Sept. 12, 1889] 



NATURE 



401 



In Hutton's "Mathematical and Philosophical Dictionary" 

 ■^1796) we find : — 



" Antiparallels, in geometry, are those lines which make 

 equal angles with two other lines but contrary ways; that is, 

 calling the former pair the ist and 2nd lines, and the latter 

 pair the 3rd and 4th lines, if the angle made by the ist and 3rd 

 lines be equal to the angle made by the 2nd and 4th, and, 

 contrariwise, the angle made by the ist and 4th equal to the 

 angle made by the 2nd and 3rd ; then each pair of lines are 

 antiparallels with respect to each other, viz. the 1st and 2nd, 

 and the 3rd and 4th. 



"So if AB and AC be any two lines, and FC, FE two others 

 cutting them so that the angle B is equal to the angle E and the 

 angle C is equal to the angle D ; then BC and DE are anti- 

 parallels with respect to AB, AC ; also these latter are anti- 

 parallels with respect to the two former." 



It is curious also to note an error as regards the ratios of the 

 segments of the sides, similar to but not identical with the one 

 pointed out by the contributor to the Miscellanea MatJufuatica as 

 occurring in "Clark's Dictionary"; for the next paragraph 

 states : — 



" It is a property of these lines that each pair cuts the other into 

 proportionate segments, taking them alternately; 



viz. AB : AC : : AE : AD : : DB : EC 

 and FE : FC : : FB : FD : : DE : BC." 



Here the third ratio in each line is wrongly stated to be equal 

 to the two which precede it ; for keeping the triangle ABC and 

 therefore also the direction of FE fixed, it is clear that the ratios 

 AB : AC, AE : AD remain fixed, while DB : EC may range 

 from zero to infinity. E. M. Langley. 



The Force of " Example " in Animals. 



Some years ago we had two cats — a tabby, and a po« erful tom 

 perfectly white all over. One day I happened to be in the attic, 

 and noticed them go out on the slates, when Tom jumped 

 across the yard to the next roof. It appeared to me a splendid 

 leap, considering the width of the yard and the height of the 

 roof. When Tabby came to the edge of the slates her courage 

 failed, and she uttered a cry of distress, whereupon Tom turned 

 round and leaped back, and giving a cheerful mew as much as 

 to say, "Look how easily it can be done," jumped across again, 

 this time followed by Tabby, to my great delight. (p. 



" Astrarchia stephaniae." 



In the interesting "Geographical Notes" from New Guinea, 

 published in Nature of September 5 (p. 449), it is stated that 

 Sir William MacGregor procured, among others, "a female 

 Astrachia sfefhavia, the only male bird of that species being 

 in the Museum, Berlin." Will you permit me to rectify this in 

 communicating to you that the only male Astrarchia slephanicB 

 is in the Zoological Museum of Dresden. The bird was de- 

 scribed and figured by Dr. Finsch and myself in the year 1885, 

 and the name is correctly written as I have just given it. 



Dresden, September 8. A. B. Meyer. 



THE RECENT GREAT EARTHQUAKES IN 



JAPAN. 



"pULL details have now been received of the recent 



•*• earthquakes in Japan. According to the report of 



the Governor of the Kumamoto district, in the Island of 



Kiushiu, the centre of the earthquake was a mountain 

 situated to the west of Kumamoto, the chief town in the 

 province of Higo. Knipo is one of a chain of volcanoes 

 connected with Mount Aso, one of the most noted 

 volcanoes in the country, which was visited and described 

 a few years ago by Prof. Milne, who regards it as one of 

 the two or three largest volcanoes in the world. No 

 eruption, however, has ever as yet taken place there, but 

 fears are now entertained of a terrible eruption ; rum- 

 blings have been heard, and the mountain has discharged 

 lava in several places. Aso Yama, or Mount Aso, has for 

 many years been known as the only active volcano on the 

 Island of Kiushiu. This mountain rises to a height of 

 nearly 5000 feet. Its last eruption was in 1874, when a 

 large quantity of grayish-white pumice ashes was dis- 

 charged. It would seem, however, that more or less 

 constant discharges have taken place at intervals ever 

 since the premonitory signs. On the morning of July 28, 

 the day of the destructiv^e shock, the weather was agree- 

 ably cool, but at twilight the sky was clothed with a dark 

 cloud tinged with a pale reddish colour, and the atmo- 

 sphere became quite close. About ten minutes past 

 eleven p.m. a noise as of thunder was heard. Simul- 

 taneously a strong earthquake movement commenced. 

 As the nature of the shock was unusual, some of the 

 inhabitants dressed, whilst others with scarcely any 

 clothing, rushed from their houses, a number of them only 

 to be crushed to death by falling walls and trees. The Castle 

 of Kumamoto, which was the scene of the memorable 

 siege by General Saigo at the time of the Kagoshima 

 rebellion, and is noted for the solidity of its structure, 

 was damaged in several parts. In the streets fissures ap- 

 peared in several places, some of the cracks measuring 

 six feet in width. In other parts of the town subsidences 

 occurred ; in some instances water was seen spouting 

 from the fissures created by the seismological disturbance. 

 There were several incipient fires caused by the overturn- 

 ing of lamps, but they were speedily extinguished, and 

 much additional loss of property was thus avoided. Houses 

 were overturned and the occupants killed. The first 

 shock was soon followed by several smaller and two 

 severe ones. With the break of day the dull cloud 

 moved off, to leave the sky covered with yellowish little 

 patches. The most severe shock was the first one, when 

 even unusually stropg houses were almost displaced from 

 their foundations. Old houses and those not very strongly 

 built were brought to the ground with sufficient force to 

 kill, and in other cases injure numbers of persons. The 

 losses sustained by chemists and china-ware merchants 

 were large, owing to the breakage among their brittle 

 stock. All wells in Kumamoto have either been rendered 

 so foul with mud as to make them useless, or are dry by 

 reason of the escape of water. The city is being tempor- 

 arily forsaken by those who can afford to remove their 

 families. In the town of Kumamoto the list of casualties 

 is three persons crushed to death and six wounded. 

 Twenty-two houses were thrown down and sixteen 

 partially wrecked. In the neighbouring district of Akita, 

 however, the force of the shock seems to have been felt 

 more severely. Fifteen lives were lost, thirteen persons 

 were injured, and thirty-two dwellings were overthrown, 

 while many farmhouses were more or less damaged. In 

 Sage, also a district of Kiushiu, there were underground 

 sounds as of many cannons ; then ensued prolonged 

 vibrations from south to north-west, dwellings leaning 

 over at inclinations varying from 70° to 80', accompanied 

 by loud crackling of posts and walls. The ground quivered 

 so that pedestrians stumbled and fell. This shock con- 

 tinued for about four minutes. During the night there 

 were two other disturbances, the last being the most 

 severe. The greatest disorder and fright prevailed, and a 

 night of terror was passed in the open air by the 

 unclad population. In the districts of Sakanami and 

 Kami-Tunaki the ground for a space of 9 acres began to 



