76 
expedition. This party, which had been landed from the Polaris, 
were driven from her by a gale which burst her moorings on 
October 15, 1872, in latitude 72°35. When they last saw the 
Polaris she was under steam and canvas, making for a harbour 
on the east side of Northumberland Island. She had no boats 
left of the six which she brought with her from the port of New 
York. ‘Two were lost ina northern expedition, two were landed 
on the ice with Captain Tyson’s party, one was burnt as fire- 
wood to make water for the crew, and the other is on board the 
Tigress. The Polaris was in command of Captain Buddington, 
who had thirteen of a crew along with him, and a plentiful 
stock of provisions. She was making a good deal of water, 
but, as Captain Tyson informed the Herald correspondent, she 
was not more leaky than when he was on board all the previous 
fall and winter. Her bow was somewhat damaged, and it is the 
opinion of the survivors they will be unable to get clear until 
July, and even then, if the ship is unseaworthy, they would have 
to make new boats to effect an escape. On October 8, 1871, 
in latitude 81°38, longitude 61°44, Captain Hall died of apo- 
plexy, and was buried on shore, where they erected a wooden 
cross to mark his grave. He had recently returaed from a 
northern sledge expedition, in which he had attained the latitude 
of 82°16. In September 1871, the Po/aris entered winter quar- 
ters, and left August 12, 1872. The ice was very heavy, and 
set ina southern direction. She was forced south, and so con- 
tinued drifting till Captain Tyson and party were driven from 
her. The sledge party crossed Kane’s Polar Sea, which they 
pronounced to bea strait about 15 miles wide. There was an 
appearance of open water to the north. 
Tue Education Department propose to send on loan, to local 
schools in which it will be useful, what they call Travelling 
Apparatus for illustrating Instruction in Naval Architecture. 
The following is the list of articles included under that title :— 
1. Model of a half-midship section of aniron-clad ship, showing 
the mode of forming and combining the keel, frames, beams, 
&c., &e. 2. Ditto of an ordinary wooden ship. 3. Block- 
model, showing the lines used in laying off the fore-body of a 
ship. 4. Ditto, after-body. 5. Diagram showing the lines used 
in laying-off. These models and diagram are intended to be 
placed in the school or class-room for reference during the hours 
of study, in order that the students may better understand the 
nature of the work under consideration, and also to aid the 
teachers in illustrating their ideas when imparting instruction to 
their classes. 
Pror. MaRsH, in the current number of the American Four- 
nal of Science and Art, describes several new species of mam- 
malia from the tertiary deposits of the Rocky Mountains region. 
Orohippus agilis is a new species of a genus intermediate between 
Anchitherium and Palaotherium, which has four functional digits, 
the first premolar tooth nearly as large as the second, no antor- 
bital fossa, and an incomplete bony orbit. Co/onoceras, a new 
genus, nearly allied to Hyrachyus (Leidy) and He/aletes (Marsh), 
is peculiar in having a pair of rugosities on the nasal bones, to 
support dermal horns. It was about thesize of a sheep. Prof. 
Marsh separates the genus Dinoceras from Tinoceras, onaccount 
of the maxillary horn-cores being more anteriorly situated, and 
the parietal crests more elevated in the former, at the same time 
that the canine tusks are more compressed and trenchant. A 
new species of Oveodon, and two others of Rhinoceros, are also 
described. 
A résumé of our knowledge, strikingly incomplete as it is, 
on the subject of sneezing, is given by Dr. Seguin in the third 
number of the new and excellent Archives of Scientificand Frac- 
tical Medicine. The author's attention was drawn to the subject 
from his observing a fact, previously well known, that sneezing 
may be frequently stopped by pressing the fingers on the lips or 
NATURE 
nn ne Erne Ens ririrnes=yEpUI UD nnTnEED nsnnnnnnnnnIE 
[May 22, 1873 
sides of the nose. No new theory is given to explain the 
physiology of the phenomenon, and it is stated that naturally 
most of the air expired during a sneeze escapes through the nose, 
but that custom has brought about the discharge of a part 
through the mouth. This we cannot agree with, as it is difficult 
to believe that custom has much influence on so abrupt an act. 
