Page:Hardwicke's Science-Gossip - Volume 1.pdf/231

Anatomatizing Leaves.—Is chloride of lime the best thing for bleaching leaves; and what is the best way of doing seed-vessels of plants, such as columbine, larkspur, &c., or fronds of ferns, which I hear will not anatomize, but look pretty bleached? Should the leaves be left all the time in the same water, and when some of the green still adheres to the fibres, can anything else be done to remove it?—H. G. S.

Cat-briar.—Can you or any of your readers give me the scientific name of the "Cat-briar," of North America? I cannot describe the plant, as it is so long since I have seen it, but it grows (I believe) principally in swampy soil. I have found it plentiful in the dense brakes and copses inhabited by the American woodcock. This query is remarkably vague, I admit, but the plant is well known in many parts of the United States, by the appellation I have quoted.—H. G., Bangalore.

Laburnum.—I shall be much obliged by your giving me some information as to the following particulars of the Laburnum:—1. Whence did Pliny get the name? 2. If from a Celtic root, what? 3. When was it introduced into England? To save trouble, I may mention that I know about the 16th century is given generally as the date of its introduction; and also that it came to us from Hungary, though an Alpine plant, but I seek more certain, precise, and detailed particulars.—P. J.

Fossil Elephant.—I should be glad to know if Elephas primigenius has 15 or 17 ribs on one side, as Page and Hugh Miller appear to differ.—J. Arrow,

The mammoth found in Siberia, of this species, in 1799, has 17 ribs on the right side.—R. T.

Does the Spider Eat its Web?—Fired with emulation, I carefully watched a common garden spider (Epeira diadema), which I found as entertaining as wonderful. I commenced by destroying the web of a fine fat spider, and the owner appeared excessively astonished as her web collapsed around her. At length she took refuge in an inverted flower-pot, where found her two hours after. I am inclined to think that during this period she was preparing materials for a new web. I found in every case where a web is destroyed, that the spider goes away to some quiet spot, and, drawing his legs close round him, remains quiet for two or three hours. During this period of repose, the spider is stupid and dull,—just gives an impatient shuffle when touched, but does not run off as spiders generally do when disturbed. I watched again, then left, and when I returned in half an hour I found the spider as active as a spider could be, in building a new web, the old one, which at my last visit was still hanging, had now vanished. Had the spider eaten it?—"that's the rub." By a lucky chance another spider came along the piece of wood, from the end of which my spider had fastened one of her foundation lines. "They met," and in an instant the claws of each were shot out with a dexterity that a pugilist might envy the blows were given in exactly the same manner as a cat strikes at her antagonist. The trespassing spider was soon convinced that it would be the height of folly to stay where he was, so, fastening a line from where he stood, he let himself down on to a convolvulus leaf. My friend rushed to the spot where spider No. 2 had fastened his line, and seizing on it, the other end of which, be it remembered, was in communication with spider No. 2's body, began to wind him off; that is to say she drew the line in towards herself, in the same manner that a sailor hauls in a rope, but with a rapidity that was truly wonderful, the front legs were moved so quickly that my eyes could scarcely follow them. Spider No. 2 having a decided objection to his vitals being wound away in this sort of manner, put an end to my friend's little pastime, by cutting the line. Spider No. 1 had now collected web that amounted to about the size of a large pea; when she found the supply cut off, she began stowing it away in her own body, forcing it in with her two front claws, and in a few moments not a vestige was left.—H. Vokes.

Wasp Fights.—A short time ago, while sketching some of the splendid inland cliffs of Matheran, one of the hill stations near Bombay, my attention was attracted by a rustling in the dead leaves close by, and, on observing the place, I found a fierce battle going on between a wasp of the large red and black kind, and a half-grown grass-hopper, whose wings were mere rudiments, and whose whole body was soft, green, pale, and succulent looking. The wasp seemed repeatedly to sting it, seizing it by the under side and endeavouring to wound it between the soft plates about the thorax. This went on for several minutes, the grass-hopper at times escaping beneath the leaves, but whenever caught sight of by the wasp the latter charged furiously again, and both for a time disappeared together. Seeing at length that the struggle was about to terminate, by the escape of the grass-hopper, and not quite liking the proximity of his enemy, I endeavoured to secure them both, but they were so much injured in the effort as to be of little value as specimens. Query: As the grass-hopper did not seem any the worse, was the wasp unable to sting it through its armour; and was his power of penetration, though so large an insect (over an inch in length), less than that of the little ticks which infest the large scaly, lizard, called by the natives here Gorepur, and by the sahib log Iguana?—A. B. W., Poona.

Saffron, an Oriental Condiment.—There is in India a very wide-spread error in the use of the word Saffron, and on referring the other day to a popular Biblical dictionary, I am afraid the error is not peculiar to India. Every one ought to know that Saffron is a collection of the dried stigmas of a certain kind of crocus, Crocus sativus, cultivated formerly, if not now, near Saffron Walden. That, however, which in India has usurped the name of Saffron, chiefly, I suppose, from its dyeing a similar colour, is Turmeric, a plant of a wholly different character, belonging to the natural order Zingiberaceæ, or the ginger tribe. Turmeric is used in almost every curry and gives to that universal Indian dish its colour and some of its aromatic flavour. I do not know if your useful little publication may find its way to India, for the correction of this common mistake, but at all events I hope future editors of Biblical dictionaries will cease to say of Suffron that "Native dishes in India are oftened coloured and flavoured with it," for during a residence in India of nearly a quarter of a century, I never knew this to be the case, although it is true of Turmeric.—W. H.

[N.B.—Our correspondent may have resided in one part of India, and Saffron been employed as a condiment in another. We are confidently informed by medical men of long residence in India, that "Saffron" is employed in culinary operations in some districts, but not so commonly as Turmeric. Who shall decide when doctors disagree?—Ed.]