HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



259 



sown last year, and two of them have produced 

 offsets from the base of their stems, each forming a 

 tuft of leaves which is unquestionably such a growth 

 as may be expected to develope into a second flower 

 stem next year. So then I have raised from the seed 

 of the same plant (it may be from those of the same 

 capsule), some plants that have not yet flowered, but 

 will probably do so in the third year, some that are 

 flowering in the second year, and will probably die 

 after the fashion of biennials, and some also in flower 

 and only differing from the last in that each plant 

 has a lateral offset from the base of the stem, which 

 promise a second flowering next year, after the 

 fashion of perennial herbaceous plants. Thus we see 

 how difficult it is to speak with anything like 

 precision of plants as having limited lives, that 

 character being apparently as liable to variation as 

 any other of those which have been deemed specific. I 

 know that the pimpernel survives the winter sometimes, 

 though everybody calls it annual. — John Gibbs. 



"The Herefordshire Pomona."— We have 

 received Part II. of this magnificent work, edited 

 by Robert Hogg, LL.D., and which is published by 

 D. Bogue, 3 St. Martin's Place, Trafalgar Square, 

 on behalf of the Woolhope Naturalists' Field Club. 

 The numerous chromolithographic plates of the chief 

 kinds of apples and pears are works of the very 

 highest art. Indeed, we may say, we have seen 

 nothing at all approaching them in this respect ; and, 

 highly as we felt ourselves obliged to speak of the 

 first part of the "Pomona," this second part is 

 superior in every respect, literary as well as artistic. 

 We have a capitally written chapter on "Modern 

 Apple Lore," by Dr. Bull ; " The Life of Lord 

 Scudamore " (with an admirable portrait), who was 

 famous for his experiments in apple grafting, and 

 his success in introducing various kinds of apples, 

 also written by Dr. Bull ; a paper on " The Cordon 

 System of Growing Pears at Holme Lacy" (illus- 

 trated), by Sir H. Scudamore Stanhope, and detailed 

 letter-press descriptions of the various kinds of apples 

 and pears figured in the present part. 



Mushrooms. — There is, I believe, a very general 

 idea, that mushrooms are surely to be found in a wet 

 autumn. My own experience, however — fully con- 

 firmed in this present year — is, that the main condition 

 for their plentiful appearance is this : that the wet 

 autumn should be preceded by a hot summer. I live 

 in the immediate neighbourhood of downs, whence 

 we usually gather them in, considerable, though 

 varying, abundance ; but this year, strange to say, 

 I have not set eyes upon one of any sort or kind. 

 Even the ordinary fungi, which are usually so plen- 

 tiful, — e.g. the Fairy-ring Champignon, Amanita 

 muscaria, Agaricus inclleus, and the Coprini, &c, 

 are this year hardly represented. It is a fair pre- 

 sumption that this unprecedented scarcity must arise 

 from the remarkable wetness of the spring and 



summer ; but it may be well to inquire in what way 

 it has hindered the germination of the spores, 

 whether by washing them deeply into the soil, or 

 otherwise. — C. W. Bingham. 



Colour Blindness. — Many notices have lately 

 appeared on this subject ; they have all, however, 

 referred to a defect in the optic nerve ; but is it not 

 possible that some of the facts stated may be attributed 

 to an apparent change in colours caused by a change 

 in the light ? Certain flowers, for instance, show the 

 natural colour when seen by day, but will appear to 

 be of a totally different colour by candlelight ; the 

 change cannot be attributed to any defect in the optic 

 nerve. Does it depend on any peculiarity in the 

 flowers, or in the different decompositions of natural 

 and artificial light?— T. B. W. 



Vegetable " Commensalism." — I have often 

 noticed the " commensalism " of plants described by 

 Dr. Taylor a short time since in Science-Gossip. 

 When I knew very few mosses, I used to be puzzled 

 with one particular moss that I knew at sight as well 

 as I knew Poa annua, but I did not know its name. 

 It was always associated with Neckera complanata, a 

 moss I knew, and I therefore labelled my different 

 gatherings of the unnamed moss — " always associated 

 with N. complanata." One day I received from a friend 

 a moss labelled Anomodon viticulosus, and before I 

 had fairly opened the packet I recognised it as the 

 companion of A r . complanata. I could give instances 

 of other mosses, but if I mention a few of the flower- 

 ing plants often found together, it will be better for 

 the generality of readers. I have observed all the 

 following to be often together in West Yorkshire and 

 Derbyshire, and some of them are noticed by Dr. 

 Less, F.L.S., in the report of the Botanical Locality 

 Record Club for 1S77, "to fall naturally into groups, 

 the integers composing which agree in having an 

 almost identical horizontal distribution, and often 

 a very similar vertical range as well." 



SRhamnus catharticus. 

 Ligustrum vulgare. 

 Taxus baccata. 

 SCarduus heterophyllus. 

 Trollius europseus. 

 Rosa cserulea. 

 [ Genista tinctoria. 

 I Malva moschata. 

 I Pimpinella magna. 

 I Pimpinella saxifraga. 

 [ Rubus suberectus. 

 I Crepis paludosa. 

 I Myrrhis odorata. 

 ' Stellaria nemorum. 



(Thalictruni montanum. 

 1 Cochlearia alpina. 

 (Aspleniura viride. 

 1 Spergularia rubra. 

 J Ornithopus perpusillus. 

 ( Jasione montana. 



IThlaspi alpestre. 

 Alsine verna. 

 And not far away, 

 Hutchinsia petraca. 

 iDraba incana. 

 Geranium sanguineum. 

 Rubus saxatilis. 

 Galium sylvestre. 



I could give many more instances, if necessary, 

 but I think the above will be familiar to all ex- 

 perienced field botanists. — Win. West, Bradford. 



English Plant Names. — We have received 

 Part I. of " A Dictionary of English Plant Names," 

 by James Britten, F.L.S., and Robert Holland, pub- 

 lished for the English Dialect Society by Triibner 

 and Co. With the exception of Dr. Prior, we do not 

 know of two men who are better able to undertake 



