54 



NATURE 



\Nov. 1 8, 1875 



topography, their small, pustular, basaltic vents, their associated 

 marbles, quartzites, and later conglomerates, exhibit a close 

 parallel to the Sierras ; that parallelism in structure and com- 

 position implies parallelism in age and method of formation ; 

 and, finally, that the volcanic origin of the high peaks is opposed 

 not only by analogy, but by the known facts." An examination 

 of the clear sketches certainly seems to bear out Mr. Ball's con- 

 clusion that these peaks are not ot the volcanic type. 



London has at last come in for her share of the disasters 

 by flooding which have devastated so many river valleys in 

 England and on the Continent. An unprecedentedly high 

 tide caused the Thames to overflow its banks on the south 

 side very early on Monday morning, flooding the streets and 

 houses of Lambath and other low-lying districts all along 

 that side of the river, from Woolwich even to Kingston, we 

 believe. The damage caused has been very serious and exten- 

 sive, several feet of water rushing at one time through many 

 streets on the south side, even at a considerable distance from 

 the river. No one seems to have expected an unusual tide, 

 though in March last year a similar phenomenon was looked for ; 

 the tide then, however, was seven inches lower than that of 

 Monday. It is supposed that a very high spring tide with a 

 strong gale blowing is the cause of the disaster. 



The force of the last hurricane in Paris was so great that its 

 maximum could not be measured at the Montsouris Observatory, 

 the magnetic anemometer having been broken by the rush of wind. 

 The rate measured by Robinson's cups exceeded 70 kilometres 

 per hour, when the apparatus was put out of order by the excess 

 of central force. 



Mr. William Sanders, a well-known geologist in the West 

 of England, died on Friday at his residence at Clifton, aged 76. 



A COURSE of twelve lectures, by Mr. E. Bellamy, on the 

 Anatomy of the Human Form, commenced last Monday, in con- 

 nection with the National Art Training School, South Ken- 

 sington. There are to be twelve lectures in all, to be delivered 

 on Monday evenings. 



With reference to the subject of the use of the movements 

 of the sea as motive powers, referred to in Nature, vol. xii. 

 p. 212, Seilor Don Eduardo Benot writes that the subject has 

 been a study with him for many years, and he will be pleased to 

 correspond with anyone who may wish to obtain information on 

 the subject. Sefior Benot's address is Barquillo 5, Madrid, Spain. 



According to a report presented by Count Hallez d'Arros to 

 the Managing Committee, the Exhibition of Electrical Appli- 

 ances, to be held at Paris in 1877, will be divided into the fol- 

 lowing groups: — I. History of Electricity; 2. Apparatus for 

 Demonstration ; 3. Piles and Batteries ; 4. Electro-magnetism ; 

 5. The Electric Telegraph ; 6. The Electric Light ; 7. Electric 

 Motors J 8. Electrotyping ; 9. Therapeutic Electricity. 



A correspondent at Belfast has sent us specimens of the 

 caterpillar of ^r^//ii caja, telling us at the same time that during 

 this season, in which they have been particularly numerous, he 

 has noticed that they have done much injury to textile fabrics laid 

 on grass to bleach, by perforating them in circular holes, spe- 

 cially during sunshine after rain. The holes they make vary in 

 size, some being very small, others large enough to admit the 

 body of the animal. They are usually in clusters, and each is 

 generally surrounded by a greenish coloured matter, apparently 

 ejected by the caterpillar. This habit of Arctia caja is quite 

 new to entomologists. 



We have received in a separate form, reprinted from the 

 report of Major J. W. Powell's Exploration^ of the Colorado 

 River of the West and its tributaries, a lengthy paper by Dr. 

 Elliott Coues on the North American cheek-pouched rodent 

 genera Geomys and Thomomys. The number of species of the 

 former is given as five ; of the latter two, of which one, 

 T. clausius, is new, and is figured life size. 



The French Ministerjjof Marine is establishing at the Depot 

 of Maps, a new office for meteorology, which will be in some 

 respects in connection with the Meteorological Office of the 

 National Observatory. It will be placed under the control of 

 Capt. Mouchez. 



The numerous reports as to the occurrence of a remarkable 

 marine animal on the coast of New England during the past 

 summer have induced the Boston Society of Natural History to 

 prepare and distribute a circular calling for information on the 

 subject. 



In a Congregation held at Oxford on Nov. 10, Prof. Bartho- 

 lomew Price, Warren De la Rue, D.C.L., John Dale, M.A., and 

 William Esson, M.A., were duly appointed visitors of the Uni- 

 versity Observatory. This is the first appointment of such 

 visitors. The Observatory, which has been lately completed, 

 took its 'rise, as our readers know, in the munificence of Dr. 

 De la Rue. 



Mr. George Smith, of the British Museum, left London lac^ 

 week for the East, to resume his researches in Assyria. He wi 

 be absent six months. 



Messrs. W. and A . K. Johnston have published a very cle; 

 map of India, to illustrate the travels of the Prince of Wal, 

 It is on the satisfactory scale of seventeen miles to an inch, 

 fairly full but not too crowded with names, and has the proposed 

 route of his Royal Highness clearly shown. Of course the 

 route is liable to be altered, but anyone will be able to foilow 

 the Prince in the map without effort. Side by side with the 

 principal map is a neat map of England on the same scale, 

 showing at once the comparative sizes, and the fact that our 

 country is only about twice the size of Ceylon. There is also a 

 map of part of Europe, Asia, and Africa, showing the route 

 from England to India. The blue surface of the wide Bay of 

 Bengal has been utilised for a number of useful statistics con- 

 cerning India. Anyone interested in following the Prince's 

 route will find this map of great service. 



The success of the geographical play " Round the World in 

 Eighty Days " has encouraged another Paris theatre to try an 

 astronomical drama under the title of *' Travels in the Moon." 

 But the only astronomical part of the performance is a large 

 moon which is exhibited in front of the theatre, showing to an 

 admiring crowd the principal features of Beer and Madler's 

 well-known lunar map. 



Captain Souter, of the Intrepid, from the Davis Straits 

 whale fishing, reports that while anchored in Isabella Bay on 

 the 13th August he found; it necessary, in consequence of the 

 great body of ice coming down, to proceed on shore. After sail- 

 ing some distance he came into a fine commodious natural 

 harbour, not marked in the charts. There was nothing to show 

 that it had ever been entered before. Captain Souter and other 

 officers left in a cairn^a writing^indicating the discovery. Splen- 

 did water was found. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a Beisa Antelope {Oryx beisa) from Central 

 Africa, presented by the Seyyid Burgash of Zanzibar ; two 

 Central American Agoutis (Dasyprocta punctata) from Central 

 America, presented by Capt. E. Hairby and Mr. W. J. Hender- 

 son respectively ; a Grey Ichneumon {Herpestes griseus), from 

 India, presented by Mr. John Jennings ; a Spotted Ichneumon 

 (Herpestes auropunctatus) from Nepal, presented by Mr. L. B. 

 Lewis ; a Plantain Squirrel {Sciurus plantani) from Java, pre- 

 sented by Master E. H. Cole ; a Malbrouck Monkey {Cerco- 

 pithecus cynosurus) from E. Africa, presented by Mr. C. L. 

 Norris Newman j a Dufresne's Amazon {Chrysotis diifresniana) 

 from S. E. Brazil, presented by the Rev. A. Hibbet ; a Mona 

 Monkey {Cercopithecus mona), a Campbell's Monkey (Cerco- 

 pithecus campbelli) from W. Africa, deposited. 



