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SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



CONTRIBUTED BY FLORA WINSTONE. 



La Feuille des Jeunes Naturalistes (Paris : 

 September, 1897.) Dr. L. Geneau de Lamarliere 

 concludes his " Synoptic Tables of the Family of 

 Helvellacea." In this number he treats of the 

 genera Gyromitra, Helvetia, Verpa, Mitrula, Geo- 

 glossum, Leptoglossiim, Spathularia, Vibrissea. There 

 is also an index explanatory of the plates produced 

 in the last number of this magazine. " Notes upon 

 some Shells of Cerithiidae from the Eocene Stratum 

 of Paris," by M. L. Vignal, are completed and 

 accompanied by two plates containing thirty-six 

 figures. The current article is chiefly on the 

 genus Potamides. The animal in a fossil state 

 does not bear much resemblance to specimens 

 of the present day, and it has only been by careful 

 examination and analogy of the forms and 

 ornamentation of living species that these fossils 

 have been placed in this genus. M. E. Simon 

 continues his articles on the " Revision of the 

 Genera of Trochilides," describing at length ten 

 species. M. J. Jacquet contributes a note on the 

 " Influence of Electricity upon Plants," being the 

 result of some experiments he has lately tried. 

 The results obtained have been very curious. 



Bulletin de la Societe Zoologique de 

 France (Paris: July, 1897). M. Percy Selous 

 writes " On the habits of the Ground Rattlesnake, 

 Sistrurus catenates, in Captivity." M. Selous's 

 notes on these snakes are very interesting, as he 

 has spent many years in studying their habits, 

 having made pets of several specimens. He 

 describes their mode of eating and drinking and 

 habits of their young, of which he has reared about 

 twelve. M. N. Kholodkovsky contributes a short 

 note on a "Method of Preserving Actinies." He 

 recommends a little sea- water mixed with a rather 

 large quantity of fermol at forty per cent, diluted 

 in ten times its volume of fresh water. This solu- 

 tion, he says, will fix sea-anemones so quickly that 

 they contract very little, sometimes not at all. He 

 considers this method superior to that of the 

 Brothers Hertwig, who used tobacco fumes. M. 

 Maurice Pic adds a supplement to his series of 

 articles on "The Coleoptera Phytophages," and 

 also writes on "The Coleoptera Heteromeres of 

 Java and Sumatra." 



Cosmos (Paris : September 18th). This number 

 contains a series of editorial notes on auto- 

 motor cars. This is an account of the postal 

 motor-car established within the last few weeks 

 between Paris and Beauvais under the auspices of 

 the Compagnie du Nord. It is proposed by the 

 same Company to shortly start a motor quadri- 

 cycle for night service. A further note deals with 

 experiments which have been tried towards using 

 alcohol instead of petroleum as the driving-power 

 of motor-cars. The following is from the table of the 

 relative explosive powers of alcohol and petroleum. 

 Petroleum, explosive power in air, 45-00 ; Alcohol, 

 explosive power in air, 900. There is an article, 



to be continued, on "Chemical Notation," signed 

 by the initials, " A. G." The subject is divided in 

 the present number into two parts (1) " The 

 Formation and Notation of Equivalents," and (2) 

 " Equivalents." The present system of nomencla- 

 ture, usually known as the Lavoisier nomenclature, 

 is carefully discussed, and it is suggested that a 

 somewhat similar system of notation should be 

 founded. M. W. de Fonvielle writes on the return 

 of Dr. Jackson's Polar Expedition, giving a map of 

 the explorations and the Polar regions generally. 



American Journal of Science (New Haven, 

 Connecticut : September, 1897). Mr. O. C. Marsh 

 contributes an article on the " Principal Characters 

 of the Protoceratidae." It is illustrated by six 

 beautiful plates of the male skulls of Protoceras 

 cehr (Miocene period), and one of a female skull of 

 the same species at the same period. All known 

 remains of Protoceras are from the Upper Miocene 

 strata of South Dakota. "Electrical Discharges 

 in Air," by John Trowbridge, and the following 

 article on "The Oscillatory Discharges of a large 

 Accumulator," by the same author, are analyses of 

 the flaming electrical discharges in the air, and the 

 similar oscillatory ones of a large accumulator. 

 Professor L. Manouvrier, of the Paris School of 

 Anthropology, writes on the vexed question of Pithe- 

 canthropus erecius. The article is on the discovery 

 made by Mr. Eugene Dubois, a physician in the 

 Dutch army, of some bones in the Tertiary stratanear 

 Trinil, Java. These bones have been said to belong 

 to a being intermediate between man and the anthro- 

 poids. It will be remembered the discovery was 

 made during a geological exploration to Java from 

 1890 to 1895, under the auspices of the Government 

 of Holland. Dr. Dubois, who is a competent 

 anatomist and geologist, went to the Indian archi- 

 pelago in the hope of finding there, by means of 

 the important excavations about to be undertaken, 

 the famous Missing Link, which, according to 

 accepted theories, should antedate Quaternary 

 times. Professor Manouvrier carefully discusses 

 both sides of the question, and gives comparative 

 illustrations of the parts discovered, the same in 

 human beings and in anthropoid apes. 



Proceedings of the American Philosophical 

 Society (Philadelphia). This number contains 

 an article by Edwin J. Houston, Ph.D., and A. E. 

 Kennelly, Sc.D., on "The Insulating Medium 

 surrounding a Conductor the real Path of its 

 Current." It is amply illustrated by forty figures, 

 and appears to contain some new ideas on this 

 matter. Dr. J. Cheston Morris writes on " The 

 Relation of the Pentagonal Dodecahedron found 

 near Marietta, Ohio, to Shamanism." Mr. R. H. 

 Mathews, L.S., has an article, well illustrated, on 

 "Australian Rock Carvings." The remainder of 

 the magazine, consisting of 106 pages, is occupied 

 by an article on " The Geology of the Palaeozoic 

 Area of Arkansas, South of the Novaculite Region," 

 by George H. Ashley, Ph.D. There are several 

 illustrations and the article is divided into sections. 



La Nature (Paris : September 4th). M. J. 

 Poisson writes of " The Old Acacia in the 

 Museum." This remarkable tree, which is well 

 known to visitors to the Jardin des Plantes, 

 was planted in the reign of Louis XIII. by 

 Vespasien Robin, then Demonstrator of Botany 

 to the Jardin des Plantes. M. A. Rigaut describes 

 "The use of Carbide of Calcium at Notre Dame 

 de Briancon." The article is illustrated by five 

 figures. 



