192 



SClENCfi-GOSSIP. 



[Aug. 1, 1865. 



HOTICES TO COREESPOHDENTS. 



Ar.r, comnmiiications for tlie Editor should be addressed to 

 No. 192, Piccadilly, W. To avoid disappointment, contribu- 

 tions should be received on or before the I5th of each 

 month. No notice can be taken of anonymous communi- 

 cations. All notes, queries, or articles for insertion, inust 

 be guaranteed by the name and address of the writer, which 

 may be withheld from publication if so desired. 



QtrEBiES.— Having been inundated with questions, we are 

 compelled to announce that we cannot undertake to answer 

 those of which the querist might satisfy himself by an appeal 

 to any elementary book on the subject. We are always pre- 

 pared to accept queries of a critical nature, and to publish 

 the replies, provided some of our readers, beside the querist, 

 are likely to take an interest in them. 



We cannot undertake to return "rejected addresses." 



British Hepatic;e.— The " Guide," uniform in size and 

 price with this journal, may be had of the Publisher, 192, 

 Piccad'lly. Every subscriber to Science Gossip should pro- 

 cure a copy to bind with his volume. It contains descriptions 

 of one hundred and thirty-six species of Hepaticse, illustrated 

 by two hundred woodcuts. 



A. M. — You cannot have a more useful little book on the 

 Mounting of Microscopic Objects than that by T. Davies, 

 published by R. Hardwicke, at half-a-crown. 



Books on Sea-weeds. — " R. S." is informed that many 

 books at many prices, and of varied merits, have been pub- 

 lished on this snlijcct. Such as, " Nature-printed Sea-weeds," 

 4 vols. Svo. (Bradbury & Evans); Harvey's " Piiycologia 

 Britarmica," 4 vols, royal Svo. (Reeve); Harvey's "Atlas of 

 British Sea-weeds," 4to. (Reeve); Harvey's "Synopsis of 

 British Sea- weeds," 12mo. (Reeve) ; Landsborough's "British 

 Sea- weeds" (Routlcdge); Gifford's "Marine Botanist;" 

 Giay's "Handbook of British Water-weeds" (Hardwicke), 

 &c.'&c, 



S. A. S. — The London Catalogue of British Plants may be 

 had of Dulau, Soho Square. We think that the list of British 

 Mosses referred to is " out of print." 



RErAiRiNo Insects. — " W. H." will find shell-lac dissolved 

 in spirits of wine a very useful cement for this purpose. 



R. S. — You will find it preferable not to fix your eggs for 

 your cabinet in any way, either on wood or cardboard, but 

 place them on cotton wool in little boxes or compartments. 



L. la — It is a plant of the Pine-apple family called " New 

 Orleans Moss " (Tillamhia usneoidcs), and is used for stufling, 

 as a kind of substitute for horse-ha'r. 



J. W. — Your observations are only confirmatory, in fact, of 

 what has been before recorded. Your deductions are scarcely 

 so correct. 



A. G. has fal'en into error in thinking us interested in 

 ordnance. Our science is essentially that of peace, and not 

 of war. 



F. L. S.— We suppose that your insect was the Gold-tail 

 Moth {Porthesia aurijiua), a very common species. 



J. P.— What bird do you call the Red Sparrow-hawk? Is 

 it tl'.e Kestrel? 



A. F. C. — Only the image of the object is enlarged by draw- 

 ing out the tube ; there is no true increase of power. 



E. G. — Many of our birds rear two broods in a year. 



S. D. — 1. The siliceous cuticle of grasses maybe obtained 

 by maceration in nitric acid, and afterwards careluUy burning 

 to a white heat. 2. Probably the sudoriparous glands ; but it 

 is mere speculation to answer without seeing the object. 



T. P. — We regret that we have no space for your communi- 

 cation. It will be better published when the experiment is 

 complete. An agricultural journal would then be a more 

 suitable medium. 



Aqua ni A. — Our notes on aquarian topics are so many and 

 so long this month, that some wll'i have to stand over. 

 Correspondent's will please to note this, and excuse the delay. 



