64 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



Practical Botany for Elementary Students, by 

 D. Houston (London : W. Stewart & Co.), is a 

 small but compendious elementary work, which, 

 with the aid of actual dissection of a few common 

 flowers, cannot fail to enable beginners to get a real 

 knowledge of botany. It is an excellent "beginners' 

 book," and as such we cordially recommend it. 



Easy Lessons in Botany (London : Marshall Japp 

 & Co.) is a sixpenny primer, by the author of 

 "Plant-Life" above noticed. It is numerously 

 illustrated, clearly written, with a good deal of 

 matter packed with much dexterity into a small 

 space. 



LIST OF ASSISTING NATURALISTS. 



XContinued.l 



Hampshire. 



Bournemouth. Thos. J, Lane. Mammalia, Aves, 

 Reptilia, and Amphibia (British). 



Yorkshire. 



York. Rev, W. C. Hey, 24 Portland Street 

 (Curator of Conchological Department of York 

 Museum). Conchology ; British Coleoptcra. 



MICROSCOPY. 



Mounting without Pressure.— Can any of your 

 readers give me particulars of the process employed 

 in preparing heads of insects, &c., without pressure, 

 as transparencies in balsam ? — R. J. C. 



Liverpool Microscopical Society. — The 

 annual meeting of this society was held on January 

 2ist, Dr. Hicks, the retiring president, in the chair. 

 Dr. Carter, the president-elect, delivered his inaugural 

 address. In some preliminary remarks he criticised 

 unfavourably the presumed universal diffusion of a 

 single substance of uniform composition which serves 

 as the physical basis of life. What at most could be 

 meant, unless evidence was to be disregarded, was 

 "protoplasm" (plural) — i.e., the substance special to 

 each kind of organism on the presence of which its 

 vital manifestations might depend, and not a single 

 protoplasm of undeviating composition, which lay at 

 the root of all vital manifestations whatever. He 

 drew attention then to the influence exerted by a 

 number of agents on vegetable cell development, and 

 more especially of light and darkness, pointing out 

 simple apparatus by which the action of rays of light 

 of different refrangibilities could be studied ; of 

 oxygen, carbonic acid, iodine, and ether. He ^gave 

 illustrations in growing seedlings of the retarding 

 ■effect exercised on vegetable cell development of even 

 very minute quantities of alcohol, one part in 400 

 often preventing development altogether, while a 



markedly retarding effect was produced by even one 

 part in 3200. He also drew attention to the strong 

 inherent vitality of the vegetable embryo of even the 

 more highly organised plants by the power which it 

 possessed of surviving even severe mutilation, illus- 

 trating the fact by a number of actively-growing 

 seedlings reared from seeds which had been cut into 

 various pieces and otherwise injured. A very inter- 

 esting fact, which seemed to be established, was that 

 light, either alone or in conjunction with moderate 

 warmth, was not sufficient to develop chlorophyll in 

 etiolated plants. Specimens of seedlings in illustra- 

 tion of this proposition, which is contrary to the 

 generally conceived opinion, were exhibited. 



"The Northern Microscopist." — We are glad 

 to welcome a new sixpenny monthly venture, which 

 has just appeared under the above heading. Its 

 headquarters are at Manchester, but it bears the 

 name of David Bogue as its London publisher. The 

 aim of this well-edited journal is "to keep a record 

 of the proceedings of the chief microscopical societies 

 in the north." We believe such a magazine is 

 wanted, and that it will be the means of stimulating 

 new societies into existence among the active and 

 densely populated districts of the North of England. 



Fluid Mounting. — As the remarks of H. M. with 

 regard to my article on Fluid Mounting may lead many 

 to suppose that such work entails great risk and want 

 of success, I wish to say a few words more on the 

 subject. I can still say that in no case have I yet 

 had a slide burst, although the presence of minute 

 globules of marine glue showed that it could not be 

 depended upon for permanence ; this led me to make 

 further experiments, and I am now using a cement 

 which hardens in spite of everything (it must be made 

 as required), but the composition of which I prefer 

 to keep till I have still further tested it. I have 

 submitted slides mounted in this way to a far greater 

 range of temperature than we ever experience in the 

 British Islands naturally, and the test was admirably 

 stood although of long duration. I also find that 

 there will be not only a greater safety, but also other 

 advantages by preparing the objects in the fluid 

 already described, but mounting them in distilled 

 water four parts, abs. alcohol one part 'and glycerine 

 one part. — Edward Lovett, Holly 3Iount, Croydon. 



Formula Wanted. — Will any reader give me 

 some information as to the use of two preparations 

 mentioned in the " Micrographic Dictionary " as 

 suitable solvents for vegetable structures in micro- 

 scopic mounting, viz. (i) copper turnings, dissolved 

 in solution of ammonia ; (2) chromic acid, with 

 addition of sulphuric acid. I want to know the 

 proper formula in each case, and for what kinds of 

 tissues the two preparations are respectively fitted. 

 I have looked in many books, but cannot find the 

 precise information I require. — C. E. C. 



