382 



NATURE 



\Aug. 31, 1876 



The Paris Exposition of Practical Insectology was opened 

 last Sunday on the terrace of the Tuileries Gardens, although 

 the preparations are far from being completed. It promises to 

 be an interesting and successful undertaking. 



It is well known that among the first enterprises in the form 

 of original research undertaken by the Smithsonian Institution, 

 was the organisation of a body of correspondents in meteorology 

 for the purpose of securing reliabledata in regard to the climatology 

 of North America. This work was prosecuted as thoroughly as 

 the means of the Institution would permit, and was conducted 

 with unintermitting zeal from about 1848 until within a few years 

 past, when the expenditure of ample means by the Signal Service 

 for the same purpose rendered it unnecessary for the Institution 

 to continue its efforts, A period of full twenty-five years or a 

 quarter of a century is embraced in these records. The Institu- 

 tion has recently been engaged in working up and discussing 

 these results for the purpose of obtaining reliable laws in regard 

 to American climatology. Several years since this material was 

 drawn upon by Prof. Coffin in the preparation of his work on 

 the "Winds of the Northern Hemisphere," and published by 

 the Smithsonian Institution, This was followed a few years 

 subsequently by the publication of the tables of rain-fall prepared 

 by C. A. Schott. We now have to report the appearance of a 

 third volume of the series, that of the "Atmospheric Tempera- 

 ture," forming a work of about 360 pages, illustrated by three 

 plates, one showing the summer temperatures, one those of 

 winter, and one the means of the year. The new edition of the 

 work on the winds, commenced by Prof. Coffin, and finished 

 after his death by his son, with the assistance of Prof, Wojeikoff, 

 will, it is understood, make its appearance in a short time. 



The fourth number of the second volume of the Bulletin of the 

 Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories is occu- 

 pied by several zoological papers by Mr, J. A, Allen, of 

 Cambridge, The most important of these is one upon " The 

 Geographical Variation among North American Mammals, 

 especially in respect to Size." Referring to the generalisation 

 that was made some years ago, that the American Mammals as 

 well as birds increase in size with the latitude of their birth- 

 place, as also with altitude, Mr. Allen remarks that this does 

 not apply in the case of some of the carnivora, and that the 

 following propositions more nearly express the facts : i. The 

 maximum physical development of the individual is attained 

 where the conditions of environment are most favourable to the 

 life of the species. 2. The 'largest species of a group (genuSj 

 sub-family, or family, as the case may be) are found where the 

 group to which they severally belong reaches its highest develop- 

 ment, or where it has what may be termed its centre of distribu- 

 tion. 3. The most " typical," or most generalised representa- 

 tives of a group are found also near its centre of distribution, 

 outlying forms being generally more or less "aberrant" or 

 specialised, 



A COMMISSION composed of members of the Institute and 

 other men of science has been appointed by M, Teisserene de 

 Borg, the French Minister of Commerce and Agriculture, to 

 draw up the regulations for the National School of Agriculture 

 which has been re-established by a vote of the Senate. That 

 establishment was abolished by Napoleon III. in the beginning 

 of his reign ; it was created by the French Republic of 1848. 



M. Nadault de Buffon, a French savant, has sent to 

 the Society of Acclimatisation, through M. Drouyn de Lhuys, 

 the herbarium collected by Daubenton, the great friend of 

 his illustrious ancestor. The herbarium was collected at Mont- 

 bard, when Daubenton was busy in the erection of a sheep- 

 house, which led to the introduction into France of the first 



A noteworthy feature in the Iowa Weather Review for June, 

 No. 6, is the five weather maps accompanying it — one showing 

 the position of the ninety-seven stations now established in the 

 State, while the other four show the distribution of the rainfall 

 during each of the three decades of May and during the ^^•hole 

 month. Dr. Heinrichs aims at establishing other twenty-fo 

 stations in order to secure that the greatest distance between any 

 two stations shall not reach fifty miles, and about 100 stations 

 for rainfall and other non-instrumental observations which he 

 properly regards as necessary for an accurate study of the atmo- 

 spheric conditions of Iowa. A rapid summary of the weather of 

 March, April, and May, with tabular matter, in several respects 

 of an original and highly practical character, completes an inte- 

 resting number. 



