470 



NATURE 



{March 20, 1890 



Laboratory therefore are : — {a) The preparation of anthrax 

 vaccine for despatch to districts where anthrax prevails, {b) The 

 conduct of experiments in rinderpest with a view to the discovery 

 of the pathogenic micro-organism of the malady, its cultivation 

 in broth and other media, and attenuation, so as to provide a 

 vaccine that shall give immunity to animals in rinderpest-infected 

 districts, (c) Experimental research into the epizootic diseases 

 generally of the ox and horse, {d) The instruction of trained 

 native veterinarians in a proper method of performing vaccina- 

 tion and of the precautions necessary to avoid risk of septic 

 infection. 



On March 17, at six minutes past il, a severe shock of earth- 

 quake was felt at Bonn, and reports from the surrounding 

 districts on the following morning showed that it was very 

 generally perceived in the vicinity of the town. On March 18, 

 in the morning, a strong shock of earthquake was felt at Malaga 

 and the neighbouring towns. The inhabitants were greatly 

 alarmed, but no damage is reported. 



According to a telegram sent from New York by Reuter's 

 Agency on March 15, the captain of the steamer Slavonia re- 

 ported having encountered a waterspout during the voyage from 

 Europe. The vessel sustained no damage. 



The Pilot Chart of the North Atlantic Ocean for the month 

 of March states that the weather during February was much 

 more moderate than during the two preceding months. An area 

 of very high barometer extended over nearly the entire length 

 of the Transatlantic steamship routes during the first five days. 

 After this date the pressure fell, and gales of varying force were 

 experienced from time to time. The most important of these 

 storms was one south of Newfoundland on the 21st, whence it 

 moved rapidly eastward. The storm on the nth in about lat. 

 49° 30' N., long. 22° W., was also of considerable energy. The 

 most extensive fog bank reportei during the month occurred on 

 the coast from the 24th to the 26th, fron Boston to Norfolk. 

 Theunprecedentedly large amount of ice this season has been the 

 cause of considerable delay and damage to vessels ; there are not 

 only vast fields of ice, but also a very large number of bergs, 

 some of which are of enormous dimensions. The importance of 

 the knowledge of ice movements to navigation is recognized to 

 be so great, that the Navy Department has, at the request of the 

 U.S. Hydrographer, despatched an officer to Halifax and St. 

 John's to collect information upon the ice movements during this 

 season and past years, for the purpose of facilitating predictions 

 of the general movements in future. A petition is also being 

 drawn up for transmission to the Canadian Government to take 

 such steps as they may deem advisable to obtain as thorough a 

 knowledge as possible of the currents in the Gulf of St. Lawrence 

 and adjacent waters, on account of their dangerous character 

 during thick weather. 



In the summary of a meteorological journal kept by Mr. C. 

 L. Prince, at his observatory, Crowborough, Sussex, during 

 1889, he draws attention to the great preponderance of north- 

 east wind over all other "wind currents, and more particularly 

 over that fro n the south-west, which has obtained during the 

 last five years. He has examined his registers for the thirty-one 

 years ending with 1889, and finds that between 1859 and 1883 

 there were only two years, viz. 1864 and 1870, in which the 

 north-east wind has been in excess. In 1884 the north-east and 

 south-west winds were nearly balanced, but during the last five 

 years the average frequency has been north-east 102, south-west 

 72. Comparative observations would be interesting with the 

 view of seeing whether this reversal of the ordinary conditions 

 holds good for other stations. The Greenwich observations 

 show that this great preponderance of north-east wind is not 

 borne out there, at all events in all of the years mentioned. 



Technical instruction, according to the Times of India, 

 now takes a leading place in the educational programme of the 

 Central Provinces. A year ago an entirely new curriculum was 

 devised, whereby, among other changes, agricultural and engi 

 neering classes were established at Nagpore ; the scholarship 

 rules were revised with special reference to technical education ; 

 drawing-masters were appointed at a large number of schools, 

 and every encouragement was given to the study of that subject ; 

 and new subjects of a technical and scientific character were 

 grafted on to old school programmes. When the fact is taken 

 into consideration that the year was one of transition, the 

 progress made may be pronounced most satisfactory. Eleven 

 students out of thirty who applied were admitted into the 

 engineering class after a test as to general education. These 

 did well, and most of them have entered on a second year's 

 course. The agricultural class had an average strength of 

 twenty-five throughout the year, the pupils working on the 

 model farm and in the laboratory established in connection with 

 this technical education scheme. No fewer than seventeen of 

 the lads came through the ordeal of a strict examination at the 

 end of the session. When it is remembered how largely the 

 economic future of India will depend on the development of her 

 agricultural resources, the value of this work, now fairly initiated 

 in the Central Provinces, cannot be over-estimated. 



In the current number of the American Naturalist Mr. 

 R. E. C. Stearns continues his interesting series of papers on 

 the effects of musical sounds on animals. One of his corre- 

 spondents writes : — " Some time since I had an ordinary tortoise- 

 shell cat, which had a peculiar fondness for the tune known as 

 ' Rode's Air.' One day I chanced to whistle it, when, without 

 any previous training, she jumped on my shoulder, and showed 

 unmistakable signs of pleasure by rubbing her head against 

 mine, and trying to get as near my mouth as possible. I have 

 tried many other tunes, but with no avail." Captain Noble, of 

 Forest Lodge, Maresfield, England, testifies that he formerly 

 had a cat which displayed a corresponding sensitiveness, but it was 

 only by plaintive tunes that she was affected. When such an air 

 was whistled, she would climb up, and try to get her mouth as 

 close as possible to that of the whistler. " I used as a rule," says 

 Captain Noble, "to whistle the 'Last Rose of Summer,' when 

 I wished her to perform. I never could satisfy myself as to her 

 motive in putting her mouth to mine. The most feasible con- 

 jecture that I was able to make seemed to be that she imagined 

 me to be in pain, and in some way tried either to soothe me, or 

 to stop my whistling. " 



A PAPER on forestry in India and the colonies was read last 

 week by Dr. W. Schlich before the Royal Colonial Institute. 

 He said that for 700 years a gradual destruction of the forests of 

 India had gone on. Under British rule the process had been 

 hastened by the extension of cultivated and pasture land, and by 

 the laying down of railways. After a time difficulty was ex- 

 perienced in meeting demands for timber, and in the early part 

 of the century a timber agency was established on the west 

 coast, while, in 1873, a teak plantation on a large scale was 

 made at Nilambui-. Through the energy of a few officials the 

 matter was kept before the public, and in 1882 the Forests 

 Department of Madras was entirely reorganized. Several Acts 

 were passed to provide for the management of the forests under 

 the protection of the State, and a competent staff of officers was 

 provided, to be reinforced from time to time by those educated 

 at Cooper's Hill College. Under the charge of the Department 

 were some 55,000,000 acres of forest lands, and the figures re- 

 lating to the cost of the work done were very satisfactory. Dr. 

 Schlich then gave an account of the action of the Australian 

 colonies with regard to the regulation of wooded lands by the 

 State, contending that in no case had sufficient steps been taken 

 to ensure a lasting and continuous supply of timber. 



