April 21, 1898] 



NATURE 



589 



the means of developing an intelligent interest in such collections 

 in the United States, and has stimulated other enterprises of a 

 similar character. Among similar zoological preserves, which 

 have been projected and established in the United States since 

 the establishment of the National Zoological Park, are the follow- 

 ing : — The Blue Mountain Forest Park, established by the late 

 Mr. Austin Corbin, is a large tract of forest and abandoned 

 farm land, situated in the western part of New Hampshire, com- 

 prising an enclosed area of 26,000 acres. Within this enclosure 

 are kept about 4000 wild animals, including 74 bison, 200 

 moose, 1500 elk, 1700 deer of different species, and 150 wild 

 boars. These animals are rapidly multiplyingy and, with the 

 exception of the bison, which are sheltered and fed during the 

 winter, live in perfect freedom. In the Adirondack region of 

 New York a game preserve of 90CO acres has been stocked with 

 elk, Virginia deer, mule deer, rabbits, pheasants, &c., and Mr. 

 W. C. Whitney has established a preserve of 1000 acres in the 

 Berkshire hills, near Lenox, Mass., where he maintains not 

 only the species of animals above mentioned, but also bison and 

 antelope. , Other preserves are Ne-ha-sa-ne Park, in the 

 Adirondacks, 8000 acres ; Tranquillity Park, near AUamuchy, 

 N.J., 4000 acres; the Ailing preserve, near Tacoma, Wash., 

 5000 acres ; North Lodge, near St. Paul, Minn., 400 acres, and 

 Furlough Lodge, in the Catskills, New York, 600 acres. These 

 are all fenced enclosures, well stocked with animals. At Pitts- 

 burg, Pennsylvania, in one of the public parks, a number of 

 buildings intended for the exhibition of animals are being con- 

 structed. These are already nearing completion, and will cost 

 more than 200,000 dollars, exclusive of the animals they are to 

 contain. A further collection of buildings and enclosures in- 

 tended for American animals only is also projected for that city. 

 Finally, the New York Zoological Society has obtained from 

 the city of New York a grant of some 261 acres in the southern 

 portion of Bronx Park, near that city, for the purpose of estab- 

 lishing there a zoological garden, which is to be free to the 

 public for at least fiv» days in each week. Plans are now being 

 prepared for the development of a collection on the most 

 generous and attractive scale. The bulletin issued by the 

 Society states that it is expected that there will be at once spent 

 125,000 dollars for preparing the ground, and 250,000 dollars for 

 buildings and enclosures. 



The colony of beavers in the National Zoological Park, 

 Washington, have now made themselves completely at home. 

 The animals have constructed three large dams, one of which is 

 at least 4 feet high. Each of these has been built wholly by the 

 beavers themselves, either from trees felled by them within the 

 enclosure or from branches furnished them for food. They cut 

 this material into suitable lengths, which they drag to the water, 

 float to the dam, and there combine with mud and twigs to form 

 a compact structure. In connection with each dam they have 

 built houses, together with several smaller burrows in the bank. 

 The entrance to the houses is always under water, and can only 

 be reached by diving. The animals have become quite accus- 

 tomed to the presence of man, and it is believed that under pro- 

 per restrictions the public may be allowed to see them at work. 



Dr. a. Slaby, professor of electro-mechanics and heat- 

 mechanics in the Technical High School at Charlottenburg, 

 contributes to the Century Magazine (April) an illustrated 

 article upon telegraphy by electric waves — stromtelegraphie or 

 "telegraphy by circuit" he terms it. Prof. Slaby describes 

 how he succeeded in establishing communication between 

 Schoneberg, near Berlin, and Rangsdorf, at a distance of twenty- 

 one kilometres. The Emperor of Germany ordered the balloon 

 department of the army to assist in the experiments, aild 

 balloons were anchored at the two places chosen for the 

 transmitting and receiving stations. At both stations thin 

 copper wire was fastened to the baskets of the balloons, 

 NO. i486, VOL. 57] 



reaching two hundred and fifty metres to the apparatus. 

 Connection with the earth was made by means of swords 

 stuck in the ground. The first telegram received under these 

 conditions is reproduced in the article, and the clearness of the 

 Morse characters upcin it is most remarkable. The distinctness 

 of the dots and dashes seems all the more noteworthy because 

 of the highly electrical condition of the atmosphere on the day of 

 the experiments. The results demonstrated the possibility of 

 using captive balloons on the high sea for purposes of com- 

 munication by ethereal telegraphy. In place of balloons, kites 

 of the modern form can be used ; for Prof. Slaby says a few ex- 

 periments have convinced him that they are perfectly adapted 

 to carrying the thin wires required to connect with the 

 apparatus. In connection with Prof. Slaby's observations, it 

 is noteworthy that, during the past few months successful ex- 

 periments on electrical communication without intervening 

 wires have been made at places on the South Coast, under 

 the direction of Signor Marconi. Regular communication has 

 been maintained between Bournemouth and Alum Bay — the 

 distance between the two stations being about 14^ miles. 

 Signals have also been exchanged between stations 18 miles 

 apart, and arrangements are being made to test the capabi- 

 lities of the instruments to receive at Cherbourg signals trans- 

 mitted at Bournemouth — the intervening distance being about 

 60 miles. 



The concluding part of the 26th Ergiinzungsband of Peter- 

 viann's Mittheiltingeti contains a very comprehensive account of 

 the distribution of rainfall over the solid portions of the globe, 

 by Dr. A. Supan. The first rain-chart of the world was pub- 

 lished by Prof. E. Loomis in 1882, in the Atnerican Journal of 

 Science. During the last fifteen years the number of rainfall 

 stations has greatly increased, and the quality of the observations 

 has, generally speaking, much improved. Still the distribution 

 is far from satisfactory, as more than half of the observations 

 emanate from Europe, and even there large tracts are badly . 

 represented. The construction of a rain-chart always presents 

 great difficulties, because the distribution of rainfall depends so 

 greatly upon local conditions, upon the exposure of the gauges, 

 and the accurate measurement of snow. And to be strictly com- 

 parable the periods ought to be the same. But in a compre- 

 hensive work, such as that now in question, the author has no 

 choice but to select the best available materials, and this Dr. 

 Supan has done, and gives full particulars as to the sources from 

 which the information is obtained. In addition to tables giving 

 the monthly and yearly values, the author gives a full discussion 

 of the rainfall of various districts, and the charts show very 

 clearly both the mean annual amounts and the seasonal distri- 

 bution. The work forms a valuable contribution to our know- 

 ledge of the subject. 



Referring to the report from Vienna that Dr. SchifF has 

 successfully treated cases of lupus vulgaris by means of Rontgen 

 rays, the British Medical Journal remarks that his process is 

 to set up an independent inflammation in the lupoid area by ex- 

 posing the part to a very intense radiation. So far, investigations 

 into the germicidal effects of Rontgen rays have gone to show 

 that their activity in this respect is not greater than that of 

 ordinary light. But Dr. SchifFs result is not a germicidal one, 

 and it is known that inflammation, and even necrosis, may result 

 from exposure in certain cases, although the determining factor 

 which leads to injury in some cases but not in others under 

 apparently similar conditions is unknown. It is not, however, 

 altogether improbable that Dr. SchifFs results may be due to a 

 direct germicidal action of Rontgen rays on the tubercle bacillus. 

 Light is deleterious to this organism, and Dr. Finsen, of Copen- 

 hagen, has reported cases of cure in lupus by protracted exposure 

 to concentrated light, so arranged that the ultra-violet rays 

 predominated. 



