138 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



^^ 



Abnormal Goldfish. — I have recently seen a 

 three-tailed goldfish. A friend who showed it to 

 me had three living specimens in his possession. 

 ]\Ir. Ford-Lindsay's note (S.-G., vol. ii, p. 327), 

 reminds me of it. The upper lobe of the tail in 

 each case was divided into two portions, and was 

 spread out somewhat in the form of a fan, whose 

 plane would be horizontal, and at right angles to 

 the remaining lower lobe. — Ed. A. Martin, 62, 

 Bensliam Manor Road, Thornton Heath. 



[This variety of goldfish has long been artificially 

 cultivated by the Chinese and Japanese. They 

 have been brought to great " perfection," the caudal 

 fins far exceeding in length the body of the fish in 

 good specimens. These abnormal fish maj- some- 

 times be seen in aquaria in England or in dealer's 

 shops of London and Paris. We have known 

 exceptionally fine examples to be sold for as much 

 as five pounds per pair. — Ed. S.-G.] 



Argynxis niobe IX Hampshire. — I have every 

 reason to believe that m}- brother and I have taken 

 three females of Argynnis niobe in the New Forest, 

 in the neighbourhood of Lyndhurst. According to 

 Newman's figure and description, the insect cer- 

 tainly is niobe, but referring to Kirby and other 

 authors, I find there is a considerable variety of 

 opinion as to the characteristic markings of A. niobe 

 and A. adippe. If not nioibe it must be a variety of 

 adippe with distinct metallic green markings on 

 both upper and under sides, and the additional 

 silver spot after the first basal series on the hind 

 wing. In fact, in all respects it exactl}- coincides 

 with Newman's figure. Newman records only one 

 British capture, and Kirby thinks it a doubtful 

 native species, considering many of the reputed cap- 

 tures are onl)' varieties of the high-brown fritillary. 

 As Argynnis niobe is a common Continental insect, 

 I hope to have an opportunity^ of comparing our 

 specimens with some foreign ones, and so ascer- 

 taining the species. — Catherine A. Winckwortli, 11, 

 Old Steine, Brighton; August iSth, 1896. 



Nightjars hawking by day. — Whilst out fishing 

 at noon-tide on August 3rd, I was surprised to see 

 a pair of nightjars feeding on the wing. It is not a 

 rare occurrence in shadv woods to soriietimes come 

 across a slowly flitting bird in day-light that may 

 have been disturbed, or whose parental duties have 

 compelled it to cater for a hungrj' brood ; but never 

 before have I seen a pair wide awake in a blazing 

 sun-shine, performing all the wondrous evolutions 

 of the evening flight. There was no shelter near 

 and the sun's heat was more than passing warm. I 

 watched these birds for more than half an hour, 

 and came to the conclusion they were simply hawk- 

 ing flies for their own consumption. The}' did not 

 seem to mind my presence half so much as that of 

 the swallows, which would attack them furiously 

 from time to time. The female bird in fact once 

 came and sat on a post not ten yards off me, while 

 the male made himself at home on the edge of an 

 old boat moored to the bank. Apparently they 

 were feeding upon very small flies. — H. Mead-Briggs, 

 Canterbury ; August^^th, 1896. 



BOT/INY 



Pyrds japoxica Fruiting. — My thanks are due 

 to Mr. Lett for his information {ante p. 52) 

 respecting the fruiting of this shrub in Ireland. 

 As there has been no other case mentioned, it ma}' 

 be concluded that my friend's plant, without 

 exactly making " a record "' has sufficiently distin- 

 guished itself to deserve notice. He tells me that 

 this year neither of his specimens has set any fruit. 

 The Ampelopsis (S-G. vol. ii. p. 192) has again 

 produced numbers of berries, which will no doubt 

 ripen in due course, as they did last year ; the 

 unusually continuous fine weather of both summers 

 probably accounting for the event. — Jas. Burton, 

 9, Agamemnon Road, West Hampstead; August, 1896. 



Eppixg Forest Plants. — Of the plants recorded 

 as growing in Epping Forest there are in existence 

 several lists, the most recent, I believe, being 

 that published by Mr. J. T. Powell, in the "Essex 

 Naturalist," in 1892. A copy of this list having 

 recently come into my possession, I note that the 

 following two plants are not recorded, nor are they 

 given in the list of Epping Forest plants in 

 Buxton's " Epping Forest." They both probably 

 have been seen by other observers than myself. 

 Stellaria umbrosa, in the forest, near Chingford ; 

 Limnanthttnum peltatum, pond south-west of Epping. 

 The latter plant is given for Woodford (including 

 the River Eoding) in Cooper's " Flora Metro- 

 politana," 1S36, upon the authority of Warner. — 

 C. E. Britton, 189, Beresjord Street, Camberwell, S.E. 



Plants on Disturbed Soil. — Whilst recently 

 going by the bridle-path from Ashtead towards 

 Headley, Surrey, I noticed towards the old Roman 

 road, known as the Ermyn Way, a narrow strip of 

 ground parallel to the path, from which the turf had 

 been removed. There grew on this disturbed soil 

 a number of plants altogether difterent in character 

 from those that had been displaced by the removal 

 of the turf, and also different from those growing 

 beyond the bounds of the narrow strip. As a 

 whole the plants were alien to the Downs and 

 represented the weed-flora of the not distant 

 cornfields, in which, however, the corn having been 

 cut, rendered a comparison with the weeds not 

 possible. The most showy plant was a beautiful 

 large-flowered hemp-nettle that, with the poppies, 

 made a fine display. The following is a list of 

 the plants noted, and is incomplete, as it does not, 

 at the least, include one or more grasses of the 

 Downs: Fumaria officinalis : Papaver somniferum, P. 

 rhceas, P. lamottei, P. argemone ; Reseda lutea ; Viola 

 arvensis ; Silene cuciibalus ; Lychnis alba; Stellaria 

 media; Arenaria serpyllifolia, A. leptoclados ; Medicago 

 lupalina ; Trifolium medium; PotentiUa anserina; 

 jEthnsa cynapium ; Matricaria inodora ; Centaurea 

 scabiosa; Sonchus asper ; Anagallis arvensis; Convol- 

 vulus arvensis ; Linaria spuria, L.'vuJgaris, L. viscida ; 

 Veronica agrestis, V. buxbaumii ; Calamintha arvensis; 

 Galeopsis angustifolia ; Ajuga chamcepitys ; Plantago 

 major; Chenopodium album; Atriplex angustifolia; 

 Polygonum convolvulus, P. avicuJare ; Etiphorbia exigua, 

 E. helioscopia; Lolium perenne.—C. E Britton, 189, 

 Beresfotd Street, Camberwell , S.E. ; August, 1896. 



