192 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



A. Pollard (Pontefract). — In your very short query you do 

 not inform us whether you wish for an elementary or an ad- 

 vanced book on Hymenoptera and Diptera, or whether you 

 wish to study British insects only or include exotic kinds. You 

 had best get first " British Insects," by E. F. Staveley (London : 

 Lovell Reeve and Co.), price about 7s. 6d. 



E. Brunetti. — Will you kindly send us your full name and 

 address, that we may forward several letters which have reached 

 us in consequence of your interesting articles on Diptera? 



Thomas Lang (East Melbourne, Victoria). — Dr. Kneeland's 

 paper on the physical geology of the Philippine Islands appeared 

 in the "American Journal of Science," 1S86. 



C. Deacon (Totnes). — The specimen was a species of Pla- 

 naria, or flat white worm. Cambridge's " British Spiders," 

 published by the Ray Society, is the most thorough as regards 

 tests, habits, etc. 



B. Ewen. — Please communicate with us more fully on the 

 subject than the space allotted to a large-handed writer allows. 

 Your query was too concise — as queries usually are ! 



Mosses. — We are constantly receiving parcels of mosses of 

 the simplest and commonest kinds for identification. Any 

 cheap book on the subject, like the shilling collectors' book by 

 Mr. Bagnall, would relieve us of the difficulty. We are not 

 rich enough to send a copy of Mr. Bagnall's book to these 

 slothful muscologists, or we would. It is one of the most 

 delightful of recreations, that of moss-collecting. 



Capt. Seabrook. — We are especially pleased with the fine 

 specimen of Venus's flower-basket [Euplectella aspergillum) 

 you have sent us from the Philippine Islands in token of your 

 appreciation of Science-Gossip. The donation was as grateful 

 this droughty weather as iced champagne ! 



W. H. Harris. — Many thanks to ;you for forwarding us the 

 above complimentary donation, together with the foraminiferous 

 material .collected by Capt. Seabrook. One of your slides is 

 certainly that of a Rhabdophore. If we mistake not, the ma- 

 terial will contribute something new to science. 



C. Wilson (Southport). — Alas ! your specimen reached us so 

 flattened, dried up, and distorted, that neither ourselves nor 

 other botanists cared to attempt the identification. Could you 

 send us a fresh specimen packed in damp moss? 



J. E. Stephens (Andover).— Your specimen is one of the 

 broom-rapes [Orobanche minor], a parasite on the roots of 

 clover, etc. See Taylor's " Sagacity and Morality of Plants " 

 (London: Chatto & Windus), page 249, for sketch of the life- 

 history and functions of this remarkable genus of plants. 



A. Pearson (Milnrow). — There is Sowerby's i6j. work on 

 British flowering-plants, coloured plates (only dwarfed figures) ; 

 but we would recommend you in preference Fitch & W. Smyth's 

 outline figures (last edition) of all the British flowering-plants, 

 including grasses and carices, price i6j. 6d., published by 

 Lovell Reeve & Co. 



F. .Clarke. — Your plants are: 1, Brassica oleracea ; 2, a 

 var. of Geranium sylvaticum ; and 3, var. of Veronica offici- 

 nalis. 



E. P. Powell. — We suspect (from the partial sketch) that 

 the diatom is a species of Arachnoidiscus. 



E. Gill. — The fungus is the first or initial stage of some 

 species, but it is difficult to tell what species. 



Capt. H. — Your specimen is Venus's looking-glass {Specularia 

 speculum), a member of the natural order Campanulariacese. 

 The species of this genus are chiefly natives of Middle Asia, and 

 one species is found in America. 



T. Sanderson. — Your sketch of fossil shell is evidently 

 Murchisonia striatida, from the Ludlow beds. 



W. Algar. — Many thanks for the specimen of freshwater 

 sponge. The largest we have seen were in the rivers Stour and 

 Gipping, in Suffolk, where we have obtained specimens weighing 

 close upon one pound. 



W. K. — The bright scarlet seeds are those of Adenanthera 

 pavonina, commonly called the red sandal-wood tree in India. 



EXCHANGES. 



Duplicate birds' eggs for exchange, including sparrow- 

 hawk's, kestrel's, carrion crow's, rook's, owl's, jay's, magpie's. 

 Send lists. — E. G. Potter, 19 Price Street, Nunnery Lane, 

 York. 



Foreign butterflies : many fresh duplicates, including some 

 very rare Papilios, Catagrammas, etc. Lists exchanged. Also 

 brilliant wings for microscopic work. — Hudson, Railway Ter- 

 race, Cross Lane, Manchester. 



"Chemistry: Theoretical, Practical, and Analytical, as- 

 applied to the Arts and Sciences," 8 vols., published by Mac- 

 kenzie at ios. 6d. per vol., in good condition, in exchange for 

 microscope of equal value. — B. M. W., Treaddow, Hentland, 

 Ross, Herefordshire. 



Dredgings from the home of the Euplectella, Philippine 

 Islands, Macassar Strait, and Java Sea, in exchange for good 

 slides to form the nucleus of a collection for a master mariner 

 anxious to aid science. — W. H. Harris, 44 Partridge Road, 

 Cardiff. 



