January 2 5, 1900] 



NATURE 



303 



s\as damaged to a greater or less extent— most being levelled 

 to the ground. For instance, Denizli had 4500 houses, and of 

 these 2400 are completely down; Sarakeui had 800, and of 

 these 600 are down. . . . From a scientific point of view the 

 earthquake was most interesting, and the cause or the con- 

 ^ccjuences of it, was that the greater part of the Meander and 

 i.egens valleys have subsided from two to six feet." 



AccoRDiNr. to the Listok of Tiflis, the earthquake of December 

 31, 1899, which destroyed so many houses at A khaikalaki (Trans- 

 caucasia) and in ten neighbouring villages, and during which more 

 than 200 persons perished under the ruins of the houses, was well 

 observed at the Tiflis Physical Observatory. The first shock 

 was at ih. 50m. 30s. p.m., and had the unusual duration of 

 nil. 4s. It was felt with special severity in the hilly part of the 

 city, on the right bank of the Kura river. Lamps were set swing- 

 ing in the houses, vessels lell from the cupboards, and heavy 

 crosses went down from the bell towers of several churches. The 

 direction of the shock was N.W. to S.E. The second, much 

 feebler shock, was at 4h. 38m. 34s. p.m., and lasted four seconds 

 only ; its direction was N.N.W. to S.S.E. The third shock, at 

 Sh 45m. p. m. , was not shown by the seismoscope of the Observatory, 

 which is situated on the left bank of the Kura, but was noticed 

 on the right bank of the river. The earthquake was also noticed 

 at the Tkvibuly, Tsipa, Varvarino and Kvirily stations of the 

 Transcaucasian railway (from ih. 47m. to ih. 50m p.m.), where 

 it damaged several station houses, as well as at the Kalagelan 

 (ih. 48m.), Sviri and Zugdidi stations of the Kars railway (at 

 2h. 22m., at the two last ones), as well as at the high-level 

 stations of Abas-tuman (4h. 50m.) and Kobi (2h. im.). 



One of the wonders of the New York Zoological Park, 

 recently opened to the public, is a great cage for birds. It 

 represents an attempt to do for certain large and showy water 

 birds precisely what has been done in the Park for the hoofed 

 animals, the buffalo, the otter and other species — to give them 

 all a section of Nature's own domains ; and when the birds are 

 finally put into the cage they will fly in real freedom, for it 

 incloses thr< e forest trees of considerable size. The struc- 

 ture is 152 feet long, 72 feet wide, 55 feet high, and consists 

 of a series of steel pipe arches and purlins over which wire 

 netting has been tightly stretched ; chain netting is used so as 

 to afford the least possible obstruction to the eye. It contains 

 a pool of water lOO feet long and an abundance of shrubbery. 

 Another important buiding is the reptile house, which is one of 

 the finest structures ever erected in a zoological garden. It is 

 146 feet long, and its greatest width is over lOO feet ; it cost 

 about 45,000 dollars. 



At several stations on the Indian coast tidal curves are 

 automatically recorded by means of self-registering gauges, 

 and are used in the construction of tide-tables containing the 

 predicted times and heights of high and low water at about forty 

 ports. The report of the work of the Survey of India Depart- 

 ment during 1898, which reached this country at the end of last 

 year, contains tables showing the agreement of the actual with 

 the predicted times and heights for each year of the period 

 1890-1897. Taking the averages of the eight years, it appears 

 that at open coast stations, 71 per cent, of the predictions of the 

 times of high water were within fifteen minutes of the actual 

 times, and 70 per cent, of the low water estimates were within 

 the same limits of accuracy. The estimated heights were more 

 accurate, 95 per cent, of the predictions of the heights of high 

 water being within eight inches of the observed height, and 93 

 per cent, of the low water heights were within the same margin 

 of error. Of course, a difference of eight inches means more at 

 some places than at others; nevertheless, the forecasts as a 

 whole may be regarded as satisfactory. 

 NO. 1578, VOL. 61] 



From the annual report of the Royal Alfred Observatory, 

 Mauritius, for the year 1898, we learn that the mean rainfall at 

 seventy-one stations was 76*85 inches, against an average of 

 77-89 inches; the rainfall for the month of August was the 

 greatest on record, and was highly beneficial to the sugar crop. 

 There were apparently two tropical cyclones in the South 

 Indian Ocean during the year, the tracks of which have been 

 approximately laid down on a chart. The magnetographs were 

 at work throughout the year ; disturbances occurred on thirty- 

 nine occasions; the principal were February II-13, March 

 1S-16, and September 9-1 1. Photographs of the sun were 

 taken daily when the weather permitted, and the negatives 

 were forwarded to the Solar Physics Committee. There were 

 sun-spots on 302 days ; the great feature during the year 1898 

 was the sudden outburst of activity in September, after a decided 

 decrease as compared with the previous year. No brilliant 

 aurorae were observed. 



So little is known of the fauna of British lakes that a paper 

 on the Entomostraca of Lake Bassenthwaite, by Miss E. M. 

 Pratt, published in " Studies in Biology from the Biological 

 Departments of Owens College," is of distinct value. In an 

 introductory note, Prof. S. J. Hickson refers to the possible 

 practical value of this investigation to fishery. It is well 

 known to fishermen that the lakes in Cumberland vary very 

 considerably in their "trout" reputation. Bassenthwaite is 

 not regarded as a very good lake for trout, but, on the other 

 hand, it contains an abundance of perch and pike. It would 

 be extremely interesting if in time a systematic study of the 

 relations between the fish-fauna and the Entomostracan fauna 

 could be undertaken. This would not be a very costly investiga- 

 tion, and Prof. Hickson thinks it would require the whole 

 time of a competent naturalist provided with a modest laboratory 

 on the lake side for a period of two or three years. Biology 

 stands in great need of investigations of this kind ; but though 

 there are many willing workers, few funds are available to 

 equip them and provide them with the necessaries of life while 

 their researches are in progress. 



The subject of parasitism in freshwater mussels has been 

 investigated by Mr. H. M. Kelly {Bulletin Illinois Laboratory , 

 vol. v., art. 8), with the object of determining to what extent 

 the degree of infection would vary in allied species in the same 

 or different localities. The results seem to indicate that the 

 capacity for being infested by each particular host is to a great 

 extent a characteristic of the species. 



The first number of the Revue Scientifique {Rezme Rose) for 

 1900 contains an account of the addresses delivered by well- 

 known naturalists on the occasion of the "jubilee" of the 

 Societe de Biologic. An interesting survey of the history, 

 growth, and work of the Society was given by MM. Bouchard 

 and Gley, from which it appears that the progress in the past 

 has been satisfactory, and that there is every augury for a 

 hopeful future. 



The managers of the Marine Biological Laboratory of Wood's 

 Holl, Massachusetts, have issued an attractive syllabus of the 

 course of study and instruction in the department of botany 

 for the thirteenth season, from July 5 to August 15, 1900. It 

 comprises courses of lectures, together with a laboratory course 

 of instruction by experienced teachers, on cryptogamic botany, 

 plant physiology, plant cytology, and microtechnique, together 

 with special lectures and courses of lectures by experts on 

 branches which they have made their special study. 



In vol. iii. (No. 6) of the Records of the Australian Museum, 

 Mr. R. Etheridge, jun., describes, under the name of Blechno- 

 xylon, some remains of a curious fern-like plant from the Coal- . 



