April 26, 1894] 



NATURE 



601 



■laid on the supposed identity of the Sequoia coiittsia2 of Bovey 

 with that of the Hamstead beds." {Hempstead?) Now in Mr. 

 Pengeliy's paper Sequoia couttsice occurs ia the Hempstead list. 

 but so far from special stress being laid on it, it is not referred 

 to again. Tiie correlation is shown not by the evidence of a 

 single species, but by converging lines of argument all bearing 

 on the same point. 



" The mistake having been made by such ' heroes of geology ' as 

 Heer and Pengelly, is extremely hard to eradicate." The mistake 

 referred to is the recognition of Sequoia coutlsicB at Hempstead. 

 If mistake it be, it is one for which Pengelly could not be held 

 responsible, as it was eminently a case in which he could only 

 rely on a specialist in botany. There is, however, no proof that 

 Pengelly made any mistake in correlating the Hempstead and 

 Bovey beds. What he did was this : suspecting the Hempstead 

 beds to be on about the same horizon as Bovey, he commissioned 

 Mr. Keeping, who made the excavations at Bovey, to collect 

 fossils at Hempstead. The evidence of these fossils confirmed 

 Mr. Pengelly in the belief that the Hempstead and Bovey beds 

 were of the same age, but whether Eocene or Miocene, depended 

 upon where the line of demarcation was to be drawn. This dis- 

 puted point, about which English and French geologists had 

 long been at issue, did not affect Pengeliy's argument, as his 

 •object was to show the contemporaneity of Bovey and Hemp- 

 stead, not to define the boundary between Eocene and Miocene. 



Geologists will await with interest Mr. Starkie Gardner's 

 proofs that the Bovey beds are not lacustrine. 



Prof. Boyd Dawkins well describes Pengelly as one of the old 

 heroes who laid the foundations of geological science. Pengeliy's 

 papers are models of scientific writing, with every fact tested, 

 quotation verified, authority cited, and argument polished, to the 

 utmost of the author's ability. 



Two extempore interjections of Pengelly will suffice to reveal 

 the cause of his strength, and his springs of action. On one 

 occasion the present writer, seeking to turn a discussion which 

 was getting wide of the mark, said : "That fact is unimportant." 

 Pengelly instantly broke in with: " TVc fact is unimportant." 

 On another occasion a member of the Devonshire Association, 

 when on the platform replying on a paper, incautiously used the 

 words " I think." Pengelly at once ejaculated, "We want to 

 hear what Mr, X. k/ioics, not what he thinks." 



Taken seriously these pithy comments lie at the very root of 

 all sound research, and of every paper worth printer's ink, which 

 many are not. A. R. Hunt. 



Torquay, April 14. 



A Fine Aurora Australis. 



Ox February 25 one of the finest displays of auroral light 

 seen in Australia for many years took place. It was seen first 

 at Balranald at 8.30 p.m., and latest at Albury at 11.30 p.m., 

 Albury, 190 miles east of Balranald, being the farthest east 

 of reporting stations, and the last display being seen in the 

 east. 



At Adelaide Observatory, the farthest west, the latest time 

 given is 10 p.m. ; the range in longitude between these places 

 is 8° 30', the point farthest north is Wilcannia, latitude 31" 35', 

 and the farthest south in New South Wales was Deniliquin, 

 36' 10' ; it is however, reported to have been seen in Melbourne 

 also. In Sydney it was not visible, the night being very cloudy. 

 At Deniliquin it was first seen at 9.30 p.m., presenting the form 

 of an intense crimson arch from south to south-west, which 

 lasted until nearly 11 p.m., when streamers of crimson and 

 yellow were observed. The highest point reached was 30^ above 

 the horizon, and it was partly obscured by black clouds all the 

 time. The postmaster at Balranald, who gives the best account 

 of it, says : " An intensely brilliant aurora began here at 8.30 

 p.m. ; it was by far the most extensive ever seen here. The dis- 

 play commenced at 8.30 p.m. with a dull red flush in the south, 

 which disappeared at 9 p.m. At 9.50 the whole sky from a 

 few degrees east of south to west-north-west, and almost up to 

 the zenith, suddenly flashed into brilliant crimson. At intervals 

 of a {^^ minutes intensely bright steely shafts darted quite up to 

 the zenith, and these changing gradually through phases of 

 yellow to deepest red. At 10.40 p.m. the display trended more 

 to eastward, and terminated with several very remarkable broad 

 streaky and variegated flashes of dazzling brilliance, which shot 

 up from east-south-east about 11.50 p.m." 



