140 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



most perceptible were an umbellifer, Smyrnium 

 olusatrum, common Alexanders ; a composite, 

 Helminthia echioides, and the woodland plants, 

 Anemone nemorosa (wood anemone), Sanicula euvopea 

 (wood sanicle), and Oxalis acetosella (wood sorrel). 

 The losses included the fine yellow poppy (Glaucinm 

 luteum), the poisonous but interesting henbane 

 Hyoscyamus niger, whilst there was a very obvious 

 decrease in the numbers of plants frequenting salt 

 marshes, and of certain uncommon clovers found 

 on the South-denes. These vicissitudes were 

 brought about from (1) the very probable increase 

 in the timber of the district, owing to the planting 

 of copses, which encouraged the growth of wood- 

 land plants ; (2) improved engineering and scientific 

 agriculture, which drained the marshes, prevented 

 tidal overflows, and made new soils ; (3) the 

 isolation of the South-denes, and the artificial 

 changes in its herbage induced by importation of 

 strange soils and seeds. Attention was also drawn 

 to the peculiar divergence gradually being brought 

 between the flora growing respectively on the 

 North- and South-denes. Plants originally common 

 to both had, in some instances, disappeared entirely 

 from the latter. A plea was put in that the Viola 

 canina (dog violet), growing on the Denes, should 

 be raised to the dignity of a variety. The restricted 

 area of the clary (Salvia verbenaca), which was 

 confined almost entirely to the churchyards of 

 Gorleston and Great Yarmouth, was suggested to 

 be due to its being an importation for medicinal 

 purposes by the monks. For this a parallel might 

 be found in the case of Aristolochia, or birthwort. 

 The Hon. Secretary (Mr. W. A. Nicholson) read a 

 short note on "The High Tide on the East Coast 

 on May 16th," which, by an inrush of salt water 

 into the rivers, had caused the destruction of 

 hundreds of fish in the Bure, Thurne, Yare, and 

 Waveney, especially pike, bream, bream-flats, and 

 tench. Great numbers of fresh-water mussels also 

 were killed. Mr. Patterson read some "Notes 

 from Yarmouth, for February, March, April and 

 May." He mentioned that a fine specimen of the 

 thornback crab was given to him on April 9th, the 

 first, he believes, recorded for the county. Two 

 twait shads were taken in a draw-net on that date, 

 measuring eleven inches and nine inches in length. 

 On April 13th, a smack, trawling in the vicinity of 

 the sunken steamer Elbe, took as many fish in 

 three hauls as the crew sometimes secured in ten 

 days, which Mr. Patterson described as a gruesome 

 fact. 



NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



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CORRESPONDENCE. 



G. Woomald (Acton). — Common lousewort. 



R. Tollunst (Beckenham).— It is "the wasp-beetle"; 

 Clytus arietis, one of the longicornes. 



Mrs. Hett (Shoreham, Kent). — The plant appears to be 

 common sorrel (Rumex acetosella). The flies are the dipterous 

 Melanostoma scalave, which have, perhaps, succumbed to an 

 epidemic of the parasitic fungus Emptisa mnsccB. You will 

 find a similar group of flies of the same species found dead 

 on grass, figured in the last volume of Science-Gossip (Vol. 

 1, N.S., p. 33). 



EXCHANGES. 

 Notice. — Exchanges extending to thirty words (including 

 name and address) admitted free, but additional words must 

 be prepaid at the rate of threepence for every seven words 

 or less. 



Gleocapsa. — Will any reader kindly send living specimens 

 of this? Pellia, Prasiola, or similar exchange returned. — J. 

 Burton, 9, Agamemnon Road, West Hampstead, N.W. 



Wanted, two or three specimens of Testacella mangei 

 and T. scutulum (living) ; shall be glad to give duplicate 

 land and freshwater shells in return. — Lionel E. Adams, 77, 

 St Giles' Street, Northampton. 



Wanted, living specimens of Testacella haliotidea in 

 exchange for eggs of Fulman petrel and others. — J. Macnaught 

 Campbell, F.z,.a., Kelvingrove- Museum, Glasgow. 



Wanted, any back numbers of "Natural Science"; 

 scientific books offered in exchange or cash. — T. C. Maggs, 

 56, Clarendon Villas, West Brighton. 



Wanted, British Lepidoptera, Coleoptera and other orders 

 in exchange for duplicates and a few good store boxes.— Send 

 lists 10 the Curator, Chadwick Museum, Bolton. 



Wan 1 ed, to exchange with collectors of minerals. — G. 

 Penrose, 17, John Street. Truro, Cornwall. 



Offeked, good microscopic slides and scientific books. 

 Wanted, good microscopic slides ; also " Lieberkiihn " for 

 low-power microscopic objective and Zeiss aprochromatic 

 lower-power objective. — W. Pratt, Cavendish Hill, Sher- 

 wood, Nottingham. 



Polished geological specimens, thin sections of ditto (for 

 micro muunung), minerals, fossils, British and foreign shells, 

 curiosities, eic. What offers? — A. J. R. Sclater, 43, North- 

 umbeiland Place, Teignmouth. 



Wanted, a correspondent in the neighbourhood of Sand- 

 hurst (Berks) who would be willing to send pond- water once 

 or twice a month from some particularly good collecting 

 ground there in exchange for slides of Rotifera or other 

 pond organisms. — C. Rousselet, 27, Great Castle Street, 

 London, W. 



Offered, first vol. Science-Gossip (New Series) ; also 

 first two vols. " Nature Notes " (last two Nos. of second vol. 

 missing). Wanted, natural history books. — P. A. Wood, 

 Keen's Road, Croydon. 



"Journal of Royal Microscopical Society" for 1891, 

 1892, 1893 ; also zoological, botanical and other science text- 

 books, Hounsell's " Flags of all Nations " (coloured plates). 

 Offers.— H. W. Parritt, 8, Whitehall Park, N. 



Foraminifera material — dredgings or fossil — and slides, 

 material or literature on the subject, desired in exchange for 

 large variety of named mounts of single species or type- 

 slides, with from 10 to 50 specimens, with catalogue.— F. S. 

 Morton, 158, Cumberland Street, Portland, Maine, U.S.A. 



Animal Hairs.— A good series of about 40 ottered in 

 exchange for 6 micro, slides. Two-third-inch objective 

 wanted ; exchange surgical instruments. — A. H. Williams, 8, 

 Mount Street, Hythe. 



Offered, Science-Gossip, 1868 to 1874, bound, 1875 to 

 1880, unbound, Nos. 295 to 344 ; " Naturalist's Note Book," 

 18678-9, bound; " Bee-Keeper's Journal," Vols. 1 and 2.— G. 

 E. Seville, Glodwick Road, Oldham. 



Wanted, eggs of cuckoo with those of foster parents; 

 good exchange in other eggs.— W. Wells Bladen, Stone, 

 Staffordshire. 



Offered, " World's Inhabitants," or " Mankind, Animals 

 and Plants," by Bettany, in 15 parts, clean, for natural 

 history specimens, books, etc. — C. Wood, 245, Norwood 

 Road, London. S.W. 



