132 



NATURE 



{June 7, 1888 



stem, when it was scarcely 1 foot high, vestiges being 

 still visible that it was bent towards the right and kept in 

 this forced position by some of the leaves. The upward 

 growth being thus checked, numerous adventitious buds 

 made their appearance on the injured organ, coalesced 

 from the very outset, and formed by their subsequent 

 growth the fasciated stem, the twisting resulting from the 

 unequal rate of development of its component parts 

 (Masters, "Veget. Teratology," 18). 



Fasciation is likely to be not at all uncommon in 

 Fourcroya and other allied plants, though I know of but 

 three cases in the former, and never heard of any in 

 Agave. In 1854 a very curious case of this kind was for 

 several months the cause of considerable excitement 

 among the good people of Caracas ; it is described in the 

 newspapers of the time as having been likewise twisted in 

 the shape of a gigantic S. Another instance came under 

 my notice in 1876, and was described in the Journal of 

 Botany of that year, p. 1 80. 



Caracas, April 19. A. Ernst. 



NOTES. 



The following were elc cted Foreign Members of the Royal 

 Society, on Thursday, May 31 : Prof. Edmond Becquerel, of 

 Paris, distinguished for his researches on the effects of light on 

 bodies, especially with reference to phosphorescence ; Prof. 

 Hermann Kopp, of Heidelberg, for his researches on atomic 

 volumes and boiling-points ; Prof. Eduard F. W. Pfliiger, of 

 Bonn, for his researches in physiology, especially in relation to 

 irritability of nerves, respiration, and animal heat ; and Prof. 

 Julius Sachs, of Wiirzburg, for his researches in botany, 

 especially vegetable physiology. 



The Board of Visitors made their annual inspection of the 

 Royal Observatory at Greenwich on Saturday last. 



The Vienna Correspondent of the Times announces that, in 

 pursuance of a resolution passed at a recent meeting, the Vienna 

 geologists will invite the International Geologists' Congress, 

 which will assemble in London in September, to hold its next 

 meeting in Vienna. 



At a recent meeting of the Victoria Royal Society, the 

 President (Prof. Kerrot) announced that the first meeting of the 

 Australian Association for the Advancement of Science would 

 be held at Sydney, beginning September 4, the second at Mel- 

 bourne, the third at Adelaide. The proposal that Victoria should 

 join in the movement was favourably received, but at that 

 meeting no action was taken in the matter. 



It will be seen from our list of the additions to the Zoological 

 Society's Gardens during the past week that a living specimen 

 of Pallas's sand grouse (Syrrhaptcs paradoxus), the new visitor 

 from Central Asia, has been presented by Mr. H. Hewart Crane, 

 of Berwick -on-T weed. It was captured at that place on May 25. 

 The Tartar sand grouse seems to have appeared in Denmark 

 and Scandinavia before making its appearance here. In the 

 Island of Bornholm, in the Baltic, large flocks, numbering many 

 hundreds, were seen early in May, some being shot, others 

 captured alive. A few days later, birds were seen in various 

 parts of Denmark and Sweden. In Norway a flock of birds 

 was seen at Lister,, on the extreme west coast, on May 12, and 

 two were shot, a male and female. Their crops were full of 

 tiny black seeds unknown to that country, whilst the eggs in the 

 hen were far developed. During the immigration in 1863 these 

 birds were seen as far north as Nordfjord. In that year, too, 

 many nested on the west coast of Jutland, where the soil is 

 sandy, but they were all gathered by the fishermen. 



Prof. A. Graham Bell, who is now on his way to England, 

 will shortly appear before the Royal Commission engaged in 

 making inquiry as to the best methods of caring for and educat- 

 ing deaf-mutes. In announcing this fact, Science reminds its 

 readers that several years ago Prof. Bell presented a paper, at a 

 meeting of the National Academy of Sciences, on the formation, 

 through the intermarriage of deaf-mutes, of a deaf variety of the 

 human race, and gave some important statistics to show that a 

 much larger percentage of the children of deaf parents are deaf 

 than of those whose parents possess the sense of hearing. This 

 paper attracted wide attention, and gave rise to very interesting 

 discussions both in America and elsewhere. The Royal Com- 

 mission has requested Prof. Bell to lay before it the results of his 

 subsequent investigations and studies upon this branch of the 

 subject, and he has devoted much time to the preparation of 

 facts and figures in regard to it. He will also give the Commis- 

 sion the result of his studies of other divisions of the subject. 



According to Allen's Indian Mail, Mr. Barrington Browne, 

 the geologist sent by the Secretary of State to examine the 

 Burma Ruby Mines, has left Simla for England. He has, it is 

 understood, handed in to the Government of India his report on 

 the mineral wealth of Upper Burma. 



The hydrographic survey of Canadian waters, which has 

 already taken about five years, is now nearly half done. Com- 

 mander Boulton is hard at work in Georgian Bay, one of the 

 most dangerous of inland waters in Canada, and it is said that 

 the survey will be extended to Lake Superior. 



From September 15 to October 25 there will be in Vienna an 

 International Exhibition of Amateurs' Photographs and Photo- 

 graphic Apparatus. The Exhibition is being organized by the 

 Vienna Club of Amateur Photographers, and will be held in 

 honour of what is called "the Jubilee " of the Emperor Francis 

 Joseph. It will include every branch of art and manufacture 

 connected with photography. The Club's Daguerre Medal and 



