March 1, 1S70.] 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



71 



Sackbut. — Bailey's Dictionary describes a sack- 

 but as an " instrument of wind musick," and gives 

 as its derivation "sacar del Incite, Spanish, to fetch 

 the breath from the bottom of the belly, because it 

 requires a strong breath." If this derivation be 

 correct, the sackbut must have been different from 

 the sambuca, -which, is, I think, always considered 

 to have been a "stringed" instrument of some 

 kind.- G. II. 11. 



Elm: Bark. — Although your correspondent 

 " R. H. A." is mistaken in saying that Mrs. Watney, 

 in " Floral Findings," described the bark of the Elm 

 as highly "nutritious" (she said "astringent"), it 

 is said that in Norway, in times of scarcity, the 

 bark, after being dried and reduced to powder, has 

 been mixed with meal to make bread.— 67. //. H. 



Ivy-leaved Toadflax. — In answer to Mr. James 

 Britten, of last month, I think that the plants of 

 lAnaria cymbalaria in the Kew Gardens must be 

 the exceptional ones, for I have seen on several 

 occasions, and in different localities, the twisted 

 peduncle, just as stated by " W. W. S." — /. Morley, 

 Jim. 



Adiantum reniformk. — If Adiantum reniforme 

 was found by W. H. Grattann at Torquay, I think 

 it must have been planted there by some one who 

 wished to try if such a fern would grow in our 

 climate : and if such was any person's intention, 

 Torquay would be one of the best localities for the 

 experiment. — /. Morley, Jun. 



A Suggestion. — When correspondents have 

 occasion to refer to a paragraph which has appeared 

 in Sciexce-Gossip, may I suggest that they should 

 quote page and volume ? This plan is adopted in 

 Notes and Queries, and would be a great saving 

 of trouble to those who might be desirous of refer- 

 ring to all the notes upon any one point. — James 

 Britten. 



[We endorse the suggestion. — Ed. S.-G.] 



"Studies from the Antique" (p. 45).— There 

 is no necessity to refer back to the old authors for 

 blunders in natural history. I extract the following 

 from the Journal of Horticulture for Jan. 13th last. 

 " A small tortoiseshell butterfly on the wing during 

 Christmas day is, of course, unseasonably early. As 

 it was in your drawing room, an egg, accidentally 

 introduced, was artificially hatched by the warmth." 

 — James Britten. 



Cause or Effect (p. 46).— There is a note in a 

 recent number of Notes and Queries which, bears 

 upon Mr. Holland's remarks. " On a recent visit to 

 the only farmer on Holy Island, which lies at the 

 entrance of Lamlash Bay, Arran, N. B., I was 

 much struck by his informing me that he can only- 

 keep sheep on the island for one year. It appears 

 that they thrive very well during* the first year, in 

 fact so well that he obtains more than the average 

 price for them when sold ; but if he attempts to 

 keep them beyond the first year, they pine and die. 

 He attributes this to some peculiar herb which 

 grows on the island." This would probably be 

 Phirjuicula vulgaris or Hydrocotyle vulgaris. — James 

 Britten. 



The Frog. — Having observed many notices of 

 the spawning of the frog as late as March in some 

 districts, I should like to know whether this is the 

 invariable rule in those localities, and if so, what is 



the average temperature during the months of 

 January, February, and March ; as here, in the 

 south of Devon and on the borders of Cornwall, 1 

 never fail to obtain spawn during the month of 

 January, and this year I first saw it on the 14th. 

 It would be a matter of some interest to zoologists 

 to know whether the great difference in time is due 

 to the temperature, or, if not, to what other local 

 causes. — C. Croydon, Devonport. 



Crystals of Wasp.— In reply to "H. W." I 

 beg to say that if he sends me his name and address, 

 I will send to him the slide containing the sting, 

 poison-bag, and crystals of the wasp. He will then 

 have an opportunity of testing the accuracy of the 

 statements I have made, and of examining the crys- 

 tals so accurately figured in the illustration of my 

 paper in Sciexce-Gossip. The slide has attracted 

 much _ attention, and on several occasions I have 

 sent it for examination to readers of Science- 

 Gossip. I only require that due care be taken of 

 the slide, and that it be returned without much 

 delay. As to my paper to which " H. W." refers, I 

 have nothing to add to the statements I have made, 

 and there is nothing in it which I desire to retract. 

 — Lewis G. Hills, LL.B., Armagh. 



Snow Bunting.— While shooting on the Felix- 

 stowe Marshes I procured several specimens of the 

 Snow Bunting (Plectrophanes nivalis), and was 

 informed that they had not been seen there for 

 three years. Can any of your readers inform me if 

 they are common elsewhere this winter ? — J. Mash, 

 Jun., Ipswich. 



The Gipsy Moth (Liparis dispar).—Mr. Clif- 

 ford's remarks in the February number of Science- 

 Gossip have induced me to make the following upon 

 the above-named species. In an old entomological 

 work publishedin 1S02, it is said that the species 

 was first bred in this country from eggs sent to a 

 Mr. Collinson from Germany. In what localities are 

 the insects now found, in a wild state, or do we con- 

 sider it a native of Britain from the fact that we are 

 able to rear it from one generation to another? 

 Like Mr. Clifford, I have set at liberty numbers of 

 both larvae and perfect insects. I first tried a 

 quantity of very small larvae, which I placed upon 

 an apple-tree; but these, when about half-grown,were 

 all devoured by sparrows and other caterpillar-loving 

 birds. I next secured some larva? from these attacks 

 by placing gauze over the branches on which they 

 were feeding, and in due course pupa;, and subse- 

 quently perfect insects, were produced. In the 

 following season not a vestige of the species was to 

 be seen in either of its stages, and as the same ex- 

 periment has met with the same result in several 

 successive years, I have come to the conclusion that 

 our climate and insectivorous birds prevent L. dispar 

 from living in a wild state, like "Gipsies" of a higher 

 class. In France and Germany it is frequently re- 

 ported that this insect is classed amongst injurious 

 species, being so common and destructive. Then 

 does it not seem strange that it refuses to live with 

 us without nursing? Mr. Stainton in his "Manual" 

 gives but two localities for the insect in Britain, 

 and Mr. Newman, in his more recent "Moths," gives 

 no locality at all ; and yet we cannot consider the 

 insect rare, as we could rear it every season if we 

 wish to do so. It would, be interesting to know 

 whether the species now occurs at the localities 

 indicated by Mr. Stainton — viz., Halton and Stow- 

 market,— and if not, whether it is found with us at 

 all in a state of nature.— 67. B. C. 



