HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



i43 



high cliffs and rocks on the coasts of Devon and 

 Cornwall, constantly wheeling round in " clamorous 

 agitation," as the poet says, until the intruder leaves 

 the spot. The peregrine is, however, by no means 

 restricted to the neighbourhood of the sea, but breeds 

 inland, provided suitable and inaccessible localities 

 can be found. However, I am sorry I cannot answer 

 your correspondent's query as to whether the pere- 

 grine still frequents the precipices of Little Langdale 

 Valley in Westmoreland. The stock-dove (C. anas) 

 is rare in South Devon and Cornwall, but I am in- 

 formed that large flocks annually visit parts of 

 Somersetshire and the adjoining county of Devon- 

 shire, near Tiverton, during November, to feed on the 

 beech mast, but I have never met with a specimen so 

 far down as Plymouth. I think " stock " dove rather a 

 misnomer, as the rock dove (C. livia), found occasion- 

 ally on the cliffs on the coast of Devon and Cornwall, 

 is now allowed to be the parent stock of our domestic 

 pigeons. — J. Gatcombe. 



Query as to Falcon. — The passage from 

 Wordsworth, Science-Gossip, page 119, appears to 

 me to refer to the peregrine falcon, as it describes 

 exactly the habits of that species when disturbed in 

 the breeding season. Not being acquainted with West- 

 moreland, I cannot answer Mr. Keegan's second 

 query, but it may be interesting to him and others to 

 know that the peregrine still nests annually on the 

 rocks in the Bizzle glen, Cheviot, Northumberland. 

 Regarding the query relating to the stock-dove, he is 

 mistaken in his " impression that this bird was con- 

 fined exclusively to the south of England." The 

 stock-dove seems to be one of those birds that are 

 gradually extending their northward range. The 

 farthest north that I have seen any record of its 

 breeding in Scotland, was at Cardney, Dunkeld 

 ("Scot. Nat." v. 136). It has been known to nest 

 for several years past near Dunse in Berwickshire, 

 from which district I received an adult male in August 

 last. Mr. G. Bolam, Berwick, "came upon the stock- 

 dove breeding at Paxton, and got two fine eggs from 

 a rabbit-hole on a steep bank near Hutton Bridge " 

 (Proc. Ber. Nat. Club, viii. 598). Mr. R. Gray, 

 Edinburgh, records two in the same volume, p. 354, 

 shot on the " Brankston Grange and Tulliallan 

 estates." One of these was exhibited at a meeting of 

 the Royal Physical Society of Edinburgh. They 

 have also been seen at various places in Northumber- 

 land. — Andrew Brotherston, Kelso. 



Unusual Smallness of Birds' Eggs. — I think 

 the following incident may perhaps interest some of 

 your readers. In June, 1877, I found several linnets' 

 nests on a furze common. Four of these nests each 

 contained from three to five eggs, the largest of 

 which hardly exceeded the egg of the minute golden- 

 crested wren. Some years ago I saw a whitethroat's 

 nest with eggs of this description for-sale in an egg- 

 dealer's shop in Brighton. A friend of mine has a 

 song thrush's far below the average size. Can any of 

 your readers give any explanation of this curious 

 circumstance ? — S. Dewan. 



Canariensis or Nasturtiums ? — Last autumn I 

 gathered half-a-dozen seeds of canariensis, and sowed 

 them in a pot in March. The seeds have grown, but 

 four of them are nasturtiums, with the round leaves 

 peculiar to that class of plants ; the other two are 

 canariensis. If I had not gathered the seeds myself, I 

 should have imagined there had been some mistake, 

 but they have never been out of my possession. How 

 can the deviation be accounted for ? — W. T. Greene. 



NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



To Correspondents and Exchangers. — As we now 

 publish Science-Gossip a week earlier than heretofore, we 

 cannot possibly insert in the following number any communica- 

 tions which reach us later than the gth of the previous month. 



To Anonymous Querists. — We receive so many queries 

 which do not bear the writers' names that we are forced to 

 adhere to our rule of not noticing them. 



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. Btit it is evident that, when their offers are simply 

 disguised advertisements, for the purpose of evading the cost of 

 advertising, an advantage is taken of our gratuitous insertion of 

 "exchanges" which cannot be tolerated. 



A. G. Wright. — The polyanthus you sent us was affected by 

 what Dr. Masters, in his " Vegetable Teratology," calls vires- 

 cence — meaning thereby, that the petals of flowers occasionally 

 assume a green colour, by the development of chlorophyll in 

 place of the colouring matter proper to the flower. 



