HA RD WICKE'S SCIENCE- G OSSIP. 



2 59 



vars. of L. agrestis have also been described : Norve- 

 gica, Westerl., Etrusca, Issel, xanthosoma, Fischer, 

 punctulata, Paiva, maculate Paiva (these two are 

 Madeiran — they appear to be synonymous with 

 punctata and sylvatica, Moq.), nigrescens, Colb., 

 saxorum, Baud., and pallida, Heyn. ; (6) L. maximus 

 var. nebulosa is common in the London district, but 

 it has hitherto been classed with the var. obscura, 

 Moq., the two forms being almost identical ; (7) var. 

 Mulleri has been found at Mapperly, Notts. ; (8) add 

 L. maximus var. bifasciata*, D. and M. (Truro and 

 Bedford Park), var. pallida dorsalis* (Roeb. MS.), 

 Hudson (name in Science-Gossip 18S5, p. 67 ; 

 description "Journ. Conch." iS86, p. 48), var. 

 ornalice, Pini, var. Strobeli, Pini, var. Pavesii, Pini, 

 var. ater, Raz., var. gigantea, Baud, and var. vinosa, 

 Baud. ; (9) var. quadrifasciata is British. I will take 

 this opportunity of describing two new varieties of 

 Avion ater that Mr. J. H. James has sent me from 

 Truro : (1) subreticulata, back black, sharply defined 

 from the sides, sides yellowish, reticulated with 

 grey (the interstices of the rugce being of that 

 colour), fringe yellow, with dark traverse lineoles ; 

 (2) elineolata, pale yellow, back grey-black, ill-defined 

 from the sides, foot-fringe orange, without transverse 

 lineoles.— T. D. A. Cockerel!, Bedford Park, 18S6. 



Helix hispida with adherent Tentacles. — In 

 the early part of this month (September) Mr. J. 

 Wilcock, of Wakefield, whilst collecting Helix rufes- 

 cens and Helix hispida, found a specimen of the latter 

 with the tentacles grown together. They were adherent 

 throughout, except a slight cleft at the end about a line 

 in length. A shallow longitudinal suture was visible 

 between the two. The animal and shell were other- 

 wise normally formed. — Geo. Roberts. 



LlMAX MAXIMUS, VAR. STROBELI, PlNI, NEAR 



Wakefield. — This variety was collected at Haur 

 Park, near Wakefield, on September 12, 1886, and 

 submitted to Mr. T. D. A. Cockerell, of Chiswick, for 

 inspection. The body is yellowish, ashy, unicolorous. 

 Mantle same colour as body. Keel short, coloured 

 like the rest of the body. Sole of foot yellowish- 

 white. — Geo. Roberts. 



Sirex Juvencus. — My first specimen of Sirex 

 juvencus was given to me many years ago. I had every 

 reason to suppose that it was taken a few miles from 

 this place, but as it was a cabinet specimen, and I 

 had no history with it, I cannot be quite sure. It is 

 transfixed with a common pin of the period. Last 

 year I had a living specimen given to me. It was 

 taken in a back yard in this town, and about the same 

 time two specimens of S. gigas were also taken very 

 near to the same place, by another person, who told 

 me that they had some kindling (/.^.firewood) brought 

 into the yard, and I presume the Sirices came out of 

 this wood. That juvencus is British, I cannot doubt, 

 for, in addition to the two specimens mentioned by 

 Mr. Anderson, another specimen, at South Norwood, 



is recorded in the " Entomologist " for November, 

 1885. The editor also makes this remark : — "Both 

 species of Sirex appear to have been unusually 

 common this present season (18S5), for quite a 

 number of S. gigas and several 6". juvencus have been 

 sent for identification to the offices of the ' Field ' 

 newspaper." If in addition to this we take into con- 

 sideration the facts, that Moses Harris, in 1782, figures 

 and describes it as English ; that Donovan, in 1806, 

 does the same ; and that Stephens, in 1835, says : — 

 " This beautiful "and extremely variable insect is 

 decidedly the most common, at least in this country," 

 and that Wood also mentions it in 1872, I think all 

 doubts will be set at rest. My experience about 

 juvencus does not agree with that of Stephens, for I 

 have seen many specimens of "gigas, but only two of 

 juvencus. In Mr. Andrews's figure, the ovipositor 

 seems to have been omitted. I send you a photo- 

 graph taken/rom my specimen of S. juvencus. It is as 

 nearly of its natural size as my rough method of 

 photography permitted. The male insects are not so 

 frequently met with, for I have not yet seen a single 

 example. — C. F. George, Kirton Lindsey. 



The Development of the Tadpole. — On page 

 187, Mr. Charles Rousselet mentions an observation 

 of his, relative to the ciliated cellsin the epiderm of 

 the frog larva, and asks whether such a condition of 

 things has been previously described. I think not. 

 But a striated cuticular border has been demonstrated 

 as existing on the outer layer of the epidermis, which 

 Professor Wiedersheim, in his " Lehrbuch der vergl. 

 Anatomie der Wirbelthier," explains as due probably 

 to coalesced cilia. And the fact that the Amphioscus 

 gastrula has its epidermis ciliated must be considered 

 as greatly in favour of this phylogenetic view. But I 

 do certainly think that, as an ontogenetic point, Mr. 

 Rousselet's observation needs a confirmation with 

 higher powers of the microscope. — J. IV. Williams, 

 D.Sc. 



Arion Ater and Albo-lateralis, Roebuck. — 

 I have much pleasure in recording the recent finding, 

 by myself, of the above variety in a ditch near Coat- 

 ham Marshes, about one mile from Redcar, Yorkshire. 

 This would seem to point to a much more extended 

 distribution, for this foim, than has generally been 

 accorded to it. The slug list for the Middlesbrough 

 district now stands as follows: — Arion ater, A. 

 hortensis, A. Bouginatti, Limax maximus, L.jlavus, 

 L. arborum, L. Levis, L. agrestis, Amalia gagates and 

 A. marginata. — B. Hudson, Redcar. 



Water-Guns. — Can any of your correspondents 

 explain these ? They seem to proceed from some 

 electrical condition in the atmosphere. Reports like 

 the firing of guns are heard on the lake and shores of 

 Loch Neagh and Loch Erne. — S. A. B. 



