Arnn, 1, 1SG7.J 



HARDWICKE'S SC IE N CE-GOSS IT. 



93 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



Bieb Slaughter.— In almost every number of 

 Science Gossip and other similar journals, some 

 energetic naturalist announces the "interesting" 

 fact of his having "succeeded "in shooting some 

 rare or beautiful bird or birds,— in one case no less 

 than 41. In fact a bird has only to possess these 

 qualities, which one would think ought to insure 

 its preservation, and every gun in the locality ap- 

 pears to be pointed at it. If the present system of 

 destruction continue, many species of our existing 

 birds, winch now give an additional charm to 

 nature's handiwork, will soon become a matter of 

 history, represented only by a few stuffed speci- 

 mens/or, like the Dodo and Moa, by a skeleton or 

 solitary egg. I am pleased to read the remarks of 

 Mr. Tate on this subject. So far from being in- 

 teresting, the exploits of these bird-killers arc dis- 

 tressing^ all true lovers of nature.— E. Greenhoiigh, 

 Matlock. 



Wind Courses. — Wherever a tree grows on the 

 western coast of Ireland, it bows its head to the 

 north-east. Every exposed Welsh tree bends 

 towards the dawn. Every exposed tree on the west 

 coast of Scotland seems to be driven by a furious 

 wind on the calmest day. About Edinburgh it is 

 the same. On the east coast, in North Berwick 

 Law, an old thorn-tree streams towards the north- 

 east, and every tree in that neighbourhood that 

 dares to peep over a wall, straightway assumes the 

 form of an old broom, and points eastwards. — 

 " Frost and Fire." 



Polarizing. — Mr. Bestall, of Camberwell New- 

 road, has for some time past been in the habit of 

 making an interesting apparatus for the exhibition 

 of the effects of polarized light. It consists of two 

 or three plates of glass about six inches square, 

 some objects, as a flower, parrot, butterfly, &c, 

 prepared and mounted, about three inches square, 

 and a little "box of mystery," about an inch 

 square, to be held in the Augers and_ peeped 

 through. Though not announced as anything new, 

 it well deserves to be better known, as a good 

 popular mode of exhibiting the effects of polarized 

 light. ' 



A Boy Charmed by Serpents.— " Can the 

 above be true?" asks "J. B." in Science Gossip, 

 after quoting from an American paper a long account 

 of a child having been fascinated by serpents. With 

 a vivid recollection of a Welsh tale told me in my 

 youthful days, I should say decidedly not. The 

 Maysmlh Fagh has only Americanized a Cambrian 

 fable which ran thus. A little boy of five years old 

 was observed by his mother to carry off his bowl of 

 bread and milk into the garden every morning, and 

 on b n ing questioned, said he shared his breakfast 

 with two "pretty things." His father followed him 

 the next day, and saw to his horror two large snakes 

 (all the Welsh, in the lower ranks of life, regard 

 every snake as venomous) eating out of his boy's 

 basin. The visitors were rather greedy, it would 

 appear, for the boy had occasionally to give one or 

 other of them a pat on the head with his wooden 

 spoon. Breakfast over, a game of play ensued, and 

 at last the child was allowed to return to the 

 cottage unharmed ; but on being prevented from 

 again joining his playfellows, the snakes, he "pined 

 away and died." — H. F. Watney. 



Pork Measles. — A few days ago, a man brought 

 a piece of pork to me for microscopical examination. 

 In cutting up the carcase, of which the piece 

 brought me was a portion, his attention was 

 attracted by certain small, almost round, fat-like 

 bodies, which were profusely scattered through the 

 whole of the flesh, but most abundant in that of 

 the shoulders. They were imbedded in elongated 

 cavities about three times their own size. They 

 are clearly parasitic organisms. I have examined 

 many of them and find them alike. The part I take 

 for the head is very curious — it appears to be com- 

 posed of five ciicular parts ; four of which, looking 

 like suckers, are arranged round a centre one con- 

 taining a great number — perhaps from fourteen to 

 twenty claws, very like those found in the fingers of 

 Ophiocoma. The interior I take to be a _ sack or 

 cell, whose inner membrane is gathered in folds. 

 And it is filled with an immense number of spore- 

 like granules, some of which are elongated — con- 

 stricted several times, as though they had been 

 growing. — B. Taylor. 



The specimens above alluded to were forwarded 

 to Dr. Cobbold, who has kindly furnished the follow- 

 ing reply :— I have carefully examined the parasites 

 forwarded by Mr. Taylor. They are well formed 

 and highly characteristic examples of the so-called 

 pork-measle, or Cysticercus telce cellulosce. Mr. 

 Taylor's description, so far as it goes, is very good ; 

 but should he desire further particulars relating to 

 the structure and economy of these organisms, you 

 will please to refer him to my large treatise on the 

 "Entozoa" (p. 216, Plate 12), or to my smaller 

 work on "Tapeworms," in which (at p. 19, et seq.) 

 he will find a popular exposition respecting the 

 origin and development of this minute larval para- 

 site. I may mention, as a fact likely to interest 

 your readers, that only yesterday I examined a 

 portion of human brain, which, strange to say, con- 

 tained an astonishing number of these Cysticerci. If 

 any ardent sewage-distributor should read your 

 useful little journal, I hope he will duly reflect on 

 the importance of this fact, and console himself with 

 the thought that his benevolent designs may not 

 unfrequently be the (undesigned) means of hurrying 

 some fellow creature into eternity. — T. Spencer 

 Cobbold, M.D., F.R.S. 



Cleaning Reflectors. — At a time when so 

 many of the microscopical lamps are fitted with 

 reflectors which require constant cleaning, I would 

 beg to recommend that all parties possessing some, 

 should obtain a small bottle of negative photo- 

 graphic varnish ; that called Scehnceis the best; and 

 warm the underneath side of the reflector until the 

 hand can only just bear the heat, and then, with 

 a slight rotatory motion, coat the silvered side with 

 varnish. I used to clean all my reflectors once even- 

 week with very fine jewellers' rouge and water, 

 using my little finger as a polisher, just the same as I 

 do in the case of my Lieburkuhns and side reflec- 

 tors, but as the lamp reflectors are so thinly coated 

 with silver the copper soon appears through. 

 Since I have adopted this varnishing plan, not a 

 single cleaning has taken place for now six weeks, 

 and their brightness is unimpaired. — John Boekett. 



Drilling Glass.— A ready and inexpensive 

 mode of drilling glass slides may be of use to some 

 of your numerous readers. Obtain a small three- 

 sided saw file, grind the apex into a triangular 

 sharp point— not too acute, as it will be apt to 

 break if the steel is, as it should be, very hard— 



