466 



NATURE 



[Sept. 



21, I. 



He anchored at Harvey's Reef on the same night and left 

 for Long Island on the following morning. Writing on May 

 2 1 St, he hoped to be in the Fly River in two days more. He 

 has obtained a parrot which he thinks is new— an Ecledus. In 

 the July number of the Melbourne Review, an article by Dr. G. 

 Bennett contains a life of Signor D'Albertis, together with an 

 account of his journey to the Arfak Mountains. 



It will interest zoologists to know that living specimens of the 

 fish Ceratcdus have been received at Sydney from Maryborough, 

 in Queensland, and that there is some prospect of their reaching 

 the Zoological Society's Gardens in Regent's Park. 



Dr. Miklucho Maclay, the Russian naturalist, is re- 

 turning to his old field of scientific research in Astrolabe Bay, 

 on the north-east coast of New Guinea, and he desires that 

 passing ships should give him a call. 



A CORRESPONDENT of the Times describes two thoroughly 

 prehistoric spectacles which he witnessed in Fiji. One was a 

 young girl dressed in two yards of calico print and a girdle of 

 leaves, breaking " ivi " nuts — a kind of large coarse chestnut 

 with a hard shell — with a genuine stone adze, fixed to its wooden 

 handle by coils of plaited string. The other was a little shrivelled 

 old woman, who was making an earthenware vessel, nearly as 

 large as herself, with no other implements than a round flattened 

 pebble about four inches in diameter, and a piece of wood about as 

 large as the back of an ordinary hair brush, slightly concave on 

 the surface. Dipping both stone and wood' frequently in water 

 she moulded the inside of the huge pot with the former, and 

 patted the outside into shape simultaneously with the latter. 

 The vessel was egg-shaped, the opening being at the top or large 

 end of the egg with an everted lip. It was nearly three feet in 

 height and two in diameter, and was formed of clay found near 

 the village. When it is complete a fire is built round it on the 

 ground, and it is carefully baked before being removed. In the 

 houses these pots are placed on their side with the mouth in- 

 clined slightly upwards, and are seldom exposed to the risk of 

 breakage by removal from their side. They are, of course, very 

 fragile, but in the hands of the natives they are said to last for 

 years. 



The International Geographical Congress at Brussels, which 

 concluded its labours last Thursday, has drawn up a programme 

 relative to African exploration, in which it is recognised as neces- 

 sary that stations should be established for the purpose of fur- 

 nishing travellers with the means of existence. An international 

 committee and branch committees in each country are to be 

 appointed. The International Executive Committee will be 

 composed of Sir Bartle Frere, Dr. Nachtigal, and M. Quatre- 

 fages, and will be presided over for the first year by the King of 

 the Belgians, with the idea of allowing the presidency to pass 

 successively to distinguished personages of other countries. 



The Boston Medical and Surgical Journal contains a short 

 account of the late distinguished naturalist, Christian Gottfried 

 Ehrenberg, whose death we announced last week. Born in 

 I79S> S't Delitzsch, he commenced the study of theology at 

 Leipsic when twenty years of age. In 1817 he matriculated at 

 Berlin, and devoted most of his time to physiological chemistry. 

 Between 1818 and 1820 he spent much time in the study of the 

 fungi. During the five years following he travelled in Egypt 

 and Arabia. In 1829 he accompanied von Humboldt to the 

 Ural Mountains. Between that time and 1834, under the title, 

 " Symbolae Physicse," he published contributions to the anatomy 

 and physiology of the lower invertebrata. In 1 835 he published a 

 paper on phosphorescence, which he explained as dependent on 

 the presence of infusoria ; and shortly afterwards his works on 

 "Infusoria as Perfect Organisms," and "A Glance at the 

 Deeper Life of Organic Nature," appeared. In 1837 he was 



elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of England, and, in i8| 

 one of the thirty Knights of the Order of the Friedens Klas 

 During the latter part of his life Ehrenberg suffered from c£ \ 

 ract, a successful operation for the removal of which he survi' 

 but a few weeks. 



