MISCELLANY. 



5 2 3 



horizoutally, is the only propelling instru- 

 ment possessed by the animal. Even when 

 the creature is in rapid motion, the front 

 fins hang straight down from the sides, and 

 come into play only when it wishes to change 

 its course, or to rise to the surface for the 

 purpose of " blowing." For the latter ob- 

 ject, both fins are raised toward an horizon- 

 tal position, the action of the tail is stopped, 

 and, with the impetus previously gained, the 

 porpoise soars gently to the surface ; there, 

 the valve of the blow-hole opens, the breath 

 escapes with a sound between a deep sigh 

 and a quiet puff, and, without the slightest 

 pause, the animal descends again. 



The new porpoise at Brighton is four 

 feet six inches in length. The tank in 

 which it is kept is 102 feet long, so that 

 the beast has a very fair opportunity to 

 exhibit its paces. The whole of the first 

 day it cantered incessantly from end to end 

 of the tank, keeping usually at a depth of 

 about three feet, and rising to blow every 

 1 5 or 20 seconds. It was very timid, shying 

 at every movement among the spectators. 

 At night, it showed a partiality for gas-light, 

 restricting its movements to the end of the 

 tank that was illuminated. The second day 

 the creature was so tame that it would take 

 food from the hand, dart off with it, and 

 come back for more. When it catches a 

 fish, it seizes it by the middle of the body, 

 holds it there for a second, as if pressing 

 its teeth into it, to make it flexible, and 

 then swallows it at a gulp, without any ef- 

 fort to bolt it head-foremost. " The pretty 

 creature," continues Mr. Lee, " has a nice, 

 good-natured face, in which I fancy I can 

 often read an expression of pleasure and 

 animation, and is as full of fun and frolic as 

 a Newfoundland pup, galloping along some- 

 thing like a dog after a stick, and tossing 

 up its tail with a romping kick, as a skit- 

 tish colt throws up its heels in play. If 

 it live3, as I hope it will, it will probably 

 become as tame and docile as a seal ; for 

 the porpoise is a very intelligent animal. 

 It has a large brain, and acute sensibility." 



Persistence of Cholera in Central En- 

 rope. It would appear as if Asiatic chol- 

 era had become naturalized in Central Eu- 

 rope. For a few years past the disease has 

 prevailed to a greater or less extent in the 



Austrian dominions, and the following notes, 

 taken from the London Times, will show its 

 movements since the beginning of the pres- 

 ent year. At that time the disease existed 

 in numerous localities of Galicia and Sile- 

 sia, and in a few places in Moravia and 

 Hungary. It was increasing in the city of 

 Lemberg, and, though declining in Buda- 

 Pesth, had not disappeared. Duriug the 

 month of January it invaded several new 

 localities in Hungary, Silesia, Moravia, and 

 Bohemia. During February the disease 

 still continued in the districts just referred 

 to, and lingered in Buda. The garrison of 

 the latter city suffered from a serious out- 

 break during the last week of January and 

 the first week of February. 



The cessation of cholera on the Upper 

 Nile is reported. Its ravages during the 

 last half of 1872 extended over the entire 

 region bounded east and west by the Red 

 Sea and the Desert, and between Kassala, 

 in the north, and Korosko, in the south. 

 The questions of the internal sanitary con- 

 dition of Persia, and the recent prevalence 

 of plague and frequently-recurring epidemic 

 of cholera in that country, are about to be 

 submitted to a sanitary commission ap- 

 pointed by the European powers, Persia, 

 and Turkey. It is admitted that, so long 

 as the sanitary condition of Persia remains 

 what it is, Europe will continue to be vis- 

 ited by this scourge. The recent outbreak 

 of plague in the Shah's dominions seriously 

 endangered the Ottoman provinces of Asia, 

 and it is at the instance of the Porte that 

 the European powers now demand that the 

 internal sanitary state of Persia be im- 

 proved. This is a matter that very nearly 

 concerns us, even on this side of the At- 

 lantic, and it is to be hoped that the com- 

 mission will perform its work thoroughly. 

 Religious scruples and antiquated customs 

 will make resistance, as a matter of course ; 

 but the civilized world cannot afford to see 

 its population decimated, simply because 

 unwashed devotees will insist on making 

 their unwholesome pilgrimages. In a coun- 

 try where only a few years ago the govern- 

 ment put a stop to corpse-caravans, the 

 commission is sure to have enough to do. 

 It was only in 186*7 that a stop was put to 

 the popular custom of transporting, on the 

 backs of camels and mules, one or two hun- 



