May 27, 1897] 



NATURE 



89 



consequent inundation of large districts by the waters of the 

 Dead Sea. At the same time the shock reopened the crater of 

 a volcano on the eastern margin of the sea, and a violent erup- 

 tion followed. This account, in Dr. Diener's opinion, best satis- 

 fies the geological conditions observed, and it may be admitted 

 ihat it confirms the descriptive accuracy of the Biblical 

 narrative. 



The new number of the Zeitschrift der Geselhchaft filr 

 Erdkunde zu Berlin contains two important memoirs — one by 

 Dr. G. Schweinfurth on the stone quarries of the Mons 

 Claudianus in the Eastern Egyptian Desert, and one by Dr. 

 Mans Steffen on the relations of Patagonia to the frontiers of 

 Argentina and Chili. Dr. Steffen's paper is illustrated by an 

 excellent map of an almost unknown region. 



Dr. Arthur Keith has reprinted his four papers on the 

 Anthropoid Apes, published in Natural Science during last 

 year, and has formed thereby a very useful index to the litera- 

 ture of these important animals. The books and papers on this 

 subject are, as Dr. Keith observes, much more numerous than 

 most people imagine, and are, moreover, scattered about in the 

 publications of all parts of the world. New contributions to 

 this engrossing subject cannot satisfactorily be made without a 

 full knowledge of what has been previously written. This is, 

 therefore, a most useful piece of work, for which naturalists 

 should be duly grateful to the author. 



The work undertaken by Prof. Balfour Stewart, some years 

 ago, in conjunction with Mr. W. W. Haldane Gee, and entitled, 

 " Lessons in Elementary Practical Physics," was unfortunately 

 interrupted by the death of Prof Stewart, who only saw the 

 completion of the second volume — that on Electricity and Mag- 

 netism. It has now been decided to complete the work by 

 entrusting it to the hands of separate coadjutors ; accordingly 

 part I of volume iii. will appear immediately, containing a 

 treatise on " Practical Acoustics," by Mr. C. L. Barnes. Part 2 

 of volume iii. will be a treatise on " Heat," by Mr. Haldane 

 Gee ; while the third part, completing the volume, will comprise 

 " Optics." 



Among noteworthy papers and other publications which have 

 come under our notice during the past few days are the follow- 

 ing -. — The Psychological Index, No. 3, being a bibliography of 

 the literature of psychology and cognate subjects for 1896, com- 

 piled by Mr. H. C. Warren and Mr. Livingston Farrand. This 

 valuable index is a special issue of the Psychological Review. — 

 Six fine portraits of the late Prof. E. D. Cope are given in the 

 May number of the American Naturalist, together with several 

 appreciative notices of his life and work. — A detailed obituary 

 f the late Prof. Du Bois Reymond is contributed to the A'ez'tie 

 le I' University de Brtixelles by Prof. Paul Heger. — A catalogue 

 of works on pure and applied mathematics, from the libraries of 

 the late Prof. Cayley and Dr. Todhunter. These books and 

 papers are offered for sale by Messrs. Macmillan and Bowes, 

 and the list of them will interest many mathematicians and 

 astronomers.— Dr. James Cappie contributes to the Monist 

 (.\pril) some suggestive considerations on the bearing of 

 elementary physical principles on intercranial activities. 



In view of the growing use of acetylene for heating and 

 illuminating purposes, it has become of importance to find out 

 under what conditions the storage of the gas may become 

 dangerous. Some time ago MM. Berthelot and Vieille found 

 that an explosive decomposition could be set up in acetylene 

 either by a fulminate cap or by a red-hot wire, provided that the 

 pressure was above two atmospheres, this explosive decom- 

 position taking place with extreme ease in the case of the 

 liquefied gas. In the latter case, the effects of the decomposition 

 were similar in character to those produced by high explosives. 

