:SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



191 



Isaac Taylor. — The Kev. Isaac Taylor, LL.D., 

 Litt.D., Rector of Setterington and Canon of York, 

 died on October 18th, in his seventy-third year. 

 An Essex man, son of Isaac Taylor, of Ongar, 

 author of a "Natural History of Enthusiasm," he 

 was a skilled entomologist and student of vegetable 

 and animal physiology, and one of the founders of 

 the Alpine Club. 



William West, Junior. — By the unex])eoted 

 death of Mr, William West, Junior, science has 

 lost a promising devotee. This took place through 

 an attack of cholera on September 14th last in 

 India, where he was but a couple of weeks in his 

 appointment as biologist to the Behar Indigo 

 Planters' Association. After a bright scholastic 

 period, including the winning of several scholar- 

 ships, he gained the Forbes Medal for botany in 

 the Royal College of Science, Ijondon. At the age 

 of sixteen Mr. Forbes won a Foundation Scholar- 

 ship at St. John's College, Cambridge, and later 

 took a high place in the Natural Science Tripos. 

 He then became a science demonstrator at Cam- 

 bridge, and afterwards an extra-assistant in the 

 South Kensington Museum of Natural History. 

 He was born in 1875, .son cf William West, F.L.S., 

 of Bradford, a celebrated botanist, who so well 

 trained his sons William and G. S. West, F.L.S., 

 that they long ago took places of authority among 

 those studying this science, being authors of 

 valuable papers on the lower forms of plant life. 

 His loss to science is severe. 



Martin Fountain Woodwaud.— We deeply 

 sympathise, as do the rest of those interested in 

 science in this country, with Dr. Henry Woodward, 

 F.R.S., on the loss of his son, Martin F. Woodward, 

 who was unfortunately dx-owned by the capsizing 

 of a boat during a sudden squall oft the Galway 

 coast on September 15th last. The sadness of 

 the event was the greater, as Mr. Woodward was 

 a fair swimmer ; but he appears to have re- 

 ceived an injury by the accident, as he was not 

 again seen until his remains were recovered nearly 

 a fortnight later. Son of Dr. Woodward, the 

 present Keeper of the Geological Department of 

 Natural History, the subject of this notice was 

 born on November Gth, 18G5. After a brilliant 

 career as a student, he was selected by the late 

 Professor Huxley as personal Assistant and Demon- 

 strator of Biology in the Royal College of Science. 

 London. After Huxley's death he retained the 

 position which he held until the unfortunate 

 accident cut short so promising a career. During 

 the whole of this period his labours were rewarded 

 by a continued series of successes, and few men 

 have made more friends than he whom we mourn. 

 Always a hard worker and ardent nataralist, Mr. 

 Woodward came to his unexpected end "by under- 

 taking another's duties when he might have in- 

 dulged in the idleness of a vacation. He was Hon. 

 Secretary of the Malacological Society of London. 

 Science has lost one of her most promising votaries. 



Sphinx Convolvuli. — During the past six 

 weeks my boys have captured three Sphinx 

 convolvuli — viz., one female at Blackgang and two 

 males here. We have also found four t'olias cdtiaa. 

 The convolvulus hawk-moth, according to my 

 books, is very rare, so the captures may be of 

 interest to your readers. — Geonje Ireing, Camherlcy 

 School, Surrey, OctoJier \st. 



Ball Lightning. — During the thunderstorm of 

 July 25th last, about 58 minutes after noon, light- 

 ning of ball-like appearance fell into the garden 

 at the rear of our house at this address, and then 

 exploded with a terrific report, not unlike that of 

 a firework shell. Although it appeared to fall into 

 the middle of a flower-bed, not a stem or leaf 

 .seemed to have been moved bj- the explosion. — 

 F. C. Dennett, GO Leathall Itoail, Dalston, London. 



" Caledonia Evansii " Cb. — In reply to my in- 

 quiry respecting the occurrence of this spider (ante, 

 p. 141), Mr. F. 0.. Pickard, Cambridge, informs me 

 that my capture does not constitute a new record 

 for England. He states that Mr. A. Randall Jackson 

 found three adult males in the Grisedale Pass, 

 Helvellyn, a year or two ago. I may mention that 

 at the beginning of the present month I secured 

 another male in the same locality where I made 

 my other captures referred to above. — William 

 Falconer, Bank Field, SlaHlin-ai/e, lIuddiTstield, 

 October 21si, 1901. 



Artificial Dendrites, as made and illustrated 

 by Mr. E. Moor in the September issue of SciENCE- 

 Gossip, are interesting ; but I should like to raise 

 the question whether they ought to be classed 

 under this heading, and also if he is correct in 

 stating that the manganese, in the well-known 

 braching forms, was in a plastic state, and the 

 design resulted from the widening of a fissure 

 which it had penetrated. 'J'o my mind and eye 

 there is exceedingly little similarity between Mr. 

 Moor's illustrations and those he refers to at South 

 Kensington. The manganese growths are, I believe, 

 deposited from aqueous solutions of the metal. — ■ 

 G. Abbott, F.G.S.. Tmibridgc M'elh. 



Bees and African Marigolds. — I have 

 recently heard from a friend in Devonshire as 

 follows ; " We have some African marigolds in our 

 garden, and from about noon till four in the after- 

 noon the bees, for some reason or other, get stuck 

 on their flowers, kicking one hind leg in an idiotic 

 manner; but they make no attempt to fly away. I 

 assisted them off and placed them on the ground, 

 where they crawled about in an aimless sort of 

 way, finally recovering and flying oft'. One bee 

 was very bad: he was right inside a flower and 

 could not get back, I had nearly to destroy the 

 flower to get him out. I should like this curious 

 state of affairs explained." Can any of your 

 readers throw any light upon this matter ? — 

 Charles F. Thornennll, Calcerhall Vicarage, MTiit- 

 chnrch, Salop. 



