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HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE - GO SSIP. 



uncommon plants, for which I gave my word not to 

 divulge the place to any one, and I would not break 

 it on any account, as I look upon it as sacred. In 

 one case I refused information to a well-known 

 botanist, who was very wishful to know where I 

 gathered a certain specimen, having promised not 

 to divulge the locality. I kept my honour, and 

 also satisfied him by giving him a duplicate of the 

 plant required. I hope these few hints may be the 

 means of calling attention to this serious matter — 

 IT. E. Wilkinson, Anerley, S.E. 



Testing Fungi.— Being practically acquainted 

 almost from childhood with most of our common 

 edible fungi, allow me to assure your readers gene- 

 rally, and " J. P. Soulter " in particular, that the test 

 he quotes for ascertaining the wholesomeness or 

 otherwise of mushrooms is not only fallacious, but 

 likely, if relied upon, to lead to mischief. As a 

 matter of fact, whether bruised with a gold ring or 

 with the finger, or in any other way, most fungi 

 would show a change of colour. The only mush- 

 room I remember which would turn yellow when 

 bruised is the St. George's Mushroom (Agaricus 

 gambosus), one of the earliest of the true mush- 

 rooms ; aud therefore, though it is perfectly whole- 

 some, it would be condemned by the gold-ring test. 

 The Ox Mushroom {Agaricus bovinus), another 

 edible variety of the common mushroom, properly 

 so called, would turn of a dull red colour. I sus- 

 pect (though I have never actually tested it) that 

 many of the poisonous fungi would fail to show a 

 yellow tinge when bruised. Some, as the poisonous 

 boleti, would turn green, purple, or blue, and others 

 would doubtless show little or no sign of yellow. 

 The safest guide to the edible kinds is a careful 

 study of one of the good books now published on 

 the subject ; and no one should attempt to eat fungi 

 unless he has first assured himself of their whole- 

 someness by this means, or by the practical teaching 

 of some one who knows what they really are.— 

 Martin Gardner, Leyton. 



Yolvox Globator — In answer to the inquiry in 

 a recent number (August) as to the Volvox only 

 being met with in June, in my experience I have 

 met with them this year in May, and every month 

 up to the present, and last year I certainly met with 

 them in September. With respect to the Rotifers 

 in Volvox, they are mostly found in the latter 

 months. 1 have seen specimens almost daily the 

 last three weeks, and not only Rotifers, but Roti- 

 fers in the egg, showing movement of the cilia and 

 of the gizzard, and also eggs not so far developed. 

 In one Yolvox which I examined last night I saw 

 three active Rotifers, two eggs showing movement, 

 four eggs similar but quiescent, and four green 

 spheres ; thirteen in all. There is, in my opinion, 

 no question that some Rotifers are developed in the 



Yolvox. The study of the Volvox at this particu- 

 lar time is well worthy of the attention of the 

 microscopist — 0. F. Chardrell, Hon. Sec. M. S. of 

 Liverpool. 



White and Scarlet Thorn.— At Desercreight 

 Rectory, Tullyhogue, co. Tyrone, there is a scarlet 

 thorn budded on a white species, which bears 

 flowers alternately white, scarlet, and pink. This, 

 I think, proves that the sap affects the colouring of 

 the florescence, as in the case of the Cytisus budded 

 on the Laburnum, which produces racemes of yellow 

 and purple flowers alternately— & A. Brenan. 



Peculiar Horse-chestnut.— A horse-chestnut 

 at Ardbraccan Palace, co. Meath, covers nearly a 

 quarter of an acre, having the peculiarity of the 

 banyan-tree, the branches falling and taking root 

 again.— S. A. Brenan. 



Botany op the Isle of Wight.— Having been 

 for some weeks this summer at Niton, in the Isle 

 of Wight, I can state, for the information of 

 botanists, that Cyperus longus is still growing 

 plentifully in its old station near St. Catherine's 

 Point, as discovered by the late Dr. Bromfield. 

 Near it grow Mentha rotandifolia and Astragalus 

 glycyphyllos, the latter in the rocky fields adjoining. 

 Sambucus ebulus is to be found near the lighthouse, 

 and Carex distans in its old station by the side of a 

 brook at Rocken End, along the banks of which 

 Hypnum commutatum is ab undant, but I could not 

 find any fruit at all. In the sandy districts of the 

 interior there is found Agrostis setacea, that very 

 beautiful grass, and I once found another equally 

 beautiful about a couple of miles in the interior, 

 viz. Gastridium lendigerum. In some of the 

 swamps by the Medina Lastrcea thelypteris is in 

 great profusion, and in the bogs Comarum palustre, 

 Menyanihes trifoliata, and Sphagnum in fruit. 

 Geranium lucidum is plentiful in the lanes, and 

 on the top of the cliff about nalfway towards 

 St. Lawrence (from which, by the way, a most mag- 

 nificent view is to be obtained), Carduus marianus, 

 and Caucalis daucoides, and among the trees, at the 

 foot of the cliff in the same place, Cryphora 

 heteromalla. As stated in the " Phytologist," 

 Rocella tinctoria, var. Phycopsis, covers half of the 

 church at Godshill. Among the algse Maugeria 

 sanguinea, Ealurus equisetifolius, and Davya 

 coccinea are plentiful. Mr. Grattan, in his inte- 

 resting book on the sea-weeds, states that he finds 

 Davya coccinea most plentiful in the coves west of 

 Yentnor, and I can fully corroborate this. It is 

 singular that, though I searched carefully, I did 

 not find one single specimen of any one of the 

 mtophylla so common at Dover and Folkestone.— 

 T. IF. 



Ferns found at Sopley, and Neighbour- 

 hood, Hants— Thinking it might interest some 



