HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



283 



own observation, when I was in the New Forest 

 some year or two since I saw in the possession of 

 one of the keepers a remarkably handsome variety 

 of the great spotted woodpecker (Picus major). 

 It was pure milk white, with a scarlet head. — 

 Joseph Anderson, jun., Chichester. 



Habits of Herons. — I should be glad if any 

 informant can kindly answer the following queries : 

 — 1. Heronries are in oak or fir woods. Can an 

 exception be instanced ? 2. Herons and rooks, it is 

 stated, seldom build in company. Is this the case 

 in the northern part of England? 3. Are not 

 heronries sometimes situated at a considerable dis- 

 tance from water? Any notes as to the habits of 

 this fine bird will be of much interest.— F. H. Ar- 

 nold, LL.B., Fishboume. 



Damar as a Mounting Medium. — I have read 

 your correspondent's (Mr. Charles Williams) excel- 

 lent article under the above heading in last month's 

 Science-Gossip, and quite agree with him as to the 

 superiority of damar, especially that in tubes, over 

 Canada balsam. I have never found any difficulty 

 in getting rid of air-bubbles ; but there is oue 

 drawback to its use, viz., that it requires a tough 

 varnish to prevent the cover from slipping. I have 

 tried the shellac varnish mentioned, but find it very 

 liable to crack. I have known slides which have 

 had two or three coats of shellac, and also a coat of 

 ornamental varnish over that, crack and let the 

 coloured varnish run in, and of course spoil the 

 object. I should be very much obliged if any of 

 your correspondents would recommend a varnish 

 suitable for damar which will neither run in nor 

 crack. Speaking of ornamental or finishing var- 

 nishes, I have tried those mentioned in Science- 

 Gossip for April, 1S76, page 77, under the heading 

 "White and Coloured Varnish for Ringing Slides," 

 and found them answer perfectly. They are easily 

 prepared, and very neat and pretty. I should 

 advise any one who has not seen them to give them 

 a trial.—/. A. Le M. H. 



The Singulak Stones near Ticuborne.— 

 These peculiar stones, mentioned by your corre- 

 spondent Helen E. Watney, are very easily ex- 

 plained. The late Colonel George Greenwood, who 

 resided lately at Brookwood, at the entrance to 

 which estate these stones stand, was very fond of 

 amusing himself with improving the appearance of 

 roads in the neighbourhood. In one way he did 

 this by planting copper-beech-frees all along the 

 hedges bounding the piece of land called the Dene, 

 a common, and having at some time found some 

 large boulder-stones at a small village called Erox- 

 field, the idea struck him that they would look 

 fanciful if placed on the Dene. One large stone 

 was consequently blasted with powder, and the 

 pieces, together with several smaller stones, were 

 drawn down to their present position by an old 

 carter, about twenty years ago, and this old man is 

 still alive. The pieces were brought down on a 

 timber-waggon, and hoisted with the timber crane 

 under Colonel George Greenwood's instructions ; 

 and it was his idea thai it would imitate Stone- 

 henge on a small scale. This is the true history of 

 these stones, well known to any resident in this 

 neighbourhood, and they have no connection what- 

 ever with any Druidical temple. — West Meon. 



Jelly containing Diatoms, &c. — I have dis- 

 covered a place rich in a jelly containing Diatoms, 

 Desmids, &c. ; also an earthy matter adhering to a 



perpendicular rock (it had the appearance of mortar 

 splashed upon the wall in the operation of rough- 

 cast), it also contains Diatoms, Desmids, &c. There 

 grew a jelly-like substance resembling leaves here 

 and there among it. — /. J. M. 



Microscopical. — Will some of the readers of 

 Science-Gossip kindly inform me how to treat 

 spiders so as to preserve them for a collection, and 

 also how to mount them for microscopical study. I 

 mean what media to use, &c. — F. E. Fletcher. 



Sparrowhawk and Crow.— What does " A. P." 

 mean, in Science-Gossip for October, under the 

 head of " Sparrowhawk and Crow," when he says : 

 " I found the cause of the commotion to be a large 

 sparrowhawk clinging to the spire " ? Does " A. P." 

 mean to say that sparrowhawks can lessen their 

 size according as they wish to suit their purpose ? 

