March 8, 1877] 



NATURE 



399 



The Estimation of Urea by means of Hypobromite 



A i.T.ow me to correct a slight mistake into which your reporter 

 has fallen, no doubt inadvertently. 



Knop was the first to propose (in 1870) the use of a strongly 

 alkaline solution of hypobromite for the estimation of urea in 

 place of the hypochlorite previously employed by Davy. Every 

 chemist who since 1870 has worked with the process has, as far 

 as I am aware, retained the exact composition of Knop's hypo- 

 bromite solution. 



The modifications in details which I have proposed are there- 

 fore for the purpose of facilitating the working of Knop's pro- 

 cess. This process is, I believe, the one best suited for general 

 use. Cerlainly no other process as yet devised equals it in 

 rapidity and ease of working, and few, if any, surpass it in 

 accuracy. If, then, it should be deemed desirable to attach any 

 names to this process, I would suggest that it be called the 

 Knop-Davy process. A, Dui'r6 



Westminster Hospital, February 24 



Colcenis Julia in Texas. — Venomous Snakes devouring 

 each other 



In Chapter XV. of his " Geographical Distribution of Animals," 

 -Mr. Wallace mentions Cohviiis (belonging to the Nymphalida;) 

 as one of the South American forms, which do not pass north of 

 Costa Rica or Nicaragua. I have taken, though only once 

 during nine years, a female of Colocnis julia, Hiibner, here at 

 IJastrop, on the Colorado, in about 30° N, latitude, but I believe 

 this to be the first time where said species has been captured in 

 temperate America. 



I do not know whether the fact has been observed before, that 

 one venomous snake will devour another belonging to even the 

 same genus. Some time ago I captured, on the Guadaloupe 

 River, a large and very thick Ancistrodon pugnax (Water 

 Moccasin), one of the Crotalidrc, and upon opening it, found 

 inside a large and quite well preserved specimen of Ancistrodon 

 contortrix (Copperhead). 



Although I have examined many venomous snakes since, I 

 never found a similar case, and the stomachs contained only 

 mice, frogs, &c. L. IIeiligbrodt 



Lastrop, Texas, February 7 



Lowest Temperature 



The temperature experienced during the night between Feb- 

 ruary 28 and March i was so exceptional, that it may be thought 

 worthy of a passing remark. The minimum reading at this 

 observatory was 9'l° F., which is the lowest recorded during the 

 last sixteen years ; that of December 24, i860, was, however, 

 lower, being 67°. The lowest readings for February and March 

 during the past twenty-eight years were respectively io"i° on 

 February I, 1855, and 14-5° on March 4, 1866. 



Stonyhurst Observatory, March 2 S. J. Perry 



Meteor 



I SAW the meteor described'; by Mr. Ingleby on February 26, 

 about 6.20 P.M., Greenwich, from the railway platform at 

 Oloucester. It was moving very slowly from right to left 

 I'arallel with the horizon to the right of the moon, and a good 

 deal below her ; I should think two or three degrees at least. 

 A bright track was left behind. The size must have been 

 considerable for it was a very brilliant evening, and still almost 

 ■ laylight. No stars were visible in that part of the sky. I 

 couki not then see the position of Sirius, however. It was 

 tolerably bright twenty minutes later. Gloucester is nearly due 

 west of Ilford, and about 100 miles distant in a straight line. 



Westbury-on-Severn, March 3 Albert J. Moxr 



REPORT ON THE GOVERNMENT METEORO- 

 LOGICAL GRANT 



THE following is the Report to the Lords Commis- 

 sioners of her Majesty's Treasury by the Committee 

 appointed in November, 1875, to inquire into the condi- 

 tions and mode of administration of the annual grant of 

 10,000/. in aid of meteorological observations. That 

 Committee consisted of the following : — Sir W. Stirling 

 Maxwell, Chairman, Mr. T. Brassey, Mr. T. H. Farrer, 

 Mr. Francis Galton, Mr. David Milne Home, Dr. J. 

