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HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



alluded to. At page 173, first column, third section 

 from the bottom : " a seam of coal two feet in thickness 

 is worked in the Millstone Grit." Is it to be under- 

 stood by this that the coal rests on the grit ? Page 

 174, end of first column : "these beds of underclay 

 were evidently the ancient soils upon which grew the 

 vegetation that gave rise to each overlying seam of 

 coal." I should be glad to know if the lowest seam 

 of coal is below the level of the sea, and at what 

 depth, also the general thickness of the clay-beds ? 

 On the same page near the top the word " upheaved " 

 is used. Is there any proof of this action ? With 

 reference to the remarks on bituminous and anthracite 

 coal, is it not possible that the latter is due to the 

 unavoidable percolation of liquid silica from the 

 formations above it, while the quality of the former 

 is characteristic of the vegetation most abundant in 

 it 1— H. P. J/. 



Plover's Egg. — Under this head your corre- 

 spondent, C. D. Wolstenholme, has a query in 

 Science-Gossip. I have several eggs of lapwing in 

 my cabinet of similar colour and marking to the one 

 he describes, but consider them a very uncommon 

 variety. In the course of my experience as a collector, 

 I have met with many curious varieties of the lapwing's 

 egg, and show a long series in my collection. Often 

 the question is put to me, when showing my eggs 

 to friends : "But which are the pewits?" and when 

 I point them out, the general remark, with regard to 

 the white-coloured ones especially, is, "Why, I 

 should never have thought those were pewits ! " 

 One of my eggs is very sparingly, and another very 

 profusely, spotted all over with minute black spots. 

 Another is veined with small lines and spots of dark 

 brown, and another is quite white at the small end, 

 with a well-defined zone of small reddish-brown 

 spots round the greater circumference ; another is 

 very faintly spotted with light brown. I have several 

 others with the ground colour of a pale milky-blue 

 tint, not exactly white. All my specimens when 

 taken, were quite fresh ; but in all, the thinness of 

 the shell was remarkable. I consider these pale 

 varieties are but one degree removed from "soft eggs," 

 i.e., 'eggs laid before the membrane is strengthened by 

 a shell. I took an egg last year, of a uniform light 

 clay-brown ground colour, without any markings, 

 except a continuous irregular black zone round the 

 larger end, which gives it a most singular appearance. 

 I have been enabled to procure many curious varieties 

 of the lapwing's egg, having had superior advantages 

 to many collectors, for, independently of the lapwing 

 breeding in great numbers in this locality, I have 

 had the pick from an immense number of eggs 

 collected annually by a person in this neighbourhood 

 for sale in the London markets, and have got many 

 curious ones from him. They are principally brought 

 to him by lads from the Fell districts, and he usually 

 procures from 4000 to 5000 in the season. In spite 

 of this large number being taken every year, I do 

 not think the numbers of the birds are appreciably 

 diminished. — R. Standcn, Goosnargh, Preston, Lanca- 

 shire. 



Climbing powers of the Toad. — I have, since 

 reading Mr. Parfitt's note, re-read what I wrote in 

 Science-Gossip, p. 165, and I still am of opinion 

 that it is the "rough surface" which enables toads 

 to climb up "walls" and " steps." " A deep flower- 

 pot " is much smoother than a roughly-built garden 

 wall, therefore I am not at all surprised to learn that 

 Mr. Parlitt has been able to keep "restless toads 

 fast prisoners " in one. I am simply at a loss, as to 

 what Mr. Parfitt could have found in my note to 



cavil at. I have seen a toad climb a wall and so 

 evidently has a far better authority than— Helen 

 Watney. 



" Vanessa Antiopa."— One Saturday afternoon 

 lately I had the good, though tantalising, fortune to see 

 a pair of the above beautiful insects under the follow- 

 ing circumstances. Being engaged with my friend 

 and fellow member, Mr. T. L. Waterman, in pursuit 

 of pond life, I was startled by his exclamation of 

 " What's that ? " On looking round I saw a large object 

 floating or flying through the air at an altitude of 

 from thirty-five to forty feet. " My net, where's my 

 net ? " was my rapid nnswer, as I seized on that imple- 

 ment, and rushed off in pursuit, 



" And from field to field the boy it led 

 While he pursued the flying thing." 



But, alas ! it never stopped, only once descending and 

 that a very little, apparently with the object of resting 

 on some sallows that grew on the margin of a large 

 pool, but being disturbed by some youthful bathers, 

 the descent was only sufficient for me to ascertain 

 without doubt that it was a couple of V. Antiopa, in 

 cop., the unusual appearance being caused by only 

 one pair of wings being used, as is the case on all such 

 occasions. Having now to make a detour of some two 

 hundred yards to cross a bridge I for a minute lost 

 sight of them, and when again I saw them they were 

 apparently choosing a resting-place on the summit of 

 the willows with which the place abounds, and so 

 leading where I could not follow. I had only to rest 

 and cool and bemoan my lot after a chase of some 

 mile or more on one of the hottest afternoons we 

 have been favoured with this season ; but the mere 

 thought of such a capture is some amelioration of the 

 disappointment even while it seems to augment the same 

 still more. I should be glad to learn if these insects 

 always keep so determinedly out of harm's way on 

 such occasions — of course if they only descended, they 

 would prove an easy capture, from the fact that two 

 insects are carried by one pair of wings. I may say I 

 had almost the same tantalising fortune on Thursday, 

 August 25th at Heme Bay, for I then saw a very good 

 specimen of the same insect that had just been cap- 

 tured by a collector and who assured me he should 

 record it in the " Entomologist," which I have no doubt 

 he has done.— Collis Willmott, F.R.M.S. 



Green Tree-frogs. — In answer to R. Crossley's 

 note on green tree-frogs in the June number of 

 Science-Gossip, I should like to give my experience 

 on the subject. I have kept the frogs for two years, 

 having brought them from Pegli, in Italy, in July, 

 1878. I have never found them turn black if only 

 kept in water with a little wooden ladder to sit on, 

 but if I have given twigs of trees, especially the oak, 

 they have become spotted with black. I always let 

 them (if I am in the room) sit on the window, where 

 they catch their own flies. They crawl up to the 

 very top of the windows, and with one leap alight on 

 the floor. There are some at the Zoological Gardens 

 which are fed on meal-worms. I never feed mine in 

 the winter, but they do not seem to sleep. They are 

 quite tame. — Evelyn Fowke. 



Blue Pimpernel.— In reply to your correspon- 

 dent A. M. P.'s query for localities for the blue 

 pimpernel (Anagallis cern/ea), I may state that a 

 year or two since I found it in a field in this neigh- 

 bourhood. Its incomparably lovely blue at once 

 arrested my attention. The scarcity of this colour 

 in birds, insects, and flowers is certainly very remark- 



