RECEEATIVE SCIENCE. 



823 



The Intra-Mercurial Planet is expected to transit 

 the sun as a black spot some time between March 25th 

 and April 10th. 



Occultations of Stars by the Moon at Greenwich : — 

 There is only one of any size, viz., on the 8th, when 

 w Scorpii (3rd magnitude) disappears at lOh. 32m. 

 p.m., and reappears again at llh. 34:m. p.m. 



Eclipses of Jupiter's satellites at Greenwich : — 

 On the 1st, at 8h. 49m. 45s. p.m., 3rd moon disappears. 

 On the 1st, at 9h. 44m. 54s. p.m., Ist moon reap- 

 pears. On the 2nd, at 12h. 13m. 8s, a.m., 3rd moon 

 reappears. On the 8th, at llh. 40m. 22s. p.m., 1st 

 moon reappears. On the 9th, at 12h. 49m. 47s. 

 a.m., 3rd moon disappears. On the 17th, at 8h. 4m. 

 41s. p.m., 1st moon reappears. On the 23rd, at 8h. 

 52m. 10s. p.m., 2nd moon reappears. On the 24th, 

 at lOh. Om. lis. p.m., 1st moon reappears. On the 

 30th, at llh. 27m. 2Cs. p.m., 2nd moon reappears. On 

 the 16th and 23rd, at 9h. SOm. p.m., 1st moon will be 

 on the disc of Jupiter, and on the 21st at the same 

 hour the 2nd moon. 



E. J. Lowe. 



THINGS OF THE SEASON— APRIL. 



FOR VARIOUS LOCALITIES OF GREAT BRITAIN. 



Birds Arriving. — Quail, Ring Dottrel, Turtle 

 Dove, Nightingale, Rlackoap, Cuckoo, White-throat, 

 Grasshopper Lark, Pettychaps, Wood Wren, Swift, 

 Swallow, Sand Martin. House Martin, Puffin, Yellow 

 Wagtail, Water Rail, Pied Flycatcher, Whinchat, Com- 

 mon and Less Tern, Sandwich Tern, Wryneck, Ring 

 Ousel, Ruflf, Lapwing, Redshank, Redstart, Sandpiper. 

 The majority of the arrivals take place between the 

 10th and 20th. 



Birds Departing. — Green and Purple Sandpiper, 

 Gray and Herring Gull, Crossbill, Shoveller, Short- 

 eared Owl, Cambridge Godwit. 



Insects. — Abax striola, Attagenus pellio, Clivina 

 fossor, Carabus hortensis, Platynus angusticollis, 

 Elaphrus riparius, Helophorus aquaticus, Silpha ob- 

 scura, Onthophagus species, Chrysomela sanguineo- 

 lenta, Melandrya caraboides, Staphylinus senocephalus, 

 Opatrum sabalosum, Typhaeus vulgaris. Mole Cricket, 

 Bloody-nosed Beetle, Early White, Howard's White, 

 Small White, Speckled Wood White, Common Copper, 

 Hebrew Character, Emperor, Silver Y, Six-cleft Plume, 



Weld Plants in Flower. — ^Vernal Speedwell, 

 Cotton Grass, Yellow and Blue Scorpion Grass, Cy- 

 clamen, Oxlip, Cowslip, Dog, Hairy, and Marsh Violet, 

 Spring Gentian, Fritillary, Wild Tulip, Star of Bethle- 

 hem, Vernal Squill, Golden, Purple, and White Saxi- 

 frage, Wood Sorrel, Vernal Cinquefoil, Wood Ane- 

 mone, White Dead-Nettle, White Cardamine, Hedge 

 Rocket, Wallflower, Fumitory, Dandelion, Bitter Bur, 

 Purple and Spider Orchis, Great Carex, Ash, Oak, 

 Beech, Birch, Willow. In wet places Equisetum 

 eylvaticum cum aliis, and in brooks Chara flexilis. 



JVlTJ\folewortliy'sCf< 



orner. 



The Rifleman's Ete. — ^Mr. Noteworthy's young 

 people are ankle-deep, knee-deep, neck-deep, in the 

 perusal of that elegant" and attractive work, "Many 

 Happy Returns of the Day," by Mr. and Mrs. Cowden 

 Clarke ; and Mr. Noteworthy himself, with all his sto- 

 lidity, can hardly help taking a deep dip now and 

 then. As for the juveniles, they begin to think that 

 human life ought to be a series of birthdays, in order 

 that books full of anecdotes and pictures might come 

 home diumally. In reading the chapter on outdoor 

 sports, and believing himself to be a boy again, Mr. 

 Noteworthy lighted on a narration of the experiments 

 of Colonel Hamilton Smith, which he here cites as a 

 lesson in the study of colour. Three targets were 

 chosen — Red, Green, and Gray. Ten of the best shots 

 fired at them, two shots a-piece first, in 'this order, 

 Red, Green, Gray, then Green, Gray, Red, and lastly. 

 Gray, Red, Green. The result was, that the red tar- 

 get was shot to splinters before the complement of 

 sixty balls had been shot at it ; the green was severely 

 treated, but not destroyed, and the gray was compa- 

 ratively uninjured. Thus a gray coat is as good as 

 shot proof armour to a soldier in the field, a green 

 one dangerous, and a red an open exposure to death. 

 Our Volunteer Rifles may take a lesson from these 

 experiments, as may also the student of the laws 

 of colour. 



Coating for Plaster-casts. — Years ago Mr. Note- 

 worthy used to amuse himself by converting plaster- 

 casts into imitations of wax and marble by means of 

 white wax and immersions in oil. Though he so pre- 

 pared a whole set of the Poniatowski gems, he has 

 clean forgotten the whole process, and is unable to 

 satisfy the inquiries of some of his friends, who desire 

 to become proficient in such manipulations. Will 

 some of the readers of Recreative Science, who 

 are adepts at this kind of work, send brief practical 

 receipts for this Corner, that we may all know how to 

 give the gloss of marble and the bloom of alabaster 

 to the cheap works of art that are to be found in 

 cottage skylights and the mantle-shelves of tasteful 

 people? 



Solvent for Dry Paint. — " Dingler's Polytechnic 

 Journal " contains a useful recipe by M. C. Brunner, 

 who states that, having befn often applied to by artists 

 for a means of removing d^ied oil-colours from paint- 

 brushes and other substances, he made a series of 

 experiments, which conducted him to the following 

 method: — A solution of one part of crystallized carbo- 

 nate of soda in three parts of water is prepared ; the 

 brushes to be cleaned are suspended in this fluid, so 

 that they may remain at about two inches from the 

 bottom of the vessel in which tliey are placed. The 

 apparatus is now submitted to a gentle heat from twelve 

 to twenty-four hours, according as is found necessary. 

 Ilie heat should not exceed 160" Fahrenheit, as this 

 is suflicient to soften the colour, and render it re- 



