120 



HA RD WICKE' S S CIENCE- G O SSIP. 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



Spiders' Threads. — About a month ago I walked 

 across two fields, the one pasture and the other 

 recently ploughed, which were completely and thickly 

 covered with spiders' threads. At first sight they all 

 seemed to run in the same direction, viz., at right 

 angles to the line between the observer and the sun 

 (where only they were visible), but examination 

 proved that there were others running in other direc- 

 tions. I should be glad if you would tell me the 

 cause of such a multitude of threads, and where all 

 the spiders could have come from. The fields were 

 between one and two miles apart. I did not notice 

 the spiders' threads on any other field. — Frank Sich, 

 jun., Street, Dartmouth. 



Migratory Locusts. — Can any readers of 

 Science-Gossip inform me if they know of the 

 occurrence of any species of migratory locusts in the 

 British Isles within the last ten years or so. — W. 

 Harcoiirt Bath, 195, Ladywood Road, Birmingham. 



The Structure of Seeds. — There is a difficulty 

 of a practical nature which meets those who have not 

 advanced very far in botanical studies, viz., the 

 examination of the contents of minute seeds, so as to 

 ascertain the position of the radicle, with regard to 

 the cotyledons, etc., as indicative of the genera 

 to which a plant belongs. I believe an article in 

 Science-Gossip on this subject would be a great 

 boon to many amateurs, giving in some little detail, 

 the best methods to adopt according to the size and 

 nature of the seed. — F. Burkell. 



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 arc 

 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. We only allow 

 this in the case of writers of papers. 



To our Recent Ex-changers. — 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. 



EXCHANGES. 



Wanted, the following British beetles: Gnorimus varia- 

 bilis, G. nobilis, Trichius fasciatus, T. abdominalis, Cctouia 

 aurata, C. floricola, C. stictica, Anomalia Frischii, A. 

 Donovani, Phyllopertha horticola, Polyphylla fullo, Melo- 

 lontha hipposcastani, Rhizotrogus solstitiatis, R. cihraceus, 

 Senca brunnea, Homaloplia ruricola, Hoplia pliilantlms, 

 Copris lunaris, Dorcas parallelopipedus, Smodctidron cylin- 

 dricum, and other Lamellicorns ; also British mole crickets, 

 field-crickets, locusts, and dragon-flies. Offered, fcreign and 

 British lepidoptera, British dragon-flies, marine shells, land 



and freshwater shells, echinoderms, and natural history books. 

 — W. Harcourt Bath, ro,5 Ladywood Road, Birmingham. 



Offered, Bulimiis oblongus, B. °laber, B. viticentinus, and 

 eggs of B. oblongus from Trinidad ; Bulimus insignis, B. 

 kistrio. Helix sittistrorsa, Pyihia chalcastoma, and vaiiety 

 from Lifu, Loyalty Islands ; Helix pomatia, with winter 

 epiphragm and mounted darts from France. Wanted, rare 

 tropical land shells. — William Moss, 13 Milton Place, Ashton- 

 under-Lyne. 



Over 100 species of foreign land shells, including many 

 operculates, offered in exchange for foreign land shells not in 

 collection. Lists exchanged. Foreign exchange invited. — 

 Edward Collier, 1 Heather Bank, Moss Lane East, Man- 

 chester. 



Wanted, Science-Gossip for 1868 and 1884, bound or in 

 parts, or the number for April 1868. — J. G. Wright, Tettenhail 

 Wood, Wolverhampton. 



Twelve vols. Science-Gossip, i88r-92, clean, unbound, 

 with plates complete. Wanted, microscopic or photographic 

 apparatus or offers. — T. Richardson, 13 Cavendish Road, 

 Aldershot, Hants. 



Offered, a private collection of nearly 1000 well-mounted 

 slides, illustrating all branches of microscopy ; also a collection 

 of 236 sea-weeds. — C. 0. Sonntag, 171 Dalkeith Road, Edin- 

 burgh. 



British Teredo pimbriata (= palmulata) and pallets, and 

 samples of the bored wood, offered for British marine shells 

 not m collection, or foreign land shells. — W. Hy. Heathcote, 

 M.C.S. , 54 Frenchwood Street, Preston, Lanes. 



