i8o 



NA TURE 



{June 21, 1883 



Mr. J. W. Taylor of Leeds, who is the editor of the Jour- 

 nal of Conchology, has issued a prospectus for a " Monograph 

 of the Land and Freshwater Mollusca of the British Fauna," 

 and he invites the assistance of conchologists towards his pro- 

 poed undertaking. According to the prospectus the work will 

 be very comprehensive, and will include the subjects of variation, 

 geographical and local distribution, synonomy and bibliography, 

 " biological aspect and relation to environment." It would be 

 desirable to add distribution in point of time or the palaxmtologi- 

 cal aspect. Mr. Taylor has given specimens of the work in 

 some of the lately published numbers of his Journal of Con- 

 chology, and they seem to be carefully and almost exhaustively 

 done. We hope the cost of this work will place it within the 

 means of the numerous and comparatively poor conchologists in 

 the north of England, as >o many manuals on the subject have 

 already been published at very moderate prices. Great service 

 would likewise be done to natural history by reducing the exces- 

 sive number of so called species fabricated during the last twenty 

 years by some Continental conchologists. The judicious remark 

 made by Hooker and Thomson in the introduction to their 

 "Flora Indica" ought always to be borne in mind, viz. that 

 " the discovery of a form uniting two others previously thought 

 distinct, is much more important than that of a totally new spe- 

 cies, inasmuch as the correction of an error is a greater boon to 

 science than a step in advance." 



The Union MiJicale of June 2 announces a discovery of the 

 highe-t scientific interest, and which, if it turns out to be real, 

 will show that prehistoric man is no longer a myth. On piercing 

 a new gallery in a coalmine at Bully-Grenay (Pas-de-Calais), a 

 cavern was broken into containing six fossil human bodies intact 

 — a man, two women, and three children— as well as the remains 

 of arms and utensils in petrified wood and stone, and numerous 

 fragments of mammals and fish. A second subterranean cave 

 contained eleven bodies of large dimensions, several animals, 

 and a great number of various objects, together with precious 

 stones. The walls were decorated with designs of combats 

 between men and animals of gigantic size. A third and still 

 larger chamber appeared to be empty, but could not be entered 

 in consequence of the carbonic acid it contained, which is 

 being removed by ventilators. The fossil bodies have been 

 brought up to the surface, and five of them will he exhibited at 

 the mairie of Lens ; the others are to be sent to Lille in order to 

 undergo examination by the Faculte des Sciences. Representa- 

 tives of the Academie des Sciences of Paris and of the British 

 Museum having been telegraphed for, are expected to be present. 



The Lords of the Committee of Council on Education have 

 sanctioned the addition of hygiene to the list of science- in which 

 grants are made by the Department. A syllabus has been pre- 

 pared, and will shortly be issued to science schools and clas-es. 



From the third Annual Report of the Hampstead Natu- 

 ralists' Club we are glad to see that the society is in a prosperous 

 condition, and is gradually getting together a useful museum. 



G. P. Putnam's Sons of New York have published a nicely 

 got up and profusely illustrated Guide to the Yellowstone National 

 Park, by Mr. H. J. Winser, which those proceeding to the States 

 for their holiday would do well to get. 



Next month Messrs. Williams and Norgate will publish a 

 new work, entitled "The Natural Genesis," in two volumes, by 

 Mr. Gerald Massey, containing the Natural Genesis and 

 Typology of Primitive Customs ; Gesture-signs, Ideographs, 

 and Primordial Onomatopoeia ; Time and Numbers : the Serpent, 

 Dragon, and other Elementaries ; the Tree, Cross, and Four 

 Corners ; the Great Mother, Twins, Triads, and Trinity ; the 

 Mythical Creations; the Fall in Heaven and on Earth; the 

 Deluges and Ark ; and Equinoctial Christology. 



