Oct. 3, 1889] 



NATURE 



55» 



Meteor- Showers. 

 R.A. Decl. 



Near 7 Persei . 



44 

 103 



135 



54 N. 

 33 N. 

 80 N. 



Slow. 



Swift ; streaks. 



Very swift. 



GEOGRAPHICAL NOTES. 



The Hon. Secretary of the South Australian branch of the 

 Geographical Society recently received the following telegraphic 

 message fiom Mr. Tieikens, who is in command of an Expedition 

 engaged in exploring the interior. The telegram came from 

 Charlotte Waters, and is published by the Colonies and India. 

 It says: — "The Expedition under my command arrived at 

 Erldunda on July 22, the party being all well. The Expedition 

 left Glen Edith on May 10. While there for four days and five 

 nights almost incessant rain fell. Forty miles west of Glen 

 Edith we discovered and named Cleland Hills and Gill's Creek, 

 flowing south for twelve miles. The extent of good country is 

 limited. AVe also discovered and named Beelson Hills, where 

 there were thiee miles of running water, the extent of available 

 country also being limited. In east longitude 128" 45' and south 

 latitude 23° 20', we discovered and named the Kintore Range, the 

 highest peaks of which are Mount Leister and Mount Strickland, 

 1500 feet above the plains. Here we experienced three day^' 

 heavy rains. In south latitude 23° 22' and east longitude I2S° 15', 

 we discovered and named Lake Macdonald, after the hon. 

 secretary of the Victorian branch of the Society. It extends 

 westerly to east longitude 127° 50', the south shore being in 

 latitude 23^ 40'. South of the Kinlcre Range we visited and 

 named Davenport Hill, and thence we travelled in a south- 

 easterly direction to Blood's Ranpe, the highe^t peaks of which 

 were named Mount Harris and Mount Carruthers, being 1400 

 feet above the plains. Mount Unapproachable, in Long's Range, 

 marks the west extremity to Lake Amadeus, its south shore, 

 south of Mount Olga, being in latitude 24° 39'. At Lake Amadeus 

 the camels partook of a poisonous plant, from the effects of which 

 one died. At Mount Olga the other was unable to travel. After 

 a week's rest the Expedition left there and visited Ayer's Rock. 

 Mr. Goss's marked tree has been burnt down by the blacks. 

 Near Mount Connor we discovered a small spring, and travelling 

 northward from there discovered and named Basedow Range ; 

 from there travelled easterly over better country until we arrived 

 here, receiving a most cordial and hospitable reception from 

 Messrs. Warburton and Tomlin. To Mr. Warburton's kindness 

 we are indebted for conveying this message to the telegraph 

 line. The general character of the country passed over has been 

 Spinifex, sand-hills, and plains, with extensive forests of Casua- 

 rina. Rock reservoirs, native wells, and a few clay-pans were 

 the only descriptions of water met with." 



One of the most important of recent exploring Expeditions has 

 been that under Six William Macgregor, the Administrator of 

 British New Guinea, who has recently ascended and examined 

 the Owen Stanley Range, over 13,000 feet above the sea. Several 

 attempts have been made to reach the summit within the past 

 few years ; Sir William therefore deserves much credit, all 

 the more that his natural history observations are very 

 full and valuable. Sir William is an accomplished naturalist, 

 so that any exploring work he may undertake is sure to be 

 of scientific value. He left Port Moresby in May, accompanied 

 by his secretary, and when the Expedition was finally made 

 up there were about forty natives. Only five, however, went 

 up to the top with Sir William, who spent three or four daj s 

 examining the ridge. The summit was reached on June 11. 

