May 1, 1SGS.] 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



119 



"What's in a Name?"— Mr. Spicer's expla- 

 nation of the name "Jocko" in connection with 

 monkeys induces me to ask whether the name 

 " Polly," so generally given to parrots, is traceable 

 to any similar origin? Perhaps some reader may 

 enlighten me. — B. 



Novel Friendships.— A curious instance of this 

 has just occurred among our pets. A cat, being 

 likely to increase the feline population, selected for 

 the purpose the nest of a sitting hen. Finding her 

 curled up on the back of the hen, I removed the 

 latter and left pussy in possession. Next day she 

 came to me in a state of excitement, evidently 

 wishing me to understand that something was 

 amiss ; she led me to the nest, where I found the 

 hen had again taken possession, and was, with great 

 pride, nestling two kittens under her wings. On 

 again removing her, pussy quickly seized her little 

 ones, and conveyed them to another place. Some 

 little time since a Bantam hen laid her eggs in the 

 midst of a brood of kittens, and commenced to sit 

 on them, being by no means discomposed by the 

 romps of her merry neighbours. — E. C. 



Scarlet Pose. — J. R., Cae Wern, writes to the 

 Gardener's Chronicle, March 14th, page 268: "A 

 gentleman who professes to have studied only the 

 Book of Nature informs me that a scarlet rose 

 cannot be produced, because there are no yellows in 

 the class. He contends that what are called yellow 

 roses are not really yellow, but have all a 'white 

 ground,' and, consequently, the scarlet rose cannot be 

 produced." — B. J., Clydach, Swansea. 



Tadpole out. — While taking a walk on March 

 I5th, I was surprised to see in a stream a tadpole 

 which had just emerged from the spawn. There 

 was a quantity of spawn in the place, but my friend 

 was apparently the first of the family hatched. 

 Surely this was rather early. — F. 0. M. 



Holly Berries Poisonous. — Mr. George 

 Newlyn has written us a long letter in reply to Mr. 

 Elliott, and in defence of his first communication. 

 As our space will not permit of our fostering such 

 discussions, we can give only a summary of his 

 observations. He says, not only do birds eat holly 

 berries, but the leaves and berries of the yew, which 

 are fatal to man, are devoured by poultry with 

 impunity. Other animals will browse on the water 

 hendlock and water dropwort, both of which are 

 poisonous to man. Why these plants are deleterious 

 to some animals and harmless to others, I leave for 

 men of science to explain. He adverts to poison 

 and medicine as being terms relative to the use or 

 abuse of the agent : that which may be employed 

 in small quantities as a medicine, becomes a poison 

 with the increase of the dose. The writer also 

 encloses a copy of the paragraph from the Chelms- 

 ford Chronicle of February, 1859, concerning a case 

 of poisoning by holly berries. A child, after eat- 

 ing twenty or thirty berries, was taken ill and 

 died, and the verdict of the jury was " Died from 

 inflammation of the stomach caused by eating a 

 vegetable irritant." Mr. Newlyn undoubtedly 

 makes out a case that the eating of a few holly 

 berries has proved poisonous to children. Here 

 the subject therefore must close ; and we must 

 add, we do not believe that Mr. Newlyn had any 

 idea of writing a sensational paragraph when he 

 penned his first letter, but simply contemplated 

 furnishing a wholesome caution. 



Folkestone Natural History Society.— We 

 are glad to be able to chronicle the formation of 

 another Natural History Society at Folkestone, a 

 neighbourhood where the members will find plenty 

 to do. 



Recording Anemometer. — I remember having 

 seen in some' scientific work, about twelve months 

 ago, a description of a recording anemometer suit- 

 able to fix above the roof of my house, the indica- 

 tions of which could be taken in a room on the 

 srround floor. The instrument was an adaptation of 

 Mr. Romney Robinson's pattern. Can 'any corre- 

 spondent inform me where such an instrument can 

 be procured, and at a moderate price ; and give any 

 practical suggestions based on experience of its 

 working?— W. Lane Sear. 



Cry of the Water Boatman {Notonecta). — 

 Has the Notonecta been noticed to give a cry or 

 call ? I ask because about a month ago I captured 

 several specimens, and placed them with a little 

 weed in a very small aquarium (by themselves) in 

 the window. The second night after I was much 

 surprised by the shrill cry of a cricket (never heard 

 one in the house before), and all the more so as the 

 sound came, not from the fireplace, but the window ; 

 and was at last clearly proved to come from the 

 aquarium. The sound is as loud as any cricket I 

 ever heard, and they are induced to repeat it by 

 drawing the back of a knife smartly across the edge 

 of a large teacup — the sound produced being a very 

 fair imitation, but not quite so high in pitch. The 

 cry is not heard every night, but on most nights : 

 sometimes only for a few times, and at other times 

 the whole of the evening. — F. Watson. 



Register! Register!! — A very useful book is 

 just published at the office of this journal to which 

 we take the first opportunity of directing the 

 attention of all naturalists, including microscopists. 

 It is strongly bound, and consists of 200 pages, or 

 more, at the option of the purchaser ; these are of 

 writing-paper ruled with faint lines, and in the 

 other direction into columns, each column having a 

 printed heading ; and the volume is paged through- 

 out, with blank pages for remarks, and lettered 

 pages for index. This book is intended to form a 

 collector's catalogue of objects which he may secure, 

 whether birds, beetles,_ or microscopical objects, 

 being so arranged that it will suit all, and contain 

 all the information which the collector would desire 

 to embody in such a catalogue. Smaller books are 

 prepared to serve as rough note books in which the 

 memoranda can be first entered, as in a day-book, 

 and afterwards ".posted up." 



Royal Microscopical Society. — A very agree- 

 able reunion took place at King's College on the 

 22nd ult., on the occasion of the annual soiree of 

 this society. It was all that its promoters could 

 desire : there was a profusion of objects to be seen, 

 and as many visitors as could be accommodated 

 looking at them. A hearty good feeling appeared 

 to prevail everywhere, and a sense of complete 

 satisfaction. 



Beauty. — 'Tis a law in botany that in plants the 

 same virtues follow the same forms. It is a rule of 

 largest application — true to a plant, true in a loaf of 

 bread — that in the construction of a fabric, or 

 organism, any real increase of fitness to its end is 

 an increase of beauty.— Emerson. 



