Nov. 28, 1889] 



NATURE 



85 



medicine in 1834, having studied chemistry under Chevreul. 

 In 1840 he started the Revue Scieutifique, a monthly periodical, 

 which he afterwards called the Monitcur Scieutifiqtce. This 

 periodical came to an end last month, Dr. Quesneville explain- 

 ing that the task was rendered too severe by the infirmities of 

 old age. 



The chemical laboratory, presented to the Stalybridge 

 Mechanics' Institute by the late Mrs. Margaret Piatt, was 

 formally opened last week. The laboratory, which has been 

 provided at a cost of about ;,f 600, was projected by Mrs. Piatt— 

 who always took a great interest in Stalybridge and its social 

 and educational welfare— shortly before her death. Unfortunately 

 she did not live to see the completion of this valuable addition 

 to the work carried on by the institution, but her representatives 

 have observed Mrs. Piatt's wishes in every respect. The 

 laboratory is fitted with all necessary appliances for the practical 

 study of chemistry. At present there are twenty-two students 

 undergoing a course of instruction. 



The ceremony of cutting the first sod on the site of the 

 International Exhibition which is to be held in Edinburgh next 

 year took place on Saturday last. The Lord Provost, who 

 presided, said they were all aware that the Forth Bridge was to 

 be opened soon, and a large number of scientific people would 

 be present on that occasion. Therefore, it seemed a most 

 opportune occasion to show a collection of matters connected with 

 electricity such as had never been gathered together before. 

 They had promises from all parts of the world, and the little 

 difficulties that were in the way with the London Chamber of 

 Commerce had, he believed, all been got over, and now there 

 would be a unanimous feeling throughout the whole of the 

 electrical world that this Exhibition should be made a great 

 success. 



The Christmas lectures at the Royal Institution (adapted to 

 a juvenile auditory) will this year be given by Prof. A. W. 

 Riicker, F.R.S., on electricity. They will begin on Saturday, 

 December 28. 



The following are the Science Lectures to be given at the 

 Royal Victoria Hall during the month of December :— December 

 3, "Snakes and Snake-poison," by Dr. W. D. Halliburton; 

 December 10, *' A Visit to the Banks of the Rhine," by Mr. A. 

 Hilliard Atteridge ; December 17, "My Experiences in Cape 

 Colony," by Prof. H. G. Seeley, F.R.S. 



Count Salvadori has just published the first part of a 

 supplement to his famous work on the Birds of New Guinea and 

 Ihe Molucca Islands, entitled " Agguinte alia Ornitologia della 

 Papuasia e delle Molucche." The present part consists of sixty- 

 four pages, and relates to the Accipitres, Psittaci, and Picai-ia, 

 which were the orders treated of in his first volume of the 

 " Ornitologia." During the seven years that have elapsed since 

 the completion of Count Salvadori's work much has been done. 

 Hunstein, who was an excellent collector, and whose untimely 

 death by a tidal-wave in New Britain is deplored by all naturalists, 

 made some valuable explorations in the Horse-shoe Range of the 

 Astrolabe Mountains, and discovered the wonderful new Birds 

 of Paradise, Paradisornis riidolpJii, Astraichia siephania:, and 

 others. Mr. H. O. Forbes explored the same district, and also 

 procured some novelties, and the adventurous expedition of the 

 last-named naturalist and his wife to the Tenimber Islands is 

 quite one of the exploits of the last decade. Mr. C. M. Wood- 

 ford has likewise added many new species to the known avi-fauna 

 of the Solomon Islands, so that altogether Count Salvadori 

 has had ample material for his supplementary notes. Besides 

 giving abundant information respecting the additional synonymy 

 and geographical distribution of the members of the three orders 

 treated of in the present supplement, the author adds twelve 

 species of Accipitres, fourteen Psittaci, and nine Picarice. Count 



Salvadori thinks that Astur sheba: of Sharpe from Guadalcanar 

 is the same as A, pulchellus of Ramsay from Fauro, but as both 

 species are represented in the British Museum such a mistake in 

 identification is scarcely likely. He separates the Timor Laut 

 Astur, supposed to be identical with A. albiventris of Bouru, as a 

 new species, Astur, or as he calls it Urospizias polionotus. Several 

 doubtful points among the Parrots, Count Salvadori will probably 

 be able to settle when he comes to England and examines the 

 series of skins in the British Museum. Of Cuckoos, he de- 

 scribes two new species {Cacomantis arfakianus and Lamprococcyx 

 politirus), and Tanysptera ineyeri is a new Kingfisher. 



It is proposed that a meteorological station shall be established 

 at the Bermuda Islands after the completion of the telegraph 

 service between them and Nova Scotia. Many vessels leaving 

 Halifax, the masters being unaware of the approach of storms 

 from the West Indies, are dismantled before they have been out 

 three days. The establishment of the proposed meteorological 

 station would, therefore, be of great value, and the Canadian 

 Government has willingly consented to bear half of the cost. 



We have received vol. xi. of " Aus dem Archiv der Deutschen 

 Seewarte," containing the report of that institution for the year 

 1888. Great activity is displayed in the collection of observa- 

 tions at sea, not less than 740 logs and abstract journals having 

 been received during the year, and synoptic charts of the North 

 Atlantic have been published for four quarters, ending with 

 August 1885. Several meetings have been held at the Seewarte 

 for the purpose of preparing an atlas of clouds, and the work is 

 now about to be published. In addition to several treatises on 

 terrestrial magnetism, the volume contains (l) an article by 

 Dr. Vettin on the volume of air flowing into or out of baro- 

 metrical minima and maxima in different seasons, as determined 

 from the direction, height, and velocity of clouds, obser\'ed at 

 Berlin during the years 1882-83, in connection with the data 

 afforded by the daily weather charts published by the Seewarte. 

 (2) The rainfall conditions of Germany from 1876-85, by Dr. 

 H. Meyer, The author has not been content with using the usual 

 monthly values, but has investigated the daily observations from 

 the original documents. He finds that periods of two to four 

 rainy days are more frequent than the same periods of dry days. 

 Periods of five or more wet days are more frequent on the coast 

 than in the interior, but longer dry periods are more probable 

 here than on the coast. On the coast the probability of a change 

 from dry to wet is greater than a change from wet to dry, while 

 the reverse holds in the interior. Periods of twenty or more 

 wet days have occurred only in Western Germany, while the 

 same periods of dry days are of the rarest occurrence in any 

 part of the country. 



The Pilot Chart of the North Atlantic Ocean for November 

 shows that, during the early part of the month of October, an 

 extensive area of high barometer occupied the central regions of 

 the North Atlantic ; its position varied from day to day, but on 

 the 1 2th its centre moved south of the 40th parallel, and low 

 pressure prevailed over nearly the whole of the Transatlantic 

 routes until the 19th. At this date an area of high barometer 

 passed eastward from the American coast, and slowly traversed 

 the ocean, reaching the British Isles towards the end of the 

 month. Several storms occurred north of the 50th parallel, 

 and also along the Transatlantic routes east of the soth meridian. 

 Two cyclones of great violence occurred off the Atlantic coast 

 of the United States. One developed quite suddenly on the 14th, 

 150 miles east of Hatteras, and after lingering there for four 

 days, started off rapidly to the eastward ; the other storm, which 

 was central off the Carolina coast on the 23rd, was remarkable 

 for its violence and its increase of energy after reaching the 

 Gulf Stream. Several other storms of minor importance occurred 

 on that coast during the month. Comparatively little fog was 



