April 27, 1899] 



NA TURE 



615 



should be converted into steam at about 150 pounds per square 

 inch pressure by means of electricity of low tension ; the cart- 

 ridge or boiler to be made of such strength that it would burst 

 at about this pressure, when the force set at liberty would break 

 down the coal. As an approximation, Major-General Schaw 

 points out that a water-cartridge if inches in diameter and 3^ 

 inches long, to be used in a 2-inch blast-hole, would hold about 

 8'4 cubic inches of water. It would be converted into high- 

 pressure steam, and burst the cartridge in about one minute 

 with the electrical power which the author suggests, and would 

 thus e.\ert a sudden force of about I J tons. The calculations 

 which the author has made on the subject, and a sketch of a 

 form of cartridge which embodies the principles of the sugges- 

 tion, accompany the paper. 



A LEAFLET, prepared and issued by Mr. John Plummer, 

 Sydney, New South Wales, brings together a number of in- 

 teresting facts referring to Australian birds. Although Australia 

 has no native song birds like the nightingale, lark, thrush, or 

 linnet, it possesses a great variety of feathered species, several 

 of great beauty, and many possessing features of interest. 

 Many birds known in Europe are plentiful in New South 

 Wales. Among these are eagles, hawks, owls, swifts, swallows, 

 martins, fly-catchers, pelicans, sand-pipers, plovers, ducks, 

 grebes, petrels, gulls, terns, penguins, and albatrosses. The 

 number of ducks on the inland rivers and lagoons is at times 

 surprising. The Rev. J. E. Tenison Woods says he has 

 travelled in winter along the river Murray, and the long estuary 

 of the Coorong, and for upwards of 120 miles was never out of 

 sight of large flocks, which literally darkened the air and water. 

 The sparrow, as in other countries, is the pest of the farm and 

 orchard in New South Wales. So long as there is plenty of 

 seed and fruit the bird does not trouble itself about insects, but 

 leaves it to its insectivorous brethren. Every kind of British 

 cage-bird thrives in the colony, but when liberated they often 

 have to fight for existence with the native species. 



Messrs. Swan Sonnenschei.n and Co. announce the 

 forthcoming publication of " Curiosities of Light and Sight," 

 by Mr. Shelford Bid well, F.R.S. 



DtiRiNO May the following lectures will be given on Tuesday 

 evenings at the Royal \'ictoria Hall, Waterloo Road, S.E. : — 

 May 2, Mr. E. S. Prior, " The Art and Practice of Garden- 

 making": May 9, Mr. R. Kerr, "Picturesque Ireland"; 

 May 16, Prof. Beare, " Curiosities of Insect Life." 



Some members of the Avicultural Society are organising a 

 Postal Club for the encouragement of bird and animal pho- 

 tography. The co-operation of photographer-naturalists is 

 invited. Address Mr. Chas. Louis Hett, hon. secretary pro 

 levi., Springfield, Brigg. 



Messrs. Duckworth and Co. are about to publish a book 

 on natural selection, by Mr. Frederick WoUaston Hutton, 

 F.R.S., entitled " Darwinism and Lamarckism." The object 

 of the work is to give a concise account of the origin and 

 growth of the Darwinian doctrine, including its most recent 

 developments. 



The inspiring " Hunterian Oration" recently delivered at 

 the Royal College of Surgeons of England, by Sir William 

 MacCormac, Bart., K.C.V.O. , has been published in volume 

 form by Messrs. Smith, Elder, and Co. An abstract of the 

 address has already appeared in these columns (p. 402) ; but 

 every student of medical science should read the address in 

 full, in order to understand the influence of Hunter's work upon 

 modern surgery. 



Messrs. R. and R. Beck, Ltd.,' have issued a new cata- 

 logue of the Frena hand camera, and will send a copy to any 

 NO. 1539. VOL. 59] 



one on application. The good qualities of the Frena are 

 known to many photographers, and the selection of pictures in 

 the catalogue shows that fine results can be obtained with this 

 form of camera. 



