Jtuic 20, 1889] 



NA TV RE 



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to the spawn of star-fish, and also to jopper absorbed from 

 wrecks. Both these suggestions were, however, disproved. The 

 theory ofOrfiia, a^o, that the poisonous action of the mussels in 

 the stomach is the result of imagination, does not find acceptance 

 at the hands of the Committee. An authority on the subject 

 has found that the mussels lose their poisonous property if 

 cooked for a period of ten minutes with carbonate of soda. The 

 Committee conclude that the poisonous nature of the mussels is 

 due to the presence in them, especially in the liver, of a volatile 

 organic alkaloid {mytilotoxitte de Brieger), developed under the 

 influence of a particular microbe, which is only found in mussels 

 living in stagnant and polluted waters. Finally, they advocate 

 the removal of all restrictions on mussels in artificial beds, and 

 recommend the sale at all times, at fish markets, of mussels 

 coming from such beds, which are usually situated in favourable 

 localities, a sale which is at present prohibited in France during 

 May and June. 



Mr. Tlpper, the Canadian Minister of Marine and Fisheries, 

 is reported to be now arranging for the establishment at Halifax 

 of an Intelligence Department, for the purpose of supplying 

 fishermen on the Atlantic coasts with information as to the 

 movement of the various food and bait fishes. Bulletins will be 

 issued frequently upon the subject, and will be widely circu- 

 lated, and in addition fishermen will always be able to obtain, 

 by means of a telegram or letter, any reasonable information 

 they may require regarding their industry. 



The Cornell University has found in Mr. Henry W. Sage, ol 

 Ithaca, a friend whose good-will reveals itself in a very practical 

 manner. A suit is now going on, involving $1,500,000, be- 

 queathed to the library of Cornell. In the event of the suit 

 being lost, Mr. Sage proposes to pay for the library building — to 

 cost over §200,000 — on which work has begun ; and also to 

 give the library an endowment of $300,000. Should the 

 suit be won, as is confidently expected, Mr. Sage's half a 

 million will probably go to the Univsrsity for other pur- 

 poses. Science says that the giving of this sum will make 

 Mr. Sage's benefactions to the University amount to about 

 $1,000,000 in cash. . The institution also owes much to him for 

 counsel and services. 



On June 12, Dr. A. B. Meyer, of the Zoologicil and Ethno- 

 graphical Museum at Dresden, received from Prince Ferdinand 

 of Bulgaria a telegram announcing that immense numbers of the 

 bird called Pastor roseiis, L., had arrived some days before 

 at Knjajevo, near Sofia, and were still there. The usual 

 haunts of Pastor roseus are in the valleys of the Danube, in 

 South Russia, and in the neighbouring districts of Asia ; but this 

 year it seems to have extended its range, and Dr. Meyer an- 

 nounces that he will be glad to receive any information that 

 may be sent to him as to its appearance in new neighbourhoods. 

 Between 1774 and 1875 the bird is said to have been seen in 

 Germany thirty-one times, in Switzerland sixteen times. In June 

 1884 it was seen in Bavaria, and in the autumn of the same 

 year in Wiirtemberg. It appeared again in Bavaria in May 1886. 

 Until the other day it has not visited Bulga-ia since 1876. 



A Large meteoric stone which recently fell in Scania has 

 been acquired by Baron Nordenskiold for a sum of ;^84 for the 

 National Museum. 



On May 31, about il p.m., a brilliant meteor was seen at 

 Ljungby, near the Sound. It went in a direction east to north, 

 emitting a bright red colour, and was accompanied by a distinctly 

 audible hissing. 



In reference to the destructive volcanic eruption on the Island 

 of Oshima (better known to the Western world as Vries Island), 

 of which information has been telegraphed from San Francisco, 

 it seems that the first news of it was brought to Yokohama by 



the master of a passing steamer, who described the mountain ' 

 Mihaiaizan as being in fiercely active eruption on the morning 

 of April 13. The eruption was of such u nature that it attracted 

 attention on board the steamer at a great distance. Afterwards 

 it was ascertained that the outbreak was at the v\ e-tern base of 

 the mountain. From this it would appear that a new crater has 

 been formed, as the old crater is at the top of the mountain, 

 though there is a place to the south west whence smoke is 

 always issuing from the sands. The Japan Weekly Mail, from 

 which this information is taken, gives the following historical 

 account of this remarkable volcanic island. Miharaizan, ac- 

 cording to the oldest Japanese historical records, was an active 

 volcano so far back as 684 A. i)., but the eailiest authentic notice 

 of its activity appears to have been taken in 1421, whan the sea 

 boiled, and the fish died in shoals. In 1684 an eruption com- 

 menced which lasted seven years, and in 1703 there was a great 

 earthquake and tidal-wave, and part of the island broke down 

 and formed the present harbour. In 1777 the mountain was in 

 active eruption, and the island was covered several inches deep 

 with ashes, such phenomena being almost constantly repeated 

 from that date till 1792. It was then quiet till 1837, and more 

 or less in action for the following twenty years. Another lull 

 then took place, when, in 1868, ii again broke out, and continued 

 in action four days. The next eruption occurred in 1876, and 

 lasted nearly two months. The most destructive eruptions 

 of Miharaizan weie probably those of 1781 and 1789, as, during 

 the latter, the village of Shimotaka was entirely destroyed, and 

 the people and their houses were completely buried in ashes. 

 There are at present six villages on the island, containing a 

 population of 5000 persons, mostly fishermen. 



Reports from New Zealand describe a recurrence of volcanic 

 activity in Mount Ruapehu. On April 29 an enormous cloud of 

 steam was seen ascending from the summit. There is said to 

 be every indication that considerable thermal activity is going 

 on in the hot lake on the summit, as the outburst was of the 

 nature of a colossal geyser ascending rapidly and subsiding in a 

 few minutes. Since the terrible eruption at Tarawera in 1886, 

 any new outburst, of however trifling a character, naturally gives 

 cause for much alarm all along the belt of volcanic country from 

 Rotorua to Tongariro and Ruapehu. 



The Pilot Chart of the North Atlantic Ocean, published by 

 the Hydrographer of the United States, shows that the month of 

 May was characterized by generally fair weather, and, with the 

 exception of one day, by the absence of storms of great violence. 

 Much fog was encountered during the month, and seriously 

 interfered with commerce in the vicinity of New Jersey and New 

 York. Icebergs were met with in large quantities between 

 longitude 40" and 51°, north of latitude 46°. The approach of 

 the hurricane season in the West Indies was marked by two well- 

 defined depressions on the 4th and 17th respectively. 



It appears that the somewhat eccentric weather of Western 

 Europe during the present year finds a parallel both in China 

 and Japan, where people complainbitterly of the sudden changes 

 of temperature, the premature heat followed by cold " snatches," 

 the storms in quick succession and of great intensity. Thus, the 

 Chinese Times of Tientsin, one of the most northern parts of 

 China, says that since foreigners have had any connection with the 

 place there has not been known such an inclement spring. A warm 

 week in February broke up the ice on the Peiho River prema- 

 turely, but afterwards cold set in with greal_severity, and March 

 was characterized by a succession of gales, lasting sometimes a 

 week without intermission, and as late as the 24th the ground 

 was covered with snow.' As a rule, the country people never can 

 have enough of snow, which they consider has a most benignant 

 effect on the soil, but the snowfall this spring was so unusual 

 that at last the farmers cried out that they had had too much 

 of it. 



