S£PT. 1, 1865.] 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



213 



NOTES AND aUERIES. 



Eel-like Animalcules. — In some animalcule 

 water which I prepared with hay, by exposiiiij it to 

 the hot suu, 1 fouiid a species of Infusoria, which I 

 have never seen noticed in any book. Most likely 

 it is common enough to many, but it is quite new to 

 me, who am only a novice. With ^-incli object- 

 glass they are just discernible, and have the appear- 

 ance of live hair, about half an inch in length. They 

 wriggle themselves slowly along, moving like an eel, 

 from right to left, and never seem to turn round, but 

 go gently across the field of the microscope, and 

 then return with cither head or tail first. Could 

 any of your readers inform me what they are, and 

 what is their name, &c.? From what I noticed in 

 their movements, I imagine that they feed pretty 

 freely on the Polygastrica. — /. S. 



Doubtless they are Vibriones. — T. K. 



_ Gossamer Spideks.— Iu reply to H. W.'s ques- 

 tion relative to Gossamer spiders feeding in the air, 

 and House spiders having a taste for and love of 

 music. In the first case I do not think there is any 

 evidence to show that the spider can by any possi- 

 bility catch its prey, save by pouncing on it, as in 

 the Hunting spiders, or traj^ping it, as do all web- 

 spinners, mason-spiders, and otliers of like mecha- 

 nical craft. The vf eb tin-own out is solely for the 

 piu'poses of transport, a simple yet beautiful con- 

 trivance to enable the tiny creatures to disperse, and 

 thus obtain a better chance of thriving, in the great 

 struggle for existence. I very much question the 

 House spider's havin" the "least taste in life" for 

 music. In the first place, it is doubtful whether the 

 spider can hear at all ; and granting it did, the 

 auditory organs would hardly attain a degree of 

 organization (where we have only the heterogan- 

 gliate nervous system) compatible with power to 

 detect aud appreciate modulations of sound. We 

 must seek the solution of the mystery — that is, in 

 the first place, if it can be proven that House spiders 

 ever do exhibit any fondness for music ([ do not 

 believe they do)— iu the vibration caused by the 

 instrument iuduciug the spider to come and see 

 what great insect is creating such a disturbance. 

 Hammer on a wall or shake a piece of furniture 

 near a spider's trap, and nine times out of ten, he 

 will come to see what it means ; but he simply feels 

 the vibration. Such a solitary savage never could 

 have music in his soul, and admirably verifies the 

 truth of the couplet : — 



Is fit for treason, 

 Stratagem and spoil. 



In a future number of Science Gossip I purpose 

 adding mv mite about North American spiders. — 

 J. K. Lord. 



Aquaiiia:^ Dieficulties. — E. T. S. refers to 

 aquarian difficulties. The one great cause of nou- 

 Euccess in the management of_ aquaria is the over- 

 exposure of them to strong light. The second is 

 the non-removal of dead matter ; and the third, the 

 too miscellaneous nature of the plants and animals 

 iutroduced. I do not find any difficulty with either 

 fresh-water or marine aquaria. — T. P. Barkas. 



GuAis-o. — Can any of your correspondents tell me 

 where I can obtain sufiicieut guano (say a quarter of 

 a pound at least) to experiment upon for Biatomacea;, 

 as it generallv contains more fossils than the earths 

 orbergh-mehl?— /. ZZ". W. 



Sea-Anemones Diyiding. — Instances of spon- 

 taneous division in Sea-Anemones are by no means 

 rare ; indeed, Mr. Gosse seems to think that some 

 species (amongst others the Plumose Aiiemo7ie) only 

 increase in this manner. With the author, I have 

 myself witnessed the operation. In Mr. Gosse's 

 words (Brit. Sea-Anem., p. 169), " The fission begins 

 at the margin of the disk, aud gradually extends 

 across and downward, until the separation is com- 

 plete, when eadi moiety soon closes, and forms a 

 perfect animal." With the Plumose Anemone and 

 some others, the division is of a dilferent character. 

 Parts of the disk are torn off and remain adhering 

 to the original resting place of the creature, whilst 

 the Anemone itself sails off to some more com- 

 fortable quarter. The detached fragments then 

 gradually form iutosmall Anemones.— C. A. GoodJiarf. 



Sea-Anemones Dividing.— Your correspondent 

 E. T. S. appears to think that Anemones do not 

 increase by division. I have kept Anemones iu the 

 same tank, without any change of water, for five 

 years, and have seen them increase by division, by 

 generation, and by ejection from the mouth. _ If he 

 cuts a healthy Mesembryanthemum perpendicularly 

 into two parts, by means of a sharp knife, he will 

 find that the two portions will become perfect Ane- 

 mones in a few days. The act appears cruel, but I 

 am inclined to think that Anemones do not feel pain, 

 and that all these motions are automatic. — T. P. 

 Barlcas. 



E. S. writes us that it is impossible for two Ane- 

 mones to have been contained in her tank, as sug- 

 gested by E. T. Scott. 



_ IF. B. Adams confirms the fact of Sea-Anemones 

 dividing, from personal obscrvatiou on several oc- 

 casions. 



Fresh-Watefv Aquaria.— If E. C. will carefully _ 

 read "Hibberd on Eresh-water Aquaria,'' and at- 

 tend to his instructions, all his difficulties will vanish. 

 I have kept fresh-water aquaria for years, water 

 unchanged, without either trouble or difficulty. 

 There are not any aquaria M'ithout Infusoria, but if 

 the tank be not subjected to too mneh heat and light. 

 Infusoria will not appear in excess. Dried beef, 

 cut into very small particles, is the best and most 

 convenient food for fishes, and they ought to be 

 under-fed rather than ovei'-fed. Charcoal is not 

 necessary to keep the water clear', and caddis worms 

 are best left in their native ponds. The best plants 

 are Vallisneria spiralis, Anacliares alsinastrum aud 

 Chara, vulgaris. — T. P. Barkas. 



VoLYOx Globator. — Your correspondent T. A. 

 will find that the cause of the motions_ of Vohox 

 Globator is said to be the action of cilia. I have 

 gathered myriads, and examined thousands, but never 

 succeeded iu observing cilia on any of them. That 

 may have been my fault in manipulation, but as the 

 ciliary theory has been rejected in the case of 

 ])iatomace(P, may it not ultimately be ascertained 

 that the motions of Vohox Globator are produced 

 otherwise than by cilia ? — T. P. Barkas. 



White Earwig. — The other day, I found among 

 some gooseberries, a perfectly wliite earwig, the eyes 

 being black. I have preserved it in spirits; thinking- 

 it very rare. I thought I should like to know whether 

 it is so or not, and whether any of the readers of 

 Gossip have met with anything of the kind. — R. P. M. 



[They are occasionally met with.— Ed, Sc. G.] 



