SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



157 



(this volume of " Good Words " is for 1884) Mr. 

 Whymper has seen a mungoose. When I was 

 rowing at Oxford in 1866 I saw one in the bow of 

 an eight on Procession Night. It was a pet of one 

 of the oarsmen, but though I might have taken it 

 for a tame pole-cat it certainly did not occur to me 

 that it was a bird. The animal can always be seen 

 at the Zoo, or bought at Jamrach's, and the most 

 early and elementary knowledge of natural history 

 might have saved Mr. Whymper from the various 

 mistakes and ignorances he contrived to cram into 

 a few lines, to wit ; (i) the mungoose is a bird ; 

 (2) this bird is the same as the kingfisher of 

 Australia ; (3) and this kingfisher (probably the 

 one known as the laughing jackass!) is the same as 

 the secretary bird of Africa; (4) that this Australian 

 bird is also common in the West Indies ; (5) and 

 even when domesticated commits ravages in poultry 

 yards. Thus is natural history written and taught ! 

 —(Rev.) J. W. Horsley, St. Peter's, Walworth. 



Localities of Tulip and Maidenhair Trees. 

 — There are three fine specimens of tulip-tree 

 growing in the grounds of Adderley Hall, Shrop- 

 shire, the property of Mr. H. R. Cabel. — Athelstan 

 Corbet, Adderley Rectory, Market Drayton. 



I have heard of three tulip-trees and seen two 

 in Huntingdonshire. One is in the grounds of 

 Bluntisham Rectory, near St. Ives. Another is 

 growing at Houghton, near Huntingdon, where it 

 was planted by. Mr. G. W. Brown, and just now 

 has plenty of flowers upon it, and is full of foliage. 

 The third tree is in the garden of Mr. Burnaby, 

 Brampton Manor, near Huntingdon ; this is not 

 very large, and I think has not yet flowered, 

 although it looks healthy. — John Ekins, 7, Grey 

 ■Street, Bedford. 



There is a specimen of the tulip-tree in the gar- 

 den of Northfield Rectory, Worcestershire ; also a 

 very fine specimen at Enville Hall, Lady Stam- 

 ford's Staffordshire seat. — (Rev.) K. A. Deakin, 

 Co ft on Hackett. 



Since sending my last note I have found another 

 habitat for tulip-tree, viz., a garden in the St. Cross 

 Road, Winchester. The tree, a small one, can be 

 well observed from the pavement. — Helen C. Brine, 

 Winchester. 



In the grounds of Glazenwood, situate in the 

 parish of Eradwell-juxta-Coggeshall, which were 

 planted about 1805 by Mr. Samuel Curtis, of 

 "Botanical Magazine" fame, and for some years 

 after said to contain the finest orchards in the 

 kingdom, but now, alas, in the last stages of decay, 

 there is still a tulip-tree and a maidenhair tree, 

 which, I should say, were either planted by the 

 illustrious forerunner of our coloured botanical 

 literature, or at his instigation. The connection of 

 these trees with Mr. Curtis seems to add additional 

 interest to this record. There are also two tulip- 

 trees in the grounds of Bulford Mill, near Braintree. 

 — Edwin E. Turner, Coggesliall, Essex. 



The Female of the Maidenhair Tree. — In 

 thanking readers who have been good enough to 

 furnish localities of the maidenhair tree (Gingho 

 hiloba or Salisburia adiantifolia) and the tulip-tree 

 ( Liriodendron tulipifera), may I ask further, whether 

 any of the former have been noticed to bear female 

 flowers, or whether all those quoted bear only 

 the sessile yellowish-looking flowers of the male. 

 The female is said not to be existent in this country. 

 At present localities of the former and of the latter 

 that have been mentioned are not a very large 

 number, it must be confessed, — E. A. Martin, 

 Thornton Heath. 



Agriolimax laevis, new Variety. — I have 

 recently collected on Barnes Common, Surrey, a 

 variety of Agriolimax laevis Miill., which has not, I 

 believe, been recorded. It occurs sparingly on a 

 piece of very marshy ground at the northern 

 extremity of the common, which locality is also 

 the original spot where Professor Cockerell 

 collected the type specimens of his var. maculatus 

 of this species, described in 1886. I have searched 

 here diligently for that form, but without success, 

 and I have never seen a specimen ; but think my 

 new variety must be a very close relation. It 

 attains a size equal to that of the typical form, 

 which it much resembles in colour, occasionally 

 assuming a somewhat darker shade, deepening in 

 tone towards the posterior. The mantle, however, 

 is very minutely mottled with rich dark red-brown, 

 the colour being denser and more closely set on 

 the centre and anterior portions. The sides in 

 some examples are almost without trace of the 

 mottling. I am unable to speak definitely as to its 

 anatomy, not having secured sufficient material to 

 make a critical examination. The shell is small 

 and does not attain the same dimensions as that 

 found in individuals of the typical form of equal 

 size. This variety favours a very aquatic habitat ; 

 all my examples having occurred on the stems of 

 sedges and rushes growing in dense masses in 

 water several inches deep. The type also occurs 

 at Barnes, but is never associated with this 

 variety, preferring the shelter afforded by the dead 

 leaves which have accumulated in damp, shady 

 hollows. — Geo. E. Mason, lib, Stanford Place, 

 Stanley Bridge, Fulham, S.W. 



Speed of Flying Birds. — Can any of your 

 readers give, approximately of course, the rate of 

 speed during flight of the swift ? I once saw it 

 stated in a leading article in "The Standard," I 

 think, as being 290 miles an hour, and have actually 

 heard it maintained since; which is absurd. Prob- 

 ably the figures would be tolerably accurate without 

 the first figure, viz., ninety miles per hour, which is 

 what I have always understood till astounded by the 

 statement in "The Standard." — A. E. Burr, Bath. 



Yorkshire Fungus Foray. — The members of 

 the Mycological Section of the Yorkshire Natural- 

 ists' Union held their annual fungus foray on 

 September loth and 12th. The place selected for 

 investigation this season was the charming district 

 of Harewood, Leeds. East Keswick was chosen as a 

 centre. A considerable amount of success attended 

 the work, although the dryness of the weather 

 during the previous weeks had been unfavourable. 

 Excellent results were, however, attained with 

 the smaller species ; these were mostly micro- 

 scopic. During the two excursion days and the 

 preceding week-end 300 species, great and small, 

 were found and identified. On the last evening of 

 the foray the Rev. W. Fowler, Vicar of Liversedge, 

 Yorks, read a most interesting paper on " The 

 Popular Aspects of Mycology." The rev. gentle- 

 man gave most excellent advice and encouragement 

 to students and would-be students concerning the 

 vast importance of the subject, not only from a 

 purely scientific, but also from an economic point 

 of view. This branch of botany holds out a 

 promising field to young and persevering students. 

 The fungus -flora of Great Britain is far from being 

 worked out. The life-histories of many species 

 which so insidiously attack both wild and culti- 

 vated plants are waiting to be investigated, while 

 numberless other species are to be sought and 

 described. — Chas. Crossland, Hon. Sec. Yorkshire 

 N.U. (Mycology), 4, Coleridge Street, Halifax. 



