September 24, 1891] 



NATURE 



503 



holes, and in form supposed to have been made and used as 

 ornaments before the Spanish occupation, have been discovered 

 in the district ; and Mr. Crawford regards it as a fair inference 

 that the Amerrique Indians who dwelt in that part of Nicaragua 

 at the time of its discovery by Columbus, September 1502, 

 picked up and occasionally mined, melted, and used gold for 

 sacred or ornamental purpose*. The Amerrique Indians are 

 usually well formed, 6 feet 6 inches to 6 feet 8 inches tall ; and they 

 re active, and appear to be strong and healthy. Nevertheless, 

 hey are dying out rapidly. Probably not more than 275 or 300 of 

 them are now living. They live in dim pathless forests, and 

 their occupation is to find in the woods various species of 

 trees {Siphoiiia, Castilloa, &c.) They deeply scarify these, 

 collect the exuding emulsion, and separate the contained elastic 

 (" India") rubber ; and this "India" rubber they carry on their 

 backs more than 100 miles to sell to merchants in Rama or at 

 the mouth of Rio Matagalpa. They have cleared some patches 

 of ground, and plant corn by making holes in the soil with 

 pointed sticks. They believe that with allied tribes they had in 

 very ancient times a mighty prophet or cacique, who appeared 

 suddenly, full grown, in their territory, and that to him many 

 tribes of Indians gave allegiance. The impalpable form of this 

 ancient chief has been seen by very old Indians proudly walking 

 and gesticulating on the top of Mesa Totumbla. lie is buried 

 in, or returns by day to, a deep cavern in this Mesa (a mass of 

 gneiss) ; and he indicates, by gestures, that he will one day 

 collect the Indians into a great army, and lead them in person to 

 many victories. Mr. Crawford found his way into the cavern, 

 and discovered in it three crania of Indians with other bones of 

 their bodies. These were sent in 1889 to the Paris Exhibition, 

 and were afterwards transferred to the U.S. National Museum. 

 A few crude beads or ornaments, evidently earlier than the 

 Spanish occupation of Nicaragua, were also found. 



The following are the arrangements for lectures during 

 October at the Royal Victoria Hall :— October 6, Prof. T. 

 Hudson Beare, the steam-engine, with experiments ; October 

 13, Rev. Canon Browne, the invasion of England and Battle 

 of Hastings, with illustrations from Bayeux tapestry ; October 

 20, Mr. J. R. Green, flowers and their helpers ; and October 

 27, Rev. E. Hill, the Channel Islands. 



At a meeting held last year by the students of the Kinder- 

 garten department of the New York College for the Training 

 of Teachers, various papers were read on the principles and 

 methods of the Kindergarten. These papers have now been 

 issued as one of the educational monographs of the New York 

 College. Miss A. Brooks, who contributes an introduction, 

 says the School Board of New York City is considering plans 

 for the introduction of the Kindergarten system into its schools ; 

 and a movement begun by the New York Kindergarten Asso- 

 ciation is destined, she thinks, " to accomplish great things for 

 the neglected children of the city." 



"Egyptian Science," by N. E. Johnson, is the title of a 

 work which will shortly be published by Messrs, Griffith, Farran, 

 and Co. 



The Durham College of Science, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, has 

 issued its Calendar for the session of 1891-92. This College 

 represents the faculties of science and engineering in the Uni- 

 versity of Durham, and thus constitutes an important portion of 

 the University of the north of England. But it does not restrict 

 its work to science and engineering ; it fulfils all the functions of 

 a University College. ' 



The following works will shortly be published by Messrs. 

 Crosby Lockwood and Son: — "The Mechanical Engineer's 

 Pocket-book of Tables, Formulae, Rules, and Data," a handy 

 NO. II 43, VOL. 44] 



book of reference lor daily use in engineering practice, by D. 

