HA RD WICKE'S SCIENCE- GOSSIF. 



143 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



Herr F. S. Archenhold has published in the 

 " Astronomische Nachrichten " his discovery, by 

 means of photography, of a large nebula in the 

 constellation Perseus, which showed about the same 

 intensity in the photograph as the nebula in Andro- 

 meda. In the centre of the nebula there is an empty 

 space, the nebulous matter seeming there entirely 

 missing. Its length from the south-east to the north- 

 west is about three degrees. What is remarkable in 

 this discovery is that no nebula in that place is 

 marked in old astronomical maps, and in the latest 

 a very weak nebula is marked, while the one photo- 

 graphed by Herr Archenhold is one of the very 

 brightest, though, when looked at through the 

 strongest telescopes, it is barely visible. 



THE DIPTERIST. 



Who has homy beetles found, 

 Scratching, crawling on the ground, 

 That with Diptera can compare, 

 Diptera dancing in the air? 



Floating on transparent wing 

 Where the rippling waters spring, 

 Dipping here and dipping there, 

 Pretty dancing Diptera. 



Flitting with melodious hum 

 O'er the sugar mixed with rum ; 

 Humming here and humming there, 

 Dreamy, dreamy Diptera. 



Swarming o'er the stagnant lake 

 For the water-lilies' sake.] 

 Whirling, rising in the air, 

 Countless, countless Diptera. 



Frying in the pitch-dark night, 

 Basking in the broadjsunlight, 

 Here and there and everywhere, 

 Omnipresent Diptera. 



Sea-spinach. — During a recent shott visit to 

 Littlehampton, I was offered at dinner some sea- 

 spinach, as my friends called it, which the children 

 had gathered on the shore at some little distance 

 from the town, and which differed but little in taste 

 from ordinary spinach. I had no opportunity of 

 examining the plant, which I presume was Atriplex 

 portulacoules, or (as it is sometimes called) sea purs- 

 lane. Do any of your readers know whether this is 

 ever called sea-spinach ? — W. T. Lynn, Blackheath. 



Fogs. — Eight years ago, in the lecture he delivered 

 before the British Association meeting at Montreal, 

 Professor Lodge showed the possibility of dispersing 

 fogs by means of electricity, and even went so far as 

 to suggest the manner in which it could be done. 

 The suggestion at length appears to be on the 

 eve of practical trial in the city of New York. 

 Indeed, secret experiments are stated to have been 

 already carried out at Sandy Hook and in Boston 

 Harbour with such success as to warrant the rest 

 being undertaken on a more extensive scale. The 

 largest area of fog stated to have been cleared at one 

 discharge was a radius of 150 ft., or 70,500 square 

 feet. The atmosphere of the cleared area had 

 washed the fog dowrr. It is suggested that this fog- 

 clearing electrical apparatus shall at once be applied 

 to the great transatlantic liners. Why not experi- 

 ment with it in tunnels and underground railways, 



and in purlieus of large stations and complex 

 junctions where dense fogs produce so much danger 

 and anxiety ? 



The Sun's Reflection in Still Water. — 

 Have you ever noticed the sun's reflection in still 

 water ? This afternoon I saw through a small tele- 

 scope what seemed to me a discovery, water mag- 

 nified, and with the telescope I saw the flame around 

 it, and, as it appeared to me, its motion ; also the 

 corona appeared to be of a deep purple. I do not 

 know whether you or anyone else has observed the 

 sun in this manner : it is my opinion you would be 

 able to see something wonderful with a powerful 

 telescope. I may or may not have made a discovery. 

 I am not a scientist, so I cannot be expected to 

 know, or expect you to notice this from me ; but, if 

 you don't mind, I should be pleased for you to notify 

 it if you would not deem it presumptuous. — D. F. 

 Webster. 



The American Aloe. — In response to W. J. 

 Horn (page 118 of this volume), I can say that for 

 many years I have had the American aloe growing 

 under my observation in South China. Writing from 

 memory only, I should say that the plant, under the 

 climatic conditions there prevailing, flowers about 

 the eighth or tenth year of its growth, and then dies. 

 In the meantime, indeed during the greater part of 

 the eight or ten years, numerous suckers (I know 

 nothing of "lateral buds") have sprung from the 

 ground within a radius of three to four feet from the 

 parent plant, and these, if transplanted, rapidly 

 develop into full-grown plants. At Canton the 

 Chinese name of the plant is Manila hemp, because, 

 it is said, in the Philippine islands the fibres of the 

 leaves are used to make coarse textile fabrics. — Theo. 

 Sampson. 



Vertigo pusilla in Lancashire. — While col- 

 lecting at Silverdale, Lancashire, in July last, I took 

 several specimens of the rare Vertigo pisilla. This is 

 the first record of it for Lancashire. I got them from 

 among moss at the bottom of a wall, in company 

 with H. rupestris, H, pulehella, V. pellucida, and 

 other commoner species. — F. C. Long, Burnley, 

 Lanes. 



Piophila casei. — Will some reader kindly answer 

 the following questions about the fly {Piophila casei). 

 (1) How many eggs is this fly able to lay ? (2) How 

 long does it take for the eggs to develop into the 

 grub ? (3) Does the winter kill the grubs if not fully 

 developed ? (4) How long does it take from the egg 

 to produce the fly ? I find in several books I have 

 looked up about this fly, the description of it is very 

 poor.— J. C. Wright. 



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 out gratuitous 

 insertion of "exchanges," which cannot be tolerated. 



