38 



NATURE 



\l<lov, 8, 1877 



carcinoma of the rectum, from which he had been suffering 

 for some time past. Mr. James Flower was seventy- seven years 

 of age, and had served in the army in his younger days. 



From statements made at a meeting of the California Academy 

 of Sciences, the eucalyptus tree may be enumerated among the 

 means for checking fire. Eucalyptus shingles are said to be 

 fire- proof. A tree of this species was exposed to the San Fran- 

 cisco fire of 1876, and is still flourishing. The notion is urged 

 that the spread of fires in cities could be checked by setting out 

 such trees for shade and ornament. All varieties of the euca- 

 lyptus are said to possess this valuable property. 



The first examination of Surveyors and Inspectors of Nuisances 

 by the Sanitary Institute of Great Britain, took place on Monday, 

 October 29. Eight candidates presented themselves, five of 

 whom were successful in obtaining certificates of competence, 

 namely, Mr. H. M. Robinson, Surveyor, Ulverston ; Mr. J. 

 Parker, ditto, Bridgwater ; Mr. F. Booker, Inspector of Nui- 

 sances, Bradford ; Mr. W. S. Prebbles, ditto, Blackburn ; Mr. 

 Thomas Blanchard, ditto, Evesham. Fifteen candidates have 

 already entered their names for the next examination. 



News has been received, the Geographical Magazine states, 

 from M. Kelsief, who has been making researches during the 

 past summer along the Muimanian coast and in Lapland, for 

 the Moscow Anthropological Exhibition of 1879. M. Kelsief 

 had been travelling with M. Singer, secretary of the Natural 

 History Society ; and the two had, up to the time of their 

 parting company on the borders of the White Sea, made a good 

 collection of stone implements and other prehistoric remains, 

 M. Kelsief then took a cruise in a small vessel, and traversede 

 with considerable difficulty, about 800 versts in all in the White 

 and Polar Seas, and passed the whole of the summer within the 

 Arctic circle. Along the Murmanian coast he visited the Lapps, 

 who inhabit there subterranean dwellings, grouped at intervals 

 of between 70 and 100 versts. He was accompanied by only 

 one servant, and after enduring considerable hardships through 

 exposure and insufficiency of food, he started on August 29 for 

 the north of Finland, where he proposes to visit the Lapps of 

 Lake Enara, and to return to St. Petersburg by way of Tornea. 



The portion of the Indus River v/here it emerges from Kash- 

 mir territory and flows through the mountainous region of Gilgit 

 and Chilas to rejoin our frontier near Darband — a strip in all of 

 about 120 miles in length — has just received, we learn from the 

 Geographical Magazine, detailed exploration at the hands of a 

 Punjab surveyor. This piece of work will complete our geo- 

 graphical knowledge of this river, and will contribute useful 

 topographical information to our future maps, though it must 

 be remembered that the general course of the river had been 

 pretty accurately determined in 1870 by Capt. Carter's careful 

 triangulation of the peaks flanking its eastern and western 

 banks. 



The London papers contain frequent announcements of 

 expected high tides, which are no doubt useful to many as fore- 

 warnings of danger. But we cannot understand why the burden 

 of such predictions should fall solely upon Capt. Saxby. Is he 

 the only one qualified and concerned to make such predictions ? 



We have received a reprint of four important papers which 

 originally appeared in the New York Tribune, and which are 

 now sold separately by that paper at the insignificant price of 

 10 cents. The papers are on the Evolution of Life, by Dr. 

 Draper ; Ancient Life in America, by Prof. Marsh ; Catas- : 

 trophism and Environment, by Mr. Clarence King; and the | 

 Peabody Museum (illustrated), by Mr. Wyckoff. This is No. ; 

 37 of these science numbers of the Tribune ; evidently, then, , 

 it is the interest of the management to find space for so much j 

 science. 



