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BECK, Ltd., 68, Cornhill, £4 Ts. Go. £5 12s. 6p. London, E.C. attached to Order for Massacre of Saint ‘ ‘ yet es eH SCIENCE-GOSSIP. BERMUDA. By Major H. A. Cummins, M.D., R.A.M.C., F.L.S. ee Bermuda Islands are well known, and their position, in N. lat. 32-17-4, W. long. 64-47-0, can easily be ascertained by reference to a map. Few English people visit these islands unless employed under the Government in an official capacity. New York is about 700 miles distant, consequently many Americans resort there in order to escape the severe northern winter. When approaching Bermuda in a ship one is struck by the enormous extent of surrounding shallow water. The land itself is split up into (RAO a, 257 Po seth yay Ups Det vf A, UO ote Palms, palmettos, papaws, bananas, oranges and limes flourish, as do garden vegetables, such as celery, turnips, cabbages and potatoes. The scenery has its charms, but there is a great want of variety. The undulating hillocks are covered with cedars (Juniperus bermudiana), ole- anders, tamarisk bushes, wild sage (Lantana), etc.; while along the roadsides one sees flowering ipomoeas, pomegranates and oleanders. The beau- tiful turquoise blue of the sea can be observed in most places, and glimpses of the inland sounds PART OF THE GREAT SOUND, BERMUDA, about 200 islands, varying in size from a bare rocky projection to an island some twelve square miles in area, covered by luxuriant vegetation. The climate is very damp and warm during the _greater part of the year, but in winter time cold winds from the northern regions sweep down, and frost has been recorded on one or two occasions. Theclimate and soil have the property of causing vigorous growth in many imported plants from both temperate and tropical regions. ‘There is a tendency to produce sports and varieties in them; for instance, the Bermuda Easter lily is considered by botanists to be a variety of Lilium longiflovwm called harrisiti. These are smaller than the normal plants, but have larger flowers. They are said soon to revert to the original stock when grown elsewhere. The onion seeds imported from Teneriffe produce onions with a peculiar flavour when cultivated for one season in Bermuda soil. FEBRUARY, 1899.—No. 57, Vol. V. here and there give fresh charm to the scene. The false mangrove borders the shore with its green foliage, in company with many trailing ipomoeas, composite plants, and sage bushes; while the true mangrove is occasionally to be found in the inland swamps and ponds. The islands constituting Bermuda form an archipelago, having a total land area of under twenty square miles. The geological formation is coral limestone. Along the north of the islands is an extensive shoal bounded by a reef of rocks, the terror of ancient navigators, many of whom lost their lives by shipwreck on them. Outside this . ridge the water deepens rapidly, soon reaching five hundred fathoms. This shoal, or lagoon, averages some six fathoms in depth, and is ‘superficially about 150 square miles. The inland sounds, such as Harrington Sound and Castle Harbour, have an area of some fifty square miles, averaging also six 258 fathoms in depth. On the southern side the water rapidly deepens, and the so-called ‘‘ boilers,” or Serpuline Atolls, are seldom more than half a mile distant from the shore. The ‘‘ boilers”? have an upper concave surface, and in this hollow the waves lash themselves into foam. An excursion in a pleasure-boat reveals many sights of great interest. The boatmen carry a ‘‘water-glass,” which consists of a box having wooden sides and a glass bottom, but no lid. When the glass is placed in the water the surface ripple does not interfere with vision, and one can see to a depth of several fathoms. Coral reefs are numerous in the shallows, as the islands are com- posed of disintegrated coral rock and sea-shells. SCIEN CE-GOSSIP. do not consider this altogether satisfactory, for the following reasons. The Gulf Stream is never less than 250 miles distant from these islands in its course from Florida to Europe. Again, the annual variation in the temperature of the local Bermu- dian water is about 26° F., namely, from 59° F. in January to 85° F.in August. The extent of varia- tion in temperature of the Gulf Stream does not nearly approach these figures. Consequently we must infer that the Gulf Stream cannot be the direct cause of the excessive range of temperature in Bermuda. The maximum temperature of the Gulf Stream is less than that of the sea at Bermuda. Proximity to the equatorial regions affects Madeira as much as Bermuda, but with- = . ry NortH SHORE, BERMUDA. A living coral reef has connected with it many points of interest. Wecan see numerous large and small tropical fishes. The angel fish, with its variegated colours and long streaming fins, glides from holes in the rocks. We can also see large crayfish, and hosts of sea anemones, brain corals, branched corals, sponges, sea-weeds and other interesting plants and animals, all producing a beautiful effect, with a variety of colours. Bermuda is situated in the same degree of lati-- tude as Madeira. Why is it that in Bermuda we should find tropical fishes and reef-building corals such as Oculina, Diplova, Gorgonia, etc., flourishing and reproducing their kind, while such is not the case in Madeira? In fact, why should Bermuda be the most northern limit of the reef-building corals ? Proximity to the Gulf Stream and equatorial regions has been given as an ‘explanation, but I SEA-WORN CoRAL LIMESTONE, out any marked effect on Madeira; so this may be excluded from the category of causes. The mean annual temperature of Madeira is 56° F. lower than that of Bermuda in spite of the hot winds which blow from the African Continent and the trade winds. These causes do not operate on Bermuda, but it appears that a branch of the Gulf Stream does inpinge on Madeira, giving increased heat. This further shows that a local factor of great power must be at work to raise the water to a temperature of 85° F. in Bermuda. Previously I mentioned that the land area of Bermuda was under twenty square miles, while the area of shoal water composed of the lagoon and sounds was 200 square miles. This water averages six fathoms only in depth, We can now see what an enormous body of shallow water is presented to the sun’s rays, in fact the lagoon and the sounds SCIENCE-GOSSIP. together are like a gigantic evaporating dish. As the superficial layers of water are first heated, the process of evaporation causes those layers to hold proportionately more salt, and by the greater density thus produced they sink, carrying heat with them. In addition the sun’s rays penetrate to the bottom of these shallows and can conse- quently carry heat directly. The local currents of water in the deeper parts of the lagoon are very remarkable, and fishermen ™ 130 : ., 180 Challenger Bank es Pye tet gz - $ sz 34 GO 2350 | ae al ai $0 32m S2 bee oie sad re ° Argus Bank ¢ 770 34 27 2 259 again rises as that stream is approached. The fall is very remarkable towards the east, but not so much towards the south as the equatorial seas are reached. The local heated Bermudian waters overflow, as it were, the surrounding ocean; and currents are said to proceed chiefly in the direc- tions north, north-east and north-west. Near the islands they are very swift at times, but are largely influenced in force and direction by the winds and tidal wave. Ke seinen se, JO 33 -235° StGeorgel “Nw 8 412-259 ib BERMUDA ISLANDS, BANKS AND DEEP SOUNDINGS. say that a surface current carries the lead in one direction, while a few fathoms deeper it is carried the opposite way. Apart from any tidal action, the sun must have a powerful effect in disturbing the equilibrium and inducing currents, as previously explained. Whilst swimming one can feel the changes of temperature even in traversing a short distance. When carefully examined, the charts of the voyage of the ‘‘Challenger”? show around Ber- muda an indistinct zone of heated water. The temperature falls towards the Gulf Stream, but Vapour-laden, hot, southerly winds prevail in summer, promoting comparatively littleevaporation. In the winter time northern winds are frequent. As may be expected, these are cold and comparatively dry. They sweep over the islands, rapidly ex- tracting heat, which accounts for the low winter - temperature of the water. We can now understand the cause of this excessive variation of temperature in the shallows. The hot sun pours down in summer time and heats the water to the bottom. The warm damp winds extract but little heat. These circumstances give K 2 260 rise to an abnormally high temperature in the water. The cold winter winds produce an opposite effect, and cause what may be called an abnormally low temperature. From what has been said, it is easily seen that the Gulf Stream and equatorial regions are only adjuncts and not the direct cause of the abnormally high temperature. The literature published about Bermuda is considerable, but I have failed to find any explanation given of the extremes of temperature of the water. The highest recorded tempera- tures in the Red Sea and Persian Gulf are 96° F. and 94° F. respectively, and in the equatorial regions of the Pacific Ocean go° has been recorded in the cpen sea. Considering its geographical situation I think the heat of the Bermudian water is very great, and can only be accounted for by the explanation I have given. The characteristic vegetation of Bermuda is peculiar, inasmuch as the trees are seldom over twenty feet tall. This may be attributed to the fierce storms which rage and lay low any tree above a medium height. The Bermuda cedars are closely allied to those of the West Indies. They have strong roots and it takes a furious storm indeed to prostrate them. The flora of Madeira, on the other hand, shows a large number of lofty forest trees and tends to that of a temperate climate, while Bermuda possesses a flora almost tropical. In Bermuda the damp climate, inasmuch as it favours the growth of the higher plants, suits also the requirements of parasites which can destroy them. We find that ADDITIONS AND: NOTES ON SCIENCE-GOSSIP. the oranges and limes are few, having been destroyed, I am told, by an insect blight. The Easter lilies are now infested by a species of Rhizoglyphus, and the onions a few years ago suffered from the attack of a Peronospora. The soil is so porous that wells are useless until the sea-level is reached, when brackish water collects. The porous soil also opposes great resistance to the passage of the electric current, so much so that the ‘earth lines’’ in telegraphy have to be carried into the sea, other- wise the telegraph instruments will not work. The ‘‘earth return”’ for the telephone is satisfac- tory, as only a very feeble current of electricity is required. The annual rainfall in Bermuda is about fifty-nine inches, and the mean temperature at 9 a.m. is 71'4° F. The mean temperature of Madeira is 65°76° F., being a difference of 56° F. lower than in Bermuda. Heavy squalls of wind accompanied by rain occur throughout the year, but most frequently in the winter and autumn seasons. Gales of wind prevail in the winter, and in the autumn the islands are sometimes visited by hurricanes. The prevailing winds are from the south and they are very depressing in their effects. Mosquitoes are very numerous during the greater part of the year and their bites are most irritating I leave it to the reader to imagine how much pleasure may be obtained from residence in a climate like that possessed by Bermuda. Kensington; December, 1898. SUSSEX VE LORA: By Tuomas HILtTon. OR several years I have been collecting flower- ing plants in Sussex to form a herbarium for the Brighton and Hove Natural History Society. Perhaps a few notes and observations connected with the distribution and occurrence of plants in the county may not be without interest to many readers of SciENcE-Gossip. Plants that have come under my notice, but not recorded in ‘« Arnold’s Sussex Flora”’ (1887), are marked with an asterisk. For the purpose of study, Sussex may be divided into three regions. line, where many seaside plants are found; (b) the South Downs, and (c) the extensive forest region in the north of the county. Sussex is traversed by several rivers, running from north to south, cutting through the Chalk Downs on their way to the sea. In some cases plants are confined to one river basin, apparently not passing the “divide” to the They are (a) the long coast- ~ next one. This is the case with Phyteuma spicatum, which is only found in the area drained by the little river Cuckmere. Althaea officinalis grows plentifully by the eastern Rother and Arun, but is not found, to my knowledge, in the intermediate region drained by the Ouse and Adur. Although the South Downs have a flora very distinct from the coast and forest regions, patches of soil, sand or clay occur in places upon the Downs on which are found numerous forms not common on the chalk. This is notably the case on a small area at Telscombe, where, among other plants to be found, are Silene conica, S. anglica, Lycopsis arvensis, Spergulavia rubra, Hyoscyamus niger and Onopordon acanthium. Ranunculus baudotii Godr.