i86 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



tous alga on the glass and the surface of the water, 

 and as it obscured our view of the anemones we 

 decided to remove it. This we did with complete 

 success by drawing off the water with a siphon, and 

 then wiping the surface of the glass with a clean 

 duster. We also removed some of the gravel, and 

 replaced it with fresh, afterwards filtering the water 

 into the glasses again. A short visit to Beaumaris 

 in June afforded us an opportunity of obtaining a 

 reserve supply of sea-water. This we did, and upon 

 our arrival at home put the whole into glass bottles, 

 each holding a quart. We also brought a single 

 specimen of the smooth beadlet [Actinia mesembry- 

 anthcmum). Like the daisies it soon commenced to 

 explore its new home, but did not seem to be so 

 satisfied, for after two days had elapsed the tentacles 

 were retracted, and for some weeks it remained in an 

 apparently lifeless condition, from which, at first, 

 even food failed to arouse it. However, after several 

 unsuccessful attempts, we at last induced it to swallow 

 a bit of mussel, and it has since then taken food and 

 displayed its beauties in such a way as to remove all 

 doubt as to its healthiness. 



Having been so successful in our first attempt at 

 anemone keeping, we determined, during a holiday 

 in September, to try what we could do with one or 

 two less common species. A visit to Rhoscollyn, 

 Holy Island, where the green opelet (Anthea cereus) 

 abounds, afforded us an opportunity for collecting 

 specimens of that beautiful species. We selected 

 three small ones, and with two dahlia wartlets 

 (Tealia crassicornis), and another smooth beadlet, 

 started our second venture upon our arrival at home 

 five days later. The glass into which we put our 

 new captures is nearly twice the size of the two men- 

 tioned above, and having a fiat bottom it affords a 

 better view of its contents than the ordinary propa- 

 gating glass. We may here remark, that we have 

 constantly kept a close fitting glass cover upon each 

 tank, to keep out the dust and to prevent evaporation. 

 Our reserve supply of sea-water now proved useful, 

 though we had filled all our spare bottles before 

 leaving Beaumaris. The green opelets were at home 

 in a few hours, and took food readily on the follow- 

 ing day. About a week later, we noticed that one 

 of them was about to undergo the process of fission. 

 The disk by which it adhered to the glass was 

 divided by a constriction into two halves, and each 

 half seemed to be trying to move away from the 

 other. Three days later there were two distinct 

 disks, and the constriction had extended up the 

 column to the base of the tentacles. The next day 

 found the two halves further away from each other, 

 and a portion of the digestive sac was exposed, 

 forming a sort of connecting link between the two. 

 The final separation took place on the ninth day. 

 The dahlia wartlets refused food for some time, but 

 they now take it readily, and are apparently in per- 

 fect health. We recently introduced a small mussel 



(Mytilus edulis), and have been much interested to- 

 observe the behaviour of the green opelets towards 

 it. The stone to which it has anchored itself has, 

 since its introduction, been their favourite resting- 

 place, and we have several times seen one or other of 

 them seated upon its shell. 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



According to the " English Mechanic," the 

 passage of the electric fluid between terminal brushes 

 of very fine platinum wire was shown under the 

 microscope at a recent meeting of the San Francisco 

 Microscopical Society. When films of soot of 

 different thicknesses were interposed, "in its passage 

 through these the current was deflected into meander- 

 ing lines, around which scintillated showers of sparks. 

 The particles of soot could be seen arranging them- 

 selves in symmetrical groupings around the ter- 

 minals." 



The Darwin Medal, instituted by the Midland 

 Union of Scientific Societies for the recognition of 

 original research, is this year awarded to Mr. W. 

 Jerome Harrison, F.G.S., senior science demonstrator 

 to the Birmingham School Board. 



The cholera has increased to an alarming extent 

 in Spain, and the Spanish Government after per- 

 mitting Dr. Ferran to resume his inoculation has 

 again withdrawn its permission. 



The " Botanical Gazette," speaking apparently of 

 a botanical club in connection with the meeting of the 

 American Association, protests against the " custom- 

 ary practice of botanists, which is to have no paper, 

 or something which would be better unsaid. The 

 disjointed twaddle . . . should be reserved for the 

 privacy of the botanical club." " Every botanist 

 should prepare a brief paper, as compact as possible, 

 and to secure exactness and ss.ve time, it should be 

 written and read." Excellent advice this last ; which 

 might indeed perhaps be extended even to the privacy 

 of botanical clubs in general, not to say other of 

 our scientific societies ; and by following which 

 the readers of the papers would be gainers, by the 

 increased exactness which ought to result. 



Mr. A. R. Wallace, in a review referred to in 

 another column, says, " It is now generally admitted 

 that the celebrated ' subsidence theory ' of the forma- 

 tion of atolls and barrier reefs is unsound as a general 

 explanation of the facts ; yet it so fully and plausibly 

 explained all the details of coral structure known at 

 the time, as to command universal acceptance and 

 unbounded admiration." 



Professor Huxley, it is announced, is about to 

 retire from his various appointments under Govern- 

 ment with a pension of ,£1200 a year. 



