August 4, 1881] 



NATURE 



315 



the sea-level, the hills of which are formed of sandstones which 

 contaiu immense coal-fields. According to a description of them, 

 just published by D. D. Veth in the Deutsche Gcographische 

 BUiiler, tliese coal-fields may contain altogether no less than 300 

 millions of tons of good coal. The nortliern, or Parambahan 

 part of them contains two main beds of coal, having an avenige 

 thickness of thirty-three feet and occupying a surface of about 

 three square kilometres, that is, about 20 millions of tons of 

 good coal ; but the rocks are rather disturbed, and therefore the 

 extraction of coal would be difficult. The middl-, or Singalut 

 part, situated on the right bank of the Ombilin River, contains 

 about 80 millions of tons of coal, and consists of seven thin beds 

 of coal, which have altogether an average thickness of 16 feet, 

 But the best oal-field is the southern, or Sungei-Durian part, 

 situated on the left bank of the Ombilin River, which contains 

 about 200 millions of tons of good coal. The beds of coal are 

 three, having a thickness of 20, 7, and 7 feet, separated from 

 one another by sheets of sandstone 50 to 70 feet thick. As to 

 the quality of the coal, thirteen tons having been extracted 

 and brought to Padang, it was found that as fuel for steam- 

 engi es this coal is not below that of Cardiff or Newcastle, but 

 that it would not be as good as these two in the production of 

 lighting gas or for iron furnaces. As to the transport of this 

 coal to the sea-coast, it would necessitate the construction of a 

 railway 65 or even 100 miles long. 



The 'Dsxiixg A'aiufforsc/iende Gesellschafi , which numbers now 

 no less than 398 members, has just issued a new volume of its 

 Proceedings (new series, vol. v., fascicules I and 2). It contains, 

 besides the minutes of meetings of the Anthropological, Physi- 

 cal, Chemical, and Medical Sections, much valuable information, 

 especially as to the botany and zoology of Prussia. The/(tVtf de 

 resistance of this volume is an essay at a topographical flora of 

 West Prussia, by H. von Klinggraeff, being a restiiiu' of the 

 author's own researches and of what is known on the flora of this 

 province. The author finds that there are in this province no 

 less than 1218 species of Phanerogams, 44 species of cellular 

 Cryptogams, 363 species of mosses, 18 of Characerc, and 276 

 species of lichens, and he takes into account only the true in- 

 habitants of the province. As to the lower Cryptogams, the 

 figures are but provisional ones, as the algje and mushrooms 

 of the province are but incompletely known. We notice alio in 

 this volume papers on the freshwater molluscs of the neighbour- 

 ho;ds of Danzig, by E. Schumann; on the Ichneumonids of 

 We-tern and Eastern Prussia, by C. Brischke ; the I\eforts on 

 the third meeting of the Botanical and Zoological Society of 

 Western Prussia, containing a series of catalogues of plants found 

 during botanical excursions ; an interesting paper by C. Brischke, 

 wliich deals with a rather neglected question, namely, with the 

 Phytophags which the author has observed and cultivated in the 

 neighbourhood of Danzig ; a paper on the bronze-basin of Stein- 

 wa^e, by Dr. Froling ; and on the Cenoman fossils which are 

 found in the diluvium near Danzig, by Dr. Iviezow. 



The St. Petersburg Naturalist's Society intend to offer various 

 prizes for botanical papers, and to couple with thtm the name 

 of the late Dr. Schleiden, who was a member of the St. Peters- 

 bm-g Academy and Russian State counsellor. 



On July 21 the meeting of Polish Naturalists and Physicians 

 took place at Cracow. Some 500 members attended the 

 meeting. 



According to the latest investigations the Phylloxera vasta- 

 trix has spread enormously upon the peninsula of Istria, par. 

 ticularly in the neighbourhood of Pirano. The plague threatens 

 to iufectjhe vineyards of the Karst, of Friaul, and of Carniola. 



We learn from a circular, issued by the Director of the St. 