—Abundant in ditches and shallow water near the sea. Cuckmere Haven, Shoreham, also in sheep ponds on the Downs. I have never found it inland further than two miles north of the Downs. This plant appears to pro- SCIENCE-GOSSIP. duce the floating leaves in shallow water and mud, unlike R. peltatus, that produces only cut-leaves under the same conditions. *Ranunculus lenovmandi F. Schultz. — A large- flowered, floating form of this species, with cut-leaves, grows on Copthorne Common just over the Sussex border, near Three Bridges. *Ranunculus hetervophyllus Web.—Common in West Sussex, Highdown Hill, Fishbourne, Sidlesham Mills, etc. R. heterophyllus var. sub- meysus* Fliern. Ranunculus ficavia Linn.—I don’t think it is often remarked how frequently this plant produces bulbs in the axils of the leaves in autumn. *Fumaria parviflora Lam.—Stanmer Park, on cultivated land. *Rapistvum rugosum.— Found several times in waste places as a casual. *Neslia paniculata.—Sandpits at Hassocks. Bunios ovientalis.—Sandpits and by the railway station, Hassocks. Mathiola R. Br. — Sea-cliffs west of Rottingdean ; probably a garden escape, but well- established and apparently identical with the Isle of Wight plant. Evophila praecox D, C.—Downs. Foreshore west of Brighton, where abundant, but the later stems produce longer pods, more like E. vulgaris. *Sisynubrium pannonicum Jacq.—A casual. Lepidiwn dvaba Linn.—Marked by Arnold ‘‘ very rare,’ but now growing in many places along the coast to the east of Brighton. Abundant near Newhaven. Ibevis amava Linn.—Among shingle about two miles east of Eastbourne, abundant. Isatis tinctoria Linn.—Cultivated land at Holling- bury Hill, near Brighton. *Polygala ciliata Leb. var. dunensis Dum.—Downs near Stanmer. Dianthus deltoides Linn.—Sandpits at Hassocks. Saponaria officinalis Linn. var. puberula* Wierzb. *Silene nutans Linn.—In several places on the Downs. Arenaria tenuifolia Linn.—Downs near Stanmer, *Evodium cicutavium L’Heérit. var. chaerophylium Cav.—Cultivated land on Newmarket Hill. Evodium moschatum L'Hérit.—East of Brighton, by Rottingdean Road. Medicago minima Lam.—Camber Sands, Rye. Very abundant. *Medicago falcata Linn.—Kingston-by-Sea. *Melilotus parviflora Lam.— Aldrington Beach, and not uncommon on cultivated land. Vicia bythynica Linn.— Cultivated land near Stanmer. *Lathyrus hivsutus Linn.—Cultivated land near Stanmer. Lathyrus sylvestvis Linn.— Bushes about three feet high, with very narrow leaflets and dull incana 261 greenish - purple flowers. Hassccks. Abundant. Alchemilla vulgaris Linn.— Near Rotherfield ; very rare in Sussex. Rubus plicatus W. and N., Newick.—The follow- ing forms have been collected by Mr. E. H. Farr in the district round Uckfield: R. flicatus var. hemistemon* P. J. Muell., R. holerythvos* Focke, R. lindleianus* Lees, R. pulcherrimus* Newm., R. mercicus* var. bracteatus Bagnall,. R. gratus* Focke, R. argentatus* P. J. Muell., R. pubescens* var. subineymis Rogers, R. carpinifolius* W.and N. R. macrophyilus* W. and N. var. schleckdenalii* Weihe, R. micans* Gren. and Godr., R. hirtifolius* Muell. and Wirtz., R. pyvamidalis* Kalt., R. babing- tonii* Bell Salt., R. fuscus* W. and N., R. serpens* Weihe, FR. britannicus* Rogers, R. anglosaxonicus* Gelert. *Rubus gelertii Frides——Stanmer Park and near Newick Station. *Rubus echinatus.—Racehill, Brighton. *Rubus dumnoniensis Bab.—Downs, Seaford. *Rubus lejeunii W. and N. var. evicetorum Lefv. Oenanthe silaifolia Bieberstein.-- Abundant in meadows at Bury and Amberley. *Galium sylvestve Polls. var nitidulum Thuill. *Valevianelia dentata var. mixta Dufr.—Newick and Stanmer. Filago spathulata Prest.—Common. Bartsia viscosa Linn.—Newick ; Sussex. Sandpits, very rare in *Stachys annua Linn.—Brighton, as a casual on cultivated land. Teucrium chamoedvys Linn.—Abundant on the wall of Camber Castle, Rye. *Amaranthus vetvoflexus Linn.—On cultivated land at Hove as a casual. *Chenopodium ficifolium Sm.—Goldstone Bottom, on cultivated land. Chenopodium hybridum Linn.—Cultivated land, Henfield. *Rumex scutatus Linn.—Fulking, as a casual. *Polygonum maculatum Trim. and Dyer.—Henfeld. Mercurialis annua var. ambigua Linn.— Not un- common on cultivated land. *Potamogeton trichoides Cham.—Ditch, Iford. *Potamogeton friesit Rufr.—Ditch, Ilford. Ophrys avanifera Huds.—I have seen specimens from six places on the Downs, only one being typical. The others appeared to be var. fucifera. *Spartina alterniflora Loisel.—Abundant on both sides of Chichester Channel. Carex montana Linn.—-Chailey Common. 16, Kensington Place, Brighton ; January ist, 1899. Tue GEMINIDS.—These meteors were unusually numerous on the nights of December goth, roth, r1th and 12th, 1898. 262 SCIENCE-GOSSIP. A--NATURALIST. IN:..SOUTH-EASTERN EUROPE. By Matcotm Borr, F.E.S., F.Z.S. (Concluded from page 243.) if eats few days spent in Dalmatia were not successful from an entomological point of view. The early morning train from Mostar brought me to Metkovic about seven, where I was able to spend a whole day, but nothing rewarded my researches. On August 7th, I arrived at Gravosa, after a nine hours’ trip among the low, stony, barren islands which fringe the Dalmatian littoral. From Gravosa I walked to the source of the Ombla, in the hopes of taking the cave- grasshoppers which are said to occur in holes in the cliffs in that neighbourhood. I found nothing but Xiphidium fuscum Fab., Oedipoda miniata Pall., O. caerulescens L. and Platyphyma giornae Rossi. The hills round Ragusa were no more productive. The sea was most tempting for bathing, but sharks are too numerous to be pleasant, for even as far north as Trieste these creatures are said to make a morning dip a little risky. On August 8th I walked among the vineyards near the little village of Ragusa Vecchia, but took nothing except the common species mentioned above; a single Decticid was seen, but too active to be caught. Although Southern Dalmatia is said to be rich in rare species, collecting is difficult, as every possible piece of ground is occupied by vineyards, and all the country that I visited was cultivated. The curious cave-grasshoppers, belonging to the family Stenopelmatidae, are known to occur, as well as the great carnivorous Sagidae, but I did not find any of them. I also failed to discover several species of Decticidae which have been taken round Ragusa, and after the riches of Herze- govina all insect life seemed to be very scarce. To catch the steamer from Castelnuovo to Cattaro, timed to leave early the following morning, I was obliged to take an open rowing boat, that being the only means of travelling from Ragusa Vecchia, and as the distance by coast is thirty miles, we were rowing all night. On the morning of August oth, I found myself at Cattaro, a small old-fashioned place on the coast, at the foot of great rocky mountains, at the end of a deep arm of the sea, the Bocche di Cattaro, which recalls a Norwegian fjord, or the Lake of Lucerne, rather © than a Dalmatian inlet. The hills round Cattaro appeared to be richer than the barren districts I had visited in the last few days. Being eager to push on into Montenegro without delay, I started at once to climb the mountain at the back of the town, to walk to Cetinje. It wasa long and tiring walk, varied with no collecting, for the only species I observed was the ubiquitous Oedipoda miniata Pall. Once the top of the mountain was reached, walking was less difficult. The path was merely a mule track, narrow and stony ; the country round was barren, rocky and undulating. The only vegetation appeared to bea few stunted shrubs and tufts of grass, forcing their way up between the stones. From these bushes I disturbed numberless lizards, and an occasional snake, but not capturing any, I was unable to ascertain their names. I passed the Lovtjen, a historic mountain where years ago the Montenegrins fled for refuge from the Turks. On the sides of this mountain is the only wood in that part of the country where, pro- bably, life is more abundant than in the open land round. There is a curious popular tradi- tion about the origin of this region. It is thought that when the Creator had almost finished the earth, he was passing over this district, carrying all the useless and superfluous stones and rocks in a bag, which burst, when the contents fell and littered the country which is now Montenegro. If that was so, the natives should be grateful for the accident, for these rocks have helped to protect the hardy mountaineers for years against their hereditary enemies, the Turks. The landscape, seen from a hill, is very curious. At more or less regular intervals there is a round, ‘deep depression, almost certainly the bed of an ancient lake. These are separated by sharp ridges, called ‘‘vrh.”” The general appearance may be compared to a surface of mud pitted with rain- drops on an enormous scale. In these hollows are built the towns of Njegush and Cetinje, and Rjeka and other villages, where the natives grow potatoes, maize, cabbages, and tobacco. The higher country is perfectly barren. Among the rocks near Cetinje, on August 11th, I took Stenobothrus rufipes Zett., S. bicoloy Charp., S. petvaeus Bris.,; S. pulvinatus Fisch. de W., Rhacocleis discvepbans Fieb., Oecanthus pellucens Scop., O¢edipoda miniata Pall, and S. parallelus Zett, and the common and widely dis- tributed Hymenopteron, Halictus calceatus Scop. In the main street in Cetinje itself I observed a large dragonfly, which I captured with my sweep-net, to the astonishment of the onlookers. Mr. McLachlan has determined it to be Hemianax ephippiger, an African and Asiatic species, which he suggests is almost certainly a straggler, being unlikely to be indigenous in such a locality. On August 12th I walked to Rjeka, atiny hamlet of seventy houses, where I took Acrotylus patruelis Sturm. and Tylopsis liliifolia var. margineguttata SCIENCE-GOSSIP. Serv. On the rocks near the sluggish stream which gives its name to the village, I observed a large Tropidonotus natrix. In these bracing mountains the Serbian tongue is spoken, and more clearly and purely than in Belgrade itself. It is a manly language, and pleasant to hear, though there are words without vowels. Such are tsvn, black; grk, bitter; vrh, a mountain ridge; kvv, blood; and others. As a matter of fact, in such words the, is rolled with the tip of the tongue, so practically becoming a vowel. In spite of the existence of such words as prtljag, luggage, it is less harsh than its sister, Russian. For instance, in Russian ptitchka means bird, in Serbian tit/ ; chleb is bread in Russian, in Serbian it is Jeb; in Russian we have fpolni, polk, zheltut, meaning full, regiment, yellow, which in Serbian become