CORRESPONDENCE. 51 



quoting inter alia the researches of ilr. Lawson Tait, he told us he had 

 filled six soup plates with moss in water, and planted them last June 

 with as many plants of Drosera as they would hold. Each plate was 

 then superficially equally divided by a piece of wood, (a slip of zinc in a 

 previous experiment ha-ving killed the plants,) and the whole of the 

 plates were exposed to precisely similar conditions as to hght and air, and 

 covered with the (now historical) gauze fram e to prevent the access of insects. 

 In July Mr. Darwin commenced and continued to feed all the plants on 

 one side of each plate with roast beef, {mw meat kills,) in morsels 

 weighing only l-50th of a grain, taking great care none should fall into 

 the surrounding moss and serve as manure. This is the result, and 

 its accTU'acy is unquestioned : — The fed plants were indi\Tidually and 

 collectively larger, heavier, and greener, they thr-ew up more flower 

 stems which bore each a larger number of flowers, and a greater number 

 of larger seeds, the proportion in weight of the seeds on the starved as 

 compared with the fed side being as 100 to 379-7. Dr. il^sters remarked 

 that there could now be no doubt as to the absorption through leaves, and 

 that the whole present theory of plant gi-owth, involving largely the 

 entire system of vegetable physiology, must be reconsidered, probably 

 entirely changed. There was no attempt to contradict Mr. Darwin's 

 facts, which are accej^ted by some of the greatest naturalists in the 

 world, and another great era in change is imminent. — Dr. Dai"nin is so 

 like M. Eajon's etching of Mr. Ouless' portrait, that I heartfly commend 

 that grandest of the etchings of this century to your readers. — The loss 

 of Mr. Andrew Murray, the Entomologist, is much greater than will be 

 at once seen. His services to the Horticultural Society, and to the entomo- 

 logical collection at Bethnal Green are incalculable, and as an 

 acquaintance or friend all who knew him deeply deplore him. He told 

 me only a month ago that his second volume on Economic Entomology 

 was in the press ; but who will complete the series I do not know. — 

 W. J. S. 



On Accuracy in the Use of Scientific Terms. — I have read with 

 considerable interest the first article in your (may I say our J new Journal, 

 on "Abnormal Ferns." The importance and value of this contribution, 

 as an incentive to the practical study of vegetable development, has 

 induced me to offer a few friendly remarks on one point, which the 

 compositio}} of this article suggests. It is this : Assuming that the 

 " Midland Naturalist" is intended to have a direct bearing on the progress 

 of Science, all the articles it contains should be written, not merely in an 

 attractive style — which should always be aimed at — but with rigid scien- 

 tific accuracy as to the terms employed by its contributors. Confusion in 

 terms leads to confusion of thought ; and vice versa. The emplo\-ment 

 of entomological and other zoological terms — having a very specific 

 meaning — to describe, or illustra'te, simple botanical processes of growth, 

 for which there are true botanical terms, equaUy expressive and far more 

 accurate, appears very hkely to mislead a young enqmring naturahst. 

 Now, these remarks have been suggested by a few illustrations, used by 

 the author of the paper referred to, in his otherwise very valuable and 

 instructive article. In speaking of the fertilisation of ferns, certain 

 "spiral filaments" are described as ha.\ing " sivanned about the pistilli- 

 dium in numbers," as though they were a collection of independent 

 indiriduals, clustering together like a swarm of bees ! Again, in the next 

 paragraph, these filaments are spoken of as being " tossed into the air," 

 and by landing in certain " cups" are said to " fertihze the plant in its 

 caterpillar stage, and thus enable it to put on its hutterfly life or 

 fronds." Now the phrase " caterpillar stage," suggests one of the most 

 definite and peculiar stages of insect development. So peculiarly 

 animal ; so utterly unlike anything to be found in the vegetable king- 



