256 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



A common mistake with beginners is that when 

 the characters given in a specific diagnosis are known 

 nothing more remains to be done, and too often 

 persons are met with who consider they know a 

 plant when its name is thus ascertained ; it must be 

 remembered that specific characters, as given in 

 systematic works, are only intended to individualise 

 nearly related organisms, and not in any sense to be 

 considered as exhaustive of their structural or physio- 

 logical peculiarities. 



MICROSCOPY. 



"Studies in Microscopical Science" (edited 

 by A. C. Cole). No. 3 of vol. ii. of this serial has 

 appeared, containing the subject of " The Morphology 

 of the Cell." There is a beautiful black and white 

 page illustration of Polycystina, from the Springfield 

 earth, Barbadoes. The " Cell Theory" is continued 

 in No. 4, and the slides sent out retain their well sus- 

 tained character for beautiful mounting. One, giving 

 a longitudinal section of the scale-leaf of Fritillaria 

 impei-ialis, is particularly noticeable. 



The Postal Microscopical Society. — Parts 

 7 and 8 of the Journal of this society have just 

 appeared, edited by the hon. sec, Mr. Alfred Allen. 

 (London : W. P. Collins.) It contains quite a mis- 

 cellany of information relating to natural history, 

 especially to its microscopical side. Among the 

 papers are the following: — "Organisms from the 

 Recently Discovered Ancient Roman Baths in Bath," 

 by R. H. Moore ; " Recent Researches in the 

 Bacteria," by J. B. Jeaffreson, M.R.C.S. ; " On 

 Tubifex Rivulorum," by A. Hammond, F.L.S. ; 

 "The Eye," by M. Poignand ; "On the Sapro- 

 legniese," by G. Norman, M.R.C.S.; "The Ap- 

 plication of Photography to the Delineation of 

 Microscopic Objects," by William Pumphrey ; 

 "Withered Leaves," by J. W. Fisher; "Methods 

 of Microscopical Research in the Zoological Station 

 in Naples," by C. O. Whitman ; " Half an Hour at 

 the Microscope, with Mr. Tuffen West, F.L.S.;" 

 "Selected Notes from the Society's Note-book," &c. 

 Most of the above papers, &c , are very nicely 

 illustrated by lithographic plates. 



"Journal of the Royal Microscopical 

 Society." — Part 5 of vol. iii. of this publication is, 

 as usual, replete with a variety of well-condensed 

 paragraphs, of the greatest use to the practical 

 microscopist. In addition, it contains a paper (illus- 

 trated) by Dr. C. T. Hudson, on Asplattchna Ebbe- 

 bornii (nov. sp.). 



Names of Hare.— Would some reader kindly 

 inform me where the hare is called a " Wat"? — 

 S, A. Brenan. 



ZOOLOGY. 



"The Butterflies of Europe." — By H. C. 

 Lang M.D. (London : L. Reeve & Co.) Part xv. of 

 this beautiful work has now appeared, dealing with 

 the Danaidrc and Satyridse. The coloured illustrations 

 keep up their high artistic character. 



" Parrots in Captivity."— By W. T. Greene, 

 M.D. (London : George Bell & Sons.) Parts ii. 

 and iii. of this work have been published, each con- 

 taining three very beautiful coloured plates of species. 

 This class of bird is now so widely distributed in 

 aviaries and otherwise, that the present work is a 

 very timely publication, and nobody was better 

 calculated to bring it out than Dr. Greene. 



Testacella. — A Query for West of England 

 Conchologists. — May I inquire of the numerous 

 ardent and successful conchologists who reside in the 

 Bristol district to assist in clearing up a little mystery 

 which seems to exist with regard to the number of 

 species of Testacella to be found in the West of 

 England ? In the various printed lists which bear 

 witness to the activity of the malacologists of the 

 Bristol district, we find numerous records of the 

 occurrence of Testacella Maugei, T. haliotidea and 

 T. haliotidea var. scutulum. As to the first-named, 

 there is no doubt whatever, as it is authentically 

 known to occur in various localities in the district ; 

 but when we find so accurate a conchologist as the 

 Rev. A. Merle Norman writing such a passage as I 

 have now to quote, we feel constrained to ask our 

 Bristol friends to set definitely at rest the question as 

 to whether or not T. haliotidea, or its var. scutulum 

 (or both) occurs as well. In his admirable catalogue 

 of the " Inland Mollusca of Somersetshire " (i860, p. 

 140), Mr. Norman says : — " T. haliotoidea, Drapar- 

 naud, has been recorded as occurring in several 

 localities in the West of England. In ail instances 

 in which we have had opportunity of examining the 

 specimens, the species has proved to be T. Maugei. 

 The Testacella also, which was figured and described 

 as T. scutulum in 'The Naturalist,' vol. viii. (1853 

 [sic in orig., should be 1858]), p. 179, as found at 

 Taunton, is evidently not the T. scutulum, but 

 T. Maugei.'''' These remarks considerably detract 

 from the value of all the records which exist in 

 respect of the occurrence of T. haliotidea or of its 

 var. scutulum in the West of England, unless it can 

 be shown that the recorders have based their notes 

 upon personal observation and accurate discrimina- 

 tion. There is yet another point to be cleared up, 

 and in this case other parts of Britain are concerned. 

 Does the type of Testacella haliotidea occur in the 

 British Isles ? and if so, where ? There is little 

 doubt that many of the records of this species really 

 pertain to its variety scutulum, and as attention is 

 now being given to the subject of variation, it is very 



