May 27, 1 875 J 



NATURE 



IS 



animals preserved in spirits, or skeletons." The spirit 

 collection till recently has been much neglected, and all 

 who have wished to prosecute their investigations into the 

 more intricate details of zoology and comparative anatomy 

 —into points of myology, nerve distribution, &c., quite as 

 important as, but much less easily arrived at than, osteo- 

 logical characters — may justifiably look forward to the 

 time when the national collection will contain, preserved 

 in their entirety, examples of all reasonably-sized species. 



" In the acquisition by purchase of skeletons, particular 

 care has been taken [we are told] that they should be 

 those of animals captured in a wild state, the skeletons of 

 mammals (and birds) which have been brought up or have 

 lived for some time in menageries, showing rarely, if ever, 

 a perfect development of the osseous system. Scarcely 

 less caution is required in admitting specimens of this 

 kind into the collection for the sake of their skins." There 

 is a great deal of truth in these remarks, but there are 

 many new species of animals, such as the new Mourning 

 Kangaroo, brought over by M. d'Albertis, and the Hairy- 

 eared Rhinoceros {Rhitwceros lasioiis), discovered by Mr. 

 Sclater, and now enjoying perfect health in the Zoological 

 Society's Gardens, which are only known from these indi- 

 viduals.* It would be a loss to the collection if these 

 were not obtained when opportunity afforded, and we are 

 glad to know that the small kangaroo referred to has 

 died and has been secured by Dr. Giinther. 



We are informed that over three thousand students who 

 have visited the department during the past year, with the 

 object of consulting the various portions of the collections, 

 "have been, assisted and attended to." All, we are con- 

 vinced, will agree in expressing their best thanks to Dr. 

 Albert Giinther, who, as the worthy successor of the late 

 Dr. J. E. Gray, has done all in his power to place every 

 facility in the way of those who are desirous of studying 

 Natural Histor)'. 



NOTES 



M. LeverrieR was expected in England during tiie present 

 month ; but as the revision of his planetary theories, and 

 especially of the Theory of Saturn, in which he has been occu- 

 pied for some time, is not yet completed, his visit to this country 

 will be delayed. 



The Emperor of Brazil has sent to Prof. Virchovv, accom- 

 panied by an autograph letter in French, an interesting collec- 

 tion of skulls and skeletons, amongst which are some found in 

 ancient caverns of Brazil. The collection has been made at the 

 Emperor's request by the director of the Museum at Rio, 

 Seuor Ladislas Neto. The Emperor regrets that he did not 

 have the pleasure of making Prof. Virchow's acquaintance at 

 Berlin when he visited that city, as the Professor's investigations 

 " are highly esteemed even by those to whom, like myself, it is 

 not given to be more than friends to science. ' 



The Geographical Society of Rome gave a banquet, on May 

 1 1, to the celebrated African traveller Dr. Nachtigal ; many of 

 the members and several notabilities of the city of Rome were 

 present in honour of the guest. The Vice-president of the 

 Society, Senator Amari, proposed the health of the guest, who 

 had just returned from a journey through Fezzan, Bornu, Wadai, 

 and Darfur. Dr. Nachtigal, in reply, wished success to the scien- 

 tific expedition to Central Africa planned by the Society ; he 

 considered that this expedition would be an honour to the whole 

 Italian kingdom. 



The transfer of the India Museum to the Eastern Galleries 

 of the International Exhibition Buildings, South Kensington, 

 having been completed, the collection was thrown open to the 



* A second specimen of the latter species has been just received by 

 Mr. C. Jamrach. 



Institute of Civil Engineers, who had a brilliant conversazione 

 in the galleries on Tuesday evening ; there were about 2, 500 

 present. Considerable advance has been made in the arrange- 

 ment of the valuable collections belonging to the Museum, 

 though it must necessarily take some time before everything can 

 find its proper place. There are two galleries, the upper and 

 the lower. In the former, the Manufactures and Arts of India are 

 represented ; in the latter, which are not yet finished, the 

 Natural History of Ilindostan, the mineral, vegetable, and animal 

 products, are represented. No doubt the India Museum, as it 

 will ultimately be arranged, will become a favourite and instruc- 

 tive resort of the public, and we hope it is only the first step 

 towards the realisation of Dr. Forbes Watson's great scheme of 

 an Indian Institute. 



Mr. H. H. Sclater, the naturalist to the Rodrigues section 

 of the late Transit of Venus Expedition, and the Rev. A. E. 

 Eaton, who held the same position at Kerguelen's Land, are both 

 working out the materials which they collected during their stay 

 in the islands which they visited. The former zoologist has 

 obtained a great number of remains of the extinct Solitaire, one 

 skeleton and several skulls being perfect ; besides the remains 

 of several other species of birds. Mr. Eaton's specimens include 

 the skeleton of one Cetacean, two Scab, and several species of 

 Petrels. 



Dr. Lyon Playfair has withdrawn his bill for restricting 

 experiments on animals, on account of the appointment of a 

 Royal Commission on the subject, the names of the members 

 of which have not yet been published. 



Prof. Leidy, the distinguished American biologist, is now 

 in this country. 



The volcanic phenomena in Iceland, of which we have already 

 given some details (vol. xi. p. 514) seem still to be as active as 

 ever, and indeed to be gaining in intensity. Outbreaks have 

 occurred since the beginning of the year to the middle of April, 

 when the latest news left. In March the DyngjufjoU was inces- 

 santly vomiting fire, the eruption was steadily spreading over the 

 wilderness, and the whole region of the My-vatn Mountains was 

 one blazing fire. So large a district of the surrounding country has 

 been covered with ashes that the fanners have been obliged to re- 

 move in order to find pasture for their stock. Early in April a new 

 eruption had broken out in a south-easterly direction from Bar- 

 fell, more than half-way to the east, between it and the Jokulsa. 

 A party went out from Laxardal to explore, and on approaching 

 the place of eruption they found the fire rising up from three 

 lava craters, in a line from south to north, which it had piled up 

 around itself on a perfectly level piece of ground. At a dis- 

 tance of fifty to eighty fathoms to the west from the craters a 

 large fissure had formed itself as the fire broke out, and the land 

 had sunk in to the depth of about three fathoms. Into the 

 hollow thus formed the lava had poured at first, but now it 

 flowed in a south-wfsterly direction from the two southern 

 craters. The northernmost crater had the appearance of being 

 oblong, about 300 fathoms in length, and from this crater the 

 molten red-hot lava was thrown about 200 or 300 feet into the 

 air in one compact column. The top of this column then 

 assumed a palmated appearance, and the lava fell down in small 

 particles, like drops from a jet of water, which, as they became 

 separated from the column, grew gradually darker, and split into 

 many pieces, bursting into lesser and lesser fragments as they 

 cooled. No flames were observed, but the glare proceeds from 

 these columns and the seething lava in the craters. At times the 

 explorers could count twenty to thirty of these columns. No 

 real smoke accompanied the eruption, but a bluish steam, which 

 expanded and whitened in colour as it rose to a greater distance 

 from the crater, and such seemed to be the power of this blue jet 

 of steam that it rose straight into the air for many hundreds of 

 fathoms in despite of a h^vy wind blowing. • 



