226 



NATURE 



{July 7, r88i 



posed. It is only 105,717 (California possessing 75,122V It is 

 true that the numbers have nearly doubled within the last ten 

 years, but even at that rate they are not of a nature to cause any 

 alarm such as appears to have been felt in some quarters. In 

 the Eastern States the Chine-e element is quite inappreciable 

 among the foreign elements of population ; New York contains 

 but 942, Massachusetts 256, Illinois 214, &c. 



The scheme, earnestly advocated by the late Sir Thomas 

 Moncreiffe, for providing Perth and Perthshire with a satis- 

 factory natural history museum is now being realised, a handsome 

 building in the Scottish baronial style having been built in South 

 Tay Street with the funds provided. The ground floor contains 

 a lecture-room, library, and laboratory or work-room, and the 

 museum occupies the upper part of the building. To the rear a 

 piece of ground has been secured on which additions more than 

 doubling the accommodation could be built, but montime the 

 ground is to be used as a garden, in which all the more notable 

 Perthshire plants will be gro\vn. Access from the building can 

 be easily obtained to two much larger lecture-halls than that in 

 the museum, if necessary. The museum is to be strictly confined 

 to the natural history, botany, and geology of Perthshire, except- 

 ing a small type collection, and should the project be riglitly 

 carried out (by the Perthshire "Society of Natural Science) one 

 of the most interesting and valuable local collections should thus 

 be formed. The cost of the building (which is described in the 

 current number of the Scottish A'aliiralist) has been upwards of 

 1,700/., all of which has been subscribed. A further amount is 

 required for furnishing, &c., and for this end a bazaar is to be 

 held about the end of the year. 



The Literary and Antiquarian Society of Perth propose an 

 extension of their Museum in Perth, the only one hitherto 

 existing in the county, by building, at an estimated cost of 

 3000/., a hall behind the present museum, mainly to accommo- 

 date the zoological collection (which comprises some Soo verte- 

 brate and 2000 invertebrate forms). It is designed to present in 

 this room a gradational view of animal life. A bazaar in aid of 

 the proposed extension will be held on October 5 and 7. Sub 

 scriptions and donations may be sent to Mr. D. Hepburn, 

 solicitor, 12, Charlotte Street, Perth, or to Dr. Bower, R.N., 

 Montreal College, Perth. 



At the concluding meeting of the session of the Geologists' 

 Association on Friday, July I, a costly timepiece and ornaments 

 were presented to Mr. J. Logan Lobley with the following 

 address: — "The accompanying timepiece and ornaments are 

 presented by the members of the Geologists' Association of 

 London to their treasurer, J. Logan Lobley, Esq., F.G.S., 

 F.R.G.S., in recognition of the valuable services he has ren- 

 dered to the Association as Honorary Secretary, 1871-74, and 

 Honorary Editor, 187 1 -Si, and of the active interest he has 

 always taken in its welfare and progress." 



A BRANCH of the Baturite railway in Brazil has a gradient, 

 which is probably the steepest in the world worked with a loco- 

 motive acting by simple adherence. This gradient is about 10 

 percent., or 90 to 100 millimetres per metre. The line (de- 

 scribed in last week's La XaturcS is of narrow gauge, and extends 

 frcm the port of Alfandega on the Atlantic to the town of Forta- 

 'eza, about 2 kilometres distance. The locomotive is from the 

 Baldwin works in the United States ; it has an adherent weight 

 of 20,00c kilograms, and draws three loaded goods waggons or 

 a single passenger car of the American type at a velocity of 20 

 kilom. per hour. By always limiting the weight to be drawn to 

 an amount considerably under that of the engine, the r^nilaritv 

 of the service on this hne has been ensured during the two years 

 it has been in u'e. 



The first part of a fourth edition of Griffith and Henfrey's 

 useful Micrographic Dictionary has appeared. It is expected 



that the issue will be completed in twenty-one of these monthly 

 parts, which will include important additions representing recent 

 scientific progress. This work is known to aim especially at 

 helping the microscopic observer to discover what any object is 

 which may be presented to him, and by the aid of the Biblio- 

 graphy to refer to more extensive treatises for further details. 

 A system is also adopted by which one is guided to a general 

 knowledge of particular departments of science. There is an 

 introduction on the use of the microscope. Dr. Griffith i« 

 assi-ted in the editing by the Rev. Mr. Berkeley and Prof. 

 Rupert Jones. 



We have received an excellent specimen number of a new- 

 French engineering journal^ entitled L'lngenieiir. The proprie- 

 tors have acquired the right of reproduction, in France, of aiticles 

 from our contemporary. Engineering, of which articles the new- 

 pager will largely consist. 



M. Ferdinand de Lesseps has been elected president of 

 the Societe de Geographic of Paris. 



There was recently landed at Marseilles a magnificent zebra 

 which the King of Choa, Menelick II., has sent as a present to 

 the President of the French Republic. This zebra, called the 

 Semaphore, has been brought from Abyssinia by two Marseillais. 

 The Societe de Geographic, to which it w-as addressed fi-om 

 Aden, has intrxisted it to the Marseilles Zoological Garden. 



The eveningyt-.V of the Royal Horticultural Society -was held 

 on the 2Sth ult. in the Gardens at South Kensington. Coloured 

 lamps were disposed about the lawns, and here and there the 

 cool plash of fountains was to be heard. The Siemens and 

 Maxim electric lights were placed in the upper part of the 

 Gardens, and in the lower part were two tents illuminated by the 

 Brush electric light, and containing the plants of a flower-show, 

 which continued next day. Brilliant effects were obtained with 

 coloured fires behind the trees and the spray of the fountains. 



The Berwickshire Naturalists' Club commemorated the fiftieth 

 year of its existence on the 29th ult. by a meeting at Grant's 

 House, largely attended by members. Excursions were made to 

 ditferent places of interest in the locality, and before dinner Mr. 

 James Hardy, joint secretary, was presented with a valuable 

 microscope and no/, in recognition of his long and arduous 

 services. The Rev. Thomas Brown, Edinburgh, one of the 

 oldest members of the club, presided. 



From the Colonies and India we learn that the Meteorological 

 Conference lately held at Sydney has agreed to a division of 

 Australia into meteorological districts or aspects, to form the 

 ba-is of w-eather telegrams and warnings. A cipher cede ha.s 

 been aixangeJ for weather telegrams to New Zealand, and the 

 Queensland Government is to be asked to co-operate in the 

 matter. 



From .an approxima'e summary of this year's census of Vic- 

 toria, which has just been received from Mr. H. H. Hayter, the 

 Government statist, it appears that the total population of the 

 colony, including Chinese and Aborigines, is now 855,796, 

 against 731. 52S in 1S71. The Chinese number 11.796, and the 

 aborigines 76S, the former showing a decrease of 6299 and the 

 latter of 562. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past w-eek include a Purple-faced Monkey (Semnopithecus leiuo- 

 /•rymnns) from India, presented by Lieut. W. V. .A.nson, R.N. ; 

 a Daubenton's Cura sow {Cra.x daiibentoni) from Venezuela, a 

 Hawk's-billed Turtle (Cheloiie imbricatd) from the East Indies, 

 presented by Capt. King ; a Rough Terrapin {Chmmys pundu- 

 laria) from Trinidad, presented by Mr. Lachmere Guppy : ten 

 Green Turtles (Che/one viridis) from Ascension presented by 



