Nov. 1, 1870.] 



HARDWICKE'S SCIEN CE- GOSSIP. 



201 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



Flora Hantoniensis (pp. 106, 212).— I am now 

 able to answer my query on p. 100. Looking re- 

 cently over my copy of the " Flora Vectensis," I 

 found a note on p. 132 which I had formerly written, 

 referring to the Phytoiogist, vol. iii. p. 428, in 

 which the matter is cleared up by Dr. Bromfield. 

 Throughout the "Flora Vectensis" the Catalogue 

 is quoted under the heading Pulteney, and it is in 

 a note (Phyt., I. c.) that the Doctor states the real 

 authors to have been Dean Gamier and the Rev. 

 W. Poulter (on the information of the Dean him- 

 self). He also remarks that the similarity of the 

 names, Poulter and Pulteney, most likely occasioned 

 the latter to be considered the compiler of the 

 Catalogue by the authors of the "Botanist's Guide." 

 On p. 205 (Phyt., vol. iii.) Bromfield says he has 

 taken the stations " from the original and now very 

 scarce volumes." Localities are indicated in the Cata- 

 logue for thirty-two Isle of Wight plants. [I may here 

 remark that this mistake on the part of the authors 

 of the "Botanist's Guide," occasions a slight confu- 

 sion in their records of Hants plants. For instance, 

 Asparagus officinalis, Freshwater, I. W . (Guide, p. 310 ; 

 Phyt., iii. p. 960) ; Alisma ranunculoides (Guide, 

 p. 316; Phyt., p. 1003); Myriophyllum verticillahim 

 (Guide, p. 322 : Phyt., p. 368), both at Sopley, and 

 Taxus baccata (Guide, p. 322) do not occur in the 

 "Hampshire Repository" list, and are probably 

 due to Pulteney, as the " Catalogue of Plants of 

 Dorset " is cited as authority for A. ranunculoides.'] 

 I do not think the list was ever continued. I have 

 replied privately to Mr. Reeks's very kind offer 

 (p. 212), and hear from him that lists of plants for 

 different parts of Hampshire are in existence. It is 

 to be hoped that now a botanical section has been 

 formed in connection with the Hants and Winchester 

 Scientific and Literary Society (Journal of Botany, 

 May, 1870, p. 166), a "Flora Hantoniensis " may 

 soon make its appearance. (Mr. F. J. Warner, 3, 

 Clifton Terrace, Winchester, is the Hon. Sec. to the 

 section above referred to.)— P. T., M.A. 



Helix Cartusiana.— At p. 70 of your interesting 

 periodical for March 1st, 1868, " H. C. L." gives 

 the " sand dunes north of Deal " as a locality where 

 Helix Cartusiana (Gibbs's snail) is found " plenti- 

 fully." There must be some mistake here. It is 

 certainly not to be found there at present. I have 

 just returned from a long search for it ; and Mr. 

 Harding a well-known naturalist and collector at 

 Deal, told me that he has known the dunes for 

 five-and-twenty years, and has never found it there. 

 I found H. virgata, ericetorum, and rufescens ; the 

 latter, in the young and white state, not unlike 

 " Gibbs's snail;" but the true shell is certainly not 

 to be found there now, nor do I know a locality for 

 it— Alexander Halley, M.D., F.G.S. 



Sirex juvencus. — Is this a common insect ? 

 My 'reasons for asking this question are twofold ; 

 first, having taken two fine females of this species 

 from the trunks of firs near Chatham, on the 30th 

 September, and one while it was very busily ex- 

 amining an oak post, on the 2nd October; and 

 wishing to obtain some information concerning 

 them, I had recourse to my stock of entomological 

 and natural history lore, besides others to which I 

 have access, but was thoroughly unsuccessful, 

 although its near relative, S. gigas, was well repre- 

 sented both pictorially and descriptively. The 



second reason is, that although I have entomo- 

 logically examined the trunks of these fir-trees for 

 years past, and many others in the adjoining wood, 

 I have never before seen the insect alive, and was 

 therefore quite surprised when I came unexpectedly 

 upon it. — W. Chuney. 



Harvest-bumps. — In reply to query by W. B., 

 Fowey, in last month's Science-Gossip, harvest- 

 bumps are caused by an insect much resembling 

 the itch insect. It is described in " Carpenter on 

 the Microscope " (1856 edition, pp. 6, 83) as Acarus 

 autumnalis. I can certify to this being correct, as 

 a friend of mine sent me several extracted by a 

 surgeon last year (from the irritating eruption 

 described), two of which I have mounted in balsam. 

 — G. M. Iliff. 



Fusus contraritts.' — H. C. Leslie would be 

 glad to know if any correspondent of Science- 

 Gossip could tell him where he can collect Fusus 

 coutrarius (characteristic fossil of the red crag), 

 and whether it is to be had in the south of Essex. 



Traveller's Delight (p. 237).— The British 

 species of Clematis (C. vitalbd) certainly would not 

 be the plant referred to in Wraxall's "Backwoods- 

 man;" but the North American species (Clematis 

 viorna) is also known as "Traveller's Joy," and 

 might thus be the plant intended. See Paxton's 

 " Botanical Dictionary."— £. H. H. 



Goldfinches. — A country bird -dealer informs 

 me that there are two sorts of goldfinches; one 

 that builds in plum-trees, has black legs, and is no 

 use as a songster ; and one nesting in apple-trees, 

 having white legs and a good song. Can you, or 

 any of your readers, say if this is so? The man 

 was in earnest, but none of my books allude to 

 more than one kind. — /. P. Davies. 



Waffel (dice, German), often pronounced Yaffel. 

 May not the woodpecker get this name from the 

 square dice-like marks on its feathers ? — Isabella C. 

 Grant, Burg //field. 



Aquarium. — Can any of your readers inform me 

 if india-rubber tubing can be safely used in drawing 

 off salt water from an aquarium ? 1 have hitherto 

 avoided it, and used only glass, but the india-rubber 

 would be often more convenient, if equally safe.— 

 A.B. 



Natural History Specimens and the " Sam- 

 ple Post." — For some time past we have been in 

 the enjoyment of a great public boon, by which spe- 

 cimens of natural history — under a certain weight 

 — have been transmitted through the "sample 

 post ; " but with the 1st of October came a sweep- 

 ing and unlooked-for alteration, destroying all the 

 former facilities of a cheap transmission. True, the 

 authorities have given us the halfpenny postage 

 with one hand, but with the other have taken away 

 as great or a greater privilege, by depriving us of 

 the benefit of the "'sample post." It may be 

 argued, that specimens of natural history are in 

 themselves nothing more or less than samples; 

 but the Secretary of the General Post-office says : 

 " Specimens of natural history cannot be con- 

 sidered either as bond fide trade patterns or sam- 

 ples of merchandise." Consequently, we must 

 abide by the decision of the powers that be. We 

 cannot, however, be blind to the fact that such a 

 course is in a measure detrimental to the study and 



