88 



NA TURE 



IMay 26, 1 88 1 



botanical boys or the members of the School Natural History 

 Society. 



In consequence of Mr. Bidwell's severe indisposition, he has 

 been unable to prepare his paper on "Telegraphic Photo- 

 graphy," announced to be read before the Applied Chemistry 

 and Physic Section of the Society of Arts to-day, and the reading 

 has, therefore, been unavoidably postponed. 



Two strong shocks of earthquake occurred at Chio on the 

 night of May 20, bringing down several of the houses that 

 remained standing after the late catastrophe. 



About a year ago the Boston Society of Natural Histoiy 

 celebrated its semi-centennial by a jubilee meeting, and decided 

 to com.nemorate the event by publishing a memorial volume 

 consisting of memoirs from those among its present associates, 

 eminent in various departments, whose circumstances enabled 

 them to contribute. The New York Nation now announces the 

 publication of the volume, a magnificeut 4to of 600 pages, with 

 50 plates. 



At a meeting of the Sanitary Institute of Great Britain, held 

 on May iS, Dr. B. W. Richardson, F. K.S., in the chair, the 

 discussion w-as continued upon the address given by the chairman, 

 entitled " Suggestions for the Management of Cases of Small- 

 Pox and Infectious Diseases in the Metropolis and Large Towns." 

 Mr. Pearson Hill gave a number of facts relating to the Hamp- 

 s'.ead Small-Pox Hospital, and a letter was read from Dr. Tripe 

 giving statistics relating to the hospital at Hackney. Dr. W. H. 

 Corfield, Dr. Willoughby, Mr. Hempson Denham, and Mr. 

 Bridgwater also took part in the discussion. 



A TRAPPER who recently arrived with musk-rat skins at 

 Kingston, Ontario, delared, according to the Colonies, that the 

 animal is becoming rapidly extinct. 



The telephone is being introduced by the New Zealand 

 Government into places where the telegraph djes not exist. 

 Between Collingwood and Motiicka, a distance of fifty miles, a 

 line has been opened, and is said to work admirably. 



The work of the International Electrical Exhibition Com. 

 mission is progressing, spaces having been allotted to the 

 several countries on the ground-floor of the central transept. 

 MeanvA'hile the general arrangement of the first floor has been 

 decided upon. A saloon has been reserved for the Brush light 

 aud machines, and another for the Sawyer incandescent light. 

 Mr. Edison will have a special saloon for his inventions. 

 M. Maisme's incandescent light will be employed in lighting a 

 sal 3on. The Jamin, Jablockhoff, Werdermann, and some others 

 will each have its saloon. One of these is to be lighted by 

 Tommassi voltaic elements. 



It is announced from Nanaimo that further important dis. 

 coveries of coal have been made in Vancouver Island. 



It is believed in New Zealand that petroleum exists in large 

 quantities in the North Island, and two companies are now 

 engaged in sinking for it. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past w-eek include an African Cheetah (Felis jiibata), a Secretary 

 Vulture (Si'rpentarius reptilivorus) from Africa, presented by 

 Mr. James S. Jameson ; a Plantain Squirrel (Sciuriis plantani) 

 from Java, a Chipping Squirrel ( Taniias striatus) from North 

 America, presented by Mr. W. Bassano ; a Ceylone>e Hawk- 

 Eagle (SfizdtiHS ceylonemis) from Ceylon, presented by Mr. G. 

 Lyon Bennett ; a Loggerhead Turtle ( Thalassochelys caouana) 

 from the Atlantic Ocean, presented by the Earl Brownlow ; 

 three Bull Frogs (Rana mugiens), a Noisy Frog (Rana clamata) 

 from Nova Scotia, presented by Mr. Hugo Miiller ; two Green 

 Lizards (Lacerta viridis), European, received in exchange ; a 

 Crested Guinea Fowl (Niwtida cristala), a Long-nosed Crocodile 



(Crocodiliis cataphractiis) from West Africa, on approval ; six 

 Speckled Terrapins {CUmmys guttata), two Painted Terrapins 

 {Cktnmys picta) from North America, purchased ; an Eland 

 (Oreas ca/ina), an Axis Deer {Cervus axis), born in the Gardens; 

 three Spotted-billed Ducks (Anas pari/or/tync/ia), bred in the 

 Gardens. 



