FRAGMENTS OF SCIENCE. 



857 



that are based upon a shallow polar basin. 

 The sea bottom was remarkably devoid of 

 organic matter. Under the surface of cold 

 ice water covering the polar basin warmer 

 and more saline water was found, probably 

 from the Gulf Stream. No land and no 

 open water, except narrow creeks, were seen. 

 A few days after Christmas, 1894, the Fram 

 was at latitude 83 24', the farthest north that 

 had been reached. Dr. Nansen here left the 

 ship, taking Lieutenant Johansen with him, 

 to explore the sea farther north. He reached 

 his highest point on April V, 1895, and, find- 

 ing the prospect of a further advance dis- 

 couraging, started on his return journey the 

 next day. He reached Franz-Josef Land 

 June *7th of this year; was embarrassed to 

 find Payer's map all wrong ; and, after sailing 

 and paddling around for several weeks in the 

 supposed direction of Spitzbergen, met the 

 steamer Windward. Leaving Franz-Josef 

 Land in this vessel, August Tth, he and his 

 companion were brought by a short and very 

 pleasant passage to Vardoe, Norway. The 

 Fram, which Dr. Nansen left in charge of its 

 master, Captain Sverdrup, returned safely to 

 Norway only a few days after Dr. Nansen's 

 arrival. Persons best informed in arctic 

 research affirm that the expedition has made 

 many and valuable discoveries. 



An expedition of eminent explorers, 

 among whom are Sir W. Martin Conway and 

 Mr. Trevor Battye, which started out to 

 cross Spitzbergen and explore its interior, 

 has successfully accomplished its purpose. 

 M. Andree, who went to the polar regions for 

 the purpose of attempting to reach the pole by 

 balloon, found himself constantly baffled by 

 opposing winds, and has returned, having 

 been obliged to give up the attempt for this 

 year. 



Poisonous Spider Bites. It has always 

 been questioned whether the bites of the 

 spiders of the temperate zone were ever 

 fatal. Popular belief has it that they some- 

 times are, but spider students generally scout 

 the notion. A few cases have recently been 

 cited, however, on testimony which can 

 hardly be doubted, that point to an affirma- 

 tive answer. An account is given in Dr. 

 Riley's Insect Life of a man in excellent 

 health who died fourteen hours after having 

 been bitten in the neck by the species Latro- 



dectus madam. He instantly felt an intense 

 pain, and picked off from the wound a spider 

 of the species named. Four hours afterward 

 the spot was marked by a circle of little 

 white pimples about as large as a silver half 

 dollar, but the wound itself was not seen; 

 and, while there was no swelling, the neck 

 and left arm were rigidly hard. Violent 

 pains ensued, reaching the intestines, but 

 the sufferer was able to go to the village for 

 whisky and back, after which spasms set 

 in. Six cases of spider bites, observed by 

 M. Corson de Savannat, were followed by 

 serious but not mortal effect. The identity 

 of the conditions under which the bites were 

 received and the similarity of the observed 

 symptoms give the cases resemblance to real 

 laboratory experiments. All suffered great 

 pains in the abdomen and back and tetanic 

 contractions lasting several hours, with dysp- 

 noic respiration and rapid, strong pulse. 

 The patients' condition appeared desperate 

 without its being possible to define any par- 

 ticular local pain. The cases were treated 

 with injections of chlorhydrate of morphine 

 and internal stimulants. Similar nervous 

 troubles and contractions were marked in 

 1833 by M. Graells, of Barcelona, as follow- 

 ing bites by the Zatrodectus mamigniatus. 

 In some cases a rash is mentioned as break- 

 ing out in a few hours either in the region 

 around the bite or over the whole body. A 

 spider whose bite is regarded as fatal is 

 found on the seashore of New Zealand. The 

 symptoms following the bites of these spiders 

 are described by the New Zealand doctors as 

 like those consequent upon the action of nar- 

 cotics, while those produced by our northern 

 spiders are rather convulsive. 



Alaska. Mr. W. H. Dall, in his paper on 

 Alaska as it Was and Is (1865-1895), de- 

 scribes the region which includes the Aleu- 

 tian chain and other islands west of Kadiak 

 as presenting a striking contrast "to the 

 densely wooded mountains and shining gla- 

 ciers of the Sitkan region to the east and 

 the rolling tundra, cut by myriad rivers, in 

 the north. Approached by sea, the Aleu- 

 tian Islands seem gloomy and inhospitable. 

 Omnipresent fog wreaths hang about steep 

 cliffs of dark .volcanic rock. An angry surf 

 vibrates to and fro amid outstanding pin- 

 nacles, where innumerable sea birds wheel 



