HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



283 



and say that splinters of wood flew about in all 

 directions. The flash was immediately followed by 

 a very heavy peal of thunder, the vibration caused 

 by which, broke several windows in houses about 

 200 yards from this tree. — Win. Self. Weeks. 



Mimulus luteus. — This gay flower grows in 

 some abundance on the banks of the stream at 

 Perranwharf, Perranarworthal, Cornwall. I have 

 observed it during the past three summers. It 

 occurs on both sides of the river in company with 

 the common rag-wort. — T. J. Porter. 



Badgers in Worcestershire. — I saw one 

 lately (in October) which had been shot near Ave- 

 church, and another was killed in the early summer 

 near Bartley. — A". D. Co/ton. 



Sea-Birds in Worcestershire. — A pair of 

 kittivvakes were on the reservoir here at Whitsun, 

 and an oyster-catcher for a couple of months ; since 

 then common and lesser terns and a shag (all birds 

 of the year) have been shot there. There are now 

 two couple of green sandpipers about, and in the 

 alder-trees near a flock of that most charming of 

 little birds, the siskin. — K. D. Co/ton. 



Fauna of Staffordshire. — In case your corre- 

 spondent Mr. Masefield has not seen the book, I 

 •quote from R. Garner's " History of Stafford," the 

 statement that Daubenton's bat has occurred at 

 Burton, and (from the Supplement) that the 

 whiskered bat has been taken in the same country. 

 — y. Kelsall, Fareham. 



Has Pholas Eyes ? — As far as is at present 

 known, visual organs in the Lamellibranchs exist 

 only in the genera Pecten, Cardium, and Spondylus, 

 where they are found on the edge of the mantle, 

 and in Pecien number about 100. It will therefore 

 be of great interest if Mr. Marrow or anyone else 

 can discover eyes in Pholas also, for they certainly 

 seem to be indicated by Mr. Marrow's remarks. — 

 T. D. A. Cockerel/. 



Breeding Fleas. — Some years ago I carried out 

 a series of investigations into the life history of the 

 cat flea, collecting the eggs, keeping them until 

 hatched, and during the process making observations 

 upon the various changes they underwent. These 

 eggs may be easily obtained in considerable numbers 

 by examining carefully the place where the cat is in 

 the habit of lying, but there is other material as well 

 which requires to be collected simultaneously for a 

 reason I shall explain. The eggs themselves are 

 easily detected, and by close observation scattered 

 amongst them may be seen numerous little masses of 

 a dark red colour. This material is apparently partly 

 digested food derived from the sanguineous fluid of 

 poor puss, and is undoubtedly designed to serve as 

 food for the insect during the period it remains in its 

 larval condition. It seems probable therefore that 

 some similar provision exists in the case of the 

 common house flea, and it was for the want of this 

 probably the only suitable food that Mr. Harkus 

 failed to mature a larger number of his specimens. I 

 should like to know whether he noticed any such 

 masses as I have described associated with the eggs 

 of the fleas, and I feel much interested in any further 

 investigations into the subject he may carry out. — 

 G. E. Cox, Ley ton, Essex. 



Crocus nudiflorus. — A well-known locality in 

 the north of England is by the Mersey, in meadows 

 between Northendon and LJidsbury, near Manchester. 

 I gathered it there, Oct. 5th, 1S7S.--.ff. B. Le Tall. 



NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



To Correspondents and Exchangers. — As we now 

 publish Science-Gossip earlier than formerly, we cannot un- 

 dertake to insert in the following number any communications 

 which reach us later than the 8th of the previous month. 



To Anonymous Querists. — We must adhere to our rule of 

 not noticing queries which do not bear the writers' names. 



To Dealers and others. — We are always glad to treat 

 dealers in natural history objects on the same fair and general 

 ground as amateurs, in so far as the "exchanges" offered are fair 

 exchanges. But it is evident that, when their offers are simply 

 disguised advertisements, for the purpose of evading the cost of 

 advertising, an advantage is taken oi our gratuitous insertion of 

 " exchanges " which cannot be tolerated. 



We request that all exchanges may be signed with name (or 

 initials) and full address at the end. 



S. Howahth. — From your sketch we judge that the white 

 sea-weed is the common coralline [Coralliua officinalis). See 

 Taylor's " Half-Hours at the Sea-side." 



J. B. — We believe that the new edition of Yarrell's " British 

 Birds " contains figures of all the species. 



