HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



53 



ripening of anthers is not peculiar to this plant alone, 

 but occurs also in the exquisite flowers of Menyanthes 

 trifoliata (fig. 38). As it is improbable that these two 

 plants present isolated instances of such peculiarities, 

 it would be interesting to extend the observations to 

 others, which have the same number of stamens as 

 petals. In many instances in which the stamens are 

 bicyclic, and thus double the number of the petals, 

 the dehiscence occurs first, of the outer whorl or those 

 opposite the sepals, and afterwards the inner cycle 

 or those opposite the petals. In these instances the 

 alternation is between the cycles of the stamens, and 

 agrees with the sequence of their development. 

 Examples of this are furnished by several species of 

 the genera Stellaria, Saxifraga, Epilobium, and 



Fig. 38. — Bog-bean (Menyanthes trifoliata}. 



Lilium. Observations were made in May, 1S79, on 

 Saxifraga granitlata and S. umbrosa. Both these 

 are proterandrous, and the stigmas remained closely 

 opposed to each other, till the whole of the anthers 

 on the same flower had discharged their contents. 

 In both cases the outer cycle of stamens ripened first, 

 and afterwards the inner, which alternates with the 

 other. In S. granulata each anther as it ripens bends 

 over the unopened stigmas, thus occupying a position 

 very near the centre of the corolla. An insect visiting 

 a flower in which the ripened anther is thus placed 

 strikes it with that part of its body which would come 

 in contact with the stigmas of another flower that 

 are in a receptive condition. When the anthers have 

 discharged their pollen, they return to the position 

 which they occupy when the corolla expands, which 

 is near the circumference of the perianth, and thus 

 the stamens do not prevent easy access to the stigmas. 

 Their mission having been accomplished they are 

 moved out of the way so as not to be a hindrance. 



In this instance there may be observed three move- 

 ments of the stamens, which are — a motion towards 

 the circumference as the flower expands, an alternate 

 motion towards the centre as the anthers ripen, 

 followed by another movement outwards. During 

 the months of June and July, 1879, many observa- 

 tions were made on the flowers of Stellaria holostea, 

 S. graminea, Scilla nutans, and Epilobium fiirsutum, 

 and there was no exception to the rule that the 

 dehiscence of the two cycles of stamens was in 

 alternate order. 



J. Saunders. 



SKIN PRESERVING. 



JUST at this time of year, when the " close 

 season " is in abeyance, and when pottering 

 round the hedgerows for the chance of a rabbit, one 

 occasionally meets with feathers or fur worth pre- 

 serving, I have been several times asked for hints 

 as to making up skins, till a competent stuffer, a 

 rarity unluckily, can be met with ; and not being 

 without experience of my own as to the difficulty of 

 the matter, perhaps a few simple hints which may 

 assist in overcoming the first difficulty, the premier 

 pas qui coi'tte may be useful . 



With a little practice, a bird's skin can be removed 

 from the body as easily as that of a quadruped, and 

 with a much more satisfactory result, as in the one 

 case, there is a thick coating of feathers which will 

 make up for any slight deficiency in the perfection of 

 the skin itself, while, in the latter case, the greatest 

 possible care must be taken, not to stretch the skin 

 in the least ; or a bare patch, which no amount of 

 art will cover, will be the result. So that premising 

 that the method of skinning is in both cases precisely 

 the same, it will be as well to take the easier 

 subject, the bird, on which to commence. 



By "making up a skin," so arranging and pre- 

 serving it is understood, that a professional taxi- 

 dermist will have no difficulty in softening and 

 setting it up, after a reasonable lapse of time, — while 

 the plumage of the bird is preserved, as nearly as 

 possible unruffled, in the ordinary position when 

 dead. 



The tools required are, I had almost said, none ; 

 but nothing more than a penknife is necessary, while 

 a stout pair of pointed nail scissors are more handy 

 for cleaning, and by no means cumbrous. Taking 

 the bird as it lies, yet untouched, it is better to 

 leave any dried blood stains to be removed after 

 skinning. There is no advantage in cleaning at 

 once, as after removal the feathers can be grasped 

 from within, as well as from without, and there 

 is less chance of stretching, the thing to be guarded 

 against throughout. Any wet stains had better be 

 removed at once with a bit of sponge, as they will be 

 infinitely more troublesome when dry. 



