Nov. 21, 1878] 



NATURE 



62 



The Times Geneva correspondent states that the remains 

 of another lake village have just been brought to light at 

 Lorcas by the shrinkage of the waters of the Lake of 

 Bienne. Tliis appears to be one of the most interesting dis- 

 coveries of the sort we have had for some time, rich as 

 have been the last few weeks in notable lacustrine finds. 

 The station at Lorcas, assigned by experts to the age of stone, is 

 situated at a short distance from the lake shore, not far from 

 another and similar station which was explored in 1873. An 

 exploration, conducted by Dr. Gross, of Neuveville, has 

 resulted in the gathering of many novel and interesting objects, 

 pierced stone hatchets similar to those found in Denmark, large 

 flint lance-heads, jade hatchets with stag-horn and wooden hafts 

 fastened with pitch ; vessels in wood, among others a 'colander, 

 and a vase in a good state of preserv'ation. Near these were 

 found several arms and instruments of pure copper, a circum- 

 stance which points to the probability that intermediate between 

 the age of bronze and the age of stone was a period when pre- 

 historic man had not discovered the art of alloying copper with 

 tin. This was the age of copper. Still more remarkable is a 

 find of human skulls which bear unmistakable marks of having 

 been trepanned. Round pieces have been cut out, doubtless after 

 death, as is supposed, for use as amulets. In some instances 

 pieces were cut from the craniums of living infants in order, as 

 M. Broca conjectures, to let out the spirit by whose malignant 

 influence they were afiHicted with fits, con\ailsions, and ether 

 maladies. These bits of infants' skulls were sometimes used in 

 a way of which an example has been found at Lorcas ; they 

 were put inside the heads of the dead to protect them from the 

 wiles and assaults of evil beings in the world of spirits. 



A PORTRAIT of the Rev. M. J. Berkeley has been presented 

 to the Linnean Society; it was painted by Mr. Peale at the 

 instance of some of Mr. Berkeley's friends. 



M. Roux has sent to the Society of Encouragement of Paris 

 the results of his experiments on nitro-glycerine, from which it 

 appears that bottles of tinned iron falling from a great height 

 and breaking do not cause a dangerous explosion. 



We have received an interesting syllabus of a course of ten 

 lectures on literary and scientific subjects, to be delivered in the 

 lecture theatre of the Bristol Museum, during the winter. 



Mr. Brothers, photographer, Manchester, asks us to state 

 that the portrait of Sir George Air)', which we gave in a recent 

 number, was from a photograph by him. The copy from which 

 oar portrait was taken did net indicate by whom it was photo- 

 graphed. 



The Yama Sentinel of California gives an account of a sin- 

 gular specimen of meteoric iron, which resembled steel, that had 

 been found in the Mohave desert. It weighs about a pound, 

 has some free gold on the siurface, is not magnetic, and has 

 successfully resisted the action of various acid baths. One of its 

 surfaces shows a fracture of crystalline appearance, the colour 

 of which is steel gray tinged with yellow. It has defied the 

 best cold chisels, and has neither broken nor chipped tmder 

 heavy blows. If its composition could be imitated it would be 

 the hardest and toughest alloy known. 



Being at Osaka recently, a correspondent of the Kobe 

 Advertiser was invited to inspect the cotton-mills and spinning- 

 factory which was established at Sakai some years ago, but has 

 attracted little notice. The account which he gives of his visit 

 furnishes additional testimony of the progress which the Japanese 

 are so rapidly making. The premises in question cover 7,000 

 tszuboes of ground, and the buildings thereon are substantially 

 and well built, and the greater part of the machinery was im- 

 ported from England. It is not necessary to enter upon the 

 description of the internal arrangements of the establishment, 



but it is interesting to learn that "in this factory are em- 

 ployed about 150 hands, some 60 men and boys, a few elderly 

 females, and about 80 girls. These latter resemble much the 

 factory girls at home ; the same merry cotintenances and laughing 

 twinkling eyes, unabashed, but perfectly orderly, though per- 

 haps a little negligent upon the appearance of visitors 



We were highly gratified with our visit, showing as it did that 

 there is a wide and very hopeful field for the development of 

 industries in Japan." 



