HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



things to have been in it), by Mr. R. L. Spencer ; 

 "Notable Oral Equipments in Vertebrata," by Mr. 

 Fred Rose ; " The Sea Urchin," by Mr. W. Sharp ; 

 " Instinct, Reason, and Reflex Action," by the same ; 

 "The Flora of Jethon," by Mr. G. T. Derrick; 

 "Submarine Breathing Animals," by Mr. J. Sinel ; 

 etc. 



An adaptation of the telephone to existing telegraph 

 lines has recently been successfully completed between 

 Grangemouth and Glasgow by Mr. A. Erskine Muir- 

 head. The telephones used are the French type, 

 with microphones. The line has two intermediate 

 stations, one at Port Dundas and the other at Kirkin- 

 tilloch, but this in no way impaired the speaking. It 

 is proposed to add two other intermediate stations, 

 making six telephones served by a single line. 

 Though the telegraph insliuments were employed 

 simultaneously, there was no interruption, and it is 

 intended that the telegraph instruments shall be 

 discarded. Another feature of the adaptation is 

 that as the wire runs along the canal, the barger 

 can fix a portable telephone on it at any place, and 

 speak to the termini. 



We are pleased to see that a Fourth Edition of 

 Mr. Worsley-Benison's "Nature's Fairy-Land " is 

 required, and was issued last week by Messrs. Elliot 

 Stock. 



The following are the lecture arrangements made 

 by the Royal Institution before Easter : — Professor 

 John G. McKendrick, six Christmas lectures to 

 juveniles, on "Life in Motion; or, the Animal 

 Machine ;" Professor Victor Horsley, " Twelve 

 Lectures on the Structure and Functions of the 

 Nervous System (the Brain) ;" Mr. A. S. Murray, 

 "Three Lectures on Some Aspects of Greek Sculp- 

 ture in Relief;" Professor E. Ray Lankester, " Three 

 Lectures on Some Recent Biological Discoveries ;" 

 Professor W. P. Ker, three lectures on "The Pro- 

 gress of Romance in the Middle Ages ;" Dr. B. 

 Arthur Whitelegge, three lectures on "Epidemic 

 Waves ;" Professor J. A. Fleming, three lectures on 

 "The Induction Coil and Transformer;" the Right 

 Hon. Lord Rayleigh, six lectures on "Matter: at 

 Rest and in Motion ;" Professor J. F. Bridge, three 

 lectures on "Dramatic Music, from Shakspeare to 

 Dryden (the Play, the Masque, and the Opera)," 

 with illustrations. The Friday evening meetings 

 will begin on January 22nd, when a discourse will be 

 given by the Right Hon. Lord Rayleigh on "The 

 Composition of Water." Succeeding discourses will 

 probably be given by Sir George Douglas, Bart., 

 Professor Roberts- Austen, C.B., Mr. G. J. Symons, 

 Professor Percy F. Frankland, Sir David Salomons, 

 Bart., Professor L. C. Miall, Professor Oliver Lodge, 

 Mr. George Du Maurier, Mr. John EvaDs, Mr. F. T. 

 Piggott, Professor W. E. Ayrton, and other gentle- 

 men. 



MICROSCOPY. 



Cleaning Slides. — Canada balsam may be 

 cleaned from slides by moistening a rag with spirits 

 of turpentine ; if the balsam is very hard, it may be 

 just warmed over the spirit-lamp. I find this the 

 best way, being very quick. — H. E. Griset. 



Mounting Butterflies' Probosces. — Will any 

 of your readers kindly tell me the best way to mount 

 a butterfly's probocis ? I have tried a good many in 

 Canada balsam, but the two halves always become 

 separated. Is it usual to mount only the one half, or 

 is there some way of mounting it whole, without the 

 two halves separating ? — R. H. Yapp. 



Males of Cladocera. — During the months of 

 September, October, and November last, the com- 

 paratively rare males of the Entomostracan order 

 Cladocera seemed to be fairly abundant in the south 

 Epping Forest district. Males of fourteen species in 

 all were seen by me during the period mentioned, 

 belonging to the different genera as follows : Cerio- 

 daphnia (4), Scapholeberis (1), Simocephalus (1), 

 Daphnia (4), Bosmina (i), Acroperus (1), Campto- 

 cereus (1), Pleuroxus (1). I do not know whether 

 to consider this as an exceptionally good list for one 

 season or not, but it is certainly far better than my 

 records for the two preceding years, and it would be 

 interesting if collectors of pond-life in other localities 

 would give their experience in this matter. — D. J. 

 Scourfield. 



New Slides. — We have received from Mr. A. 

 Flatters, o£ Oldham, three most interesting and 

 botanically useful slides. One is the transverse sec- 

 tion of old pine-wood (Finns sylvestris), cut the 

 gLj in. ; another is a tangential transverse section 

 of the same, cut the same thinness ; and the third is 

 the radial transverse section cut down to ^ in. Mr. 

 Flatters' slides are accompanied by a very ingenious 

 explanatory diagram. 



ZOOLOGY. 



The Butterflies of Jamaica. — In the article 

 on this subject in the October number, I desire to 

 correct one or two misprints in the list of names. 

 For Synchloe jopparead SynchfdeJ. For " (Boridv.) " 

 read "(Boisdv.)" For Kricogonia terina read K. 

 terissa, and for Callydryas senna read C. senna. All 

 these belong to Jamaica ; and they and their larvse 

 (apparently a second brood) swarmed there from May 

 to July, as so graphically described by Dr. Plaxton. 

 Indeed the great number of larvse, chiefly of Noctua? 

 (erebidse). and Geometrse (e.g. the beautiful black 

 Melanochroia (?) with white-tipped wings) swarming 

 sometimes in masses a foot and more wide, on the 



