Feb. 1, 1S6S.] 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



47 



Zoological Gardens, Regent's Park. — "When 

 we stroll through these gardens and admire the 

 beautiful creatures which have been collected from 

 the various parts of the world, we perhaps little 

 think of the large outlay which has been necessary 

 to procure them. A little glimpse of the value of 

 the whole collection may, however, be gathered, 

 from a very curious advertisement of duplicates. 

 There are pheasants at £30 to £10 each. Fourteen 

 of the rare ones come to £6S0. Geese at £6 each ; 

 pigeons at £2 each ; elands at £150 the pair ; and 

 deers ranging from £5 to £30 each. None of the 

 great Carnivora seem to be in duplicate, or we 

 might be able to know something of the current 

 prices of lions, tigers, and grisly bears. 



Spider Doings.— Eather Babaz is rather behind 

 in his discovery about spiders projecting a thread to 

 a distance. A Mr. Murray in 1S2S mentioned the 

 same thing in " Loudon's Magazine," and there was 

 a long discussion as to how they were able to do 

 this ; whether heat, draught of air, or electricity 

 assisted, as the animals seem far too small to project 

 a thread to the distance they sometimes do by their 

 own powers alone. ~E. T. S. 



Spiders' Eangs.— You, Mr. Editor, are rather 

 hard upon me, but I have no wish to prolong any 

 controversy upon the subject ; though perhaps you 

 will allow me a small space to thank H. Davis and 

 J. T. Young for their obliging offer. The poison- 

 bag I did not find before, as I understood that it 

 was situated at the base of the fang. The size of 

 the bag is considerable, as in one case I found the 

 length of the bag and sac fully a i-inch long. — 

 E. T. S. 



Abundance of Snails.— In 1854-55, I noticed 

 that snails were especially abundant, much more so 

 than in the three drier seasons which succeeded. 

 This was particularly the case with the wood-snail 

 (Helix nemoralis) and the garden snail (Helix 

 aspersa). During T854 I collected some hundreds 

 of specimens of the former, and was at first inclined 

 to accept them as three species, namely, as hortensis 

 and hybrid a, in accordance with Furton's manual, 

 but at last I found _ varieties intermediate and 

 passing by almost infinitesimal gradations between 

 each of the supposed species ; yet there certain are 

 rules which I never saw deviated from. A yellow 

 snail with black bands might have a brown, a pink, 

 or a white lip ; but I never found the cinder-violet 

 variety with any but a brown lip. Have any of the 

 readers of Science-Gossip observed the effect of 

 crossing opposite varieties? I think experiments 

 here might afford valuable evidence for the fol- 

 lowers of Mr. Darwin and others. Monstrosities of 

 nemoralis, notwithstanding its abundance, are rare. 

 I once found a Var. scalaris, of the corkscrew form. 

 That of the aspersa is reckoned so rare that a dealer 

 offered a considerable sum for one in the cabinet of 

 my friend, Mr. H. R. Jordan, E.G.S.— C. 0. G. 

 Napier, F.G.S. 



The Veteran Rennie.— The author of the well 

 known popular works on Insect architecture, Insect 

 miscellanies, &c, Professor Rennie, recently died at 

 Sydney, in New South Wales, at the advanced age 

 of 81. 



Madrono.— (S. G. Dec. 1867, p. 2S0.) The author 

 is right in calling "Arbutus unedo " the Madrono of 

 the Spaniards. — B. Melle. 



Brasilian Plants.— Many Brasilian plants have 

 the words ran a or asm in their names. I should 

 feel obliged if some kind reader would tell me the 

 meaning of them. — B. Melle. 



Ziricote.— I asked last year (S. G. I860, p. 47.) 

 the botanical name of Ziricote or Thericote wood. 

 Since that time, I received from Mexico some of 

 the flowers of which I forward two to the Editor of 

 S. G. They belong to the laurel order, but I cannot 

 ascertain the species ; it may interest other readers 

 as well as myself, to know the names of them. — 

 B. Melle. 



[The_ materials forwarded are insufficient for 

 determination. The calyx was not sent, nor was it 

 stated whether the leaves are alternate or opposite. 

 The corolla, Professor Oliver says, would do for 

 Cordite of the section Sebestenokles (D. C. Prodr. x., 

 p. 476), but no known species has such a leaf. Do 

 leaf and flower really belong to one another ? We 

 strongly suspect that they do not. Is this Ziricote 

 identical with the Anacahuite wood of Mexico? 

 See "Pharmaceutical Journal," vol. iv., n. s. pp. 

 271, 1863 ; also Dr. Seemann in the " Technologist," 

 vol. ii., pp. 24. _ It is true that there appears to 

 be no great similarity in the names, but Anacahuite 

 wood, said to be a specific for consumption, is 

 believed to be the produce of Cordia Boissieri 

 (D. C. Prod, ix., p. 478).— Ed.] 



Hanging Plants. — I observe several hanging 

 plants, viz., Linaria cymbalaria, Saxifraga sarmen- 

 tosa, &c.,have the under part of their leaves purple. 

 Has tin's remark yet been made and any reason given 

 for it ?— B. Melle. 



Gall Insects. — Very useful contributions to the 

 scientific History of the Cynipidse are being pub- 

 lished by the Rev. T. A. Marshall in successive 

 numbers of the "Entomologist's Monthly Maga- 

 zine." 



Annals op Natural History.— This excellent 

 journal has just entered upon its fourth series, 

 having completed its sixtieth volume, of which the 

 first commenced in 1838. Erom this period it may 

 be regarded as a continuation of Loudon & Charles- 

 worth's Magazine of Natural History, which com- 

 menced in 1828, so that for 40 years it has been 

 accumulating its store of facts in Natural History, 

 and has become indispensable to all who pursue 

 these studies. 



Bee op Cuba.— S. G. mentioned last year (1S66, 

 p. 198 and 230.) the Trigona leeviceps, which pro- 

 duces the Pwai-ng\ et of Burmah, another bee of the 

 same species, the Trigona fulvipes, was exhibited at 

 Paris, with its wax and honey, in the Spanish 

 Colonial Court, coming from Cuba.* It is'very small, 

 and makes a blackish brown wax in the hollow of 

 trees. — B. Melle. 



To dislodge Bees. — A swarm of bees having 

 settled between the floors of a house, I wish to 

 know how they may be removed. Will you be kind 

 enough to give the matter room amongst the Notes 

 and Queries in the next number of Science -Gossip ? 

 —H.G. 



November Storms. — Since thirty years, I ob- 

 serve regular storm- winds at the end of November. 

 Has no author given the cause of them ? — B. Melle. 