pun, puk, zhut. It is full of words interesting to the philologist. For instance, in krv, blood, we see the same root as in the Latin cruor, and in mrak, dark, we see murky and the Swedish amork, with the same meaning. The alphabet is the ordinary Cyrillic, as in Russian, with certain modi- fications introduced by Vuk Stefanovic Karadjic in 1863. Tothedull, grey aspect of the country Monte- negro owesitsname, J svnagova, the black mountain; in Turkish, Kavadagh, with the same meaning. From Rjeka, which signifies river, I took the boat across the Lake of Scutari to the town of that name, the capital of Albania. The Anglo- Montenegrin Trading Company run two steamers weekly across these waters, being the medium of a small but brisk trade between Albania and Monte- negro, chiefly to Rjeka and Podgoritsa. As we slowly steamed down between the mountains, our wash disturbed large numbers of water fowl from the weeds that fringe the banks on either side. Grey herons (Ardea cinevea), great purple herons (Ardea purpurea), spoonbills (Platalea lewcorodea) in quantities, and others, among which I thought I saw scoters and some small wading-birds, probably sandpipers. I didnot see anything in the open lake. _It is a six hours’ run to Scutari, where I arrived about four It is a typical oriental town, and the administration is typically Turkish. At the custom-house my camera was confiscated until I left,and I was told that I should probably be searched, to see whether I carried any weapons; for though the restless Shkipetars, or Albanians, who are said to be descendants from the ancient Pelasgi, go about armed to the teeth, no foreigner may bring weapons into the country, not even a revolver or knife. I was, however, fortunately spared the indignity. One day only was spent here, being pressed for time, and so I was unable to do any collecting in the country round. It is a dangerous neighbourhood, and when camping out in the country, after pitching the tent, it is as well to sleep a hundred yards in the afternoon. 263 away, for in the morning, as likely as not, the canvas will be found to be pierced with rifle bullets. As with all towns in this part of Europe itis a polyglot place, for I heard a native buying stamps from the Turkish official, and as one spoke Albanian and the other Turkish, the conversation was conducted in French. Italian is often spokenin the streets between natives, and sometimes German. Albanian is a peculiar tongue, with some words showing resemblance to Greek. For instance, catey, meaning four, and dhet, ten. The next morning I was obliged to leave, for it was time to return home, and I arrived at Cetinje in the evening. The steamer leaving Cattaro the following morning at five, I was compelled to drive all night over the mountains, arriving in the town just in time for its departure. The following after- noon brought me to Fiume, and on Saturday, August 2oth, I arrived home, having left Scutari six days previously, travelling hard the whole time. New College, Oxford. ANY ACETYLENE’ LANTERN: A= have recently had an opportunity of seeing an arrangement for burning acetylene gas for lantern demonstrations. The burner is very simple though most effective. The points of advan- tage are, that there are two burners, each being controlled by a separate valve to regulate the jet, so that both flames may be made identically the same size—a matter of importance to the operator. The result is a most brilliant light that throws on to the screen all detail of the drawing or photo- ACETYLENE BURNER FOR LANTERN DEMONSTRATIONS. graph exhibited. Where coloured pictures are used daylight effects are attained. There is no danger of the reflector unsoldering, as it is double. This necessary part of the lamp is compact, fits any lantern, is adjustable in all positions, whether up or down, back or forward. The lamp may be worked with any acetylene generator, the “Abingdon? generator being recommended. Cheapness follows compactness in this instance, the price of the burner being ros. and that of - the generator 37s. 6d. Mr. F. Brown, of 13, Gate Street, Holborn, London, is the maker, The great advantage of the acetylene light is that there are no heavy metal gas-bottles required. A full description of Acetylene is given at page 274 of this number. 264 SCIEN CE-GOSSIP: PLEISTOCENE BEDS OF LOWER THAMES: VALLEY. By A. SANTER KENNARD. i is indeed a pleasure to welcome any new worker in the field of geology, a branch of science which apparently, though perhaps tem- porarily is lacking in enthusiastic supporters. Hence the perusal of Mr. J. P. Johnson's paper on ‘‘ Pleistocene Drift of Thames Valley” in the December number of SctencE-Gossip afforded me great satisfaction. In welcoming him as a worker in the more recent deposits, he may be assured that the field is large and the workers but few, whilst the literature, no small item, will well repay a careful perusal. Unfortunately a large amount of the published work is so scattered that it entails much labour to examine, and it is to this cause that the errors which havecrept into Mr. Johnson’s paper are to be ascribed. Speaking broadly, the deposits may be divided into three sections, the high-level gravels, the low- level gravels and the brickearths. In the first large numbers of flint implements have been found, many of which show little or no traces of abrasion. Mammalian remains are scarce, though not unknown, as stated by Mr. A. E. Salter, F.G.S.(). The human remains from Galley Hill, Swancombe, belong to this series. In the low-level gravels flint implements are scarce, and are nearly always abraded. Bones are also extremely rare. There can be no doubt that the constituents of the low-level gravels have been largely derived from the high-level gravels. The most recent deposit, the brickearths, are of interest from the standpoint of the palaeontologist, as it is in these deposits that the molluscan and vertebrate remains are most abundant. It is at once evident that the physical conditions under which these deposits were laid down differ widely, and the amount of time required to account for the various changes is indeed enormous. Mr. Johnson is undoubtedly right in assuming that the Thames was considerably larger when these deposits were laid down than it is now. We know that the drainage area of the Thames has been in the past, and is still being, decreased through other streams tapping its sources and its tributaries. The Severn now takes into the Bristol Channel a large amount of drainage which at one time went into the Thames. The Medway also has diverted waters which previously flowed into the Darenth. The Lea and the Kennett have likewise had their drainage basins considerably reduced. I do not think, however, that there are any grounds for its (J) A. E. Salter: ‘‘ Pebbly and other Gravels in Southern England.” Proc. Geol. Asscc. vol. xv. Pp. 274. supposed more torrential character, for even if this were so with regard to the gravels, the brick- earths point to a placid stream. In any case our knowledge of river action must be greatly enlarged before we can reason from the known to the unknown. As to the suggestion that the land stood higher, I do not think that the facts bear this out. In describing the Pleistocene Mollusca of Crayford (?) mention was made that I had obtained an example of Littorina vudis Maton from the brickearth, and it was pointed out that the example was a dwarfed form, and resembled those now living at Tilbury. I also stated that ‘‘the presence of this species, together with Paludestrina ventrosa, already known from these beds, undoubtedly points to the prox- imity of estuarine conditions.” Since then 1 have obtained numerous examples of L. vudis. At the present day this form only struggles up the river as far as Tilbury, hence we must conclude that marine conditions were more pronounced than they are at present. Mr. Johnson’s statement that these beds are locally post-glacial is mis- leading. That these deposits are newer than the boulder clay is admitted on all hands. Still, although the last word on the Thames Valley deposits has not yet been said, there is strong evidence in favour of the view that the low-level gravels were accumulated during a period of intense cold, whilst the brickearths are overlain by the ““Warp’”’ and ‘ Trail,’’ and are, therefore, inter- glacial. Mr. Johnson is in error in stating that only three species of the Mollusca are extinct in this country, as besides Unio littoraiis, Corbicuia fluminalis and Paludestrina marginata mentioned by him, Eulota (Helix) fruticum is known from Ilford, and Dr. J. Gwyn Jeffreys has recorded Pyramidula (Helix) rudervata from the same locality. A variety of Sphaerium corneum from Crayford, figured in ScIENCE-Gossip (N.S. vol. ii. p. 39) is also quite unknown in a living state in this country. On the Continent it is considered a good species and named Sphaerium maenanum Kobelt. Itisarare form. living in the River Main. I have also examined other varieties of several species which cannat be matched by recent British forms. Amongst them an example of Limnaea palustris, from Ilford, is. noteworthy. It was found by my friend, Dr. Frank Corner, a geologist whose knowledge of the alluvium and pleistocene deposits of the Thames Valley is unequalled, and to whom I am indebted for much information. On submitting it to Dr. O. Boettger, of Frankfort, he pronounced it as quite new to (?) ScrencE-GossiP, N.S. vol. ii. pp. 39, 40. SCIENGEE-GOSSEP: iil JUST OUT. Demy 4to, with 4o Half-tone Reproductions from Original Negatives, and 63 Illustrations in the Text, Cloth Gilt, Price 12s. PHOTO-MICROGRAPHY By EDMUND J. SPITTA, L.R.C.P. (Lonp.), M.R.C.S. (Ene.), F.R.A.S. Formerly Demonstrator of Anatomy, St. George’s Hospital Medical School, Joint Author of *“‘ An Atlas of Bacteriology.” HE book has been written to help those commencing the subject, and to assist others who may be anxious to achieve the highest results in what has now become an absolutely scientific and commercial necessity. Like almost any Art or Science which has reached a high degree of perfection, Photomicrography cannot be learnt in a moment, for it requires both knowledge and patience, practice and skill, to carry it out successfully. € London: THE SCIENTIFIC PRESS, Ltd., 28 & 29, Southampton Street, Strand, W.C. 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The Editor will in future, as during the past two years, have the co-operation in the editorial department of Miss F. Winstone as assistant editor. 110, Strand, London, W.C. Christmas, 1898. SCIENCE-GOSSIP. him, but considered it came near to L. palustris var. diluviana And. A full account of the Mollusca from these beds may be found in ‘‘ The Post- Pliocene Non-Marine Mollusca of Essex,” by A. S. Kennard and B. B. Woodward (‘‘ Essex Natu- ralist,” vol. x. 1897, pp. 87-109) ; and ‘“‘ The Pleis- tocene Non-Marine Mollusca of the London Dis- trict,’ by B. B. Woodward (Proc. Geol. Assoc. vol. xi. 1890, pp. 335-388). With regard to the Vertebrata of the district, no one has as yet collected and sifted the records, and until this has been done our knowledge cannot be said to be on a firm foundation. The most abundant forms are the horse (Equus caballus), the wild ox (Bos taurus var. primigenius), red deer (Cervus elaphus), mammoth -(Elephas primigenius) and Rhinoceros antiquitatis. All the Carnivores are rare, especially the bears. The hippopotamus (Hiffo- potamus amphibius) is extremely rare, as is also the musk ox (Ovibos moschatus). Mr. Johnson has mentioned that vast herds of the reindeer 265 (Rangifer tavandus) browsed on the banks of the Thames. This is only true of the Upper Thames, as in the Lower Thames Valley its remains are quite unknown. Unfortunately the larger Mammalia have received nearly all the attention of collectors, whilst the smaller forms have had but scant attention. Mr. Cheadle and Mr. Flaxman C. J. Spurrell have added to our knowledge; whilst, as the result of several years’ work at Crayford and Erith, 1 am able to record the northern vole (Microtus vatticeps), the Siberian vole (M. gregatis), the water vole (M. amphibius), the arctic lemming (Myodes tovquatus), and the common frog (Rana temporaria). I am confident that this by no means exhausts the list, I trust that Mr. Johnson may prove the worthy successor of Mr. Flaxman Spurrell, and by his researches in these deposits add greatly to our knowledge of Pleistocene times. Benenden, Maskenzte Road, Beckenham ; December, 1898. BRITISH FRESHWATER MITES. By CuHartes D. Soar, F.R.M.S. GENUS CURVIPES KOENIKE. (Continued from page 227.) Il.