May 22, 1884] 



NATURE 



77 



know the complex and therefore delusive and often apparently 

 contradictory character of the phenomena resulting from lesions 

 of the brain, but I think the weight of experimental evidence 

 (and surely this is more reliable than pathological I is the 

 other way. Experiments on pigeons and dogs ("Dalton's 

 Physiology," pp. 430 and 454) seem to show that lesions 

 of the brain affect the opposite eye as well as the opposite 

 side of the body. Anatomical structure also would lead 

 expect this, for the fibres of the optic tracts cross over 

 in the chiasma, in birds completely, and in mammals largely. 

 But even if it were otherwise, I do not see that the question is 

 materially affected. If right-sidedness is inherited, there must be, 



I or must have been, some advantage in it ; and there is no 

 reason why inheritance should not have affected different sides of 



|j the brain for hand and for eye, if such were necessary to bring 



j about the result. 



[ Again, Mr. Wharton has the singular idea that because 

 Europeans, who are a right-handed people, write from left to 

 1 ight, therefore Eastern nations who write from right to left must 

 be left-handed ! Obviously this does not follow. Many right- 

 handed motions, such for example, as striking with a whip are 

 from right to left, so that the contrary stroke, on account of its 

 unfrequency, is called backhanded. 



Lastly, Mr. Wharton alludes to the rules of boxing. The left 



i hand is used mostly for striking, and the right for guarding. It 

 would be well if some one acquainted with the subject would give 

 us its history. My impression is that the present practice is 

 comparatively recent, perhaps forty to fifty years old, and that 

 formerly the right hand was used mostly for striking, and the 

 left for guarding. I think, further, that even now the left is used 

 more for feints and lighter blows, while the right is reserved for 

 favourable opportunities to plant decisive blows. 



Berkeley, Cal., April 23 Joseph Le Conte 



Dark Transit of Jupiter's First Satellite 



On May iS, at Sh., on observing Jupiter with my 10-inch 

 reflector, p. 252, I saw three very dark spots — one near the 

 planet's centre, and two others not far advanced upon the east 

 limb. These I took to be the shadows of satellites, and on 

 reference found that the shadows of Satellites I. and II. were 

 really upon the planet ; also Satellite I. itself. The latter was 

 evidently the spot near the centre of the disk, and it appeared 

 almost equally as black as the shadow. The satellite was 

 situated close to the equatorial white spot, and in point of fact 

 was projected upon the north-east borders of that object. The 

 latter was estimated on the central meridian at 8h. 5m., so that 

 its longitude, computed on the diurnal rate of S7S°'46 ( = rota- 

 tion of ah. 50m. 7 - 42s.), was 94°'3- 



When near mid-transit, Satellite I., as regards its visible 

 aspect, could hardly have been distinguished from its shadow, 

 and I believe the very dark appearance of the satellite on this 

 occasion to have been somewhat exceptional ; for though I have 

 observed a considerable number of its transits, I never saw it 

 nearly so dark before. W. F. DENNING 



Bristol, May 19 



The Remarkable Sunsets 



A COPY of Nature (vol. xxix. p. 149) just received here 

 contains an article on "Remarkable Sunsets" which were seen 

 in all parts of the world during the latter days of November and 

 the early days of December. It may interest your readers to 

 know that precisely similar sunsets to those described in the 

 paper referred to above occurred here for several days in De- 

 cember. The "rosy pink after-glow" immediately succeeded 

 the sunset, and lasted from ten to fifteen minutes. The pheno- 

 menon considerably scared the Chinese, who feared it portended 

 some evil to the Emperor. The winter has been remarkably 

 mild and dry ; the first fall of snow, a very heavy one, took 

 place on March I. This region is volcanic ; we have occasional 

 shocks of earthquake. Arthur Sowerby 



T'ai Ynen Fu,-Shansi, North China, March 5 



" Notes on Earthworms " 



Referring to Mr. Hughes' communication to Nature of 



May 15, p. 57, I myself to-day saw a small worm pursued by a 



black insect, also evidently the larva of one of the Carabidae. I 



was attracted by observing the worm emerge from the ground 



and hurry quickly away. When about five inches from its 

 burrow the larva came out of the same burrow, and briskly fol- 

 lowed in a zigzag course, until it overtook it-, prey, which it then 

 seized near the tail end and dragged under some loose earth. 

