HARD WICKE ' S S CIE NCE - G SSI P. 



4i 



the encouragement of practical scientific work among 

 amateurs, the guidance of beginners in the study of 

 natural history, the interchange of opinions upon 

 scientific questions, and the collection and circulation 

 of useful facts and observations bearing upon the 

 sciences in general. It would be shown, too, that 

 scientific tastes are not the exclusive possession of 

 the religiously indifferent or the agnostic. The 

 Journal is to be under the joint editorship of the 

 Rev. Dr. Dallinger and Rev. Hilderic Friend. 



We are pleased to notice that a Microscopical 

 Society has been formed at Alton, Hamphire, the 

 Rev. F. Howlett being president. 



Mr. J. W. Chambers, of the Board Schools, 

 Ponton Road, Nine Elms, asks our readers to send 

 him for his School Museum any natural history 

 duplicates. We should be glad to see a Natural 

 History Museum in every Board School in the country, 

 and we are sure our readers will be only too glad 

 to help to stock them. 



We are sorry to have to record the death of Mr. 

 J. A. Phillips, F.R.S., the well-known chemical 

 geologist, at the age of 64. 



An Australasian Association for the Advancement 

 of Science has just been founded in Sydney. It will 

 hold its first meeting next September — the 100th 

 anniversary of the founding of the colony of New 

 South Wales. 



We have received No. 79 of Mr. Wesley's useful 

 "Natural History Scientific Book Circular." 



The " Sheffield Daily Telegraph" of January 4th 

 has a paragraph about a man being killed at Little 

 Lever, by the fall of an immense stone on the roof of 

 a colliery, supposed to be a meteorite. This is too 

 important a matter to be allowed to die the ordinary 

 natural death of a " fill-up par." Can any of our 

 correspondents about Little Lever send us a bit of 

 this "immense stone " for diagnosis ? 



We are very pleased to observe that Lord Salisbury 

 has placed Mr. Thos. Bolton, the well-known and 

 laborious caterer in microscopic natural history, on 

 the Civil List Pension of ,£50 a year. 



During January, Dr. J. E. Taylor, editor of 

 Science-Gossip, lectured on behalf of the Chelms- 

 ford Museum, on " Australian Animals and Plants ; " 

 at Saxmundham, on " The Story of a Flint Pebble ; " 

 at the Windsor Institute, on "The World before 

 Man ; " and at Manningtree, on " The Deep Sea and 

 its Inhabitants." 



A ' ' Meteorological Society of Australasia " 

 has been successfully founded at Adelaide. 



Our American brethren have started a "Journal 

 of Morphology," and Mr. W. P. Collins, 157 Great 

 Portland Street, is agent for England. 



Mr. Thomas Moore, the well-known botanist 

 and horticulturalist, whose books on ferns have de- 

 lighted more than one generation, has just died, aged 

 sixty-seven. 



We are pleased to notice that Mr. Clement Wragge, 

 who did such splendid work at the Ben Nevis Obser- 

 vatory, has been appointed Government Meteorolo- 

 gist for Queensland. 



Mr. L. Utcott Gill has completed the issue of his 

 useful sevenpenny numbers on "Fancy Pigeons" 

 and " British Cage Birds." 



MICROSCOPY. 



A Phenomenon in Aniline Staining. — In the 

 summer of 1884 I mounted several slides of desmids, 

 Spirogyra, and other Algre from our Sutton Park 

 and other places, the mounting substance being the 

 article commonly known as " French Polish," being 

 coloured with the addition of a little aniline-green 

 and well mixed together. The said slides were spun 

 in the usual manner on the turn-table, the cells being 

 finally finished off with a last touching-up with the 

 aforesaid " French Polish." About six months after, 

 I thought I would look at them to see how this 

 " French Polish" stood, and whether there were any 

 signs of running in. When I came to look at them 

 through my microscope, I was as much astonished as 

 delighted, for the specimens one and all had become 

 stained a beautiful and vivid green, of course rather 

 too vivid, but nevertheless quite a surprise to me. I 

 mentioned it to my friend Dr. Anthony, at whose 

 advice I have made this public, as he said he thought 

 it was quite new. The specimens stained were 

 Spirogyra iitflata, S. Weberii, S. qninina, Staurasper- 

 mum gracile and St. viride. The Desmids so treated 

 were the Closterium rostratum in conjugation, and 

 Clos. Leiblorii, &C.—B. ff. Wagstaff, Edgbaston, Bir- 

 mingham. 



Extract of Logwood. — Will some one kindly 

 give me instructions in Science-Gossip how to 

 prepare stain for microscopical purposes from extract 

 of Logwood, and oblige M. Hafen, Pitville Terrace, 

 Ditton- Widness, Lancashire. 



Cole's " Studies." — These admirably written and 

 succinct " Studies in Microscopical Science " issue 

 with marvellous punctuality, "slides" as well as 

 "studies." Indeed, of the two, we generally get the 

 illustrative slides first. The last four parts to hand 

 are as follows : I. " Studies in Vegetable Physiology, 

 Storage Cells, and Reserve Food Material" (illus- 

 trated by a section of the cotyledonary leaf of a pea). 

 2. "Animal Histology: the Uterus " (illustrated by 

 section of uterus of rabbit). 3. " Pathological His- 

 tology : Congestion of Kidney." 4. "The Sec 



