HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



i7 



A very important practical paper appears in the 

 Wisconsin State Horticultural Society's "Trans- 

 actions" on "The Grape Rot," by Professor 

 W. Trelease. 



The last number of the Liverpool Science 

 Students' Association's "Proceedings," contains 

 capital digests of the papers read, and altogether 

 shows a healthy state of intellectual activity. 



The great object-glass for the Nice Observatory, 

 made by Messieurs Henry, is completed. It is nearly 

 thirty inches in diameter. 



M. Trouvel thinks that the recently developed 

 bright star in Andromeda has no physical connexion 

 with the Nebula. 



We are pleased to find that the much-required 

 work on the " Rotifera," by Dr. Hudson and Mr. 

 P. H. Gosse, F.R.S., will soon be ready. It will 

 appear in six parts, with coloured illustrations. 



The seventy-fifth birthday of Professor Asa Gray, 

 the distinguished American botanist, occurred on the 

 1 8th November, and it was appropriately celebrated 

 by the botanists of America presenting him with an 

 appropriately decorated and engraved silver vase. 

 Bravo, American botanists ! 



Mr. John Ryder gives in " Science " for Novem- 

 ber 27th, a full account of his new system of oyster 

 culture. 



Dr. Trelease has republished from the Studies 

 from the Biological Laboratory of the John Hopkins 

 University, his important paper (illustrated) on 

 certain " Zooglcere and Related Forms." 



MICROSCOPY. 



Mounting Gizzards. — I wish to obtain and 

 mount a gizzard of the common house cricket. 

 Would some correspondent kindly tell me the 

 handiest method of preparation and mounting ? — 

 IV. L. Tall. 



Staining with Iodine Vapour. — Many of the 

 micro-fungi when mounted permanently in Canada 

 balsam become so transparent as to be nearly in- 

 visible. If previously exposed to the action of 

 iodine vapour, they assume, when mounted, a clear 

 yellowish-brown colour by which their structure is 

 beautifully defined. — B. Piffard. 



Liverpool Microscopical Society. — At the 

 ordinary monthly meeting on December the 4th, a 

 paper on some of the most interesting forms of life 

 obtained during the summer dredging expeditions, 

 was read by Professor Herdman, D.Sc. &c. Amongst 

 Ccelenterata some points in the structure and the 

 life histories of the following forms were illustrated 



and explained : — Hydractinia eckinata, Syncoryne 

 eximia, Garveia natans, Eudendrium ramoswii, 

 Tubularia indivisa, Alcyonium digilatum and Adamsia 

 palliata. The curious polyzoon, Pedicellina cernua, 

 was then discussed, and after that a series of 

 tubicolous annelides, showing various modifications 

 of structure. Special attention was directed to 

 Sabellaria alveolata, which forms large encrusting 

 masses on the rocks at Hilbre Island. Various 

 Tubibranch and Nudibranch Molluscs, including 

 Aplysia, Pleurobranchus, the rare Goniodoris 

 castanea, Eolis and Dendronotus, were then described. 

 The lecture ended with an account of the blood 

 vessels in the tunic of three genera of Ascidium 

 found at Hilbre Island, viz. Clavelina, Ciona, and 

 Ascidia. The process by which these vessels had 

 become evolved so as to form an organ of respiration 

 in the last-mentioned genus was briefly sketched. 



Cole's Microscopical Studies. — We were de- 

 lighted, on our return from Australia, to see the 

 familiar and welcome yellow wrappers of " Studies 

 in Microscopical Science," by Mr. A. C. Cole, 

 F.R.M.S., and the beautiful slides accompanying 

 them. The parts for November are four in number, 

 and are as follows : — 1st " Structure of Macrosporangia 

 (Anthers) in Taxus," with a very artistic coloured 

 plate, showing a vertical section of Ovule of Taxus ; 

 2nd is a practical illustration of animal histology, 

 represented by the Lung of the Frog ; 3rd is 

 devoted to Pathological Histology, and deals with 

 Pleurisy, and this is accompanied by a beautiful 

 plate showing the lung (Emphysema) X 18. 4th 

 is a " Popular Microscopical Study," and treats 

 on insectivorous and carnivorous plants. All four 

 are illustrated by slides, mounted in Mr. Cole's best 

 style : than which there can be no higher praise. The 

 slide illustrating the last paper is one of the most 

 instructive and beautifully got up of any we have 

 hitherto seen. 



The Royal Microscopical Society. — The 

 "Journal" of the above society for December 

 contains, besides the usual full and accurate 

 "Summary of Current Researches," the following 

 papers: — "On some New and Rare Desmids " 

 (illustrated), by W. Barwell Turner; "Further 

 Experiments on Feeding Insects with the Curved 

 or 'Comma' Bacillus," by Dr. R. L. Maddox ; 

 "Improved Form of Stephens' Binocular Prism," 

 by C. D. Ahrens ; "The Limits of Resolution in 

 the Microscope," by Frank Crisp, &c. One delightful 

 feature (or rather, without intending a pun, set of 

 features) are the portraits of former 'distinguished 

 presidents of the society, such as Owen, Farre, 

 Lindley, Bowerbank, Carpenter, Busk, Bill, Quekett, 

 Lankester, Sorby, Parker, Slack, &c. That of 

 Professor Owen in an exquisite likeness. 



On certain so-called Prodigies. — This is the 

 title of a paper by C. F. Cox, in the "Journal of the 



