HA RD WICKE' S SCIENCE- G OS SIP. 



47 



and a day will be omitted, not inserted, in the year 

 1900. The omission of the 29th of February in a 

 leap-year is made three times in ever)' four centuries. 

 The recognition of this necessity was the celebrated 

 Gregorian Reform of the Calendar, accepted by 

 England in 1752 — the non-adoption of which by the 

 Greek Church accounts for the fact that Russia and 

 Greece are now twelve days behind the rest of 

 Europe. — C. B. Moffat. 



Song of the Wagtail. — Both the pied and the 

 grey wagtail are among the songsters whose vocal 

 powers often pass unnoticed : the same remark, I think, 

 applies to the rich bell-like melody of the stonechat, 

 and the inward warble of the spotted fly-catcher. In 

 my experience all these birds sing for a very short 

 season in spring, resuming their notes (with perhaps 

 the exception of the stonechat) for a few days in 

 autumn. The pied wagtail's song is not always 

 "subdued" ; at times it is so loud and shrill as to 

 recall rather the canary than the robin-redbreast. 

 — C. B. M. 



Migrants and Hiberxants, 1S91. — The swift 

 seen by Mr. Law on November 13th (as noted in 

 Science-Gossip for January), was, I think, unpre- 

 cedented ; but there seems to be ground for believ- 

 ing that the swift as a species has lengthened the 

 period of its sojourn with us since the time of 

 Gilbert White, who in 1767 remarked that these 

 birds "leave us before the middle of August 

 invariably." At Oxton, in Cheshire, swifts last year 

 continued numerous and ubiquitous until September 

 5th, on which date I altogether missed them ; 

 stragglers may have stayed behind, but I saw none 

 during the few days longer that I remained in the 

 neighbourhood. It will be remembered that White 

 drew a comparison between the swift and the great 

 bat (Noctula altivolans), which last, he said, " retires 

 or migrates very early in the summer," adding that 

 he saw them most commonly in June, but never after 

 July. At Lyndhurst, in the New Forest, however, I 

 saw a group of these large bats hawking on the 

 evening of the 23rd of August last, a sight that would 

 probably have somewhat surprised the old naturalist. 

 I doubt not that similar appearances are frequent 

 enough, and many correspondents of Sciex'CE-Gossip 

 have perhaps seen the bat later ; but never having 

 been in the haunts of that animal myself except for 

 one delightful fortnight last summer, I think it is as 

 well to note the fact of its appearance on August 23rd. 

 Of creatures supposed to be more or less dormant at 

 the present season, I may mention having seen a 

 wasp on the wing on the 16th of December, a frog 

 (only half awake) attempting to struggle across a 

 grass-field on the 29th, and a spotted slug (Limax 

 antiquorum, I think) in full activity on the last day 

 of the year. Of the partial nature of squirrels' 

 hibernations, the following observations during the 

 week following Christmas Day may afford some 

 evidence. I saw here — in woods at Ballyhyland, Co. 

 Wexford — one squirrel on the 26th of December, 

 three on the 28th, two on the 31st, and two more on 

 the 1st of January. Of these eight, two were 

 probably appearances of the same animal on different 

 days ; but I am pretty sure that I saw seven different 

 squirrels during the week. These were all feasting 

 on the growing cones of larch and pine, so that 

 evidently they have no need as yet to resort to their 

 winter hoard, if they really possess anything of the 

 kind. The season, though not severe, has not been 

 exceptionally mild ; and the food-supply on the trees, 

 far from being particularly abundant, is less than 

 the average. — C. B. Moffat. 



British Orthoptera. — As I contemplate writing 

 a popular handbook on the above as a companion 

 volume to my "Illustrated Handbook of British 

 Dragon-flies," I shall be very glad to communicate 

 with all who are interested in these insects. Local 

 lists and specimens for figuring would be very ac- 

 ceptable. — W. Harcourt Bath, Lady wood, Birming- 

 ham. 



British Dragon-flies. — Will readers who are 

 interested in the above kindly supply me with local 

 lists of same, as I am desirous of elucidating their 

 distribution in this country? — W. Harcourt Bath, 

 Ladywood, Birmingham. 



Papers on Flints. — Being much interested in 

 the subject of flints, the cause of their peculiar 

 deposit in the chalk, and their formation in this and 

 other strata, I should be glad if any of your readers 

 could direct me to any recent papers or books 

 referring to this form of silex, or to any specimens of 

 siliceous sinter, concretional flints, or anything else 

 likely to help. I find it difficult to obtain such from 

 the dealers, or would not trouble you. — G. Abbott. 



NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



To Correspondents and Exchangers. — As we now 

 publish Science-Gossip earlier than formerly, we cannot un- 

 dertake to insert in the following number any communications 

 which reach us later than the 8th of the previous month. 



To Anonymous Querists. — We must adhere to our rule of 

 not noticing queries which do not bear the writers' names. 



To Dealers and Others.— We are always glad to treat 

 dealers in natural history objects on the same fair and general 

 ground as amateurs, in so far as the " exchanges" offered are 

 fair exchanges. But it is evident that, when their offers are 

 simply Disguised Advertisements, for the purpose of evading 

 the cost of advertising, an advantage is taken of our gratuitous 

 insertion of " exchanges," which cannot be tolerated. 



We request that all exchanges may be signed with name (or 

 initials} and full address at the end. 



Special Note. — There is a tendency on the part of some 

 exchangers to send more than one per month. We only allow 

 this in the case of writers of papers. 



To our Recent Exchangers. — We are willing to be helpful 

 to our genuine naturalists, but we cannot further allow dis- 

 guised Exchanges like those which frequently come to us 

 to appear unless as advertisements. 



F. G. Bing. — If not too large or heavy, send us your 

 specimen for identification, with stamps to cover expenses of 

 return. 



I want to procure the reed meadow grass [Glyceria. 

 aquatica). Will any reader of Science-Gossip kindly let me 

 know where it is grown? — S. C. Hincks. 



J. Boggust.— Accept our best thanks for the beautiful 

 mount of tongue of privet hawk moth. We are pleased to call 

 the attention of our readers to your method in our microscopical 

 column. 



W. Mackie. — Messrs. Allen & Co., Waterloo Place, London, 

 purchased Mr. Bogue's stock, including, we believe, the 

 "Catalogue of British Mosses." We are of opinion it is now 

 out of print. Wheldon's " Catalogue of York Mosses " would 

 serve your purpose. Why not get Hobkirk's "Synopsis of 

 British Mosses," latest edition! It is more expensive, but will 

 serve for life as a handbook, giving structural characters, 

 localities, &c. We are surprised that publishers of these and 

 similar works do not advertise more in our columns, as we are 

 constantly being asked about them. 



EXCHANGES. 



Will send collections of two hundred named specimens 

 (sixty species) Victoria shells, in return for same number 

 named recent shells of any other country. — F. L. BUIinghurst, 

 National Bank of Australasia, Castlemaine, Victoria, Australia. 



Wanted, correctly named British land and freshwater 

 shells, to start collection. British birds' eggs or dried British 

 plants, many rare — Carex irregna, Utricularia minor t &c. — 

 in exchange. — J. Corrie, Moniaive, N.B. 



Machaon betula, Papkia polychloros, Sylvanus hyper- 



