374 
Notes. 
[June, 
covered, and little inferior in diameter to the cerebral hemispheres 
— a condition approximating to that of the present crocodiles and 
tortoises. 
Allantoine has been detected in the young leaves of the birch, 
horse chestnut, and plane, by E. Schulze and J. Barbieri. 
From observations made by friends of the Editor in the neigh- 
bourhood of Epping Forest, the squirrel must rank among the 
greatest enemies of our small birds, as it destroys their eggs. It 
also plunders the adjacent gardens, and gnaws away the sunny 
side of a peach with much judgment. Its chief enemy is the 
carrion crow, which thus to some extent atones for its raids upon 
chickens and ducklings. 
The crow has been seen watching a hollow tree in which the 
starlings have their nests. As soon as one of these birds sallied 
forth it was seized, stripped of its feathers, and torn to pieces. 
Waterton’s “ warrior bird ” is not to be trusted. 
At a recent meeting of the Quekett Microscopical Club Mr. A. 
D. Michael called attention to an objedl exhibited in the room, 
and illuminated with polarised light. In both animal and vege- 
table tissues considerable differential colouring was often evident, 
and this in the case of substances which had not been subjected 
to the more or less disturbing influences of bleaching and staining. 
Upon the whole Mr. Michael considered that the appearances 
developed by the polariscope were more natural than those pro- 
duced by other means. There is little doubt that sufficient use 
is not made of the polariscope in the examination of tissues ; in 
many hands it is still only a toy. In Petrology it has done won- 
ders ; rocks, sections formerly considered structureless, have 
shown themselves to be anything but homogeneous in their con- 
stitution. 
The Quekett Microscopical Club have issued a general index 
to the first six volumes of their Journal, published between the 
years 1868 and 1881. Both author’s names and subjects are 
alphabetically arranged, and matter elicited during discussions 
at the meetings is included, as well as the written papers. The 
index will prove useful to those engaged in the very difficult 
search after what has been written, as well as to members of the 
Club. 
Under the title “Studies in Microscopical Science” a new 
work is announced for publication by subscription, by Mr. A. C. 
Cole, F.R.M.S., assisted by several eminent specialists. The 
most remarkable feature in the publication is the issue of a 
microscopical preparation, accompanied with a printed descrip- 
tion containing the literature concerning it, the habitat, &c., the 
methods employed in its preparation as a means of study, its 
principal features, and any necessary additional remarks : there 
will also be a lithographed or engraved drawing or diagram of 
