Dec. 27, 1888] 



NATURE 



2C9 



Wragge undertook its reorganization about two years ago. We 

 learn, however, from the Adelaide Evening Journal, that at the 

 recent Meteorological Conference at Melbourne serious objec- 

 tions were made to the issue of intercolonial weather forecasts 

 from the central office at Brisbane, and that a resolution was 

 passed to the effect that no forecast should be telegraphed from 

 one colony to another. It is evident that if this proposal were 

 carried out, it would practically check the advance in weather 

 prediction which it has been Mr. Wragge's aim to foster, and 

 the suggested alteration was, naturally, strenuously opposed by 

 Mr. Wragge. The success of the service in Queensland is 

 greatly due to the co-operation of the Post and Telegraph 

 Departments, observations being taken at every station in the 

 colony. Mr. Wragge proposes to establish other stations in the 

 far north and west districts, and to examine the climatological 

 factors of the stations generally, with the view of the cultivation 

 of wheat in Central Queensland as profitably as in South 

 Australia. 



We have received from Prof. C. Wagner, Director of the 

 Observatory of Kremsmiinster, a discussion of the rainfall and 

 thunderstorms at that place ; the paper contains some interesting 

 results, especially with regard to thunderstorms. The Observa- 

 tory is situated in lat. 48° 4' N., and long. 14° 8' E. (in Austria), 

 and possesses a very long series of observations, dating back to 

 1763. The older series, from 1763-1851, have been discussed 

 in vol. i. of the Wxenna Jahrbiich, 1854. The first rain-gauge 

 was erected in April 1820, so that Prof. Wagner is able to 

 publish the observations for each month of the years 1821-87, 

 one of the longest periods existing, yet he finds that the period is 

 too short to determine with accuracy the range of the rainfall for 

 single months. The average yearly amount is 38 '5 inches. The 

 greatest falls occur in July, the least in February, and there is a 

 second maximum in November. It would appear that the rain- 

 fall has increased latterly : dividing the series into two periods, 

 it is found that the average number of rainy days from 1821 

 to 1850 is 123-4, and from 1851 to 1887, 1428 days. The 

 thunderstorm observations are given for each month since 1802. 

 The average number of storms yearly is 35 ; they occur mostly 

 in June and July. During the whole eighty-six years only one 

 storm occurred in December. The author gives the daily and 

 yearly range according to the direction of the storms, and also 

 the daily range without reference to direction, Thes-e tables 

 show a regular period of frequency. The maximum occurs from 

 4h.-5h. p.m., the number then decreases until 7h. p.m., and 

 from 7h.-8h. there is a second maximum. A third maximum 

 also occurs from ih. -2h. a.m. He also investigates the possible 

 influence of the moon on the frequency of the storms, and finds 

 (as has before been observed at Prague) that a maximum occurs 

 at the times of the full moon and last quarter. The same fact 

 shows itself when the series is divided into two sets. 



A SHOCK of earthquake was felt at Tashkent, on November 28, 

 at 11.40 a.m. 



The Caucasian papers give tlie following details as to the 

 earthquakes which were felt at Kars and the neighbouring region 

 in September last. The first shock was felt at Kars on Septem- 

 ber 23, at 3.25 a.m. ; it reached its maximum intensity on the 

 high left bank of the Kars River, where several crevices appeared 

 in the barracks of Mukhlis, while on the right bank of the river, 

 which is flat and low, it was felt with much less intensity. The 

 direction of the earthquake was from south-west to north-east. 

 The second and third shocks were felt at 6 and at 9.30 a.m. re- 

 spectively. They were feeble, and were followed, at 3.20 p.m., by 

 .1 much stronger shock, which lasted for about five seconds, and 

 had the same direction. A new shock followed at 8.25 p.m. ; 

 it had the same direction, but the undulatory movement of the 

 soil was also accompanied by vertical shocks. The direction of 

 the undulatory movement of the soil seems to have taken 



a more northern direction in the next shock, which was 

 felt at 11.20 p.m. Several shocks followed during the night 

 and the next morning, and a very strong shock, lasting for about 

 ten seconds, was felt on the next day at 2.35 p.m. ; its direction 

 was, first, towards the north-north-east. A vertical shock soon 

 followed. Crevices appeared in most buildings, and several 

 houses in the Armenian village Tchighirgan were destroyed. 

 Strong shocks followed at 10.5 and at midnight. On Septem- 

 ber 13, the earthquake was continued by several slight shocks and 

 a strong one at 9 a.m. ; next day, there was a slight shock at 1 1.25 

 a.m. This was almost vertical ; but an improvised seismometer 

 shows a deflection of the point towards the north. In the Ghel 

 division of the Ardahan district, the same shocks were felt, 

 and had more serious consequences. In the villages of Altun- 

 bulack, Hoshtulbent, Plor-mori, Mehkerek, Shaki, Tondash, 

 Kalpikor, and Kundun-su, most houses were destroyed. Five 

 persons were killed. 



At the last meeting, November 16, of the Russian Geographical 

 Society, D, N. Ostrovski made an interesting communication 

 upon the Lapps, Their numbers are estimated at 28,000, of 

 whom 25,000 are living in the territories of Sweden and 

 Norway, and the remainder in Russia and Finland, Almost 

 all the Lapps who live in Sweden are nomads ; those who 

 stay in Norway are half nomadic. Those of Finland are all 

 settled, and some of them even have no reindeer ; a school was 

 opened for them last year. Sea fisheries are their chief occupa- 

 tion. At the end of the summer they fish in the lakes in the 

 interior of the Koha peninsula, and in the winter they stay in 

 their small houses {(tips) in the neighbourhood of the marshes 

 covered with moss, where their reindeer obtain food. Their 

 settlements spread in Norway only as far as the 62nd degree of 

 latitude, but in Finland they go as far north as Lake Enare. 

 Their former dwelling-places were farther south, but they were 

 compelled to migrate northwards by the Finns, who steadily 

 extend their settlements in this direction, clear the forests, and 

 take the best grazing-grounds. The folk-lore of the Lapps 

 is full of traditions about their struggles with the Finns. The 

 opinion formerly entertained as to their dying out is not quite 

 exact, although it is true that the Lapps are being steadily 

 absorbed by the Finns. A rich collection of photographs, and 

 samples of various domestic implements, and of the dress of the 

 Lapps, have been brought in by M. Ostrovski. 



A CORRESPONDENT, writing from Glasgow, describes the fol- 

 lowing incident, an account of which was given to him by an eye- 

 witness. It occurred at Dumbarton on Friday, the 17th inst. 

 A hare came across the marsh or common there, on to the em- 

 bankment of the River Leven, near the slaughter-house at present 

 being erected. At the same time a man came along the embank- 

 ment of the river, making for the new building. The hare, seeing 

 her escape cut off by the man on one side, and by the workmen 

 at the building on the other (she might have escaped across the 

 marsh, the way by which she came, as she did not seem to be 

 pursued), took to the water and swam across. But, unfortun- 

 ately, at the opposite side her landing was barred by another 

 man. When she saw the danger, she turned, and made for the 

 point she came from, but the man walking along the embank- 

 ment had by this time come up, and was awaiting her return. 

 On approaching the bank, and seeing that escape was hopeless, 

 the hare gave up, and made no further effort. The man then 

 stepped into the river, and getting hold of her, extinguished any 

 life that was left, " Is it a common occurrence," asks our cor- 

 respondent, "for the hare to take to the water? I never read 

 or heard of it before." 



Dr, Croll, F,R,S., has just completed a volume on " Stellar 

 Evolution and its relations to Geological Time," It will be 

 published immediately. 



