42 



NATURE 



[May 14, 1891 



In the new number of the Journal of the Bombay Natural 

 History Society, Lieutenant H. E, Barnes continues his inter- 

 esting papers on nesting in Western India. Speaking of house- 

 sparrows, he says that no amount of persecution seems to deter 

 them from building in a place when they have once made up 

 their minds to it. At Deesa, he found that a pair had built a 

 large nest in the antlers of a sambur in the veranda. Another 

 pair made a nest in the soap-box in the bath-room, and although 

 the nest was destroyed several times, they would not desist, and 

 at last, "from sheer pity," he had to leave them alone. The 

 most peculiar case was when a pair had a nest in a bird-cage 

 hanging against the wall, just above where the " durzi " sat all 

 day working, and close to a door through which people were 

 passing in and out continually. The door of the cage had been 

 left open, the previous occupant having been transferred else- 

 where. Not only were four eggs laid, but the nestlings were 

 reared, although the cage was frequently taken down to be 

 shown to visitors. Once the eggs were nearly lost, a boy 

 having taken them out. The fuss made by the birds led to the 

 recovery of the eggs. The author has a curious note on another 

 peculiarity of sparrows. " I have often," he says, " had to turn 

 the face of a looking-glass to the wall to prevent them from 

 injuring themselves, for immediately one of them catches a 

 glimpse of himself in it, he commences a furious onslaught on 

 what he imagines must be a rival, and, if not prevented, will 

 continue fighting the whole day, only leaving off when darkness 

 sets in, recommencing the battle at dawn the next day. I once 

 tried to see how long it would be before the bird gave in, but 

 after two days, seeing no likelihood of his retiring from the 

 unequal contest, I took pity on him and had the glass covered 

 up. The bird did not seem in any way exhausted, although I 

 do not think that he had a morsel of food for two days." 



Some remarkable electrical phenomena accompanying the 

 production upon the large scale of solid carbon dioxide are 

 described by Dr. Haussknecht, of Berlin, in the current number 

 of the Berichte of the German Chemical Society. In order to 

 •obtain large quantities of solid carbonic acid it is found most 

 convenient in practice to allow the liquid stored in the usual 

 form of iron cylinder to escape into a stout canvas bag, best 

 constructed of sail-cloth or some such strong fabric, instead of 

 the usual lecture-room receiving apparatus, the cylinder being 

 inclined from the vertical so as to permit of a ready and uniform 

 exit from the opened valve. The liquid under these circum- 

 stances issues at pressures varying from 60-80 atmospheres, and 

 a compact snow- like mass of solid carbon dioxide is formed in 

 the canvas receiver, owing, as is well known, to the extreme 

 lowering of the temperature of the liquid due to its sudden 

 expansion and the accompanying absorption of heat. When 

 the experiment is performed in the dark, the canvas receiver is 

 seen to be illuminated within by a pale greenish-violet light, 

 and Dr. Haussknecht states that electric sparks 10-20 cm. 

 long dart out from the pores of the cloth. If the hand is held 

 in these sparks the usual pricking sensation is felt, similar to 

 that perceived on touching the conductor of an electric machine 

 at work. Dr. Haussknecht further states that the phenomenon 

 is very noticeable in the dark whenever there is a leakage in 

 any portion of the compressing apparatus or the manometers 

 connected therewith. The reason assigned for this development 

 of statical electricity is similar in principle to that usually 

 accepted in explanation of the hydro-electric machine of Sir 

 William Armstrong. As the liquid carbonic acid is issuing 

 from the valve it becomes partly converted into gas which is 

 violently forced through every pore of the canvas. Moreover, 

 carried along with this stream of gas are great quantities of 

 minute globules of liquid, which are brought in forcible contact 

 with the solid particles already deposited. Dr. Haussknecht 

 therefore considers that the electrical excitation is due mainly to 

 NO. I 124, VOL. 44] 



the violent friction between these liquid globules and the solid 

 snow. It is very essential for the successful reproduction of 

 these electrical phenomena that the carbon dioxide should be 

 absolutely free from admixed air ; that prepared artificially 

 yielding much finer results than that obtained from natural 

 waters, which latter contains considerable quantities of air. 

