HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



67 



aquariuM, for they retain their vitality for an 

 indefinite period, while waiting for a suitable host. 

 Each parasite appears to have its peculiar host, and 

 can live and pass into the perfect state in no other 

 which is not closely allied to it. Thus the Ascaris 

 mystce, the guest of the domestic cat, lives indifferent 

 species of Felis ; while the fox, so similar in ap- 

 pearance to the wolf and the dog, cannot develop 

 the Teenia serrata, so common in the latter animal. 

 This fact may allay any fears excited by your 

 correspondent's communication. It is extremely 

 improbable (I may say impossible) that the eggs of 

 a nematode peculiar to a cold-blooded fish should 

 find a congenial habitat in the stomach of a man. — 

 •/. P., Maidenhead. 



BOTANY. 



The Juniper. — The friend of T. C, who supposes 

 that this pretty shrub "grows wild" in Sussex, 

 only near Steyning, is in error, as may be observed 

 from Mr. Hemsley's note thereon, "Abundant on 

 the Downs westward, but very rare east of Brigh- 

 ton." It is not inserted in Mr. Roper's excellent 

 Flora of Eastbourne, which endorses the above ; 

 but any climber of our Downs in the direction of 

 Hampshire will meet with it in plenty, with abun- 

 dance of berries. On the hills around Kingley Vale, 

 it luxuriates, and upon it, on our Downs, last year 

 occurred the orange Podisoma juniperi. H. E. 

 Wilkinson has a difficulty with respect to the height 

 of /. communis, and I would take this opportunity 

 of a gossip, although only partly in re. In the De- 

 cember number of the Journal of Botany, my asser- 

 tion that Cladium mariscus grew at Arundel was 

 doubted ; but he kindly and unexpectedly removes 

 all doubt by these words : " I gathered the plant 

 last autumn from the banks of the lake in Arundel 

 Park, Sussex." The question as to the height 

 attained by /. communis, I can only thus answer. 

 Syme says it varies from 2 to 4 ft., but he certainly 

 underrates its growth. When exposed to the winds 

 it is apt to become stunted, but in lower and shel- 

 tered situations it may be found here from 5 to G ft. 

 high. — F. II. Arnold, Fishbourne, Chicliester. 



Local Names or Plants. — Allow me to add to 

 the list of local names of plants which have lately 

 appeared in Science-Gossip, the very strange name 

 given in Cumberland to the earth-nut (Bunium 

 flexuosum). It is called a "yowe yorlin." Why, I 

 cannot tell. Yowe is the vulgar pronunciation of 

 ewe. But I am not aware of yorlin being ever used 

 otherwise, either singly or in combination. The 

 nearest word in sound is "gorlin" a little naked 

 object, as an unfledged young bird, but neither of 

 these names has any connection with the plant. 

 I may add also the Cumberland name of Bistorta 



major, " Easter magianty." This, I think, is not, as 

 some say, from the Erench word manger, to eat, as 

 meaning something to be eaten at Easter. It is rather 

 a gross corruption of the scientific name. People 

 not knowing the meaning of bistorta or major have 

 called the former Easter, and the latter magianty. 

 Let me add that the usual meaning given to 

 Aquilegia the columbine, is probably a mistake. It 

 is said to be from aauila an eagle; but then the latter 

 half of the word is left out altogether. Is it not 

 from aqua, water, and lego, to collect, from the little 

 globules of dew or rain so conspicuous on the leaves 

 of the plant?— 22. W. 



Centaurea solstitialis.— Dr. Morton asks in 

 the last number of Science-Gossip to be informed 

 in what locality this is an established plant. I do 

 not think it will be found to be so anywhere in Eng- 

 land : it is a native of the south of Europe. It is 

 occasionally found in the neighbourhood of Brighton, 

 here and there a single plant, generally in lucern, 

 InGrenierandGodron's "Flora of Erance," it is said 

 to "infest the fields in the south, found {se retrouve) 

 in the north, but exclusively in fields of lucern." 

 I am led to suppose, therefore, that the seeds of 

 the plant are brought from the south of France 

 mixed with those of lucern ; and flowering here 

 from July till September, it is cut with the autumn 

 crop, and prevented from ripening its seeds, even if 

 it would otherwise do so in this climate, which it 

 probably would not ; and being an annual, the plant 

 would not spring up again. I have occasionally 

 met with it by the roadside at Nice, and along the 

 coast from there to Marseilles in July and August ; 

 Hooker mentions it with an asterisk, to show that 

 it is not a native of this country, and that it no 

 longer exists in given localities. — T. B. W., Brighton. 



The Colours of Spring Flowers. — Some in- 

 teresting observations on the flowering of spring 

 plants have just been made at the meeting of the 

 Edinburgh Botanical Society by the Vice-president, 

 Mr. Buchan, who, with a view of discovering what 

 may be learned from the budding, leafing, and 

 flowering of plants and trees, has collected the fol- 

 lowing information on the subject : — It appears 

 from the result of noting the average dates of 

 flowering of 32 species at the Royal Botanical 

 Gardens during 26 years, that the six latest springs 

 were— 1855, when the flowering was 30 days later 

 than the average ; 1870, when flowering was 16 days ; 

 1853, 14 days ; 1856, 13 days ; 1857 and 1865, each 

 12 days later. The five earliest springs were 1874, 

 when flowering was 23 days earlier than the average 

 date ; 1869, when it was 19 days ; 1851, 13 days ; 

 and 1858 and 1866, each 11 days earlier. The two 

 extremes show a difference between the dates of 

 flowering in different years of fifty-three days. The 

 longest deviations from the average were before the 



