HARDWICKE' S SCIENCE- G OSSIP. 



47 



Pulex irritans. — In reading Mr. Robson's very 

 interesting article on the development of a flea's 

 egg, I notice that he does not make any reference to 

 the food provided by the female for the sustenance of 

 its progeny, until they reach the pupa form. If Mr. 

 Robson has kept cats or dogs, he will have noticed 

 at certain seasons that whatever they may happen to 

 be in the habit of making a bed will be covered 

 with a quantity of fleas' eggs ; he will also find a 

 number of small objects, of a deep red or black 

 colour, having a curled or spiral form. These, no 

 doubt, are composed of coagulated blood, which has 

 been vomited by the female for the provision of its 

 young. In hatching out eggs of Pulex for the 

 purpose of watching their development under the 

 microscope, I have always placed a quantity of 

 these "preserved meats" in close proximity to the 

 eggs, and have been much amused in watching the 

 eagerness and avidity with which the young larvos 

 devoured them, and the rapidity of their change 

 from a pearly white to a bright red colour. — A. 

 Jenkins, A T rM Cross. 



Instinct in Parrots. — The two instances of 

 peculiar conduct on the part of a parrot adduced by 

 Mr. Lovett in the January number (p. 15) do not 

 seem to admit of any very recondite explanation. 

 They can scarcely be referred either to instinct or to 

 reason, strictly so denominated, at least in an elevated 

 sense. The whistling business was rendered possible 

 by a very small effort of ordinary association of ideas, 

 grounded upon the physical capacity of the bird to 

 utter sounds somewhat similar to that of water 

 dripping into a deep well, or issuing from a garden 

 syringe. Whenever the syringe appeared, the volley 

 of mellow notes forthwith ensued as a link in the 

 association. The feat of planting the seed-tin on the 

 top of the water-tin, in order to get rid of the former, 

 was not marvellously clever. If the cage had been 

 ■open, the encumbrance would probably have been 

 pitched outside altogether, notwithstanding the 

 •danger of starvation or penury thereby incurred. 

 The end that the bird proposed was simply to shuffle 

 •off what was in its way — no very lofty aim certainly. 

 The means adopted were, firstly, a bungling attempt 

 at the impossible, and secondly a very simple ex- 

 pedient indeed, considering the confined sphere of a 

 .closed cage. We may safely aver, that no general 

 notion is required for the direction of actions such as 

 these. The very lowest animal has, we believe, a 

 faculty or function (call it "instinct," if you like) 

 of avoiding obstacles which interfere with its life- 

 progress. It is a faculty bound up and inseparably 

 connected with life itself. — P. Q. Kegan. 



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. 



M. E. Pope. — Your specimen is the long-tailed field mouse 

 {Mus sylvaiicus). 



T. Simpson. — Your specimens are: No. 1, a growth of Cali- 

 thamnion (a sea-weed), attached to the bladder of a larger sea- 

 weed {Fucus vesiculosus). No. 2 is quite another object, a 

 zoophyte, known as the " bottle-brush coralline," from its shape 

 (I'/utiaria thuia). 



F. Hrndry. — We are sorry your specimens have been waiting 

 to be named so long, but the remarks made elsewhere will 

 account (or the delay. They are fossil shells imbedded in a 

 piece of coal measure shale, and their name is Anthracosia 

 cvalis. See Taylor's " Our Common British Fossils." 



F. Harding. — Your shells are as follows : 1, Helix cantiana ; 

 2, Helix Z'irgata; 3, Helix rufescens ; 4, Helix obvoluta; 

 and 5, Cyclostoma elegaiis. 



C- H. Johns. — We are sorry to have delayed your answer, 

 but our trip to the Antipodes will have to excuse us in this 

 respect to all our friends. The slide you sent us contains one 

 or two mycelial threads, but, as this is the initial growth of 

 most funguses, it is impossible to tell the species. 



F. C. King. — Many thanks for your excellent suggestions. 

 We are always glad to have the advice of " candid friends " — if 

 not too " candid " ! Your remarks shall be remembered. 



C. A. N. — The special number of Science-Gossip devoted 

 to Hepaticae was published at the ordinary rate. It is, we fear, 

 out of print; but if not, will very likely be obtainable of Messrs. 

