56 



HARDWICKE' S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



Whence, What, I^F^^r^? by James R. Nichols, M.D. 

 (Boston : A. Williams & Co. ; London : Triibner & 

 Co.). This is the fourth edition of a very thoughtful 

 and suggestive book, written by the Editor of " The 

 Popular Science News" (formerly known as "The 

 Boston Journal of Chemistry "). It covers (as its 

 title indicates) a good deal of ground of a theological 

 character. Many of the subjects have been discussed 

 times out of mind, but Dr. Nichols brings to their 

 consideration singularly original methods of con- 

 templation, and his familiarity with the latest views 

 of science enables him to discuss abstract questions 

 with fulness and breadth. 



A Handbook to the Penicry and Aquarium, by 

 J. H. Martin and James Weston (London : T. Fisher 

 Unwin). A cheap, handy, well-written, and very 

 useful little book, which would have been better if it 

 had been fuller and more extensive. 



The Organs of Speech, by George Hermann von 

 Meyer (London : Kegan Paul, Trench & Co.). 

 This is the latest issued volume of the celebrated 

 " International Scientific Series." The author is 

 one of the most distinguished and widely-known of 

 continental scientists, and is Professor of Anatomy at 

 the University of Zurich. The present work is 

 something more than an ordinary anatomical hand- 

 book of the subjects. It specially deals with the 

 organs of speech with a view to assisting the philo- 

 logist in obtaining a knowledge of the laws which 

 govern the transformation of the elements of speech 

 in the formation of dialects and derivative language?. 

 The author gives a most important chapter on all 

 possible articulate sounds, and constructs a system 

 upon them, which cannot fail to influence future 

 writers who take up the subject of comparative 

 philology. All who are interested in vocal sounds, 

 whether of music or speech, have here a clearly 

 written and lucid, as well as a thoroughly exhaustive 

 manual. 



Chemical Analysis for Schools and Science Classes, 

 by A. H. Scott- White, B.Sc, &c., (London : Thomas 

 Laurie). Chemical students are perhaps better sup- 

 plied with cheap manuals and handbooks than any 

 other class. But we have not seen any which comes 

 up to the present little volume, either in method of 

 treatment or usefulness. Mr. Scott-White has 

 started a new line of departure from the old and 

 hackneyed methods of teaching chemistry. Having 

 had considerable laboratory practice and demon- 

 strative work, he knows exactly what practical 

 students require. By the aid of this book any 

 beginner can work out by himself all the fundamental 

 prinqiples of modern chemistry ; and even advanced 

 students will find its succinct and tabulated arrange- 

 ment of reactions of the various groups, examinations, 

 tables, of the highest value as working references. 



Bee- Keeping, by Alfred Rusbridge (London : 

 E. W. Allen). This is a cheap and useful manual, 

 very practical in all its directions respecting every 



department of bee-keeping, and well illustrated. 

 We are always glad to welcome any book which 

 helps on or encourages apiculture. 



Alanual of Taxidermy, by C. J. Maynard (London : 

 Triibner & Co. ; Boston : L. E. Cassino & Co.). 

 Works on animal preserving have not been uncommon 

 of late years, but this little work is the most thorough 

 and practical of any we have yet seen. The chapters 

 are devoted to collecting, skinning birds, making 

 skins, mounting birds, making stands, collecting 

 mammals, making skins of mammals, mounting 

 mammals, mounting reptiles, batrachians, fishes, &c. 

 The illustrations are very useful and effective. 



HOPLOPHORA FERRUGINEA. 



MR. C. F. GEORGE, who, in 1877, first drew 

 attention in your Journal to the occurrence 

 in England of the above singular mite, and probably 

 others of your readers, will be interested to learn that I 



Fig. 34. — Side view of Hoplophorafcrruginea. 



have come across it under somewhat singular circum- 

 stances. A considerable amount of excitement and 

 alarm has been occasioned by the finding of the vine- 

 pest {Phylloxera vastatrix) at no great distance from 

 our locality. Many gardeners in our more immediate 

 neighbourhood, who had been completely baffled 

 with their vines, at once concluded that here was 

 a solution of their difficulties. Quite a number of 

 them dug up their vine roots, and submitted them 

 to me for examination, with the result of the 

 phylloxera being found on some roots jn great num- 

 bers. One of these gardeners, whose vines had un- 

 doubtedly been attacked by this insect, on a sub- 

 sequent occasion, brought more root, on which I was 

 not able to discover any ; but from a root which he 



