2l6 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



fruits of which on old plants lose their seeds and 

 thus gain in quality. The barberry is also pecu- 

 liar from the fact that the bushes, after growing 

 some years very freely, stop all at once, and 

 hardly increase at all in size after this stage, 

 though still throwing up suckers. 



As perfection of a fruit rises higher and higher, 

 it generally results in an increase of the fleshy 

 part of the fruit, or drupe, and a decrease in 

 the stone or seed. This is well shown in the plum, 

 apple and pear. These fruits are nearly all seed 

 when wild, with little of the flesh or edible part ; 

 but under cultivation the reverse is the case. 

 Cultivation results also in a decrease of spines, 

 thorns and prickles ; for instance, the gooseberr}', 

 when wild in the woods, is covered with spines. It 

 gradually loses them when artificially grown, and 

 only recently a French nurseryman announced a 



spineless variety. Two other curious freaks are 

 worth mentioning as the result of cultivation. 

 These are a white "blackberry" and a white or 

 yellow " black currant." Literally these names 

 have no sense, but when anyone speaks of a black- 

 berry it brings up to our mind's eye something 

 more than a berry of a black colour — we can see 

 the shape, outline, form and arrangement of the 

 drupels, but of different colours. Thus, a " white 

 blackberry" is far more descriptive to us than 

 " whiteberry " would be. 



There are several of our wild fruits which might 

 be taken in hand and improved. Some grow on 

 the highest mountains, and would need a gentle and 

 patient hand to make them feel at home at a lower 

 level. Most of our wayside berries are edible ; and 

 if not palatable to us, they are to the feathered tribe. 

 12, Fettes Ron;, Edinburgh. 



NOTES OF A HOME NATURALIST. 



By Mrs. Emily J. Climexson. 



TN my last notes, page 159, I described some 

 anemones I found at Swanage on August 15th. 

 I returned to Shiplake on October ist. Being loth 

 to leave my anemones behind, I determined to take 

 them home, and write for the artificial sea-salt 

 recommended by Mr. Reginald Bennett, in his 

 " Marine Aquarium," A good deal of the water 

 placed with the anemones was spilt on the way, so 

 that on reaching home they had to be placed in 

 three finger-glasses with a little seaweed and a small 

 amount of sea-water. I wrote to one natura- 

 list's shop after another to obtain " Southwell's 

 Aquarium Sea-salt," but was unable to obtain 

 either that or the specific-gravity bulbs mentioned 

 on page 20, in Mr. Bennett's book, "The Marine 

 Aquarium." The anemones were fed with meat, but 

 soon seemed to fail ; the water became malodorous, 

 and I was in despair ; so on October 25th I threw 

 one lot of anemones and periwinkles away. The 

 anemones had decreased terribly in size, were 

 covered with a thick black slough, and many 

 appeared inanimate altogether. It was a deplorable 

 spectacle. Before emptying the next lot I thought 

 I would give the poor brutes another chance, with 

 kitchen-salt and river-water. Hastening indoors 

 I suddenly thought that in 1892 my husband had 

 bought, at Southwold, in Suffolk, some bath-salt 

 from the salt-works. I went to his cupboard to see 

 if he had any left, and found some packets. I took 

 one calculated for a three-gallon bath, and emptied 

 it into a can of hot water. When cool (being very 

 salt) I mixed some river-water with it till it tasted 

 like ordinary sea - water ; I then emptied the 

 anemones out, cleaned their glasses, and replaced 



them in this mixture : they immediately began 

 sloughing their black fetid skins. I assisted to 

 remove them with a camel-hair brush, The next 

 day, October 26th, I found them much cleaner, and 

 administered some raw mutton. On the 27th they 

 had plumped wonderfully, the meat was sucked 

 white, and one brown anemone emitted five small 

 brown ones, which, whilst I was looking, fastened on 

 to a piece of the sucked meat. For a day or two 

 meat was given every other day. On November 

 I St, I gave them fresh water, all were alive, some 

 grown to their original size, others still small but 

 health}-. The original sea\veed was so bad it had 

 to be dispensed with ; I therefore wrote to a young 

 fisherman at Swanage, and told him to send 

 me some four or five stones with seaweed growing 

 on, viz., sea-grass, Enteromorpha compressa, and 

 green laver, or Porphyra vulgaris, and also to fill 

 up the cigar-box I sent with seaweed unwashed 

 from the shore, and, if he found them, some- 

 anemones and periwinkles. He; did as I asked,, 

 but only sent one anemone, a green one with blue 

 eye-spots, and the periwinkles were mostly empty 

 shells. I rearranged the anemones, some in a new 

 white enamel-lined pie-dish, which seems to suit 

 them admirably. On November 14th some brown- 

 anemones were born, one red old anemone seems to 

 be producing one by gemmation at the side. This 

 I am watching. I occasionally add a little water, 

 mainly from the river, to counteract the extra saline 

 which the water develops. Will anyone tell me 

 where the articles Mr. Bennett mentions are to be 

 obtained ? 



Shiplake ; November, i8g6. 



