July 26, 1877] 



NATURE 



257 



schaftiiche Kunde von Russland, a periodical issued at the 

 expense of the Russian Government and designed to keep the 

 world at large informed of the progress of scientific research in 

 Russia. His investigations, extending into nearly every branch 

 of the natural sciences, appeared chiefly in Poggindoiff's An- 

 nalen and the Astronomische NachrUhten. The most valuable 

 are his researches on terrestrial magnetism. In connection with 

 H. Petersen he calculated the constants for Gauss's theory of 

 terrestrial magnetism, based on his own multitudinous obser- 

 vations. A most valuable contribution to Gauss's theory is also 

 to be found in his work on the magnetic phenomena of the year 

 1S29, which includes a complete study of secular charges based 

 on all then made observations. An equally exhaustive work on 

 the magnetic phenomena of 1S60, was left uncompleted at his 

 death. In 1S74 Prof. Erman was elected a fellow of the Royal 

 .Society. 



With the view of extending the rudimentary teaching of 

 physiology and the laws of health in elementary schools, the 

 National Health Society has placed at the disposal of the School 

 Board for London, in addition to a sum of 100/. oftered pre- 

 viously, a further amount of 25/. annually for four years, to be 

 given in premiums to those teachers and children who pass the 

 best examinations in these subjects. 



Since the institution of the Morgue in Paris, unidentified 

 bodies have, it is known, been exposed, unclad, on stone slabs. 

 It has now been decided (we learn from the Rnnie Scicntifique) 

 that the dead shall be placed before the eyes of the public just 

 as they have been found, with the proper exception of those who 

 bear on any part of their body a mark which may facilitate 

 recognition. It is anticipated that this measure will increase by 

 a third the number of identifications at the Jlorgue. — A course 

 of lectures on legal medicine at the Morgue will be commenced 

 in November. This practice has been discontinued for the last 

 fifteen years. 



The Helvetic Society of Natural Sciences is to hold its 

 annual congress at Bex, canton de Vaud, on August 20, 21, 

 and 22. 



The intention is known to have been long cherished to erect 

 a monument in Stockholm to Linnaeus, and a sum of 45,000 

 crowns has been collected for the purpose. There have been two 

 proposals, and to carry out the smaller of these Ihe sum just named 

 would be sufficient. But since the conviction has of late gradually 

 gained strength that the statue should be raised on the so-called 

 " Flora's Bakke " (Flora's Hill), in the Hop Garden, a desire 

 has also grown to realise the larger proposal, according to which 

 Linnceus would appear surrounded by four allegorical figures 

 representing the four sciences to which he devoted himself, viz.. 

 Botany, Zoology, Mineralogy, and Medicine. On the under- 

 standing that the commune will supply the necessary means for 

 the pedestal and for erection of the monuirent, a sum of 30,000 

 crowns was still required to give effect to the larger scheme, and 

 a subscription list has lately been started by thirty influential 

 citizens of the Swedish capital with this object. These thirty 

 have together subscribed 15,000 crowns, and it may be antici- 

 pated that the remaining 15,000 will ere long be forthcoming. 



We have recently received a large number of reports cf local 

 societies, several of them containing papers of more than local 

 interest, but to which we can refer only in the briefest possible 

 way. The Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists' Society is numeii- 

 cally and financially stronger than at any previous period. 

 Among the twelve papers published in its Transactions is one by 

 Prof. Newton, giving an interesting account of the naturahsation 

 of the Edible Frog (Raita csculcnla) in Norfolk. Mr. Randall 

 Johnson contributes an approximate list of the extinct mammalia 

 of Norfolk. — The Annual Report of the Manchester Scientific 



Students' Association speaks favourably of its position and pros- 

 pects, as does also the Report and Proceedings of the Manchester 

 Field Naturalists and Archaeologists' Society in the case of that 

 Society.— The Cardiff Naturalists' Society is a large one and 

 its thick Report and Transactions for 1S76 contains several good 

 papers.— Other Reports or Proceedings received are from the 

 Bath Natural History Society, the Miners' Association of Corn- 

 wall and Devon, the South London Microscopical and Natural 

 History Club, the Croydon Microscopical Club, the East Kent 

 Natural History Society, the Geological and Polytechnic Society 

 of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the Torquay Natural History 

 Society, the Brighton and Sussex Natural History Society, 

 Quekett Microscopical Club, and the York School Natural 

 History, Literary, and Polytechnic Society. Of one or two of 

 the papers in the Natural History Transactions of Northumber- 

 land and Durham we hope soon to give a detailed notice. 



The heat conductivity of hardened caoutchouc has been 

 recently determined by Prof. Stefan, of Vienna. With six plates 

 of equal thickness a parallelepipedal vessel was formed, and 

 arranged as an air thermometer. The apparatus having acquired 

 the temperature of a regularly-tempered room, it was inserted 

 quickly in a vessel of broken ice ; the time of insertion, and the 

 position of the mercury in the manometer immediately observed, 

 and then the times noted at which the mercury reached par- 

 ticular heights. The thermometric conductivity was found about 



0-000928 Taking the specific heat of unit mass of vulcanised 



sec. 



caoutchouc = 0-23, and the specific gravity = l '22, it follows 



that the thermal conductivity = o"0CiO26. 



The American expedition round the world, recently organised 

 by Mr. Woodrufl^, of Indianapolis, is to start in October, and 

 continue two years. Among the naturalists that have been 

 engaged are Prof. Burt G. Wilder, of Cornell University, Dr. 

 W. G. Farlow, Prof. Jenney, of Michigan Univeisity, Prot. 

 Sidney J. Smith, of Yale College, Prof. S. C. Russell, of the 

 School of Mines, Columbia College, C. Hart Merriam, and Dr. 

 J. H. Kidder, U.S.N. The number of students is limited to 

 eighty. The whole expense to each student is §5,000. 



At the last 'session of the Berlin Photographic Society a 

 report was presented on the extent of photography in Germany 

 from which we glean some interesting statistics. In the German 

 Empire there are 3,000 photographers, who require each on an 

 average 3 lbs. of nitrate of silver annually. Austria possesses 

 the same number of photographers, but the average annua 

 consumption of nitrate of silver is but i lb. Germany manu- 

 factures 20,coo reams of albumin ised paper annually, of which 

 but 1,000 are for home use. 40,000,000 cartes-de-visite were 

 prepared in Germany during 1S76. 



The Italian Committee for the exploration of Africa held its 

 first session in June at Turin, under the presidency of the Crown 

 Prince. It was decided to co-operate vigorously with the 

 International Committee. The Italian Committee will devote 

 its energies at first to the establishment and maintenance of a 

 station at Shoa, where the Marchese Antinori is at present, 

 regarding this as one of the most desirable positions from which 

 to send out expeditions into the interior of Africa. 



The Scottish Meteorological Society holds its half-yearly 

 general meeting in Edinburgh to-day. The business includes 

 reports by Mr. Buchan on the temperature of the sea at Peter- 

 head, and on the rel.ations of the herring fishery to meteorology, 

 for the four years 1S73-76. 



The first number of Prof. Hoppe-Seyler's new quarterly 

 journal, the Zeitschrift Jiir physiolo^ische Cheniie has appeared. 

 It contains valuable papers on the process of urea-formation 

 in animal bodies, and the influence of ammonia salts on this 



