320 
NATURE 
_ [FEpRuary 4, 1897 
clusion that the powers of muzzling as exercised since 1882 by 
local authorities are inadequate to eradicate rabies, and’ only 
result in temporary and local checks to its spread. It is pointed 
out that the Board of Agriculture should have regard to the 
country as a whole, and should impose muzzling over consider- 
able areas, irrespective of the boundaries of boroughs and 
counties ; that the Board should impose it, in fact, where it is 
really required, and leave the rest of the country free. With the 
extirpation of rabies the necessity of muzzling will have dis- 
appeared, but the Committee think it expedient that more 
efficient means should be devised for the due licensing of dogs, 
and for their subsequent regulation. As to the question of a 
compulsory system of registration of dogs, it is considered that 
the matter should be entrusted to the Board of Agriculture, not 
to local authorities. With regard to the importation of dogs, 
the Committee consider that, without resorting to the extreme 
remedy of absolute prohibition, it would be possible for the 
Board of Agriculture to arrange, in concert with the Customs 
authorities, a system under which a sufficiently effective super- 
vision may be secured over dogs landed in this country. In 
Norway, Denmark, and Sweden a system of quarantine is in- 
sisted upon ; and in New South Wales, we believe, a dog has to 
undergo about six months’ quarantine before it is allowed to 
enter the country, a heavy fine being imposed on the person 
causing this quarantine to be averted. If something of this 
kind were enforced in our own country, rabies would be as little 
known here as itis there. The first thing to be done, is to stamp 
out the disease by combined action ; it would then be a com- 
paratively easy matter to prevent its re-introduction. 
AN eminent surgeon, who rendered distinguished services to 
the medical profession and to humanity, has just passed away in 
the person of Sir Spencer Wells. In 1882-83 Sir Spencer Wells 
was President of the Royal College of Surgeons. He received 
the honorary degree of M.D. from several universities, and was 
a member of many learned societies at home and abroad. 
Dr. AGAMENNONE, who has studied so successfully the 
earthquakes of Turkey and the south-east of Europe during the 
last two years, has not renewed his engagement with the Otto- 
man Government, and will shortly resume his work in Italy in 
connection with the Central Office of Meteorology and Geo- 
dynamics at Rome. 
Tue President of the Board of Trade has appointed a Com- 
mittee, consisting of Major F. A. Marindin, R. E., C.M.G. (chair- 
man), Earl Russell, Sir Douglas Galton, K.C.B., F.R.S., Sir 
Charles Scotter, and Dr. John Scott Haldane, to inquire into 
the existing system of ventilation of tunnels on the Metropolitan 
Railway, and report whether any, and, if so, what steps can be 
taken to add to its efficiency in the interest of the public. 
On Friday, January 22, Prof. Guido Cora delivered an 
address, at the Alpine Club in Turin, on Dr. Nansen’s Polar 
expedition of 1893-96. This was, we understand, the first 
special meeting of a scientific society held to discuss the results 
obtained by Nansen in his recent journey. 
Pror. W. E. AyrTon, F.R.S., will lecture at the Imperial 
Institute, next Monday, on ‘‘ Sixty Years of Submarine Tele- 
graphy.” The lecture will be illustrated with historical and 
modern apparatus showing the development of submarine tele- 
graphy, oil paintings of the chief pioneers, lantern slides showing 
the operations of making and laying a cable, experiments on the 
velocity of electric waves in a submarine cable, and in other 
ways will be made interesting. Mr. W. H. Preece, C.B., 
F.R.S., will occupy the chair. ‘ 
On Thursday next (February 11), Dr. J. W. Gregory will 
deliver the first of a course of three lectures at the Royal Insti- 
tution, on ‘The Problems of Arctic Geology ”’; and on Saturday 
NO. 1423, VOL. 55 | 
(February 13) Mr. Walter Frewen Lord will begin a course of 
three lectures on ‘* The Growth of the Mediterranean Route to 
the East.” The Friday evening discourse (on February 12) will 
be delivered by Prof. John Milne, F.R.S., his subject being 
“Recent Advances in Seismology.” That on February 19 will 
be by Mr. G. Johnstone Stoney, who will lecture on ‘* The 
Approaching Return of the Great Swarm of November Meteors.” 
THE twenty-fourth annual dinner of the old students of the 
Royal School of Mines was held on Tuesday, January 26, at 
the Criterion Restaurant, and was attended by over 120 
Associates and others who have been connected with the School. 
The chair was taken by Dr. T. K. Rose, of the Royal Mint, 
and he was supported bya number of past and present Pro- 
fessors at the School of Mines and Royal College of Science. 
In proposing the toast of prosperity to the mining and metal- 
lurgical industries, Dr. Rose dealt with the great advances in 
gold production and the influence of the cyanide process, and 
then referred to the recent progress of investigation of the inner 
nature of metals. The recently published register of old students 
was also mentioned as an event of the year. 
Dr. ARTHUR WILLEY, who worked out the later development 
of Amphioxus when he was a pupil of Prof. Ray Lankester at 
University College, London, has just made a most important 
discovery. He has succeeded in obtaining the ripe eggs of the 
Pearly Nautilus, and is now at work on the development of that 
most interesting animal. Two anda half years ago Dr, Willey 
gave up a teaching post in Columbia College, New York, and 
accepted the Balfour Studentship of the University,of ,Cam- 
bridge, in order to proceed to the coast of New Guineaand 
neighbouring islands in quest of the embryological history of the 
pearly nautilus. He has had great numbers of.live nautilus, 
but, in spite of all efforts, had, till December 5 last, failed to 
obtain the eggs. Specimens which he was keeping in a large 
cage, sunk in the sea at a suitable spot in the Loyalty Islands, 
were found by him on that day to have spawned. Dr. Willey’s 
indomitable perseverance and devotion to his task have thus 
been at last crowned by success. Dr. Willey has been assisted 
in his arduous and dangerous enterprise—amongst the savage 
people of those remote islands—by grants of money from the 
Government Grant Fund administered by the Royal Society. 
THE first number of vol. vi. of the 47¢¢z dec Linced contains no- 
less than three papers on phenomena associated with Réntgen 
rays. In the first of these, Prof. Villari considers the relation 
between the dissociation produced in gases by these rays, in 
virtue of which such gases discharge electrified bodies, and the 
molecular association produced by thé transformation of oxygen 
into ozone by means of the electric spark.. In one series of 
experiments a current of air was first traversed by Réntgen rays 
and then allowed to pass through an ozonator before falling on 
a charged electroscope, and it was found that the ozonator 
deprived the air of its power of discharging the electroscope. 
Prof. Villari’s paper is illustrated by figures showing the patterns 
obtained when the surface. of the ozonator is sprinkled with a 
mixture of sulphur and red lead. 
THE second paper is a note, by Prof. A. Roiti, on the apparent 
deflection of Rontgen rays behind opaque obstacles. Prof. 
Roiti has obtained closely analogous effects with ordinary light 
by observing the shadows of opaque objects made by an incan- 
descent gas-burner. A note, by Prof. Stefano Capranica, forms 
a sequel to his previous investigations on the biological action 
of the rays. Moles were inoculated with the virus of enteritis, 
and were subjected to the action of the rays. The symptoms. 
were identical with those shown by animals protected from the 
rays, and the moles died in either case in about the same time ;. 
showing that the rays possess no influence, either for good or bad, 
on animals infested by pathogenic bacilli. 
