36 



NATURE 



\Nov. lo, 1887 



The new number of the Journal of the Anthropological In- 

 stitute contains a striking paper by Dr. George Harley, in which 

 he attempts to show that the tendency of civilization is decidedly 

 to lower the bodily recuperative powers of human beings. An- 

 other interesting paper— by Mr. G. L. Gomme — is on the evi- 

 dence for Mr. McLennan's theory of the primitive human horde. 



Messrs. S. Wigg and Son, Adelaide, are issuing a work 

 on "Common Native Insects of South Australia/' by Mr. 

 J. G. O. Tepper. It is intended to serve as a popular guide to 

 South Australian entomology. Part I. relates to Coleoptera. 



A PAPER containing a list of the mammals of Manitoba, by 

 Mr. Ernest E. Thompson, has been reprinted from the Trans- 

 actions of the Manitoba Scientific and Historical Society. It 

 consists chiefly of the author's field notes. 



A CORRESPONDENT writes from St. Petersburg that tigers 

 have been encountered this autumn in parts of Asiatic and 

 European Russia where they have never been t found before. 

 Some time ago one of these beasts was captured near Wladi- 

 wostock, in Siberia, and another in the government of the 

 Caucasus, close to the Black Sea. Both animals have been 

 conveyed to St. Petersburg alive. 



A Norwegian astronomer has collected seventeen reports 

 from various parts of Norway respecting the great meteor seen 

 in that country on the evening of September 18, no doubt the 

 largest meteor seen in Norway in recent times. These reports 

 show that the meteor was seen as far north as Hamar, in Central 

 Norway, and as far south as the towns of Fredrikshald and 

 Skien, on opposite sides of the Christiania Fjord, the capital and 

 neighbourhood appearing to be in the centre of its track. Its 

 light was everywhere magnificent, having the appearance of a 

 sudden blaze of electric light. The reports from Drammen and 

 neighbourhood, as well as those from the province of Smaalenene, 

 on the opposite side of the Christiania Fjord, maintain that the 

 bursting of the meteor, which took place within this area, was 

 accompanied by a loud report ; but the astronomer in question 

 is of opinion that this belief is due to some freak of the 

 imagination, as the track of the meteor, covering such 

 a vast area of land, must have lain too high in the atmosphere 

 for any sound to be heard. He calculates from the reports to 

 hand that the bursting of the meteor occurred at an altitude of 

 about 6000 feet, and he thinks that even this figure may be 

 safely doubled, as no doubt the meteor was seen far north and 

 south of the places whence reports have been received. 



The Aino idea of an eclipse is described by the well-known 

 student of Aino language and manners, Mr. Bachelor, in a 

 recent number of the ya/aw Weekly Mail. Mr. Bachelor specially 

 observed the conduct of the Ainos during the recent eclipse. The 

 Aino, he says, is a very matter-of-fact person, and is not 

 usually carried away by the imagination. On being shown the 

 eclipse through a smoked glass, the Aino cried out that the sun 

 was fainting away and dying. A silence then ensued, and from 

 time to time an exclamation of surprise or fear was to be heard ; 

 it was evident the fear was that the sun would die away and 

 never revive. They brought water and sprinkled it upwards 

 towards the sun (as they would do if a human being were 

 expiring), crying at the same time, " O god, we revive thee ! O 

 god, we revive thee ! " Some squirted the water upwards with 

 their mouths, others threw it with their hands, others, again, 

 used the common besom or willow-branches, the latter being 

 supposed to be specially efficacious. A few, especially women 

 and girls, sat down with their heads hidden between their knees, 

 as if silently expecting some dreadful calamity to suddenly 

 befall them. They have no theories with regard to eclipses, but 

 their traditions run like this : — " When my father was a child, he 

 heard his old grandfather say that his grandfather saw a total 

 eclipse of the sun. The earth became quite dark, and shadows 



could not be seen ; the birds went to roost, and the dogs began 

 to howl. The black, dead sun shot out tongues of fire and 

 lightning from its sides, and the stars shone brightly. Then the 

 sun began to return to life, and the faces of the people wore an 

 aspect of death ; and, as the sun gradually came to life, then 

 men began to live again." 



