HA RD WICKE'S SCIENCE- GOSSIP. 



i4: 



phrase " a thumb and a half," but I cannot for all 

 the world of reason see its application in the descrip- 

 tion of a slug. Thumbs differ, and my thumb may- 

 be larger, equal to, or smaller than Mr. Cockerell's. 

 But perhaps, as Mr. Cockerell has drawn attention 

 to it, he will tell us. I am very pleased indeed to see 

 that Mr. Baker Hudson has been so fortunate as to 

 find those two rare slugs, Avion ater, var. albo- 

 lateralis, Roebuck, and Limax cinereo-niger, Wolf. 

 I was totally unaware of his finds, else I should have 

 given them a notice in my article. — J. W. Williams. 



Flight of Bees. — In reply to H. M. Lett, M.A. : 

 supposing a bee was taken into quite a new locality, 

 it surely could not "mark in its eye" a field of 

 clover two miles off. If such is the case they must 

 either have a wonderful vision, and can see an 

 immense distance (in fact their eyes must possess 

 a power perfectly telescopic), or they have the power, 

 like a carrier pigeon, of remembering the exact point 

 from which to start. Again it must be extremely 

 difficult to tell what a bee does in a flight of, say, two 

 miles. That they do "circle" is certain, for I have 

 seen them, but this I admit has only occurred when 

 starting and returning. I quite agree with Mr. Lett 

 that on its return journey, when laden with sweets 

 and perhaps pollen, instinct would suggest flying back 

 in as straight a line as possible ; but the mere fact of 

 circling round "to mark in its eye" a starting-point 

 must presuppose some experience, and in gaining 

 that experience who can tell what may have occurred ? 

 Naturalists vary greatly ; for instance, Goldsmith 

 says : " Every bee when it leaves the hive to col- 

 lect honey enters into the cup of the flower." I beg 

 most distinctly to say every bee does nothing of 

 the kind, for I have seen the common hedge-bee 

 (there are about 221 species according to Kirby) 

 break through the flower from the outside — even the 

 common broad bean — and extract the honey that 

 way. For instance, it would be quite impossible 

 for bees to fly in a straight line in a very high wind ; 

 in fact, you may have a hive of bees in such an 

 elevated position that one half will be killed by being 

 dashed against rocks or trees, and blown into rivers, 

 etc. I should certainly not contradict your corres- 

 pondent ; but it has been stated that the carpenter- 

 bee varies the direction of her flight every journey 

 she takes. — Mark Antony. 



A Sad End to Nest-building. — A missel- 

 thrush began a nest in a fork of a large horse- 

 chestnut tree in my garden, at Bolingbroke Grove, 

 Wandsworth Common, and the unfinished nest was 

 blown down. Nothing daunted, the bird tried again 

 in the same place with the same result. Lt then took 

 up a long piece of knotted string, wdiich it found on 

 the ground, to begin a third and, as it doubtless 

 hoped, a more successful attempt. But, in arranging 

 the string, one of the nooses got round the bird's 

 neck, and, the other end having been made safe, 

 foothold was somehow: lost, and the poor builder 

 hanged. Sad and piteous sight ! — J. P. Fannthorpe. 



Curious instance of Tameness in Fox-cubs. 

 — On April 22 the shepherd from a neighbouring farm 

 came and told us that a vixen was lying in an earth 

 close to their farm buildings, and had eleven cubs 

 with her ; and that the " young 'uns," as he expressed 

 it, were so tame that they would come out of the earth 

 when whistled for. My sisters and I promptly 

 walked up to the farm to have a look. It seems the 

 cubs were born in an osier-bed, but when they began 

 to cut the osiers, the vixen brought six cubs up to 

 this farm, a distance of over a mile and a-half, one 

 night, and, being watched, the second time was seen 



to bring five more. The owner of the land, thinking 

 so many cubs would be too much for the vixen, put 

 down a pan of milk by the earth, when the cubs 

 always came out immediately and drank it up. On 

 arriving at the earth the shepherd gave a whistle, and 

 out tumbled eleven cubs, looking like so many little 

 bears. They were wonderfully tame, allowing us to 

 pick them up and stroke them without evincing the 

 slightest signs of fear. They ran between our legs, 

 worrying the toes of our boots, catching at our petti- 

 coats, and fighting over the bits of meat we gave them. 

 It was the prettiest sight imaginable. The earth is 

 on one side of a sort of dell ; and when we left the 

 cubs ran after us up the hill, but, on seeing a strange 

 country at the top, went racing back to their old 

 quarters. Are not eleven cubs an unusually large 

 litter, and is it not a very rare thing for cubs bred in 

 a wild state to become so tame ? — M. H. A. 



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 al our grattiitous 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. 



G. H. J. — The "Geological Magazine" is published by 

 Triibner & Co., 57 and 59 Ludgate Hill, London, price is. 6d. 



EXCHANGES. 



Wanted, L. C. : 7th ed., 37, 45, 65, 85, 90, 119, 150, 153, 156, 

 159, 191, 194, 214, 215, 219, 345, 37s, 404, 536, 542, 762, 912, 

 1029, 1115, 1251, 1266, 1279, 1293, 1303. Offered, 146, 236, 353, 

 500, 575, 693, 810, 859, 1026, 1270, 1309, 1314, 1327, 1482, 1503, 

 1646. Lists exchanged. — Frederic H. Ward, Springfield, near 

 Tooting, S.W. 



Excellent slides of marine Algae, in fruit, named from best 

 recent authorities, offered for cabinet or boxes for slides.— 

 T- H. Buffham, Comely Bank Road, Walthamstow. 



Eocene fossils (Barton and Hendon series) for others not in 

 collection. — H. P.jDodridge, 7 Wharton Street, King's Cross, 



w.c 



Wanted, the vols, of Science-Gossip for 1871 and 1872, 

 bound or in parts. Will give 12 good micro slides for each 

 year. — John J. Andrew, L.D.S. Eng. 



Spy's " Cruise of the Challencer," " Naturalist's Wanderings 

 in the Eastern Archipelago," " Geology of Boston," etc. Very 

 fine American minerals. Very choice American fossils, such as 

 the famous Illinois fern nodular fossils, scaphites, baculites, 

 Bronthotherium teeth, etc. I would like offers of books, 

 minerals, fossils, microscope apparatus, slides mounted, or 

 crude material. Would like a good microscope complete, 

 objectives, glass stereopticon views, etc. — Address, W. S. Beck- 

 man, West Medford, via Boston, Mass., U.S.A. P.O.B. 108. 



Will exchange Barton fossils for those of other formations. 

 — H. Elmes, 45 Wharton Street, W.C. 



Wanted, clutches of eggs of many British species of birds. 

 Will give in exchange natural history specimens. — W. K. Mann, 

 Wellington Terrace, Clifton, Bristol. 



The undersigned would feel greatly indebted to collectors in 

 Great Britain and on the Continent for examples of the 

 Unionidas (freshwater mussels) of their district, and would_ do 

 his best to make a suitable return in shells. — G. Sherriff Tye, 

 10 Richmond Road, Handsworth, near Birmingham. 



Microscopic objects for sale, or exchange scientific books 

 (microscopical preferred) or lantern slides. — S. Harrison, Dal- 

 main Road, Forest Hill. 



Wanted, collections of old foreign stamps. Will give in 

 exchange natural history specimens. — W. K. Mann, Wellington 

 Terrace, Clifton, Bristol. 



Wanted, collection of birds' eggs or old coins in exchange 

 for lantern transparencies, physiological and other subjects. — 

 Apply to Robert Millikin, Kirkcaldy, N.B. 



