March 21, 1901] 



NATURE 



499 



composition of both the organic and inorganic constituents of 

 the calcareous spicules is worked out, the mineral matter being 

 a double salt of CaCOj and K2CO3. 



Serious students of the science of meteorology will welcome 

 Dr. J, Hann's " Lehrbuch der Meteorologie," the publication 

 of which has just been commenced by the firm of Tauchnitz, 

 Leipzig, The work will be completed in eight parts, and it is 

 to be hoped that they will follow one another in quick succes- 

 sion. The first part contains a general introduction on the 

 physics and chemistry of the atmosphere, and sections on 

 radiation and daily and annual ranges of temperature. There 

 are also charts showing the isotherms of the world in January, 

 July, and of the year, and also representing the paths of hurri- 

 canes in the North Atlantic Ocean. The work will be 

 reviewed when all the parts have been received. 



We have already referred on two or three occasions to the 

 dispute between the authorities of Kew Observatory and the 

 West London Tramways. ■ The subje'^t of the dispute— whether 

 the currents leaking from the tramway rails would affect the 

 readings of the magnetometers at Kew — was put to the test of 

 experiment on Friday last, when the Board of Trade inspection 

 of the electrical equipment of the Tramways was carried out by 

 Mr. Trotter. For an hour or two the ordinary horse-car trams 

 were replaced by electrically-driven cars, thirty of which were 

 run on the line between Hammersmith and Kew. During this 

 trial observations were made on the measuring instruments in 

 the generating station by Mr. R. T. Glazebrook on behalf of 

 Kew Observatory. It will be possible, by comparing the re- 

 cords thus obtained with the readings of the instruments at Kew 

 during the time of the trial, to determine how far the leakage 

 currents are likely to interfere with the value of the Kew re- 

 cords. Should an appreciable effect be observed, an arrange- 

 ment will have to be made between Kew and the Tramways as 

 to the amount of compensation to be paid by the latter for the 

 cost of removing the instruments. 



The prospects of agricultural developments in South Africa 

 were described by Prof. R. Wallace at a meeting of the Colonial 

 Institute on March 12. After referring in detail to the crops 

 produced in Cape Colony, the scanty herbage, the rearing of 

 sheep and goats, the production of wool, ostrich-farming, the breed- 

 ing of cattle, forest areas, and the products of Natal, he alluded 

 to the Transvaal and the Orange River Colony. The south- 

 eastern parts of the Transvaal, including New Scotland, he said, 

 were specially suitable for sheep-breeding as well as for agricul- 

 ture, the high central area for cattle and corn, the northern and 

 lower elevations for coffee and sugar plantations and for tropical 

 fruit culture. Good tobacco was largely grown in the Transvaal 

 for export to other districts of South Africa. A great deal had 

 been written about irrigation being the probable salvation of the 

 country. Many small local ventures had been marvellously 

 successful in transforming what was desert into gardens of Eden, 

 and a good many promising irrigation schemes had been 

 examined in various districts of Cape Colony, but most of them 

 involved the expenditure of a large amount of capital and would 

 require to be worked with much skill and care to make them 

 pay. Without irrigation, the extent of South Africa that was 

 capable of cultivation with satisfactory results was an infinitesi- 

 mal fraction of the whole, and even that was subjected to 

 periodical droughts which at times destroyed a whole season's 

 crop ; to destructive hailstorms, which were specially prevalent 

 on the central plateau ; and to fungoid parasitic pests on the 

 common grain crops, which made the growth of European 

 cereals practically impossible during the wet season of summer. 

 It was highly probable that among the new disease- resisting 

 breeds of cross-fertilised grains which had been produced at 

 NO. 1638, VOL. 63] 



Newton-le- Willows by the brothers Carton, species of both oats 

 and wheat might be found on experiment to overcome this 

 difficulty ; but still sufficient reasons remained why South Africa 

 would never be a great agricultural country capable of exporting 

 grain. With the development of the local irrigation schemes 

 that were possible and better systems of management, it might 

 more nearly produce the amount of food requisite for internal 

 consumption. 



The Newcastle Daily Journal announces the death of Mr. 

 Richard Ilowse, one of the old school of naturalists, who had 

 been for half a century actively identified with the Natural 

 History Society in Newcastle, and since the new museum 

 was opened at Barras Bridge sixteen years ago he discharged 

 the duties of curator. For a considerable period he acted 

 as one of the secretaries to the Tyneside Naturalists' Field 

 Club, and was also editor of its transactions. Mr. Howse 

 was one of the first geologists to study the Permian rocks of the 

 north-east coast, and he made a number of important observa- 

 tions of the carboniferous fossils of the north of England, many 

 interesting specimens of which have been named after him. 

 He was a prolific writer, and in addition to many papers which 

 were published in the transactions of the local societies, he 

 prepared an interesting "Guide to the Natural History 

 Museum." He compiled other volumes dealing with the ex- 

 hibits in the Barras Bridge Museum, amongst the number being 

 a " Guide to the Collections of Local Fossils," and a " Cata- 

 logue of the Fishes of the Rivers and Coast of Northumberland 

 and Durham." Prior to this publication, no systematic list of 

 the fishes found on the coast and in the rivers of Northumber- 

 land and Durham had been issued. Mr. Howse also published 

 an index catalogue of birds in the Hancock collection and a 

 catalogue of Permian fossils, and was joint editor with Mr. 

 J. W. Kirby of a " Synopsis of Geology of Northumberland 

 and Durham." 



A METHOD of distinguishing human blood from that of 

 animals has been discovered independently by Dr. Uhlen-Luth, 

 of Greifswald, and Drs. Wassermann and Schutze, of Berlin, 

 and is described in the Medical Press and Circular of March 13. 

 From this account of the investigations it appears that it is now 

 possible to obtain a definite reaction from blood-stains, however 

 old, which indicates with something approximating absolute 

 certainty the source of the blood under examination. This 

 result is based on the fact that the blood serum of animals which 

 have been injected with the blood of an animal of a different 

 species, when added to a dilution of blood from the latter, 

 produces therein a well-marked precipitate. Thus, if a rabbit 

 be injected with human blood, the serum of the rabbit blood, 

 when added to a dilution of human blood, causes immediate 

 turbidity, a phenomenon which is conspicuous by its absence 

 when it is added to dilutions of any other kind of blood. The 

 only element of uncertainty is that the blood of monkeys reacts, 

 to some extent, in the same way as human blood ; but apart 

 from the fact that the medico legist is seldom likely to be called 

 upon to differentiate between these two varieties, there is a 

 notable difference in the length of time required for a dilution 

 of monkey's blood to become cloudy as compared with that of 

 man. Full details of the procedure will be found in our con- 

 temporary. 



The Meteorological Council have just published a series of 

 charts illustrating the weather of the Noith Atlantic Ocean in 

 the winter 1898-9. This period was marked by a succession of 

 severe gales, and it will be remembered that public interest was 

 especially aroused by the anxiety as the safety of the liners 

 Pavonia and Bulgaria. The charts illustrate the state of the 

 weather from December 18, 1898, to February 15, 1899, com 

 piled from observations from the log-books of some 200 vessels, 



