May lo, 1877] 



NA TURE 



33 



established at Kief, is closed by Imperial Order for political 

 reasons. 



The same periodical gives some ia''ormation as to the journey 

 made last summer by Capt Pevtsov with a Cossack detachment 

 which protected the caravin with com, sent by Russian trades- 

 men from the Lake Zaisan, -".d Bulun-Tokhoi, to the Cliinesc 

 town Gu-chen (Dzungaria, N. lat 43° 50', E. long. 90° 14). 

 The results of this journey are,— a survey of the route, 560 miles 

 lonij, with maps of the towns, astronomical determinations of 

 the positions of seven po'nt=, magnelical observations, barometri- 

 cal measurements of heights, a complete geological exploration 

 along the route, a collection of about 1,000 species of plant>, 

 and a zoological collection numbering 34 mammalia and 123 

 birds. 



The Geological Survey of Finland, which was undertaken on 

 the scheme of that of Sweden, but was interrupted in 1868, will 

 be continued this year. 



A TELEGRAM received by the St. Petersburg Academy of 

 Sciences, announces that the mammoth found in the neighbour- 

 hood of Tomsk is very well preserved. A piece of its flesh with 

 fat his been forwarded to the Academy, which, as we learn from a 

 private source, proposes to send M.Poliakof for the exploration 

 of the remains. 



The Russian Geographical Society has undertaken the publi- 

 cation of an historical sketch of geographical explorations in 

 Northern Asia, with accounts of all expeditions, an index of 

 works on Northern Asia, and a map showing the routes followed 

 by all important exploring parties. The work will appear in 

 1879, that year being the tercentenary of the crossing of the 

 Ural Mountains by Vermak, the conqueror of Siberia. 



In a recent communication to the Belgian Academy, M. van 

 Monckhoven describes some improvements in the photographic 

 reproduction of ultraviolet spectra of gases. lie employs two 

 large Geissler tubes placed parallel and communicating together 

 by a capillary tube at right angles to them. The spectroscope 

 consists of three 60^ prisms of Iceland spar, cut so that the 

 bisector plane of each of their dihedral angles is parallel to the 

 optic axis of the crystal. With such prisms the ordinary and 

 extraordinary spectra do not encroach on one another. The 

 axis of the capillary tube is then made to coincide exactly with 

 that of the collimator of the spectroscope, and the intensity of 

 the light, which can be utiliied during passage of the current 

 from a Ruhmkorff coil, is found to be very much greater than if 

 the tube were placed, as usual, perpendicularly to the axis of 

 the apparatus. The author recommends using a plate of quartz 

 in place of one of the large tubes of glass, so as to prevent too 

 great absorption of rays of high refrangibility. To give an idea 

 of the exactness with which even the most refrangible bright 

 lines are reproduced, M. van Monckhoven presented three plates 

 representing the solar spectrum, the bright lines of hydrogen 

 combined with those of aluminium (of which the electrodes 

 were formed), and the bright lines of a solar protuberance. 



We have received from Prof. E. S. Holden, of the United 

 States Naval Observatory, a list compiled by him of the prin- 

 cipal telescopes in the possession of public institutions and pri- 

 vate individuals. The list, though imperfect, is a long one, and 

 we regret that the pressure on our space prevents us from prim- 

 ing it. Those who would like to possess it will find it in the 

 Popular Sdc-nce Mottlhly for March. Among rellectors we notice 

 that Lord Rosse's is still unsurpassed ; it has an aperture of 6 ft. 

 and a focal length of 55 ft. Mr. Ellery's, of Melbourne, has a 

 4 ft. .npcrture and a focal length of 32 ft. ; that of the Paris 

 Observatory an aperture of l'20 metre and a focal length o( 7 

 metres. ()f_ refractors the two largest are now constructing ; 



that for Yale College Observatory (by Clark and Sons) will have 

 an aperture of 28 in., and the one for Vienna, constructed by 

 Grubb, an aperture of 27 in. The refractor belonging to Mr. 