—Curvipes longipalpis Krendowsky, 1884. FEMALE.--Bopy.—Same shapeas Curvipes nodatus (fig. 1). Length about 30mm. The whole of the body colour a bright red, with a lighter T-shaped piece on the dorsal surface. Lres.—Similar to legs of C. nodatus (fig. 2), but the oh hairs are coarser. First leg ‘ about 2°45 mm. in length. The fourth leg is about 280 mm. The colour a very dark slate-blue. Claws similar to figs. 3 and 4. EPIMERA, arranged like C. nodatus, colour same as legs, a very dark slate-blue ; almost black in some specimens. PaLpus is so much like fig. 5, showing the three pegs on the last joint but one, that another figure is not necessary. Its length is 160 mm. Colour, the same as all the chitinous parts of this species, namely dark slate-blue. GENITAL PLaTEs.—It is in these plates that the greatest difference will be found in this species (see fig. 12 and compare with fig. 6 in C. nodatus). Fig. 12, C. lougipalpis.—Genital area of female. The number of discs is about twenty-five on each plate, but on C. longipalpis there are over eighty. I have counted three specimens and all have above that quantity. They vary bothin number and arrangement. Ground colour, dark slate - blue, discs red. Mare.—Smaller than fe- male, being 220 mm. in length. Similar in shape; epimera being like those of male in fig. 7, but joined on the inner edge nearly all the way down (see fig. 13), and not at the bottom edge only, as in C. nodatus. The number of discs is very great; in the one male specimen I have counted there are over a hundred on each side. The last two joints of the third pair of legs are also very different to those of C. nodatus, particu- © larly in the claws (see fig. 14). The genual joint of the fourth pair of legs is nearly like fig. 10. In colour the male is the same as the female. i Krendowsky, the writer who first described C. longipalpis, only gives an outline drawing of the iS 266 male mite of this species, but the genital plates are so different from any other species of this Fig. 13, C. longtpalpis.—Genital area of male. genus that I do not think a mistake can be made in its identity. Mr. Scourfield forwarded me, in 1896, for inspec- tion, the first two females of this species I had seen. Dr. George has forwarded me several since then, but I do not think it is at all a com- mon species. I have only taken one female myself. Dr. George found and mounted a specimen of this mite five years before it was described by Krendowsky, but the information possessed then was so small that it was not thought to be an undescribed species. C. longipalpis is no doubt the largest mite of this genus. TII.—Curvipes uncatus Koenike, 1887. FEMALE.—Bopy oval (figs. 15, 16). Length about 2°8omm. Width about 210mm. Colour, Fig. 14, C. longipalpts.—Last two joints of third pair of legs. SCIENCE-GOSSIP. a bright red. This looks very conspicuous sur- rounded by the brown patches. In fig. 16 I show an outline drawing of the dorsal surface, showing the arrangement of the dermal glands. Eves, a dark red. Lecs, about same as shown in fig. 2, but not so long in proportion to size of body. First leg about 1°84 mm.; the fourth leg about 2°65 mm-; the others in between those sizes. The colour of all the legs is a slaty blue-grey. I do not see sufficient difference in the structure of the legs to require another drawing. Epimera.—Arrangement is shown in fig. 15. It very much like fig. 2, but smaller in proportion to the size of the ventral surface. The posterior plates also look much wider apart; but this is not of any importance, because it often depends on the actual development of the body of the female. As the body swells the epimera get wider apart. The colour is the same as all chitinous parts of this mite, a slaty blue. PALPI about 0°88 mm. long. It is in this part that the greatest difference will be seen to distinguish C. wncatus from the two mites previously described. A side view of both C. nodatus and C. longipalpis shows only three points, or three pegs (see fig. 5), but in C. uncatus Koenike, on the inner side of the last _ joint but one of the palpi, five pegs can be seen at a, fig. 17. GENITAL PLATES are so much like the plates of C. nodatus (fig. 6) that I do not think another figure is necessary. The discs vary, as is usual in the Fig, 15, C. wncatus.—Ventral surface of female. yellow, with dark-brown markings, and a T-shaped piece in the centre of the dorsal surface, which is Fig. 17, C. wicatus.—Palpi. Fig. 16, C. uncatus.—Dorsal surface of female. species of this genus; one I have just counted has twenty-five on one side and twenty on the other. SCIENCE-GOSSIP. They vary in size very much, two being a little larger near the centre. Fig. 18, C. wncatis.—Last joint of third pair of legs, male Mare.—Smaller than female; about 2°20 mm. in length. The posterior pair of epimeral plates nearly join, but not quite so closely as those of 267 C. longipalpis (fig. 13). The number of discs on the genital plates is about 21 to 24. The tarsi and claws on the third pair of legs vary a little from fig. 9 (see fig. 18). There is not that peculiar reversed hook shown in fig. 9. The genual joint of the fourth pair of legs does not exhibit any difference in structure from fig. Io. In the paper in which Koenike describes this mite, he also gives its internal anatomy (Abh. d. Naturw. ver. Zw. Bremen, 1887, pp. 273-294, plate iii.). Loca.itigs.—I have taken this species a number of times. Near Lowestoft in 1896 it was common. (To be continued.) TEPIDOPTERAY IN) SOUDH-BAST ESSEX. By F. G. WHITTLE. (Continued from page 229.) HIETEROCERA. Ne there is at present little indication that the = nomenclature followed in the ‘‘ Entomo- logist ’? synonymic list of British Lepidoptera is likely to lose the position it has maintained for the last fourteen years, I shall closely adhere to that system in the series of notes on the Lepidoptera of this part of Essex. Having dealt with such species of butterflies as I have observed here, I will now proceed with the Heterocera as far as the end of the Bombyces. Acherontia atropos. This grand moth is reputed ‘abundant near Southend ”’ in the ‘‘ Transactions of the Essex Field Club,” vol. iii. p. 34. I have have not foundit so; but have bred three Southend specimens. Sphinx convolvuli, not common; has occurred at Southend, and last year at Shoeburyness. S. ligustri netted over privet at Leigh ; not common. Choerocampa elpenor. Benfleet, but scarce. Smerinthus oceliatus and S. populi, larvae found occasionally near Eastwood. S. tiliae, Southend, but not common. Macroglossa stellatarum, a common Southend gardens. Sesia tipuliformis, not uncommon in Southend. S. culiciformis larvae in birch at Eastwood. S. chry- sidiformis. I have not yet reared this insect, although I feel pretty sure that I have had larvae in roots of dock. A specimen was taken many years ago by the Rev. C. R. N. Barrows on the cliffat Southend. In Vaughan’s list it is stated that between June 23rd, 1851, and July 3rd, 1859, several were taken by the late Peter Bonchard. S. ichneumoniformis. Mr. Carrington has taken this species by sweeping herbage after sunset, on several occasions, on the cliffs east of Leigh, insect in and below them between the line of railway and the sea. Zygaena filipendulae, common nearly everywhere. Yellow forms occur, but are rare. I have seen two such specimens from Shoeburyness. FHylophila prasinana, larvae at Eastwood and Hockley. Nola cuculiatella, rather common as larvae and imagines. Nudaria senex, scarce; one only near Benfleet. Calligenta miniata, common at Eastwood. Lithosia mesoneila, Eastwood, but not common. L. luvideola, at sugar and light, Benfleet and Southend. JL. complana, Shoeburyness, Leigh and Canvey; but far from common. A larva once found, from which a moth was bred, occurred on a lichen-studded boundary-post at Canvey. Euchelia jacobaea, larvae sometimes very com- mon, Leigh, Canvey Island and Eastwood. Nemeophilarussula. Wood clearings at Eastwood. Arctia caia, larvae abundant; large numbers of moths bred, but no very striking varieties obtained. S = = - - - 282 ] . CHAPTERS FOR YOUNG ASTRONOMERS.—Tue In use in the best-known firms in England, BEANE T Manse) (Byline (© Dena! liliuetra ieee SCIENCE GOSSIP - - - - - - - = 284 NODES(AND: QUERIES (ai) j0 0) -) a aee eae Preettniall siveniontapplicationmstavallyAsentssorlapplys [usec oe 0m. 0 ee coe i ano for fully Illustrated Prospectus to MCR OS COR yee vara: Ul, nals ana oe TRANSACTIONS - - - e - - - = 287 THE “ HARTFORD” NOMICES OF SOCIE DED Sirah aati eames HARTFORD” TYPEWRITER SYNDICATE, | vO oo conRESPONDENTS 2) cee 30, KING STREET, CHEAPSIDE, LONDON E.C. EEXGERAN GE Siete ene 250 vi SCIENCE-GOSSTE: MAGIC LANTERNS. NO SMELL. NOSMOKE. NO BROKEN GLASSES. GRAND ig. THE MARVELLOUS RESDETS. 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Good as new. Cost ,3 38. Extremely simple to use either for ether freezing, celloidin or paraffin embedding. What offers.—A. B.C., c/o Editor, ‘‘ SclENCE-GossIP,”’ iro, Strand, London, W.C. THE VICTORIAN ERA SERIBS. In Monthly Volumes, fcap 8vo, 2s. 6d. each. NEW VOLUME JUST PUBLISHED. RECENT ADVANCES IN ASTRONOMY. By A. H. FISON, D.Sc. LONDON: BLACKIE & SON (Limited), Old Bailey. SCIENCE-GOSSIP., SCALE OF ADVERTISEMENTS. Inch in Column .. ; ao oo EHO) YA Eighth of Page 56 6 a 1OnLGLIO Quarter-page, or Half- Column Ee lOO Half-page, or One Column og 4 Ue}. © Whole Page .. a6 ote Qc OM OO Back Page 6 6 O Positions ‘by Arrangement. All Advertisements to be sent to SCIENCE-GOSSIP Office, r10, Strand, London, W.C., on or previous to the 19th of each month. = Special quotations for. a series. of insertions, any size space, matter changeable, on application. LOUIS'S MICROSCOPICAL OBJECTS. 24 Series, Unmounted, of. Cleaned Diatoms, 12 tubes in each Series, 4s. per Series. 5 Series of 24 Foraminiferous Sands at 2s. each. 5 Series of 24 Microfungi at 2s. each. 7 Series of 24 Sections of Woods, 2s. each. CLEANED UNmounTeD Diatoms, Sertes i.—4s. perv 12 tubes. Borries (Oamaru). Carpentaria (Cal., Ananino (Russia). FORAMINIFEROUS SANDS UNMOUNTED Series Xxxvii.—2s. per 24 packets. Ceylon. West Coast of Africa. Straits of Malacca. U.S.A). Coscinodiscus concinnus. Sakarava. Grammatophora ImMarina, Mauritius. Isthmia nervosa. Malaga. Rouillat (France). Sheem (Aberdeen). Emmingen (Hanover). Tallya (Hungary). Gomphonella olivacea, Port Said. Moravia (Miocene). Fayel (France). Upper Lias (Lincoln). Girgente (Italy). etc., etc. W. WEST, 15, HORTON LANE, BRADFORD. Send stamp for list. THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY’S GARDENS, REGENT’S PARK, are OPEN DAILY (except Sundays), from g a.m. till Sunset Admission 1s.; on Mondays, 6d. Children 6d. Amongst the recent additions are three Lion Cubs, presented by C. A. Osborne, Esq., and two Ivory Gulls from Spitzbergen. ROYAL BOTANIC SOCIETY’S GARDENS, REGENT’S PARK. GARDENS OPEN DAILY from ga.m. to Sunset. SUNDAYS from 2 p.m to Sunset. Admission by Orders from Fellows of the Society only. SCIENCE-GOSSIP. y|_ GEOLOGY Rv wy wT K = SSG a See : LEY jl 7} Aus) NZ ieee’ = : “NW Mt a CONDUCTED BY EDWARD A. MARTIN, F.G.S. Foss, TurtLres.—There has been found in the basement-bed of the London Clay at Northwood, a turtle (Lytoloma iongiceps), measuring seven and a-half inches long and six and a-half inches wide. This is rare in the London area. With the turtle were found Panopaea, Cytherea and Pectunculus.