SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



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The Victorian Naturalist. (Melbourne : Sep- 

 tember, 1895.) Mr. D. M'Alpine has an article on 

 " Entomogeneous Fungi," giving descriptions of an 

 Entomophyte on cockroach (Panesthia australis), 

 being named Isaria surmatod.es (n. sp.). Mr. Oswald 

 B. Lower, F.E.S., continues his " Catalogue of 

 Victorian Heterocera," in which he has reached the 

 Pyralidina, including the "plumes," of which we 

 note eight species in six genera. 



The Canadian Entomologist (London, Ontario, 

 Oct., 1895.) This number contains a portrait and 

 obituary notice of Prof. C. V. Riley, whose death 

 was noticed in the last number of Science- 

 Gossip. Mr. F. W. Goding writes the third of his 

 series of articles on "Studies in North American 

 Membradicse," the subject this month being the sub- 

 family Centrotince. There is also an interesting note 

 entitled " Some Notes on Bruchus in New Mexico," 

 by Mr. C. H. Tyler Townsend. Mr. J. Alston 

 Moffat, of London, Ontario, contributes a short 

 note on "Sphinx canadensis of Boisduval," which 

 was recently taken in Ontario, for the first time, by 

 Mr. G. G. Anderson, at electric light. There is a 

 contribution by Mr. H. F. Wickham, of Iona City, 

 entitled " Notes on a Trip to the Bahama Islands," 

 giving an account chiefly of the insect fauna of the 

 islands. 



Popular Science (New York; November, 1895). 

 — This is a journal for readers who have not much 

 preliminary acquaintance with science. There is 

 an article illustrated b)' three figures, on " Sea- 

 Horses," by Dr. R. W. Shufeldt. Mr. Angus 

 Gaines has written an article entitled "Electricity 

 and Plant Growth," giving an account of experi- 

 ments which have been tried with regard to the 

 influence of electricity on the growth of plants. 

 Gardini tested the matter in the last century in a 

 garden at Turin, by stretching wires over several 

 beds of plants. He found that the plants, being 

 deprived of the atmospheric electricity by the 

 greater collecting power of the wires, withered, but 

 recovered when the wires were removed. Several 

 other men have tried experiments by subjecting 

 seeds to an electric current before planting them, 

 the result in every instance was that seeds which 

 had been electrified will produce more plants than 

 those which have not. There is the continuation 

 of a series of illustrated articles by Mr. Thomas 

 Wilson, LL.D., on " Grooved Stone Axes," and 

 the second paper, illustrated by Mr. Gerard Fowke, 

 on " Excavation in the Quarry Pits at Flint Ridge, 

 Licking County, Ohio." 



Feuilles des Jeunes Naturalistes (Paris, 

 November, 1895). We congratulate our con- 

 temporary upon having completed its twenty-fifth 

 year of usefulness. It appears to take much the 

 same position with the French, as Science-Gossip 

 does here. It is a bright and pleasant magazine 

 with plenty of variety of subjects and illustrations. 

 Ihis number contains an editorial address upon the 



occasion, with a summary of the work done during 

 the past quarter century. One feature is well 

 worth imitation, namely : The foundation of a 

 circulating library in connection with the journal, 

 founded upon its exchanges with other journals of 

 a like character. This library has reached some 

 30,000 items represented either in volumes or 

 single numbers, accumulated during nine years. 

 We regret, however, to see that complaint is made 

 that this library is not so frequently used as is 

 desirable. An evidently interesting article on the 

 land and freshwater molluscs of the Department of 

 Vienne in west-central France is commenced. The 

 author bases his researches on a catalogue of the 

 mollusca of the Department, by M. L. Mauduyt, of 

 1839. This contained 140 species, as many land as 

 freshwater. The author now adds seventy-two 

 additional, and eliminates several from the old 

 list, as varieties or immature specimens of other 

 species. 



Contributions to the Queensland Flora, by 

 F. M. Bailey, F.L.S., Colonial Botanist. This is 

 Botany Bulletin No. xi. (July, 1895), °f tne Queens- 

 land Department of Agriculture, Brisbane, and is a 

 continuation of Bulletin No. vi., issued in January, 

 1893, and refers to the Queensland Alga. It is ac- 

 companied by fourteen uncoloured plates, descrip- 

 tive of various marine and freshwater species. The 

 sixty-three pages of letterpress contain references 

 to a large number of species, several of which are 

 new to science. Botany Bulletin No. xii., contains 

 an article by Dr. M. C. Cook on "Pestiferous 

 Fungi" and another upon "Some Peculiarities of 

 the Queensland Flora," by F. M. Bailey, F.L.S., 

 who points out the excessive richness of the flora 

 of Queensland, which is not remarkable when 

 we consider its geographical position and its coast 

 line of some 2,500 miles. The economic woods 

 number probably 1,000 different kinds, some of 

 which are of great value. The barks of many are 

 rich in tannin, the foliage abounds in fragrant oils, 

 and the exudant gum and resin have risen to 

 important articles of export. One of the recent 

 discoveries of the Queensland botanists is that of 

 Dr. Lauterer, who has found that the young 

 twigs and foliage of Cinnamomum oliverii, yield 

 a good percentage of camphor identical with 

 that obtained from the Chinese tree Cinnamomum 

 camphora. It is well to know that the colony 

 possesses very few plants which are hurtful to man 

 or animals ; while large numbers of indigenous 

 fruits are of great service both in a fresh condition 

 and when made into jam. Mr. Bailey recommends 

 the cultivation of some of these fruits, selected from 

 fifteen genera, in all about thirty different kinds, 

 and makes remarks upon each separately. With 

 regard to naturalized plants and strays from 

 cultivation, it appears that about 200 different 

 immigrant plants have settled in Queensland. One 

 third are European, another third are American, 

 while only one-fifth are Asiatic and one-thirteenth 

 are African. Some of these plants become very 

 abundant in certain localities when they get a root- 

 hold, but it appears a bad omen for the plant to 

 become very prolific as in a few years decadence 

 sets in and they gradually disappear altogether. 

 Mr. Bailey gives an instance of this in our familiar 

 water-weed frogbit (Hydiocharis morsus-rana), which 

 about twenty years ago became most abundant in 

 the still waters round Brisbane ; but for the last 

 fifteen years the author has not met with a single 

 specimen, indeed, he stated he knows of no 

 Queensland habitat of the plant. 