March 17. H. C. Russell. 



Lepidosiren paradoxa. 



Prof. Howes says in Nature, April 19, that the villi of 

 the pelvic fins of this fish were " referred to " by me in Nature 

 of April 12. I think it is desirable to correct this inaccuracy. 

 The villi in question were not " referred to " by me, but were 

 described and figured hy me on March 20 (published April 12). 

 The description and figures were sent to Nature a fortnight 

 before the meeting of the Zoological Society at which Dr. 

 Giinther exhibited his specimens and mentioned the fact that 

 Prof. Ehlers had "referred to" their existence in a recently 

 published number of the Gottingcn Nachrichten. I have not yet 

 seen Prof. Ehler's remarks on the subject. My specimens were 

 purchased from a well-known London dealer ; and I know 

 nothing of Dr. Bohl or the " signification of his intentions " as 

 to specimens collected by him. 



Prof. Howes is correct in his statement that six specimens of 

 Lepidosiren paradoxa have been authoritatively recorded before 

 the appearance of several in the market during the present year ; 

 but the arrival of these specimens tends to the conclusion that his 

 statement in N.\ture (vol. xxxviii. ) to the effect that this species 

 is " rapidly approaching extinction " is due to imagination, and 

 does not correspond with the facts. E. Ray Lankester. 



Oxford, April 23. 



[The communication from Prof. Lankester was received on 

 March 22. Proofs were sent to him on March 31 and April 2. 

 The proofs were returned by him for press on April 6. — Ed. 

 Nature.] 



NO. 1278, VOL. 49] 



Are Birds on the Wing Killed by Lightning ? 



I can answer the question put in Nature (of April 19) by 

 " Skelfo," not only from several authentic records in my pos- 

 session, but from personal observation. Many years ago I was 

 standing on the steps of a woollen mill stair (outside) in the 

 village of the Haugh, Ayrshire, in the company of others, some 

 of whom are still alive, watching a terrific thunderstorm 

 over the fields adjoining the river Ayr. What was then 

 familiarly termed " forked lightning " was playing in the valley 

 with great brilliancy. A lurcher puppy dog chased some ducks 

 from behind an old gas-works building. One bird rose in the 

 air, and with the characteristic cry of fright flew over the mill- 

 race in the direction of a corn-field. When on the wing it was 

 struck by lightning and killed "like a shot." I remember 

 examining the dead bird, but do not remember if it really 

 "smelt villanously of brimstone." I think not. 



G. W. Murdochs. 



Kendal, Westmorland, April 19. 



P. S. — One of the reasons why so few birds are killed by 

 lightning on the wing is because during a thunderstorm they are 

 in shelter, and take to it before the storm comes on. 



G. W. M. 



A Remarkable Meteor. 



Yesterday evening, Sunday, April 22, a very fine meteor 

 was seen to traverse the sky, from near the zenith to near the 

 horizon, in an easterly or south-easterly direction. It is re- 

 ported to me as having appeared about 7.25 p.m., when twi- 

 light was strong, and before any stars had come out. It threw 

 off sparks like a rocket, and was followed by a bright train. 

 No noise was heard after the explosion. 



Haslemere, Surrey, April 23. R. Russell. 



AFFORESTATION IN THE BRITISH ISLES. 



'T^HE question of extending the woods of the United 

 -*■ Kingdom has recently been brought forward in the 

 press, and questions have been asked in Parliament as 

 to the willingness of Government to assist in furthering 

 a scheme for stocking certain of our waste lands with 

 trees. Now, afforestation may be required owing to 

 those indirect advantages it affords to the climate and 

 soil of a country, which have been described in detail by 

 Dr. Schlich,^ and again quite recently in Nature, by 

 Dr. Nisbet,-' or merely to increase the national wealth in 



1 " Manual of Forestry," vol. i. p. 25-58. 



- "Climatic and National Economic Influence of Forests," Nature, 

 January 25. 