 Kinnear Clark ; "The Metallurgy of Argentiferous Lead," a 

 practical treatise on the smelting of silver-lead ores, and the 

 refining of lead bullion, including reports on various smelting 

 establishments, and descriptions of modern furnaces and plants 

 in Europe and America, by M. Eissler ; " ^Engineering 

 Chemistry," a practical treatise for the use of analytical chemists, 

 engineers, iron masters, iron founders, students, and others, 

 comprising methods of analysis and valuation of the principal 

 materials used in engineering work, with numerous analyses, 

 examples, and suggestions, by H. Joshua Phillips ; "A Hand- 

 book of Brewing," a practical treatise for the use of brewers and 

 their pupils, by Herbert Edwards Wright; "Condensed 

 Machines," a selection of formulae, rules, tables, and data, for 

 the use of engineering students, science clasres, &c., in accord- 

 ance with the requirements of the Science and Art Department, 

 by W. G. Crawford Hughes; "Milling," a treatise on 

 machine s, appliances, and processes employed in the shaping 

 of metals by rotary cutters, including information on making 

 and grinding the cutters, by Paul N. Hasluck, with upwards of 

 303 engravings ; " Star Groups," a student's guide to the con- 

 stellations, by J. Ellard Gore, with thirty maps ; " Lessons in 

 Commerce," by Prof. R. Gambaro, of the Royal High Com- 

 mercial School of Genoa, edited and revised by James Gault, 

 Professor of Commerce and Commercial Law in King's College, 

 London. 



Among the books announced by Messrs. George Philip and 

 Son are the following: — " Delagoa Bay: its Natives and 

 Natural History," by Rose Monteiro, with 20 original illustra- 

 tions, after the author's sketches and from the natural objects, by 

 A. B. and E. C. Woodward ; " Paraguay : its History, Com- 

 merce, and Resources," by Dr. E. Bourgade, with 13 illustra- 

 tions and a large coloured map; " Makers of Modern Thought," 

 by D. Nasmith, Q.C. ; "The Teacher's Hand-book of Slojd," 

 as practised and taught at Niias, by Otto Salomon, Di- 

 rector of the Niias Seminarium, with over 130 illustrations ; 

 " Hughes's Class-book of Modern Geography," an entirely new 

 and completely revised edition, much enlarged by J. Francon 

 Williams; "Geography of the British Colonies and Foreign 

 Possessions," by the Rev, J. P. Faunthorpe, new and revised 

 edition ; " Systematic Atlas," for higher school and general 

 use, a series of physical and political maps of all the countries 

 of the world, with diagrams and illustrations of astronomical 

 and physical geography, specially drawn by E. G. Ravenstein ; 

 "The Handy Volume Atlas of Astronomy," a series of 72 

 plates, with notes and index, by Sir Robert Stawell Ball, 

 F.R.S. ; "The Handy Volume Atlas of London," a series of 

 64 maps, with notes, compendium, directory, and complete 

 index; "Atlas of Modern Geography," new and enlarged 

 edition. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include two Macaque Monkeys {Macactts cynotnolgus) 

 from India, presented respectively by Mr. G. H. Sas'ie and 

 Mrs. Gregorey ; two Sykes's Monkeys { Cercopitliectis albigiilaris) 

 from East Africa, presented by Mr. F. Pardage ; one Mozam- 

 bique Monkey {Cercopitliectis riifo viriJis), one Garnett's Galago 

 ( Galago garnetti) from East Africa, one Blotched Genet ( Genetta 

 tigi-ina), one Ostrich {Strut/no cametus) from East Central 

 Africa, presented by Mr. Freith Anstruther ; one Coypu 

 {Myopotamtis coy pus) from South America, presented by Mr. 

 Spencer H. Curtis ; one Golden Eagle {Aquila chrysaHus), 



European, presented by Mr. Herbert Bray ; one Sand 



Grouse (Pterocles ) from South Africa, presented by Mr- 

 Max Michaelis; two Trocary Pigeons {Columba irocary) from 



Madeira, received from Dr. F. J. Hicks ; one Elapi 



{Elaps ) from Australia, presented by Mr. E. H. Meek; 



