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HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



[Jan. 1, 1867. 



Skeleton Leaves. — The following method has 

 been communicated to the Botanical Society of 

 Edinburgh : — " A solution of caustic soda is made 

 by dissolving 3 oz. of washing soda in 2 pints 

 of boiling water, and adding 1| oz. of quick 

 lime, previously slacked; boil for ten minutes, 

 decant the clear solution and bring it to the boil. 

 During ebullition add the leaves ; boil briskly for 

 some time — say an hour, occasionally adding hot 

 water to supply the place of that lost by evapora- 

 tion. Take out a leaf and put into a vessel of water, 

 rub it between the fingers under the water. If the 

 epidermis and parenchyma separate easily, the rest 

 of the leaves may be removed from the solution, and 

 treated in the same way ; but if not, then the boil- 

 ing must be continued for some time longer. To 

 bleach the skeletons, mix about a drachm of chloride 

 of lime with a pint of water, adding sufficient acetic 

 acid to liberate the chlorine. Steep the leaves in 

 this till they are whitened (about ten minutes), 

 taking care not to let them stay in too long, other- 

 wise they are apt to become brittle. Put them into 

 clean water, and float them'out on pieces of paper. 

 Lastly, remove them from the paper before they are 

 quite dry, and place them in a book or botanical 

 press." — Dr. G. Dickson. 



Movements in Closterium.— On a recent oc- 

 casion your paper contained a short discussion of 

 the " Closterium," iu which the author refers 

 cursorily to the circulating movement observed 

 within those plants. The character of the move- 

 ments has not, I believe, been very distinctly ascer- 

 tained. The motion in the two species most common 

 in this locality differs considerably. In Closterium 

 rostratum the ends appear to be freely open, the 

 small bodies within exhibit by their movements a 

 current flowing inwards and outwards at either end, 

 and this constant, and not in pulsations ; and the 

 bodies themselves are, I believe, foreign, and do not 

 in any sense belong to the plants under investiga- 

 tion ; in fact, simply monads. In C. striolatum, on 

 the contrary, there does not seem to be any com- 

 munication by the ends with the water outside ; but 

 at each end may be seen an oval body, deeply 

 coloured, continually revolving on itself, 'within, as 

 it were, a closed cage, and this not freely, but as 

 though it were attached by a cord at the inner end 

 of its longer axis. I do not refer to the circulation 

 to be frequently observed along the edges which 

 appears to be independent of that at the ends to 

 which the foregoing remarks apply. There are few 

 objects so curious or so beautiful as these very 

 common desmids ; but they so rapidly become 

 "quiet," when in the collecting bottle, that se- 

 dentary Londoners seldom get a sight of them in 

 their most lively condition.— 0. F. W., St. Amies 

 Heath, Chertsey. 



Saws oe Flies.— In addition to " J. J. R.'s " 



account of the saws of some flies, the vessel which 

 runs along the saw of the Tenthredo deserves notice, 

 and so does the foot. The body between the two 

 claws iu its natural condition is folded up between 

 them, but in using becomes expanded into a beau- 

 tiful kind of sucker. The whole leg is covered with 

 hairs and spines, and is a lovely object altogether. 

 One can see how like this sucker is to a boy's 

 leather one in action. So unlike is it in its mecha- 

 nism to the sometimes so-called sucker of a fly. A 

 collection of the different saws and ovipositors of 

 insects is very interesting. And besides those 

 mentioned by " J. J. 11.," 1 would notice the saws of 



the ruby-tailed fly, which resemble a key-hole saw ; 

 the dragon-fly's ovipositor; and that of a beautiful 

 green saw-fly, which is found about the gooseberry- 

 tree. This last is particularly worthy of notice. — 

 K J. Scott. 



Confervoid Growth in Slides. — Whether "J. 

 M. S." can apply it or not, I cannot say ; but in old 

 times when objects were put into shades without 

 balsam or other preparation, they soon became 

 covered with a kind of mould. To prevent it, I 

 used to wet the object and slide with a solution of 

 corrosive sublimate. If the solution of it in spirit 

 of wine is sufficiently diluted, it will not crystallize 

 so as to be noticed, but used to prove a very 

 effectual antidote. — E. J. Scott. 



Sanguinaria. — Mr. H. J. Bacon calls the atten- 

 tion of microscopists to sections of the root of 

 Sanguinaria canadensis as an interesting object ; but 

 he does not state where the fresh root, which he 

 appears to allude to, can be obtained, as it is not a 

 plant in common cultivation. 



Double Egg-Shell. — Knowing you are curious 

 in natural-history matters, I think it may interest 

 you to hear that yesterday I met with a hen's egg 

 with two shells. The outer was the supplemental 

 one, and the thickest ; the inner, the natural one, 

 and rather thinner than usual. The two were 

 divided by a thin, damp, false membrane, similar in 

 appearance, but differing iu structure from the true 

 membranes. My attention was directed to the fact, 

 by finding the shell unusually hard to fracture at 

 each end with my penknife, before sucking it. I 

 have cracked scores of eggs before, but never met 

 with a like case. I should like to know whether 

 such a thing has been observed before. — A. J. C. 



Circulating Case. — It has occurred to me that 

 those subscribers to Science Gossip who feel in- 

 terested in marine algse might add to their col- 

 lections by forming a society for the interchange of 

 specimens by means of a circulating case. Bather 

 more than a year ago there was a society in existence 

 for the exchange of botanical specimens, of which 

 I was a member. Erom some cause or other it 

 failed — at least the case ceased to come to me, and 

 I took for granted it had gone down. Perhaps the 

 readers of this journal would communicate their 

 mind on the subject. Should it be started I will be 

 happy to do all in my power to secure subscribers. — 

 James Greer, jun. 



Preservation oe Fossils. — I have a fine speci- 

 men of the tusk, teeth, and forearm bone of a large 

 elephant, which was dug up in a railroad cutting in 

 a bed of river gravel. The tusk has been broken, 

 but sufficient remains to show it must have been 

 sixteen or seventeen feet in length. It feels hard, 

 but is rapidly diminishing from the process of ex- 

 foliation. I have well soaked it in a solution of 

 gelatine, yet the decay continues. Should any of 

 your correspondents be acquainted with any manage- 

 ment to preserve the specimens it will much oblige. 

 — Charles Bailey. 



The Yiper.— -Cau any of your readers say why 

 they do not succeed, at the Zoological Gardens, in 

 keeping the common Viper — after a few months or 

 so they die. The last time I was in New Forest I 

 intended to have investigated this subject, but the 

 weather was so unfavourable that I was prevented 

 from so doing. — G. M. 



