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pee uf ey. +. 
June 5. 1873] 
the streams, where they exist, run in different directions. M. 
Flammarion thinks the westward movement is caused by the 
_ direction of sunset, towards which people feel disposed to form 
their gardens, build their houses, and in that direction most 
inclined to walk ; the evening and not the morning being their 
usual time of recreation. Is not a more probable explanation 
' to be found in the general dislike of an easterly wind? And, 
"moreover, it has been pointed out that a westerly wind usually 
causes the greatest fallin the barometer, and thus the eastern 
portion of a town becomes inundated with the effluvia which 
arises on such occasions. Another and perhaps more potent 
cause may be the prevalence in Europe of south-westerly winds 
during the greater part of the year, whereby the smoke and 
' vitiated air of a town is carried to the north-east more frequently 
than elsewhere ; so that it is notorious the west end of a city 
is freer from smoke than the east end. Possibly all these causes 
may combine to produce this curious occidental march of the 
fashionable quarter. W. F. BARRETT 
Tsieworth, May 5 
Etymology of Aphis 
WITH regard to the etymology of Aphis, I find the following 
in Lennis’ ‘‘ Synopsis der Natur-geschichte des Thier-reichs,” 
“Aphis, Blattlaus, nach Fabricius von ép{ornut trennen, 
abstehen ; richtiger vielleicht apucca von dévw schépfen ; musste 
dann aber Aphys heissen.” 
The second explanation is ingenious ; but neither seems to my 
mind satisfactory. W. W. SPICER 
Itchen Abbas Rectory, Alresford, May 14 
Phosphorescence in Wood 
ONE wet evening last autumn some pieces of phosphorescent 
wood were brought to me, which had formed part of a dead 
beech-tree that had been cut down during the day. They shone 
brightly that evening, The next night they were dark until 
dipped in water, when the light revived but was much fainter 
than before. On the third night they seemed to have lost the 
oS entirely, for water produced no visible effect on 
them. 
Your correspondent, Mr. W. G. Smith, states that the lumi- 
nosity of decaying wood is due to the presence of various kinds 
of fungus, but does not say what is the cause of it either in fungi 
or glow-worms. There is something so striking in the light 
unaccompanied by sensible heat, that an unlearned person’s 
curiosity is roused to know whether phosphorescence is akin to 
burning or not, Where can one learn what is known about it ? 
Cc. A. M, 
Tears and Care of Monkeys for their Dead 
WE have heard much of late about the emotions of animals, 
and might have heard it sooner had Charles Bell’s profound 
work on the ‘* Anatomy and Expression,” received due attention. 
The moral or psychical emotions of the brutes most resembling 
man in structure are peculiarly interesting, and sufficient obser- 
yations as to this point on the monkeys seem to be yet wanting. 
Before I saw a picture of a weeping monkey, by Edwin Landseer, 
I always thought that this animal could be moved neither to 
tears nor laughter ; and I still think that more observations, by 
persons most familiar with monkeys, are required on this sub- 
ject, and hope to elicit them by this note in NaATuRE. But an 
affectionate care of brutes for their dead has been considered 
either very rare or inexistent, though it would seem to have 
been shown by monkeys. At least, we have evidence to this 
effectin the ‘‘ Oriental Memoirs,” 4 vols. 4to, London, 1813, by 
James Forbes, F.R.S., and indeed, very likely, there may be still 
better observations, with which I am unacquainted, on the sub- 
ject. Here is an extract thereon from Mr. Forbes’s book :— 
**One of a shooting party, under a banian tree, killed a female 
monkey and carried it to his tent, which was soon surrounded 
by forty or fifty of the tribe, who made a great noise and seemed 
disposed to attack their aggressor. They retreated when he 
presen’ed his fowling-piece, the dreadful effect of which they 
, had witnessed and appeared perfectly to understand. The head 
of the troop, however, stood his ground, chattering furiously ; 
NATURE 
103 
the sportsman, who perhaps felt some little degree of compunc- 
tion for having killed one of the family, did not like to fire at 
the creature, and nothing short of firing would suffice to drive 
him off. At length he came to the door of the tent, and finding 
threats of no avail, began a lamentable moaning, and hy the 
most expressive gesture seemed to beg for the dead body. It 
was given him ; he took it sorrowfully in his arms, and bore it 
away to his expecting companions: they who were witnesses of 
this extraordinary scene, resolved never again to fire at one of 
the monkey race.” GEORGE GULLIVER 
Canterbury, May 24 
RECENT WORKS ON ECHINODERMS 
AMONG the most important of recent works on 
Echinoderms may be mentioned “ The Revision of 
the Echini,” by Alex. Agassiz, Of this work, which will 
be completed in four parts, Parts 1 and 2 were published 
early in this year, Part 3 is going through the press and 
may possibly be published in August next ; it will contain 
the description of species not included in Part 2. Part 4 
may be published this year ; it will contain a review of 
the anatomy and classification of the order. This part 
will not be so well illustrated as the author had intended, 
for six plates of anatomy, the results of many years’ 
labour, with all Mr. Agassiz’s drawings, were lost in the 
great conflagration of November 9, and it will be im- 
possible to supply their places, The present parts are 
accompanied by an atlas of forty-nine plates. Part 1 
contains, in addition to an introductory chapter, the 
bibliography of the subject, a chapter on Nomenclature, 
a Chronological List of Names used from 1554, a 
Synonymic Index, and a chapter on Geographical Distri- 
bution. Part 2 contains Description of the Echini of the 
Eastern Coast of the United States, together with a report 
on the deep sea Echini collected in the Straits of Florida, 
by Count Pourtalés, Assistant United States’ Coast Survey 
in the years 1867—1869, 
The synonymic index will be simply invaluable to the 
investigator of the Echini. He who investigates the life- 
history of a species must surely know the name of the 
species he is investigating. It is therefore, even from 
this point of view, by no means an unimportant task to 
unravel the complicated and tangled network ofsynonyms ; 
themselves an evidence of lack of knowledge on the part 
of many. Agassiz regards—and very correctly so— 
synonomy as the History of the Species, not. its natural 
history. His opportunities for examining the types of 
those authors who have written on the subject were 
immense, and he has thoroughly availed himself of them. 
The great Museums of London, Paris, Copenhagen, 
Vienna, Stockholm, and elsewhere, were all visited by 
Agassiz; while the original specimens described by 
Klein, Gray, Desor, Michelin, and others were most care- 
fully examined, and it must not be forgotten that in addi- 
tion the Harvard College Museum contains one of the 
most perfect collections of Echini in the world. 
It would serve no useful purpose if in this place we 
examined in any detail the catalogue of species of Echini 
given on pp. 88, 203 of this memoir ; for convenience of 
reference the genera and the species in their respective 
genera are arranged alphabetically, but there is added a 
list of all known species arranged in their natural order, 
with the name adopted by Agassiz, the original name and 
the principal localities. 
In treating of the geographical distribution of the 
Echini, Agassiz remarks that it was a matter of great 
surprise to him to find how few species, hitherto not 
noticed, were to be found in the European collections, 
Everywhere, although from different localities, were found 
repetitions of species already well known—so that in 
making a map of thelittoral regions, but short stretches 
of shore were left out as unexplored. Though therefore 
new species may and will undoubtedly turn up, even in 
