236 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



M The Quekett Microscopical Club. — The 

 Journal of this Society for July (edited by Mr. H. F. 

 Hailes) contains the following original papers : — 

 " On an Undescribed Species of Myobia," by A. D. 

 Michael; "On the Hexactinellidre," by B. W. 

 Priest ; " On some New Diatomacere from the 

 Stomachs of Japanese Oysters," \iy F. Kitton ; 

 "Note on Mervtis iiigrescejts," by R. T. Lewis; 

 and List of the Objects obtained during the excursions, 

 as well as Proceedings of the Meetings, &c. 



Cole's Microscopical Studies. — We understand 

 tliat these valuable papers are to be continued, and 

 that it is intended to put fresh interest in them, so as 

 to render them still more widely known. There will 

 be four sections, as follows : " Animal Histology," 

 by F. Greening ; " Botanical Histology," by D. Hous- 

 ton ; "Pathological Histology," by Mr. Fearnley ; 

 and the " Popular Studies," by A. J. Cole ; the 

 entire work being issued under the editorship of the 

 latter. 



We are pleased to note that Mr. Martin J. Cole 

 has been appointed lecturer at the Birkbeck Institu- 

 tion, and. that he is about to deliver a course of 

 lectures on Practical Microscopy in the Biological 

 Laboratory on Saturdays. 



ZOOLOGY. 



Rare Shells near London. — Some time ago 

 my brother wrote a list of shells found near London ; 

 since then many new forms have been met with, and 

 many new localities found for those included in 

 the list. It would occupy too much space to give a 

 full list, but it may be worth while to notice a few of 

 the rarer or more interesting forms, which are as 

 follows : — Auodonta aaatiiia, not uncommon in the 

 ornamental waters in Regent's Park, living specimens 

 may be obtained ; the ornamental waters also contain 

 Sphccrmm corneuvi, Bythinia tcntaaUata, Planorbis 

 allnis, IJinnaa ain-icitlaria, and L. sfagnalis. Ncri- 

 iuia flttviatilis : although this shell is by no means 

 rare, it may be worth while to know that it is exceed- 

 ingly abundant in the Thames near Hammersmith 

 bridge. Valvata pisdnalis, var. subcyU)idrica : I 

 found a dead shell at Hammersmith which agrees 

 fairly well with the description of this var. Planorbis 

 lincatits : I have taken this not uncommonly in a pond 

 on Barnes Common, in company with Z/w«a-« /«/;«- 

 iris, monst. decollatum (one specimen only), Valvata 

 cristata, Physa fonfinalis, Planoi-bis coiiiplanatiis, P. 

 vortex, &c. Planorbis nithiiis : Fulham. P. naidikns, 

 var. crista: Acton, in a pond. Limncsa triuuatula : 

 Hyde Park. Livmaa stagnalis, var. roscolabiata : in 

 a pond at Grove Park, with Aiicylits lacustris. I have 

 also found Aucylus laaistris at Bromley ; I once saw 

 a specimen " spinning a thread. " Arionliortcjisis : I 

 have found amongst nettles at Bedford Park two 



varieties of this species ; one is orange brown, with the 

 bands on either side just visible, the margin of the 

 foot orange, and the foot grey beneath ; the other 

 form is light yellowish-grey, with the bands also 

 lightly marked out in a somewhat darker colour; the 

 orange-brown variety seems to be the more common 

 of the two. Limax Levis : I found a little slug near 

 Southall which I sent to Mr. J. W. Taylor, and which 

 is thought to belong to this species. Zonites glaber 

 (apparently the Hyaliiia alliaria of continental authors^ 

 but certainly the Z. glaber of Jeffreys) : abundant on 

 a bank near Bromley ; I obtained four specimens of a 

 variety having the shell of a greenish-white colour, 

 conesponding to similar and well-known varieties of 

 other species of Zonites. This specieS, when alive, 

 has a slight odour of garlic ; they live amongst moss. 

 Z. iiitidiihis, var. Helmii: one specimen near Chisle- 

 hurst. Helix aculeata : Sevenoaks. Helix aspersa 

 var. exalbida : not uncommon amongst Clematis vitalba 

 near Dartford ; my brother has found it on Pteris 

 aqiiilina on Chislehurst Common, but it seems to be 

 very rare in the latter locality. H. nemoralis : on a 

 bank near Cray ford I have found some curious 

 varieties of this species, living amongst ivy ; one form 

 is deep lilac, and corresponds nearly to the var. 

 lihnina of horteiisis, except that the colour is some- 

 what darker. Another form has the shell of an orange 

 colour, quite different from the ordinary pink form, 

 and a third variety when alive appears of a delicate 

 green colour, but this is due to the animal, for when 

 it is extracted the shell is seen to be yellow, like 

 the ordinary Libellula, but rather thinner than usual. 

 On the same bank I found the beautiful larvce of 

 Hadeiia pisi. Close by I found specimens of Cyclo- 

 stoma elegans. Helix horteiisis, var. albina : Sidcup, in 

 Kent, and Acton in Middlesex. Var. lilaei/ia : 

 Eltham, Sidcup, St. Mary Cray, and Chislehurst in 

 Kent, one specimen at Gunnersbury in Middlesex. 

 //. arbustoriim and \d.r. Jiavescens : St. Mary Cray. 

 H rotiiiidata var. alba: Oiford, on a tree, one speci- 

 men. //. lapicida : Bickley, with Claiisilia laminata 

 and P II limits obsciirns, var. albinos. Vertigo anti- 

 vertigo : two specimens on Barnes Common. Balea 

 perversa : Bickley ; not common. Achatina acicula : 

 my brother found one specimen at Chislehurst. 

 Other species will be found mentioned in former notes. 

 — r. D. A. Cockerell. 



Natterjacks at Wimbledon.- — It may interest 

 some of your readers to hear that three specimens of 

 the natterjack toad (Bu/o calatnita) have been found 

 by two of my boys this summer on Wimbledon Com- 

 mon. I send you this communication because I think 

 its existence here has been denied. — Franklin y. 

 Sonnenschcin. 



Natural History Transactions of North- 

 umberland, Durham, and Newcastle-upon- 

 Ty.ne. — Part I. vol. viii., has just been issued, and con- 

 tains the following papers : Presidential Address, by 



