HARDWICKE'S S CIENCE -G OSSIP. 



41 



Cabinets.— After a good deal of experience in 

 various long journeys and voyages to and from 

 India, I may be allowed to state the result upon 

 slides of the two forms of cabinets in general use. 

 I have found the old-fashioned rack cabinets much 

 the more secure ; in one that I have, my slides 

 travel almost, if not entirely, uninjured, and that 

 without any trouble ; while those which I have in 

 a much more expensive and admirably-made cabinet, 

 in which the slides lie flat, much more convenient 

 as it is for stationary use, no care in packing 

 effectually prevents their sliding confusedly the one 

 over the other, and in every journey I find some 

 slides perish. — /. G. Halliday. 



The Micrographic Dictionary.— We have re- 

 ceived the concluding parts of this important work, 

 and are pleased to announce to our readers the 

 completion of this, the third and best edition. This 

 is a book that no microscopist can afford to be 

 without, and we regard it as a credit to English 

 microscopy that a third edition should have been 

 called for. The publisher is Van Voorst, 1, Pater- 

 noster-row. 



ZOOLOGY. 



British Birds. — Mr. Edward Bidwell has just 

 compiled a capital list of birds met with in Great 

 Britain. It is the most complete of any we have 

 seen, great pains having been taken to verify every 

 rare species. Those which may be called "Acci- 

 dental Visitors," that is to say, such recorded 

 species as usually live outside the region of which 

 the British islands form only a part, are denoted in 

 the list by an asterisk. 



Natural History, &c, Society at Wat- 

 ford. — It is always with great pleasure we record 

 the foundation of any fresh centre for the united 

 study of Natural History, and therefore we are 

 glad to learn that it is intended to form a society, 

 having for its object the investigation of the 

 Meteorology, Geology, Botany, and Zoology (in- 

 cluding Entomology, Ornithology, &c.) of the 

 neighbourhood of Watford, and the dissemination 

 amongst its members of information on Natural 

 History and Microscopical science. The evening 

 meetings of the society are to be held in the rooms 

 of the Watford Public Library, and during the 

 summer months field meetings will also be held. 

 It is proposed that the annual subscription be ten 

 shillings, without entrance-fee. The names of 

 ladies and gentlemen willing to join the societv will 

 be received by Dr. Brett, Watford House ; by Mr. 

 Arthur Cottam, St. John's-road, Watford ; and by 

 Mr. John Hopkinson, jun., Holly Bank, Watford. 

 It was hoped that a sufficient number of names will 

 be shortly received to warrant a meeting being 

 called to found the society at once. 



Bake Birds. — Late in December, during the 

 extremely cold weather, a pair of those very rare 

 birds, the Little Bustard {Otis tetrax), were 

 shot at Walton, in Suffolk. Both the birds were 

 females. 



Bearing B. Pernyi. — I can recommend this 

 species to those experimenting in silk-yielding 

 larva, as an interesting and easy one to rear, though 

 I find the larva? do not thrive well on any tree 

 except the oak. They do best in a moderately dry 

 place, with plenty of air, and not too much direct 

 sunshine. Some of mine, however, this season 

 got " wet to the skin " when about a fortnight old, 

 and recovered therefrom. It is not well to keep 

 them in too close quarters, as " unpleasantness " 

 sometimes arises between near relatives if the 

 weather is warm. Properly, I believe the moths 

 should not emerge from the cocoons until May ; 

 but the mild weather of late autumn will occasion- 

 ally bring them out the same season. I have a 

 female that has put in an appearance just now, 

 though, as this is several days ago, and none others 

 have followed, she may be doomed to die in " single 

 blessedness," for I can hardly suppose she will live 

 through the winter.—/. R. S. C. 



Prevention of Hydrophobia. — As this disease, 

 or at least alarm in respect to it, is on the increase 

 at present, any suggestions with reference to it may 

 be of value. On the supposition that the virus, or 

 poisonous quality of the saliva, is of an acid nature, 

 might not the application of an alkali easily diffu- 

 sible, such as ammonia, be likely to be of service ? 

 Becent observations as to the value of camphor 

 as a prophylactic, suggest that a spirituous solution 

 of that drug applied to the wound might kill the 

 germs of the disease. There appears a strong pro- 

 bability that mental influences have something to do 

 in developing or nursing the disease, or in setting up 

 a pseudo-malady, which is as fatal. Hence the too 

 frequent discussion of the subject by the press is to 

 be deprecated. 



BOTANY. 



Centatjrea Calcitrapa.— It appears to me that 

 the specimen alluded to in Science-Gossip of the 

 1st of December by your correspondent from 

 Brompton, and named as above by him, is more 

 likely to be Centawea solstiiialis, a plant hardly 

 to be considered indigenous, having been introduced 

 with lucern. I am not aware of there being any 

 yellow variety of C. calcitrapa. But Dr. Hooker 

 mentions C. solstiiialis as having yellow flowers, 

 with the marked distinguishing feature in its specific 

 character of having pappus soft, white, and copious; 

 whereas C. calcitrapa is devoid of seed-down.— 

 /. H. Knox, Belfast. 



