HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



"3 



England." It seems to me that if "the theory of 

 migration points in a north-westerly direction," we 

 should be most likely to find the species in question 

 in the north-westerly parts of our country rather than 

 in the south-easterly, unless we suppose that the 

 migration has altogether ceased since the separation 

 of England from the rest of the continent of Europe, 

 which, as I take it, took place at a period sufficiently 

 remote to have allowed the molluscs to have spread 

 themselves, by now, in any direction over the country ; 

 so that I can see no reason for supposing that the 

 species in question are more likely to be found 

 inhabiting the south-east than any other part of 

 England. At all events, none of the occurrences 

 which Mr. Sherriff Tye gives have been in the south- 

 east. — Robt. Miller Christy, Saffron Walden. 



American Economic Entomology. — There are 

 few of the numerous scientific publications issued by 

 the United States Government which deserve more 

 careful study than the Report of the Entomologist, 

 Dr. Charles V. Riley. The volume for the past year 

 is just out, containing chapters on American silk 

 culture, the use of pyrethrum as an insecticide, the 

 army worm, scale insects, insects affecting the rice 

 plant, insects affecting corn or maize, the cotton 

 worm, miscellaneous insects, methods of destroying 

 insects, new insects, &c. The illustrations are 

 numerous, and many of them are coloured plates, in 

 a telling and even high style of art. We congratu- 

 late Dr. Riley on bringing out so admirable a report. 



Hertfordshire Natural History Society. — 

 The last number of the " Transactions " of the above 

 society contains the following papers : "Hertfordshire 

 Deer Parks," by J. E. Harting, F.L.S. ; " Notes on 

 a Microscopical Aquarium," by Isaac Robinson ; 

 "The Protozoa of Hertfordshire," by F. W. 

 Phillips, F.L.S. ; "The Upper Portion of the River 

 Rib and its affluent the Quin," by Messrs. R. P. 

 Grey, F.G.S., andR. B. Crofc, F.L.S.; "The River 

 Rib from Standen to its junction with the Lea," by 

 A. G. Puller, F.L.S. ; "Notes on the River Ash," 

 by Hellier Gosselin ; &c. &c. 



The Cumberland Association. — As most of 

 our readers are aware, the scientific societies in all 

 the large Cumberland towns are affiliated to the 

 above association, and the papers read at one society 

 are interchanged with the other, with the happiest 

 results. The " Transactions," therefore, form a 

 decent volume. That for 18S1-S2 is just out, edited 

 by Mr. J. G. Goodchild. Among the papers here 

 published are the following : — The address of the 

 President (Robert Ferguson, M.P.), on "The Future 

 of the English Language ;" "The Land and Fresh- 

 water Shells of Cumberland," by Miss Donald ; 

 "The Glacial Deposits of West Cumberland," by 

 J. D. Kendall; "The Fungi of the district round 

 Carlisle," by Dr. Carlyle ; "The Minerals of Cum- 



berland and Westmoreland," by J. G. Goodchild ; 

 "List of Works on the Geology of Cumberland and 

 Westmoreland," by W. Whitaker ; "Local Ento- 

 mology," by George Dawson; "Flora of Ullswater 

 District," by William Hodgson; "Our Northern 

 Mosses," by F. Harrison; "Flowering Plants of 

 West Cumberland," by J. Glaister and Dr. Leitch ; 

 &c. &c. 



The Study of the Ixodes. — Can none of your 

 readers be prevailed on to take up the study of the 

 Ixodes (ticks), of which there are several British 

 species ? I feel sure their life history, if fully worked 

 out, would prove both interesting and instructive, and 

 might throw some light on a mysterious and deadly 

 disease amongst cattle and sheep, which prevails ex- 

 tensively in Scotland, and in some districts hi England. 

 It is a curious fact that Ixodes are almost invariably 

 if not always found infesting sheep where this disease 

 prevails, and it becomes an important question 

 whether their presence is merely a coincidence from 

 the rough coarse natural grasses forming a congenial 

 habitat, or whether they are not the carriers or in- 

 oculators of vegetable or other poison. I should be 

 very glad to give further information to any one dis- 

 posed to take up the study. — W. E. L. 



BOTANY. 



Suffolk Local Names. — "Boar-thistle," Car- 

 diats lanceolatus ; " Bull-fist," puff-ball, Lycoperdon 

 or Bovista ; "Bunks," wild chicory, C. intybus ; 

 " Canker-rose " and "head-ache," red field-poppy; 

 "Clow," clove-pink; "Cow-mumble," Herackum 

 sphondylium ; "Cuckoo-flower," Orchis mciscala ; 

 " Dick- a - dilver," "periwinkle," Vinca minor; 

 "Ebble," the aspen -tree, P. tremula ; "Five- 

 fingers," ox-lips, P. elatior, L.; " Fliggers," common 

 flag, varieties of Iris ; " Haw," ear of oats ; 

 "Hulver," holly; " Old man's love," "Lad's love,'' 

 southern-wood, A. abrotanum ; " Peagle," Rcuwncu- 

 lies arvensis ; " Pickerel- weed," Potainogeton natans 

 (young pike are called "pickerels") — this is also 

 "Tench-weed;" " Scallion," the edible onion; 

 " Suckling," the white cultivated clover ; " Quicks " 

 or " twitch," Triticii7n repens. The red field-poppy 

 is also called " Copper-rose : " is this at all connected 

 with the French couperose, and is " Ebble " for the 

 aspen connected with " wobble " ? — P. S. Taylor. 



Dulvytch College Science Society. — The 

 fifth annual report of this society confirms our 

 former opinion that this society is a model which 

 all our public schools would do well to copy. The 

 list of papers read covers a wide ground, chiefly of 

 natural science. Important among them is one on 

 the Botany of Dulwich, by the hon. sec, Mr. S. W. 

 Carruthers. There are also abstracts of papers on 



