256 



NATURE 



\yuly 10, 1879 



On Saturday the Geologists' Association have an excursion to 

 Tunbridge Wells and Crowborough Beacon. On Monday, 

 July 21, and five following days the same society intend to have 

 an outing in the neighbourhood of Ledbury; the Malvern Ilills 

 and Woolhope Valley being included in the programme. 



In the yournal de Physujue for June M. Comu gives an 

 account of his spectroscope designed for observation of ultra- 

 violet radiations. It resembles the common two-prism spectro- 

 scope, except in the materials employed, the ordinary materials, 

 crown-glass and flint-glass, absorbing ultra-violet radiations at 

 least from tlie line O, i.e., from wave-length = 340 millionthsof 

 a millimetre. M. Cornu uses quartz for the prisms, and the 

 objective of the collimator (as also of the telescope) is made 

 achromatic ; it consists of a biconvex lens of quartz and a 

 divergent plane concave lens of Iceland spar, both cut perpen- 

 dicularly to the optic axis. 



Phosphoric acid has the property of hindermg the precipita- 

 tion of albumen by tannin, but is without action on gelatine. 

 M. Ador lately had the curiosity to try its effect in the tanning 

 of skins, starting with the idea that the pores of slvin would 

 remain more open and that the solution of tannin would thus 

 more rapidly coagulate the gelatinous substances, w ithin the skin, 

 producing a more rapid tanning. His experiments, both in the 

 laboratory and on a large scale, are described in the jMonitcur 

 Scicntifique for June. They show that the anticipated effect was 

 realised, and that it allows of the use of a much stronger juice ; 

 but there is danger of a loss of weight if the liquids be agitated, 

 by reason of coagulation, outside of the tissues, of a certain 

 quantity of albuminoid principles dissolved by the phosphoric 

 acid, and removed from the skin. He recommends manufac- 

 turers to experiment further in the same direction. 



M. Robin, the anatomist, who is the only member of the 

 Academy of Sciences who is also in the French Senate, has 

 proposed a bill for instituting an inquiry into the means of 

 increasing the fish production of the French rivers. 



In the aeronautical ascent made at Rouen, referred to in our 

 last number, the altitude was 1,200, not 12,000, metres. 



The New York correspondent of the Daily News telegraphs 

 that Mr. Edison states that ^iiice the patents for his electric light 

 w'ere issued he has improved the standard meter for measuring 

 the electricity fed to the burners, and has perfected a method of 

 insulating and con veying the w ires from the generating stations 

 to the houses of the consumers. He is satisfied that this gene- 

 rator cannot be improved. 94 per cent., it is said, of horse- 

 power is set free in the electric current, and 82 is delivered in 

 the wire outside of the machine. Eight-ninths of the current is 

 used for the light, and one-ninth is lost in the machine. Mr. 

 Edison's latest experiments give seven gas jets per horse-power, 

 and he expects to increase the number to ten. He says the 

 platinum burner is a settled thing ; but, so long as he sees his 

 way to getting more light cut of the horse- power, he will con- 

 tinue his experiments. He expects to perfect his experiments 

 within four weeks. 



A catastrophe similar to the one which was happily averted 

 at Teplitz is now feared at the well-known watering-place of 

 Baden, near Vienna. An official investigation committee has 

 been formed, comprising several members of tlie Geologische 

 Reichsanslalt, and has already begun examining the springs 

 threatened with exhaustion. 



We continue to receive the numbers of the Revisia de Canarias, 

 to which we referred some weeks since. We trust it will meet 

 with the support it deserve-, as it is evidently making honest 

 attempts to spread a knowledge and cultivate a taste for science 

 among the inhabitants of the favoured islands. The last number, 



June 8, contains an article on the Palaeontology of the Canaries, 

 by Miguel M. y La-Roche ; one on the Hygiene of the Potato, 

 by Lorenzo Lapuj'ade ; another on Primary Instruction in the 

 Canaries, by Juan de la Puerta Canseco. 



