HARD WICKE ' S S CIE NCE-GO SSIP. 



213 



the necessary high tension current to render the tube 

 luminous. Between the disc and the Geissler tube is 

 placed a ground glass shade, in order to tone down 

 the light, and the beam is thrown through an aperture 

 upon a large screen, so as to render the picture of the 

 object photographed on the glass plates visible to a 

 large audience. The disc is revolved at a speed 

 corresponding to that during which the twenty-four 

 photographs were taken." 



Two French aeronauts have ascended to the height 

 of between 21,000 and 22,000 feet, or about a mile 

 less than Glaisher and Coxwell attained twenty years 

 ago. 



MICROSCOPY. 



Unusual Abundance of Volvox Globator. — 

 This interesting but erratic microscopic organism has 

 been lately unusually abundant in the ship canal 

 which connects Exeter with the sea. On two occa- 

 sions during the present month (July) I found the 

 water literally teeming with them, while doing a 

 little micro fishing, so much so that I was positively 

 unable to dip a bottle of water that did not contain 

 hundreds. My fishing-ground was close to the Top- 

 sham ferry, and the lock-keeper, residing close by, 

 was sufficiently interested in my proceedings to stroll 

 up and civilly offer me any assistance in his power. 

 He had previously noticed what he called the "in- 

 sect " in the water, and had instructed his children 

 not to drink it. His astonishment at the actual 

 nature of the "insect," which I explained to him 

 briefly, and showed him through my pocket lens, 

 may be imagined. I presume the tropical heat of 

 the past month has been the primary cause of the 

 excessive multiplication which, I take it, is quite 

 unusual. — F. R. Brokenshire. 



Royal Microscopical Society. — The August 

 number of the journal of the above society, besides 

 the usual comprehensive "Summary of Current 

 Researches," contains the following papers: — "On 

 the different tissues found in the Muscles of a 

 Mummy," by Dr. R. L. Maddox ; " Remarks on 

 the Foraminifera, with especial reference to their 

 variety and form," by Prof. Rupert Jones and C. D. 

 Sherborn ; and " On New Species of Scyphidea and 

 Dinophysis," by J. G. Greenfell. 



The Quekett Club.— The' August number of the 

 journal of this flourishing society contains the follow- 

 ing papers : — " On the Calcarea," by B. W. Priest ; 

 " On Mounting Media for Diatoms," by H. Morland ; 

 " On the Structure of the Head of the Blowfly," by 

 B. T. Lowne ; " On Diatom Structure," by T. F. 

 Smith ; &c. 



ZOOLOGY. 



Munchausen Science.— The writer of the note 

 under the above heading (p. 184 of your August 

 number) does not seem to be aware that the descrip- 

 tion of Ncmertes borlasei, which he so condemns, is in 

 the main an extract from " Glaucus " (pages 137-8 

 of the collected edition), and that Kingsley has him- 

 self answered his critics in a footnote which I think 

 is worth quoting : "Certain Parisian zoologists have 

 done me the honour to hint that this description was 

 a play of fancy. I can only answer, that I saw it 

 with my own eyes in my own aquarium. I am not, 

 I hope, in the habit of drawing on my fancy in the 

 presence of infinitely more marvellous Nature. Truth 

 is quite strange enough to be interesting without 

 lies." In Plate viii. will be found a figure showing 

 Nemertes in the act of swallowing a Terebella. — 

 G. E. D. 



Pupa ringens. — I wish to chronicle what I 

 believe to be an entirely new locality for Pupa 

 ringens, Jeff. The locality is on the cliffs about four 

 miles to the east of Amlwch in Anglesea, in a small 

 ravine amongst moss and dead leaves. Dr. Jeffreys 

 does not seem to know of its occurrence in Wales 

 at all : whether any record has been made since his 

 publication I am unaware, and should be glad to be 

 set right on the point. On the whole this district is 

 poor in land shells. I may mention the occurrence of 

 Conuhis fnlvns, Mull., Hylina pura, Alder., Clausilia 

 rugosa var. tumiduta, Jeff., and Balea perversa, L. 

 (rare). I took a specimen of the Carabid beetle 

 Cychorus rostratus under a stone. — B. Tomlin. 



The Hessian Fly.— May I ask you to allow me, 

 through the medium of Science-Gossip, to enquire 

 how long the Hessian fly {Cecidomyia destructor) has 

 been known to entomologists as a British insect ? I 

 am aware that I am rather late in sending a commu- 

 nication for the September number, but I think the 

 importance of the subject may be a sufficient excuse 

 for asking you to relax your rule. The Hessian fly 

 is this year to be found in very many parishes in Beds, 

 and my reason for asking how long it has been a 

 British insect is that a theory is afloat that its intro- 

 duction was brought about, so far as England is 

 concerned, by the importation of German moss litter. 

 Now it is certain that a considerable quantity of moss 

 litter was four or five years ago used by the vicar of 

 this parish, who, in addition to three horses, kept a 

 herd of Guernsey cows, so that if moss litter is 

 culpable, the presence of Hessian fly is accounted for 

 on my farm. But a well-known Bedfordshire farmer 

 to-day told me in Bedford market that he well 

 remembers the " flax and pupce," thirty years ago. 

 If Hessian fly was known as a British insect thirty 

 years ago, the moss litter theory falls to the ground, 

 and we farmers may hope still to grow wheat in spite 



