5° 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



elected a Fellow of the Zoological Society in 1876, 

 after which he was for several years a member of 

 its finance committee. He recently joined the Royal 

 Horticultural Society, and was, at the time of 

 his death, a member of the scientific committee 

 of that society. He was last year elected presi- 

 dent of the South London Entomological and 

 Natural History Society, and delivered his 

 presidential address to that society on the 25th 

 January, 1894. It was a scholarly production and 

 full of vigour. The Ray Society owes much to his 

 mature judgment, as he was upon its council for 

 many years, frequently acting as its chairman. 

 Locally, Mr. Weir did much as a promoter of 

 scientific study in North Kent, being an active 

 member of the West Kent Natural History 

 Society. As a judge of cage-birds and domestic 

 pets at the Crystal Palace Exhibitions Mr. Weir 

 was equally successful as in scientific study. His 

 connection with these shows on several occasions 

 brought before him many interesting birds, and 

 some extraordinary hybrids. 



During his life-time Mr. Weir accumulated a 

 large and varied collection of specimens which 

 were of great value to him for comparative pur- 

 poses. These included carefully selected examples 

 of several orders of insects, though the chief col- 

 lection was devoted to lepidoptera. One important 

 feature was a number of instances of mimicry by 

 .some insects of others which are widely separated 



from those imitating them. Jenner Weir gave much 

 attention to this remarkable subject and often 

 spoke upon it at various scientific meetings. His 

 library is most extensive, as he unceasingly added 

 to it during the many years of his scientific life. 

 Arrangements have been made for both library 

 and collections to be sold at Stevens' Sale Rooms, 

 during May. 



As a companion he never shone more than when 

 passing through an exhibition of the Royal Horti- 

 cultural Society, when his great knowledge of plants 

 was very striking. Equally so was it a pleasure to 

 pass round the Zoological Gardens with him. 



Jenner Weir's correspondents all over the world 

 will miss his genial and interesting letters. His 

 great correspondent was the late Charles Darwin, 

 and frequent references will be found to Jenner 

 Weir in "The Descent of Man," "Animals and 

 Plants under Domestication " and in " Expressions 

 of the Emotions " by that eminent philosopher. 



Mr. Jenner Weir's professional occupation was in 

 H.M. Customs Service, which he entered on the 

 6th of November, 1839 ; he was made Assistant- 

 Accountant General in 1867, and promoted to the 

 rank of Accountant-Controller General in 1874, 

 which post, in Thames Street, he held until 1885, 

 when he retired on the maximum pension, carrying 

 with him the respect of the whole staff. He leaves 

 behind to mourn his loss a widow and a grown-up 

 son and daughters. 



HIBERNATION OF HELIX POMATIA. 



By John T. Carrington. 



E^OR several winters past I have tried to discover 

 the hibernating habitat of our large edible 

 snail, as I felt sure they were to be readily found 

 if one only knew how to search for them. On 

 March 24th last, in Surrey, I had the good fortune 

 to unravel the secret of their winter hiding, which, 

 .as in so many other cases, is an absurdly simple 

 secret when found out. In about half an hour I 

 had taken nearly a dozen specimens, though in the 

 last dozen years I had not previously found a 

 single one in its hibernaculum. My system is to 

 examine some copse where they are known to 

 occur, especially if it has been recently cut, and 

 the brushwood made into bavins and pimps. Then 

 the stools of the hazel and other brushwood shrubs 

 are left bare, and are easily searched ; for it is • 

 among the stems at the roots of these stools that 

 Helix pomatia hibernates. There is no haphazard 

 crawling in and sleeping any side up, for every 

 specimen was found in the same position, which is 

 rather remarkable. How it is attained is difficult 

 to suggest. 



When settling for the winter sleep H. pomatia 



appears to select a suitable bit of bare earth, 

 surrounded by the stems of a stool of shrub, and 

 then in some way to screw itself, with the apex of 

 the shell downwards, into the soil until only the 

 mouth of the shell and that lower portion which is 

 level with it, are left exposed above the earth. 

 Having attained that position, it secretes the inner 

 parchment-like membrane, and the hard white 

 winter epiphragm, which closes the mouth of the 

 shell while the animal hibernates. The epiphragm 

 is thus exposed fully, with a flat surface visible 

 above the black earth, looking at short distance^ 

 exactly like one of the numerous white flint stones 

 so common in places affected by this fine mollusc. 



In no case did I find this position materially 

 varied, neither did, in a subsequent search, my 

 friend, Mr. Charles A. Briggs, with whose family I 

 was staying, at Leatherhead. It was lucky I found 

 this out no later than the 24th of March this year, 

 because the hot weather of the past Eastertide 

 forced up the leaves and flowers so much by the 

 27th of March as to cover the stools with greenery. 

 1, Northumberland Avenue, London; April 13th, 1894. 



