io8 



NATURE 



[June i, 1893 



extended in some important respect. B. Descriptive Sciences. 



(1) New researches on the intervention of phagocytosis in the 

 development of invertebrates ; (2) Description of the phosphate, 

 sulphate, and carbonate minerals of the Belgian region, with 

 indication of beds and localities ; (3) New researches on the 

 peripheral nerve-system of Amphioxus, and especially on the 

 constitution and genesis of the sensitive roots ; (4) New re- 

 searches on the mechanism of cicatrisation in plants. The prize 

 in each case is a gold medal worth 600 francs. Further, the 

 Jean Servais Stas prize of 1,000 francs is offered for new re- 

 searches determining the (at present uncertain) atomic weight 

 of one or several elements. Memoirs may be written in French or 

 Flemish, and must be sent in, with motto, &c. , before August 

 I, 1894. Only manuscripts are allowed. 



At the time of our last issue an anticyclone from off the 

 Atlantic was spreading over the south-west of this country, and 

 caused a renewal of the drought in many places in the south and 

 east of England, but in Scotland and the north of Ireland the 

 conditions were less settled, and a moderate gale was experienced 

 in the north of Scotland. The maximum day temperature 

 ranged during the first part of the period from about 55° in some 

 parts of the north to 74° in the extreme south, while the night 

 minima were generally high for the season. During the early 

 part of the present week the barometer continued high, but 

 several small depressions formed over the south and east of Eng- 

 land ; cold northerly winds spread over the whole kingdom, 

 accompanied by rain in many districts, and adecrease of several 

 degrees in the temperature, the shade thermometer falling to the 

 freezing point in the north of Scotland during the night of May 

 29. The Weekly Weather Report of May 27 showed that the 

 temperature for that period was again above the mean, the 

 average excess being from 3° to 5°. Rainfall was rather more 

 than the mean in the north of Scotland, but less in all other 

 districts. Bright sunshine was more prevalent over England 

 and parts of Scotland than in the previous week ; in most parts 

 of England the percentage of possible duration was from 41 to 

 46, while in Ireland it was 19 to 20, and in the north of Scotland 

 only 17 per cent. 



Dr. J. Han'N has published in the Sitzungsberichte of the 

 Vienna Academy of Sciences some of the results of the anemo- 

 raetrical observations made at the Meteorological Institute at 

 that place from 1873 to 1892. The discussion, which occupies 

 eighty octavo pages, is divided into three sections : (i) the daily 

 period of absolute wind velocity (without regard to direction), 



(2) the yearly period of the velocity, and (3) the yearly period of the 

 direction. In the two first sections a comparison of similar 

 results for other stations, Jpartly specially calculated for this pur- 

 pose, has been made. Tlie following are a very few of the 

 results of Dr. Hann's valuable and elaborate work. The wind 

 velocity shows a principal single daily period, with a minimum 

 at 6h. a.m., and a maximum at ih. p.m. Another secondary 

 minimum is exhibited at 7h. 30m. p.m., and is followed by a 

 secondary maximum at loh. p.m. The cause of these secondary 

 extremes is found to lie in the daily range of stormy winds ; on 

 calm days the secondary extremes disappear. The absolute 

 mean maximum velocity occurs in March, about 14 miles per 

 hour, and the minimum in October, about to miles per hour. 

 There also appears to be a secondary maximum in November, 

 and a secondary minimum in January, while from spring to 

 summer there is again a slight increase in the velocity. With 

 regard to direction, the northerly component has its maximum 

 in March and its minimum in October, the easterly component 

 has its maximum in April and minimum in July, the southerly 

 component has also its maximum in April and its minimum in 

 June and, lastly, the westerly component reaches a maximum in 

 July and a minimum in February. 



NO. I 23 I, VOL. 48] 



The Royal Observatory of Turin has recently published a 

 work on the climate of that place, prepared by Dr. G. B. Rizzo, 

 which is based on one of the longest series of observations extant. 

 The monthly means and extremes of temperature and summaries 

 of weather are given for 138 years (1753-1890), and the monthly 

 means and extremes of atmospheric pressure for 104 years. The 

 climate of Turin is of the Continental type, but is not very 

 severe, as the mean difference between the hottest and coldest 

 months is only 40°. The mean for January is 33°, and for July 

 73°; the mean of the annual minima is 13°, and the maxima 

 93°. The average number of days with rain and snow is 106, 

 and the amount 33 inches. As this long series offers facilities 

 for the investigation of secular variations. Dr. Rizzo has en- 

 deavoured to determine the periods of recurrence of hot and cold 

 years. He finds that the observations do not support the period 

 of thirty-five years quoted by Bruckner, but that the hot and 

 cold years succeed each other at intervals of about nineteen 

 years. The causes which producethese variations are unknown, 

 but they appear to depend upon local, rather than upon any extra- 

 terrestrial conditions. The years of most rainfall are the coldest, 

 but the series shows no sign of the climate changing, as some 

 persons have imagined. 



It is well known that the population of France is made up 

 of many different elements, including, among others, Aquit- 

 anians, Ligurians, Gallic and Belgic peoples, Franks, Burgun- 

 dians, and Norsemen. The Paris Society of Anthropology is 

 strongly of opinion that much might be done to distinguish these 

 various elements from one another, and has accordingly issued 

 a circular in which it indicates to local observers the points about 

 which information is wanted. These relate both to living per- 

 sons and to human skeletons, or parts of skeletons, found in 

 ancient monuments and elsewhere. Such remains, if there 

 are no local buildings in which they can be placed, will be 

 received by the Society and preserved in its museum. 



M. A. DE MORTILLET contributes to the Bulletins de la 

 Societi d' Anthropologic de Paris (No. I, 1893) an interesting 

 note on Manx cats. He points out that the Isle of Man is not 

 the only part of the world in which tailless cats are found. They 

 are very common on the coasts of Japan, and have been cleverly 

 represented by Japanese artists. M. de Mortillet suggests that 

 Manx cats may be descended from specimens brought to the 

 Isle of Man from Japan by sailors. 



During a recent stay at Buitenzorg, in Java, Herr Haber- 

 landt made some experiments in the Botanical Gardens there, 

 on the transpiration of tropical plants. In general this was 

 found considerably less than that of plants in Central Europe. 

 Thus of seventeen tropical species, some with coarse, leather- 

 like, others with tender, leaves, nine species transpired per day 

 and per square decimeter surface less than i gramme ; in six 

 the amount was between i and 2 gr. ; and in two only it reached 

 2 '6 and 3 '25 gr. Now, with European vegetables and woody 

 plants it varies commonly between 2 and 5 gr., and sometimes 

 reaches 6 or 7 gr. or more. This result the author considers 

 a strong argument against the view that the transpiration 

 current is of first importance in nutrition of land plants. These 

 tropical plants, with their small transpiration, show extremely 

 luxuriant vegetation, and are able, through osmotic forces, 

 doubtless, to convey nutritive salts to their highest parts. It is 

 curious that, spite of the great humidity of the air and the large 

 amount of water in the ground, these plants often possess 

 guards against too great transpiration, such as thick, cuticular- 

 ised epidermis, deeply sunk stomata, and especially tissues 

 adapted for storage of water. And the reason cannot lie, as 

 sometimes at the coast, in the presence of salt in the ground. 

 Herr Haberlandt finds an explanation in the fact that while 

 he total transpiration is comparatively small, the hot sunny 



