HARD WICKE >S S CIENCE -GOSS IP. 



165 



parasite fungus in the stem of a Lepidodendron de- 

 scribed by myself without a name, and afterwards, 

 by the help of Mr. Butterworth's specimens, de- 

 scribed at greater length by Mr. Smith. — William 

 Carruthcrs. 



The Tkrtiary Flora of America. — Thanks 

 to Dr. Hayden, we have received the seventh volume 

 of the Report of the United States Geological Survey, 

 containing Prof. Lesquereux's "Contributions to the 

 Fossil Flora of the Western Territories," Part II. 

 "The Tertiary Flora." It is a large and handsome 

 quarto volume of nearly 400 pages, and contains 

 65 magnificently-lithographed plates. In every- 

 thing, type, lithography, quality of paper, and even 

 binding, these publications shoot far ahead of our 

 own " Memoirs of the Geological Survey," whose 

 small type seems intended to deter people from 

 reading them — a plan which is considerably aided 

 by the extravagantly high prices charged for them I 

 Our geologists are not particularly fortunate in the 

 possession of large salaries, and the high price 

 charged for their memoirs almost places them be- 

 yond the reach of ordinary readers, and thus con- 

 demns the labours of some of our ablest scientific 

 men to an undeserved obscurity. Moreover, the 

 niggardly way in which the publications of our own 

 survey are doled out to the authors, and the plan 

 adopted of sending none out for review, must be a 

 mode of treatment keenly felt by the authors, who at 

 least ought to be publicly credited with the scientific 

 value that would be attached by all geologists to 

 their work. In this respect the United States Go- 

 vernment is the very opposite of our own. Their 

 splendidly got-up volumes are sent over to the scien- 

 tific journals of Europe without stint, and so the 

 American States geologists obtain a recognition 

 which the unaccountable stinginess of the British 

 Government denies to ours. Prof. Lesquereux's 

 volume is the best we have seen of the series, and it 

 will surely take its place as a most valuable contri- 

 bution to Fossil Botany. 



Ancient Vegetation. — The notice on this sub- 

 ject in last month's " Gossip " on American Silurian 

 plants is not quite correct, as plants have been known 

 long since in the " Glengariff " or " Dingle beds " of 

 Ireland. These rocks were taken by Jukes out of the 

 Silurians, and put provisionally in the "Old Red 

 Sandstone," on account of the plants found in them. 

 The "Dingle beds," however, pass downward into 

 typical Silurians, while they are capped uncon- 

 formably by the " Old Red Sandstone."— G. H. K. 



NOTES AND QUERIES, 



Starlings and Sparrows' Eggs. — Having 

 occasion to enter the roof of our house, I came across 

 the nest of a house-sparrow, and on looking into it 

 found that it contained three young ones just hatched, 

 one egg that was rotten, and to my great surprise a 



starling's egg. This making me rather curious, I pro- 

 longed my search, and about three yards from the 

 nest occupied by the sparrows I discovered a starling's 

 nest containing five or six fully-fledged young ones. 

 I must not forget to state that the starling's egg 

 found in the sparrow's nest had apparently only been 

 sat upon but a few days. Will any of your readers 

 kindly state if such an occurrence is rare ? — C. If. 

 Sharp. 



The Grey "Lag." — Can anyone give the mean- 

 ing of the word "Lag," as applied to the goose? 

 The proper grey wild-goose, as recognized by natu- 

 ralists, is popularly called the "grey lag," and the 

 universal summons to a flock of geese, in part of 

 Gloucestershire, is — "Come lag, Come lag, Come 

 lag." Now, whence "Lag"?— G. L. 



Visits of the Cuckoo. — Does the Cuckoo, like 

 the Swallow, revisit the same place yearly? I feel 

 interested to know, for this reason. Last year I noticed 

 many times one of the same colour as the Kestrel, 

 quite red ; unfortunately I was not able to secure it 

 for my collection of birds. This year again I have 

 also seen the same bird or one very much like it, and 

 from this circumstance I am inclined to think that 

 the bird does return to the same place ; but whether 

 I am right or not I cannot say. At the same time, 

 will you be good enough to describe for me the 

 Cuckoo's egg. I have the Rev. F. O. Morris's 

 " British Birds," but the Cuckoo's egg is not described 

 there, I mean the colour of it. I procured a little 

 while back a very peculiar skylark, of a fine cinna- 

 mon colour. I have it stuffed in my collection. — 

 \Vm. Bennett. 



The Swift's Appearance. — The fact of the 

 Swift appearing on May 1st is not a very unusual 

 occurrence. I live to the north of your correspondent, 

 I should therefore see it a little later ; yet I find, on 

 referring to my notes, that I saw numbers on April 30. 

 Stragglers put in an appearance about the 28th, 

 which is about the average date for this city. — 

 J. B. P., Herefoid. 



Varieties of Camberwell Beauty. — In reply 

 to Mr. Morse's inquiry, I can most certainly say that 

 he is misinformed. I have seen numbers of specimens 

 of European V. Anliofa, and several British ones ; 

 there is a distinct difference in the shade of the border : 

 in the former it is pale yellow, in the latter a pearly 

 white or pale cream-colour. American examples 

 vary again ; the ground is the same or a little deeper, 

 but more dappled with black specks than the Euro- 

 pean specimens ; they are also much larger. I have 

 one that measures rather more that 3§ inches. — 

 7- B. P. 



How to Destroy Ants. — In reply to Mr. George 

 Pearce's question, as regards the most successful 

 mode of destroying ants, he will find Keating's 

 insect powder good, as it will at once kill them, and 

 if scattered about the rooms and furniture infested 

 by them, will effectually drive the ants away. — E. 

 Edwards. 



Colours of Dried Primroses.— Can any of 

 your readers kindly inform me how it is that the 

 beautiful colour of the Primula vulgaris and clatior 

 should, when destroyed, change to a bright green, 

 leaving only the centre of the corolla (and that a 

 small portion), together with the stamens, the original 

 primrose-colour? The leaves turn brown. Is theie 

 any method of preserving this lovely flower, so as 

 to retain the primrose colour of the petals ? — E. 

 Edwards. 



