HARD WICKE'S SCIENCE- GOSSIP. 



161 



ZOOLOGY. 



The Hemipterous Fauna of St. Helena.— 

 At a recent meeting of the Zoological Society of 

 London, a communication was read from Dr. F. Bucha- 

 nan White, entitled " Contributions to a Knowledge 

 of the Hemipterous Fauna of St. Helena, and specu- 

 lations on its origin." In the first part of his paper 

 the author, after briefly noticing what was known 

 with regard to the Fauna and Flora of that remote 

 and interesting oceanic island, and mentioning the 

 various theories that had been brought forward to 

 account for their origin, discussed the difficulties of 

 the animals, and argued that they had evidently been 

 derived at a remote period from the Patearctic Region 

 by way of Madeira, the Canaries, and the Cape de 

 Verde Archipelago. In the second part of his com- 

 munication Dr. White described the Hemiptera 

 collected in St. Helena by the late Mr. T. V. Wollas- 

 ton, during the recent visit of that naturalist to the 

 island. The collection included thirty species, of 

 which five were probably introduced ; one appeared 

 to be indigenous, but seemed identical with 

 European species ; and the remaining twenty-four 

 were regarded by the author as new and peculiar to 

 the island. Seven new genera and one new sub-genus 

 were created for the reception of ten of the species, 

 the rest, with one exception, being referred to 

 European genera. 



Testacella haliotoidea in Jersey. — This 

 slug, though recorded as occurring in the sister isle 

 of Guernsey, seems not to have been reported from 

 this island. On the 21st of April last, about 9 a.m., 

 I observed a specimen crawling at the foot of a dry 

 bank, after rain. It carried a prominent oval lami- 

 nated shell, of an ashy- white colour, about \ an inch 

 in length by \ of an inch in breadth, just in front of 

 the hinder extremity. But it appears that an intel- 

 ligent observer, R. Macdonnell, Esq., by whose 

 kindness I have since seen a second specimen, has 

 noticed it occasionally, for several years, in his 

 garden, about half a mile from the other locality. 

 Whether it is indigenous in Jersey, or imported from 

 France with soil, I must leave to those who, unlike 

 myself, are learned in the history of mollusca. — 

 Martin M. Bull, Jersey. 



The Cuckoo at Night. — On the 24th of May 

 I heard the note of the cuckoo at 2T5 a.m. The 

 night was very dark, and it was raining heavily, yet 

 the cuckoo was singing as loud and as cheerfully as 

 it would in the daytime. Is it usual for the cuckoo 

 to sing during the night? — A. M. McA., Stoke-on- 

 Trent. 



Irish Wolf-Dog. — Lord Talbot of Malahide 

 formerly had a clog said to be the Irish Wolf-dog ; 

 he probably can give "L. M." the information he 

 requires. 



BOTANY. 



Meyenia erecta. — It must have been obvious to 

 Science-Gossip readers that the name "Mergenia 

 erecta," which headed a paragraph in the June num- 

 ber, page 139, and which had reference to fertiliza- 

 tion adaptability, was a misprint for the above. 

 Acanthacece, to which natural order this plant be- 

 longs, approach Labiate and Verbenacere, Scro- 

 phularineae and Bignoniacece in the irregular anisos- 

 temenous corolla : they differ from the latter two 

 orders in the aestivation of this whorl, and by the 

 absence of albumen. All these groups of irregular- 

 shaped flowers are specially adapted for insect fer- 

 tilization, and, as regards the favoured theory of the 

 origin of species, they doubtless constitute the last 

 link in the developed series of flowering plants. I 

 am inclined to suggest that there is a field open in 

 connection with the investigation and study of the 

 floral structure of these groups, and that special 

 attention devoted in this direction will be attended 

 with fresh interesting discoveries. — George Newlyn. 



Epilobium ANGUSTIFOLIUM (Rose-bay Willow- 

 herb). In " Flora Lapponica," Linnasus describes the 

 hut of the Laplander encircled with the tall stem-, 

 and elegant blossoms of this species ; he goes on to 

 state they in state emulate the palaces of the gods. 

 The Swedes call it Himmelgnvs, or " herb of 

 heaven." The only true wild form found in England 

 is the E. macrocarpum, Steph., whilst the one often 

 found in cottage-gardens is the E. bracliycarpum of 

 Leighton's " Fl. Shropshire " ; they are quite distinct. 

 — R. 



Destruction of Rare Plants. — As this sad 

 work is still going on, Mr. E. D. Marquand deserves 

 the thanks of all botanists for his judicious remon- 

 strances, in the June number of Science-Gossip, 

 against the rooting out of the New Forest such 

 interesting species as Spiranthes ccstivalis and Pul- 

 monaria angustifolia. It would be a libel to attribute 

 such wanton destruction to botanists, since it is done 

 by mean dealers. But it unfortunately happens that 

 the destruction is too often encouraged under the 

 pretence of science, especially by sorae of our pro- 

 vincial societies offering rewards for the best col- 

 lections, as if mere collectors had any pretence to be 

 regarded as botanists or zoologists. If the rulers of 

 such societies had any intention of encouraging, by 

 rewards of money or otherwise, the promotion of 

 botanical or zoological science, that might be more 

 easily and effectually done by proposing investigations 

 of the species and intimate structure of common 

 plants and animals. For example, the species of the 

 Wild Roses, Brambles, Willows, Sedges, Grasses, 

 &c. , would afford excellent exercises ; and so would 

 the examination of the intimate structure of the 

 glands, hairs, pollen, and distribution and significance 

 of raphides and other plant-crystals, &c. It is really- 



