Correspondence 



229 



established fact that the disease is spread by the agency of rats. The 

 natives will not, however, give any assistance in the destruction of 

 these vermin, and will catch and surrender them only under promise 

 that their lives shall be spared. The disease prevails chiefly in 

 villages and small towns. When it shows itself the inhabitants prefer 

 to vacate the place rather than assist in exterminating the rats. 



Englishmen's Appetites.— When the British contingent to 

 Garibaldi's Italian army was returning home, Count Cavour had 

 the friendly foresight to give orders that its members were to be 

 supplied with double rations, as Englishmen ate more than Italians. 1 



Concerning the Tobacco Plant (page 160), the Rev. E. N. Bloom- 

 field writes : " You are, of course, aware that the Tobacco Plant is grown 

 by entomologists because it is very attractive to some of the larger Hawk 

 Moths, as, for instance, Sphinx convolvuli. The insect hovers in 

 front of the flower, inserts its long tongue, and then sucks the honey 

 from the bottom of the tube ; when so doing the pollen is shed upon 

 its forehead — if I may so call it — and when it sucks honey from the 

 next flowers it leaves some pollen on their stigmas. I believe various 

 long-tubed, especially night-flowering, plants are fertilised by these 

 long-tongued Hawk Moths. It is therefore an advantage to the 

 flower to keep off intruders in the way you mention. Shorter-tubed 

 flowers are in like manner fertilised by shorter-tongued night-flying 

 moths, as, for instance, the Petunia, which is also a favourite of the 

 Hawk Moths." 



Wellingtonias Struck by Lightning. — Mr. Bloomfield also 

 writes : "Are you aware that the Wellingtonia is very subject to be 

 struck by lightning ? A fine specimen in this parish (Guestling, near 

 Hastings) was thus spoiled, as were several in Beaufort Park near 

 here." 



It would be of great interest to record the precise part of the tree 

 struck, and its effects. — Ed., M. G. 



TO THE EDITOR OF THE " MUSEUM GAZETTE." 



Sir, — Will you allow me to make one or two friendly comments 

 upon items of information contained in your interesting Museum 

 Gazette ? 



(1) On page 114 (July) is a paragraph which make it appear that 

 "Trypanosoma" is the name of the species of Tsetse-fly which 

 conveys sleeping sickness. Doubtless the writer of the passage was 

 quite aware that the fly in question is Glossina palpalis, and that 



1 Holyoake's " Bygones," vol. i., p. 256. 



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