HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



185 



extra security. A long staff, fitted with a thick 



india-rubber noose at the end, which could be 



loosened or tightened by the hand at pleasure, was 



inserted through the partially opened lid, and the 



opportunity quickly seized of slipping the loop over 



the snake's head, the loop being immediately drawn 



tight by means of the cord attached thereto. With 



a similar contrivance the tail was next fastened, 



and the snake, being thus securely held, was lifted 



out of the box on to the floor of the room. A 



pickle-bottle containing cliloroform was then thrust 



over the snake's head, and carefully held in its place 



by keeping time to the animal's efforts to extricate 



itself. As the reptile became stupefied, the noose 



was gradually relaxed to enable the lungs to have 



full play, and when it appeared powerless, the 



snake was laid in a long narrow box made for the 



purpose, with an aperture at one end, out of which 



its head projected while the after- operation was 



performed. Its jaws were then opened and fixed, 



and the poison-glands were pressed with forceps, 



then with the gloved finger and thumb, while a 



small blown graduated phial was held to receive 



the drops as they slowly oozed out through the 



poison-fangs. Twenty drops were the average 



quantity yielded by each snake. The venom is of a 



straw-colour, thick and gummy in consistency, and 



decidedly acid in its reaction on litmus-paper. 



It is readily soluble in glycerine or water, but is 



precipitated by strong alcohol, the precipitate 



being re- dissolved, with the addition of a little 



water. Its toxicological properties were fully tried 



on a variety of animals. Half a drop produced 



death in a linnet within three minutes after being 



injected under the wing. 



New' Netted Glass-kope Sponge. — The British 

 Museum has just received a very beautiful clavate 

 netted sponge, discovered in the Philippines, which 

 Dr. J. E. Grey has named Meyerella claviforiiiis, 

 after its discoverer, D.-. A. D. Meyer. The follow- 

 ing is the description : — " Sponge simple, elongate, 

 clavate, acute at the apex, at which are several tufts 

 of short cylindrical fibres. The body of the sponge 

 is elongate - fusiform, with longitudinal ridges 

 irregularly disposed, often inosculating together, 

 leaving various-shaped deep concavities on the sur- 

 face. These ridges, and the very numerous irregular- 

 shaped, often confluent elevations in the concavities 

 between them, are furnished with various-shaped 

 large oscules on the upper surface. The sides of 

 the ridges and the tops of the prominences are all 

 united by a very fine cobweb -like netted coat, 

 formed of numerous fibres, and pierced with an 

 immense number of very minute, exceedingly close 

 perforations. The stem cylindrical, thick, ending in 

 a thick cylindrical tuft of elongated glassy fibres 

 evidently anchoring the sponge in the sand. Nume- 

 rous cylindrical bunches of fibre are to be seen 



through the substance of the sponge, extending 

 throughout the greater part of the length of the 

 stem." 



New Species of Insects. — In the Eulomologist's 

 Monthly Magazine for July, Mr, C. G. Barrett de- 

 scribes a species of Tortrix from Great Britain, new 

 to science, under the name of Dicroraupha her- 

 bosam. In the same number, Mr. E. C. Bye 

 enumerates three species of British coleoptera new 

 to our list. 



Provincial Natural History Societies.— The 

 Natural History Society of Bury, in Lancashire, al- 

 though it has only been in existence since 1868, has 

 already done good work. The report, from the 

 time of founding to December of last year, has just 

 been published. It includes a list of the plants, 

 insects, birds, and animals of their district, all 

 authenticated by members of the society. This is 

 an example that might be followed by other societies 

 with great benefit to natural science. We notice, 

 also, an interesting excursion made by the Calder- 

 vale Naturalists in June, for botanical and geological 

 purposes. The Report of the Winchester Scientific 

 and Literary Society for 1870-71 contains an ab- 

 stract of all the papers and lectures read or de- 

 livered before the Society ; but the most noticeable 

 feature is a list of the flowering plants, ferns, &c., 

 found within seven miles from Winchester. The 

 majority of these have been collected by members 

 of the Botanical Section during the last two years, 

 and the list is very full and complete. 



BOTANY. 



Preserving Fungi. — Mr. S, Hibbei-d, iu his 

 work on " Field Flowers," says : " Fungi may be 

 dried by the simple process of bedding them in 

 silver sand, gills upwards, in small tin boxes, and 

 placing the boxes in a slow oven for two or three 

 hours.— IF'M. Sargant, jun. 



How TO Preserve Fungi. — A correspondent 

 in the May number of Science-Gossip wishes to 

 know the best way to preserve fungi. I think he 

 will find the following a good plan : — Take sulphuric 

 acid 2 pints, distilled water 8 pints ; mix, and then 

 add creosote 1 pint. Filter through chalk or lime, 

 and again through filtering-paper. Bottle the 

 fungi in this preparation, and tie down tightly. 

 This will preserve them naturally for any length of 

 time without destroying their colour.— /S'. J. J. 



Physcia parietina. — It has long been known 

 that the common yellow wall-lichen {Physcia parie- 

 tina) yields to hot alcohol a yellow crystalline 

 principle (chyrsophanic acid), which on decomposi- 

 tion by potash produces a magnificent red colouring 

 matter; but it has not, I believe, been hitherto 

 known that this acid is to be obtained in splendid 



