about the same length as the 

 flowers. I have found E. latifolia both in chalk and 

 alluvial soil ; but E. purpurata in the latter only. I 

 have seen nothing intermediate between this plant 

 and E. latifolia. Its purple colour is most decided. — 

 Walter Longley Bourke. 



Vegetable Moth-trap. — In reply to your 

 inquiry in page 259 of Science-Gossip for November, 

 my attention was directed to the number of insects, 

 moths, bees, &c, caught by the flowers of Physian- 

 thus growing against a house at Newton Abbot, 

 Devon, in 1875. Mv impression is, that they do not 

 die in two minutes, but that some of them, at least, 

 live for two or more days after being caught. I have 

 had an opportunity every year since 1875 of observing 

 this plant, and though it exudes a thick milky juice 

 on fraction, I cannot discover that this is of a narcotic 

 or soporific nature, as many insects which appeared 

 to have been some time captive, flew away readily on 

 being released. I am inclined to believe that the 

 action is purely mechanical, but have been unable to 

 discover whether the plant has any power of opening 

 and closing the trap, or whether the insects entangle 

 themselves. I have reason to believe that many have 

 been more or less entrapped two or three times before 

 their final capture. It would take too long to enter 

 into a minute description of the structure of the flower, 

 which I have minutely examined. I brought this 

 plant before the notice of the East Kent Naturalists' 

 Society in 1875. The plant to which I allude is 

 growing in the open air with a south or south-east 

 city aspect, but though it flowers profusely, it has 

 never formed seed : can you explain this ? — John 

 P. Hall. 



