iS 



NATURE 



[May 3, 1894 



portion eliminating oxygen and foiining ammonia, and another 

 part suffering oxidation to nitrous and hyponitrous acids, which 

 combine or react with the ammonia and a further quantity of 

 hydroxylamine. As hydroxylamine nitrite spontaneously de- 

 composes, as M. de Bruyn has shown by experiment, it is pro- 

 bable that the hyponitrite of the base is incapable of existence ; 

 hence the liberation of nitrogen and nitrous oxide is fully 

 accounted for. M. de Bruyn slates that in preparing large 

 quantities of the solid base by fractional distillation of the methyl 

 alcohol solution under diminished pressure it is preferable, after 

 distilling off the methyl alcohol, to divide the residue rich in 

 hydroxylamine among several distilling flasVs, and to thus com- 

 plete the fractionation in small portions. For it is a somewhat 

 remarkable fact that the yield is very much larger when the 

 distillation occurs in this manner ; it would appear that the 

 amount of decomposition considerably increases with the bulk 

 of liquid distilled. Moreover, the risk of explosion upon tem- 

 porarily arresting the distillation in order to change the receiver, 

 is greater with larger quantities, but usually an explosion may 

 be prevented by immersing the distilling Hask in cold water 

 during the rapid change of receivers. Taking this precaution, 

 M. de Bruyn has safely distilled as much as half a kilogram of 

 the pure base. 



Erratum. — In Nature of April 26 (p. 603), and on 

 the tenth line from the bottom of the first column, for " mosses " 

 substitute "mirses." 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include two Macaque Monkeys {Macaciis cynomotgits) 

 from India, presented respectively by Mr. C. I'almer and Miss 



A. Orvis ; two Jackals {Cam's variegaliis), two Fennec 



I'oxes (Ciittis ccrdo), two Pale Fennec Foxes (Cams pallidus), 

 a Syrian Fennec Fox (Canis famclicus), an Egyptian Cat (Felis 



chaus), a Genet (Gtitella, sp. inc.), a Zorilla {Iclonyx 



frenata), a Crested Porcupine {Ifyslrix erislala), two 



Gerbilles (Gerbilliis, sp. inc.), two Lesser Egyptian Gerbilles 

 (Gerbilliis irg)'flius), three Spiny Mice (.tcomys, sp. inc.), six 



Uromaslix (Uromastix ornalus) from Suakin, a Libyan 



ZonWa. (Jclo»}'x lybica), two Dwarf Jerboas (ZJiy»(>,//7/i«, sp. inc.), 



four Spiny Mice (.'Ucmys, sp. inc.), three Hedgehogs 



(Eriiioitus aiirilus), two Egyptian Jerboas (Difus ,rgyplius) 

 from Egypt, presented by Dr. John Anderson, F.R.S. ; a 

 Wattled Crane {Grits carunculala), two Cape Crowned Cranes 

 {liaUarica chrysofelargui) from South Africa, presented by 

 Sir H. B. Loch, G.C.B.. G.C.M.G. ; a Grey Ichneumon 

 (//erfales griseus) from India, presented by Mr. John I'enn, 

 M.P. ; two Robbcn Island Snakes {Coronella f/iocarum) from 

 South Africa, presented by Mr. Barry McMillan ; an Indian 

 Civet ( yiverricu/a malacceiisis) from India, a long-Legged 

 Buzzard (//«/<•(> /i-ro.r) captured in the Red Sea, a Mexican Deer 

 (Cariaciis mtxicatius) from Mexico, deposited ; four Red-headed 

 Pochards {FuUgula ftrina), European, purchased. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 



