Jan. 27, 1876] 



NATURE 



259 



comb out the moisture from the westerly winds; hence the 

 extensive glaciers of the mountain region and the comparative 

 dryness of the Canterbury Plains. Mount Cook has an elevation 

 of 14,000 feet ; this is the principal snow area of the Southern 

 Alps, and here the island is narrowest. In shape this snow- 

 field is less compact than that of the Bernese Oberland and 

 of the Mount Blanc region ; their respective areas are : snow- 

 field of Mount Cook, 160 square miles ; Bernese Oberland, 140 

 square miles ; Mount Blanc, 75 square miles. The crystalline 

 mountains of the south-west do not contain nearly so much snow. 

 The Tasman glacier is 18 miles long, and 2 miles wide at its 

 terminal face ; the terminal face of the Godley glacier is 3 miles 

 across. The author then gave a description of the leading 

 features of the glacier scenery, illustrated by very effective pic- 

 tures ; one of Milford Haven, with the half-snowed peaks of 

 Mount Pembroke and its neighbours rising to a height of more 

 than 5,000 feet, was very striking ; he also demonstrated the 

 erosive action of glaciers in cutting back cols — an action more 

 energetic formerly, some of the cols having been worn down as 

 low as 1,800 feet. The author pointed out on a map, specially 

 constructed for the purpose, the immense extent of the snow 

 area in former times as contrasted with that now existing. This 

 is proved by the abundance of moraine matter. At present the 

 glaciers on the west side of the Southern Alps are remarkably 

 clean (as was well shown by a splendid series of sketches in 

 colour by the Hon. Mr. Fox and lent for exhibition to the meet- 

 ing), whilst those on the east side are largely charged with 

 detritus. Following a given section in this direction away from 

 the central ridges we find generally a rock basin, and still lower 

 immense moraines extending to the Canterbury Plains, till they 

 pass under the deposits of these plains, which are referred to 

 Pliocene and Post-tertiary age. In further illustration of the 

 former extent of the snow-fields, the author indicated old centres 

 of glaciers in the north of the island. The reason for this con- 

 traction of the ice area is the great question for determination. 

 Was it due to difference of climate the result of a great glacial 

 period ? The remains of the past fauna afford no evidence of 

 this. We may, indeed, suppose that the whole fauna migrated 

 to the north, but we must in that case invent the land and bring 

 into play oscillations more extensive than those required for 

 another alternative, viz., the alteration of level within the area 

 itself. We might suppose a general alteration of level, even to 

 the extent of 4,000 feet higher than at present, but the evidence 

 afforded by the shore line is imfavourable to this view. There 

 remains then the theory of unequal elevation, which, combined 

 with a most enormous destruction of surface, the result of ages 

 of glacier action, l>e5t explains the phenomenon. There can be 

 no doubt that at present the south-west portion of the island, 

 where the cryst^ine rocks prevail, is very much depressed in 

 comparison with its position at some former period ; the extra- 

 ordinary depth of the sub-marine valleys proves this. The author 

 was indined to believe in a period of irregular elevation, the 

 south-west portion having been elevated first, though possibly 

 the Nelson region at a still earlier date. In conclusion, the author 

 stated his beUef that there had been no general change of climate, 

 but many changes of relative level, resulting in a great destruction 

 of surface, which had taken place in groups of peaks at different 

 times ; the areas of the crystalline rocks have been least affected 

 in their relative changes of level, the oscillation having been 

 greater in the other masses, which have been crumpled up 

 against these. 



Manchester 



Literary and Philosophical Society, Dec. 28, 1S75. — 

 Edward Schtmck, F.R.S., president, in the chair. — The following 

 communication from Dr. Joule, F.R. S., was read: — Unsuccess- 

 fid attempts have recoitly been made for the purpose of utilising 

 a modification of the common kite as a means of obtaining a 

 view of the surrounding cotmtry. The machine in each instance 

 rose only to fall violendy to the ground after remaining in the air 

 a very short time. These trials have brought to my recollection 

 some experiments I made more than six years ago, but of which I 

 did not publish the results, imagining that all such matters must 

 have been thoroughly elucidated by the Chinese, if not by our own 

 more juvenile kite flyers. The usual method of making the 

 skeleton of a kite is to aflax a rather slender bow to the top of a 

 standard, tying the extremities of the bow to twine fastened to 

 the bottom of the standard. The steadine^ of the kite in the air 

 depends on the fact that the wings yield with the wind. If the 

 bow is too stiff and the surface nearly a plane, instabiUty results. 

