HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



15 



Cells elliptic or elongated-ovate, 15-24 /u long, 

 5-8 IX. thick, brown, opaque, with 2-4 colourless 

 drops, isolated or from two to live together. Spore 

 formation unknown. 



In the oesophagus and intestines of mammals, birds, 

 and reptiles. 



[81. S. coprogenus, Saccardo et Speggazini, " Fungi 

 Italici," fig. 911. 



Effused, superficial, rather compact, dirty rose 

 colour ; conidia ovoid and then globose, 12-14 fj. 

 long, lo-ii in broad, forming very short chains or 

 solitary, often provided with a tail-like appendage 

 (? from germination), clouded within, when in 

 clusters pale rose-coloured, hyaline (" Michelia,"' ii. 

 p. 287). 



On fermenting human ordure, where it forms a 

 somewhat waxy layer, almost like a Corticinm. This 

 also is considered by Saccardo to be a Hyphomycete. 

 -Tr.] 



W. B. Grove, B.A. 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP, 



The venerable Swedish palaeontologist and anti- 

 quary, Professor Nilsson, has just died, aged ninety- 

 six years. He is best known in this country, perhaps, 

 by the translation of his work on " The Primitive 

 Inhabitants of Scandinavia," published in 1868, and 

 edited by Sir John Lubbock, 



Dr. Andrew Wilson has been dehvering four 

 popular lectures on anatomy and physiology in 

 Princes' Hall, Piccadilly. 



A VERY interesting example (illustrated) of the 

 mutual spiral growth of two carrots is given in the 

 Gardener's Chronicle for December 8th. 



Prof. Arch. Geikie is contributing a series of 

 papers to Nature on " The Origin of Coral Reefs." 



An International Exhibition of Health and Educa- 

 tion is intended to be held in 18S4, in the buildings 

 recently occupied by the Fisheries Exhibition. 



The works in connection with the new Bridge 

 across the Forth are lighted at night by electricity, 

 numerous arc as well as incandescent lights being 

 employed, so that the operations can go on by night 

 as well as by day. 



M. de Lesseps recently made a communication 

 before the Paris Academy of Sciences on the propaga- 

 tion across the Indian and Atlantic Oceans of the 

 great earthquake wave caused by the recent disturb- 

 ances in Java. The engineers engaged on the 

 Panama Inter-oceanic Canal at Colon made some 

 observations upon it, from which it appears that the 

 wave made its way in about thirty hours from Java, 



round the Cape of Good Hope to the east coast of 

 Central America. 



A REMARKABLE whirlwind occurred on the 17th 

 of November, in Somersetshire, about mid-day. 

 In the village of Brympton, three miles from Yeovil ; 

 trees were uprooted by it, and in a neighbouring 

 village it unroofed several houses. It necessarily 

 occurred over only a limited area, but its track was 

 plainly marked by uprooted trees, unroofed houses 

 and devastated hay-ricks. 



The Geological Magazine for December last 

 contains a capitally written memoir of the eminent 

 geologist, Joachim Barrande, recently deceased, and 

 is accompanied by an excellent portrait. 



The Practical Naturalist is now incorporated 

 with "The Naturalists' World," under which title 

 this excellent monthly will henceforth appear. 



We have received the second number of our new 

 contemporary ["The Science Monthly" (David 

 Bogue). It is well turned out, and contains some 

 excellent 'articles on a variety of scientific subjects. 

 The portrait of Sir John Lubbock is even better than 

 that of Sir George Biddell Airy which appeared in 

 the first number. 



The Liverpool Geological Association 

 have just issued their annual Report for 18S3. It 

 contains the Rules, list of members, &c., and outline 

 of papers read and excursions made during the past 

 year. 



The latest official report of the Imperial German 

 Post-office states that at the end of October the 

 telephone was fully in operation in thirty-six cities 

 and towns. 



A meeting was held in the Royal Society rooms 

 on the 7th December, Professor Huxley in the chair, 

 when it was resolved that a memorial to the late 

 William Spottiswoode, President of the Royal Society, 

 &c., should be formed, and that it should take the form 

 of an endowment for a pension in perpetuity to 

 be called the ' ' William Spottiswoode Memorial 

 Pension, " the proceeds to be devoted to an incapaci- 

 tated printer or widow. 



Mr. William Wesley's "Natural History and 

 Scientific Book Circular," is now in the thirteenth 

 year of publication, and No. 58 has just appeared. 

 We commend it to all scientific book buyers. 



The Scientific Expedition sanctioned by the Geo- 

 graphical Society, for the purpose of exploring New 

 Guinea, under the command of Mr. Wilfred Powell, 

 will shortly leave England. 



At a recent meeting of the British Archaeological 

 Association, Mr. Worthington Smith, F.L.S., pro- 

 duced a fine Palaeolithic Flint implement which had 

 been found in Clerkenwell. 



