I 



May 1 8, 1893 J 



NATURE 



59 



Captain E. C. Hore, who was for many years in command 

 of the mission steamer on Lalje Tanganyika, and received in 

 1890 one of the Royal Geographical Society's awards for his 

 observations on the physical geography of the lake, has arranged 

 an interesting little exhibition at 48, Pall Mall, which will be 

 formally opened tomorrow, May 19, at 4 p.m., when a 

 number of distinguished African explorers and administrators 

 •will be present. The exhibition contains a number of African 

 •curios collected by Captain Hore, and models illustrating 

 native life and industries in a very realistic manner. It will 

 only be open for a few weeks, and is well worthy of a visit from 

 all interested in the geography or in the future development of 

 the region marked out by Nature as the future highway through 

 the continent of Africa. 



The annual dinner of the Royal Geographical Society was 

 held at the Whitehall Rooms, Hotel Metropole, on Saturday, 

 Sir M. E. Grant Duff in the chair. Among the toasts of the 

 evening was that of " The Medallists Designate." In proposing 

 this, the Chairman explained that the dinner usually took place 

 on the evening of the anniversary meeting, but the rooms could 

 not be obtained for that day, and therefore the medals had not 

 yet been conferred. All would agree that the choice of the 

 council had fallen upon very worthy recipients. The first was 

 Mr. Selous, whom they welcomed that evening. The second 

 medallist designate was Mr. Woodville Rockhill, an American 

 diplomatist, who had made himself famous by his explorations in 

 Western China and North-eastern Tibet. Mr. Selous, in re- 

 sponding, said that at a very early period of his African travels 

 he had made sketch maps, and he had never ceased to do so in 

 all the countries through which he had travelled. He had been 

 able to make a pretty correct survey of Mashonaland, and he 

 looked with the most intense pride and satisfaction to the fact 

 that he had seen a British colony spring up in that country, 

 which he was one of the first to explore. Lord Kelvin responded 

 for "The Allied Sciences, " proposed by Mr. Seebohm. Mr. 

 W. T. Thiselton Dyer proposed " The Royal Geographical 

 Society." The Chairman, in replying, said he looked back 

 ■with pleasure upon the almost unclouded prosperity which the 

 Society had enjoyed for the four years during which he had 

 been President. Their numbers this year had sprung forward 

 again, and their total number was close upon 3700. 



The Botanisches Centralblatt has published a full description of 

 the newly established Biological Institute at Heligoland, which 

 is now at full work. The Director is Prof. Heincke, with Dr. 

 Hartlaub as assistant for zoology, and Dr. Ehrenbaum for the high- 

 sea fisheries, while Dr. P. Kuckuck superintends the botanical 

 investigations. Donations to the library are especially asked for. 



M. DuciiARTRE has been elected President of the Botanical 

 Society of France for the curtent year, with MM. Guignard, 

 Clos, Poisson, and Zeiller as Vice-presidents. 



The greater part of the Kew B dietin for February and 

 March, which has just been issued, consists of an account of 

 the known habits and the economic treatment of the inseC: 

 commonly known as the palm weevil, which during the last 

 five or six years has been doing enormius injury to the industry 

 of cocoa-nut palm growing in British Honduras. The paper 

 cannot fail to be of service to planters engaged in this industry. 

 The number contain; also, besides miscellaneous nites, the fifth 

 <3ecade of new orchids. 



The London Botanical Field Class, which was established in 

 1891, will make seven field excursions during the present sum- 

 mer, the first of them taking place on May 27. The director is 

 Prof. G. S. Boulger. 



DuRi.NG the past week the day temperatures have generally 

 been considerably above the average for the season, the readings 

 at some of the central and southern stations exceeded 70°, and 



NO. 1229, VOL. 48J 



reached from 75' to 80° over our south-eastern and south- 

 midland counties ; but in some parts of the north and north-west 

 the daily maxima have not reached 60°. During the first part of 

 the period barometric depressions approached the north of 

 Scotland and spread southwards, bringing light rains to the 

 northern and western parts of the country ; but the fall was 

 below the average amount, while in the south and east of 

 England no rain fell until the 15th inst. The long drought, 

 which in many places was brought to a close on Monday by the 

 advance of a subsidiary depression over the southern portion of 

 the kingdom, had lasted in parts of Kent and Hampshire for 

 fifty-eight days, during which time absolutely no rain fell there. 

 Towards the close of the period the type of weather became 

 very unsettled, and thunderstorms occurred in many parts, ac- 

 companied by rain or hail, but, with few exceptions, the fall up 

 to Tuesday, the i6lhinst., was not heavy. The Weekly Weather 

 Report of the 13th inst. showed that the anaount of bright sun- 

 shine was much above the average. In London it was 76 per 

 cent, of the possible amount, which is higher than any per- 

 centage previously recorded in the metropolis since sunshine 

 instruments were established in 1880. In the Channel Islands 

 the percentage was as high as 88, and over England generally 

 it ranged from 60 to 78 per cent. 



The report of the Kew Committee for the year 1892, 

 the publication of which was noted in our last issue, states 

 that the principal magnetic disturbances were recorded on 

 February 13 and 14, March 6 and 12, April 26, May 18, July 

 16 and 17, and August 12. The most marked disturbance was 

 that which commenced on February 13; the oscillations were 

 of a more extended and violent character than any which have 

 been recorded during the last ten years. The tabulations of the 

 meteorological traces and other observations have been trans- 

 mitted to the Meteorological Office, and detailed information of 

 all thunderstorms has been forwarded to the Royal Meteorological 

 Society. Sketches of sun-spots were made on 178 days ; on no 

 occasion during the year, when observations have been taken, 

 has the sun's surface been found free from spots, and the number 

 of new groups enumerated has largely increased. The number 

 of instruments verified during the year was nearly 21,000, the 

 great majority being clinical thermometers, and, in addition, a 

 large number of watches have been examined. 



The Meteorological Council have just issued a summary ot 

 rainfall and mean temperature for the first quarter of the twenty- 

 eight years 1866 to 1893, based upon the observations published 

 in the Weekly Weather Report. The figures show some inte- 

 resting details of the weather in each of the twelve districts into 

 which the country is divided for the purpose of weather fore- 

 casts. In every district except the north of Scotland and the 

 east of England there was a deficiency in the amount of rainfall. 

 In the principal wheat-producing districts the greatest deficiency 

 was in the Midland Counties, being I 'I inch, and the east of 

 Scotland 1-3 inch, while in the principal grazing, &c., districts 

 the deficiency was still larger, being 2-0 inches in the south- 

 west of England, and 27 inches in the north-west of England. 

 The deficiency for the whole of the British Islands (omitting 

 the Channel Islands and the North of Scotland) was I -3 inch. 

 The temperature in every district exceeded the mean, except 

 the north of Scotland, where it just equalled it. The largest 

 excess was l°'3 in the north of Ireland, and l°'2 in the north- 

 east of England. The excess for the British Islands generally 

 waso'-S; the mean temperature for the last quarter, notwith- 

 standing the severe cold experienced at the beginning of the 

 year having been only just exceeded once in the last nine 

 years. 



The first part of Prof. Newton's "Dictionary of Birds" 

 which has long been announced as in preparation will be pub- 



