HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



67 



by adding a few drops of gallic acid (one per cent, 

 solution) to the alcohol containing the specimens. 

 The nuclei are stained dark, the protoplasm light 

 brown, in twenty-four hours. 



Preserving in Glycerine. — I put some fresh- 

 water entomostraca in glycerine to preserve them. 

 Within five hours I found that the glycerine had 

 apparently shrivelled them. Is this on account of 

 the glycerine being impure, as I was under the 

 impression that glycerine was an excellent preserva- 

 tive without altering the form of the specimen to be 

 preserved. — G. F. B, 



Knock's Entomological Slides. — Some time 

 ago we called attention to the head of a spider, 

 showing the opal-like eyes prepared by Mr. Enock. 

 It is with much pleasure we note a specimen of the 

 wood ant {Formica riifa), prepared expressly to show 

 the internal structure and arrangements of the muscles. 

 When examined with proper illumination (with blue 

 selenite) the effect is extremely beautiful, every 

 muscle being distinctly seen. A word of praise is 

 further due to Mr. Enock for the manner in which 

 the labels scientifically describe the object. 



" Petrographical Studies." — We have received 

 two exquisitely prepared slides illustrative of this 

 series, now being issued by Messrs. Ady & Hensoldt. 

 One is a section of Nephelinite, from the 

 Odenwald, perhaps the most remarkable of all 

 volcanic rocks, for its beautiful appearance under the 

 polariscope. The other is a section of Amazon stone 

 (a green felspar) from America. Both slides are 

 accompanied with terse, but accurately written, 

 descriptions. A new and valuable feature in this 

 work is the series of hand-tinted plates illustrating 

 the essays, which enable a student easily to verify 

 the various mineral constituents in each specimen. 



Zoological Slides. — Mr. E. Ward, F.R.M.S., 

 of Manchester, hae just issued two very neatly mounted 

 and highly interesting slides, one of the hydroid 

 zoophyte, Halecium halecinum ; and the other of a 

 polyzoan, Bugitla phmiosa. Both are mounted with 

 their tentacles expanded so naturally (the hydrozoan 

 especially), that we feel there must have been an 

 understood arrangement between the mounter and his 

 objects ! 



Cole's " Studies." — The high activity displayed 

 by Mr. A. C. Cole, in issuing his weekly micro- 

 scopical serials, accompanied with beautiful slides 

 illustrating each, is certainly remarkable. Part v. of 

 "The Methods of Microscopical Research," deals 

 with section cutting, and descriptions of microtom.es. 

 No. V. of " Popular Microscopical Studies," gives a 

 technically written, but a very clear description of " A 

 Grain of Wheat." The coloured plate (by E. T. D.) 

 accompanying this part is a marvel of microscopical 

 drawing j and the stained section of the slide will 



teach a young botanist more in half an hour than book- 

 study would in a day. Nos. 11 and 12 of the older 

 "Studies in Microscopical Science" deal with 

 "Areolar Tissue," and "Morphology of Tissues," 

 with illustrations of the types of simple tissues, and a 

 beautiful coloured plate (to illustrate the slide sent 

 out) of the prothallus of fern X 250. The essays in 

 Animal Histology in the " Studies" are now written 

 by Dr. Fearnley, and those on Botanical Histology by 

 Mr, David Houston, F.L.S. 



ZOOLOGY. 



Mollusca near Margate. — I can add the follow- 

 ing land and freshwater species to my brother's list in 

 the September number of Science-Gossip (p. 208). 

 Fisidium fontinale ; Ebbsileet. Neritina fliiviatilis; 

 dead shells washed up at Margate. Physa fontinalis ; 

 St. Nicholas marsh, &c. Limncza trunculata; Minster. 

 Limax Jlaviis ; Margate. L. marginatics ; common 

 at Margate. L. agrestis ; Ramsgate, &c., common. 

 Vitriiia pcUucida, Zoniies cellarius, Z. 7iitidulits, 

 Helix aspersa, IT. nemoralis, var. libellula, and var. 

 castanca ; Minster. H. arbiistoriim ; dead shells in 

 rejectamenta of River Stour. H. Cantiana, var. 

 gallopravincialis ; Sarre. H. conciiina ; common, the 

 var. albina is sometimes found near Minster. H. 

 rapicida ; dead shells at Minster. H. pulchdla, var. 

 costata ; common at Margate. H. rotiindata; Re- 

 culvers, &c. H. caperata ; Kingsgate, &c., common. 

 Bulitnus obsamis ; common. Fupa umbilicata ; 

 common at Minster, &c. Cochlicopa hibrica ; Minster, 

 Achatina cicicida ; Ebbsfleet and Birchington. 

 Claiisilia ricgosa ; Minster and Ebbsfleet. — T. D. A. 

 Cockerdl. 



Salmon Ova for New Zealand. — Additional 

 attempts have been made to convey salmon and trout 

 ova to New Zealand, but have hitherto failed, owing 

 to the extremes of heat and cold to which the eggs 

 have been exposed. Mr. Haslem, of Derby, has, at 

 length, overcome the difficulty, by the introduction of 

 moisture into the chilled air in which the eggs are 

 kept, thus securing the proper conditions necessary 

 to preserve the ova both from heat and fungi, and 

 yet retard their development. The New Zealand 

 Shipping Company's steamer Ionic has taken 60,000 

 salmon eggs, protected by the new method, to stock 

 the waters of the colony. These eggs have been 

 collected by Sir James Gibson Maitland, at his fish- 

 hatchery at Howietown, near Stirling, 



Pleasure and Pain. — Memory has been the 

 teacher of the ages, so that the avoidance of pain 

 and the pursuit of pleasure have been the business of 

 living things since the dawn of consciousness, and the 

 existence of memory. It is more than probable that 

 these prime movers of the universe have directed the 



