NATURE 



[August 27, 



volume containing three courses of lectures on astronomical bio- 

 graphy by Prof. Oliver Lodge, F.R.S. The work will be fully 

 illustrated, and will bear the title " Pioneers of Science." 



At the monthly meeting of the Field Naturalists' Club of 

 Victoria, held on July 13 last, as we learn from the Melbourne 

 Argus of July 14, Messrs. Luehman and French read a note 

 and exhibited the skin of a tree-climbing kangaroo from 

 Northern Queensland, new to science, to which they gave the 

 name of Dendrolagus tmielleri. This remarkable marsupial 

 has a body about two feet in length, with a tail somewhat ex- 

 ceeding two feet. The disproportion between the fore legs and 

 the hind legs is not nearly so great as that of the ordinary 

 kangaroo and wallaby ; the toes are strong and curved, to enable 

 it to climb tall and straight trees, on the leaves of which it 

 exists. This tree-kangaroo is more nearly allied to the species 

 which was discovered a few years ago in Queensland than to 

 the two species from New Guinea. The specimen described 

 was got from a straight tree, about ninety feet above the ground. 



In his letter on " Dredging Products " (Nature, August 13, 

 p. 344), Mr. Alex. Meek, writing from Shetland, gave a 

 short restimi oi localities where Actinotrocha has been found. 

 As the south coast of England was not mentioned, Mr. W. I.. 

 Caiderwood writes to call attention to a paper by his predecessor 

 at the M.B..\. Laboratory, Plymouth, Mr. G. C. Bourne, 

 published in the Journal of the Marine Biological Association, 

 vol. i., No. I. After mentioning the occurrence of Tornaria, 

 Mr. Bourne, goes on to say: — "Actinotrocha, the larva of 

 Phoronis, is common. . . . Several specimens of larval Amphi- 

 oxus were taken in the tow-net towards the end of October." 

 In vol. ii. No. I, Mr. Garstang also has a note on the occurrence 

 of the adult Phoronis. Actinotrocha has again appeared several 

 times during the present summer. 



M. Imfeld, the Swiss engineer, who has been engaged to 

 examine the nature of the summit of Mont Blanc for the con- 

 struction there of M. Janssen's proposed Observatory, recounts 

 in a Zurich journal the difficulties he is experiencing in his pre- 

 liminary survey. M. Imfeld is staying with eight workmen and two 

 doctors at M. Vallot's Observatory, which has an altitude of 

 4400 metres, and thence they proceed daily to the summit, 

 where they work for several hours a day in the endeavour to 

 ascertain the depth of the snow for the purpose of getting the 

 necessary foundation for the building. M. Eiffel has expressed 

 the opinion that the construction of an Observatory will only be 

 possible if the snow does not exceed a depth of 12 metres. M. 

 Imfeld states that they have encountered traces of a ridge of 

 rock 18 to 20 metres below the summit, and covered with about 

 I metre of snow. They have therefore commenced to make a 

 series of lateral tunnels on three sides, at a distance equal to 

 12 metres below the summit, to ascertain if the ridge extends 

 to that height. Progress is necessarily slow. Most of the men 

 are suffering from nial de montagne. Some, however, who 

 are engaged at M. Vallot's cabin are able to work almost as 

 long as in the valley, and they also eat and sleep well. In spite 

 of two coke stoves, the thermometer of the cabin never rises 

 above zero ; even ink freezes, and water boils at 83°, and they 

 cannot properly cook meat. For a day or two they were dis- 

 turbed by violent storms. 



Martinique has been visited by a terrible cyclone, the most 

 violent that has been known in the island since 181 7. It lasted 

 four hours, and waspfollowed by an earthquake ; and many lives 

 were lost. According to the latest information received in Paris 

 from Martinique on Monday last, the number of persons known 

 to have perished was 340 ; but that did not include the sailors 

 lost m numerous shipwrecks along the coast and at sea. Besides 

 the persons killed, very many were injured by the falling 

 buildings, trees, and stones. All along the coast houses were 

 NO. II 39, VOL. 44] 



completely demolished. The town of Morne Rouge is said to 

 be a total wreck, and Fort de France is almost entirely destroyed. 

