2S2 



JIARDWICKE'S SCIENCE- GOSSIP. 



successive springs, upon the same branch almost, 

 tufts of white, piuk, and deep scarlet flowers have 

 appeared. This singular appearance of the white 

 tuft of flowers upon the Scarlet Thorn I found a 

 short time ago had been clearly explained by Mr. 

 Charles Darwin, in thelst volume of his work, "The 

 Variations of Animals and Plants under Domestica- 

 tion," page 377, where he states : " Crataegus oay/a- 

 cantha, a dark scarlet hawthorn, has been known to 

 throw out a single tuft of pure white blossoms ; and 

 Mr. A. Clapham, nursery-man of Bradford, informs 

 me that his father had a deep crimson thorn grafted 

 on a white thorn, which during several years always 

 bore high above the graft bunches of white, pink, 

 and deep crimson flowers." The appearance of the 

 white ilower is the tendency shown in the tree to 

 revert back to the colour of the parent stock, — the 

 white thorn upon which it was grafted, as is the 

 case with Adam's Laburnum, or Cijtisus Adami, which 

 so frequency produces racemes of yellow and purple 

 flowers alternately upon the same branch. — Elizabeth 

 Edwards. 



Teucrium chamjedrys {Wall Germander).— I 

 should be much obliged if any of the readers of 

 Science-Gossip would inform me if this plant was 

 supposed formerly to possess any medicinal value, 

 as this would throw a light upon its being found 

 growing wild, only in this part of Shropshire, on an 

 almost inaccessible ruin of YVenlock Abbey, also on 

 a rock close to a hermit's cave, at a distance of some 

 miles from the Abbey. It has been found growing 

 on the ruins of Palmyra. The question that sug- 

 gests itself to me is this — can hermits and crusaders 

 have brought over the plant from the Desert and 

 the Holy Laud for the sake of its medicinal virtues ? 

 I believe it is rareiy found, and is described as a wild 

 flower which has become naturalised. It would be 

 interesting if others would describe the site on which 

 they have found it growing. — S. E. 



Gold-fish in Confinement. — These fish are 

 undeniably ticklish to manage; and I should attri- 

 bute the injuries Mr. Hambrugh's specimens exhibit 

 to malicious "nips" given by one to the other. 

 Some authorities tell us that when gold-fish (or other 

 species) attack each other in the aquarium, it is 

 because the food is insufficient or unsuitable. I have 

 seen gold-fish, during the winter months elaborately 

 fed with bread crumbs, every particle not eaten 

 being removed, if possible, lest the water should be 

 soured ; but I cannot think such a plan is requisite. 

 In the time of my great-grandfather, as I know from 

 a family tradition, those who kept gold-fish changed 

 the water of the globe daily, uuless the weather was 

 cold. This must have been far from conducive to 

 the longevity of the fish. — /. R. S. C. 



Tennyson, and his "Sea-blue Bird of 

 March."— It is amusing to read the various 

 speculations which have been indulged in as to the 

 species the poet meant to indicate by an epithet 

 familiar to the students of " In Memoriam." At 

 least four birds have been contended for, and I will 

 put them alphabetically, as their order in matter of 

 probability is open to debate ; namely, the Fieldfare, 

 the Kingfisher, the Tomtit, and the Wheatear. But 

 if this had been penned by Wordsworth, and not, by 

 his successor in the Laureateship, he would have 

 saved us all trouble in the way of speculation, 

 by adding to the allusion the familiar name of the 

 bird meant. I think, however, that the debaters 

 have overlooked one important point: much de- 

 pends upon whether Tennyson speaks of an arriving 



or of a departing species, since March brings sum- 

 mer visitants, though it also dismisses our winter 

 residents. Is it not likely he had in his eye the 

 rapid flight of some bird preparing to leave England ? 

 And it should be noted that in some editions of ''In 

 Memoriam" the phrase stood, " the blue sea-bird 

 of March."— J. 22. S. C 



Local Names of Birds. — Your correspondent, 

 "DiptonBurn," in Science-Gossip, p. 191, mentions 

 that the Yellow Hammer is, in Northumberland, 

 called the Yellow Yorlin. This, 1 think, is a mis- 

 take ; as, although I have been a resident all my 

 life in this county, 1 have never heard it called by 

 that name. It is generally designated the Yellow 

 Yowley, but I have heard it calied Yellow Yorlin in 

 the south of Scotland. — /. 67. Henderson, Newcastle- 

 on-Tyne. 



Volvox Globator.— I see in Science-Gossip 

 for August, among Notes and Queries, a ques- 

 tion, " Is it usual to find the Voloox globator only 

 during about a forr night in June, and for it then 

 quite to disappear ? " I met with it last year in 

 great abundance in ponds at Esher early iti April, 

 and again in the same pouds late in August. This 

 year, being at Surbiton about the middle of June, I 

 revisited these ponds, but did not meet with a 

 single specimen. Any person going from Surbiton 

 to Esher and stopping there, ought to find them at 

 the proper season, if he passes under an archway 

 just before reaching the station, and follows a road 

 tor about 200 yards, where the common ends. Near 

 this point, on the right-hand side of the road 

 (which, when I last visited it, was covered with a 

 beautilul Ilottonia pal/tstris, then in full blos- 

 som), I think, if he goes at the right time, your 

 correspondent will not be disappointed. — Robert 

 Baltersby. 



Stag-beetle.— A short time since, on the re- 

 moval of a decayed oak-post in my garden, the post 

 was found to be perforated in its whole length with 

 numerous openings produced by the larvse of the 

 Lucanus cervus or Stag-beetle. Eight or nine full- 

 grown larvae in an active state were found, with a • 

 female Stag-beetle in a torpid state. With a view 

 to preserve them, I put them in a large garden pot, 

 with some of the rotten wood and mould, as I 

 thought that some of the readers of Science- 

 Gossip might like to have a few specimens. The 

 Lucanus, thougli plentiful at times in Kent, is not 

 often seen in the northern counties of England. If 

 reference is made to the hack volumes of Science- 

 Gossip, May, 1863, page 10S, a beautiful engraving 

 of the Lucanus in all stages will be found taken from 

 a work by Professor Blanchard. It is stated that 

 the larvse vary in size when full-grown, depending 

 upon the kind of wood they feed on.— J. B. Spencer, 

 Blackheath. 



Pronunciation of Names. — Will you kindly 

 tell me how those generic names which are derived 

 from the names of foreigners should be pro- 

 nounced ? Should they be pronounced as if they 

 were simply Latin words, or should the foreign 

 pronunciation be retained ? For example -. — Gleir/ie- 

 niii, is this to be Glykenia or Glyshennia ? Selliguea, 

 is this to be Selliguea or Sellega? Lachenalia, should 

 this be Lakenaglia or Lah-shen-ah-lia ? — B.C. 



Colour of Birds, No. 143, p. 259.— In reply to 

 your correspondent " A. P.," who desires to know 

 what BritisLi birds have been discovered white, and 

 who enumerates several which have come under his 