At the meeting of the Academy of Medicine in Paris, I 

 August 8, M. Broca.read a memoir on cerebral topography,! 

 which, among other points, he showed that Gratiolet was mis 1 

 in supposing that the fissure of Rolando coincides with 

 coronal suture of the skull. M. Broca seems to be unaccjuain 

 with Prof. Turner's investigations in this direction, which I 

 monstrate that the fissure of Rolando lies as much as li o:i 

 inches behind the coronal suture. 



In a paper of considerable interest in the Journal of the Asi( 

 Society oj Bengal, vol. xlv. part 2, 1876, on protracted irre:i 

 larities of atmospheric pressure, and their relation to vaiiati( 

 of the local rainfall, Mr. H. F. Blanford is led to conclude i.\ 

 the distribution of pressure in India is subject to protracted lo 

 variations, which are nevertheless not permanent, and that th 

 irregularities of pressure probably explain the irregularities of I 

 rainfall. The former of these may almost be regarded as 

 established fact in Indian meteorology, while the latter can 

 yet be regarded as only probable. For the elucidation of I 

 highly practical and scientific question, longer continued obser' 

 tions, and observations embracing a wider extent of the monso 

 region, are required than are yet available. 



We have on our table the following books : — " Field Geolog) 

 W. H, Penning (Baillierc, Tindall, and Cox). "Cent 

 Africa," Col. C. Chaille Long (Sampson Low and Co 

 "Electro-Telegraphy," F. S. Beechey (Spon). "The Thee 

 of Sound and its Relation to Music," Prof. Pietro Blaser 

 (International Scientific Series: II. S. King and Co.). " Cai 

 logue ot the Western Scottish Fossils" (Blackie and Soi 

 " Notes on the Fauna and Flora of the West of Scotlanc 

 (Blackie and Son). " The Principal Manufactures of the W« 

 of Scotland" (Blackie and Sons). 



All the tanks at the Royal Westminster Aquarium are nc 

 complete and stocked. It is estimated that the entire exhibitic 

 of marine and fresh-water animals embraces no less than fifte^ 

 thousand individuals, representing one hundred and thirty-sev 

 distinct varieties. Out of these the class of fishes includes eight 

 five species and thirteen thousand specimens. Among the late 

 arrivals are several examples of the Spanish Bream [Pagell. 

 erythrinus], now for the first time exhibited in this country ; s 

 specimens of the John Dory [Zeus faber), and a shoal of Boa 

 fish {Capros aper). The reptilian section has been enriched by 

 specimen of the true tortoise-shell producing turtle {Caret 

 hnbricata). It is proposed shortly to commence a series 

 popular lectures upon the inhabitants of the tanks. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during tl: 

 past week include a Pig- tailed Monkey {Macacus nemesirinu 

 from Java, presented by Mr. Meyrick ; a Bonnet Monkey [Maa 

 cus radiatus) from India, presented by Mr, Edward Soy ; a Blacl 

 eared MarmoseL {Hapale penicillatd) from south-east Brazil, pr( 

 sented by Miss Woellwarth ; aCoati {N'asua nasica) from Sout 

 America, presented by Dr. C. R. Bree ; a Common Raccoc 

 {Procyon lotor) from Central America, presented by Mr. H. I 

 Whitmarsh ; a King Parrakeet {Aproiviictus scapulatus) froi 

 Australia, presented by Mr. H. T. Sissons ; a Riippell's Spu; 

 winged Goose [Plecttopterus riippelli) from East Africa, presente 

 by Mr. M, J. M. Comely ; a Burchell's Zebra {Equus burckell 

 from South Africa, two Hairy Armadillos {Dasypus villosu. 

 from La Plata, deposited ; two Russell's Vipers ( Vipera russell, 

 born in the Gardens. 





