HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



■57 



ment. Perhaps the most enjoyable part of the meet- 

 ing were the "seances," held each evening in the 

 various rooms in the hotel. No such gathering of 

 microscopists could come together and not bring 

 about a discussion on "Angular Aperture"; high 

 and low angles were both well represented, the former 

 by such well-known authorities as Prof. J. Edwards 

 Smith and Dr. Geo. E. Blackham, while Prof. 

 Romyn Hitchcock, of New York, supported the 

 latter. While the question will remain an open one 

 for long time yet to come, it is but fair to say that 

 many gentlemen who had always used low-angled 

 lenses prior to the meeting, went away essentially 

 high-angled men. Several of the American dealers 

 made fine displays of microscopes and objectives. 

 Of the English manufacturers, Beck & Crouch were 

 fully represented through their respective American 

 agents. Before the congress adjourned, the " Ame- 

 rican Society of Microscopists " was formed, Pres., 

 Dr. R. H. Ward, Troy, N.Y. ; Sec, Henry 

 Jameson, Indianapolis, Ind. ; Treas., H. F. Atwood, 

 Chicago, 111. The next meeting of the new society 

 is to be held in August, 1879, at Buffalo, N.Y., and 

 from its auspicious beginning, and the enthusiasm 

 manifested by its members, it is fair to predict that 

 the future meetings will be of more than ordinary 

 interest. 



Microscopical Society of Liverpool. — The 

 seventh ordinary meeting of this society was held at 

 the Royal Institution, on Friday, the I Ith October. 

 After the ordinary preliminary business, a paper was 

 lead on "The Life History of a hitherto Unrecorded 

 Septic Organism"; with drawings from life; illus- 

 trated by means of the Oxy-hydrogen Lantern, by 

 Rev. W. II. Dallinger, F.I?. M.S. At the conclu- 

 sion of the meeting a conversazione was held, when 

 the following subjects were illustrated : — "Alga?, 

 Marine," T. C. Ryley ; "Carchesium Polypinum," 

 natural state, mounted, Isaac C. Thompson; "Dia- 

 toms," Charles Symes, Ph. D. ; " Durio Zibetha- 

 rinus, — decolorized leaf of from Borneo," polari- 

 scope, the President; " Oscillatoria," mounted slides 

 and alive, the President; "Polyxenes lagurus," Rev. 

 W. H. Dallinger, F.R.M.S. ; "Pond Life," George 

 Thomas; " Section of Wigan Coal," John H. Day ; 

 " Spores of Fungi," Rev. W. Bannister. 



A Remarkable Photograph. — The "American 

 Journal of Microscopy" for August, 1878, describes 

 a marvel of photographic manipulation in the form 

 of a micro-photo of the Lord's Prayer. Our readers 

 are well acquainted with the ordinary micro-photo- 

 graphs of engravings, &c, and for which a power of 

 30 diameters is usually the extreme limit of amplifi- 

 cation which can be used effectively, the higher 

 powers destroying the sharpness of the outline. The 

 above-mentioned photo is only y^ of an inch square, 

 01 " tttuotx °f a square inch (one of the squares in 

 Maltwood's finder would contain it four times), and 



will bear inspection with \ objective and B ocular- 

 These slides are the production of Mr. Langenhcim 

 (of New York ?). 



ZOOLOGY. 



Marine Dredging. —I have collected for years 

 on the Lancashire and North Welch coasts, and I 

 thought I should like to try a fresh locality. Know- 

 ing the ruggedness of the coast scenery of the Isle of 

 Man, I proposed making that place the theatre of 

 my operations, and I can certainly say I never saw 

 happier hunting-grounds for the naturalist. Ane- 

 mones by thousands, Algce, Red, Brown, and Green, 

 in wonderful profusion ; in fact, almost every depart- 

 ment of Marine Zoology is well represented. I was 

 enchanted, and determined that next year, if spared, 

 I should devote a week or so to collecting. A friend 

 of mine who brought some anemones back with him, 

 sent for me to name them for him. Among a lot of 

 Actinia mesembryanthemum, Tcalia crassicornis, 

 Aiilhea cercus, &c., I found one I had not previously 

 seen, but which I had no difficulty in recognizing as 

 Bnnodes gonmacea (the Gem Pimplet of Gosse). It 

 is a charming animal, well worthy of its name. It is 

 still alive and healthy, having had two feeds of 

 mussel. The only locality Gosse gives for this 

 anemone is "the south-western and southern shores 

 of England and Ireland, on exposed rocks and shallow 

 pools between tide-marks." If this locality is new, I 

 gladly record it for the benefit of brother naturalists. 

 It is not uncommon even in Douglas Bay. In answer 

 to " C. E. R.," I may say this anemone requires no 

 peculiar treatment. It is easy to keep alive if the 

 aquarium is in good condition ; also, the best method 

 of feeding baby anemones is to let them feed them- 

 selves, and they'll not starve. In fact, none of the 

 animals in a large tank I had were fed for twelve 

 months, and I can aver that there were no deaths, 

 and the whole affair required less looking after. I am 

 much obliged to " H. C. C. M." for description and 

 figure of Tangle-dredge. I have no doubt it will be 

 a very useful instrument to the marine zoologist. I 

 was very sorry to hear of his want of success, but can 

 readily divine the cause. Since the establishment of 

 public aquaria there has sprung up at various parts of 

 the coast quite an army of collectors. The locality 

 he mentions is very familiar to me, having collected 

 on its shores and dredged in its deep waters many 

 times. The channel in the straits (north entrance) is 

 very narrow, and runs close to the Anglesea shore, 

 but my boatman took me to dredge on the low banks 

 of mud, which I knew were exposed every tide, and 

 it was only on showing him I knew better that I got 

 my dredge down on prolific ground. I have tried 

 many times to procure a "Ball's Naturalists' Dredge," 

 but have as yet been unsuccessful ; none of the 

 London fishing-tackle-makers know anything about 



