The answer to the competition question was: gladius hispaniensis. Many of you wrote in saying just ‘gladius’ so I emailed back and said I needed more. That weeded out a fair few, but nearly 20 people got it right, and after writing down the names on bits of paper and putting them in a box, I pulled out two pieces. One was for Mr Robin Carter, of Nottinghamshire, and the other was for Sue L., who lives near Bristol. Congratulations! Hard luck to the rest of you, but keep an eye out for more competitions in the not too distant future.