HARD WICKE' S SCIENCE-G OSSIP. 



33 



frustule, and under certain conditions of illumination, 

 ihis is the only marking visible, but, by the employ- 

 ment of unilateral oblique light, it appears as an 

 internal spiral band, marked with longitudinal lines, 

 that give the appearance of continuous oblique striae 

 to the diatoms. These appearances, however, are 

 fictitious, the line being really due to the visible 

 connections of the lorica (fig. 27). 



As with alafa, a species inhabiting the western 

 coast of Sweden, it has been said that no structure 

 has yet been discovered in Shrubsolii. If, however, 

 appropriate manipulation and objectives are em- 

 ployed in it? examination, it will be seen to possess 

 p-Il the characteristics of the genus, and will appear as 

 a miniature imbricata. 



The presence of cellulose is demonstrated by 

 appropriate reagents. 



It is scarcely possible to overrate the utility of this 

 •organism as an object of study to the student in 



A CHRISTMAS FUNGUS FORAY. 



ON Monday, December 26th, accompanied by 

 my friend Mr. J. T. Milow, of Scarborough, 

 an enthusiastic collector, and who is thoroughly 

 acquainted with every nook and corner in the North 

 Riding, a start was made for the pine woods on 

 Seamer moor, near Scarborough. The first find was 

 a group of Agariais brevipes, the pileus was reddish- 

 brown (just the colour of the brown form of Ag. 

 laccatiis). Next, on fir posts and rails, NcBmatelia 

 encephala occurred in abundance, looking exactly like 

 a bram both in shape and colour; the smaller N'. 

 niiclcata was there also on dead thorns in the ditch. 

 On entering the wood the first thing of interest that 

 presented itself was Ag. ca rcharias in tolerable abun- 

 dance, it is a beautiful plant, but the smell is not 

 pleasant ; close by, under a heap of fir branches 



Fig. 28. — Portion 

 of frustule, wiih 

 organic mem- 

 brane partly re- 

 moved, X 2000. 



Fig. 29.— Frustule by dark ground illumination, X 800. 



Fig. 31. — Scale of loooths. 



Fig 30. — Transv. Sec. 

 of frustule, X t,<X)0. 



microscopy, while it is equally valuable as a test. 

 Direct illumination, the central spot to the achro- 

 condenser, oblique light, and the paraboloid, each 

 render visible details otherwise imperceptible, and 

 present to the eye an object of great interest and 

 beauty. 



I have thought it undesirable to state anything 

 definite in respect to measurement for the purposes 

 of recognition, in consequence of the diversity that 

 prevails with the various frustules, but I have ap- 

 pended a scale of loooths, and the amplification em- 

 ployed in the examinations, which ranges from 400 

 to 4000 diam. — the powers having angles of aper- 

 ture from 90° to iSo^. For some purposes, corre- 

 i:ponding oblique illumination, water immersion, has 

 been employed. 



J. Fedarb, B.E. 



Examiner, Frivy Council. 

 Wood Street, Dover. 



White Heather.— White heather seems due to 

 the soil, as when one plant is found nearly invariably 

 — in places in Errisainiagh, a district in Connemara. 

 I have seen the blossoms of all kinds, white, bell 

 heather, common heather, and ling ; in other places 

 in Connemara I have found the bell heather, a bright 

 scarlet, but invariably when the plants were moved 

 and cultivated the scarlet changed to purple. The 

 white varieties can, however, be cultivated without a 

 change. — G. H. K. 



were four fine specimens of Cynophalhis caninus, a 

 plant tolerably common here, it has a faint though 

 decided odour, which is by no means unpleasant. 

 Further on Ag. tenacellus was abundant on fir-cones, 

 and along with it, on the ground amongst the fir- 

 leaves, a plant differing in having a much longer 

 rooting stem, and the pileus striate at the margin ; it 

 may be Ag. stolonifer, perhaps not. Good things 

 were continually presenting themselves. The under 

 side of a fallen holly was covered with Neclriaflavida, 

 giving it the appearance of having been washed over 

 with chrome yellow ; N. aqnifoUa of a brighter red 

 than usual, monopolised another dead trunk yet 

 standing. A bright lilac Peniophora, with a persis- 

 tent sulphur-yellow strigose margin and bright brown 

 metuloids, rough at the tips, and bifurcate at the 

 base, was found on fallen trunks, and does not agree 

 in all particulars with any species we are acquainted 

 with ; if new, it might with propriety be P. strcna, 

 Jews' ears [Ilirneola aiiriciila-Judie), so called, 

 because in form they somewhat resemble the human 

 ear, occurred on elder. Lactariiis insiilsus and Z. 

 hypothejtis were also there, the former has a very 

 unpleasant smell. On leaving the wood, a furze 

 cover was entered, and presented a sight never to be 

 forgotten, and compared to which the " Field of the 

 cloth of gold " must have been very poor indeed. 

 During the autumn a fire had spread over the cover, 

 leaving only the blackened furze stems, most of 

 which were now covered with a luxuriant growth of 



