352 



SCIENCE. G OS SIP. 



Messes. Blackie & Sox contemplate a re-iss^^e 

 of " Kerner's Natural History of Plants," a work 

 which in its English form is identified with the 

 name of Professor F. W. Oliver, of University 

 College, London. Professor Oliver's translation, 

 in the production of which he had the assistance 

 •of Lady Busk, B.Sc, and Mrs. M. F. Macdonald, 

 B.Sc, was first published some seven or eight 

 years ago. The new edition, which will be issued 

 at a considerably reduced price, will be sub- 

 stantially a reprint of the original English edition, 

 with a few necessary alterations and corrections. 



NOTICES OF SOCIETIES. 



Ordinary meetings are marked f, excursions * ; names of persons 

 following excursions are of Conductors. Lantern Illustra- 

 tions^. 



^IRKBECK Natural History Society. 



April 12. — * Bickley, for Chislehurst, St. Paul's, 2.7 p.m. Miss 

 E. Bowers. 



■Geologists' Association, London. 



April 4. — § " Klondike, its Geologj' and Mining." Professor H. 

 A. Miers, M.A., F.R S. 

 „ 12. — * Zoological Gardens. P. L. Solater and F. E. 



Beddard. 

 „ 26. — * S.E.R. Main Line widening (new cutting for 

 Elmstead Station). T. V. Holmes, F.G.S., and 

 C. W. Osmau, A.M.LC.E. 



South London Entomological and Natural History 



Society. 

 April 10.— t " Some Species of British Lepidoptera and tlieir 

 Geographical Distribution." R. South, F.E.S. 

 „ 24.— t"Tlie Lesser British Lepidoptera." Alfred Sioh, 

 F.E.S. 

 Sampstead Scientific Society. 



April 4. — t General Meeting. " The Nature of Scientific 

 Methods." Dr. Wm. Boulting. 

 ,, 9. — § Photographic Section. " Flower Photography." 

 „ 11. — t Natural History Section. "Notes on the Flora of 



Hunstanton and District." C. S. Nicholson. 

 „ 11. — t " On the Approximation of the Forms of Living 

 MoUusca to their Fossil Prototypes." Hugh 

 Fuidon. 

 „ 25. — t Photographic Section. " Demonstration of Silver 

 Printing." 



North London Natural History Society. 

 April 5.— » Visit to Zoological Society's Gardens, Regent's 

 Park. 

 „ 8. — § " Some Extinct Bird Reptiles." Miss H. K. Brown. 

 „ 8.— t " Notes on some Seaside Plants." 0. S. Nicholson, 



P.L.S. 

 „ 22.— § " British Freshwater Fish." G. Hamby. 



Selborne Society. 



April 4. — Museum Evening and Annual Meeting. 

 Royal Institution of Great Britain. 

 April 7. — General Monthly Meeting. 



NOTICES TO COKRESPONDENTS. 



To Correspondents and Exchangers. — Science-Gossip is 

 ■published on the 25th of each month. All notes or short com- 

 munications should reach us not later than the 18th of the month 

 for insertion in the following number. No communications can 

 "be inserted or noticed without full name and address of writer. 

 Notices of changes of address admitted free. 



Editorial Communications, articles, books for review, instru- 

 ments for notice, specimens for identification, etc., to be addressed 

 to John T. Oarrington, 110 Strand, London, W.C. 



Business Communications. — All business communications 

 relating to Science-Gossip must be addressed to the Manager, 

 Science-Gossip, 110 Strand, London. 



Subscriptions. — The volumes of Science-Gossip, begin with 

 ■the June numbers, but Subscriptions may commence with any 

 number, at the rate of 6s. 6d. for twelve months (including 

 ■postage), and should be remitted to the Manager, Science- 

 -GossiP, 110 Strand, London, W.C. 



The Editor will be pleased to answer questions and name 

 specimens through the Correspondence column of the magazine. 

 Specimens, in good condition, of not more than three species to 

 be sent atone time, carriage paid. Duplicates only to be sent, 

 which will not be returned. The specimens must have identify- 

 ing numbers attached, togetlier with locality, date, and par- 

 vticulars of capture. 



