236 



I^ATURE 



\yan. 20, 1876 



ethnology and comparative philology of the present century. 

 In 1839, the French Institute awarded him the Volney Prize for 

 his work on the affinity of the Celtic Languages with Sanscrit. 

 In 1863, this same prize was awarded him a second time for the 

 publication of his great work, " Les Origines Indo-Europeenes, 

 ou les Aryas primitifs. " M. Pictet was also an eminent man of 

 letters. He was a corresponding member of the Royal Society 

 of Edinburgh. 



An ingenious toy, apparently of Japanese origin, has recently 

 been introduced into London. It consists of a small picture, on 

 paper, of an individual pointing a firearm at an object — bird, 

 target, or second person. By the application of the hot end of 

 a match, just blown out, to the end of the gun, the paper com- 

 mences to smoulder towards the object aimed at, and in no other 

 direction. When it is reached a report is heard from the explosion 

 of a small quantity of fulminating material. The toys are sold 

 in London by Mesdames Jinks and Ashton, of Glasshouse Street. 



About midnight on the 22nd of December, 1875, two earth- 

 quake sho:ks were felt at Washington, Richmond, Weldon, 

 North Carolina, U.S., and other places in that section. There 

 were two distinct shocks at Richmond, the first continuing about 

 ten seconds, while the other was briefer and not sd severe, and 

 was accompanied by a concussion in the air. 



Three distinct shocks of an earthquake are stated to have 

 been felt at Connrie, near Crieff, Perthshire, on Sunday — two at 

 about three in the morning and the fhird in the afternoon. 



The Gazette W Aug!bourg %\zX.t% that a commission which has 

 been visiting the Russian Universities has laid its report before 

 the Czar. The chief recommendations are to increase the 

 Salaries of some of the professors, and to create a few new chairs. 



There are several important papers in this month's part of 

 Petermann's Mutheilu7igin. The editor himself takes occasion, 

 on the conclusion of the new edition of Stieler's fine Hand- 

 Atlas, to give a brief history of that work, and to point out the 

 great advances in geography since the last edition was published. 

 The first part of a paptr appears, giving some account of 

 Prze .valsky's travels in Mongolia aad the land of the Tanguts 

 during 1S70-73. We believe the author's narrative of this im- 

 poitant expedition is being translated into English ; a map 

 accompanies the article in the Mtttheilimgen. A translation 

 from the Russian gives an interesting description of the ruins of 

 Mestorjan, in the Turkoman steppes. Some account of the 

 Paris Geographical Congress is given by the delegates from 

 Perthes establishment. A valuable paper by Dr. G. Hartlaub 

 describes the great amount of work done by that indefatigable 

 traveller in China, the Abbe Armand David. Along with a 

 brief summary of discovery in the interior of Australia there is a 

 fine map, showing the routes of Warburton, Forrest, and Giles. 



Supplement No. 44 of Petermann's Miitheilungen contains 

 the first part of a narrative of the expedition which, under the 

 engineer Josef Cernik, in 1872-73, explored the region of the 

 Euphrates and Tijjris, for the purpose of estimating its industrial 

 capacities, and to mark out a route for a railway. The narrative 

 will be found to contain much valuable information on the 

 various aspects of the region visited. We need hardly say the 

 narrative is accompanied by admirable maps. 



The Japanese Government is said to have adopted a singular 

 method for extending a knowledge of the Arabic numerals with 

 their English names ; these are printed on cloth, which is 

 sold at a low p ice to the peas ntry. 



Tnv. Annuaire o{ the Bureau des Longitudes for 1876 was 

 published a few days ago with an unusual number of useful 

 tables and a map showing the magnetic declination for all 

 French towns. 



M. Waelon, the French Minister of Public Instruction, has 

 abolished the fees of the several examiners in the degree exa - 

 minations in Law, Medicine, Science, Literature, and Theo- 

 logy. The salaries of the professors and fellows have been 

 raised on a scale varying from 6,000 francs to 18,000 francs, the 

 professors of theology excepted. It is believed that these reforms 

 are preparatory to the gratuitous conferment of degrees, which 

 will be instituted by the new assembly. 



We have received the " Transactions " of the Clifton College 

 Scientific Society, vol. ii. part i , including the period from Dec. 

 1872 to June 1875. There are a number of very fair papers, 

 though it seems to us that the members generally need to be 

 wakened up and urged to attempt to rival similar societies in 

 some of our other public schools. The'" Transactions," how- 

 ever, contain one paper which alone reflects great credit on 

 the Society, and especially upon its author, R. A. Montgomery. 

 The paper is on the Isle of Unst, in Shetland, and describes, 

 from personal observation, its geology, natural history, antiqui- 

 ties, and scenery, in a manner which would entitle it to a place 

 in the " Transactions " of a more ambitious society. The paper is 

 illustrated by maps and" section. 



An important publication has lately been commenced in the 

 form of a Bulletin of the U.S. National Museum, consisting of 

 a series of memoirs illustrating the collections of the museum. It 

 is printed, by direction of ..le Secretary of the Interior, at the 

 Government printing-office, from materials prepared by the 

 Smithsonian Institution, which, as is known to our readers, has 

 charge of the museum referred to. The first number of the 

 Bulletin consists of a check list of the North American batrachia 

 and reptilia, with a systematic list of the higher group,-, and an 

 essay on geographical distribution, as based on the specimens in 

 the National Museum, and as prepared by Prof. Edward D. 

 Cope, the well-known herpetologist and naturalist. The list of 

 species is the first systematic enumeration of American reptiles 

 since the time of Dr. Holbrook, and embraces loi species of 

 frogs, toads, salamanders, &c., 132 of serpents, 82 of lizards, 41 

 of turtles and tortoises, and 2 of crocodiles. Each species is 

 accompanied by a reference to some work where it is described or 

 figured. The Hit of the higher groups embraces those of the 

 whole world, and will form a convenient basis for the arrange- 

 ment of such collections in public museums. 



T.^E scientific expedition, commanded by M. Mouchez for the 

 survey of the coast of Algeria, will last ten months. During the 

 latter part of the expedition M. Mouchez will resume the explo- 

 ration of coral jeefs, and will be accompanied by M. Lacaze- 

 Duthiez. 



Mr. J. Clifton Ward has reprinted from the Quartirly 

 Jou7-7ial of the Geological Society his paper " On the Granitic, 

 Granitoid, and Associated Metamorphic Rocks of the Lake 

 District." 



The tenth edition of the Prospectus of Sir Joseph Whilworth's 

 Scho arships for Mechanical Science has been issued, containing 

 the papers set at the examinations in May 1875. 



OiV the 26th of November last, in the French island Li 

 Reunion, near Mauritius, a part of a mountain slipped down^ 

 Siventy-lwo persons having been crushed by the falling recks. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include an Emu (Dromaiis ncrvce-hollandix) from 

 Australia, presented by Mr. E. J. Dawes ; a Palm Squirrel 

 [Sciurus palnianim), a. Manyar Weaver Bird {Ploceus manyaj-), 

 two Nutmeg Birds {Munia undulata), two Amaduvade Finches 

 {Estrdda amadavd) from India, presented by Mr. W. D. 

 Baker ; a Cinereous Sea-Eagle {Haliaettts alUcilla), European, 

 deposited. 



