Sept. 13, 1883] 



NA TURE 



461 



is no using of differences, proportional parts, or anti- 

 logarithms. In his introduction the author works out 

 some examples with ordinary unaccented five and seven- 

 figure tables, and with these accented tables. On the 

 hypothesis that the tables are correctly printed — we have 

 detected no error — we commend this book as being one 

 that will save much time in calculation without entailing 

 a loss of accuracy. The figures are very clearly printed. 



LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 



[ Tht Editor does not hold himself responsible for opinions expressed 

 by his correspondents. Neither can he undertake to return, 

 or to correspond with the writers of, rejected manuscripts, 

 No notice is taken op anonymous communications. 

 The Editor urgently requests correspondents to keep their letters 

 as short as possible. The pressure on his space is so great 

 that it is impossible othenvise to insure the appearance even 

 of communications containing interesting and novel facts,] 



The Earthquake of Ischia 



In Nature, August 30, p. 414, a correspondent remark- : 

 " The recent catastrophe in the Island of Ischia lias called the 

 attention of those who make a study of such disturbances nf the 

 earth's surface to the simultaneous occurrence of earthquakes in 

 various parts of the world"; while in Nature of August 16, 

 p. 368, Sir. Milne, in his article on " Earth Pulsations," says : 

 " The directions in which these tips of the soil take place, which 

 phenomena are noticeable in seismic as we'l as microseismic 

 motions, Rossi states are related lo the directijns of certain 

 lines of faulting." 



With a view to call attention to the connection between earth- 

 quakes occurring in different parts of the globe, either simul- 

 taneously or successively, I sub nitted to the British Association 

 at Swansea a paper on the relation between coas'-line directions 

 and local ties in Europe marked by frequency of earthquakes, 

 as also a map illustrative thereof. In this paper, and in a previous 

 one published in the Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy, 

 I started with, and endeavoured to prove, the principle laid 

 down by Kossi as to the connection between lines of faulting and 

 earthquake movements and the map submitted tended to show 

 this relation as being very marked for certain lines of direction. 



I now beg leave to call attention to the following lines of 

 action shown thereon in relation with the Ischia earthquake. 

 Amongst the lines cited were tho.-e of the east coast a' Sweden and 

 east coast of Sardinia, both nearly parallel, and thereon marked. 

 As regards the first, I state in the memoir (p. 50S of the Pro- 

 ceedings oj "the Royal Irish Academy, 2nd series, vol. iii. ; Science, 

 No. 8, May, 1882) :— 



" The section of this line between Rome and Rimini is one of 

 the best marked earthquake lines in Italy, whilst the section be- 

 tween I'ola and liruck is also well defined as a direction by a 

 series of points along which shocks have been continually occur- 

 ring." I further ad. I : " Between Palermo and Naples a parallel 

 to this coast-line seems to be marked by earthquake movements 

 cited as having extended from one point to the other (April 16, 

 1817)." Now this line passes precisely at Ischia, and. being 

 extended, parses at or near the following places noticeable for 

 earthquakes : — 



Corleone, Palermo, Ischia, Teano, Isernia, Lanciana, Grossa 

 Islands, Neustadt (Carmola), Marburg, Semenng Pas;, Neu- 

 burg (near Vienna), Znalm, Ghtz, Breslau. Its prolongation 

 represents the axis uf the Baltic and the coast-line of Finland 

 from Nystad to Biorntborg. 



The west coast of Sicily fumi-hes a parallel to this direction. 

 and on it are the following earthquake points : — 



Frosinone, Aquila, Aseoli, Laybach, Hirschberg, the Rieen- 

 gebirge, Glogau, and quite recently (May) the points in Fin- 

 land — Nykerleby, Wasa, and Itterseppo. 



Although unacquainted with the geology of the countries tra- 

 versed by these directions, I am convinced that there occurs 

 marked jointing both in Sicily and in Italy corresponding to the 

 direction of these lines, about N. io° 30' E. 



It seerns to me that they furnish a means of connecting these 

 phenomena, and that they allow of some approach being made 

 to the determination of the laws which govern the occurrence of 

 earthquakes in these parts of Europe. J. P. O'Reilly 



Mr. Romanes and Modern Philosophy 



As an adherent of the school of thought which Mr. G. J. 

