NA TURE 



[September 19, 1895 



in length has been uverwheUned, and the pass has been partially 

 blocked. 



The death is recorded of Dr. L. dalassi, I'rofessor of Medical 

 Pathologj- in the University of Rome : Dr. l-"riedrich Miescher, 

 sometime Professor of Physiological Chemistr)-, and Dr. von 

 Sury, Professor of Forensic Medicine in the University of 

 Basel. 



Dr. Rvffer is, we are sorr)' to learn, suffering from an 

 attack of diphtheritic paral)-sis, and will not, in consequence, be 

 able to deliver his intended course of lectures at the British 

 Institute of Preventive Medicine, or, indeed, do any work for 

 some time to come. 



The following lectures will be delivered at the Royal College 

 of Physicians during the coming year : — The Goulstonian Course 

 by Dr. Patrick Manson ; the Lumleian Lectures by Sir Dyce 

 Duckworth ; the Croonian Lectures by Dr. tJeorge Oliver ; and 

 the Bradshaw Lecture by Dr. Bradbur)'. The Croonian lecturer 

 for 1S97 is Dr. CIreenfield. 



The Berlin .Academy of Sciences will award the Steiner 

 prizes, of the respective value of 40CO and 2000 marks, for papers 

 in continuation of J. Steiner's work on curved surfaces. The 

 essays must lie submitted to the .\cademy before the end of 

 1899. 



A.MOXG a number of plumassier's bird-skins, said to have been 

 brought from the foot of the Charles I^uis mountains in Xew 

 Guinea, has been found the skin of a most remarkable new Bird 

 of Paradise of the genus .Astrapia, conspicuous for its crimson 

 gorget and black-and-white tail. This specimen, which has 

 liccn secured for the Tring Museum, has just been described by 

 Mr. Waller Rothschild ^^ Aslraf'ia splendidissttna. 



A NEW part of the quarto Transadimts of ihe Zoological 

 Society, which will be issued on October I, will contain an ini- 

 ix>rtant memoir on Ihe Dinornithid.v, by Prof. T. lefferj- Parker. 

 The author enters al length U|X)n the osleolog)-, classification 

 and phylogeny of these extinct birds, giving special attention to 

 their cranial characters. Prof. Parker is inclined to associate the 

 .Moas with the Kiwis ( .Vplerygidiv), ralher than with any other 

 existing family of the class of birds. 



With the new numlier that has just been issued, the publica- 

 tion of that valuable American perio<licaI Jiiseil Life comes to 

 an end. The cessation takes place, we are told, for administra- 

 tive rc-a.sons. Happily, the good work which it accomplished 

 will l>e continued in two series of bulletins from the Division of 

 Entomology of the U..S. Department of .Agriculture. A new 

 scries of general bulletins will be begun, and will contain short 

 rcjxjrts on special observations, and the miscellaneous practical 

 and economic results of the work of the division, and in 

 directions of general interest. This first series will Ix: sent to 

 all the present readers of Insetl Life who desire them. The 

 second scries of bulletins, published at rarer intervals, will 

 publish the results of the purely scientific work of the memlx'rs 

 of the office force, and will consist largely of longer <jr shorter 

 monographic papers on groups of North .American insects. This 

 scries will be distributed only lo libraries and to working ento- 

 mologists. The publication of the divisional series of circulars 

 of information upon especially injurious insects, of fanners' 

 bulletins upon special entomological topics (princi|>ally methrxis 

 of treatment), and of occasional s|x-cial reixarts will be continued. 



