284 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



The Natural History Museum at South Ken- 

 sington is being fitted with electric light. 



The " London Gazette " of January 20th contains 

 a list of birds added to the Wild Birds Protection 

 Act. 



"The new Flora of Cumberland," prepared by 

 Mr. William Hodgson, A.L.S., now passing through 

 the press, is shortly to be issued. 



Professor E. B. Wilson, of Columbia Univer- 

 sity, U.S.A., intends to visit the Nile region in 

 order, if possible, to study the embryonic stages of 

 the African ganoid Polyptcrus, supposed to be the 

 ancestor of the Amphibia. 



A museum of the history of chemistry will be 

 included in the Paris Exhibition of 1900. It will 

 contain, amongst other things, apparatus, the 

 products of chemical laboratories, plans, and 

 portraits of investigating chemists. 



A masterly summary of the scientific work 

 done in 1898 in the sciences of Physiology, 

 Physics and Electrical Engineering, Astronomy 

 and Chemistry, occupies about five columns of 

 the " Times " for January 20th. 



Last month we expressed our regret that Mr. 

 Richard Kearton, the ornithologist and delineator 

 of country lore, was indisposed ; we have pleasure 

 in hearing that he is now much better and is at 

 work again. Mr. Kearton is carrying out a series 

 of lectures illustrated by lantern slides from the 

 many beautiful nature-portraits taken by his brother 

 and himself. 



A Cycling Research Committee has been formed 

 in connection with the North London Natural 

 History Society, for exploring the district included 

 in the operations of the members. Excursions 

 have been arranged for March 18th, April 8th and 

 22nd, May 13th, June 3rd and 17th. Particulars 

 may be had from Mr. Louis B. Prout, F.E.S., 246, 

 Richmond Road, Dalston.N.E., the Hon. Secretary. 



For some time past edible mushroom gatherers 

 in Australia have noticed that their labours were 

 much less remunerative than formerly, in conse- 

 quence of large numbers of the edible fungi being 

 overturned, broken and the gills eaten. The 

 culprits turn out to be birds, especially southern 

 stone-plovers {Burhimts grallarius Lath.) ; but 

 whether they are in search of insects found among 

 the gills, or whether they eat the fungi, is not 

 quite clear. 



On Christmas Eve last the East Goodwin Light- 

 ship was placed in communication, by wireless 

 telegraphy, at a distance of over twelve miles, with 

 the South Foreland Lighthouse on the coast of 

 Kent. One of Mr. Marconi's assistants is staying 

 for a time on the light-ship, to instruct the officials 

 in the use of the instrument. It will be remem- 

 bered we, to some extent, described the system on 

 page- 148 of this volume. The signals from the 

 Goodwin Sands are working admirably. To the 

 delight of the staff on the lonely ship theyexchanged 

 Christmas greetings with their families on shore. 



Specimens by Post to and from Abroad. — It 

 will no doubt be of interest to collectors to note 

 that in connection with the reduction of the foreign 

 postage rates, natural history specimens, dried or 

 preserved animals and plants, geological specimens, 

 etc , can be forwarded at the sample rate when 

 they are not sent for commercial purposes, and 

 are packed in accordance with the sample post 

 regulations. The sample rate referred to is 4 ozs. 

 for one penny, with a limit of 12 ozs., and is 

 applicable to all countries in or out of the Postal 

 Union. — Edwd. A. Martin, 69, Bcnsham Manor 

 Road, Thornton Heath. 



New British Orchid. — Writing to the January 

 "Journal of Botany," Mr. Herbert Goss, F.L.S., 

 says: " W T hen I was staying, in Cumberland last 

 June and July, I found a species of Orchis plentiful 

 in two or three bogs on the fells, about 1,000 feet 

 above sea level, between Borrowdale and Watend- 

 lath. I thought the species was a very stunted 

 form, of O. latifolia, and therefore did not trouble 

 to gather more than about ten or twelve speci- 

 mens. The plant has been submitted to Mr. 

 R. A. Rolfe, who identifies it with 0. cruenta 

 Muhl. in Oeder Fl. Dan. t. S76 ; Retz Prodr. 

 Fl. Scand. ed. ii. p. 205 ; O. latifolia var. cruenta 

 Lindl. Gen. and Sp. Orch. p. 260 ; and adds, 

 Rchb. f. (Fl. Germ. xiii. p. 53) makes it a form 

 of 0. incarnata, a plant much confused with 0. 

 latifolia in books, if indeed both are not forms of 

 one species. It is, however, an interesting dis- 

 covery, as the plant is not previously recorded 

 from Britain. I have placed specimens in the 

 British Museum and the Kew Herbaria. It is a 

 native of northern and central Norway and the 

 Swedish borders of Finland." We congratulate 

 Mr. Herbert Goss on his discover)-. 



Albinism in Flowers. — There is a large patch 

 of bugle (Ajuga rcptans) in Middlewood, about four 

 miles south-east of Stockport, having spikes ot 

 white, pink, red and blue flowers, the first two 

 predominating. With respect to albinos (vide 

 pp. 92 and 93) of normally yellow flowers, the 

 following might be cited : wild radish has both 

 yellow, white and lilac forms. The primrose is 

 occasionally white, and sometimes assumes a 

 reddish colour when growing on a clay soil. 

 Grindon, in his Manchester flora, published 1859, 

 mentions a white variety of the yellow cow-wheat 

 (Melampyrum pratcnsc) as growing abundantly by the 

 sides of the road between Hayfield and Kinder 

 Scout, Derbyshire. It may interest some of your 

 readers to know that it is still very abundant in 

 the same locality, the normal form being rare in 

 that neighbourhood. In some composite flowers, 

 such as mayweed, chamomile, etc., some of the 

 disc florets, even near the centre, may be seen 

 changed into white ligulate ones, which is albinism 

 accompanied by a change of form. They are often 

 also without ligulate ray florets. I have seen 

 several plants of Solamim dulcamara which bear 

 pure white flowers each year. — J. McDonald, 

 2, Co-operative Street, Hazel Grove, Stockport. . 