A. Smith (Invergordon). — The existing marine shells occur 

 ring in the " vegetable mound " may be the remains of an old 

 sea-beach ; or they may represent some " Kitchin Midden." 

 It is impossible to tell without strict details. But at any rate it 

 is worth your while to investigate all the phenomena. 



H. P. Marshall. — Get Dr. Lankester's little work on "The 

 Microscope " (edited by Mr. F. Kitton), price t.s. 6d., published 

 by Messrs. W. H. Allen & Co., Waterloo Place, London. 



Clevedon. — Get Stark's " British Mosses," coloured illustra- 

 tions, price 10s. 6d ; Rye's " British Beetles," coloured illustra- 

 tions, price ios. 6d ; Rimmer's " Land and Freshwater Shells," 

 photographs of species, price 10s. 6d; Dr. Cooke's " British 

 Fungi," coloured illustrations, price 6s. ; see also Dr. Cooke's 

 " Ponds and Ditches," fur common British freshwater algae 

 (price 2S. 6d.), and " British Lichens," by Dr. Lindsay, coloured 

 illustrations, price 10s. 6d. 



J. F. — The fungus on the leaves of Adoxa mosckatellina are 

 " cluster cups " [CEcidium) ; see Cooke's " Microscopic Fungi." 



J. VV. Odell. — Thanks for the very interesting specimens of 

 Trofia-olum tuberosum, showing various degrees of fasciation. 

 Article on the same will appear next month. 



A. P. Carter. — "Elements of Mineralogy," by F. Rutley 

 (London, Murby & Co., price is. 6d) ; or Dana's " Mineralogy," 

 price 7s. gd. (London, Triibner & Co.), would help you, es- 

 pecially the first mentioned capital little book. 



G. M. B. — No. 1 specimen is the pretty water-wasp [Fonti- 

 italis anti/iyretica : No. 2 is a species of freshwater alga. 



EXCHANGES. 



Wanted, Testacellae, either shells or living specimens, also 

 fine or peculiar specimens of other British land and freshwater 

 shells for figuring. Good returns will be made in foreign shells. 

 — J. W. Taylor, Outwood Lane, Horsforth, near Leeds. 



Wanted, members for the Scientific Circulating Magazine 

 Society. Address for particulars — T. F. Uttley, 17 Brazennose 

 Street, Manchester. 



A quantity of first-class slides to exchange for good books. 

 Wanted, Cassell's " History of England." — J. W. ,Tutcher, 

 22 North Road, Bristol. 



Offered, Margaret Plues' " British Grasses," coloured illus- 

 trations, 1869, in good condition ; J. E. Taylor's " Half Hours 

 in the Green Lanes," 1879, good condition ; J. G. Wood's 

 " Common Objects of the Sea-Shore," coloured illustrations, 

 fair condition; J. G. Wood's "Lane and Field" (Natural 

 History Rambles), 1879, good condition; M. C. Cooke's 

 " Ponds and Ditches " (Natural History Rambles), 1880, good 

 condition; George Barnesby's "(Jur Native Song Birds, 

 Warblers, and Canaries," in exchange for Reaumur's " Natural 

 History of Insects relating to the Diptera," original, or English 

 translation. — Miss C. Leigh, 37 Portman Square, London, \V. 



Wanted, Gray's " Anatomy " (descriptive), latest edition ; 

 also a stand condenser for microscope. — J. B. Mayor, 5 Queen's 

 Terrace, Longsight, Manchester. 



Eggs of following species: pied flycatcher, nightingale, 

 stonechat, Dartford warbler, wood warbler, creeper, great tit, 

 rock pipit, cirl bunting, hawfinch, goldfinch, any species with 

 cuckoos' eggs ; a liberal exchange for any of above. — \V. K. 

 Mann, Wellington Terrace, Clifton, Bristol. 



First-class anatomical injections from cat, rabbit, guinea- 

 pig, &c, for magic-lantern slides or natural history objects. — 

 Henry Vial, Crediton, Devon. 



Will exchange for boianical works, or conchology, ento- 

 mology works, or any useful exchange, 20 numbers Cassell's 

 " Dictionary," 21 numbers Cassell's " Countries of the World," 

 5 numbers Cassell's " Picturesque Canada," 5 numbers Cassell's 

 " Egypt," and 9 numbers Cassell's " Butterflies and Moths," all 

 perfectly clean.— J. Taylor, Duke of York Hotel, Eccles. 



