NoveEMBER 1, 1906 | 
NATURE 13 
NOTES. 
Tue Bureau des Longitudes of France has decided to 
send to Samarkand a scientific expedition to observe the 
eclipse of the sun which will be visible in Central Asia 
on January 13, 1907. M. Stefanik, astronomer attached 
to the Meudon Observatory, who accompanied the director, 
Dr. Janssen, in the expedition for the observation of the 
solar eclipse of August, 1905, has been selected as the 
chief of next year’s expedition. M. Hansky, of the 
Pulkowa Observatory, will join him at Samarkand, and 
will be in charge of the Russian expedition for the same 
eclipse. M. Stefanik, who is now completing his prepar- 
ations for departure, will take a kinematograph to reproduce 
the principal scenes of the observation of the eclipse by 
the French, Russian, and other missions. 
WEATHER prophecy the United States 
make a distinct step in advance with the commencement 
of November. Arrangements have been made with the 
Central Physical Observatory at St. Petersburg for reports 
practically covering the great land area lying between 
the Russian capital and the Pacific—a region embracing 
nearly one-half the girth of the globe. Cable communi- 
cations with Iceland, together the 
afforded for weather messages by wireless telegraphy, will 
complete the information for the entire zone of the earth’s 
atmosphere. These facilities will enable the U.S. Weather 
Bureau to extend considerably the area covered by its 
in promises to 
with facilities now 
present forecasts, and to issue them for a longer period 
in advance. In winter, which is the stormy period of the 
year, Iceland embraces about the centre of the Atlantic 
low-pressure area, and the barometer changes experienced 
will afford much useful information. Indian meteorologists 
have long gauged the importance of the weather conditions 
over Asia for the framing of long-period forecasts, and a 
careful study of the minor atmospheric changes over-riding 
the more permanent seasonal conditions of this vast con- 
tinent will doubtless aid much in advancing our knowledge 
of atmospheric circulation. 
REFERENCE has already been made (October 11, p. 591) 
to the banquet given to Sir William Perkin in New York 
on October 6. Science of October 19 contains a paper 
read on that occasion by Dr. Hugo Schweitzer describing 
the influence that the discovery of the mauve dye has had 
upon the progress of chemical science, and a report of 
Sir William Perkin’s own account of the discovery of this 
dye and the development of the coal-tar colour industry 
started by it. 
Tue British Medical Journal announces that a congress 
of practical hygiene will be held in Paris on March 26-31, 
1907, under the presidency of Prof. R. Blanchard. The 
work of the congress, which will deal with food, 
alcoholism, the rearing of children, the workshop, country 
life, and the colonies, will be distributed among eight 
sections. The general secretary of the congress is M. 
Schaer-Vézinet. 
Brrore leaving South Africa, Sir David Gill, K.C.B., 
F.R.S., who will retire in February next after occupying 
the post of Astronomer Royal at the Cape since 1879, was 
entertained at a farewell dinner. Science, art, politics, 
literature, commerce, and other spheres of human activity 
were represented, and many testimonies were borne to 
the services rendered to science and to South Africa by 
Sir David Gill. The Hon. E. H. Walton, in proposing 
the toast of ‘‘Our Guest,’’ referred to the active part 
taken by Sir David Gill in founding the Association for 
the Advancement of Science in South Africa, his work in 
NO. 1931, VOL. 75 | 
laying the foundations of a complete, accurate survey of 
the Cape peninsula, and his contributions to the progress 
of astronomical science by observations at the Cape 
Observatory established by him. In his reply, Sir David 
Gill took the opportunity to insist that all progress in the 
arts has followed the pursuit of pure science, and in- 
cidentally directed attention to his own efforts in organ- 
ising new work and in urging the Government to provide 
funds to carry out necessary improvements 
Tur Home and Counties Magazine for October contains 
an article, with portrait, on ‘“‘ Peter the wild boy,’’ who 
was found in the forest of Hertswold, near Hanover, 
1725, and was brought to this country by order of Queen 
After ineffectual attempts 
in 
Caroline in the following year. 
had been made to get him to speak and to educate him, he 
was ultimately established, first at one and then at a 
second farm near Northchurch, Herts, where he died in 
1785. The current statements as to his great climbing 
powers and his habit of going about on all fours were 
denied by the then of Berkhamsted Free 
School, to whom Peter was well known. 
connected with local history, architecture, 
monumental brasses, &c., form the subjects of the other 
articles in the same issue. 
Ix the course of an address delivered at the eighteenth 
annual meeting of the Association of Economic Entom- 
ologists, and published in Bulletin No. of the 
Entomological Section of the U.S. Department of Agri- 
culture, Mr. H. Garman alluded to the prominent position 
now occupied by the economic entomologist. He it is, the 
speaker claimed, who has enlisted the attention of the 
public and educated it to the importance of entomology as 
applied to agriculture and other human concerns. “ The 
pure science worker would never have done this, and it 
thus has happened that the entomologist who was at one 
time looked down upon by his fellow-worker with some- 
thing in the nature of disdain, has taken first place in the 
estimation of the general public and demands attention 
when the recluse laboratory worker gets little consider- 
ation. And this is as it should be. The economic entom- 
ologist can claim all entomology as his.’’ The rest of the 
issue is mainly devoted to an account of the work of the 
U.S. Bureau in fighting insects injurious to man and 
cattle, or harmful to crops and trees in the United States 
and its dependencies. The attention of those concerned 
may be directed to the fact that, on account of preoccupa- 
tion, the generic term Pyrosoma (see p. 17 of the Bulletin) 
is not available for the organism of Montana spotted fever. 
headmaster 
Various matters 
church-plate, 
60 
Two additions to the literature arising out of the British 
Association visit to South Africa have recently reached us. 
One is a small illustrated handbook by Dr. Haddon, 
F.R.S., published by the Union Castle Company, and 
dealing with the general features of South Africa and his 
impressions formed during the visit. The other is a con- 
tribution by Mr. C. F. Rousselet on the Rotifera of South 
Africa in the Journal of the Royal Microscopical Society 
for August. It contains lists of all the known species of 
South Africa. As the author points out, collecting, except 
at such places as the Victoria Falls, was difficult owing 
to the shortness of the visit and the general dryness of the 
country, but if one may judge from the large ratio which 
Mr. Rousselet’s specimens bear to the total number of 
recorded species there must be plenty of work for any 
residents who will search for ponds and ditches in any part 
of South Africa. On the ship, going and coming, Mr. 
Rousselet took daily observations of the plankton con- 
tained in the hose-water. 
