Aucust 17, 1899] 
NATURE 375 
ways for the advancement of science. The most important 
gift to the museum during last year was a collection of birds 
which formed the basis of Mr. H. E. Dresser’s work on ‘‘ The 
Birds of Europe,” and his monographs of the Rollers and of 
the Bee-eaters. Neither trouble nor expense was spared to 
make the collection as complete as possible, and more 
particularly to make it a working collection. As regards the 
extent of the collection, there are of Bee-eaters about 30 species 
and 155 specimens, and of Rollers 26 species with 112 
specimens ; whilst the Western Palzearctic collection contains 721 
and the Eastern 260, making a total of 1037 species, or more, 
according to the British Museum Catalogue. In almost every 
instance these forms are represented not merely by a single 
skin but by several, showing the differences of plumage due to 
sex, age, and local variation, the collection amounting in total 
to some 10,000 specimens. There are several types and 
numerous rarities, among which may be mentioned two 
specimens of the Rosy Gull, whose nesting-place was dis- 
covered by Nansen in Franz Josef Land, and two Labrador 
Falcons. Mr. Hoyle rightly points out that the acquisition of 
this valuable collection is a piece of singular good fortune for 
the Manchester Museum, and therefore for all students of 
ornithology in the neighbourhood. 
SoME interesting experiments on the corrosion of metals by 
sea water have (says Ang¢neering) been carried out at Kiel 
during the past two years. The plan followed was to cut off 
twelve specimens of the metal to be tested, of which three were 
kept as “‘ witnesses,” whilst the other nine were placed in salt 
water. At the end of eight months three of the latter were 
withdrawn and compared with the ‘‘ witnesses.” Eight months 
later a second set were withdrawn and a fresh comparison made, 
those then left being taken out after the lapse of a third period 
of eight months. The metals tested included alloys of copper 
rich in zinc, bronzes containing little zinc, bronzes containing 
no zinc, pure aluminium bronzes, and finally bronzes containing 
aluminium and zine or zinc and iron. The latter in particular 
showed remarkable resistance to the corrosive powers of sea 
water, being practically untouched at the end of a two years’ 
immersion. The alloys containing zinc, however, gave much 
less favourable results. The copper-tin alloys and copper- 
aluminium alloys and the iren bronzes resisted perfectly when 
immersed in sea water in contact with iron. The bronzes con- 
taining iron, when placed in contact with those of tin, showed 
a loss by corrosion. It is thus important, if corrosion is to be 
prevented, to avoid placing these alloys in contact with metals 
electro-positive to them. 
AN account of the application of liquefied carbonic acid gas to 
extinguish underground fires was given by Mr. George Spencer 
at the recent meeting of the Institution of Mining Engineers. 
At a colliery with which Mr. Spencer was connected a fire oc- 
curred in a heading, as the result of a fall of roof and sides on 
steam-pipes. The heading was built off with as little delay as 
possible, but notwithstanding all efforts to shut out the air, suffi- 
cient reached the seat of fire to keep it burning slowly. It was 
therefore decided to apply carbon dioxide, and for this purpose 
six cylinders of liquefied gas were successfully used. It is not 
claimed that the method described can be successfully applied 
to all gob-fires, but there are undoubtedly many cases which 
might be so treated. Incase of fire on shipboard the use of 
carbon dioxide would no doubt prove invaluable, as it could 
be quickly applied, and would not cause the same damage to 
cargoes as water. 
THE numbers of the Kew Bulletin just issued (Nos. 144-146) 
contain several articles and items of information which serve to 
show the influence which Kew exerts on botanical science and 
NO. 1555, VOL. 60] 
plant industries in many parts 0: the world. The life-history 
of a parasitic fungus which for the past two years has destroyed 
a considerable number of examples of the beautiful flowering 
shrub Prunus japonica, Thumb., growing in Kew Gardens, is 
described by Mr. G. Massee, and preventive measures of dealing 
with it are given. An account is given of experiments made in 
Queensland for the improvement of the sugar-cane by chemical 
selection upon a method proposed by Sir William Thiselton- 
Dyer. The object of the experiments was to ascertain the 
possibility of increasing the average richness and purity of the 
juice of a given variety of sugar-cane, by chemical analysis of 
the juice from each of the ‘‘seed canes ’—that is, canes from 
which the plants were to be taken—and by the selection of those 
plants from the seed canes which were found by the analysis to 
yield the richest and purest juice. The results of the experi- 
ments show clearly that canes planted from rich seed canes 
selected in this way yielded a juice of higher sucrose content 
and lower glucose content than canes planted from those shown 
chemically to be of a ‘‘low” grade. 
THREE new analyses of moldavite glass are published by Dr. 
C. v. John in the Verhandlungen der k.k. geolog. Retchsanstalt, 
Nos. 6 and 7, 1899. The specimens were handed over by Dr. 
F, E. Suess for investigation, and with them a specimen of 
glass from Netin in Moravia, received from Prof. Dvorsky, of 
Briinn. This glass fragment, considered by Drs. Dvorsky and 
Suess to be of artificial origin, was analysed in order that its 
chemical composition might be compared with that of true 
moldavite. Similar fragments of artificial glass have been fre- 
quently mistaken for moldavite, but differ from the latter in the 
absence of the characteristic surface sculpture, as also by the 
different shade of colour. The three specimens of moldavite 
showed a strikingly similar chemical composition, in which the 
potash was considerably in excess of the soda. The glass frag- 
ment from Netin showed a very different composition, and 
proved to be a potash glass in which the percentage of potash 
was abnormally high. The percentage of silica, potash, and 
soda in moldavite from Budweis was 82°62, 2°28, and 0°63 
respectively, while the artificial glass yielded silica 52°32, potash 
22°84, and soda 0°24 per cent. The author appends a table 
containing all the analyses of moldavite known to him, and 
draws attention to the similarity of composition shown. He 
remarks that the iron occurs for the most part as ferrous oxide, 
and that ferric iron is found in larger quantities only in those 
varieties having a strong brown colour. The belief is expressed 
that in moldavite the potash is always in excess of the soda, and 
the author states that in all cases the sum of the alkalis con- 
tained is found to be very similar. 
In the same number of the Verhandlungen is published a 
paper by A. Rosiwal, in which some additional results of his 
technical investigation of building-stones are described. In 
this paper the author clearly explains his new method whereby 
the relative ‘* freshness” and ‘‘ degree of weathering” of various 
building-stones may be expressed in figures. This ingenious 
method consists in the application of simple formulz, and it is 
clearly illustrated by numerous examples. 
Dr. DAVISON’s report on the Hereford earthquake of 1896 
contains a brief note, by Mr. E. Greenly, on the relation 
between the intensity of the shock and the geological structure 
of the Bangor-Anglesey district. In a paper recently published 
in the Zvansactéons of the Edinburgh Geological Society, Mr. 
Greenly gives the evidence at greater length. He shows that 
the shock was felt most powerfully in houses standing upon 
Carboniferous and Ordovician rocks, less so in those upon the 
hard volcanic series of Bangor, and least of all in the Schistose 
Complex of Anglesey ; the general result being that ‘‘ the shock 