Wanted, larvse or pupse of Meliteza cinxia, and other local 

 species. Can offer British and exotic lepidoptera, biuish 

 land, freshwater and marine shells, fossils, etc., in exchange. 

 — A. H. Shepherd, 81 Corinne Road, Tufnell Park, London. 



Exotic butterflies : 200 species of papilio in duplicate ; also 

 numerous pieridae, heliconias, etc. Lists exchanged. Wings 

 of brilliant papilios, morphos, uranias, etc., for microscopic 

 mounting. — J. C. Hudson, Railway Terrace, Cross Lane, near 

 Manchester. 



Wanted, good slides of forams, diatoms, and rotifera ; also 

 Avicula hirundo, and very rare shells. Liberal exchange in 

 preity and rare microscopic objects and other rare shells, etc. 

 T. E. Sclater, Natural History Stores, Teignmouth. 



For exchange, fine, clean, whole specimens of mountain 

 limestone fossils — many species, including brachiopoda, gas- 

 teropoda, cephalopoda, and lamellibranchiata, and sections of 

 beautifully-polished corals. Other good fossils from all forma- 

 tions are desired in exchange. — W. F. Holroyd, Castleton, vid 

 Sheffield. 



Wanted, geological and ordnance survey maps of N. and 

 S.E. England, geological works, &c, in exchange for natural 

 history specimens, classical, foreign and other books. — C. 

 Rowland, 32 Essex Road, Acton. 



Rotifera. — Wanted, well-mounted micro, slides of rotifers. 

 A liberal exchange in high-class slides of bacteria, parasites, 

 vegetable preparations, etc., or books. — Mason, 203 Ebury 

 Street, Eaton Square, London, S.W. 



Wanted, Science-Gossip for March 1884, also goad peno- 

 logical microscope, Swift's preferred. — Plait, 14 King Street 

 South, Rochdale. 



Micro, slides (chiefly diatoms) in exchange for others, 

 diatom foraminifera or bacteria slides preferred. Lists ex- 

 changed. — Hutton, Broadbottom, Manchester. 



Will any kind friend help a youth who is beginning to 

 study the coleoptera, by giving him any spare type specimens 

 of families or genera 1 Postage willingly paid. — W., 106 Trinity 

 Road, Birmingham. 



Beetles from N.S. Wales, in exchange for British land, 

 freshwater, marine, or foreign shells. — John Roseburgh, 54 

 Market Street, Galashiels. 



Wanted, parallel plate compressonum (Beck's). Apply, 

 stating requirements, to — F. R. Rowley, Town Museum, 

 Leicester. 



BOOKS, ETC., RECEIVED FOR NOTICE. 

 "The International Journal of Microscopy and Natural 

 Science" (London: Bailliere, Tindall & Cox). — "The Idler" 

 (London : Chatto & Windus). — " The Gentleman's Magazine" 

 (London: Chatto & Windus). — "The Conchologist " (London: 

 Swan Sonnenschein & Co.). — "Aids to Biology" by Joseph W. 

 Williams (London: Bailliere, Tindall & Cox). — "Laws and 

 Properties of Matter," by R. T. Glazebrook (London : Kegan 

 Paul, Trench, Triibner & Co.). — "An Account of British Flies 

 (Diptera), by Fred V. Theobald, B.A., F.E.S., (London : 

 Elliot Stock). — "The American Microscopical Journal" (Smiley, 

 Washington). — "The Microscope," February. — " British Fun- 

 gus Flora," by George Massee (George Bell & Sons), etc, etc. 



Communications rhceived up to the ioth ult. from: 

 J. E. W.— E. C— W. M.— P. T.— C. L. — W. R.— H. A. G — 

 J. R.-Rev. E. A. H.—S. S. P.-F. R. R. — F. S.— J. S. C— 

 E. W. C— P. J. R.— G. S.— J. H.— J. S.— Mrs. A. 0. C. and 

 H.— W. C. H.— W. E. C— etc., etc. 



