SCIENCE- GOSSIP. 



MQLLU, 



tf^^r 



CONDUCTED BY WILFRED MARK "\TEBB, F.L.S. 



Eeveesed Shells. — Mr. William Nelson re- 

 ports in the '■ Naturalist " that from the ova of 

 reversed specimens of Limnaca peTcrjer both 

 sinistral and dextral offspring vs^ere reared. 



Londox C0NCH0L0C4ICAL SOCIETY. — It is sug- 

 gested that the evening meetings of the London 

 branch of the Conchological Society be discon- 

 tinued owing to the small attendance, and only 

 the rambles arranged in future. Might it not be 

 possible to hold at least one conference ? — may we 

 say among the members in London ? Then some 

 special subjects might be discussed and an exhibit 

 arranged. 



Fluviatile Shells. — I have recently had some 

 interesting finds of fresh-water shells in the canals 

 around Guidebridge in Lancashire. Planorhis clila- 

 tatus was there in some numbers, in company with 

 the American Physa heterostoplia. At Duckinfield, 

 not far away, I discovered a species of fluviatile 

 ■ mollusc which Mr. Edgar A. Smith, of the British 

 Museum, has been good enough to name Palude- 

 strina taylori. — Fred. Taylor, 42 Landseer Street, 

 Oldham, LancasMre, February lOth, 1902. 



The Pairing of Pyramidula with A^itrea. — 

 In a recent communication to the Malacological 

 Society Monsieur Caziot records the pairing of 

 Pyramidula rotundata with Vitrea lucida. These 

 molluscs as at present classiiied belong to different 

 families — to wit, the Entodontidae and the Lima- 

 cidae. Hence the occurrence is the more striking. 

 M. Caziot has taken the opportunity of collecting 

 together the records of a number of other similar 

 cases, which are quite as remarkable. As was, 

 perhaps, to be expected, no hybrids resulted from 

 these peculiar unions. 



Malacological Society. — At the annual 

 meeting of this Society, held at the rooms of the 

 Linnean Society on February 14th, Mr. Burne was 

 elected Honorary Secretary, in place of the late 

 Martin F. Woodward. Mr. Edgar A. Smith, who 

 enters on his second year of Presidency, gave an 

 address dealing with the supposed similarity 

 between the Ai-ctic and Antarctic Mollusca. it 

 proved, however, under investigation that the 

 supposed likeness was not a fact, and the theory 

 appeared to have no foundation. Mr. S. Pace 

 exhibited lantern-slides made by Dr. Sorby, F.R.S., 

 from actual specimens of Marine Mollusca ; also a 

 series illustrating the index collection of shells, 

 showing structure, prepared by Mr. B. B. Wood- 

 ward. Mr. H. B. Preston exhibited some interest- 

 ing adaptations of shells to ornamental purposes 

 among savage nations.^ Mr. G. B. Sowerby dis- 

 played a number of " types " from the well-known 

 French collection of Monsieur Thomas. An album 

 of original drawings, including many which 

 appeared in these pages, was laid on the table by 

 Mr. G. K. Gude. There were several other exhibits 

 of interest, and a numerous attendance. 



FIELD BOTANY. 

 CONDUCTED BY JAMES SAUNDERS, A.L.S. 



Statice limonium in Holderness. — There is a 

 note in the " Transactions of the Hull Scientific 

 and Naturalist Field Club " for 1901 on the sporadic 

 occurrence on the Yorkshire coast of the sea- 

 lavender. It appears that old records of this plant 

 are uncertain, which may be accounted for in 

 consequence of this habit. Recently it has ap- 

 peared in but few places around that j^art of the 

 Yorkshire coast, and apparently in small quantities. 

 This is the more curious in consequence of its 

 flourishing abundantly on the Lincolnshire coast 

 only a few miles away. The scarcity in Yorkshire 

 is probably the result of the Humber depositing 

 too much mud, or the shore being too sandy. . 



Lessons in Field Botany.— Those who are 

 engaged in the scholastic profession or are other- 

 wise interested in plant life, and desire to com- 

 municate some of their enthusiasm to others, 

 would be well advised to make themselves ac- 

 quainted with a series of articles now appearing in 

 the " Teacher's Aid." These are entitled " Object 

 Lessons in Plant Life." They are written and 

 illustrated by Dr. F. H. Shoosmith, B.Sc. We have 

 carefully read, those that have come under our 

 notice, and find them masterly expositions of the 

 subjects of which they treat. They are concise, 

 suggestive, and profusely illustrated, many of the 

 figures being drawn direct from Nature. The 

 chapter on a " Fallen Leaf" should remove many 

 erroneous notions that are prevalent with reference 

 to this commonplace phenomenon of the plant 

 world. Other subjects treated deal with climbing 

 plants, parasitic plants, carnivorous plants, and 

 seeds and seedlings. Now that the educational 

 authorities are encouraging the teaching of these 

 and cognate subjects in our elementary schools, the 

 issue of this series is peculiarly appropriate. — /. S. 



ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



W. W. (Portmadoc). — The specimens sent are 

 no doubt Juncus acutus L., although; being- 

 gathered so late in the season, they possess only a 

 scanty relic of the inflorescence. One can easily 

 understand that the golf pla^^ers on the links 

 where the rushes abound would frequently be in- 

 convenienced by their pointed stems. The writer 

 has often been pricked by them whilst on the 

 Bramton Barrows in Devonshire, but never suf- 

 fered more than temporary discomfort. There 

 being nothing poisonous in their nature, your 

 surmise with reference to "indivitkial peculiarities" 

 is doubtless correct, and the general health of the 

 same person is subject to variation. — J. S. 



J. B. S. (Hoylake). — Your interesting specimens 

 of semi-fossilized bark from a submerged forest 

 bed are " silver-birch," as you surmise. A specimen 

 of ancient beech bark has been sent you for com- 

 parison, by which you will see that they differ in 

 appearance, both externally and internally. — J. >'. 



