122 
POPULAE SOIEITCE NEWS. 
[August, 1891. 
les Conditions Physiques de la vie dans les Eaux, 
(Paris, Masson, 1891). This book is a very inter- 
esting one. It deals with the principal points of 
aquatic life, and is written in a manner which 
makes it very easy and pleasant to read. The 
progress in deep-sea soundings and dredgings is 
very well described, and the author gives an in- 
teresting account of the beginning of this sort ol 
investigation. While Sir .James Ross, Wallich, 
Torrell,#nd I'ourtales had tried some experiments 
which certainly were very encouraging, it hap- 
pened in 1865 that the submarine cable between 
Algeria and Sardinia was ruptui-ed, and to repair 
it it became necessary to fish it up again. Numer- 
ous animals were found clinging to it, although it 
was lying at a depth of 2,000 meters, and among 
them were found polyps which were considered 
as extinct, being only known under the fossil 
form. This fact was of great importance, and 
revealed the circumstance that the depths of the 
sea are not uninhabited, as was thought, and that 
fragments of the paleontological fauna might, 
perhaps, be discovered there. This gave an im- 
petus to deep-sea investigation, and since then 
numerous explorations succeeded each other. The 
Corwin and the Bible were the first to start ; then 
followed the I.ightning, Porcupine, Challenger, 
Hassler, Blake, V^oringen, Gazelle, Travailleur, 
Talisman, Ilirondelle, etc. 1'hese names are all 
familiar to zoologists. The results of their inves- 
tigations went to show that the depths of sea are 
densely inhabited. Wyviile Thomson found one 
day his dredge full of 20,000 sea-urchins ; and on 
the Talisman a single coup de filet brought back 
1,000 fishes and 750 shrimps from the depth of 400 
meters; the same expedition found fishes at the 
depth of even 5,000 meters. Ascidians have been 
found at 7,000 meters depth, mollusks at 9,400, 
etc. ; and we know now that life is most abundant 
even in the most obscure parts of the ocean, al- 
though we cannot tell exactly whether life exists 
also.in the deepest parts. M. P. Regnard gives an 
excellent account, with numerous illustrations, of 
the large number of instruments which have been 
devised by himself or others for the deep-sea in- 
vestigations, and some are very curious — such as 
his illuminated nets, and his apparatus for taking 
photographs of the bottom of the sea, which he 
intends to experiment with shortly. 
When we think of the fact that for each ten 
meters depth the pressure becomes increased by 
one atmosphere, we understand that in the great 
depths the pressure must be enormous. A large 
number of instruments have been imagined to 
allow an exact valuation of this pressure and of 
the depth, and, although very technical, M. P. 
Kegnard has managed to make this chapter a 
most readable one. It seems that the deepest 
place at present known is to be found on the 
coast of .Japan, in the Tuscarora ITirough, (8,57.3 
meters, and 857 atmospheres pressure). As ani- 
mals certainly do live under such enormous pres- 
sures, it is interesting to see how they stand it 
and how the functions of life are performed. 
This investigation M. Regnard has accomplished 
by means of a special apparatus which \vill enable 
him to obtain a thousand atmospheres pressure as 
easily as eight or ten, and this is a modification of 
that imagined by Cailletet in order to study the 
liquefaction and solidiflcation of gases. It is even 
possible to witness the process of the experi- 
ments, M. Regnard having been able to devise 
special glasses which allow the observer to see 
all that is going on in the apparatus, so that the 
effect of pressure on organisms is seen and can 
be signalled at every moment. One of the curi- 
ous facts about this influence of pressure is the 
greater weight and volume of the animals which 
have been sulijected to it. The surrounding water 
is, in part, forced into their limbs and bodies, 
which then become larger and acquire more 
weight. This effect is very well marked. 
After the study of pressure comes that of light, 
o!- illumination. It is well known now, through 
various observers, that the depths of the sea are 
completely obscure, and, even in the most trans- 
parent waters, light completely disappears at 
comparatively small depths. At the same time, 
at least for human eyes, as has been shown by 
Tol, the distance to which normal vision extends 
under water is a very small one; and this ex- 
plains, perhaps, how it is that animals may pass 
ver}' near each other without giving the slightest 
indication of their perceiving the fact, and how it 
is that very bi-ightly colored fishes or mollusks 
may exist without getting into trouble on account 
of their color. M. P. Regnard studies in a very 
able manner the heat, air, and salt conditions of 
the aquatic medium, and gives a most interesting 
account of their influence, while a valuble chapter 
is devoted to the study of locomotion in water. 
His book is worth reading, and an English trans- 
lation would certainly prove acceptable to English 
readers. 
It has often been said and written that camphor 
is one of the substances which enjoy the privilege 
of stimulating germination, and horticultural pa- 
pers often advise horticulturists to use this chem- 
ical in order to "awaken" sleepy seeds. Of 
course they profess to have witnessed the valu- 
able influence of camphor. M. Henry de Varigny 
has recently published the results of experiments 
on camphor in the SociHe de Biologie, and the 
result is not at all favorable to the prevalent 
notion. Seeds of five or six different sorts have 
been sown in sand saturated with water contain- 
ing camphor, as advised by horticulturists, and 
the result has been that they all have germin.ated 
much later than similar seeds in water without 
camphor. It even happens that if there is no 
camphor in the water, but only vapors of cam- 
phor in the air, germination is similarly retarded. 
