2IO 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



It seems only too probable that ballooning has cost 

 another life. Mr. F. A. Gower, who was associated 

 with Mr. Bell in telephone improvement, left Cher- 

 bourg on July iSth, to cross the Channel in his balloon, 

 and has not been heard of since. 



MICROSCOPY. 



Mr. A. Graham Bell describes in "Nature" some 

 experiments which were made in his presence of the 

 method proposed by Mr. F. Delia Torre, of Baltimore, 

 for preventing the collision of ships with icebergs 

 during a fog or with other ships. A musket with a 

 speaking trumpet attached to the muzzle was fired 

 with blank cartridges at passing vessels, and after a 

 longer or shorter interval an echo was heard. This 

 was the case when the ships were as much as appeared 

 to be a mile off. An echo was even obtained from a 

 small tug-boat approaching the launch on which the 

 experiments were made. It seems that a return of 

 sound is caused also by the ripples on the surface of 

 the water, the effect being in this case like the rolling 

 of thunder and lasting for some seconds. 



The hundredth birthday of M. Chevreul, the 

 chemist, perhaps the oldest man of science living, 

 takes place on August 31st, he having been born in 

 17S5, and preparations have been made by Paris 

 students for its celebration. 



It is stated in " Science" that Professor Tyndall 

 generously gave the net result of his American 

 lecturing tour in 1872-3 as a fund for the education 

 of young physicists at European Universities, but 

 that as difficulties arose in this disposal of the fund, 

 the gift, which has in the meantime accumulated to 

 thirty-two thousand dollars, has lately been divided 

 by Professor Tyndall equally between Harvard, 

 Columbia College and Pennsylvania University for the 

 maintenance of graduate scholarships or fellowships 

 in physics. 



A biography of Mr. Darwin by his son, Mr. G. 

 H. Darwin, is expected to be published before the 

 end of the year. 



From a report in the "English Mechanic" of a 

 lecture delivered by Dr. P. Ebell at Hanover, it 

 appears that the effect of "grass bleaching" has been 

 shown by previous investigation to be due not to ozone, 

 as was supposed, but to oxygenated water or hydrogen 

 peroxide, which forms an oxidising agent having the 

 advantage over those practically employed of not 

 injuring the material. It is said that the difficulties 

 of preparing oxygenated water on the large scale 

 have been overcome, a three per cent, solution (by 

 weight) being obtainable at a moderate price and in 

 any quantity, and that it may be considered as the 

 bleaching agent which is to rule in the future. 



A new soldering material for sealing up food-tins 

 is said to have been patented, consisting of a solution 

 of lactic acid and glycerol in water, for which is 

 claimed a freedom from the ill-effects which have 

 been attributed to chloride of zinc. 



Cole's Studies in Microscopical Science. — 

 The last set of these studies received consists of slides 

 showing a transverse section of a feather in its 

 follicle ; vertical section of female receptacle of 

 marchantia, showing archegonia ; lung tuberculosis ; 

 and a transverse section of tail of puppy ; together 

 with the accompanying chromo-lithographs and text. 



The Journal of the Royal Microscopical 

 Society. — The August number contains a paper by 

 Messrs. F. R. Cheshire and Watson Cheyn on Bacil- 

 lus alvci; the Cause of Foul Brood in Bees, illustrated 

 by two plates (see this vol. p. 114) ; a paper by Dr. 

 R. L. Maddox, on Feeding Insects with Bacilli ; an 

 Account of Four New Species of Flosculari, and Five 

 other New Species of Rotifera, by Dr. C. T. Hudson, 

 illustrated ; and the summary of current researches. 



The Journal of Microscopy.— The July 

 number of the Journal of Microscopy and Natural 

 Science, the Quarterly Journal of the Postal Micro- 

 scopical Society, contains papers on Cystopus, or 

 White Rust, by Mr. George Norman, F.R.M.S., 

 illustrated ; on Mounting Beetles, &c, without 

 pressure, by Robert Gillo ; on What is a Plant ? 

 Part ii., by H. W. S. Worsley-Benison, F.L.S. ; on 

 Chironomus Prasinus, Part ii., by A. Hammond, 

 F.L.S. ; on Animal Metamorphosis, Part ii., by J. B. 

 Jeaffreson, M.R.C.S., illustrated; the Microscope, 

 and How to Use It, Part iii., by V. A. Latham ; 

 and on Diatoms in the Stomachs of Shell-Fish and 

 Crustacea, by E. B. Courroux. There are three plates 

 of figures at the end. 



The Anatomy of the Cockroach.— In reply to 

 J. H. Moorhead, I venture to give the following hints, 

 until some friend comes forward who is better able 

 than I am to do so. There have been some excellent 

 slides circulated in the Postal M. Boxes mounted by 

 one of our members, Mr. A. W. Lyons, illustrating 

 these very articles a few weeks ago. The wing of a 

 male cockroach may be bleached in the following 

 solution. Hydrochloric acid, gtt. (drops) x. ; chlorate 

 of potash 5ss ; aqua 5J. This will render antennae 

 and wings transparent. Wash well, dry and mount 

 in C. balsam and benzole. Many are rendered trans- 

 parent enough by merely soaking in turpentine. 

 Instead of the above, a weak solution of chloride of 

 lime may be used, by which means the nerves in 

 antenna; will be well seen. I have some mounted in 

 glycerine jelly, first soaking them in equal parts of 

 glycerine spirit and water. Elytron : after soaking 

 in turpentine, cleaning and drying, soak in benzole 

 and mount in benzole and balsam. Gizzard is 

 separated >om other parts, cut open, soaked in 

 potass, wash well, mount as above or in gly. The 

 gizzard may be obtained by holding insects firmly 

 with pair of tweezers, and with back of dissecting 



