HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



283 



prediction of weather to come, rather than a state- 

 ment of present facts, and if this is so it does not 

 reflect very well the good sense of the people who 

 composed it, as it looks very like superstition to sup- 

 pose that the dampness or otherwise of the ground 

 previous to the leafing of these trees can be taken as 

 any criterion of the weather during the whole of the 

 succeeding summer. — H. S. Ward. 



Anecdote of a Cat. — Poor old puss was -a 

 queer one. She had lost part of her tail through an 

 accident. When dinner came up — sure enough old 

 Kit was there too. She sat up like an "old man" 

 kangaroo, and if no notice was taken she would put 

 out one little paw (trembling with anxiety) to attract 

 attention and then the other. Her little amiable 

 face with a most pitiful expression, but no mewing. 

 Who could resist this mute appeal ? All can remem- 

 ber the severe winters of 187S-9, 1879-80, 1SS0-S1. 

 In the bitter cold weather of 1S7S-9, coming down 

 into the dining-room we used to find old Kit sitting 

 up before the fire, stretching out first one right little 

 paw (the other carefully tucked under her arm-pit — 

 so to speak), then the left, towards the blaze, " for all 

 the world," as the maid said, "just like a Christian " 

 — many people saw this to their great amusement, 

 visitors, and others. Was this reason or instinct ? — 

 A. H. B. 



Lady Brassey's Cloak. — The Polynesian cloak 

 referred to lately in Science-Gossip is worthy of 

 remark as opening up the great question of Poly- 

 nesian migrations, leading up to that other great 

 question, " Whence come the Polynesians of our 

 day? " The distance travelled by this relic — assum- 

 ing it to be as stated — seems great for canoe-voyagers. 

 And most writers insist, it would seem, upon com- 

 paratively short distances as a necessity for early 

 Polynesian migrations. But why ? Dr. Lesson, the 

 veteran naturalist, ethnologist, and philologist, has a 

 collection of Hawaian legends — not yet published — 

 but he tells me the oldest and most authentic of these 

 contain legends and tales which belong undoubtedly 

 to the Maoris of New Zealand. If the cloak then 

 travelled from Tahiti to Hawaii, these legends, on 

 Dr. Lesson's authority, travelled very much farther, 

 viz. from New Zealand to Hawaii. Where then was 

 Hawaii the acknowledged cradle of the Polynesian 

 race ? Has it not been assumed, on ex parte evidence 

 — a few racial characters, likeness of certain words, 

 and ease of communication, &c, that the Polynesians 

 as a whole must have started from Asia originally ? 

 Let me here say, that Dr. Lesson denies the Malay 

 origin of the Polynesians. He says, in a word, that 

 the true cradle of the Polynesian was New Zealand. 

 This is a theory which he believes will in the future 

 be accepted by all competent scientific ethnologists 

 as the real solution of this question. Let me add, for 

 the information of scientific English ethnologists, 

 what Dr. Lesson has done, and is still doing, though 

 at an advanced age and confined to his house. He 

 has published three immense volumes upon " Les 

 Polynesiens, leur origine, leurs migrations, et leur 

 langage " — the fourth is in hand. These volumes 

 contain, it may be said, a collection of all that has 

 been said, found out, or written upon the Polynesians. 

 And this work will be a monument for all time of 

 the amazing skill, industry, and research of perhaps 

 the greatest living authority in these matters. Dr. 

 Lesson began his researches by assisting the great 

 d'Urville in 1S26-9 in the Pacific. In 1840 he was 

 engaged in another expedition. And since then, as 

 Medecin en chef, he has spent many years in the 

 Pacific, laying the foundation of that immense edifice 



which he is now trying to bring to completion, if 

 spared. I thought these few remarks would be 

 acceptable to English ethnologists, as Dr. Lesson has 

 for many years been obliged to live in retirement, 

 and hence deprived of association with English 

 savants. I am authorised by Dr. Lesson to say that, 

 though he cannot enter into lengthy correspondence, 

 he will still be very pleased to receive any communi- 

 cations regarding this great problem, or to receive 

 any notices or papers bearing on Polynesian migra- 

 tions, especially on any new antiquities recently 

 discovered. His address is — Rue Lesson, Rochefort- 

 sur-Alcr, France. 



NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



To Correspondents and Exchangers. — As we now 

 publish Science-Gossip earlier than heretofore, we cannct 

 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 c f 

 advertising, an advantage is taken of our gratuitous insertion c f 

 "exchanges" which cannot be tolerated. 



We request that all exchanges may be signed with name (or 

 initials) and full address at the end. 



E. P. — " The Journal of Conchology " is published by David 

 Bogue, 3 St. Martin's Place, Trafalgar Square, and Taylor 

 Bros., St. Ann Street, Leeds. 



F. J. C. F. — The " luminous worm " is in reality a centipede, 

 not uncommon in damp hedge-banks at this time of year, called 

 Geophilus elcctricus. 



L. Lee.— The " black specks" on the piece of rock sent us 

 are lichens, called Lecidia punctata. 



T.Richardson. — The reddish-coloured flowering plant is 

 the Lancashire asphodel [Xartliecium ossifragum) in fruit ; 

 the other specimen is a club-moss, Lycopodiwn annotinutn. 



J. C. White.— The black fungi on the leaf sent are Melamp- 

 sora populiiui. 



J. G. — You will be able to procure entomological pins of any 

 of the dealers who advertise natural history materials in our 

 advertising columns. 



H. Searle. — Many thanks for the specimens of CJiara 

 Braunii and Caulinia alagattensis. 



W. T. C. — The small red worms you mention are the " blood 

 worm " ( Tubifex rivulorum), and may be procured of any 

 dealer in aquarium material. Many suppliers of angling tackle 

 also keep them for sale. 



C. H. Waddell.— Wash the walls, &c, with a strong solu- 

 tion of carbolic acid. That will probably kill the fungus. 



H. M.— Guano is a word used to cover a good many fertilisers. 

 The specimen you sent us appears to be manufactured material. 

 We are not surprised you did not find diatoms in it. Only the 

 genuine guano, obtained in its original state, will be likely to 

 contain them. Ask for Sombrero Guano. 



EXCHANGES. 



Two thousand well-mounted micro slides for exchange. 

 Send for catalogue to Dr. Moorhead, Errigle, Cootehell, 

 Ireland. 



Wanted, Science-Gossip for all or any of the following 

 years, 1868, 69, 70, 71, 72, bound or unbound; first-class micro 

 slides in exchange.— W. H. Harris, 44 Partridge Road, Cardiff. 



Wanted, microscopic slides ; will exchange microscopic live 

 box and spot lens, and good lancewood bow. — Rev. H. J. 

 Poole, Stowell Rectory, Sherborne. 



Wanted, young oysters, Isthmia encrvis, head Bombylius, 

 butterflies, &c. ; offered, slides, micro-fungi, dry plants, &c. — 

 G. H. Bryan, Thornlea, Cambridge. 



Puccbiui pulvcrulenta, galiorum, centauries, compositarum, 

 lapsatue, Coleosporium rhinanthaceum, Epuldoe typhina, Cor- 

 ticium querctts, in exchange for other fungi ; mosses also given 

 in exchange. — J. A. Wheldon, Northallerton, Yorks. 



For exchange, gizzard of beetle, mounted in balsam. — John 

 Moore, 86 Porchester Street, Birmingham. 