— G. Fletcher Brown, 3, Topsfield Parade, Crouch End, N. IMMATURE AMMONITES.— The Rev. J. F. Blake, F.G.S., an authority on the subject of fossil cephalopods, has given it as his opinion that many of the small ammonites found in various zones of the Lias, were but the fry of larger ammonites, and scarcely worthy of aname. He did not think, speaking generally, that one in ten of all the ammonites which have ever been collected any- where were full-grown. THE VALE OF CLWwyp.—In the ‘ Proceedings of the Liverpool Geological Society,” 1897-1898, Mr. G. H. Morton, F.G.S., publishes a paper on ‘‘ The Carboniferous Limestone of the Vale of Clwyd.” The district is classic geological ground, the vale consisting of a tract in North Wales, twenty miles in length, running from the coast at Rhyl toward the south-south- east. It is eight miles wide at the sea, four miles wide at St. Asaph and at Denbigh, two and a-half miles at Ruthin, whilst at Lianfair Dyffryn Clwyd, near the head of the vale, it is little over a mile across. The River Clwyd runs along the valley for about sixteen miles of its length, and is joined by the Elwy near Rhyddlan. Along the upper part of the vale the Triassic strata are frequently uncovered, but are hidden at the northern end by a deep and increas- jing thickness of drift. The Trias is most fre- quently exposed along the margins of the vale, and this formation rises on each side towards the Carboniferous and Silurian rocks, and apparently suffered great denudation along the centre in pre-Glacial times. Except where the valley reaches the sea, it is bounded by hills, formed of Wenlock Shale, but fringed with a band of Carboniferous Limestone, which presents a conspicuous feature in the ground. The Wen- lock Hills rise to as great a height as 1,823 feet, whilst the Carboniferous Limestone reaches its greatest height of 866 feet at Moel Hiraddug. At the head of the Vale, the Limestone reaches a height of 661 feet above ordnance datum, whence a magnificent view down to the sea is obtained. Here, too, a great number of quarries have been opened in the Upper Grey Limestone, and fossils are abundant, large masses of coral being con- spicuous. In the quarry at Faenol a mass of Lithostvotion regium has been exposed for many years. The following species were also observed in the same quarry: Athyvis ambigua, Ovthis michelini, Productus cova, P. fimbriatus, P. giganteus, P. latis- simus, Spivifera bisulcata, Clisiophyllum bipartitum, Cyathophyllum murchisoni, Lithostrotion irregulare, L. 285 martini, L. portlockt, Phillipsastrea radiata, Syringopora geniculata and Zaphrentis cylindrica. Mr. Morton refers in detail to exposures at various spots up the Vale, and gives analyses of the rock and lists of fossils where necessary. Altogether the paper is. an admirable one. Hutton’s ‘‘ THEORY OF THE EarTH.”’—The third volume of this epoch-making work, which is being published by the Geological Society of London, under the editorship of Sir Archibald Geikie, is in the press, and copies can now be ordered of the Secretary of the Society. Three shillings and sixpence is the amount charged for this work to the public. PITCHSTONE.—I am not sure if a more effective rock-section micro-slide than one of pitchstone could be shown to an unsophisticated native or to a casual friend. Now, what is pitchstone, and what do we see when we view down the magic tube a good section of this rock? It may be described as a vitreous rock with resinous lustre and splintery fracture, or as a porphyritic rock of a trachytic texture with glassy ground- mass. In the British Islands it occurs in Mull, Lamlash, Arran, Rum, Canna, Eigg, in Cornwall, and in counties Down and Antrim. The pitchstone of Arran is of a dark-green colour, about as hard as felspar, and contains about 63 per cent. of silica, 13 alumina, 6:2 soda, 4:4 lime, and 3°8 protoxide of iron. It is supposed to be a mechanical mixture arising chiefly from the fusion of quartz and felspar, and its structure, as exhibited under the microscope, is quite unique among British rocks- The principal constituent is seen to be a nearly colourless glass which is not doubly refractive, and this is richly strewn over with numerous needle-shaped tiny crystals (microlites). The spectacle is decidedly remarkable when the rock section is observed by polarized light with crossed nicols, for we behold a number of brilliantly illuminated needle crystals set off sharply against a back-ground which is quite dark (isotropic). To what mineral species do these tiny crystals belong ? Zirkel took them to be hornblende; Allport, Vogelsang and Rosenbach thought they were pyroxene; but later on, Allport again proved that Zirkel’s view was right, 7.e. they are hornblende, built round, as it were, a central core of glass. In some slides of pitchstone, besides the glass and the microlites, other crystals and fragments are seen, consisting of quartz, felspar, pyroxene, and iron oxide. It is not the picturesque aspect of the cut rock that is alone interesting. Its peculiar texture and structure are of immense suggestiveness. The pasty, amorphous glass and the crystal, well and truly formed, existing side by side, constitute a phenomenon replete with speculative problems. Pitchstone is usually asso- ciated with decidedly plutonic rocks, i.e. rocks which have solidified not at or near the surface, but at a considerable depth below. Moreover, it contains as much as six per cent. of water, whereas ordinary glass does not contain any. Hence it has been suspected that the glassy texture of pitchstone is only apparent, and is the conse-_ quence of transmutation by aqueousagency. How have the crystallites been produced? Are they simply larger manifestations of a much finer crystalline aggregate composing the whole of the rock; or are they products of devitrification of an originally glassy ground-mass, and formed subse- quently to its first deposition ?—(Dr.) P. Q. Keegan, Patterdale, Westmorland. 282 SCIENCE-GOSSIP: CONDUCTED BY FRANK C. DENNETT. Position at Noon, 1899. Rises. Sets. RAs Feb. hm. han, him, Dec. Sun os Oliess M732 ass tees, 4.501 Delete, 20-20) 42-6 25 35) Oe TOs Gals ees 5-15 2-21.59 12°) 18! 26 6.54 5-32 RZz EGO mers: On Ale Rises Souths. Sets. Ageat Noon. Feb. hm. han. hain. d. h. am. Moon. 6... 4.30a.m. ... &15a.m.... 0.0 P.M. 25 13 i0 16... 916 se, 5-22) Pills ce OG O12. 6 2 28 20no 724 VDE My -54 0-24 At. ..2 0:40 16 2 28 Position at Noon. Souths. Semt RA. Feb. him, Diameter. hm. Dec. Miercusy 0-40) 4. “DUT5/a.Ms 2.6. 255 20.21 25 Tuas: 16%... 21-43 2" 4 21.28 1701 26... O112'‘pim 2" 4 22.37 r0° 48 Vents 6... 8.58 a.m rat 18:4 «.. 19%43' S. TOl25 Our TEE, 18.47 ... 20° o! 2 OMe 4 O7 10" 6 TO 2ue- lO 32. Mars 6 ... 10.31 p.m 62 7 W530) 200 250 AOU Nc 16 3..° 9.43 Ofe2 FegO\ee 25, 55, : 205.1 0:0 5/7 7.20) 2.21252 A396 Jupiter... 16... 4.49 a.m TOM Omer (ers) T4233) wes, 18° 3749: Sur nese (10%. “FAra.m WIA ele ZOneee 210 AGL or Uranus ... 16... 6.40 a.m g UNG hs Menem Opry deere) tien Lay nnys Ne pier ..:4-i67... > 7:39/pimi..=- 143 =''5:26 2, ar: 54’ N. Moon’s PHASES. him, him. 3rd Qr. ... Feb. 5... 4.7 a.m. News... cH Cb., 114. .4:7-53) D1 - TSAO yas ectte se LO\ts.. 3:24/a.M. PU sea, 27 ox, O-18a5. In perigee February goth, at Io p.m., distant 225,100 miles; and in apogee on 2ist, at 7 p.m., distant 251,600 miles. CONJUNCTIONS OF PLANETS WITH THE Moon. RED res Jupiter* II a.m. planet 5°55’ N. 6 Saturn? o@imii %.. Wmeaet5aie Nie 7 Venust T AsTN: Arcee aH eA LORIN: 9 Mercury* TDs ou eso Ay na icy Hels 21 on Mars* Ly Sepia ss pe SING * Daylight. + Below English horizon. OCCULTATION AND NEAR APPROACH: Dis- Angle Re- Angle Magni- appears. from appears. from Feb. Star, tude. hm. Vertex. hm. Vertex. m2it)19/Piscium |)... 5.:.. 7.35 p-M- .:., 30° ...8:28)p:m.}... 19% 19 ...1 Geminorum 4 ..,.11.26 p.m. ..152° ... Near approach THE Sun usually has some spots visible on his surface. During 1898 observations were made by the writer on 273 days, not any spots being seen on forty-six days. Mercury is poorly placed for observation from its low southern declination. It is a morning star at the beginning of the month, and at 3 p.m. on the 27th is in superior conjunction with the sun. VENUS is a morning star, reaching her greatest elongation west (46° 46’) at 7 a.m. on the r1th. It is, like Mercury, poorly placed for observation. Mars is still in good position, though his ~ diameter is fast decreasing. He is situated in the constellation Cancer, and is above the horizon all the working hours, an interval of about seventeen and a-quarter hours separating his rising and setting. JUPITER is a morning star, situated not far from a Librae, rising about 51m. a.m. on the tst, and just after rr p.m. on the 28th. : SATURN and URANUS are morning stars, situated in the southern part of the constellation Ophin- chus. Saturn’s path is closely south of the place occupied by Kepler’s Temporary Star of 1604. On the 28th, Saturn does not rise until 2.53 a.m. NEPTUNE is still in good position for observation, not far from ¢ Tauri. METEORS may be looked for February 3rd, 7th, roth, and 15th to 2oth. These last are swift, streak-leaving meteors, radiating from a point a little north of a Serpentis. New Minor Pranets.—Mr. Coddington has found two new minor planets registered on photo- graphic plates exposed on October 14th, 1808, at the Lick Observatory. M. Charlois, ot Nice, also discovered one on December 8th. H. W. VoceEL, Professor of Photography, Photo-chemistry and Spectroscopy at the Berlin Technical High School, has passed away. He was born in 1834, and devoted his life io the advancement of photography. He was one of the first to be successful in photographing the red rays of the spectrum. Tue NoveMBER METEORS.—Owing to the suc- cessful efforts of MM. Janssen and Hansky to observe from a balloon, it is probable that next November its use will be attempted on a larger scale. It is proposed to make two ascents from each of three stations, one in Europe, one in America, and one in Central Siberia. The balloons will be fully equipped, and are to ascend to an altitude of 10,000 feet. At Cambridge, United States, 800 meteors, not including duplicates, were observed by thirty persons on November 14th. They seemed most numerous about 3 a.m. (local time), when sixty-one were seen in half-an-hour east of the meridian. At Providence, forty miles south of Cambridge, 400 meteors were recorded by ten observers. Several trails were photographed at both stations. The radiant point is apparently R.A. 1oh. 6°8m., Dec. INS 2OP: 162, Comet j 1898 (CHASE).—This was discovered on some of the plates exposed to record meteor trails ‘at Yale College, and likewise appears on some of the plates exposed at the Lick and Harvard Observatories. Its orbit is said to be hyperbolic, or enormously elliptic. : A REMARKABLE STAR.—One of the Wolf-Rayet stars, known as D.M. + 30° 3639, has been found to be a most remarkable object when studied with the spectroscope attached to the Lick telescope. When the slit was opened wide, no cylindrical lens being employed, the HB line appeared as a well-defined disc, whilst no such appearance was noticed in the case of the almost equally bright line at 4652, disproving that the disc.was due to irradiation. Further, the line H8 could be seen when the star itself was thrown off the slit. HB is due to hydrogen. This observation by Pro- fessor Keeler, confirming Professor Campbell’s discovery, goes to indicate that an extensive envelope of that gas surrounds this star. THE lunar eclipse was seen well in many parts of the country, notwithstanding the bad weather in London. The eclipse was described as a dis- tinctly bright one. So far no mention has reached us of the colour phenomenon being observed, to which attention was called in our December number. ERRATA.