 The luminosity is not generally developed in the interior of the 

 receiver until a crust of solid carbonic acid o'5-i cm. thick 

 has been deposited, which renders the probability of the 

 correctness of the above theory all the greater. Dr. Hauss- 

 knecht has constructed a special form of apparatus, with which 

 he is now experimenting, with the view of being able to determine 

 the sign, nature, and quantity of the generated electricity. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include two Brown Capuchins {Cebiis fatuellus 6 6), 

 an Ocelot {Felis pardalis), a Coypu (Myopotamus coy f us), two 

 Ring-tailed Coatis [N^asua rufa), two Cayenne Lapwings 

 ( Vanelhis cayennensis), seven Burrowing Owls {Speoiyto cunt- 

 cularia) from South America, presented by Mr. James Meldrum ; 

 a Pig-tailed Monkey [Macacus neinestrinus ? ) from Java, pre- 

 sented by Mr. C. Powell ; a Common Hare {Lepus europaus), 

 British, presented by Mr. H. T. Bowes ; three Pintails {Dafila 

 acuta cJ c5 ? ), European, a Mandarin Duck {.'H.x galericulata ? ) 

 from China, presented by Mr. G. F. Mathews, K.N., F Z.S. ; 

 a Common Boa {Boa constrictor) from South America, pre- 

 sented by the Directors of the Museum, Demerara_; two Cheer 

 Pheasants {Phasianus wallachii 6 ? ) from Northern India, 

 twelve Common Teal (Querquedula crecca,^ <J, 8 9 ), European, 

 purchased; a Viscacha {Lagostomus trichodactylus), a Red 

 Kangaroo {Macropus rufus), born in the Gardens. 



THE IRON AND STEEL INSTITUTE. 



C\^ Wednesday and Thursday of last week the annual spring 

 ^^^ meeting of the Iron and Steel Institute was held. The 

 gathering was announced to extend over Friday also, but for 

 some reason, best known to those who had the control of the 

 meeting, the second day's proceedings were so hurried through 

 that all the business was disposed of by half-past one o'clock on 

 the second day ; no less than six papers being taken at the one 

 sitting. Naturally there was very little discussion ; and indeed 

 the second day of the meeting might almost as well have been 

 dispensed with, and copies of the papers given to members to 

 take home to read at their leisure. It is seldom that we have 

 been present at a duller gathering than that which the meeting 

 became towards its close, there not being a dozen members 

 present to hear the Secretary hurry through the papers one after 

 another, the President apparently being only anxious that there 

 should be no discussion to prolong the proceedings. 



The following is a list of the papers read : — On the manu- 

 facture of war m.aterial in the United States, by Mr. W. H. 

 Jaques, of Bethlehem, U.S.A. ; on tests for steel used in the 

 manufacture of artillery, by Dr. Wm. Anderson, Director- 

 General of Ordnance ; on certain pyrometric measurements and 

 the method of recording them, by Prof. Roberts- Austen, F.R.S. ; 

 on the changes in iron produced by thermal treatment, by Dr. 

 E. J, Ball, London ; on a graphic method of calculating the 

 composition of furnace charges, by Mr. H. C. Jenkins ; 

 on economical puddling and puddling cinder, by Prof. Thomas 

 Turner, Birmingham ; on the micro structure of steel, by M. 

 Osmond, of Paris. There were three other papers which were 

 not read. 



Upon the members assembling in the theatre of the Institution 

 of Civil Engineers, which was lent for the occasion by the 

 Council of the latter Society, according to their hospitable 

 custom, Sir James Kitson, the retiring President, occupied the 

 chair. After the usual formal business had been transacted, the 

 new President, Sir Frederick Abel, F.R.S., was duly installed, 

 and at once proceeded to deliver his inaugural address. Sir 

 Frederick is also this year President of the British Association, 

 and should spend a busy autumn attending both the meeting of 

 the Iron and Steel Institute in Birmingham, and of the Associa- 

 tion in Cardiff. The address was of considerable length, embrac- 



