August 14, 1879] 



NATURE 



373 



necessary. Two boats are at the disposal of students — a large 

 yawl and a small boat, kindly lent by Major Innes of Kaenoir, 

 who has also given the use of his drill-hall as a store. A select 

 party assembled at luncheon, after which Mr. G. J. Romanes, in 

 a brief and happy address, formally declared the station open. 

 The total sum now raised is 350/., but this is not enough, and 

 we regret that the appeal made through our columns and else- 

 where, has not been so successful as it should have been. This, 

 we believe, is more due to want of thought than ilUberality, and 

 we trust that the work at this the first genuine zoological station 

 in the kingdom, will not be crippled from want of sufficient 

 funds. Mr. Romanes will be happy to receive further sub- 

 scriptions. 



On Friday, in the House of Commons, Mr. Shaw-Lefevre 

 asked what arrangements had been made as to the management 

 of the Natural History Collection about to be removed to South 

 Kensington ? lie hoped that advantage would be taken of this 

 opportunity to make some change, so that the management of 

 that collection might be entirely different from the management 

 of the other collections of the museum. In reply, Mr. Walpole 

 said that the recommendations made by the Royal Commission 

 were communicated to the Treasury in February last, and were 

 then transmitted to the trustees of the museum. The trustees 

 had carefully considered those recommendations and had sent in 

 a scheme to the Treasury, and the matter was now in the 

 Treasiury's hands. The views of those who took a particular 

 interest in scientific matters and in the advancement of science 

 had been taken into consideration, and he thought he might say 

 the future management of the museum would give complete satis- 

 faction, not only to them, but to the public generally. 



Dr. J. Fr. Brandt, the veteran Russian natiu-alist of St. 

 Petersburg, whose works were referred to in last week's Notes, 

 died on the 7th ult., at the age of seventy-seven. Dr. Brandt 

 has been for many years director of the Imperial Museum of 

 Zoology in the Russian capital, and is author of many import- 

 ant memoirs in the Transactions of the Imperial Academy of 

 Sciences of St. Petersburg. 



The Times announces the death of Prof. Lament, a Scotch- 

 man by birth, and director of the Munich Observatory. Prof. 

 Lamont, v/ho was seventy-four years of age, and had been em- 

 ployed at the Munich Observatory since 1835, may almost be 

 called the father of modern terrestrial magnetism. 



The death is announced of Ilerr Joseph Haardt von Harten- 

 thurm, one of the most eminent of German cartographers. He 

 died at Vienna on July 28, at the early age of thirty-nine. 



The proceedings of the first Austrian Anthropological Jmeeting 

 began on July 28, the assembly being exceedingly numerous. 

 Prof, von Hochstetter was the president, and spoke on ambulant 

 meetings for the purpose of common work. Herr Deschmann, 

 of Laibach, read a paper on the latest discoveries in the heathen 

 hill tombs of St. Margarethen. Prof. Gurlitt, of Graz, spoke on 

 clay vases, and Prof. Alfons MuUner on the method of beginning 

 practical work in anthropology. A paper was then read on 

 local geographical and personal names^ in Carniola, by Dr. 

 Arnold von Luschin. On the 29th Count Wurmbrand and Herr 

 Szombathy delivered lectures on skull measuring and investiga- 

 tions relating to the colours of hair, skin, and eyes. Herr 

 Scheyer spoke on ancient sepulchres, and Herr Obermiiller on 

 prehistoric times. In the afternoon the meeting visited the lake- 

 dwellings in the Moorgrund. 



At the celebration of the ICX)th anniversary of the foundation 

 of the " Naturforschende Gesellschaf t " at Halle on July 30 

 last, Prof. Knoblauch welcomed the guests in an able address. 

 Afterwards the secretary of the Society, Dr. Marchand, gave a 

 historical retrospect of the Society's activity, and then followed a 



" festival " address by Prof. Kraus and the reading of a letter 

 from Dr. Naegeli, of Munich. 



A MODEL of Mr. George Fawcus's gun-carriage slide (referred 

 to in Nature, vol. xx. p. 337) may be seen at the Royal United 

 Service Institution. 



The Tokio Times of May 10 reports a meeting of the Biologi- 

 cal Society of the Tokio dai Gaku, on Sunday, May '4. Prof. 

 Yatabe made a communication on the flora of the Bonin 

 Islands. He showed how seeds could be transported thither by 

 means of currents, and called attention to the various currents 

 affecting the fauna and flora of the dependency. He then de- 

 scribed the general character of the flora, and pointed out the 

 differences between the plants of the islands and Japan proper. 

 He also called attention to the similarities existing between 

 those of the Bonins and Southern China and India. Mr. 

 I. lijima communicated some facts regarding 'the habits of a 

 species of pteropus, a large winged bat from the Bonin Islands, 

 a living male specimen of which was exhibited to the Society. 

 After briefly stating its relations to the mammals, and that the 

 individuals of this group were frugivorous, he stated that there 

 were about forty species known, distributed among the islands 

 of the Pacific. The Bonin Island pteropus subsists chiefly on 

 the banana, frequenting the trees during the daytime, and at 

 night flitting in the air in considerable numbers. The features 

 closely resemble those of the fox, and hence the name of flying- 

 fox generally given them. The fur is long and black, with 

 white hairs intermixed. A few hairs taken from the specimen 

 and others from a Sumatra species were shown under the micro- 

 scope, and their peculiarities explained. The pferopus' con- 

 stantly hangs from the roost head downward ; and when about 

 to sleep hangs by one leg, spreads its wings, and then wraps 

 them closely about the breast, hiding its head beneath the mem- 

 branous folds. The specimen had been fed almost exclusively 

 on sweet potato, though it would eat boiled peas and rice, and 

 orange if it was juicy. If a big piece of sweet potato is given 

 it, the fragment is grasped by one of the hind legs, and not 

 having an opposable thumb, it is held firmly against the breast. 

 Reaching up the head, the bat tears away a large mouthful and 

 then chews it a long time, making a smacking sound in the act, 

 and at each movement of the jaws thrusts out its lanceolate 

 tongue. The fibre of the potato and pulp of the fruit is invari- 

 ably ejected from the mouth, and just before doing this, one or 

 two vigorous sucks are heard, as if the animal was drawing out 

 the remaining juice. This performance is accompanied by a 

 singular jerk of the head. In the act of chewing, the morsel is 

 changed from one side of the mouth to the other. When its 

 appetite is fully satisfied it begins to scratch its body with its 

 hind leg. The long tongue also comes into service to cleanse 

 the fur. It is a curious sight to see the long nail on the thumb 

 used as a toothpick. The toes are also employed for a similar 

 purpose. Prof. Yatabe remarked that the banana was not indi- 

 genous to the Bonins, but had been introduced, and the pteropus 

 had acquired a taste for it, 



Arago having been born at Estagel, a small country place in 

 the department of the Pyrenees Orientales, the citizens of Perpig- 

 nan, the head town of this district, have decided to erect a statue 

 to him by public subscription. The inauguration will take 

 place on September 21 next, and will be celebrated by a three 

 days' ylVt'. We are informed that an address will be delivered 

 by M. Paul Bert, the physiologist, and influential member of 

 the Chamber of Deputies. It is strange that no astronomer or 

 physicist has been selected for this great occasion. 



The French Parliament voted before the vacation a law 

 obliging landed proprietors to protect their vines against the in- 

 vasion of the Phylloxera. The Journal Offuiel publishes a report 

 signed by M. Teissoniere, member of tlie Council of the Society 