An -AstkonomicalExpeditio.vprom IIarvarm,— Aparty, 



'" ■ '• ' ''"f- W. II. Pickering, will soon set out from Har- 



■ rv.itory ^^ay^ .hirviiomy am/ .lilro-J'/iysKsi to 

 rving tiation somewhere in the Stale of Arizona, 

 the principal object of the expedition being to observe Mars 

 during the favourable oppoiilion this year. The chief instru- 

 ment to be conveyed to the site chosen is an cightcen-inch re- 

 fractor \<y ISra>hcar, the objcciive of which was exhibited at the 

 ''■■"■ ' 'fn. Mr. I'ercival I.X1WCII, of Boston, who has 



cd the funds (or the expedition, will accompany 



Eliments and Ephe.meris of Gale's Comet. — Edinburgh 

 Cinular, No. 42, contains the subjoined ephemeris for Gale's 



NO. 1279, VOL. 50] 



IHE HATCHERY FOR SEA FISHES, OF THE 

 FISHERY BOARD FOR SCOTLAND AT 

 DUNBAR. 



T N recent years, owing to ovet-fishing, the scarcity of certain 

 iraporlant marine food- fishes has become manifest in 

 many countries, and as one way of meeting the constant drain 

 on the fishing grounds, sea- lish hatcheries have been established 

 in the Unittd State.', Newfoundland, Canada, and Norway. 

 A year or two ago the Fishery Board for Scotland began the 

 erection of a .--imilar establishment at Dunbar, which has lately 

 been completed ; and for the last five or six weeks active opera- 

 tions have been going on in hatching plaice, with complete success, 

 under the charge of Mr. Harald Dannevig, a Norwegian expert, 

 whose services have been obtained by ihe Fishery Bo.ird. The 

 hatchery consists of (l) a tidal por.d ; (2) a large " spawning ' 

 tank ; (3) a chamber tor the collection of the eggs and 

 lor filtering the water; and (4) the house in which the 

 hatching apjiaralus is placed. The spawning fishes, male and 

 lemale, number about 350, and .ire confined in the large 

 elevated spawning lank (made of concrete) thiough which 

 a constant current of sea water is maintained. They range 

 from about 14 to 27 inches in length, and are vigorous and lecd 

 well. In this tank, which has a capacity of over 60,000 

 gallons, the fishes spawn naturally, just as they would in 

 the sea ; and as the eggs are buoyant they rise to the surface, 

 or near it, and are collecled in hundreds of thousands at 

 a time in a specially constructed appar.-itus placed at the point 

 where the overflow from ihe lank occurs. The fertilised 

 eggs, which are among the largest of the pelagic forms, 

 are then transferred to the apparatus in the hatching room, 

 ilitough which a continuous circulation of pure sea water 

 is kept up. The hatclimg takes nearly three weeks to 

 accomplish, and the little fi^lles are retained for some time 

 after hatching until the yolk is almost absorbed. In smaller 

 vessels with a higher temperature, hatching occurs moie 

 rapidly, but the period named (three weeks), probably ap- 

 proaches Ihe normal period in the sea. The number of plaice 

 eggs and larv;e nt present in the hatching boxes is 8,500,000, and 

 over 7,700,000 fry have been already put in the Finh of Forth 

 by the s. s. Garland. The supply of sea water recjuired is con- 

 siderable, and is obtained by means of two double-acting steam 

 pumps, capable of ihiowing over 70CO gallons an hour, and 

 driven by an 8 h.p. locomotive boikr. Befoie being con- 

 ducted to the hatching apparatus, ihe water passes through a 

 scries of flannel filters, but from its purily when it couics Iroiii 

 the sea the filtration giNcs litlle trouble. Strong evidence 

 of the suitability of ihe water (or the purpose, and of 

 the satisfactory working of the arrangements, is afforded by 

 the very low death-rate, that is to .say, the proportion 

 of eggs which succumb in the process of hatching. At 

 Dunbar it has not exceerled 4 per cent. — a much lower dealh- 

 raie, so far as known, than at any other marine hatchery. At 

 the Newfoundland hatchery the death-rate has varied from 

 about 37 per cent, to nearly 50 per cent, in different years ; 



