652 



NATURE 



[October 31. 1895 



The Weekly I'i't.i.iu, j\<j\ii ui I he 26th inst. shows that the 

 lemperature over the British Islands during the week was | 

 abnormally low for the time of year, the deficit ranging from 4° 

 in the Channel Islands, and 6° in the east of England and north 

 of Ireland, to S° in the north-west of England and the south of 

 Ireland. The lowest shade readings were recorded towards the 

 end of the week, and ranged from 18° in the south-west of 

 England to 21° in the south of England and 22° in the Midland j 

 counties. The continuous occurrence of frost for several nights 

 in the neighbourhood of London during the current month of 

 October has exceeded any prCNnous record in that month at 

 Greenwich during the last fifty years. 



A DESCRimON of a luminous cloud, observed at Mojanga, 

 Madagascar, on September 27, by Mr. Stratton C. Knott, 

 II. M. Vice-Consul, has been forwarded to us by Mr. R. H. 

 Scott, F.R.S. The phenomenon was seen at 8.20 p.m. as a 

 narrow streak of what appeared more like mist than cloud. It 

 came out of a cumulus cloud in the south, a few degrees above 

 the horizon, and extended through the tail of Scorpio across two- 

 thirds of the sky, which was quite clear excepting some cumulus 

 on the southern and eastern horizon. The streak travelled at 

 a rapid rate eastwards, but its base seemed to be stationary ; .is 

 it crossed the moon, it caused a sort of double corona. As the 

 cloud got lower on the eastern horizon, although always 

 maintaining the same length, some cumulus passed under it, 

 partly obscuring it, and a few minutes later the streak was 

 lost altogether in the cumulus on the eastern horizon. At the 

 lime of the obserxalions the weather was |)erfectly calm, but soon 

 after this streak had passed, cumulus commenced to ascend from 

 the eastward, and the sky soon became nearly overcast. 



The polarisation of the light emitted by incandescent bodies 

 h.is not yet Ijeen fully investigated. Arago, indeed, made some 

 experiments on incandescent iron, platinum, and glass, but 

 these were only qualitative, and did not extend to liquids. Mr. 

 R. A. Millikan publishes, in the Physical Review, an account of 

 some careful tests of light emitted by glowing solids and liquids 

 with a view to discover the laws of its] polarisation. This 

 phenomenon is exhibited strongly by incandescent platinum, 

 silver, and gold, and by molten iron and bronze. A somewhat 

 feebler polarisation is shown by copper, brass, lead, zinc, and 

 solid iron. The most significant result is that (xilarisation is 

 minimum with rays emitted normally to the surface, and 

 maximum at a grazing emission. This indicates that the 

 vibrations take place in a plane at right angles to the emitting 

 surface. To show the phenomenon at its best, a smooth surface 

 is essential. Glass and porcelain also emit polarised light, but 

 to a lesser amount. Fluorescent t)odies do -the .same, so that 

 evidently a high tem|)erature is not necessary. In the case of 

 uranium glass it is the green reflected light which is polarised, 

 and not the blue incident light difru.scd from the surface. 



The main facts of Lieut. Pear)''s work in North Greenland 

 are descrilxrd by I'rof. R. D. .Salisbury in Science of October II. 

 Prof. Salisbury was one of the party which relieved Lieut. Peary, 

 the other members Ijcing Mr. £mil Diebilsch, Dr. J. E. Walsh, 

 Mr. T. Boutillier, and I'rof. L. L. Dyche. During his Arctic 

 residence, Lieut. I'eary mapped a considerable stretch of the 

 coast f>f West Greenland — from Cape Alexander on the north to 

 Cape Vork on the south — and his results show a numlx'r of 

 remarkable differences with earlier charts of the same region. 

