66 



NATURE 



[May 15, 1890 



mum (fS m. per second). Further east, towards the Pacific, 

 the velocity increases. In the annual period, the maximum is 

 pretty uniformly in winter, the minimum in summer. A maxi- 

 mum in spring, and a minimum in summer or autumn, are peculiar 

 to the Caspian region, the Ural, and West Siberia, with Central 

 Asia. In Eastern Siberia the minimum is in winter. The daily 

 variation shows distinctly the connection with cloudiness. The 

 greatest amplitude occurs in the brighter part of the year ; in 

 East Siberia in winter, and in the rest of the country in summer. 

 In general the amplitude increases regularly with the clearness of 

 the sky eastward, and on land it is greater than on the sea. 



A STATISTICAL investigation of lightning-strokes in Central 

 Germany, covering a period of 26 years, has been recently 

 ■carried out by Herr Kastner [Globus). The number of cases 

 has increased about 129 per cent., and last year (1889) it 

 amounted to 1145. The author distinguishes four thunder- 

 storm paths. The starting-points of all these are in hills, and in 

 their course, the woodless districts and flat country, river-valleys 

 arid low meadow-ground about lakes, seem specially liable, while 

 the wooded and hilly parts generally escape. The hottest months 

 ■(June, and especially July) and the hottest hours of the day, or 

 those immediately following them (3 to 4 p.m.), show the most 

 lightning strokes. 



In Le Globe for March, M . E. Chaix has an article on the 

 general circulation of the ocean. He enters into the various 

 means adopted for determining ocean currents, and the history 

 of the various theories from the earliest times, and gives a brief 

 summary of those which are now generally adopted. The 

 author adopts the opinion expressed by Humboldt, that several 

 causes must be sought for, and that they cannot be explained by 

 any single one. His conclusions are : (i) that differences of 

 density, especially those caused by temperature, induce a slow 

 progression of the water at a depth towards the equator, but 

 that their action is apparently nothing at the surface ; (2) that 

 the prevailing winds cause sensible currents at the surface, and 

 these movements in time penetrate to a certain depth, but that 

 their agency does not explain everything ; (3) every motion, 

 -whether on the surface or at a depth, causes a compensating 

 movement, either slow or rapid. These movements play the 

 second part in the superficial circulation, and explain generally 

 •what cannot be attributed to the direct action of the wind ; 

 therefore they afford a key to a number of apparent anomalies. 



In the last report of the Central Park Menagerie, New York, 

 it is noted that the principal cause of death among the animals 

 in 1889 was congestion of the lungs. Among the most valuable 

 specimens lost by this disease were — a lioness, purchased March 

 4, 1886; two pumas, one received in 1883, the other in 1885 ; 

 •one llama and one emu, both purchased in 1888 ; one sea-eagle 

 and one migratory pigeon, the former of which had been in the 

 collection for eighteen, the latter for thirteen, years. The 

 -death of a young hippopotamus, four days after birth, was also 

 attributed to congestion of the lungs. In describing what hap- 

 pened in the case of this interesting creature, Mr. W. A. 

 •Conklin, the Director, points out that the Zoological Gardens 

 of Europe have been particularly unfortunate in regard to the 

 iirst-born of the hippopotamus. " The first two born in the 

 London Garden lived two and four days respectively. The first 

 two born in the Jardin des Plantes, Paris, were killed by their 

 parents shortly after birth. In the Amsterdam Garden the first 

 two died from the neglect of their parents, and in St. Petersburg 

 ^Garden the first three died from the same cause." 



In a note in the current number of the American Naturalist, 

 Mr. F. F. Payne, of Toronto, records an interesting fact which 

 often came under his notice during a prolonged stay at Hudson's 

 iStrait. "Here," he says, "the Eskimo might often be seen 

 Jying at full length at the edge of an ice-floe, and, although no 



seals could be seen, they persistently whistled in a low note 

 similar to that often used in calling tame pigeons, or, if words 

 can express my meaning, like a plaintive pheew, few-few, the 

 first note being prolonged at least three seconds. If there were any 

 seals within hearing distance they were invariably attracted to 

 the spot, and it was amusing to see them lifting themselves as 

 high as possible out of the water, and slowly shaking their 

 heads, as though highly delighted with the music. Here they 

 would remain for some time, until one perhaps more venture- 

 some than the rest, would come -within striking distance of the 

 Eskimo, who, starting to his feet with gun or harpoon, would 

 often change the seal's tune of joy to one of sorrow, the others 

 making off as fast as possible. The whistling had to be con- 

 tinuous, and was more effective if performed by another Eskimo 

 a short distance back from the one lying motionless at the edge 

 of the ice. I may add that the experiment was often tried by 

 myself with the same result." 



A new instalment of the " Palseontologia Indica" has been 

 published. It forms the first part of vol. iv. of the series dealing 

 with "salt-range fossils," by Dr, William Waagen. This 

 volume is being written in fulfilment of a promise made by Dr. 

 Waagen when, in 1879, he began his publications on the 

 different rock-groups of the salt-range and the fossils contained 

 therein. He then undertook to collect in a special volume "all 

 the geological conclusions that may be drawn from the detailed 

 study of the different faunae, and to give at the same time geo- 

 logical details as to the occurrence of the single forms." 



The Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, has pub- 

 lished the twentieth number of its Journal. It contains a 

 report on the destruction of coco-nut palms by beetles, by II. 

 N. Ridley ; British Borneo — sketches of Brunai, Sarawak, 

 Labuan, and North Borneo, by W. H. Treacher; notes on 

 names of places in the island of Singapore and its vicinity, by 

 H. T. Haughton ; journal of a trip to Pahang, &c., by W. 

 Davison ; and a list of the birds of the Bornean group of 

 islands, by A. H. Everett. A map of Borneo, and a map of 

 Palawan and adjacent islands, are given. The former shows 

 roughly the distribution of highlands and lowlands in Borneo, 

 and the localities at which collections of birds have been made 

 are indicated. 



Close to the Hungarian village of Toszeg, on low ground 

 often flooded by the Theiss, are the remains of a prehistoric 

 settlement, which have been recently described by a Scandinavian 

 man of science, M. Undset. While in Upper Italy a sort of basin 

 seems often to have been made with an earth-wall, and dwellings 

 built in this on a pile-supported platform ; the buildings near 

 Tozseg have been similarly raised in two long parallel trenches. 

 The hollow space under the platform served as a place for refuse of 

 all sorts, and it must often have held stagnant water. When it 

 got full, the settlement appears to have been burnt down, and a 

 new set of buildings raised on new and higher piles. Among 

 the remains are bones of cattle, stags, goats, swine, &c., vessels 

 made of horn, stone, baked clay, a few bronze articles (needles, 

 knives), polished stone hammers, wedges, chisels, tooth- 

 ornaments, &c. The settlers seem to have practised agriculture, 

 hunting, and fishing. Discussing this "find," M. Undset has 

 some remarks on the relations of the prehistoric civilization of 

 Hungary to that of Upper Italy and other European regions. 

 In Northern Italy the bronze period proper appears to have 

 corresponded pretty nearly with the terrainare settlements ; but 

 in Hungary it was much longer, and was in great part con- 

 temporaneous with the iron period in Italy. When the bronze 

 period began in Hungary is very doubtful, but M. Undset con- 

 siders it to have been not later than in Upper Italy. It is 

 highly probable that the very early migration of Italians into 

 the Apennine peninsula, and the migrations into the Balkan 