WE learn from Ocean Highways that Major Branfill, of the 
great Indian Trigonometrical Survey, has discovered that a 
peak of the Anamully Range attains a height of 8,837 ft. above 
the sea, 5ooft. higher than Dodabetta, in the Nilgiri Hills, 
hitherto supposed to be the loftiest peak in Southern India. 
A FEW of the members of the Anthropological Institute, 
who did not approve of the proceedings at the annual meeting, have 
formed themselves into a separate society, under the name of 
the London Anthropological Society, with Dr, Charnock as 
president, and Captain R. F. Burton and Mr, Staniland Wake 
as vice-presidents. ‘‘ This society,” the prospectus says, ‘* has 
been formed for the study of the science of anthropology in all 
its branches. The society, while adhering to the usual practice 
of conducting its transactions at meetings attended only by Fel- 
lows and gentlemen introduced by Fellows, contemplates placing 
the results of its investigations before the non-scientific portion 
of the community, by holding from time to time special meetings, 
to which the general public will be admitted.” 
AnpITIONs to the Brighton Aquarium during the past week : 
—One Alligator (Adligator mississipiensis), 8 feet long, from South 
Carolina, purchased ; one Australian Monitor (Monitor gouldit), 
purchased ; 500 salmon, Great Lake trout, common trout, and 
hybrid fry (Salmo salar, lacustris, et fario), presented by Mr. 
Frank Buckland ; larger and lesser Spotted Dog-fish (Scy/iium 
stellare et carnicula) ; Skate-toothed Shark (Afustelus vulgaris) ; 
Picked Dog-fish (Acanthias vulgaris) ; Monk-fish (Rhina squa- 
tina), one specimen 5 feet long; Sting Ray 7rygon pastinaca) ; 
Common Skate (Raia Jbatis); Spotted Ray (R. maculata) ; 
Thornback (2. c/avata) ; Three-spined Sticklebacks (Gasterosteus 
spinulosus) ; Bass (Labrax lupus); Streaked Gurnards (Zrigla 
lineata); the Piper (Zrigla lyra) ; Greater Weever ( Trachinus 
draco); Lesser do. (7. vifera); John Dorée (Zeus | fader) ; 
Dragonets (Cadlionymus lyra) ; Land Smelts (Atherina presbyter); 
Grey Mullet (A/ugil capito) ; Carp (Cyprinus carpio); Roach 
(Leuciscus rulilus) ; Minnow (LZ. phoxinus) ; Loach (Nemachilus 
barbatula); Tench ( 7inca vulgaris) ; Herring (Clupea harengus); 
Sharp-nosed Eel (Anguilla vulgaris) ; Greater Pipe-fish Syng- 
nathus acus) ; Snake Pipe-fish (Verophis equoreus); Branched 
Seahorse (Hippocampus ramulosus), Mediterranean; Squids, 
(Zoligo media) ; Masked crabs (Corystes cassivelaunus) ; Spider 
Crabs (Mata sqguinado). 
THE additions to the Zoological Society’s Gardens during the 
past week include a Cashmere Monkey (A@acacus pelops), pre- 
sented by Rear-Admiral Davies; a Savannah Deer (Cervus 
savannarum) from South America, presented by Capt. Bennett ; 
a Suricate (Suricata zenik) from South Africa, presented by Mr- 
A, Benyon ; a Palm Squirrel (Sciurus palmarum) from India, 
presented by Mr. W. Lovegrove ; a Mocking Bird (A/imus poly- 
glottis) from North America, presented by Mr, P. Frank; an 
Indian Eryx (Zvyx johnii), presented by Dr. Anderson; two 
pied Crow Shrikes (Strepera graculina) from Australia ; an Ursine 
Colobus (Colobus polycomus) from Sierra Leone; a Hocheur 
Monkey (Cercopithecus nictitans) from West Africa ; a Wander. 
ing Tree-pie (Dendrocitta vagabunda), two pied Mynahs (Sterno- 
pastor contra), and two rose-coloured Pastors (Pastor roseus) from 
India, purchased ; two Hoffmann’s Sloths (Cholopus hoffmannit) 
from Panama; two black Vultures (Cathartes atratus) from 
South America ; a black-handed Spider Monkey (Aéeles melano- 
chir) from Central America, and a Crocodile (Crocodilus ameri- 
canus) from Mexico, deposited. 
a 
