December 2, 1897] 



NATURE 



lO' 



ing over Scandinavia, while its fury was augmented by an area 

 of high barometric pressure advancing in the rear of the storm, 

 from the Atlantic, and thus increasing the steepness of the 

 barometric gradients over our islands. Much damage has been 

 wrought on our coasts by the violence of both the wind and sea, 

 and now that the high barometric area has been displaced from 

 over this country, further atmospheric disturbances are likely 

 soon to reach us from the westward. 



An example of the reticulated python {Python reticulatus), 

 the largest snake that has been in the Zoological Society's 

 reptile-house for many years, and, so far as is known, the largest 

 that has ever been there, died in the Gardens on November 14 

 last. It measured just over 20 feet in length. This snake was 

 obtained in Malacca, and presented to the Society by Dr. 

 Hampshire on August 29, 1876, and had, therefore, lived rather 

 more than twenty years in this country. During this period it 

 has been fed principally with ducks, of which it sometimes 

 swallowed four or five at one meal. Its food was offered to it 

 once a week, but it sometimes refused to eat for a month 

 together. The specimen will be mounted for the Tring Museum. 

 The largest snake now remaining alive in the Zoological Society's 

 collection is a female Indian python {Python molurus), which 

 measures about 18 feet in length. It was obtained by purchase 

 in October 1889. 



The forthcoming annual report to the U.S. Congress of the 

 Secretary of the Interior (Mr. Cornelius N. Bliss), contains much 

 interesting information and many valuable suggestions in renard 

 to Alaska, for which territory a government is contemplated 

 adapted to its rapid development. In the report of the Governor 

 of the territory, Mr. John G. Brady gives a summary of 

 events which have transpired there during the last thirty years. 

 He attaches great importance to the introduction of the rein- 

 deer by the Government as an important step in the solution 

 of problems of food supply and transportation. A journey of 

 over 2000 miles, taken with reindeer last winter by the Super- 

 intendent of the Government Reindeer Station and two Lapps, 

 shows how well adapted this animal is to the necessities of the 

 people there. It has this great advantage over dogs, that it 

 can feed on the moss which grows everywhere, whereas food 

 has to be transported for the dogs. The report states that, 

 with care, grasses and other staple crops can be cultivated. 

 The whole coast of Alaska, including the islands clear to the 

 eastern end of Kadiak Island, is covered with timber of great 

 value. Statistics regarding pelagic sealing are given, and the 

 branding of all female pups is commended. 



A WINTER weather record from the Klondike region is given 

 by Mr. E. W. Nelson in the National Geographic Magazine 

 (November). The record was obtained in the autumn and 

 winter of the years 1880-81, at a fur-trading station on the 

 Upper Yukon, not far from Dawson City. It covers the 

 period from the early autumn to the opening of navigation on 

 the Upper Yukon in spring, and is of peculiar interest at 

 present, as showing some of the meteorological conditions in 

 the area which is now attracting world-wide attention. The 

 Yukon froze over on November 2, and was covered with a 

 practically unbroken sheet of ice for more than six months. 

 The temperature sank steadily from the end of October, and 

 in December the lowest temperature, -67° Fahr., was noted. 

 The lowest temperatures reached in January, February, and 

 March were -41°, -58°, and -43° respectively. In the last- 

 named month the efiFect of the returning sun became evident, 

 the greatest range (88°) being obtained during that month. 

 Not until the middle of May, however, did the ice start on 

 the river, and it was some weeks before the river was free 

 enough from floating ice to permit navigation. 



NO. 1466, VOL. 57] 



In the Engineer of November 19 there is an article upon the 

 measurement of the velocity and pressure of the wind, with 

 illustrations of the various parts of Dines' pressure tube ane- 

 mometer and of its records. Some years ago the Royal 

 Meteorological Society appointed a committee to consider the 

 subject of wind force, of which Mr. W. H. Dines was a member ; 

 he took great interest in the subject and carried out an 

 exhaustive series of experiments, the chief expense of which was 

 borne by the Meteorological Council, who were fully aware of 

 the importance of the subject. The experiments modified to 

 a considerable extent the values of the results obtained by the 

 principal anemometers then in use, viz. the Robinson cup 

 anemometer and the pressure-plate anemometer, and ultimately 

 led to the invention by Mr. Dines of the instrument which bears 

 his name. It consists of two independent parts, the head, with 

 vane, which is exposed to the wind, and the recording apparatus, 

 which may be put in any convenient, sheltered place, at a con- 

 siderable distance a.way. These two parts are connected by 

 means of flexible metal tubes, and the arrangement obviates the 

 great difficulty experienced where a mechanical connection has to 

 be maintained between them, as in the case of the two instru- 

 ments above mentioned, which can never be placed far above a 

 building. The Dines' instrument possesses many advantages 

 over the cup and pressure-plate anemometers, and is much 

 cheaper, while its records combine the characteristic features of 

 both. It is now in action at many stations both in this country 

 and abroad, and will, no doubt, throw considerable light on 

 questions about which ther e has hitherto been much uncertainty. 



The last number of the Afinales de V Instittd Pasteur contains 

 the report for the past year of the work carried out at the Station 

 Pasteur de Tiflis. No less than 242 persons of very diverse 

 nationalities received the antirabic treatment ; 5 were Persians, 

 4 Greeks, 32 Armenians, 5 Tartars, 10 Germans, no Russians, 

 &c. Bites from dogs were principally recorded ; but there were 

 also 6 from horses, 2 from cats, and i from a donkey. The 

 mortality, as estimated according to the Pasteur method, only 

 amounted to 0*45 per cent. An extremely remarkable case is 

 specially recorded, in which a station-master was treated for 

 hysteria, he having no recollection of ever having been bitten by 

 any animal whatever. On being, however, repeatedly pressed, he 

 recalled having been bitten, a year and seven months previously, 

 by a dog in the chest. The characteristic symptoms of rabies 

 soon declared themselves ; the patient was not, however, 

 treated for hydrophobia, and he died. Subsequent inoculations 

 proved that he had succumbed to undoubted rabies. So pro- 

 longed a period of incubation for hydrophobia is, we believe, 

 unknown. Experiments were conducted at the station to 

 determine the action of Rontgen rays on the virulence of rabid 

 marrows, and it was found that the virulence was diminished 

 slightly by considerable exposure to these rays. Researches 

 were also carried out to ascertain how long rabid marrows can 

 be preserved in glycerine and water without losing their virulence, 

 and the period. Dr. Frantzius tells us, is a longer one than Roux, 

 Nocard, and other investigators have thought. 



The so-called canning industry has made such vast strides aU 

 over the world, and notably in America, that it is not surprising 

 that this method of preserving foods should form the subject of 

 inquiry at the hands of the bacteriologist. When we learn that 

 in Baltimore alone 1,250,000 bushels of oysters are annually 

 canned, and that the United States is responsible for 120,000,000 

 cans of tomatoes, and of other articles, such as fish of various 

 kinds, and fruits, &c., in similarly large numbers, it is remark- 

 able that Messrs. Prescott's and Underwood's paper, " Micro- 

 organisms and sterilising processes in the canning industry," 

 published in the Technology Quarterly, should be the first con- 

 tribution to so important a subject. These gentlemen have 



