IGO 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



Monthly Microscopical Journal. — The June 

 number of this journal is one of the best we have 

 seen for some time, containing some first-rate 

 articles, well illustrated, by our best writers. The 

 new volume commenf'Oo witli July, and we would 

 advise our microscopical readers to note the fact. 



PoLARiscopE Object (Glance Erde). — The 

 powder of this mineral forms a good polariscope 

 object, somewhat similar to the scrapings of the 

 shell of the cuttlefish. Mounted in Canada bal- 

 sam and viewed through a seleuite plate, the play 

 of colours is very brilliant, especially with a deep 

 blue ground. If plates of mica of different thick- 

 nesses are placed on the selenite, many other tints 

 may be obtained. I do not know if this is a com- 

 mon polariscope object, but I have not met with 

 it before. -A. B. C. 



ZOOLOGY. 



Protection of Wild Eowl.— Every naturalist 

 and lover of nature will be glad to know that the 

 Wild Fowl Protection Bill passed its second read- 

 ing on the 12th of June. The feathered favourites 

 which add such animation to our sea cliffs, and the 

 rare birds which have hitherto been shot down to 

 their present rareness, will now have a chance in 

 the arduous battle of life. 



Provincial Societies. — The Transactions of 

 the Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists' Society for 

 1S71-2 are more than usually interesting and valuable 

 on account of the great number of papers they 

 contain, by competent and well-known observers, on 

 local natural history. The Presidental address by 

 H. Stevenson, F.L.S., is a masterly review of the 

 work to be done, and of the papers read. An im- 

 portant paper by Mr. F. W. Harmer, F.G.S., on the 

 Marine Mollusca of the Norfolk coast, is paralleled 

 by another on the "Land and Fresh-water Shells" 

 of the neighbourhood of Norwich, by Mr. T. B. 

 Bridgeman, in which the writer states that 40 

 species of land shells and 38 fresh-water shells had 

 been met with. Mr. T. Southwell, the hon. sec, 

 contributes a paper on the " Occurrence of Ffioca 

 hispida on the Norfolk Coast;" Mr. Stevenson 

 another on the " Scoulton Gallery;" Mr. J. E. 

 Taylor, F.G.S., a paper on "The Norfolk Broads 

 and Mercs, geologically considered ; " Mr. C. G. 

 Barrett one on " Coast Insects found at Brandon," 

 whilst Mr. Fred Kitton concludes with a paper of 

 more than local interest, on the "Spongcous 

 Origin of Flints." This paper wc hope to tran-fer 

 to our pages. The "Transactions" have several 

 pages devoted to ornithological and general natural 

 liistory notices, chiefly by i\Iessrs. Stevenson and 

 Guruey. 



Fish Building Nests.— Professor Agassiz writes 

 from St. Thomas, to give an account of his discov- 

 eries concerning the Gulf weed and its living 

 inhabitants. The most interesting of the latter is 

 a fish which builds a nest. The nest is a ball of 

 sargassum about as large as two fists, and is 

 obviously carefully formed, with elastic threads 

 trending through it in all directions. AY hen such 

 a nest was put into a bowl of water, it was seen 

 that the central portion was much more closely 

 knitted than the rest. On the threads appeared, 

 also, a multitude of beads irregularly strung, of 

 about the size of a pin's head, and these beads, on 

 examination, proved to be eggs. With a little 

 care the eggs were preserved, and soon a dozen 

 little fishes rewarded the Professor's new marine- 

 hatching establishment. These fishes eventually 

 proved to be the young of the common CUronedus 

 pictus, a fish which is thus shown to construct a 

 floating harbour for the protection, and eventually 

 for the commissariat of its progeny. The creature 

 which performs this wonderful work has, it seems, 

 special un-fish-like faculties for the purpose. The 

 pectoral fins are supported by a kind of prolonged 

 wrist-like appendages, and the rays of the ventrals 

 are not unlike rude fingers. With these limbs. 

 Professor Agassiz saj'S, these fishes have long been 

 known to attach themselves to seaweed, and rather 

 to walk upon it than to swim. It is now clear, 

 also, that they use them for the construction of 

 their nests. 



A Bare British Snake.— Eecord has been 

 made of the occurrence of that rare snake. Coluber 

 Austriacits, in Dorsetshire. The first authenticated 

 specimen was captured in June, 1854', and three or 

 four others have been met with since. The Dorset 

 individual measured over twenty-one inches in 

 length, and when disturbed, quickly approached 

 the intruder, with head erect, and tongue rapidly 

 moving in and out, putting on a very defiant look. 



Neav Species of British Coleoptera.— In the 

 last number of the Entomologisfs 2Ionihhj Magizine^ 

 Mr. E. C. Pi,ye describes three new species of 

 beetles. The first, Scydmcenus prceteritm, about 

 half an inch long, was taken at Croydon, Erith, 

 and in the Isle of Wight. Several other localities 

 are also mentioned. The second species is named 

 Tlialacrus Brisonti, taken near Gravesend ; length 

 about one line. The third is c^&^A)ithicus Scoticus, 

 one line and a quarter long, found in some numbers 

 on the shores of Loch Levcn, and elsewhere ia 

 Scotland. 



Sponges. — In the Jane number of the Annals 

 and Magazine oj Natural Uislorij, Mr. H. J. Carter, 

 F.Il.S., describes two new species of sponges from 

 the Antarctic Sea, as well as a new species of 

 Tdlnjra, fro:n Shetlaiul. The latter part of the 



