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SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



Our contemporary, "The Photographic News," 

 appears in enlarged form, and at the reduced price of 

 one penny, with the commencement of the new 

 volume on January 3rd. 



We have on a former occasion referred to the 

 Garden Scholarships of the Missouri Botanical 

 Garden, at St. Louis. We have now received the 

 seventh annual announcement concerning the pupils, 

 dated November, 1895. 



Mr. W. Vick, photographic artist, of London 

 Road, Ipswich, has published an admirable portrait 

 of the late Mr. J. E. Taylor, so long editor of 

 " Hardwick's Science- Gossip." It is a photo- 

 etching and therefore permanent. The price for 

 single copies is one shilling and sixpence. 



" Coloxia " is the title of a periodical issued by 

 the Colonial College, Hollesley Bay, Suffolk. 

 No. 6, which has just come to hand, contains a 

 portrait of the late editor of " Hardwick's Science- 

 Gossip," by Mr. W. Vick, of Ipswich, with memoir. 

 Mr. Taylor was Professor of Natural History at 

 the college. 



A number of the former students of Professor 

 Bonney's Geological Classes, at the University of 

 Cambridge and at University College, London, 

 having felt a desire to recognise the value of his 

 labours among them, and of his services to Geolo- 

 gical Science, have united in presenting him with 

 his portrait as a memento of their personal esteem 

 and gratitude. 



Ix the last quarterly part of "The Annals of 

 Scottish Natural History " are several articles of 

 interest, especially one on " The tufted-duck in 

 Scotland," by Mr. J. A. Harvey-Brown, F.R.S.E., 

 and a critical notice by Mr. G. C. Druce, F.L.S., 

 of Oxford, of the ninth edition of the London 

 Catalogue of British Plants, also an account of 

 coleoptera collected during a residence on the 

 summit of Ben Nevis. 



Durixg the past autumn at least two specimens 

 of the northern race of bullfinch [Pyrrhala major, 

 C. L. Brehm) have been obtained in East Yorkshire. 

 These brilliantly-coloured birds are much larger 

 than our ordinary bullfinches (P.europcea), and are 

 native of Northern Asia and through to Sandinavia, 

 not being generally found south of Poland and 

 Prussia. This is an addition to the list of casual 

 bird-visitors to Britain. 



Flotsam found at sea often takes curious forms. 

 On calling upon Mr. L. T. Griffin, of 3, North 

 Quadrant, the Brighton taxidermist, recently, he 

 informed us that a fisherman had brought into his 

 shop five fine albatross skins, minus heads, legs 

 and wings, which were picked up in the English 

 Channel, packed in a wooden box. They are in 

 good condition, and Mr. Griffin would like to find 

 the owner to whom they were consigned. There 

 was not anything on the box to lead to his 

 identity. 



The late astute Premier of Cape Colony finds time 

 from his political labours to take interest in natural 

 history, at least, from the point of view of accli- 

 matisation. Mr. Rhodes is introducing into South 

 Africa several species of English singing birds. 



The memory of the well-known Arctic explorer, 

 Dr. John Rae, F.R.S., who died a little time since, 

 is perpetuated by a monument just erected in St. 

 Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall. Dr. Rae's various 

 expeditions are enumerated on the pedestal. 



We have received a prospectus of "The Orni- 

 thologist," which is to be a sixpenny monthly 

 journal devoted to birds, edited by Mr. H. K. 

 Swann. This magazine is announced to appear in 

 March next, subject, apparently, to first obtaining 

 five hundred subscribers. 



Messrs. Friedlaxder axd Sohx, of 11, Carl- 

 strasse, Berlin, invite subscriptions of ten shillings, 

 including postage, for the " International Zoolo- 

 gists' Directory," edited by the German Zoological 

 Society. It contains 748 pages and upwards of 

 12,000 names. The work is now ready for delivery. 



A reprint of the Presidential Address, by Mr. 

 James Fletcher, F.L.S., read in May last before 

 the Royal Society of Canada, has been issued. The 

 address is an interesting summary of what is known 

 of practical entomology. This reprint may be 

 obtained for a few pence in England from Mr. 

 Bernard Quaritch, Piccadilly, London. 



A new history of the order " Arthropoda " is 

 announced, in two volumes, the first of which is 

 just published by M. L. Mulo, of 12, Rue Haute- 

 feuille, Paris. The author is M. E. Simon. This 

 volume contains 1,084 P a g es 8vo, and 1,098 wood- 

 cuts, and the first two of the four parts, viz. : 

 (1) External Anatomy of Spiders, (2) Classification 

 and History of Families, (3) Biology, (4) Geo- 

 graphical Distribution. The price is £1 is. gd., 

 delivered bv post ; or the parts separately at 55. 6d. 



The wonders of photography never cease. Now 

 the camera is to investigate our insides before we 

 have ceased to use them, and give gruesome 

 pictures of our living skeletons, and, maybe, in 

 time, the consciences of those who have got any. 

 Messrs. Newton and Company, the opticians, of 

 Fleet Street, London, are now supplying lantern- 

 slides from such photographic negatives, including 

 the skeleton of a man's hand taken through the 

 flesh, also a razor photographed while inside its 

 case, coins inside a purse, and such like examples 

 of the new portraiture. The first of these plates 

 we have seen, and believe it indicates a new and 

 great epoch in the economic uses of photography. 



At Toynbee Hall, Whitechapel, there are now 

 various classes in physiology, geology, and botany, 

 two extension courses — one on " Elementary 

 Chemistry," by Mr. John Wade, with supplemen- 

 tary practical classes; another on "Biology," by 

 Mr. P. Chalmers Mitchell, with demonstrations by 

 Miss Hall. Of a more practical nature are the 

 lectures by Mr. A. Wynter Blyth, the medical 

 officer for Marylebone, (Saturday mornings) on 

 "Hygiene ; " on the " Physiology of Everyday Life " 

 (Sunday mornings), by Mr. David Walsh, and those 

 on " Nursing," by Dr. Eddowes and Dr. W. Black 

 Jones. Dr. H. R. Mill and Mr. W. G. de Burgh 

 give courses which will probably cram their lecture 

 rooms in Limehouse and Poplar, the former on 

 "Political Geography," the latter upon "The 

 Growth of the British Colonies." 



