n6 



HA RD WICKE'S SCIENCE- G OSSIP. 



The members of the Yorkshire Naturalists' Union 

 have undertaken the important work of cataloguing 

 and describing all the large erratic blocks or boulders 

 of the county. Mr. S. A. Adamson, 52 Well Close 

 Terrace, Leeds, is the hon. sec. 



The last number of the "Transactions of the 

 Ottawa Field Naturalists' Club," indicates that the 

 vigour and enthusiasm of the members have not 

 slackened. 



The last two numbers of the "Victorian Natura- 

 list " (the organ of the " Victorian Field Naturalists' 

 Club "), are to hand, and contain some valuable and 

 readable papers. 



Professor Beddard is about to deliver a course 

 of attractive lectures to young people at the Zoological 

 Gardens. 



Dr. J. E. Taylor delivered a lecture on April 18th, 

 at the Firth College, Sheffield, on behalf of the 

 Literary and Philosophical Society, subject — " A 

 Naturalist's Holiday in Australia." 



MICROSCOPY. 



Mounting in Castor Oil.— Will some fellow- 

 reader of Science-Gossip kindly tell me the best 

 method of mounting in castor oil ? Also how to 

 keep it from getting cloudy in winter ? — H. Geer. 



Wasp-Paper under the Microscope. — Perhaps 

 the following may prove of interest. It is generally 

 stated in books on natural history that wasp-paper 

 is made from decayed wood, but if the outer covering 

 of a wasp's nest be examined by soaking the paper 

 in turpentine and then mount in balsam, it will be 

 seen that it has been made from living plants. I 

 have micro-slides which show scalariform vessels of 

 fern, stomata, and cells in epidermis of leaf, portions 

 of leaf of plants, the empty husk of wheat, thorns 

 similar to those on bramble leaf, and portions 

 showing cellular structure very finely divided. The 

 paper also shows insect remains, portions of wings, 

 legs, antennae, etc. One piece of paper shows the 

 compound eye of an insect as clean and perfect as 

 though specially prepared. Paper made by Vespa 

 vulgaris shows plant structure most ; V. sylvestris 

 shows most insect remains ; V. riifa and V. germanica 

 plant structure, but no insect remains. — T. Moore, 

 84 Porchester Street, Birmingham. 



New Slides. — We have received from Mr. W. S. 

 Anderson, Ilkeston, the following instructive and 

 interesting slides, all admirably mounted : Water 

 boatman, ground beetle, bedstraw beetle, sun beetle, 

 larva of the Cinnabar moth, and Iris bug. 



Cole's " Studies." — We have received sections 

 1, 2, 3, and 4 of No. 8 of this admirable and ever- 

 welcome series, with slides of the same to match : — 



section of a fallen leaf, illustrating defoliation ; 

 spermatozoa of var'ous invertebrata (with slide cf 

 those of the earthworm) ; pathological (with slide 

 illustrating Bright's disease) ; and the growing-points 

 of stems. All the parts contain the usual highly- 

 finished coloured plates. 



The Head of the Queen Bee. — We have re- 

 ceived from Mr. Fred Enock a beautifully mounted 

 slide of this interesting object, showing all the organs 

 of the mouth in their natural form and colour. It is 

 accompanied by the usual illustrated description. No 

 better way of learning practical entomological com- 

 parative anatomy could have been designed than 

 Enock's entomological slides. 



Camera Lucida. — In reply to F. R. Brokenshire's 

 query as to the use of camera lucida : I should say 

 from the back lens of the objective to the eye lens of 

 the ocular, but cannot speak with authority on this 

 point. But, as to the second question, my eye-pieces 

 A and B have no cap, but are the full width (15 inch) 

 of the tube. I drilled a hole outside the lens and 

 tapped it for a small screw, then took a piece of thin 

 brass, punched a j-inch hole over which I cemented 

 a cover glass that bent the brass to an angle of 45 

 and filled a slot in the tail part, as I call it, so that 

 when slipped over the screw, which was moderately 

 tight, the cover-glass stood in front of the lens at 45 . 

 The whole thing would cost something to be ex- 

 pressed in a fraction of a penny, and it answers as 

 well as a five shilling affair. — Richard Gill. 



ZOOLOGY. 



Pathology and its Relation to Evolution. 

 — The second figure — section through the postate 

 gland to show Sinus pocularis — to illustrate the first 

 instalment of this article should read thus : a. bladder ; 

 b. prostate ; and c. prostatic portion of urethra ; 

 d. Vesicula seminalis ; c. Vas deferens ; f. common 

 ejaculatory duct ; g. Vesicula prostatica or Sinus 

 pocularis. I should be pleased if the readers of my 

 review would note this rendering of the diagram. — 

 J. W. Williams. 



The Development of the Tadpole. — On 

 page 68, Dr. J. W. Williams doubts my assertion 

 that the cilia of the epidermal cells of the young 

 tadpole are difficult to see in prepared sections, and 

 because he can see the cilia in mounted sections of 

 the epididymis and trachea of man and cat, thinks 

 the cilia of the tadpole can be equally well seen if 

 sections are prepared in the usual routine way, i.e., 

 after hardening with chromic acid, &c. Dr. Williams 

 then goes on to say, that " if ever there were any cilia 

 there, take an honest word you will spot them." I 

 hope Dr. Williams will try to cut sections of tadpoles 

 a fortnight or three weeks old, having first satisfied 