 A kite ought to have a convex spherical surface for the wind to 



impinge npon. Such a surface I readily made by fixing two 

 bows crosswise. The string was attached to a point a little 

 above the centre of the upright bow, and a very light tail was 

 fastened to the lower end. The kite stood in the air with almost 

 absolute steadiness. I found that by pulling strings fastened to 

 the right and left sides of the horizontal bow, the kite could be 

 made to fly 30° or more from the direction of the wind, and 

 hence that it would be possible to use it in bringing a vessd to 

 windward. One great advantage of such a mode of propulsion 

 over ordinary sails would be that the force, however great, could 

 be apphed low down, so as to produce no more careening than 

 that desired by the seaman. — E. W. Biimey, F.R.S., said that 

 in the Isle of Man there had been a prevalence of easterly winds 

 throughout the months of October and November, such as he 

 had never experienced during a residence of ten years. This 

 appears to have influenced the migration of swallows. In the 

 beginning of September the chinmey swallows and the house 

 martins assembled in great numbers on his buildings on Douglas 

 Head, as they were accustomed to do prior to their annual 

 departure, and disappeared. On Nov. 5, between 10 and 12 

 A.M., he observed a dozen house martins (Hirundo urbua) in 

 front of his house and between it and the sea, busUy employed in 

 pursuing their prey. During the summer months the swift and 

 sand martin are frequently seen in the same locahty, but seldom 

 the swallow or house martin, and he was inclined to beheve that 

 the presence of the latter was due to their having been driven 

 out of their course by the easterly gales. 



JarL II, Edward Schunck, F.R.S., president, in the chair. — 

 Note on a method of comparing the tints of coloured solutions, 

 by J. Bottomley, D.Sc. — On explosions of fire-damp, by ^^r. 

 Robert Rawson. 



Calcutta 



Asiatic Society of Bengal, Dec. i. — Mr. Wood-Mason 

 exhibited an interesting collection of crustaceans, including the 

 materials for his monograph of Faratelphus, an Indo- Malayan 

 genus of freshwater crabs, all the Italian species of which occur 

 in localities the fauna of wtiich is largely leavened with Malay 

 forms. The three papers read were all by Mr. W. T. Blanford. 

 The first contained a description of some lizards from Western 

 Sind, comprising new species o I Ptyodactylus, Stenodcutylus, and 

 Trapdus. The species described are Hemidactylus coctai; H. 

 McuuUatus ; If. Persicus ; Ptyodactylus homoUpis, sp. nov. ; 

 Gymtiodactylus ; Stenodactyliu orientalis, sp. nov. ; Agama 

 agitis ; Trapilus rubrigulariz, sp, nov. ; Stellio nuptus ; 

 S. Melanura ; Mesahna pardalis ; Acanthodactyltts Cantoris ; 

 Ophiops Jerdoni. Five are new to the fauna of India, and 

 three of these have not, so far as Mr. Blanford could ascer- 

 tain, been previously described. Two of the three represent 

 genera of Geckotida not hitherto detected so far to the eastward, 

 and it is doubtful whether either has before been found in Asia. 

 In the second paper, a note on a large hare inhabiting high 

 elevations in Western Thibet, the author shows that the hare 

 previously identified vrith doubt as Z. pallipes proves, on com- 

 parison with specimens of the latter received from Mr. Mandelli 

 at Darjiling, to be distinct, and is described as new imder the 

 name of Lopus hypsibnts, from its inhabiting very elevated 

 regions. The description is taken from a specimen collected by 

 Dr. Stoliczka, at an elevation of 15,500 feet, in the Chang, 

 chenmo valley, Ladak. In the third paper Mr. Blanford states 

 that a snake from' Pumeah with a local pit has been recognised 

 as Elachistodoti, a remarkable genus with angular teeth. /Va- 

 tycips semi/asciatus is identified with Zamenis ventrimaculatus, 

 sind Ablepharus pusillus is recognised as distinct from A. agUis 

 {BUphar ostites Agilis, Stol. ). 



Berlin 



German Chemical Society, Jan. 10.— A. W. HofJmann, 

 president, in the chair. — The President announced the forma- 

 tion of a German Committee to further the objects of the Loan 

 Exhibition of Scientific Apparatus at South Kensington, and the 

 decision of the committees of the German Chemical Societies to 

 co-operate with this Committee. — R. Blindow described an im- 

 proved method of burning diamonds for lecture purposes. He 

 puts the diamond on a piece of magnesium foil, and the latter 

 on a piece of porcelain, into a combustion -tube filled with 

 oxygen. Ignition of the magnesium is produced by a Bunsen 

 burner, and is easily communicated to the diamond. — 

 G. Braylants described a lecture experiment to show the 

 combination of oxide of nitrogen with oxygen. — ^Th. Zincke 

 has added the following observations to iiis studies on the action 



