Oct. 1, 1865.] 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



239 



Cat-Briar, in reply to H. G., Bangalore, is 

 i^milax rotundifolia, L., iiat. ord. SndlacecB. A 

 description of the plant may be found in Gray's 

 "Botany of the Kortli United States."— if. E. L. 



Gtjano. — J. H. W. desires to know where guano 

 may be obtained. There are guano depots in nearly 

 all the large towns in the kingdom, andany agent 

 for the sale of guano wiU give or sell a microscopist 

 a pound or two at any time. If the guano be pure, 

 it will contain Heliopelta and AracJmoidiscus in 

 abundance. — T. P. Barkas. 



Spider ai^'D Wasp. — I saw to-day a wasp 

 struggling with a small spider on the ground ; they 

 were spinning round and round, each striving for 

 the mastery, but the long legs of the spider being 

 wrapped over the wasp, jDrevented the latter from 

 using its wings. At last, however, the wasp 

 succeeded in cutting off two or three legs, and then 

 it hew off with the body. — Henry tlllyett, High 

 Wycombe. 



Growing Eerns. — When ferns are grown in 

 pots, do earth-worms do good or harm ? If harm, 

 can they be got rid of without disturbing the plants, 

 and how ? — /. B. L. 



Names of Sea-birds. — In answer to H. G., 

 Bangalore, India, page 214, the Stink -pot of sailors 

 is the Black Petrel \Broeellana (Equinoctialis, L.) ; 

 the Cape Hen is the Sooty Albatross {Bmnedea 

 fuliginosa) ; and the Whale-bird is the Broad-billed 

 Prion {Pi-iou vittatus). The Parson-bh-d and the 

 Ice-bird I do not know. I may, perhaps, be allowed 

 to add, that H. G. will find further information 

 about these birds in the number of the Ibis for 

 last July.— i^. W. Hutton. 



An Aquarium Difficulty. — In my fresh- water 

 aquarium several small worms wave about just above 

 the pebbles, and cast up the sand from beloAV, 

 thereby thickening the water. No doubt I could 

 get rid of them by putting a fish in the aquarium ; 

 but this would eat other small insects which I do 

 not wish eradicated. Perhaps some of your readers 

 can help me ?— C A. J. 



Exudation of Cedar-wood.— If C. W. W. will 

 wash the eggs with soda and hot water, I think he 

 will find it will cleanse them of the exudation of 

 cedar-wood. — H. B. Preston. 



Wardian Cases. — Do fern-cases requu-e air, and 

 what is the best soil for ferns ui cases ? — George 

 Norris. 



Infusorial Earth. — I think that infusorial 

 earths are not to be pui'chased ; at all events I have 

 tried for years to buy some, and failed ; but if your 

 correspondent lives in town, and likes to call on me 

 with a few slides, I will provide him with what 

 specimens I have by me. 1 keep some in a moist 

 state.— i^. White, 1, New Road East. 



Worms. — I think Mr. W. Bowen Davis is right 

 in his idea. The earth-worm eats on the surface of 

 the ground some of the softer parts of decaying 

 vegetable matter, and then drags the woody fibres, 

 such as the stalks of leaves, &c. &c., under ground 

 to fertilize the soil. — H. Watney. 



Madrepores. — Is there any work published on 

 "Madrepores," whereby some knowledge of them 

 could be obtained "i—B. T. S. 



House Ants. — Can any of your readers inform 

 me how I can get rid of ants (a very small light- 

 brown kind, not the garden species) which are 

 infesting my house in the plaster of the walls? 

 They come out of every tiny crack, and crawl in 

 numbers over the kitchen ceiling and walls. We 

 have tried, but in vain, to rid ourselves of this 

 nuisance, and I should feel greatly indebted to any 

 one who can suggest a remedy. — M. S. 



Sea-Anemones.— My friend ]\Ii-. W. A. Lloyd 

 asks m his interesting article on Sea-Anemones, 

 " Has any one ever seen a very small specimen of 

 Sagartia parasitica or of Tealia crassicornis?" I 

 have obtained \\^3.\ij parasitica from the fishing-lines 

 at Cullercoats, near the mouth of the Tyne, but 

 never saw one that was not at least one and a half 

 inch in height when fully expanded. T. crassi- 

 cornis are very abundant on the Northumberland 

 and Durham coasts ; and from Sunderland to 

 Alnmouth there are tens of thousands of them. I 

 have never seen young " crass " produced, as is so 

 frequently the case with the Mesembryanthevmm, 

 and the smallest specimens of crassicornis I ever 

 saw had bases about the size of a threepenny piece. 

 Are they produced by ejection or by fission? On 

 the Northumberland coast we have in the littoral 

 zone, the following anemones : — Crassicornis, Mesem- 

 bryanthemum. Troglodytes, and buff', grey, and white 

 Bianthus. Off the coast, at a depth of from forty 

 to sixty fathoms, v.^e have Crassicornis various, 

 Bianthus various, Parasitica, Stomphia, Chicrchics, 

 and Bolocera Tuedia. Bellis, rosea, gemmacea, 

 vemcsta, nivea, and other well-known south-country 

 species, are not to be found in these northern reaions. 

 —T. P. Barkas. 



Book Wanted on Conservatories.—^. H. 

 would be glad to know of a book which will give 

 instructions for keeping a conservatory in the house 

 filled ^vith flowers in bloom all the year. She has 

 the " Greenhouse Manual for the Many ; " but that 

 names such a few flowers. 



British Woods. — Can any reader inform me 

 where I can obtain a complete list of British woods ? 

 —B. T. S. 



[In Jury Reports of the Exhibition of 1S51, page 

 104, is a very good catalogue. — Ed.] 



Has H. Papilionaria been generally abundant this 

 year ? I have taken thirteen, for the most part 

 beautiful specimens. A friend also took several ; 

 nearly all were seated on the grass, under birch 

 trees, having just emerged from the pupa. I have 

 a few duplicates, and shall be happy to receive offers 

 of exchange. — Rev. Gt. Norris, Wood Balling, 

 Reepham. 



Mosquitoes in England. — I notice the following 

 in to-day's Shipping Gazette : — " A correspondent of 

 a Portsmouth paper states that mosquitoes, of a 

 true West Indian type, have made their appearance 

 at Woolstone, in Hants. A young lady there has 

 been stung by them_ in the arms, which swelled up 

 to an immense size in consequence." — Query — from 

 the great heat, or tohat ? — James Charles Arrow. 



Anatomatizing Leaves.— I think hydrochloric 

 acid is preferable to chloride of lime. — W. Gi/json. 



A Pine Trout. — Some years ago a relation of 

 mine caught a trout weighing 2ii lb. at Christ- 

 church, Hants. — E. W. 



