HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE -GO SSI P. 



'■39 



Egg Drills.— Where are Egg Drills, described 

 and figured at pp. 30 and 31 of " Notes on Collecting 

 and Preserving Natural History Objects," to be ob- 

 tained ? As far as I know, they are not to be had at 

 any of the naturalists' shops in London, where only 

 very inferior implements for this purpose are sold. — 

 Beta. 



Birds Singing at Midnight. — Extract from the 

 Standard, Feb. 22, 1878.— "W. F. E.," writing on 

 the above subject, mentions something much more 

 remarkable in the history of our singing-birds which 

 has occurred in the immediate neighbourhood of 

 Little Chart Rectory, Charing, Kent, within the last 

 few days. Between the hours of eleven and twelve 

 •o'clock on the night of Friday last, the 15th inst., on 

 Saturday night, and again on Sunday night, at the 

 same hour, the blackbirds and thrushes were singing, 

 whilst the smaller birds in the hedgerows were 

 chirruping and twittering just as you hear them in 

 the early morning in summer. He himself listened 

 to them with open door and window, and he has 

 been told by several who were out on those nights— 

 the neighbouring doctor amongst the number — that 

 they heard with wonder this, at such an hour, unusual 

 melody." 



Birds Singing at Midnight. — The singing of 

 thrushes, robins, and other birds for several nights in 

 succession, during February last — although, doubtless, 

 accounted for by the singular beauty of the weather 

 about that time — is such an unusual occurrence, that 

 I should be very glad to hear of it prevailing generally 

 in the country. — X. 



Brotherly Love in a Guinea-pig. — Some 

 years ago I possessed a guinea-pig which had never 

 shown any more wisdom than the rest of its species. 

 One day a friend gave me a young rabbit which he 

 had caught in a neighbouring warren, and I put it 

 into the guinea-pig's cage. I was somewhat aston- 

 ished to see the guinea-pig feed the rabbit "with 

 clover and other vegetables provided for its own 

 nourishment. It also gave up to it the snuggest part 

 of the cage. The guinea-pig continued these atten- 

 tions till the rabbit was sent back to its native warren, 

 when the unfortunate guinea-pig expressed its 

 anguish in most pitiful cries. — Anna Ward, Belfast. 



Phosphorus in Salt Water. — I have observed 

 that when thunder is prevalent, the flashes of light 

 in sea water, occasioned by phosphorus, are much 

 more numerous and distinct. — A. Ward, Belfast. 



Ranunculus repens. — J have never heard the 

 name " Devil's-claw " applied to this plant. In this 

 part of Somerset it goes by the name of " Ram's- 

 claws," as its long trailing stems are a great annoyance 

 to the rakers in the hay-field. — W. Herridge, Cack- 

 lington. 



NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS, 



To -Correspondents and Exchangers. — As we now 

 publish Science-Gossip a week earlier than heretofore, we 

 cannot possibly insert in the following number any communi- 

 cations which reach us later than the 9th of the previous 

 month. 



G. A. H. (Manchester). — No. 1. Viola Curtisii, a very 

 characteristic specimen ; No. 2. Some form of Viola tricolor, 

 probably V. Mackaii ; No. 3. Statice auricul&folia, Vahl ; 

 No. 4. Sagina apetala. 



E. H. (London). — No. 1. Everlasting Pea [Lathyrus sylves- 

 tris, L.) ; No. 2. Erigeron, sp. ; No. 3. It is difficult to name 

 a species from leaves only, but we believe your example to be 

 Oxalis acetosella, L. 



J. A. W. (Darlington). — No. 1. Cerastium triviale ; No. 2. 

 Mountain Willow-herb {Epilobium montanum) ; No. 3. 

 Meadow Pea {Lathyrus pratensis, L.) ; No. 4. Common 

 Valerian {Valeriana officinalis); No. 5. Restharrow {Ononis 

 spinosa) ; No. 6. Bedstraw {Galium verutn) ; No. 7. Anagallis 

 tenella. 



CujAS (Beauly, -Glasgow, N.B.). — Your specimens are as 

 follow: No. 1. Bog Asphodel {Narthecium ossifragmii); No. 

 2. Bur Marigold {Bidcus tripartita) ; No. 3. Rough Chervil 

 {Chisrophyllu»i temulum); No. 4. Winter Green {'frientalis 

 europora) ; No. 5. H'ogweed {Heracleum sphondylium) ; No. 6. 

 Field Gentian {Gentiana campestris, L.) ; No. 7. Stitchwort 

 {Stellar ia graminea) ; No. 8. Earth-nut {Bunium Jtcxuosuiii) ; 

 No. 9. Red Dead Nettle [Lamium purpureum) ; No. 10. A 

 very curious and remarkable monstrosity of No. 5 ; we hope to 

 figure it in our columns shortly ; No. 11. Dead Nettle (Lamium 

 amplcxicaule) ; No. 12. Lesser Spearwort {Ranunculus Jtam- 

 muta). 



