^54 



NATURE 



{Oct, 31, 1889 



wheat, Siicceeded by mildew, and finally, the germination of the 

 telentospores and the production again of secidium on barberry. 

 Many other instances of heteroecism were adduced, and some 

 ■problems suggested for the consideration of members of the So- 

 •ciety. The Ustilaginese were then shortly referred to, and Ustilago 

 -segetuin, the corn-smut, given as a familar example. The paper 

 was illustrated by diagrams, specimens, and the sections shown 

 under the microscope. 



In a paper read before the Royal Danish Academy in 

 February, M. Adam Paulsen gave some interesting particulars 

 of observations made with the object of determining the height 

 of the aurora. Two theodolites were used, the observing 

 telescopes of which were replaced by short tubes having small 

 holes at the eye ends and metallic cross wires at the other ends. 

 Two of the stations were situated in the same magnetic meri- 

 dian, on opposite banks of the fjord of Godthaab, at a distance 

 apart of 58oo'4 metres. The vertical circles of the two 

 theodolites were placed in a common plane by means of 

 ■observations of "blue fire" signals given at each station. 

 Signals were also exchanged on the appearance of an aurora 

 which it was thought possible to measure, so that simultaneous 

 •observations were secured, and it was previously agreed to 

 ■direct the instruments to the base of the auroral arc. The 

 observations at Godthaab gave heights for different aurorse 

 ranging from 0'6 to 67 "8 kilometres. A second series of 

 observations with the same apparatus and methods was made in 

 1885 by MM. Garde and Eberlin at Nanortalik, near Cape 

 Farewell, the base-line in this case being 1247*8 metres, and 

 the values determined here were 16 to 15*5 kilometres. The 

 results obtained by the staff of the Swedish International 

 Expedition at Spitzbergen, with a base of 572 '6 metres, range 

 from o'6 to 29*2 kilometres. These observations therefore lead 

 to the conclusion that aurorse are by no means confined to the 

 highest parts of our atmosphere, but that they occur almost 

 indifferently at all altitudes. In support of this view, M, 

 Paulsen gives accounts of several appearances of aurorre beneath 

 the clouds and the summits of mountains. It is interesting to 

 ■compare the new values with those given by previous observers. 

 M. Flogel calculated the heights of several aurora; which 

 appeared in the autumn of 1870, and concluded that only the 

 very lowest parts of the aurora came at all within the limits of 

 our atmosphere ; he gave the actual limits as 150 to 500 kilo- 

 metres. For an aurota on October 25, 1870, M. Reimann 

 found a height of from 800 to 900 kilometres, and Nordenskiold 

 came to the conclusion that the mean height of aurorse was 

 about 200 kilometres. On the other hand, Lemstrom has 

 observed aurorae as low as 300 metres, and M. Hildebrandsson 

 has seen aurorae in a completely clouded sky. Considering all 

 the facts of the case, M. Paulsen inclines to believe that in the 

 temperate zone, aurorse only appear in the higher layers of the 

 atmosphere, whereas in the auroral zone, properly speaking, the 

 phenomenon is generally produced in the lower layers. 



In the new Quarterly Statement issued on behalf of the 

 Palestine Exploration Fund, it is stated that Dr. Torrance, of 

 the Scottish Mission, has undertaken to conduct a series of 

 meteorological observations at Tiberias for the Fund. Should 

 Dr. Torrance be able to carry out this undertaking, the 

 observations will, with those made at Sarona, now being 

 published by Mr. Glaisher, and those made by Dr. Chaplin at 

 . Jerusalem, and reported in the Quarterly Statement for 1883, 

 place the Society after a few years in the possession of materials 

 for a fairly complete account of the meteorology of Palestine. 

 Tiberias is 682 feet below the level of the Mediterranean, and 

 ■the Society hopes that, as no regular series of meteorological 

 •observations has ever been made in such a depressed situation, 

 the results may be exceptionally interesting. As the neighbour- 



hood of Jericho is becoming, to some extent, a place of residence 

 for Europeans, the Society trusts that opportunity may before 

 long present itself for meteorological observations there also. 



Symons's Monthly Meteorological Magazine for October con- 

 tains a climatological table for the British Empire for the year 

 1888, from which we extract the following interesting details. 

 Adelaide had the highest shade temperature, 107° •5, on Decem- 

 ber 25, and was the driest station. Winnipeg had the lowest 

 shade temperature, -46°*4, in February, the greatest mean 

 daily range, 22°"5, and the lowest mean temperature, 32°'3. 

 Colombo (Ceylon) had the highest mean temperature, Sc^'g, 

 and the greatest rainfall, ioi*o6 inches. Malta had the least 

 rainfall, 1375 inches, and was the least cloudy station. The 

 highest temperature in the sun was registered at Calcutta, 

 l65°'4 ; while London holds the unenviable position of the 

 dampest and most cloudy station. 



The Anmiaire de V Observatoire Municipal de Moutsoiiris for 

 1889 contains a considerable amount of meteorological informa- 

 tion. Observations appear to have been made in connection 

 with every branch of this science, and the tables, showing the 

 results obtained in this and former years, are well constructed ; 

 the whole being discussed by M. Leon Descroix, from an agri- 

 cultural and hygienic, as well as the meteorological, point of 

 view. In addition to this, M. Albert Levy contributes an ela- 

 borate series of analyses of air and water, samples of which had 

 been gathered from various sources ; and Dr. Miquel his eleventh 

 memoir on the micro-organisms that are found in them. 



Mr. James R. Gregory has issued a catalogue of his valu- 

 able collection of meteorites. The formation of this collection 

 was begun nearly thirty years ago, and now Mr. Gregory finds 

 that he can number upwards of 300 distinct " falls," " which," 

 he says, "really places my collection among some of the largest 

 in Europe as regards the number of falls, and in the average 

 weight and excellence of the examples." As to arrangement, he 

 has adopted, with a few variations, the principle of the new 

 Catalogue of the British Museum collection in chief. 



It has been generally supposed that the mango weevil infests 

 the pulp of the fruit, but in a letter read at a recent meeting 

 of the committee of the Agri-Horticultural Society of Madras, 

 from Mr. C. I. Denton, forwarding specimens of mangoes, 

 called by the Canarese the bee mango, he states that the pecu- 

 liarity of the fruit is that the stone contains a bee existing on the 

 kernel. Specimens of the insect were forwarded by the Madras 

 Agri-Horticultural Society to Mr. Coates, of the Indian Museum, 

 who identified them as Cryptorhynchus muugifera, the mango 

 weevil, whose normal habitation is in the pulp of the fruit, and 

 not within the stone. The fruit sent to the Society was care- 

 fully examined, and the pulp was, in every case, free from the 

 insect, which was only discovered when the stones from which 

 the pulp had been removed were broken open. 



A THIRD edition of Mr. Thomas Greenwood's " Free Public 

 Libraries " is being prepared. Three years ago, when the first 

 edition of this work was published, the total number of adop- 

 tions of the Acts during thirty-six years was only 133. At 

 present there are 190. 



A BOOK on " The Birds of Essex," by Mr. Miller Christy, is to 

 be published by subscription. It will form the second volume 

 of the " Special Memoirs " of the Essex Field Club. The author 

 has been collecting materials for this work for more than 

 fifteen years, and he says that 271 species of birds are described 

 as having been met with in Essex — a number which has been 

 exceeded hitherto by very few other counties. 



We have received the official report of the proceedings of the 

 thirty-seventh meeting of the American Association for the 



