2IO 



NA TURE 



{Dec, 27, 1888 



A THIRD edition of the well-known " Orient Line Guide," by 

 the Rev. W. J. Loftie, has been issued by Messrs. Sampson 

 Low. The abandonment of the Cape route, as the editor points 

 out, has left room for expanded notices of placas hardly men- 

 tioned in former editions. The whole plan of the volume has 

 accordingly been changed. In its present form the work con- 

 tains a continuous narrative of a voyage from London to 

 Australia, broken only by a journey home from Naples, and by 

 various interesting excursions. In the accomplishment of this 

 difficult task Mr. Loftie has received aid from several eminent 

 writers, whose contributions add largely to the value of the 

 book. 



The " Record of the Excursions of the Geologists' Associa- 

 tion — 1860 to 1884," which has been prepared by Mr. T. V, 

 Holmes, F.G.S., is now ready for the press, but it will not be 

 printed until a sufficient number of subscriptions have been 

 promised. The work will consist of over 500 pages, and contain 

 accounts of all the sections and districts visited by the Associa- 

 tion down to the end of 1884, with the illustrations (sections, 

 &c.), which have from time to time appeared in the Circulars 

 and Proceedings. 



The Gamble Prize Medal at Girton College has been awarded 

 to Miss Marion Greenwood, certificated student of Girton 

 College, for an essay on "The Digestive Process in certain 

 Simple Organisms — Amoeba, ActinosphEcrium, and Hydra." 



" M. F." has sent to the Ti7nes a list of sixty-nine different 

 species of wild fljwers which have been found in blossom during 

 the present month in the neighbourhood of Hardingham, Norfolk, 

 " This fact," he says, " is no doubt partly accounted for by the 

 unusual mildness of the season, but it also speaks well for the 

 climate of the eastern counties, which has been given, I think, 

 a worse character than it deserves. I can vouch for all the 

 flowers being genuinely wild, as they have, without exception, 

 been gathered by my sisters or myself. Among the most re- 

 markable are poppy, white ox-eye, strawberry, pimpernel, 

 primrose, and field scabious." 



The Report of the Director of the Colombo Museum for the 

 past year says that the Reports which have been written by him 

 on the collection of snakes, lizards, and frogs have been printed, 

 and that on the birds is in the press. The Report on the 

 monitors and skinks is finished, but is yet in manuscript. A 

 Report has also been written on the butterflies, to the end of 

 Nymphalidse, and on the moths to the end of Bombycides. 

 These two latter are not to be printed for the present, for it is 

 hoped that the notes will be supplemented ; and it is suggested 

 that the classification and nomenclature be made the same as 

 those adopted in De Niceville's book on the butterflies of 

 India, which will soon be published. The difficulties met by 

 the Director in the formation of a collection have been many. 

 The entomological specimens have been with difficulty pre- 

 served from the attacks of fungus and mites. A strong solution 

 of creosote and benzene was found to be perfectly useless, but 

 sponges soaked in citronella oil and placed in the cases have 

 been fairly successful. At present, the mode of treatment in 

 the Museum is as follows. When the insect is removed from 

 the setting-board, its body is bathed in benzene, and if this does 

 not keep the mites away, the bath is renewed ; in. case of 

 fungus, the insect is touched with a solution of carbolic acid in 

 benzene, and, as has been just mentioned, sponges soaked in 

 the best citronella oil are always kept in the cases. That this 

 method is effective is shown by the fact that there are specimens 

 in the collections for the past fifteen or twenty years which have 

 been treated in this way, and are now free from attacks. During 

 the past year a great improvement has been made in the trans- 

 portation of insects to the Museum. A layer of naphthaline is 



put at the bottom of tins, such as are used for tobacco and 

 butter, then a layer of cotton-wool is spread over this, then a 

 layer of insects, and so on till the tin is filled with alternate 

 layers of wool and insects. By this means the insects are kept 

 relaxed for upwards of a fortnight, and there is thus time to 

 despatch them from any part of the island to Colombo. This 

 plan is far superior to that formeriy in use by insect-boxes, 

 setting-boards, and all the other necessary apparatus which were 

 carried from place to place at great trouble and expense. Mr. 

 Haly hopes to establish stations throughout the island, from 

 which insects may be sent from time to time to Colombo. In 

 searching for marine fauna, Mr. Haly found that the dredge 

 employed by naturalists in Europe is almost useless in Ceylonese 

 boats ; but one similar to that used by Prof. Agassiz in the Gulf 

 of Mexico, with lighter arms than the common European one, 

 and with perfectly flat scrapers, answered very well. Some fossil 

 crabs from Kuchavelli have also been collected during the past 

 year. In other departments the Museum has been enriched by 

 various rare and interesting specimens. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a Ring-tailed Coati {Nasita rufa) from Per- 

 nambuco, presented by Mr. J. W, Bell ; a Blue-fronted Amazon 

 [Chrysotis astiva) from Brazil, presented by Miss Hayes ; three 

 Common Partridges (Perdix cinerej), British, presented by the 

 Rev. F. T. Scott ; two Moorish Geckos ( 7a;r«/o/a; maiiriianica) 

 from the South of France, presented by Masters F. and O. 

 Warburg ; an Egyptian Cat {Fdis chaus), a Paradoxure {Para- 

 doxicriis sp. inc.) from India (?), two Long-tailed Fowls {Galhcs 

 domesticus var.) irom Japan, deposited; a Yellow-footed Rock 

 Kangaroo {Petrogale xant/iopus), born in the Gardens. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 



Madras Meridian Circle Observations, i'-'65, 1866, 

 1867. — We have recently received from the Director of the 

 Madras Observatory, the " Results of the Observations of the 

 Fixed Stars made with the Meridian Circle at the Government 

 Observatory, Madras, in the Years 1865, 1866, and 1867," and 

 are glad to see by its appearance that Mr. Pogson is con- 

 tinuing his efforts to remedy the most deplorable delay which 

 has attended the publication of the observations made under 

 his care. The present volume is in continuation of the one 

 which appeared a year and a half ago, and which contained 

 the results for the years 1862-64. The instrument employed 

 and the class of objects observed were the same as in the three 

 earlier years ; the objects selected being the moon and moon 

 culminators, Mars and companion-stars, minor planets, the 

 brighter stars down to the fifih magnitude, and as many un- 

 named stars as possible below I20°N.P.D., and not fainter than 

 the eighth magnitude. The present and preceding volumes 

 have been confined to stellar observations, and these are given 

 separately for each year in the twofold forai of star-ledger and 

 annual catalogue. The Star Catalogue will follow at the con- 

 clusion of the publication of the results for the separate years, 

 and it is hoped that it may be succeeded by a volume of planetary 

 and cometary results. Very little interest or value now attaches 

 to these sadly overdue volumes of annual results, except as an 

 indication that the evil of delayed publication is now really 

 recDgnized, and as aff rding a hope that the one really useful 

 work, the General Star Cata'ogue, may soon appear. It is but 

 due to Mr. Pogson, however, to remember that his position is 

 one which has presented many difficulties, seeing that he had, 

 as he states in the present volume, "no European assistance, 

 and too inadequate a staff of natives even to admit of duplicate 

 calculations." 



Comet 1888 e (Barnard, September 2).— One of the posi- 

 tions from which Dr. Becker computed the hyperbolic orbit for 

 this comet (Nature, November 29, p. 114) has been found to 

 be in error, as compared with neighbouring observations by as 

 much as 13" in declination, and fresh normal places having been 

 formed a parabola is found to satisfy them well The following 



