96 



HARDWICKE S SC 1ENCE- GOSSIP. 



NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS AND EXCH ANOERS.— As We nOW 



publish Science-Gossip at least a week earlier than hereto- 

 fore, we cannot possibly insert in the following number any 

 communications which reach us later than the 8th of each 

 month. _^___ 



J. L. J.— It is quite a mistaken idea that a great reward has 

 been offered for the discovery of " Perpetual Motion." 



S. Radcliffe — Get Swainson's treatise on "Taxidermy '; 

 it may be obtained from most second-hand booksellers, and 

 will give you all the information you need. 



T. W. Dealt.— Your " French Butterfly " was very likely a 

 "Tortoise-shell" or " Peacock," which had escaped hyber- 

 nation. . , 



E. 8.— The specimens of twigs of Hawthorn, &c, on which 

 the " curious formation " was found, were covered with the 

 dried bodies of a species of Coccus which has been introduced 

 into this country. It is nearly allied to the Cochineal insect, 

 and, like the latter, the body of the female serves as a kind of 

 cocoon under which the eggs are hatched. It goes by the 

 name of the " Scale Insect." 



M. B. D.— The specimen you inclosed is certainly not a 

 moss. It is too difficult to specifically make out, but it seems 

 to be a species of Jungermanniu or " Scale-moss." It is not 

 worth mounting. 



J. Barrett.— The intestinal wcrms which caused the death 

 of your blackbirds were most likely the Echinorhyncus giga*, 

 one of the " Thorn-headed" worms, belonging to the order 

 Acanthocephala. They are found in mammals and fishes, as 

 well as birds, but have not hitherto been found in man. 



Erratum.— In Jan. No. of Science-Gossip, p. 12, first 

 column, the 28th line should read, " in the 6th vol. of The 

 Popular Science Monthly (New York)," instead of "this 

 magazine," as printed.— C. C. A. 



C. M. (Southport).— The red and black seeds are those of 

 Abrus precatorius, or " Wild Liquorice," a leguminous plant. 

 The pretty seeds are used in the West Indies for beads. The 

 yellow glistening objects appear to be the empty egg-cases of 

 some insects. 



E. H. W.— Gwyn Jeffrysand other conchological authorities 

 say nothing about the existence of any structural differences 

 in the sexes of the Anodonta. Perhaps some of our corre- 

 spondents will answer the question. 



Notes gn the Diptera.— Erratum.— On page 60, at the 

 15th line from the beginning of the paper, for Despunculida?, 

 read " Pipunculidse."— F. J. A. and H. M. J. U. 



T. E. Blom field.— The Section-cutter described in last 

 month's number has not yet been advertised. W ? e were 

 under the impression it was inserted then. 



F. Kyflofler.— The food of the caterpillar of Bombyx 

 (Attacus) yumi-mai is the leaves of oak. 



E. Lamplough— Your moss is Bryutn argenteum. 



L. Haves.— The specimens are as follows:— 1. Bartramia 

 fontana; 2. Hypnum aduncum ; 3. H. fluituns ; 4. Fontinalis 

 antipyretica ; 5. Frullania tamarisci ; 6. F. dilatata ; /. Rhaco- 

 mitrium lunuginosum ; 8. Hypnum rusciforme. 



M. Skiltoti.— 1. Dicranum scoparium ; 2. Hypnum cvpressi- 

 forme ; 3. Pot tin truncatula ; 4. Hypnum Swartzii. Both the 

 other specimens belong to Climacium. 



W. J. —Your mosses are: 1. Fissidens cryoides ; 2 and 4. 

 Weisiia contronerta ; 3. Pottia intermedia; 5. Homalia tri- 

 chomanoides ; 6. Bryum cernuum. 



M. Warren.— The following are the names of your mosses: 

 — 1. Hyp. cupressiforme, var. resvpinatum ; 2 and 10. H. 

 rutabulum; 3. Ceratodon purpureus; 4, 5,6, ". Hyp. fluituns ; 

 8. Hyp. aduncum; 9. Votmatodon nervosus. 



Ellen Fisher.— Your specimens are : — 1. (Reserved for 

 future report) ; 2. Bryum Zierii ; 3 and 5. B. pseudotriauetrum ; 

 4. B. ctespiticium ; 6. Blindia acuta; 7. Grimmia patens; 8. 

 Hypnum uncinatum ; 9. Didymodon rubellus ; 10. Lesquereuxia 

 striata. — R. B. 



Mrs. J. F. W.— If snow, cannot fall when the thermometer 

 is below freezing point, how is it that we have nothing but 

 snow falling above the snow-line and in the arctic and 

 antartic regions ? 



EXCHANGES. 



For P. angulatum with S. Gimma, well mounted as test 

 slide*, send good mounted objects to G. J. J., Broomfield 

 Cottage, Altrincham. 



Bulla hydatis, &c. for mounting Palates, for good Slides, 

 also Palates and Jaws of Gyrodus, for good Trilohites.— R. T. 

 Smith, 25, St. Alban's-street, Weymouth. 



Polyxenes, Lagunts and tail hairs of do. mounted ; also 

 Trans. Sec. of Tamarisk, Male Fern, Populus niger, Ulex 

 europaus, and section of Fern from Rob Roy's Cavern, a 

 beautiful object polarized, all mounted ; for good Slides.— G. 

 tiarrett, Harland House, Wherstead-road, Ipswich. 



1'ofi Membrane of Bat, send a stamped directed envelope 

 to W. H. Gomm, Somerton, Somerset. 



