SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



"3 



missioners of Bogs ; some of the surveyors for 

 whom take the same views as Klinge. 



This Royal Dublin Society's report on the 

 catastrophe of December 2Sth last, also reviews 

 similar bog-bursts in Ireland in former years. 

 They mention further, flows that have occurred in 

 Germany and the Falkland Islands. Altogether 

 this report is most exhaustive, carefully prepared, 

 and cleverly written. It is of much value in 

 connection with the study of geology " in the 

 making"; and one that will doubtless be long 

 referred to as authoritative. 



NEW METHOD OF STUDYING 

 NEURATION. 



pROFESSOR Henry Skinner, of the Academy 

 of Sciences of Philadelphia, contributes to the 

 "Canadian Entomologist" for August last, an 

 interesting article on studying neuration without 

 removing the scales off the wings. He says, 

 " The opprobrium cast on the lepidopterist has been 

 that he did not study the anatomy of his specimen, 

 but depended too much on maculation and colour. 

 There has been much truth in the reproach, as 

 there are few of us who would destroy a rare or 

 unique specimen to examine the neuration. For- 

 tunately the time has arrived when the neuration 

 can be studied with the greatest ease and 

 accuracy, and permanently recorded in a photo- 

 graph, or, more strictly speaking, a radiograph. 

 The anatomy of a living chrysalis may be 

 studied without removing the cocoon, and 

 also the internal anatomy of the thorax and 

 abdomen can be fairly well seen, and in time the 

 process may be improved for this work. With the 

 aid of the Rontgen, or X, rays and the photo- 

 graphic plate, one could make a picture of the 

 neuration of the beautiful, rare and curiously- 

 shaped Ornitkopttra paradisiac, and not disturb a 

 scale on its superb wings. With the fluoroscope 

 one could doubtless sec all the neuration without 

 even going to the trouble of making a picture. 

 This is indeed a wonderful age, and in future no 

 entomologist will have any excuse for not studying 

 the neuration of the lepidoptera, as he cannot say 

 that he must denude the wings of his specimens, 

 bleach them, and mount in balsam, as of old, and 

 then destroy them " 



Wio l We understand that nearly the 



whole of Wickcn Fen, in Cambridgeshire, ha 

 purchased by an association of gentlemen who arc 

 interested in natural bUtory, especially cntoin 

 It will Ijc remembered that we wrote, in September, 



•he acquisition by I . of thai 



characteristic bit of fenland, in view of the 

 n of some >. live insects. 



ABNORMAL RAINBOW. 



A CURIOUS rainbow occurred at Lowestoft on 

 August 19th, at five p.m. The day had been, 

 from eleven a.m. onward, very unsettled, thunder and 

 rain occurring at intervals. The wind was blowing 

 off the land from the westward, and the rainbow 

 was displayed on a dense bank of clouds passing 

 away to the eastward. 



For accuracy I may say our point of view was 

 11, Wellington Esplanade, Kirkley, which is South 

 Lowestoft, and the phenomenon was seen by my 

 wife, eldest daughter, and myself, both with the 

 naked eye and through a binocular field-glass. 

 There was a faint, perfect, secondary bow, which 

 presented normal features not shown in diagram. 

 The bow marked A was perfect, and presented no 



Towards Lowestoft Pier. 



Towards Kirkley Clifi. 



unusual features. The bow B was a half-crescent- 

 shaped segment extending about 120 , and exhibit- 

 ing the colours of the spectrum from violet to 

 yellow. The segment C extended about 6o°, only 

 showing colours from violet to blue. 



R. ASHINGTON BULLEN, F.G.S. 

 Loughrigg, Rcigatc. 



Eyes ok Insects. — The eyes of insects make 

 very good objects for the experimental microscopist. 

 The number of facets varies according to order, 

 species and sex. Amongst the ants, in Formica 

 pratensis, the male has 2,400 facet-eyes, the female | 

 1,700, and the worker, 1,300. The house-fly has 

 4,000; the cockchafer nearly 9,000 ; the dragon-fly 

 nearly 24,000, and in one butterfly nearly 35,650 

 have been counted. The lens-like nature of each 

 facet may be tested in the following manner: 

 place the microscope, fitted with a half-inch 

 objective and H eyepiece, in a horizontal position 

 at the back of a room, with the objective pointing 



pen windosv. Focus so that the hexagons 



of the eye show distinctly ; move the objective 

 gradually away from the slide till the bi a [onal 

 I. becomes dim, and iii the centre of each 

 facet will be 1 ■ windows and all the objects 



trees, catlle, etc thai may happen to be 

 / 1 ■ 1 Lin 



