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HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



In a paper contributed to the " Midland Naturalist," 

 and published in separate form, Mr. E. Wilson, 

 F.G.S., curator of the Bristol Museum, discusses 

 the Lias Marlstone of Leicestershire as a source of 

 iron. This rock has been already worked to some 

 extent, and the author anticipates a great extension of 

 the industry from the large stores of iron which must 

 be contained in it and its proximity to the Notts- 

 Derbyshire coal-field. The upper beds only are 

 sufficiently rich in iron to pay for working. The 

 paper is illustrated by a map of the Marlstone Rock 

 of the district. 



The " Youth Scientific and Literary Society " is 

 now in its 2nd or 3rd Session. Its headquarters are 

 at the Tolmers Square Institute, Drummond Street, 

 N.W., where the meetings are held, and lectures, 

 &c, delivered, one of the objects of the Society being 

 to encourage the study of Natural History among 

 young people. The President of the Society, which 

 has representatives in a good many provincial towns, 

 is Mr. J. W. Williams, B.A., B.Sc, and the Secretary, 

 Mr. R. A. Neville-Lynn, from whom further informa- 

 tion can be obtained. 



Dr. P. Q. Keegan writes in opposition to the 

 certainly rather pungent paragraph of Mr. Mattieu 

 Williams, in the May number of Science-Gossip, on 

 the question of throwing the classics overboard in 

 modern education. Dr. Keegan thinks that an 

 exclusively scientific training will not enable a man 

 to dispense the elevating influences of science to the 

 masses sympathetically or with the spirit of humanity. 

 There are doubtless many who, for the same or other 

 reasons, will to some extent agree with Dr. Keegan's 

 views. 



It seems that a great deal of lead is expended harm- 

 lessly in war. The "Popular Science News" for April 

 publishes an illustration of a soldier surrounded with 

 a multitude of bullets, grouped pretty closely over 

 a circular space around him. It is intended to 

 convey to the sense of sight the fact, that it takes 

 on the average thirteen hundred bullets, even under 

 the conditions of modern marksmanship shown in 

 the Franco-Prussian war, to kill each soldier who 

 falls in battle. The assertion, attributed to Marshal 

 Saxe, that it took a soldier's weight of lead to 

 kill him in battle, is said to have been shown to 

 be not far fiom the truth at the battle of Solferino, 

 where for every man killed, four thousand two 

 hundred bullets were expended, which would weigh 

 about two hundred and seventy-seven pounds of 

 lead. 



Mr. A. Melville Bell, who has been absent ful- 

 some years from England, has been lecturing at 

 Oxford on Visible Speech, or the Science of Universal 

 Alphabefics, of which he is the inventor. Mr. Bell 

 is the father of Mr. Graham Bell, the well-known 

 inventor of the telephone. 



CHLORiNE.hydrochloric acid, carbonicoxide,silicon 

 fluoride, and arseniuretted hydrogen are now all 

 known in the solid state. 



Mr. F. O. Bower, Lecturer on Botany in the 

 Science School, South Kensington, has been ap- 

 pointed Professor of Botany at the Glasgow Univer- 

 sity, succeeding Professor Bayley Balfour. 



In the April number of "Science" may be 

 found notes of the work done by the U.S. fish-com- 

 mission steamer "Albatross," which last winter 

 made a cruise in the region of the Gulf of Mexico. 

 Near Havana large supplies of sea-lilies were hauled 

 up on the ' Pentacrinus ' ground. On the island of 

 Cozumel, east of Yucatan, thirteen new species of 

 birds, and two new sub-species were obtained. 



It is said that a German publisher has brought out 

 a book printed in dark blue ink on pale green paper, 

 on the theory that neutral tints are good for the eye- 

 sight. 



The programme issued for the annual conversazione 

 of the Sheffield Naturalists' Club (April 17th), inclu- 

 ded the annual address by the President, Dr. Sorby, 

 F.R.S., on Biological Researches, carried out on the 

 yacht " Glimpse " in 1884, with lantern illustrations ; 

 ants' nests after Sir John Lubbock's method, from 

 Mr. Henry Burns, the nests being illuminated and 

 magnified, and containing the living ants ; a collection 

 of skeletons, zoological models, &c, from Messrs.. 

 Moore Bros, of Liverpool ; entomological specimens 

 from H. L. Earl, Esq., Oxon. ; k birds and other 

 animal specimens, stuffed or living, from Mr. A. S. 

 Hutchinson and others ; the exhibition of microscopic 

 objects by the owners of the instruments ; a large 

 number of mounted specimens of flowers from Mr. 

 G. Hann, living wild flowers and wild ferns. Alto- 

 gether to judge from the programme the conversazione 

 must have been a success. 



It appears now that not only coins, but bank notes 

 are found to harbour bacteria and other microscopic 

 organisms. 



On the 20th March last the " Society of Amateur 

 Geologists" met at 31, King William Street, E.G., 

 when a paper was read by Professor Boulger, F.L.S., 

 F.G.S., on " Organic Acids and their Geological 

 Effects." Mr. Charles Lane also read a short paper 

 on "Volcanic Rocks." On April nth, the members 

 of the society went to Finchley, under the direction of 

 Professor Boulger, to examine the glacial deposits 

 there. Both the meeting and excursion were tho- 

 roughly appreciated by the ladies and gentlemen who 

 attended them. 



It is announced that Dr. Frankland is about to 

 resign the Professorship of Chemistry at the Normal 

 School of Science and Royal School of Mines. 