We have on our table the following books : — " The Lav/ of 

 Storms, considered Practically," W. H. Rosser (Charles Wil- 

 son). "The Yorkshire Lia?," Ralph Tate and J. F. Blake 

 (Van Voorst). " Wine and its Counterfeits," James L. Den- 

 man. "The Sun; Ruler of the Planetary System," third 

 edition, Richard A, Proctor (Longman). Arnott's "Elements 

 of Physics," seventh edition, edited by Bain and Taylor (Long- 

 mans), "The Andes and the Amazons," James Orton 

 (Harper Brothers), "Comparative Zoology," James Orton 

 (Harper Brothers). "On Mixed Languages," J. C, Clough 

 (Longmans), " Weather Charts and Storm Warnings," R, H. 

 Scott, F.R.S, (H, S. King and Co.). "Geological Survey of 

 Canada for 1874-5." "Lectures on Astronomical Theories" 

 (John Harris). "Dental Student's Note-Book," Oakley 

 Coles (G. Butcher). "United States Geological Survey," 

 Vols. ix. and x. The following German works may be had in 

 London from Messrs. Williams and Norgate : — "Lehrbuch der 

 Pathologischen Anatomic," von Dr. F. v. Birch-Hirschfehl, 

 Erste Halfce (Leipzig, F. C. W. Vogel) ; " Handbuch der 

 Zoologie," von Gustav von Hayek (Wien, Carl Gerold's Sohn). 



The latest additions to the Royal Aquarium, Westminster, 

 include the following : — ^John Dorey {Zeus faber). Scad, or 

 Horse Mackerel ( Tj-achurus trachuriis). Small-mouthed Wrass 

 {Acajttholabrus exoletits), Gemmeous Dragonets {Callionytnus 

 lyra), Sea Sticklebacks (Gasterostcus spinachia), Red Bream 

 (Pagellus centrodoiitus), Three-bearded Rockling {Motella mus- 

 tcla), Large Spider Crabs {Mail squinado), Mexican Axolotl 

 {Axoloteles guttatus), presented by Mr. Jabez Hogg. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include two Green Monkeys {Cercopitkecus calii- 

 trichus) from West Africa, presented by Mr. Henry Richardson ; 

 a Sloth Bear {Aldursus labiatus) from India, presented by 

 Messrs. Royle and Gray, Lieutenants R.N, ; two Russell's 

 Vipers ( Vipera russelli) from Ceylon, presented by Mr. Henry 

 S. Saundens ; three Dark-green Snakes {Zamenis atrovirens) 

 four Dahl's Snakes {Zanienis dahli), a Clifford's Snake {Zamenis 

 cliffordi) from Dalmatia, presented by Lord Lilford ; a Hoff- 

 mann's Sloth ( Cholopus hoffmafini) from Panama, deposited ; a 

 Macaque Monkey {Macacus cynomolgus), born in the Gardens, 



SCIENTIFIC SERIALS 



Part 4 of vol, xxvi, of the Zeitschrift fUr Wissenschaftliche 

 Zoologie (March, 1876) opens with a long communication from 

 O, Biitschli on the Iree Nematodes and on the Gastrotrichous 

 genus Chsetonotus. He gives many additional particulars re- 

 specting forms already made known by Bastian and others. He 

 comes to the conclusion that the Gastrotricha are intimately 

 related to Dujardin's genus Echinoderes ; and he combines them 

 into a group Nematorhyncha. He then considers the relations of 

 these forms to Vermes and Arthropods, and constructs a sup- 

 posed phylogenetic tree. The paper is beautifully illustrated. — 

 Dr. Hermann von Ihering has a controversial article on the 

 development of Cyclas and the homology of the blastodermic 