 Petersburg Central Physical Observatory, that all the Arctic 



meteorological stations will soon be opened, and that about the 

 autumn of 1882 we will have observations from these stations 

 for a whole year. The following, we may remind our readers, 

 are the stations to be established : — At Upernivik, by Denmark ; 

 in Northern Finnmarken, by Norway ; ou the Jan Mayen Island, 

 and, if possible, on the western coast of Gronland, by Austria- 

 Hungary ; on Spitzbergen, by Sweden ; on Novaya-Zemlya 

 (already opened a year ago) and at the mouth of Lena River, by 

 Russia ; on Point Barrow and in Lady Franklin's Bay, by the 

 United States. Sites have already been taken by the United 

 States and Norway to open new stations. It is to be hoped that 

 meteorological stations will be opened, according to the wish of 

 the International Conference at Bern, also in Antarctic regions, 

 namely, on South Georgia, by Germany, and at Cape Horn, by 

 France ; whilst the Netherlands expect to establish a station 

 further in the Arctic region, namely, at Dickson Haven in 

 Siberia, The International Conference w-hich will be opened at 

 St. Petersburg will establish the method of observation to be 

 adopted at all these stations. 



An International Exhibition is planned for 1SS3 at Shanghai. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include two Common Marmosets {Hapah Jacchus) 

 from South-East Brazil, presented by the Lord W. G. Cecil : 

 two Common Squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris), British, pre enled by 

 Mr. C. B. Barber ; a Laughirg Isingfisher (Dacelo gigaiilea) 

 from Australia, presented by Mr. Douglas ; two Common Jays 

 (Garrulus glandarius), British, presented by Mr. Arthur F. 

 A-tlay ; a Common Cuckoo {Ciiculiis caiionis), British, pre- 

 sented by Mr. Harry Morrisson ; a Surucucu Snake (Lachesis 

 mutus) from Pernam'.juco, presented by Mr. C. A. Craven ; two 

 Common Boas (Boa constrictor) from South America, presented 

 by Mr. G. H. Hawtayne ; a Common Adder {Vipcra bcrtis), 

 British, presented by Mr. J. Snow ; two Blossom-headed Parra. 

 keets (Palu:ornis cyanocephalus) from India, four Common 

 Widgeons (Mareca penelopc), an Osprey (Pandion ha!i(Ttus), 

 European, purcha ed ; a Guinea Baboon (Cynocephalus sphinx) 

 from West Africa, received in exchange. Amongst the additions 

 to the Insectarium during the same time are imagos of Anlherita 

 yama-mai, bred from eggs, and larva; of the Lobster Moth 

 (Stauropus fagi), Pebble and Swall jw Prominent Moths (iVoto- 

 donta ziczac and dictma) and Purple Thorn Moth (Selciiia illtis- 

 traria). Numerous Ant-Lions {Myrmeleo Jormicaritis) are also 

 now emerging in the perfect state from their burrows in the 

 sand. 



SOLAR PHYSICS— THE CHEMISTRY OF THE 



SUN' 



XllTHAT then are those precise difficulties to which reference 

 '' has been made ? 



The number of them is considerable, and they have arisen 

 from careful study extending over many different fields of work. 



I. We most conveniently begin by noticing those suggested 

 in the work of comparing the lines of the different elemen- 

 tary bodies with the Fraunhoferian lines ; work done chiefly 

 by Kirchhoff, Angstrom, Thalcn and others. Kirclihoff was 

 not long before he found that to say that each substance had 

 a spectrum entirely and specially belonging to that particular 

 substance was not true. He says," "If we compare the spectra 

 of the different metals with each other, several of the bright 

 lines appear to coincide." Now Kirchhoff was working with 

 Bunsen as his collaborateur, and therefore this was not said 

 lightly, as we may imagine. Similarly Angstrom, who waS 

 working w ith the assistance of the Professor of Chemistry at 

 Upsalar was driven to exactly the same conclusion. He says ' — 



' Lecturts in the Course on Solar Physics at South Kensington (see p. 130). 

 Revised from shorthand notes. Continued from p. 301. 



^ -'Researches on the Solar Spectrum." Roscoe's translation. Part I. 

 p. 10. 3 " Recherches sur le Spectre Solaire," p. 36. 