 Koma es (Nature, vol. xxviii. p. 387) has subjected to such a 

 spir ted criticism, 1 may perhaps be allowed to make a few 

 commen's upon his position. 



If all science, at least all that has outgrown the mere registra- 

 tion of fact-, consists in the a plication to the latter of certain 

 nece-sary principles of thinking, it is at least possible that philo- 

 sophy — an important part of whose function is the systematic 

 elucidation of thee principles — may be of some me in scientific 

 procedure. 



Mr. Romanes, if he accepts the fact that nature is an object 

 of knowledge, cannot deny that it is governed by the essential 

 conditions ot knowing. It is usual, but hardly fair, to confound 

 such obvious statements with the subjective idealism which 

 "makes the universe revolve round the philosopher." A neces- 

 sary principle is one that evidently d >e- not apply simply to the 

 experience of a single man, a corollary that ought to >ave much 

 confusion concerning the relations between mind and matter. 

 If, too, it had been recognised that such principles admit of no 

 ulterior possibilities, we would have been spared the controversy 

 anc t non-Euclidean space. 



With re^a'd to their application to facts of experience, or 

 conceptions derived from these, it may be remembered that the 

 sciences in whose results we place the most confidence — e.g. 

 mathematics, mathematical physics, and astronomy, are chiefly 

 deductive. With regard to the portions of these which appar- 

 ently consist of empirical generalisations, it should not be im- 

 possible to show- that they, in common with the whole of mathe- 

 matical science, really flow from the constitution cf our experience 

 of nature. 



In dealing with the question of mechanism and teleology it is 

 a common error to think that in using the higher categories there 

 is any supersession of such principles as those of cause and 

 effect. As objects of outer experience, organisms are certainly 

 conditioned by the latter ; but when they are regarded as sub- 

 jects, as well as object-, we are compelled to recognise the erne- 

 sidedness of such categories — to read into them, as it were, our 

 own active subjectivity. Even the most dogmatic materialist 

 might su peet that the conception of cause and effect is not 

 adequate to a complete solution of the problem; presented by 

 living beings. In accepting causality, then, as a truth of uni- 

 versal application, it is not in any sense unscientific to regard it 

 as merely one among the principles which regulate nature. 



With regard ti the special applications of teleology (in the 

 philosophic d sense), it is easy to find in-tances of incorrect 

 deduction, because of the undeveloped condition of this portion 

 of the subject. Treatises upon it can therefoie only be con- 

 sidered as suggestive. Mr. Romanes seems to fear that such 

 efforts will create a dogmatism fatal to sciemific progres-', 

 although he is aware that the tendency of the times is in exactly 

 the reverse direction. The a priori of modem philosophy is of a 

 far different nature from that of scholasticism, and may be iu 

 many cases quite as scientific as that which determines the im- 

 possibility of perpetual motion, or prophesies a transit of Venus. 

 Crewe, August 30 Alfred Stapley 



Animal Intelligence 



The columns of NATURE have sometimes been open to state- 

 ments illu-trat ; ng the practical sagacity of animals of the lower 

 classes. Allow me to place before you thehi>tory of an occurrence 

 which appear^ to prove the power of organisation in the common 

 house-mouse. 



The r o 11 to which I shall refer is one of several which were 

 built a- additions to the original house ; it was used solely as a 

 bedroom. I think it very probable that the old and the new- 

 apartments w ere so united that there w as no clear mouse-way 

 between them. 



I had been sleeping alone in the room, I believe for several 

 weeks, without any di turbance. One night I was woke up, I 

 beheve some hours after midnight, by such a grinding under the 

 fl ior as I never heard before. It w as evidently useless for me 

 10 attempt to interrupt it, and indeed I was rather curious to 

 observe what would ultimately happen, and I lay quiet in bed. 

 Daylight approached, and still the grinding continued. At last 

 the noise suddenly ceased, and in a minute the room seemed to 

 be filled with mice, running about in every direction. I did not, 

 however, perceive that they mounted the bed or the bed-furniture. 

 At list I perceived a mouse ascending the wall. In my full 



