44 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



much as even politics — although any fool can play at 

 the latter ! 



Read the report by Mr. Haly, curator of the 

 Colombo Museum, in " Nature," December 31st, on 

 his discovery of a medium for preserving the colours 

 of fish and other animals. 



We are very pleased to keep our readers to good 

 things. There is nothing better for them than good 

 catalogues of books, papers, magazines, etc., they 

 may be requiring. Messrs. Dulau & Co. have lately 

 " gone in " for scientific literature. There is now on 

 our table a couple of handy catalogues of " Works 

 on Geology," including Crystallography, Mineralogy, 

 Mining, Petrography, Boulders, Vulcanology, etc., 

 " What d'ye lack ? " 



We strongly advise all of our readers who are 

 interested in the subject to read the report of Dr. 

 Marshal Ward's paper on " The Ginger-Beer Plant," 

 in "Nature," December 24th. Dr. Ward shows it is 

 mainly a symbiotic association of a specific Saccharo- 

 mycetes and a Schizomycetes. 



The last number of " The Entomologists' Record 

 and Journal of Variation" (edited by J. W. Tutt) is 

 a double one, and is crowded with detajls interesting 

 to entomologists, particularly to those who are pre- 

 pared to understand the biological value of " varia- 

 tions." 



Professor Victor Horsley, F.R.S., on January 

 19th gave the first of a course of twelve lectures on 

 " The Brain " at the Royal Institution. Mr. A. S. 

 Murray, LL.D., on January 21st gave the first of a 

 course of three lectures on "Some Aspects of Greek 

 Sculpture in Relief"; and Prof. J. A. Fleming on 

 January 23rd gave the first of a course of three 

 lectures on ".The Induction Coil and Alternate Cur- 

 rent Transformer." The Friday evening meetings 

 began on January 22nd, when the Right Hon. Lord 

 Rayleigh, F.R.S., gave a discourse on "The Com- 

 position of Water." 



We have received from the " Youths' Companion " 

 Boston, U.S. A — a capital weekly paper, in which 

 popular science finds a prominent place — a lovely 

 chromolitho strip of various kinds of roses, about two 

 feet by six inches, sent out with the New Year's 

 number, which latter promises even a more lively 

 volume than ever. 



The "Child Life" Almanack and Calendar for 

 the current year (G. Phillip and Son) is one of the 

 best got-up we have seen for the use of young 

 naturalists. 



We have received a reprint of Mr. Arthur Bennett's 

 valuable paper entitled " Contributions towards a 

 Flora of the Outer Hebrides," published in the Annals 

 of Scottish Natural History " for January. Babington 



and Balfour's estimate of the flora was 349 species 

 and varieties. The present list adds 143 species and 

 varieties, and Mr. Bennett thinks it probable that 

 at least fifty or sixty species will be added, and 

 eventually found to occur. 



We are sorry to announce the death of the veteran 

 French Naturalist, Professor Quatrefages, at the ripe 

 age of eighty-two. 



Mr. Murray announces a new and cheaper edition 

 of the late Professor Moseley's " Notes by a Naturalist 

 on Board the Challenger," one of the most delightful 

 books in the world to read. 



At the last meeting of the Institute of Marine 

 Engineers, a paper (part 2) on Stability, or the 

 "motion of a vessel among waves" by Mr. J. A. 

 Rowe, was read. In the course of a very interesting 

 paper, the author dwelt upon Static and Dynamic 

 Stability, and the oscillations of a vessel among the 

 waves. The action of the waves upon vessels at 

 different angles of rolling was illustrated by diagrams, 

 showing the direction in which the force of buoyancy 

 tended to make a vessel roll. The. question of con- 

 trolling and regulating the heavy rolling of vessels 

 was only touched upon, Mr. Rowe pointing out that 

 from the experience of several nautical men to whom 

 he had spoken, bilge and side keels for this purpose 

 had been found of great value. In the course of his 

 remarks the author suggested that shipbuilders would 

 be greatly aided in designing stable craft if, when a 

 vessel was ordered, they were informed in which trade 

 the vessel would be employed and the nature of the 

 cargo to be carried, inasmuch as a vessel designed to 

 carry one |special cargo might not be adapted for 

 carrying grain for example. 



MICROSCOPY. 



Journal of the Royal Microscopical. 

 Society. — The December part of this welcome 

 and well-edited journal contains, in addition to the 

 useful summary of current researches relating to zoo- 

 logy and botany, the following papers : — " Notes on 

 New Infusoria from the Fresh Waters of the United 

 States," by Dr. Alfred C. Stokes (illustrated) ; and 

 one on "An Improved Method of making Micro- 

 scopical Measurements with the Camera lucida," by 

 Sir Walter Sendall (also illustrated). 



How to Mount Tongue of Moth or Butter- 

 fly. — First take a fine-pointed pair of scissors and 

 carefully cut out the tongue as close up to the mouth 

 of the insect as possible, and see that the tongue is in 

 a nice flat spiral form. Put it into spirits of wine for 

 a few days ; take out and put into good clear turpentine, 

 in which it will have to stay for some time, to take 

 out a little of the dark colour, or you will not be 



