208 THE AMERICAN MONTHLY [Jul 



used as a mounting medium, but Farrant's solution, or 

 Canada Balsam will give satisfactory results. The great 

 difficulty will lie in getting rid of air-bubbles, especially 

 "stowaways," and these must be carefully workedout with 

 a dissecting needle under a dissecting microscope. 



Locust Disease Fungus. — Reports in the Agricultural 

 Journal, published by the Cape Department of Agricul- 

 ture, give most interesting accounts of the success attain- 

 ed in many districts in the extermination, of locusts by 

 means of the locust fungus. The fungus is prepared by 

 the Bacteriological Institute, Grahamstown, and any ap- 

 plicant can obtain a tube for the sum of sixpence. The re- 

 ports show that in one case about a hundred locusts inoc- 

 ulated with the disease were distributed amongst a swarm, 

 and next morning and within a few days after, large num- 

 bers of locusts were lying dead among the sand-dunes. 

 The microscopical examination and subsequent experi- 

 ments showed that they were unquestionably killed by the 

 fungus. The growth of fungus from the dead locusts pro- 

 duced a fungus smaller in size, but more rapid in its 

 growth, than the Government fungus. In another case 

 young locusts were immersed in lukewarm water, in which 

 the fungus had been mixed, and then set free. Three days 

 afterwards rain fell, and on the fourth day small heaps of 

 locusts were found about three miles away from where 

 they had been immersed. Other districts in which no such 

 means of inoculation were carried out were found to be 

 much more infested with locusts. We shall await further 

 reports with interest. 



Liverpool Society. — The thirty-first annual report is an 

 interesting- record of the Society's work during- the past 

 year. Seven papers, including the President's Inaugural 

 Address, have been read, each paper being illustrated with 

 the lantern, and at each meeting various objects were ex- 

 hibited by the members. Two field meetings were held 

 during the summer, which were well attended. The Presi- 



