20 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



bibliography of these subjects. Perhaps the most 

 instructi\'e chapters are those devoted to modelUng 

 the bodies and limbs of mammals, birds or fishes, 

 and the making of artificial foliage, flowers and 

 other vegetable products for decorative purposes. 

 Mr. Montagu Browne must indeed be successful in 

 this department as will be gathered from the 

 following quotation taken from page 405 in connec- 

 tion with his description of a case of herons in the 

 Leicester museum. ''An odd thing in connection 

 with this case, and one specially flattering to the 

 artist, is that few people realize that the elm-leaves 

 are modelled, and frequent questions have been 

 addressed to the attendant as to where the water is 

 kept in v,-hich the stumps are presumably placed to 

 keep the leaves green, whilst one or two %"isitors 

 have gone a step further, and enquired if it is the 

 heat of the room which has caused the stumps to 

 throw out leaves '. ' ' The bibliography is extensive 

 and a large number of vrorks are mentioned, but as 

 might naturally be expected, several are overlooked ; 

 we are, however, pleased to see included the fine 

 work on Taxidermy by Oliver Da\-ie, noticed in 

 these pages in July last. The illustrations are well 

 reproduced, suitably selected, and will be found 

 generally useful : the least pleasing, perhaps, being 

 that of fighting tigers, one of v.-hich seems as 

 though suffering from a wasting disease of the tail. 

 Plate X. is effective, and we reproduce it with 

 pleasure for the benefit of our readers, b}- per- 

 mission of the pubUshers. 



A Handbook to the Birds of Great Britain. By 

 R. BowDLER Sharps, LL.D. Vol. iii., 346 pp. 

 Svo, v.'ith 93 coloured plates. (London ; "\V. H. 

 Allen and Co., Ltd., 1S96.) Price 6s. 



This is one of " Allen's Naturalists' Library-," a 

 series we have on several former occasions had the 

 pleasure of noticing. The volume before us con- 

 tains the continuation of the ducks, and that 

 difficult class, the v.-aders. Dr. Bowdler Sharpe 

 has brought the information on each species v.-ell 

 up to date, and there is much pleasant reading for 

 ornithologists, and abundant information for all 

 who take only a casual interest in bird life. Dr. 

 Sharpe has managed excellently to write some 

 admirable chapters on the waders v.ithout plagiar- 

 ising other authors, a task far from easy. His 

 quotations are v,-ell chosen, especially some on the 

 habits of certain American species closely allied to 

 members of our own fauna. Dr. Sharpe' s know- 

 ledge of the group is extensive and, what is 

 important, fresh in his mind, as he has only 

 recently completed a work on the shore-birds in 

 the " Catalogue of Birds." The book is dated 

 February 26th of this j'ear, so that it is hardly 

 possible to obtain more recent information. 



The Student's LyeU : A Manual of Elementary 

 Geology. Edited by John W. Judd, C.B., LL.D., 

 F.R.S. 65S pp. Svo, %sith coloured map and 736 

 figures. (London : John Murray, 1896.) Price 9s. 



All students of geology will v.-elcome Professor 

 Judd's admirable new edition of "Lj^ell." As 

 stated in the preface by Dr. Judd, the progress of 

 geological science during the last quarter of a 

 centun,- has rendered necessary \evx considerable 

 additions and corrections, and the re--nTiting of a 

 large portion of the book, but there has not been 

 anj- interference v.ith the author's plan and 

 methods, which have so characterised LyelPs 

 work. With the aid of this new edition and a 

 series of specimens, now so readily referred to in 

 the public museums, or obtained from Mr. 

 Russell, 78, Newgate Street, London, the young 

 student should find geology easy indeed, compared 

 with the time when Lvell first issued the work. 







V.-..",^?^^^^;^.- 





Interesting Leeches. — I was much interested 

 in ^Ir. Burton's note on the above (Science- 

 Gossip, vol. ii., N.S., p. 306). I think his 

 leeches must be the same kind I have sometimes 

 found feeding on v,-ater-fleas. The manner in 

 which the}- do this is very curious, and can be w^ell 

 observed tmder a two-inch objective. They insert 

 the small end betv,-een the valves of their victim, 

 and v.-hen firmly attached, a little telescopic sucker 

 goes to work probing about, and sucking out all 

 the soft internal parts, v.-hen it reaches the e3'e the 

 black pigment is seen to shoot dovs-n the sucking- 

 tube in a stream. I have sometimes found them 

 attached to the glass of my tanks by their posterior 

 sucker, and wa^-ing about with a water-flea impaled 

 on the small end. I have one now on the glass 

 with about thirtj- young ones under it, it has been 

 in the same position every time I have looked at it, 

 for at least a v.-eek past. Like Mr. Burton I have 

 been unable to find an}- description of these 

 creatures, and should be glad of further information 

 as to their life-history'-and habits. — TF. /. Chaffey, 

 294. Windham Road, Bournemouth. 



What BECo>rES of Hydra. — The appearance of 

 Major- General Varrand's note tmder this very 

 pertinent title (SciENCE-Gossip, N. S., vol. ii., p. 276), 

 and the fact that Mrs. Climenson has mentioned 

 my name in connection w-ith this interesting 

 subject (SciENCE-Gossip, vol. ii., p. 314), has 

 induced me to make a brief statement of the facts 

 to which she refers in her "Notes of a Home 

 Naturalist." Finding Mrs. Climenson was not 

 acquainted v.-ith Hydra vulgaris and H. viridis, I put 

 up about a dozen of the former and two or three 

 of the latter in a small tube, with some bits of 

 Anacharis ; also specimens of Cauthocamptus and 

 Cxclofs as food for the Hydra. I filled the tube 

 \T,-ith water from my aquarium, corked it tightly, 

 and packed it carefully in cottonwool in a small 

 box. I v.as greatly surprised to learn that, on the 

 arrival of the little parcel, not one Hydra could be 

 found, though the other occupants were very much 

 in e\-idence. I could not think of any reason for 

 the failure of the Hydra, so I despatched another 

 precisely similar tube, with a precisely similar 

 result, except that about three of the Hydra had 

 not quite disappeared, though they did so after- 

 wards. All the Hj-dra were extremelj- small — 

 mere dots, in fact, when contracted — and I thought 

 that perhaps the Cyclops and Cauthocamptus were 

 too much for them, owing to their having knocked 

 the little Hydra off their perches, and perhaps 

 kiUed them with the blow. I rather incline to the 

 beUef that it was the railway joume}' that upset 

 them, though I received safely a similarly packed 

 tube of fair-sized Hydra, sent by ^Ir. Bolton, of 

 Birmingham, all of which were alive. I do not 

 think that it was the close confinement that was 

 responsible for their demise, as I kept some after- 

 wards in a similar tube, and they lived for some 

 days. The apparently absolute' and complete dis- 

 appearance of them is the most mysterious part of 

 the question ; they seem to have vanished into thin 

 air — or water, rather. I shall await further notes 

 on the subject with much interest. — C. Nicholson, 

 202, Evering Road, London, N.E. 



