Dec. I, 1887] 



NATURE 



113 



have been examined by Mr. Rankin, first assistant, and com- 

 pared with the other observations made from thirty hours pre- 

 vious to eighteen hours subsequent to the times of occurrence. 

 It would appear that the phenomenon has almost invariably 

 occurred when the temperature, after having been for some time 

 distinctly above the n-.ean of the season, has been falling for about 

 twenty-four hours. During this time, while the temperature 

 fell, the barometer also continued to fall till within three hours 

 of the time of St. Elmo's fire, and thereafter rose steadily. 

 The wind is west-south-westerly till the barometer falls to the 

 minimum, and then shifts to north-west. The accompanying 

 weather is fog, squalls, and unusually large-sized soft hail. 

 Mr. Rankin further compared the phenomena with the weather 

 charts of the Meteorological Offtce, with the result that pressure 

 was in all cases highest os-^x the south-west and south of 

 Europe, diminishing, however, gradually towards North- Western 

 Europe, where pressure was comparatively low, with several 

 satellite cyclones skirting the northern coasts of the British 

 Islands. Of the eleven cases, two occurred in September, 

 three in October, four in November, one in January, and one 

 in February. 



The Meteorological Report of the. Straits Settlements for the 

 year 1886 has been issued. Charts are appended, showing the 

 mean annual elements from 1870 to 1886. 



Dr. a. Muttrich has published the twelfth Annual Report 

 of the forest meteorological observations of Germany. The 

 stations now number sixteen, and the observations of tempera- 

 ture, &c., are made in the open, in the forests, and in the crowns 

 of the trees. Monthly and yearly resumes are given, but there 

 is no discussion of the results. Special attention is paid to 

 (evaporation and rainfall. 



Several earthquakes are reported from Carinthiaand Styria. 

 On November 14 a shock was felt at Klagenfurt at 10 p.m., 

 which lasted for four seconds. At Bleiburg, as well as over 

 the whole of Carinthia, severe oscillations were noticed. Re- 

 ports state that shocks occurred at II p.m. at Graz and Salden- 

 hofen, and at 4 p.m. at Ostrau-Witkowitz. At Cavaillon and 

 St. Saturnin-les-Avignon (Vaucluse) o.-cillations were felt on 

 November 14. At Cavaillon eleven houses were damaged. 

 On November 17, at 8.55 a.m., two severe shocks occurred at 

 Zafferana, near Etna. A severe earthquake, lasting for ten 

 minutes, occurred in Iceland on October 28 ; at Reikianaes 

 lai^e chasms appeared in the ground. 



The second session of the Liverpool Biological Society was 

 opened on October 29, when Dr. J. J. Drysdale, the President, 

 delivered an address on the definition of life as affected by the 

 protoplasmic theory. The Council's Report showed the affairs 

 of the Society to be in a very satisfactory condition, the 

 number of members amounting to 121. At the second meeting 

 of the session, held on November 12, the following papers, 

 dealing with the history of the foundation of the Zoological 

 Station on Puffin Island, Anglesey, were read : account of the 

 foundation of the Station, and of the general work done during 

 the past summer, by Prof Herdman ; report on the land Mollusca, 

 by Alfred Leicester ; report on the higher Crustacea, by A. O. 

 Walker; report on the Actiniaria, by J. W. Ellis; report on 

 the Copepoda, by J. C. Thompson ; report on the Polyzoa, by 

 J. Lomas. 



At a meeting of the Aristotelian Society on November 21, Dr 

 J. McK. Cattell, of the University of Pennsylvania, read a paper 

 on '* The Psychological Laboratory of Leipzig." lie explained 

 how experimental psychology undertakes to analyze and 

 measure mental phenomena, and advocated the systematic work 

 of the laboratory, both for the education of students and for the 

 advancement of knowledge. An account was then given of the 

 psychological laboratory at Leipzig, founded by Prof. Wundt in 

 1879, and of the researches which have been undertaken in it, 



Including experiments on the measurement of sensation, the 

 duration of mental processes, attention, memory, and other 

 subjects. The paper was followed by a discussion in which Prof. 

