260 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



been selected by all historic nations, from the earliest 

 periods to the present, as the most fitting medium by 

 which to record the deeds of their grandest men, or 

 heroes, is physiologically associated with the pulsa- 

 tions of the human lung and the beating of the human 

 pulse. Our best and highest animal and intellectual 

 human life is therefore purely rhythmical, songs 

 without words. The simplest-shaped implements of 

 our daily life, to which, perhaps, nobody has paid the 

 slightest attention, or has asked how that shape came 

 to be brought about, may be bound up with the 

 historical evolution of the human race, after the 

 manner of the Brandon pickaxe (Suffolk). An 

 ethnologist has just discovered that the well-known 

 saddler's knife, used by all leather-cutters at the 

 present day, is one of the oldest metallic instruments 

 extant, inasmuch as it is represented on the most 

 ancient Egyptian monuments ; but the very shape of 

 the ancient Egyptian saddler's (or skin-cutting) knife 

 had been in existence 10,000 years before, [when 

 knives could be formed only of flint instead of iron — 

 just as the circumcision-knives were formed of the 

 same material in the days of Moses. 



Silicate of soda united with ground glass makes 

 an acid-proof cement. White and red lead united 

 and made up with boiled linseed oil is suitable for 

 many purposes. Asbestos powder united with liquid 

 silicate of soda to form a thick paste will stand acid 

 vapours. 



Messrs. Chapman and Hall will shortly publish 

 a new popular work by the Rev. H. N. Hutchinson, 

 entitled "Extinct Monsters." The book will be 

 illustrated by that excellent animal artist Mr. J. Smit, 

 who has made twenty-four beautiful restorations of 

 some strange and wonderful antediluvian animals. 



The recent discoveries of Professors Marsh and 

 Cope in America, such as great sea-serpents and 

 armoured dinosaurs, will be for the first time brought 

 before the public in a series of restorations. The 

 book is not intended for geologists only, but for all 

 who are interested in the study of animal life. Since 

 the days of Dr. Mantell little has been done to 

 describe in popular language the world's "lost 

 creations." Dr. Henry- Woodward, F.R.S., Keeper 

 of Geology, Natural History Museum, contributes a 

 preface. 



MICROSCOPY. 



The Diatomist. —We have received No. 10. of this 

 quarterly specialistic work on Diatoms, edited by 

 M. Tempere and other distinguished diatomists. As 

 a rule and as far as possible each number is a mono- 

 graph on some special and leading genus of diatoms. 

 Hitherto each issue has been admirably illustrated, 

 and the care taken in bringing out their illustrations 



as artistically as possible is shown by the fact that 

 the present number, devoted almost entirely to the 

 Entogonia, is notlaccompanied by the usual plates, 

 the editors frankly stating that they did not turn out 

 so well as they wished them to be, and they have 

 therefore postponed their publication until the next 

 number. 



" Substitute for Canada Balsam." — W. Payne 

 begs to draw the attention of the Editor of Science 

 Gossip to an apparent error — important — in the 

 description of a substitute for Canada Balsam, p. 236. 

 At line twenty-one the direction says, " three parts acid 

 to one !of oil of cinnamon is added to nine." There 

 is no othermention of " acid " and " nine " is without 

 a substantive. Probably a line or two of the MS. 

 are omitted. 



ZOOLOGY. 



Unknown Insect. — Referring to the insect spoken 

 of by Mr. Lord, it is in all probability a mite, perhaps 

 of the genus Glyciphagus, which occurs sometimes in 

 incredible numbers on furniture which has been 

 packed with hay or straw. G. spinipes is a well- 

 known species, occurring almost everywhere, and by 

 referring to the diagnosis of the above species or 

 genus Mr. Lord will, I think, be able to identify his 

 "Unknown Insect." — y. Alacnaught Campbell, F.Z.S., 

 Kelvingrove Museum. 



Unknown Insect. — The insect described in the 

 September number of Science Gossip is, I think (I 

 identify from memory), Chlotilla pulsatoria, ofLinne. 

 It is a wingless neuropterous insect belonging to the 

 family Psocidce, the apterous species of which are 

 very louse-like. The family is fully described in the 

 " Entomological Annual for lS6i,"and the " Entomo- 

 logist's Monthly Magazine," vol. iii., both obtainable 

 from Messrs. Gurney & Jackson, Paternoster Row, 

 London, E.C. — IV. IP. Nimney. 



Supplementary Report upon the Tes- 

 taceous Mollusca. — This pamphlet, reprinted from 

 the Trans, of the Liverpool Biological Society, and 

 kindly forwarded to us by Mr. B. Tomline, contains a 

 list of some hundred and thirty or forty different 

 species of Mollusca found in the L.M.B.C. district, 

 thirty-seven of which have been added to the list since 

 1886. The late Mr. Francis Archer took great pains 

 and spent much time and consideration on this 

 valuable report, and it will prove very useful to 

 naturalists in that locality. 



Sphinx pinastri. — Lord Rendlesham writes to 

 the "Entomologist" for October: — "My sons and 

 myself, during the first portion of August, captured 

 eleven specimens of Sphinx pinastri during the day- 

 time, sitting on Scotch firs in some woods near here. 