A COMMITTEE has been formed in Holland under the patron- 

 age of Prince Henry of the Netherlands, and 24,000 florins have 

 been collected, to send out in May of next year a small but strong 

 sailing vessel to the west coast of Spitzber^en, with the view of 

 reaching the mouth of the Yenissei. The objects of the expe- 

 dition are to explore the new commercial route to. the Siberian 

 rivers, to train sailors who might ultimately be intrusted with 

 the formation of a scientific statio", and to erect a few monu- 

 ments to the memory of the early Dutch arctic navigators. 



The celebrated mammalian and reptilian remains obtained by 

 Mr. Beckles from the base of the middle Purbccks at Durdle- 

 stone Bay, and described by Prof. Owen in the Palasontographical 

 Society's Memoirs were acquired last year by the British 

 Museum. Under the care of Mr Davis they have been carefully 

 cleaned, mounted, and labelled, and are now being placed in 

 cases. The total number of specimens acquired was about 2,000, 

 but only some of the best are exhibited. 



The tank prepared at the Westminster Aquarium for the 

 whale is now used as a seal pond. Its large tize gives ample 

 scope for the gambols of the young seals, which can now be 

 seen under circumstances more favourable than have before been 

 offered in London. 



Mr. O. H. a. Moggs writing to the Times from Bullpits, 

 Bourton, Dorset, states that that place was visited on Friday 

 last by what seemed to be two shocks of an earthquake. The 

 first occurred at about 8. 10 A.M., and was accompanied by a 

 rumbling sound, which lasted about ten or twelve seconds. The 

 vibration of the ground was very slight, although it could be dis- 

 tinctly felt. The second shock was felt at 1 1 . 20 A, M. The vibration 

 of the ground was very violent, causing houses to shake and the 

 windows to rattle. This lasted about six seconds, and was 

 accompanied by a rumble like the former, only heavier, which 

 lasted about eight or ten seconds. 



A slight shock of earthquake was felt on Sunday afternoon 

 at New York. It was also felt in New Brunswick and Quebec. 



Messrs. J. and A. Churchill have published in a separate 

 form, for the use of students, the valuable "Notes on Embryology 

 and Classification " by Prof. Lankester, from the current number 

 of the Quarterly yournal of Microscopic Science. 



Under the title of " The Lazy Lays and Prose Imaginings, 

 written, printed, published, and reviewed by William H. 

 Harrison," of Great Russell Street, the author has published a 

 collection of verse interspersed with short proie pieces partly 

 sentimental but mostly intended apparently to be funny. Scien- 

 tific men and matters are in one or two cases alluded to, and the 

 imprint bears that the work is published "a.d. 1S77 (popular 

 chronology) ; a.m. 5877 (Torquemada) ; A.M. 50,800,077 

 (Huxley)." We believe our readers may derive a little amuse- 

 ment from a perusal of the volume. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include an Anubis Baboon ( Cynocephalus anubis) from 

 West Africa, presented by Mr. Ward ; a Macaque Monkey 

 (Macacus cynomolgus) from India, presented by Dr. W. B. 

 Stirling ; a Grey Ichneumon {Herpestes griseus) from India, pre- 

 sented by Mrs. Henry Jephson Mello ; a Central American 

 Agouti [Dasyprocta isthmica) from Central America, presented 

 by Mr. A. Stradling; three Sclater's Curassows {Crax sclaleri) 

 from Paraguay, presented by Mr. Alex. F. Baillie ; a Puff Adder 

 {Vtpera arietans) from South Africa, presented by Mr. A. Biden; 

 a Pike {Esox lucius) from British Fresh Waters, presented by 

 Mr. A. D. Bartlett J an Axis Deer (Cervus axis) from India, a 

 Three-banded Armadillo {Tolypeutes conurus) from La Plata, 

 deposited ; a Cape Buffalo {.Bubalus caffer), two Coatis {Nasua 

 nasica), bom in the Gardens. 



