HA R D WICKE ' S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



some very big and others very little indeed, down 

 to the littlest of sizes, it is evident their external 

 physical appearances would he vastly different ; as 

 they cool some would crack from north pole to 

 south, or perhaps contrary or diagonally-wise. 

 Practically, this has been demonstrated to be the case 

 by an eminent French scientist, Professor Daubree, 

 whose glass-breaking experiments proved that their 

 fractures were due to the strain or torsion of cooling 

 alone. Professor Lebour suggests that the Schia- 

 parellian "canals" of the planet Mars maybe due 

 to similar cracks and fissures on the surface of a 

 cooling, but heated globe, and that possibly more 

 than the hundred millions of years ago, to which 

 Sir Alexander Ramsay assigned the smallest limit of 

 the life of our globe — indeed, before life began at all 

 — our own little planet the earth, was probably 

 seamed with "canals" similar to those represented 

 by the present pre-geological stage of the planet 

 Mars. 



In the last number of the " American Naturalist," 

 there appears a paper by Dr. H. W. Conn on 

 " Some Uses of Bacteria." These organisms are in 

 the position of the dog which got a bad name. 

 People think of them as so many microscopic foes, 

 whereas, generally speaking, many of them are our 

 best friends. Every farmer expects that he will 

 have to keep a good breed of horses and stock, but 

 few of them are aware how they require a good breed 

 of bacteria as well ! Indeed, no farmer can get on 

 at all, unless he keeps a good stock of bacteria on his 

 farm. He is aware, of course, that he cannot make 

 butter and cheese without cows ; but until recently 

 he did not know that even if he possessed the finest 

 herd of kine, he would not be able to manufacture 

 these articles of food without bacteria. Tillage, 

 whether in the garden or the field, would be 

 absolutely and uselessly thrown away without their 

 aid, for it is they which render all sorts of nitrogenic 

 manures available. Bacteria are amongst the most 

 lowly forms of plant life, very nearly allied to the 

 microscopic yeast and fungi. It is more than pro- 

 bable that we owe more to these microscopical 

 members of the vegetable kingdom, than to its larger 

 and more advanced species. 



Through inadvertency " The Conchologist " 

 (edited by Mr. W. E. Collinge, one of the most 

 indefatigable and promising of the young school of 

 biologists) has not been entered among our Books, 

 etc., received. This is unfortunate, as the "Con- 

 chologist, " is one of the best of our natural history 

 magazines. 



Our correspondent, the Rev. Hilderic Friend, 

 F.L.S., of Idle, Bradford, writes to the effect that he 

 has discovered two more species of Oligochoeta, new 

 to science. The first is a fresh-water worm {Dichceta 

 curvisetosa, Friend) taken from a well in Chelmsford, 



Essex. It will be described shortly in the scientific 

 journals. The other is an earthworm from Dublin 

 (Lumbricus papillosus, Friend), which was first found 

 in June last, but was not described for want of 

 sufficient material. It fills a gap in the European 

 list of Lumbrici, and is a worm of unusual interest. 

 Another Irish worm {Alio, hibemica, Friend) has 

 recently been described in Dublin. 



At the last meeting of the Institute of Marine 

 Engineers, Mr. J. Alfred Fisher read an important 

 paper, on " The Mining, Manufacture, and Uses of 

 Asbestos." 



"We have received a copy of Dr. T. B. Franklin 

 Emerson's pamphlet, entitled " Epidemic Pneumonia 

 at Scotter," tracing its history, causes, and pointing 

 out means for future prevention. It is a carefully 

 and originally worked out and thought out paper. 



" Observations on Dew and Frost " is the title 

 of a brochure by the Hon. R. Russell, F.R.Met.Soc, 

 published by Ed. Stanford. It details the careful 

 results of a long series of experiments, of practical 

 meteorological value. 



We gladly call attention to a pamphlet by " Free 

 Lance," published by Williams & Norgate, entitled, 

 "The Cry of the Children." It is practically an 

 essay on the tyranny and ignorance of those to whom 

 the care of children is entrusted, based largely on 

 Herbert Spencer's teachings. It is a smartly written, 

 almost cynically written contribution to the literature 

 of modern education. All educationalists (to say 

 nothing of parents) ought to read it. 



We have much pleasure in drawing special 

 attention to the last issue of Messrs. Dulau's 

 " Catalogue of works on Chemistry and Physics ; " 

 also to Messrs. Pickering & Chatto's always welcome 

 "Book-Lover's Leaflet." From Mr. Felix L. 

 Davies, Berlin, we have received No. 20 of his 

 catalogue, " Bibliotheca Entomologica." 



The last number of the " Essex Naturalist " 

 contains a capital paper by Mr. Walter Crouch, 

 entitled " Dagenham Beach." It is chiefly historic 

 and antiquarian. 



Number 2, of volume v. of "Insect Life" (the 

 periodical Bulletin, issued monthly by the V.S. 

 Department of Agriculture), devoted to the economy 

 and life-habits of insects, especially in their relation 

 to agriculture, edited by C. V. Riley, Esq., is to 

 hand. 



We are sorry to announce the death of Dr. W. 

 Siemens, the distinguished electrician, brother to Sir 

 W. Siemens, at the advanced age of seventy-six. 



Mr. W. J. L. Abbott contributed to the last 

 number of the "Proceedings of the Geologists' 



