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HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



There are also many, the relations of which have 

 not yet been satisfactorily determined. Among the 

 most remarkable of these animals are a number of 

 gigantic species, to the first-discovered of which the 

 name TJintathereum was applied— from the Uintah 

 mountains, uear which .it was found— in form and 

 size somewhat intermediate between the elephant 

 and the rhinoceros, but differing in some respects 

 from both, and having three pairs of great horn-like 

 projections on the top of the head, and huge tren- 

 chant canine tusks. These animals, which were 

 entirely unknown five years ago, have been found in 

 such abundance that the museum of Yale College 

 alone now contains remains of more than a hundred 

 individuals, some of them in excellent preservation. 

 There are also large rhinoceros-like animals with a 

 pair of horns side by side on the nose, and various 

 new kinds of carnivora, rodents, and lemurs. Many 

 new forms of the Horse and of the Camel family have 

 also been found, some of which we have already 

 referred to in Science- Gossip. 



Columnar, Eissile, and Spheroidal Struc- 

 ture op Igneous Rocks. — The Rev. T. G. Bonney, 

 M.A., E.G.S., has recently read a paper on this sub- 

 ject before the Geological Society of London. 

 Some of the above structures have recently been 

 discussed by Mr. Mallet and Professor J. Thomson. 

 Both these authors agree in attributing columnar 

 structure to contraction due to loss of heat while 

 cooling, but differ in their explanation of cross joint- 

 ing and spheroidal structure. Mr. Bonney showed 

 that the principle proved by Mr. Mallet to be the 

 explanation of the columnar structure is capable of 

 a wider application. After a brief notice of some 

 instances of columnar structure, he described cases 

 of a fissile structure seen in certain igneous rocks 

 (especially in the Auvergne phonolites), closely re- 

 sembling true cleavage, and often mistaken for it ; 

 also the tabular jointing of rocks : a peculiar form 

 of this, where most of the segments are of a flat- 

 tened convexo-concave form ; spheroidal structure 

 and cup-and-ball structure. He showed by ex- 

 amples that Professor Thomson's explanation of 

 spheroidal structure was inadequate, and gave 

 reasons for considering all these structures to be 

 due to contraction. He also discussed more par- 

 ticularly the cup-and-ball structure, giving reasons 

 for thinking that the spheroidal and the horizontal 

 fissures were often to some extent independent 

 of each other. 



NOTES AND CtUERIES. 



American Birds' Eggs. — Would any of your 

 numerous American readers kindly furnish me 

 (through Science-Gossip) with the address of any 

 naturalist, or any one resident in America, from 

 whom 1 can purchase American birds' eggs?—? 1 . W. 

 Deal)/, 142, Clara?ice- street, SIteffield. 



Eritillaria Meleagris.— Can any of your 

 correspondents inform me of a locality for this 

 beautiful flower? It is stated by Bentham that it 

 occurs in some of the southern and eastern counties 

 in a wild state ; but I do not believe it is to be 

 found throughout Hampshire. I should esteem it 

 a favour if any one would send me a plant, and 

 would gladly pay postage for it. — Joseph Anderson, 

 juii., Chichester, Sussex. 



Notes on Natural History at Pomeroy, Co. 

 Tyrone.— Jan. 25th, Song Thrush commenced to 

 sing. March 1st, Erogs spawning. The saying 

 common in this neighbourhood is: "Blackbird or 

 Thrush which sings before Candlemas will be sure 

 to mourn many days afterwards." — SI. Arthur 

 Brenan, CIA., Cloughban. 



Eolk-lore of Plants.— " Culverkeys and 

 Gander - grass." — Johnson, in his Dictionary, 

 gives another quotation from "The Compleat 

 Angler," which will, perhaps, help us. "Looking 

 down the meadow, I could see a girl cropping cow- 

 slips and culverkeys to make garlands." Culver- 

 keys, then, is evidently a spring flower, growing in 

 low meadows, and of a blue colour. There is but 

 one British plant which corresponds with this, and 

 that is the Hyacinthus non-scriptus. Would E. 

 Edwards kindly say if the couplet identifying cul- 

 verkeys with pigeon peas is now to be heard, or is 

 it copied from some book ? Culver is, undoubt- 

 edly, the dove, but key means, beyond its usual 

 sense, the fruit of the ash, and, formerly, the 

 principal claw of a hawk's foot. If it means a seed- 

 vessel, it is not necessary to look for a fruit that 

 resembles a key, but for a fruit that resembles a 

 dove. I think the more probable meaning is that of 

 dove's claws. On the strength of this meaning the 

 Culverkey has been identified with the Colum- 

 bine, to which it would be certainly applicable ; 

 the chief difficulty being that it is generally a wood 

 plant. The lines quoted by Mrs. Edwards make a 

 difficulty in accepting the Hyacinth as the Cul- 

 verkey, as only two lines before, "the Red Hya- 

 cinth " is mentioned. In Awbrey's Wilts, the 

 Culverkey is mentioned, which, I suppose, is the 

 same. Gander-grass can hardly be identified 

 as Goose-grass, for I that plant is a summer in- 

 habitant of hedges, and its flowers are surely not 

 sufficiently conspicuous to make it a companion of 

 the red Hyacinth and yellow Daffodil. "Purple 

 Narcissus like the morning rays." Has any one, by 

 the bye, ever seen geese eating the Galium Aparine ? 

 And the same with Goose-tansy (Potentillaanserina). 

 I must admit I can produce no better explanation 

 of Gander-grass. Perhaps some other casual 

 note in "The Compleat Angler" may throw some 

 light on it. The Nettle. — 1 heard the other day of 

 a curious use to which the nettle is put in Guern- 

 sey. An infusion of the fresh plant is used to 

 make ginger-beer instead of water. It makes the 

 ginger-beer very refreshing, aud gives it a peculiar 

 pleasant flavour. Is Nettle-thread still used in any 

 part of Europe ? Local and old names of Plants. — 

 In an old dictionary I possess, by Phillips, the 

 nephew of Milton, occurs the following : " Gander- 

 gosses: an herb." What herb can this be? In 

 Wright and Halliwell's "Provincial Dictionary," 

 Gandergoose is given as equivalent to Ragwort. 

 This can hardly be the same as_ Gander-grass, 

 but may be Gandergosses. In Wright and Halli- 

 well's Dictionary the name Bat-in-water is given 

 as equivalent to Water-mint. In a manuscript 

 list of names, lent me by one of your corre- 



