January 21, 1892J 



NA TURE 



279 



another those of Indians in Chaco and in the south of the 

 Argentine Republic. All are brachycephalic, and many have 

 been artificially distorted. The skulls of the Peruvian type are 

 the later of the two groups. It is evident, however, that before 

 the appearance of the Peruvian element; in what is now 

 Catamarca the population were in a much higher position than 

 the Indians of the present day. They built strong fortresses, 

 like those which are found in Arizona and New Mexico, and 

 the traces of their dwellings indicate a comparatively advanced 

 stage of civilization. Many of the remains remind Seiior 

 Moreno of the Mexicans, others seem to show some affinity 

 between the people and the Chibcha, while oihers are of a 

 quite peculiar character. He has given a provisional account 

 of his results in the Revista de la Plata, 1890-91. 



Mr. James F. Hobart contributes to the January number of 

 the Engineering Magazine, l^tvf York, an interesting article on 

 the paper-making industry. He notes that while in 1881 the 

 United States produced only 5,315,400 pounds of paper, it pro- 

 duced in 1891 not less than 15,219,580 pounds. Even this rate 

 of production is exceeded by Germany. Mr. Hobart, however, 

 thinks there are indications that the United States will lead the 

 world in the production of paper before the end of the century. 



The new number of the Board of Trade Journal contains 

 some extracts from a valuable report by the French Agent at 

 Victoria on the salmon industry in British Columbia. Among 

 the details noted by him is the fact that the best fish are almost 

 always taken on the outflow of the river in the place where the 

 fishermen endeavour to meet the fish on their arrival from the 

 sea. A boat is often filled with several hundred fish in a single 

 drift net of from 400 to 500 metres. It is calculated that on 

 certain days the total of the Fraser fishery amounts to not less 

 than 150,000 salmon, which are passed through all the different 

 phases of preserving, and are ready to be forwarded for the 

 market on the same day. An ingenious apparatus used to take 

 the salmon, chiefly on the Columbia River in the United States, 

 is described. A large wheel, fixed at a certain distance from the 

 bank, is put in motion by the current. The blades of this 

 wheel are provided with a network of iron wire intended to 

 raise from the water any large object coming in contact with 

 them. A sort of bar-work starting from the wheel is so placed 

 as to increase the strength of the current in such a manner as to 

 force the fish passing on this side of the river to go in this 

 direction. The salmon, wishing to cross the very rapid stream 

 where the wheel is placed, is raised out of the water by the iron 

 wire on the blades. In the rotary movement the salmon is 

 carried to the centre of the wheel, whence an inclined plane 

 conducts it into vast open reservoirs placed in the stream, where 

 it can be kept alive for some time. A system of pulleys provides 

 for the raising of these reservoirs, the water flows out, and the 

 salmon is carried in boat-loads just as it is required for preparation. 



The U.S. Consul at Bordeaux gives, in a recent report, some 

 interesting information about the wines of the Medoc district. 

 He notes that this district, between the sea on the one hand 

 and the Garonne and Gironde Rivers on the others, is called 

 Medoc {quasi medio aquce), because nearly surrounded by water. 

 It is the northern termination of the extensive tract of sand-hills 

 and marsh-land called " Les Landes," extending from Bayonne 

 north, which changes to a bank of gravel on approaching the 

 left bank of the Garonne, and contains some of the most pre- 

 cious vineyards in the world. The soil is of light pebble, and, 

 indeed, on the spots where some of the lest wine is produced 

 it appears a mere heap of quartz mixed wiih the most sterile 

 quality of earth. The best wine is not produced where the bush 

 is most luxuriant, but on the thinner soils, where it is actually 

 stunted, and where weeds disdain often to grow. Here the vine 

 retains the sun's heat about its roots after sunset, so that its 

 NO. I 160, VOL 45] 



I juices are matured as much by night as by day. The accumula- 

 tion of sand and pebbles of which this soil is composed is ap- 

 j parently the spoils of the Pyrenean rocks, brought down by the 

 ! torrents tributary to the Garonne and other great rivers, and de- 

 posited in former ages on the borders of the sea. At a depth of 

 I 2 or 3 feet from the surface occurs a bed of indurated conglome- 

 I rate, which requires to be broken up before the vine will grow. 



The latest publication i.ssued by the Meteorological Council 

 contains the harmonic analysis of hourly observations of siir 

 I tempeiature and pressure at British Observatories. The com- 

 ! putations as originally undertaken were designed to supply the 

 analysis of the hourly observations made at Greenwich Ob- 

 servatory which were published in 1878 ; but subsequently it was 

 determined to extend the investigation so as to include the 

 observations made at the seven Observatories maintained by the 

 Meteorological Office for a series of twelve years. The onerous 

 I work of calculation has been considerably diminished by means 

 I of the mechanical analyzer designed by Sir William Thomson, 

 i and by special formulae, tables, and a slide rule prepared by 

 General R. Strachey, Chairman of the Council. A drawing of 

 I the scale, and an explanation of its application, are given in the 

 ! preface to the work. 



The Meteorological Council rhave just issued a useful pub- 

 lication entitled "Ten Years' Sunshine in the British Isles, 



I 1881-90." The observations have been taken at forty-six 



I stations, well distributed over the country — except tor Scotland 

 and Wales. At the great majority of stations the instrument 

 used is the Campbell-Stokes sunshine-recorder, which focusses 

 the sun's rays, by means of a glass ball, on to a card fixed in a 



I brass frame. The instrument records only bright sunshine, 



! which burns the card when no mist is present, or no cirrus 

 or other clouds obstruct the rays. The tables show that Dec- 



; ember is the most sunless month of the year. Jersey stands 

 first on the list of stations, as it does in nearly all other months 

 of the year, having 23 per cent, of possible duration, while 

 Dublin has 21 per cent., and St. Ann's Head 20 per cent., 

 and London has a miserable record of 2 per cent. A great 



i increase is noticeable in February, when Jersey has the greatest 

 amount, viz. 31 per cent., and London the least, 9 per cent. 



: In April, London begins to compare more favourably with other 

 places situated in the suburbs, and May is the sunniest month of 

 the year, while June and July are by no means as sunny as might 

 be expected. August is a good month, except in the north-west 



j of Ireland and Scotland. September and October exhibit a 

 considerable decrease, and November is the only month in 



\ which the Channel Islands are not the most sunny part of the 

 British Isles. The sea-coast generally is more sunny than in- 

 land parts, while large manufacturing cities, such as Glasgow, 

 compare badly with stations in their neighbourhood. In the 

 late autumn, Ireland generally receives more sunshine than the 

 most of England. 



It is useful, in relation to meteorology, to note the date of 

 commencement of various harvest operations. A French Abbe, 

 M. Buve, has recently suggested a consideration of the quantity 

 of sugar produced in certain plants as a means of determining 

 the meteorological elements concerned in this process. The 

 physiology of the sugar beet is now pretty well known ; and, 

 according to M. Marie Davy, one may estimate pretty closely 

 the yield of this plant by means of calculations from the heat and 

 illumination to which it has been subject. Conversely, the 

 Abbe points out, we might determine the heat and light received, 

 through the quantity of sugar produced. Fiscal operations, 

 determining the yield of sugar, would facilitate the process. 

 Again, it is suggested that the yield of honey might be considered 

 in the same relation— the quantity of it in flowers depending 

 greatly on sunshine, wind, rain, &c., while the state of the 



