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HARD WICKE ' S S CIENCE- G O SSIP. 



OUR SCIENTIFIC DIRECTORY. 



Wesley Scientific Society. President, Rev. Dr. Dal- 

 linger, F.R.S., Sheffield. Referee, Rev. Hilderic 

 Friend, F.L.S., Worksop, Notts. Secretary and 

 Treasurer, Rev. Wm. Spiers, M.A., F.G.S., 25 St. 

 James's Road, Upper Tooting. Organ, "The Wesley 

 Naturalist," 5^. per annum. Society. Postal. 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



The third annual report of the Watson Botanical 

 Exchange Club has appeared. The editor and 

 honorary secretary is Mr. A. R. Waller, Low Ouse- 

 gate, York. 



Mr. William Bull's orchid exhibition is now on 

 view at Chelsea, and all who love these singular 

 flowers should make a point of visiting it. 



Dr. R. von Lendenfeld has delivered three 

 very successful lectures at the Royal Institution on 

 " Recent Scientific Researches in Australasia," in 

 which he dwells on the evidences of a glacial period 

 in Australia. 



We have received a copy of Mr. Linnreus Green- 

 ing's paper on " British Newts," read before the 

 Warrington Field Club. It is one of the best on the 

 subject yet published, for Mr. Greening records his 

 own experience in keeping the various kinds. 



The Council of the British Medical Association 

 have recently appointed Mr. Watson Cheyn and Dr. 

 Sidney Martin as Science Scholars for one year. The 

 former proposes to continue his research of bacteria 

 in relation to disease, and the latter to carry on re- 

 searches on the vegetable albuminoses, especially with 

 relation to their alleged toxic action. 



It has been arranged that the Geological Field 

 Class which has again been formed for studying 

 systematically the Geological features of the country 

 near London, under the direction of Professor H. G. 

 Seeley, F.R.S., King's College, will meet on alternate 

 Saturday afternoons in May and June. 



The Canadian Correspondent of the "Liverpool 

 Journal of Commerce " says : The Dominion Govern- 

 ment propose to extend the signal service in connection 

 with the meteorological bureau in the North-West 

 and British Columbia. 



We have received a copy of Mr. E. T. Newton's 

 "Classification of Animals." It is a full, complete, 

 and highly useful synopsis of the animal kingdom, 

 with especial reference to the fossil forms. It will 

 prove valuable to teachers and students both of 

 geology and biology. It is published by George 

 Philip, 32 Fleet Street. Price sixpence. 



At a recent meeting of the Entomological Society, 

 Mr. E. B. Poulton exhibited a large and hairy lepi- 

 dopterous larva — apparently a Bombyx — brought 

 from the Celebes Islands by Dr. Hickson, and made 

 remarks on the urticating properties of the hairs of 

 the species, which were said by the natives to pro- 

 duce symptoms similar to those of erysipelas if the 

 larva was handled. 



MICROSCOPY. 



The Quekett Club. — The last number of the 

 "Journal" of this society contains the following 

 papers: — "On the Finer Structure of Certain Dia- 

 toms," by E. M. Nelson and G. C. Karop ; " Presi- 

 dent's Address;" "Fossil Marine Diatomaceous 

 Deposit from Oamaru," by E. Grove and G. Sturt ; 

 "The Structure of Aidacodiscus margaritaccus" by 

 Henry Morland ; "A New Arrangement of Growing 

 Slide," by Rev. A. Pagan ; proceeding at meetings, 

 etc. 



" Journal of the Royal Microscopical 

 Society " for April, contains the annual address of 

 the President, the Rev. Dr. Dallinger, besides a 

 paper on "The Differentiation of Tissues in Fungi," 

 by G. Massee (both illustrated) ; and the usual ex- 

 haustive summary of current researches relating to 

 Zoology, Botany, Microscopy, etc. The Supple- 

 mentary Number, containing a full and copious index 

 to the last volume, is also published. 



Cole's Studies. — The last four parts of this 

 celebrated series deal with the following .subjects 

 (all illustrated). The " Digestive Glands " of Butter- 

 wort, "Reproduction of the Mollusca " ; "Kidney 

 in Leucocythcemia " (pathological) ; and " Roots, 

 Stems, Growing Plants and Leaves (illustrated by 

 vert. sect, of Eucalyptus globulus + 50). It is an- 

 nounced that the remaining three sections of the 

 "Studies," completing vol. iv., will be sent all 

 together about July 1st, to save postage, packing, etc. 

 The " Studies" are accompanied by the usual slides. 



Mounting in Castor Oil. — I have found the 

 best method to be as follows. Make a cell with 

 Ward's "Brown Cement." Fill with the best 

 castor oil and close in the usual manner. If the oil 

 is really good and the glass cover properly cemented, 

 there is no reason why the mount should cloud. 

 For plant crystals such as raphides and the like there 

 is no preservative so good, in my opinion, as this 

 oil. — Charles F. W. T. Williams, B.A., Theological 

 College, Salisbury. 



Enock's Slides. — The latest issue of Enoch's 

 entomological slides is unusually interesting. It 

 gives a section of the garden spider {Epeira 

 Diadcma), showing all the internal organs in the 



