HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



41 



We have received a copy of the Annual Report 

 (with list of members, &c.) of the Manchester Micro- 

 scopical Society, ^vhich shows that its affairs are in 

 every way prospering. 



The Report of the Lambeth Field Chib and 

 Scientific Society contains the President's Address, 

 and the Conchologist's Report of the land and fresh- 

 water shells of the London district. 



The Gardener's Chronicle of January 12th, 

 figures and describes a very remarkable "sport ' iu a 

 specimen of the cristatum of the Hart's-tongue fern ; 

 the upper surface of the frond is thickly studded with 

 young plants, produced in linear groups along the 

 lines the sori would follow on the lower surface. 



Mr. Gladstone in his speech to the Hawarden 

 farmers the other day, urged the advantages of fruit 

 culture — a subject he first took up two years ago. He 

 showed how sadly we have fallen off from our ancient 

 agricultural customs. It should be remembered, 

 however, that it would not be sufficient merely to 

 plant orchards all over the country, unless we also 

 extended apiculture as well. The flowers of our 

 orchards are hardly half fertilised as it is, owing to 

 the comparative scarcity of bees. In ancient times, 

 when sugar was scarce and dear, people were forced 

 to keep bees for the sake of their Jioney, and then 

 apples, pears, and plums were abundant. 



MICROSCOPY. 



Glass Cells. — Many years ago I described in this 

 journal my method of making glass cells, by which 

 plan I could perforate not only thin glass of various 

 thicknesses, but also glass slips ^.^ inch thick, the 

 perforations in thin glass varying from \ to f, and 

 those in the slips from \ to \ in diameter. The 

 apparatus required are, as many brass plates 3x1 

 and ('^ inch thick as perforations, and a small steel 

 pointed hammer. I have i dozen plates, 3 with 

 \ in. aperture, 3 with \ in., 3 with | in., i f in., i oval, 

 ■ and r square ; if the \ inch is wanted, I heat the 3 

 plates with that aperture ; when hot enough to melt 

 shellac, I select a thick piece and smear the margins 

 of the holes with it, and place the covers upon them, 

 and press them down on the brass ; when cold the 

 centres can be knocked out, reheat the plates, push 

 off the glass rings into methylated spirit, apply fresh 

 lac, and proceetl as before ; there is no difficulty in 

 making 40 cells in an hour. To perforate thick glass 

 slips, I place the slip on the turn-table and make a 

 ring the size required with a cutting diamond. I now 

 smear the central square inch of the brass plate with 

 the lac, the slip (which should be previously heated) 

 must be placed at right angles to the brass plate with 

 the ring directly over the hole, a few scratches made 

 with the diamond within the ring facilitates the 



removal of tlie centre, which should be knocked out 

 with the little hammer. These perforated slips are 

 very useful for objects which require examination of 

 both surfaces. In the last part of the " Quekett " 

 Journal i\Ir. Whitwell directs gum arable to be used 

 for cementing the covers previous to perforating them, 

 and in the Januaiy part of Science-Gossip Dr. A. 

 Stokes proposes Canada balsam. I think they will 

 find shellac preferable for that purpose. — F. Kitton. 



Drawing with the Microscope. — Mr. Holmes' 

 suggestion of placing the slide with the cover down- 

 wards must have been made on the spur of the 

 moment, or he would have remembered that the 

 upper and under surfaces of an oljject are not as a 

 rule alike ; a further objection is that all powers 

 exceeding ^^ could not work through an ordinary 

 slide. Having used the Wollaston camera constantly 

 for many years, I give it the preference over all others 

 I have tried, the neutral tint-reflector included. The 

 reversal of the image, and a certain haziness of out- 

 line, renders the latter objectionable, and at best it is 

 a cheap substitute for the more costly camera lucida. 

 In the December number of the J. R. M. S. a new 

 form of camera is described by the inventor, Dr. 

 Hugh Schroeder, which appears to possess many 

 advantages over any of the cameras I have had the 

 opportunity of trying, of which the non-limitation of 

 the field and the object being seen reflected on the 

 paper without bisecting the lens of the eye, as in the 

 Wollaston camera, are not the least. The inventor 

 speaks highly of its performance ; judging from the 

 accuracy required in its construction, I fear it is 

 somewhat costly. — F. K, 



Query. — Is Tiiigis crassicliarl the same as T. 

 crassicoriiis '■ My specimen appears to be identical 

 with the coloured drawing of Mr. Hudson, and is so 

 named. — F. K. 



Messrs. Coles' Serial " Studies." — Nos. 9 and 

 10 of the well-known " Studies in Microscopical 

 Science," deal, the first with " Cartilage" (illustrated 

 by a beautiful coloured plate of the transverse section 

 of hyaline cartilage from the human trachea X250), 

 whilst the latter has an introductory chapter to 

 the " Morphology of Tissues." The slides sent out 

 with these parts fully maintain their high character. 

 No. 10 being illustrated by a stained section of the 

 pileus of Agaricus campcstris. No. 4 of the ' ' Popular 

 Microscopical Studies," also edited by Mr. A. C. 

 Cole, F.R.M.S., deals with the Ovary of the Poppy, 

 illustrated by a coloured plate of a transverse section 

 of the unfertilised ovary of Papavcr rJuvas X 50. 

 The slide which accompanied this part is one of the 

 best Mr. Cole has distributed. 



" Petrographical Studies." — We have received 

 No. I of Messrs. Ady & Hensoldt's new publication 

 bearing the above title. It deals with the specimen 

 of Calciferous Serpentine sent out as a slide, to which 



