November 17, 1892] 



NA TURE 



63 



most important and interesting herpetological events of recent 

 years. " The discovery is primarily due to Mr. F. A. Sampson, 

 who, in July last year, found the adult animal as well as a larva 

 in the Rock House Cave, Missouri, and forwarded both to the 

 V . S. National Museum. Mr. George E. Harris afterwards 

 went to great trouble in order to procure additional specimens. 

 Unfortunately, he has only succeeded so far in obtaining larvae, 

 but Mr. Stejneger hopes to be able to secure more adults. A 

 more detailed anatomical description of this interesting animal 

 is postponed until then, as he has not felt justified in mutilating 

 the type specimen beyond what was necessary in order to ascer- 

 tain the character of the vertebrae. The present preliminary 

 description is, therefore, only prepared in order to call attention 

 to the discovery and to supply the diagnosis by which the ani- 

 mal may be identified. 



Dr. Morris Gibbs contributes to Science an interesting paper 

 on the food of humming-birds. He has carefully dissected many 

 humming-birds, both old and young, but has never found any- 

 thing to convince him that the birds live on insects. It may be 

 that at times when flowers are scarce some species of insects are 

 captured, but Dr. Gibbs is satisfied that in season, when flowers 

 are abundant, the ruby-throat of Michigan lives on honey. 



In a recent investigation of the action of accumulators, Herren 

 Neumann and Streintz have shown {Wied. Ann.) that lead has 

 the power of absorbing hydrogen. In one case the metal was 

 used as an electrode, and charged with electrolytic hydrogen ; 

 in another it was melted, and a current of hydrogen passed 

 through it. Care must be taken that the charged metal is not 

 in contact with air, as the oxygen of the latter then unites with 

 the hydrogen ; and this, the authors think, is why previous 

 observers have not been able to prove an occlusion of hydrogen 

 by the lead plates of accumulators. The authors examined other 

 metals, and they give the following numbers for the gas absorbed 

 per unit volume of metal: — Lead, o"i5 ; palladium, S02'35 ; 

 spongy platinum, 29-95 ; platinum black, 49*30; gold, 46*32 ; 

 silver, 0"00 ; copper, 4"8l ; aluminium, 2*72; iron, I9'I7 ; 

 nickel, 16 85 ; cobalt, 153 00. When the same pieces of metal 

 were repeatedly used, the occluding power generally fell off ; 

 in the case of the noble metals this is thought to be due to 

 increased density ; but why the occluding power of iron and 

 cobalt should be reduced to one-half or more was not explained. 

 Nickel and copper retained their power. With regard to the 

 high power of co'ialt, the authors tried that metal in a volta- 

 meter, but curiously it showed no hydrogen polarization when 

 the charging circuit was opened. 



Messrs. Williams and Norgate's Natural Science Cata. 

 logue (No. 9) includes classified lists of books and periodicals 

 on mathematics, astronomy, meteorology, physics, electricity, 

 chemistry, microscopy, optics, mechanics, engineering, tech- 

 nology, &c., in French, German, and other foreign languages. 



The opening meeting of the one hundred and thirty-ninth 

 session of the Society of Arts was held yesterday (Wednesday) 

 evening. The following arrangements have been made for 

 the ordinary meetings: — November 23, "The Disposal of 

 the Dead," by F. Seymour Haden ; November 30, "The 

 Copper Resources of the United States," by James Douglas ; 

 December 7, "The Chicago Exhibition, 1893," by James 

 Dredge; December 14, "The Utilization of Niagara," 

 by Prof, George Forbes, F.R.S. The following papers, 

 for which dates have not yet been fixed, will be read : — 

 "Transatlantic Steamships," by Prof. Francis Elgir;"The 

 Detection and Estimation of Small Proportions of Inflam- 

 mable Gas or Vapour in the Air," by Prof. Frank Clowes ; 

 "The Purification of the Air Supply to Public Build- 

 ings and Dwellings," by William Key; "Pottery Glazes: 

 their Classification and Decorative Value in Ceramic Design," 

