2 r 2 



NATURE 



\_yan. lo, 1878 



The contract made between Alsace, Baden and Switzerland, 

 for the protection of the fi-heries in the Rhine and its tributaries, 

 has recently come into force. The states roeniioned agree to 

 issue similar laws with r gard to fisheries, and to further, in every 

 possible way, the maintenance and mcrease of the v uable 

 species of fish both in the Khine and in the Lake of Cons ance. 

 The contract has been signed for the space of ten years, and the 

 participation of the other Rhenish states is much desired. 



We have received another volume of Brehm's " Thierleben," 

 being the third volume on the mammals. 



The observations of shooting stars mide in August last at the 

 Royal Observatory of Brussels by M. Houzeau, and at Menin, 

 showed according to a no'e in the Bulhtin of the Belgian 

 Academy (Nos. 9 nd 10), that the number of these bodies was 

 this )tar rather small, nor fX' eefiing seven per hour on August 9, 

 and six e^n on August li ; on August 10 the sky was covered 

 with cloi ds. 



In the last session of the Naturforschende Gesellschaft of 

 Go litz \he President, Dr. Peck, made an inte esting communici- 

 tion on a newly-discovered enemy of the carp. It appears that 

 larj^e numhtrs of the ^p^wn of this fish are attacked by the 

 Water-bug (Ramitta lin aris), which fastens itself firmly on the 

 back o( its prt-y with its forefeet, and by means of its sharply» 

 pointed trunk, s itks out the small amount of blood in the young 

 organism. A series of experiments conducted in some large 

 establishments for fish culture show that the only method of 

 fighting this new foe is to drain the ponds dry and restock them 

 with fish. 



A CONSIGNMENT of soles and turbot was sent from the South* 

 port Aquaiium on Thursday last to America in charge of Mr. 

 Mather, agent to Prof. Baird, United States Commi^sioner of 

 Fish and Fishrries. If they arrive safely they are destined to 

 be turned adrift in ih« Bay of Massachusetts. It appears that 

 while so many members of the Pleuronectidce vc^ common enough 

 on the American coast, soles and turbot are entirely unknown. 

 Hence a journey to England was arranged by Prof. Baird to see 

 if these desirable fish could not be safely transmitted across the 

 Atlantic. 



The members of the Scientific Club will learn with regret that 

 Mr. Logan Lobley, F.G.S., has tendered his resignation of the 

 office ol secretary to the Committee of the Club. 



We regret to record the death, on December 22, of Mr. James 

 Whatman Bosanquet, F.R.A.S., M.R.A.S., &c., who was 

 distinguished by his researches in biblical chronology and 

 Assyrian history. He helped forward in many ways the investi- 

 gations by Mr. George Smith, by Boscawen, and others, which 

 have re>ultcd in the recent famous discoveries. His valuable 

 suggestions with reference to certain solar eclipses as bearing on 

 the subject have frequenly been acknowledged by the Astro- 

 nomer-Royal and by Mr. Hind. 



The dea h of M. Francois Vincent Raspail, one of the deputies 

 for Marseilles, is announced. The deceased deputy, who was 

 born in 1794, achieved scientific dibtinciion early in Iifrr, and for 

 many year^ past has held a high reputation on account of his 

 chemical researches. Notwithstanding these scientific pursuits, 

 M. Raspail throughout his life touk an ardent and active part 

 in poliiical affairs. 



Vanity Fair is informed that the Khedive has granted to a 

 Dutch Company the right of draining Like Mareods, and 

 utilising the land reclaimed. Its area is about 75,000 acres, and 

 the company has bound itself to hand over to the Viceroy a 

 certain propoition of the crops raised. 



We have received the first numbsr of the Revue Internationale 

 <fis Sciences t which we recently announced as about to appear 



There are two original papers, one by M. Balbiani, on "The 

 Importance and R6'e of Embryo^ eoy," and the other by Prof, 

 von Nageli, on " The Lower Fungi and the Decompositions 

 which they determine." The rest of the number is mainly 

 occupied with reports of societies. 



The Gardener's Chronicle learns with much pleasure that Mr. 

 Bentham ha> finished the "Flora Australiensis," and that the 

 seventh an * lat volume of this useful work will shortly appear. 

 The first volume was published in 1863, so that the work has 

 proceeded at the rate of one volume every two years. Not a 

 Very rapid rate, it is true ; but still it compares favourably with 

 the pace of other publications of the same kind. Mr. Ben ham 

 has had the advantage of Baron von Mueller's co-opeiation in 

 this great work. 



A Danish agricultural journal recommends to those of its 

 readers who wish to provide themselves every winter with a 

 sufficient supply of ice to last d ring the whole of the summer 

 the following simple means of increasing the thickn- ss of ice 

 during mjld winters : — Long and intense cold is neces-ary to 

 produce a coating of ice of more than twoor three inches' thickness 

 upon a surface of water of any considerable extent. But if a hole 

 is made in the ice and the surface from time to time covered 

 with a shallow layer of water, even moderate'y cold weather will 

 suffice to freeze this water, and by repeating the experiment ice 

 of ten inches or a foot in thickness is obtained without much 

 difficulty. The Danish journal therefore proposes the use of 

 portable pumps to be placed into the ice-holes for the purpose 

 described. 



The apparatus used by M. Cailletet for the liquefaction of 

 the gases was consructed by M. Ducretet, the philosophical 

 instrument maker, and was put into operation in the labora- 

 tory of the Paris Normal School daring last week, where it 

 has been visited by a number of scientific men. 



Two shocks of earthquake were felt at Beachburg, Renfrew co., 

 Ontario, on the morning of December i8 last, the fi'St being 

 between the hours of one and two, the last between five and six 

 o'clock. The latter was so severe as to shake the houses and 

 arouse the inmates from their beds, Beachburg is situated in 

 the same district in the Ottawa Valley in which the earthquake 

 of November 4 was felt most seve rely. 



Those who have visited that charming watering-place, Tenby, 

 in South Wales, will know how exceptionally rich the locality ig 

 in fossils, sea-shells, and especially in bone caves, some of 

 which contained human remains and stone implements. Mr. 

 Smith of Gumfreston, who has ju^t d'ed, is celebrated for the 

 researches he made in the limestone caves and barrows of the 

 neigh^'ourho' d, and his collection of bone.«, implements, urns, 

 &c., is most extensive and interesting, anH, on the authority of 

 Prof. Rolleston, one of the most complete ever got together by 

 a single iidividual. Through the liberality of Mr Chas. Allen 

 and others, ihe whole of the money lor the purchase of this 

 collection is forthcoming, but only on condition that a suitable 

 building shall be prov ded to hold it. At its last meeting the 

 British Association m ide a nnoney grant for the further examina- 

 tion of the Tenby bone caves, so that it is of the utmost im- 

 portance to science that a good local museum should be estab- 

 lished to prevent these most valuable specimens being scattered 

 al over the country. Those of our readers who really wish 

 practically to help in promoting the cause of local museums have 

 now an opportunity ■ f doing so by lor warding subscriptions to 

 Charles Allen, Esq , 10, Norton Tenby, South Wales. At the 

 same time the people of Tenby and of Pembrokeshire genera ly 

 will surely have public spir t e ou^h aad a sufficiently clear per- 

 ception of their own in.erest not to let this fine collection slip 

 through their hai ds, . 



