HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



IJ 3 



Hon. Sec. pro tern., Mr. J. G. Tasker, iS Junction 

 Road, Upper Holloway; or Mr. J. H. Toydd, Hon. 

 Sec. Highgate Literary and Scientific Institution, 

 Highgate, N. 



ZOOLOGY. 



The Late Professor Bell. — At the ripe old 

 age of eighty-seven, and retaining his intellectual 

 faculties vigorous to the last, as his recent edition of 

 White's " Selborne " abundantly proves, Thomas 

 Bel!, the author of "British Reptiles," "British 

 Quadrupeds," &c, has just passed away. He lived 

 for the last eighteen years in Gilbert White's old 

 house at Selborne, where he edited his last work. 



A New Order of Holothuridl*:. — In a recent 

 number of ' ' Nature " appeared an account, by Professor 

 Sir Wyville Thomson of the "Challenger" expedi- 

 tion, of a new order of Holothuridice. Dr. Theel, to 

 whom the specimens were submitted for description, 

 has proposed Elasmopoda, as the name for the order 

 whose chief features are : body distinctly bilateral ; 

 ambulacra well defined, the lateral ambulacra of the 

 trivium bearing large, slightly retractile pedicels ; 

 trivium provided with very long, not retractile pro- 

 cesses ; no respiratory trees ; integument naked, 

 spiculous, or plated. 



Polymorphic Butterflies. — At a recent meet- 

 ing of the Linnean Society, a paper by Professor 

 J. O. Westwood, on a supposed polymorphic butter- 

 fly, was read. The conclusions arrived at were : (i) of 

 Papilio Castor being males of a species whose females 

 have not yet been discovered ; (2) that the typical 

 P. Pollux are females of which the male with rounded 

 hind wings, having a diffused row of markings, has 

 yet to be discovered ; and (3) that the coloured figures 

 given by the author represented the two sexes of a 

 dimorphic form of the species. 



Exploration of the Island of Socotra. — We 

 are glad to announce that Dr. B. Balfour has arrived 

 safely at Socotra. In a communication to Sir Joseph 

 Hooker, he says that "the island is well worth 

 examination; that already one hundred and fifty species 

 of plants, besides some birds, lizards, and insects, had 

 been collected. The geology of the island is curious, 

 granite, diorite, and limestone being all mixed up in 

 a most perplexing way. The Sultan is giving great 

 help by ordering the sheiks to provide camels, men, 

 and everything that is wanted." 



The Popular Science Review for April contains 

 the following interesting articles: — " Chameleons," 

 by Professor J. R. Greene ; " The New Chemistry : a 

 Development of the Old," by M. M. Pattison Muir; 

 "The Classification of the Tertiary Deposits," by 

 Professor J. W. Judd, F.R.S.; "Artificial Diamonds," 

 by Professor F. W. Rudler ; and " The Threshold of 

 Evolution," by Dr. Wallich. 



Epping Forest Natural History Field Club. 

 ■ — The first ordinary meeting of this club was held 

 at the headquarters, 3 St. John's Terrace, Buck- 

 hurst Hill, Essex, on February 28 ; the president, 

 Mr. Raphael Meldola, F.R.A.S., F.C.S., &c, pre- 

 siding. The president delivered an inaugural address 

 on the objects and work of the club, in which he 

 mentioned that the idea of establishing such a club 

 had long been present in the minds of many habitues 

 of the forest and surrounding country, but no definite 

 scheme had been broached till Mr. Cole took the 

 subject up, and by his zeal and energy gave it a 

 sound footing. He thought there was no doubt a 

 field club would promote observation, and supply 

 a public want. Although not quite two months old, 

 the club numbered more than 160 original members. 

 He especially recommended young naturalists to 

 begin by making a collection. In attempting to 

 arrange objects by referring to some standard work, 

 the great principle of biological classification would 

 dawn upon them, and surrounding objects would 

 become imbued with a new interest. A paper by 

 Mr. A. M. Christy was then read, on " The occur- 

 rence of the great bustard {Otis tarda, L.), and the 

 rough-legged buzzard {Bitteo lagopits), near Chelms- 

 ford, during the winter of 1S79." The specimen of 

 the great bustard was shot on December 5, 1879, at 

 Hull Bridge. It was a young male, and had not 

 therefore the imposing size and conspicuous beard of 

 the old bird, and instead of weighing over 25 lbs. it 

 only weighed 10 lbs. Its total length was about 

 3 feet 9 inches, and the expanse of wing exceeded 

 7 feet. The rough-legged buzzard was shot at Patch- 

 ing Hall, near Chelmsford, on December 19, 1879. 

 It was a female, in very good condition. 



To preserve Birds' Eggs. — There must be a 

 reason for the mould on E. P.'s eggs, and it should 

 be easily detected. Damp is most probably the cause, 

 either in the cabinet or in the substance upon which 

 they are displayed. It ought not to occur in such a 

 situation as he describes, if the eggs are placed on 

 cotton wool. With regard to the suggestions of 

 T. J. Lane, washing the interior of an egg-shell with 

 clean water should be amply sufficient, and the wash 

 of solution of corrosive sublimate ought only to be used 

 where the lining membrane is decayed, and then 

 there can be no necessity to place the egg near the 

 fire, which is very likely to injure the colour, as the 

 spirit of wine will evaporate in a very short time 

 without heat. I have never used the solution of 

 corrosive sublimate and have never found the need of 

 it. The colouring matter on the surface of many 

 eggs is soluble in water, therefore they should never 

 be washed, and any description of varnish absolutely 

 destroys the character of the egg and renders it per- 

 fectly valueless. If eggs are protected from damp and 

 light, there is no reason why they should not remain 

 unchanged for an indefinite period. — T. Southwell. 



