SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



x 59 



differ considerably in coloration from those found 

 on the richer or leaf-mould land. Even within the 

 haunts of Epping Forest (this proves to a certain 

 extent that reptiles vary in depth of the tone of 

 their characteristic colours as some fish do owing 

 to their habitat and surroundings) some years ago 

 an old forester of my acquaintance killed a viper 

 which was black all over, on the black mould of 

 the forest. This specimen, which was purchased 

 for a shilling, is now, I believe, in possession of an 

 inhabitant of Loughton, Essex. It would be 

 interesting to know if any of the " white adders " 

 mentioned by your correspondents have been 

 captured alive. I should be pleased of any oppor- 

 tunity of personally comparing the specimen in my 

 posession with any of those recently killed or 

 captured. It must be understood I do not deny the 

 possibility of albinos occurring, but I think they 

 would not show the black marking down the back. — 

 F. W. Halfpenny, 28, Cobbold Road, Forest Gate. 



Albino Sparrow. — For several weeks a white 

 variety, of the common sparrow had been seen 

 about Homewood Farm, Ripley, Surrey, and 

 several attempts were made to capture it, dead or 

 alive. On August 13th it was shot by Mr. A. 

 Dibble, who has had it preserved. 



Scarce Birds in East Surrey. — A specimen of 

 the golden oriole was seen on August 5th a little 

 south of Marden Park Station. The bird remained 

 quite still for a minute or two before taking alarm, 

 and was carefully observed by a party of naturalists, 

 who keenly appreciated the opportunity of seeing the 

 beautifully plumaged and somewhat rare occasional 

 visitor in the flesh. Later in the same day a 

 young albino starling, Sturnus vulgaris, was caught 

 in the neighbourhood of the Oxted Chalk Pits not 

 far from Woldingham. It has been suggested that 

 albino varieties of birds are more common this 

 year than usual. It would be interesting if our 

 readers could say if this be so. 



Rare Birds in Kent. — The ornithologist 

 especially will be pleased to learn that there is 

 reason to believe that the Ruff, Machetes pugnax, 

 has bred in this county during the present summer. 

 A few days ago, a young female in its first 

 plumage fell a victim to the gun, and has been 

 preserved for the purpose of being included in the 

 group of Kentish birds in our local museum. I 

 had it in my hands but a few hours after it was 

 killed, and whilst it was still in the flesh. The age 

 of the bird, and the time of its occurrence, are 

 surely sufficient evidence to support us in the 

 belief that the ruff is not yet to be numbered 

 amongst the "Lost British Birds." A good 

 specimen of the little owl, Athene noctua, was also 

 recently shot a few miles from this town, and is 

 now in the possession of its captor. Amongst other 

 rare birds destroyed in this county during the present 

 season, have been a male Montague's Harrier, 

 Circus cineraceus, which was shot in May, and a 

 Hoopoe, Upupa epops. In the face of this 

 continued destruction of scarce birds, one is very 

 glad to notice that the Royal Assent has just 

 been accorded to a new Wild Birds Protection 

 Act, whereby the eggs of wild birds will now be 

 protected as well as the birds themselves, a 

 provision long wished for by those who are anxious 

 for the preservation of our native wild birds ; and 

 it is hoped that our occasional visitors also will 

 now have a more liberal chance for breeding in 

 the land. — /. Herbert Allchin, Maidstone ; August 14. 







BOTTINY* 



Fasciated Asparagus. — I have a most remark- 

 able specimen in my asparagus bed. At the base 

 it is over four inches in width, and is over eight 

 feet high. It is covered from the base to the top 

 with feathery foliage and berries which are rather 

 smaller but more abundant than in ordinary 

 asparagus. The plant is still growing and develop- 

 ing. — Bertha Oliver, Norwood Green, Middlesex; 

 August, 1894. 



Abnormal Rhododendron. — I send you a shoot 

 of a rhododendron which I discovered yesterday in 

 our garden here. You will see that it has developed 

 imperfect flowers in the axils of the leaves of the 

 new shoot sent up after flowering. There are three 

 more shoots on the plant which have developed 

 flowers in the same way, but I cannot find a like 

 growth on any other rhododendron in the garden. 

 I thought this might be of interest to you. — Frank 

 Sick, Junr., Burlington Lane, Chisivick ; August gth. 



Fertilization of Ruscus aculeatus. — In this 

 plant I have observed a most remarkable modifica- 

 tion of wind fertilization. In the pistillate flower, 

 on the tip of each of the parts of the perianth 

 there is a small spot rendered viscid by contact with 

 the stigma previous to the anthesis of the flower ; 

 when the flowers open and the sepals and petals 

 are spreading, pollen carried by the wind, or by 

 insect agency, is caught by these viscid spots. 

 When at evening the floral envelopes close over 

 the gynascium, the pollen-bearing spots come again 

 exactly in contact with the stigma. The ovules are 

 thus very effectually fertilized by a modification of 

 wind fertilization, which is repeated several times 

 with the pollen from numerous more or less distant 

 staminate flowers. — H. E. Griset, 43^, Brecknock 

 Road, London; August, 1894. 



Insectivorous Plants. — Students of botany 

 will find an admirable summary of the latest 

 experiments on these interesting plants in Professor 

 Geddes' new book on Botany (John Murray, 1S94). 

 Darwin's famous work appears to be quite out of 

 date according to recent investigators, such as 

 Dubois, Maury, Kny and Zimmermann. Some 

 contend that the secretive glands of pitcher plants 

 are not special and essential adaptations towards 

 insect capture and digestion, but mere " water - 

 stomata," which ply the part of regulators of 

 transpiration. And yet Professor Geddes thinks 

 that, even if the stress hitherto laid upon digestion 

 be more or less given up, and bacteria admitted as 

 essential factors in the process, the regulation of 

 transpiration, the absorption of the soluble products 

 of decay must be all the greater on this new 

 hypothesis, and the importance of insect catching 

 as a source of nitrogen to the plant be re-affirmed 

 in an altered but even developed form. For it 

 seems to be certain that some insectivorous plants 

 are dependent on their peculiar animal diet because 

 of the relative scantiness of nitrogenous supplies in 

 their natural surroundings. — Herbert C. Fyfe, 80, 

 Elsham Road, W. 



