Feb. 1, 1S67.] 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



37 



a tedious one, not more so, however, than the pre- 

 paration of most microscopic objects, and the result 

 will richly compensate one for the pains bestowed, 



I have now before me sixteen small boxes, con- 

 taining as many different kinds of shells, spines, 

 &c., one holding about thirty sorts of corals, many 

 of exquisite beauty ; the whole of these 

 specimens, weighing with those not yet 

 sorted nearly one ounce and a half, were 

 obtained from about one pound weight 

 of chalk. I have also another box of 

 small foraminifera, prepared from a like 

 quantity of chalk ; these are equally 

 beautiful, but weigh somewhat less than 

 3 drachms, and no corals can I find. It 

 must, however, be very poor in fossils, 

 if a lb. of chalk do not yield a sufficient 

 quantity to satisfy any microscopic ob- 

 server. Edwakd H. Robertson. 



[Note— The woodcuts, Figs. 33 to 36, 

 from Figuier's "World before the De- 

 luge," were kindly placed at our disposal 

 by Messrs. Chapman & Hall.] 



A 



Fig. 35. Chalk of the Isle of Mocn, Denmark. 



as a vast number of beautiful forms are obtained. 

 Some practice is required, a little judgment must 



Fig. 36. Chalk of Cattolica, Sicily. 



be exercised, and] the result will vary, according as 

 the chalk used is prolific of fossils, or otherwise. 



SPIDER'S NEST. 



SPIDER'S nest of an unusual kind 

 has been built in a peony bush, 

 this summer in my garden. A descrip- 

 tion of it may possibly interest some 

 of your readers. 

 It is a conical bag of fine close web, nearly four 

 inches long ; the point rested in 

 a crutch of five leaves, two of 

 which, of equal size, about two 

 inches long, were fastened up the 

 back of the bag ; the three smaller 

 leaves were attached slightly to 

 the front of the bag only at the 

 bottom of each leaf. 



The top, or mouth of the bag, 

 about two inches in diameter, was 

 kept open in a perfect circle by 

 strings of strong web, fastened to 

 leaves an inch or two off. From 

 those leaves more web was 

 stretched to leaves or branches, 

 and repeated until the supports, 

 woven sideways, upward, and 

 downward, spread over the bush 

 sixteen inches square or more. 

 When this was finished, a trian- 

 gular piece of thick web, like the 

 bag, was woven on the top, reach- 

 ing about one-quarter of the cir- 

 cumference, and stretched and 

 suspended like a beautiful arched 

 canopy over half the mouth of the 

 bag ; when that was completed, 

 another was woven by the side of it, and suspended 

 in the same way : consequently the mouth of the 



