January 5, 1899] 



NATURE 



Uniced States together produceil more than one-hall of the 

 <;ntire output of gold in 1897, and it is in these two countries 

 that modern methods have been most largely adopted, 

 r The Decimal Association has taken a leading part in edu- 



r eating public opinion, and in making known the advantages 

 of the metric system. The system is used so extensively in 

 scientific work that it is unnecessary to explain in these columns 

 its cl.aims for adoption. The strongest argument in favour of 

 metric weights and measures is the fact that nearly all the 

 leading civilised countries of the world, as well as nearly all 

 our competitors in foreign trade, use them exclusively. From 

 a table given in a pamphlet published by the Decimal Associa- 

 tion, it appears that the countries which have already adopted 

 the metric weights and measuies represent a population of over 

 448 millions. Our consuls have almost unanimously reported 

 in favour of the system ; our chief Chambers of Commerce have 

 passed resolutions in favour of it ; in the new "British Phar- 

 macopoeia " the use of the system has been much extended ; 

 and numerous trade associations have given support to it ; 

 while in no single case has any body of wholesale or retail 

 traders opposed its compulsory adoption. It is now especially 

 urgent that an Act should be passed to make the change com- 

 pulsory, and all who are interested in this important question 

 are urged to become members of the Decimal Association, and 

 to give it the benefit of their influence and co-operation. The 

 Secretary is Mr. Edward Johnson, Botolph House, Eastcheap, 

 London, E.C. 



Referen'CE has been made in these columns on several oc- 

 casions to Prof. Grassi's work in tracing the propagation of 

 malarial germs by mosquitoes. Further information is now 

 brought to light by communications read before the Reale 

 Accademia dei Lincei during the past month, and published in 

 their .-///«, vii. 9 and II. iNIessrs. G. Bastianelli, A. Bignami 

 and Grassi have now succeeded in tracing the development of 

 the semilunar bodies in the medial intestine of AitopluUs 

 tlavigcr, kept at a suitable temperature, after these insects had 

 drawn blood from individuals affected by jestivo-autumnal 

 malaria. They have also obtained spring fever by the sole 

 agency of punctures of A. claviger in an individual not pre- 

 viously afflicted by malaria and living in a non-malarial locality. 

 Most recently they have observed the later stages of the semi- 

 lunar bodies in A. claviger, and have obtained capsules con- 

 taining an enormous quantity of filiform bodies apparently non- 

 motile, with one or two amorphous residual masses. The life- 

 history of the malarial parasite is thus proved to be an authen- 

 ticated case of heteroecism. Concurrently with these observ- 

 ations, Dr. Antonio Dionisi has studied the life-cycle of the 

 endogloljular parasite of the bat, which appears to undergo a 

 similar alternation of generations, the intermediary host being 

 an insect. These conclusions agree with Ro.ss's investigations 

 on the malarial parasites of birds. 



The discussion of the meteorological observations recorded 

 at Trevandrum, under the superintendence of Mr. J. Allan 

 Broun, during the years 1S53 to 1864, is published in vol. x. 

 |jart i. A -Me /itdiaii Mcteoroltigical Mcmoiys. The observatory, 

 uhich was established by the .Maharajah of Travancore, was 

 .situated approximately in latitude 8" 31' N., longitude 76' 59' E. 

 The observations were deposited at the Meteorological Office 

 in London, and the Meteorological Council, recognising the 

 high scientific value of the data, requested the Secretary of 

 State for India, through the Royal Society, to undertake their 

 discussion, which was agreed to, and the work has been ably 

 carried out under the supervision of Mr. J. Eliot, Meteor- 

 ological Reporter to the Government of India. We can only 

 very briefly refer to a few of the valuable results obtained. 

 The tiighest temperature observed was 94°'6, in March, and 

 NO. 1523, VOL. 59] 



the louest 59 '9, in December, giving a total range of 34''7. 

