HA RD WICKE ' S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



69 



ditch within a yard or so of one another. Is this of 

 common occurrence ? In my own mind I always 

 associate the first specimen of the former with the last 

 worn Himera pennaria, and the last with the bringing 

 in of the proverbial Yule-tide Log. In the same 

 way I connect the first individual of the latter with 

 the first genially-warm days of early spring. This is 

 the first time I have ever seen them on the same 

 date. For my own part I have never taken brumata 

 after the 15th of December before the other day. 

 H. rapicapraria seems very constant and regular in 

 its appearance, (I have never taken the $ except by 

 breeding), and may nearly always be found on his 

 watery grave between January 30th and February 4th 

 until the middle of April (14th). The following 

 practical note may be found useful : — To take moths, 

 which have flown on water with their wings expanded, 

 off water : Push a large chip box under the water on 

 one side of the moth to be procured, and raise it up 

 under the moth, and so take a "box-full" of water 

 on which the moth is floating. Next prick a hole in 

 the bottom of the box and let the water drain off 

 through this ; the moth will then be left with wings 

 still expanded on the bottom of the box, where it 

 should be left till dry, which process, if alive, it will 

 help on greatly of its own accord. But what is the 

 attraction held out by water for winter, and early 

 moths, and why have they so strong a penchant for 

 every ditch, pond, and puddle ? Can it be, as my 

 friend Mr. Douglas Chase, of Epsom, suggested to 

 me some years ago, that the light, caused by the 

 reflection of the moon in the water, is the attraction, 

 in the same way as is a lamp or the proverbial 

 "candle"? Certain is it that no moths are more 

 frequently found on water than the Hyberniae. — 

 C. Morley, The Museum, Ipswich. 



The Old English Black Rat. — A fine specimen 

 of the English black rat (Mus rattus) was caught in 

 a flour-mill at Rotherhithe, which is now under pre- 

 servation at the local taxidermist. — A. S. Cook. 



Collecting and Mounting Spiders. — In 

 answer to Jas. Murray in December number, the_best 

 time for collecting spiders is the spring, summer, 

 and autumn ; in winter only a few species will be 

 found. The localities, under stones, at foot of walls, 

 amongst furze bushes for species of Epecixea, in fact, 

 look everywhere you will, you will find spiders. The 

 usual method of mounting is to pin them out and gum 

 them on a strip of paper, and place them in a test- 

 tube with spirits of wine, writing the name, where 

 found, and date, on the strip of paper. The spider 

 can be taken out at any time and examined. They 

 will keep their colours very well in spirits. A good 

 book on spiders is "Spiders of Dorset." A series of 

 articles have also appeared in the " British Natu- 

 ralist." I shall be pleased to give further information 

 if J. Murray will write me. — J. Moore, Birmingham. 



BOTANY. 



How to collect Rubi. — In gathering rubi or 

 roses, when several pieces are required from each 

 plant, such as barren and fruitful stems, etc., so as to 

 illustrate each one sufficiently, I have found much 

 difficulty in keeping the gatherings from each plant 

 separate, the prickles are so liable to get entangled, 

 especially in a vasculum w r ell filled during a long 

 day's collecting. Tyings of fine cord are not very 

 successful. Has experience suggested any good 

 means for overcoming the difficulty? — C.H. Waddell, 

 Saintfield. 



Drying Flowers. — I am much obliged for the 

 kind replies to my last query as to the cause of the 

 campanula dried in the book-cover retaining its blue, 

 and especially thank Dr. Keegan for his careful 

 examination of the question, but I see on one point- — 

 and I fear through cloudiness of expression — I have 

 been misunderstood, for I never for a moment meant 

 to suggest that the paper had dyed the flcnver, (if 

 there was any dyeing in the question it would have 

 been the flower that dyed the paper !)— but that there 

 might have been some chemical in the paper that 

 fixed the fugitive colour in the blossom. Further, in 

 dyeing any woven fabric there is added to the dye 

 some sort of mordant to prevent fading. The fading 

 of some blues, and the steadfastness of others in 

 drying flowers suggests, to my mind, that there may 

 be some natural mordant along with the colouring- 

 matter in some flowers and not in others, which it 

 may be possible for scientists to discover yet. I 

 think interesting experiments might be tried as to 

 fixing the colour of flowers in drying, by steeping 

 the drying-paper in very strong mordants, and, when 

 perfectly dried again, pressing the blossoms in it and 

 seeing if it had any effect in preserving the colour of 

 the various flowers. Might it not, too, be some- 

 thing towards discovering if there were natural 

 mordants in the vegetable world ? There are so 

 many blue flowers that retain their colour that it 

 would be interesting to find for certain the difference 

 between them and those that fade. All the violets 

 retain their colour, from the pale " Marsh " to the 

 dark Sweet-scented. I have always found, with 

 J. L., that polished paper for drying flowers is far the 

 best, and I find the paper usually sold for the purpose, 

 the worst possible to use. If J. L. is in the habit of 

 reading Science-Gossip, he may have seen a paper, 

 signed I. G., giving a method of drying flowers, 

 which I have always found very successful. — /. G. 



Botanical Monstrosities found during 

 1892. — The following are the monstrosities found in 

 the above season new to me : — Bellis perennis — a 

 splendid specimen, with peduncle quite half-an-inch 

 in width, bearing a flower one-and-a-half inches in 

 length, having the appearance of five fused into one. 



