HARD WICKE 'S SCIENCE - G OSSIF. 



"3 



damar on the slide, and then, while hot, put the 

 object in, and put the cover on; thereby avoiding 

 air-bubbles within the object ; and those outside, if 

 there happen to be any, generally disappear if the 

 slide is gradually cooled. I should be much obliged 

 if any one would recommend a tough varnish which 

 will not run into damar nor crack under any or- 

 dinaiy circumstances : I only know of shellac, and 

 that cracks so easily. — y. A. Le M. H. 



Identity of the Red Blood-corpuscles in 

 Different Races of Men. — Dr. J. G. Richardson, 

 of Philadelphia, has been experimenting on different 

 i^aces of mankind, specimens of which attended the 

 Philadelphian International Exhibition. As might 

 have been expected, these show little difference, the 

 slightly smaller averages of the Italian, Swedish, and 

 Norwegian specimens being too small for a decisive 

 indication of natural difference. 



ZOOLOGY. 



Fishes of the Arctic Expedition. — Dr. 

 Gunther has read a paper on the fishes collected 

 during the above expedition by Captain Fielding. 

 Among them, he said, were some of great interest, 

 notably a new species of Charr, to which the name 

 of Salino arditrus has been given. This new species 

 was discovered in the freshwater lakes of Grinnell 

 Land, and it is slated to be the most northern fresh- 

 water fish known to exist. 



"Zoological Classification." — It is with 

 much pleasure that we heartily recommend a ' ' Handy- 

 book of Reference on Zoological Classification," by 



F. P. Pascoe, F.L. S. (London: Van Voorst.) Such 

 a book has long been wanted, and we believe that 

 Mr. Pascoe has done his work well. In it the 

 student will find all the new views as to classification 

 fully and succinctly expounded. It also contains 

 tables of the sub-kingdoms, classes, orders, &c., as 

 well as of their characters, and lists of the families 

 and principal genera. 



Recently Extinct Lizards. — At a late meet- 

 ing of the Linnean Society, Dr. Gunther gave a 

 description of two large extinct lizards which for- 

 merly inhabited the Mascarene Islands. To one the 

 name of Didosaurns Matcritianus has been given. 

 It was related to both the Glass-snakes and the 

 Scinks, but differed from both. The second lizard, 

 found at Rodriguez, was allied to the Geckos, and 

 yet distinct from them. This has been named 



G. N'exvtonii. 



Structure of the Red Blood-corpuscle. — 

 Mr. Hammond, of Milton Chapel, lately gave a 

 demonstration of the nucleus in the red blood-cor- 

 puscles of the Trout, while theywere circulating within 

 the living blood-vessels of this fish. This he showed to 

 the meeting of the Natural History Society at Canter- 



bury, April 5th, The fact, if confirmed, will go far 

 to prove that the nucleus really exists in the living 

 corpuscle, contrary to the conclusion of Professor 

 Savory and other eminent physiologists, who assert 

 that, until after death, when the nucleus is formed by 

 a sort of coagulation, the whole red corpuscle is 

 homogeneous. But Professor Gulliver, in his Tables 

 of the Blood-discs of Vertebrates, published in 

 the Proceedings of the Zoological Society, June 15, 

 1875, while confirming Savory's observations on the 

 blood of frogs and newts, has long since maintained 

 the view now given by Mr. Hammond on the blood of 

 fishes. The question, which is one that may be well 

 prosecuted at this season, would afford instructive 

 employment for the microscope. 



Metropolitan Societies, — The West Kent 

 Natural History, Microscopical, and Photographical 

 Society meets in the Hall of the Mission School, 

 Blackheath. The President is Mr. J. Jenner Weir, 

 F.L.S., &c., and the hon. sees., Messrs. C. Sharpe 

 and B. Guest. 



Bird-preserving. — We have received a copy of 

 the shilling edition of " The British Bird-Preserver," 

 by Samuel Wood, published by F. Warne & Co. 

 We can sincerely recommend it to those of our young 

 readers who are going in for taxidermy. 



Lampyris noctiluca. — While walking over 

 Hayes Common on the evening of April 3rd I dis- 

 covered a specimen of the glow-worm {Lampyris 

 noctiluca). Is not it unusual to find this little crea- 

 ture at this part of the year? — Geo. Clinc/i, West 

 IVickhani, Kent. 



EoLis pustulata. — I was fortunate, about a fort- 

 night ago, to capture axxEolis piistitlata, which is still 

 living. Jeffrey's " Conchology," which gives Alden's 

 description, states only two individuals of this species 

 having been found. It is therefore very rare. It 

 was found on a stone at low water-mark. — T/ios. 

 Bokoes, Sunderland. 



General Index to Science-Gossip. — For the 

 benefit of those who have procured this part, we beg 

 to say that the volumes are counted as follows : — 

 Vol. I. = 1865, II. = 1866, HI. = 1867, IV. = i86S, 

 V. = i869, VI. = 1870, VII. = 1871, VIH. = i872, 

 IX, = 1873, X. = i874, XI. = 1875, Xn. = i876. 



Two-horned Rhinoceros. — At a recent meeting 

 of the Zoological Society of London, Mr. Sclater 

 called the attention of the meeting to an article in 

 the Oriental Sporting Maoazine for May, 1876, by 

 which it appeared that a two-horned rhinoceros had 

 been killed in February, 1876, at a place some 20 

 miles south of Comillah, in Tipperah. Mr. Sclater 

 stated that this was the third recorded occurrence 

 of a two-horned rhinoceros north of the Bay ot 

 Bengal, 



Early Appearance of Cetonia aurata. — On 

 the 30th of March I saw a fine specimen of this 



