88 



NATURE 



{May 24, 1888 



experimental farms in various parts of the country were provided 

 by the Legislature, a botanist and entomologist were appointed, 

 and a large number of experiments to ascertain the roots and 

 cereals most suited for the circumstances of Canada — especially 

 its short summer — were carried out under scientific supervision. 



A rich gold-field has been discovered between the two 

 rivers, Lava and Papanahoni, in Surinam. It is an open 

 question whether this district of 20,000-25,000 square kilometres 

 belongs to France or Holland. M. Condreau, the French 

 traveller, who has been closely investigating the district, con- 

 siders that it will be as productive as the gold-fields of Australia 

 and California. 



The University of Christiania has despatched a zoologist, 

 Herr J. Jversen, to Sumatra, for the purpose of collecting natural 

 history objects for that institution. 



A SUM of .£550 has been granted by the Danish Government 

 towards the expenses of publishing the zoological and botanical 

 results of Lieut. Hovgaard's Arctic expedition in the Dijmphna 

 in 1880-81. The work will soon be issued. 



In addition to a sum already granted, the Norwegian Govern- 

 ment has given ^300 towards the publication of Prof. Friis's 

 ethnographical chart of the provinces of Tromso and Finmarken. 



The number of visitors to the Natural History Museum, re- 

 corded by aid of Benton's " O " register up to 6 o'clock on 

 Whit Monday, was 4567, and the Museum was open for two 

 hours longer. This number compares with 6010 and 6589 

 admissions on the Whit Mondays of the two prece ling years. 

 During the week ending Saturday last, 149,583 persons visited 

 the Museum in the present year, being an increase of 8000 on 

 last year. 



The honorary degree of LL.D. has been conferred by the 

 McGill University, Montreal, upon Prof. W. Fream, B. Sc. 

 Lond., of the College of Agriculture, Downton, Salisbury, in 

 recognition of his contributions to agricultural science and of 

 his services to Canadian agriculture. 



Much interest has been excited by the successful transplanta- 

 tion of nerve from a rabbit to man. The operation was per- 

 formed by Dr. Gersung, of Vienna, and the patient was Dr. 

 von Fleischl, Professor of Physiology in the University of that 

 city. Sixteen years ago Dr. von Fleischl accidentally wounded 

 himself while conducting a post-mortem examination, and the 

 consequent severe inflammatinn of his right arm and hand led 

 ultimately to the loss of the terminal joint of his thumb. The 

 end of the stump having become painful, amputation somewhat 

 further back was performed. This was followed by the forma- 

 tion of "neuromata." In the hope of obtaining relief he 

 underwent several fruitless operations. Ultimately, Dr. Gersung 

 suggested that the nerves might be repaired, and the missing 

 portions replaced, by means of fresh nerve taken from a rabbit. 

 The Times of Tuesday gives the fallowing account of the opera- 

 tion : — "Just as there is nothing special in any individual human 

 nerve, and as any one of them would be capable of discharging the 

 duty of any other, so, it may be assumed, there is no difference 

 between the endowments of the nerves of man and those of the 

 lower animals, which fulfil identical functions in an identical 

 manner. It was, therefore, inherently probable that the nerve 

 of an animal, if a piece could be obtained of the proper size and 

 length, and if transplantation and union could be successfully 

 effected, would suffice to make good any loss of nerve in man ; 

 and, in the present instance, which is, we believe, the first of 

 the kind on record, not only have the transplantation and union 

 been succesful, but the new piece of nerve seems to have over- 

 come the tendency of the old to undergo degeneration of struc- 

 ture at its divided extremity. A portion, six centimetres in 



length, of the great nerve of a rabbit's thigh was selected, and 

 was so removed from the freshly killed animal as to include the 

 natural bifurcation of the main trunk into two branches. The 

 divided stem was secured by stitches to the stump of the nerve 

 in Prof, von Fleischl's arm, and the ends of the branches were 

 secured in like manner to the nerve terminations which remained 

 in his fingers, and which were rendered useless by their separa- 

 tion from the trunk to which they belonged. The whole 

 operation, as a matter of course, was conducted with strict 

 adherence to those principles of antiseptic surgery without which 

 failure would have been more than likely ; but, by the observance 

 of which, union, almost anywhere or of any thing, can with a 

 near approach to certainty be secured. The wound healed 

 kindly, the transplanted nerve soon became at home in its new 

 position ; and already, after the lapse of a little more than two 

 months, it is reported that sensation is returning to the fingers. 

 At the same time there has been no return of pain, and no fresh 

 indication of the development of neuromata, so that hope of an 

 absjlutely successful issue may now with some confidence be 

 entertained." 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include three Cape Crowned Cranes (Balearica chryso- 

 pelargus) from Zanzibar, presented by Colonel E. Smith ; two 

 Peregrine Falcons (Falco peregrinus) from India, presented by 

 Mr. J. Davidson ; a Gannet {Sula bassana), British, presented by 

 the Baroness de Taintegnies ; a Three-toed Chalcis (Chalcides 

 tridactylus) from France, presented by Mr. J. C. Warburg ; an 

 Indian Python {Python molurus) from India, received in ex- 

 change ; an Elliot's Pheasant (Phasianus elliotiQ ) from China, 

 purchased ; an American Bison (Bison americanus), a Great 

 Kangaroo (Macropus giganteus £ ), seven Suricates {Suricata 

 letradactyld) born in the Gardens. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 



Comet 1888 a (Sawerthal). — Several computers having 

 shown that the Cape observation of this object made on 

 February 18 cannot be harmonized with those made since peri- 

 helion by means of parabolic elements, Prof. Lewis Boss has 

 computed elliptic elements for it, based on the above-mentioned 

 Cape observation, and observations obtained at Albany on 

 March 17 and April 18. His first effort was to find a parabolic 

 orbit from the last two observations, and another, also made at 

 Albany, on March 30 ; but the resulting parabola not only entirely 

 failed to satisfy the Cape observation, but also left residuals too 

 large to be admitted, for other observations at his disposal which 

 had been made since perihelion. The ellipse, on the contrary, 

 which he obtained from the places of February 18, March 17, 

 and April 18 satisfied these other observations very fairly, the 

 largest differences being given by the observation of March 30, 

 viz. (C - O)— 



Aa = - 8" -5. AS — - 7""2. 



The residuals point to a somewhat larger eccentricity than that 

 given below, but are probably due in great part to comparatively 

 small errors in the first and last observations used. 



The elements are as follow : — 



T= il 



March 16-9987 G.M.T. 



«" = 359 54 58-4 



a = 245 22 46*6 



i = 42 15 23-1 

 log<? = 9 '997790 

 log q = 9-844329 

 Period = 1615 years. 



Prof. Boss suspects, however, that the true period will be found 

 decidedly greater than 2000 years. 



x = r [9 -898389] sin (v + 328 9 76). 



y = r [9-999694] sin (v + 236 29 13-9). 



s = r [9 -787085] sin (v + 323 42 17 9). 



In the same number of Gould's Astronomical Journal in which 



the above elements appear, the Rev. G. M. Searle gives an inde- 



