5'^ 



NA TURE 



[March 30, 1S99 



on natuMl science. The long list of names in the Nalnralist s 

 Directory reassures us that field natural history of the good old 

 sort still holds its own in the matter of popularity, despite the 

 condicting claims of laboratory science on the one hand, and 

 photography and bicycling on the other. 



Cosmos for February 25 contains an illustrated article on 

 Volta's discovery of the cell which bears his name, and on the 

 exhibition to be held at Como in commemoration of the cen- 

 tenary of the discovery. 



The Revue scientifique for February 25 contains an account 

 of a paper read before the French Association for the Advance- 

 ment of Science by M. Armand Vire, on the peculiar ciecal 

 fauna of the caves of the Jura and the Pyrenees. From it we 

 learn that a subterranean laboratory for studying the modi- 

 fications in the tactile and other organs of animals produced by 

 darkness has been opened in the catacombs of the Jardin des 

 Plantes at Paris, under the direction of Prof. Alphonse Milne- 

 Edwards, and interesting results have already been obtained. 



A NEW American botanical journal was started with the com- 

 mencement of the current year, under the title of Rhodora. It 

 is edited by Dr. B. L. Robinson, of the Gray Herbarium, 

 Harvard University, and is brought out umler the auspices of 

 the New England Botanical Club. 



Some attention has been recently directed to the qualities of 

 rhea or ramie-fibre (fioehmeria nivea) as a material for textile 

 fabrics. In the Agricullitral Gazelle of New South Wales for 

 November 1898, Mr. H. N. Jackson advocates its growth for 

 commercial purposes in that Colony. 



We have received Bullelins Nos. 12-14 of the Geological 

 and Geographical Commission of Sao Paulo, Brazil, entirely 

 devoted to the botany of the district, and comprising mono- 

 graphs of the orders Composita;, Solanaceas, Scrophulariaceoe, 

 Campanulacese, Cucurbitacea;, Calyceraceae, and Valerianacese. 

 The diagnoses of the species, and even the characters in the 

 claves to the genera, being entirely in Spanish, and not in 

 Latin, renders it diflicult to estimate the scientific value of the 

 work, and at all events detracts from its usefulness. 



A CATALOGUE of valuable works on many branches of 

 science, and including the Transactions of a number of learned 

 societies, has been issued by Mr. li. (Juaritch, who offers the 

 works for sale. 



Messrs. William Wesley and Son have issued a new 

 number of their " Natural History and Scientific Book Circu- 

 lar," containing a classified catalogue of nearly two thousand 

 books and pamphlets on geology, including works from the 

 libraries of the late Mr. W. Toplcy and Mr. Richard .Meade. 



The Transactions of the Leicester Literary and Philosophical 

 Society (vol. v. part iii., January 1899) contain a presidential 

 address delivered by Mr. A. Colson on electricity and its uses, 

 and papers on ovules, by the Rev. T. A. Preston, and on the 

 structure and life-history of the cockroach, by Mr. VV. J. Hall. 



Among the lectures to be given during April at the Royal 

 Victoria Hall, on Tuesday evening.s at S. 30, are the following : — 

 April 4 (Easter Tuesday): Mr. W. II. Shrubsole, on "Switzer- 

 land, past, present, and future." April 11 : Mr. F. VV. Rudler, 

 on "The Geology of London." April iS : I'rof. Lloyd Morgan, 

 on "Instinct and Intelligence in Ar.imals." 



The fifth volume of the Annates du Hureati des Longi- 

 tudes (Gauihier-Villars et Fils), which is dated 1897, but has 

 only recently come to hand, contains several memoirs of in- 

 NO. 1535, VOL. 59] 



terest. The first of these consists of a very complete account 

 of the work done in determining the differences of longitude 

 between San Fernando, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Saint-Louis, 

 and Dakar, besides a set of measures for determining the value 

 of g, by Messrs. Bouquet de la Grye, Cecilio Pujazon, and 

 Driencourt. This mission, it may be remembered, commenced 

 its work in the year 1885, and was supplied with an excellent 

 set of instruments. In the succeeding memoir, M. Bigourdan 

 reports on the astronomical, physical and meteorological ob- 

 servations made at the camp at Joal (Senegal) during the total 

 eclipse of the sun on April 18, 1893. The report contains a 

 full account of the measurements for determining the position 

 of the station, besides numerous tables and diagrams of the 

 meteorological observations. From the astrophysical fx)int of 

 view the next report, by M. Deslandres, on his observations 

 of the same eclipse is, perhaps, of more interest. M. Deslandres' 

 equipment was chiefly spectroscopic, and he made great use 

 of photography. In his report, he points out very clearly the 

 necessity of such spectroscopic observations for settling and 

 ads-ancing certain questions relative to the solar atmosphere ; 

 and in Chapter iv. briefly summarises the history of hypotheses 

 to explain the origin and different forms assumed by the 

 corona. The memoir is accompanied by some fine heliogravures 

 of the eclipse station and the corona. The last section of this 

 volume is devoted to a report on the international conference 

 on fundamental stars, which took place in 1896, including Dr. 

 Gill's propositions for the values of astronomical constants. 



In the year 1S96, although many observing parties went to 

 several places along the line of totality from which the total 

 solar eclipse of August could be observed, it turned out that, 

 owing to extremely bad weather conditions, only those who 

 went to Novaya Zemlya were fortunate enough in obtaining 

 observations. The late Sir George Baden-Powell, it will be 

 remembered, took a small party of English observers in his 

 yacht to that region, and it was there also that a party of Russian 

 observers had taken up their station. A very detailed account 

 of the work done by this latter expedition has just come to 

 hand, and it will be found in vol. viii. (No. i) of the Memoirs 

 of the St. Pc/crshourg Imperial Academy of Sciences ( Physical 

 Mathematical Class). In addition to the astronomical observ- 

 ations referred to in this volume, there are given descriptions of 

 the surveys and collections made by the expedition to their 

 station. The volume contains numerous beautiful illustrations 

 of the eclipse station, group.s, rock-formations, glaciers, together 

 with numerous large scale maps of the region traversed. Un- 

 fortunately, the whole memoir is published in the Russian 

 language, so its utility will to a great extent be restricted. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a \ervet Monkey {Ccrcopithecns lalandii), 

 a Levaillanl's Cynictis (Cyniclis peniciltala) from South Africa 

 presented by Mr. J. E. Matcham ; two Black-backed Jackals 

 (Canis mesoiiulas) from South Africa, presented respectively by 

 Mr. William Hare and the Trustees of the South African 

 Museum ; a Golden Agouti {Dasyfrocta agiili) from South 

 America, presented by Dr. G. L. Johnson ; a Tawny Owl 

 {Syrniiim atiico), European, a Common Kestrel {Tinniincn/iis 

 a/andarins), British, presented by Lady Evelyn Riddell ; a 

 White-tailed Eagle {Haliactus albicilla) from Northern Asia, a 

 Great Black-headed Gull {Larus ichlhyaclus) from Western 

 Asia, presented by Dixon Bey ; a Suricate (Snricala tetradoi- 

 lyla) from .South Africa, deposited ; two Coscoroba Swans 

 i^Coscoroba Candida) from Antarctic America, a Long-tailed 

 Duck {//arc/da giacia/is). North European, purchased ; a 

 Hybrid Macaque Monkey (between Macacns cynomolgus, S , 

 and Afacaciis rhems, 9 ), a Crested Porcupine (Hystrix cristatn), 

 born in the Gardens. 



