May 3, 1883] 



NATURE 



descent was very well executed, although the balloon was partly 

 empty, having ascended to an altitude of 1200 metres. Four 

 persons were on board. In the second ascent M. Pompeieu ob- 

 taine 1 a movement of his aerial craft in the required direction by 

 only moving his rudder. This circumstance is accounted for by 

 the balloon progressing with a less velocity than the wind, owing 

 to its elongation. 



The French Military Engineers have suggested a scheme for 

 extending the area of Paris by suppressing the old fortifications, 

 which cover 2000 acres, and could be sold for building-ground. 

 The proposal is simply to connect the several forts built by 

 Louis Philippe by a trench sufficient to prevent a sudden attack. 

 This new line of defence would utilise the Seine and Marne as a 

 defensive work. The total area of Paris would then be 100 

 square miles instead of 30, as at present. 



The Anniversary Meeting of the Zoological Society was held 

 on April 30, Prof. W, H. Flower, LL.D., F.R.S., President, 

 in the chair. The Report of the Council on the proceedings of 

 the Society during the year 1882 was read by Mr. P. I,. Sclater, 

 F.R.S., the Secretary of the Society. The Report stated that 

 the number of Fellows on December 31, 1882, was 3213, the 

 same as at the corresponding period in 1881. The total receipts 

 for 1882 had amounted to 34,270/., against 25,810/. for 18S1. 

 The ordinary expenditure for 18S2 had been 26,109/., against 

 24,651/. for 18S1, and the extraordinary expenditure 3266/., 

 against 1036/. for the preceding year ; besides which the sum of 

 1000/. had been devoted to the repayment of part of the 

 mortgage debt due on the Society's freehold premises, which had 

 been thus reduced to 5000/. The balance carried forward for 

 the benefit of the present year was 3891/. The most important 

 work undertaken in the Gardens during the past year had been 

 the new Reptile House, a site for which, in the south-eastern 

 corner of the Gardens, had been selected some time since. The 

 building was stated to be 120 feet long, by 60 feet in width. 

 Fixed cages for the pythons and larger reptiles would occupy 

 three sides, while the south front was reserved for small 

 movable cases. A large oval tank for crocodiles and two smaller 

 ones for water tortoises would be placed in the centre of the 

 building, which it was hoped would be ready for opening in July 

 or August next. The visitors to the Society's Gardens in 18S2 

 had been 849,776, against 648,694 in 1881, the number having 

 been unusually augmented by the excitement caused at the 

 removal of the large African elephant, "Jumbo," in the 

 beginning of the year. The number of animals in the Society's 

 Collection on Deceuiber 31 last was 2355, of which 750 were 

 mammals, 1364 birds, and 241 reptiles. The usuil ballot 

 having been taken, it was announced that Prof. Bush, F.R.S., 

 Major-General Henry Clerk, R.A., F.R.S., the Hon. J. S. 

 Gathorne-Hardy, Mr. Arthur Grote, and Lord Walsingham, 

 had been elected into the Council in place of the retiring 

 Members, and that Prof. W. H. Flower, LL.D., F.R.S., had 

 been reelected President, Mr. Charles Drummond, Treasurer, 

 and Mr. Philip Lntley Sclater, M.A., Ph.D., F. R.S., Secretary 

 to the Society for the ensuing year. The meeting terminated 

 with the usual vote of thanks to the Chairman, in returning 

 thanks for which Prof. Flower called attention to the loss the 

 Society had suffered by the death of two distinguished Foreign 

 Members (Prof. Tmschel and Dr. W. Peter.s), and more recently 

 by the death of the accomplished Prosector, Mr. W. A. Forbes, 

 at the early age of twenty-eight years. 



The Sunday Society opened the Suffolk Street Galleries on 

 Sunday for four hours to persons who had previously written for 

 tickets. The number of visitors was 1695 (from two to four 

 there were 495, and from six to eight the attendance was 1200). 

 During the evening a meeting was held in the large gallery, Mr. 

