SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



349 



CONTRIBUTED BT FLORA WINSTONE. 

 BOLLETTINO DEI MUSEI DI ZOOLOGIA ED 



Anatomia Comparata (Turin, July to Decem- 

 ber, 1898). These publications, issued by the 

 University of Turin, contain many notes of in- 

 terest and vakie. Signor M. Gr. Peracca, Assistant 

 at the Zoological Museum, describes a new species 

 of the geniis Xenopus, namely, Xenopus clivii, 

 obtained from Cape Bottego. It bears a close 

 resemblance to X. calcaratus Bvich., a species 

 chiefly obtained from Western Africa. No. 324 

 of this Bulletin, for September 29th, 1898, consists 

 of an accoiint by Signor Filippo Silvestri of 

 twenty new species and some new genera of 

 Diplopodi. The article is illustrated by twenty- 

 eight figures. 



Bulletin de la Societe Eotale Linneene 

 DE Bruxelles (Brussels, January, 1899), contains 

 a report of the affairs of the Society during 1898. 

 The work of the year appears to have been very 

 satisfactory, one of the chief events being the 

 measures taken to arrest the propagation of the 

 San Jose scale-insect, to which we have previously 

 referred {ante, p. 245). It is to be hoped, however, 

 that these precautions will not be the com- 

 mencement of further difficulties in the way of 

 European horticvilture. M. A. Disard writes on 

 the physiology of grafting. He deals chiefly with 

 the hybrids resulting from grafting one species of 

 plant on to others. Amongst several instances is 

 that of Cystis^is laburnum and C. pupurens, the 

 resulting hybrid being C. adami, of which some of 

 the labtirnum branches have bunches of yellow 

 flowers, and others clusters of beavitiful purple 

 blooms. It is a remai'kable example of dissocia- 

 tion of the characters that so frequently produce 

 hybridity. Another example is that of belladonna 

 (Atropa belladona), which, grafted on a plant of 

 potatoes, produces a perfect hybrid — a sort of 

 potato-belladonna containing atropine and, con- 

 sequently, very poisonoiis. M. S. Mottet gives an 

 accoiint of a new method of obtaining the germi- 

 nation of seed, by means of which the grains are 

 maintained at a imif orm humidity. The apparatus 

 is figured and appears likely to be of great use to 

 those who are desirous of studying the develop- 

 ment of plants from their earliest stages. 



Cosmos (Paris, March 4th, 1899). Thismimber 

 contains an article by M. Laverune on "Em- 

 balming." After a clear and concise description 

 of the methods employed by the Egyptians, both 

 for the rich, the poor, and some animals, he 

 goes on to describe the manner practised and 

 invented by M. Gannal, doctor to the ai'mies of 

 Napoleon the First. It consisted of injecting into 

 the carotid arteries a preservative mixture which 

 would impregnate all the tissues. This mixture 

 could be either a solution of sulphate of aluminium 

 or chloride of zinc. The writer points out that 

 embalmment was necessary in Egypt, as owing to 

 the periodical overflows of the Nile, bodies that had 



only been buried, would become dangerous by 

 reason of the pestilential exhalations. He also 

 suggests its reintroduction in the present day as 

 a solution of some of the problems that require 

 attention in our own times. An unsigned 

 account of the Panama canal is of considerable 

 interest, especially as it is illustrated by five 

 photographs taken at Bahia, Culebra and Carosita. 

 The writer warmly svipports the action of the new 

 company in forming a commission of eminent 

 engineers to consider the best means of completing 

 this gigantic piece of work. 



Le Journal de l' Acetylene (Paris, February 

 19th, 1899). The editor of this journal evidently 

 suffers, as do so many other people when workino- 

 on a new industry, from friends taking the opinions 

 of those who are not coversant with the subject, 

 instead of consulting men who have devoted time 

 and thought to perfecting their knowledge of the 

 points under discussion. He publishes a letter 

 received from an acqiiaintance who had reqiiested 

 him to supply some information on this subject, 

 but who afterwards consulted " an engineer," who 

 evidently had but a ciirsory knowledge of acety- 

 lene. The objections detailed in the latter are 

 dealt with point by point, in a sensible manner 

 likely to be usefvil to those who haye to answer 

 similar difficulties. M. Henri Moissan continues 

 and finishes his notes on the action of acetylene 

 upon ammonium metals. Reference was recently 

 made in these pages to a note that appeared on 

 these investigations, in " Comptes Eendus " (ante 

 251), also by M. Moissan. 



American Journal op Science (New Haven, 

 Connecticut, February 1899) contains an interesting- 

 article by Mr. H. A. Pilsbry on the Littoral 

 Mollusks from Cape Fairweather, Patagonia. It 

 is illustrated by a plate containing six figures. 

 The collection he describes was obtained by Mr. 

 J. B. Hatcher during his palaeontological explora- 

 tions in Patagonia in the interest of Princeton 

 University. The fauna of the south-west of 

 America is very little known ; therefore all facts 

 are of assistance and value, in order that the limits 

 of the f avmal provinces of the coast may be defined 

 more clearly, and their characteristics described. 

 The fauna at the point described, Mr. Pilsbry says, 

 is typically magellanic, with very little mixture 

 of types from the Argentine fauna at La Plata 

 region, and the indications point to a western 

 rather than a northern origin of the moUusk popu- 

 lation. The principal families described are 

 Buccinidae, Trochidae, Patellidae, Mactridae, Myti- 

 lidae, with several others. Some short descrip- 

 tions of imperfectly known and new Actineans, 

 with critical notes on other species by Mr. A. E. 

 Verill, will be of value to those who are studying 

 that branch of zoology. There are six figures 

 drawn by the author illustrating some of the 

 species. 



Transactions op the Academy op Natural 

 Sciences, Philadelphia (Philadelphia, Decem- 

 ber 1898), contains the reports of the various 

 departments on the work done during the year. 

 The statements of the chiefs of the Conchological, 

 the Biological, and Microscopical sections, are es- " 

 pecially satisfactory. In the former, many im- 

 portant additions have been made to the North 

 American series, and some collections which have 

 been purchased or presented to the museum, 

 materially augmented the non- American molluscs. 