—P. 248, col. 2, par. 7, for ‘‘ Mrs.” read Mr. P. 249, col. 2, line 12, for ‘‘w” read 25; line 17, for ‘‘Madle” read Madler; line 32, for “46” read w. SCIENCE-GOSSIP. CHAPTERS FOR YOUNG ASTRONOMERS. By Frank C. DENNETT. THE PANE 9M ARS. (Continued from page 249.) LATER observers have mapped out on the land surface of Mars a complete network of fine lines, which for want of a better name have been called canals. A chart lying before me shows more than ninety such objects, but to see them at all tele- scopes of over six-inch aperture are required, and many observers altogether fail to find them. A singular phenomenon has been noticed by some observers to take place, as if many of the canals doubled ; but this is thought by others to be due to a want of perfect focussing on the part of the telescopist. The existence of an atmosphere was very early ascribed to this planet. Cassini, in October, 1672, found the 5th-magnitude star w Aquarli, whilst it was quite 6’ distant from Mars, became so faint that it could not be seen with a three-feet telescope. Some other cause, however, must have produced this dis- appearance, because Sir James South and others have seen stars actually occulted by the planet, and Sir W. Herschel saw a star of the 13th or r4th magnitude very near toits disc. The spec- GOSCopes Of.” MM. Janssen and Sir W. Huggins have quite settled the question of the presence of an atmosphere, differing little irom our own, including watery vapour held in sus- pension. This gives encouragement to the belief that the white patches close to the poles are really, as usually called, snow caps. This view is strengthened, because the caps are largest when first they become exposed to the sun’s rays. As the sun rises higher, and the exposure is lengthened, the caps become smaller; whilst the region edging them has been observed to grow darker during the decrease, as if from the presence of the water from the melting snow. A singular phenomenon is that neither of the poles are central tothe snow-caps. The centre of the south polar cap is five or six degrees of latitude away from the South Pole, according to the observations of Professor Schiaparelli, which are confirmed by those made at Washington. The north polar cap is not concentric, so that the two caps are not opposite to each other. Both caps are sometimes visible at once, and at other times both are hidden from sight. Comparatively small bi | 7.—December II, 1oh. 36m. PLANET Mars. 283 instruments will confirm these observations. From their great brilliance the snow caps often seem to be raised above the surface of the planet, so that some astronomers have made the suggestion that they are really clouds suspended in the atmosphere above the polar regions; but the effect is doubt- less brought about by irradiation. Other white spots have been occasionally ob- served, especially a large one in the De-la-Rue Ocean, which hasbeen called Dawes Ice Island, in compliment to the Rev. W. R. Dawes, who observed it. That spot subsequently disappeared. Sir William Herschel speaks of seeing both bright and dark belts on the planet, but later observers have not confirmed his observations. Dawes, Browning, Mitchell, Crossley, Gledhill, and others have seen small bright patches which are not always visible, and so appear to be due to clouds, or something analogous in the Martial atmos- phere. In the cases of Jupiter and Saturn the flattening of the poles may be readily observed, but this is not the case with Mars. Some ob- servers have even fan- cied that the polar diameter was the longest, but doubtless the irradiation from the brilliant snow caps has been answer- able for the mistake. At the Lick Observa- tory in 1894, Prof. E. E. Barnard measured the polar and equato- rial diameters as 4,312 miles and 4,352 miles respectively, making the flattening amount to forty miles or zt jth part of the diameter. Mars is a planet which bears high mag- nifying powers well, if the telescopeitself is of good quality. Indeed, the drawings made by Grover, above men- tioned, were obtained when a power of 200 was being employed upon a two-inch achromatic tele- scope. The late Rev. T. W. Webb, in 1862, using a five and a-half inch refractor usually employed a power of 170, but when our atmosphere would admit of it, found that even 460 could be used with advantage. Powers from 153 to 372 were used on the five and a-quarter inch Calver reflector, in making the diagrams illustrating this paper. A slight frosty fog on a calm night will often help to intensify the markings of planets. Conjunctions of the planets sometimes prove very interesting. For instance, on January oth, 1591, Mars is said to have passed in front of Jupiter. On November 21st, 1875, Mars and Saturn 8.—December 8, 11h. 14m. § ‘were together in the field of view of the telescope with a power of eighty. [For ‘‘Satellites of Mars,” see page 270.—Ep. S.-G. ] 2 ae) CME a f THE Natural History Museum at South Ken- sington is being fitted with electric light. Tue “ London Gazette” of January 2oth contains a list of birds added to the Wild Birds Protection Act. ‘‘THE new Flora of Cumberland,” prepared by Mr. William Hodgson, A.L.S., now passing through the press, is shortly to be issued. Proressor E. B. Witson, of Columbia Univer- sity, U.S.A., intends to visit the Nile region in order, if possible, to study the embryonic stages of the African ganoid Polypterus, supposed to be the ancestor of the Amphibia. A MUSEUM of the history of chemistry will be included in the Paris Exhibition of 1900. It will contain, amongst other things, apparatus, the products of chemical laboratories, plans, and portraits of investigating chemists. A MASTERLY summary of the scientific work done in 1898 in the sciences of Physiology, Physics and Electrical Engineering, Astronomy and Chemistry, occupies about five columns of the ‘‘ Times” for January 2oth. Last month we expressed our regret that Mr. Richard Kearton, the ornithologist and delineator of country lore, was indisposed; we have pleasure in hearing that he is now much better and is at work again. Mr. Kearton is carrying out a series of lectures illustrated by lantern slides from the many beautiful nature-portraits taken by his brother and himself. A Cyc LinG Research Committee has been formed in connection with the North London Natural History Society, for exploring the district included in the operations of the members. Excursions have been arranged for March 18th, April 8th and 22nd, May 13th, June 3rd and 17th. Particulars may be had from Mr. Louis B. Prout, F-E.S., 246, Richmond Road, Dalston, N.E., the Hon. Secretary. For some time past edible mushroom gatherers in Australia have noticed that their labours were much less remunerative than formerly, in conse- quence of large numbers of the edible fungi being overturned, broken and the gills eaten. The culprits turn out to be birds, especially southern stone-plovers (Burhinus grallavius Lath.); but whether they are in search of insects found among the gills, or whether they eat the fungi, is not quite clear. On Christmas Eve last the East Goodwin Light- ship was placed in communication, by wireless - telegraphy, at a distance of over twelve miles, with the South Foreland Lighthouse on the coast of Kent. One of Mr. Marconi’s assistants is staying for a time on the light-ship, to instruct the officials in the use of the instrument. It will be remem- bered we, to some extent, described the system on PaserAe of this volume. The signals from the Goodwin Sands are working admirably. To the delight of the staff on the lonely ship they exchanged Christmas greetings with their families on shore. .from Britain. SCIENCE-GOSSIP. SPECIMENS BY POST TO AND FROM ABROAD.—It will no doubt be of interest to collectors to note that in connection with the reduction of the foreign postage rates, natural history specimens, dried or preserved animals and plants, geological specimens, etc, can be forwarded at the sample rate when they are not sent for commercial purposes, and are packed in accordance with the sample post regulations. The sample rate referred to is 4 ozs. for one penny, with a limit of 12 ozs., and is applicable to all countries in or out of the Postal Union.—Edwd. A. Martin, 69, Bensham Manox Road, Thornton Heath. New BritTisH OrcHID.—Writing to the January “ Journal of Botany,” Mr. Herbert Goss,sbRlenon says: ‘‘ When I was staying. in Cumberland last June and July, I found a species of Orchis plentiful in two or three bogs on the fells, about 1,000 feet above sea level, between Borrowdale and Watend- lath. I thought the species was a very stunted form of O. latifolia, and therefore did not trouble to gather more than about ten or twelve speci- mens. The plant has been submitted to Mr. R. A. Rolfe, who identifies it with O. cruenta Muhl. in Oeder Fl. Dan. t. 876; Retz Prodr. Fl. Scand. ed. ii. p. 205; O. latifolia var.* cruenta Lindl. Gen. and Sp. Orch. p. 260; and adds, Rchb. f. (Fl. Germ. xiii. p. 53) makes it a form of O. incaynata, a plant much confused with Q. latifolia in books, if indeed both are not forms of one species. It is, however, an interesting dis- covery, as the plant is not previously recorded I have placed specimens in the British Museum and the Kew Herbaria. It is a native of northern and central Norway and the Swedish borders of Finland.’ We congratulate Mr. Herbert Goss on his discovery. ALBINISM IN FLowErs.—There is a large patch of bugle (Ajuga veptans) in Middlewood, about four miles south-east of Stockport, having spikes of white, pink, red and blue flowers, the first two predominating. With respect to albinos (vide pp. 92 and 93) of normally yellow flowers, the following might be cited: wild radish has both yellow, white and lilac forms. The primrose is occasionally white, and sometimes assumes a reddish colour when growing on a clay soil. Grindon, in his Manchester flora, published 1859, mentions a white variety of the yellow cow-wheat (Melampyrum pratense) as growing abundantly by the sides of the road between Hayfield and Kinder Scout, Derbyshire. It may interest some of your readers to know that it is still very abundant in the same locality, the normal form being rare in that neighbourhood. In some composite flowers, such as mayweed, chamomile, etc., some of the disc florets, even near the centre, may be seen changed into white ligulate ones, which is albinism accompanied by a change of form. They are often also without ligulate ray florets. I have seen several plants of Solanum dulcamava which bear pure white flowers each year. — J. McDonald, 2, Co-operative Street, Hazel Grove, Stockfort. SCIENGE-GOSSIP: CONDUCTED BY JAMES QUICK. Nucver1 oF ConpENSATION.—Much useful work has been done by Aitken and others upon the essential part played by nuclei of some kind in effecting condensation in the atmosphere. Still the subject requires more data. Mr. C. T. R. Wilson, in a paper read recently before the Royal Society, takes up the matter and discusses the relative efficiency of the Réntgen and _ the Uranium rays, as well as of electrical discharges from points, in producing condensation. It is found that the nuclei from these rays require about the same expansion of the air to bring the latter to supersaturation point. In the case of moist air exposed to ultra-violet light, and when the radiation is weak, the nuclei require as great a degree of supersaturation as the above. If the radiation is stronger, however, these nuclei appear to grow, and the expansion required for condensa- tion then depends on the intensity of the ultra- violet light and on the time for which the gas has been exposed to the rays before expansion. New INFLUENCE ELeEcTRICAL MAcHINE.—An interesting new form of influence electrical machine was described recently before the Physical Society, by Mr. W.R. Pidgeon. As regards the rotating discs and earthing arrangements, it is similar to a Wimshurst machine. Each sector, however, is embedded in an insulator, and only the brass knob projects. The sectors receive their charge at a moment when they stand between charged inductors and when their capacity is ata maximum. Each sector carries forward a double charge as compared with that carried forward by a machine without inductors. BritisH ASSOCIATION MEETING AT DOvER.