HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



i7 



had been destroyed in the burning out of the nest) ; 

 but there was an immense host of very active and 

 very fierce workers, which freely attacked the would- 

 be destroyers of their home, and it was no light task 

 evading their stings, as they were most persistent in 

 their attacks and would follow one far from their nest. 

 Also, this evening, a nest of the Vcspa sylvcstris, 

 not quite so large as the three taken on the 2nd 

 inst., but of fair size and the same shape, was taken 

 out of the above-mentioned dyke at no great distance 

 from that of V. Germanica. It also was situated in 

 a cavity immediately behind the facing stones of the 

 dyke, being completely exposed on the removal of 

 a few of them that lay in front of it. ' In it were 

 found all the three sexes, workers, large females and 

 males ; and out of one tier of comb I extracted 

 several of the large females, or queens and males, 

 that were just about ready to emerge. 



{To be continued.) 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



Death has been very busy lately with scientific 

 men. We have to mourn the loss of two old and 

 valued contributors : Professor Buckman, F.G.S., 

 whose papers on geology and botany were frequent 

 in our earlier numbers, and Mr. J. F. Robinson, of 

 Frodsham, whose " Notes for Science-Classes" were 

 among the last of his contributions to Science- 

 Gossip. Mr. Robinson died at the early age of 

 forty-five, an earnest, simple-minded botanist and 

 naturalist, who was never so pleased as when assisting 

 other students. 



Two distinguished geologists have just passed 

 away : Dr. Thomas Wright, of Cheltenham, the well- 

 known authority on British Oolitic fossils, and Mr. 

 R. A. God win- Austin, of Guildford, whose papers 

 and researches on the physical geography of various 

 of the geological periods gave a new charm to the 

 science, and also aided in the discovery of many new 

 truths. 



Mr. A. T. Metcalfe, F.G.S., has communicated 

 to the Geological Society his discovery in one of the 

 bone caves of the Cresswell Crags of the portion of 

 the upper jaw of the mammoth, containing the first 

 and second milk molar teeth, in situ. 



The' Natural History Collections at the Albany 

 Museum, Graham's Town, have long been known to 

 naturalists, who, however, have not hitherto been 

 aware of their extensive character. A catalogue has 

 now been compiled by the curator, M. Glanville, and 

 presented to both Houses of Parliament by the 

 Governor. It is in every way an admirable ana 

 creditable piece of work, and cannot fail to be 

 interesting and helpful, both to naturalists at home 

 and abroad. 



The new Executive Council of the National 

 Association of Science and Art Teachers held its 

 first meeting on Saturday, November 29th, in the 

 Technical School, Manchester. Dr. II. C. Sorby, 

 F.R.S., of Sheffield, presided, and there were present 

 representatives from several district associations. Sir 

 Henry E. Roscoe, F.R.S., &c, was unanimously 

 elected president. The new rules adopted at the 

 Annual Meeting were submitted, and ordered to be 

 printed, together with the annual report, an abstract 

 of the proceedings of the district associations, list of 

 members, &c. Measures were adopted for a large- 

 extension of the Association, and a committee was 

 appointed to consider the desirability of establishing 

 a newspaper or other journal for science and art 

 teachers. Several other matters were discussed, 

 including a circular of the Science and Art Depart- 

 ment, respecting prizes and scholarships, the dates of 

 examinations, and details respecting examinations in 

 machine construction, and drawing and building 

 construction, and in art. It was decided to hold the 

 next meeting of the Executive Council in Birmingham 

 early in February. 



A notable man, Professor Voelcker, F.R.S., well 

 known as a writer on agricultural chemistry, has just 

 died at the age of sixty-two. 



Dr. H. C. Lang, F.L.S., has drawn up a " Syste- 

 matic List of the Butterflies of Europe," extracted 

 from his work on this subject. It is published by 

 Messrs. Reeve & Co. 



Mr. Charles Baily, F.L.S., has kindly sent us a 

 copy (profusely illustrated) of the resume of the com- 

 munications he made to the Leenwenhoek- Microsco- 

 pical Club, and the Manchester Philosophical Society, 

 " On the structure, the occurrence in Lancashire, 

 and the source of the origin of Naias gramiuea, Del. 

 var. Deli lei, Magnus." 



Professor Owen has drawn attention to the fact 

 that the upper molar teeth of an eocene mammal 

 (Neoplagiaulax) from Rheims, has premolars like 

 those of the secondary mammal Plagianlax. 



Mr. W. Brockhurst has demonstrated to the 

 Linnean Society, that double daffodil flowers can 

 produce seeds. k He has raised them. 



The Rev. H. Higgins has published a very 

 thoughtful paper, in which is condensed a good deal 

 of personal experience in the matter, on " Museums 

 of Natural History." He is rather hard on the 

 "loungers" there — but can they "lounge" in better 

 or more harmless places? 



Dr. Percy Wilde, of Bath, has issued a short 

 pan-phlet entitled "Test Type for Determining the 

 Acuteness of Vision." It will be found of great 

 value to people of failing sight. The paper was 

 originally arranged for the " Medical Annual and 

 Practitioners' Index." 



