[58] 



®ucriC6- 



1.— Sealing Bottles.— Will some one who has had practical 

 experience in preventing Spirit of Wine evaporating from Natural 

 History Specimens, preserved in Corked Glass Bottles, kindly 

 describe the best method of Sealing to prevent this ? Ordinary 

 sealing-wax over the cork soon gets leaky. C. J. W. 



2.— Peat —I have read of a new material manufactured in 

 Ireland from top jjeat. Will someone explain the process ? 



R. S. V. P. 



3.— The Ox Bot Fly, ^strus bovis.— Thousands of the larvae 

 of this fly can be taken from the skin on the back of horned 

 cattle any year in our grazing districts, yet the perfect insect is 

 very rare, and cannot be bred froni the larvae unless taken from 

 the tumours just as they are full fed. Have any readers captured 

 the perfect insect (Ox Bot Fly) in England, and if so, w^ould they 

 kindly describe its appearance from a captured specimen, and 

 state whether the sexes differ in size and colour ? The specimens 

 of this Fly in our Museums and private collections of Diptera, 

 are usually Continental captures. Entomologist. 



4.— Rotifers. — Are Rotifers of any use in removing decayed 

 organic matter, as Infusoria do ? M. C. L. 



5.— Four-Footed Bird.— In Sciciice Gossips December, 1884, p. 

 278, an announcement is made of the discovery of a living 

 species of four-footed bird (opisthocoma cristata), from the island 

 of Marajo, in the lower Amazons. Has any further information 

 been published on this subject, and if so in what paper ? 



OSMANLI. 



6. — Kock-salt and Gypsum.— Will someone explain the forma- 

 tion of these in the earth ? R. S. V. P. 



7.— Human Body.— It is usually stated that the body of a man 

 is renewed once in seven years. AVilJ someone criticise this state- 

 ment ? R. S. V. P. 



answers to (Siuerics* 



1.— Sealing Bottles.— The following method of sealing bottles, 

 containing Natural History Specimens, preserved in Spirits of 

 AVme, is from one who is " an old hand at this work in the Museum 

 of Newcastle." My friend, in Belfast, who has sent it to me, did 

 not mention his name. — " No cork is used.'' Steep a bladder in 

 water until it begins to " smell " a little, take it out and stretch it 

 tightly over the mouth of the vessel, tying it with well waxedsmall 

 twine, cut off the sur|)lus bladder, put it away until it dries, paint 

 it over with two coats of white paint, then add a piece of " good 



