yune 29, 1876] 



NATURE 



201 



rests his explanation exclusively on the physical peculiarities of 

 the district and recognised physical laws. To the north-east of 

 the bay, where the bora is most severely felt, and at a distance 

 of about two miles, lies the mountain range of the Waradah, 

 about eleven miles in length, which, as regards winds, cuts off 

 all communication between the coast and the interior, except 

 over the ridge of the chain ; and, further, has several valleys 

 on the landward side of the range looking to north-east. It 

 follows that on particular occasions, notably when the wind is in 

 the north-east and light, the air resting on the bay and shore 

 adjoining will te widely different in temperature, humidity, and 

 consequently density, from the air on the other side of the range. 

 Observations render it highly probable that it is just on such 

 occasions that the bora occurs. Baron Wrangell's hypothesis 

 regarding the bora is that it is occasioned by the overflow, by way 

 of the ridge, of the dry, cold, and dense air of the interior down 

 upon the moist, warm, and light air which fills the basin of the 

 bay — a supposition in accordance with all the known phenomena 

 accompanying the bora, including the hour of the day and the 

 general weather conditions under which it occurs. In the 

 neighbouring bay of Gelendschik, on the other hand, which has 

 a deep valley opening directly into it from the north, and there- 

 fore does not afford such facilities as Noworossisk does of bring- 

 ing together, with only a ridge between them, two widely different 

 masses of air, the bora is much less sudden and violent. From 

 the practical and scientific importance of the inquiry, we hope 

 Baron Wrangell's suggestion will be carried out, and several 

 stations be established in addition to the present station?, at 

 different heights on both sides of the Waradah chain, for obser- 

 vations of pressure, temperature, humidity, and wind?, so that 

 the causes from which the bora and other violent local winds 

 take their origin and attain their greatest intensity, may be 

 determined. 



The Rev. R. Main, of the Radcliffe Observatory, has pub- 

 lished a short paper on the rainfall at Oxford for the past twenty- 

 five years, with tables of the monthly and annual amounts, the 

 summer rainfall of each year, all the days on which an inch of 

 rain or upwards fell, and the daily amounts during October and 

 November, 1875. ^^ every way in which the figures can be 

 looked at, October is the month of greatest, and February that 

 of least, rainfall, as holds generally over nearly all the south of 

 England. June, which in the north-west of Great Britain is the 

 month of least rainfall, has at Oxford a rainfall exceeded only by 

 that of October, a result doubtless due to the much greater pre- 

 valence of thunderstorms at this season £t Oxford, and of those 

 weather condition* out of which thunderstorms originate. 

 Another noteworthy feature of the Oxford rainfall is the 

 small amount in December as compared with January. The 

 average annual amount is 25775 irches, the least i7'564 inches 

 in 1870, the greatest 40 "4 16 inches in 1852 ; the greatest monthly 

 fall 7"53i inches in October 1875 ; the largest daily fall 2*050 

 inches on July 25, 1861 ; and i "180 inch appears to have fallen 

 in two hours on July 20, 1859. 



A Russian scientific congress. Iron states, is to meet at 

 Warsaw next September, at which the question of adopting the 

 Gregorian calendar in Russia will be discusjed. 



The Municipal Council of Paiis has resolved to support a 

 resolution of the Societe Frar faise de Navigation Aerienne, which 

 has petitioned the French Government to be recognised as an 

 Estabhshment of Public Utility. This step is necessary according 

 to the French laws, to give to the Society a legal existence and 

 enable it to hold property and receive legacies. 



The Quarterly Bulletin of the Nuttall OrnitJiologUal Club'\% the 

 title of a new ornithological periodical published at Cambridge, 

 Massachusetts. It forms twenty-eight pages and contains a plate. 

