i6o 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-G OSSIF. 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



The Report of the United States Commission of 

 Fish and Fisheries for 1880 has been issued, and it 

 makes a handsome and bulky volume of more than 

 ICX30 pages. It is devoted to an enquiry into the 

 decrease of food fishes, and to the propagation of 

 food fishes in the waters of the United States. Some 

 of the papers are of high zoological value, such as 

 that on "Materials for a History of the Sword- 

 fishes" (illustrated); "The Oyster and Oyster 

 Culture," &c. 



The third annual Report of the United States 

 Geological Survey for 1881-82, has just been pub- 

 lished. It contains Professor Marsh's valuable paper 

 on "Birds with Teeth," others on the "Copper- 

 bearing Rocks of Lake Superior," by R. D. Irving; 

 "The Geological History of Lake Lahontan," by 

 J. C. Russell; "The Geology of the Eureka 

 district," by A. Hague; "The Terminal Moraine 

 of the Second Glacial epoch," by T. C. Chamber- 

 lin ; and "A Review of the Non-marine Fossil 

 mollusca of North America," by Dr. C. A. White, 

 from the Devonian strata upwards, artistically and 

 abundantly illustrated. 



Mr. Prince, a well-known meteorologist, thinks 

 the recent beautiful sunset glows were due to the 

 crystallisation of saline particles from masses of sea- 

 water, ejected in the form of vapour into the upper 

 regions of the atmosphere from Krakatoa, and that 

 the fact of the greatest displays having been seen 

 during the coldest weather can only be accounted 

 fdr on the theory that the crystallisation of saline 

 particles was the chief factor in their production. 



The first annual report on the Injurious and 

 other Insects of the State of New York, by J. A. 

 Leitner, State Entomologist, has recently appeared. 

 It is a very interesting work, dealing chiefly with 

 economic entomology, and describing at length the 

 life-histories of the specific insects attacking crops 

 and fruits. 



Mr. Mattieu Williams writes in the last 

 number of "The Gentleman's Magazine " in defence 

 of arsenical wall papers where malaria abounds, and 

 recommends that the hotels in the vicinity of the 

 Maremma, the Campagna and Pontine marshes should 

 be papered throughout with brilliant green wall 

 papers, &c. He considers slight doses of arsenic an 

 antidote to such fever and malarial poisoning. 



An apparatus has been employed at Harvard 

 College, United States, to test the value of electric 

 changes in the atmosphere, as indications of coming 

 changes. It photographs every change in the elec- 

 tricity of the air, and also indicates the degree of 

 change. The observations are said to be very 

 l^romising as an aid to meteorology. 



Seven hundred members have sent in their names 

 from Great Britain alone to attend the approaching 

 meeting of the British Association in Montreal. 



Saturn has recently been examined carefully by 

 Messrs. Paul and Henry, two French astronomers, 

 who have distinguished outside the known established 

 rings of that planet a new ring, brilliant and perfectly 

 defined. They think that Encke's division is the 

 result of an optical illusion, produced by the brilliant 

 ring they have just discovered. 



Branches of the "Youth Scientific and Literary 

 Society" are now in course of formation in all our 

 large cities and towns throughout the kingdom. 

 Information regarding this society may be obtained 

 on application to the secretary, Mr. A. Davis, jun., 

 High Street, Great Marlow, Bucks. 



Part XIX. of Dr. Lang's now famous " Butterflies 

 of Europe," has just appeared, illustrated as usual 

 with very beautiful, natural-sized and coloured 

 drawings of each species. Every species in the 

 following genera are described and figured : — Pararge, 

 Epinephele, and Coenonympha. 



Professor Hough, of the Chicago Observatory, 

 has been engaged in measuring the companion of 

 Sirius. He says that in a few years this interesting 

 object will be beyond the reach of all but the very 

 largest telescopes. 



The Edison Electric Company is trying the ex- 

 periment of out-door lighting, by placing clusters 

 of three 32-candle power lights on a couple of street 

 corners. The lights are suspended on wires about 

 30 feet from the ground. It is thus intended to 

 demonstrate that street lighting by this system is 

 possible. 



An interesting test was made in Washington 

 recently, by electricians and an oflicial of the coast 

 survey, to determine the speed of dots over a tele- 

 graph wire. A very intricate testing instrument was 

 used, and it was finally estimated that an electric 

 dot travels at the rate of 16,000 miles per second, 

 or 6,000,000 miles per minute. 



Three hundred and seven Edison electric lighting 

 plants have been sold in the United States and Canada 

 since May 31st, 1883, aggregating 59,173 lamps. 



Professor Hough thinks that the great "Red- 

 spot " on Jupiter, which remained until last year of 

 a brick-red colour, but which has gradually grown 

 paler, until it is now hardly visible, will not be seen 

 much longer in any telescopes. A similar spot, with 

 a diameter of about 8000 miles, was noticed in this 

 planet in 1664, and it has reappeared and vanished 

 many times since then. It seems to appear and re- 

 appear at regular intervals. Professor Hough thinks 

 it is in reality the solid body of the planet, usually 

 invisible beneath its cloudy covering. 



