46 
ments ; of the trouble and anxiety their caprices give at home 
and in the workshop they have no knowledge. The organ-pipe 
is brought into the lecture-room, it is caused to prove what is 
wanted, more is not looked for; it comes like a beauty in a 
ballroom, dressed up to play a part and be amiable and gra- 
cious : the practical man knows that organ-pipes are very like 
human beings, of whom Goethe says, “ We do not learn to 
know people when they come to us; to learn their real pecu~ 
liarities we must go to them.” 
April 18 
HeaMann SMITH 
Rock Inscriptions of Brazil 
BEING unable to attend the reading of Mr. Whitfield’s paper, 
at the Anthropological Institute, April 22, the following ob- 
servations are offered. 
The rock inscriptions of Brazil are worthy of attention, be- 
cause they appear to belong to a vast series, to which Mentone 
affords a large contribution. The suggestion that in the very 
earliest epochs tally records existed, lends interest to the inves- 
tigation. It appears probable that military tallies of the levy of 
men preceded the registers in the historical period of the tribute 
of men, arms, and money by provinces, such as we find in 
Herodotus with regard to Persia. 
In reference to the possible general connection of such in- 
scriptions as these with the eastern world, it may be observed 
that Brazil has participated in at least two great migrations. 
The Kiriri and Sabuyah of Bahia are allied by language to 
the ancient Pygmean or Negrito stock. This race is everywhere 
very low, and cannot have produced even these inscriptions. 
The greater part of Brazil is covered by the Guarani or Tupi 
(Agua) languages allied to the Agau of the Nile region, the 
Avkhass of Caucasia, &c, It is worth inquiry whether the 
Mentone inscriptions may not belong to this epoch. 
HYDE CLARKE 
Abnormal Coloration in Fish 
SEEING Mr. W. S. Kent's letter on this subject in NATURE of 
the Sth inst., a similar instance was recalled to my memory. 
About three weeks ago I observed in a fishmonger’s shop a 
plaice, nearly one third of the under side of whose body (at the 
tail) had the usual colour and orange spots of the upper. In 
this specimen the spots were more numerous and brilliant than 
usual, The line of demarcation was irregular, but abrupt. The 
circumstance struck me because I have seen great numbers of 
Pleuronectide, but never one marked thus. The fishmonger 
told me that he had never seen a like specimen. 
ARTHUR NICOLS 
Phosphorescence in Wood 
From the description given by your correspondent, Richard 
M. Barrington (vol. vii. p. 464) o! phosphorescence in coniferous 
wood, I should imagine it to be extremely probable that the 
pieces of Scotch fir in question were infested with the spawn of 
Polyporus annosus Fr., a fungus very common on the Coniferz. 
The mycelium of this plant (as well as the perfect fungus) is 
well known to be at times highly phosphorescent, and in the 
* Gardener's Chronicle for September 28, 1872, I have figured the 
perfect state of it as seen so commonly in a luminous condition 
in the coal mines of Glamorganshire. In these deep pits the 
spawn of this fungus ramifies about the old shoreing timber, 
and is so highly phosphorescent as to be clearly seen from a dis- 
tance of twenty yards. Many other fungi with their mycelia are 
known to be at times phosphorescent, as Fo/yporus sulfureus Fr. 
and Corticium ceruleum Fr., both common on decaying wood. 
In the Gardener's Chronicle for September 21, 1872, the Rev. 
