July 25, 1889] 



NATURE 



305 



\ images and ideas ? ; psychical poisons ; heredity ; heredity of 

 [ emotional phenomena and their expression ; heredity of 

 ' peculiarities in the perception of colours ; heredity of special 

 memories and of special aptitudes (technical, artistic, scientific) ; 

 psychological analysis of some genealogical tables ; hypnotism ; 

 causes of errors in observation of phenomena of hypnotic 

 suggestion ; normal and hypnotic sleep ; motor power of images 

 in hypnotized subjects, and unconscious movements (automatic 

 writing, &c.) ; doubling of personality in hypnotism and mental 

 alienation ; phenomena of transfer ; precise terminology in 

 questions of hypnotism. (Communications to M. Richet, 15 

 Rue de I'Universite, Paris.) 



The Leaf-insect of the Seychelles lately living in the Zoolo- 

 gical Society's Insect House, which we figured in our issue of 

 May 30 (p. 105), has unfortunately died, before attaining complete 

 development. But specimens of two other scarce Orthopterous 

 insects have lately been added to the collection. Many examples 

 of one of the curious Stick-insect {Diaphe?nora femorata) of 

 North America have lately been hatched from eggs received 

 from Mr. Williams, of Toronto. The young insects are feeding 

 well on the leaves of the common hazel and grass, and some of 

 them have already attained a considerable size, while others are 

 still emerging from the ova. Besides these, two examples of a 

 very singularly shaped form of Mantidte from South Africa 

 {Harpax ocellata) have just been received from Colonel J. H. 

 Bowker, of Durban, and appear likely to do well. A third 

 object of considerable interest, lately lodged in the Insect 

 House, is a fine example of the Cocoa-nut Crab of the East 

 Indies [Birgus latro), presented by Commander Alfred Carpenter, 

 R.N. This is a terrestrial Crustacean of peculiar structure, 

 which subsists entirely upon vegetable food, and is said to be 

 able to open cocoa-nuts. Darwin has given an interesting 

 account of its habits in his " Naturalist's Voyage," and Prof. 

 Moseley met with it in one of the Philippine Islands during the 

 voyage of the Challenger. The Zoological Society's example 

 appears to prefer bananas to other food, but has also eaten some 

 lettuce. 



M. Deschamps, a French zoologist, has, says the Ceylon 

 Observer, arrived at Colombo from Singapore. He has been 

 sent out by the French Government to study the zoological 

 features of the Laccadive Islands, but as it is almost impossible 

 to reach them during the south-west monsoon, he will spend two 

 or three months in Ceylon, during which time he hopes to pursue 

 his researches in various parts of the island. About October he 

 will make his way to the Malabar Coast, and from thence to 

 the Laccadive Islands. 



The Government Geologist of New South Wales has pre- 

 pared a map showing the areas within which artesian water- 

 supplies may be bored for wiih good prospects of success. 

 Water-bearing formations extend for 60,000 square miles in the 

 arid parts of the colony, where permanent supplies are most 

 needed ; and the system of artesian wells is being widely adopted 

 throughout Australia with the most satisfactory results. Large 

 tracts of good pastoral country, which have hitherto been 

 totally valueless through the want of a regular water-supply 

 all the year round, are now capable of supporting flocks and 

 herds. 



The Audubon Monument Committee of the New York 

 Academy of Sciences complain that as yet comparatively few 

 members of the Academy have given anything towards the erec- 

 tion of the proposed monument to Audubon. The considerable 

 sum already received has come mainly from others. The plans 

 accepted by the Committee will require from $6000 to S 10, 000 

 for their execution. Up to the present time, about S900 has 

 been received. The Committee have issued a portrait of 

 Audubon, suitable for framing, a copy of which will be sent to 



everyone who contributes to the fund to the amount of a dollar 

 or more. 



According to an official notification of the trustees of the 

 "Schwestern Frohlich Sliftung " at Vienna, certain donations 

 and pensions will be granted from the funds of this charity 

 this year in accordance with the will of the testatrix. Miss Anna 

 Frohlich, to persons distinguished in any branch of science, art, 

 or literature who may be in want of pecuniary support through 

 accident, illness, or infirmity consequent upon old age. The 

 grant of such temporary or permanent assistance in the form of 

 donations or pensions is, according to the terms of the foundation 

 deed, primarily intended for Austrian artists, literary men, and 

 men of science, but foreigners of every nationality may benefit 

 by the fund provided they are resident in Austria. Austrian 

 subjects residing in England, who may desire to make applicatiorv 

 for a grant, can obtain all necessary information at the Austro- 

 Hungarian Embassy in London. 



According to a telegram from New York, dated July 20> 

 there had been slight shocks of earthquake at Memphis and in 

 the vicinity. 



The Pilot Chart of the North Atlantic Ocean for July shows 

 that two well-defined depressions moved up along the American 

 coast during June. One originated over the Bahamas, on the 

 1st, whence it moved about north-north-east, accompanied by 

 moderate gales, and disappeared in New England on the 5th. 

 The other was a typical West India hurricane in every respect 

 except violence ; it first appeared south-west of Jamaica on the 

 14th. Heavy rainfall accompanied the passage of the storm,, 

 and caused great damage in Cuba, and on the 20th the depression 

 seems to have united in Canada with another from the Lake 

 region, and the combined storm moved east-north-east over 

 Labrador, and out to sea. Much fog was encountered during 

 the month, and many icebergs were reported between the 40th 

 and 50th meridians, and as far south as 42° 54' N. , showing a 

 marked southerly drift. The fact that the fog-belt is apt to^ 

 overlap the iceberg region at this season makes navigation 

 dangerous over the Transatlantic lines. One of the wrecks has 

 an interesting history. The Italian barque Vinanzo Perrotta^ 

 abandoned on September 18, 1887, began her remarkable drift 

 in about lat. 36° N., long. 54° W., and when last reported, on^ 

 April 4, 1889, was about sixty miles north of Watling's Island, 

 in the Bahamas, having made a distance of about 1400 miles in 

 a south-west by west direction in little more than a year and a 

 half. 



At the meeting of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, 

 on May 29, Mr. C. T. Musson exhibited the leg of a pigeon ta 

 which a ball of earth, weighing, when dry, 9 grains, was found 

 adhering. It would be hard to find a more striking illustration, 

 of the way in which birds may be the means of dispersing seeds. 

 Mr. Musson also recorded a case in which a land snail ( Vitrina 

 sp.) was found adhering to the elytron of a beetle, whereby its 

 migration beyond its normal habitat was to a limited extent 

 rendered possible. 



In an article on "Blindness and the Blind," in the current 

 number of the Journal of the Franklin Institute, Dr. Webster 

 Fox refers, among other things, to the need for care being exer- 

 cised with regard to the eyes of young children. The eyes are 

 more sensitive to light in childhood than in adult life, yet a mother 

 or nurse will often expose the eyes of an infant to the glare of 

 the sun for hours at a time. Dr. Webster Fox holds that serious 

 evils may spring from this, and he even contends that " the 

 greater number of the blind lose their sight from carelessness 

 during infancy." From the point of view of an oculist, he pro- 

 tests against the notion that children should begin to study at a 

 very early age. He thinks that until they are between seven and- 



