18S 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



[Aug. 1, 1S70. 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



Plover. — What can be the origin of this name 

 as applied to the members of the genus Charadrius, 

 and more particularly to the Golden Plover {Chara- 

 drius pluvialis), where the idea is retained in the 

 technical name also ? The title is, of course, bor- 

 rowed from the French Pluvier, the common name 

 for the same family of birds, and has some reference 

 to rain; but in what sense? Yarrell says, "the 

 term is applied to the Plover 'pour ce qu'on le 

 prend mieux en temps pluvieux qu'en nulle autre 

 saison.' " _ On the other hand a good German autho- 

 rity, Leunis, tells us that the name is appropriate, 

 "Weil er bei Regenwetter (Phirius) pfeift." 

 Hence, the bird is called in the fatherland " Pegen- 

 pfeifer," or Pain Whistler. It is a knotty point ; 

 who shall decide it ? I incline myself to the last as 

 the more correct, solution. For a similar reason the 

 common Green Woodpecker (Picus viridis) bears 

 the name of Painbird in many parts of the north of 

 England, as being particularly noisy before the oc- 

 currence of wet weather. A name, which is in fact 

 a mere translation of that which it bore in the 

 classic days of old Pome for a like reason— Avis 

 plitvia. The French also designate it Oiseau pluvial, 

 but they say that the name is "onomatopoetic" — 

 to use a lengthy but expressive title— and that it 

 originates in its cry of " Plieu, Plieu ;" and that 

 this cry repeated in a plaintive manner is a sure 

 forerunner of rain. The scientific name of the com- 

 mon Horsefly — Htematopota pluvialis — is reason- 

 able enough, as it is far more active in its assaults 

 before rain than at any other time. Put what about 

 the birds ?— W. IF. Spicer, Havre. 



Water Bugs.— Are these insects exempt from 

 the fate to which all other small creatures which 

 inhabit the water are liable ; that of being snapped 

 up by hungry fish ?_ I have seen it so stated by 

 more than one writer, though I cannot at this 

 moment recall their names. My own observations 

 are certainly in favour of their exemption ; as 1 

 have never seen one attacked by a fish, though I 

 have seen plenty of mayflies, gnats, &c, caught up 

 all round them. Py " Water Pugs," 1 mean cer- 

 tain members of tbeHeinipterous order, included by 

 Douglas and Scott in their second subdivision, 

 Hydrodromica. There are nine species enumerated, 

 divided among four genera : Hydrometra, Velia, 

 Microvelia, and Lihinobates, most of which are com- 

 mon enough in ponds and streams, running briskly 

 over the surface of the water, and rarely if ever 

 diving below it, like their cousins Corixa, Notonecta, 

 &c. This habit exposes them in a peculiar 

 manner to the assaults of subaqueous enemies. 

 Should it be really the case that they never become 

 "food for fishes," we see a very remarkable pro- 

 vision made for the preservation of these helpless 

 animals in the great battle of life. Put for what 

 possible reason are the Hydrodromica so favoured 

 above their fellows ? There is neither " mimicry " 

 nor " protective resemblance "in the present case. 

 Perhaps some correspondent can throw light upon 

 the subject. — W. W. Spicer, Havre. 



Query about Bees.— Do bees confine them- 

 selves to a single species of plant, when collecting 

 nectar and pollen, during a flight out and home ? 

 This is a question which 1 put to the readers of 

 Science Gossip at p. 272 of last year's volume, a 

 question which still needs solution. It is one which 

 is full of interest from many points of view, especially 



in regard to thefertilizationof theovary in vegetables. 

 Now that bees are actively at work, will country 

 subscribers aid in settling the matter by watchiug 

 individual bees in their_ excursions ? Much useful 

 information may be derived from an accurate record 

 of the circumstances observed.— W. W. Spicer, 

 liar re. 



Amiierstia.— What has become of the famous 

 Amherstia nobilis of Kew Gardens ? Are there any 

 large specimens of that glorious plant in England 

 now ?— H. G. 



Siiell-flowee,— What is the"bois noir"and 

 the "shell-flower" of the West Indies— also the 

 "music-shell" of Curacoa? All these are men- 

 tioned in Dunbar's " Tropical Scenery."— H. G. 



Wakox Bird— What was the " Wakon Bird " 

 of the North American Indians ? It was described 

 by Carver and mentioned by Charlevoix and others. 

 — H. G. 



Post-Oaks— What are the "Post-Oaks" and 

 the "Traveller's Delight," mentioned in Wraxall's 

 "Packwoodsman " 'i—IL G. 



Pao-d'Arco. — What are the scientific designa- 

 tions of the "Pao-d'Arco " and the "Massaran- 

 duba," mentioned by Bates in his " Naturalist on 

 the Amazons " ? — 11. G. 



Louis d'or. — What bird is it that is known in 

 the French islands of the West Indies as a "Louis 

 d'or " ?-H. G. 



Murrel. — What is the " murrel " of Dunlop's 

 " Hunting in the Himalaya '\?—H. G. . 



Tiger Bird— Which is the " Tiger Bird," and 

 what are the " Moca-Moca " trees of Waterton's 

 " Wanderings " ?-H. G. 



Artificial Swarming. — As many of your cor- 

 respondents seem to be interested in bees, I 

 venture to say a few words on my experiments in 

 artificial swarming this spring. 1 was in possession 

 of a few hives of black bees, and wanting to become 

 the possessor of some of the Ligurian variety, first 

 gave me the idea of making an artificial swarm, — a 

 friend of mine keeping them having promised me a 

 bar from a Woodbury hive containing eggs and 

 brood. 1 therefore obtained a Woodbury, and 

 choosing a favourable day, set to work, — the day 

 chosen was May the 10th. I wrapped the bar- 

 frame in flannel, and the whole in brown paper, for, 

 having a little distance to go, 1 feared the death of 

 the brood, if 1 were not careful to keep them very 

 warm. On my arrival at home 1 placed the bar in 

 the empty hive, and having screwed down the top, 

 put it in the place of a strong stock of black bees, 

 which same 1 moved, after turning them up and 

 shaking them, to the most remote stand in the 

 apiary. The object of turning them up was to 

 make more bees leave the hive than otherwise 

 would have, and thus, together with those returning 

 from the fields, make a good swarm. In two days I 

 took the bar out to see if there were any signs of 

 royal cells, and to my delight found three quite 

 formed and with living inmates. The bees worked 

 hard, or seemed to, for 1 did not again disturb them 

 until the lUth of June, knowing that by this time 

 the artificially reared queen should have begun to 

 lay. I took out the first comb, and the second, and 

 the third ; but all alike quite full of honey and 