 Newall, of Gateshead, has an aperture of 25 in. and a focal 

 length of 29 ft. ; the corresponding dimensions of the Pulkowa 

 refractor are I4'93 in. and 270^6 in. ; Lo'd Lindsay's, 15 in. 

 and 15 ft. ; that of Greenwich, I2'5 in. and i56 ft. ; the largest 

 in the Paris Observatory, 12 Frenth in. and 5 metres ; Ruther- 

 furd's, of New York (a photographic refractor), an aperture of 

 I0'5 French in. ; Secchi, of Rome, 7'5 French in., and 14 

 French ft. Altogether Prof. IlulJen enumerates upwards of 140 

 telescopes that are at work on the heavens, and remarks, with 

 some justice, that "it is a melancholy fact that the return from 

 so many instruments is not so great as it should be, and it 

 suggests the question as to whether future benefactors will not 

 do better to provide astronomers to use the telescopes already 

 constructed than observatories in which to put new ones." 



To those who take a practical interest in the ventilation of 

 houses we would recommend a pamphlet by Mr. James Curtis, 

 C.E., entitled " B'resh Air in the House, ai;d How to Secure 

 It " (Ward, Lock, and Tyler). Mr. Curtis has evidently studied 

 the important subject of ventilation carefully, and his practical 

 suggestions will be found useful to those anxious to secure a 

 regular supply of fresh air in their houses. 



In the note on Mr. Shrubsole's discovery (vol. xv. p. 561), the 

 word dialk should be chcrl. 



Thb addi'ions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include two Green- winged Doves {Chalcophaps indica), 

 a Hamilton's Terrapin {CU'/iinvs hamillom) from India, presented 

 by Mrs. M. A. Moore ; three Water Ouzels (Ciiiclus aquaticiis), 

 European, presented by Mr. G. B. Davies Cooke ; an Indian 

 Python {Pyth'm molurui) from India, presented by Mr. C. A. 

 F. Bowell ; six River Lampreys (Pclromjzon Jliiviaiilis) from 

 British River.-!, presented by iMr. A. II. Cocks, F.Z.S. ; a Vir- 

 ginian Deer (drviis virgininmts) from North America, a Rock 

 C3.vy (Ceredon rupestrit) from South America, deposited; two 

 Raccoon-like Djjs {iS^ycUrciiles prolyoniJcs), four Common 

 Foxes (Canis vulpes] born in the Gardens. 



UNIVERSITY INTELLIGENCE 



O.XFORD. — An examination will be held at St. John's 

 College on Tuesday, June 13, and the two following days, to 

 elect to two Foundation Scholarsliips for Classics, and to the 

 Holmes Scholarship, which will be given for Natural Science. 

 The subjects of examination in Natural Science will be Chemistry 

 and Physics ; theie will be also a pass paper in Classics ; there 

 is no restriction of age. The scholarship is tenable for five 

 years, and is of the value of I 00/. per annum. 



The Boden Professor of S.anskrit (Mr. Monier Williams) pro- 

 poses to give two public lectures (open to all members of the 

 university and their friends) in the large lecture room of the 

 museum, on Wednesday, May 23, .Tnd Wednesday, May 30, at 

 three P.M. The subject will be " The Sacred Places, Religious 

 Creeds, and Superstitions of Southern India and Ceylon," and 

 the lectures will be illustrated by diagrams and objects of 

 interest (including a model of the Parsee Toners of Silence) 

 brought from India. 



Cambridge. — The " Rede " Lecture will be delivered in the 

 Senate-house on Friday, May 25, at hall-past two in the after- 

 noon. The lecturer is Sir C. Wyvdle Thomson, and the sub- 

 ject of the lecture will be " On some of the Results of the Expe- 

 dition of Her Majesty's ship Challenger." 



London. — .\t Tuesday's Convocation of the LTniversity o 

 London a resolution was proposed thanking the Senate (or their 

 decision to admit women to degrees in medicine. To this an 

 amendment was moved that it was undesirable to take this course 

 before the House had considered the advisability of admitting 

 women to degrees in all faculties. This was earned on a division 



