SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



79 



The American Journal of Pharmacy (Phila- 

 delphia, March, 1895) contains, among other 

 articles, Structure of Cimicifuga, by Mr. Edson S. 

 Bastin, which is illustrated. Cimicifuga racemosa, 

 the black-snake-root of America, is native of 

 Eastern Canada and United States, down to 

 Elorida. A drug is made from the knotty rhizomes, 

 which is said to be an insectifuge, whence the 

 generic name of this genus of the Ranunculacas. 

 Mr. P. L. Simmons, F.L.S., continues a series of 

 Notes on some Saps and Secretions used in Pharmacy. 

 A short article by Mr. Hans M. Wilder, on A Cheap 

 Substitute for the Selenite, will interest microscopists. 

 Having mislaid his selenite plates used in polarizing, 

 the author bethought himself of trying mica, from 

 a store door. To his agreeable surprise, he found it 

 fully equal to any ordinary selenite, and obtained 

 colours quite as brilliant and as handsome. He 

 claims two advantages for mica; the one, cheapness 

 — a piece of mica costing two cents, against the 

 same size costing one dollar or more in selenite — 

 and that mica can be cut with a pair of scissors 

 without breaking it. " Quite a variety of beautiful 

 colour effects may be obtained by either using mica 

 plates of varying thickness, or merely using two or 

 more layers of thin plates superimposed. Three 

 plates of varying thickness will be all that is neces- 

 sary to keep." It is best to select the clearest pieces. 

 He uses strips about one and a half inches wide, and 

 somewhat longer than the stage of the microscope. 



The Popular Science Monthly (New York, 

 March, 1895), contains several articles of interest. 

 Dr. Bela Hubbard tells us The Lesson of Forest 

 Fires. The author refers to the great forest fires 

 of August last, when large districts of Wisconsin, 

 and Minnesota were devastated, and many inhabi- 

 tants, both human and otherwise, were consumed, 

 and those of 1871, when in the same districts over 

 3,000 miles of forest was burned. He refers also 

 to the marked difference of the forests of America 

 since civilized man came among them ; this being 

 largely caused through fires by his agency. He 

 holds, although there is not entire agreement among 

 scientific men on the point, that since the great 

 forests have been so much burned in the States, 

 the local climate has changed, the temperature being 

 hotter in summer and colder in winter, caused by 

 the winds, which having greater sweep, dry up and 

 refrigerate the ground. He calls for greater pre- 

 servation of forests, though there are already forest 

 reservations for public recreation and climatic effects 

 to the extent of upwards of seventeen million acres 

 scattered over the Union. He suggests that the 

 forests should be put under military control and 

 the national army used as a department of forestry, 

 when not otherwise occupied. The Highest Moun- 

 tain Ascent and the Effects of Rarified Air are des- 

 cribed by Mr. Edwin Swift Balch. There seems 

 to be some doubt as to the highest climb, and 

 Mr. Whymper, the well-known mountain explorer 

 states that he does not think anyone could reach 

 24,000 feet altitude, without extreme physical 

 suffering on account of the rarified air. So much 

 as 28,000 feet is claimed by one gentleman. From 



experiences in the Andes, Mr. Whymper suffered 

 severely at 21,424 feet on Chimborazo, while Dr. 

 Gussfeldt and party found no trouble or Aconcagua 

 at 21,000 feet. The agony of mountain sickness may 

 vary to some extent according to alterations in the 

 atmospheric pressure, caused by weather changes. 



The Open Court. Nos. 393 and 394. March 

 7th and 14th, 1895. (Chicago.) As stated in the sub- 

 title of this well-known journal, it is " Devoted to 

 to the Religion of Science." The science of Ethics 

 occupies most of the pages of these two numbers, 

 but there is an article on The Kingdom of Protista, by 

 Professor Ernst Haeckel, being sections 35 to 38 of 

 of the new phylogenie. 



The Canadian Entomologist (London, Ontario, 

 April, 1895) contains a useful article on " Mount- 

 ing Insects (as microscopic objects) without 

 Pressure." In mounting without pressure some 

 kind of cell is necessary, but Mr. R. W. Bennie, 

 the writer, says his experience is that the cells are 

 liable to separate from the glass slip when of 

 ebonite, brass, tin, etc. The material found most 

 useful is beeswax, with a small quantity of resin 

 added. The cell is constructed while this material 

 is at boiling point, the turntable being set in rapid 

 motion. This cell answers for mounting with 

 Canada balsam or glycerine jelly, but not for media 

 containing oil, unless the inside of the cell is well 

 varnished. The rest of his paper is devoted to the 

 best media for mounting semi-transparent insects. 

 His process of preparing the object is very simple, 

 as he uses crystal carbolic acid and turpentine 

 prepared with alcohol. 



The Museum. (Vol. i, No. 5, March 15th, 1895. 

 Albion, N.Y.) This is a new monthly magazine 

 "devoted exclusively to research in Natural 

 Science." By some of its contributors it is no 

 doubt thought it will become a " live " journal, 

 and we trust it may, with the support it deserves. 

 It is a thoroughly popular collector's medium and 

 will, we are sure, do much in spreading a taste for 

 natural history studies in the States, where there 

 is plenty of room for that interest, as well as some 

 others. The exchange list extends to half-a-dozen 

 columns, each notice, by the way, being charged a 

 shilling or upwards for each insertion. The most 

 important article is one on the Rodents of Michigan, 

 by Morris Gibbs, "which practically embraces 

 these mammals of the Great Lake Region." We 

 notice that " the beaver still thrives in the Upper 

 Peninsula, and is said to be increasing in several 

 sections." This appears to be on account of the 

 low prices paid for the pelts not making their 

 slaughter worth while. Mr. Gibbs, however, thinks it 

 only a question of time for these animals to become 

 extinct in his districts. Among the Rockies, by 

 M. J. Elrod,is a chatty article on Pike's Peak and 

 other places in that fascinating region. In some 

 Notes on Antrostomus vociferous, Mr. J. W. Bowles 

 mentions the training of dogs to hunt for birds' 

 nests. He says, " this is a very certain method of 

 hunting nests, though some time and patience is 

 neededin training the dog, who must also be taught 

 to think an egg a combination of white lead, 

 strychnine and cayenne popper." Anstrostomus, 

 which is better known in the States as " Whip- 

 poor-will," appears to have different habits on 

 the eastern side of the Continent than further 

 west. For instance, in Michigan it nests " in 

 the forest " but in Massachusetts the writer 

 considers it affects high, scrubby -round, building 

 in much-travelled clearings. There are many points 

 of interest in the account of these goat-suckers. 



