HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



95 



be what it may with our flower, that of the ash-tree is 



a very close one. 



" Thick 

 By ashen roots the violets blow, 



as a later stanza of "In Memoriam " so accurately 

 observes. — G. E. Dartnell. 



A remarkable Robin. — According to a con- 

 temporary, there is now to be seen, at the old village 

 cobbler's residence at Framfield, adjoining the village 

 churchyard, a living curiosity in the shape of a robin 

 which was captured on the 25th January. The bird is 

 now caged, and sings delightfully in the true notes of 

 the robin. The plumage consists of a white breast, 

 wings resembling the chaffinch, a white crown, and, 

 more singular still, a white bill, whereas our old 

 English robin carries with him a black one. 



Arion hortensis, var. subfusca. — Mr. Wil- 

 liams, speaking of this variety in his very interesting 

 article on the variation of slugs, in the recent number 

 of Science-Gossip, remarks, " This variety has been 

 recorded for Britain, but, I believe, on unreliable 

 authority." I took a quantity of slugs last March on 

 the banks of the Ely, at St. Fagan's, near Cardiff, 

 which I sent to Mr. Roebuck for identification. They 

 were : five Arion hortensis, var. subfusca ; five Limax 

 agrcstris, var. sylvatica, three L. agrestis, var. 

 tristis ; one A. atcr, var. nigrescens, and several 

 Arions difficult to make out, which Mr. Roebuck 

 thinks to be a new species not yet recorded as British. 

 Near the same place I took H. arbustorum, hortensis, 

 nemoralis, aspersa, rotutidata, and hispida, S. elegans, 

 C. minimum, Zonites nitidulus, Z.fulvus (scarce), and 

 Cock. lubrica.—F. W. Wotton, Cardiff. 



A Suggestion for Scientific Societies. — I 

 am sure there are many students of nature who would 

 be glad to give the helping hand "An Hon. Sec." 

 asks for in Science-Gossip, vol. xxi. p. 263, and, for 

 my own part, I can lend him two papers on general 

 botanical subjects, with diagrams drawn by myself, if 

 he thinks they would be of service. However, I 

 have another object in writing this note, which is 

 to suggest to " An Hon. Sec." to get the members of 

 his society to take up the cataloguing of the plants, 

 shells, and insects, in all their various branches, that 

 are to be found in his district. I have no idea where- 

 abouts he resides, but I can scarcely think its flora 

 and fauna have already been completely worked out. 

 For, as Gilbert White writes in his "Natural History 

 of Selborne," " All nature is so full, that that district 

 produces the greatest variety which is the most 

 examined." Many local societies in England and 

 America have been thus making lists of what is found 

 within their bounds, and with most useful results. 

 In Ireland, too, the Belfast Naturalists' Field Club, 

 and the Royal Dublin Society, have been doing a 

 like work for the provinces of Ulster and Leinster. 

 And it occurs to me that such a treatment of the 

 natural history of "An Hon. See's" locality would 

 afford endless themes, as, at meeting after meeting, 

 portions of the various lists were brought forward by 

 the different collectors.— i7. IV. Lett, M.A. 



A Query for Teetotallers. — How is the fact 

 (for a fact it is) to be explained — viz. that if you mix 

 Seltzer water with whisky, the usual air- (or gas-beads 

 rather) are seen in the mixture, which remains other- 

 wise quiescent ; whereas, if brandy be the spirit 

 employed, great frothy bubbles are produced on the 

 surface of the fluid, which fill the top part of the 

 tumbler which contains it, and have a tendency (like 

 champagne) to overpass the boundary of the rim ? It 

 has often struck me as being veiy curious. — W. H. 



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. J. Horn. — Your unknown animals are hardly likely to be 

 slugs if they live in water. It is more probable they are some 

 kind of Planarians. 



F. W. — The " Journal of Conchology " Is an excellent 

 monthly periodical, published at is., by Taylor Brothers, 

 Hunslet New Road, Leeds. 



