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NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS.
All communications for the Editor should be addressed to No. 192, Piccadilly, W. To avoid disappointment, contributions should be received on or before the 15th of each month. No notice can be taken of anonymous communications. All notes, queries, or articles for insertion, must be guaranteed by the name and address of the writer, which may be withheld from publication if so desired.
Queries.—Having been inundated with questions, we are compelled to announce that we cannot undertake to answer those of which the querist might satisfy himself by an appeal to any elementary book on the subject. We are always prepared to accept queries of a critical nature, and to publish tite replies, provided some of our readers, beside the querist, are likely to take an interest in them.
We cannot undertake to return "rejected addresses."
Echinus Spines.—A correspondent offers these in exchange for other objects.—T. H. Martin, 78, Week Street, Maidstone.
Quekett Microscopical Club.—We are requested to announce that the ordinary meetings of this club will he held on the fourth Friday of every month, at No. 32, Sackville Street, Piccadilly, W. For further particulars apply to the Secretary.
J. T. M.—The insects on bark of weeping ash are a species of Coccus (order Homoptera). This genus is complicated and the nomenclature uncertain, so that a name cannot be assigned for your insect with certainty. It may be Coccus Fraxini, but we have not been able to compare the specimens with the description.—F. W.
E. C.—The insects which accompanied your woody gall are Callimome nobilis (tribe Chalcidites). They are parasites of Cynis aptera, the fly which forms woody galls on the roots of oak-trees.—F. W.
Bunt.—Any one desiring specimens of corn affected with Bunt (Tilletia caries), should send a stamped envelope to R. Holland, Mobberley, Knutsford.
F. Wilkinson.—There is no such book at a moderate price. Curtis's "Entomology," Stephens's "Entomology," and Westwood's "Butterflies and Moths and their Transformations," are expensive. If you have Wood's "Index," add thereto Stainton's "Manual."
A. B. F.—We cannot tell positively from your description. Try to induce the caterpillar to feed and undergo its transformations, then if you forward the moth we will name it.
Death's-head Moth.—A living specimen of larva or pupa is solicited, in exchange, address E. G. W., 3, Bertie Terrace, Leamington.
F. C.—Would he inform E. S. if his Vermicelli is first boiled for feeding his fish?
Wood Robert.—Your caterpillar from Turnips belongs to a Noctua probably Agrotis segetum. For further particulars see Curtis's "Farm Insects." We can recommend no radical cure.
F. F. inquires for a work on "Fossil Botany," with figures, at a reasonable price. We are sorry that we know of no such work. Lindley and Hutton's is expensive and scarce. We thank him for the suggestion but doubt whether it is practicable to give a number, similar to the "Hepaticiæ" number, on this subject, and supply a "Fossil Botany" for fourpence.
W. Thorp.—The article originally appeared in the Leisure Hour, and then in "Holiday Papers," whence we reprinted it, as an example of what we consider to be good popular writing.
A. D. D.—The mosses were Tortula muralis and, we believe, Anacalypta lanceolata. The capsules of the latter were but few, and with these we were unfortunate.—J. E. W.
J. B. Humber ridicules the idea of H. G. K. having a score of wasp-stings extracted from his body (page 170), because "the stings of wasps are not barbed like those of bees, and consequently do not remain in the wound." We strongly recommend our correspondent to catch a wasp and look at its sting again.
W. C.—Your leaf contains the stalked eggs of the Lacewing Fly (Chrysopa).
W. B. D.—The flowers are those of Solenostemma Argel, H., almost constantly found among Alexandrian senna.—D. H.
H. S.—Your sketch of geological specimen does not exhibit sufficient details to determine the species, or even genus. The object is clearly a coral, and probably of the genus Isastræa.—R. T.
T. O. B.—Your leaves, supposed to be injured by insects, are attacked by a parasitic fungus (Rhytisma acerinum), always common, but more than usually so this year.
F. W. C.—The insect is the larva of a Coccinella; most likely C. 7-punctata. An introduction to the study of British Beetles is announced to be published shortly, uniform with Lankester's "Ferns," by Mr. R. Hardwicke, 192, Piccadilly.—R. G. K.
E. M.—Continue to use plenty of camphor; or try a little benzine on a piece of sponge.
G. S.—The grass was in too bad a condition to determine satisfactorily. The other plant is a form of Pimpinella saxifraga.
H. L.—Yours is a proliferous variety; a form not uncommon.
E. G.—You may purchase British lichens of Mr. W. Mudd, Botanic Gardens, Cambridge. For exchange of mosses, &c., you had better send your list of desiderata to the Society of Amateur Botanists, 192, Piccadilly, London.
T. B.—The price of "Half-hours with the Microscope" is five shillings.
W. S.—We object to recommend any maker of microscopes. All instruments have their own peculiar advantages. Those you name have a good reputation at the price.
A Hint for Contributors.—If our contributors will oblige us by always using the common names of plants, animals, insects, &c., wherever there is a common name in use, to be followed by the scientific name in brackets, this will save us a large amount of trouble in sending their manuscript to press. As we do not pretend to address scientific readers alone, vernacular names are indispensable.
Communications Received.—W. S.—J. E. W.—F. F.—H. H. K.—A. P. H.—B. F. M.—J. S. T.—W. A. L.—C. W.—R. G.—L. B.—H. S.—P. J.—T. P. B.—W. T.—A. J. R.—J. D. M.—W. Robert.—J. W. W.—J. B. Humber.—J. C.—C. A.—L. S.—F. P. P.—J. K.—E. C.—J. P.—J. F.—C. A. G.—H. L.—W. J. S.—D. R. R.—R. K.—W. S.—G. R. J.—W. R. A.—J. H. B.—A. J. Noll.—H. G. S.—T. A.—H. (cannot be printed until name and address are sent).—W. E. W.—T. P. B.—H. G. E.—W. H. G.—H. M.—T. H. M.—A. G.—A. H.—H. G.—J. H.—F. T.—G. S.—E. G.—L. G. M.—A. G.—W. R. T.—C. W. W.—R. H.—F. P. D.—E. D.—H. W.—H. P.—W. B. D.—F. M.—W. B. D.—A. B. F.—A. B. W. (Poona).—F. W.—R. A.—G. C. D.—J. Q.—E. H.—E. G. (Matlock).—H. P. A.—A. C.—W. E. S. W.—E. W.—Ellen Douglas.—E. M.—H.—C. J. F.—T. O. B.—A. H.—W. P.—T. H.—T. B.—W. A. L.—W. S.—J. G.—E. W.
Bramble-Brand forwarded to:—F. W. C.—J. H. W.—G. G.—C. A.—W. J. B.—T. B.—E. W.—D. M.—W. R. M.—E. R.—J. M. P. M.—F. W. C.—H. J. W.—H. W.—R. H. M.—T. A.—J. H.—J. J. S.—E. G. W.—T. H. M.—H. R.—H. P. A.—W. H. G.—C. R.—H. N.—W. A. S.—J. R.—R. A. S.—W. W. N.—V. A. P.—R. C.—C. W. W.—J. J.—M. A. N.—W. J.—B. A. C.—L. R. G.—S. W.—L. H. M.—G. H. G.—R. S.—W. O. B.
BOOKS RECEIVED.
"Notice sur les Collections Scientifiques et sur le Murée Commercial-Industriel; Maison de Meile, Lez-Gand, Belgique. (Gand: C. A. Braeckman.)
"Catalogue of the Indian Department, Dublin International Exhibition." By J. Forbes Watson, A.M., M.D. (Dublin: J. Falconer.)