Natural History Notes and Extracts 463 



on a potato plant will infect a tomato and vice-versa. The 

 discovery facilitates matters to the extent of deleting one 

 supposed parasitic entity, and also indicates the danger of the 

 disease passing from one crop to the other when the two are 

 growing in close proximity. The practical deductions to 

 be derived from the foregoing remarks are as follows : 

 (1) Potato tubers for planting should be obtained from a 

 district free from disease ; (2) potatoes should not be planted 

 for a period of three years on land that has produced a 

 diseased crop ; (3) diseased haulms should be collected and 

 burned or deeply buried : this is important, otherwise the 

 land will become infected ; (4) diseased tomato stems and 

 fruit should be dealt with as above, otherwise the potato crop 

 may suffer." 



Some Miscellanea. 



The suggested explanation of the fact that the gorilla, the 

 chimpanzee, and the orang-outan resemble each other very 

 closely whilst they differ conspicuously in certain points, is 

 that they are descended from a common parentage, but have 

 become differentiated by isolation in the long lapse of time. 



The dormouse, Muscardinus avellanarius, is more nearly allied 

 to the squirrels than to mice. Dormice differ from all other 

 rodents in having no caecum. 



The Grinders of Extinct Elephants. — The Mastodon 

 had grinders resembling those of the African Elephants ; the 

 Elephas, primigenius, like those of Indian Elephants. 



All Social or Folk Museums should contain collections of 

 Pewter utensils. A Pewterer's Company was incorporated in 

 London in 1473. Pewter is made of tin with a little lead 

 to soften it. Common pewter is dangerous with acid fluids, 

 (wine or vinegar), since the lead may be dissolved. The 

 finest pewter consists of tin 12, antimony 1, and a very little 

 copper. Common pewter has tin 80, lead 20. Britannia 

 Metal is a hard form of " pewter." It contains no lead. 



Our collection of Pewter at Haslemere is as yet very small, 

 a fact of which we hope that our friends will kindly take note. 



