June 1, 1869.] 



HATILWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



143 



Testacella. — The other day, while digging in my 

 garden, I was somewhat surprised on turning up 

 what appeared to me to be a testacella. It was 2 

 inches long ; the shield was a quarter of an inch in 

 length, somewhat less in breadth. As I never heard 

 of it occurring in Ireland before, I thought it might 

 be an interesting fact for naturalists to be recorded. 

 On referring to some natural history books, I find 

 that they agree that its food consists of earthworms, 

 which it catches by means of its tongue. Now what 

 I am anxious to know is, if its diet consists of earth- 

 worms exclusively, or of earthworms, small insects, 

 and vegetables ; for if it did not feed on vegetables, 

 then it would be an acquisition to a garden, and 1 

 would do my best to make it comfortable in mine. — 

 Edgar Hatchings. 



The Maiden Oak. — At Beech Lane, a large 

 village near Birmingham, there is a full-grown oak — ■ 

 the common British (Quercus robur) — called by the 

 inhabitants the " Maiden Oak," from the fact of its 

 never having grown a single acorn, — not- producing 

 even one last year, which was the most prolific 

 season of acorns known in the Midland Counties 

 within the memory of any resident now living, 

 almost every tree yielding great quantities. Is this 

 non-fruit-bearing oak a common or a very rare 

 instance, and can any person of practical experience 

 give any information why a particular oak is non- 

 productive ? — Henry Dinghy. 



Eossil Coral (p. 119). — The generic name 

 printed Montlivantha should ^have been Mont- 

 livaultia. — W. S. K. 



Vegetable Seeds. — There have been several 

 interesting notices in Science-Gossip of different 

 seeds, but some of our common ones are well 

 worthy of notice, such as the dandelion, sow- 

 thistle, fern seeds in differeut stages and with 

 polarized light, and last, not least, the seed of the 

 ox-eye daisy when fresh : this is of a fine purple 

 colour, with white ribs, and forms a very pretty 

 opaque object. — E. T. S. 



Fungia patellaris (p. 95).— This is a recent 

 species, and is not common in the carboniferous 

 formation, no species of Fungia being found lower 

 than the Oolite. The aporose corals, of which this 

 is one, may be distinguished by the sextupal arrange- 

 ment of their principal lamellae. They are not 

 found in the carboniferous limestone. The rugose 

 corals, common in the mountain limestone, have a 

 quadruple arrangement of (principal) lamelke. 



Fig. 109. 

 Section of F. patellaris, 

 Aporosa type. 



Fig. 110. 

 Section of Polyccelia profunda, 

 Rugosa type. 



Fungia patellaris is figured by Edwards and Haime 

 in the " Annales des Sciences Naturelles," vol. ix., 

 pi. 6. — John Hoplcinson. 



The Leech.— I have much pleasure in corro- 

 borating the statement of your correspondent " H.," 

 p. 93 of the April number of Science-Gossip, re- 

 specting "Leeches." The same desire to preserve 

 them alive after availing myself of their useful ser- 

 vices induced me to try precisely the same plan as 

 that of "H.," having invariably found the "salting 



process " fatal to them. I need not repeat the modus 

 operandi, except in stating that I placed mine in a 

 glass jar by themselves for several days, during 

 which time the water became discoloured, or, more 

 correctly, coloured at intervals, of a carmine hue, 

 from their disgorging naturally a portion of their 

 meal. When_ this had ceased, I removed them to 

 another jar, similarly stocked to that of " H.'s." In 

 about seven weeks one (of the two I introduced) 

 died ; the other I kept for months in apparently 

 perfect health; but, unfortunately, I one day re- 

 moved the perforated cover of the jar, and the next 

 morning my leech had made his escape. Why it 

 should be thought necessary to cause them to dis- 

 gorge immediately after taking a meal I am unable 

 to say; perhaps some of your numerous readers, 

 better versed in the physiology of the Hirudo medi- 

 cinalis, may be able to inform us. We are informed 

 that "the operation of digestion in the Leech is 

 extremely slow; more than a year will sometimes 

 elapse before the blood has passed through the 

 intestines in the ordinary manner, during all which 

 period so much of the blood as remains undigested 

 in the stomach continues in a fluid state, and as if 

 just taken in, notwithstanding the vast difference in 

 the heat of the body of a mammiferous animal and 

 that of a leech." — (Griffith, An. King., quoted in 

 Cuviefs An. King. Orr & Co.) — N. P. 



A Natural Snail-trap. — I have so frequently 

 observed the accumulation, or rather congregation, 

 of the common garden snail upon the bark and off- 

 shoots of the Laburnum that I always . visit those 

 trees, and with unvarying success, to reduce the 

 number of such garden pests. The Yacca also seems 

 to be a favourite roosting-place for the same mol- 

 lusc— B. C. 



A Pining Tortoise. — " J. H." need not despair 

 of his tortoise, as I believe they seldom begin to feed 

 much before May. I kept one in our garden here 

 for two years, and in neither year did it feed before 

 that. In June and July it was rather voracious, 

 being most partial to convolvulus-leaves. They can 

 can go a long time without food, even in the sum- 

 mer, and are exceedingly long-lived. — W. R. Tate, 

 4, Grove Place, Denmark Hill. 



Microscopic Preparation. — Will any _ corre- 

 spondent kindly describe the process used in pre- 

 paring for mounting the beautiful transparent injec- 

 tions, such as " cat's tongue," &c, which, I believe, 

 come over from Germany ? — H. W. 



Cochlearia officinalis. — This species I believe 

 to be truly perennial. I have a plant in full bloom 

 now before me, that has grown in a friend's garden 

 from one root, for several years in succession. This 

 year's shoots spring from an old woody root that is 

 evidently neither annual nor biennial. Standard 

 authorities, however, are against _ this view; Gray, 

 Withering, and Hooker say it is an annual; Ba- 

 bington says biennial, but adds a query. — S. A. S., 

 Belfast. 



Orchids Wanted.— Will any one send me fresh 

 specimens of any of the less common Orchids, ex- 

 cept Orchis militaris, and the commoner chalk 

 species? I particularly want O.fusca, 0. taphros- 

 anthos, and 0. ustulata, as well as any of the more 

 northern species. Fresh specimens of Geranium 

 sylvaticum and G. rotundifolium will be thankfully 

 received, ll can offer several good plants in ex- 

 change. — James Britten, High Wycombe. 



