Nov. 6, 1884] 



NA TURE 



17 



tion), ami we need only refer in particular to the history of 

 arthropology, of our knowledge of the Mollusca, Reptilia, 

 and Amphibia, the writers of which occupy the front rank 

 in their respective departments. The map of the "Zoo- 

 logical Regions," appended to Reichenow's interesting article 

 on the "Geographical Distribution of Animals," will be much 

 appreciated. The new numbers of the second division contain 

 a continuation of Ladenburg's " Alphabetical Manual of Che- 

 mistry," with which might close two goodly volumes of this 

 work. As physical chemistry has found an excellent repre- 

 sentative in Prof. Eilhard Wiedemann, so is also industrial 

 chemistry set forth by men of the first ability, whose con- 

 tributions here will be prized by a wide circle: "Chlorine," 

 by Prof. Heumann (with numerous woodcuts), "Chinoline," 

 by Dr. I.. Berend-Kiel, and "Cyanic Compounds," by Prof. 

 Jacobsen. Nor must we omit mentioning the " History of 

 Chemistry" (in No. 23), written for the "Alphabetical Manual 

 of Chemistry" by Prof. G. Hoffmann of Kiel. The " Alpha- 

 betical Manual of Mineralogy, Geology, and Palaeontology,' 

 continued with No. 24 of the second division, has now advanced 

 to the end of the article " Krystallgestalten und Krystallogra- 

 phie " (Crystal Formations and Crystallography), which, along 

 with the preceding article on "Crystals," by Prof. Kenngott, 

 furnishes a very handsome contribution to the work in question, 

 both articles being, moreover, very copiously illustrated. F'inally, 

 we have to announce that there will next appear a new botanical 

 number which, among other things, will contain the beginning 

 of a treatise on " Schleimpilze," by Dr. W. Zopf. 



Some 154 prehistoric tombs near Santa Lucia by Tolmein, 

 (Gorizia), hive been lately examined by Dr. Marchesetti, the 

 director of the Trieste Museum. Their contents were conveyed 

 to Trieste ; the excavations will be continued at the instance 

 of the Adriatic Natural History Society, for a period of about 

 two years. During last year Dr. Marchesetti examined another 

 burial-ground, viz. that of Vermo, near Mitterburg (Istria), 

 which belongs to quite another period. 



Mr. T. Meli.ard Reade, C.E., F.G.S., in his presidential 

 address to the Liverpool Geological Society this session, "On 

 the Denudation of the Two Americas," showed that 150,000,000 

 tons of matter in solution are annually poured into the Gulf of 

 Mexico by the River Mississippi ; this, it was estimated, would 

 reduce the time for the denudation of one foot of land over the 

 whole basin — which time has hitherto been calculated solely 

 from the matter in suspension — from 1 foot in 6000 years to 

 I foot in 4500 years. Similar calculations were applied to the 

 La Plata, the Amazons, and the St. Lawrence, Mr. Reade 

 arriving at the result that an average of 100 tons per square mile 

 per annum are removed from the whole American continent. 

 This agrees with results he previously arrived at for Europe, 

 fr m which it was inferred that the whole of the land draining 

 into the Atlantic Ocean from America, Africa, Europe, and Asia 

 contributes matter in solution which if reduced to rock at 2 tons 

 to the cubic yard would equal 1 cubic mile every six years. 



For several years the Director of Telegraphs at Haugesund 

 (Norway), Herr A. Reitan, has been making experiments for the 

 purpose of solving the problem whether fish seek places in the sea 

 which are artificially illuminated. In order, however, to make 

 experiments on a larger scale than hitherto, and if possible to 

 demonstrate the value of such illuminations at great fisheries, 

 he has received some specially-constructed electric lamps from 

 Brussels, with which he will continue his experiments during the 

 autumn. 



The Natural History Society of Rhineland and Westphalia 

 held their autumn meeting at Bonn. Among the papers read 

 we note those on the forest vegetation of the extreme north- 



western portion of the Himalayas, by Dr. Brandis, and on the 

 present state of the Phylloxera question in the Rhenish vineyards, 

 by Prof. Bortkau. 



