194 



NATURE 



{Jan. 3, 1878 



Prof. Pfaundler communicated in a recent session of the 

 Vienna Academy the results of some experiments undertaken to 

 decide the question as to the smallest absolute number of vibra- 

 tions capable of producing a sound. By means of a siren with 

 two openings for blowing, he finds that two isolated vibrations 

 are capable of producing a tone which, by repetition, becomes 

 audible. 



The Meteorological Society of Paris has elected as president 

 ]\I. Herve Mangon, professor of Agriculture at the Conserva- 

 toire des Arts et Metiers. 



The Postal and Telegraph services are to be united in France, 

 as they have been already in England, under a single direction. 

 The first director of the complex organisation will be M. Cocheris, 

 one of the staff of the Temps and a well-known writer on matters 

 of political economy. 



At the last meeting, December 19, 1877, of the Russian Geo- 

 graphical Society, M. Mushketov made a very interesting com- 

 munication on his last journey in the Tian Shan and to the 

 Pamir, where he visited some places never befoi-e visited by 

 European travellers. His researches enable us to correct many 

 imperfections in the works of Gordon and Stoliczka, and to ob- 

 tain many new and important data. A complete geological 

 sketch of the Pamir highlands will soon be published by M. 

 Mushketov. At the same meeting the secretary gave an account 

 of a new expedition to Central Asia, which will start from St. 

 Petersburg at the beginning of this year, under the leadership of 

 Prof. A. E. Middendorff. The expedition has especially in view 

 the study of the agricultural conditions of Turkistan, and the 

 well-known traveller, zoologist, and practical agriculturist who 

 is at the head of the expedition, will be supported in his work 

 by MM. Smirnoff and Russow. 



At the meeting, December 15, of the St. Petersburg Society 

 of Naturalists Prof. Kessler referred to the fishes brought this 

 year by M. Polyakoff from the lakes Ala-Kul and Balkhash. In 

 addition to the seven species which were known before in the 

 Central-Asian fauna he has discovered four new ones, one of 

 which is the interesting fish described by the inhabitants as 

 Marenker (its zoological description will soon appear), the flesh 

 and caviare of which are poisonous. 



Prof. Berthelot, of Paris, is probably the most prolific 

 chemist of the day. We notice in the two last numbers of the 

 Annalcs de Chimie et de Physique, the two last numbers of the 

 Comptes Rendus, and the last Bulletin de la Societe Chimique de 

 Parts, thirty-two various articles under his name. Berthelot's 

 researches are, however, confined to thermal and physical che- 

 mistry, and are not delayed by the analytical operations atten- 

 dant on other branches of chemical investigation. 



Capt. J. O. Lunginers, of the Danish vessel Luiterfeld, com- 

 municates to a Copenhagen paper an interesting account of a 

 novel experience which occurred on December 10, 1876, while 

 on a voyage to Valparaiso. The vessel was at this time in the 

 neighbourhood of Terra del Fuego, about 140 miles from 

 Magellan's Straits, when early in the morning it narrowly 

 escaped collision with an island where no trace of land appeared 

 on the charts. The vessel hove-to until daylight, when the 

 captain proceeded with a boat's crew to the new island, which 

 had gradually diminished in size since the first observation. 

 Around the conical rocky mass the water was hissing, and 

 although no smoke appeared, it was found to be too highly 

 heated to permit of landing. The [sinking continued slowly, 

 until at eight o'clock the island was completely submerged, and 

 an hour later the vessel passed over the spot where it had dis- 

 appeared. 



^ The December Session of the Berlin Geographical Society 



was occupied by a long and interesting address from Dr. Y. M. 

 Hildebrandt, on the results of his late African explorations. 

 We have already alluded in a late number to the unfortunate 

 result of the expedition to the snow-clad mountains of equatorial 

 Africa, when the explorer was compelled to return with Mount 

 Kenia fairly in sight. The heroism of Dr. Hildebrandt in 

 battling with danger and disease in manifold forms is only 

 approached by the adroitness and ingenuity which characterised 

 his dealings with the natives. Among the Hataitas he was 

 regarded as a magician, and was forced to pronounce incanta- 

 tions on the unfruitful fields. For this purpose, at his request, 

 specimens of all the plants and animals in the vicinity were 

 githered by the tribe, and after having served as a " fetish," were 

 carefully packed away in the collections. On another occasion 

 he was attacked by several hundred natives, who beat a hasty 

 retreat, when the explorer advanced towards them armed with a 

 photographic camera. Despite the constant succession of mis- 

 fortunes accompanying Dr. Hildebrandt during his two years' 

 explorations in Africa, he has succeeded in gathering together a 

 large and valuable collection of anthropological and botanical 

 specimens especially, from Cape Gardafui and the Comoro 

 island Johanna. A number of new species and genera, 

 particularly of aromatic plants, were discovered in the former 

 locality. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include two Lions {FcUs ho) from Upper Nubia, pi-e. 

 sented by Wr. John Baird ; a Green Monkey (Cercopilhcacs 

 callitrichiis) from West Africa, presented by Mr. J. Sco't; a 

 Bonnet Monkey {.1/acacus radiatus) from India, presented by 

 Mr. J. II. Thompson ; a Common Thicknee {(Edicrieinus 

 crepitans), European, presented by Mr. F. Moll ; a Macaque 

 Monkey {Macaais cynoincI'Jtis) from India, deposited ; a Collared 

 Fruit Bat {Cynonycteris collaris), a Geoffroy's Dove {Pcristcra 

 gcoffroii), bred in the Gardens. 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE 



Oxford. — An examination for a Radcliffe Travelling Fellow- 

 ship will be held on February II. Candidates should forward 

 notice of their intention to offer themselves, on or before January 

 15, to Dr. Acland. 



An examination will be held at Queen's College on April jo 

 to fill up an open scholarship in natural scienca, of the value of 

 90/., tenable for five years. 



London. — We learn that in consequence of the success 

 attending the course of Lectures on Physiology now being 

 delivered at the Working Men's College, Great Ormond Street, 

 by Mr. T. Dunman, the Council of that Institution have arranged 

 for the delivery, by the same gentleman, of a supplementary 

 advanced course of about sixteen lec'.ures, the first of which will 

 be delivered on Friday, January 18. The lectures will be accom- 

 panied by practical demonstrations. Mr. Dunman has been 

 appointed to the lectureship in physiology at the Birkbeck 

 Institution, recently vacated by Dr. Aveling. 



Manchester. — Mr. M, M. Patti-:on Muir, F.R.S.E., As- 

 sistant-Lecturer in Chemistry, and Demonstrator in the Labora- 

 tory of the Owens College, has been appointed Prselector in 

 Chemistry at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge. 



Berlin. — We notice in the report of a late session of the 

 Prussian House of Deputies a very vigorous presentation, by 

 Prof. Mommsen and Prof, Virchow, of the necessity for a new 

 building for the royal library. This valuable collection of 

 books — over 700,000 in number — is the largest in Germany, 

 and increases so rapidly that the present quarters in the Im- 

 perial Palace are most inadequate. The Government shows 

 an inclination to remedy the evil, and it is to be hoped that 

 this chief store of mental pabulum for the Berlin student will soon 

 be provided with a house of its own. End the much-needed cata- 

 logue of its treasures finally be published. 