 This would seem evident from what he says a little 

 farther on: "A few days after, the same hawk 

 again visited the church in the middle of the day, 

 but as the pigeons were not in the field feeding, it 

 sailed round three or four times and then departed. 

 The only thing noticeable about the sparrowhawk 

 was its small size." That is, the sparrowhawk was 

 a large one a few days since, but to- clay it is of 

 " small size."-/. W. D. 



EXCHANGES (continued). 



Hooker's "Species Filicum," parts in, 15, and 16, are 

 offered for parts 11 and 12.— Mr. Cox, 92, Denmark-street, 

 Camberwell, S. E. 



Wanted. — Fifteenth Report of East Kent Nat Hist. Soc. 

 18/3. Good exchange given. H. E. Freeman, 48, Woodstock- 

 road, Finsbury-park, N. 



I have reserved a section of Fossil Vegetable Tissue for a 

 correspondent in Boston, U.S. America (whose address I 

 have lost), for his section of Djg-rose (double stained). — 

 John Butterworth. 



Wanted.— Tracings of the figures and descriptions of 

 Palaeozoic Polyzoa, from King's Catalogue (Goldfuss's) ; 

 120 "Quart. Jour, of Geo. Soc." (J. Young's); Phillips's 

 " Petrifactions of Derbyshire " ; " Annals and Mag. of Nat. 

 History," vol. xv. Slides of Micro-Geology will be given in 

 exchange.— G. R. Vine, Attercliffe, Sheffield. 



BOOKS, &c, RECEIVED. 



"The Geology of England and Wales." By H. B. Wood- 

 ward. London : Longmans & Co. 



" Geological Map of Scotland.'' By Prof. Geikie. London 

 and Edinburgh : W. & A . K. Johnston. 



"Monthly Microscopical Journal." November. 



" The Naturalist." November. 



"American Naturalist." October. 



" Land and Water." November. 



*' Les Mondes." November. 



" Monthly Journal of Education." November. 



"The Argonaut." November. 



" Botanische Zeitung." October. 



" Ben Brierley's Journal." November. 



Transactions of " Manchester Geological Society; " "East- 

 bourne Natural History Society; " " Watford Natural History 

 Society; " " Quekett Club; " 



Communications Rkceivbd up to 7tu lti.t. peom : — 

 J. C— R. B.— J. F. R.-C W.-G. B.-A. S.-F. J. -J. W. D. 

 — C. D. W.— F. K.— C F. W.-G. G.— W. E. S.-W. G. P.— 

 -J. B. S. C— W. M.-S. E.-J. K.-C E. E. -G. S.— E. E.— 

 G. C. D.— J G. H. -J. S. W.-R. P. C— R. B. -W. M. R.— 



E. E. E.— C W. C.-J. W. R. -T. E. W.-R. R. T.— G. W. C. 

 G. H. P.-A. B.-E. B. T.-Prof. B.-J. W.-Dr. H. W. L.— 

 G. H. K.— S. A. S.-G. H. A. -J. M.— H. L.-S. C S.— D. B. 

 — C P. O.— G. G.-E. C M.-S. A. S.— A. S.— S. A. B.— 

 J. B D.— W.J. -Dr. F.-W. H. S.-Dr. E. J. T. -G. H. A.— 

 — E. S A.-L. J. M. -J. S. H.-W. L. S. -E. B.— C W.— 

 -J.W. M.— B. M. O.-T. B. W.— H. I. T.-J. S. W.— J.W. B. 

 —Sir P. G. E.-H. A. F.— F. C. H. D.-W.E. S.— F. M. C W. 



— G. W. L— W. H. G.-A. H.-CW. H.— Dr. E. B. A.— M. F. 

 -C P. H. -T. B — T.W.— D. A. -J. J. M.— F. F. -J. A L. H. 



— W. S.-J. B. S. -J B.-H. B.-E. E.— J. G. — W. F.— 

 W. R. H.— A. J. A— H. C C— J. A. jun.-E. C— J. H. L.— 

 R. G.-W. B.— A. M. C— C D. W.— H. E. F.— H. A. F.— 



F. L. C. R.— G. R. V. -T. D.— C F. S.-G. S.-F. H. A.— 

 &c, &c. 