 No doubt the worm had been pursued underground, and was 

 endeavouring to make its escape. E. A. swan 



224, Camberwell New Road. May 17 



The Recent Earthquake 



In p. 57 of the last number of Nature nutice is taken of the 

 lack of observation on the late earthquake in Central Kent, 

 Surrey, or Sussex. In Tonbridge we have known of three in- 

 stances in which it was certainly felt. On the morning of 

 April 22 a lady in bed in a room on the first floor felt a push 

 from the foot of the bed so strong that she asked her little girl, 

 who was in the room, why she was shaking it so, which of course 

 the child denied — the bedstead being of iron and too heavy for 

 her to have moved ; the vallance at the head of the bed swayed 

 to and fro. The second instance we heard of was an Indian 

 officer, who felt it, while standing leaning against his mantel- 

 piece, directed about from north-north-east to south-south-west. 

 The third instance was an invalid lady in bed on the first floor. 



M. I. Plarr 



22, Hadlow Road, Tonbridge, Kent, May 19 



Animal Intelligence 



One night a loud knock was heard at the back door, and as 

 the door could not be reached by any one outside the house ex- 

 cept by getting over the garden wall, some alarm was caused. 

 On the knock being impatiently repeated, the door was opened, 

 and the cat ("Mrs. Muffins") walked in with great dignity. 

 Since then she has never failed to make known her presence in 

 the same way, always waiting after the first knock. Some weeks 

 elapsed before it was ascertained how the knocking was pro- 

 duced, but at length it was discovered that a slip of wocd which 

 runs down the side of the door was loose at the bottom ; this 

 slip she pulls out with her paw, and then allows it to rebound. 

 She is a very affectionate mother. Some time ago her mistress, 

 by accident, hurt her kitten. "Mrs. Muffins " walked up to 

 her and gave her two or three sharp slaps on the dress. To-day 

 the same thing has occurred ; but on this occasion, as the servant 

 was the offender, "Mrs. Muffins" followed her into the kitchen 

 to chastise her. I may also add that she has shown great intelli- 

 gence in making her wants known to her friends. 



E. A. Lonergan 



AGRICULTURE IN THE UNITED STATES' 

 \\ 7E may learn many a good lesson by observing the 

 * * admirable manner in which the various Boards of 

 Agriculture discharge their duties in the United States. 

 With a sound discretion the mutual influences of geology 

 and agricultural practice are prudently considered in 

 association with the investigations of the chemist and 

 the records of the Census Office. In these respects the 

 various States are greatly in advance of anything pro- 

 vided in the United Kingdom. We have our Geological 

 Survey most carefully conducted, and the maps showing 

 the solid geology of the country are excellent. In addi- 

 tion to these we have another series of geological maps 

 showing the drifts covering up these rocks, but at this 

 point we cease to follow the example set us in the United 

 States. Aided as each individual State is by a series of 

 experts, such as the State Botanist, the State Geologist, 

 the State Entomologist, the State Chemist, and similar 

 officials, we thereby find most valuable help rendered to 

 the agriculture of the country. This assistance is ren- 

 dered more effective by reason of the concerted action by 

 which it is so generally characterised. Each scientist 

 views any given subject from his own special standpoint, 

 and the great advantage of concerted action is the more 

 mellowed judgment which is thereby secured. 



In the Report before us we have one of those happy 

 Mendings of science and practice which is so well calcu- 



1 " Geological Survey of Alabama, embracing an Account cf the Agricul- 

 tural Features of the State." By Eugene Allen Smith. Ph.D., State Geolc gist. 



