484 



NATURE 



{Sept. I?, 1879 



-Chamber of Deputies which, as is known, is. to be transferred to 

 Paris in November next, there to hold its sessions, so long as the 

 Parisians do not oppose it by a revolution. 



At the Stuttgart meeting of the International Geodetic Asso- 

 ciation in 1878, M. Faye suggested a method of avoiding the 

 flexure of a pendulum-support, viz., that two similar pendulums 

 should be oscillated on the same support with equal amplitudes 

 and opposite phases. The idea was thrown out on the spur of 

 the moment, and was not received with very warm approval. By 

 a mathematical discussion of the method in a paper to the U.S. 

 National Academy (Silli. Journ., August), Mr. Peirce endea- 

 vours to prove that the suggestion is as sound as it is brilliant, 

 and offers some peculiar advantages over the existing method of 

 swinging pendulums. 



At the International Alpine Congress at Geneva Prof. A. 

 Favre pointed out the necessity of making measurements of 

 glaciers. The retrocession of glaciers has been general during 

 the last twenty-five years. Prof. Favre is of opinion that this 

 retrocession period will come to an end after some time, and will 

 be succeeded by a period of advance. The German and Austrian 

 Alpine Club, at its last genei-al meeting at Saalfelden, resolved 

 to make the measurements in question on all the glaciers of the 

 Austrian Alps. 



The third volume of Dr. Karl Russ's work on foreign domestic 

 birds, containing the natural history and cultivation of parrots, 

 has just been published by C. Riimpler, of Hanover. 



A NEW oil plant (Lallemanlia liberica) has been acclimatised 

 on the fields of the Agronomical School at Cherson (South 

 Russia). It belongs to the Labiata: family, and is very similar to 

 Dracoccphalu7n, The herb attains a height of ij to 2j feet and 

 bears some 2,500 seed-grains, which give a most pure oil, 

 applicable even for culinary purposes. The seeds of this 

 originally Persian plant were first sent to Cherson by Prof. 

 IlaberlanSt, of Vienna. 



We learn that M. Europeus still continues his most interesting 

 researches into the prehistoric Finnish population of North- 

 western Russia. During last summer he explored the koorgattcs 

 (mounds) of the province of Olonets, and on the banks of the 

 Oyak river he discovered many bronze implements similar to 

 those brought in by Ujfalvi from the banks of the Irtysh in 

 Siberia. The remains of the Korels in the district of Olonets 

 throw a new light on the geographical distribution of this people. 

 M. Eiuropeus has arrived at the conclusion that during the first 

 centuries of the Christian era the whole of North- Eastern Europe 

 and the north of the Scandinavian peninsula were peopled by 

 tribes of Finnish-Hungarian and Finnish-Ugrian origin, who 

 formed an extensive and strong state. Only the shores of Lake 

 Onega had a purely Finnish population. All skulls in the 

 koorganes of the region formerly occupied by Finns, are of the 

 brachycephalic form. 



Count T. S.\lvadori's great work on Papuan ornithology, 

 "Ornitologia della Papuasia e delle Moluche," is in a forward 

 state, and it is hoped that tlie first part (containing the Accipitres, 

 Psittaci, and Picaria;) will be ready about the end of the year. 

 The second part will be devoted to the Passeres, and the third 

 to the remaining orders. The total number of species contained 

 in the work will be about 900, the area embraced being the 

 whole of the Austro-Malayan sub-region, with the exception of 

 Celebes and the Timor group of islands. 



A RAILWAY is now being built between Tiflis and Baku, and 

 is expected to be completed in about four years. 



We have received the fourth volume of the Bulletin of the 

 Societe Ouralienne, i.e., the Natural History Society of Ekater- 

 nburg, Russia. The volume contains some interesting data on 



the flora of the Ural Mountains, by M. G. O. Clerc ; also some 

 notes on rain-gauges and on the quantity of rain and snow which 

 falls at DolmatofT (average computed from observations extend- 

 ing over fourteen years), by the same. Another valuable con- 

 tribution is by M. N. P. Boulytcheff, and treats of the flora and 

 the fauna of the Irbit District. All these papers are given in 

 the Russian original and in a French translation. An original 

 German paper is by Dr. J. Hann, on the daily course of mag- 

 netic declination in Russia, tut only the Russian translation is 

 printed. 



The Congress of German Horticulturists which took place at 

 Cassel this year will meet at Bremen next year. 



At South Arcot (Presidency of Madras) experiments have 

 been recently made with the fibres of aloes, which grow there 

 in abundance, with a view of preparing paper from this material. 

 A product was obtained which considerably surpassed the 

 ordinary Indian paper in quality, and it is now intended to make 

 the experiments on a larger scale in this country. 



The St. Gothard tunnel, which will measure 14,920 metres 

 when completed, has now reached a length of 13,229 metres. 

 It is hoped that by the beginning of December next the gigantic 

 work will be finished. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens daring tlie 

 past week include a Guinea Baboon (Cynocejihalus sphinx) from 

 West Africa, presented by Mr. F. Naylor ; a White-fronted 

 Capuchin (Cebus albifrons) from South America, presented by 

 Major H. L. Gleig ; a Black-faced Spider Monkey (AUlts ater), 

 two Black Tortoises ( Testudo carbonaria) from South America, 

 two Martinican Doves {Zenaida 7iiartini caita) from the West 

 Indies, presented by Capt. Henry King; a Plantain Squirrel 

 {Sciuriis plantani) from Java, presented by Miss Lizzie Casey ; 

 an Indian Jackal {Canis aureus) from India, presented by Mr. 

 Thos. Thursfield, M.R.C.V.S. ; a Demeraran Cock of the Rock 

 (Rupicola crocea) from Demerara, presented by Mr. R. S. Eraser; 

 a King Parrakeet (Aprosmictus scapulatus) from New South 

 Wales, presented by Mr. Geo. Wood ; a Red and Blue Macx-'. 

 {Ara macao), a Red and Yellow Macaw {Ara Moroptera) from 

 South America, deposited ; an African Brush-tailed Porcupine 

 {Atherura africaiza) from West Africa, a Vulpine Squirrel 

 (Sciurus vulpina, var. capistrata) from North America, purchased. 



THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION 

 REPORTS 



Report of the Committee for e.yploring Caves in Borneo. Drawn up 

 by Dr. J. Evans, F.R.S.— The Committee report that with the 

 grant of 50/. from the Association, a similar grant from the 

 Royal Society, and a farther sum of about 200/. from private 

 sources, they have been able to prosecute an examination of 

 various caves in Borneo, under the superintendence of Mr. A. S. 

 Everett, who has devoted himself to the task for a period of 

 nearly nine months. 



The final report upon his work has not yet been received, but 

 it appears from his letters and from the specimens which have 

 been transmitted to this country, that nothing of special interest 

 either from an anthropological or a geological point of view has 

 resulted from his explorations. The animal remains discovered 

 have all been of recent species ; the human bones ai-e probably 

 of no great antiquity, and none of the few objects of human 

 manufacture which have been found can be regarded as of 

 palaeolithic age. 



Pending the arrival of Mr. Everett's final report it appears 

 needless to enter into details ; but it may be mentioned that 

 upwards of twenty caves appear to have been explored, in a 

 more or less complete manner, and the principal objects found, 

 after examination by some of the members of the Committee, 

 have been forwarded to the British Museum. Although the 

 examination of these caves has not, as was hoped, thrown any 

 light upon the early history of man in that part of the world, it 

 is still satisfactory that the examination should have been made 



