Sept. 1, 1S70.] 



HARDWICKE'S S C I E N C E-G O S S 1 V. 



213 



in County Derry, and had an opportunity of ob- 

 serving the fact myself. These mountains are 

 covered by a continuous succession of poat bogs ; 

 and, while wandering among them, making un- 

 successful search for a shelter, I noticed repeatedly 

 that, in places where I set my foot, a number of 

 bright lights burst out. The phosphorescence was 

 not shown on grassy or heathy ground, hut in bare, 

 wet, turfy spots, where one's boot sank in peat 

 mud. It was not a diffused light, but numbers of 

 of brilliant little spots, as many as half a dozen of 

 which lighted up a footprint, and shone for three or 

 four minutes. I regretted much that I had no 

 bottle nor anything else available to secure speci- 

 mens for examination ; some I placed amomyst 

 plants in an already well fdled vasculum, but they 

 could not be found when I reached home. Our 

 books, when treating of the phosphorescence of 

 animals, speak mainly of fire-flies, glow-worms, and 

 various marine species. 1 am at a loss to know 

 what it was that so surprised me with its brilliant 

 light, at midnight, in the dreary mountain bog — 

 was it caused by insect larvse ? — S. A. S., Belfast. 



How the Chinese Catch Eels.— Sailing along 

 river or canal, the traveller occasionally sees in the 

 dusk of the evening, among the lotus flowers and 

 fringes of reeds which border the streams, four 

 stout coolies vigorously shaking an object over a 

 basket. A nearer approach reveals the unusual 

 sight of a corpse being denuded of the silver eels 

 which have collected in it during the day. Where 

 those exquisite and beautiful fish abound, the fisher- 

 men are on the alert to detain any remnant of mor- 

 tality floating along, by tying it to a stake. Nightly 

 the shaking of the defunct proceeds, and is continued 

 time after time as long as the remains cling together. 

 — Food Journal. 



Ordnance and Fish. — A correspondent of a 

 Cornish weekly paper says interesting proof has 

 been afforded that the firing of heavy ordnance does 

 not in any way affect the catches of fish. Captain 

 Banks, commanding the artillery volunteers at 

 Charlestown, Cornwall, postponed practice with the 

 heavy guns of his battery in consequence of the pre- 

 sence of mackerel in the bay; but after their absence 

 on the coast for a fortnight or more, he ordered a 

 parade, by way of dispelling the idea, so prevalent, 

 that the report from firing heavy guns drives the 

 fish into deep water. The practice last week was 

 brought to a conclusion, after about fifteen rounds, 

 by the appearance of several very large shoals of 

 mackerel directly under the battery, which is about 

 one hundred feet above sea level. They were ob- 

 served by the look-out men on shore, who gave an 

 alarm, which resulted in several nets being shot. — 

 H. Budge. 



Holly in Berry.— It may interest "J, D." to 

 know that a holly is now in full berry (bright red) 

 in the garden of the Rev. D. H. Ellis, of Roydon, 

 near Lynn. I have not seen any other example. — 

 A. E. B., August 8, 1870. 



tt Borrago (pp. 165, 1S9).— I have to thank 

 "G.H. H." for his remarks, though I was ac- 

 quainted with much of what he states. I am also 

 aware that French botanical writers use the redupli- 

 cated form. Some English writers also give the form 

 " barrage " as one of the ingredients of the well- 

 known beverage, "cider-cup." What I want is 

 some authority similar to that which must have led 

 Dr. Hooker to adopt this form in preference to that 



familiar to us in the floras of Babington, Beutham, 

 and others. -R. T.,M. A. 



Query about Bees. — The Bev. W. W. Spicer 

 asks if "bees confine themselves to a single species 

 of plant when collecting nectar and pollen duriug a 

 flight out and home." I answer — most certainly, 

 as a rule, except perhaps in the spring of the year, 

 when the sun tempts them forth from the hive be- 

 fore many spring flowers are in bloom. I have often, 

 this -summer, as well as in previous years, watched 

 the bees in flower-beds of mignonette, petunias, 

 fuchsias, calceolarias, &c, but I invariably noticed 

 that they adhered strictly to one species of plant ; 

 i. e., those which first visited the mignonette took 

 no notice of the petunias, &c, and vice versa. I am 

 inclined to think — for I am no apiarian— that this 

 sticking to certain species of plants may be confined 

 to a certain number of bees in a hive, which have 

 a certain portion of work allotted to them ; or, 

 rather, perhaps at certain times, have cell-making, 

 or some other work, to perform, which requires 

 " nectar or pollen " of exactly the same consistency, 

 &c. ; and instinct would shew them that this could 

 only be obtained from the same species of flowers. 

 I think Mr. Darwin informs us, in " Origin of 

 Species," that the hive bee does not visit the red 

 clover [Trifolium pratense) ; but this is quite a mis- 

 take, as 1 have repeatedly seen them do so ; but 

 whether they make an incision in the tube of the 

 corolla themselves, or take advantage of the holes 

 cut by the genus Bombus, I am unable to say. — 

 Henry Reels. 



The Assembling of Male Moths. — Is it by 

 smell they are attracted ? The following incident 

 seems to support that theory. Returning from a 

 collecting excursion on the evening of August 13th, 

 I noticed several moths about a furze-bush. Peering 

 into it, I saw one creeping 1 slowly about, and 

 fluttering its wings tremulously. I took it with my 

 hands, and put it into a perforated tin-box, which 

 smelt of chloroform, and placed it at the root of 

 the bush (this was a female, for if, afterwards laid 

 me a number of eggs). Males came about in 

 numbers, and hovered especially about that part of 

 the bush from which I had taken the female, and 

 my hands even touching them, so that I caught 

 them easily; but although some occasionally came 

 very near the box, they seemed perplexed, and soon 

 left it. From that I conclude that they were at- 

 tracted by the scent of the female; but that the 

 smell of the chloroform so confounded it that they 

 could not find her, under those circumstances, but 

 continued to seek her by the scent left upon the 

 bush and upon my hands. — /. H. 



Transparent Painting on Glass. — Under this 

 title a shilling manual is published by Brodie & 

 Middletou, of 79, Long Acre, London, including 

 instructions for painting slides for magic-lanterns. 

 The same firm also supply water-colours, and 

 varnish-colours, prepared specially for glass-paint- 

 ing. As several correspondents have, from time to 

 time, made inquiries of us upon this subject, the 

 present notice may be accepted as an answer to all 

 of them, how they can obtain all the information 

 they require, as well as materials for pursuing the 

 art of glass-painting. From experience we can say 

 nothing, as we have never indulged in the "hobby," 

 and never made experiments ; but those who feel 

 impelled in this direction, will doubtless find in 

 this book and these colours just what they re- 

 quire. 