A. P. — Besides the article on the Geology of the Isle of Wight 

 in our March number, you will find two capital articles on the 

 geology of that little island in the vol. of Science-Gossip for 

 1882. entitled "A Week's Rambling with a Hammer in the 

 Isle of Wight." 



F. Challis.— Mr. J. J. Harris Teale's " British Petro- 

 graphy " is coming out in twenty-rive monthly parts, price 3.J. 6d. 

 each, and is published by Messrs. Watson, Bros., and Douglas, 

 92 Great Charles Street, Birmingham. 



EXCHANGES. 



L. C., 7th edition, offered, 135, 235, 575, 1304, 1482, 1646 

 Petasites fragrans, in exchange for other specimens. — M. 

 Dawber, Les Ruettes Brayes, Guernsey. 



What offers for twenty-four fine rock specimens from Aus- 

 tralia, named and localised ? Wanted, Eocene fossils or geo- 

 logical works.— George E. East, jun., 10 Basinghall Street, 

 London, E.C. 



Microscopic objects for exchange: kidneys of sheep and 

 child, human skin, lungs of dog and sheep, all injected ; trans- 

 verse section of rhinoceros horn, hoof of sheep and horse, 

 section of deal — all good polarizing objects — for other objects. 

 All the above are first-class mounts, the same required in ex- 

 change. Send list and sample object to — R. Mason, 24 Park 

 Road, Clapham, London, S.W. 



Staveley's " British Spiders," sixteen coloured plates ; good 

 specimen of lesser tern, without case. Will exchange for polari- 

 scope or offers. — W. Towner, 89 Terminus Road, Eastbourne, 

 Sussex. 



Wanted, Stark's " British Mosses " and Lindsay's 

 "Lichens." Will give Austin Flint's "Text-Book of Physio- 

 logy " (30s.) for both, or Kirke's " Handbook of Physiology," 

 (14s.) for either. — J. W. Williams, D.Sc, 27 Corinne Road, 

 Tufnell Park, N. 



Shall be glad to correspond with any one in Suffolk, with 

 a view of exchanging specimens of British plants of that 

 District. — William Kirkby, Calverley Street, Leeds. 



Wanted, Stainton's "Butterflies and Moths." Will 

 exchange Lyell's " Student's Elements of Geology," last edition, 

 edited by Prof. Duncan (1885).— J. W. Williams, D.Sc, 27 

 Corinne Road, Tufnell Park, N. 



Two good micro-slides for each of the following numbers of 

 Science-Gossip. No. 4, April 1865 ; 38, Feb., 40, April 1868 ; 

 S3, May, 57, Sept. 1869; 66 June, 71, Nov. 1870; 74, Feb., 

 75, March, 1871 ; 85, Jan., 95, Nov., 96, Dec. 1872 ; and 126, 

 June 1875.— Saml. M. Malcomson, M.D., 55 Great Victoria 

 Street, Belfast. 



British birds' eggs : will be glad to forward list of dupli- 

 cates with a view to exchange. — Frank Simpson, Fennymore, 

 Ealing, W. 



Microscopic slides for exchange : kidney of sheep, Congo 

 snake, intestine of cat, rabbit, lung of dog, sheep, liver of pig, 

 lip and gum of Congo snake— all injected and stained — for other 

 well-mounted objects, insects, etc. Send list and specimen. — 

 R. M., 24 Park Road, Clapham. 



Will exchange January part of " Nature," 1885 (clean) for 

 any five back Nos. of Science-Gossip, or January part of 

 "Knowledge." Correspondents wanted in the Highlands and 

 near one of the forests of England with view to exchange notes 

 and specimens.— William James, Esq., Treveneth, Paul, nr. 

 Penzance, Cornwall. 



Eggs for others not in collection: wild ducks, jackdaws, 

 moorhens, blackbirds, thrushes, linnets, starlings, whitethroats, 

 robins, greenfinches, yellow-hammers, redstarts, field-larks, 

 nightingales, chaffinches, hedge-sparrow.— G. F. Lund, Marl- 

 borough House, Sidcup, Kent. 



