HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



263 



vitality ; their powerful double avenues for aeration ; 

 their cool, big-corpuscled blood ; and their unmis- 

 takeable zoological aspect, and half-way position 

 between the lively, well-oxygenated fishes, on the 

 one hand, and the equally well-oxygenated birds on 

 the other, ensure a power potency and vigour of 

 life-energy, which years of abstemiousness cannot 

 abate or conquer. The late gallant, thoroughly 

 English Canon King? ley, or a stout, hearty, well- 

 fed yeoman farmer might regard stories anent the 

 fasting proclivities of these animals as mere idle 

 tales ; but the evidence is clear and irrefragable 

 that such indeed are quite true. All types and figures 

 of men and of human life seem to be symbolised by 

 the lower animals ; and why mayj not the eremitic 

 monk, the lean, solitary hermit be represented, as 

 anybody else? Perhaps I may, with the editor's 

 kind permission and indulgence, offer at some future 

 time to the pages of Science-Gossip a detailed 

 statement of these types and symbols of humanity, 

 figured and shadowed forth in the demeanour and 

 habits of the lower animals. It will then, I trust, 

 be seen that many Biblical references, etc., are 

 founded on fact ; and that, whatever we may opine 

 anent the descent of man, we may rest assured that 

 the lord of creation has, in the course of generations, 

 impressed certain qualities, characters and habits on 

 the brutes, which are very marvellous, and extremely 

 interesting from every point of view. — P. Quin 

 Kegan, LL.D. 



Hedgehog. — While staying last week near Cam- 

 bridge, I observed one day in the garden a young 

 hedgehog apparently dead, with its head almost 

 covered with blue-bottles' eggs. On moving it, I 

 discovered it to be still alive, though only partially 

 able to coil itself up, and to have lost both its eyes. 

 These had not been removed bodily, but merely 

 burst, as the empty cases still remained in the sockets. 

 Otherwise, the animal seemed uninjured, and there 

 were no traces near to suggest the cause of the injury. 

 What could have deprived the poor little creature of 

 its eyes ? On skinning it afterwards, I happened, 

 naturally enough, to prick my fingers in handling its 

 spines, and before long I observed a considerable 

 blister on each spot where I. had been pricked. This 

 seems to suggest that the spines are charged with 

 poison. Is it so ? I have never seen the fact men- 

 tioned. Speaking of skinning, reminds me that I 

 also want to ask what is the best way of moistening 

 arsenical soap when it becomes too thick or hard. 

 Ought one to use spirit, or will water answer the 

 purpose ?— J. H. K. 



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. 



F. Bussett.— The white variety of the Devil's Bit Scabious 

 is not uncommon. 



R. Davidson.— There is a variety of "honeycomb quartz" 

 which has been formed in the way you mention, viz. : by the 

 deposition of silica in cracks, and the subsequent dissolving 

 away of the intervening material. (Qy. 2.) Get Sir George Cox's 

 "Comparative Mythology of the Aryan Nations," or his 

 " Manual of Mythology," price 4s. (sd., published by Macmillan. 



D.A.K.— 1 and 2, yellow bunting {Emberiza citrinella) ; 

 3, chaffinch [Fringilla Calebs); 4, black cap [Carruca atri- 

 capilld); 5, reed warbler [Salicaria arundinacea) ; 6, sedge 

 warbler [S. phragmitis) ; 7, willow warbler or wren [Sylvia 

 trochilus); 8, common white-throat [Carruca cincrea) ; 9, 

 lesser white-throat [C. sylviclld) ; n, tomtit or bhietit [Parus 

 cristatus); 12, long-tailed tit {Parus caudatus) ; 13, common 

 white-throat [Carruca cinerea) ; 14, tree pipit, variety of, rather 

 uncommon [Anthus arborcus) ; 15, skylark {Alauda arvensis)-; 

 16, common white-throat [Carruca cincrea); 17, chiff-chaff 

 [Sylvia hippolais). 



W. Hamborough. — The insect is the mealy bug. 



J. W. E. — Your zoophytes are: (1) Cellular ia jistulosa (a 

 polyzoan) ; (2) the squirrel's-tail coralline [Sertularia argentea, 

 a hydrozoan). 



E. Halkyard. — Apply to Mr. W. P. Collins, 157 Great 

 Portland Street, or Mr. W. Wesley, Essex Street, Strand. Both 

 are scientific booksellers, and will answer your question, and 

 also give prices, &c. 