Q. Q. (Elie Fife). — Unfortunately your example came to 

 hand in a poor state to determine ; it was partly decayed ; it 

 may prove to be Lycium barbarum ; have you another speci- 

 men ? 



B. D. (Newport). — It is Cirsium oleraceuni. We cannot tell 

 why it is so named. Some of our thistles are edible. 



E. W. (Bristol). — The Carex you send is Carex paludosa ; it 

 is nearly allied to C. riparia. 



J. C. W. (Salterton, Devon). — No. 1 and No. 2 are both 

 Lotus tenuis, Kit. According to Hooker a sub-species of L. cor- 

 niculatus, L. ; but it is readily distinguished from that species 

 by its filiform and often shrubby stems. 



G. W. Bell. — See article in Science-Gossip for July, 1877, 

 by Mr. J. Young, F.G.S., on " How to Clean Fossil Polyzoa." 



A Subscriber. — The best book on British Butterflies and 

 Moths is unquestionably that of E. Newman. There you will 

 find illustrations of every species except the Micro-lepidoptera. 

 Morris's "British Moths" contains coloured plates, but they 

 are not so faithful as Newman's woodcuts. 



W. G. Piper. — The lias, both at Lyme Regis and in the 

 neighbourhood of Whitby, is full of fossils. A capital hunting- 

 ground may be found at Aust Cliff, on the Severn, near New 

 Passage, where there is an abundance of Rhoetic fossils. The 

 carboniferous limestone at Castleton, Derbyshire, is a splendid 

 fossil locality. The tertiary beds in the Isle of Wight are also 

 exceedingly fossiliferous. 



C. E. R. — You can purchase Sea-Anemones of Mr. King, 

 Seahorse House, Portland-road, London. 



F. W. E. S. — Your article will appear shortly in our pages. 



J. W. S. (Sheffield). — Your exchange exceeds the three lines 

 allowed gratis, and would have to be charged as an advertise- 

 ment. 



Essex. — The insect you trod upon which gave forth a phos- 

 phorescent light was most probably Geophilus ellctricus, one of 

 the Millipedes. 



J. R. Murdoch. — Your Mosses are : — No. 1. Hypnum 

 Sendtueri ; 2, Hypnum purum ; 3. Hypnum tamariscinum ; 

 4. Hypnum loreum ; 5. Hypnum piliferum ; 6. Hypnum 

 Kneiffii ; 7. Dicranella squarrosa ; 8. Hypnum lutescens ; 

 10. Hypnum splendens ; n. Neckera complanata ; 12. Hyp- 

 7111m myosuroides ; 13. Bartramia fontana ; 14, Homalia tri- 

 chomanoides. Hepaticae : 9. Madotheca platyphylla ; i$.PZa- 

 giochila asplenioides ; 16. Scapauia nemorosa. 



A. Cole. — Your Mosses are : — No. 1. Sphagnum Jimbria- 

 tum ; 2. Sphagnum acutifolium : 3. Sphagnum subsecundum 

 (var. contortum) ; 4. Sphagnum cymblfolium (var. squarrosu- 

 lum) ; 11. Sphagnum cuspidatum ; 5. Hypnum Jlagellare ; 6. 

 Dicranum scoparium (young); 7. Hypnum rivulare ; 8. Ce- 

 ratodon purpureas ; 9. B>yum caspiticium ; 10. Hypnum ser- 

 pens ; 12. Hypnum sericeum. 



A Beginner. — The insect you describe was most probably 

 one of the Hornet Clear-wings, a moth which simulates the 

 appearance of the true Hornet in a remarkable degree. See 

 Newman's " British Moths." 



A. W. A. — 1 here is a capital old-established Naturalists' Field 

 Club in Liverpool, whose subscription is low, that would suit you 

 and such as you, and we feel certain it would welcome artisan- 

 naturalists. The president is the Rev. H. H. Higgins. 



C. H. G. — The caterpillar of your moth had been attacked 

 during life by an ichneumon (a not uncommon thing), and the 

 ichneumon had deposited its eggs in the tissues of the caterpillar. 

 These subsequently hatched into the condition you found them 

 in, at the expense of their host. 



X.— Your packet contained some of the purifying lime used 

 in gas-works. 



J. Kirkham. — The six ivory slides are very heterogeneous 

 as to objects, and old-fashioned. No. 1 contains a piece of Red 

 Seaweed {Plocamium) and of a Sea-fir {Sertularia argentea) ; 

 No. 2 shows wings, legs, &c. of some orthopterous insects ; No. 

 3, Fish-skin. Feather-barbule, &c. ; No. 4, pieces of Snake- 

 skin and part of a Beetle ; No. 5, Coral-sand, portion of 

 Diamond Beetle, of Sea-mat (Flustra), &c. ; No. 6, piece of 

 Cora Una officinalis (a Sea-weed), of Flustra, and a group of 

 Foraminifera (Gtobigerina). Please send us your address, as 

 we have mislaid it. 



