HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



211 



original photographs taken at the Paris Observatory 

 and by Mr. Roberts of Liverpool, and drawings 

 from recent sketches by well-known astronomers. 



We have received a "Note on a new Species of 

 Ampiillaria from the La Plata," by J. W. Williams, 

 reprinted from the " Annals and Magazine of Natural 

 History." 



" Is Bad Sight on the Increase ? " is the title of an 

 interesting brochure by A. Fournet, in which the 

 author recommends certain glasses for all those 

 suffering from bad sight. 



Mr. a. F. Guy sends us a copy of his "Electric 

 Light for the Million." Mr. Guy has " endeavoured 

 to set before the general public a sketch as to the 

 cost, safety, and superiority of Electricity as a lighting 

 medium." 



" Our Common Garden Snails and their Varia- 

 tions," by E. D. Marquand, is reprinted from the 

 " Transactions of the Penzance Natural History and 

 Antiquarian Society." This is an extremely interest- 

 ing article on the three snails Helix aspersa, H. 

 neinoralis, and H. hortensis. 



"The Journal of the City of London College 

 Science Society " for June contains an exhaustive 

 paper on "Recent Advances in Connection with 

 Methods of Photographic Reproduction," by W. 

 Boutell. 



The following extract from Mr. Findlay's book, 

 " The Working and Management of an English 

 Railway," will doubtless prove interesting to many 

 of our readers, as showing to what a state of perfec- 

 tion railway travelling has been brought in England. 

 Mr. Findlay, it should be stated, is general manager 

 of the London and North- Western Railway. "The 

 engines of this one company run a mile and three- 

 quarters every second, or 104 miles every minute, 

 and in effect they put a girdle round the earth once 

 in every four hours throughout the year ; yet such is 

 the perfection of mechanism attained in the present 

 day, that engines were able to run a distance twice 

 round the world for every single case which occurred 

 of a hot axle, the loss of a split pin or cotter, or any- 

 thing tending to throw an engine out of gear." 



We are sorry to announce the death of Mr. C. 

 Spence Bate, F.R.S., the well-known authority on 

 the Crustacea, who died at Plymouth on Monday, 

 July 29th. 



We also have to announce the death of the veteran 

 botanist, Rev. M. J. Berkeley, at Sibbertoft, near 

 Market Harborough, in his eighty-seventh year. He 

 was our greatest authority on Cryptogamic botany. 



We have received a lengthy and elaborate syllabus 

 of the Newcastle-upon-Tyne meeting of the British 



Association, which takes place from the nth to the 

 19th of September. It contains, amongst other matter, 

 portraits and brief biographical sketches of the 

 presidents-elect of the various sections. 



MICROSCOPY. 



New Slides. — We have received from Mr. E. 

 Hinton two beautifully prepared slides. One, a 

 tube foot of a sea-urchin, is prepared to show the 

 ambulacral foot and disc. The other, an arrow worm 

 {Sagitta bipnnctata), is prepared so as to show the 

 remarkable structure of the mouth. 



The Journal of the Quekett Microscopical 

 Club for July contains the following papers : — 

 "Notes on Actmospenjiutn" by G. E. Mainland; 

 "On the Abbe Diffraction Plate," by T. F. Smith; 

 "On the Large Axial Cone, and its Bearing on the 

 Diffraction Theory," by E. M. Nelson; "Further 

 Notes on Coccidcc from British Guiana," by S. J. 

 ]McIntire (illustrated) ; " On the Larvse of some 

 South African Psychida," by R. T. Lewis ; " On 

 the Male of Icerya Furchasi,'" by R. T. Lewis (illus- 

 trated) ; '' On Brachio?iJisquadrat2is,''hyC.^ons5Q\e.\. 

 (illustrated) ; "On some New Species of Diatoms," 

 by J. Rattray (illustrated). 



The Journal of Microscopy and Natural 

 Science for July contains : " Histology of the 

 Teeth : Notes on Methods of Preparation," by V. 

 A. Latham ; " Curious Problems in the Struggle for 

 Life," by T^Irs. A. Bodington ; "A Fly's Eye," by 

 H. M. Underbill (illustrated) ; " To Stain Tubercle 

 Bacilli " ; " Some Fragments of Weed from a Pond, 

 and their Tenants," by J. C. Webb; "On Cusaita 

 GronovH;' by H. E. Hooker (illustrated); "The 

 Development of the Tadpole," by J. W. Gatehouse 

 (illustrated). 



ZOOLOGY. 



Helix lapicidia.— Mr. Pannell, on p. 191 ante, 

 asks me for an explanation of the fact that he found 

 this species on sand eight miles distant from chalk, 

 since I mentioned in my "Handbook" that the 

 species was to be found on cretaceous soils. Clearly 

 this is a case of migration. It is a well-known fact in 

 distribution that any animal may be found between 

 two or more sites of its loved abode. What I meant 

 was that it is to be generally found more frequent on 

 chalky soils.— 7". W. WiUiams. 



Variation in the Mollusca. — I have just 

 been reading Mr. Williams' article (Part I.) on va- 

 rietal nomenclature ; and as he asks for the opinion 

 of others, perhaps I may be permitted to say a few 

 words from a different point of view, I welcome the 