 Bain, Prof Dunstan, and others took part. 



An address on the Army Medical School, delivered some 

 months ago by Sir Henry W. Acland, at Netley Hospital, at 

 the distribution of prizes, has now been published. The author 

 explains that he issues the address because of an opinion recently 

 expressed before a Committee of the House of Commons by the 

 Accountant- General of the Army, to the effect that the Army 

 Medical School might be advantageously dispensed with. Sir 

 Henry hopes that the Accountant-General of the Army may 

 revise his opinion, and propose hereafter to increase the grant 

 and to enlarge the scope and means of the school. 



The American Industrial Education Association is about to 

 issue leaflets, giving concise information on points of its work 

 regarding which questions are continually asked. The first 

 leaflet will state compactly what the argument for manual 

 training is. 



In a Report just published by the Foreign Office, on the trade 

 of the Nyassa Territories, Mr. II awes, the newly-appointed 

 Consul, describes the .Strophanthus, a climbing plant from which 

 the natives extract a strong poison, and which is beginning to 

 find its way into the London market. It is called by the natives 

 kombe, and is found at a low level, and not apparently on high 

 land. The supplies hitherto obtained have been drawn from the 

 right bank of the Shire River below the Murchison Rapids. 

 There is apparently more than one species, or at least variety, 

 the distinguishing feature being a much smaller pod and fewer 

 seeds. At present, information relative to the varieties is scant. 

 It is a strong climbing plant, and is always fjund in the vicinity 

 of high trees, on which it supports itself. The stem varies in 

 diameter, but has an average of a few inches. It lies on the 

 ground in folds, the branches supporting themselves on the 

 nearest trees. The young branches are in appearance not unlike 

 the elder. The fruit grows in pairs, and has a peculiar appear- 

 ance, very like a pair of immense horns hanging to a slender 

 twig. It begins to ripen in July, and lasts till the end of 

 September. The native method of preparing the poison is very 

 simple. They first clean the seeds of their hairy appendages, 

 and then pound them up in a mortar until they have reduced 

 them to a pulp. A little water is then added. This is done by 

 using the bark of a tree containing a gummy substance, which 

 helps to keep the poison on the arrow, in the event of its striking 

 against a bone. The poison thus prepared is spread upon the 

 arrow, and allowed to dry ; game wounded by arrows poisoned 

 with Strophanthus die quickly. The flesh is eaten without evil 

 effect. The only precaution taken is to squeeze the juice of the 

 baobab bark on the wound made by the arrow, and this counter- 

 acts the evil effects of the poison. Buffalo and all smaller game 

 are killed by this poi on. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a Cheetah ( CyniBtunis jubatus) from East 

 Africa, presented by Mr. Frederick H jlmwood ; two White- 

 backed Piping Crows {Gymnorhina leuconotd) from Tasmania, 

 presented by Mr. C. Sadler ; a Crowned Hawk Eagle {Spizatus 

 corondlus) from South Africa, presented by Mr. E. A. Hart ; 

 two Cereopsis Geese {Ccreopsis novce-hollandia:) from Australia, 

 presented by His Grace the Duke of Northumberland, P.C, 

 K.G. ; a Common Crossbill {Loxia cuTvirostra) British, pre- 

 sented by Mr. S. R. Armord ; a Knot ( Tringa camitus) British, 

 presented by Mr. Howard Bunn ; two Thunder Fish {Misgurnus 

 fossilis) from the Baltic Sea; four Chub (Leuciscus cephahis) 

 from British fresh waters, presented by Messrs. Paul and Co. ; 

 two Cape Crowned Cranes {Balearica chrysopelargtis) from East 

 Africa, a Mealy Amazon {ChrysoHs farinosa) from South 

 America, deposited. 



