HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



2 33 



busy to give it much attention, and pass it by as a 

 porpoise or a "queer fish," good to make into oil, 

 and nothing more is heard of what may in reality be 

 a most interesting occurrence. Such an event 

 occurred the other day at Yarmouth, where I chanced 

 to see in the possession of some long-shore men a 

 very handsome specimen of the white-scaled dolphin 

 (Science-Gossip, xiv. page 87). Nobody had the 

 slightest idea of the species, nor of what variety 

 they were looking at ; of course it was a large 

 porpoise. I hope your readers along the coast will 

 keep a good look-out for cetaceans, and satisfy them- 

 selves as to the species of every individual which 

 comes under their notice. I shall at all times be most 

 happy to assist them if it be in my power. — Thomas 

 Southwell, Norwich . 



Insect Swarms.— This summer will be entomo- 

 logically memorable for the vast swarms of the 

 painted lady butterfly ( Vanessa eardui), which have 

 appeared over so large a part of Europe, including 

 Great Britain. Swarms of the gamma moth (P. 

 gamma) have also been seen along various parts of 

 the coast, including Devonshire and Norfolk. They 

 were very abundant at Cromer during the earlier part 

 of September. 



BOTANY. 



For further particulars on botanical works see 

 "Natural History Book Circular," No. 39, on 

 botany only, 44 pages, post-free on receipt of one 

 stamp, by William Wesley, 28 Essex Street, Strand, 

 London. 



An alphabetical list (which I unfortunately do not 

 possess) of 15,000 works on botany, from the earliest 

 to present time, is G. A. Pritzel's "Thesaurus 

 Literaturse Botanicre omnium gentium," &c., new 

 edition, 577 pages 410., Leipzig, 1877, £2 $s. 



Lest any one should be deterred by their costliness 

 from purchasing some of the above works, I may say 

 that some of them, especially the older ones, may be 

 had at very greatly reduced prices. — B. Hobson, 

 Tapton Elms, Sheffield. 



Vegetable " Commensalism."— I have frequently 

 noticed the association of commensalism between 

 butterbur, Petasites vulgaris, and one of the most 

 delicious of our edible fungi, I mean Peziza venosa, 

 locally known here as the "Jew's ear." It grows 

 at the time when the butterbur is in flower, and as a 

 rule, where you find the peziza, you find the flowers 

 of petasites accompanying it. I have found this so 

 often the case, that now, in examining any fresh 

 locality for "Jew's ears," I generally content myself 

 with looking for butterbur first, one is so much easier 

 seen than the other. The above, like all rules, has its 

 exceptions ; still there is no doubt that there is some- 

 thing more than chance in the association of the two 



plants. It may be only that the same kind of light 

 sandy soil suits them both, or it maybe scmething 

 more. — IV. D., Carlisle. 



Vegetable " Commensalism."— Like Dr. Taylor, 

 I have noticed the C. pcrfoliata and O. apt/era growing 

 together, in a field at Ewias Harold, Herefordshire, 

 and lately in a field at the foot of the Cotswold Hills, 

 Gloucestershire. On the Cotswolds I found several 

 plants not frequently met with : Anthyllis Vulneraria, 

 Centaurea Scabiosa, Orchis pyramidalis, Campanula 

 Rapunculus, Echium vulgare, Scabiosa columbaria, 

 Cardials nutans ; also albino specimens of Campanula 

 rotundifolia. It may interest you to know that I 

 have found albino specimens of Pedicularis sylva- 

 ticus and Geranium Robertianum. — T. G. Harris, 

 Cheltenham. 



Catoscopium Nigritum. — Wilson, in his "Bryo- 

 logica," gives this moss as fruiting in the month of 

 March, while Mr. Hobkirk mentions specimens 

 collected at Fife, fruiting in August. It may interest 

 your readers to know that I found this plant on 

 August 6 in good fructification, on the sand hills at 

 Formby, thus confirming Mr. Hobkirk's statement. 

 I shall be happy to supply any readers with a speci- 

 men. — Benjamin B. Scott, 24 Seldon Street, Kensing- 

 ton, Liverpool. 



Dipsacus Sylvestris. — This plant grows plenti- 

 fully on some parts of the Crumbles, Eastbourne, 

 and during the present season it has illustrated in a 

 striking manner the use of the connate bases of its 

 leaves. The excessive rains of the month of June 

 filled the whole of the connate cups with water, and, 

 notwithstanding the boisterous winds, the stems were 

 sufficiently rigid to resist their action to such an 

 extent as to preserve a good supply of the fluid, 

 especially in the lowest pairs of leaves. On examining 

 them, it appeared that every cup had caused the 

 death of a goodly number of the enemies of the plant, 

 such as ants, caterpillars, earwigs, and such like 

 small deer. There were at least ten or a dozen 

 creatures drowned in the lowest cup of each plant. 

 A few were to be found in some of the higher cups, 

 and in such cases nearly all of the leaves forming the 

 receptacles had contact with adjacent plants. The 

 inference seemed perfectly sound that the leaves 

 were so modified as to collect the rainwater in 

 which small creatures would be drowned, whose 

 visits would be detrimental to the reproductive organs 

 of the plant. — J. Saunders. 



Register of Field Botanists. — I gladly hail 

 Mr. Melvin's proposition. I have myself, when 

 wandering in a solitary fashion over Westmoreland 

 and North Wales, felt the want sorely. Although it 

 is seldom a month passes away but that I am 

 called away from home, to go with other naturalists 

 over my part of the country ; somehow, they find me 

 out.— R. 