M. J. Berkeley has published a remarkable case of phosphor- 
escence in logs of larch. Here the most luminous parts were 
where the mycelium was most developed, and the wood gave out 
such a blaze of white light that although the pieces were wrapped 
in five folds of paper, yet the light shone through as if the speci- 
mens were exposed. The phosphorescence appears to accom- 
pany the decomposition of the wood on which the fungi at the 
same time prey. W. G. SMITH 
Coincidence of the Spectrum Lines of Iron, Calcium, 
and Titanium : 
In Prof. Young’s letter published in NATURE, vol. vii., p. 17, 
some coincidences of the lines of different substances which 
NATURE 
r 
a a 
| May 15, 1873 
‘are toomany and too close to be all the result of accident” 
are referred to, those of iron with calcium and titanium being 
especially cited. Two explanations are offered, first that “the 
metals operated upon by the observers who first mapped out the 
spectra were not absolutely pure,” and second, that ‘‘ there is 
some such similarity between the molecules of the different 
metals as renders them susceptible of certain synchronous periods 
of vibration.” - ’ 
If we are driven to this second explanation the received induc- 
tions of spectrum analysis and tae deductions of celestial 
chemistry based upon them are shaken at their foundation, for if 
more than one known terrestrial element can display identical 
lines in the spectrum, the suggestion that other unknown celestial 
elements may do the same is freely opened. It is there- 
fore very desirable that the spectroscopist should receive all the 
aid which the studies of chemical specialists can afford him 
towards the solution of this problem. 
I may venture to speak to the instances quoted by Prof. 
Young. First as regards calcium and iron, In making ana- 
lyses of a large number of brands of pig iron I found that 
they all contained calcium, but in very variable proportions, and 
endeavoured by observing their properties, and by further exa- 
mination of finished iron, to learn how the presence of calcium 
affected the quality of iron, but failed to solve this problem. 
In the course of these investigations, I found that the 
finished iron, like the pig, presented considerable varia- 
tions as regards the quantity of calcium contained in it, 
but I never found a saniple of iron or steel quite free from some 
trace of calcium. As I was operating for the most part on 
superior qualities of iron which had been submitted to the ut- 
most practicable degree of commercial purification, this experi- 
ence renders it extremely probable that Prof. Young’s first 
explanation is the correct one, so far as iron and calcium ars 
concerned, 
The want of any chemical reagent by which minute traces of 
titanium can be detected in the presence of large quantities of 
iron, or of a means of completely separating these metals, places 
a serious difficulty in the way of directly answering the question 
whether iron is usually associated with traces of titanium; but 
there are indirect evidences of its very common existence in 
ordinary iron. The most decided of these is afforded by the 
common, almost universal, occurrence of the beautiful copper- 
coloured crystals of cyano-nitride of titanium in the hearth 
bottoms of blast-furnaces. In many cases their concretions form 
large masses, where the ores that have been used are not sup- 
posed to be titaniferous, 
Metallic iron obtains impurities, not only from its ore, but also 
from the fuel and flux used in reduction, and besides these from 
the furnace or crucible in which it has subsequently been fused 
or raised to its welding point. The difficulty of completely puri- 
fying iron is so great that many such coincidences as those re- 
ferred to may be expected @ frior?, 
W. MATTIEU WILLIAMS 
Musical Stones 
WHEN roaming over the hills and rocks in the neighbourhood 
of Kendal, which are composed chiefly of mountain limestone, I 
have often found what we call here “ musical stones.” They 
are generally thin flat weather-beaten stones, of different sizes 
and peculiar shapes, which when struck with a piece of iron or 
another stone, produce a distinct musical tone, instead of the 
dull heavy leaden sound of any ordinary stone. The sound of 
these stones is, in general, very much alike, but I know gentle- 
men who possess sets of eigit stones which are said to produce, 
when struck, a distinct octave. Being only an amateur geologist, 
Iam unable to account for this fact, and would be glad if any 
of your numerous readers would take the trouble to explain to 
me, through the medium of your columns, the peculiar com- 
position of the stone in question, and the distinct qualifications 
nencessary to form a musical stone. 
RICHARD J. NELSON 
Acquired Habits in Plants 
In NaTuRE of May 1, p. 7, which I chance not to have seen 
till now, Mr. Babbington puts a question on the subject of my 
climbing specimen of violet which I fear I am not botanist 
enough to answer. 
a? ae a 
ene oe 
+ ae : 
4 
| 
