a84 



THE POPULAR SCIEXCE MOXTHLY. 



amhor attrfbut^d the coin to P. Clodius 

 l\irririu5, who u?ed the rame Taurus or 

 Tauriaus as a phonetic equivalent of his 

 own. A coin struci bv ilarius Aquillus, 

 B. c. &4, has figured on it ihe firs; four stars 

 of the constellaiion Aquila- Thev are shown 

 in nearly the same relative positions they 

 now occupy, and therefore contain the ear- 

 liesT known representation of a pan of 

 the celestial vault. 



SatiTt J»ie in Europe. — Froni the oc- 

 currence of articles of jade in ancient 

 graves in Europe and America, while the 

 only known quarries of that mineral were in 

 Asia, are>h3?ologists hare conduded that all 

 the materials used by the prehistoric 

 artisans must have had an Oriental origin. 

 Prof. F. W. Rudler has shown that this 

 conclusion is no longer necessary. Within 

 the last few years Herr Traube, of Breslau, 

 has discorered nephrite, or true jade, in 

 places near Jordansmuhl and near Reichen- 

 stein, in Silesia. Pebbles of nephrite have 

 also been recently recorded by Dr. Ber- 

 werth from the valleys of two rivers in 

 Styria. A pebble believed to be of jadeite 

 has been found by if. Damour at Ouchy. on 

 the Lake of Geneva, and the same mineral 

 has been recorded from ilonte Tiso, in 

 Piedmont. Pr. G. M. Pa'n-son has recorded 

 the discorery of small bowlders of jade, 

 partially worked, in the lower part of the 

 Frazer Eirer Tailey ; and Lieutenant ?ioney 

 has obtained the mineral in place at the Jade 

 Mountains, in Alaska, 150 miles above the 

 mouth of the river Kowak. The present 

 aspect of the jade question is, therefore, 

 different from that which it presented when 

 the la:e Prof. Fischer and others favored 

 the view that the jade implements of 

 America and Europ>e were of exotic oricin. 

 I: seems now probable that in both conti- 

 nents the material of the implements b in- 

 digenous, 



f3E«f$ of 6aldDe^$>. — The probable 

 causes of baldness are summed up by I>r. 

 Joseph Tyson as, in their order, insufficient 

 exposure of the hair; influence of hered- 

 ity ; excessive mental work and great anx- 

 iety ; venereal and alcoholic excesses ; and 

 constant washing and want of pomade. 

 IVTentive treatment is advised. Children 



should, as much as possible, do without 

 caps, and their hats, when worn, should K' 

 of the lightest description. A stouter hat 

 may be necessary during the hot season, for 

 the prevention of sunstroke. Head-cover- 

 ings should not be warn indoors, in trains, 

 or in closed carriages. Straw hats are 

 preferable in stmimer and in still weather ; 

 in winter, hats made of light felt, well ven- 

 tilated and unlined. The ordinary tall hat, 

 or stove-pipe, and the thick, heavy, un- 

 ventilated top hat, can not be too strongly 

 condemned. The second cause does not 

 admit of practical treatment, while the 

 course to be pursued with the third and 

 fourth causes is obviously one of aroidance. 

 Too constant washing of the hair is un- 

 necessary as well as harmfuL Once a week 

 is enough for cleanliness and for maintain- 

 ing the strength of the hair. Excessive 

 brushing, especially with hard brushes, 

 should be avoided. The author advises the 

 application of some form of simple grease or 

 oil, after the hair has been washed; and, 

 when the head hair is becoming rapidly 

 thiimed, some stimulating material, such as 

 ammonia and cantharides. applied to the oil, 

 will increase its good effects. 



The Mrs«]»«tuilui Desert.— The Meso- 

 potamian Desert, according to Dr. D. iloritz, 

 comprises two thirds of the southern part 

 of the country, forming an imbroken plain 

 with little or no vegetation, except in the 

 depressions where rain-water collects or the 

 inundations penetrate. Piles of ruins, or 

 dibris — which the inhabitants designate by 

 a name signifying " sigEs " — rise from 

 these perfectly level plains from the height 

 of a few yards to a hundred feet, and are 

 sometimes several miles in diameter. Some 

 of the walls and buildings still tower aloft, 

 and, in more recent ruins, lines of streets 

 can yet be traced; the dams of ancient 

 canals are still visible, and are sometimes 

 fifty feet high. The atmosphere is murky, 

 so that the highest hills are obscured at a 

 distance of a few miles. Dust-storms, for 

 which abundant material is furnished by 

 the old crumbled walls of brick, fiU the air 

 at times so that the sun is obscured ; and 

 in time they have changed the appearance 

 of the country by blocking up the ancient 

 canals and forming long, parallel lines. 



