4S 



SUIENCE-GOSSIP. 



[Feb. 1, 1865. 



NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



All comnmiucations for the Editor should be 

 addressed to No. 193, Piccadilly, W. To avoid 

 disai)pointment contributions shoidd be received 

 on or before the 15t]i of each month. No notice 

 can be taken of anonymous communications. All 

 notes, queries,. or articles for insertion must be 

 guaranteed by the name and address of the writer, 

 which may be M"ithheld from publication if so 

 desired. Noins-de-phime are inadmissible, under 

 any circumstances, but initials may be used. 

 Hecords of facts and occurrences should bear 

 the _ simple name and address of their au- 

 thority. The good sense of our correspondents 

 will dictate the omission of four or five " capital 

 letters'' after Hicir names. Books hitended 

 for notice should be left with the Publisher. 

 It is not our intention to reciae hooks ; extriicts 

 will be given, from which our readers will draw 

 their own conclusiovis, instead of formal re- 

 view. It is hoped that copies will be kept by 

 the wriicrs of all communications, as we cannot 

 undertake to return any which may not be suited 

 to our columns. Notes on migration of birds, 

 contents of crops, &c. cannot be published in 

 extciiso, but will be acknowledged, and retained 

 until a summary of results can be given. It is 

 exceedingly advisable that all names, whether of 

 persons, places, animals, or plants, should be 

 Avritten as legibly as possible. 



Pr.ESERViNG BiiiDs A!>D Animals.—" Tally IIo!" 

 asks u.s for a receipt for preserving I he skins of small 

 animals. Arsenical soap is commonly employed. 

 Arsenutted Soap. Arsenic, 1 oz. ; white soaj), 1 oz. ; 

 carbonate of potash, 1 dram; distilled water, (3 

 drams; camphor, 2 drams. Mix under a gentle 

 heat. It m;iy be made into cakes, and dried for 

 future use. AVlicn used fornr a lather with any 

 spirituous liquor, and apply vv'ith a brush. French 

 Arsenical Soap. Canqilior, 5 oz. ; powdered 

 arsenic, 2 lbs.; white so:ip, 2 lbs.; salt of tartar, 

 ]2_oz. ; powdered chalk, 4 oz. Cut the soap into 

 thin slices, dissolve willi a little water over a 

 gentle fire, stirring Avitli a wooden spoon; when 

 dissolved add salt of tartar and chalk, when mixed 

 take it off the lire, add the arsenic; pound the 

 camphor in a mortar with spirits of wine, and add 

 this to the mixture last. When mixed together 

 it will be of t he consistence of paste. When used 

 it may be diluted with cold M'ater. Wc have 

 always used this, and never had a specimen touched 

 by insects. Take care to label your vessel in 

 which it is kept— Poison. 



Skeleton Leaves. — J. P. G. may try the follo^^•ing 

 method:— A table-spoonful of chloride of lime, 

 in a liquid state, mixed with a quart of pure 

 spring water. Leaves or seed vessels to be 

 soaked in this mixture for four hours, then taken 

 out and well washed in clean water, afterwards 

 left to dry with free exposure to light and air. 

 Rigid leaves may require more than four hours' 

 soaking. 



Skeletons of Pish.— We know no "royal" 

 method. The process is difficult, and P. N. L. is 

 advised to get his skeletons prepared for him by 

 a regular practitioner. 



Pr>i;sii-WATEii Aquauia.— We hope soon to give 

 " iiobin " ti>e opportunity of reading some "Hints" 

 on this subject. 



Vipers— W^e have received several communications, 

 some affirming positively that the viper sw-fdlows 

 its young, others, equal as positively, that if does 

 not. Our private opinion is that of the latter. 

 We cannot print all, therefore publish none. 



W. II. N. — The following works are published on 

 British Conchology : — Jeffrcys's British Concho- 

 logy ; AVoodward's Manual of Mollusea; Catlow's 

 Popular Conchology; Beeve's Land and Fresh- 

 water Mollusks of the British Isles ; Soweiby's 

 Illustrated Index of British Shells; Sowerby's 

 Popular British Conchology ; Turton's Manual of 

 Land and Presh-water Shells of Britain. 



B, B. S.^ — Notes a Kestrel hovering over Chelsea 

 Suspension Bridge. 



J. B. — Notes a Grey Shrike at Everton, Yorkshire. 



W. E. P. — Informs us of a Kingfisher plying his 

 avocation in the Serpentine in August, ISM-. We 

 know of no record of Birds observed in Kensing- 

 ton Gardens. 



W. S. B.— " Wet Streets" and "Metric Systems" 

 arc not subjects of Natural History. 



A. M. B. — Desires to know if it is usual for the 

 Common Sandpiper to dive Mdien wounded ? 



Naturalist inquires, " "Where could I obtain a 

 cliameleon, and at what price ? " 



W. W. — Your fungus is Aiiricularia mcscnlerica. 

 Not uncommon. 



"William. — In narration of anecdote "Brevity is 



the soul of wit." 

 J. P. Cranswick. — We cannot devote space to other 



than Queries in Natural History. 

 0. 0. — The microscope you name has an excellent 



reputation. 



J. L. — W^e cannot open controversies, as our space 

 is not unlimited. 



Buckinghamshire Plora.— Mr. James Britten is 

 collecting notes, and would be glad of anv informa- 

 tion. IS, Shawlicld-street, Chelsea, S.W. 



Mosses. — We cannot undertake to name two dozen 

 specimens at a time, and the majority barren. 

 Ai;)plieations for spceiir.ens received from "W. 

 Gibson ; J. P. Cranswick ; Young Bryologist : 

 Botanist — will be attended to in turn. 



Migratory Birds.— Acknowledged from II. Wick- 

 ham; C. Williams; J. Hanson. 



Small-Bird Question. — Ileceived from G. E. D. ; 

 J. W. 



Thanks eou Communications. — T. K.; I. (AVar- 

 wick); J. S.; E. J. S.; H. P.; J. E.; W. Gib- 

 son; A. B. P.; H. M.; A. M. B.; T. Donald- 

 sou ; T. W. Brovrn ; Orniphilos ; Prof. Buckman ; 

 W. H. C. ; W. E. Williams, Jr. ; E. D. ; W. G. ; 

 V. A. S.; B.; W. S. B.; G. H. B. ; W. P.; 

 II. J. C. B. ; J. AVebster (we should see it 

 lirst) ; G. C. Davics ; W. J. S. 



Received.- P. N. L.; D. R. R. ; G. T. G. ; Robin 

 W. E. Page; H. A. A. (declined); S. A. S. ; Zola; 

 R., A. C. (declined). T. P. P. is thanked for 

 promised aid, as also J. riummcr. W. ]<]. W. and 

 J. H. (thanked for Infusorial and Diatomaccous 

 Earths). 



Books Received. — " British and Garden Botany," 

 byLeo H. Grindon. London. Ivoutledge. "Aieta- 

 niorphoses of Man and the Lower Animals," by 

 Professor Quatrefages. Translated by Dr. Law- 

 son. London. Ilardwickc. 



