Feb. 1, 1870.] 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



47 



bitten off by any animal, it does not throw out 

 shoots as readily as when it has been cleanly cut 

 with a knife ; and therefore I take it that the shape 

 of the wound and the irregular surface exposed have 

 something to do with the increased injury. But I 

 think it is also quite true that the bite of a sheep or 

 a goat, or a rabbit or hare, is more injurious than 

 the bite of a cow or a horse ; and I cannot give any 

 better reason for this than the one usually_ given by 

 farmers, namely that the bite actually poisons the 

 plant. It is commonly said that sheep poison young- 

 hedges by even rubbing against them. Whether 

 this be absolutely true or not, there is no doubt 

 whatever, that they do much injury to young hedges 

 that are not protected from them. — Robert 

 Holland. 



Bees. — As Mr. W. W. Spicer's inquiries in the 

 December number of Science- Gossip did not meet 

 with any replies last month, I may perhaps be 

 allowed to mention a circumstance that has come 

 under my own personal observation, and has also 

 been noticed by personal friends of mine, who have 

 been bee-keepers ; namely, that when the honey-bee 

 does wander from blossom to blossom, it is invari- 

 ably to plants of one family. Generally speaking, bees 

 do (as Mr. Spicer observed the " humble "bee he 

 watched did) confine themselves during their flight 

 out and home to one species of flower, but I believe 

 they invariably keep to the members of one family. 

 Therefore the hive-bees that roamed about "care- 

 lessly over a piece of ground, clothed with three or 

 four kinds of flowers," would, I fancy, have been 

 found, had Mr. Spicer noted carefully the different 

 plants they visited, to have observed this law. I 

 have tbeen told by a very good authority on bee- 

 culture, that in a garden where various kinds of 

 bee-flowers had been planted, the wise little insects 

 made a point of selecting those first which afforded 

 the richest honey. The lemon-thyme they are very 

 partial to, and I have seen them go quietly from 

 tuft to tuft, passing by other varieties of thyme 

 which grew in the same border. Well might Yirgil 

 say— 



" To bees is given the Divine mind." 



I could not help being amused at a remark made by 

 a certain bee-master some years ago, in the paper of 

 papers, the Times, speaking, or rather writing, of 

 the instinct which guided these insects to one kind 

 of flower, for he believed in the " one plant," — 

 theory. He said it was fortunately ordained "that 

 bees should not wander indiscriminately from bloom 

 to bloom, as the evil effects of such careless Sittings 

 would soon be observable in the vegetable kingdom, 

 forgetful, doubtless, himself at the time, of the law 

 which florists have found hold good in hybridizing ; 

 viz., that all plants will not hybridize the species of 

 a family of plants, and the varieties which have 

 sprung from the species alone afford new seedling 

 plants. — H. E. Watney. 



Flora op Cornwall.— I should be much 

 obliged if you could tell me if there is any " Flora 

 of Cornwall," or similar work published. — G. A. B. 



The Black Horehound {Ballota nigra) I have 

 found very attractive to some moths, and along a 

 sandy hedge where it grew in large clumps I have 

 taken Cheerocampa elpenor and PorceHus freely, 

 together with the "tansey shark" {Cucullia umbra- 

 tica), and Silver Y, which last was a perfect pest 

 while collecting, from its abundance. — Harry C. 

 Leslie, Bexley Road, S.E. 



To Secretaries op Field Clubs. — I am 

 anxious to collect as much information as possible 

 about Field Clubs, and shall be much indebted to 

 any one who will forward me recent reports of such 

 with any of the following particulars : date of for- 

 mation, scope of work, publications, number of 

 members, and such other details as may appear of 

 interest. Can any one inform me whether the Berk- 

 shire Naturalists' Club still exists? and where I 

 can obtain any report of its proceedings ?— James 

 Britten, Royal Herbarium, Kew, W. 



Look: to your Plants. — A few days ago, much 

 to my surprise, on looking at a few calceolaria 

 cuttings which I have in my conservatory, I found 

 some of the leaves had been eaten. A slight search 

 revealed the offender, in the shape of a fine green 

 caterpillar about an inch long, but of what species 

 I am not sufficient entomologist to say. Is not this 

 rather uncommon at this inclement season of the 

 year ? I may add that the conservatory faces the 

 north and only has heat in it when there is a chance 

 of frost— D. J. S. 



Pyrola media. — Has this plant been observed 

 lately at Stock-Ghyll Force, Ambleside ? 1 could 

 not .find it during September, 1869.— R. T., M.A. 



Spiral Crystals.— Can any reader inform me 

 by what means the spiral crystals of sulphate of 

 copper are produced for the polariscope ? — C. C. 



Lichens.— A handy Catalogue of British Lichens, 

 with their stations and distribution, is just pub- 

 lished by the Rev. J. McCrombie, M.A., of Hendon, 

 and will be very acceptable to all Lichenologists. 



Woodruff {Asperula odorata, Linn.).— Can any 

 one explain the meaning of the English name of this 

 plant ? In Germany it is universally called Wald- 

 meister, or "Lord of the Wood"; a name which 

 is constantly before the public, this plant forming 

 a principal ingredient in the favourite beverage, 

 Maitrauk. I am particular in calling attention to the 

 German synonym, because I agree with the author of 

 " Word Gossip " in assigning a similar origin to our 

 name of Woodruff, viz._ Woodreeve. Now the Saxon 

 " Reeve" is "one having authority ": we retain the 

 word in Sheriff; the Shire Reeve — which brings 

 Woodruff very near to Waldmeister in sense. The 

 word has been spelt in numberless ways, from the 

 Woodrowe of old Gerarde to the quaint doggrel : 



" W, double o, double d, e, 

 R, o, w, double f, e." 



What can possibly be the origin of such a grand 

 title — the " Lord of the Forest " — as applied to one 

 of the humblest flowers in the European Flora ? — 

 W. W. Spicer, Havre. 



Perfumes.— Dr. S. Piesse has placed money at 

 the disposal of the Society of Arts, to offer pre- 

 miums for perfumes produced from plants in the 

 British dependencies. It is available for seven 

 years. I. is £5 for one pound of otto of berga- 

 mot. II. is £5 for an ounce of otto of roses ; and 

 III. is £10 for a canister of enflowered butter or fat. 

 Such perfumes to be derived from plants grown for 

 the purpose in Australia, New Zealand, N atal, and 

 of the British West-India islands, or any other 

 British colony or dependency. 



Gardener's Chronicle. — This old-established 

 journal has just commenced a new series, with new 

 type, and increased space for botanical matters, ob- 

 tained by the discontinuance of the " newspaper " 

 portion. 



