HA RD JFICXE'S SCIENCE- G OS SIP. 



239 



Mallee Hens. — Mallee hens are more like a 

 pheasant than any other bird, but larger : they are 

 very good to eat, and their eggs are still better. 

 They lay a very large egg, about the size of a duck's ; 

 It has a very thin shell and no inside skin, which 

 makes it hard to carry them without disastrous 

 results. The way they hatch their eggs is peculiar : 

 first they scratch up a large heap of leaves, twigs and 

 sand, and about this time of the year (June) they scoop 

 the middle out like a great basin ; then in the spring 

 they lay in the hollow and cover the eggs up with 

 sometimes two feet of leaves, etc., making the nest 

 conical. Each day that an egg is laid the bird opens 

 the nest, and covers it again, which is quite an under- 

 taking, as with your hands it takes a considerable 

 amount of work to get down to the eggs. The eggs 

 are always well arranged and sometimes, when two 

 or three hens use the same nest, there are a dozen or 

 fifteen eggs, the fresh ones on top, so the puzzle is, 

 how do the young ones get out when hatched ? 

 X.B. — I have no idea what "mallee hens" are — 

 perhaps someone else may know the proper name. — 

 £. C. Pope, South Galgogrin Station, JV.S. Wales. 



Vars. of Hart's-tongue Fern. — A specimen 

 of the Scolopendrium vulgare. (the hart's-tongue fern), 

 which a friend brought from Ireland two years ago, 

 has undergone all the changes which I notice Newman 

 mentions as the different varieties of the .S - . vulgare. 

 In 1S91 the leaves were crisped, as in S. crispum, and 

 this year the fronds are also crisped and a few of 

 them bifid, as the specimen of frond enclosed. Is 

 this variation due to cultivation or evolution, or how 

 can it be reasonably explained ? — P. Kilgour. 



The Clouded Yellow. — After a lapse of fifteen 

 years the clouded yellow butterfly (Edusa) has again 

 made its appearance in numbers in this neighbour- 

 hood. In 1S77 Edusa was abundant in Suffolk and 

 other counties, but since that year I have not seen, at 

 most, more than two or three in a season. Early this 

 year I heard from various parts of the country that 

 several insects of this species, presumably hybernated 

 specimens driven over from the continent, had been 

 captured, and I was therefore led to hope that 1 892 

 would be an " Edusa year," which hope was verified. 

 A curious fact in connection with the appearance of 

 the butterfly this autumn, here, has been the large 

 preponderance of males over females. As far as my 

 observation goes, the former are to the latter in the 

 proportion of about ten to one. I do not know if 

 there is any explanation of this, nor if it is general 

 over the country, but it is possible that the female 

 does not fly as much as the male, and may therefore 

 be overlooked ; but even supposing this to be correct, 

 it would hardly account for the enormous difference 

 between the numbers of the sexes. Amongst other 

 specimens I was fortunate enough to secure a couple 

 of the white variety, Helice, one of which seems to 

 be an intermediate form between Edusa and Helice, 

 being more orange in tint than any previous capture 

 of mine. As well as my memory serves me, Edusa 

 has not been so abundant in 1892 as in 1877, but 

 still there have been large quantities on the wing. 

 Hyale has also put in an appearance, but in much 

 more limited numbers than its relative. I managed, 

 however, to net some ten specimens, and had I gone 

 further afield I should probably have obtained more, 

 as these were all caught on two small pieces of clover 

 near here. I have heard two theories given to 

 account for the irregular appearance of these two 

 species at long intervals. The first is that they are 

 blown over from the continent when they hatch out 

 in August ; the second is that a few insects coming 



over in the spring lay their eggs here, and after 

 passing through the various stages, the butterfly 

 emerges from the chrysalis in the late summer. 

 Either of these ideas seems feasible, but bearing in 

 mind the capture of several Edusa; in the earlier 

 months of this year, the latter seems the more 

 probable. I should be glad to know what other 

 entomologists think on this point, and also how the 

 excess of males over females mentioned above can be 

 accounted for, or whether it is only an accidental 

 occurrence. — L. Creaghe- Howard, Bramford, Ipswich. 



Preserving Dragon-flies. — Can any reader of 

 Science-Gossip tell me of a method of preserving 

 dragon-flies and caterpillars so that the colours will 

 not fade ? — also whether there is any method of pre- 

 serving toad-stools ? — Z. Ediuards. 



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. VVe 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. 



M. S. Sykes. — Many thanks for the couple of splendidly 

 developed and well set-out American silk-moths. The cater- 

 pillars arrived safely, and greedily fed on privet, and are doing 

 well. 



W. G. Clements. — The editor would be very pleased to 

 receive the illustrations and photos of webs, etc., referred to 

 in Mr. Clement's note, as well as the proposed paper on their 

 natural history. 



T. P. R. — No; the mountain ash berries are not poisonous. 

 On the contrary, many years ago they were among our winter 

 fruit preserves. The mountain ash is really a pear (Pyrus 

 aitcuparia). The berries make a good conserve, when pulped, 

 and are said to be good for rheumatism and paralysis. 



H. D. — We shall be very pleased to have the series. Be 

 kind enough to employ utmost accuracy in the pen-and-ink 

 drawings, and to send them early. 



I. G. — The abnormal growth in Plantago lanceolata is of 

 common occurrence— perhaps it is the commonest of all vege- 

 table teratological occurrences. Many thanks for the interest- 

 ing specimens. The double flowered var. of Calluna vulgaris 

 is very unusual. 



W. G. Clements.— Send us any natural history notes and 

 observations you can, as well as illustrations, photos, etc. We 

 shall be glad to make use of them. 



R. Beer. — You cannot do better than procure Thome's 

 "Manual of Botany" (abundantly illustrated), translated and 

 edited by A. W. Bennett, published by Longmans, price 4^. 6d. 



EXCHANGES. 



Wanted to exchange, eggs of sooty tern, noddy, Bart ram's 

 sandpiper, cuckoos, etc. Wanted, owls, harriers, shrikes, 

 oriole, redwing, bluethroat, wagtails, woodlark, buntings, 

 serin, raven, woodpeckers, hoopoe, ptarmigan, quail, ruff, 

 dunlin, etc., in clutches. — VV". Wells-Bladen, Stone, Staffs._ 



Wanted, the two volumes of Claus and Sedgwick's 

 "Zoology" (English). Can offer in exchange a large series 

 of first-class marine microscopical slides. — S. C, Post Office, 

 Lower Tottenham, London. 



Wanted, British dragon-flies, grasshoppers, locusts, cock- 



