IIARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



155 



of each lantern alternately, and thus, when this 

 operates, only one picture is thrown on the screen at 

 one time. The operator is provided with a pair of 

 eye-holes, with a similar disc that similarly effects an 

 alternating obstruction of the view from the right and 

 left eye. This is so arranged that by its rotation the 

 obscuration of the right and left eye-holes shall coincide 

 with the obscuration of the right and left lens of the 

 lantern. Thus the spectator only sees the left lantern 

 picture with the left eye, and the right picture with 

 the right eye. By making the rotation so rapid that 

 the impression on the retina of one eye remains when 

 the other picture is presented to the other eye, 

 the now understood conditions of stereoscopy are ful- 

 filled, and the spectator sees a magnified stereoscopic 

 picture. 



In the arrangement at present constructed only 

 two persons can view the screen simultaneously, one 

 on each side of the lanterns, as the same apparatus 

 works the lens shutters and the two pairs of eye- 

 blinkers. In spite of my own failure, I have always 

 looked forward to the ultimate achievement of the 

 attempt; and, seeing that this arrangement of Mr. 

 Stroh is but an infant, we may fairly hope for its 

 development, and expect that in the Polytechnic of 

 the future we shall be able to sit in an optical theatre 

 suitably provided with watch-work blinkers, and con- 

 template photographed interiors and landscapes 

 having actual stereoscopic perspective, and thus pre- 

 senting representations of reality such as no flat 

 picture can'approach — a consummation most devoutly 

 to be wished for. 



The Stereograms of the late Mr. Charles 

 Breese. — In connection with the above subject, I am 

 able to supply some information concerning stereo- 

 graphic pictures that may be new and interesting to 

 amateur photographers. It is generally supposed 

 that instantaneous photography is a recent invention. 

 This, however, is not the case. More than thirty 

 years ago Mr. Charles Breese obtained instantaneous 

 pictures of breaking waves, seagulls on the wing, 

 and other similar objects. These pictures still remain 

 unsurpassed. They were in stereoscopic pairs, form- 

 ing what he properly styled "stereograms." They 

 were printed on glass and shown at many exhibitions. 

 He sold them at high prices, as much as two guineas 

 per stereogram, and kept his process a close secret. I 

 knew him well. He was a genuine artist, an inge- 

 nious inventor, and a successful student of science. 

 The permanency of his pictures has been questioned. 

 In reply to this, I may state that he gave me a series 

 as a wedding present twenty-seven years ago, and 

 they now remain as fresh as they then were. After 

 his death I purchased from his executors all the slides 

 that remained, nearly a thousand, of different degrees 

 of merit. I sold many of them to the opticians, from 

 whom a few are still obtainable, and I have some 

 left. Besides their merit as instantaneous pictures 



they have another, viz. remarkable atmospheric 

 perspective. This has been obtained by skilful com- 

 bination of pictures from two negatives, the clouds and 

 sky on one, the landscape or sea on the other. At 

 the time when he was actively operating nobody else 

 could do this with similar effect in stereoscopic 

 pictures, but I do not know whether it has since been 

 achieved. 



His instantaneous photography of the moon and a 

 portrait of his sister, taken by moonlight, were 

 subjects of rather acrid discussion at the time. One 

 was described as "a painted moon," and he was 

 denounced as an impostor by certain self-sufficient 

 photographers, who assumed that what themselves 

 were incapable of doing were impossibilities. He 

 did obtain besides these, and quite differently, certain 

 moonlight effects by skilful combination of landscape 

 and cloud pictures. I still have many of these, and 

 regard them as works of great merit, combining artistic 

 with photographic skill, which our modern photo- 

 graphers would do well to emulate. 



HABITS OF THE BANK-VOLE. 



THE fact, that an abundant mammalian fauna 

 is totally incompatible with a large human 

 population, and a high state of civilisation, is I fear, 

 indisputable ; but at the same time it can hardly fail 

 to be a subject of regret to many. A3 man and his 

 works spread abroad over the face of the globe, the 

 native quadrupeds (excepting those species directly 

 beneficial to him) gradually but surely disappear 

 before him. Here in Great Britain, for instance, this 

 state of things is only too apparent : what with the 

 destruction of forests, the enclosure and cultivation 

 of waste lands of all descriptions, the increasing area 

 devoted to building operations, and the modern clean 

 system of farming, with its small trim fences few and 

 far between, not to speak of the terrible and often 

 unnecessary destruction wrought by gamekeepers 

 among so-called vermin, our short list of British 

 quadrupeds is slowly but surely becoming shorter. 

 There yet remain, however, a few species, notably 

 among the Shrews (Sorex) and the Voles (Arvicola), 

 whose habits and manner of life have never been 

 fully investigated, and whose very existence, even 

 where tolerably abundant, often remains almost 

 unnoticed and unsuspected. This arises, in some 

 measure, from their nocturnal and burrowing habits, 

 their small size, and the consequent ease with which 

 they are able to conceal themselves among grass and 

 herbage of various kinds. The sober though pleasing 

 tints of their fur often assimilate too very closely 

 with that of their surroundings, a fact particularly 

 noticeable in the Voles (Arvicola), who feed and 

 move about a good deal by day as well as night, and 

 are thus more in need of such a means of protection 

 than animals of more strictly nocturnal habits. How 



