I02 



NATURE 



[December i, 1904 



the manufacturers to colour the stone artificially by chemical 

 treatment. Thus a fine blue colour can be developed by 

 soaking the stone first in a solution of potassium ferro- 

 cyanide and then in a solution of a ferric salt. Now as 

 exposure to the action of alkalies, or in some cases to direct 

 sunlight, suffices to destroy the blue colouring matter, it 

 would seem probable that it is in this direction that an 

 explanation of the change observed by Mr. Whitton is to 

 be sought. 



In conclusion, I may add that a very instructive series 

 of specimens illustrative of the artificial colouring of agate 

 is on e.xhibition in the mineral gallery of the British Museum 

 {Natural History). A. Hutchinson. 



The Mineralogical Laboratory, Cambridge, November 21. 



Eocene Whales. 



In Nature for September 29 (p. 543) " R. L." reviews 

 Dr. Fraas's paper on the Egyptian zeuglodonts, dissenting 

 from the conclusions that the zeuglodonts are not whales, 

 and that the ancestors of the whales are at present un- 

 known. I trust " R. L." will pardon me for in turn dis- 

 senting from these assertions, and for agreeing entirely with 

 Dr. Fraas. So long ago as 1900, in discussing the pelvic 

 girdle of Basilosaurus, I pointed out that the vestigial femur 

 suggested that of a creodont, while later, in Science for 

 March 11, I recorded my utter disbelief in any relation- 

 ship between Basilosaurus and existing whales. Conse- 

 quently, while greatly pleased at the results of Dr. Fraas's 

 study of the small zeuglodonts, I was not at all surprised. 

 It seems to me that our knowledge of Eocene mammals is 

 really very small, and that it will be many years before we 

 will be able to trace the line of descent of many existing 

 forms with any degree of certainty. This is most 

 emphatically true of the whales, the ancestry of which is 

 still obscure. At the same time I have pointed out {Science, 

 March 11) that the Eocene deposits of the southern United 

 States contain remains of a large cetacean that is at pre- 

 sent known to us by a few' caudals alone. This form is 

 undescribed, because it seemed to me best to await the dis- 

 covery of better material than caudals. So while the 

 ancestors of whales are still unknown, we have a hint that 

 they may be discovered any day. F. A. Lucas. 



Brooklvn Institute Museum, November 4. 



The Discovery of Argon. 



In reference to the slip indicated in the last issue of 

 Nature by Prof. G. H. Darwin, permit me to mention that 

 the slip was mine — not Mendel^efl's. In MendelSeff's text 

 it stands : " As to argon and its congeners — helium, neon, 

 krypton and xenon — these simple gases discovered mainly 

 (preinuischestvenno) by Ramsay. ..." I am sorry to see 

 that I had omitted the word " mainly." 



In reality, my manuscript (which I enclose) contained, as 

 you see, the words "discovered chiefly by Ramsay," but 

 as " chiefly " was not the proper word it was struck out, 

 probably by myself, in the proof. The Transl.ator. 



The Leonids, 1904. 



Watching was begun on November 14, when between 

 i8h. lom. and i8h. 40m., in a sky rapidly brightening with 

 approaching sunrise, one certain Leonid, of magnitude 

 excelling that of Sirius, shot from Cancer into Gemini. 



November 15. — Watch from I2h. 5m. to I2h. 40m., and 

 I4h. 5m. to I5h. 45m. The heavens were very clear at the 

 start. I had just commenced looking out when a beautiful 

 tailed Leonid, of mag. 3, shot from 85-i-''-l-25° to 74° — 2°. 

 At I2h. 17m. thin, broken clouds began to pass over, the 

 sky becoming completely covered at i2h. 40m. At I2h. 38m. 

 a huge-headed Leonid, outrivalling Venus in brilliancy, was 

 seen travelling behind small, broken clouds from i29°-|-355° 

 to 107° + 43° in three-quarters of a second. The path here 

 given is probably a little too long. About I3h. 30m. the 

 sky began to clear again, and was pretty good by the time 

 of the commencement of the second watch. There were 

 many thin clouds, but the interspaces were large and very 

 clear. At ish. 25m. the heavens became quite unclouded. 

 In this last look-out Leonids were more numerous, six being 



between I4h. 4Sm. and i^h. 38m. The increase in frequency 

 of meteors of the dominant shower at this period was not 

 due to improvement of seeing conditions. 



In the latter watch three shooting stars coming from 

 i6o°-(-483'' were mapped. The radiant point of the Leonids 

 of November 15, as determined from eight tracks, was at 

 i5i° + 2o°. The meteors were swift, and mostly left 

 streaks. There was a decided tendency towards green in 

 their colouring. 



Below are particulars of some of the most interesting 

 Leonids, other than those mentioned above : — 



November i^. 



Sheffield, November 24. 



Alphonso King. 



Intelligence in Animals. 



Having recently seen in Nature some accounts of the 

 sagacity of cats, 1 trust that the following facts, for which 

 I can personally vouch, may also be interesting to your 

 readers. 



We have a cat, an ordinary tabby, which, when out and 

 anxious to gain admittance into the house, not only lifts 

 the weather-board of either our front or back hall-doors 

 three or four times in succession, thereby causing a loud 

 knock each time, but has also instructed her young kitten 

 to perform the same feat. 



Both mother and daughter now regularly knock in this 

 manner in order to be let in. J. E. A. T. 



My room opens by a door to a hall ; when our fox-terrier 

 wants to come into mv room from the hall he scratches at 

 my door. When he finds himself in the hall and wants to 

 go out by another door to the garden or back-hall, he whines 

 for me, and, going out, I find him by the door he wants 

 opened. This — my leisure regrets — is of daily occurrence. 

 F. C. Constable. 



Wick Court, near Bristol, November 27. 



PATAGONIA.' 



THE dispute between the Argentine Republic 

 and Chile with regard to the boundary line of 

 their Patagonian possessions threatened at one time 

 to result in a prolonged and sanguinary struggle. 

 Happily this misfortune was averted by the decision, 

 honourable to both nations, to refer the differences that 

 had arisen to the arbitration of our Sovereign. A 

 British Commission was accordingly appointed to 

 e.xamine the geographical features of the country and 

 judge how far they could be reconciled with the terms 

 of the treaties the interpretation of whlth was in ques- 

 tion. As the head of this commission was chosen Sir 

 Thomas Holdlch, who had served his country as 

 boundary commissioner In the wild inaccessible lands 

 that lie to the north and west of our Indian possessions, 

 and this selection was abundantly justified by the tact 

 and skill with which a frontier more than Soo miles in 

 length was traced in such a manner as to accomplish 

 the almost unprecedented feat of satisfying both 

 parties. 



In the present volume Sir Thomas Holdlch has 

 given us his impressions of the progressive republics 

 of Chile and the Argentine, and of the scene of his 



1 "The Countries of the King's Award." By Sir Thomas Holdich 

 K.C.M.G. Pp. xv+420. (London: Hurst and Blackett, Ltd., 1904. 



NO. 183 I, VOL. 71] 