 NO. 1439, VOL. 56] 



These results were only too rapidly confirmed by the fatal- 

 explosion in Paris of a cylinder of liquid acetylene. It has 

 recently been found out that acetone is a good solvent for 

 acetylene, and in the Comptes rendus (May 10) \LM. Berthelot 

 and Vieille give an account of their very complete experiments 

 on this solution. After examining the relations between pressure 

 and temperature for solutions of various strengths, they next 

 studied the effects produced by exploding a small charge of 

 mercury fulminate, and by a red-hot wire. It was found that 

 solutions of acetylene in acetone, although still callable of 

 explosion, were much safer than the gas alone, the pressure at 

 which explosion began to be possible being raised from two to 

 ten kilograms per square centimetre. For a given sized vessel 

 the quantity of acetylene that can be safely stored is fifty times 

 greater with acetone than without it. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include two Common Marmosets {Hapale jacchiis) 

 from South-East Brazil, presented by Mr. W. A. Bromwich ; a 

 White-throated Capuchin {Cebus hypokucm) from Central 

 America, presented by Mr. T. H. Rudkin ; two Bonnet 

 Monkeys (Macacus sinicus) from India, presented by Mrs. 

 Hardisty ; a Cape Hunting TiogiLycaon pictus) bred in Ireland, 

 presented by the Royal Zoological Society of Ireland ; a Vul- 

 pine Phalanger {Trichosunts vulpecula) from Australia, pre- 

 sented by Dr. J, Martin Kennedy ; a Peregrine Falcon {Falco 

 peregrinus), captured in the Red Sea, presented by Mr, J. Kil- 

 patrick ; an Alexandrine Parrakeet {Palieornis alexandra) (torn 

 India, presented by Mrs. E. Hight ; three Cocteau's Skinlcs 

 (Macroscinicus cocteaui) from the Island of Raza, Capede Verde, 

 presented by Mr. Boyd Alexander ; an Antilleaii Boa {Boa 

 diviniloque) from St. Lucia, presented by Captain Digby H. 

 Barker ; a West African Python {Python sebcr) from West Africa, 

 presented by H.E. Colonel F. Cardew, C.M.G. ; a Smooth- 

 headed Capuchin {Cebus i/ionachus, albino) from South-east 

 Brazil; two Green Monkeys {Cercopilhecus callitrichns) from 

 West Africa, two Blue Penguins {Eudyptula minor) from New 

 Zealand, deposited ; two Wallabys {Macropus, sp. inc.), ar> 

 Australian Pelican {Pelecanus conspicillatus) from Australia, pur- 

 chased ; a White-tailed Gnu {Connochetes gnu) (torn South 

 Africa, received in exchange ; a Japanese Deer {Cervus sika), 

 a Patagonian Cavy {Dolichotis patachonica), born in the 

 Gardens. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 

 The Origin of Soi.ar and Stellar Light.— We have 

 received a small pamphlet of eight pages (including the preface 

 and a supplement) entitled " The Explanation of the Origin of 

 Solar and Stellar Light, and the minor phenomena connected 

 therewith," written by Mr. M. R. Dissett, and published at the 

 moderate (?) price of one shilling. The author of these phages 

 expounds a theory of the universe in which the element 

 of " temperature " plays no role whatever ; in fact, he says "it 

 requires only magnitude and distance sufficient for any non- 

 luminous body to become a brilliant star." Indeed, he goes on 

 to say, "the fact that all the heavenly bodies, without excep- 

 tion, the rarest gases as well as the most solid bodies, give light 

 in proportion to their magnitude, density and distance, might 

 long ago have suggested that their brilliancy must be due to 

 some such principle and not to their being incandescent matter, 

 a theory as puerile as it is unscientific." The " principle " 

 alluded to in the extract, is none other than that by which the 

 light "reflected by a comparatively dull body, such as a planet, 

 becomes more intense as its apparent disc diminishes in in- 

 creasing distance, till finally it becomes a brilliant star." 

 Arguing from this, the author explains how our sun does not 

 shine by his own light, but is non-luminous and reflects star 

 light. In fact, he infers that every body in the heavens appears 

 bright on this principle. One might be inclined to ask whence 

 the original light, since every body seems to be capable only of 