A writer in a recent number of the North China Herald, 

 referring to fossils in China, remarks that the Chinese have 

 never advanced a theory to explain their existence. In their 

 books references are made to fossil shells, crabs, fish, trees, &c, 

 but no attempt is made to account for their occurrence in solid 

 rock. The little that is said is mostly of the marvellous sort. 

 Ammonites are petrified snakes ; fossil brachiopods (lamp- 

 shells) are called "stone swallows," and are said to come to 

 life and fly from their hiding places at the approach of wind and 

 rain, changing again to stones on the return of fair weather. 

 Fossil fish appear and disappear at pleasure, and their appear- 

 ance prognosticates a plentiful harvest and prosperous times. 

 One author supposes that the figures of birds, beasts, and plants, 

 which he had seen on certain slabs, must be the work of gods 

 or devils, for no human :hand could chisel anything so minute 

 and delicate. 



Crackers play a large part in the superstitious observances 

 of the ordinary Chinese. It is a popular belief that the evil 

 spirits everywhere inhabiting the air are dispersed by crackling 

 noises, attended by fire and smoke. Accordingly crackers are 

 used on all special occasions to frighten away the demons who 

 are tormenting a sick person, or who crowd around the people 

 at the beginning of the New Year. Bamboo, which when 

 burning emits a crackling sound, is also used for the same 

 purpose. 



We have received the Report of the West Kent Natural 

 History, Microscopical, and Photographic Society for 1882-83. 

 It appears to be more bulky than its predecessors, extending to 

 68 pp. 8vo. The President (Dr. F. T. Taylor) discourses on 

 Bacteria and Vivisection; Mr. J. Glaisher, F.R.S., gives a very 

 instructive paper on the extraordinary meteorological conditions 

 between October 1S81 and May 1882, illustrated by two Dia- 

 grams indicating the mean daily barometric and thermogenic 

 readings, and their departure from the mean, as observed at 

 Blackhealh ; Mr. J. Jenner Weir, F.L.S., discusses on the types 

 of variation in Ltpidoptcra, in which is embodied much useful 

 information ; Mr. Stone alludes to certain points in the economy 

 of wasps ; Mr. Heisch's notes on " Adulteration " are of prac- 

 tical interest. In their next Report this old-established Society 

 may perhaps think it advisable to give a tabular indication of 

 the " contents " ; the same remark would apply equally to the 

 publications of other local societies. 



Under the title of " Lantern Readings" Mr. Lant Carpenter 

 has issued a pamphlet to be used (when necessary) with the first 

 series of the biological lantern slides which we referred to in a 

 recent number. These slides are now ready, and may be ob- 

 tained from York and Son. The pamphlet ami slides are intended 

 to illustrate the results of the voyage of the Challenger. There 

 are descriptions of forty-two slides in all, and " preliminary 

 hints " show how the pamphlet is to be used. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include two Malbrouck Monkeys (Cercofilhecus cyno- 

 surus <} 9 ) from West Africa, presented respectively by Mr. L. 

 Mollis and Mr. A. M. Moore; a Macaque Monkey (Afacacus 

 cynomolgus 9 ) from India, presented by Mr-. E. J. H. Sprague ; 

 a Rhesus Monkey (Afacacus erythnzus £ ) from India, presented 

 by Mr. C. T. Pollock ; a Bonnet Monkey (Macacus radiatus ? ) 

 from India, presented by Mr. F. Nelson; two Mauge's Dasyures 

 (Dasyurus viaugui) from Australia, presented by Sir Louis S. 

 Jackson, F.Z.S. ; two Earl's Weka Rails (Ocydromus earlit) 

 from North Island, New Zealand, a Black-backed Porphyrio 

 (Porphyrio melaiiotis) from Australia, presented by Capt. R. 

 Todd ; three Common Kingfishers (Alcedo ispida), British, pre- 

 sented by the Hon. and Rev. F. G. Dutton ; a Common Night 

 Heron (Nycticorax griseus), European, presented by Mr. H. H. 

 Blacklock ; a King Penguin (Aptenodytes pennanti), two Upland 



