HARDWICKKS SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



215 



or 13 feet, they have come across a forest bed on the 

 irregular surface of the drift, the surface of which is 

 a greenish sandy clay, with pebbles and stones. 

 About one foot below they find eight feet of red clay, 

 with pebble stones, fragments of chalk, &c. ; below 

 this quicksand, not very thick, possibly only an erratic 

 layer. The boulder clay should appear here, but 

 where it rises above the sea-level it is invariably 

 covered with drift. The roots of the trees are stand- 

 ing where they grew. They are of very large size, 

 and, from their closeness, represent a dense forest. 

 They are oak and Scotch fir — mostly the latter. On 

 the surface of the drift is a peat bed from two to four 

 feet in thickness, largely composed of trunks, and 

 fallen branches of the trees. The prostrate oaks are 

 fairly sound, and dark brown in colour. The Scotch 

 firs are mostly decayed. A friend of mine has 

 bought the trees, and is cutting them in boards and 

 planks. He has one Scotch fir sound, of which I have 

 a specimen. It is blue in colour, and smells strongly 

 of turpentine and sulphur. The growth of the wood 

 has been quick, and I can count 65 annual rings. 

 This tree shows that the climate has not changed, for 

 its growth is identical with the Scotch fir of to-day. 

 The growth of the oak does not look any different to 

 that of living trees in this latitude. A rubbed or 

 polished stone axe, or celt, has been found on the 

 surface of the drift, at the bottom at the peat, but it 

 had been obtained and carried away by a clergyman 

 before I got to know about it. The celt was four 

 inches long, of green coloured stone, smooth surface. 

 Nuts have been found, probably from an undergrowth 

 of hazel. This forest bed is now at the low-water 

 level of the sea. 



Old English Plant-Names. — In the list of old 

 English plant-names which I read in Science-Gossip, 

 I wondered at finding herb-twopence made synony- 

 mous with loosestrife. The name loosestrife seemed 

 to have been used by our ancestors in a manner so 

 loose as that it would be likely to engender strife. As 

 to the plant called by such a name, in Lee's Intro- 

 duction to Botany, I read of it as applied to plants of 

 four different genera, Lysimachia, Epilobium, 

 Lythrum, and Gaura, the last being distinguished as 

 yellow Virginian Loosestrife, a plant which I confess 

 I do not know, though I learn from Sweet's " Hortus 

 Britannicus " that a species of gaura was introduced 

 in 1762, but it is not described as yellow, nor do I 

 think it likely to be the plant to which Lee refers. 

 Gaura mutabilis described by Sweet as having been 

 introduced in 1795, i s m ost likely to have been Lee's 

 Virginian Loosestrife. The British wild flowers 

 commonly called loosestrife I am tolerably familiar 

 with, and am sure that none of them was ever called 

 herb-twopence unless by mistake. The mistake 

 seems to have arisen from the fact that Lysimachia 

 vulgaris is the common yellow loosestrife, and 

 Lysimachia nummularia is herb twopence or money- 

 wort, the meaning of which names is apparent in the 

 pair of opposite leaves making one think of penny 

 pieces as they lie on the ground by reason of the 

 prostrate habit of the plant which distinguishes it 

 completely from all those which are ever called 

 loosestrife, however loose the names may be applied. 

 — John Gibbs. 



Spots on Sycamore Leaves. — If Messrs. Drum- 

 mond and Muir will examine in spring the dead 

 leaves of the sycamore which may be gathered under 

 the trees, whose leaves they have found to be spotted 

 with black, they will find that the spots have become 

 thickened, and that examination with a microscopic 

 power of 250 diameters will reveal the presence of 



ascospores and paraphyses, showing that the black 

 spots represent the incipient stage of the fungus, 

 Rhytisma ascerinum. — Wm. West, Bradford. 



Fungus in Water.— I have observed the matted 

 mycelium of what I take to be a state of Aspergillus 

 glaucus scores and scores of times, in all kinds of in- 

 fusions and preparations, which do not contain a 

 sufficient quantity of alcohol to properly preserve 

 them. Mr. Brenan's description agrees exactly with 

 what I have observed in "closely corked bottles." I 

 have seen it produce Aspergillus, but have also seen 

 similar mycelial masses produce such species. — Win. 

 West, Bradford. 



Bittersweet Berries. — If Mr. Lett refers to 

 former numbers of Science-Gossip, or to " Taylor on 

 Poisons," he will find that there is conflicting evidence 

 as to the poisonous properties of these fruits. — Wm. 

 West, Bradford. 



Sycamore.— There is one point respecting the 

 sycamore seed which Mr. Malan in his interesting 

 observations on Sycamore Samarus (p. 180), does 

 not allude to ; in fact, his remark that in November 

 " there is no life visible — no promise " would lead one 

 to suppose he has not noticed it. I referto the fact that 

 the cotyledons are fully as green while yet wrapped 

 up in the husk with the lining of hair {simarre) and a 

 thin inner skin as after they had unfolded and started 

 into growth. This would tend to indicate the presence 

 of chlorophyl in the absence of light. Have any other 

 readers of Science-Gossip noticed this? — William 



Spots on Sycamore Leaves. — In the July num- 

 ber of Science-Gossip Mr. Drummond asks the 

 cause of the spots on sycamore leaves. In the last 

 number one correspondent suggests that they arise 

 from the sun's rays being condensed by drops of rain 

 or dew, and another, that they are due to a fungus, 

 Capnodium footii. Of course, without seeing the 

 leaves it is impossible to speak with certainty, but if 

 they are similar to the spots on the leaf enclosed, 

 which abounds on most sycamores, they are caused by 

 the spermoza of a fungus, Rhytisma acerina (Cook's 

 Handbook, Brit. Fungi, p. 756). If kept slightly 

 moist the ascigerous state will be developed in the 

 spring. It is quite distinct from capridium. — T. W. 

 Roper. 



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 dertake to insert in the following number any communications 

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W. Shepherd. — Your specimen is the common liverwort 

 (Marckantia polymorphci), and the mushroom-like objects are 

 the fructifying parts. 



J. J. Corne. — You cannot do better than get Huxley's 

 " Physiology," published by Macmillan at 4?. 6a?. 



W. T. — Your fungus is the meadow champignon (Marasniiits 

 oreades). 



