Dec. lo, 1885] 



NATURE 



137 



island, swarming over every- district, from tlie heiglits of the 

 fjelds to the flats of the tundra, and from the interior to the 

 most exposed rocks along the 'coasts. Till 1S74 the mouse 

 family was unknown on the island, the oldest inhabitants never 

 having seen one of the species prior to that date, when the gray 

 mouse (Mas musciilus) unexpectedly made its appearance, 

 having probably been introduced in a cargo of flour from San 

 Francisco. The advent of these pests was followed a few years 

 later by that of the more destructive brown field-mouse, a phe- 

 nomenon which the simple natives explain to their own satisfac- 

 tion by assuming that the shorter-tailed rodent is a descendant 

 of the long-tailed gray mouse, which had thus changed its colour 

 and appearance the better to adapt itself to its novel terrestrial 

 life. Mednij is still free from these undesirable immigrants, but 

 the fact is not regarded in the light of a happy exemption by 

 the inhabitants, who, considering this short-tailed little quadru- 

 ped as specially adapted for a domestic pet, petitioned the 

 authorities to provide them with an adequate supply. Their 

 eager desire for the acquisition of rodents has, fortunately for 

 them, been only so far complied with that, in place of the 

 coveted voles, a few rabbits were sent to tlie island. 



Natiiren draws attention to the notices to be found among 

 .Scandinavian authorities of the observation in past times of the 

 same after-glow in the sky which has in recent years been made 

 the subject of so much discussion. Thus we learn from a 

 Danish journal that the glow in the skies observed in 1636 by 

 seamen navigating the northern seas was ascribed 'at the time to 

 the eruption of Hecla which occurred in that year. From the 

 sime source we derive a circumstantial notice of a similar phe- 

 nomenon observed in Copenhagen on May 29, 1783, which 

 continued, with slight variations, till the close of the following 

 September. In the months intervening between these dates the 

 heavens were illumined by a constant red glow, although the 

 sun appeared by day like a faint disk, and was wholly invisible 

 at its rising and setting. The air is said to have remained 

 unaffected by cold or heat, rain, or dry weather. The super- 

 stitious were not slow in interpreting these unwonted phenomena 

 to portend great national troubles, while some persons even 

 regarded them as the immediate forerunners of the end of the 

 world. After a time, however, news reached Denmark that 

 there had been an unusually violent eruption of the Skapta 

 Jokul in the previous spring, and thenceforth a conjecture was 

 advanced that the remarkable redness of the sky might, as in 

 1636, be connected with the great outbreak of volcanic energy 

 in Iceland. 



A NEW discovery of apatite is reported from Slavanger, where, 

 about 30 kilometres east-south-east of the spot at which Herr 

 Enoksen found this mineral last summer, its presence has .again 

 been detected in a granitic formation near Lerwik. Here it 

 appears in a finely granulated form intermixed with nickel and 

 magnetic iron pyrites, the masses varying in size from 18 to 

 38 inches in diameter, and lying detached in a dark deposit, 

 which is believed to be mica diorite. In the matter of mineral 

 finds of real value the Stavanger district has been specially 

 favoured in recent times, and we are glad to learn that the 

 .sanguine expectations excited by the accidental discovery in 

 188 1 of a zinc mine near the head of the Sovdefjord, have been 

 fully justified by the result of the yields. On a more careful 

 examination it has been ascertained that these mineral deposits 

 extend horizontally for a distance of 80 metres, while they have 

 been traced to a depth of 60 metres. The ore is blende, or 

 sulphide of zinc, which appears in fiat perpendicular masses, 

 from 50 centimetres to 4 metres in thickness. 



The Russian Government has assigned the sum of 255,500 

 roubles to be expended during the year 1886 in new geodetical 

 surveys in Ferghana, the territories bordering on China, the 

 Usuri district, the Transcaspian p-ovince, and Finland. 



The Government of Tasmania are making arrangements upon 

 a large scale for naturalising lobsters, crabs, turbot, brill, and 

 other European fishes in the waters of that country. The 

 various consignments will be shipped at Plymouth, and trans- 

 ported through the medium of the steamship companies 

 trading between London and Hobart. An exhaustive report 

 has been published by the Government of Tasmania, setting 

 forth the objects in view, and giving suggestions for carrying 

 them into effect. The report adds that while the achievement 

 of the acclimatisation of European fishes would lay the founda- 

 tion of new and very valuable fishing industries in Tasmania, it 

 might also prove a highly remunerative commercial enterprise 

 to the shipping firms under whose auspices the operations wil 

 be conducted. Applications have been made in various quarterl 

 for supplies of fish, which have been satisfactorily responded to. 

 Special tanks are being prepared, as well as apparatus, in order 

 to provide for the necessities of the fish en route which, it is 

 anticipated, can be transmitted with little difficulty. The 

 success that has hitherto attended the acclimatisation of certain 

 European fishes in New Zealand has had the effect of inspiring 

 the Government of that colony with considerable enterprise in 

 developing their fisheries. They are now about to collect the 

 ova of Salmoitidic from English waters in large numbers through 

 the instrumentality of the National Fish-Culture Association, 

 and other bodies, with a view to rearing the fry in New Zealand. 

 A shipment of eggs will also shortly be sent to Australia, where 

 great success has attended the introduction of our fishes, except 

 in a few instances, when failure resulted more from misadventure 

 than from the impracticability of the attempt. 



A DREADFUL earthquake occurred in Algeria on the night of 

 December 3-4. The centre of commotion seems to have been 

 located near IVI'sila, a small town in the interior. The place 

 was disturbed a second time on the following morning. The last 

 commotion was more destructive than the first. The number of 

 victims is estimated at one hundred. The commotion was felt 

 at Setif and at Moscara, whose distance is about 400 kilo- 

 metres. Their direction was east to west. The difference was 

 7 seconds at Setif, and SJ at Moscara, where three differ- 

 ent shocks were felt. The commotion was noted also in 

 Algiers without any accident being recorded. According to 

 latest news, the series of earthquakes is continuing with un- 

 abated energy. We learn that on the night of the 4th to 

 the 5th inst. a port of Bousaada, a town of 6000 inhabitants, 

 almost exclusively Arabs, has been partially destroyed. The 

 church and seventy-one houses have been demolished ; the 

 victims are not numerous, all the population having encamped 

 in the fields. This town is the centre of a large market, 

 celebrated in all the south of the province of Algiers, 254 kilo- 

 metres south of the city. Another telegram states that 

 other commotions were felt on the 5th at M'sila for the 

 second time. These last shocks are reported very heavy ; 

 time, 2 and 4 p.m. The time appears to have been the same 

 at M'sila. 



Our Paris correspondent writes that in relation to the balloon 

 which is said to have been seen over Bermuda in September, 

 no ascent took place in France which can account for it. 



We learn with regret that M. de Mortillet, the sub-Director of 

 the Prehistoric Museum at St. Germain, has been obliged to 

 resign owing to his election to the French Lower House as a 

 Member for Versailles. A competition has been opened to 

 fill up the post vacated by his resignation. The Society of 

 Anthropology and similar scientific institutions have signed a 

 recommendation to the Minister of Public Instruction on behalf 

 of M. Adrien de Mortillet, who has been associated with his 

 father in the publication of his recent works on prehistoric 

 science. 



