352 



NA TURE 



[Augusi 8, 1889 



His descriptions and classification show a thorough acquaintance 

 with the subject. The conclusion he arrives at is that the 

 "Jurassic flora of Kaga, Hida, and Echizen belongs to the same 

 geological horizon as the flora of Siberia, Spitzbergen, and 

 Yorkshire — namely, to the Bathonian stage of the Inferior Oolite 

 with special relations to the flora of Siberia." The second paper 

 is by Prof. Yasushi Kikuchi, on " Pyroxenic Components in 

 certain Volcanic Rocks from the Bonin Islands." 



In his Annual Report on Education in Hong Kong, Dr. Eitel, 

 the Government Inspector of Schools, says that the total number 

 of educational institutions of all descriptions known to have been 

 at work in the colony of Hong Kong during the year 1888 

 amounts to 206 schools, with a grand total of 8717 scholars. 

 More than three-fourths of the whole number of scholars — that 

 is to say, 6728— attended schools (99 in number) which are sub- 

 ject to Government supervision, and either established or aided 

 by Government in some form or other. The remainder — viz. 

 107 schools, with 1989 scholars— are private institutions entirely 

 independent of Government supervision, and receiving no aid 

 from public funds, except that they are exempt from payment of 

 rates and taxes. 



M. Taupin, who was recently despatched by the Governor- 

 General of French Indo-China to the Laos States on an explora- 

 tion, has presented a report of the results, which he sums up as 

 follows : — " I have studied the language and system of writing 

 of the Laos — that is, of the only population in the world pos- 

 sessing a graphic-alphabetical system. Of this there has been 

 up to the present no positive knowledge. It was only known 

 that the La< tian language and writing were somewhat similar to 

 those of Siam. The language is spoken by about four millions 

 of people. I have collected interesting information relating to 

 the natural history of these regions, and much commercial 

 information. ... I have made numerous meteorological 

 observations, and taken a large number of anthropometrical 

 measurements according to the Broca system." 



In the l2.vesiia of the Moscow Society of the Friends of 

 Natural Science, vol. Ixiii., there is an exhaustive work, by M. 

 Kharuzin, on the Kirghizes. The ant hropological data relative 

 to the great Bukeeft stem are fully presented, and illustrated by 

 sixteen photographs. The writer also describes the religious 

 beliefs of the Kirghizes, their religious festivities and worship, 

 and their customary law. An appendix contains the results of 

 the excavation of thirty-six koorgans in the Kirghiz Steppe. 



The Governor of Jamaica, in his Report regarding the pro- 

 gress of the colony during the past year, says that the Department 

 of Public Gardens and Plantations has done much useful work, 

 and that the distribution and collection of valuable economic 

 plants have been actively carried on. The Hope Gardens, 

 which are intended to take the place of those at Castleton, as the 

 head botanical station, have made good progress, but as they are 

 young, and the authorized annual expenditure limited, some time 

 must elapse before they will be comi lete. Although they are 19 

 miles from Kingston, they attract a large number of visitors. At 

 the cinchona plantation actual cultivation has ceased so far as 

 planting operations are concerned, but the establishment of a 

 hill garden there has been attended to. No cinchona bark 

 was shipped during the year, but bark has been supplied to the 

 Government analytical chemist for preparation of a liquid extract 

 of a febrifuge manufactured according to a method adopted by 

 Mr. Hooper, Government Quinologist in the Nilgiris, and which 

 is to be tested by the Medical Department of the colony. 

 Attention is directed to the propagation at Castleton of the 

 Manilla hemp plant with a view to its introduction into different 

 parts of the island, and it is pointed out that even if the fibre is 

 not utilized as an article of ex[)ort, it may supply a local demand 

 for rope, and so save such a valuable timber-tree as the 



" mahoe," of which large numbers are annually destroyed by the- 

 peasantry by being stripped of their bark, which is twisted into 

 ropes. Another interesting circumstance alluded to is the suc- 

 cessful experiment of grafting the mangostien (which, although 

 growing at Castleton for many years, has only recently reached 

 the fruiting stage) upon the gamboge tree of common growth. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the- 

 past week include a Macaque Monkey {Macactis cynomolgus ? )• 

 from India, presented by Mr. H. J. Cunnington ; a Peregrine 

 Falcon {Faico peregriniis), captured at sea, presented by Captain- 

 Watson ; an Indian Fruit Bat {Pteropus medius i ) from India, 

 presented by Mr. Tholen ; an Ocelot (Felis pardalis) and a 

 Brazilian Cariama {Cai'iama cristata) from South America, 

 presented by Captain W. Heathorn Lacy ; a Tuberculated' 

 Iguana {Iguana ttiberctilata) from Brazil, presented by Mr. H. 

 E. Blandford ; three Palm Squirrels {ScUirns palmarum) from 

 India, purchased ; an Indian Python [Python molortis) fromi 

 India, deposited; and ten Gold Pheasants [Tliaumaka picta), 

 bred in the Gardens. 



ASTRONOMICAL PHENOMENA FOR THE 

 WEEK 1889 AUGUST 11-17. 



/"POR the reckoning of time the civil day, commencing at 

 ^ ■'- Greenwich mean midnight, counting the hours on to 24, 

 is here employed.) 



At Greenwich on August 11 

 Sun rises, 4h. 41m. ; souths, I2h. 4m. 56 "Ss. ; daily decrease 



of southing, 97s. ; sets, I9h. 28m.: right asc. on meridian, 



9h. 25' 5m. ; decl. 15° 9' N. Sidereal Time at Sunset, 



l6h. 50m. 

 Moon (Full on August ii, sh.) rises, I9h. 36m.* ; souths, 



23h. 58m.* ; sets, 4h. 28m. : right asc. on meridian, 



2ih. i6-5m. ; decl. 18° 54' S. 



Right asc. and declination 



* Indicates that the rising and southing are those of the preceding evening, 

 and the setting that of the following morning. 



Aug. h. 



II ... 14 ... Mercury in conjunction with and 0° 38' north. 



of Saturn. 

 16 ... 14 ... Saturn in conjunction with the Sun. 



