SCIENCE- GOSSIP. 



125 



This year's meeting of the British Association 

 at Glasgow will be held from September 11th to 

 18th. It should be of exceptional interest in con- 

 nection with the International Exhibition now 

 ibeing held in that city. 



Dr. Gerald Leighton is publishing through 

 Messrs. Blackwood & ,Sons a work with fifty illus- 

 trations upon the " Life History of the British 

 Serpents and their Local Distribution in the British 

 Isles." Dr. Leighton, who, it will be remembered, 

 is one of our contributors, has paid much attention 

 to British reptiles. The price of the work will be 

 five shillings. 



A NEW issue has commenced of "Die Schmetter- 

 linge Europas," by Dr. Arnold Spuler. This work 

 ■on the European butterflies and moths is hand- 

 .somely illustrated with coloured plates, 12 in. x 

 8^ in. in size, closely filled with carefully drawn 

 figures. It will be complete in thirty-eight parts 

 at one shilling each. We understand that Messrs. 

 Heyne Bros., of 110 Strand, are agents for this 

 work. 



The British Mycological Society appears to be 

 full of vigour and in a strong financial position. 

 Mr. Carlton Rea, 34 Foregate Street, Worcester, is 

 the honorary secretary and treasurer. He sends us 

 particulars of the fifth annual fungus foray, which 

 is to be held at Exeter from Monday to Saturday, 

 ■September 23rd to 28th. The headquarters are to 

 be at the Rougemount Hotel, Exeter, and excur- 

 sions have been arranged for four days of the 

 meeting. Papers are to be read in the evenings. 



It is probable that the secretaries of some of 

 the societies of amateur naturalists have noticed 

 that latterly the reports of such societies have 

 been omitted from our pages. The fact is that 

 these reports have become so much mere lists of 

 ■exhibits and exhibitors, with hardly any notes of 

 general interest, that we received constant com- 

 plaints from our readers that our space should be 

 ;so occupied. We shall always be pleased to receive 

 reports of societies' meetings if of general interest — 

 that is to say, if the exhibits are accompanied by 

 remarks on facts not generally known in connec- 

 tion with them. 



We have received a communication from Mr. 

 John A. Todd, honorary secretary of the Marine 

 Biological Association of West Scotland, addressed 

 from 190 West George Street, Glasgow. In it Mr. 

 'Todd states that the committee desire publicity 

 regarding prizes offered by Sir John Murray, 

 K.C.B., and known as the " Fred. P. PuUar 

 Memorial Prizes," for work on maiine subjects. 

 The three prizes amount in all to £150. Par- 

 ticulars may be obtained from Mr. Todd, and the 

 subjects appear to be within the reach of students 

 of marine phenomena. It will be remembered 

 that Mr. PuUar lost his life in an ice accident on 

 February 15th last. The prizes will be given in 

 1905. 



FIELD BOTANY. 



conducted by JAMES SAUNDERS, A.L.S. 



Drying Flowers.— A useful article on this 

 subject appears on page 104 in this number. 



Cephalanthera ensifolia. — A nice gathering 

 of this somewhat scarce orchid was collected by 

 Mr. Arnold McNaught at Symonds Yat on the 

 opening day of the Worcestershire Naturalists' 

 Club, May 28th, 1901. The protuberances on the 

 labellum are most marked. Who are the insect 

 fertilisers^ of this orchid, and what assistance do 

 these protuberances afford them ? — Carleton Rea, 

 B.C.L., M.A.E., 34, Foregate Street, Worcester. 



Helminthia echioides. — Several specimens of 

 the bristly ox-tongue, a bold and handsome plant, 

 were in flower on August 7th nearly opposite in 

 Honeycrock Lane, near the habitat of Lathyrus 

 nissolia reported in Science-Gossip {ante, p. 62). 

 The borders of the road have unfortunately been 

 cut for litter, and the lovely wild garden of Com- 

 positae is spoiled for this year.— i?. Ashhigton 

 JBiillen, F.L.8., Axeland Park, near Horley. 



Alien Flora of Britain.— I am anxious to 

 have notes and records of alien plants which occur 

 in Bi'itain, and beg to ask your assistance in the 

 matter. If any of your readers are willing to co- 

 operate, I should be glad to have notes of such 

 from any locality and, as far as possible, specimen 

 plants. Should they have a knowledge or theorj^ as 

 to how any species of plant came to its situation, will 

 they please give it 1 In sending plants give names, if 

 known; if not, I will do my best to name them. 

 In any case, always give colour of flower. In- 

 sufficient attention seems to have been given in this 

 country to the importance of alien distribution. — 

 Arthur Smith, Curator, Natural History Museum, 

 5 Cavendish Street, Grimsby, Lineolnshire. 



Narcissus biflorus.— If a man happens to be 

 something of a botanist and also a lover of the 

 garden Narcissi, he is inclined to wonder how this 

 species ever came to be regarded as British. In 

 Barr's admirable Catalogue of Narcissi it is said 

 without any doubt that this is a hybrid between 

 A^areissus tazetta and iV. poeticus. Nobody ever 

 supposed that the former of these was British, 

 and Messrs. Barr doubtless write with authority, 

 knowing the results of the elaboi-ate inquiry into 

 the origin of garden Narcissi which was made a 

 few years ago. Yet Johns, Sowerby, and Hooker 

 all appear to be ignorant of its being a hybrid, 

 though the second remarks that he has not seen 

 the mature capsule and seeds. It is somewhat 

 remarkable that the hybrid offspring of N. tazetta 

 should naturalise itself so freely, while N. tazetta 

 itself, a native of Southern Europe, has never 

 done so. Are hybrids more hardy, or rather are 

 their bulbs more persistent, since they do not 

 mature their seeds ? — {Rev.) J. E. KehaU, Milton, 

 Lymington. 



