HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



167 



sale or not, as bulbs, roots, scions, seeds, cuttings, 

 leaves ; and flowers, travel for a halfpenny per 4 oz. ; 

 and all casual papers or magazines between one private 

 person and another are charged the same. All 

 specimens of natural history go under this tariff. It 

 is a pity that some of our leading naturalists and men 

 of science do not put these matters formally before 

 the Postmaster-General, as he is reconsidering the 

 sample post, and demand, in the interests of the 

 country generally, that the narrow policy of a 

 department that sacrifices the public convenience 

 and scientific research, to scraping the utmost revenue 

 it can — that such a policy should be permanently 

 abandoned. — Jas. H, Rawlins. 



Feather-eating. — Last year I experienced con- 

 siderable annoyance from this cause. The only 

 remedy I could find was to kill the fowls. I tried 

 soot and butter, and other nauseous applications to 

 the bird attacked, but to no purpose. My own 

 opinion is that the pernicious habit is incurable, 

 and where a fowl is of value it must be kept 

 isolated ; others are best got rid of as quickly as 

 possible, as the habit soon spreads. I have read 

 that the taste for feathers is acquired by too much 

 meat food, which causes blood to collect at the root 

 of the feathers, and this is immediately detected by 

 the other fowls. Your correspondent might try the 

 following, which was recommended in " Poultry " last 

 year, and inform you of the result for the benefit of 

 others. To a quart of water add a tablespoonful of 

 Jeye's perfect purifying fluid. Take a soft brush and 

 apply it to the parts attacked night and morning. If 

 not effectual, increase strength to three or four table- 

 spoonfuls to the quart of water. The fluid costs about 

 4^. 6d. a gallon, not including tin, and may be 

 obtained of all oilmen and chemists in smaller 

 quantities as required. — IV. E. Bowers. 



Fowls Eating Feathers. — The fowls mentioned 

 by Mr. Walter Helps are evidently in too close con- 

 finement, and they cannot get the necessary amount 

 of insect food. If this could have been supplied by 

 allowing them to range over sufficient space of 

 ground at intervals, this bad habit would not have 

 been acquired. But it is very doubtful whether it is 

 impossible to break them of it now. The lime and 

 brimstone mentioned do not supply all that they 

 require. I should suggest, in the absence of a 

 larger range, giving them some kind of animal food 

 cooked and cut up. I myself have kept fowls in a 

 small run, and by allowing them to run over a small 

 lawn for about half-an-hour a day, and giving them 

 scraps from the table or bones to peck at, I have 

 never had any difficulty of this kind to contend with. 

 — Fred W. Clarke. 



Astronomical Query. — In answer to W. J.'s 

 query on page 142 of your last issue, I write to say 

 that it is perfectly true that on Jan. 21 the sun rises 

 only 1 1 minutes earlier, while it sets 36 minutes later 

 than on the shortest day, but this is by clock time. 

 Relatively to the sun's passage over the meridian, or 

 sun time, there is no difference. All time is measured 

 ultimately by the motions of one or other of the 

 heavenly bodies, and chiefly by that of the sun. As, 

 however, the sun moves irregularly in his orbit, 

 sometimes a little faster and sometimes a little 

 slower, our clocks are constructed so as to move with 

 the mean or average motion of the sun, and the result 

 is that the clock is sometimes before the sun and 

 sometimes after it. The difference between these 

 two periods constitutes what is called the equation of 

 time. Now taking the case mentioned by W. J., we 

 shall find on looking at the almanack that the 



equation of time on that day was 1 1 min. 30 seconds, 

 and was additive both to the apparent time of rising 

 and setting, so that by clock time the sun rose 

 later and set later to that extent. — T. W. 



NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



To Correspondents and Exchangers. — As we now 

 publish Science-Gossip earlier than formerly, we cannot un- 

 dertake to insert in the following number any communications 

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



To Anonymous Querists. — We must adhere to our rule of 

 not noticing queries which do not bear the writers' names. 



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. 



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

 initials) and full address at the end. 



W. Gain. — Many thanks for the pebble blotched with the 

 red stains of Hildebrantia rivularis. 



J. W. — The "jaw-bone" you kindly sent is labelled " Lepi- 

 dotus Mantelli, Wealden," the owner evidently thinking it was 

 the jaw of a fossil fish. It is not, but one-half of the lower jaw 

 of the recent catfish (A*?iarrhicas lupus). 



A correspondent asks how it is that glass can be cut under 

 water with a pair of scissors, without flaws, and as easy as 

 cutting paper? 



H. A. F.— Smith's "Economic Plants," published by Mac- 

 millan at 14s., is one of the best. 



S. Smith.— The occurrence of pink flowers in the ground 

 ivy is not frequent, but not rare. 



E. C-— See Emerton's "Structure and Habits of Spiders" 

 (Triibner, price 7s. 6d.~) ; Staveley's " British Spiders " (Reeve, 

 10s. 6d.) ; and Blackwall's " Spiders of Great Britain and 

 Ireland" (published by the Ray Society). 



T. P. G. — You will get a copy of Eley's " Geology in the 

 Garden," of either of the two scientific booksellers we have re- 

 ferred to. You will find figures of the chief kinds of cretaceous 

 foraminifera in Taylor's " Geological Stories." 



H. E. I. — We have found methylated spirits a capital means 

 of preserving pyritised fossils of all kinds likely to decompose. 



1£_ C.— Write to Mr. W. Wesley, 28 Essex Street, Strand, or 

 Mr. W. P. Collins, 157 Gt. Portland Street, both of whom deal 

 in second-hand scientific works and monographs. They can 

 give you the lowest prices. 



A. J. Jenkins.— Write to Mr. L. Greening, at the Museum, 

 Warrington, about his pamphlet on newts. 



EXCHANGES. 



Day's " British Fishes," unbound, offered for good specimens 

 of accurately localised British shells in quantity. — Wm. Cash, 

 38 Elmfield Terrace, Halifax. 



Oamaru, New Zealand, Deposit. A few slides for exchange. 

 Send lists to— Rev. A. Smith, 3 Park Crescent, Brighton. 



Auodouta cygnea, fine specimens, to exchange for other 

 or land or fresh-water shells.— J. M. Harvard, Leyland, near 

 Preston. 



Wanted, a large shell cabinet. — J. M. Harvard, Layland ; 

 near Preston. _ • 



Living specimen of the rare freshwater Tubularian hydroid, 

 Cordylophora lacustris. What offers?— C. L. Lord, 34 Bur- 

 lington Crescent, Goole. 



Over 200 British wild plants named and localised. Many 

 very rare. List sent; what offers? — C. A. O., 7 Cavendish 

 Terrace, Torquay. 



Duplicates: Natica ■monilifcra. Purpura lapillits, hassa. 

 reticulata, Trochus zizypkinus, Murex erinaceus, Solen 

 siliqua, other marine shells wanted in exchange. — W. Jones, 

 jun., 27 Mayton Street, Holloway, London, N. 



British Birds' eggs in exchange for foreign species. — W. 

 Syngell, Wellington, Somerset. 



Eggs, side blown, one hole, separate or in clutches ; king- 

 fisher, dipper, stelt, turnstone, stonechat, cuckoo, dotterel, &c, 

 for others. — Jas. Ellison, Steeton, Leeds. 



Good specimens of Clausilia biplicata from Putney given 

 for vertigoes. Also wanted Azeca tridens, and Continental 

 specimens of Hyalina glabra, the latter alive.— Wilfred Mark 

 Webb, 31 Aynhoe Road, Brook Green, W 



