July 1, 1S68.] 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



10 



JO 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



Fusus Berniciensis (King). — If Mr. Bell will 

 refer to Jeffrey's " British Concliology," vol. 4, p. 

 313, he will find Aberdeenshire (Bell-fish, Dawson) 

 recorded as one of the Scotch localities for this 

 beautiful and rare Eusus. — W. White Walpole, 

 Holmicood, Kingston-on-Thames. 



Vipers. — Perhaps you or some of the readers of 

 Science-Gossip are able to tell me whether there 

 is any foundation for the supposition that the Viper 

 varies in colour according to the soil it, inhabits, sex, 

 or age. I do not fancy the soil can have anything 

 to do with its colour, as I met with a good-sized red 

 viper {Pelias berus, var.), this morning (May 25th) 

 in some cliffs east of this town (Lyme) in a spot 

 not very far from one in which I saw a grey speci- 

 men last March. I could give other instances in 

 which two or three varieties have been met with on 

 the same soil. A death from the bite of one of these 

 reptiles occurred in this neighbourhood a few years 

 ago. In this case it was a child of three or four 

 years of age that was bitten. It complained of a 

 pain in its foot, and on the sock being taken off the 

 part appeared swollen. A doctor was sent for, who 

 pronounced it to be a viper's bite. Remedies were 

 applied as soon as possible, but the child died. I 

 am not aware that it was in a debilitated state at 

 the time. The viper seems more common in this 

 locality than the ringed snake, and may be not un- 

 frequently seen in cliffs and commons, basking in 

 the hot sunshine like the one I saw this morning. — 

 F. J. D. Hinton. 



[We have been long in the habit of regarding all 

 our vipers as of the same species, notwithstanding 

 the variation in colour which does not apparently 

 depend solely upon the soil, sex, or age. Persons 

 practically well acquainted with them still believe 

 that the adder and viper are distinct, and we confess 

 to the weakness of leaning a little in that direction. 

 To say the least, there are very distinct and relatively 

 permanent varieties of the viper. Mr. Erank Buck- 

 land says that he "cannot make up his mind 

 whether the little red spiteful viper is the young of 

 the common viper." — Ed. S. G.] 



Old Saws. — In the "Display of Heraldry," a 

 book published in London in 1679, 1 find the follow- 

 ing interesting pieces of Natural History information 

 regarding the Unicorn, of which "some naturalists 

 have made doubt whether there be any such beast 

 or no, but whose horn (in many places to be seen) 

 is in great esteem," as the book says. It observes : 

 " His vertue is no less famoused than his strength, 

 in that his horn is supposed to be the most powerful 

 antidote # against poison: insomuch as the general 

 conceit is, that the wild beasts of the wilderness 

 use not to drink of the pools for fear of venomous 

 serpents there breeding, before the Unicorn hath 

 stirred it, with his horn." The Boar, we are in- 

 formed, "useth often to rub his shoulders and sides 

 against trees, thereby to harden them against the stroke 

 of his adversary." _ The Lion " when he mindeth to 

 assail his enemy, stirreth up himself by often beating 

 of his back and sides with his tail, and thereby 

 stirreth up his courage to the end he do nothing 

 faintly or cowardly. The Lion when he is hunted, 

 carefully provideth for his safety, labouring to 

 frustrate the pursuit of the hunters by sweeping out 

 his footsteps with his tail as he goeth, that no ap- 

 pearance of his track may be discovered, whereby 



they may know which way to make after him." . . 

 " When he hunteth after his prey, he roareth vehe- 

 mently, whereat the beasts being astonished, do 

 make a stand, while he with his tail maketh a circle 

 about them in the sand, which circle they dare not 

 transgress; which done, out of them lie maketh 

 choice of his prey at his pleasure." In a paragraph 

 on Scorpions the writer informs us that "Pierius in 

 his Hieroglyphicks saith, that if a man stricken with 

 a scorpion sit upon an ass with his face towards the 

 tail of the ass, his pain shall pass out of him into the 

 ass, which shall be tormented for him." He then 

 adds, " in my opinion he that will believe this, is 

 the creature that must be ridden in this case ; but, 

 that the oil of scorpions is a chief cure against 

 their own stinging, is an ancient observation."— 



h. e. a 



Spider Poison.— With reference to Mr. Graham 

 Ponton's assertion that no English spider is capable 

 of inflicting a bite sufficiently hard even to pierce 

 the human skin, I beg to inform you that some nine 

 months ago, while moving some old boxes, I suddenly 

 felt a sharp nip in the hand, between the forefinger 

 and thumb, and to my surprise I found a larsre 

 spider fastened on my hands, which at first I could 

 not brush off, as his fangs were fastened in the 

 skin. After brushing him off and killing him, I 

 found two small holes, about ■£? of an inch apart, 

 filled with blood. There was a "tingling sensation in 

 the part for eighteen hours afterwards, with a 

 tenderness that was surprising from so slight a 

 wound, and was probably caused by the poison fangs, 

 both of which entered my hand.— F. E. 31. 



Scale Insects (Cocci).— My greenhouse is 

 infested with the above-named insects, which are 

 making sad havoc with my plants, especially the 

 Oleanders. As I have already tried several recipes 

 for destroying insects, all of which have failed, and 

 am anxious to avoid introducing this pest into my 

 new conservatory, I shall feel very grateful to any 

 reader of Science-Gossip who will inform me (in 

 an early number) of some sure method of effecting 

 my object without injuring the plants.— L. V. H. 



A Punch for Aunt Judy.— If C. D., who 

 wrote the article called " Cuckoo Elowers " in 

 Aunt Judy's Magazine for May, designs to compile 

 other similar papers from our journal, we would 

 suggest that in taking from B. the said C. D. place 

 only the quotient to his or her own account, and 

 give us credit for the rest. The latter part of 

 " Cuckoo Elowers "— b would have been = x (an 

 unknown quantity). 



Gold Fish Hatching.— A pair of gold fish 

 were placed in an aquarium (a horticultural propa- 

 gating glass), about eighteen months ago, and have 

 since been well cared for by having regular supplies 

 of food, — the introduction of aquatic plants, and 

 partial changes of the water whenever it became 

 decidedly discoloured (green). On the 1st inst. it 

 was observed that one of the fish was spawning ; 

 both fish were immediately removed to .another 

 aquarium, and the original one, with the spawn, 

 undisturbed, exposed more fully to the sun's 

 influence. Yesterday, on the tenth day. two young 

 gold fish were seen swimming about very lively and 

 active, thus demonstrating the interesting facts. 

 This fish culture may becarried on within marvellously 

 narrow limits, and the hatching process with the 

 gold fish occupies a period of about nine days. — 

 W.O. 



