Nov. 12, 



I8S5] 



NA rURE 



41 



in the morninn, and a minimum at midday ; tliis is found at Los 

 Angeles on the plateau of the Rocky Mountains. (3) Two 

 maxima and two minima : the chief maximum in the morning, 

 and the chief minimum in the evening ; this type being met with 

 in Vienna in winter and autumn, and in Bombay. (4) Two 

 maxima and minima, but the chief maximum about midday and 

 the chief minimum in the evening ; this is the case at Vienna in 

 summer and spring. The greatest amplitude of cloudiness ap- 

 pears at the stations on the Rocky Mountains plateaux ; the sky 

 being sometimes quite covered with clouds in the morning, and 

 quite clear a few hours later. It is curious that the Sherman 

 Station has a cloudiness exactly opposite in its course to that of 

 Los Angeles. This meteorological element perhaps deserves 

 more consideration than it has hitherto received. 



A CORRESPONDENT of the North China Herald calls attention 

 to a strange instance of Chinese belief and practice with regard 

 to the human soul, which lately came under his notice. Lying 

 awake at 3 a.m. he heard in the street close to his house two 

 strange answering voices. Evidently two persons were engaged 

 in this weird dramatic ])erformance, one representing a departing 

 soul, the other acting as the friends and relatives deprecating the 

 departure. The first actor gave a low, prolonged cry, which 

 was answered by a loud and earnest " Come, come." After a 

 pause, the cry and the answering call were repeated ; this went 

 on for about ten minutes, when suddenly the inarticulate cry 

 ceased. The second actor, in an agony of distress at the de- 

 parture into the unseen of the soul he had been entreating to 

 stay, shouted loudly in a voice, which he no doubt hoped would 

 reach to the confines of the spirit world, " Return, return— come," 

 at the same time calling by name. Then there was another 

 pause, presently the low cry was heard as at a distance. " Come, 

 come," eagerly responded the actor ; and now the ciy and the 

 answer followed one another more rapidly till the cry seemed 

 close to the caller, and in a smothered chorus as of welcome, the 

 performance, which was probably directed by a Taoist necro- 

 mancer, ceased. It is described as being strangely impressive 

 in the stillness of the night, notwithstanding the grotesqueness 

 of the superstition ; but of course it was not known whether 

 there was actual death in this case, within twelve hours of which 

 the Chinese call for the soul to return, or whether it was only 

 a case of serious illness, fainting, or collapse. This peculiar 

 custom, it appears, v aries in different parts of China. Up the 

 Yangtsze it is usual for two women to perform the office. When 

 a man dies suddenly the women walk through the streets, one 

 calling out the name of the deceased, and the other responding 

 "lam coming," the idea being to prevail on the wandering 

 spirit of the deceased to return to its material abode, which, it is 

 presumed, it has temporarily abandoned. 



A NEW course of lectures has been established at the College 

 de France on the mechanical theory of heat, magnetism, and 

 electricity. The course will be given by M. Bouty. 



On October 22, at about 6 p.m., a slight shock of earthquake 

 was felt at Ramsjo, in Sweden. It went from east to west, and 

 lasted only a few seconds. 



A LARGE consignment of Chinese and Japanese fish has lately 

 reached this country, including the variegated goldfish, the nigger 

 goldfish, the veil or fantail, the fnngetail, and the nymphi. 

 Some specimens have been on view at the Inventions Exhibition 

 Aquarium, as well as some Russian loach and Hungarian beard- 

 fish. A large conger eel weighing 30 lbs. , which had been in 

 the tank for a long period, has just died. 



Mr. Joseph D. Redding, a California Fish Commissioner, 

 writes to Prof. Baird stating that he has invited investigation 

 into the question of the devastation caused by sea-lions in the 

 bays and seas of San Francisco, where they abound in very large 



numbers. They are very voracious, and it is alleged that they 

 destroy hundreds of thousands of pounds of edible fish daily ; 

 whilst fishermen declare that their business is rapidly declining 

 in consequence. Mr. Redding intends to present an exhaustive 

 report to the California Legislature and to the United States 

 Fish Commission. 



The observations that are to be undertaken by the National 

 Fish Culture Association with a view to discovering the effect of 

 certain influences upon marine fishes will be commenced this 

 month. The stations fVom which observations will be made in 

 the first instance are the Seven-Stones, the Royal Sovereign, 

 and the Outer Dowsing. Besides these, other localities will be 

 visited from time to time by observers appointed for the purpose, 

 who will make the most complete investigations as to surface 

 and bottom temperatures of the sea, the density and transparency 

 of the water, the temperature of the air, &c. The question as 

 to the declension in the yield of certain fisheries and the deve- 

 lopment of others will form the subject of inquiry, as will also 

 the question of restoring depleted fishing-grounds to their former 

 fertility. 



A society for popularising the use of scientific methods has 

 been established in France under the name of the Topographical 

 Society. It held its festive meeting on November 8 in the large 

 hall of the Sorbonne ; M. Ferdinand de Lesseps was in the chair. 

 We understand that Messrs. Macmillan and Co. will shortly 

 publish a book on Elementary Algebra, by Mr. Charles Smith, 

 the author of well known and popular treatises on Conic Sec- 

 tions and Solid Geometry. After the severe remarks made by 

 Prof. Chrystal at the last meeting of the British Association on 

 the teaching of elementary algebra, a new work on this subject 

 will be looked for with more than usual interest. 



The Belgian Technical Railway Commission has pronounced 

 in favour of experiments on a large scale with steel railway 

 sleepers. It is announced that the first trial will be made on 

 60 kilometres of line. 



Mr. Eric Stuart Bruce has been carrying on experiments 

 at Chatham for the English Government, with a view to the 

 adoption of his system of military signalling. The official trial 

 of his invention took place on October 17. To test the sig- 

 nalling apparatus the balloon was sent up four or five miles from 

 Chatham and allowed to ascend 500 feet, when a series of 

 sentences were flashed by the Morse system. The oflicers of 

 the Royal Engineers who were deputed to inspect the apparatus 

 have pronounced the experiments "eminently satisfactory." It 

 has been suggested that this translucent balloon may be utilised 

 for other military operations besides signalling— such as for a 

 " point light," for concentrating forces by night ; and owing to 

 the wide area which is illuminated by the balloon, it has been 

 proposed to use it for lighting working parties. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a Macaque Monkey (Macacus cynomolgus S ) 

 from India, presented by Mr. Montague C. Clark ; a Gannet 

 {Su/a litissana), British, presented by Mr. H. Archer ; a Tawny 

 Owl (Syrnium aluco), British, presented by Mr. J. Hillier ; a 

 Greater Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (Cacalua galcrita) from Aus- 

 tralia, presented by Mr. C. A. O. Marsham ; a Squirrel Monkey 

 (Chrysothrix sciurea 9 ) from Guiana, a Ruffed Lemur {Lemur 

 varius i ) from Madagascar, a Macaque Monkey (Macacus cyno- 

 molgus ? ) from India, a Capercaillie ( Tetrao urogallus 6 ) from 

 Norway, deposited ; a Brazilian Tree Porcupine (Sphingurus 

 prehensilis), a Naked-throated Bell -bird {Chasmorhynchus tiudi- 

 aillis) from Brazil, two Blue-winged Teal [Querqucdula cyaiio- 

 plera) from South America, five Lesser Snow Geese {Chen 

 albatus) from Alaska, purchased; five Golden-bellied Beaver 

 Rats {Hydromys chrysogastei-) from Australia, received in ex- 

 change. 



