40 



NATURE 



[November 9, 1899 



absorption of oxygen than climbing, and climbing than walking 

 on the level. If the amount of oxygen absorbed during sleep 

 per minute be icx) grams, then in a minute's walking at three 

 miles an hour on the level it would be 500 grams ; in climbing a 

 yard high 5000 grams, and in doing the same amount of 

 kilogram metres by turning a wheel (arm work) 7000 grams. 

 Such an enormous increase in the absorption of oxygen and 

 giving out of carbonic acid must seriously strain the resources 

 of the organs concerned. Dr. Foxwell considers that the lungs 

 and the right ventricle of the heart bear the brunt of the extra 

 labour involved in short strenuous exertions.- 



In the Physical Review for September, Messrs. W. O. 

 Atwater and E. B. Rosa give the first part of a paper describing 

 a new respiration calorimeter and certain experiments made 

 with it on the conservation of energy in the human body. The 

 apparatus described has been devised and the methods of ex- 

 perimenting have been elaborated for use in inquiries bearing 

 (i) on thfijqu^stion as to whether the principle of conservation 

 of energy holds good in the living organism, and (2) assuming 

 this law to be true, on the acquisition of more definite knowledge 

 of the ways in which the body is nourished and of the values 

 and uses of food. We would suggest that in experiments upon 

 the living organism, the second law of thermodynamics opens 

 up a much more interesting field of study than the first law. It 

 has been suggested that vital processes afford the most likely 

 region in which to seek for the existence of Maxwell's " demons," 

 and should their non-existence be established, information as to 

 the relative efficiency of the human individual as compared with 

 a perfectly reversible thermodynamic engine is much to be 

 desired. 



The Soulanges Canal, which has recently been opened for 

 traffic, completes the scheme for providing a 14-feet water-way 

 from the Great Lakes to Montreal, in place of 9-feet, which 

 previously had been the ruling depth for the navigation. It is 

 considered that owing to the increased size of the vessels which 

 will now be able to reach Montreal from the Great Lakes, the 

 price of conveyance of wheat and other products of the 

 North-west will be so reduced as to lead to the diversion 

 of the principal part of the traffic which now finds its way 

 to this country through America by the Erie Canal and New 

 York. The St. Lawrence has been dredged and deepened 

 below Montreal, so that large ocean-going vessels navigate the 

 river up to that city, which has become the head both of the 

 ocean and inland navigation. The Soulanges takes the place of 

 the old Beauharnois Canal, it being found less costly to con- 

 struct an entirely new water-way over this length than to widen 

 and deepen the old one. The new canal connects Lake Francis 

 with the Ottawa River. The fall in this length is 82 feet, 

 which is overcome by four locks, this descent forming about half 

 the total fall between Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence. 

 Electricity is used for lighting the locks and for operating the 

 machinery for opening and closing the gates and sluices. The 

 canal has cost 1,000,000/. ; the total sum expended by the 

 Dominion on the improved water-ways amounting to nearly 

 8,000,000/. 



The current number of Petermann's Mittheilungen contains 

 a valuable paper on the fundamental lines of structure of the 

 Eastern Alps, by Dr. C. Diener. An examination of the new 

 material collected during the last few years leads the author to 

 the opinion that the old division of the Eastern Alps into three 

 zones, one crystalline and two limestone zones, is inadequate : 

 the division is rather into five zones, which radiate eastward. 

 The "Flysch" zone forms part of a tectonic unit running to 

 north-eastern Switzerland and the western Alps, next comes 

 the northern limestone zone, and then the central zone, which 

 NO. 1567, VOL. 61] 



is made up of a number of different parts. The fourth zone is 

 the " Drauzug " of Suess, and the fifth the southern limestone 

 zone. 



The Smithsonian Institution has just issued a reprint of two 

 old papers, by Dr. Otis T. Mason, on the Latimer Collection of 

 Antiquities from Porto Rico, and on the Guesde Collection from 

 Pointe-a-pitre, Guadeloupe. There seems to be some doubt 

 whether the wonderful examples of stone carvings were the 

 work of Caribs or of their more peaceful neighbours ; the 

 evidence seems rather to point in favour of the former view. At 

 Porto Rico are found mammiform stones which consist of a 

 human or animal image associated with a conical projection ; 

 there are also found so-called "collars." These are slender 

 ringed stones shaped something like a horse-collar ; they average 

 about seventeen inches long and twelve inches wide. They are 

 beautifully worked and usually decorated with elaborately 

 carved panels ; the significance of these two groups of objects 

 is unknown. Those interested in aboriginal stone-work should 

 consult these papers, which have numerous illustrations ; those 

 in the second paper are in that queer dotted American style in 

 which even contour lines are usually omitted. The wonderful 

 results that can be obtained by savages without metal tools 

 are here well demonstrated. 



We have received the parts of the Brazilian journal Lavoura 

 for May, Jiily and August 1899. They include articles on 

 imported insect-pests, the Soja bean, agriculture, and various 

 other observations, mostly illustrated, principally of local agricul- 

 tural interest. 



The seventh edition of Foster and Langley's well-known 

 "Course of Elementary Practical Physiology .ind Histology "^ 

 (Macmillan) differs in several respects from preceding editions. 

 Most of the lessons have been rewritten, a few have been added, 

 and the lesson on the dissection of the rabbit and dog has been 

 omitted. Dr. L. E. Shore has revised and rewritten the portions 

 of the book dealing with chemical physiology, and with the 

 physiology of muscle and nerve, and his name appears with Dr. 

 Langley's, on the title-page, as joint editor of the new edition. 

 The volume will doubtless be as widely used and appreciated 

 in the future as it has been for more than twenty years. 



We have received from Mr. C. L. Wragge, chief of the 

 Weather Bureau, Brisbane, a set of weather charts of Australasia 

 for January 1898. The isobars are extended seawards over the 

 Great Australian Bight and to New Zealand. These curves are 

 to a great extent problematical, as indicated by the broken 

 lines, and even over the land they appear to have been drawn 

 from insufficient data in the western and north-western districts ; 

 the charts are also too much after date to be of general interest. 

 We should prefer to see charts drawn by each Colony separately, 

 from its own materials, and published within reasonable time 

 after date. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a Macaque Monkey {Macacus cynomolgus, i ) 

 from India, presented by Mr. Charles Dallas ; a Vulpine 

 Phalanger (Trichosuncs vtdpecula) from Australia, presented by 

 Mr. D. Woosman; a Shag {Phalacrocorax graculus), European, 

 presented by Mr. E. S. Montague; a Herring Gull {Larus 

 argeniatus), two Glaucous Gulls {Larus glaucus), European, 

 presented by Mr. H. T. Pearson ; seven Cape Scorpions 

 {Opisthopthalmus capensis) from South Africa, presented by Dr. 

 W. F. Purcell ; a Cardinal Eclectus [Eclectus cardinalis) 

 (habitat ?), a Grand Eclectus {Eclectus roratus) from Moluccas, 

 a Mealy Amazon (Ckrysotis farinosa) from South America, 

 four Blanding's Terrapins {Emys blandingi), five Prickly 

 Trionyx {Trionyx spinifer) from North America, deposited ; 

 twelve Golden Carp (Carassius auratus), European, purchased. 