 His map locates the positions of nearly one hundred glaciers, 

 where but ten were represented on the published chart. In 

 addition to the map, .Mr. Peary kept a series of meteoro- 

 logical rccord.i, and made oliscrvalions of the behaviour of 

 winds about the ice sheet, and in this w>y has come into 

 po^«cvMon of facts which are not without significance in connec- 



NO. 1357, VOL. 52] 



tion with the problems of glaciology. He made careful 

 measurements of the rate of motion of one of the most active 

 glaciers of the legion, and carried them through a sufiiciently 

 long period of time to give them especial value. He took back 

 to the United States two large and choice meteorites from the 

 coast east of Cape Vork, and these will undoubtedly prove of 

 interest. His studies of the Eskimos of North Greenland will, 

 when published, form an important contribution to ethnologj'. 



So far as concerns the results accomplished by the members of 

 the Pear)' relief party of this year. Prof. Dyche was successful in 

 getting large numbers of birds and m.ammals at various points 

 along the coast. He also secured an abundant supply of 

 walruses, reindeer and seals, and a smaller number of 

 narwhals, and saw much of the west coast of (jreenland 

 between latitude 64° and 78° 45', at close enough range to study 

 its geographic features to advantage. Stops were made near 

 the parallels of 67°, 69°, 70°, and at many points between 75° 45' 

 and 77° 45'. At all these points geographical and geological 

 studies were carried on. The eastern coast of America was also 

 seen for a considerable distance, esi>ecially from Ellesmere I^nd 

 south to 71° 30', and most of the coast of the island of Disco. 

 Prof. Salisbury, who accompanied the [Mrly in order to study 

 glacial geology, observed in detail many glaciers between 75° 45' 

 and 77° 45' on the Greenland coast, and made some determina- 

 tions of significance concerning glacier motion. A considerable 

 body of evidence was gathered touching the former extension of 

 the ice cap of Greenland. Determinations were also made at 

 several points concerning recent changes of level of the laml. 



A RECENT number of the Pioneer Mail, published in Alla- 

 habad, contains an interesting article on immunity from scorpion 

 and snake venom. Much attention has been directed in India 

 to the experiments, which have lately been so successfully carried 

 out, on immunity to snake-bites artificially induced by the intro- 

 duction of graduall)' increasing doses of the venom into the 

 system. The writer of the article in question does not regard 

 this achievement as any really new discovery, being convinced 

 that the traditional inmiunity claimed to be ix)ssessed by the 

 Indian snake-charmers is simply due to the fact that they have 

 frequently been accidentally bitten by cobras and karils, and 

 having survived the first attack experienced no evil effects from 

 the subsequent bites. This he states as the result of his personal 

 acquaintance with many Madari Jogis and Fakirs, some of whom 

 he knew had been bitten .is many as five limes. It appears,, 

 however, that cases of reputed immunity to scorpion stings are 

 also well known, and one of these he had the opportunity of 

 himself 'carefully testing. Hearing of a Mahomed.m Fakir who 

 had established a reputation for himself in this respect, he ileter- 

 mincd to investigate the case, and banish, if possible, all chance 

 of trickery and deception being practised, lie therefore dug up 

 the scorpions himself, and these formidable creatures he describes 

 as l)cing from 5 to 7 inches long, with claws on them like 

 lobsters. These .scorpions the Fakir was told to irritate (not by 

 pinching the end of the tail, which is a well-known way of pre- 

 venting ihem slinging I), but by lunching them on the part of 

 the body indicated : the result was that each one of them stung 

 him strongly enough to draw blood, but the man was ap|)arently 

 none the worse. "There could be no doubt," he writes, "as 

 to the perfect genuineness of the exhibition." This incident 

 should encourage M. Calmelle to continue his experiments on 

 artificially inducing immunity to the sling of .scorpions by means 

 of gr.idual tloses of the scorpion venom. It is to be hoped that 

 the .succcssfiil investigations which have so far been made on 

 artificially procuring immunity to snakebites, may obtain the 

 official recognition which ihey deserve, and lh.1l such immunity 

 may not in the future be confined lo the selected feu or so-called 

 charmed individuals. 



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