HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



79 



the centre of its mouth when stretched out behind it, 

 and within this point is inserted a half-inch test-tube 

 having the bottom ground off. The ends of the 

 muslin for the space of half an inch are bound tightly 

 round the head of the tube ; the projecting rim of the 

 glass preventing it from being pulled out. Round the 

 whipping is placed a broad band of cork — a wine cork 

 with the centre burnt out, and the edges bevelled 

 forward, to prevent undue resistance to the water, 

 which keeps the tube always behind the muslin, and 

 ready to receive the contents of the net ; otherwise, 

 when the net is moving very slowly in the water, the 

 tendency of the tube is to sink below the mouth, 

 thereby causing all animal life to be merely washed 

 in and out again. The tube is closed by placing a 

 square of muslin over the open end, and securing it 

 with a very small band of india-rubber. It is worth 

 remembering that duplicates of both muslin square and 

 elastic band are indispensable, these being the two 

 most important parts of all. 



Care should be taken when cutting the muslin that 

 the piece coming from the wire be quite flat and 

 remain so after being fixed in its place, for if there is 

 any looseness near the wire, thereby forming a small 

 hollow below the level of the tube head, solid matter, 

 instead of flowing at once into the tube, will " hang " 

 in this hollow. When it is required to remove the 

 contents of the net to the collecting bottle, proceed 

 thus. 



After a favourable spot has been thoroughly fished, 

 the net should be drawn in to the bank, raised from 

 the water as rapidly as possible, and the thumb of 

 the right hand pressed tightly against the bottom of 

 the tube, so that it may be kept full of water. All that 

 is within may then be readily examined, by holding the 

 glass against the light, when organisms of any size are 

 at once discerned, and the small diameter of the tube 

 does not prevent the use of a pocket lens, which is 

 practically useless when the objects are procured in 

 the dipping bottle. If the tube contains anything of 

 value, the thumb of the left hand should be placed 

 upon the head of the glass, which should then be 

 turned upside down, the square and band removed, 

 and the water gently poured into a medicine bottle, 

 this being a shape of vessel admirably adapted for 

 carriage in a pocket. In constructing this net, it is 

 advisable so to arrange the muslin, that when travelling 

 in the water the wire may precede the cane, for, when 

 skimming, if the shadow of the framework is allowed 

 to pass over the life collected on the surface before 

 the wire with the net attached is able to follow it up, 

 it is more than likely that many specimens will make 

 good their escape. After using this net for a few 

 minutes, I have always found more in the glass tube 

 than others have been able to collect in as many hours, 

 while using the favourite bottle and stick ; and it is 

 worth remembering that each plunge of the dipping 

 bottle adds seldom less than half-a-pint of water to 

 the total amount that must be carried, perhaps for 



miles, while the net and tube increases the amount 

 by never more than one table-spoonful. Indeed, 

 I have frequently returned from half-an-hour's collect- 

 ing with enough in my medicine bottle to occupy me 

 for many evenings, and to completely colonise a two 

 gallon globe. I generally cut a stick from the nearest 

 thicket, to lengthen the handle, which gives one a 

 wider field for netting, the size of which, naturally, is 

 in proportion to the length of stick obtained. The 

 whole construction of this net is so simple that from 

 the boiling of the cane to the first trial in the water- 

 butt, occupied me for little more than an hour, and, 

 to adopt the language of advertisements, " since that 

 time I have used no other." 



Should these explanations not be sufficiently clear 

 to enable those who are desirous of copying my design 

 to do so to their own satisfaction, I shall be very 

 pleased to forward more exact dimensions, and a 

 paper pattern of my own net to any who may apply 

 for it. 



Herbert Alexander Walters. 



77/i? Hermitage, Reigate. 



STUDIES OF COMMON PLANTS. 

 [Contuiiied from J>. 62.] 



No. II. — The Cuckoo-Pint {Arum maculatum) 

 (continued). 



By Charles F. W. T. Williams, B.A. Cantab. 



THE next disease to be noted is one which fre- 

 quently causes mistake and annoyance to the 

 ardent searcher after micro-fungi. I mean a decom- 

 position of internal cell structure, extending over but 

 a small area, and clearly apparent to the naked eye in 

 the form of dirty brown or light spots. Again and 

 again beginners, and others, who I presume lay 

 claim to being something more, send me leaves of the 

 arum thus marked, in the fond belief that they have 

 found the somewhat uncommon CEcidium ari, in 

 large quantities ! Only the other day, I heard of the 

 case of a gentleman who devoted much time and 

 trouble to the examination of such leaves, but in the 

 end confessed to the lady who had brought him the 

 valuable specimens that "he could see nothing." It 

 may be well then to bear in mind that there are two 

 forms of disease which should be distinctly separated 

 from one another in the mind and the eye of the 

 enthusiastic collector. And this brings me to speak 

 of the actual attack of the fungus known as CEcidium 

 ari. 



In the first place, as I have mentioned, CEcidium ari 

 is not common. The leaves on which it appears are 

 not always marked on the upper side, and, as is so 

 often the case, are more frequently healthy in appear- 

 ance than the reverse. In general, however, there is 

 some slight indication on the upper surface of the 



