June ii, 1891] 



NATURE 



^n 



netism, and earthquake phenomena. It is proposed to carry on 

 various researches, and to issue further volumes from time to 

 time, as soon as sufficient materials are accumulated. The 

 Director is Padre Denza, the founder of the Italian Meteoro- 

 logical Society, and Superintendent of the Observatory at 

 Moncalieri. 



Considering the question of determination of the evaporating 

 power of a climate, Dr. Ule distinguishes {Met. Zeits.) between 

 the intensity and the speed of evaporation. The latter can be 

 well determined with an instrument like Wild's evaporimeter, 

 and Dr. Ule sets forth, in a table, the monthly data of this 

 for Chemnitz, compared with those of absolute humidity, 

 "saturation deficit," and relative humidity. The agreement of 

 the last with the evaporimeter figures is much better than that of 

 the two others ; still, there is considerable discrepance, and this 

 is not explained (the author shows) by variations in wind- 

 intensity. On the other hand, the data of the psychrometer 

 show a remarkable parallelism with those of the evaporimeter, 

 and by taking wind-variations into account the agreement is 

 increased. Thus, from psychrometer-differences and wind varia- 

 tions, the evaporative power of a climate may be correctly 

 estimated where an evaporimeter is wanting. Dr. Ule offers a 

 new formula for estimating the layer of water evaporated in a 

 given time, and tests it with two German climates, and one 

 Australian. 



In an interesting paper on technical education in agriculture, 

 reprinted from the Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society, 

 Dr. W. Fream refers incidentally to the value of mathematical 

 studies for the agriculturist. Dr. Fream's professorial experience 

 at agricultural colleges has convinced him that a lad who is 

 fairly competent in mathematical studies is " a good medium to 

 work upon." "Those interested in the welfare of any young 

 agriculturist should take care," he says, " that in his school days 

 the study of mathematics is not ignored. The time devoted to 

 acquiring proficiency in arithmetic, geometry, mensuration, and 

 the elements of algebra and trigonometry — the latter really 

 indispensable in the case of surveying — will never be regretted." 



Those who are interested in questions relating to physical 

 education will find much to please them in an excellent paper, 

 in the June number oi Physiqtte, on natural history in public 

 schools, by the Rev. T. A. Preston, late President of the Marl- 

 borough College Natural History Society. Many boys are not 

 much attracted by games, and it seems hard that in such cases 

 any sort of compulsion should be used. Why not have various 

 alternative ways of securing exercise, any one of which might 

 be chosen ? Mr. Preston shows with great force, and in a very 

 interesting manner, with how much advantage the study of 

 natural history might in some instances be substituted for 

 cricket and football. Boys out for a field excursion take a 

 great deal more exercise, he maintains, than is ever taken at 

 cricket. " With those who are keen naturalists," he says, 

 "the mere exercise taken in any one day (not in an excursion) 

 is often such that it might almost be said to require moderating. 

 I have no hesitation in saying that, if exercise alone is to be 

 considered, a field naturalist will take far more than any one at 

 games." 



Mr. W. R. Hillier, of the Indian Civil Service, has written 

 a very curious monograph on the manners and customs of the 

 Shan States. When a Shan becomes a father it is considered 

 highly undesirable that he should drive pigs, carry the dead, 

 bore holes, fill in holes in the ground, or indulge in mockery. 

 "If either sex," writes Mr. Hillier, "die without marrying, 

 the body, before burial, is banged against a stump, which is at 

 the time considered as representing the husband or wife," — a 

 ceremony which is supposed to guard against the danger of 

 NO. II 28, VOL. 44] 



unrequited affection in the next stage of existence. Marriage 

 is simplicity itself. A young man takes a fancy to a young lady, 

 and if the liking is reciprocated, she straightway accompanies him 

 to his house as his wife. Next day the young man's parents 

 meet the parents of the young lady, and after informing them 

 of what has taken place, beg that "they may be forgiven for 

 the intrusion, " and ask that a day be fixed for the wedding. 

 This request being granted— and apparently a refusal is not 

 contemplated — the young lady returns to her parents. Divorce 

 is easy also, the man merely giving his wife a letter permitting 

 her to remarry, and the wife merely being required to pay an 

 unwilling husband thirty rupees fir release from an uncongenial 

 mate. As to food the Shan is not an epicure, eating everything 

 that is eatable ; and indeed it is considered quite becoming, if 

 he only be of high rank, to devour an enemy, fhis privilege, 

 however, is accorded only to Bohs, or chiefs. The Shan theory 

 of the cosmogony is that " the earth came out of the depths by 

 means of white ants." 



Some further explorations have lately been made on the Upper 

 Irrawaddy. Major Hobday, of the Indian Survey Department, 

 with an escort of fifty Goorkhas, succeeded in getting as far . 

 north as latitude 26° 15' up the Malika, or right branch of the 

 river. Here the local tribes began to show opposition, and the 

 party could not without fighting their way have proceeded further. 

 The point reached was, however, only fifty miles south of that 

 which Colonel Woodthorpe gained a few years ago in his ex- 

 plorations from the far north of Assam. I'his small gap will 

 probably be crossed when the next attempt is made, as by that 

 time the wild tribes will have learned from their neighbours that 

 British officers have only friendly intentions towards them. 

 Finding his progress barred to the north, Major Hobday turned 

 due eastwards, with the intention of striking the Meka, which is 

 supposed to be the main stream of the Irrawaddy. After ex- 

 ploring the course of this river for some distance, he will 

 journey back through the hills along the Yunnan border, r;ach- 

 in^ Bhamo by land. He will thus be able to map a consider- 

 able extent of country. 



An interesting synthesis of troilite, the crystallized mono- 

 sulphide of iron, FeS, which is so frequently found in meteorites 

 and yet is never found in terrestrial rocks, is described by Dr. 

 Richard Lorenz, of GiJttingen, in the current number of the 

 Berichte. A stream of dry sulphuretted hydrogen gas was led 

 over a bundle of iron wire contained in a combustion-tube heated 

 in a furnace. As soon as the wire became heated to dull red- 

 ness, it became quite changed, becoming completely covered 

 with innumerable brilliant little crystals. These crystals pos- 

 sessed a bright silver-white lustre when first obtained, but after 

 a short time reflected a pale-green coloured light. On standing 

 for some days, the crystals further changed in colour to blue and 

 afterwards to brown, without the least change in the form being 

 apparent. Under the microscope they appear to consist of well- 

 formed six-sided tables of a bright steel-gray lustre. Prof. 

 Groth, the eminent crystallographer, who has examined them, 

 pronounces them to be hemimorphic hexagonal in form, iso- 

 morphous with wurtzite, the hexagonal variety of zinc sulphide. 

 Any kind of iron may be substituted for the wire ; whatever the 

 variety employed, it always becomes covered with a crust of 

 these crystals when heated in a stream of sulphuretted hydrogen, 

 the only precaution necessary being to prevent the temperature 

 from rising to the melting-point of monosulphide of iron. The 

 crystals are readily detached from the iron, and upon analysis 

 yield numbers very near the theoretical ones required by FeS. 

 The largest and best developed individual crystals of troilite are 

 obtained by diluting the sulphuretted hydrogen with an inert 

 gas. Wurtzite, sulphide of zinc, ZnS, may also be readily arti- 

 ficially obtained in a similar manner by passing sulphuretted 



