NATURE 



\Nov. 23, 1871 



The new edition of Gauss's "Motus Corporum Ccelestium," 

 which has just been published by Perthes, in Gotha, and which 

 is designated as the seventh vohime of Gauss's works, and is ac- 

 companied by a copy of the original vignette, might easily seem 

 to be a part of the edition of Gauss's works, prepared by the 

 Royal Society of Sciences in Gbttingen. We are informed by 

 that Society that the designation of this book as " Gauss's 

 Works, vol. vii.," was chosen without their consent, and that 

 it forms no part of the complete edition of Gauss's works, edited 

 by the Royal Society, and now in the press. 



We are requested by Mr. R. A. Proctor to correct a slight error 

 in the description of Mr. Brothers' negative of his star-chart 

 given last week. The 8-inch negatives, like the i i-inch pictures, 

 are copies of a chart containing upwards of 324,000 stars (not 

 50,000 only). Prof. Airy, at the last meeting of the Astronomical 

 Society, remarked that the constellations in this chart are not 

 conspicuous. They could not be so, without spoiling the chart ; 

 but the lithographic key-map practically removes the objection. 

 The chart is a contribution to physical astronomy — not intended 

 to aid the search for individual stars, though useful in the Obser- 

 vatory, as showing where the richer star-fields are. 



Mr. Thos. J. Boyd has reprinted his paper, " Educational 

 Hospital Reform : The Scheme of the Edinburgh Merchant 

 Company," presented to the Statistical Section at the recent 

 meeting of the British Assocjation, 



A SERIES of " penny lectures for working men " in connection 

 vrith the Museum of the Folkestone Natural History Society 

 was commenced last week. The series is intended to illus- 

 trate the specimens in the museum — the subject of the first by 

 the hon. secretary, Mr. UUyett, being " Our Clialk Hills and 

 their Fossils." If the e.Kperiment succeeds the lectures will be 

 continued fortnightly during the winter months. Classes in 

 botany and geology, also under the direction of the energetic 

 secretar)', were commenced on Wednesday, the 8th inst. 



Wf are glad to learn that the interesting series of popular 

 science lectures, to which the charge of admission is only one 

 penny, have been recommenced this winter session in Man- 

 chester. The opening lecture was delivered by Prof. Huxley on 

 " Yeast," before a large and attentive audience. 



The Echo Agrkole complains of the neglect of instruction 

 in science in France. " Why," says this journal, complaining 

 of the importance attached in most schools to a semi-mytho- 

 logical teaching, " when an intelligence is just opening to the 

 light, should it be led through the delusive labyrinths of the 

 marvellous, instead of showing it the truth in all its splendour? 

 Let the young intelligence be accustomed to the observation of 

 natural phenomena, and it will be seen to develop itself normally, 

 because to all the branches of activity which it is called upon to 

 exercise it will bring the spirit of methodical order which it will 

 have been obliged to employ in the study of nature. We there- 

 fore demand that the Minister of Public Instruction should intro- 

 duce into our primary schools the elementary teaching of natural 

 science applied to wh.at children see daily in the country. M. 

 Jules Simon has ordered that a geographical class should be held 

 every fortnight in the colleges and lycees ; now we would have 

 the Minister complete this measure by requiring the students not 

 only to mention the principal products of such and such a country, 

 but, as regards France especially, to take account of the natural 

 produce of the land, and to know what sort of soil these different 

 products affect. This would be geography applied to agricul- 

 ture. . . . Further, we would require that all sciences re- 

 lating to agriculture taught in the lycees and colleges should be 

 followed by practical application to the soil, such experiments to 

 form the basis of special examinations." 



A DISCOVERY has been made by several farmers on the Loddon 

 River in South Australia, that kangaroo rats are good thistle 

 eradicators. "It has been found," says the Bcndigo Indepemicnl, 

 " that these animals dig down under the thistles, and eat the roots 

 of the plants, which thus necessarily die. One farmer has issued 

 orders that no k.mgaroo rats are to be killed on his land, in con- 

 sequence of their having been of much service to him in destroy- 

 ing the obnoxious thistles." 



At a meeting of the Philosophical Society of Christchurch, 

 New Zealand, in August last, the President, Dr. Haast, made a 

 few observations on some moa eggs recently received from the 

 Colonial Museum, in comparison with those of living birds. The 

 various models of eggs were displayed on the table. The Presi- 

 dent said that the first egg to which he would desire to draw their 

 attention was one the pieces of which had been discovered by 

 the Hon. Walter Mantell, and by him reunited after much labour. 

 The original egg, from which a model had been taken by Dr. 

 Hector, was in the British Museum. The second model was 

 that of the largest egg found. It had been discovered in the 

 Kaikoras Peninsula, between the legs of a human skeleton, 

 which had been buried in a sitting position, and, from the fact 

 of it having bee n so found, he argued that the moa was of great 

 antiquity, as there was no mention in the very earliest Maori 

 traditions of such a mode of burial being adopted. The egg was 

 afterwards exhibited at the Otago Exhibition, and the model had 

 been made by Dr. Hector from measurements taken by him. 

 The third and last model was that of a small egg now in the 

 Colonial Museum, which had been found in Otago, and which 

 had in it the bones of a moa chick. 



On the 1 7th of September the installation of the Academy of 

 Natural Science took place at Bogota, in Columbia or New 

 Granada, with much eremony. As yet not much can be ex- 

 pected from it, but it is another sign of the progress taking 

 place in the country The orator gratefully commemorated what 

 had been done for _olumbia by Humboldt, Boussingault, and 

 Acosta in geology, and by Mutis and Caldes in botany. 



The first meeting of the Eastbourne Natural History Society 

 for the present season was held on Friday, October 20. A paper 

 " On the species of Hepaticce found in the Eastbourne District " 

 was read by filr. F. C. S. Roper, F. L. S., containing notes on the 

 structure and development of the group, with a list of the species 

 (fifteen in number) occurring in the neighbourhood. It was 

 followed by a paper "On the Bones of Red Deer, &c., found in 

 Eastbourne," by Mr. S. Eveshed. We are glad to observe that 

 active local work is a prominent feature of this young society. 



The Whitechapel Foundation School Literary and Scientific 

 Society held its first annual public meeting last week in the 

 School -room, Leman Street, The Chairman, Mr. Edmund Hay 

 Currie, member of the London School Board, having briefly 

 referred to the importance of the work, and to the dissemination 

 of scientific knowledge by the society's agency, called upon the 

 hon. secretary to read the report ; from this we gleaned that the 

 association had made good progress during its first year of 

 existence, and that the interest in the undertaking was rapidly 

 increasing. Twenty-six lectures had been delivered, amongs 

 the principal subjects were "Oxygen and Hydrogen," by 

 Mr. Joseph Loane, M.R.C.S,, L.S.A., &c., &c., "Blood and 

 its Constituents," and "Respiration, with its Mechanism," by 

 Mr. II. A. A. NichoUs, of St. Bartholomew Hospital ; " The 

 Solar System," "Heat," "Coal and its products," "Elec- 

 tricity," "Chemical afiinity," "Water," &c., &c. The evening's 

 proceedings were brought to a termination with a lecture on 

 "Light," illustrated by experiments, by the President, Mr. 

 Charles Judd. We are glad to find that this society has received 

 considerable recognition from gentlemen interested in science and 

 in education generally. 



