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SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



Professor G. Cole recently drew the attention 

 of the Dublin Microscopical Club to a section of 

 perlitic ■ obsidian from Sandy Brae, north of 

 Tardree Mountain, co. Antrim. It represented 

 a piece of probably the most beautiful example of 

 unaltered perlitic glass in the British Isles. 



Mr. W. Milner Christy has re-discovered in 

 Scotland one of the rarest of the British 

 Geometroid moths, Nyssia lapponaria, which has 

 apparently only been found once previously in 

 these islands. It is only known to occur elsewhere 

 in the Upper Engadine. Mr. Christy found some 

 larvae last year which have produced this variety. 



We have received reprints of papers on geological 

 subjects from Mr. H. Bolton F.R.S.E., assistant 

 keeper of the Manchester Museum. They include 

 " The Metamorphism of Coal," " Some Fossil 

 Trees at St. Helens," and a paper by Mr. W. 

 E. Hoyle, F.R.S.E., and Mr. Bolton, on " Classified 

 Cataloguing as applied to Palaeozoic Fossils." 



The Home Secretary, on the application of 

 the East Riding (Yorkshire) County Council, has 

 made an order prohibiting the taking or destroying 

 of wild birds' eggs on the promontory of Spurn for 

 a period of five years. Spurn Point is one of the 

 chief places of deposit by sea-birds of their eggs on 

 the Yorkshire coast, and it is stated of late years 

 there has been wanton destruction of both sea- 

 gulls and their eggs. 



The " Annals of Scottish Natural History " for 

 April, contain several articles of interest. Mr. W. 

 Eagle Clark refers to the recent visitation of the 

 little auk to Scotland, illustrating his remarks by a 

 coloured map. Reference is also made to the " r.ew 

 British bird " shot at St. Kilda, in June, 1894. As 

 many of our readers are already aware this was a 

 wandering specimen of Sylvia subalpina, or sub- 

 alpine warbler, which is a native of the Mediter- 

 ranean shores. 



The " Manitoba Free Press," the chief daily 

 newspaper in North-west Canada, announces the 

 arrival this winter, in Winnipeg, of house-sparrows. 

 These must have been either designedly or 

 accidently introduced. Considering the large 

 amount of grain either growing or scattered about 

 the towns of Manitoba, there seems every 

 probability of these troublesome birds multiplying 

 until they are a great source of loss to the farming 

 population of the Province. 



In a recent lecture at the Royal Institution, on 

 "Atmospheric Electricity," Prof. Schuster dis- 

 cussed the effect of lightning upon trees, and re- 

 marked that statistics showed that forty-eight oak- 

 trees are struck to one beech-tree, the ratio being 

 dependent upon the amount of oily matter con- 

 tained. In a thunderstorm the Professor said that 

 the safest course for a human being was to get wet 

 through to begin with, for Franklin had recorded 

 that he could kill a rat when dry by a lightning 

 discharge, but when wet never. Prof. Schuster 

 expressed a hope that in the next Antarctic ex- 

 pedition due place would be given to researches 

 upon atmospheric electricity at high latitudes. 



We hear the remaining part of the late Mr. W. 

 Machin's collection of macro-lepidoptera, referred 

 to in these pages last month (ante page 45), is, after 

 all, to be sold by auction in June next. 



The "Observatory " for April contains a pleasing 

 portrait of the late Professor Caley, the eminent 

 mathematician, who for so many years edited the 

 publications of the Royal Astronomical Society. 



A variety of stoat, found in Ireland, is claimed 

 by Messrs. Oldfield Thomas and G. E. H. 

 Hamilton, to be a distinct species, for which they 

 propose the name Putorius hirbernicus. 



Writing to " Symons's Monthly Meteorological 

 Magazine," last month, Mr. C. Leeson Prince, of 

 Crowborough Observatory, Sussex, noticed a fall 

 of snow-crystals and minute speculse of ice, from a 

 perfectly cloudless sky in brilliant sunshine, on 

 February 6th last. 



We greatly regret to hear of the serious illness 

 of the Right Hon. Thomas H. Huxley, F.R.S., who 

 has been in a critical state of health for some time 

 past at his residence at Eastbourne. We trust he 

 may recover strength with the approaching summer. 



The London Geological Field Class commenced 

 their Saturday afternoon excursions under the 

 direction of Professor H. G. Seeley, F.R.S., on 

 April 27th. Information on this subject may be 

 obtained from the secretary, Mr. R. H. Bently, 

 31. Adolphus Road, Brownswood Park, London. 



The interest in cave exploration in Ireland 

 continues. In the April number of the " Irish 

 Naturalist," Mr. R. J. Nosher, J. P. concludes an 

 article on the subject, with a list of ten caves in co. 

 Waterford. Mr. Coleman also draws attention to 

 others in co. Cork and co. Kerry. The list of Irish 

 caves is rapidly increasing. 



We regret to see the announcement of the death 

 of Mr. A. G. More, F.L.S., M.R.I.A., formerly 

 Curator of the Natural History Museum, Dublin, 

 and joint author of " Cybele Hibernica," the 

 standard Irish botanical manual. This brings back 

 memories of a happy visit to co. Wicklow the 

 Editor of Science-Gossip spent with Mr. More. 



Since the publication of the article on the 

 newly discovered gaseous constituent of the 

 atmosphere, termed by its discovers Argon, in 

 the March number of Science-Gossip, some new 

 facts regarding this new substance have been 

 brought to light. In the first place Professor 

 Ramsay has discovered in a mineral, cleveite, a new 

 gas, Helium, which, up to the present time, was 

 supposed to exist in the solar regions only. It is 

 considered possible that atmospheric Argon 

 contains, besides Argon, some other gas which 

 has not yet been separated. 



In May, 1893, the " Emily E. Johnson " set sail 

 from Baltimore, bound for a three-months' scientific 

 cruise to the Bahamas. In a recent number of the 

 "Natural History Bulletin," published by the 

 State University of Iowa, a well-written and well- 

 illustrated account is given of the expedition by 

 Mr. C. C. Nutting. In Egg Island the "agaves" 

 or American aloe plants, or " pita plants " as they 

 are called by the natives, excited much attention. 

 The great sword-like fleshy leaves grow from four 

 to seven feet in length, and are tipped with a sharp 

 thorn. The fibre of the leaves is used in the 

 manufacture of cordage, a very paying industry to 

 the Bahamans. In the sandy open places bristled 

 the prickly pear cactus with its yellow flowers and 

 globose fruits. Near there was found one of the 

 most beautiful of the Leguminosae, a trailing pea- 

 vine with showy lavender blosscms almost two 

 inches long. 



