6i8 



NA TURE 



[April 25, 1901 



Square. The plant has been examined microscopically by Mr. 

 V. H. Blackman, of the Botanical Department of the British 

 Museum, and is found to be a minute motile alga called Sphae- 

 rella pluvialis. It is usually found in small pools, and is closely 

 rallied to the microscopic plant which gives its colour to red 

 •snow. Its occurrence in rain is a rarity, and it has nothing in 

 common with the red sand-rains of the Continent— except the 

 colour— but if a whirlwind were to pass over the tank, showers 

 coloured red might be produced along its subsequent track by 

 vihe same orocess as the familiar showers of frogs and fish. 



We have received from the director of the Meteorological 

 Service of Canada an interesting account of the cloud observa- 

 tions made at the Toronto Observatory during 1896 and 1897. 

 The instruments used consisted essentially of two ordinary 

 surveyor's theodolites, the telescopes being replaced by a long 

 axis made for each and mounted in the Y's of the standards. 

 The length of the base line was 1552 metres; the observer at 

 one station selects some well-defined point of a cloud and tele- 

 phones its position to the observer at the other station, and on 

 his identifying it the two observers sight it at the same instant 

 of time, and this operation is repeated after an interval vary- 

 ing from 40 seconds to 8 or 10 minutes. Not much photo- 

 graphy was done, owing to the difficulty of keeping the cameras 

 in adjustment. The highest cirrus measured in the latter part of 

 1S96 was at 10,000 metres, velocity 79 miles an hour, and the 

 lowest ,8100 metres, velocity 55 miles. In June 1897, altitudes 

 .exceeding 11,000 metres were obtained, with velocities of about 

 joo to 150 miles an hour. Mean height during the summer 

 season was 10,900 metres, mean velocity 40 miles, and in 

 .the winter season 9,978 metres, velocity 26 miles. The heights 

 and velocities of the various clouds are given in the same 

 way, the mean heights of the lowest cloud, the cumulus, being 

 in the summer season 1697 metres and in the winter season 

 1326 metres; the mean velocity was only about 10 miles an 

 hour. 



The second sheet of the North Atlantic and Mediterranean 

 pilot Charts, issued by the Meteorological Office last week, 

 exhibits the salient features of the region in the month of May. 

 In dealing with the winds it is pointed out that, as indicated by 

 the isobars on one of the inset charts, the barometric gradient 

 between the anticyclone of the horse latitudes and the depres- 

 sion near Iceland is now only about \ inch, so that the winds 

 over the northern half of the Atlantic are of moderate force and 

 strong gales are uncommon, the southern limit of 10 per cent, 

 frequency of gales receding northward to between the 45th and 

 and 50th parallels. Some characteristics of the tornadoes on 

 the African coast are mentioned, and advice given as to how a 

 vessel should be handled. It is instructive to observe that with 

 the advance of the year fog is not only increasing on the banks 

 "but the area is creeping eastward, while another area is spreading 

 westward from the Bay of Biscay. The great advantages of 

 ocean current charts for each month of the year are becoming 

 very evident. To quote the latest chart, "The results show 

 the changes, both local and general, which are associated with 

 the advance of the seasons. In the month of May it will be 

 seen that to the westward of the British Isles, between the 50th 

 and 60th parallels, the drift is largely to the west and south- 

 west, there being no evidence of the north-eastward extension 

 of the Gulf Stream beyond about 47" N., 27° W. Between the 

 30th and 50th parallels westward to the 30th meridian, nearly 

 the whole of the surface water has a south-going movement. 

 These features are probably closely related to the prevalence of 

 polar winds off the coasts of North-Western Europe at this 

 season." The distribution of atmospheric pressure, with the 

 accompanying northerly winds, distinguishing the European 

 '* Cold Spell " of May, is illustrated by means of an inset chart 

 NO. 1643, VOL. 63] 



and remarks, and there is information bearing on several other 

 topics ; but sufficient has been said to show that the chart may 

 be of service to many others in addition to seamen. 



The Sydney Botanic Gardens, which are admittedly among 

 the finest in existence, comprise about forty acres, and their 

 northern edge forms a semicircle round Farm Cove, one of the 

 many charming indents of the harbour, and forming the 

 anchorage of the vessels belonging to the Australasian squadron. 

 Adjoining the western boundary of the gardens are the grounds 

 surrounding the residence of the Australian Governor-General. 

 Recently the gardens have been enriched by the addition of 

 the first museum in Australia strictly botanical in character, 

 all existing museums in which plant products are exhibited 

 being either technological or partly botanical and partly 

 technological. The building, which has been erected under 

 the supervision of the State Government architect, now 

 comprises a museum, herbarium, library, store room, photo- 

 graphic room, seed room and offices. The museum was for- 

 mally opened by Mrs. John See, whose husband, the acting- 

 Premier and Chief Secretary of New South Wales, said the 

 collection was a national one, and that so long as he occupied 

 the position he would do all he could to provide money for 

 extending its usefulness. 



Dr. B. Sharp described, at a recent meeting of the Academy 

 of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, some observations he has 

 made on the contents of the stomachs of the common cod. Several 

 hundred stomachs were opened with the hope of finding shells 

 of gastropods and bivalves. Numerous valuable shells were 

 taken from the cod years ago by Stimpson and Gould on the 

 New England coast, north of Cape Cod, and it was supposed 

 that similar finds would come to light from the cod caught off 

 Nantucket. The stomachs examined were filled almost exclu- 

 sively with crustaceans and for the most pari with species of 

 Panopeus. Hermit crabs, without shells, and a few Crepidulre 

 were ajso seen. Here and there young lobsters were found in 

 the stomachs, occasionally two in one stomach. Dr. Sharp 

 believes that the decrease in quantity of the lobsters, which has 

 been so marked within the past few years, is partly due to their 

 consumption by the cod ; and as these have of late greatly 

 increased in numbers, owing to the work of the United States 

 Fish Commission, the lobsters have not been able to keep pace 

 with the increase of their enemies. 



Petertnann' s Mitteilungen contains a short descriptive paper 

 on the region surrounding the junction of the Trombetas with 

 the Amazon, by Dr. Friedrich Katzer, with a map based on 

 surveys made under direction of the Belgian engineer, Haag, 

 chiefly by Captains Le Blanc and Robert. The map indicates 

 considerable modifications of those already extant. 



Prof. E. 'B.\CWi^E.^covcim\x\\\c2X&%\.o Petermann s Mitteilungeii 

 a letter addressed to him by Herr Schuh, of Gmunden, on some 

 temperature observations made in the Gmunden See, which seem 

 to settle the question of why water at the surface of a lake on 

 which ice is forming has always been recorded as warmer than 

 the freezing point. Using an ordinary thermometer, Herr Schuh 

 observed temperatures of o°'4, i°'5, 2°'0 and 3°'4 C. within an 

 area of i sq. m. on which ice was actually formings. A special 

 form of thermometer was then devised, of which the lower part 

 was drawn out into the form of a pear 7 mm. in diameter, the j 

 instrument being filled with spirit and carrying a minimum index, ' 

 and the whole was so arranged as to swim on the water with the J 

 pear-shaped part immersed horizontally. Repeated observationsj 

 showed that where ice was forming the spirit showed a temper- 

 ature of 1° to 3° when the instrument was lifted out of the water, 

 but the index invariably read 0° C. Hence it appears that the 



