November 1, 1898.] 



KNOWLEDGE. 



255 



a kind of cannon, emitting bullets in the form of cars, 

 which can be stopped instantly at a particular station by 

 simply pressing a button at headquirters. Mr. MacGurty, 

 a well-known engineer, has constructed a small tram line, 

 about two miles in length, along which he can easily run 

 an electric car at the rate of two hundred and forty miles 

 an hour, or four miles a minute. These special railroads, 

 it is suggested, should be built preferably above ground, 

 with stations at frequent intervals, each station being in 

 charge of an electrician, who would receive the whole, or 

 part, of the contents of the car, and also be in communi- 

 cation with neighbouring stationmasters. 



During last month the International Conference of 

 Scientific Literature met at the Hotel MtHropole, and 

 Professor Eiicker, in proposing " Science in all Lands," 

 said that " Science had become the most cosmopohtan of 

 all the professions." The Royal Society has a regular 

 organization for recognizing merit outside the nation to 

 which men belonged, and great scientific triumphs are 

 recognized as baing triumphs, not for one nation, but for 

 the world. The Royal Society, in 1864, commenced its 

 catalogue of scientific papers, arranged according to the 

 names of the authors, but a catalogue of subjects would 

 be of even greater utility. Such an uudartaking is beyond 

 the power of any one soeiety or country, hence the 

 necessity for international co-operation. It is something 

 to know that the scheme is progressing satisfactorily, 

 and that there is a fair prospect of its being completed 

 in such a way as will tend to cement more firmly than 

 at present the union of international science. 



In England the annual military and naval expenditure 

 has increased in the last ten years by nine millions nine 

 hundred thousand pounds, while in the same period the 

 annual education budget has only been increased by about 

 three million pounds. Sums spent for these purposes by 

 the Great Powers show rather interesting results : — 



England ... 

 Germany... 

 France . . . 

 United States 



W.iR. 



£40,050,000 

 32,840,000 

 36,570,000 

 16,700,000 



EDCC.\TI0N. 



£10,140,000 



12,120,000 



7,920,000 



30,890,000 



Thus, the most civilized nations of the world spend about 

 four pounds in military preparation for every pound in 

 fortifying youth for the battle of life — the United States 

 being one notable exception. 



Lord Lister, at the opening of the new Pathological 

 Laboratories, Liverpool, championed the cause of vivisec- 

 tion. " It seemed," said he, " the veriest common sense 

 that the more practically familiar a mm was with the 

 structure and working of the marvellously complicated 

 mechanism of the human body the better fitted he was 

 to deal with its disorders. . . . Some, perhaps, might 

 be disposed to object to such researches because they 

 involved the sacrifice of animal life, but this was as 

 nothing compared with what occurred for the supply of 

 food to man. . . . Antesthetics had come to the aid 

 of experiments on animals. They prevented disturbance 

 from the struggles of the animal, and they bestowed upon 

 the operator the unspeakable comfort of knowing that it 

 felt no pain." Such operations painlessly conducted, it 

 is gratifying to know, have, by indicating the precise 

 functions of different parts of organs, already led to the 

 saving of many human lives. 



/. 



BRITISH 



.„,*^ 



ORNITHOLOGICAL -^ 



- ^ _V . NOTES. 



Conducted by Harry F. Witherby, f.z.s., m.b.o.u. 



Robins and Honeysuckle. — The Robin, like the Marsh 

 Tit, is partial to the red juicy berries of the honeysuckle, 

 and this year several Robins have come to my plant for 

 the fruit. On the other hand, the Sparrows, which actually 

 roost in the honeysuckle and a covering hop, never touch 

 the berries. — Ch.\rlks A. Witchell, Eltham. 



The Memory of the Partridge. — This year a niece ot 

 mine, aged eleven, successfully brought up a brood of ten 

 Partridges, and they Hew off three weeks ago. One day 

 last week she joined her father, who was shooting two 

 miles from home, and, to her great surprise, came across 

 the identical covey. They immediately recognized their 

 young mistress, and followed her about from field to field, 

 and the next morning had all returned to their old quarters 

 by the hall door. — -.Jos. F. Green. 



Further Nofes on Birds observed on the Yenisei River, Siberia. 

 By H. Leyborne Popham, ma. {The Ibis, October, 1898, pp. 489- 

 520.) — In a very interesting article under this title Mr. Popham 

 describes how he found the first nest and eggs of the Curlew Sandpiper. 



On the Orcadian Some of the Garefoiol fAlca impennis). By 

 Alfred Newton. {The Ibis, October, 1893, pp. .587-592.)— In this 

 article Prof. Newton describes wliat was undoubtedly the true breeding 

 place of the last pair of Great Auks in Orkney. The last of these 

 Great Auks was destroyed in 1813. The breeding place is an islet off 

 Papa Westray, on which Prof. Newton has lately landed, after sereral 

 abortive attempts, in the company of several friends. 



Report on the Moremenfs and Occurrence of Birds in Scotland 

 during 1897. By T. Q. Laidlaw {Annals of Scottish Natural His- 

 fori/, October, 1898, pp. 200-217). This report has been carefully 

 compiled from twenty-four Light Station Schedules, and from 

 schedules and notes from twenty-two other observers in different 

 parts of Scotland. 



The O-reat Sheerwater at St. Kilda {Annals of Scottish Natural 

 Sistori/, October, 189S, p. 23S). llr. Henry Evans records the 

 capture by some fishermen of a specimen of this bird at St. Kilda 

 on August 7th, 1897. 



Baillon's CraTce in Caithness (The Field, October 8th, 1898).— 

 Mr. W. Arkwright, of Thurso, records that he shot a female of this 

 very rare species at Thurso, in September. 



Erratum. — In the October number of EtfOWtSDOE, p. 234, the 

 Rev. William Serle's name was unfortunately printed as Scole. 



All contributions to the column, either in the way of notes 

 or photographs, should be forwarded to Harry F. Withekby, 

 at 1, Eliot Place, Blackheath, Kent. 



It really seema as if an effective rat poison will soon be 

 easily procurable. In the bacteriological laboratory at- 

 tached to the agricultural department of the Russian 

 Government a disease broke out among the rats kept 

 for experimental purposes, and soon spread rapidly among 

 the whole stock. An examination of the spleen and liver 

 of the victims brought to light a new bacillus, which 

 was duly isolated and cultivated, and it has been found 

 that any mouse or rat inoculated with the prepared virus 

 invariably succumbs. Pigeons, rabbits, and other crea- 

 tures appear to be immune from its effects. 