— The Bristol meeting of the British Association in September last was one of the most successful held for a considerable number of years. This year’s meeting at Dover, although perhaps the town and neighbourhood do not offer quite the same scientific attractions as Bristol, should prove quite as interesting. The meeting of the French Association is arranged to be held contemporane- ously at Boulogne, and the two bodies will exchange visits. A statue of the poet Campbell ‘will be inaugurated while the members of the British Association are at Boulogne, and Dr. Chas. Richet, Professor of Physiology in the University of Paris, has consented to deliver one of the evening discourses at Dover. SPECIFIC RESISTANCE OF STEELS.—An interesting paper, by H. Le Chatelier, dealing with the varia- tion in the specific resistances of specimens of steel, has appeared in ‘‘ Comptes Rendus.”’ His results show that the resistance increases with the amount of carbon; the average increase being seven mi- crohms for one per cent. of carbon by weight. The resistance also increases with both silicon and manganese. With the former about seven mi- crohms for one per cent. increase, and with the latter about five microhms. 285 THE ZEEMAN ErFect.—At the beginning of 1897, Dr. Zeeman reported his observations upon the effect produced upon a source of light when placed in a strong magnetic field. The spectral lines emitted by that source of light are modified according to the direction in which they are seen through the spectroscope. When the light is viewed with the slit of the spec- troscope across the lines of magnetic force, each spectral line is split up into a triplet. More- over, these three lines are plane polarized. When the light is viewed along the lines of force, the original spectral line becomes a doublet, and these are circularly polarized. REGARDING the Zeeman effect, Professor Fitz- gerald points out that the converse of this should exist. It is quite possible, he says, that if a circularly polarized beam of sunlight were passed through a strongly absorbing gas, it would magnetise it to an observable extent. Professor Fitzgerald is having the experiment tried, and some interesting results may be looked for. SPACE- TELEGRAPHY.—Sometimes a physicist is asked: What is the practical use of so much theorising upon the properties of the ether in space? But surely such a questioner has been answered during the last two years. Space - telegraphy has grown apace in this period, and especially during 1898. December last, saw three very important papers read before the Institution of Electrical Engineers by three of the foremost workers upon the subject: Professor Oliver J. Lodge, on ‘‘Improvements in Magnetic Space- Telegraphy’’; Mr. W. H. Preece, on ‘‘Etheric Telegraphy’’; and Mr. Evershed, on ‘‘ Telegraphy by Magnetic Induction.” Theoretical reasoning and experimental results were given in detail, the result being that a general system of space signal- ling looks decidedly hopeful. Considering, how- ever, the amount of work that has been done and is being carried on by Marconi, more reference might, perhaps, have been made to him in the those. papers than was done. Marconi’s system is capable of signalling a distance of twenty to twenty-five miles. Successful work has been done in England, Ireland and elsewhere, and it is reported that arrangements have been sanctioned by the various authorities for further trials between important stations. CoHERERS.—The interest taken in the so-called ‘Wireless Telegraphy ”’ has produced many forms of experimental coherers for receiving the wave impulses, and transforming them. A sensitive coherer is described by Arons in ‘‘ Wiedemann’s Annalen.” It is made by cutting a fine line across a thin strip of tinfoil stuck on glass, laying a little metallic powder over it, adding a drop of Canada balsam, and covering it with a cover-glass. On exposing such a coherer to the electric waves, full contact will generally at once be produced, especially when the particles are at all dense. THERE are, however, difficulties to be got over in the working of coherers. Not only are they affected by electrical impulses, but sound waves also affect their resistance. This influence depends upon the pitch of the sound. In some experiments upon this point a Branly coherer, consisting of copper filings, was placed in the focal line of a Hertzian mirror. Of some twenty organ-pipes sounded near, only one produced a deflection, but this deflection was not less than that due to electric waves. i MICROSCOPY}; ° mo) 9 3 se NoTE.—Mr. J. H. Cooke is obliged, on account of increasing professional work, and for other reasons, to discontinue conducting the department of Microscopy in SciENcE-Gossip. We lose his assistance with much regret; but are glad to inform our readers that he will continue to be an occasional contributor to our pages.—Ep. S.-G. DEPARTMENTAL EDITOR FOR MICROSCOPY WanTED.—The Editor of SciENcE-GossiP will be pleased to hear from any gentleman who is willing to take the post of Honorary Editor of the Microscopy Department in SclENcE-Gossip. The Editor will explain details on communication by letter to 110, Strand, London, W.C. One living in or near London would be preferred, though that is not a necessary qualification. FLOTATION OF FORAMINIFERA.—I am glad that my note on this subject has elicited a reply from so experienced a mounter as Mr. Earland (ante p- 237). At the same time, there are several points I should like to raise and questions I would ask him. I am not quite convinced, for example, that the flotation method, which he admits will only separate the lighter forams, is not somewhat on the same footing as the coal sectioning nos- trums which will only work with certain kinds of lignite. If I have laid rather great stress on the difficulties introduced by ‘‘ capillary attraction,” it is surely desirable that these difficulties should be taken into account instead of being ignored, » as is the case with most writers. I cannot claima very extended experience of the flotation method, as all but one of my attempts have ended in failures owing to this very cause. Some eighteen years ago I received from correspondents packets containing from a quarter of an ounce to one ounce of sands from Leghorn and sponge sands from Turkey and other localities, and though there were plenty of Foraminifera to be picked out by hand from them I found that when thrown into water the floating portion contained, apparently, quite as large a proportion of sand as that which sank. Some pound or so of sands collected at Margate, Woolacombe and other localities give the same results, and after wasting many hours at different times in endeavouring to obtain even a small pinch of flotsam containing sufficient Foraminifera to allow of spread slides being mounted, I gave up Fora- minifera as hopeless, and took to diatoms, as being easier to clean. Quite lately the use of the paper funnel, mentioned in my note, suggested itself to me, and I tried it on some Colwyn Bay sand. Seeing that the quantity at first used was not very large, the ‘‘small pinch” of nearly pure floated material can hardly be said to have been unsatisfactory, although a second attempt with rather more material yielded less Foramini- fera. My next attempt was on some of the Mediterranean sponge sand, and here I found SCIENCE-GOSSIP. flotation a complete failure. When introduced through the paper funnel, this sand would carry down a sausage-like cylinder of entrained air, and when the bubbles rose to the surface and burst, the fine sand would cling to the surface film with far more tenacity than the Foraminifera. It is thus evident that however successful flotation may be in experienced hands, working with certain classes of material, the scrappy directions given in books are calculated to mislead abeginner. The omission of any reference to this ‘‘capillarity ”’ difficulty is one of the chief causes of failure. I should be very grateful if Mr. Earland would kindly give us the benefit of his experience on the following points: (1) Whether he has succeeded in separating Foraminifera from this Mediterranean sponge sand by flotation, and, if so, what precautions are neces- sary? (2) Whether this can be done successfully with the small quantities that one commonly obtains in exchanging, so that the yield, however small, may be free from sand? (3) Whether in work- ing with larger quantities of material he experiences any difficulty owing to the Foraminifera being car- ried down and covered up by the descending sand- grains? If so, how can this loss be minimised by properly choosing the sizeand shape of the vessel in relation to the quantity of sand operated on ?—(Dr.) G. H. Bryan (F.R.S.), University College, Bangor. Human Pepicut1.—Mounted by the following method human body-lice form most interesting objects. Wash thoroughly with water, place under a cover-glass with water, and press out the blood which they generally contain. Clean again with water and a camel-hair brush. Lightly dry with blotting-paper, and mount at once in Farrant’s medium. The object thus prepared, viewed either as a transparent or an opaque object, shows the trached system most beautifully, even to the tiniest branch. Onno account should Canada balsam be used asa mountant. By making acquaintance with the officials at a workhouse, any amount of material can as a rule be obtained.—Fredevick Noad Clark, Paddington Infirmary, Harrow Road, London, W. A Goop CEMENT VaRNISH.—A thoroughly satis- factory cement varnish may be manufactured as follows with great ease. Two solutions are first made, viz., a small quantity of Canada balsam and an equally small quantity of storax balsam are dissolved together in a little benzene, and again some shellac is dissolved in alcohol. It may be observed that shellac is almost insoluble in ben- zene, while neither of the balsams mentioned are quite soluble in rectified alcohol. However, on mixing about one volume of the balsam solution with about three volumes of the shellac solution, the shellac is precipitated in a very fine state of division. On using the mixture, it is shaken up and applied with a.small brush to. the edges of a balsam or dammar-mounted preparation. At first it seems muddy, but in a few minutes it dries on the edge of the thin cover and becomes quite clear. This varnish never gets too hard or tacky, and, as far as I am aware, does not crack and is extremely durable. Two or three coats applied is sufficient to cement the thin cover firmly on to the slide, and the whole may be finished with zinc white cement and decorated with black or blue rings, etc. I would earnestly entreat all microscopists to banish gold size and asphalt varnish from their cabinets. Some French and German microscopical works barely mention these two articles, and they add that ‘‘they are much employed in England.”