THE Gardener's Chronicle states that the Jardin d’Acclimata- 
tion has sprung into new life since the war, and has become thie 
most fashionable resort in Paris. An additional feature of attrac- 
tion is now being added to the rest—a large collection of rare 
shrubs recently brought from Algeria by M. Geoffroy, being in 
the course of arrangement in the great conservatory. In addition 
to this, it may be mentioned that two reading rooms are being 
arranged for the use of the members of the society and the public. 
One of these rooms is to be supplied with newspapers and literary 
and scientific publications, while the other is to be devoted to 
study, and to contain a complete scientific library. 
Mr. H. C. Watson has printed, for private distribution, a 
Supplement to the Compendium of ‘* Cybele Britannica,” com- 
prising an extremely useful epitome, accompanied by a map, of 
the distribution of all British species and sub-species of plants 
through the thirty-eight sub-provinces into which Great Britain 
is divided. We doubt the wisdom or the advantage to science of 
the introduction into a book, even if only printed for private dis- 
tribution, of the personal matters which disfigure the Appendix 
to the volume. 
We have received the Sth, 9th, and roth parts of the nev edi- 
tion of Griffith and Henfrey’s Micrographic Dictionary, bringing 
down the issue of this useful publication as far as Equisetacez. 
Dr. WILLIAM ULRIcH publishes an International Dictionary 
of Plants in Latin, German, English, and French. Notwith- 
stinding a few defects or inaccuracies in the English department, 
not to be wondered at in a work published in Germany, it ap- 
pears to be, on the whole, extremely well done, and to be a very 
useful compilation, What we do not so often find in German 
books, there is an admirable and copious index. 
Mr, JAMEs F. Rosrnson, of Frodsham, Cheshire, is about to 
publish ‘‘A Flora of the Isle of Man,” in memory of Prof. E. 
Forbes, who was a native of the island. It will be illustrated 
with engravings of the p:incipal island scenery (waterfalls, &c.). 
and accompanied with a specimen of the Manx fern (Adiantum 
capillus veneris) mounted as a vignette. 
Mr. BULLER, to meet the wishes of many of the most influ- 
ential subscribers to his ‘Birds of New Zealand,” intends to 
publish a series of supplementary plates, so as to include figures 
of all the species of birds inhabiting that interesting country. 
This will be a great gain to students of ornithology, who would 
otherwise have been left to search for representations of many of 
the most remarkable forms in works which are especially diffi- 
cult of access—for instance the “Atlas” to the voyage of the 
Astrolabe, the bird-volume of the ‘‘ Voyage of the Erebus and 
Terror,’ or Mr. Gould’s magnificent but somewhat expensive 
“ Birds of Australia.” 
A GERMAN correspondent inquires the name and price of the 
best and most complete work in English on the histology of 
hair and wool. 
Ocean Highways, a journal excellently conducted, has an 
article in the December number on the Congo, by Lieut. 
Grandy, the leader of the ‘‘ Livingstone Congo Expedition.” 
He traces the history of discovery from 400 A.D., and says that 
no serious attempt has been made to explore the river since Capt. 
Tuckey’s expedition of 1816, 
On Friday, December 6, there was held, in the Corporation 
Galleries of Glasgow, under the auspices of the energetic Geo- 
logical Society of that city, the finest geological exhibition that 
has ever been held in Scotland; indeed, according to the Scots 
man’s report, it has probably never been equalled elsewhere in 
Britain. 
NATURE 
unusually rich and varied collections exhibited all belonged 
private individuals, but would have done credit to any high-class 
public museum. Glasgow, the commercial capital of Scotland, 
if it hold out as it has been doing recently, may ere long vie with 
‘the grey metropolis of the north” as a centre of the highest 
culture. a 
has an article on the intimate connection between the recent 
meteoric shower and Biela’s comet. 
tale to tell of the meteoric display of the night of Nov. 27-28 
of Italy observers speak of ‘the rain of falling stars” which was 
kept up for several hours, and afl agree that the radiant point 
was in the constellation Perseus, near to Cassiopeia. Father 
Secchi says that at Rome, between 7.30 P.M. and 1.30 A. 
13,892 were counted ; while Z’/mstitut says that the average 
most places was two meteors per second, while in some places 
the number registered amounts to upwards of 40,000. M. 1 
Raillard, writing to Zes Aondes, says that so long ago iS 
January 1839, he communicated in a note to the Academy the 
idea that shooting stars, the aurora borealis, and comets, had a 
common origin. “a 
which we lately printed an account, the following note has bee 
communicated to us from Mr. C. J. Webb, of Knockvarre, B 
dalstown :—‘‘ I have received no further definite informati 
respecting the course taken by the whirlwind except that 
tained in my letter. I think it probable, however, that it cros 
to Scotland, forming itself into a waterspout while passing over 
the sea, as, a few days afterwards, I saw an account in the d ily 
paper of a most destructive waterspout, which broke some ti em 
In connection with the exhibition, there was also held 
a very successful conversazione. This Society, which is one of the 
most efficient in the country, was formed in May 1858, The 
_ : ne 
In the Arnkemsche Courant of December 4, H. van de Studt 
4 4 
Tue Continental scientific journals have the same brilliant 
last 2s we had. From all parts of France and from various parts 
we 
IN reference to the extraordinary whirlwind in Ireland, of 
on the night of the same Sunday that the whirlwind visited 
above the coach road near Lough Katrine, rendering it imp 
sable for several days, owing to the trees, débris, &c., which 
were swept down by the flood.” 
ANOTHER phenomenon of a similar kind is recorded as | 
lows by a correspondent of the Birmingham Morning News 
The people living near King’s Sutton, Banbury, say that ab 
one o’clock on Saturday they saw something like a haycock 
volving through the air, accompanied by fire and dense smo 
It made a noise resembling that of a railway train, but v 
much louder, and travelled with greater rapidity. It was som: 
times high in the air, and sometimes near the ground. It pas 
over the estate of Colonel North, M.P., Sir W. R. Bro 
Bart, and Mr, Leslie Melville-Cartwright, whose park wall i 
threw down to the foundation in several places, and at one plac 
for upwards of sixty yards. A man named Adams was b 
ing stones, and a minute before he was standing under a 
that was torn up by the roots and the branches scattered in e 
direction. Two or three trees near him were torn up, and 
of them, the largest beech on Sir William Brown’s estate, which 
tore up with it twelve or fifteen tons of earth. Fora distance 0 
nearly two miles, hedges, rails, trees, hovels, and ricks hav 
been knocked down or injured. A whirlwind followed the fire 
meteor, and carried everything before it. Stones from the wall 
knocked down were carried forty yards away, and the water ii 
a pond disappeared on the passage of the phenomenon. 
travelling about two miles the meteor seemed to expend its 
and disappeared all at once. There was a heavy fall of rai 
the time, aud a vivid flash of lightning just before. The di 
tion taken by the meteor was from south to north, and it tr 
velled almost in a straight line. ae “a 