Thb Thir<l Report of the Royal Commission ap|x>inted lo 

 inquire what lighlht)usc5 and light-vessels it is desirable to 

 connect with the telegraphic system of the United Kingdom by 

 electrical communication, slated ihal Ihe value of ihe warning 

 conveyed lo (Kissing vessels by the display of storm signals, on ihe 

 occasion of ihe apprimch of heas'y g.ales, could scarcely be over- 



NO. 1351, VOL. 52] 



estimated, and recommended thai the light-houses on the most 

 prominent points of the coast of the United Kingdom, with 

 which electrical communication exists, should be made storm- 

 warning stations. In compliance with this recommendation the 

 Meteorological Council have now m.ide arrangements for the 

 supply of storm-warning telegrams lo twenty-five prominent 

 headlands on the coast, for the benefit of passing vessels, in 

 addition to the telegrams at present forwarde<l to ports and 

 harbours, which arc intended more particularly for the use 

 of vessels leaving the places at which the signals are hoisted. 

 The signals used are canvas cones, with point upwards or down- 

 wards, to signify whether northerly or easterly, or southerly or 

 westerly gales are expected, and are practically the same as 

 those originally adojitcd in 1S60 by .Admiral FilzRoy, then chief 

 of the Meteorological Dei>arlmenl of the Hoard <>i Trade. The 

 lighl-house authorities have re.idily assisted in carrying out the 

 recommendation of the Royal Commission, by allowing their 

 light-keepers to undertake Ihe management of the signals. 



We have received a volume of meteorological observations 

 made at Rousdon Observatory during the year 1894, under the 

 superintendence of Mr. Cuthberl E. Peek. This observatory is 

 situated a short distance within the eastern boundary of Devon- 

 shire, in close proximity lo the cliff, at an elevation of 516 feet 

 above mean sea-level, and forms an important station of the 

 Royal Meteorological Society. In addilion to very complete 

 meteorological <ibser\ations, experiments of various kinds are 

 carried on, in connection with evaporation, agriculture, i\;c. 

 Mr. Peek remark? lhal, from an agricultural point of view, the 

 year 1S94 may be briefly summarised as a year of plenly, 

 but wilh i)rices too low to pay for the cost of production. 

 Since 1S83, a daily comparison of the weather experienced al this 

 observatory with thai jiredicted for the district in the forecasts 

 issued by the Meteorological Oflice has been made. The 

 published daily weather reports were received the d.ay following 

 ihe dale of issue, and the forecasts contained in iheni were 

 therefore not seen until after the actual weather experienced had 

 been recorded. The results have proved of much interest ; for 

 the year 1894, ninety-three percent of the forecasts for wind and 

 for weather, separately com|Tared, were found to be trustworthy. 

 A table of comparisons for Ihe years 1SS4-94 shows that the 

 percentage of successful forecasts has improved year by year. 



The preparaliim of artificial human milk has from lime to 

 time occupied the altenlionof investigalors, but so far, according 

 to Dr. Backhaus, no satisfactory subslilute has been produced in 

 the place of human milk. Dr. Backhaus has, however, quite 

 recently endeavoured lo sup])ly this deficiency, and slimulaleil by 

 Kehrer's nielhod he has succeeded in proilucing so-called arti- 

 ficial human milk. The milk is carefully collected wilh ihe usual 

 hygienic precautions of cleanliness, s'vic. , and ihen .submitted lo 

 fermentation by means of rcnnel, in Ihe course of which a 

 relatively rich milk serum is procured containing albumen and 

 milk sugar. This serum is carefully sterilised, anil by llie 

 addition of cream a material is produced which closely resembles 

 human milk, which may be varieil in composition according lo 

 the age or [wrticular requirements of the individual. Since, 

 however, our knowleilge of Ihe properties possessed by the natural 

 fluids of the bo<ly has t>een recently extended in so remarkable a 

 manner, the .subject of artificial nnlks has become invested wilh 

 new considerations, which a few years ago were not even sus- 

 pected. In the course of his paywr Dr. Backhaus points oul llial 

 the slerili.s;iiion of milk should, if possible, be carried out on ihe 

 large scale in dairies before distribulion, lhal in ihis way beller 

 apparalus Iwing lo hand, more cleanly besides more cffecuial 

 residls will be obtained ihan when it is left in ihe hands of 

 private individuals. As demonstrating the importance of freeing 

 the milk from impurities before use, Dr. Backhaus mentions that 



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