A VIOLENT earthquake is reported from Agram on June 21 at 

 8.55 A.M., which was repeated on the 22nd at 1.42 a.m. On 

 both occasions the phenomenon consisted of several shocks 

 proceeding in the direction from west to east. 



We learn from a Queensland paper that Mr. Walter Hill has 

 been sent on a tour of inspection to Great Sandy, or Eraser, 

 Island, a large irregular- shaped island lying off the coast to the 

 north of the twenty-sixth parallel of south latitude, where it is 

 reported that some valuable timbers flourish, notably the kaurie 

 pine. For some time past the curator of the Botanical Gardens 

 has been giving his attention to the propagation of some of the 

 most valuable timbers indigenous to the colony, and at one place 

 he has formed a nursery of red cedar trees, in which 30,000 

 plants have been successfully reared and are now all in a flourish- 

 ing condition. It is believed that a part of Mr. Hill's mission 

 to Eraser Island is to look for suitalile sites for arboriculture, 

 with the view of utilising the large number of red cedar plants 

 he has reared. The red cedar takes from sixty to one hundred 

 years to attain its best development, and this care for distant 

 posterity is probably due to thoughtfulness on the part of the 

 authorities who view with alarm the wholesale devastation and 

 waste of the timber which from time to time take place in the 

 colony. It is said that there are yet plenty of cedar trees in the 

 Queensland forests, but quite recently several million feet of this 

 timber were swept out to sea in consequence of a fresh in the 

 Mossman, Daintree, and Johnston rivers. 



Careful statistics have been taken in Paris of the cases of 

 rabies observed in 1878. The total number of cases reported to 

 the Prefecture has been 440 dogs, 68 bitches, and 3 cats. Out 

 of the.-e 511 cases 390 were biting rabies. The number of 

 wounds inflicted on persons was 103, and the number of deaths 

 go — about I to 3. This is the same proportion as resulted from 

 previous inquiries. Almost all these cases have been reported 

 from Paris out of a population of 2,000,000. The number of 

 animals which have been bitten by mad dogs is 342 dogs and 24 

 cats. 234 animals were taken to the veterinary school of Alfort 

 either for autopsy or for inspection. 



It is stated that in consequence of the auriferous indications 

 in the Cooktown district, the Queensland Government will offer 

 a reward of 5,000/. to stimulate the discovery of a gold-field rich 

 enough to pay the cost of working. 



Part V. just issued of the past Transactions of the Leicester 

 Literary and Philosophical Society contains the papers read from 

 June, 1850, to June, 1855. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's G.nrdens during the 

 past week include a Grand Galago (Ga!ago crasiicaudala) from 

 East Africa, presented by Mr. W. Jenkins ; a Grivet Monkey 

 {Circopitheciis griseo-viridis} from North-East Africa, presented 

 by Mr. R. M. Courage ; a Rhesus Monkey (Macacus erythrteus) 

 from India, presented by Mr. Jas. Bartle ; a Puma {Felts con- 

 color) from Buenos Ayres, presented by Lord l.ilford, F.Z.S. ; 

 a Blue-eyed Cockatoo (Cccalua ophthahnica) from the Solomon 

 Islands, presented by Lieut. -Col. Arljuthnot, 14th Hussars ; a 

 Common Boa {B03 constrictor) from South America, presented 

 by Dr. A. Stradling ; a Black -faced Spider Monkey (.-Itcles ater), 

 three Red-billed Tree Tucks (Devdrccygna aututnnalis) from 

 South America, a Collared Fruit Bat (Cynonycteris colhris), 

 captured in the Red Sea, two White Storks (Ciconia alba), a 

 Common Whimbrel (Numeniiis phccofus), European, a Reticu- 

 lated Python {Python reticulatus) from Manilla, purchased ; an 

 Axis Deer {Ctnms axis), born in the Gardens. 



