April 2% 1872J 



NATURE 



511 



of interest from the plan on which they are classified. The 

 arranging and cataloguing a large collection of microscopical pre- 

 parations in a satisfactory manner is admitted to be a work of 

 considerable difficulty. In the present instance the catalogue is 

 divided into five group?, containing Vertebrata, Invertebrata, 

 Phanerogamia, Cryptogamia, and Mineral Substance?, Each 

 of the groups Vertebrata and Invertebrata is again subdivided 

 into orders ; and the Phanerogamia into stems, fibres, cell struc- 

 ture, cuticles, hairs, pollen, seeds, and starches. The Crypto- 

 gamia are subdivided into ferns, mosses, fungi, characea', alga;, 

 desmids, and diatoms. The minerals are without subdivision. 

 Although this classification is open to some objections, yet, on 

 the whole, it was perhaps about the best which could have been 

 done with the materials ; and the catalogue, which is on sale for 

 the benefit of microscopists generally, will furnish a lung list of 

 objects for those who are collecting. In some of the subsections 

 — as, for instance, the hairs of bats, fructification of ferns, and 

 microscopic seeds — the cabinet appears to be remarkably com- 

 plete. Indeed, it is doubtful whether these sections can be 

 equalled in the cabinet of any other society. 



In a letter to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, brought before 

 the French Academy on February 26, a report is given of the 

 earthquake shock felt at Malaga on January 2S at -^ \™ 1>.M. 

 The undulatory movement lasted from four to six seconds, and 

 subterranean noises were heard previously to the shock. The 

 direction was from north to south. No damage is reported. 



The American Journal of Science gives an account of the 

 earthquake of the 9th of January experienced in New England. 

 It occurred over a considerable portion of Eastern New England 

 and the St. Lawrence VaUey, at a few moments before S r. M. 

 on January 9. It was felt along the St. Lawrence River to a 

 distance of 200 miles north-east and 60 miles south-west from 

 Quebec, and at various points of New Hampshire and Maine. 

 The disturbance was greatest at Quebec, where some walls were 

 cracked, and large fissures caused in the ice bridge over the river. 

 The shock occurred there at 7-54 P.M. and lasted about thirty 

 seconds, being accompanied by a low rumbling sound. At 

 Lancaster, in New Hampshire, there were two distinct shocks, 

 each lasting but a few seconds, the last being the most violent. 

 The direction of vibrations was well defined, and approximately 

 west to east. Probably the true direction was from a point 

 somewhat south of west, which would coincide nearly with the 

 course of the St. Lawrence River, and with the shorter diameter 

 of the region shaken. At Quebec and Bangor slight shocks were 

 felt at 3 P.M. and II P.M. on the same day. 



The towns of Dresden, Perna, Schandau, Chemnitz, Boden- 

 bach, Wurmar, and Rudolstadt, were visited almost simulta- 

 neously by a succession of earthquake shocks between three and 

 four o'clock on Wednesday, March 6. They continued to recur 

 during an hour, and in some instances during several hours. 

 Little damage was done. 



A CORRESPONDENT of the Times, telegraphing from Alex- 

 andretta, states that half the town of Antioch was destroyed by 

 an earthquake on April 3. Fifteen hundred persons were killed. 

 Great distress prevails in consequence. The shock was also felt 

 at Aleppo, but without any damage being done. 



Wk have received the second part of the Proceedings of the 

 Bristol Naturalists' Society for 1S71. Like other similar publi- 

 cations which we have had occasion to notice recently, it con- 

 tains no original articles bearing on the natural history of the 

 district, or containing original observations. The proceedings 

 of the Sections are also rather scant, though they bear evidence 

 of some work having been done in Geology and Entomology. 



We have received a series of chemical labels published by 

 Messrs. Mottershead and Co., of Manchester. The labels are 

 printed in good legible type, better than is usual in such cases, 

 the backs being gummed ready for use. No definite system of 

 chemical nomenclature has been used, in many instances the 

 common or old names of the reagents are given, although perhaps 

 in some cases to the sacrifice of scientific accuracy. Contrary to 

 the usual practice, no symbols are attached, the publishers pre- 

 ferring to leave space for the insertion of these, according to the 

 views held by each chemist. At the end of the reagents a number 

 of slips are attached, with the words " pure," "commercial," &c., 

 to qualify the foregoing labels. The total number given is con- 

 siderable, forming a very good and cheap series (9^. ) 



OBSERVATIONS OF THE AURORA BOREALIS 

 OF FEBRUARY i, £- 5, 1872 * 



'T'HE splendid aurora by which our sky was illuminated yester- 

 ■'- day evening was remarkable for the great variety of appear- 

 ances which it displayed, for its intensity, its duration, and lastly 

 for the large expanse of sky over which it spread. In fact it ex- 

 hibited collectively all the principal phenomena observed in 

 former appearances of ihis meteor: that is to say, luminous arches 

 of various colours, dark arches, moveable clouds of red and green 

 colour, blight rays both isolated and united in large bundles, dark 

 rays, diverging and converging rays, red pillars, changes of 

 colour, &c., &c. It lasted from about six o'clock till after mid- 

 night, whereas in most cases the duration of the phenomenon 

 does not exceed a few hours, and is not unfrequemly less than an 

 hour. The auroral light, under various forms and colours, ex- 

 tended over nearly the whole of the sky, whereas it is usually 

 limited to the northern region. 



The want of magnetic instruments prevented me from foresee- 

 ing by their perturbations the approach of the phenomenon, so 

 that 1 did not perceive it till .about 6h. 30m., by which time it 

 was already developed in vast proportions. I arrived, however, 

 in time to observe all the principal phases, and to analyse the 

 various coloured lights with the spectroscope. 



Although the numerous plienomena observed in this aurora 

 did not present anything actually new, still their detailed descrip- 

 tion will be of great advantage to science, as exhibiting the order 

 of their succession and their mutual relations and dependences. 

 Such scope, however, could be attained only by a long and 

 systematic description ; and for the present I must limit myself to 

 an account of my spectroscopic observations. 



The greenish yellow light which illuminated certain arches and 

 isolated clouds, and likewise the part of the sky near the mag- 

 netic meridian, appeared, when examined by the spectroscope, to 

 be monochromatic, its spectrum being almost wholly concentrated 

 in a beautiful green line, the position of which was very near the 

 division 1241 of Kirchhoff's scale. 



In the brightest parts nearest to the magnetic meridian, and in 

 a few yellow rays near the zenith, I discovered, by means of the 

 spectroscope, a second green line situated towards the blue, and 

 corresponding very nearly with the division 1S20 of Kirchhoff's 

 scale. The line 1241 is near a known line of iron, and 1S20 is 

 near a known line of atmospheric air. 



The second green line was very much less bright than the 

 first, but nevertheless very distinct. Between these two lines 

 weie traces of several other faint lines, the position of which I 

 was unable to determine. 



On the decidedly red mass I could not make out any distinct 

 bright line, but only certain bands of continuous spectrum. On 

 the yellow-red mass I detected the bright line 1241, without any 

 distinct lines in the red. 



The spectroscopic observations were continued with the same 

 results till about the middle of the night, when the aurora had 

 almost entirely vanished. 



The atmospheric conditions during the phenomenon were 

 normal, only a few masses of cloud being seen from time to time 

 near the horizon ; and I observed an appearance which seemed 

 tome especially worthy of notice —namely, a continuous glow 

 proceeding from the horizon towards the S.S.E., by which some 

 clouds and a stratum of mist were lighted up almost continuously 



* Translated from the Cautla Ufficiale delKegtui d'ltalia, Feb. 6, 