We have on our table the following books : — " Mathematical 

 Drawing Instruments," by W. Ford Stanley, E. and F. N. 

 Spon; "Crystallography," Henry Palin Gumey, S.P.C.K. ; 

 " Outlines of the Geology of Northumberland," G. A. Lebour, 

 H. Sotbcran and Co. ; " Coal and Iron in all Countries of the 

 World," John Pechar, Simpkin and Co. ; " Abriss der prak- 

 tischen Astronomic," Dr. A. Sawitsch, Wilhelm Manke ; "A 

 First Catechism of Botany," John Gibbs, Dun-ant ; " The Pre- 

 sent State of Electric Lighting," J. N. Schoolbred, Hardwick 

 and Bogue ; "The House-Surgeon," Alf. Smee, F.R.S., Acci- 

 dent Insurance Company!; " The Geological Record for 1876," 

 edited by William Whitaker, Taylor and Francis; "Etna," G. 

 F. Rodwell, KeganPaul and Co. ; " Spiritual Science," Kuklos, 

 John Harris; "Instructions for Testing Tel^raph Lines," Vol. I., 

 Louis Schwendler, Triibner ; Health Primers — " Premature Death 

 — Alcohol," " Exercise and Training," " The House," Hardwick 

 and Bogue ; " Gegenbaur's Elements of Comparative Anatomy," 

 translated by F. Jefiorey Bell and E. Ray Lankester, Macmillan 

 and Co. 



Mr. E. p. Ramsay, Curator to the Australian Museum, 

 Sydney, has prepared and issued "Hints for the Preservation of 

 Specimens of Natural History for. Museum Purposes." This 

 short pamphlet contains useful directions for unskilled taxi- 

 dermists, * and notes on the preservation of entire animals of 

 small size. It contains occasional remarks on Australian 

 animals, and 'suggestions specially appropriate to the wants of 

 naturalists in the bush ; these are the only novelties. It will be 

 seen that the title is rather too comprehensive for the contents of 

 the paper ; and now that we are beginning to look a little 

 beyond the mere collection of dried skins, it is disappointing to 

 find the internal organs of animals treated as so much matter to 

 be got rid of. 



The last volume of Medical Reports, issued by order of the 

 Inspector-General of Customs in China, contains a contribution 

 of considerable interest to our knowledge of the geographical 

 distribution of disease. The notes we refer to, which are by 

 Mr. E. Rocher, of the Customs' Service, prove that the plague 

 exists in China, and that it has in late years spread over a larger 

 area than is generally known. They also show that the disease 

 did not, as some believe, entirely disappear between 1844 and 

 1873, and it is thought by no means improbable that it may 

 have passed from Yiinnan to Mesopotamia or Persia. In Yiinnan 

 the disease is known as Yang-toze, and is believed to have been 

 originally imported from Burmah. When that was it is im- 

 possible to determine, but since the commencement of the civil 

 war it has spread over the whole province, decimating the popu- 

 lation. There is one fact which inclines Mr. Rocher to think 

 that the epidemic is owing to exhalations from the soil, viz., 

 that those animals which live in the groimd, in drains, or in 

 holes, are the first to be attacked, and this is particularly notice- 

 ! able with rats. As soon as these animals are ill they leave their 

 ' holes in troops, and, after staggering about and falling over 

 ' each other, drop down dead. The same phenomenon occurs in 

 ' the case of other animals, such as buffaloes, oxen, sheep, deer, 

 : pigs, and dogs ; all are attacked, but the dog less severely than 

 ' the others. When these phenomena appear it is not long before 

 ' the disease spreads to man, and, knowing this, the people do 