Notice.— Contributors are requested to strictly observe the 

 following rules. All contributions must be clearly written on 

 one side of the paper only. Words intended to be printed in 

 Italics should be marked under with a single line. Generic 

 names must be given in full, excepting where used immediately 

 before. Capitals may only be used for generic, and not specific 

 names. Scientific names and names of places to be written in 

 round hand. 



The Editor is not responsible for unused MSS., neither can he 

 undertake to return them unless accompanied with stamps for 

 return postage. 



NOTICE. 



Subscriptions (6s. 6d. per annum) may be paid 

 at any time. The postage of SciENCE-GossiP is 

 really one penny, but only half that rate is charged 

 to subscribers. 



EXCHANGES. 



Notice. — Exchanges extending to thirty words (including 

 name and address) admitted free ; but additional words must be 

 prepaid at the rate of threepence for every seven words or less. 



Wanted. — Microscopy books and "etceteras." Exchange 

 Indian Bird Skins, and complete collection Maltese Laud 

 Shells. — Major Bechen, Wadebridge, Cornwall. 



Tubes, Marine Dredging, rare Zooohytes, Worms, and Pleuro- 

 sigma angulatum sent in exchange for Scientific Work-, English 

 or foreign, or other offers. — (Rev.) Eustace Tozer, 17 Alma Road, 

 Sheerness. 



Wanted. — Store-boxes for Lepidoptera ; also " The Entomolo- 

 gist's Weekly Intelligencer." Will exchange " The Naturalist's 

 World," 4 vols, complete, and Science-Gossip 1865 to 1868. — 

 E. Petrie, 56 Brunswick Street, Chorlton Medlock, Manchester.' 



Offered. — Volumes " Palteontographical Society," illustrating 

 British fossils ; set of each of " Midland Naturalist," " Journal 

 Applied Microscopy," " American Microscopical Journal," " The 

 Scientific Enquirer," " Knowledge," " Insect Life," also numerous 

 ■works on Microscopy 4, id Natural History. Wanted in ex- 

 change good Geological Lantern Slides of River, Mountain and 

 Coast scenery. — Captain Cooke, Westbury, Bristol. 



Carl Vogt's " Mammalia," 2 vols., 13 by 10, 40 Plates, 

 270 Illustrations, unsoiled. What offers?— C. Heel, Stechford, 

 Birmingham. 



Wanted. — Britisli marine shells, eggs of peregrine, sparrow 

 hawk, reed and wood warblers, woodpeckers, cuckoo, etc. 

 Offered, many choice foreign shells and other natural history 

 specimens. C^ood Colonial and British stamps. State wants. — 

 Chas. JefEerys, The Chipping, Tetbury. 



"Wanted. — Loan of mounted slides of "Micro-Fungi"; give 

 in exchange for their use, negatives, or prints of same ; great 

 care will be taken of slides, which will be returned safely.— 

 John Ohuter, Lion Green, Haslemere, Surrey. 



Diatoms. — Exchanges in Diatoms requested, either in slides 

 or material. Wanted Volvox, either living or mounted. — 

 Richard Borrows, 49 Victoria Embankment, Darlington. 



Entomology. — Will collect in any Order ; in exchange for 

 Coleoptera, Hemiptera, or Lepidoptera of Europe, Asia, or 

 Africa. — Charles Stevenson, 903 St. Urbain Street, Montreal, 

 Que., Canada. 



CONTENTS. 



PAGE 



Geological Notes in the Orange River Colony, By 



Major B. M. Skinner, R.A.M.'C. Illustrated . . .'. 321 



The Plum and its Allies. By Sophia Armitt . . 322 

 Our Cockroaches. By E. J. Burgess Sopp, F.R.Met.Soc, 



F.E.S 324 



Rubble Drift and Dry Chalk Valleys. By Ed'svard 



A. Martin, P.G.S , . . 326 



An Introduction to British Spiders. By Frank 



Percy Smith. Illustrated 329 



Spontaneous Combustion in Man. By J. L. F. 



Mitchell, M.A 333 



Books to Read. Illustrated 335 



Science Gossip 338 



Microscopy. Illustrated 341 



Botany. Illustrated 343 



Astronojiy 346 



Chemistry 348 



Physics 349 



Photography . . 350 



Notes and Queries 350 



Notices— Exchanges 352 