Firefly will please to take notice, and all other like 

 offenders, that for no purpose whatever can we recognize a 

 nom-de-p!umc. Already the same announcement has been 

 made twice or thrice, and our good friends will oblige by not 

 repeating the dose. We believe that we have good reasons for 

 persisting in this regulation. 



E. M. W.— The publisher of " Janson's Beetles " is Bell, of 

 Fleet Street, London, 



P. S. (Harrow).— We admit no nom-de-plmne. The science 

 you name does not come within our interpretation of natural 

 history. 



W. W. K.— You v.'ill find the name ia the article, of which 

 your extract is a portion, in All the Year Round. 



F. A. B. — A paragraph appears in the present number which 

 will probably assist you. Some flowers are very difficult to 

 manage in drying. 



Zoophytes. — The best work on this subject is Dr. John- 

 ston's " British Zoophytes," published by Van Voorst, in two 

 vols. Svo. Tliere is a smaller work by Dr. Landsborough, 

 which is published by Routlcdge. Sir John Dalyell's " Remark- 

 able Animals of Scotland," two vols. 4to. (Van Voorst), also 

 contains Zoophytes. 



W. P. — As we answered our correspondent, the subject is 

 closed. Why not insert an advertisement? 



F. A.— Write to Mr. W. R. Tate, 4, Grove Place, Denmark 

 Hill, Camberwell, and he will furnish you with all the infor- 

 mation you desire. 



Limpet Tongues.— J. B. R. has a number of dissected 

 limpet tongues unmounted, and will be happy to exchange 

 them for other interesting microscopic objects. — 115, Newgate 

 Street, London, E.C. 



W. E. Williams, Jun., offers silkworm eggs and seeds of 

 the Catalpa tree as microscopic objects. — Corsham, Wilts. 



Pktiiervvin Beds.— Please correct p. 150, 1st col,, 4th line 

 from bottom, for " shale " read " shell Spirifera unguicula; " 

 2nd col., 6th line, for " Ercmpfinlus" read " Euomphalus." 



F„ P. P. — "What's the use of It " is dechned with thanks. 



Y. y. had better forward us a specimen of the moth in 

 question. 



Cabinet Labels. — We have seen a ^eet of labels for 

 small Cabinets of Microscopic Objects, designed by Mr. John 

 Bockett, 10, Willingham Terrace, Kentish Town, which is 

 likely to be very useful. 



A Hint for Contributors. — If our contributors will oblige 

 us by always using the common names of plants, animals, 

 insects, &c,, wherever there is a common name in use, to 

 be followed by the scientific name in brackets, this will save 

 us a large amount of trouble m sending their manuscript 

 to press. As we do not pretend to address scientific readers 

 alone, vernacular names are indispensable. 



Communications Received.— S. E. B. — F. J. F.— E. R. L. 

 — W. H. G.— T. P. B.— E. Y. S.— E. G.— M. A.— P. S.— 

 J. H. W.— J. S.— H. G. K.— F. A. B.— T. A.— W. W. K.— 

 M. 11. L.— G. R. J.— G. D.— E. T. S.— P. F.— W. R. T.— J. B. 

 number.— B. H.— F. C— J. D.— A. G.— J. P.— H. W.— 

 E. S. S. G.— R. G. K.— J. B. R.— E. M. E.— F. R. P.— A. G.— 

 C. A.— J. S.— E. S.— E. IL— R. B. S.— J. A.— R. K.— W. N.— 

 E. G.— E. H. (Richmond).— A. F. C— B.— E. E.— Q. G.— J. P. 

 — F. L. S.— S. D.— T. P.— A. R.— F. W.— R. T.— J. B.— 

 T. W. W.— Dr. L.— W. T. H.— C. A.— F. A. 



Too Late.— Correspondents are reminded that the majority 

 of the above communications arrived too late for notice in 

 the present issue. 



Popular Names.— R. E. D.— C. A. 



BOOKS RECEIVED. 



"The Phenomena of Radiation as Exemplifying the Wisdom 

 and IJeneflceuce of God." By George Warington, F.C.S. 

 12mo. cloth, 1S6 pp. (London : W. Skeffington.) 



The Popular Science Rcoicw for July, 1866. (London: R. 

 Hardwicke.) 



