1 4° 



HARD WICKE 'S S CIE NCE - G O SSIP. 



readers of Science-Gossip might be interested there- 

 with. About a fortnight after Christmas I took some 

 mistletoe berries, which had already done duty as 

 decorations during the festive season, and squeezing 

 each one separately, applied it to a branch or twig 

 of a little hawthorn hedge. This hedge is now about 

 three years old and is in vigorous growth. I applied, 

 altogether, about two dozen seeds, without opening 

 any of the bark at all, and left them to maintain their 

 position by means of the viscous matter surrounding 

 them. For a long time I could observe no outward 

 difference on them, with the exception that they 

 seemed to be swelling, so I had hope that life was 

 present. About this period I one day observed that 

 two or three of them had been pecked out by the 

 birds. However, as I did not notice any more 

 marauding behaviour of this kind, I am hopeful that 

 a considerable percentage of the seed thus sown may 

 grow. The next step in the way of progress — the 

 seeds in addition to having become considerably 

 swollen became of a bright green colour, and on 

 several of the finest I could distinctly make out the 

 lobed character which the cotyledons still wrapped 

 together are beginning to assume. Last week, as I 

 was making one of my daily inspections, I became 

 aware of several of the little seeds having effected 

 a junction with the branches they are attached to. 

 Since then I have observed more of them, and I am 

 congratulating myself that my venture will succeed. 

 As the hedge is now fast becoming green it daily 

 becomes a more difficult matter to find out the where- 

 abouts of my friends. I must now wait to the end of 

 the year, when the Hawthorn puts on its winter garb, 

 before I shall be able to count how many have 

 "taken." As Devonshire is famous for producing 

 very little of the mystic parasite, I have had the more 

 pleasure in my pursuit, and hope that the " Mistletoe 

 Bough " may become a permanent denizen of my 

 hedge. — J. Mills Higgitis, Silverton, Devon. 



GEOLOGY. 



Gold in New Guinea. — The discovery of gold i 

 in this hitherto unknown country promises, ere long, 

 to make us better acquainted with its natural history 

 and mineral productions. Expeditions are being 

 fitted out, both in Australia and New Zealand, for 

 the exploration of the interior, and the collection of 

 general trustworthy information. 



Ancient Vegetation. — Professor Claypole has 

 found the remains of Lepidodendron-like plants in 

 the Clinton limestones of Ohio, belonging to the 

 Upper Silurian period. The provisional name of 

 Glyptodcndron has been given to this, the oldest 

 known American plant. As representing arborescent 

 vegetation, it may be regarded as the oldest known 

 specimen in the world. 



Fossil Insects. — Mr. Scudder is preparing a 

 work on the fossil insects of America. He has 

 recently spent a couple of months in the Western 

 Territories, collecting fossil insects. Six to seven 

 thousand specimens were obtained from Florissant ; 

 all being remarkable for their beautiful preservation. 

 There is every reason to believe that the tertiary 

 strata of the Rocky Mountains are richer in the 

 remains of fossil insects than any other part of the 

 world. Mr. Scudder possesses more than twelve 

 thousand specimens. 



Fossil Fresh-Water Sponges. — Mr. J. T. 

 Young, F.G. S., announces the discovery of spicules 

 of fresh- water sponges in the so-called " flints " found 

 in the Purbeck limestones. The spicules are like 

 those of Spotigilla Jluviatilis, only larger. This is 

 the first discovery of fossil fresh-water sponges in 

 Great Britain. Mr. Young has called his specimen 

 Spongilla Pio beckensis. 



NOTES AND QUERIES, 



Irish Wolf-dogs. — Will any one kindly inform 

 me if the' above dogs are extinct; if not, to whom 

 they belong ? — L. M. 



How to Make Plaster Casts of Fish, &c. — 

 I have read with much interest your article in SciENCE- 

 Gossip on the making of " Plaster Casts of Fishes." 

 Being a user of plaster in my occupation as a dentist, 

 I venture to give you a better plan of managing that 

 material. The process of mixing water with plaster 

 should be as follows : — Put water first into the mixing 

 vessel, and then add the plaster to it by shaking it 

 from a scoop as evenly as you can into all parts of the 

 water (in large quantities through a sieve), until the 

 dry plaster floats on the surface ; stir it slowly a little ; 

 then you have the proper quantity to make it of the 

 consistence of cream, which is also the proper consist- 

 ence to use for casting ; then shake or jar the vessel 

 a little, and let it stand for a few seconds to get rid of 

 air-bubbles. The plaster, in this state, will give 

 plenty of time to mix more and add if necessary. 

 You may use any quality ; but I should prefer "super- 

 fine," 9s. per cwt. Trusting this will facilitate your 

 interesting work. — E. R. Pearce. 



A Plague of Flies. — A small district, lying in 

 the counties of Antrim and Derry, has this spring 

 been afflicted with a plague of flies, entailing both 

 inconvenience and loss to the inhabitants. The area 

 affected was the river Bann, for about a mile and a 

 half of its course, near Kilrea, and the pastures 

 adjoining. The stones and plants in the river were 

 completely encrusted with the pupa-cases of the 

 insects, from which they issued in millions and 

 attacked both men and cattle. The latter had to be 

 removed from the vicinity, and many of the people 

 had their heads and necks much swollen, owing to- 

 the venomous nature of the sting with which the 

 insect was armed. The flies lived only for a few 

 days, and left their dead carcases heaped up on the 

 river banks, in some places three inches deep ; they 

 have now (1st May) almost disappeared. Some of 

 those supposed to be wise in such matters think that 

 these flies have had their origin in the battle-fields of 

 Turkey ; others that their advent is a portent of omin- 



