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NATURE 



[February 27, 1896 



well received, and the second, much enlarged and in great part 

 re-written, will assuredly be just as successful, 



A VOLUME has been received containing the results of rain, 

 river, and evaporation observations made in New South Wales 

 during 1894, under the direction of Mr. H. C. Russell, C.M.G., 

 F. R.S. Two new maps of the colony have been introduced 

 into the report, one showing the average monthly temperature in 

 each square degree, and the other showing the temperatures of 

 spring, summer autumn and winter, also the mean temperature 

 for the year, and the highest and lowest temperatures ever re- 

 corded in each square degree. 



Messrs. G. Bell and Sons have published a dainty 

 brochure on the Koh-i-Nur diamond and the celebrated Pitt 

 diamond, reprinted from Mr. E. W. Streeter's "Great 

 Diamonds of the World." Mr, Streeter prints a letter 

 received from Mr. J. Ball in 1882, containing an opinion 

 agamst the identity of the Great Mogul and Koh-i-Nur 

 diamonds ; but he does not seem to have made much use of 

 the detailed history of the Koh-i Nur in relation to the Great 

 Mogul, as told by Prof. Story-Maskelyne in these columns in 

 1890 (vol. xliv., p. 555). 



The Library Bureau has sent us the first number of this year's 

 "New Book List" — a catalogue of British literature published 

 during January — compiled and arranged by Mr. Cedric Chivers. 

 We have also received a specimen of a card catalogue which 

 has been inaugurated with the list. It is proposed to publish 

 at monthly intervals, and at a low price, a catalogue of new 

 publications, printed on cards. Every book published will be 

 catalogued under the author's name, and full particulars of the 

 book will be printed upon the card. The card catalogue thus 

 constructed should be of great service in libraries and other 

 institutions, 



A CATALOGUE of the "Students' Geological Collection " of 

 the Bristol Museum has just been issued by Mr, E, Wilson, 

 the Curator, This is a special collection of the commonest 

 fossils of British formations, and of typical rocks and minerals, 

 which is available, under proper conditions, for actual handling 

 by elementary students. Such a collection must both be a boon 

 to those who use it, and save the general collections from possi- 

 bility of misuse. As the specimens are carefully selected, and 

 the localities of almost all are given, the list may prove useful 

 as a suggestion for the formation of similar ones elsewhere. 

 From the same source comes the sixth edition of the popular 

 penny guide to the Bristol Museum. 



The Magnetical and Meteorological Observatory of the 

 Royal College of Belen, Havana, has published a pamphlet on 

 the circulation and cyclonic translation of West India hurri- 

 canes, which was originally prepared by the late Father B. 

 Vines for the Chicago Congress. The paper is one of consider- 

 able importance upon the subject in question, as the author 

 spent twenty-three years of his life in constant study of the 

 storms in that part of the world. The first section deals with 

 the general laws of cyclonic circulation and the relations of the 

 movements of cirrus and other clouds to the locality of the centre 

 of disturbance. The second part explains at considerable length 

 the laws of the translation of the disturbance in different months, 

 and its rate of travel in various parts of its path. It is well 

 known that the West India hurricanes first advance towards 

 the west, then turn northwards and recurve towards east-north- 

 east or north-east. The rate of progress is found to differ in 

 various parts of the path, and according to different seasons and 

 latitudes. On these important points and their practical 

 application to navigation Father Viiies' long and attentive 

 studies have led to very valuable results. The work is written 

 in the Spanish language. 



NO. 1374, VOL. 53] 



The Society for the Protection of Birds reports progress. The 

 total number of members is now 13,134, no less than 1673 names 

 being enrolled during the year 1895. Various are the reasons 

 which result in an increase of membership of the Society. 

 Naturalists join because they desire to prevent the extermination 

 of rare species, many people become members from resthetic 

 considerations, and others because they have regard for the feel- 

 ings of birds. The Society mourns a ' ' deplorable outbreak of 

 savagery in female adornment " — to wit, a recrudescence of the 

 feather-wearing fashion, especially a rage for aigrettes. But, 

 apart from this, the Committee reports the existence of a growing 

 desire in the country to preserve its wild bird life. It is certain 

 that in 1895, such signs have been more frequent and un- 

 mistakable than in former years. A greater and ever-increas- 

 ing impatience is felt against the annual massacre, in August and 

 September, of gulls, terns, guillemots, razorbills, puffins, and 

 other sea-birds on our coasts ; the shooting of every rare bird, 

 in the interests of private collectors ; the wholesale trapping 

 of songsters, 70 per cent, of which perish within a week of 

 capture, by unlicensed bird-catchers ; and the use of the pole- 

 trap. We give our support to the remark that last year was 

 astonishingly prolific in ornithological literature, scientific and 

 popular : it is certain that so large a number of books on the 

 bird-life of the British Islands has not appeared in any previous 

 year. These works should have a beneficial influence upon the 

 Society. 



The preparation of metallic carbides in the electric furnace 

 has, as is now well known, led to an easy method for the direct 

 synthesis of pure acetylene, this gas being produced by the 

 action of water upon the carbides obtained from the alkaline 

 earths. But all metallic carbides do not behave similarly 

 towards water ; some (chromium, molybdenum, titanium) being 

 unacted upon at ordinary temperatures, others (aluminium, . 

 beryllium) giving methane. In i recent number of the 

 Comptes rendus (February 10), M. H. Moissan gives a detailed 

 account of the preparation and properties of uranium carbide. 

 This substance, which has the composition Cj. Urg, does not 

 differ to any marked extent in its general chemical and physical 

 properties from other substances of the same class, except in its 

 reaction with water. This gives rise to a complex series of 

 solid, liquid, and gaseous hydrocarbons. Of these, only the last 

 have been completely examined, the analysis of the gaseous 

 mixture showing hydrogen (13 per cent, to 15 per cent.), 

 methane (78 per cent, to 80 per cent.), and ethylene (5 per 

 cent, to 7 per cent.), together with a trace of acetylene. M. 

 Moissan, remarking on the presence of the hydrogen, points 

 out that this is probably produced by a secondary reaction, the 

 lower oxide of uranium being able to decompose water. The 

 acetylene also is stated to be probably due to the presence of a 

 little calcium carbide as an impurity. 



The researches of M, Guntz, on the preparation of metallic 

 lithium and its nitride, have led to the discovery of a hydride of 

 this metal possessing some remarkable properties. Wishing to 

 heat some lithium in a current of an inert gas, and nitrogen 

 being obviously excluded, some lithium was raised to a bright 

 red heat in a current of hydrogen, when, much to the astonish- 

 ment of M. Guntz, the whole caught fire and burnt with flame in 

 the tube, depositing a white powder, and leaving no trace of 

 unburnt lithium. On analysis this proved to have the composi- 

 tion LiH, and is noteworthy as giving the maximum weight of 

 hydrogen on treatment with water for minimum weight of 

 substance, one kilogram giving 250 grams, or 2780 litres of 

 hydrogen. It is not deliquescent, and alters very slowly in air, 

 and is stable at a full red heat, thereby differing from the 

 previously known hydrides of the alkali metals. Heated in a 

 current of nitrogen converts LiH into LijN, 