— (Dr.) P. Q. Keegan, Patterdale, Westmorland, SCIENCE-GOSSIP. RoyaL METEOROLOGICAL Society. — At the meeting of this Society, held on December 21st at the Institution of Civil Engineers, Westminster, Mr. F. C. Bayard, LL.M., President, in the chair, Capt. A. Carpenter, R.N., D.S.O., F. R. Met. Soc., gave an account of the hurricane which caused so much devastation in the West Indies in September last. The cyclone passing eighteen miles south of Barbados swept over the southern half of St. Vincent Island then took a north-west direction towards Aves Island, its rate of progression being about 74 miles per hour. From here it pursued a northerly course for 450 miles, passing between Puerto Rico and the Windward Islands. It then swerved to the north-west for 600 miles, when it re-curved to the north-east. Its diameter was eighty miles as it approached Barbados, and 170 miles after leaving St. Vincent. The actual storm- centre (in which the force of the wind greatly increased) was only thirty-five miles in diameter, until St. Vincent was passed, but after that the strength of the wind extended to 170 miles from its centre. The diameter of the calm vortex or ‘‘eye”’ of the storm was not less than four miles. The storm was accompanied by very heavy rainfall, the amount at St. Vincent being about fourteen inches in the twenty-four hours ending at 9 a.m. on the 12th. The barometer at the Botanic Gardens, Kingstown, on the 11th, fell from 29°539 inches at Io a.m, to 28°509 inches at 11°40 a.m, a fall of 1:03 inches in 1 hour 40 minutes. In Barbados 11,400 houses were swept away or blown down and 115 lives were lost; and in St. Vincent, 6,000 houses were blown down or damaged beyond repair and 200 lives lost. Mr. W.H. Dines, B.A., F.R. Met. Soc., read a paper on the connection between the winter temperature and the height of the barometer in North-Western Europe. From an examination of the records of the barometer and temperature at several observatories, extending over many years, the author is of opinion that the winter temperature at a place in Western Europe has no connection with the height of the barometer at that place, and that in winter it is just as likely to be cold when the barometer is below the average as when it is above the average. The annual meeting was held on January 18th, at the Institution of Civil Engineers, Westminster, Mr. F. C. Bayard, LL.M., President, in the chair, who was re- elected President for the ensuing year. The council, in their report, stated that owing to the premises now occupied by the Society, at 22, Great George Street, being required by the Government, they had been obliged to take a suite of rooms at 70, Victoria Street, Westminster. Mr. Bayard, in his Presidential Address, gave an account of the Government meteorological organizations in various parts of the world, and enumerated the number of observing stations associated with each organization. In most countries forecasts of the weather are issued, and Mr. Bayard gave some interesting particulars as to the success attained by each office. The amount of money voted by the various Governments for the support of 287 Meteorology showed what a very small portion of the revenue of the different countries goes towards the promotion of this science. In the British Isles it is two shillings and sixpence per square mile, but only about one-third of a farthing per head of the population. The address was illus- trated by a large number of lantern slides showing views of the various observatories, and portraits of the directors. SoutH Lonpon NaturaL History SocretTy.— January 12th, 1899. The President in the chair. Mr. West, of Greenwich, presented to the Society specimens of 125 species of Hemiptera-Heter- optera to form a nucleus for a reference collec- tion. Mr. Carpenter exhibited specimens of Apaturva ivis, bred from New Forest larvae, with notes on their hibernation. Heand other members complained bitterly of the damage which was being done by some of the local dealers, who used ropes and sails, and beat the bushes with stout cudgels, effectually smashing and destroying the sallows. Mr. Tutt brought further specimens of the genus Zygaena, received from M. Oberthur, of Rheims, and read some notes on them. Mr. Lucas, specimens of recent uninvited visitors to Kew Gardens, Periplaneta americana, P. australasiae, and Panchlova madevae from the Belgian Congo Anisolabis annulipes (2?) from Penang, and Phillo- dvomia sp. from Zomba, British Central Africa. Mr. Moore, male and female larvae, larval cases, pupae, and female imagines of the large psychid moth, Oeketicus kivbit, received from Antigua, West Indies, and contributed notes. Mr. Malcolm Burr, a wonderfully clever imitation of a grasshopper in porcelain from China, and a case containing a species from each group in the various sections of the Orthoptera to aid in illustrating Mr. Stanley Edwards’ paper, together with various species showing protective resemblance. Mr. Edwards brought a large number of specimens of Orthoptera, chiefly from Borneo, the Mantidae and Phasmidae being very well represented. Among the Locustidae he showed were a number of the curious Phasmid- like Proscopias, from South America. Mr. Edwards then read a paper on the Orthoptera, devoting his remarks chiefly to the Phasmids and Mantids. A discussion ensued, and among others Messrs. Burr and Tutt gave interesting accounts of their observations of the habits of the European repre- sentatives of these two families.—Henry J. Turner, Hon. Report. Secretary. LEICESTER LITERARY & PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. —The usual meeting of Section D, or Botany, was held on December 22nd, 1898. Among the exhibits were: section of the stem of elm showing rings of growth, and of Eucalyptus and Rubus chamaemorus. Mr. John Harrison, junr. read an interesting paper on ‘‘ Grasses.” In the course of his remarks Mr. Harrison reminded those present that animal existence in the world mainly depended upon plants belonging to the Graminaceae, as they com- prised the important food plants, maize, wheat, barley, oats, rice, rye and grass. Nature adapts them to their place of growth: in dry places they are furnished with particular formations for sus: tenance, many in fact having become arbores- cents; in cold regions they are provided with thick fAbrous roots. Stolons are characteristic of those growing on the sea-shore ; broad leaves of those in sunny places; while the leaves are tough and curved of those whose home is among the rocks.— (Miss) J. W. Read, Hon. Sec. 288 NOTICES CF SOCIETIES. Ordinary meetings ave marked +, excursions * ; names of persons following excursions are of Conductors, City oF LonpoN ENTOMOLOGICAL AND NATURAL HIsTory SOCIETY. Feb. 7.—iPaper on ‘‘ The Mollusca.” F. B. Jennings. » 21.—+Notes on ‘‘ Spilosoma lubricipeda.”” A. W. Mera. H. A, Sauzé, Hon. Sec. NortTH Lonnon Natura History Society. Feb. 2.—7‘‘ Notes on the Nesting Habits of Birds.” Pike. ,, 16.—t' Some Noteson the Relation of Insects to Man, and their Influence on Plants.” A. Bacot. » 25.-—*Visit to the Natural History Museum, South Kensington. Botanical and Geological Sections. J. W. Gregory, D.Sc. 2.—}t‘Extracts from Letters from the Transvaal.” Miss A. H. Bacot. : 16.—}Short Papers on work in 1808. » .25.—*Visit to the Royal Botanical Gardens. Comrie. >, 30.—}+Debate: ‘‘ Which Science is the better adapted for the elucidation of Biological Problems — Botany or Entomology?” Opened in favour of Botany by M. Culpin; of Entomology by L. B. Prout, F.E.S. April 20.—+‘‘ My trip to the Cariboos” (with lantern illustra- tions). W.S. Sebright Green, F.R.C.I. O5G, Tess May 4.—+‘Comets and Meteors.’ C. Nicholson, F.E.S. » 18—+'*Notes on a Tour in the Swiss Alps.’ C. B. Smith. > 19 to 22.—*Excursion to the New Forest. C. Nichol- son,.F.E.S. 22.—*Alternative whole-day Excursion to Cuxton. L, By Prout, FBS. 27.—*Half-day in Epping Forest. The President. CLAPHAM JUNCTION Y.M.C.A. NATURAL SCIENCE CIRCLE. Feb. 8.—+Geologicai Lecture. Prof. J, Logan Lobley, F.G.S. 5, 22.—+'‘ Interesting Features of Plant Life.’ Lime-light views. W. H. Griffin. Mar. 8.—tLecture on ‘Chemistry,’ with experiments. W. G. Whiffen, F.1.C., F.S.C.1. 22.—}* South Africa.’ Lime-light Milligan, F.R.A.S. April 5.—+‘The position of Insects in regard to Man and their influences on Plants.” A. Bacot. Hon. Sec., F. W. Cannon, 1, Gly cena Road, S.W. SELBORNE SOCIETY—CROYDON AND Norwoop BraANcH. Mar. 23.—+{‘‘ Birds and Bird Protection.” E. A. Martin, views. Duncan ” F.G.S. Croydon Liberal Association Rooms, 8.30 p.m. STREATHAM GEOLOGICAL AND NATURAL History SOCIETY. : Feb. 4.—{‘‘ The Inhabitants of a Pond.” H. K. Hunter. 3) Sto: tw On ithe excursion! to: Herne: Bay.” » ‘J. 36, STRAND, W.C. (Five Doors from Charing Cross). TRILOBITES ~ _- PHYSIOGRAPHY and GEOLOGY. A cyccorcbevnineis ce COLLECTIONS & MICROSCOPIC SLIDES Phacops caudatus, ts. 6d. to 15s. | Phacops Downingie, 1s. 6d. to 5s. Acidaspis porenate, ee 4s. | Encrinurus variolaris, 1s. 6d. to -As advised by Science and Art Directory, arranged by Calymene Blumenbachii, 5s. to 38..6d. : : ' 12s. 6d. one mal Homolonotus, 38. 6d. to 7s. JAMES ; R. GREGORY & CO., Mineralogists, &C., A few Upper Silurian Crinoids, Corals and Brachiopods. | To Science and Art Department, British, Indian and Colonial Museums, &c. ILLUSTRATE 0 : Pabebcriens RORIEESS ae HG See CHEE NOVELTIES and RARE GEMS and PRECIOUS STONES. bee : Catalogues Post Free. Mineral Specimens for Museums and Collectors, and all purposes. THO MAS D. RU SSELL, Mineralogist Rock Specimens Cea aie ae of Rocks and -78, NEWGATE STREET, LONDON, E.C. New and Valuable Mineral Specimens constantly arriving. —$—$<<— ——— | Stoves and Offices : 1, Kelso Place, KENSINGTON, W. MARINE BIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION OF THE New Cararocues AND Lists FREE. UNITED KINGDOM. 5 ‘ «* THE LABORATORY, PLYMOUTH. a CEC POStSt =: The following Animals can always be supplied, either living or TYPICAL COLLECTIONS FROM FAMED BARTON SERIES preserved by the best methods :— _ Syson; Clava, Obs Sertularla; ene, Lens. Caryophyllia, : (MIDDLE EOCENE) Alsyonium; Hormiphora (preserved); eptoplana; Lineus mppiien j A 2 Sen ‘Amphiporus; Nereis Aphrodite, Avenicolapelaniee! Terebella; _ 30 Varieties, over 100 Seceunens Wy each Sevies, boxed, named and Lepas, Balanus, Gammarus, Ligia, Mysis, Nebalia, Carcinus; Patella, Buccinum, mlbdone Baers penis cule: Pedicellina ; Socolordenias y t ee ; i 1 ; fr a 5 A O Holothuria, Asterias anus) scidia, Salpa (preserved), Series No. 2, Barton Rarer. Subscribers’ names received. Series No, 1, Barton Mollusca, by parcels post, on receipt of Soyllium, Raia, etc., etc. : mes Series No. 3, Barton Rarest. Payment on delivery. Orders For Prices and more detailed Lists apply to Including Mollusca, from the for Series 2 and 3 executed in THE DIRECTOR. Biological Laboratory. PLYMOUTH. Oligocene, Hordwell, Hants. rotation at 3s. each. R. CHARLES, Naturalist, Highcliffe on-Sea, Christchurch, Hants. BiRK BE CK BAN K N.B.—These Collections have been highly appreciated in SOUTHAMPTON BUILDINGS, CHANCERY LANE, W.C “ Great Britain and France. Se aNd sna a Ge et ee on DEPOSITS repayable on demand. per , on NT ACCOUNTS. on : ¢he minimum monthly »halances, when not drawn below 0, STOCKS and SHARES purchased and sold: - La zt6 z M I C R OS C O Pl CAL. e SAVINGS DEPARTMENT. ~ ieahic 1 j j i ibi- For the encouragement of Thrift the Bank receives smali sums on deposit W ell mounted obj ects, especially suitabl e for exhibi and allows Interest monthly on each completed £1. bition, for sale (from 6d.), or exchange for good BIRKBECK BUILDING SOCIETY. unmounted material in fair quantities; send for lists. HOW TO PURCHASE A HOUSE FOR TWO GUINFAS PBB MONTH = BIRKBECK FREEHOLD LAND_ SOCIETY OBJECTS SENT ON APPROVAL. HOW TO PURCHASE A PLOT OF LAND FOR 53. PER MONTH: 2 eee Sn Sie ag sJhe BIRKAPCK ALMANACK, with full particulars, post free. — a F RA NK P. 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The work being done by the ‘Machine automatically, a novice can at once obtain per- fect copies. 2.— Great uniformity of copies. The pressure being constant and regular, the copies are all alike. 3.—The process of re-ink- ing is made much easier and of COMPLETE EDITOR of “We - can well Secretarvtes oO for preparing man other documents.” I i Octavo size, £3 10s. ; Extras for Reproducing Typewriting: Octavo size, 10s. 6d.; Quarto size, 14s. 6d.; Foolscap’size, 12s. 6d.” Fitted with Unmeltable Rollers for Hot Climates, £1 1s. extra, any size up to Foolscap. (May, °98, No.) vecommend this Machine to fold copies of notices ~ or Quarto size, £4 45s. ; * SCIENCE-GOSSIP’’ says: cleaner. | for 100 to 200 copies, but 2,000 Scientific Societies and others | | entirely dispensed wit CYCLOSTYLE. One inking suffices copies may be taken from one stencil. 4.—Equally adapted for re- producing written or type- written matter. 5.—Great speed in taking copies. 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