T. Christian. — Your Alpine plants belong to the following 

 orders: I, Biscutella laevigata (Cruciferae) ; 2, Androsace jas- 

 mine (Primulacese) ; 3, Astrantia major (Umbelliferae) ; 

 4, Astrantia minor (Umbelliferaej ; 5, Hepatia triloba (Ra- 

 nunculaceae) ; 6, S oldanella alpina (Primulaceae) ; 7, Globidaria 

 vulgaris [Globularis) ; 8, Globidaria vulgaris (Globulariae). 



S. E. Phillips.— You will find the full outline of Haeckel's 

 division of the Exogens on page 82 of vol. i. of his " History of 

 Creation," and at page 112 of the same work, a complete table 

 of the phylogenetic arrangements of the vegetable kingdom. 



W. R. Tagart. — Your grubs were all dried up when they 

 reached us. Please send us some packed in damp moss. They 

 appear to be wire worms. 



J. R. D. — The insects found floating in chocolate are weevils. 



Microscopical Cement. — We have received from Mr. A. 

 Smith, Essex Road, Islington, a small bottle of cover cement, 

 for microscopic slides, which promises well for closing slides 

 mounted in balsam. It resists the action of acids, and sets hard 

 in about an hour. 



A. G. Wright. — Your specimens are : No. r, Limnoza slag- 

 ualis; 2, Limncea pereger ; 3, Tooth of Ichthyosaurus ; 4, 

 Tooth of shark {Lamna) ; 5, Ditto. Get Tate's " British Mol- 

 luscs, Land and Freshwater," with plates, price 6s. London : 

 D. Bogue, 3 St. Martin's Place, Trafalgar Square, W.C. 



M. W. Norman. — The article and drawings are under con- 

 sideration, and in safe keeping. We will let you hear further 

 on the matter. 



J. H. B. — The " Feuille des Jeunes Naturalistes " may be 

 obtained of Mr. A. Siegle, Bookseller, no Leadenhall Street, 

 London, E.C., price per number (with plates) 40 cents. 



"List of Assisting Naturalists." — A mistake occurs 

 in the spelling of the name of one of our assisting naturalists 

 last month. Instead of John Walker, read " John Walter." 



M. Parkinson. — White cockroaches are simply the newly- 

 hatched young of the ordinary black insects, and eventually 

 turn darker in colour. 



A. Johnson. — For information as to localities forSphagnum 

 near London, see the " Saturday Half-Holiday Guide," price 

 6d., which gives full botanical, entomological, and geological 

 information of the metropolitan localities. 



R. T. W. — Your specimens are (1), Polypodium Phegopteris, 

 (2), P. calcareum; (3), Lastrea tkelyptera (or marsh fern) ; and 

 (4), Lastrea dilatata. 



John R. — You cannot do better than get Hayward's 

 " Botanist's Pocket Book." Its backs are of limp cloth, so 

 that the book can readily be carried in the pocket. 



T. W. J. — You will find descriptions of the commonest British 

 Sertularians (with illustrations of the same) in Taylor's " Half 

 Hours at the Sea-side," price 4s., published by David Bogue, 

 3 St. Martin's Place, Trafalgar Square, W.C. 



EXCHANGES. 



Wanted, starfishes, crabs, Alga:, and marine objects^ gene- 

 rally ; micro objects, minerals, polished stones, &c, in ex- 

 change. — J. P. Wright, Sunnybank Terrace, UnderclifF Lane, 

 Bradford, Yorkshire. 



Morris's "British Birds " wanted in exchange for " Eminent 

 and Illustrious Englishmen," 8 vols., illustrated, or cash.— 

 G. Balding, Victoria Road, Wisbeach. 



Duplicates of about twenty species foreign marine shells, 

 (generic names and localities of nearly all). Wanted British 

 marine, land, or freshwater shells.— A. H. Hinton, Hillside, 

 Walthamstow, Essex. 



Wanted, mounted or unmounted flukes for crystals, or other 

 objects. — A. Smith, Laboratory, Essex Road, London. 



For specimen of Catoscopium nigritum in fruit, send stamped 

 envelope toB. B. Scott, 24 Seldon Street, Kensington, Liverpool. 



Wanted, microscopic material and accessories ; give in ex- 

 change well-mounted slides.— F. S. Lyddon, 32 High Street, 

 Warminster. 