An illustrated international monthly magazine of photography, 

 published in four languages, and entitled Camera Obscura, will 

 make its appearance in June. The magazine will be under the 

 chief editorship of J. R. A. Schouten, the assistant editors 

 being : French Section, Maurice Bucquet ; German Section, 

 R. Ed. Liesegang ; English Section, Max Sterling ; Dutch 

 Section, Chr. J. Schuver. The publishers will be Messrs. 

 Binger Bros., Amsterdam ; and the publishers for Great Britain 

 and the Colonies, Messrs. Williams and Norgate. 



Among the new features of the 1899 edition of "The 

 Statesman's Vear-Book " (Macmillan), edited by Dr. J. Scott 

 Keltic, with the assistance of Mr. I. P. A. Renwick, are a map 

 of Africa showing railways, navigable waters, and distances from 

 coast, and one showing telegraphs and political divisions ; a 

 map of Newfoundland, illustrating the French shore question ; 

 and a map showing the addition on the Chinese mainland to the 

 colony of Hong Kong. There are also preliminary tables show- 

 ing the revenue, expenditure, debt, and debt-charge of the 

 principal countries of the world, with the commerce of these 

 countries in figures and per head of population ; and a table 

 showing the gold and silver production of the world. The 

 events of the past year have necessitated a number of alter- 

 ations, and the additions have increased the volume from 11 66 

 to 1248 pages. No one interested in political geography can dis- 

 pense with this annual statement of the position of the countries 

 of the world. 



MM. Georges Carre and C. Naud, Paris, have com- 

 menced the publication, under the general title "Scientia," of 

 a handy collection of monographs, by distinguished investigators, 

 on important scientific questions. The collection is divided 

 into two series, one containing papers on physical science, and 

 published under the direction of MM. Appell,Cornu, d'Arsonval, 

 Friedel, Lippmann, Moissan, Poincare, and Potier ; and another 

 series containing biological papers edited by MM. Balbiani, 

 d'Arsonval, Filhol, Fouque, Gaudry, Guignard, Marey, and 

 Milne-Edwards. In the first volume of the physical series, M. 

 Poincare gives a simple account of Maxwell's theory and 

 Hertzian oscillations. In the first volume of the biological 

 series, Prof Bard deals with " La specificite cellulaire," re- 

 ferrtng particularly to the consequences of this doctrine in 

 biology. The second volume in this series, by Dr. F. le 

 Dantec, is on sexuality. Only these three volumes have so far 

 appeared, but a number of others are in preparation, and will 

 shortly be published. Each volume will be complete in itself, 

 and the complete set of monographs will make a convenient 

 library of modern scientific work and opinion. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include two Himalayan Monauls (Lophophorus 

 impeyanus, 2 i ) from the Himalaya Mountains, presented by 

 Mrs. Barnewell Elliot ; a Black-shouldered Kite (Elaniis 

 caertileus) from Ceylon, presented by Mr. J. D. Waley ; a 

 Macaque Monkey (Macacus cynomolgiis, var. ) from India, a 

 Brazilian Tapir {Tapinis americanus, i) from Peru, a Great 

 Bustard (Otis tarda), European ; three Anoas {Aiwa depressi- 

 coruis, (5 (5 9 ) from the Celebes, deposited ; two Brush Turkeys 

 {Talegalla lathami), three Pectoral Quails {Coturiiix pectoralis), 

 a Varied Hemipode (Turnix varia] from Australia, two green 

 Glossy Starlings {Lamprocoliiis chalydeus) from North-east 

 Africa, two White-backed Trumpeters (Psophia leticoptera) from 

 the Upper Amazons, purchased ; five Barbary White Sheep 

 {Ovis tragelapliHs, 2 (J , 3 ? ), a Yellow-whiskered Lemur (Lciiiiir 

 xaiithomyslax), born in the Gardens. 



