232 



NATURE 



\yan. 9, 1879 



the various formations of Western Europe, from the Petchora 

 Land, from the Aleutian Islands, Siberia, Crimea, &c. ; several 

 European geologists as well as the late Mr. Peabody, have many 

 times negotiated for the purchase of them. 



On December 22, Prof. Forster, Director of the Bern Ob- 

 servatory, gave to the Bern Economical Society a very interesting 

 report on weather-warnings. After a sketch of the develop- 

 ment of these warnings during past years in Europe, he pointed 

 out the importance of the " Service Agricole," established 

 between France and Austria, by which daily telegrams are sent, 

 advertising the coming weather ; 85 per cent, of these prognosti- 

 cations having been perfectly true, 7 per cent, approximately 

 true, and only 8 per cent, untrue. As to the introduction of 

 such a service in Switzerland, it would meet with great 

 difficulties because of the great variety of topographical fea- 

 tures of the country and of the incomplete knowledge of 

 the local climatic conditions. These last having been, how- 

 ever, carefully studied since 1864, the first steps towards the 

 establishment of such a service were recently made by the Swiss 

 Meteorological Commission, some of whom wished to under- 

 take inmiediately to introduce weather warnings into Switzerland, 

 whilst the majority of the Commission was for the adjournment 

 of them for one or two years. The Society expressed their 

 desire for the introduction of weather prognostics as soon as 

 possible, and we may hope that shortly Switzerland also will 

 have its weather warnings. 



The Association Scientifique de France will commence at the 

 Sorbonne its series of lectures for 1879. On January 16 M. 

 Milne-Edwards, president of the Association, will be in the 

 chair. M. de Lesseps will lecture on Central Africa. The 

 lecture will be illustrated '^by dissolving views made with 

 drawings sent by Gordon Pasha from the newly-annexed 

 Egyptian provinces. 



The Reah Istituto Lovihardo di Scienze e Lettere has recently 

 published a list of subjects for prizes to be awarded in this and 

 following years. Among these subjects are the following : — 

 Nosological geography of Italy ; critical history of the tele- 

 phone ; on the natm-e of miasma and contagion ; on the direction 

 of balloons ; is the generative material of hydrophobia a virulent 

 principle or an organic germ ? history of the progress of anatomy 

 and physiology in the present century, especially with regard to 

 the doctrine of Gall ; illustration of some facts of the macro- or 

 microscopic anatomy of the human brain ; motor centres of the 

 cerebral system ; statistics of motor force, hydraulic and steam, 

 in and around Milan. 



The Borough engineer of Liverpool has issued a not very 

 encouraging report on the result of his visit to Paris for the 

 purpose of examining the systems of electric lighting in use there. 

 They are much more expensive than gas in Liverpool, and more 

 than 50 per cent, of the light is absorbed by the globes used. 

 Nevertheless he recommends a trial in Liverpool to find if no 

 more economical method can be discovered. We reconmiend 

 to him a perusal of Mr. Schwendler's report referred to else- 

 where. 



We have received from Spain two numbers of a fortnightly 

 scientific journal, published at Barcelona, which we welcome as 

 a hopeful sign of progress in that country. The Cronica Cien- 

 tifica, as the journal is called, while containing considerable 

 extracts from foreign journals, and reports of foreign science, 

 has a fair proportion of original contributions from Spanish 

 investigators. 



We have received the number of the Attales of the Argentine 

 Scientific Society for November. Among the papers is the con- 

 tinuation of M. Carlos Berg's monograph on the Hemiptera 

 argentina, and a paper by Dr. D. Tomas Peron on the bark of 



Quebracho Blanco (Aspidosperma quclrachd). Among the hono- 

 rary members of this Society we notice the name of " Dr. Carlos 

 Darwin ; " while " Juan Lubbok, Londres," is a corresponding 

 member. 



In connection with the Yorkshire Naturalists' Union, ^ 

 " Grand Exhibition " of natural history specimens and scientific 

 apparatus will be held from January 10 to 16 at the Mechanics' 

 Institute, Leeds. On January 10 the Exhibition will be opened by 

 the President'of the Union, Mr. H. C. Sorby, F.R.S. The exhi- 

 bition will be opened every succeeding day from 10 A.M. to 10 

 P.M., and will include in the various departments of natural 

 history a large n\imber of objects, including some of the finest 

 private collections in the county, whilst the Physical Science 

 Department will contain all the latest scientific novelties, in- 

 cluding the apparatus for the liquefaction of oxygen, &c. There 

 will also be a quantity of apparatus seldom exhibited to the 

 public, together with instruments used in important original 

 researches. Every evening a series of demonstrations and short 

 addresses, and selections of music will be given. Microscopes 

 and aquaria will be constantly on view. In the basement wiU 

 be shown the process of manufacture of scientific apparatus. 

 Although the announcement of this exhibition smacks a little too 

 much of Barnum and the penny show, still the exhibition and 

 lectures seem likely to be productive of permanent good in the 

 district. 



The International Piscicultural Exhibition which will take 

 place at Berlin in the spring of next year promises to be extremely 

 interesting. A number of English, Russian, American, and 

 even Japanese and Chinese exhibitors have already promised to 

 take part in it. The Crown Prince of Germany has undertaken, 

 the protectorate of the exhibition and takes a great interest in 

 its success. 



Herr C. Reclam has recently made a detailed report of the 

 first cremation which took place at Gotha a short time ago. He 

 calculates the cost of each cremation at about 4/., which in case the 

 furnace is in continual use, so that between two processes it has 

 not time to cool, would be reduced to 3/. It is hoped in Germany 

 that the example of Gotha will soon be followed by other cities 

 so that Milan and Gotha will no longer be the only cities where 

 cremation takes place. 



Prof. Asa Gray, we learn from Harper's Weekly, announces 

 the detection, after the lapse of a hundred years, of a plant 

 obtained by Michaux in the mountains of North Carolina, and 

 known as the Shortia galacifolia, the re-discovery also having 

 occurred in M'Dowell County, in North Carolina, in a region 

 east of the Black Mountains. 



Science Nr<.vs iov December 15 contains some "Later Notes 

 on Texan Birds," by George B. Sennett, the result of a second 

 journey to south-western Texas made last spring. The Notes 

 chiefly refer to nesting habits of the more peculiar forms. The 

 region was on the banks of the Rio Grande within a few miles 

 of its mouth, with Lomila Ranche as the central point. 



" Vogelbilder aus fernen Zonen" is the title of an atlas of 

 foreign birds just published by Fischer, of Cassel, under the 

 care of Dr. Ant. Reichenow. The first part, before us, contains 

 three beautifully coloured plates of birds, artistically grouped 

 amid suitable surroundings, each plate having explanatory text, 

 in which each species represented is pretty fully described, 

 giving not only the scientific but also the native, German, 

 French, English, and other names of the birds. The three 

 plates are devoted to parrakeets and allied kinds. The same 

 publisher sends us a series of large zoological wall-plates, 

 admirably adapted, it seems to us, to teaching zoology in a 

 thoroughly scientific manner. The plates sent us are mainly 