 Mark H. Judge in the chair. On the motion of Mr. Hastings 



Sands, seconded by Mr. Robson J. Scott, a petition in support 

 of Lord Dunraven's resolution was unanimously passed. The 

 annual meeting of the Society will be held on Saturday at the 

 Princes' Hall, Piccadilly. 



Thk Charing Cross and Waterloo Electric Railway Bill has 

 been withdrawn for the present session. 



On April 8, at 9 p.m., an earthquake was observed in Fin- 

 land, where this phenomenon is extremely rare. At Nykarleby 

 the shocks were rather severe, and were accompanied by a sub- 

 terranean rattling and rumbling noise ; their direction was from 

 S.W. to N.E. At Wasa the ground oscillated to an alarming 

 extent. At Viterjeppo even the houses were shaken to their 

 foundations and their downfall was feared ; the same intensity in 

 the shocks was observed on the " domaine " of Back. 



Mr. R. Meldola writes to say that an error has inadvertently 

 crept into his address, referred to in list week's Nature (p. 615). 

 The remark quoted was not made with reference to Mr. Wallace's 

 paper, publi-hed by the Linnean Society in August, 1858, but 

 with reference to his first paper, " On the Law which has Regu- 

 lated the Introduction of New Species," published in the Annals 

 and Magazine of Natural History for September, 1855. This 

 mistake, however, does not affect the general tenor of our 

 paragraph. 



A paper issued by the Isthmus of Corinth Canal Company 

 states that the explosions of the mines will be made with an 

 electric machine moved by hand and Leyden jar. The total 

 weight of dynamite required will amount to 2, 500,000 pounds. 

 The work is expected to last four years, and to cost about 

 i,ioo,ojo/. The canal will be 6300 metres in length, 22 in 

 breadth, and 8 in depth. 



The Rev. [atnes Sibree has issued in a separate form his in- 

 structive paper on Malagasy Place -Names, which originally 

 appeared in the Journal of the R>yal Asiatic Society. 



Dr. Rudolf Falb, the well-known author of various works on 

 earthquakes and volcanoes, has recently written an interesting 

 little book entitled " Wetterbriefe." It contains reflections on 

 meteorology, with special reference to the inundations of 1882, 

 which the author considers to be periodical. The book is 

 published by Hartleben of Vienna. 



Dr. Jos. CHAVANNE'seditimof Adrian Balbi's "Allgemeine 

 Erdbe-chreibung," to which we have already referred some time 

 ago, and which is in course of publication by Hartleben (Vienna), 

 has now reached the twenty-fourth part. It will be completed in 

 forty -five parts. 



The illustration of the " Lion at Rest," lent to us by our 

 Paris contemporary, La Nature, which appeared in our issue of 

 April 19, was, we are now informed, engraved from a photograph 

 by Mr. Thomas James Dixon, the copyright of which belongs to 

 Mr. Henry Dixon, of 112, Albany Street, Regent's Park. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a Macaque Monkey {Macacus cynomotgus) 

 from India, presented by Mr. H. G. Wainwright ; a Leopard 

 (Kits pardus 6) from East Africa, presented by Capt. Percy 

 Luxmore, R.N., C.B. ; a Brown Bear (Ursus arctos i ) from 

 Kamschatka, presented by Mr. C. T. Kettlewefl ; a Ring-tailed 

 Coati (Nasua ncfci) from South America, presented by Mr. 

 Dudley Sheridan; a Common Bidger (Meles taxus), British, 

 presented by Mr. J. Snowden Henry, FZ.S. ; a Woodcock 

 (Scolopax rus/icola), British, presented by Capt. Nicholls ; two 

 Edible Smils (Helix pmia'.ia) from Cheltenham, presented by 

 Lieut.-Col. C. S. Sturt, C.M.Z.S. ; an Ashy-black Macaque 

 (Macacus ocreatus) from the East Ii dies, a Senegal Parrot 

 (Psoaphalus scm-gaknsis) from West Africa, deposited ; a Great 

 Anteater (Myrmccopha«a jubata) from Brazil, a Common Sparrow 

 Hawk (Accipiter nisus), British, purchased. 