The first meeting of the one hundred and thirty-fourth session 

 of the Society of Arts will beheld on Wednesday, November 16, 

 when the opening address will be delivered by Sir Douglas 

 Galton, Chairman of the Council. Previous to Christmas there 

 will be four ordinary meetings, in addition to the opening meet- 

 ing. For these meetings the following arrangements have been 

 made :— November 23, Prof. Silvanus P. Thompson, "The 

 Mercurial Air-pump ; " November 30, Mr. J. B. Hannay, "Eco- 

 nomical Illumination from Waste Oils ; " December 7, Mr. P, 

 L. Simmonds, "The Chemistry, Commerce, and Uses of Eggs 

 of Various Kinds ;" December 14, Sir Philip Magnus, "Com- 

 mercial Education." During the session there will be six 

 courses of Cantor Lectures — "The Elements of Architectural 

 Design," by Mr. H. H. Statham ; "Yeast, its Morphology and 

 Culture," by Mr. A. Gordon Salamon ; "The Modern Micro- 

 scope " (being a continuation of the recent course of Cantor 

 Lectures on the "Microscope"), by Mr. John Mayall, Jun. ; 

 "Alloys," by Prof. W. Chandler Roberts- Austen, F.R.S. ; 

 " Milk Supply and Butter and Cheese Making," by Mr. Richard 

 Bannister; "The Decoration and Illustration of Books," by Mr. 

 Walter Crane. Two juvenile lectures on "The Application of 

 Electricity to Lighting and Working," by Mr. William Henry 

 Preece, F. R. S., will be given during the Christmas hoHdays. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a Campbell's Monkey {Cercopithecus campbellt) 

 from West Africa, presented by Mr. E. B. Mitford ; a Weeper 

 Capuchin {Cebus capucinus) from Brazil, presented by Mr. C. N. 

 Skeffington ; a Raccoon-like Dog {Canis procynides) from China, 

 presented by Mr. W. T. Manger ; an Indian Antelope {Antilope 

 cervicaprd) from India, presented by Mrs. M. V. Charrington ; 

 a Leopard (Felis pardus) from Ceylon, presented by the Dissawe 

 of Tamankadua Dulewa Adijur ; a Common Sqmrrtl {Sciurtis 

 vulgaris), British, presented by Mr. A. Townsend ; a Naked- 

 footed Owlet {Athene noctud), European, presented by Mr. R. 

 E. Holding ; a Laughing Kingfisher {Dacelo gigantea) from 

 Australia, presented by Mr. G. E. Frodsham ; two Larger Hill- 

 Mynahs [Gracula intermedia) from Northern India, presented 

 respectively by Mr. J. M. Cook and Mrs. J. S. Beale ; a Gray- 

 headed Porphyrio {Porphyria poliocephalus) from India, pre- 

 sented by Lady Morshed ; a West African Python {Python seba) 

 from West Africa, a Common Boa {Boa constrictor) from South 

 America, two Testaceous Snakes {Ptyas testacea), an Alleghany 

 Snake {Coluber alleghaniensis) from North America, deposited ; 

 six Mocassin Snakes ( Tripidonottis fasciattcs) born in the 

 Gardens. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN 



The Variable Star UOphiuchi. — Mr. S. C. Chandler, Jun., 

 who first determined the true period of this star, of all variables 

 the one with shortest period and most rapid fluctuations of light, 

 has brought together, in No. 161 of Gould's Astronomical 

 Journal, all the observations of magnitude of this star avail- 

 able. Of these, one made by Schjellerup on June 7, 1863, 

 is of special value, as it was evidently made near the time of 

 minimum, and at an interval of nearly 8000 periods from the 

 principal epoch ; whilst a series made at Cordoba in 1871 and 

 1872 has proved of very high importance. The discussion of 

 these various observations show that it is exceedingly probable 

 that the period has undergone a slight shortening ; all the data 

 being well reconciled by the assumption that each period is 



