Ma* 1, 1870.] 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



117 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



Spectrum of the Fire-ely. — The spectrum 

 given by the light of the common fire-fly of New 

 Hampshire is, according to Mr. C. A. Young's obser- 

 vations, perfectly continuous, without trace of lines 

 either bright or dark. It extends from a little above 

 Fraunhofer's line C in the scarlet, to about F in the 

 blue, gradually fading out at the extremities. It is 

 precisely this portion of the spectrum that is com- 

 posed of rays which, while they more powerfully than 

 any other affect the organs of vision, produce hardly 

 any thermal or actinic effect. Very little, in fact, of 

 the energy expended in the flash of the fire-fly is 

 wasted. It is quite different with our artificial light. 

 In an ordinary gaslight, it is proved that not more 

 than one or two per cent, of the radiant energy 

 consists of visible rays, the rest is either invisible 

 heat or actinism ; in other words, more than ninety- 

 eight per cent, of the gas is wasted in producing rays 

 that do not help in making objects visible. — Journal 

 of the Society of Arts. 



Podder (p. 91). — I do not think that this is a 

 misprint for dodder, though the similarity is rather 

 suspicious ; for Halliwell also gives " podder" as a 

 Kentish word signifying " beans, peas, tares, or 

 vetches, or such ware as have pods." I take it, there- 

 fore, that the word found in Hollyband's Dictionarie 

 may very possibly refer to Vicia hirsuta, which may 

 be called a " winding" plant, just as much as Poly- 

 gonum Convolvulus. I hope some correspondent will 

 be able to tell us that the name is not yet obsolete. — 

 Robert Holland. 



Podder. — I venture to suggest for Mr. Britten's 

 consideration whether the Cuscuta Europcea, Greater 

 Podder, the parasitical plant called by the ancient 

 writers Podagra lini (the gout of flax), goutte de 

 lin of France, may not be the word he alludes to as 

 the Podder.—^. H. Watney. 



Bee Boring. — At page 65 of your March number 

 one of your correspondents has communicated his 

 observation of the interesting fact of the Bee boring 

 a hole at the base of Fuchsia. It is seven years ago 

 that I observed this phenomenon, aud if 1 mistake 

 not, I sent a notice of it;to i\\zPield newspaper ; but 

 although I have mentioned this fact of the Bee to 

 numerous people, I have only met with two 

 who had observed it. The cause of this I take to 

 be as follows : — When the Bee is seen on any of 

 the modern varieties of the Fuchsia, where the 

 corolla (?) (in the Fuchsia, 1 believe, botanists re- 

 gard the external covering of this flower as the 

 calyx) is more accessible, they go to work as with 

 other flowers. It is only when flowers are getting 

 scarce, and Fuchsias remain, that you can see the Bee 

 thus boring. When I first observed it, it was on an 

 old-fashioned Fuchsia, with small pendulous flowers, 

 and the only one then left in a small garden, which 

 a lady had laid down as lawn. In Scotland I ex- 

 amined a long border of old Fuchsias, where I saw 

 very large numbers of Humble Bees, but not one 

 of the common Honey Bee. I apprehend that the 

 structure of the Honey Bee is not favourable for 

 working at so great a depth as is necessary in the 

 Fuchsia, except in those varieties where the calyx- 

 is more expanded ; whereas it may be comparatively 

 easy for the long process of the Humble Bee. 

 Bearing these remarks in mind, your readers will 

 not be disappointed in failing to detect the 

 Bee working in the manner described, since they 



will not do it when there are flowers, or Fuchsias 

 in which they can enter the corolla. This fact is 

 one, in addition to multitudes of others, which 

 suggests the necessity of some better definition of 

 "Instinct" than that generally received. — George 

 Macilween, 3, Albany Courtyard. 



SriDERS and Larvae. — In reference to the query 

 asked by your correspondent Mr. George Roberts, 

 in last month's Science-Gossip, I think the follow- 

 ing instance, which came under my observation last 

 evening, will be sufficiently conclusive. I was search- 

 ing for larvae of Noctuce, on a grassy bank after 

 dusk, when the light from my " bull's eye" fell on 

 a grim-looking spider in the very act of sucking out 

 the life-blood of a youns larva of (I think) Tri- 

 phcena orbona. — Geo. T. Porritt, Huddersfwld. 



Spiders and Larv.e.— In the April part of 

 Science-Gossip is a query with the above heading, 

 which I can answer in the affirmative. If Mr. 

 Roberts wishes to see a spider thoroughly puzzled, 

 let him put a leaf-rolling caterpillar into its web ; 

 the spider (provided the larva be proportionate to its 

 own size) seizes it fearlessly and winds it up ; but 

 as fast as he winds, so fast does the larva slip out of 

 its bonds, until it either escapes from the web alto- 

 gether or gets weakened by the repeated bites of its 

 adversary ; The larva of a Noctua also astonishes 

 a spider, from the fact that it cannot be made to lie 

 still in the web, though wrapped in ever so many 

 grave-clothes ; when the spider has given it two or 

 three bites, however, its activity decreases, when the 

 spider sucks its juices at pleasure. The larva; of 

 certain species of Lepidoptera and Hymenoptera are 

 distasteful to spiders, as I observed in a short paper 

 read before the Entomological Society in March, 

 1809. — A. G. Britten, British Museum. 



Parus ckistatus. — Your correspondent H. M. 

 Labouchere (Science-Gossip, April, p. 95) desires 

 information respecting the Crested Tit {Parus cris- 

 tatus). I do not think there is any record of this 

 bird ever having been seen in England, but Yarrell 

 (British Birds) quotes several authorities for its 

 appearance in Scotland. John Walcott, Esq., in 

 the second volume of his " Synopsis of British 

 Birds," published in 17S9, says, "This bird has been 

 lately observed in Scotland, once in a considerable 

 flock." Dr. Latham, in the second supplementary 

 volume to his " General Synopsis," says, " We have 

 heard of this species being plentiful in some parts 

 of Scotland, especially in the pine - forests, from 

 whence I have -received a specimen now in my pos- 

 session." Colonel Montagu says, "It is not un- 

 common amongst the large tracts of pines in the 

 north of Scotland, particularly in the forests of 

 Glenmoor, the property of the Duke of Gordon, 

 from whence we have seen it." In a note to the 

 history of this species in the "British Ornithology" 

 of Mr. Selby, it is stated, "Sir Win. Jardine informs 

 me that this bird has been found in some plantations 

 not far distant from Glasgow, where it annually 

 breeds." Tnos. Macpherson Grant, Esq., of Edin- 

 burgh, says, " I possess one preserved specimen of 

 the Crested Tit, shot by myself, and seen in con- 

 siderable numbers ; " aud it was also observed by 

 F. W. Bigge, Esq., in the Pass of Killiecrankie. 

 (Yarrell's "British Birds," vol. i. p. 367.) -N. P., 

 136, Stockwell Parle Road. 



Birds and Toads devouring Bees. — In the 

 last number of Science-Gossip is a paper on the 

 decrease of small birds in New Zealand, attributed 



