7o 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



shore-formation. It was a mistake to suppose that 

 live reef-building corals ever occurred below about 25 

 fathoms. It was to be regretted that a good writer 

 such as the author did not come more frequently 

 among his fellow-workers, for he would then have 

 learnt that many of the statements made by him 

 about calycular gemmation and fissiparity were 

 already in print, and had been so from the days of 

 Milne-Edwards. Fissiparity and gemmation were 

 quite distinct things. Some corals keep the figure of 

 8 described by the author, some depart from it during 

 subsequent growth. Unfortunately M. de Fromentel, 

 referred to by the author, was not a student of recent 

 corals. The cosmilian forms had been found exhi- 

 biting fissiparity ; these had been actually renamed 

 by Mr. Tomes, though the speaker had already 

 assigned them to an existing genus. He felt doubts 

 as to the validity of some of the genera proposed by 

 Mr. Tomes. The coral could not be named Con- 

 fusastrsea without a section ; it presented some char- 

 acters allied to Favia. He called attention to the so- 

 called Cyathophone, which had lost their septa and 

 all their internal characters. Sections, he would 

 observe, were absolutely necessary for the study of 

 fossil corals. 



" Proceedings of The Geologists' Associa- 

 tion." — No. 7 (vol. vii.) of the above, besides very 

 interesting accounts [of excursions, contains papers 

 "On a New Section in the Thames Valley," by 

 J. L. Lobley, F.G.S., and " Notes on the Geology of 

 Cumberland North of the Lake District," by T. V. 

 Holmes, F.G.S. 



Discovery of Remains of the Large Elk 

 at Monmouth. — A short time ago the discovery 

 was made at a part of the river Severn, known as 

 Hayward's Bay, near Aure, and the find is now in 

 the possession of Mr. Charles Philps, of Aure. It 

 consists of a fine buck's head and antlers, the former 

 being partially petrified, while the latter are of 

 gigantic dimensions. There are seven spurs on each 

 antler, one spur on the left being no less than 152 

 inches in length. The length of the antlers, from 

 the crown of the head to the tip, is 3 feet 7§ inches, 

 while the bases of the antlers measure 7f inches, the 

 width from tip to tip being 3 feet ij inches. The 

 specimen, which is in remarkably good preservation, 

 seems to point to the fact of the large elk, numerous 

 remains of which were found in King Arthur's Cave, 

 Doward, having been an inhabitant of Dean Forest. 

 — L. Francis, 



"Love-mouse." — A day or two ago my daughter 

 was presented with a dormouse by a cottager, who 

 called it a " love-mouse." Have you or any of your 

 numerous readers heard this name before, and what 

 can be the origin of it ? — IV. Hambrough, 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



Spontaneous Generation. — Mr. Hamson asks 

 me to give my reasons for the statement that " There 

 is no such phenomenon as spontaneous generation," 

 and then proceeds to ask several questions. How do 

 I know there is no such phenomenon as spontaneous 

 generation ? Do I argue that because snails are not 

 produced spontaneously, there is no such process at 

 all ; or do I hold that, because spontaneous genera- 

 tion has not yet been detected, no such process is 

 possible, or, if possible, that it never will be 

 discovered ? I think that my words were sufficiently 

 clear, and that 99 per cent, of those who read my little 

 article would understand me to refer to our present 

 knowledge, not to the possibilities of future dis- 

 coveries in this branch of science. I still contend 

 that, so far as our knowledge goes at present, we are 

 justified in saying there is no such phenomenon. 

 Some of the greatest investigators have carefully and 

 laboriously experimented in relation to this subject, 

 and so far the results have been purely negative in 

 character. All our knowledge of the life-histories of 

 animals and plants points to the fact that they are the 

 offspring of individuals of the same type, and, 

 proceeding on the sound scientific principle of 

 explaining the unknown by the known, we are more 

 than justified in saying that all animals and plants are 

 produced in the same way. Until it ^ is shown that 

 ceitain species are produced spontaneously, I am 

 justified in declaring there is no such phenomenon as 

 spontaneous generation. With the future possibilities 

 of development I had nothing to do. It is quite 

 possible, perhaps probable, that in the future we may 

 be able to raise our meat supplies spontaneously and 

 thus do away with the necessity for imports from 

 America ; but at present we are correct in stating 

 there is no such phenomenon, and in so saying we 

 cast no slur upon the possibilities of the future. Mr. 

 Hamson also objects to the statement that no living 

 cell can be produced, save by the division of an 

 already existing cell, which is really saying in 

 different words there is no such thing as spontaneous 

 generation. He refers to Sachs to show that the 

 division of a cell need not of necessity occur in the 

 production of a new one ; but the cases he cites are 

 not those of the production of new cells. In his first 

 example it is only the cell-sac which is renewed, not 

 the cell, which consists — according to Huxley — of sac 

 and protoplasmic contents. The living portion 

 remains unchanged, and we no more have a new 

 cell than we have a new lobster when that crustacean 

 casts its old covering and secretes a new one. Case 

 number two is not an instance of the production of a 

 new cell, but of the effacement of an old one ; just 

 as Trembley in forcing one hydra into another did 

 not produce a new individual, but effaced an old one 

 by incorporating it with another. In conclusion, I 

 must thank Mr. Hamson for the compliment 

 contained in his first sentence and for the kindly tone 

 of his strictures. — The Author of ii Pond-Snails." 



French Books on Natural History. — Will 

 some reader of Science-Gossip kindly send a short 

 list of the more important French works on Natural 

 History t — JV. J. V. Vandcnbcrgh. 



Can Pigs Swim ? — There is a very general notion 

 about that a pig cannot swim ; and that if piggy 

 attempts the feat he "cuts his throat," and so comes 

 to grief. Is this a well-established fact, or merely a 

 popular delusion ? — IV. II. J. 