GEOGRAPHICAL NOTES 

 The anniversary meeting of the Geographical Society was 

 held on Monday last, Lord Aberdare, the President, occupying 

 the chair. Mr. Markham read the report of the Council for 

 the past year, which showed that, though the number of Fel- 

 lows had not materially increased, the Society was in a satisfac- 

 tory and prosperous condition, its assets being valued at close 

 U) on 40,000/., exclusive of the map collection and library. 

 After a reference to publications it was stated that an observa- 

 tory which had been built and fitted up at the Society's house 

 had been in constant use by students and others who wished to 

 practise observing or to get their instruments adjusted. The 

 large map of Eastern Equatorial Africa by Mr. Ravenstein was 

 said to be approaching completion, but the rate of progress is 

 seemingly slow, as only three out of twenty-four sheets are 

 reported to be printed off. Catalogues of the library and map- 

 collection are in various stages of preparation. The presenta- 

 tion of medals afterwards took place, when Capt. de Fonseca 

 Vaz, naval attache of the Portuguese Legation, received the 

 Founder's for Major Serpa Pinto, acknowledging the honour in 

 a very happy speech, in which allusion was made to his own 

 geographical work on the Zambesi. Mr. C. R. Markham re- 

 ceived the Patron's medal on behalf of Mr. Leigh Smith, who 

 is at Peterhead, preparing for another voyage to Franz-Josef Land. 

 The Schools' prize medals \\ere afterwards distributed among the 

 boys from the City of London School and Duhvich and London 

 International Colleges, whose names we gave in a recent issue, 

 Mr. Francis Galtoii announced some changes in future examin- 

 ations, adding that Australia has been chosen as the special 

 subject for 1881-2. The ballot having been taken for the new 

 Council, Lord Aherdare was re-elected President, and Mr. R. 

 H. Major was elected a Vice-President in the place of the 

 Hydrographer of the Admiralty, and Mr. D. \V. Freshfield 

 and Lord Reay respectively Secretary and Foreign Secretary in 

 the places of Mr. Major and Lord Arthur Russell. Among the 

 new members of Council are Col. Grant, Gen. Pitt-Rivers, and 

 Col. Yule. Lord Aberdare lastly read a short address, in which 

 he gave an interesting retrisspect of the geographical work of 

 the past year. The usual dinnei" was held in the evening, when 

 the principal speakers, besides Lord Aberdare, were Count 

 Miinster, Lord Houghton, and the American Minister. 



The French, like the Italian^, intend to explore the depths 

 of the Mediterranean this summer ; the Minister of Marine has 

 decided to place the Travaillcur at the disposal of a commission 

 charged with the work of deep-sea exploration. The vessel will 

 set out for the Mediterranean about the end of June. 



The following explorations will be made during this summer 

 by the Rus-ian Mineralogical Society : — In the province of 

 Kostroma, for the completion of a geologicacal map of the 

 province, by M. Nikitin ; the exploration of the Tertiary and 

 Chalk formations in the province of Bessarabia, by Prof. 

 Sintzolf; in the Polish province of Lublin, in continuation of 

 the researches of the late Prof. Barbot-de-Marny ; the examina- 

 tion of the relations between the old and the new Caspian forma- 

 tions in the province of Astrakhan, in the Bistchi and Djaksy- 

 Sassyk Mountains. 



T"HE Zdtschrift of the Berlin Geographical Society, No. 92, 

 contains the conclusion of Herr Niederlein's paper "On the 

 Scientific Results of an Argentine Expedition to the Rio Negro " ; 

 "Travels and Topographical Surveys in the N Tlh Chinese 

 Province of Chili," by Dr. v. MoUendorff, with two maps; 

 an interesting extract from a Hawaiian manuscript, by Dr. Ad. 

 Bastian, and varieties from Australia, by Herr H. Greffrath. 

 In the Verhandhtiigen of the same Society are papers: "On 

 the Maories of New Zealand," by Dr. Beheim-Schwarzbach ; 

 "On Ice caves and Abnormal Ice-formations," by Prof. 

 Schwalbe; and "On the South Carpathians," by Dr. Paul 

 Lehmann. 



At a recent meeting of the Bengal Asiatic Society, Mr. 

 F. A. de Roepstorff read some interesting notes on the in- 



