i6 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



•the Q. K. sessiliflora which is very rare. Hazel and 

 willow are frequent in the layer of the alder, and 

 occasionally found in that of the oak. 



There is a slight discrepancy between my two 

 authorities as regards the beech ; Daa states that it 

 is not found even in the uppermost layer of the 

 mosses ; but Erslev mentions its presence there along 

 with the alder, stating that north of the Eider it is 

 found only in the most recent layers, and that even 

 in Holstein, south of that boundary, its presence in 

 any of the older ones is doubtful. That the Scotch 

 fir, once the prevailing aborigine of the Danish forest, 

 should have so completely lost its inheritance that a 

 century ago not a single specimen existed in all 

 Denmark which had not been planted, is a remark- 

 able fact ; it has been said also that when planted it 

 does not thrive, while, on the other hand, plantations 

 of the spruce fir, an exotic quite unknown in the 

 primeval forest of Denmark, are in a flourishing 

 state. Stone implements found in the peat-mosses, 

 together with the remains of Scotch firs, afford pre- 

 sumptive evidence that man was here coeval with 

 them ; and Stenstrup has also shown that place- 

 names derived from this tree, such as Fur and 

 Fureby, render probable the continuance of its 

 growth after the present Gothic or Teutonic race had 

 possessed themselves of the land. In the western 

 districts of Jutland and some parts of Funen, the 

 intermixture of leaves of Scotch fir in its composition 

 has produced a light-coloured, fattish kind of peat, 

 which the peasants use for light, by placing successive 

 portions of it upon the hearth ; where it burns with 

 a clear flame, and with a smell like that of burning 

 amber. They also use splinters of the fossil tree to 

 carry about the house, instead of candles. 



Amongst other conjectures to account for these 

 successive changes of forest-growths, is that of 

 changed conditions of the soil ; arising in part, at 

 least, from the exhaustion by one species of the 

 peculiar aliment necessary for its vigorous life, 

 and for the lack of which it dies out, and gives place 

 to another for which the condition of the soil has 

 become more favourable. 



Prognostications of Winter.— With reference 

 to Mr. W. Ellis's, Enfield, remarks on abundance of 

 hips, haws, and holly berries, foretelling a severe 

 winter — there are none this year in this vicinity, 

 while last autumn they were most abundant. Yet the 

 winter was a very mild one. The previous winter 

 was very severe, but the before-mentioned berries 

 were scarce. I have frequently remarked an abun- 

 dance of berries in autumn followed by a mild winter. 

 I believe that abundance or the contrary is like that 

 of most fruits (it very rarely happens there are two 

 consecutive good fruit seasons), and that it has no 

 connection with the severity or mildness of the ensuing 

 winter. — W, Hamilton. 



MICROSCOPY. 



Mourne Diatoms.— In Dr. Carpenter on the 

 "Microscope," Davies on "Mounting Microscopic 

 Objects," and other works, mention is made of Dia- 

 tomaceous Fossil Deposit of Mourne Mountain and 

 South Mourne, in Ireland, and in several catalogues 

 the dealers in material offer slides of Diatoms from 

 Lough Mourne. There is a Lough Mourne in co. 

 Antrim, near Carrickfergus, where there is a deposit 

 of fossil Diatoms well known to Belfast microscopists, 

 who are unacquainted with any in the Mourne 

 Mountains. Can any one give the precise locality in 

 the mountain range of Mourne in S.W. of co. Down, 

 and date of the discovery ?— //. IV. Lett, M.A. 



"The Micrographic Dictionary." — We have 

 received Parts 14, 15, 16, and 17 of the fourth edition 

 of this admirable work, now being issued by Van 

 Voorst, bringing the subject-matter up to Saliconiaria, 

 in alphabetical order of arrangement. 



Obituary. — Our microsophical readers will be 

 sorry to hear of the death of Mr. Andrew Pritchard, 

 author of the well-known " Manual of the Infusoria," 

 published in 1 841, and which has been long remark- 

 able for the high price a copy fetched. Mr. Pritchard 

 lived through the most important period of the 

 development of microscopical research, and has now 

 died at the ripe age of 78 years. 



Forms of Heliopelta. — I have just seen for the 

 first time Science-Gossip for 1877, vol. 13 ; and 

 I notice, p. 37, the query of Mr. G. M. Gowan. 

 Probably the information he has sought for has been 

 obtained long ago, but if not it will be useful even at 

 this late day. Ralfs in Pritchard, 4th edition, 1861, 

 seems to have been the first to introduce confusion 

 in the nomenclature of Ehrenberg's Heliopelta. 

 R. gives : — Heliopelta Metii, 6 rays ; // Leuwen- 

 hocckii, 8 rays; H. Eulcrii ; 12 rays; H. Selligicrii, 

 not specified. The original specimen of the so- 

 called "Bermuda" earth was sent to E. by the late 

 Professor J. W. Bailey. In Am. Jour. Sci., vol. 48, 

 1845, B. gives a lengthy report of what he and 

 E. found, with a fine figure of H. Leuwenhoeckii, with 

 8 rays, copied from E. I have not the microgeology 

 at hand, but the species as originally named were : — 

 H Met ii, 6 rays ; // Leuwenhoeckii, 8 rays ; H. Eulerii, 

 10 rays ; H. Selligurii, 12 rays. I have one frustule 

 found by Mr. E. Samuels with 18 rays, and one sent 

 to me by Mr. T. Christian with 14 rays. These are 

 all the true Heliopeltas I have ever seen or read of. 

 The genus seemed until very recently to have been 

 limited to the valley of the Pantuxtent River in Mary- 

 land, at and in the vicinity of Nottingham, unquestion- 

 ably the original locality of the Bermuda. I once 

 found a single specimen in a Virginia deposit. Quite 

 recently I received from Mr. T. Christian numerous 



