234 
WEA TROLE 
| JANUARY 7, 1897 
Marlatt ‘‘ the blood-sucking cone-nose,” a near ally of the well- 
known Chilian Bug, C. Renggeri, and very similar in its habits, 
attacking insects and vertebrate animals almost indiscriminately. 
It belongs to the same family as our Wheel Bug (Reduains 
personatus), and, like the latter insect, is common in outhouses, 
and will, on occasion, feed on the common bed-bug. Our 
insect, however, is much smaller, and rarely attacks man. 
American houses are also commonly infested by a curious long- 
legged centipede, Scautigera forceps, belonging to a family 
represented in South Europe, though not in England. However, 
it only seems to bite in self-defence, and is therefore a less 
objectionable visitor than might be supposed. White ants, which 
have, happily, not yet effected a lodgment in England, are as 
destructive in America as in many other parts of the world ; but 
are too well known to need special notice here. Much more 
interesting matter will be found in this important little Bu/etin. 
““Veritys’ Conversion Table” (designed by Mr. M. B. 
Cotterell) shows graphically the prices of wire and cable per 
yard, coil, or mile. By means of this simple diagram, it is easy 
to find the price per coil and per yard of a cable quoted at any 
price per mile. Every maker of electrical fittings should hang 
up a copy of the diagram in his office, for as a ready reckoner 
it will prove very serviceable. 
A THIRD edition of ‘Our Secret Friends and Foes,” by Dr. 
Percy Frankland, F.R.S., published in the S.P.C.K. Romance 
of Science Series, is now in the press, and will shortly be issued. 
A new chapter has been added, in which diphtheria-antitoxin 
is dealt with, as well as Calmette’s investigations on snake 
poisons and their treatment by anti-venomous serum. Dr. 
Nobbe’s recent researches on root-nodule bacteria are de- 
scribed in detail, whilst milk-bacteriology in its latest develop- 
ments is also enlarged upon. 
UNDER the editorship of Dr. J. H. Bechhold, a new German 
weekly journal—Dée Uyischau—has made its appearance. It 
is proposed to survey the developments and advances of pure 
and applied science, literature and art, by interesting articles 
and notes. The first number of the new periodical contains 
among the articles, ‘‘ Volkerkunde,” by Dr. Max Buchner ; 
“Die Physik der Himmelskérper,” by Dr. Huggins, put into 
German by Marie Bechhold; and ‘* Die Heimat der Germanen,” 
by Dr. J. W. Bruinier. 
Two considerable additions have recently been made to the 
literature of limnology. In the Jitthe‘lungen der b.k. 
Geographischen Gesellschaft of Vienna, Ierr Eberhard Fugger 
publishes a paper on mountain lakes, which is for the most 
part a summing-up of conclusions based on extensive observa- 
tions made on the lakes of Salzburg and the High Tauern 
during 1891, 1893, and 1895. The causes of origin of such 
basins are discussed in detail, and their life-history traced 
through various stages either of continued extension by erosive 
action, or of gradual filling up. The typical rock-basin is to be 
regarded as an interruption of the work of forming a valley. 
~ IN the above-named journal Dr. K. Peuker draws attention to 
the work of Dr. W. Halbfass on the lakes of Northern Germany, 
especially the Arendsee and the lakes of the Elbe basin. The 
Arendsee is found to be the deepest lake known in Northern 
Germany, its mean depth from 1200 soundings being 29°3 
metres, and greatest depth 49°5 metres. The extreme concavity 
of the basin serves to account for remarkable variations in the 
temperature of the water. 
THE ninth edition of the list of vertebrated animals now or 
lately living in the Gardens of the Zoological Society of London 
has just been published by the Society. It constitutes ‘‘ a nearly 
complete catalogue of all the species of vertebrates of which 
NO. 1419, VOL. 55] 
specimens have been exhibited in the Society’s menagerie 
during the past thirty-four years.” The first edition of the list 
was issued in 1862, and it contained 100 pages and comprised 
682 species. The present edition runs into more than 700 pages, 
and contains references to 3044 species, 770 of which are 
mammals, 1676 birds, 420 reptiles, 80 batrachians, and 98 fishes. 
There are also seventy woodcuts in the volume. The list is of 
service not merely as an indication of the animals which have 
been kept in the Society's Gardens, but also for references to 
descriptions of them. 
WE have received from Prof. Sresnevsky, Director of Dorpat 
Observatory, an excerpt paper upon the greater oscillations of 
barometric pressure during the year 1887. The’ investigation 
has been undertaken in the interest of weather prediction. It 
is well known that successful weather forecasting depends 
chiefly upon the prediction of the direction which the centre 
of an atmospheric disturbance will follow. There are various 
indications which sometimes allow of the determination of this 
path, but many of the rules are of an empirical nature. The 
author has investigated these indications by means of the 
observations published in the Russian Weather Reports, and 
has embodied the results at which he has arrived in a useful 
communication to the Bwdletén of the Imperial Society of 
Naturalists of Moscow. 
THE Government Observatory, Bombay, has just issued its 
thirty-fourth volume, containing the results of the magnetical 
and meteorological observations for the year 1895. This insti- 
tution has kept up an uninterrupted record of systematic and 
trustworthy magnetic and meteorological observations for the 
last fifty years, and the results are condensed in a valuable 
appendix to the present volume. The maximum temperature 
recorded during this period was 100°2° in 1857, and the minimum 
53°3 in 1847. The average yearly rainfall is 72°44 inches, and 
the annual values vary from about 41 inches to 115 inches. The 
maximum fall in one day amounted to 16 inches, in June 1886. 
The Observatory owes much of its present reputation to the 
valuable contributions in terrestrial magnetism and meteorology 
of Mr. Charles Chambers, the late Director. We notice that, 
with the exception of Mr. Moos, the present Director, the staff 
is composed of native assistants. 
Tue General Report on the operations of the Survey of 
India during the year ending with September 1895, has just 
been received. In this period the aggregate area surveyed on all 
scales amounts to 125,384 miles, exclusive of 5018 square miles 
embraced by traverse operations in the Central Provinces and 
the North-western Provinces and Oudh, In the trigonometrical 
surveys, the Upper Burma principal triangulation was carried 
northwards as well as westwards through Manipur and Assam. 
In addition to the topographical work accomplished during the 
year, a detachment with the Pamir Commission surveyed 250 ° 
square miles, and one with the Chitral Relief Force surveyed in 
detail 450 square miles on the r-inch scale, 215 square miles on 
the 4-inch scale, and, approximately, 1900 square miles on the 
t-inch scale. The results of the operations of the latter surveyors is 
that considerable knowledge of the topography has been gained 
of an area of 3600 square miles of a country previously practically 
unknown, and much credit is due to Captain Bythell and the 
men who served under him for such a satisfactory record of 
work. Two views, representing the Malakand Pass and the 
Chitral bridge and fort, have been reproduced by heliogravure 
to illustrate Captain Bythell’s report. A mass of information 
on the forest survey operations, cadastral surveys, traverse 
surveys, longitude observations, geographical surveys and recon- 
naissances, carried out by the Survey Department under the 
direction of Colonel C. Strahan, R.E., Surveyor-General of 
India, is included in the General Report. 
