278 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



but we cannqt linger in them now, so will be content 

 with naming Campanula Trackeliiim, Cusatta 

 Europcra, and Orobanche major as among the most 

 noteworthy of their inhabitants. — F. H. H. 



Colours of Fruits of the Northern United 

 States. — In further elucidation of the theory 

 suggested by the contrasts existing between the 

 colours of the British flowers and fruits, in an article 

 in the April number of SciENCE-GossiP, may be 

 adduced the facts contained in the following table. 

 This is a compilation from Asa Gray's "Botany of 

 the Northern United States," and is an approximately 

 complete list of the coloured fruits and seeds that 

 occur in that district. It will be observed that, just 

 as in the British flora, there is a great preponderance 

 of red and black, the former being about 45 p.c, 

 the latter about 33 p.c, whilst yellow, blue, and 

 white occur only in very limited numbers. From a 

 rapid survey of the colours of the flowers as 

 mentioned in the same work, it appears that the 

 contrasts between the prevailing tints of flowers and 

 fruits are strongly marked in the temperate regions 

 of the United States, as well as in the British Isles. 



Total 236. From the foregoing it will be seen that 

 the percentage of red and black fruits is about the 

 same in the northern portion of the United States as 

 it is in this country, the details of which were given 

 in the April number of SciENCE-Gossip. This is 

 certainly interesting, and may be taken as an indica- 

 tion that similar causes have produced like results in 

 both continents. — J. Saunders. 



Loc.\L Names of Plants. — ringuicnla vulgaris, 

 " Sleepweed " or " Sleepwort;" co. Antrim. " Bird's- 

 foot Trefoil," " Claver ;" co. Antrim. A'nau/ia, 

 "Cardies;" co. Antrim. Potentilla anserina, "Mash 

 Corns;" co. Tyrone. Typha and Iris, "Saggons," 

 Brooklime, " \Yellink." "Chicken-pox" is called 

 " Nerls," near Ballymena, co. Antrim. — S. A. 

 Brenan, Clerk. 



A, SciiCENOPRASUM. — Would Nemo (Malvern) 

 kindly inform me if he has met with Allium Schano- 

 prasum in the neighbouihood of Malvern, as I am 

 much interested in the flora of the district ? I have 

 myself never met with the plant. — R. F. Forondron, 

 2, Commercial Buildings, Malvern Link. 



GEOLOGY. 



A Visit to a Slate Quarry.— Errata :— p. 245.. 

 2nd col., line I, for " of course " read or course. Do. 

 do. 1. 6, for " counter" read cannier. Do. do. 1. 10,. 

 for " turb-like " read comb-like.— E. H. 



R. Etheridge, F.R.S., who has for many years- 

 acted as Paleontologist to the Geographical Survey,, 

 has accepted the office of Assistant-Keeper of the 

 Department of Geology in the British Museum. 



An Interesting Geological Discovery. — In. 

 the recent number of "Nature," Professor Arch.. 

 Geikie, gave an interesting and important account 

 of " A recent ' find ' in British Paleontology." The 

 "find" is located in a particular zone of shale on 

 the banks of the Esk, and has been brought to light 

 by the Scottish Geological Survey, during their 

 recent investigation of the Carboniferous rocks lying 

 between the Silurian uplands and the English border. 

 The most important fossils are the remains of fishes, 

 crustaceans, and arachnida. The fishes were at 

 once placed in the hands of Dr. Traquair, the first 

 part of whose report on the Ganoidei has been already 

 communicated to the Royal Society of Edinburgh. 

 Dr. Traquair points out the extraordinary interest of 

 the collection, both as opening up an almost entirely 

 new fish fauna, and as revealing remarkable struc- 

 tural peculiarities in many of the new forms. Out 

 of twenty-eight species of ganoids, no less than 

 twenty at least were new. Of sixteen genera, five 

 are new to science {Phanerosteon, Ilolurus, Canobius, 

 Cheirodopsis, and Tarrasius) of which one ( Tarra- 

 sius) is altogether so peculiar that no place can be 

 found for it in any known family. The phyllopod 

 and decapod crustaceans have been worked out by 

 Mr. B. N. Peach, who has described them in a 

 memoir also contributed to the Royal Society of 

 Edinburgh. The phyllopods consist of two new- 

 species of Ceratiocaris, which differ from the Silurian 

 species in having the body relatively much larger 

 than the carapace. Of macrurous decapods several 

 new species occur which differ in no essential respect 

 from their living representatives. The most im- 

 portant fossils are scorpion remains. The specimens- 

 are both numerous and perfect, insomuch so, that 

 Mr. Peach has been enabled to work out their 

 structures in considerable detail. He finds that they 

 much resemble the scorpions of the present day.. 

 The combs are much like those of the modern 

 scorpion, but with a sculpturing characteristic of the 

 Eurypterids. These remains have enabled paleon- 

 tologists to correct a notable mistake. When the 

 Geological Survey first began its work in Scotland, 

 and was engaged in mapping the east of Berwickshire, 

 a remarkable and unique specimen was found, and 

 was described by Salter under the name of Cycadites 

 Caledonicus, as the most ancient cycad known. 



