HARDWICKKS SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



159 



surface inclosed within the drop. Besides the 

 ordinary raindrops, Mr. Lowe exhibited diagrams 

 showing the drops produced by a mist floating along 

 the ground ; and also the manner in which snow- 

 flakes, on melting, wet the slates. 



We are pleased to note that Dr. John Evans, 

 F.R.S., etc., the distinguished archaeologist, etc., has 

 been made K.C.B. Science is looking up. 



The Second Annual Exhibition of the Field 

 Naturalists' Society of New South Wales, was held 

 recently. This Society was formed two years ago, 

 and during that time has carried out a number of 

 excursions, intended to assist those who were study- 

 ing certain branches of science. A great number of 

 exhibits were received, so that the hall had been 

 converted into a very attractive museum. A col- 

 lection of shells sent by Mrs. G. J. Waterhouse, were 

 amongst the most beautiful of the displays, being 

 representatives of Fiji, Mauritius, and Australia. 

 The exhibition was opened by Mr. J. H. Maiden, 

 F.L. S., and microscopic slides were exhibited, with 

 the aid of the oxyhydrogen microscope, by Mr. W. J. 

 J. Mundy, and a lecture, " A Marine Excursion by 

 Limelight," was given by Mr. Cyril Haviland, 

 illustrated by photographic transparencies. Among 

 other exhibitors were Messrs. A. Sidney Olliff, 

 E. P. Ramsey, LL.D., F.R.S.E., F. A. A. Skuse, 

 Thos. Whitelegge, F.R.M.S., etc., etc. 



THOSE who find themselves at Eastbourne during 

 July, August, and September, should visit the 

 Devonshire Park, to inspect the " Tanganyika Exhi- 

 bition," and hear the demonstrations of Captain 

 Hore, the brave missionary who for eleven years 

 lived and worked on and about the shores of the 

 lake. The natural history specimens are - very in- 

 teresting. 



AVe are very pleased to draw attention to the 

 " Supplement to the Third Edition of English 

 Botany," (uniform with the latest edition of Sowerby). 

 This supplement has been in preparation for several 

 years, and four parts are ready for immediate issue. 

 Mr. N. E. Brown, of the Royal Herbarium, Kew, 

 has carried it as far as "Dipsaceje." The continua- 

 tion and further revision has been undertaken by 

 Mr. Arthur Bennett, whose name is sufficiently well- 

 known to English botanists to guarantee the satisfactory 

 completion of the work. The third and last edition 

 of " English Botany " was published 1863-1S72. 

 Since the date of its completion, many new facts of 

 importance, and the general increase of knowledge 

 of the science of botany have necessarily made it 

 advisable to once more bring the work fully up to 

 date ; hence the reason of this new volume. 



There is hardly a disease to which humanity is 

 heir with so ominously sounding a name as cancer. 

 Is it an organism growing like a fungus, or merely 



an abnormal growth of tissue ? The natural history 

 of cancer is as yet little understood. Investigation 

 strongly suggests it is something of a fungoid growth ; 

 or rather that the abnormally-formed tissues are due 

 to the presence therein of some specific organism. 

 An eminent Austrian physiologist has been operating 

 on canceroid growths by injecting alcohol into their 

 circulation. He has just published an account of his 

 experiments, which appear to have been mostly 

 successful, although time and patience are required 

 by the process. 



If water-power is to be used in generating 

 electricity, it is natural that cataracts should suggest 

 themselves, and, of course, the Niagara first of all. 

 The utilisation of the mighty energy of the latter, 

 now entirely wasted, has been talked of, speculated 

 about, and almost "boomed" for several years past. 

 Mr. Tesla's recent discovery of generating swift, alter- 

 nating currents promises to throw a new and practical 

 light on the subject. A Niagara Cataract Construction 

 Company is in existence. Mr. Forbes, the well- 

 known electrician, is at the falls, and suggests the 

 employment of Tesla's alternating currents to utilise 

 the power, with the same kind of motor as that 

 employed by him. The power is to be transmitted 

 to Buffalo, there to be split up and used for lighting 

 electric tramcars, etc. This is probably the begin- 

 ning of a new era in mechanics. The old-fashioned 

 water-mills utilised the force of running streams with 

 such rude machinery as was available — the miller's 

 water-wheel is the veritable ancestor of the Niagara 

 electro-motor. 



Is there a defect of the human countenance better 

 known than the popular "squint," which is practi- 

 cally due to the fact that one or more of the muscles 

 which ought to adjust and focus the eye are defective ? 

 Some oculists devote special attention to this subject, 

 for "squinting" most frequently occurs when people 

 have otherwise beautiful eyes. Dr. Stevens has been 

 studying the changes of these muscles by the aid of 

 photography, and he has taken 2000 portraits of people 

 so affected. In the majority of cases careful observa- 

 tions have been repeated many times over, and photo- 

 graphs taken at various stages of modification of the 

 muscles of the eye, so that a comparative study of 

 the human face under their varying conditions is now 

 possible. The result of Dr. Stevens' investigations is 

 to demonstrate that certain well-defined types of facial 

 expression are both associated with and dependent 

 upon certain relative tensions of the muscles of the 

 eyes, which latter movements are, of course, intended 

 to adjust the eyes for accurate sight, as you would in 

 focussing an opera-glass. 



This is the time of year when even botanists take 

 holidays. To such who have not made up their 

 minds to go, we would strongly recommend the 

 brochure of our earnest and valuable contributor, 



