i8 



HARDWICKKS SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



New York Microscopical Society," in which the 

 author, after treating the subject from a historical 

 and literary point of view, enumerates a good 

 many examples, of which some are more directly 

 connected with microscopy than others. The 

 bleeding of statues, shields, &c, would probably 

 be the growth of a red lichen or alga, as ITiemato- 

 coccus sanguineus, or Palmella cruenta ; " showers of 

 oil " might be due to the appearance of a gela- 

 tinous protophyte, as Nostoc, or one of the 

 Palmellacece ; while "showers of wool" turned out 

 to be a product of the Coccus. Other examples are, 

 " showers of milk " (suggested to be the " white 

 rust" fungus on cabbage leaves, &c), the spotting of 

 bread, &c. with blood {Palmella p'odigiosa ; Tricho- 

 basis, " red-rust " or "corn-rust " on grain ; CEcidium, 

 Puccinia, and Uredo on leaves of shrubs and trees) ; 

 and "red snow." 



Micro-photography. — " The Journal of the New 

 York Microscopical Society " contains a beautiful 

 example of what can be done in the way of photo- 

 graphing microscopic objects. Three side views of 

 Triceratium Davyanum, " direct reproductions, in 

 printer's ink, of the negatives," each side of the 

 triangle being about 2f inches long, are given on 

 one plate ; the three views corresponding to three 

 focussings. No. 2 shows a level of -j^^ of an inch 

 below No. I, that of No. 3 being Tn 6us °f an ^ ncn 

 below No. 2 The photographs were taken by P. H. 

 Dudley, C.E., and the plate says " Artotype. E. 

 Bierstadt, N.Y." 



Sharpening Microtome Knives. — In using an 

 oil-stone the blade should be moved forward, edge 

 foremost, care being taken not to raise the back of the 

 knife from the stone, and also not to press the knife 

 upon the stone, but to hold it lightly, the necessary 

 friction being left to capillary attraction. 



ZOOLOGY. 



Rugby School Natural History Society. — 

 The Report of this Society for 18S4 shows a very 

 healthy state of things. It is well got up, from a 

 literary point of view, and the illustrations are good ; 

 those on "Our Bats" being especially vigorous. 

 Mr. Bloxam has a paper on "Ancient British, &c. 

 Remains found near Rugby " (illustrated) ; Mr. J. E. 

 Kelsall one on "Some British Quadrupeds;" Mr. 

 G. C. Richards on "British Spiders;" Mr. E. E. 

 Austin one on " Trout and Trout fishing near 

 Rugby," &c. 



Preservation of the Eyesight. — I have read 

 with pleasure Mr. Browning's observations on print 

 easy to read.* It may not be generally known that 



* Science-Gossip, Dec. 1885, p. 266. 



the subject engaged the attention of the late Charles 

 Babbage. In the preface to his table of Logarithms, 

 published in 1841, the whole subject is discussed 

 in detail, and an account given of the various experi- 

 ments tried with a view to determine the most visible 

 and easily read combinations. Type, spacing, and 

 colour were all considered ; as to the latter, buff 

 paper printed with black gave the best result. The 

 tables are marvels of clear printing and good arrange- 

 ment.— IV. T. Suffolk. 



Amalia gagates, Drap. — My sister, Miss M. E. 

 Williams, has sent me two very interesting varieties 

 of this pretty slug from Stourport, in Worcestershire. 

 One of these corresponds to Moquin-Tandon's 

 V. olivacea, being deep grey-olive coloured, and is new 

 to this country ; the other is a new variety of a drab 

 colour, with the shield lighter tinted than the back, 

 and which I propose to call V. rava. From the same 

 locality she has also sent me Limax maximus, var. 

 Johnstoni, Moq., which has only been previously 

 found in Gloucestershire. Lessona and Pollonera, in 

 their recent monograph on the Italian Limacidse, 

 published in the memoirs of the " Reale Accademia 

 delle Scienze di Torino " for 1882, have described two 

 new varieties of Amalia gagalcs, Drap., and which 

 may eventually turn out to be British, viz. var. 

 bedrigce, animal black with lateral blackish bands on 

 the sole, and var. benoiti, animal black with a white 

 keel.— J. W. Williams, D.Sc. 



The Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria. — 

 This Australian Society represents a numerous and 

 enthusiastic body of ladies and gentlemen who are 

 fond of out-door observation and study. Some 

 excellent papers are read at their meetings, after which 

 there is usually a conversazione. We lately attended 

 one of these meetings, and the room was crowded. 

 The Club has now started a magazine of its own, 

 under the title of "The Victorian Naturalist," in 

 which the best of the papers are published. Two of 

 the last numbers contain the following : — " To 

 Wilson's Promontory, Overland," by J. B. Gregory 

 and A. H. Lucas ; " A Trip to the Caves near Chud- 

 leigh, Tasmania," by F. Wisewould ; " Notes on a 

 Basalt-Vitrophyr," at Tanjil, by A. W. Howett ; 

 "Geological Structure of S. W. Victoria," by J. 

 Dennant ; "Additions to the Queensland Flora," 

 by Dr. Lucas, &c. 



The Hertfordshire Natural History 

 Society. — Parts 5 and 6 of the "Transactions" 

 of this well-known Society are published. They 

 contain, among much of other important matter, the 

 following papers of note: — "The Origin and Com- 

 position of Chalk and Flint," by Professor T. Rupert 

 Jones ; " List of Works on the Geology of Hertford- 

 shire," by John Hopkinson, F.G.S. ; " Diatoms ; 

 their Nature and Habits," by Francis Ransom ; 

 " Notes on Birds observed during the year iSS4," 



