24 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



Notes g 



National Physical Labobatory.— A question 

 upon the exact position of the building about to 

 be erected for the National Physical Laboratory 

 was asked in the House of Commons on May 7th. 

 Mr. Akers-Douglas, in reply, stated that the 

 new laboratory would be situated quite outside 

 the Kew Gardens, on Crown lands. The building 

 will be so placed as not to interfere with the views, 

 from the Gardens, of the Old Deer Park. 



Fasciated Growth of Ash. — I am sending 

 with this a curious specimen of fasciated ash 

 which I thought might be of interest to you. It 

 was found in my woods here by my son, and I do 

 not remember seeing anything quite so peculiar in 

 an ash before, though I suppose fasciated speci- 

 mens are not really uncommon. — Dora Twopeny, 

 Woodsto ek . Sitti ng bourne. 



[The specimen is one of those curious cases of 

 fasciation that sometimes occur in shoots from 

 tree-roots when the leading stem has been cut. 

 A similar case was figured in Science-Gossip, 

 vol. ii. N.S.. page 6. — Ed. S.-G.] 



Barbastelle Bat in Hampshire. — One of our 

 school children has to-day brought me a living 

 specimen of this rare bat, taken in a barn in the 

 parish. I recognised it at once by the strange way 

 in which the ears meet over the nose and by the 

 very dark fur. I have never found it before, but 

 Dr. Laver of Colchester told me that Dr. J. E. 

 Taylor knew of its occurrence in Hampshire, so 

 that I have always reckoned it among our eleven 

 species of bats. — {Rev.) J. E. Kelsall. Milton, 

 Lymington. April Pith. 1900. 



Bat Swimmixo. — Until a few days ago I was 

 not aware that bats possessed the power of swim- 

 ming. On the Saturday before Easter last I was 

 walking with a relative, and crossing the Nun's 

 Bridge at Thetford, when we noticed something 

 unusual swimming across the river. We watched 

 until it landed, and found to our surprise it was a 

 bat. The river Thet is here about 30 feet wide, 

 overhung with trees covered with ivy. The bat- 

 was in mid-stream when we first saw it. On the 

 side for which it was aiming a wall rises out of the 

 water, and when it came to this obstruction it at 

 first attempted to climb up. but failing, swam along 

 until it reached a landing-place. I secured the 

 little animal in a very wet condition and placed 

 him up among some ivy to dry. I believe it was a 

 long-eared bat, but am not sufficiently acquainted 

 with bats to be certain. It had long ears, and was 

 larger than others I have handled. — J. 8. War- 

 In rt on, Metlinold, Norfolk. 



Ax Exhibition of Living Molluscs. — In con- 

 nection with the collections to be arranged by the 

 Society of Experimental Fish Culture, a series is 

 to be made of living examples of our British Fresh- 

 water Molluscs, which will be on view at the 

 Crystal Palace. These should prove of considerable 

 general interest, and those of our readers who can 



put their hands upon exceptionally fine specimens 

 might do worse than communicate with the under- 

 signed or the curator, Mr. Edgar Shrubsole. at the 

 Crystal Palace. London, S.E. — Wilfred Marie Webb, 

 2 The Broad/mazy, Hammersmith. 



The Late Spring. — In reading through your 

 note on the late spring of 1900 (vol. vi. 369), I 

 see that you mention that ' : wild flowering plants 

 are generally backward." I have noticed this 

 lateness especiallyin the common Arum maeulatum, 

 of which I have not yet found a spathe fully ex- 

 panded. This is, I think, very backward, for they 

 generally commence blooming in the middle of 

 April.— S. Albert Webb. 41 Botliesay Road, Luton, 

 May ith. 1900. 



Guinea-pigs and Eats. — I have seen it stated 

 that rats bear an antipathy towards guinea-pigs, 

 and that the presence of the latter will drive, away 

 rats from a house. As I have also seen this idea 

 refuted, the following incident may be of interest. 

 Not long ago I gave away guinea-pigs which I had 

 in my possession. The house to which I sent them 

 was infested with rats. I now hear that the rats 

 have disappeared since the arrival of the guinea- 

 pigs. The disappearance of the rats may be due to 

 some other cause, but if so the coincidence would 

 be curious. Could any of your readers inform me 

 if the truth as to this point has been ascertained, 

 and what reasons have been assigned ? — McTaggart 

 Cowan, jn/r., 53 Ashton Terrace, Glasyo/v, W. 



South - Eastern Union of Scientific So- 

 cieties. — The Annual Congress of this body will 

 be held on June 7th, 8th, and 9th at the 

 Pavilion, Brighton, under the presidency of Mr. 

 W. Whitaker, F.E.S., President of the Geological 

 SocietA' ; the Honorarv Secretaries being G. Abbott, 

 M.R.GS., Tunbridge ' Wells, and Mr. E. Allowav 

 Pankhurst, of 3 Clifton Eoad, Brighton. The 

 arrangements include (Thursday, June 7th, at 

 3.30 p.m.) opening of an Exhibition of Photographs 

 and Photographic Apparatus. On the same even- 

 ing, at 8 p.m., the Mayor of Brighton will receive 

 the members of the Congress at the Pavilion, when 

 the President-Elect, Professor Howes, LL.D., F.R.S., 

 will deliver the annual address. On Friday, 

 June 8th, at 10 a.m., will be held the Council Meet- 

 ing, and afterwards, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., papers 

 will be read on " The Skin of Liquids," by C. H. 

 Draper, B.A., D.Sc. ; " The Structure of the Lower 

 Greensand near Folkestone," by D. H. C. Sorby, 

 F.R.S. : " On Instincts which in Some Insects 

 produce Results corresponding to those of the 

 Moral Sense in Man," by F. Merrifield, F.E.S. 

 On Friday, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., " Dust : its Living 

 and Dead Constituents " (lantern illustrations), by 

 H. Garbett, M.D. ; " Science at the End of the 

 Eighteenth Century," by Arthur W. Brackett, 

 F.S.I. : '• On Colouring of Pupae in Relation to their 

 Surroundings," by F. Merrifield, F.E.S. On Friday 

 evening, 8 p.m., reception of members of the Con- 

 gress by the Mayor of Hove, at Hove Town Hall. 

 On Saturday, 9.4*5 a.m., Council Meeting ; at 10.30 

 a.m., Delegates' Meeting ; 12 noon, paper on " The 

 Brighton Raised Beaches and their Microscopical 

 Contents " (lantern illustrations), by Mr. F. Chap- 

 man, A.L.S. On Saturday there will be visits 

 to the Brighton Museum (2.30, p.m)., Brighton 

 Aquarium (3 p.m.), and the Booth Bird Museum at 

 3 p.m. At the last, Mr. Allcbin. of Maidstone, will 

 read a paper on " Protection of Birds in the South- 

 Eastern Counties." 