 D. Hooker, Mr. R. R. W. Lingen, C.B., and Lieut.-Gen. 



Rd. Strachey. We hope to make a few comments on the 

 Report in our next number. 



1. We have, in accordance with the Treasury Minute of 

 November 2, 1875, made the inquiries therein mentioned. In 

 doing so we have asked for the opinion of the President and 

 Council of the Royal Society, who have favoured us with an 

 elaborate report. We have also taken evidence from members 

 and officers of the Committee which has hitherto administered 

 the grant ; and from many other persons whose opinions ap- 

 peared to us to be important, either on account of their scientific 

 eminence, their official position, or their practical knowledge and 

 experience of the subjects in respect of which, and the classes to 

 whom, meteorological knowledge is specially useful. To this 

 report and evidence, which are contained in the Appendix to 

 our Report, we desire to refer in support of the following con- 

 clusions : — 



2. The business of the Committee may be considered under 

 two heads, viz. : — 



(i) The Meteorology of the Ocean. 



(2) The Meteorology of the British Isles. 



And the business relating to the latter of these may again be 

 subdivided as follows, viz, : — 



{a) That branch which by the use of the telegraph collects 

 material for, and issues daily weather charts and storm 

 warnings. 



(i^) That branch which collects, digests, and publishes meteoro- 

 logical statistics. This last branch depends on two 

 sources of information ; viz. (i) on observations taken 

 at a limited number of stations which are provided with 

 self-recording instruments, and which furnish continuous 

 observations ; and (2) on observations taken by the eye 

 at stated daily periods at more numerous intermediate 

 stations. 



3. All these divisions and sub-divisions of the business have 

 produced results of value, and should be continued. For more 

 specific information on these points we beg to refer to the evi- 

 dence, and especially to the report of the President and Council 

 of the Royal Society. 



4. Ocean meteorology should, we think, be transferred to the 

 Hydrographical Department of the Admiralty. The reasons 

 for this are, first, that whilst this department is equally able 

 with the present Committee to collect observations from mer- 

 chant ships, it must be better able to collect similar observations 

 from her Majesty's ships ; and, secondly, that from its expe- 

 rience in chartography and in nautical wants, it is specially com- 

 petent to put the results in a form useful to navigators. 



5. In performing this new duty the Hydrographical Depart- 

 ment should be in such relation with the office or department 

 which manages land meteorology, as to insure that the obser- 

 vations taken at sea will be so made and digested as to be avail- 

 able for scientific purposes in connection with those made on land. 



6. Every effort should be made to act in concert with other 

 nations in ocean meteorology, so that labour may be economised, 

 and the utmost possible use be made of all available materials. 



7. In recommending the above transfer we assume that the 

 Lords of the Admiralty will be willing that the Hydrographical 

 Department should undertake the duty ; that that department 

 will be organised and made in all respects adequate for the pur- 

 pose ; that the observations from merchant ships which have 

 been hitherto successfully collected by the present Committee, 

 and which are necessarily more numerous and more varied than 

 any which can be obtained from the Royal Navy, will continue 

 to be collected ; and that the advancement of science, so far as 

 the ocean is concerned, will be no less an object with the Hydro- 

 graphical Department of the Admiralty than it has hitherto 

 been with the present Committee. 



8. As to land meteorology we have considered the alternative 

 proposals of appointing one permanent head, as was the case 

 before 1866, and of leaving matters to be managed by a Com- 

 mittee in the same manner in which they have since been ma- 

 naged. But we cannot recommend either of these proposals. 

 As regards the first, although it may be desirable at some 

 future time to create a permanant meteorological establishment 

 on some such footing as that of the Astronomical Observatory at 

 Greenwich, with an officer of scientific eminence at its head, we 

 think that matters are scarcely ripe for such a step at present. 

 As regards the second, it cannot be expected that the gentlemen 

 who now constitute the Meteorological Committee, and who have 

 by way of experiment given much valuable time to the work in its 



