266 



NATURE 



YJuly 2 1, 1881 



numbers refer) was 2,755,000, with a total weight of 51,862,000 

 'bs. The number of sealskins obtained was 155,718, valued at 

 1,540,912 dollars. 



M. Fekry has ordered the teachers of eleme itary classes of 

 the colleges to conduct their pupils into the galleries of the 

 Museum of Natural History at Taris, to explain to them the 

 liflferences of the several kinds of animals, plants, and mineral?, 

 and to incite young pupils to collect specimens during their 

 walks in the country round Paris. 



An attempt at silk cultivation is to be made at Akaron, New 

 Zealand, the valleys and bays of Banks' Peninsula being con- 

 sidered well suited for that purpose. The Colonial Government 

 are sending to California and Japan for silkworms' eggs and 

 mulberry trees of the best kinds, with the view of encouraging 

 the industry. 



The Colonies and India reprints from a New Zealand paper 

 some notes on a discussion at the Otago Institute, when Prof. 

 Parker exhibited tlie skin and body of the extremely rare and 

 remarkable bird, Notornis Mantelli. The specimen in question 

 is only the third which has ever been captured, was caught low 

 ■ lown on the ranges, and it is probalile that an expedition will 

 be fitted out to search for more of the species. 



A POPULAR explanation of Kant's " Kritik der reinen 

 Vemunft," by Albrecht Krause, has just been published by 

 Moritz Schauenburg of Lahr (Germany), " in celebration of the 

 centenary of the publication of the gi'eat work." 



An important invention relating to railway signals has recently 

 been made in Germany, and the model apparatus has just been 

 completed at the central works of the Bergisch-Markische Rail- 

 way Company at Witten. The model will be exhibited at the 

 Electro-Technical Exhibition at Paris. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 jiast v\eek include a Red-handed Tamarin (Midas rufimanus) 

 from Surinam, presented by Mr. Keiser ; an American Black 

 Bear (Uisus ainericantis) from Nova Scotia, presented by the 

 Earl of Caledon, F.Z.S., and the Hon. Chailes Alexander; 

 two Grey Ichneumons (Herpesks griseiis) from India, presented 

 respectively by Mr. C. R. Smith and Mrs. C. Hassell; a 

 Common Raven (Corviis corax), British, presented by Major 

 Botts ; a Carrion Crow (Corvus corone), European, presented by 



-Miss Mortimer ; a Monitor (Monitor, sp. inc.) from Ceylon, 



presented by Mr. E. Lindstedt ; a Sykes' Monkey (Cercopithecus 

 till/ogidaris), three Vultuiine Guinea Fowl (hhiinida vulturina) 

 from East Africa, deposited ; three Common Peafowl (Pavo oris- 

 uitus), Xwo Cheer Pheasants (F/tasia/tus imi/ii/iii), two Horned 

 Tragopans (Ceriornis satyra), a Siamese Pheasant (Euplocamus 

 pralatus), bred in the Gardens. 



METEOROLOGICAL NOTES 

 From a discussion by Dr. Hann of a series of hourly summer 

 observations of air-pressure, temperature, moisture, cloudiness, 

 and force of wind made by the U.S. Engineer Corps on the 

 plateaux of the Rocky Mountains (the stations lying betvieen 

 5500 and 8500 feet above the ;ea), it appears that in valleys and 

 wide basins, even at the greatest height, the influence of the 

 daily baromeler oscillation in summer is still very great, and no 

 decrease with the height is noticed. The course of the curve is 

 uf the continental type, a comparatively large afternoon mini- 

 mum, a slightly marked morning minimum, and an earlier occur- 

 rence (7 to Sh.) of the morning maximum. In the temperature- 

 curve the most notable point is that the maximum is very near 

 midday, or lit le behind the culmination of the sun. The maxi- 

 mum of absolute moisture occurs about S a.m., and a second 

 ,- mailer maximum in the afternoon or evening. The maximum of 

 cloudiness and wind-force occurs between 3 and 4 p.m., the 

 minimum between 3 and 4 a.m. 



