28 



NATURE 



[3fajy 13, 1875 



Formosa, as well as in the smaller Axis, Prince Alfred's 

 and Hog Deer. In the Siamese Deer, named by Mr. 

 Blyth after Mr. Schomburgb, the brow antler is long, 

 whilst each of the two branches of the short beam agam 

 divides in a very regular manner, the ultimate tynes bemg 

 of nearly equal length. In Duvaucel's Deer, frotn India, 

 the beam is longer than in the last-named species, and 

 the branching is very similar, except that the posterior 

 bifurcation is less developed than the anterior. This 

 reduction is carried to an extreme in Eld's Deer, from 

 Eastern India, where the anterior division of the antler is 

 very large and curved forward, whilst the posterior is 

 represented by a minute tyne. The gradation between 

 these three forms was demonstrated by Mr. Blyth. In 

 the Reindeer the general conformation of the beam very 

 closely resembles that of Eld's Deer, but with this rusine 

 peculiarity, the strangely palmated brow antler is double, 

 as only elsewhere occurs in the elaphine type. In the 

 American Roes a similar conformation obtains, the brow 

 antler being small in the Virginian Deer and almost 

 absent in the Mule Deer, which latter species m the 

 branching of the beam very closely agrees with both 

 Duvaucel's and Schomburgh's Deer. 



The South American Guazupucu {Blastocerics palu- 

 dosus), which differs considerably from the Mazame, a 

 species generally supposed to belong to the same genus, 

 has the anterior bifurcated tyne. This may be the modi- 

 fied brow antler, as may be the similar branch in the 

 Chinese Elaphure discovered by the P^re A. David, both 

 these species having a simple, or comparatively simple, 

 posterior beam, and no gland on the outer side of the 

 metatarsus. r , t^ , , , 



The interpretation of the affinities of the Roebuck by 

 means of its horns is not easy. In that species there are 

 three small tynes, the anterior being situated higher up than 

 is usually the case with brow antlers, and the two posterior 

 much like those of the Hog Deer. In the last-named 

 species, however, the brow antler is not low, and it is not 

 difficult to imagine it being carried a little further up. On 

 this assumption the Roebuck is the only European repre- 

 sentative of the rusine type. , ^ , 



The simple nature of the antlers in the Brockets of 

 South America and the pecuUar Muntjacs of the Indian 

 region, in which the horns are attached on the top 

 of elongated pedestals, makes it impossible to decide, 

 from them alone, the forms to which they are nearest 

 allied. ^ 



As far as the hornless Musk and Water Deer are con- 

 cerned, Sir V. Brooke has shown in how many points 

 they differ from one another ; whilst Prof. Flower, at a 

 recent meeting of the Society, has demonstrated to a cer- 

 tainty that the former of them is not at all related to the 

 Chevrotains, which they so closely resemble in size and 

 general contour, and with which they have generally been 

 associated. 



The horns of the Elk do not agree with any of the 

 above-described forms. The fan-shaped palmation into 

 which they spread is based on a radiating framework, and 

 no specialised brow antler is to be seen. 



With reference to the geographical distribution of the 

 Deer, none are to be found in the Australian or Ethiopian 

 region, the Barbary Deer being the only member of the 

 group found in Africa at all, and that north of the Sahara. 

 The Elk is found both in North America and Northern 

 Europe, as is the Reindeer. The larger Elaphines are 

 represented in North America by the Wapiti, and by 

 several closely-allied species distributed throughout the 

 Palaearctic region as defined by Mr, Sclater to include 

 Europe, North-west Africa, and Asia with the exception 

 of India and the Chinese Empire. The smaller Elaphines 

 abound in Japan, China, and Formosa. The true Rusas 

 are most numerous in India and the Indo-Malay Archi- 

 pelago, the most recently discovered species, named by 

 Mr. Sclater Rusa alfredi, having been obtained by the 



Duke of Edinburgh from the Philippines, whilst R. Swin- 

 hoH is from Formosa. 



Mr. Swinhoe's new Water Deer abounds at and near 

 Shanghai, whilst the equally peculiar Elaphure probably 

 has its home in South-west Mantchuria, though it exists 

 in large numbers in a semi-domesticated state in the 

 Imperial Park at Pekin, together with commoner 

 species. The Musk Deer comes from India and the 

 country north of it, and the Muntjacs are found in India 

 and China, as well as the intermediate regions. The 

 Cervida; are also represented in North America by the 

 Virginian, Mexican, and Mule Deer ; the Guazus, 

 Guemuls, and Brockets replacing them in the southern 

 continent. 



{To be continued^ 



THE IRON AND STEEL INSTITUTE 

 'X*HIS Association may now be fairly considered as 

 -*• having become an established institution in the 

 country, and is to be congratulated on the success it has 

 achieved in its attempt to introduce something like scien- 

 tific method into the important industries with which it 

 is connected. It is undoubtedly doing excellent work, 

 and if it adheres steadily to its purpose, and goes on as it 

 has begun, it will help greatly in enabling our iron and 

 steel manufactures to keep pace with the rapid progress 

 which is being made on the Continent and in America. 



As we have already intimated, the Institute held its 

 annual general meeting in London on Wednesday, 

 Thursday, and Friday, the 5th, 6th, and 7th inst. The 

 Report which was read was very encouraging ; the nuih- 

 ber of members is now 832, and the financial statement is 

 highly satisfactory. 



The Bessemer Medal for 1875 has been awarded to Dr. 

 Siemens, F.R.S., in recognition of the valuable services 

 he has rendered to the iron and steel trades by his im- 

 portant inventions and investigations. Besides a number 

 of foreign gentlemen, Dr. Percy, of the School of Mines, 

 was elected an honorary member. The next provincial 

 meeting is to be held in Manchester early in September. 



Mr, Lowthian Bell, after a short address, resigned the 

 chair, to which Mr. William Menelaus was elected. The 

 address of Mr. Menelaus was mainly concerned with recent 

 improvements in the manufacture of steel. Mr. Menelaus 

 has evidently correct notions as to the method by which 

 the industries with which he is connected are to be made 

 the most of. " As an iron maker," he said, " my mission 

 has been to bring into profitable use the valuable inven- 

 tions of Bessemer, Siemens, and others, and to apply the 

 scientific research of men like Mr. Bell to the improve- 

 ment of old and new processes." 



On the evening of Wednesday Mr. Warrington W. 

 Smyth delivered a valuable lecture on " The Ores of Iron 

 considered in their Geological Relations." Mr. Smyth 

 directed attention to the oxides as met with by them- 

 selves, or combined with water or carbonic acid, and 

 which formed the great bulk of the material employed in 

 iron making. First in order of the ores thus limited was 

 magnetite. This mineral, with 72"4i percent. when pure, 

 was the fine rich ore which had been worked with great 

 success for centuries in several of the Scandinavian mines. 

 In Italy fine examples of magnetite were also found, as 

 well as in several widely-separated places in North 

 America. Magnetite only occurred in a few localities in 

 Great Britain, amongst which the vicinity of Penryn, in 

 Cornwall, and Hey Tor, near Bovey, in Devon, were 

 mentioned. The next species noticed by the lecturer was 

 haematite. This ore, so little recognised thirty years 

 ago, was now too well known to {require to be enlarged 

 on. He next described the curious ores named bauxite 

 and wochenite, in which alumina takes the place of 

 the sesquioxide of iron, turgite, gothide, limonite, chaly- 

 bite, the last-named often mixed with other ores on 