R. H. W. — The Publishing Offices of the British Association 

 are at Albemarle Street, London, where you can purchase the 

 Reports, and get other information. 



EXCHANGES. 



Steward's "Educational" microscope, one eye-piece, com- 

 bined i-in. and £-in. objective, analyser, and polariser, with 

 selenite slide, stand condenser, live box, with coarse and fine 

 adjustment, in mahogany case. In good condition.— G. F. 

 Bergin, jun., 43 Fernbank Road, Redland, Bristol. 



Injected and stained slides of frog, also stained slides of 

 earthworm, horse leech, human liver, kidney and lung, dog's 

 ear (Pinner), etc., exchanged for good slides from vegetable and 

 animal kingdoms, or good insect mounts. — C. A. Lowe, Crank- 

 hall Lane, Wednesbury. 



Walter's " Birds of Ireland ;" " Naturalist," vol. v. ; " Fa- 

 miliar Wild Birds," 20 'parts ; " Midland Naturalist," vol. i. ; 

 " Practical Taxidermy," by Montagu Brown ; " Sermons in 

 Stones," etc., in exchange for other books or offers. Wanted, 

 "Gardening, Illustrated," vols. ii. iii. and iv. ; Harting's 

 " Birds of Middlesex ;" " British Song Birds," by Neville Wood. 

 — Rev. W. W. Flemyng, Coolfin House, Portlaw, co. Waterford. 



Side-blown eggs of pheasant, jay, starling, redstart, spotted 

 flycatcher, willow wren, long-tail tit, blue tit, bullfinch, white- 

 throat, lesser white-throat, in exchange for side-blown eggs of 

 hooded crow, carrion crow, chiff-chaff, tree pipit, tree sparrow, 

 garden warbler, sand martin, etc. ; single exchange preferred. — 

 James L. Mott, 18 Grafton Place, Northampton. 



Offered, L.C-, 8th edition, Nos. 2, 107*, 185, 193, 198, 208, 

 217, 238, 291, 303, 372, 373, 37s, 380, 393, 402, 477, 486, 487, 

 537, 544, 661, 662, 680, 687, 733, 746, 925, 929, 930, 948, 954, 

 993, 997, 1009, 1043, 1058, 1059, 1077, 1220, 1309, 1310, 1328, 

 1330, 1335, 1354. 1365, i4 2 3. i45 2 » IS79. ^05, 1649, 1771, 1788, 

 1829.— Wm. Smith, Urmiston Lodge, Arbroath, N.B. 



Wanted, Thome's " Botany." Will give in exchange Foster 

 and Balfour's " Elements of Embryology" (1874) or Dr. Buch- 

 ner's " Man in the Past, Present, and Future," translated by 

 Dallas.— J. W. Williams, Gothic Cottage, Serpentine Road, 

 Park Village East, N.W. 



Offers of British dried plants requested in exchange for 

 Part I., vol. i., Sowerby's " English Botany," 1886, 3rd ed. new 

 and perfect condition, 27 hand-coloured plates. — Tom Watson, 

 54 Bank Parade, Burnley. 



Offered, one-holed clutches of whooper swan, rough-legged 

 buzzard, marsh harrier, Montagu's harrier, kestrel, long-eared 

 owl, dipper and nest, stonechat and nest, sedge warbler, grey 

 wagtail and nest, rock pipit and nest, corn bunting, magpie, 

 swift, turtle dove, snipe, ringed plover, water-hen, kittiwake, 

 herring gull, Iceland gull ; eggs of gold crest, rock pipit, hooded 

 crow, nightjar, heron, guillemot, razor-bill, gannet, shearwater, 

 storm petrel; wanted, good clutches. State offers, and all 

 desiderata.— R. J. Ussher, Cappagh, Lismore, Ireland. 



Pye-Smith's " Scripture and Geology ; " Trench's " Study 

 of Words ;" " Roxburgh Ballads," 2 large vols., cuts of costumes, 

 1873, for natural history books, or a collection of shells. Various 

 common shells (duplicates) offered to beginners in conchology 

 who will send box, and stamps to cover return postage.— George 

 Roberts, Lofthouse, Wakefield. 



Wanted, Science-Gossip for March, 1884— C. W. Maw, 

 9 Fairfield Road, Bradford, Yorkshire. 