 The highest and lowest mean daily temperatures were 84' '5 and 

 70° '9, and the highest and lowest mean monthly temperatures 

 were 82°'9 and 75° respectively. The greatest change in 

 twenty-four hours was 5' i, in May. One of the most note- 

 worthy features of the meteorology of Trevandrum is the re- 

 markable steadiness of barometric pressure ; it is highest from 

 January 11-15 (29731"), it decreases slowly, but steadily, until 

 the end of May, when it is 29'62i", and it increases during 

 the remainder of the year. The absolute maximum of the 

 diurnal range is '132", in February, and the absolute minimum 

 ■099", in July. The relative humidity is large in all months, 

 varying from a minimum of 72'6, in February, to 86 '8, in July. 

 The annual rainfall varies considerably ; the mean for thirty- 

 nine years (1838 to 1876) is 54'4". The mean for the three 

 years of greatest fall was 277" more, and the mean fur the 

 three years of least fall was 25-8" less than the mean fall. 



We have received a valuable quarto memoir by P. Jose 

 Coronas, of the Manila Observatory, on the eruption of the 

 volcano Mayon, which occurred on June 25-26, 1S97. Mayon 

 is the largest volcano in the island of Luzon, and a brief 

 account is given of the principal known eruptions prior to 

 1897 ; but, with three exceptions (those of 1616, 1766 and i8cx)'i, 

 these all belong to the present century. In a series of interest- 

 ing chapters, F'ather Coronas describes the preparatory pheno- 

 mena (including the earthquake of .May 13), the beginning or 

 the eruption, the ejection of lava, the rain of ashes and dust 

 (which extended to about one hundred miles east of the volcano), 

 the detonations and other subterranean noises, the storm on the 

 volcano, and the end of the eruption. The memoir is issued 

 from the private press of the observatory, and is illustrated by 

 four plates and three figures in the text. 



The native arithmetic of Murray Islands, Torres Strait, 

 is described by the Rev. A. E. Hunt in the latest /««-Ka/ (New 

 Series, vol. i. Nos. i and 2) of the Anthropological Institute. 

 The only native numerals are netat (one) and neis (two). 

 Higher numbers would be de.scribed either by reduplication, as 

 neis netat, literally, two-one for three; neis-i-neis, or two-two 

 for four, &c. , or by reference to some part of the body. By the 

 latter method a total of thirty-one could be counted. The 

 counting commenced at the little finger of the left hand, thence 

 counting the digits, wrist, elbow, armpit, shoulder, hollow above 

 the clavicle, thorax, and thence in reverse order down the right 

 arm, ending with little finger of right hand. This gives twenty- 

 one. The toes are then resorted to, and these give ten more. 

 Beyond this number the term gaire (many) would be used. 

 English numerals are now in general use in the Islands. 



The Chinch Bug (Blissits leucopterus, Say), one of the most 

 destructive of North American insects, forms the subject of 

 Bulletin No. 15 (New .Series) of the U.S. Department of 

 Agriculture, Division of Entomology. A previous report on the 

 same subject, by Dr. L. O. Howard, was published as No. 17 

 of the Old Series of the Bulletin ; the present has been pre- 

 pared and brought up to date by Prof. F. M. Webster, the 

 entomologist of the Ohio Agricultural Experiment .Station, 

 under Dr. Howard's supervision. The Report deals with the 

 probable origin, diffusion and habits of the insect, with notices 

 of the natural cheeks to its increase, and the remedial and pre- 

 ventive measures which may be used against it. The Report 

 .also includes ai notice of various American Heiniptera which 

 are likely to be mistaken for the Chinch Bug ; and of an allied 

 species (Blissus doriae, Ferr. ) which occcurs in It.ily and 

 Hungary. 



Dr. G. Christian Hoff.ma.nn sends a report of the Section 

 of Chemistry and Mineralogy of the Geological Survey of 

 Canada. Aided by two assistants, Mr. F. G. Wait and Mr. 



