274 



NA TURE 



{Feb. 3. 1876 



he is president. The Commission proposes to apply the grant 

 received from the Council-ijeneral to a thorough examination of 

 the rainfall, the thunderstorms, and particularly the storms of 

 hail in the different valleys of Aveyron, An anemometer is to be 

 erected at the top of the cathedral. In developing the extremely 

 difficult question of the issue of weather forecasts calculated to 

 be practically useful to agriculturists, it is recognised that the 

 essential conditions of success as regards the observers are sound 

 sense, intimate knowledge of the physical features of the dis- 

 trict, and shrewdness in interpreting weather signs, such as long 

 residence in the locality alone can give, and that it is also essential 

 to success to carry out a minute and extensive observation of the 

 rainfall, thunderstorms, and storms of hail within and imme- 

 diately surrounding the district to which the weather- warnings 

 are sent. 



Mr. James Paton, who for many years has been connected 

 with the Museum of Science and Art, Edinburgh, has been 

 appointed Curator of the Industrial Museum, Glasgow. 



The first general meeting of the Mineralogical Society of 

 Great Britain and Ireland is held to-day at the Scientific Club, 

 Saville Row, at 12 o'clock (noon), when the chair will be taken 

 by Mr. H. C. Sorby, F.R.S. The first ordinary meeting will 

 be held at the same place and time to-morrow, when a paper 

 will be read on the Scottish Rhombohedral Carbonates, by Prof. 

 M. Forster Heddle, M.D. 



It is proposed to establish a Technical College for Glasgow. 

 In so far as the teaching of the textile department is concerned, 

 the accomplishment of the scheme is all but assured. 



As the Algerian Government have refused to take observa- 

 tions at eight o'clock in the morning, as in Europe, a Constan- 

 tine newspaper, Progrh de V Est, proposes to open a public 

 subscription in order to send to France and England daily 

 telegrams making known the state of weather in the colony. 

 These weather telegrams are to be posted in the several hotels of 

 Paris, London, Lyons, Marseilles, and other large cities, where 

 intending tourists are likely to see them. 



A SLIGHT earthquake was felt in Constantine, Algeria, at nine 

 o'clock on the morning of Jan. 20. No damage was experienced- 

 The duration was two seconds, and the shock vertical. 



The town of Abancay, in Peru, is reported to have been 

 destroyed by an earthquake between 4 p.m. on the 4th and 

 9 A.M. on the 5th December. Thirty-seven shocks occurred, 

 several very severe, with loss of life, the extent of which was not 

 known. 



By decree of the French Government, a Chair of Physical 

 Astronomy has been established in the Faculty of Science, Bour- 

 deaux, to be filled by M. Rayet, and at Lyons a Chair of 

 Industrial and Agricultural Chemistry, to be filled by M. 

 Raulin. 



Two academies of medicine have been established by a decree 

 of the President of the French Republic at Nantes and Mar- 

 seilles. 



Prof. Targtoni has been appointed by the Italian Minister 

 of Agriculture and Commerce Director of an Agrarian Ento- 

 mological Station at Florence. 



In the Brighton Observer, which made its first appearance in 

 its new form on I'riday last, is a London letter on the scientific 

 doings of the week. It appears to be the first of a series, in 

 which it is intended to give, in a popular form, an account of 

 the lectures and papers read before the societies which are likely 

 to be of general interest. The idea is, we believe, a novel one, 

 and we hope it will find favour with readers. 



The rockwork in the tanks at the new Westminster Aquarium 

 contains a considerable amount of Portland oolite. We under- 

 stand that it was purchased from the dU>ris of the Colosseum, 

 Regent's Park, as a sandstone, and it appears to have been in- 

 troduced into salt and fresh tanks alike without investigation as 

 to how far it is suitable. It perhaps may do no harm, but it 

 would be well if anyone who has experience of what its effect 

 will be would communicate his knowledge before any animals 

 are placed in the tanks. There is, in addition, a good supply of 

 Carboniferous limestone used, and in considering the conditions, 

 it must be remembered that the water circulates constantly from 

 tank to tank, so that the carbonate of lime will be just as present 

 to all the inhabitants of the aquarium as to the I^amellibranchs 

 and others it might benefit. 



