SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



!'3 



M1CR05C0PY 



W%JkM 



CONDUCTED BY F. SlIII.LINi; TON SCALES, K.K.M.S. 



The QuEKEiT MicKoscoi'icAi. Club. — The- 

 Novemljt-r issue of the Journal of the Queketl Clul) 

 reached us some time Afci, but our limited space 

 unfortunately prevented us from noticing it earlier. 

 The good work done for a feneration of microscopists 

 hy the ( )uekett Clul), the very name of which has a 

 grateful sound in the ears of all ardent lovers of the 

 microscope, requires no mention here. There are 

 several things of interest in this number of the 

 Journal, amongst them being a paper by Mr. C. I). 

 Soar on a water mite that Mr. Soar believes to be a 

 new species, and which he i)roposes to name Alax 

 lavinuri , and another paper by Mr. K. T. Lewis 

 on .some .Vu.stralian ticks, each being illustrated 

 by a well-engraved plate. The most lengthy article 

 in the Journal, however, is one that will have 

 an additional interest for our readers. It is by 

 Dr. M. C. Cooke, entitled "Early Memories of 

 the Q.M.C." In the earlier portion he traces 

 the intimate connection that existed between the 

 Club and SciENCE-Gossir. .Mr. Cooke begins by 

 calling attention to the work done by the late Mr. 

 Robert Hardwicke as a publisher of scientific books 

 at his house in Piccadilly, from whence issued the 

 " Popular Science Review," and the third edition of 

 that classic work, Sowerby's "English Botany.'' 

 Mr. Cooke tells us he was a daily visitor to the little 

 shop in Piccadilly, and that he suggested to Mr. 

 Hardwicke that there was a good opening for a cheap 

 monthly magazine devoted to natural history and 

 microscopy, with facilities for exchanges and copious 

 notes and queries. The idea was entertained eagerly, 

 and Hakhwicke's Science-Gossip was the title 

 suggested by Mr. Hardwicke, and to this he per- 

 tinaciously adhered. The first number appeared 

 January 1st, 1865, and became at once a success ; in 

 fact, it had no competitor. Mr. Cooke, who was its 

 first editor, and so ably conducted it, adds: "SciENCE- 

 Gossii' became the popular magazine of the micro- 

 scopist. Probably, if there had not been a llARD- 

 wicke's SciENCE-Gossir there would never h.ave 

 been a Q.M.C." Mr. Ilardwicke's manager v.as 

 .Mr. Thomas Ketteringham. The hobbies of the 

 latter gentleman were his, inicrosco]ie and his violin. 

 Once a week Mr. Cooke, Mr. Ketteringham, and 

 his friend, Mr. W. M. Bywater, used to meet at a 

 house in Hanover Square and pursue together their 

 microscopical studies. (Jn M.ay 1st, 1865, a notice 

 was published in Science-Gossii', with the hearty 

 approval of the editor, suggesting the formation of 

 an amateur microscopical society that would cover 

 ground untouched by the Royal Micro.scopical So- 

 ciety. For this reason the subscription was made as 

 small as possible, and the club itself was formed on 

 July 7th, 1865. It would not be fair to extract more 

 from Mr. Cooke's delightful little paper, which is of 

 interest to others beyond the members of the club. 

 Since then the CJuekett Club has done good work for 

 amateur microscopy, and almost as much for micro- 



scopy in general, anil it still nourishes. Its original 

 foster-mother, Scik.sce-Gossii', curiously enough to 

 those who know the Nemesis that overtakes journal- 

 istic enterprises, has also proved its staying powers, 

 nor is its influence lessened. 



Watson's New J-incii Hoi.oscoi'ic (iiijEcriVK. 

 In a recent number of this Journal (niili, p. 183) 

 we noticed two new achromatic objectives by .Messrs. 

 Watson iS: .Sons, which were constructed (m a new 

 principle, having similar corrections to the a|M)- 

 chromatic lenses, and, like them, requiring to Ix: used 

 with compensating or over-corrected eyepieces for 

 their proper correction. This enterprising firm has 

 now sent us for examinali.m a lens which we can 

 only describe as a remarkable one. It is a half-inch 

 of no less N.-\. than 65, which is equivalent to the 

 very high optical index of 31-5. Its spherical and 

 chromatic corrections approximate more closely than 

 we would have believed possible to those of the 

 apochromalics. The finest dry lens at present made 

 is considered to be Zeiss'sapochromatic half-inch, and 

 Messrs. Watson's lens has the same power and the 

 Mime aperture. This in itself is in its way a distinct 

 achievement, as we know of only one other similar 

 lens which exceeds this aperture. But a very careful 

 comparison between the new holoscopic lens and the 

 apochromatic half-inch .shows that even on the most 

 difficult and critical tests the achromatic is hardly 

 surpassed by the apochromatic lens. In spherical 

 correction and in definition there is really little to 

 choose between tlieni ; but the achromatic lens, a.s 

 is to be expected, shows, on critical and suitable 

 tests, a slight amount of outstanding colour that is 

 absent in the apochromatic. The objective is cor- 

 rected for the 250 mm. (to") tulie, and bears a 27 

 compensating eyepiece most satisfactorily. We re- 

 commend any of our readers who may be thinking 

 of purchasing apochromatic objectives to examine 

 this lens, and then decide for themselves whether 

 their recjuirements necessitate their incurring the 

 additional cost of the apochromatic. The price is 

 £2 'OS. Messrs. Watson have in hand other similar 

 lenses of the series. 



Larva of Spongh.i.a Lacustris. — The whole 

 of the last part of the "(Quarterly Journal of -Micro- 

 scopical Science" is occupied to the extent of 141 

 pages, illustrated by three double-coloured plates, 

 with an elaborate article on the Structure and 

 Metamorphosis of the Larva Sfongilla lacustris. 

 It is by Mr. Richard Evans, B.A. 



Note. — P. 249, first line, for " nose-piece " read 

 "camera-lucida." P. 280, first column, tenth line 

 from bottom, for " .March last" read " March next." 



ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



W. C. B. (Appleby). — r. The small specks in 

 the human blood to which you refer are doubtless 

 those which have Ijeen nam.ed the elementary par- 

 ticles or blood- tablets. Their uses are not definitely 

 settled. The movement will be the "Brownian" 

 movement. 2. Do not on any account liuy second- 

 hand apochromalics unless they have first been re- 

 turned to Messrs. Zeiss to examine and, if necessary, 

 to rectify. Messrs. Zeiss only guarantee their lenses 

 against atmospheric deterioration. .See our notice 

 in this numberof anew h.alf-inch by Messrs. Watson. 

 3. The points you raise will all be dealt with in due 

 course in " Nlicroscopy for Beginners." 4. Why 

 not subscribe direct to London office, and save the 

 delay ? 



