HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



279 



and not the fasces of the Roman lictor. I may add 

 to the plants enumerated in your October number, 

 1883, ash, sycamore, Cotoncaster micropkyttus (very 

 frequent), hawthorn, holly, mangel wurzel, nasturtium, 

 ■wall-flower, Auricula, Asparagus. — J. Price. 



Unseasonable Foliage. — A row of horse-chest- 

 nut trees in the Karls Platz, in Munich, have behaved 

 unusually this autumn. In August, owing to sudden 

 cold weather and biting winds, many horse-chestnuts 

 lost their foliage entirely. The leaves shrivelled up 

 and fell off, leaving the trees naked as in winter. 

 Those in question were left in this plight ; but late in 

 September, when the early Munich autumn was far 

 advanced, they put forth fresh leaves as in spring, the 

 new green contrasting cheerfully with the sere boughs 

 of neighbouring trees. Not only so, but blossoms 

 also appeared, which however did not reach perfection. 

 The trees in question are young and vigorous, and it 

 remains to be seen how far their foliage next year will 

 be impoverished by their untimely effort. — L. S. G. 



Daisy Sleep. — A few months ago an article on 

 this subject appeared in Science-Gossip. The 

 usual and most natural explanation of the phenomenon 

 was given, viz., that the closing of the white rays 

 took place to protect the pollen of the yellow florets. 

 At the time the article appeared I was in the habit of 

 walking in my garden towards evening and was daily 

 observing the behaviour of the well-known Paris 

 daisy [CkrysantJiemum frutescens) at that hour. No 

 sooner does the sun begin to wester, than the white 

 rays instead of closing, like the daisies on the lawn, 

 droop and droop till they are almost packed out of 

 sight. I went out one night with a lantern about ten 

 o'clock to look at the plant. The rays were tightly 

 packed down, and the disks were wet with dew. 

 There was no fear of the dew injuring the pollen 

 here. I fancied the flowers might perhaps be 

 fertilised by night insects ; but I could not detect any 

 small insect on the florets, nor was I able to witness 

 any visits of larger ones. It would be satisfactory to 

 have this phenomenon explained and co-ordinated 

 with the behaviour of Bellis perennis. — William 

 C. Hey. 



Azolla Caroliniana. — This curious little water 

 plant is just now to be seen in a very strange position 

 on a large pond near Pinner, Middlesex : it is a native 

 of Carolina, U.S., and was brought to this country 

 a few years since to be grown in tanks made in green- 

 houses. In its present position at Pinner it has 

 succeeded in covering the pond, and the effect is 

 very striking, as it overrides the green chickweed ; in 

 places its red tint is very curious, and totally unlike 

 any native pond colouring. I have examined several 

 ponds in the immediate vicinity, and have found a 

 small quantity of it growing on them, so that in 

 course of time it will be, no doubt, as common in 

 this neighbourhood as chickweed. As it is grown in 



private gardens close by, there is no doubt as to its 

 origin where it is now growing. — T. IV. Odell y 

 Pinner. 



A Gossip about Fungi. — The following names 

 of the figures illustrating Mr. George Massee's inter- 

 esting papers on this subject, in our October and 

 November numbers, will, no doubt, be helpful to 

 young students : — Fig. 13S. Agaricus muscarius y 

 natural size ; a, volva ; b b, warts, which are the 

 remains of that portion of the volva carried up by 

 the growth of the stem, and torn into pieces as the 

 pileus expanded ; c, annulus, or ring ; e, pileus ;. 

 f, stem ; g, lamellae, or gills. Fig. 148. Agaricus 

 squamosals, natural size ; a, veil ; b, ring. Fig. 149.. 

 Cortinarius cinnamomeus, natural size ; section show- 

 ing adnate gills. Fig. 150. Agaricus cervinus, natural 

 size; section showing free gills. Fig. 151. Agaricus 

 pyxidatus, natural size ; section showing decurrent 

 gills. Fig. 134. Portion of hymenium of Coprinus 

 atramentarins, magnified 720 times ; a, basidium, 

 with its four spicules ; b, spores springing from the 

 spicules, two have been removed ; c, cystidium. 

 Fig. 137. Ideal tangential section through the pileus 

 and gills of an agaric ; a, flesh of pileus ; b b, trama j 

 which is that part of the flesh of the pileus that forms 

 the gills ; c c, hymenium, or spore-bearing surface 

 covering the gills. Fig. 155. Spores of Agaricus 

 semiglobatus, magnified 720 times. Fig. 156. Spores 

 of Agaricus vaginatus, magnified 720 times. Fig. 152. 

 Spores of Boletus edulis, magnified 720 times. 

 Fig. 153. Agaricus melleus, spores magnified 72a 

 times. Fig. 154. Spores of Agaricus costatus, mag- 

 nified 720 times. Fig. 157. Scleroderma vulgare ; 

 a, natural size ; b, section of same ; c, peridium ? 

 d, hymenium. Fig. 159. Peziza rutilans, natural 

 size. Fig. 160. Hypoxylon multiforme, natural size. 

 Fig. 165. Ascia containing sporidia of Hypoxylon 

 multiforme, magnified 720 diameters. Fig. 161. Sec- 

 tion through Hypoxylon multiforme, magnified 10 

 times ; a a, perithecia ; b, ostiola ; c, stroma ; d, matrix 

 (dead wood), on which the plant is growing. Fig. 162. 

 Section of . Peziza scutellata, magnified 10 times; 

 a, hymenium ; b, cellular cup or receptacle. Fig. 136. 

 Ascus containing thirty-two sporidia and paraphyses 

 fvom A scobolus Pelletieri, magnified 720 times. Fig. 135. 

 Mucor fusiger, magnified 500 times ; a, sporangium 

 hypothetically transparent to show the indefinite 

 sporidia, b ; c, upper portion of fertile hypha. 

 Fig. 163. Spores of Helminthosporium folliculatum, 

 magnified 720 diameters. Fig. 164. Portion of 

 hymenium of Peziza rutilans, magnified 720 times %. 

 a, ascus ; b, sporidia ; c, paralyses. 



Bats in th : City. — During the eve; ings of the 

 last week in October, a bat was seen flying up 

 and down C innon Street, between the Railway- 

 Station and King William Street.— J. D. H. 