The last-issued number of the publication of the Eastbourne 

 Natural History Society contains a paper by Mr. Jenner on the 

 Macro-Lepidoptera of East Sussex. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past v.'eek include a Rhesus Monkey (Macaais erythraus) from 

 India, presented by Mr. T. O. Davis ; a Black-faced Spider 

 Monkey (Ateles ater) from Central America, two Green Turtles 

 ^Chelone viridis) from the West Indies, presented by Captain 

 King ; a Grey Ichneumon {Hcrpestes grisens) from India, pre- 

 sented by Mr. H. Churchill ; a Common Curlew (Niimenius 

 arquatus), a Herring Gull {Larns argentatus), a Common Gull 

 {Larus canus), two Black-headed Gulls (Lams ridibundus), 

 European, presented by Mr. Charles Clifton. 



THE LOAN EXHIBITION OF SCIENTIFIC 



APPARATUS 

 'T'HE following is a list of the members of the Foreign Com- 

 mittees, the appointment of whom has been already notified 

 to the Department of Science and Art : — 



Belgium. — M. le General Brialmont, M. Dewalque, M. le 

 General Liagre, M. Maus, M. Plateau, M. Schwann, M. Stas, 

 M. Van Beneden. 



France. — M. Alexre. Edmond Becquerel, M. Henri Marie 

 Bouley, M. Gabriel Auguste Daubree, M. Jean Louis Armand 

 de Quatrefages De Breau, M. Jean Baptiste Dumas, M. Herve 

 Auguste Etienne Albans Faye, M. Edmond Fremy, M. Jules 

 Celestin Jamin, M. Urbain Jean Joseph Le Verrier, Le General 

 Arthur Jules Morin, M. Eugene Melchior Peligot, M. Henri 

 Edouard Tresca. 



Germany. — I. Betlin Committee. — Dr. A. W. Hofmann, 

 Dr. Beyrich, Dr, du Bois-Reymond, Dr. Dove, Dr. Forster, 

 Dr. Hagen, T. G. Halkse, Dr. Hauchecorne, Dr. Helmholtz, 

 Dr. Kiepert, Dr. G. Kirchhoff, Dr. Kronecker, Dr. C. D. 

 Martins, Von Morozowicz, Dr. Neumayer, Dr. Reuleaux, Dr. 

 Schellbach, Dr. W. Siemens, Dr. Virchow, Dr. C. H. Vogel, 

 Dr. Websky. — II. Cojnmiltee representing other Cities and To7iins 

 of Germany. — Dr. Von Babo, Dr. Beetz, Dr. Buff, Dr. Clausiu?, 

 His Excellency Dr. Von Dechen, Dr. Von Fehling, Dr. Von 

 Feilitzsch, Dr. Graebe, Dr. Von Groddeck, Dr. Heeren, Dr. 

 Hittorf, Dr. Karsten, Kiel ; Dr. Karsten, Rostoch ; Dr. 

 Knapp, Dr. Knoblauch, Dr. KoUiker, Dr. Kundt, Dr. Laun- 

 hardt, Dr. Mohl, Dr. Poleck, Dr. Preyer, Dr. Von Quintus- 

 Icilius, Dr. Reusch, Dr. Romberg, Dr. Rosenthal, Dr 

 Serlo, Dr. C. Von Siemens, His Excellency Dr. Von Sceinbeis, 

 Dr. W. Weber, Dr. Wiedemann, Dr. Winkle'-, Dr. Wohler, 

 Dr. Wiillner, Dr. Zeuner, Dr. Zttzsche. 



Italy. — Prof. Blaserna, Prof. Cantoni, Prof. Respighi. 



The Netherlands. — Prof. Dr. P. D. Ryke, Prof. Dr. H. G. 

 de Sande Bakhuyzen, Prof. C. H. D. Buys Ballot, Prof J. 

 Bosscha, Prof. Dr. F. C. Donders, F.R.S., Prof. J. W. Gunning, 

 Prof. Dr. R. A. Mees, Prof. V. S. Van der Willigen, Dr. D. de 

 Loos (Secretary). 



Switzerland.— Prof. E. Wartmann (President), Prof. J. 

 Amsler Laffon, Prof. D. Colladon-Ador, Prof. Dr. F. A. 

 Forel, Prof. Dr. E. Hagenbach-Bischoff, Prof. Ad. Hirscb, 

 Prof. Albert Mousson, M. E. Sarasin-Diodati, Prof. L. Soret 

 Colonel Gautier (Secretary. 



