42 



HA RD WJCKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



Recently a baby seal was bom in the Blackpool 

 Aquarium. It is said to be the first seal born in this 

 ■country in captivity. Unfortunately it was still- 

 born ; had it lived, the value of the event would have 

 been still greater to the company. But, as it is, the 

 •occurrence is one well worthy of note on account of 

 its " uniqueness." 



It is with much sadness we have to record the 

 death of an eminent scientist and occasional con- 

 tributor, Dr. James Croll, author of " Climate and 

 Time," "Stellar Evolution," &c. Dr. Croll rose 

 .from being janitor at Glasgow University to being an 

 Jlon. LL.D. of the same. 



Anybody desiring to know the history and 

 ■botanical associations of that popular flower the 

 carnation, should read Mr. F. N. William's paper in 

 •'•The Journal of the Royal Horticultural Society" 

 .(Part 3, vol. xii.), entitled "The Carnation from a 

 Botanical Point of View." 



A USEFUL contribution to the wants of book- 

 seekers and collectors is the last published catalogue 

 of Messrs. Doulan & Co., relating to " Zoological 

 • and Palaeontogical Works " offered for sale by this 

 well-known firm. A new periodical has recently been 

 issued, entitled "The Entomologist's Record and 

 Journal of Variation." 



" The International Journal " is now the proud 

 name given to the alliance of the ancient journals en- 

 titled " Wesley Naturalists' Societies," and "Postal 

 Microsopical Society." Both did good and honour- 

 able work ; but the Philistines are usually opposed 

 to Samson ! Now we cordially recommend to our 

 .readers the first part of a New Series : " The Inter- 

 national Journal of Microscopy and Natural Science ; 

 The Postal Microscopical and Wesley Naturalists' 

 Societies' Journals," price 6(/., edited by Alfred Allen, 

 and the Rev. W. Spiers (London : Bailliere, Tindall 

 & Co.). 



We are glad to draw the attention of our readers 

 ito the recently published Catalogue of Messrs. Dulau 

 .& Co., 37, Soho Square, London, devoted to general 

 Zoology and Palaeontology. 



The Literary and Philosophical Club, 28 Berkeley 

 Square, Bristol, was formally opened on January ist. 

 Nearly five hundred members have already joined, 

 and it is to be hoped that the club will become a 

 literary and scientific centre for Bristol and its neigh- 

 bourhood. Public lectures will be given at intervals 

 under the auspices of the club. The first President 

 is Mr. Lewis Fry, M.P., and Mr. Henry A. Francis 

 holds the office of Honorary Secretary. 



Messrs. Swan Sonnenschein & Co. have just 

 ipublished a cheap and excellent and highly useful 



pamphlet, written by Mr. T. D. A. Cockerell, en- 

 titled, "The British Naturalist Catalogue of the 

 Land and Freshwater Mollusca of the British Isles, 

 with all the Named Varieties." 



Messrs. Wesley & Son's last Natural History 

 Circular is devoted chiefly to works and papers on 

 Mollusca and Molluscoidea. 



Mr. R. G. Mason has just brought out a cheap 

 and useful, as well as highly ingenious combination 

 of a lantern with a microscope. The combination 

 enables the lecturer to exhibit microscopic objects to 

 an audience. The combination can be easily dis- 

 severed, and the microscope used as such in the 

 ordinary fashion. 



At the beginning of February perhaps the most 

 important sale of high-class natural history books 

 which has occurred for many years, is announced to 

 take place at Messrs. Hodgson's Literary Sale Rooms, 

 which many of our readers would like to be informed 

 about. Catalogues can be obtained of Mr. W. P. 

 Collins, 157 Great Portland Street, London. The 

 collection is stated to be rich in sets of scientific 

 journals, such as Journals and Transactions of the 

 Linnsean and Microscopical Societies, " Annals and 

 Magazine of Natural History," "Archiv. fur Mikro- 

 skopische Anatomic," "American Naturalist," and 

 many other valuable English and foreign serials. 

 The collection of separate monographs is particularly 

 rich in microscopy, entomology, invertebrate zoology 

 generally, and botany. There is also a large collec- 

 tion of pamphlets covering every branch of natural 

 science, classified and arranged according to subjects. 

 The Polyzoa, Protozoa, Arachnida, &c., are said to 

 be very complete. 



MICROSCOPY. 



The Vertical Ca^mera. — I infer from Mr. 

 Simmons' description of his instrument (SciENCE- 

 GossiP, Jan. 1891), that it; is the Zeiss camera lucida 

 which he refers to, and as I have used this apparatus 

 successfully for some time, perhaps I can give him 

 some little assistance. In the ordinary camera 

 lucidas the object to be drawn is projected upon the 

 paper which lies behind the microscope, the instru- 

 ment being placed in a horizontal position. In the 

 Zeiss camera, however, the image of the paper is 

 thrown upon the_ stage of the microscope, and the 

 object appears to be lying upon the paper, so that 

 tlie drawing can be made with ease as the pencil 

 appears to be upon the actual object instead of 

 following a projected image of it. The neutral tint 

 reflectors, Wollaston and other forms of cameras, re- 

 quire the microscope in a horizontal position, and the 

 eye looks straight downwards upon the drawing-paper; 

 the worst position for head and eye, and the most 

 uncomfortable that can be assumed. But with the 



