HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



47 



the other. Upon touching them however, they 

 slowly separated, and I then saw that they had been 

 attached by an organ, which I did not at the moment 

 recognize as one of the palpi, but which I was after- 

 wards satisfied was really the case. Although dis- 

 turbed by my touch, the spiders only drew back a 

 short distance from each other, apparently being 

 oblivious of my presence, so closely was their atten- 

 tion concentrated upon each other. The male spider 

 remained perfectly stationary, with its long and almost 

 transparent legs advanced, and moving with a tremu- 

 lous but regular motion, as though lightly tapping 

 upon the glass. This movement was apparently quite 

 intelligible to the female spider, which slightly 

 responded, and then slowly advanced to the male, 

 which, however, made no movement forward, but 

 awaited until the female was in close companionship, 

 when it touched her abdomen with one of its clubbed 

 palpi, which it pressed gently but firmly against the 

 region of the ovipositor, withdrawing it again 

 immediately, this was repeated about three times, 

 when I perceived a minute drop of transparent fluid 

 upon the place which had been touched, but whether 

 this proceeded from the palpus of the male, or the 

 body of the female, I could not perceive, but imagine 

 it exuded from the female. The male now pressed 

 its palpina more firmly against the female, and 

 apparently found some orifice or organ of attachment, 

 for it was retained in that position for perhaps a 

 couple of minutes. After repeating these processes 

 the male remained stationary for perhaps a couple of 

 minutes, slowly rubbing its clubbed palpi together, 

 after which it slowly withdrew. Only one of the 

 palpi was employed, so far as I could perceive, but 

 the light coming strongly through the glass enabled 

 me very clearly to note the action of the spiders, 

 although I had no lens to assist my eyes, and was 

 enabled to more clearly follow their movements in 

 consequence of the transparency of their limbs ; for 

 they were not the heavy dark house spiders, but, 

 I believe, a species commonly found inhabiting a 

 large, light web under the shelter of grassy banks. 

 I need scarcely add that the spiders were un- 

 doubtedly occupied in the processes of coition, 

 but how far my observations coincide with what is 

 known of their action during this process, I cannot 

 say, as I have never read anything on the subject. 

 — E. Lamplough , Hull. 



Sea Anemones. — Sea anemones always eject 

 their food in the way described by R. Mc Aldwie, and 

 he should either keep marine scavengers in the vase, 

 or have a pair of the proper long wooden pincers, for 

 removing any ejected scraps of beef or fish on which 

 they have been fed. When living near the sea, I had 

 some large tanks well stocked with different kinds of 

 sea flowers, and I found it very necessary to keep the 

 water pure, otherwise my stock sickened and died 

 off. — Helen E. Watney. 



Autumn Dog's Mercury {Mercurialis perennis). 

 — This plant has been found as an autumn flower 

 for the past three seasons. The stations are some- 

 times different from those of the primroses, and are 

 warm, sunny ditch banks, on a light soil, in which 

 circumstances they obtain a maximum of both heat 

 and moisture. They also occur with primroses in 

 woods, as described in the following paragraph. In 

 December 1881 several plants in full fruit were 

 gathered in South Beds. It would be well if 

 observers of earliest dates would bear these facts in 

 mind. Such plants as wild hyacinth, pilewort, 

 hazel, and hawthorn, are of much more value for 

 phenological observations. — J. S., Luton. 



Autumn Primroses. — This is now (1882) the 

 third season in succession in which primroses have 

 been plentiful during the autumn in several woods in 

 South Beds. In fact, one begins to expect them 

 regularly, and to wonder for how many seasons they 

 may have blossomed unobserved. The stations in 

 which they occur, are those portions of woodland in 

 which the undergrowth has been recently cut down, 

 and consequently the rootstocks are more exposed to 

 the stimulating action of the sunlight, than those that 

 grow in the more shaded parts. They are generally 

 to be found in such situations during the whole of the 

 winter, in more or less abundance, according to the 

 weather, and the writer has gathered them in each 

 month from September to the following June. — J. S., 

 Luton. 



NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



To Correspondents and Exchangers. — As we now 

 publish Science-Gossip earlier than heretofore, we cannot 

 possibly insert in the following number any communications 

 which reach us later than the 8th of the previous month. 



To Anonymous Querists. — We receive so many queries 

 which do not bear the writers' names that we are forced to 

 adhere to our rule of not noticing them. 



To Dealers and others. — We are always glad to treat 

 dealers in natural history objects on the same fair and general 

 ground as amateurs, in so far as the " exchanges "offered are fair 

 exchanges. But it is evident that, when their offers are simply 

 disguised advertisements, for the purpose of evading the cost of 

 advertising, an advantage is taken of our gratuitous insertion of 

 "exchanges" which cannot be tolerated. 



E. C. J. — Your application' came much too late for us to 

 accede to your request. 



E. A. C. H. — Get Dr. Cooke's "Ponds and Ditches," price 

 ■zs. 6d., published by the Christian Knowledge Society. It will 

 introduce you to some of our common infusoria. " Microscopic 

 Fungi," by the same author, coloured plates, price 6s. London : 

 D. Bogue. " British Sea-Weeds," by W. H. Grattame, pub- 

 lished at the " Bazaar" Office, price 2s. 6d. 



C. R. L. — The galls on oak leaves sent, go by the name of 

 " artichoke galls," from their resemblance to the artichoke. 

 They are formed by a neuropterous insect, called Aphilothrix 

 gemmce. 



A. Thompson. — The minute objects from stomach of cod-fish 

 are fragments of the tests of small sea-urchins. 



Miss S. Glasgott. — Will you kindly send us your full 

 address ? Your note does not contain it. 



James Smith (Aberdeen). — Professor Owen is still alive and 

 working, and we hope he may continue so for years to come. 

 The President of the Royal Society is Dr. Spottiswoode; the 

 President of the British Association is Dr. Siemens. 



W. G. W. — We think you will find Huxley and Martin's 

 " Elementary Biology" quite sufficient. You might get the re- 

 agents from Hunter and Sands, 20 Cranbourne Street, who 

 would no doubt also procure you the skeleton of a frog. You 

 would find McAlpine's " Biological Atlas" of great use. 



A. Bealy. — " Land and Water " is published weekly, price 

 6d., at 176 Fleet Street, London. " The Midland Naturalist " 

 is published at 3 St. Martin's Place, at 6d. monthly. " The 

 Naturalists' Monthly " is published by John Heywood, Man- 

 chester, at a penny a month. 



E. W. Andrews. — Your letter miscarried, and we have only- 

 just received it. We shall be happy to forward a letter from 

 you to Dr. De Crespigny. 



H. C. Brooke. — Accept our best thanks for the specimens of 

 cast skins of snakes you have sent us. 



W. M. Stevenson. — The " London Catalogue" is a list of 

 acknowledged and recognised British species and well-marked 

 varieties of plants It is published at 6d. by D. Bogue, 3 St. 

 Martin's Place, Trafalgar Square. You cannot do better than 

 procure (after using Messer's " Analysis ") Hooker's " Student's 

 Flora of the British Islands," published by Macmillan at ior. 6d. 



H. G. Brieklev. — It is difficult to identify a species of such 

 difficult plants as the freshwater alga; from so small a portion as 

 you sent us, but we have little doubt it is Batrachospermnm 

 alpestre. 



J. Smith. — Your question is rather obscure, but we presume 

 you allude to the swollen condition of grain. This may be pro- 

 duced by the microscopical fungus popularly known as the 

 " bladder brand," from its swelling the grain. It is a stage in 

 the development of Tilletia caries. 



W. Officer. — Will you kindly send us another specimen, as 

 your others were lost in transit ': 



