HA RD JVICA'E'S SCIENCE- G OS SI P. 



119 



Thts month's " Naturalist " contains, among other 

 articles, a first-class paper by J. Cordeaux, M.B.O.Y., 

 on the appearance of the "American White-throated 

 Sparrow in Holderness." We are glad to see that 

 the rare beetle, Cychrits rostratus, has occurred near 

 Ulverston, recorded by Lister Petty. The " Biblio- 

 graphy " referred to in our last month's notice still 

 continues. 



"I have never seen, nor do I remember to have 

 heard of, a Norfolk pike weighing more than 36 lbs., 

 and all the very large fish have been females. An 

 experienced angler and fish-preserver tells me he 

 never met with a male fish weighing more than 

 20 lbs. The roe of a large pike will weigh as much 

 as 6 lbs. Some wonderful stories are on record of 

 big pike. Day mentions on various authorities 

 170 lbs. and 146 lbs. ; and Daniel in his "Rural 

 Sports " refers to one from Loch Ken, Kirkcud- 

 brightshire, which measured upwards of 7 feet long, 

 and weighed 72 lbs. ; another from the same locality 

 is said to have weighed 61 lbs., and yet another from 

 County Clare scaled 78 lbs. Mr. Pennell mentions 

 on apparently good authority some very large con- 

 tinental pike ; but ail these sink into insignificance 

 when compared with the famous Kaiserwag Lake 

 pike, the story of which has so often been told. 

 When captured it was found to be ornamented by a 

 ring, the Greek inscription on which stated that it 

 was placed in the water by Frederick II. in October, 

 1230, only to be captured 267 years after, having at 

 that good old age attained to a length of 19 feet and 

 a weight of 550 lbs. Was not the skeleton to be 

 seen in Mannheim Cathedral in proof of the legend ? 

 But, sad to sa} r , a wicked j German anatomist dis- 

 covered that the vertebrae of several fish had to be 

 used to make up the required length ! Truly, there 

 must have been giants in those days." — Thomas 

 Southwell, in the " Gentleman 's Magazine" for May. 



In Science-Gossip, 1893, P- 2 7» No. 38, for 

 Roberts' pahtstriformis, read Kobelt's palustriformis. 



BOTANY. 



Papaver dubium, L. — In Kent, among others, I 

 found a specimen of this plant late in July, growing 

 with P. Rhozas, L. and P. somniferum, L. (natural- 

 ised in this country) in'a cornfield. On the plant of 

 P. dubium there was a matured capsule, which had 

 on all the cells numerous setae ; the capsule I have 

 preserved in spirits. — H. E. Griset. 



"Contributions from the Botanical Labo- 

 ratory of the University of Pennsylvania." 

 — This is the first number of the first volume of 

 "Botanical Papers," containing seven original papers 

 by six contributors. It is an admirably got-up 

 brochure in every respect — paper, printing, and 



illustrations (thirteen plates), and we cordially com- 

 mend the work to the notice of botanists. 



Nectaries. — M.D., of Hawkshead, in his article 

 on "Nectaries" (p. 61), whilst mentioning that the 

 humble-bees are the proper guests of the snapdragon, 

 does not notice a fact which may be of interest to 

 your botanical readers, viz., that small bees, though 

 unable to force their way through the firmly-closed 

 lips of the flower, yet by biting a hole through the 

 petals at the base can (and do) obtain the nectar 

 inside. The long tubes of the flowers of our hothouse 

 plumbago can be fathomed, I suppose, by no English 

 insects ; yet bees, when they are up to the dodge of 

 boring just at the top of the calyx, find them very 

 attractive. I believe there are several other flowers 

 subject to such plundering raids. — H. St. A. Alder. 



To Botanists of Europe and North America. 

 — The Rev. Arthur C. Waghorne has collections of 

 plants, and would be glad to dispose of some of his 

 material. His plants have been named. Dr. Warn- 

 storf is now determining his sphagna, and in a few 

 months he hopes to have about twenty-five species 

 and varieties of Labrador and about thirty-five of 

 Newfoundland sphagna to distiibute. In some cases 

 he would exchange. He would willingly afford any 

 information in his power on the flora of Newfoundland 

 and the Labrador. He would be glad to hear of 

 botanists who would kindly determine some of his 

 mosses, hepaticse, and lichens. He has also a few 

 fungi awaiting determination. He would gladly 

 forward specimens of any particular genera to 

 specialists. — The Parsonage, New Harbour, New- 

 fouyidland. 



GEOLOGY, 



A Mammalian Incisor from the Wealden of 

 Hastings. — At the last meeting of the Geological 

 Society a paper was read by Mr. R. Lydekker, In 

 it he described a small rodent-like tooth from the 

 Wealden of Hastings, belonging to Sir John Evans, 

 K.C.B. It is probably the front tooth of one of the 

 mammalian genera found in the Purbeck beds, as 

 may be gathered from American specimens. In the 

 discussion which followed, Sir John Evans gave some 

 details as to the discovery of the specimen and its 

 subsequent history. He found it at Hastings, in a 

 block of Tilgate grit, which formed part of a heap 

 by the side of the sea-shore, and almost immediately 

 afterwards gave it to Professor Prestwich, in whose 

 collection it was mislaid for a period of over 

 thirty years. On again coming across it, Professor 

 Prestwich placed it at the speaker's disposal, who 

 now presented it to the national collection. The 

 finder had all along regarded the tooth as an incisor, 

 not improbably of a rodent, and was glad to find his 

 attribution now confirmed. 



