HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



ii i 



sooner than the white flower. Cochkaria Anglica 

 (English scurvy grass) will be found along the em- 

 bankment of Brading Harbour, and C. Danica is 

 stated to grow at St. Helens, though I have not yet 

 succeeded in finding a specimen. Draba vcrna (whitlow 

 grass) is abundant early in the year. Most of these 

 species may be found in June, as stated above, but 

 the Spit is well worth a visit in August or Septem- 

 ber, to see several acres of ground literally covered 

 with the delicate little Scilla autumnalis (autumn 

 squill). The flower varies in colour from purplish- 

 blue to nearly white ; it blossoms before the leaves 

 appear, thus differing from the bright blue spring 

 squill. This rare little flower may be gathered by 

 the hundred at St. Helens without any fear of 

 extermination, so plentifully does it reappear every 

 autumn. 



MICROSCOPY. 



Fluid Cavities in Meteorites. — Last autumn 

 we obtained a section from Edmund Wheeler. The 

 bubbles in many of the cavities move distinctly. We 

 have watched them under a "6th," but prefer the 

 " 1 2th." Last Friday evening we found in a tiny 

 cavity an unusually active bubble ; suddenly my 

 husband exclaimed, " I have stopped it." True 

 enough, there it was as quiet as possible at the top. 

 The lamp alone had been touched ; the lamp was 

 moved, when off shot the bubble across the cavity 

 and back ; again the light was moved, and the bubble 

 became as active as when first seen. We have 

 Heinrich Hensoldt's very interesting paper upon 

 "Fluid Cavities in Meteorites," and think our 

 section is from that which fell near Braunfels. My 

 husband is an old microscopist, and would much 

 value a fragment as offered by Heinrich Hensoldt. 

 The instrument and "powers " used were by the late 

 Andrew Ross ; the stand, his largest size. We have 

 not detected any effect by light upon the other 

 bubbles since examined. — F. S. 



Mr. Bolton's " Portfolio of Drawings." — 

 We have received a copy of No. 9 of this series. It 

 is, as many of our readers are aware, a description of 

 the living organisms (animal and vegetable) illustra- 

 tive of fresh-water and marine life, which Mr. Bolton 

 weekly sends out to his numerous clientele. The 

 illustrations are vigorous, and many of them quite 

 artistic, whilst the descriptions accompanying them 

 are pithy, but clear. When it is remembered that 

 one of these drawings and descriptions accompanies 

 each bottle of living organisms sent out for micro- 

 scopical examination, the reader will begin to think 

 there is a royal road to knowledge, after all ! The 

 present number gives descriptive illustrations of 

 Uvella virescens, Pyxicola affi?iis, Stichotricha remex, 

 Trochosphere of Alcyonidium, sEcistes umbella, 



Floscularia regalis, Melicerta tyro, Leptodora (young 

 stages), Cephalosiphon, Annurea, Ammothea, Idya, 

 &c. &c. 



" Studies in Microscopical Science." Edited 

 by A. C. Cole, F.R.M.S. — Some excellent things 

 have been recently sent out in connection with these 

 now well-known "Studies." Among the best pre- 

 parations we may mention No. 39, " Tongue of the 

 Dog ; " No. 40, " Leaf of Fiats elastica " (transverse 

 section) ; No. 42, a prepared section of the "White 

 Syenite of Lairg ; " and No. 48, another of the " Por- 

 phyritic Basalt" from Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh. 

 These geological slides are of the greatest interest and 

 beauty. Another containing a transverse section of 

 the stem of Ribes nigrum (No. 44), stained with 

 carmine, and that (No. 46) giving us a similar section 

 of the "Leaf of the Scotch Fir," are exquisite 

 specimens of mounting. The illustrations keep up 

 their high [artistic merit, and the "studies" or 

 descriptive accounts of the objects are models of 

 condensation, brevity, and withal of clearness. 



Harecourt Literary and Scientific Society. 

 — This flourishing society held its first annual Mi- 

 croscopical Soiree on the 30th of March, in the 

 Harecourt Hall, St. Paul's Road, N. It is pleasing 

 to find all the chief metropolitan districts developing 

 these scientific nuclei, around which it becomes easy 

 for people of scientific tastes to collect and make 

 each other's acquaintance. 



Journal of the Royal Microscopical So- 

 ciety. — The last part of the journal contains a paper 

 by Dr. Hudson, on " Five new Floscules ; with a 

 brief note on Professor Leidy's genera of Acytus and 

 Dictyophora." The illustrations accompanying it are 

 very beautifully executed. The address of the Presi- 

 dent (Professor Duncan) is also given in full, dealing 

 with practical optics relating to the microscope. 

 Mr. H. J. Waddington has a paper on " The Action 

 of Tannin on the cilia of Infusoria," &c. There is, 

 besides, the usual copious and excellently-condensed 

 summary of current researches relating to botany and 

 zoology, in so far as microscopy is connected with 

 them. 



Land and Freshwater Mollusca near 

 London. — Correspondents on this subject, if not 

 already acquainted with it, would come upon some 

 interesting records in Daniel Cooper's "Flora Metro- 

 politana" (Appendix), 1S36, where a very full list 

 of shells and the localities in which they were found 

 near London is given. Many of the places there 

 named are now either built over or threatened, and 

 local collectors would do well to work over the 

 latter spots, that something may be saved before the 

 flood of houses sweeps over these "happy hunting 

 grounds" for the conchologist. — B. B. Woodward. 