So it must be concluded that camphor does not 
operate as it has been said to do, and that persons 
wishing to "awaken" their seeds had better re- 
sort to some other process. 
Sportsmen may be interested in M. Lagrange's 
recent book on Exercise in Adults. It is a very 
good book, with sound information on what maij 
— also what may not — be done in the matter of 
exercise and gymnastics, or athletics generally, 
by those who are no more young and who exhibit 
pathological tendencies they wish to get rid of, 
or, at least, to counteract. This is valuable hy- 
giene, and will prove useful to many. • H. 
Paris, June 23, 1891. 
TO PHOTOGRAPH LIVING BIRDS. 
With some live birds the following plan will 
be found to work well : Suspend a shelf, at the 
proper height, from the wall of your studio, and 
in the proijer light. This shelf, as usual, is to be 
entirely covered with white blotting-paper, and 
upon its horizontal part is to be firmly fixed the 
limb, trunk, rock, or turf upon which you desire 
your specimen to appear. Set up your camera 
and focus this perch sharply on your ground 
glass; next put in your smallest diaphragm and 
attach your "pneumatic shutter" ready for in- 
stant use. Gently take your living bird in your 
hand, smooth its feathers, caress it for a moment 
or two, then (juietly place its head -under its wing, 
and l)y beginning slowly soon rapidly whirl your 
specimen in a circle. This, as it were, "puts it 
asleep," but it will seize the i>erch with its feet, 
or rest quietly on rock or turf. Place it as near 
as possible in the position you desire, and stand 
ready for a semi-instantaneous picture. Be per- 
fectly quiet. In a few moments your bird gradu- 
ally comes to, rights himself, preens up a little, 
looks around, steadies himself into a natural atti- 
tude, finally looks himself, and then more or less 
animated. This is your chance ; puff the snap on 
him ! — Dr. R. W. Shufei.dt, in The Aitk. 
<♦> 
[Speclaliy^ Obeerved for Popular science News.] 
METEOROLOGY FOR JUNE, 1891. 
TEMPERATURE. 
Average Thermometer. 
Lowest. 
Highest. 
Eange. 
At7A. M 
At2P. M 
At9P. M 
Whole month .... 
Second average . . . 
61.90° 
72.80° 
63.60° 
67.07° 
65.43° 
49° 
52° 
47° 
47° 
47° 
77° 
92° 
81° 
92° 
92° 
2r 
40° 
34° 
45° 
45° 
Last 21 Junes .... 
Second ayerage . . . 
66.88° 
66.02° 
( 61.67° 
i In 1881. 
60.95° 
70.01° 
In 1876. 
68.98° 
8.34° 
8.03° 
"Lovely June" has been less lovely this year j 
than usual, tending to extremes, as may appear j 
below. The 4th was the coolest day, with an 
average of 49.33°; the IGtli was the hottest, at 
83°. The lowest point was 47°, on the evening of 
the 4th; the highest, 92°, on the 16th,— a range 
of 45°, the widest of any June in twenty-one 
years. The highest daily range was 23°, on the 
17th ; the lowest, only 1°, on the following day- 
the 18th. During these twenty-one years there 
has been but one warmer day in June, viz., on the 
23d in 1888, when the average was 84.33°. The 
present month was remarkable for a long hot and 
dry wave, suddenly followed by a long cool and 
wet period. The former extended from the 8th to 
the 16th, without a trace of rain, the mercury ris- 
ing daily to 80° or above, reaching 92° on the 
16th, and then falling suddenly 34° in the next 
twenty-four hours. The cool and wet spell fol- 
lowed to the 23d, the temperature rising above 
68° but once, without a fair observation during 
the six days, and a rainfall of 2.47 inches— seven 
observations being noted "rainy." The mercury 
rose above 73° but twice during the rest of the 
month. The average of the entire month, how- 
ever, was but .81° below that for the last twenty- 
one Junes. The mercury has reached 90° or above 
in ten of the last twenty-one .Junes, the highest 
being 94° in 1874 ; but the mean of that day was 
only 82°. Standard thermometers often dis.agree 
from their locations being in different degrees of 
shadiness. My glass on the ICth at 2 P. M. stood 
at 92°; but another, also in the shade, with the 
same easterly exposure, twenty-five feet distant, 
stood at 96°. At 3 P. M. they stood at 91° and 
95° ; at 4 P. M. at 90° and 93° ; at 6.40, with a 
cloudy sky, at 83° and 83°. 
SKY. 
The face of the sky, in 90 observations, gave 47 
fair, 14 cloudy, 21 overcast, and 8 rainy,— a per- 
centage of 52.2 fair. The average fair for the last 
twenty-one Junes has been B8.2, with extremes of 
40.1 in 1874, and 75.5 in 1871. The face of the sky 
dui-ing the hot and cool waves was in almost per- 
fect contrast, the former having 25 observations 
fair out of 27 ; the latter, not one fair out of 18. 
There was no thunder or lightning here during 
the month. A few fine days were noted at the 
beginning and close of the month, with which the 
extreme waves did not interfere. 
PRECIPITATION. 
The amount of rainfall the last month was 3.48 
