422 



NATURE 



\AugMst 29, 1889 



evaporation tanks, and a platform for anemometers of various 

 descriptions ; the records of one of Richard's sensitive instru- 

 ments are compared with a similar instrument on the Eiffel 

 Tower, and it is said that the comparison has already led to 

 some interesting results ; the platform also contains an actino- 

 meter on M. Violle's principle, with two spheres, one blackened 

 •feind the other gilded. It is intended to erect in the garden a 

 whirling machine for anemometer experiments, having a cir- 

 cumference of 40 metres, with a maximum motion, by electricity, 

 of one revolution per second, which is equivalent to about 90 

 miles per hour. 



Das Wetter for August contains the first part of a lecture by 

 Dr. W. Kiippen, entitled " Biological Considerations upon 

 Cyclones and Anticyclones." He points out that the word 

 cyclone was first proposed by Piddington, in his " Sailor's 

 Horn-Book," in 1848, to describe the violent hurricanes of the 

 tropic?, in which the wind rotates, in the northern hemisphere, 

 in a direction opposite to the hands of the watch. The term 

 anticyclone was first used by Mr. F. Galton, in his " Meteoro- 

 graphica," in 1863, to represent the opposite class of atmospheric 

 disturbance, in which the wind circulates in the same direction 

 as the hands of a watch. The use of synoptic charts, with 

 isobaric lines, drawn for large areas, shows that the .=ame 

 cyclonic motion occurs in our latitudes, in all degrees of force, 

 down to a gentle breeze. This constitutes one of the most im- 

 portant discoveriesof modern meteorology, which dates from about 

 the year i86o. The author points out that the circuitous motions 

 of the atmosphere, whether cyclonic or anticyclonic, consist of 

 three component parts, which can be proved by the laws 

 of mechanics, viz. one rotating motion, one in the direction of 

 the radius, and one perpendicularly to both of these, parallel to 

 the axis of the whirl. The behaviour of the atmospheric 

 motions in the higher regions is more difficult to describe, but 

 so much seems certain from observations of clouds, &c. , that the 

 rotation is similar to that below, but the component falling in 

 the direction of the radius is the opposite to that below, viz. an 

 indraught below corresponds to an outflow above. He explains 

 the more frequent gyration of the wind-vane to the right than to 

 the left by the fact that stations in our parts are generally to the 

 right of the storm-areas. He also shows how the ascending 

 current of cyclones produces cloud and rain, by cooling and 

 condensation of vapour, and how the descending current in 

 anticyclones produces dry and bright weather. The remaining 

 article is a discussion by Dr. Kremser, of the extraordinarily high 

 temperatures in North Germany during May and June last. 

 He has compared the daily temperatures of the last forty-two 

 years with those for 1889, and shows the result in a diagram ; 

 from which it is seen that for the whole period (April 19- 

 June 20) the temperature was on an average 9° above the normal 

 value. The author states that the Berlin observations, which 

 date back to 17 19, show that no May has been so warm, 

 and that the temperature of June has only once been slightly 

 higher, viz. in the year 1756. 



Mr. Edward Stanford has published a little volume con- 

 taining useful "Algerian Hints for Tourists," by Mr. Charles 

 E. Flower. The writer intends that it shall be used as an 

 appendix to the guide-books. He tells his readers what there is 

 in Algeria to see, and "how to get to see it." For further 

 information they are directed to the guide-books properly 

 so called. 



We have received Parts il and 12 of the • Transactions of 

 the Leicester Literary and Philosophical Society. Part 12 

 includes the Report of the Council, and the Annual Reports of 

 the Sections, presented to the general meeting on June 24. 



Messrs. George Philip and Son have issued, in two 

 sheets, an excellent topographical map of the Riviera. It has 

 been published by A. Donath, in Genoa. 



The Calendar of University College, Dundee, for the seventh 

 session, 1889-90, has been issued. University College, Bristol, 

 has also published its Calendar for the session 1889-90. In a 

 prefatory note attention is called to the fact that the Bristol 

 College particularly affords appropriate instruction in those 

 branches of applied science which are more nearly connected 

 with the arts and manufactures. 



" Flowerland," an introduction to botany, by Robert 

 Fisher, is about to be issued by Messrs. Bemrose and Sons. 

 The work includes 150 illustrations. 



At a recent meeting of the Vaudois Soc'ety of Natural 

 Sciences, Prof. Blanc gave some interesting information about 

 lake trout reared at the agricultural station of Champ de I'Air, 

 The peculiarity of the experiment was keeping the ova in com- 

 plete darkness throughout the time of incubaiion. The water 

 used had a temperature of 4° "8 C. Prof. Blanc compares the ex- 

 periment with one at Moudon. There, with a temperature of 

 2°'3, the hatching occurred after 145 days. At Champ de I'Air 

 (temperature 4°'8), it occurred after 160 days, a difference of 

 15 days, due to the darkness. There are sundry advantages in 

 prolonging the incubation : (i) the young fry put into the streams- 

 in April or May more readily find food than in February or 

 March ; (2) they are found to be more vigorous ; (3) there are 

 few or no m.onstrosities. 



Some curious facts bearing on the morale of the lower animals 

 are given by a correspondent of the Revue Scientifiqtie. One 

 source of animal sociability is a permanent sexual friendliness^ 

 making individuals mutually agreeable. Thus in stables without 

 stalls, it is desirable to put animals of opposite sex next each 

 other, to avoid injuries. A mare may be safely put into a field 

 containing a horse unknown to it, but if two unacquainted horses 

 be thus put together they will fight. A stallion, indeed, will 

 sometimes get injury from an unknown mare put into a field with 

 it. Again, the authority of the oldest and strongest in a group 

 of males often favours sociability. In the Spanish ganaderias, 

 a horseman will lead about a numerous troop of bulls, by means 

 of five or six bulls who obey him and maintain order. In the 

 Madrid circus the writer saw three of these animals bring to its 

 stall a vicious bull which had ripped up five or six horses and 

 mortally wounded its Espada. They made a slight move- 

 ment of the horns, and the creature, after a little hesitation, 

 twrned and followed them. Once more, when flocks of wild 

 ducks and geese have to go long distances, they form a triangle 

 to cleave the air more easily, and the most courageous bird takes 

 position at the forward angle. As this is a very fatiguing post, 

 another bird, ere long, takes the place of the exhausted leader. 

 Thus they place their available strength at the service of the 

 society. 



The attention of the French Government has recently been 

 drawn to the destruction of small fish, especially flat-fish, 

 round the coasts, by shrimp trawls, and the question was re- 

 ferred to the French Fisheries Committee to be inquired into. 

 The Committee have now published their report, in the youinal 

 Ojfficiel, in which they recommend the entire prohibition of fish- 

 ing for shrimps with trawls, and advocate in its place the 

 adoption of two other methods which were brought to their 

 notice at Croisic and at Saint Gilles, where they are already in 

 practical use. At Croisic the engine consists of a trap, some- 

 what on the principle of an ordinary lobster- pot ; it is a wooden 

 frame, in shape like a barrel, and about 2 feet 6 inches long, 

 covered with a small meshed net drawn in at the ends, thus 

 forming two funnels. Each funnel terminates in a small opening 

 through which the shrimps are attracted by bait suspended 

 inside the trap. The machine, which is weighted with stones 

 made fast to the frame, is further provided with a mooring line, 

 and cork float. These traps, of which each fisherman may own 