Offered, L. C, Sth ed., 96, 129, 154, 164, 291, 296, 297, 320, 

 373, 624, 639, 643, 646, 655, 719, 755, 765, 823, 898, 909, 990, 

 1004-1006, 1008, 1036, 1127, 1130, 1237, 1270, 1339, 1346, 135S, 

 I 3^>3> 1385, 1389, 1525, 1660. Many desiderata, especially Orchi- 

 deae. — Miss E. Armitage, Dadnor, Ross, Herefordshire. 



Science-Gossip, thirteen years' back numbers for exchange. 

 — John Bracewell, 178 Jubilee Terrace, Accrington. 



Side-blown eggs of great crested grebe and coot to exchange. 

 Chiefly wanted, those of the less common hawks, especially 

 buzzard. — K. D., Cofton Parsonage, Alvechurch. 



What offers for De la Beche's " Geological Manual " ? Mine- 

 ral specimens preferred. — A. Richardson, 39 Edithna Street, 

 Stockwell, London, S.W. 



Anodonta cygnea, var. intermedia, very good specimens, 

 beautifully radiated, light green, epidermis good ; also Helix 

 pulchella, var. casta ta, Zonitcs nitidus, excavatus, crystalli- 

 nus; any or all of above for shells not in collection. — F. Rhodes, 

 26, East View, Eccleshill, near Bradford. 



Dragon-flies wanted, fresh and unset. Offered in exchange, 

 collections of Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, flowering plants, grasses, 

 etc. — W. Harcourt Bath, Ladywood, Birmingham. 



Dragon-flies wanted from all parts of the world for figuring. 

 — W. Harcourt Bath, Ladywood, Birmingham. 



Wanted, clutches of many species of British eggs ; osprey's 

 and other good eggs offered in exchange. — W. Wells-Bladen, 

 Stone, Staffordshire. 



Plants of the best varieties of the Cactus tribe in exchange 

 for shells, books, or offers requested. — E. R. F., 82 Abbey 

 Street, Faversham, Kent. 



What offers for Science-Gossip unbound vols, from 1873 to 

 1882 inclusive, complete, vol. for 18S4 and to June 1885, the 

 latter vol. and half coloured plates ? — W. Vick, Ipswich. 



What offers for the following : four show cases for butterflies, 

 iSin. X 18 in., glazed and corked, with a few insects in each ; 

 also a deal case, 22 in. X 12 in. X 4 in. deep. — W. Towner, 

 89 Terminus Road, Eastbourne. 



Wanted, half a dozen live plants of Lathyrits ap/uica (yel- 

 low vetchling). Exchange Wood's "Common Objects of the 

 Microscope." — R. C. B., 3 Alexandra Villas, Barnes, S.W. 



BOOKS, ETC., RECEIVED. 



"The Comparative 1 Biology and Morphology of the Fungi, 

 Mycetozoa and Bacteria," by Prof, de Bary, translated by 

 H. E. F. Garnsey, and revised by Prof. J. B. Balfour (Oxford : 

 Clarendon Press). — "Bird-Life in England," by E. L. Arnold 

 (London: Chatto & Windus).— " The Commonwealth," by Dr. 

 B. W. Richardson (London: Longmans). — "The Garner," 

 vol. i., edited by A. 'Ramsay. — " Science Lectures, delivered 

 before the Sunday Lecture Society, Newcastle" (London: 

 Walter Scott). — " My Microscope," by A Quekett Club-mar. 

 (London: Roper and Drowley). — "Tourists' Guide to Wilt- 

 shire," by R. N. Worth (London : Ed wardi Stanford). — " Grasses 

 of the South," by Dr. George Vasey (Washington : Government. 

 Printing Office). — " Illustrations." — " Book Chat." — " The 

 Century Magazine." — Scribner's " Monthly." — "The Amateur 

 Photographer." — "The Naturalist." — "The Botanical Ga- 

 zette." — "Journal of the New York Microscopical Society." — 

 " Belgravia." — "The Gentleman's Magazine." — "Americar. 

 Monthly Microscopical Journal." — "The Essex Naturalist." — 

 "Economic Naturalist." — " The Midland Naturalist." — 

 " Feuille des Jeunes Naturalistes." — "The American Natu- 

 ralist." — "Journal of Microscopy and Natural Science." — 

 " WesleyNaturalist." — "Victorian Naturalist." — " Ottawa 

 Naturalist." — "Journal Quekett Club." — &.C. &c 



Communications received up to the 12TH ult. from : 

 H. W.— A. P.— B.— Rev. R. H. N. B.— E. F. C— A. P. W — 

 P. M. W.— A. P.-R. H. N. P.-E. G. P.-J. B. B.— A. R.— 

 J. G.-A. E. C— J. W. W.— R. I.— E. A.— H.— W. E. W.— 

 F. R.— F. E.— W. A.-R. C. B.— J. E. C— R. H. R.— W. T. 



— A. H. A.— W. V.— E. R. F.— C. W.-W. W. B.— W. H. B. 



— Rev. J. C— R. M.— T. S. M.— C. R.— A. B. G.— F. R. B. 



— H.— W. H. B.— W. J. S.-E. L.-R. B.-J. E. R.— 

 Dr. J. W. W., &c. &c. 



