22 



HARDTVICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



[Jan. 1, 1S70. 



"The Animal Would."— We heartily commend 

 the reasons which prompted the Royal Society for 

 the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to start 

 this little journal, which they designate "The Animal 

 World." The Illustrations are good, and the matter 

 keeps the main object in view. Any mode of incul- 

 cating better relations between man and the lower 

 animals always enlists our sympathy, and we believe, 

 also, that of our readers. 



Diatoms to the Rescue.— A brother "diato- 

 maniac " has called my attention to some strictures 

 copied from Scientific Opinion, and reiterated by 

 " MacLeod, of Skye." Before making any attempt 

 to excuse ourselves for studying these singular 

 forms (relations of his favourite micro-fungi) may I 

 be permitted to ask " MacLeod, of Skye," to explain 

 his second paragraph. I cannot understand how 

 the possession of a rare object can be a miserly or 

 selfish passion ; perhaps he will favour the readers 

 of Science-Gossip with a figure of a selfish passion. 

 If any reader of this possesses a rave object— be it 

 a picture by Raphael, a book by Caxton, a silver 

 penny of Alfred, a British specimen of Lycoena 

 dispar, or, still worse, one of Dr. Greville's rare 

 forms of Diatomacefe, let him at once destroy it — it 

 is unworthy the lowest intellect. I am also at a 

 loss to understand how the second sentence in the 

 same paragraph, viz., "Nature works for the benefit 

 of the whole human race (? only"), and showers her 

 benefits upon all." How then is a rare object a 

 selfish passion ? or how is a selfish passion a benefit ? 

 But perhaps if I give up diatoms and study micro- 

 fungi, or, better still, read " my paper " on " Vacci- 

 nation versus Nature," I shall be able to compre- 

 hend these mysteries. " MacLeod, of Skye," leads 

 us to infer that the micro-fungi are the causes of 

 disease. This is more than doubtful. Fungoid 

 growths are much more likely to be the effects 

 rather than the causes of disease ; whenever de- 

 comoosition takes place the lower forms of vegetable 

 life soon appear, thus utilizing what would other- 

 wise be waste and noxious matter. There is a 

 universal tendency to decay in all organized matter, 

 that is to say, constant endeavour of the component 

 atoms to assume new forms ; this is only prevented 

 by vital force, and when vitality is weakened by age, 

 sickness, or want of nourishment, decay gets the 

 mastery, and a favourable soil is developed for the 

 growth of parasitic fungi. I saw a few years since, 

 I think in a paper by a German physician, a state- 

 ment that Talmella cruenta was the cause of ague, 

 and that where it was plentiful ague was prevalent. 

 The writer seems to have forgotten that P. cruenta 

 only grew in damp situations, and the conditions 

 favourable to its growth were also favourable to the 

 development of ague ; therefore, with all due respect 

 to "MacLeod, of Skye," I do not think that the 

 study of micro-fungi in place of diatomacese 

 will much alleviate the pangs of " suffering 

 humanity." Tiie mere collector of diatoms or any 

 other objects of natural history is not much more 

 worthy the name of naturalist than a postage-stamp 

 collector is, but surely those singular forms of plant- 

 life known as Diatomacese are as much worthy of 

 study as any other class of minute animal or vege- 

 table life. 1 can assure "MacLeod, of Skye" and 

 others that the life-history of a diatom is as full of 

 interest and as marvellous as that of a fungus or the 

 hair of a plant. If they imagine that the student of 

 diatoms occupies all his time in the resolution of 

 striae they are much mistaken; it is desirable 1o 

 be able to ascertain the character of the markings, 



as they sometimes indicate the affinities of species, 

 but when once understood he does not think it 

 necessary to make a show object of them. One 

 word in conclusion, — by all means let " MacLeod, of 

 Skye" pursue his favourite studies, and give the 

 readers of Science-Gossip the benefit of them, and 

 leave off abusing others who may pursue a different, 

 branch of natural history, is the humble advice of 

 Kitton, of Norwich. 



Butterflies at Sap. — I have often noticed the 

 great attraction that any exuding of sap has for 

 Atalanta, very especially on oaks. I have seen no 

 the most unattractive slime of decaying wood a thick 

 cluster of Atalanta eagerly sucking the juice, and 

 so forgetful of danger that I could easily take them, 

 off by hand. Flies aud earwigs accompany them 

 and moths at night, but I do not remember ever to 

 have seen any other butterfly attracted, not even of 

 the Vanessidce. — W. D. R. 



Cranesbills. — I am afraid Mrs." Watney has 

 been exercising her imagination again, when she 

 says that the styles of Geranium "act like a screw 

 in fixinsr the seed into some chink or crevice where 

 it may happen to rest." My own experience shows 

 that in the genus Geranium, when the seed is ripe, 

 the pericarp splits along its inner ed°:e, and 

 presently the style (becoming dry and hard by the 

 action of the sun) is suddenly recurved with a force 

 sufficient to jerk the seed out of its pericarp ; but 

 the style itself, with the empty pericarp, remains, 

 attached by its apex to the top of the central 

 column ; consequently Mrs. Watney's idea must be 

 incorrect. In Erodium and Pelargonium the case is 

 very different. In these genera, the carpel becomes 

 whollv detached from the axis, and also becomes 

 spirally twisted, the seed being still closely retained 

 by the pericarp; the style, too, is beautifully 

 bearded on its inner side with long silky hairs; 

 these are at first closely adpressed, but when the 

 style is spirally twisted, they (as a natural conse- 

 quence) stand out in all directions. I believe 

 (though I cannot say for certain) that these hairs 

 serve the same purpose as the pappus of Composites, 

 causing the seeds to be dispersed by the wind. This 

 I conceive to be the real object for which the styles 

 are so curiously twisted, namely to make the said 

 hairs available for the useful purpose for which they 

 are intended. The idea is made more probable by 

 the fact that in Geraniuml(wherethe seeds are sown 

 in a very different manner, as already explained) the 

 hairs are absent, the styles being glabrous internally. 

 Your correspondent, T. Williams, has given another 

 reason for the twisting of the carpels, affirming that 

 they "twist themselves into the soil." I have no 

 reason to doubt this statement, but cannot confirm 

 it, as I have carefully watched seeds laid on earth 

 for several days wiihout any result; but perlnps a 

 longer time would be necessary. I mean, however, 

 to renew my experiments next season in hopes of 

 arriving at the truth. — F. Eoershed, Shere, near 

 Guildford. 



Dean Buckland's Geology. — Whether or not 

 we believe that the Bridgewater Treatises have 

 done their work, and should be allowed to rest, is 

 beyond the question in this instance, and wc accept 

 the publication of a fourth edition of the Dean's 

 Geological Treatise with gratitude and respect 

 These two volumes of Bohn's Scientific Library, 

 now published by Bell & Daldy, are edited by that 

 energetic and irrepressible naturalist, the Dean's 

 son, Mr. Frank Buckland, and wc doubt not will 



