May 31, 1877] 



NATURE 



91 



Another series of experiments was made upon Mr. 

 Cunningham, a young man about 5 feet 2 inches in height, 

 and of light build. The maximum value of // is here 

 reached when the length of the rope was about ten feet, 

 and here the time of a full swing was about 4'i seconds. 



My own height being about five feet eleven inches, it 

 will be observed that these two cases are sufficiently 

 representative. 



Cunmnsfiam. 



The swing was shoitened by drawing the rings up from 

 the ground, and in the latter table the values of n for 

 short ropes are a little too small, as he seemed fearful of 

 falling. Hence we may affirm that in order that this and 

 similar evolutions may be elegantly perforated, the time 

 for the full sv.'ing should be four seconds. 



The cause of rapid fatigue with long ropes is that the 

 body* must be held in a constrained position for too long 

 a time. With very short swings the muscles are forced 

 to work with too great a velocity. 



The muscular action is here too complex to allow of 

 any mechanical discussion, but the general results are 

 exactly what the discussions of Prof. Haughton might 

 have enabled us to predict. FRANCIS E. Nipher 



Washington University 



NOTES 

 The demise of such veterans in biology as Von Baer, Ehren- 

 berg, &c., during the past year has left gaps in the lists of 

 honorary fellows of our scientific societies which come to be 

 filled up with men almost of a different generation, yet worthy 

 successors of the great matters depatted. We underitand 

 the three subjoined savans have recently been elected foreign 

 members of the Linnean Society — viz., Pierre Du Charte 

 of Paris, highly distinguished for his researches in terato- 

 logical, physiological, and other branches of botany ; Prof. 

 Carl Gegenbaur of Heidelberg, whose labours in zoology 

 and the com'parative anatomy of the vertebrates and inverte- 

 brates are acknowledged as of the highest standard ; Prof. 

 Rudolph Leuckardt of Leipzig, by whose philosophical in- 

 vestigations into the morphology and physiology of the luwtr 

 forms of animals and establishment of the group coelenteiata, 

 zoologists of all countries are highly indebted. 



We are glad to hear that Dr. Dohrn's Zoological Station 

 continues to make satisfactory progress. The number of natu- 

 ralists who have availed themselves of the institution, we are in- 

 formed, has reached eighty, from almost all parts of Europe. 

 The summer dredging with the small steamer will now shortly 

 commence, and we may hope that besides the important physio- 

 logical work which is there done, that a complete knowledge of 

 the rich fauna of this bay will be a further result furnished by 

 this station. The institution is carried on under the direction of 

 Dr. Dohin, the detail management being in the hands of Dr. 

 H. Eisig, who is backed up by two assistants. The aquarium 

 belonging to the station has in their hands for some time been 

 the most successful in Europe, and naturalists we do not doubt 

 will find the experience gained by some years working enables 

 their wants to be more readily provided for. A statement has 

 appeared in an English paper which might lead one to think 

 some change had been made, but we aie in a position to sta'e 



that no alteration has been made, and that with increased oppor- 

 tunity of collecting material the institution will become each year 

 more useful. 



Although M. Levenier's heahh is so unsatisfactory he con- 

 tinues to attend to his professional duties as persistently as ever. 

 The number of stations oraganised by him in connection with 

 the international service now exceeds 1,200. He is preparing 

 instructions to be sent to each correspondent on the method 

 of better utilising warnings from the Observatory. He con- 

 fesses that the agricultural service is in a period of uncertainty, 

 and that some time must elapse before it can render much ser- 

 vice to the commonwealtli. He urges strong reasons why the 

 service — not conducted by military men, as in America— should 

 be conducted by men accustomed to miUtary discipline. 



Tl!E primary clock of the Paris Observatory is now regulating 

 the motion of the clocks of the Conservatoire, St. Sulpice, and 

 the Luxembourg. M. Leverrier proposes to adapt the same 

 system to a number of other public clocks, and even to those 

 which are used in the cab stations. But the application of the 

 system is delayed for want of funds. 



Prof. Rupert Jones, F.R.S., is preparing a new edition of 

 Dixon's valuable " Geology of Sussex " for Mr. W. J. Smith, of 

 Brighton. The worlc will be brought up to the present state of 

 knowledge. The descriptions and lists of Sussex fossils will be 

 carefully revised in this new edition, and a full account will be 

 g' ven of the Sub-wealden boring and its results, of the Warren- 

 Farm Well, and of the archa;ological discoveries at Cissbury 

 and elsewhere in Sussex. It is also arranged that a selection of 

 the original quarto plates of Mantell's "Fossils of the South 

 Downs ; or. Illustrations of the Geology of Sussex " (1822), with 

 descriptions according to our latest knowledge of the subjects, 

 shall form part of the new volume. 



A NEW application of the principle of the magic-lantern has 

 been lately introduced into London for drawing attention after 

 dark to the names of restaurants and shops. At present it is 

 only used where the establishment has a lamp overhanging the 

 pavement. The lenses are fitted into the bottom of the lamp, 

 the words to be read are painted on the " slide/' which has an 

 opaque ground, and thus the advertisement is thrown in letters 

 of hght on to the pavement. Ordinary gas lamps are used, and 

 when the apparatus is once fixed the announcement appears 

 every time the lamp is lighted without any further trouble. 



The anniversary meeting of the Geographical Society was 

 held on Monday, and as usual, a large increase of numbers was 

 reported, as well as the prosperity of the Society generally. The 

 president. Sir Rutherford Alcock, reviewed the progress of 

 geographical science during the year, a year remarkable by the 

 return of three important expeditions to England — the Chal- 

 lenger, the Arctic, and that under Lieut. Cameron. The medals, 

 the award of which we have already announced, were presented 

 to Sir George Nares, the Pundit Nam Singh, and Capt. Mark- 

 ham. The president, in concluding his address, announced that 

 the Society's African Exploration Fund Committee were about 

 to appeal to the Society and the public for support and co-ope- 

 ration in the prosecution of continuous and systematic African 

 exploration. In view of the interests concerned in this work, 

 the Council felt confident that their appeal would meet with a 

 ready response, not only in the United Kingdom, but in all our 

 colonies. 



Ok the evening of June 5 the first trial, in this country, of the 

 Jablochkoff electrical light will be made at the West India 

 Docks. The object of this trial is to test the applicability of this 

 new light to purposes of lighting up of docks, warehouses, &c., 

 in order that work may be continued during the night. 



