240 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



[Oct. 1, 1865. 



]^OTICES TO COEEESPONDEMTS. 



All communications for the Editor should be addressed to 

 No. 192, Piccadilly, W. To avoid disappointment, contribu- 

 tions should be received on or before the 15th of each 

 month. No notice can be taken of anonymous communi- 

 cations. All notes, queries, or articles for insertion, must 

 be guaranteed by the name and address of the visiter, which 

 may be withheld from publication if so desired. 



Queries.— Having been inundated with questions, we are 

 compelled to announce that we cannot undertake to answer 

 those of which the querist might satisfy himself by an appeal 

 to any elementary book on the subject. We are always pre- 

 pared to accept queries of a critical nature, and to publish 

 the replies, provided some of oui readers, beside the querist, 

 are likely to take an interest in them. 



Wb cannot undertake to return " rejected addresses." 



Departure of Swifts. — J. M. G. observed one as late as 

 the .30th of August. Gisbert Wtiite gives the 2lst as the date 

 of "leparture ; the Rev. L. Jenyns, the 23rd. Therefore there 

 is no doubt that their departure is later than usual this year. 



Aquaria.— Mr. Hardwicke promises a Handbook to the 

 Aquariiim, to be published shortly. 



T. J. B. — Your suggestion is a good one, and shall be borne 

 in mind. Although we dare not make rash piomises, we hope 

 ere the year closes to see it carried out. 



Errata. — See page 197, col. 1, line 8, for "natural" read 

 " mutual." Page 2U, col. 1, line 5, for Carynphyllua Quicthii 

 read Caryophyliia Umithii. 



J. H. A. — The following are some of the works which have 

 been published on the microscope : — 



"The Microscope." By Professor Quekett. Published by 



Bailliere. 

 " Text-book of the Microscope." By Dr. Griffith. Van 



Voorst. 

 " The Microscope and its Revelations." By Dr. Carpenter. 



Churchill. 

 " How to Work with the Microscope." By Dr. Beale. 



Ho.rrison. 

 " The Microscope." By Jabez Hogg. 

 " Half-hours with the Microscope." By Dr. Lankester. 



Hardwicke. 



All possess their peculiar style of treatment of the subject; 

 therefore, not knowing J. H. A.'s special desideratum, we 

 could not recommend any one. We have already stated our 

 reasons for dechning to give preference to any maker of 

 microscopes. 



J. E. T.— We have also met with the white variety of Cen- 

 taurea nigra, and do not thnik it very rare. 



G. N.— Address your query to the British Journal of 

 Photography. 



Books on Fungi. — Mrs. Hussey's " Illustrations of 

 Mycology," in two vols., 4to. Rev. M. J. Berkeley's " Out- 

 lines of British Fungology." Mrs. Price's " Illustrations of 

 Fungi," tw/o series, 4to. These works were all published by 

 Lovell Reeve, Henrietta Street, Covent Garden. 



"Microscopic Fungi" and "British Fungi." By M. C. 

 Cooke. Both published by Mr. R. Hardwicke, 192, Piccadilly. 



Sovverby's " English Fungi " is now a rare and expensive 

 book. 



Greville's "Scottish Cryptogamic Flora" contains many 

 Fungi. 



Bolton's " Funguses " has nearly two hundred good figures, 

 and may sometimes be met with. 



MvcopHiLus and Municus should read our oft-repeated 

 caution about assumed names. 



H. VoKES.— -The bract and fruit of the Lime-tree. 



E. H. R.— Forbes's " British Star-fishes," published by Van 

 Voorst. ^ 



E. G. V. is thanked for his specimen of Lynghya. 



J. C. S. confirms that the viper swallows its young. We 

 have already gi^-en several instances, and could scarcely afford 

 space for more. 



J.J. R.— (1.) Oak spangles — a kind of gall produced on 

 oak-leaves by a species of Cynips. (2.) Button galls; also 

 produced by a species of Cynips, called by the French natu- 

 ralists Diplolepis lenticularis. For further information see 

 Gardener's Chronicle for 1843, p. 52. 



