73 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



[March 1, 1865. 



NOTICES TO COEEESPONBSNTS. 



All coramiimcations for the Editor should be 

 addressed to No. 193, Piccadilly, W. To avoid 

 disappointment contributions should be received 

 on or before the loth of each month. No notice 

 can be taken of anonymous commuuipations. All 

 notes, queries, or articles for insertion must be 

 guaranteed by the name and address of the writer, 

 which may be withheld from publication if so 

 ^ desired. 



W. W. K. — The shells sent by our correspondent 

 are a somewhat elongated variety of Limn/viat 

 pereger. The generic word LimiKeus is derived 

 from the Greek i^iiivi] {Limne), a marsh or pool ; 

 the specific name is from the Latin peregr'uior, 

 "to travel through strange places." And thus 

 we have the common name " the wandering mud- 

 shell." It is the most frequent and widely dis- 

 persed of our fresh-water shells. — R. T. 



AsTEKOSPOKiL'M HoFrMANNi. — The specimens were 

 distributed to the uttermost fragment ; still, nearly 

 fifty applicants were disappointed. The stamped 

 envelopes are retained, in the hope that in a 

 month or two we shall be able to supply all. 

 This promise cannot be extended to fresh appli- 

 cants.— 3/. C. C. 



Ornithological Queries.— Page 47, five lines 

 from the bottom, "Ireland" should have been 

 "Iceland."— //.^.^. 



P. Y. {WigcDi). — Recommends " Benzole " for kill- 

 ing, and also for preserving, insects. Greasy spe- 

 cimens may be renovated by soaking them an 

 hour or two, or all night, in " Benzole," and after- 

 wards drying them. — F. M. 



Chameleon. — G. H. U. states that during last 

 summer these reptiles could be purchased at 5s. 

 each, of Mr. King, 190, Great Portland Street. 

 G. H._G. says that they will not live through 

 the winter. 



TRiroLi. — A correspondent has a little of that sub- 

 stance (fossil remains of Infusoria), from Bohemia, 

 which he will send to applicants on receipt of 

 stamped envelope. — W. E. Williams, Jun., M.U., 

 Corsham, Wilts. 



J. H. {Belfast).— Gowlii you supply a lady with a 

 specimen of Diatom aceous earth ? 



J. P. — "Continued" articles are objectionable. We 

 do not pretend to teach any science. If you name 

 the order of insects which you desire to stud,y, we 

 can enumerate text-books. Por a general intro- 

 duction to the study of insects read Westwood's, 

 or Kirby 8f Spence's. The latter can be had at 

 your price. 



L. L. L. — Pead our answer to J. P. 



W. Q. C. — Your query will find its answer in " Slug 

 or Snail," p. 62. 



J. P. — Our correspondent "B." is known to be too 

 good a botanist, and too careful an observer, to 

 confound Plantago major with Flantago coronop7is. 

 A novice could hardly do it. 



A. J.— The book named is the only one within your 

 limits. 



Speedwell.— W. P. B.— A Subscriber. — W^e pre- 

 fer not to recommend any maker of microscopes 

 to the prejudice of others. Each instrument has 

 its own merits and demerits. 



S. A. AND P. B. — Pefer to our report of the Mi- 

 croscopical Society, at page 70. 



C. E.— Should communicate with the Curator of the 

 Society of Amateur Botanists relative to exchanges 

 of plants. Address to 193, Piccadilly, W. 



Caliban. — Lists can only be inserted as advertise- 

 ments. 



T. 0.— Apply for price-list to Claudet & Houghton, 

 High Holborn. 



E. J. T. — What " sea-worm " ? Second query out 

 of our limits. 



M. M. W.— Albino varieties in flowers, as in birds, 

 are not uncommon. As a rule, we cannot under- 

 take to return specimens sent to be named. 



T. P.— Use a Kelner (c.) eyepiece on the substage, 

 and reflect the light by means of the mirror. — 

 JF. M. B. 



P. W. — We know of no complete work on the 

 Bibliography of the Natural Sciences — we wish 

 that we did. A good Bibliography of recent works 

 will be found in the later volumes of the " Natural 

 History Review." Eor Botanical works, consult 

 Pritzel's " Thesaurus." Eor Zoological, Agassiz's 

 "Bibliography" (Ray Society). 



S. W.— (No. 1) Wilson's " Bryologia Britannica." 

 Longmans. 1855. (Nos. 3 and 3) In our opinion 

 " B." (No. 4.) Probably "A." (No. 5) Not by 

 experience ; see Da vies " On Preparing and 

 Mounting," pp. 84 and 91. 



W. S. K. {LlangoUen). — The names of your mosses, 

 sent for identification, are as follows : — 1, Hypnum 

 Schreberi; 2, II. uncinatum ; 3, H. filicinum ; 4, 

 H. ruscifolium ; 5, Zvgodon Mougeotii ; 7, Hyp- 

 num stellatum; 8, Aulacomnion palustre; 9, 

 Bryum roseum ; 11, Ptychomitrium polyphyllum ; 

 12, Orthotrichum anomalum, IFilson ; 13, O. 

 Lyellii ; 14, O. tenellum ; 15, 0. Bruchii. — ' 

 G. F. H. 



Thanks eor Communications.- A. P. H.; T. Pt.; 



Pinguicula : G. H. R.; R. T ; Dytiscus Margiualis; 



J A. ; A. J. N M. ; W. W. E. ; J. V/. L. ; 



J. S. T. ; A. B. E. ; H. S. S ; E. W. M. ; 



R. C. D.; P.S. B. ; E. M. H.; A. J. R. ; M. G. C. ; 



R. B.; J. B.; R. S. B. 

 Popular Names. — Received, M. H. L. ; L. S. 

 Declined, with Thanks. — H. J. C. B. ; E. L. ; 



G. C. D. ; E. D. ; E. J. P. ; A. E. C. ; J. G. G. ; 



Y. Y. ; 0. A. S. ; R. R. P. 

 Received. — R. B. S. (Lists arc forbidden. Shall 



be glad to hear of otters or badgers) ; R. B. ; 



R. L. (Try benzole) ; M. H. L. ; M. P. B. ; J. P.; 



P. Y. ; S. A. S. ; L. S. ; E. S. ; E. B. ; T. K. M. 



(We know it) ; G. T. G. ; 0. L. ; S. L. N. S. ; 



G. P. A. ; J. IT. C. ; J. R. B. M. (Not sufficient 



particulars) ; J. C. C. (Try chloroform) ; J. E. P.: 



T. 0. ; H. D. C. ; E. T. S.; P. S. ; E. R. M. ; 



E. L. B. ; C. S. B. ; J. L. E. ; J. E. ; T. H. E. ; 



J. W. L. ; W. L. ; B. ; G. P. S. (Durham) ; A. B. ; 



J. A. (Richmond) ; D. R. R. ; J. E. C. ; A. I. ; 



I. K. (Greenock) ; G. E. E. ; H. A. ; W. G. {Not 



an answer); P. B. St. J. ; M. X. ; E. B. ; J. J. R. ; 



R. ; J. A. ; J. G. B. ; E. S. 



Books Received.—" The Irrationale of Speech ;" 

 by a Minute Philosopher. London : Longmans. 

 ■ "Rust, Smut, Mildew, and iVIould : an In- 

 troduction to the Study of Microscopic Pungi ;" 

 by M. C. Cooke. London : Hardwicke. 



