HARD WICKE'S S CIENCE- G O SSIP. 



63 



mined there has been an entire absence of teeth in the 

 upper jaw. In general appearance, Risso's Dolphin, 

 more particularly the dark-coloured specimens, is said 

 very much to resemble the next species {Globicephalus 

 melas). Of its habits and distribution nothing positive 

 is known, but from its visiting France or England in 

 the spring or summer. M. Fischer " concludes that 

 this species is migratory, visiting the shores of Europe 

 in the summer, and passing the winter either to the 

 south towards the coast of Africa, or to the west 

 towards the American Continent." * 



MICROSCOPY, 



Volvox Globator. — It may be interesting to 

 Microscopists to know that Volvox Globator can be 

 found in considerable numbers — although so early in 

 the year — in the large pond near Wandsworth Com- 

 mon Station. On Wednesday, Jan. 23rd, the Super- 

 intendent of the Sunday School here gave a treat to 

 the children, and we arranged to make it both in- 

 teresting and instructive. Having undertaken the 

 Microscopic department, I was examining a bottle of 

 fishings from the pond, and was surprised to find it 

 contained Volvox in great plenty. To find it so early 

 being quite new to me, I have inquired of several 

 friends, but none of them had met with it at this time. 

 Most of them seem to have imagined that it was use- 

 less to expect to find it till about the end of March. 

 It may be that many others have not found it for the 

 same reason ; and a knowledge of the fact of its being 

 obtainable now may be an addition to the Micro- 

 scopist's pleasures. While examining a portion of 

 the gathering, we were particularly struck with a fine 

 specimen, containing no less than ten small ones en- 

 closed. It rolled round with a motion so grand, that 

 all who saw it were delighted. Suddenly, while 

 watching it, it stopped for a moment, and then burst. 

 Five of the little ones escaped from the parental en- 

 velope. There was a distinct pause between their 

 liberation, and each came out with a sort of dizzy 

 staggering movement, and then, after a momentary 

 rest, would start off and commence to roll as if quite 

 an old hand at doing it. The other five seemed to 

 die, and make no sign. — IV. Winsford, Upper 

 Tooting. 



Cleansing Old Slides. — In my paragraph on 

 this subject, which appeared in the January number 

 ofSciENCE-GossiP, p. 15, at line 4, instead of "water- 

 glass," read " watch-glass." In line 7 put a full stop 

 at "Benzole," and instead of "and use," read 

 " /use." — John Bramhall. 



Improvement in Microscope-Stands. — Mr. 

 George E. Fell, of Buffalo, has recently suggested a 

 new addition to the microscope-stand. It consists 



1. c p. 



of a finely-engraved scale on that part of the body of 

 the stand which sides the limb. The latter can be 

 furnished with a vernier, giving readings as close as 

 may be desired. 



Plant-crystals. — At the last meeting of the 

 East Kent Natural History Society, numerous draw- 

 ings were exhibited of Raphides, and other microscopic 

 plant-crystals, intended to be engraved on two plates 

 of more than forty figures. They were the work of 

 Prof. Gulliver, F.R.S., who gave explanatory ob- 

 servations thereon. Among these was the curious 

 and novel description, that some trees and other 

 plants, from stem to branches and leaves, are in- 

 vested by a most delicate network, or tesselated 

 pavement like mosaic work, of cells all studded with 

 splicer -aphides, so that eacli cell is set and adorned 

 with a gem of one of these beautiful crystals. Aralia 

 spinosa was said to form an example, beneath its 

 bark or epidermis, of this external skeleton of crys- 

 talline tissue. And an internal crystalline skeleton 

 was shown in other plants, including some Legu- 

 minosce, as may be well seen in the common white 

 clover ; the crystals being arranged in chains along 

 the vascular bundles. Mr. Gulliver remarked that 

 boiling a portion of the plant, before its examination, 

 in the solution of caustic potass which is kept by 

 druggists, exposes the crystals very clearly. He 

 added that he had learned that Mr. Hammond, of 

 Milton Chapel, had found the long crystal prisms of 

 Iridacece, Sec. , admirably suited for experiments on 

 the polarization of light ; and that the whole subject 

 of plant-crystals belongs to the vast domain of the 

 cell-biography of plants, hitherto sadly neglected, but 

 which must be diligently cultivated before we can 

 hope for the most complete system of botanical 

 classification, and knowledge of the laws which 

 govern the vegetable kingdom. 



Habirshaw's Catalogue of the Diato- 

 mace.e. — Mr. Frederick Habirshaw, of 6, West Forty- 

 eighth Street, New York, to whom I am personally 

 unknown, has kindly sent me a copy of the above 

 work, which supplies a want long felt by diatomists. 

 To explain its plan and intention I cannot do better 

 than quote the short preface. "The following Cata- 

 logue, made for private use, contains ' the references 

 to the literature of the Diatoniacece, published prior 

 to May, 1877. At the suggestion of Prof. Hamil- 

 ton L. Smith, of Hobart College, fifty copies have 

 been reproduced by the Edison electrical pen pro- 

 cess, for gratuitous distribution among those specially 

 interested in this branch of natural history, and I 

 trust the errors or omissions will not be found suffi- 

 cient to impair the value of the Catalogue." The 

 volume is a convenient quarto, 11 in. x 6 in., of 

 some 270 pages, the first six containing a list of 

 the principal writings relating to the diato?nacea:, 

 the rest being devoted to the general catalogue. The 

 genera and species are arranged alphabetically, and 