In a letter dated April 14, Mr. Russell of the Sydney Obser- 

 vatory remarks that the rain return for iSSo shows it to have 

 been a dry year in New South Wales, as in many other parts of 

 he world ; but the want of rain was not severely felt because it 



came at favourable times for grass. Perhaps the [most curious 

 con-ei|uence of the short supply of rain was the stoppage of the 

 river navigation for a considerable part of the year, thus pre- 

 venting the wool from going by steamer to market, and increas- 

 ing the cost of all stores consumed : the river curves show, for 

 instance, that at Bourke the water was at summer level from 

 June to October, thus preventing navigation. Mr. Russell hopes, 

 by the combination of the rain and river observation's, to find an 

 answer to a local question of very great importance, viz. the 

 amount and sottrce of the water found in wells which are being sunk 

 by the hundred in the inland j arts of the colony. There can be 

 no doubt that all, or nearly all, the water brought dow n in such 

 abundance from Tropical Queensland by the Culgoa, Warego, 

 and Paroo Rivers sinks into the ground before it reaches New 

 South Wales, and there is good reason for thinking that much of 

 the water brought down by the heads of the Darling sinks into 

 the ground before it readies Bourke. If this can be proved, 

 which he thinks can be done in the course of a few years, there 

 will be no fear for the abundance and permanence of the well- 

 water. And when it is remembered that in most cases the water 

 rises to within thirty or forty feet of the surface, in many in- 

 stances to the surface, and in one case twenty-six feet above the 

 surface, the local importance of the question will be obvious. 



In studying the conditions of temperature of the Russian 

 Empire some time ago, M. Wild found that the irregular distri- 

 bution of temperature revealed by the isotherms might be eluci- 

 dated by means of " isanomals " (or lines of equal temperatiu-e- 

 anomalies). Among the causes of the i-anomals special regard 

 must be had to the wind, which again immediately depends 

 on the distribution of air-pressure, as shown liy the isobars. 

 A comparison of the lines of equal pre-sure w ith the lines of 

 temperature-anomalies thus suggested, led M. Wild to recognise 

 an intimate relation between the two system--'. Reasoning from 

 the results arrived at, he has attempted with some success to 

 rectify the isobars over certain regions, where from want of 

 observations their course was somewhat uncertain ; and further 

 has even suggested the probable existence of a pressure-maximum 

 in Northern Siberia, of which rei;ion however little if anything 

 is positively known, owing to the want of barometric observations. 

 M. Wild's paper, which is of a provisional nature, appears in 

 the Bulletin of the St. Peteisburg Academy. (It is noted that 

 M. Teisserene de Bort, in the Paris Academy, has to a certain 

 extent been prosecuting the same subject.) 



As an evidence of the great cold of last winter Mr. Angus 

 M'Intosh, Schoolhouse, Lngjjan, states in the Scotsman, that on 

 June 20 the Balgown peat moss in that parish was still frozen at 

 the depth of 2j feet beneath the surface. 



The aurora has been remarkably frequent at Stykkisholm, Ice- 

 land, last winter. From September 5, when the first aurora of 

 the season was observed, to February 28, to which date the 

 observations have been received, auroras were seen on forty- five 

 nights, viz., five in September, eleven in October, four in 

 November, eight in December, twelve in January, and five in 

 February, the phenomena being very brilliant on September 29, 

 December 23, January"3i, and February 5. 



For some time the Registrar- General has been printing in his 

 weekly returns the deaths from small-pox in London under three 

 head=, viz., the vaccinated, the ui. vaccinated, and those regard- 

 ing whom no statement is returned. The results show for the 

 w hole mortality fmm small-pox substantially the small-pox curve 

 as given in Nature (vol. xxiv. p. 144), with its characteristic 

 saddle-shaped maximum, the dip between the tv\o heights of the 

 curve being tow ards the end of March. On projecting curves 

 of the death-rates fcr the vaccina' ed and the uuvaccinated, it is 

 seen that the dip in the curve for the whole mortality is due to a 

 diminution of the deaths of the uuvaccinated during March as 

 compared with what occurred before and after. In other words, 

 those climatic influences which raise the mortality from small- 

 pox to the annual maxima, first in Januar)'- February, when the 

 weather is coldest, and again in May when driest, bear with 

 more fatal effect on the unvaccinated than the vaccinated. As 

 fatal terminations in small-pox cases arise chiefly from conipli- 

 C2ti;jns with other diseases, and as the times of maxima of the 

 curve point to diseases of the nervous system and the respiratory 

 organs as those mostly concerned, even one year's results, parti- 

 cularly a jear with cold and dryncs so unuual'y pronounced, 

 nay be pointed to as warranting an inquiry of some importance 

 into the relations of the vaccinated and unvaccinated to attacks, 

 of small-pox. 