 Allen, Waterloo Place. 



M. S. Many thanks for the correspondence you have sent us. 

 We have put the name of the person in our " Black List," and 

 will take care no more exchanges from him are inserted in our 

 columns again. 



W. Turner. — The fungus on upper surface of leaf of Cistus 

 labilifcra was only in the mycelium stage, and therefore we 

 cannot denote the species. The best work on the Mucorini 

 is Dr. Cooke's " Handbook of the British Fungi," 2 vols. 

 Several articles (illustrated) on the smaller British Fungi 

 appeared in the vol. of Science-Gossip for 1880. " Grevillea " 

 can be obtained, we believe, by ordering it from the Editor, 

 146 Junction Road, London, N. 



Verb. Sap. — If our friends who send exchanges will kindly 

 put their addresses at the bottom of their lists instead of the top, 

 we shall be obliged. 



EXCHANGES. 



Humming-birds' skins in good preservation, Science-Gossip 

 vol. for 1884 in numbers, clean. Desiderata: Microscopic 

 slides, works on Natural History, pupae of Lepidoptera, British 

 birds' eggs, or ' offers. — Joseph Anderson, jun., Aire Villa, 

 Chichester, Sussex. 



Wanted, No. 2 of " Knowledge " to purchase, or exchange 

 for British Lepidoptera. — Joseph Anderson, jun., Aire Villa, 

 Chichester. 



British and American birds' eggs for others not in collection ; 

 British Algae and American shells, for Lepidoptera, Minerals, 

 Fossils or Shells. — Dr. J. T. T. Reed, Ryhope, near Sunderland. 

 Wanted, vols, of Science-Gossip from 1868-1872, bound or 

 unbound ; also other scientific books. Will give good micro- 

 slides in exchange. — Samuel M. Malcomson, M.D., 55 Great 

 Victoria Street, Belfast. 



Science-Gossip 1883 bound, 1884-5 loose : what offers in 

 science books? — Thos. Hendry, it Poplar Street, Bolton. 



Hooker's " Students' Flora of the British Islands ; " " Wild 

 Life in a Southern Country;" "Naturalist," 1878-79: "Pro- 

 ceedings of Nat. Hist. Soc. of Dublin " ; " Sermons in Stones," 

 etc. etc., in exchange for " Popular Science Review," or other 

 books, or offers. — Rev. W. W. Flemyng, Coolfin House, 

 Portlaw, co. Waterford. 



Wanted, members for an ever-circulating magazine devoted 

 to astronomy and general physics. — Albert H. Waters, B.A., 

 F.S.Sc, etc., Willoughby House, Mill Road, Cambridge. 

 • Maclear's "Old Testament History" (4s. 6d.), Bantam's 

 "Extempore Speaking" {2s. 6d,), Sauer's "Italian Grammar, 

 with Key"(8j. 6d.), Elwall's " Spanish Grammar " {:s. 6</.), 

 Elwall's " Italian Triglot Dictionary," vol. 1 (2s. 6d.), " Logic 

 Primer" {is.), "English Literature Primer" {is.), all new. 

 Offers in microscopic and lantern slides, skeletons or any natural 

 history objects. — C. Rowland, Brampton, Cumberland. 



A few good micro-slides, including stomach of sea-mouse, 

 T. S., stained stem of sun-flower, T. S., double-stained, and 

 other good slides and unmounted material ; also foreign stamps, 

 and specimen of the African weaver-bird's nest, for good 

 machine drawings or other offers in books, etc. — Peter Kilgour, 

 11 Stirling Street, Dundee, N.B. 



Micro-slides. Duplicates (chiefly foreign diatoms) in ex- 

 change for others. — R. T. Ditchfield, Chorley, Lancashire. 



Wanted, for a beginner, imagos of Edusa, Cardamines, 

 Sybilla, Cardui, Atalanta, Io, Argynnidas, Lycasnidae, and 

 other common species ; also some common moths. I will give 

 in exchange a neat book store-box, 15 by 11 in., corked, gold 

 lettered, or choice flower-seeds. All offers answered. — R. 

 Laddiman, Hellesdon Road, Norwich. 



