372 
NATURE 
[ FEesruary 18, 1897 
character, may, under certain conditions, become apparent. 
Persons who are willing and able to participate in the work of 
obtaining such records, are requested to communicate with 
the Seismological Committee, British Association, Burlington 
House, London, W. ’ 
WE have received from the National Observatory of Athens 
the numbers of the Bulletin Mensuel Setsmologique for August, 
September, and October last. The number of shocks observed 
in Greece during these three months are respectively 24, 27, 
and 24. The majority were very slight, and were felt by only a 
few persons ; but the large number recorded is a good test of the 
valuable work done by the new Geodynamic Section, which the 
Director of the Observatory has placed under the charge of Dr. 
Papavasiliou. 
Dr. JOHANNES BUCHWALD contributes to the AZ%¢theclungen 
vou Forschungsreisenden und Gelehrten aus den deutschen 
Schutzgebieten a paper on the distribution of plants in West 
Usambara, from observations made by himself during six 
months’ residence at Muafa, and on three journeys extending 
over the whole of the neighbouring mountain region. The 
floras of the plain and mountain districts are dealt with under 
separate headings, and special attention is devoted to the species 
which, while properly belonging to the one region, make their 
way into the other. 
A PLAN, on a large scale, of the newly-founded New York 
Botanical Garden, accompanies the Az//etzz of the Garden for 
January. The same number contains also reports of the Com- 
mittees to which were entrusted the plans for the arrangement 
of the Gardens and Museum, as well as Prof. Britton’s address 
on Botanic Gardens, given at the last meeting of the American 
Association, which comprises a slight sketch of the principal 
botanic gardens of the world. 
THE Botanical Gazette, the leading botanical journal of the 
United States, commences the present year with a staff of three 
editors and thirteen associate-editors, representing the four 
American Universities of Harvard, Cornell, Michigan, and 
Missouri, and the following foreign centres :—Geneva, Padua, 
Berlin, Paris, Tokyo, Bonn, Cambridge (England), Copenhagen, 
and Stockholm. The inclusion of Tokyo in the list is indica- 
tive of the great activity of biological studies in Japan. Besides 
original articles, the Gazette has admirable abstracts of im- 
portant papers published in foreign botanical journals. 
A BIBLIOGRAPHY of the published writings of Dr. P. L. 
Sclater, F.R.S., has been published as Bu//etin 49 of the U.S. 
National Museum. Many years ago the publication of a series 
of bibliographies of representative American naturalists was 
begun by the Museum, and five bulletins of this type had been 
published previous to the present one. Though the original 
intention was to confine the series to the work of naturalists 
carrying on researches in America, Dr. Sclater has paid so much 
attention to American ornithology that it was considered most 
desirable to widen the scope and devote a bulletin to his con- 
tributions to the subject. The result of acting upon this decision 
is a bibliography running into 135 pages, arranged chrono- 
logically, and in lists of new families and genera described, new 
species described, and species figured. 
THE meteorological observations made at Rousdon Observa- 
tory, Devon, during 1895, and the reduction of observations for 
the lustrum 1891-95 and the decade 1886-95, are contained in 
a volume which Mr. Cuthbert E. Peek has just distributed. In 
addition to the statistical contents, the report contains a valuable 
account of a comparison of the records of a Kew pattern 
Robinson anemometer with those of a pressure-tube anemometer. 
The sum of the mean hourly velocities obtained from the pres- 
NO. 1425, VOL. 55] 
sure-tube record was compared with the recorded run of the 
caps of the Robinson anemometer for each month. The results 
are, on the whole, very consistent, and show that, for almost 
all velocities, the pressure-tube record amounts to only about 
eleven-fifteenths of the mileage recorded by the Robinson. In 
other words, assuming the velocity shown by the pressure-tube 
to be correct, the factor of the Robinson should be 2:2. Mr. 
Peek thinks that the true factor of the Kew pattern, or standard 
size, Robinson anemometer is sufficiently close to 2*2 as to make 
it safe to accept that value for getting the real velocity of the 
wind from its records. 
A VERY attractive guide to Stockholm, containing numerous 
illustrations, and useful hints to tourists, has been issued by the 
Swedish Tourists’ Club. The guide should be seen by all who 
propose to visit the beautiful capital of Sweden during the 
forthcoming summer, when the great Scandinavian Art and 
Industry Exhibition will be open, 
A GENERAL index to the first fifty volumes of the Quarterly 
Journal of the Geological Society, has been compiled and 
edited by Mr. L. L. Belinfante, Assistant Secretary of the 
Society. Part i., comprising the letters from A to L, has just 
been published. It need hardly be said that the complete index 
will be of great service to geologists. Another useful publica- 
tion issued by the Geological Society is the author’s and subject 
index to the geological literature added to the Society’s library 
during last year. 
THE first number of Zhe Afiddlesex Hospital Fournal has 
been sent to us, and it is a very creditable production. Among 
the contents is a paper, by Mr. Henry Morris, on the diagnosis 
and treatment of stone in the bladder. Referring to the use 
of R6éntgen rays in the diagnosis of renal and vesical calculi, 
it is shown that calculi compound of uric acid and urates 
are not likely to be revealed by the rays, especially if the rays 
have to pass through the adult skeleton to reach them. On the 
other hand, stones which have phosphates or phosphate or 
oxalate of lime in their composition can be discovered by 
Rontgen rays. A portrait of the late Mr. J. W. Hulke, F.R.S., 
reproduced by the Swan Elecuric Engraving Company, forms 
a striking frontispiece to the Fournad. 
THE Museums Association exists for ‘‘ the promotion of better 
and more systematic working of museums throughout the king- 
dom.” In order to promote this object, the Association meets 
ina different town each year. Last year it met at Glasgow, 
and the report of the proceedings at the meeting, edited by Mr. 
E. Howarth and H. M. Platnauer, has lately been published by 
Messrs. Dulau and Co. To curators of museums the volume is 
invaluable. Among the subjects dealt with in it are type speci- 
mens in botanical museums, by Mr. E. M. Holmes; colour 
tinting and its application to microscopic work, by Dr. G. Bell 
Todd; descriptive geological labels, by Mr. Herbert Bolton ; 
electrotypes in natural history museums, by Mr. F. A. Bather; . 
chemistry in museums, by Mr. G. W. Ord; and suggestions 
made by Huxley in 1868 for a proposed natural history museum 
in Manchester, contributed, with Huxley’s original pen and ink 
sketches, by Mr. W. E. Hoyle. 
THE additions to the Zoological Society’s Gardens during the 
past week include a Macaque Monkey (JJacacus cynomolgus, 8 ) 
from India, presented by Miss M. Hewens ; a Rhesus Monkey 
(Macacus rhesus,?) from India, presented by Mr. C. W. 
Hutchings; a Yellow-shouldered Hangnest (/cferus tibzalzs) 
from Brazil, presented by Mr. W. H. St. Quintin; a Ring- 
tailed Coati (Naswa rufa) from South America, deposited; two 
Painted Frogs (Déscoglossus pictus), South European, received 
in exchange ; four Varied Field Mice (/somys varéegatus), born 
in the Gardens, 