Vallisneria.— E. G., Post-office, Roundhay, near Leeds, 

 has plants for disposal. 



H. W. — Feed your snake with young frogs (alive, of course). 

 It will hyternate during the winter. 



F. W. — Your insects must be damp. You must place the 

 drawers before the fire occasionally. Mould will appear with 

 the least dampness. 



H. B.-(l.) Catching insects. (2.) It was probably injured 

 in capture. It is not always easy to account for such things. 



E. B.— See article on Death-watch, in Sciencs; Gossip, 

 No. 3, p. 60. 



G. N. — See remarks on Flowering of Aitichoke in Science 

 Gossip, No. 6, p. 142. 



E. B.— We know of no one so capable of naming your 

 foreign mosses as Mr. W. Mitten, of Hurstpierpoint, but 

 whether he will undertake it we cannot affirm. 



E. T.— Your insects appear to be the larvse of a fresh- water 

 beetle. There is no work specially devoted to fresh-water 

 insects, but an Introduction to the Study of British Beetles 

 is announced by Mr. Hardwicke, 192, Piccadilly, at a very 

 reasonable price. 



E. W. — For accounts of bats flying during the day, see 

 Zoologist, pp. 6 arid,35, and Jenyns's " Observations in Natural 

 History," p. 60. This correspondent observed a bat catching 

 flies in the middle of the day, under a hot sun. 



W. S. — Bring them home in sea-water or spiiit. 



E. Ragonol.— Groser's " British Beetles " is announced to 

 be ready shortly. 



Aquarium.— Mrs. D. may obtain such an aquarium of 

 Mr. Lloyd's successor, Mr. King, Portland Road, London. 



A. S. — Your monstrosity of rose is not uncommon. 



E. S. — Our correspondent F. C. did not boil his vermicelli 

 for feeding fish, only breaking it into small pieces. He is now 

 using beef, and does not recommend vermicelli, but considers 

 meat preferable. 



Scales op Fresh-water Fish. — A correspondent oflfers 

 these in exchange for other objects. Address — E. Marks, 

 5, Millman Street, Bedford Row, W.C. 



Erratum.— In T. P. B.'s answer to E. T. S., last month, 

 the word " generation " was printed by error, instead of 

 "gemmation." 



A Hint for Contributors. — If our contributors wUl oblige 

 us by always using the common names of plants, animals, 

 insects, &c., wherever there is a common name in use, to 

 be followed by the scientific name in brackets, this will save 

 us a lai'ge amount of trouble in sending their manuscript 

 to press. As we do not pretend to address scientific readers 

 alone, vernacular names are indispensable. 



Communications Received.- G. B.— J. B. Hay. — T. S. — 

 W. A. L.— E. C— A. G. R.— H. W.— W. B. M.— W. H. B.— 

 T. D. R.— J. S.— G. N.— J. B.— F. C— Wood Robert.— B.— 



E. M.— E. Y. S.— B. T. S.— W. R. T.— M. D.— M. H. L.— F. B. 

 — T. P. B.— P. P.— G. N.— H. B.— H. W.— E. H. R.— E. R.— 

 M. G. W.— W. W. H.— W. E. S. W.— Mycophylos (no name 

 and address).— F.W.—S. S.— W. G.— J. C. M.-H. G. G.— 

 V. A. S.— W. H. P.— E. T. S.— J. J. R.— L. C. B.— J. M. G.— 

 T. A.— H. v.— R. H.— E. M.-S. J. McI.— W. G.— J. H. A.— 



F. W. H.— W. W. S.— H. B. P.— C. A. J.— T. J. B.— R. B. N. 

 —J. B. L.— H. U.— E. G.— G. N.— A. H.— E. B. 



Correspondents will please to append their own names, or 

 initials, to their communications, which may be withheld 

 from publication if desired ; but no notice whatever can be 

 taken of anonymous contributions. 



