Dec. 7, 1883.] 



. KNOWLEDGE 



349 



as a neiv species. Its fore-feet, like all the moles, are 

 very powerful for the size of the animal, and are formed 

 for burrowing in the ground. It makes rapid progress in 

 soft earth, but upon the surface its movements are awkward 

 and slow. 



Its nest is large, and composed of withered grasses and 

 leaves, and is mostly situated in an excavation beneath a 

 stump or log. In the very young animals the radiations 

 on the nose are but slightly developed. 



Its eyes are small and rudimentary, almost concealed in 

 the fur, and it is extremely doubtful whether they have the 

 power of vision even in the slightest degree. In their dark 

 burrows eyes would be of no use to them ; on the contrary, 

 they would be a source of inconvenience, inasmuch as they 

 would continually be irritated by sand and dirt. There is 

 an orifice in place of an external ear, which does not pro- 

 ject beyond the skin. 



The body is covered with dense soft fur, brownish-black 

 above, a shade lighter beneath. The length of the body of 

 the star-nose is about 5 in., and of the tail 3 in. 



C. Few Seiss. 



etiKonal (gosisfip. 



We are glad to see that our former contributor. Dr. 

 Andrew Wilson, is about to give four popular lectures on 

 Anatomy and Physiology, in Princes' Hall, Piccadilly. 

 The subjects are — The Skeleton ; Joints and Muscles ; the 

 Heart and its Work ; the Nerves, Brain, and their Work. 

 These are subjects in which we all have a very direct personal 

 interest, and treated as in Dr. Wilson's hands they are 

 sure to be, they cannot but be found at once most 

 attractive and most instructive. 



In a few weeks a new year, and with it a new volume 

 of Knowledge, will commence. Although we have every 

 reason, from the communications which reach us, to believe 

 that our readers are well pleased with the weekly contents, 

 it seems well at this season to consider whether there is not 

 room for improvement, and also what new subjects may be 

 desirable for the coming year. Without " seeking to pro- 

 ticipate " the work of the whole year, we wish to indicate 

 the following points as forming part of our plans. 



First, we propose more rigidly than of yore to exclude 

 all that even approaches religious controversy. In our 

 earlier numbers we promised that everything relating to 

 religious dogma should be excluded ; but as regards those 

 thoughts associated with science which bear on what has 

 been called natural religion we expressed no such purpose. 

 Nor indeed do we now. No contributor or correspondent 

 need fear that anything he may write expressing his sense 

 of the mystery which lies at the back of all the truths and 

 all the discoveries of science, will be deleted as unsuitcd to 

 these columns. But we must exclude all attempts either 

 on the on(^ hand to emphasise such expressions of individual 

 opinion, or on the other hand to make them the subject of 

 controversy. Letters addressed ivith either purpose to the 

 editor will be simply acknowledged as received, but no 

 word of reply will be given them. 



Among the subjects for the now year, we may mention 

 that arrangements are in progress for a series of papers on 



insects by Mr. Butler, a paper from whose pen appears in 

 the present number. We hope to have from the pen of 

 Mr. Grant Allen a series of papers on the flowers of the 

 year. Mr. Slack's interesting papers on microscopic work 

 will be continued, as will those by Mr. W. Mattieu 

 Williams on the " Chemistry of Cookery." Mr. Thomas 

 Foster, whose papers on the " Morality of Happiness " are 

 drawing to a close, has promised a series of short papers 

 on " How to be Happy," by which we understand him to 

 mean, how to be as happy as may be, in what Liebnitz 

 called " this best " (but not perhaps happiest) " of 

 all possible worlds." Mr. Clodd will contribute 

 shortly some papers on Dreams and Dream Philo- 

 sophy, and later a series on Evolution (already in 

 preparation). The papers on " How to Get Strong," 

 which thus far have dealt rather with general principles 

 than details, will be continued fortnightly during the year, 

 each presenting special exercises adapted for particular 

 classes and for the strengthening or " limbering " of par- 

 ticular muscles. F.R.A.S. (whom some of our correspon- 

 dents insist on identif)ing — quite mistakenly — with the 

 editor) has promised to continue fortnightly, besides the 

 "Face of the Sky," his interesting account of work with 

 a 3-inch telescope, taking planets, moon, sun, stars, or 

 nebulie, pro re natd, — we beg pardon, we should have said, 

 as occasion may arise. Mr. Slingo will give a series of 

 simple and practical papers on electro-plating, which we 

 trust may encourage many to amuse their leisure with very 

 interesting experiments. The Editor proposes to begin and con- 

 tinue fortnightly two series of papers. One of these will beor^ 

 the Almanac, takingWhitaker's Almanac a,sthe special work 

 of reference, and explaining month by month the various 

 statements made in that wonderfully complete almanac, 

 respecting the rising, setting, ic, of the sun and moon, the 

 equation of time, the positions, ic, of the planets, and the 

 phenomena of the skies generally. From a great number 

 of letters which have reached us we believe such papers 

 will be found useful. The other series will relate to 

 mapping, presenting and illustrating the various methods 

 of map projection which are used in treatises on geography, 

 astronomy, &c. We know of no better way of encouraging 

 geometrical tastes, and few better ways of stimulating geo- 

 graphical and astronomical inquiry, than the practice of 

 making maps and charts on various systems of projection. 

 The work is within the capacity of all, it is more interesting 

 than many pursuits specially intended for amusement, and 

 more instructive sometimes than the most profound and 

 abstruse calculations. 



In our first two volumes we gave, as systematic astro- 

 nomical illustrations, the star-maps forming the volume 

 now published as " The Stars in their Seasons " ; in the 

 third and fourth volumes have appeared the series entitled 

 "Sun Views of the Earth." The fifth and sixth volumes 

 will present a series of " Zodiacal Maps," on an adequate 

 scale, forming when completed a set showing the entire 

 zodiac to a breadth of about lOdeg. north and 10 deg. 

 south of the ecliptic, each map overlapping its neighbours 

 on either side by several degrees. These miips will show 

 the stars black on a white ground for convenience in mark- 

 ing in the paths and positions of sun, moon, and planets 

 either in 1884 or in any other year. 



The papers on Chess and Whist will be continued as 

 before. We have invited Mephisto to resume our original 

 plan of presenting occasional short studies of the leading 

 Chess openings. We continue to regard Whist as well as 