 The climate Sir William describes as frggy and unpleasant up 

 to 80CO feet ; but above that clear blue sky and beautiful 

 climate, "one of the finest in the world." The party were ten 

 days over lo.oco feet, and never had a cloud above them. The 

 sea coast v\ as visible on both sides, that on the north being the 

 ncost distant. But the country is much smoother on that side, 

 and the ascent of the mountain from the north apparently unob- 

 structed and easy. From the point of Mount Victoria in the east 

 to Mount Lilley in the w est is a continuous, unbroken crest of 

 thirty miles, which was traversed by Sir William, who spent 

 three days and a half on the summit. His eyes were gladdened 

 by the sight of daisies, buttercups, and forget-me-nots, and he 

 brought away with him a quantity of white heath which reminded 

 him of his native mountains. Big icicles amazed his native 



companions, who thought their mouths were burnt when they 

 attempted to bite this, to them, novel product of Nature Larks 

 were plentiful, similar in flight and song to those of the old 

 country. Specimens of the flora were naturally collected by an 

 enthusiastic naturalist like Sir William, and amongst them also 

 probably several novelties will be found. There are no trees 

 within icco feet of the top, which is bare rock or covered with 

 grass. There are no snakes or other pests on the main range, 

 but unfortunately game is very scarce also. The temperature 

 ranged from freezing-point to 70° in the sun. The southern 

 aspect of the range is drained exclusively by the Vanapa River, 

 the head of which was crossed at an elevation of 10,130 feet. 

 No natives live on the mountains above 4000 feet, although 

 they hunt as high as 9700 feet. All those met with at the base 

 were extremely friendly. Nothing, however, would induce any 

 of them to accompany the party up the mountain. They grow 

 tobacco, peas, beans, many kinds of potatoes, yams, and 

 bananas, and of these they gave Sir William as much as he 

 wanted. They are certainly Papuan. The party returned to 

 Port Moresby on June 25. Sir William was in perfect health the 

 whole time, though, as usual, the natives had their little complaints. 

 Another account states that Sir William found the top of the 

 crest very uneven, consisting of immense masses of rock separated 

 by deep chasms. The long tailed bird of paradise was shot at 

 from 5000 to 9000 feet altitude. On the top of one of the 

 mountains what is believed to be a new Isird of paradise was 

 obtained, golden yellow on the back, with a black velvet breast 

 and belly. As to the botany, the variety was very small, but what 

 there was was new. 



M. Yadrintzeff's Expedition returned to Kiakhtaon August 

 16, after having reached the sources of the Orkhon River, and 

 determined the position of Kara-korum. It also discovered the 

 ruins of two large cities (one of them having a circumference of 

 thirteen miles), as well as of the palaces of the Khans of 

 Mongolia, ard their cemeteries, where numerous statues and 

 impoitant inscriptions were found. 



THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION. 

 REPORTS. 



Repoi't {Eighteenth) of the Committee appointed for the ptirtose 

 of investigating the Kale of Increase of Underground Tem- 

 perature do^vntvards in various Localities of Dry Land and 

 under Water. Prof. Everett, Secretary. 



Very important observations have been published [Neues 

 Jahrbuch fiir Mineralogie, &c., 1889, Bd. i) during the past 

 year by Heir Dunker, whose observations in a very deep bore 

 at Sperenberg were embodied in our Report for 1876. The new 

 observations were taken at Schladebach, near Diirrenberg, in a 

 bore of greater depth and smaller diameter than at Sperenberg, 

 and with .'■imilar precautions against convection currents. The 

 depth was 174S metres, the bore passing through new red sand- 

 stone (Buntsandstein), magnesian limestone (Zechstein), Lower 

 Permian sandstone (Rothliegendes), and coal-measures (Stein- 

 kohlengebirge), to the Upper Devonian beds (Oberdevon). 



It was tubed to the depth of 1240 metres. For the first 584 

 metres the diameter was 120 millimetres ; for the next 104 m, it 

 was 92 mm. ; then for 393 m. it was 72 mm. ; and for the next 

 159 m. it was 50mm. From this point to the bottom the 

 diameter gradually diminished to that of a man's little finger. 

 The diamond borer was the instrument employed in sinking it. 



India-rubber bags, such as were used at Sperenberg for pre- 

 venting convection currents, being deemed unsuitable for such a 

 narrow bore, a plugging of moist clay was employed, constructed 

 as follows : — 



On a cylindrical rod, which might be of tough wood for bores 

 of moderate depth, but was of iron in the actual observations, 

 are two wooden disks of such size that there is only just room for 

 them to move in the bore. The lower disk is fixed, and the 

 upper movable on the rod. The part of the rod below the fixed 

 disk has a length equal to that of the water-column which it is 

 desired to isolate. The maximum thermometer with which the 

 temperatures are taken has its bulb hal.-way down this portion of 

 the rod. It is fastened beside the rod if there is room for it ; 

 and when the bore is too narrow for this arrangement, the ther- 

 mometer is placed in a metal box which may be described as 

 forming part of the rod, the rod being divided into two portions 

 screwed to the two ends of the box. The movable disk is re- 