 NO. 1203, VOL. 47] 



by Wilton P. Rix ; "The Chemical Technology of Oil Boiling, 

 with a Description of a New Process for the Preparation of 

 Drying Oils, and an Oil Varnish," by Prof. W. Noel Hartley, 

 F.R,S. ; " The Mining Industries of South Africa," by Bennett 

 H. Brough ; " Ten Years of Progress in India," by Sir William 

 Wilson Hunter; " Australasia as a Field for Anglo-Indian Col- 

 onization," by Sir Edward N. C. Braddon, Agent-General for 

 Tasmania; "Indian Manufactures," by Sir Juland Danvers, 

 late Public Works Secretary, India Office ; " Caste and Occupa- 

 tion at the last Census of India," by Jervoise Athelstane 

 Baines, Imperial Census Commissioner for India; "Mexico, 

 Past and Present," by Edward J. Howell ; " Newfoundland," 

 by Cecil Fane : " New Zealand," by W. B. Percival, Agent- 

 General for New Zealand. The following courses of Cantor 

 lectures will be delivered on Monday evenings, at eight o'clock : 

 Prof. Vivian Lewes, "The Generation of Light from Coal 

 Gas" (four lectures, November 21, 28, December 5, 12); Dr. 

 J. A. Fleming, "The Practical Measurement of Alternating 

 Electric Currents " (four lectures, January 30, February 6, 13, 

 20); Prof. W. Chandler Roberts- Austen, F.R.S., "Al- 

 loys" (three lectures, March 6, 13, 20); Lewis Foreman 

 Day, " Sojae Masters of Ornament" (four lectures, April 

 10, 17, 24; May i) ; C. Harrison Townsend, "The History 

 and Practice of Mosaics" (two lectures. May 8, 15). A 

 special course of six lectures, under the Howard bequest, 

 will be delivered on the following Friday evenings at eight 

 o'clock: Prof, W. C. Uuwin, F.R,S,, "The Development and 

 Transmission of Power from Central Stations" (January 13, 20, 

 27 ; February 3, 10, 17), 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a Squirrel Monkey {Chrysothrix sciurea) 

 from Guiana, presented by Mrs, K, Betts ; a Brown Capuchin 

 {Cebus fatuellus'x) from Brazil, presented by Miss L. Black- 

 burn ; a Himalayan Bear ( Urstis tibetanus $ ) from Burmah, 

 presented by Major W, H. Cunliffe ; a Herring Gull {Larus ar- 

 gentalus) British, presented by the Rev. Sidney Vatcher ; a 

 Goshawk {Astur palumbarius) captured at sea, presented by 

 Capt. F. Manley ; an Egyptian Vulture {Neophron percnopterus) 

 from Africa, presented by Mr. J. L. Teage ; two Bunt- 

 ings ( ) from North Africa, presented by Lord Lilford, 



F.Z.S, ; eighteen Filfola Lizards {Lacerta muralis var, filfolen- 

 sis) from the Island of Filfola, eighteen Wall Lizards {Laceria 

 muralis var. tiliguerta), an Ocellated Sand Skink {Sepsocel- 

 latus), a Moorish Gecko {Tarentola mauritanica), a Turkish 

 Gecko {Hemidactylus tiircicus) from Malta, presented by Capt. 

 Robert A. Threshie ; a Common Kite [Milvus ictimus) from 

 Spain, received in exchange ; five Dingos (Canis dingo), horn 

 in the Gardens, 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 

 The New Comet. — The weather has prevented observations 

 of the new Comet. Its brightness is about that of the nebula in 

 Andromeda, and it has been suggested that it is a return of 

 Biela's Comet. 



Comet Brooks (August 28), — The following is a continua- 

 tion of the ephcmeris of Comet Brooks for the present week, 

 extracted from Aslronomische Nachrichten, No. 312: — 

 I2h. Berlin M.T. 

 R.A. app. Decl. app. Log r. Log A, Br. 



" ' h. m. s. o ' 



Nov. 17... 10 25 3 ... -2 352 

 18.,. 29 40 ... 3 347 

 19... 34 20 ... 4 348 



20... 39 3 ... 5 353 •• 00674 ... 99568 ... 2051 

 21... 43 48 ... 6 36*2 

 22... 48 36 ... 7 375 

 23... 53 27 ... 8 390 



24... 10 58 20 .„ 9 40-8 ... 00540 ... 99483 •• 22-7a 

 The unit of brightness occurred on August 31. 



