234 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



of his address, urged the contact of students with 

 the working minds of living teachers rather than a 

 trusting to systems of examination. These systems, 

 he says, have been tested and found wanting in 

 nearly every civilised country on the face of the earth. 

 He would like to see the British Association extend its 

 usefulness by providing for the writing of scientific 

 treatises for the use of students, by furnishing reports 

 on science in other countries, and programmes of 

 instruction for the guidance of schoolmasters and 

 private students ; and, if the Royal and other 

 Societies are necessarily too select for the purpose, 

 by broadening its basis in some way so as to en- 

 courage the "scientific plebeian." Finally, he 

 suggests that the leaders of science should extend 

 their influence by coming more into personal contact 

 with others, by lecturing from time to time in the 

 large centres of the higher education. 



Before passing to the special subject of his paper, 

 viz. Chemical Action, Professor H. E. Armstrong, 

 president of the Chemical Section, dealt with the 

 teaching of science. Examinations are evidently 

 growing in disfavour, and Professor Armstrong, like 

 Professor Chrystal, is no friend to the system. He says 

 that both in teaching and examining two changes 

 should be made, by which students at the very 

 beginning of their career should, by performing a 

 few simple quantitative exercises in determining 

 equivalents, &c., become familiar with the use of 

 the balance ; and secondly, the imaginary distinction 

 between so-called inorganic and organic compounds 

 should be altogether abandoned. In the second 

 portion of his paper he says, " the inference which 

 I think may fairly be drawn from Mr. Baker's 

 observations [see this Vol. p. 113], that pure carbon 

 and phosphorus are incombustible in pure oxygen — 

 is indeed startling." 



In the Geological Section, Professor J. W. Rudd, 

 F.R.S., occupied himself with Scottish Geology, 

 referring at some length to the controversies 

 on the subject, and dealing with the geology 

 of the Highlands, associating with it that of Scan- 

 dinavia. He stated that he failed to see that any 

 such connection between the minute structure of a 

 rock and its geological age had yet been established, 

 thatC would enable the evidence of the microscope to be 

 a substitute for palxontological evidence where that 

 was wanting. 



A NEW edition of Yarrell's British Birds, in four 

 volumes, is just completed, the first two volumes 

 having been revised by Professor Alfred Newton, 

 F.R.S., and the two latter by Mr. Howard Saunders, 

 F.Z.S. 



It appears that MM. Paul Gibier & Van Ermengem, 

 who were appointed by their governments to study 

 Dr. Ferran's method of preventive vaccination for 

 cholera, have independently arrived at the conclusion 



that inoculation with his cultivated virus {comma 

 bacillus) does not prevent animals operated on from, 

 taking the disease. 



It looks as if railways were at length on the way 

 towards becoming accomplished facts in China,, 

 where of all places it would appear to be most 

 difficult to introduce novelties. Now, however, 

 several lines are proposed. Some interesting parti- 

 culars are given by Mr. John Dixon in a letter to the 

 "Times" with respect to an experimental line that 

 was laid down from Shanghai to Woosung for the 

 purpose of introducing the subject in a practical form 

 to the notice of the Chinese. The length of this line 

 was nine and a quarter miles, and its gauge 2 feet,, 

 and it was kept open for 15 months. During the 

 making, the people showed great interest in it, and 

 in the 15 months for which it remained open it was 

 largely patronised by them. It came to an end 

 through the action of Chinese authorities, but Mr. 

 Dixon hopes that it will have led the way to the 

 extension of the system, and moreover, avows that 

 his object is to promote the opening up to the world 

 of a magnificent market for rails, &c, in the trade of 

 which England might secure the largest share. But 

 what would Mr. Ruskin say to all this ? 



Engineering science seems to have long ago 

 exceeded the limit, wherever that may be, to which it 

 is advisable to go in increasing the size of ships. 

 Every now and again the question crops up as to 

 what is to be done with the Great Eastern. The last 

 news is that by order of Mr. Justice Chitty she is to 

 be offered for sale by auction next month. 



MICROSCOPY. 



Haplograpiiium. — Since the article on this genus 

 of Fungi was put in type, I have found H. bicolor in . 

 another locality, Barnt Green Reservoir, Worcester- 

 shire, on willow sticks, and was able satisfactorily to 

 ascertain that the spores were in chains. See p. 197. 

 — W. B. Grove, B.A. 



Vorticell^e with two Contractile Vacuoles. 

 — On page 163 of this volume may be found a note 

 on this subject. In the " American Naturalist," as far 

 back as last March, Dr. Stokes adds that he found two 

 contractile vacuoles in V. vestita and also in V. 

 rhabdophora. It is necessary to have the vorticella so 

 placed that one vacuole may not conceal the other. 

 He remarks that the two vacuoles have hitherto been 

 observed only in those species which are also 

 apparently more highly organised in having some 

 kind of cuticular investment. 



Starches.— In the "Midland Naturalist" for 

 September may be found a short paper on starch, by- 

 Mr. Edward Francis, F.C.S., which was read before 



