HARDWICKK S S 



CIENCE-GOSSIP. 



93 



ZOOLOGY. 



Helix nemoralis with an Umbilicus. — During 

 a visit to Weymouth I found about thirty specimens, 

 some dead, of this shell with a distinct umbilicus, 

 large and well formed. This var. only occurred in 

 one place, and was found within a short distance of 

 each other. — J. Moore, Birmingham. 



Variety of {jiTijjiNA pellucida. — I have a 

 specimen of ^. pellucida of a bluish while colour, 

 quite opaque and having round the mouth and suture 

 of the shell a pink-coloured band. Is this variety 

 common and is it named ? — J. Moore, Birming- 

 ham. 



A New Preservative Fluid for Slugs. — 

 After repeated trials to obtain a good preservative 

 fluid for slugs, I have found the following to act so 

 admirably in preserving the colour, etc., that I think 

 it would be well to place it on record, so that others 

 may benefit by its use. Dissolve 10 grains of alum, 

 2\ grains of common salt, grains of potassium 

 nitrate, 2 grains of arsenious acid, andj2 grains of 

 mercuric chloride in 5 ounces of distilled water, and 

 filter. Readers will see that this is an altered 

 Wickersheimer's "first" formula ("Amer. Mon. 

 Micr. Journ.," vol. ii. pp. 4-5). After well cleans- 

 ing the slugs from mucus, I place them in tubes 

 containing the above solution, and well seal with a 

 mixture of five parts of old guttapercha and four of 

 asphalt applied hot, and obtain the best results. — 

 J. W. Williams. 



The Water-rail (Rallus aquaticus). — Having 

 read Mr. Godfrey's article upon this bird, which 

 doubtless appears to be much rarer than it really is, I 

 herewith send a few observations on it which I noted 

 a few years ago. Two of these birds took up their 

 abode in the vicinity of a very small pond in the 

 village of Bratton St. Maur, Somerset. They were 

 not very shy in the early morning, which appeared to 

 be their principal feeding-time, but were not often 

 visible after nine o'clock. Their movements, too, 

 when in search of food greatly resembled those of the 

 moor-hen, and, as far as I could judge, they fed 

 principally on aquatic insects, and Pisidinm amnicum, 

 this mollusc being very plentiful in the pond. I 

 hoped to have been able, in due course of time, to 

 watch the nesting operations, but unfortunately a cat 

 killed one of them ; I then shot the other and had it 

 preserved. What struck me greatly was the fact that 

 the pond was not one hundred yards away from our 

 house, was destitute of reeds, and for shelter had 

 only a small hedge on one side, a remarkable locality 

 to be chosen as a haunt by so timid a bird. I 

 noticed that when on the wing its flight was 

 low, short and swift. — E. W. Swanton, Wychlirig 

 Rectory. 



BOTANY. 



Cordiceps militaris. — It' may be of interest to 

 some of your readers to know that a rare specimen of 

 Cordiceps militaris from Glamorganshire, South 

 Wales, was forwarded to me last autumn by a little 

 girl, Rosemay Tarleton, daughter of John Tarleton, 

 Esq., King's Co., Ireland, aged about eight, whose 

 name is deserving of mention as a keen observer of 

 nature. It is the variety Spherocephala (Schmp.). 

 It is noticed in Cooke's recent book on entomogenous 

 fungi, as one which has been only recorded from 

 Saxony. He says : " We have seen nothing corre- 

 sponding to it in Britain. In this variety the stem is 

 long and flexuous and thinner than usual. The 

 capitulum is nearly globose. It grows on the pupre 

 of insects. The sporidia are long and thread-like, in 

 long filiform axi." As the fungus is of a deep red colour, 

 a section showing the projecting perithecia with their 

 axi makes a very striking object with a sub-stage 

 parabolic condenser. The specimen was identified 

 for me by Greenwood Pim, Esq., of Dublin. — 

 Charles D. Russell. 



Dicotyledons have netted vein leaves, and 

 have their seeds in two pieces. Monocotyledons 

 have parallel vein leaves, and have their seeds in one 

 piece. Dicotyledons have two lobes, and monocoty- 

 ledons have one lobe. The arrangements of leaves 

 are caused by what they have to do. Phyllon is the 

 name given for the arrangements of leaves, and 

 means a leaf. Some leaves are arranged cross-ways. 

 The shapes of leaves vary in size and shape, and 

 their shape is caused by what they have to do. Some 

 leaves we should know by their shape, for instance, 

 the ivy-leaf, and also the holly-leaf. Some shapes of 

 leaves are like a saw. 



Orobanche elatior, and O. minor. — In 

 answer to Mr. L. Creaghe-Haward, I have seen 

 Orobanche 7ninor on Trifolium pratense, Carduns 

 crispus, Crepis virens, Nepeta glechoma, Leontodon 

 autumnalis, Hedera helix (not O. hedera!), Erytigium 

 maritimum, Picris hieracoides (not O. picridis) and 

 Daucus carota (not O. amethystea). Dr. Bromfield 

 records it on Plantago coronopus ; Professor Henslow 

 on Carduns nutans; Brebisson ("Flora Norman- 

 die ") on Hypochceris radicata, Medicago maculata, 

 Vicia angustifolia, Onobrychis saliva. O. elatior is 

 recorded as found on Centaurea scabiosa, Scabiosa 

 arvensis, andlCarduus lanceolatus ; I have never seen 

 it but on the first-named. I have found this one of 

 the most difficult to get up with the host attached in 

 situ. O. caryophyllacea I have gathered on Galium 

 mollugo abundantly, on Rubus sparingly ; and it is 

 recorded as found on Galium verum, and Lotus 

 corniculatus. O. amethystea I have found on Daucus 

 carota, Ononis arvensis; and it is recorded as on 



