232 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



Crustacea were at first supposed to be distinct animals 

 and were called nauplius, but subsequent observa- 

 tions have shown that many, he might say most, 

 Crustacea, however dissimilar they may be when 

 mature, for instance, the lobster, cyclops, &c, 

 commence life as a small oval being with three pairs 

 of appendages, whence some naturalists following 

 Fritz Miiller, are of opinion that all our Crustacea are 

 descended from an animal of this form. But leptodora 

 during the summer, even in its earliest days, is said 

 to resemble the mature form, differing only in size 

 and some details. It is therefore very interesting 

 that the young when developing from winter eggs 

 should commence life in the nauplius form. Curiously 

 enough, the same reservoir has yielded to Messrs. 

 Bolton and Forrest a new species of Entomostraca 

 which has been provisionally named Daphnia Bairdii 

 and which is described by Mr. Forrest in the last 

 number of "The Midland Naturalist." Mr. Bolton 

 has sent out both these interesting animals, in the 

 living state to his subscribers ; and he also exhibited 

 them together with many other living microscopical 

 animals with great success at the conversazione in 

 the Cutlers' Hall, Sheffield, during the Association 

 meeting. We are glad to draw fresh attention to Mr. 

 Bolton's scheme, and to express our high satisfaction 

 with the illustrated descriptive portfolio of all the 

 objects he has hitherto sent out, and which can be 

 obtained for one shilling from David Bogue, 3, St. 

 Martin's Place, W.C. 



ZOOLOGY. 



A two-tailed Lizard. — A few days since I was 

 shown by Master Attwood of this town, a specimen 

 of viviparous lizard (Zoo/oca vivipara) with a double 

 tail. The duplication commences at about the lower 

 third, the natural tail is about the same size and tapers 

 as usual, and has the proper directions ; but the 

 sprout, if one may so term it, stands out at an acute 

 angle, and is about the same size as the normal tail. 

 There is no mark of injury to account for this 

 abnormality, of which I have never seen a similar 

 example. — Henry Laver, F.L.S., Colchester. 



Coronella l.-evis IN Hampshire. — I am unable 

 to answer Mr. Tuxford's query (page 164), as to the 

 occurrence of Coronella lavis in the New Forest 

 paper ; but it may be worth recording that a specimen 

 was killed on the cliffs, west of Bournemouth, in the 

 summer of 1877, by one of my sons. It was supposed 

 at first sight to be an adder, and was hastily struck 

 at and killed. — IV. H. Groser. 



The British Association has been invited to 

 visit Leicester in 1882, a town in which it has never 

 yet held its meetings, and there is reason to believe 

 the invitation will be accepted. 



Urticating Hairs of Caterpillars. — At a 

 recent meeting of the Entomological Society of 

 London, Mr. Swinton maintained that the urticating 

 property of the hairs of the well-known caterpillars of 

 the Liparis auriflua was not merely mechanical in its 

 origin, as has hitherto been supposed, but that the 

 hairs were poisoned by a caustic liquid issuing from 

 the scarlet tubercles on the hinder segments. 



New Species of British Spiders. — The Rev. 

 O. P. Cambridge in an article on this subject which 

 appeared in the last number of the "Annals and 

 Magazine of Natural History," says^that he has been 

 enabled to add thirty-nine species to the list of spiders 

 known in great Britain and Ireland, since February, 

 1878. One of the spiders described forms a new 

 genus (Theridiosoma), and Mr. Cambridge states that 

 it forms a link between Theridion and Epeira. The 

 number of known species of British spiders is 519. 



Watford Natural History Society.— Part 5 

 of the Transactions of this vigorous society has just 

 appeared (published by David Bogue, 3 St. Martin's 

 Place), containing the anniversary address of the 

 president (Dr. A. T. Brett), a capital paper on "The 

 Study of Geology," by J. L. Lobley, F.G.S., one on 

 "Bees and Bee-keeping," by the Rev. H. R. Peel, 

 M.A., &c. 



Parasites on Hedgehogs.— In reply to Mr. 

 Singer Barclay's query, p. 205 of present volume, as 

 to hedgehogs having parasites, it may be noted that 

 the common tick, Ixodes erinaceus, found on dogs, 

 derives its specific name from being found also on 

 hedgehogs. — X. 



Rare Cetaceans. — I am very pleased to find 

 that by means of my papers on whales, Mr. Anderson 

 was enabled to identify the whale killed off Moville 

 with the giant Sibbald's rorqual. Nobody but a 

 student of this interesting order knows how dis- 

 appointing it is to see announced in the papers that a 

 whale or whales have been seen or captured on such 

 a part of the coast, not the slightest clue being given 

 as to the species — this has been the case more than 

 once in the past few months — when a very slight 

 acquaintance with the subject would enable the 

 observer in most instances to recognise the species, 

 or at least to note the specific peculiarities which 

 would enable others to do so. My object in writing 

 the papers referred to was to supply in as popular a 

 way as possible such information as would be useful 

 for that purpose. I wish I could reprint it and 

 send a copy to every coastguard station and sailors' 

 home in the kingdom. I have no doubt it would be 

 the means of placing on record the occurrence of 

 of many a rare individual which now passes un- 

 recognised. At this season of the year many of the 

 smaller cetaceans, dolphins, &c, follow the shoals of 

 herrings along the coast, and occasionally one gets 

 entan-ded in the nets of the fishermen, who are too 