 The size of the future parts will depend to a great extent upon 



the number of subscribers, and a plate cannot be promised in 

 future unless the means assure it. Vol. i. No. i, contains a 

 description and figure of a new species of Helminthophaga, by 

 Mr. Wm. Brewster ; the account of a specimen of the Common 

 Buzzard in North America, by Mr, Maynard ; note on the 

 nestling of the Golden-winged Warbler in Massachusetts, by 

 Mr. J. Warren ; notes on the Rough-winged Swallow in Penn- 

 sylvania, by Mr. W. van Fleet ; and on the breeding of the 

 Black-throated Blue Warbler in Connecticut, by Mr. C. M. 

 Jones. Mr. Henshaw writes on Empidomax traillii and E. 

 acadicus, Mr. R. Deane on Albinism and Melanism among 

 North American birds, and Mr. H. B. Bailey ends the volume 

 with notes of birds found breeding on Cobb's Island, Virginia. 



To judge from the Second Annual Report of the Hastings 

 University School Naturalists' Field Club (1875-6), that Society 

 is in a healthy condition. It consists of forty-eight members, 

 and its object is to study and collect specimens to illustrate the 

 Natural History of Hastings, and to compile a list of its flora 

 and fauna, and to form a museum representing its zoology, 

 geology, and botany. The Society is divided into five sections, 

 and seems to be animated with a laudable enthusiasm for its 

 objects, which we hope will be maintained. A large proportion 

 of papers read at the meetings of last session were by members. 



The principal papers in part iii. of vol. xiv. of the Transac- 

 tions of the Manchester Geological Society is on ** Fires in Coal 

 Mines," by Mr. J. Thompson, F.G.S. 



We are only able to note the receipt of the Sixth Annual 

 Report of the Wellington College Natural Science Society. 

 The work done by the Society, the Prefacestates, has been up to 

 the average of former years, though evidently not what it might 

 be with increased energy. We hope, with the Preface, that now 

 that science has become an integral part of school work, a cor- 

 responding increase of interest will be manifested by the pupils 

 in the Natural Science Society. 



From the Annual Report of the Belfast Naturalists' Field 

 Club (1874-5), we learn with pleasure that that society is mate- 

 rially in a prosperous condition. It was this Society, our readers 

 may remember, who got up the admirable " Guide to Belfast and 

 Adjoining Counties," in view of the meeting of the British 

 Association in Belfast. There are a number of good papers in 

 the present Report, of which we may mention the following : — 

 " On the Origin of Eskers," by Mr. Harbison, and *' Notes on 

 the Rudely- worked Fhnts of Antrim and Down," by Mr. William 

 Gray. 



Messrs. Sampson Low & Co. have published in a separate 

 form from the large work on South Australia, edited by Mr. 

 Harcus, and recently noticed by us, Mr. J. Boothby's " Statistical 

 Sketch of South Australia." 



The additions to the Royal Aquarium, Westminster, during 

 the past week, include the following : — Smooth Serranus (Ser- 

 ranus cabrilla). Small-mouthed Wrass {Acantholabrus exoletus), 

 Jago's Goldsinny {Ctenolabrus rupestris), Lesser Weever (7>a- 

 chinus vipera), Gemmeous Dragonet {Callionymus lyra), Corn- 

 ish Suckers [Lepado^aster cornubiensis), Chub {Cyprinus cepha- 

 lus), BsxhtX {Barbus Jiuviatilis), Whitebait ( C/«/«z alba, Yar.), 

 Octopus {Octopus vulgaris), thirty specimens. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a Malbrouck Monkey ( Cercopiihecus cynosurus) 

 from East Africa, presented by Dr. Stirling ; two Tigers {Felis 

 tigris) from Amoy, China, presented by Dr. Marchant Jones ; 

 five Red-headed Weaver Birds (Foudia madagascaricnsis) from 

 the Isle of France ; a Pine Martin {Martes abietum), European ; 

 a Sclater's Muntjac (Ce>-vulus sclateri) and two Darwin's Pucras 

 Pheasants (Pucrasia datwini) from China, deposited ; an Eland 

 (Oreas canna), bom in the gardens ; a Central American Agouti 

 (Dasyptocta punctata) from Soutli America. 