 Much suffering prevails among the population. 



Messrs. L. Reeve and Co. have in preparation a new work 

 on the British Fungi, Phycomycetes, and Ustilaginese, by 

 George Massee, Lecturer on Botany for the London Society for 

 the Extension of University Teaching ; a work on the British 

 Hemiptera Heteroptera, by Edward Saunders ; a new work on 

 the Lepidoptera of the British Islands, by Charles G. Barrett ; 

 and a new work on the physiology of the Invertebrata, by Dr. 

 A. B. Griffiths. 



Messrs. Whittaker and Co. are about to publish " A First 

 Book of Electricity and Magnetism," by W. Perren Maycock. 

 The work is intended for the use of elementary science and art 

 and engineering students, and general readers. 



Messrs. Cassell and Co. are issuing, in monthly parts, a 

 new and revised edition of Sir R. Stawell Ball's well-known 

 " Story of the Heavens." The first part has just been published. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a Common Fox (Cams vulpes), British, pre- 

 sented by Captain H. S. Tunnard ; five White-eared Conures 

 (Comirus lettcotis) from Brazil, presented by Mrs. Arthur 

 Smithers ; four Leopard Tortoises {Testtido pardalis), three 

 Angulated Tortoises {Chersina angulata), a Galeated Pentonyx 

 {Pelomcdusa galeata), a Hoary Snake [Coronella cana), a Robben 

 Island Snzke. {Coronella phocaruiii) from South Africa, presented 

 by the Rev. G. H. R. Fisk, C.M.Z.S. ; two Alligators {Alligator 

 mississippimsis) from Carolina, presented by Mr. Charles 

 Downs ; a Gold Pheasant ( Thaumalea picta ? ) from China, 

 presented by Mr. R. Hudson ; a Pig-tailed Monkey {Ma^acus 

 nemestrinus i ) from Java, two Water Vipers {Cenchris piscivora) 

 from North America, deposited. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 

 Paris. 

 Academy of Sciences, August 17.— M. Duchartre in the 

 chair. — On a new blow-pipe, by M. Paquelin. — On "cyclic 

 systems," by M. A. Ribaucour. — New researches on the solar at- 

 mosphere, by M. H. Deslandres. (See Our Astronomical Column. ) 

 — On the enormous velocity of a solar prominence observed on 

 June 17, 1891, by M. Jules Fenyi. M. Trouvelot has previously 

 recorded a remarkable luminous outburst that occurred on the 

 sun on June 1 7. The position-angle of the group of prominences 

 observed by M. Fenyi was about 282°. At one time the velocity 

 of one portion of the group reached the high value of about 850 

 kilometres per second. And another portion was elevated 

 through about 72' 2" in 210 seconds — the mean velocity being at 

 least 485 kilometres per second. It is therefore concluded from 

 the observations that matter can be projected from the sun into 

 space with a velocity sufficient to prevent its falling back again. 

 — Mechanical determination of the series of atoms of carbon in 

 organic compounds, by M. G. Hinrichs. — On the arterial 

 system of Isopods, by M. A. Schneider. — On the growth of the 

 shell o{ Helix aspersa, by M. Moynier de Viliepoix. 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



The Congress of Hygiene 393 



Letters to the Editor: — 



Rain-gauges.— G. J. Symons, F.R.S 398 



Cloud Heights— Kinematic Method.— Prof. Cleve- 

 land Abbe • 398 



The British Association 398 



Section B (Chemistry)— Opening Address by Prof. 

 W. C. Roberts-Austen, C.B., F.R.S., Presi- 

 dent of the Section 399 



Section D (Biology) — Opening Address by Francis 

 Darwin, M.A., M.B., F.R.S., Fellow of Christ's 

 College, Cambridge, President of the Section . . . 407 



Notes 415 



Societies and Academies 416 



