232 
NATURE 
peaks. At 80 miles from the mouth the explorers found on the 
plain some vestiges of mastodons, and on clearing away the snow 
from a spot whence emerged the tusks of one of that extinct race, 
they brought to light its enormous body, in a perfect state of preser= 
vation. The skin was covered with black stiff hair very long 
and thick upon the back. The tusks measured 11 ft. 8 in, in 
length, and were bent back about the level of the eyes. From 
its stomach were taken pieces of bark and grasses, the nature of 
which could not be analysed on the spot. Over an area of 
many miles the plain was covered with the remains of mastodons, 
This region abounds with polar bears, which live on the remains 
of the mastodons. At 120 miles from the coast and half a 
league from the river, rises a vast block of ice 1,000 ft. high, the 
base of which is surrounded by gravel and polished rounded 
stones deeply sunk in the soil. The Arctic animals are very 
numerous in this valley, and myriads of birds fly above the river 
and over both of its banks. At the date of his despatches 
M. Pavy was preparing to winter in the 75th degree of latitude 
in the valley of the great river of the supposed polar continent. He 
considered himself certain to arrive in the beginning of next season 
at a polar sea of moderate temperature at the northern extremity 
of the continent. The explorers calculate on afterwards reaching 
the Atlantic through Melville Strait. 
Tue two principal articles in the last number of the Budletin 
de la Société de Glographie are, one by M. Jules Gerard, on the 
present state of knowledge of New Guinea, in which he gives a his- 
torical account of discovery in that island, and a description of its 
geography, ethnography, natural history, meteorology, its colo- 
nisation and commercial relations. This is accompanied by a 
good map. The other is anaccount of the river Amazon, and 
the region through which it flows, by the Abbé Durand, com- 
piled from various geographical memoirs. The same number 
contains a letter from the Abbé Desgodins, pointing out, appa- 
rently from personal knowledge of the region concerned, a num- 
ber of errors in Mr, T. T. Cooper’s ‘Travels of a Pioneer of 
Commerce.” 
WE have received the programme of ‘‘ The Leeds Naturalists’ 
Field Club and Scientific Association,” for the next three months. 
It meets every Tuesday evening, alternate meetings being de- 
voted to the reading of papers and to the exhibition of specimens, 
with general discussion on scientific subjects. During the first 
three months of 1873 the following papers will be read :—Rev. 
John Hanson on ‘‘The Development or Transformation of 
Insects.” Mr. James Abbott, vice-president, on ‘‘ The Anatomy 
of the Slug.” Mr. Geo. Ward, F.C.S., ‘‘ Observations upon 
the Element Carbon.” Mr. Edwin Birchall, on ‘* The Origin 
and Distribution of the Insects of the British Islands.” Mr, 
Wm. Todd, vice-president, on ‘‘ The Silurian Rocks and Fossils.” 
The annual meeting will be held on March 25. 
Tue last number of Aemorie della Societd degli Spettroscopist 
Ttaliani, contains drawings of the chromosphere as observed at 
Rome, Naples, and Padua during January, February, and 
March 1872. 
THE first number of Zron, the name of the new series of the 
Mechanics Magazine, is printed on a very much larger size of 
paper than its predecessor, and contains a number of useful 
articles, mostly on the practical applications of scientific 
principles. We wish Zron a long and successful career. 
THE principal paper in the Revue Scientifique for January 18, 
is a continuation of the article on ‘‘ The Observatories of Great 
Britain,” in which details are given concerning the Observatories 
* at Edinburgh, Dublin, the Cape of Good Hope, Madras, Mel- 
bourne, Paramatta (New South Wales), Sydney, and Lucknow, 
WE learn from the Medical Record that a new faculty of medi- 
cine is about to be instituted at Geneva, 
THE STAR SHOWER AS SEEN AT 
MAURITIUS 
GREAT shower of meteors was observed in this colony on 
the night of November 27 last. I had not myself the 
good fortune to see it, but it was seen by several other persons 
who have obligingly communicated their observations. 
At the Observatory it is customary to watch, as far as pos- 
sible, for meteors during the whole of November, but, on the 
night in question, the sky was nearly overcast. At 9,15 P.M. 
we had a shower of rain, and at 9.30, when the last observation 
of the instruments and of the weather was taken for the night, 
nine-tenths of the sky were overcast, and the weather was 
gloomy. Looking out about midnight from a window facing 
the north I observed that the visible parts of the heavens was 
still overcast, but remarked that the clouds were unusually 
luminous, as if the moon in her first or last quarter were shining 
behind them. This struck me particularly, and I waited some 
minutes in expectation of seeing a break in the clouds. 
On the following day, I received a telegram from the Hon, 
Edward Newton, Colonial Secretary, announcing that he and 
Mr. C. Bruce, Rector of the Royal College, had counted from 
their residence, twelve miles off, and nearly 900 feet above the 
sea-level, 2,678 meteors between 9.30 P.M. and 12.55 A.M. ; 
and soon afterwards I ascertained that some other members ot 
our Meteorological Society, as well as several other gentlemen, 
had also observed the shower, all from the same part of the 
Island. 
In place of attempting to summarise the accounts which have 
reached me, I think it preferable to give them in full, in the 
order in which they were received. 
(1.) Observations by the Hon. Mr. Newton and Mr. Bruce,— 
‘* About 9.30 on the evening of November 27 we observed an 
unusual frequency of shooting stars. At 9.35 we began to keep 
regular count. We continued our observations till 12.55, at 
which time the frequency had greatly diminished, as will be 
seen from the following statement of the numbers seen in the 
intervals of time noted— 
From 9.35 to 10.35 786 
99, 00.35 55 ER 5n te ie ies maa 
yo ET.35\ yp Meal ee tren Se 
99 12:30), each 
Weer uy 8 Aes 85 
Total 7. Sy eae 
“The approximate time of greatest intensity of the shower was 
from 11 to 11.30. About this time two meteors of extraordinary 
brilliancy were particularly noted : the first at 11.22, and the 
second at 11.44. 
‘*The former of these started from the three stars in the tail of 
Aries, and the luminous orb vanished somewhat south of the 
Ecliptic. The train of this meteor was distinctly visible for 4 
minutes. At the vanishing moment of the luminous point, it 
slowly wheeled from horizontal to vertical, and was seen for 
nearly two minutes vertical to the horizon, 
‘The latter, starting from a point at right angles to the three 
stars in the tail of Aries and the Pleiades, passed through the 
Pleiades, Taurus, and Orion, and vanished near Sirius, Its 
train was visible for more than a minute. 
‘*Nearly all the meteors observed radiated from a point near 
Aries, nearly at right angles with the Pleiades, and shot either 
in the direction of the bright meteor of 11.44, or in a line through 
Aries, cutting the ecliptic and vanishing to the S. 
‘From eighty to ninety per cent. of the meteors were followed 
by a soft, broad train of light, visible for a few seconds after the 
vanishing of the luminous point, of diameter at least equal to the 
luminous orb, and extending from 10° to 20°. Inthe case of the 
two bright meteors above mentioned, the train of light extended 
over at least 40°. 
“‘During our observations, portions of the heavens were from 
time to time obscured by dark fleeting clouds, which at times 
obscured the starting and vanishing points. 
‘Between 10 and 11 we observed occasionally a pulsating 
coruscation, similar to the appearance of the Aurora Australis. 
Mr. Meldrum, however, informs us that the instruments at the 
observatory gave no indication of a magnetic disturbance, 
‘**In colour the majority of the meteors seemed to be equal in 
purity to that of the most colourless stars, ‘ 
(Fan. 23, 1873 