Wanted, Skins in good condition, of Insrssores, from 

 South America, Europe, Africa, or the East, for North Ameri- 

 can Birds' Skins and Eggs, Minerals, Coleoptera (described, but 

 unnamed), &c— Address, W. J. Hoffman, M.D., Reading, 

 Pennsylvania, U.S.A. 



A German Immersion l-25th (a capital Diatom I.ens), and 

 a little cash, for a good Immersion 1-I2th or 1 - 1 6th ; wet and 

 dry fronts preferred.— J. S. Harrison, 48, Lowgate, Hull. 



English Mechanic, vols. 19 and 20, and 21 numbers with 

 index of vol. 21, unbound, for B Eyepiece, or 2 in. Aero. 

 Objective for Microscope.— H. Ricket, 144, Coleman-street, 

 Whitmoreans, Wolverhampton. 



For Foraminifera from Mediterranean, send stamped 

 envelope to M., 41, Thornhill-road, London, N. 



Lepidoptera offered for good British Shells (Land and 

 Fresh- water and Marine) and Birds' Egas.— Address, Wm. S. 

 Smith, Albert House, Castle-street, Walmer. 



Wanted, first and third Reports of QuekettClub, also Mole 

 Crickets, for good Micro. Slides.— H. E. Freeman, 43, Wood- 

 stock road, Finsburv-park. N. 



Good Eocene Fossils (Isle of Wight), for others, from Crag 

 or for Foieign Land Shells— G. Sherriff Tye, 58, Villa-road, 

 Handswoith, Birmingham. 



A few Fossils, &c, for Pupa?, &c, or any volume of 

 Science-Gossip, unbound, except 1874 and 1875. — H. 

 Wiglesworth, Chilton Lodge, Rotherham. 



Mounted Crystals of Carbonate of Lime from an Irish 

 Ossiferous Cavern, and Crystals of Zeolite, from " Giant's 

 Causeway," good Polariscopic Objects, for others of equal 

 interest.— Wm. Gray, Mount Charles, Belfast. 



For mounted Scales of Sole, Hairs of Polyxenes lagurus, or 

 Olobigerina bulloides, send good mounted Slide for each 

 object required.— C. P. Ogilvie, Sizewell House, Leiston, 

 Suffolk. 



Eggs of Squacco Heron, Glossy Ibis, Little Ringed Plover, 

 Hooded Crow, and Spoonbill, for American or other Foreign 

 Birds' Eges only.— J. W. Dealy, 142, Clarence- street, Shef- 

 field, Yorkshire. 



Wanted, Specimens (growing) of Stratiotes aloides and 

 Hydrocharis morsus-rante ; will give in return Gymnogramma 

 leptophylla.— John Piquet, 12, York-street, Jersey. 



A pair of Raven's Eggs, taken this season, and blown in 

 the neatest possible manner; date and locality given. 

 Desiderata : Rare specimens of Lepidoptera in similarly good 

 condition. Unaccepted offers not answered.— Joseph Ander- 

 son, jun., Alrestord, Hants. 



A 9i in. " with Browning " silver on glass Reflecting Tele- 

 scope on Altazimuth stand, with wheel and handles for easily 

 moving it about gardens ; one Kelner and four Achromatic 

 Eyepieces, Barlow Lens, &c, all in excellent condition ; also 

 a good portable wooden house with zinc-covered roof, for a 

 good Microscope.— T. H. Buffham, Clarendon-road, Waltham- 

 stow. 



Fruit of Xenodochus carbonarius, and Spores of Puccinia 

 graminis, for well-mounted Entomological Slides or sections 

 of Wood, &c— C. J. Jones, Gilmore Range, Shaco Heath, 

 Stockport. 



Wanted, Slides of Entozoa, Entomostraca, Desmids, 

 Diatoms, Polyzoa, &c, for good Slides or Material, Injection 

 Syringe. &c. ; Material wanted also.— W. Tylar, 165, W r ell- 

 street, Birmingham. 



Palates of Doris tuberculata and Cyclostoma elegans, well 

 mounted in glycerine, for good Palates of the less common 

 British Mollus'ca, preferably in glycerine or unmounted.— 

 Offtrsto Edward Horsnaill, 11, Snargate-street, Dover. 



For Tufts of Flustra/oliacea, send either stamped envelope 

 or any object of interest to T. Comlidge, 5, Norfolk- street, 

 Brighton. 



For specimens of inside of Cactus Leaf (from Jamaica), 

 for the polariscope, send stamped directed envelope to 

 Charles Williams, Kingmead Villa, Woolcott-park. Redland, 

 Bristol. 



Duplicates : Semele, Tritici, Multistrigaria, Vallxgera, 

 Deutina, Canigera, Morpheus, Alsines, Testacea, L. Comma, 

 Bnsilinea, H. marginata, Fallens, Impura, Strigilis, &c, for 

 other Lepidoptera or Birds' Eggs.— John E. Robson, Seaview- 

 tenace, Hartlepool. 



BOOKS, &C, RECEIVED. 



" Physical Geography." By W. D. Cooley. London : Dulau 

 & Co. , 



' 'Class-l»ook of Chemistry." By E. L Youmans. London : 

 H. S. King & Co. „ _ 



" Myths and Songs from the South Pacific." By Rev. W. 

 W. Gill. London: H. S. King & Co. 



" Animals and Plants under Domestication. 2 vols., 

 second edition. By Charles Darwin. London : John Murray. 



" Monthly Microscopical Journal." March. 



"American Naturalist." January and February. 



"Journal of Applied Science." March. 



" Land and Water." March. 



" Ben Brierley's Journal." March. 



" Transactions of Watford Nat. Hist. Society. Part 3. 



" Fancier's Journal." January and February. 



