2IO 



HA R D WICKE ' S S CIE NCE- G SSI P. 



should consist, at first, of at least two members, each 

 of whom make the following subjects their study — 

 entomology, biology, botany, geology, mineralogy, or 

 chemistry ; subsequently special branches might be 

 added if collectively thought advisable. If the above 

 idea commends itself to you, would you kindly aid 

 us in forming such a circle by a short note in Science- 

 Gossip, allowing these few remarks to be the leading 

 feature ? Mr. Crowther or myself would be glad to 

 receive the names and addresses of such as would 

 like to assist, and if they would mention the special 

 department they are interested in, it would aid in 

 establishing the circle which is intended solely for 

 mutual good. — IV. H. Harris, 44, Partridge Rozu, 

 Cardiff ; Henry Crowther, Bccston Hill, Leeds. 



Western Microscopical Club. — This society, 

 which holds its meetings at the houses of its chief 

 members, is now assuming a very important position. 

 The meetings are of a highly practical character, and, 

 from the reports which have been forwarded to us, we 

 gather that some very valuable objects have been ex- 

 hibited, and the comments made upon them must have 

 been of an important character, when we remember 

 that amongst the members present were Dr. Spencer 

 Cobbold, Dr. M. C. Cooke, Dr. Lowne, Professor 

 Boulger, Messrs. F. Pascoe, H. V. Tebbs, and others. 

 The honorary secretary is Mr. A. W. Stokes, F.C.S., 

 Vestry Hall, Paddington, W. 



The Belgian Microscopical Society. — The 

 Annalcs of this well-known society for the year 1SS1 

 have just been published, containing papers by Dr. 

 Jabez Hogg on "The Movements of Diatoms," and 

 another by G. H. Delogne on "The Cryptogamic 

 Flora of Belgium," which extends over considerable 

 space and is very artistically illustrated. The volume 

 also contains the Bulletin des Seances from October 

 1880, to the end of 1881, in which we find a large 

 number of valuable matters discussed relating to 

 practical microscopy. 



The Quekett Miscroscopical Club.— Nos. 4 

 and 5 of the first volume of Series ii., for April and 

 July respectively, have just appeared. Dr. M. C. 

 Cooke contributes a short but interesting paper, " On 

 the Estimation of the Numbers of Foraminifera in 

 Chalk." From one ounce of chaik Dr. Cooke prepared 

 no less than 190 slides, each containing upwards of 

 IOOO perfect shells ; another ounce, more carefully 

 prepared, produced nearly half-a-million entire shells, 

 without counting those which must have been washed 

 away in the process. Hence the author concludes 

 that in estimating half-a-million of foraminifera to 

 each ounce of chalk, he is falling very far short of the 

 maximum. These calculations agree very closely 

 with and greatly strengthen Professor Ehrenberg's 

 computation that between one million and a quarter, 

 and one million and a third, of foraminiferous shells 

 are contained in each cubic inch of Kentish chalk. 



Other papers are those on "The Fibro-vascular 

 Bundles in Ferns," by Mr. J. W. Morris; "The 

 Statoblasts of the Freshwater Sponges," by Mr. B. 

 W. Priest; "Fluid Cavities in Meteorites," by A. 

 de S. Guimaraens ; and some further notes on the 

 same subject by Mr. H. Hensoldt ; " Notes on Vau- 

 cheria," by Dr. M. C. Cooke ; and on "A Newly- 

 discovered British Sponge," by Mr. J. G. Waller. 

 Several of the above-named papers are illustrated by 

 good plates. 



ZOOLOGY. 



Conjugation (?) of Amcee/e. — In the dark green 

 slime which I scraped away from under a waterpipe 

 this morning, I secured an Amoeba which I put 

 under power of 300 diameters. In the course of my 

 observation I detected a second and quite independent 

 amoeba a little distance from the first, and rather 

 smaller than it. Their course as regards each other 

 may be indicated by the arrows which follow : 

 ist-"* l 2 " d ' Suddenly the pseudopodia of the first 

 approached the second, and were soon in contact 

 with it. Having frequently observed the conduct of 

 this rhizopod when it gets itself involved with a 

 diatom, or a desmid, or small filament of conferva, I 

 was curious to learn how two amceboe would act 

 towards each other under similar circumstances. The 

 two masses of sarcode quickly blended with each 

 other, and became stationary, assuming a globular 

 form without any indications of pseudopodia, the 

 action of the granular particles, &c, in the substance 

 of the animal being for a few instants quite suspended. 

 In about two minutes, however, fresh pseudopodia 

 were protruded, and the animalcula became as active 

 as ever. While I write the strangely united two-in- 

 one are happily pursuing the irregular tenor of their 

 way across the field of my old Smith and Beck. 

 The granular particles are more numerous, and the 

 nuclei rather fainter than before. There are two 

 large vacuoles and a small one, and two reddish- 

 brown spots in the body of the animal. The amoeba 

 first under observation had certainly only one of these 

 spots. I have had this singular couple under obser- 

 vation off and on during two hours, and there is no 

 doubt as to its identity, but beyond the usual cease- 

 less changes of form undergone by it, there is nothing 

 to record ; and business engagements will now oblige 

 me to place it in my aquarium. What will its future 

 history be ? — W. J. Simmons, Calcutta. 



Helix pomatia in Bucks. — I have a list of 

 thirty-nine species of land and freshwater shells, all 

 of which, with one exception, I collected myself, while 

 residing at High Wycombe. The exception is Helix 

 pomatia, which was not rare in a park at Great 

 Marlow. My friend Mr. Lucas found it alive there 



