I go 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



CONTRIBUTED BY FLORA WINSTONE. 



Cosmos (Paris), i6th September. This number 

 contains a history, signed by initials only, of the use 

 of mercury pumps in laboratory work, including a 

 description of the principle of the Sprengel pump. 

 M. Emile Maison writes of the porpoise, with an 

 illustration of the animal just after a leap from the 

 water. The family of Delphinidae, he says, is the 

 most interesting of all the marine fauna, and of all 

 the genera comprised in this group, the porpoise is 

 the one most worthy of study. The article, however, 

 treats the subject from a humorous rather than a scien- 

 tific point of view. Some notes by M. H. Couturier 

 ■de Bricage on the situation and climate of Alaska are 

 especially worth reading. The writer considers that 

 the Canadians are not in such a favourable position 

 for further exploring the mining treasures of the soil 

 as the Americans. (23rd September. ) M. Laverune 

 has an article on the plague in Europe. The microbe 

 Mas discovered by Yersin and Kitasato. -It does not 

 appear to be easily conveyed in the air, but chiefly by 

 the skin and through the digestive organs. Infection 

 by the skin is usually from fleas and. other parasitic 

 animals. M. Laverune entirely differs from the 

 ■opinion of M. Simond that the plague epidemic 

 usually commences with rats, and is conveyed by them 

 to men, and from thence by man to man. He points 

 out that there was a great plague epidemic in England 

 in 1 348, but rats were unknown in this country previous 

 to the sixteenth century. This number also contains 

 some illustrated notes by M. A. Acloque on hemo- 

 gregarines, the parasites of the red blood corpuscles. 

 The hematozoa of malaria and gout are figured, 

 magnified several hundred times. The malarial 

 microbe is polymorphous and has three principal 

 types, the spherical, whip, and crescent forms. (30th 

 Septeinber. ) M. Albert Larbaletrier commences a 

 history of the growth and cultivation of the olive 

 tree in Provence. It is a tree whose range is greatly 

 limited by climatic influences, as it will not flourish 

 in a low temperature nor in one of long-continued 

 heat. The writer details the earliest known record 

 of. jhe cultivation of the olive tree, which appears to 

 have been in Syria, and describes the important part 

 the leaves, oil and branches have occupied in various 

 historical scenes. M. C. Marsillon describes with 

 many illustrations the construction of the Yukon rail- 

 way, showing the stupendous engineering difficulties 

 that have been overcome. (7th October. ) An article 

 by M. Emile Maison entitled " From the Cape to the 

 Transvaal " is well worth reading, especially at the 

 present time. The writer, however, touches very 

 little on the point of the present political complica- 

 tions, but gives a concise history of the land from 

 14S6, downwards. He also describes certain ethno- 

 logical peculiarities of some of the races. M. Abbe 

 L. Pichot gives an account of an acetylene generator 

 recently invented by M. A. Rieffel. Though the 

 idea appears good, it seems somewhat too com- 

 plicated for general use. M.' A. Larbaletrier con- 

 tinues his article on the cultivation of the olive tree 

 n Provence. 



City or London Entomological and 

 Natural History Society. — ist August, 1899. — 

 Exhibits : Mr. Fuller, series of Dicycla 00 taken at 

 Walthamstow this year, at Sugar and a specimen of 

 Mamestra sordida from Darenth. Jlr. J. Riches, a 

 suffused specimen of Abraxas grossularia/a with no 

 black spots across the central area of the hind wings, 

 found on a wall at Hornsey Rise. Mr. D. C. Bate, 

 a number of the latter insect fed upon Etionyiinis 

 ■aponica, having a decidedly dark general appearance. 

 Jlr. Clark, two beautiful varieties of Nocttia fcstiva, 

 and one Gramnicsia trigrammica suffused and very 

 dark, from Polegate. Mr. A. Robertshaw sent two 

 cocoons of Sahirnia pavonia one brown and one 

 pale. When the larvae spun up, all the cocoons were 

 pale, but those put in a warm greenhouse having 

 much moisture in the air, turned brown after about 

 three days ; one kept in a dry cool atmosphere retained 

 its pale colour. — H. A. Saiize, Hon. Sec. 



South London Entomological and Natural 

 History Society. — Aug. 24th, Mr. Robert Adkin, 

 F.E.S., in the chair. — Mr. Edwards exhibited a 

 number of insects of various orders from Borneo and 

 India, including the large bee Xylocopa latipes, of 

 which the male has paddle-shaped fore legs, the 

 enormous digging wasp Triscolia proceva, the giant 

 ant Cainponotiis gigas and several remarkable species 

 of Pompiliidae, together with a large immature 

 Taranitila, specimens of the crab spiders, Gastera- 

 cantha, and the rare allied genus to the scorpions, 

 Thelyphonus. Mr. West exhibited three species of 

 Hemiptera, Oiuotyhts viridiflants found on Coitainra 

 at Wisley, Tricopsylla walkeri, found on buckthorn 

 at Box Hill, and Tei-enthia loeta, obtained by 

 sweeping at Reigate. Mr. Patteson reported that a 

 specimen of Dcilephila livoriiica had been taken at 

 Linipsfield, at light. Mr. Adkin exhibited a series of 

 Acidalia aversata, bred from ova laid by a female 

 captured at Lewisham. The whole brood were dull, 

 non-banded forms, like the female parent, and very 

 distinct from the ordinary light form. ^.^'. J. Tui-ner^- 

 Hon. Repoi-t Sec. 



Yorkshire Fungus Foray. — The Mycological 

 Section of the Yorkshire Naturalists' Union, held a 

 successful fungus foray, near Askern, on the 25th, 

 26th, and 27th of September. Permission was ob- 

 tained from all the landowners in the district to 

 inxestigate their woods, parks, and pastures. The 

 species collected reached 230, besides varieties. Con- 

 sidering the previous dry weather, this was most satis- 

 factory. Among them were seveial of rarity and 

 interest. A peculiar Sltl/>iim-\\\ie mould, new to 

 science, was found, the life history of which is in 

 process of being worked out. Mr. G. Massee, 

 F.R.M.S., F.L.S., read a paper on "The Jlodern 

 Tendency of Mycological Study'"; and Mr. Harold 

 Wager, F. L.S., gave a resunii of his paper on " Fer- 

 tilization in the Fungi." The members of the section 

 turned up in almost full force. Mr. Massee was 

 elected president for the ensuing j'ear, and Mr. Chas. 

 Cros.sland, I'. L. S. , of Halifax, the secretary. — C. 

 Crossland, Hon. Sec, 4, Coleridge A'oad, Plalifax. 