At Schrems (Lower Austria) a violent shock of earthquake 

 was felt on the night of October 8-9 at ten minutes past mid- 

 night. It was preceded by a subterranean rolling noise, lasting 

 several minutes. The phenomenon was also observed at Zwettl 

 and at Gmiind. 



The glaciers in the Dachstein Mountains have again diminished 

 considerably at their lower extremities. Prof. Simony has 

 recently taken a large number of photographs of the summit of 

 the Hohe Dachstein, of the Gosau Glacier, and the Karls ice- 

 field, in order to execute future measurements. The surface of 

 the lowest layers of the Karls ice-field has sunk between 2'5 

 and 3 2 metres since last year, and the lower end of the Gosau 

 Glacier has receded more than twice that amount. Since about 

 1849 this glacier has receded more than 600 metres. 



We have repeatedly referred to Hayek's "Grosser Handatlas 

 der Naturgeschichte " (published by Moritz Perles, Vienna), 

 which has now reached its completion. 



The death is announced of Prof. Eugenio Balbi, Professor of 

 Geography at Pavia University, a son of the celebrated geo- 

 grapher, Adriano Balbi. Born at Florence on February 6, iSi2, 

 he died at Pavia on October 18 last. 



The Natural History Museum, established by the Committee 

 of the International African Society at Brussels, grows in extent 

 daily. The most recent additions are the skeletons of a chim- 

 panzee, a gorilla, a crocodile, and a sea-cow. The Director of 

 the Karema Station on Lake Tanganyika has forwarded a large 

 collection of birds. 



"A Norwegian" writes to point out two errors in Mr. Mattieu 

 Williams's note on the northernmost promontory in Norway. 

 " To call the Knivskjeerodde a ' low glaciated tongue of rock ' is 

 hardly correct. The ridge is a couple of hundred feet high at 

 least. I have before me a photograph of the cape, taken last 

 summer by Dr. Sophus Tromholt, and which will shortly be 

 placed before the public. The elevation is very considerable. 

 Mr. Williams further states that there are magnificent capes 

 abounding around the North Cape ; others are above 1000 feet. 

 This is incorrect. The highest mountain on the coast of Arctic 

 Norway is the North Cape, viz. 974 feet. A belief has for 

 many years prevailed in Norway that Knivskjiierodden jutted 

 further into the ocean than the North Cape, but it has only 

 been proved this summer." 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include two Rhesus Monkeys [Macacus rhesus) from 

 India, presented respectively by Mr. Richard Armytage and 

 Mrs. E. A. Russell ; a Roseate Cockatoo {Cacatna rosdcapilla) 

 from Australia, presented by Miss N. Simonds ; a Northern 

 Mocking Bird {Mimus polyglottus) from North America, pre- 

 sented by Mr. Thomas G. Venables ; a Grand Eclectus (Eclectus 

 roratus) from Moluccas, presented by Miss Lawson ; two Herring 

 Gulls (Larus argentattts), British, presented by Mrs. Pigou ; an 

 Undulated Grass Parrakeet (Afelopsittacus undulatus) from Aus- 

 tralia, presented by Mr. F. Hale, F.Z.S. ; a Water Rail {Rallus 

 aquaticus), a Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) from Norfolk, pre- 

 sented by Mr. T. E. Gunn ; a Common Chameleon (Chamceleon 

 vu.garis) from North Africa, presented by Mr. W. G. Brinkley ; 

 an Alligator {Alligator mississippiensis) from the Mississippi, 

 presented by Mr. R. M. Middleton ; a Greater White-crested 

 Cockatoo (Cacatua cristata) from the Moluccas, deposited ; a 

 Black-headed Caique (Caica melanocephala) from Demerara, 

 purchased ; a Cape Am Bear (Orycleropus capensis) from South 

 Africa, received on approval. 



