-,26 



NATURE 



[Fed. 4, 1886 



inanent diamagnetic polarity analogous to the permanent para- 

 magnetic polarity of hard steel. The property of retention of 

 diamagnetisation is, however, found to be possessed by rock 

 crystal. Both those specimens which show right-handed and 

 left-handed optical properties are alike in this respect, and tlie 

 axis of diamagnetisation appears to be independent of the crys- 

 lallographic axis, and dependent only on the axis of initial 

 magnetisation. Dr. Tumlirz, whose investigation is published 

 in If'ieciemaytn's Annalen, appears to think that these facts 

 negative Be'cquerel's theory of diamagnetism. 



We regret to announce the death of Dr. Oskar Schmidt, the 

 eminent Professor of Zoology at Strasburg University ; he 

 died on the 17th ult. Also of Dr. Nikolaus Friedrich von 

 Tschudi, the well-known author of the "Thierleben der Alpen- 

 welt." He died at Melonenhof, near St. Gallen, aged sixty-five 

 years. 



M. Faye h.as been appointed President of the Bureau des 

 Longitudes for 1 886. 



Dr. W. H. Stone will deliver the Lumleian Lectures this 

 year on April 8, 13, and 15, the subject being "The Electrical 

 Conditions of the Human Body." 



Two young persons, natives of the central part of Paraguay, 

 are being exhibited at the Westminster Aquarium possessing an 

 abnormal development of hair on the body, a condition to which 

 the term hypertrichosis is applied. One of these is a girl of 

 about eighteen years of age ; the other, her brother, aged six 

 years. In the former the whole of the back is covered with hair 

 about one centimetre in length, which extends in the region of 

 the waist to the anterior surface of the body. In addition to this 

 continuous tract of hair there are numerous small patches of 

 varying size distributed irregularly over the face, trunk, and 

 extremities. In the boy the hair tract on the back begins imme- 

 diately below the level of the lower angles of the scapulze and 

 extends downwards on the body and extremities almost to the 

 bend of the knees. There are likewise on the body several 

 patches covered with hair, the largest of which is about the size 

 of the palm of the hand, and situated on the front of the thigh ; 

 the other patches vary in size from about one to two centimetres 

 in diameter. Contrary to what might have been expected, there 

 is no development of hair in the mesial line of the body in front, 

 or on the cheeks, chin, or upper lip, as is sometimes seen in such 

 cases. In both cases the skin is deeply pigmented, of a dark 

 brown hue wherever the abnorm.al hair is developed, and on the 

 back of the girl and outer side of the thigh of the boy there is a 

 large and partially filled cist present immediately below the skin. 

 The cist on the boy's thigh seems to be entirely unconnected 

 with the bursa over the trochanter of the femur with which it 

 might be imagined it had some connection. In the family history 

 there is nothing to account for the occurrence of the abnormal 

 condition presented by these two members of the family. The 

 parents are in all respects reported to be normal, as are the 

 other members of their family, which consists of four children in 

 all. In no other respect do the two abnormal members of the 

 family present any peculiarity, such, for example, as in the growth 

 of the teeth, which is not unfrequently found to accompany extra 

 development of hair. Cases of this kind occasionally occur in 

 different parts of the world. The hairy family from Burmah has 

 been the subject of several notices some years ago, and more 

 recently a child from the same country was exhibited at the 

 Aquarium. Several other cases have been recorded, however, 

 occurring in Russia and difterent parts of America, and other 

 places. The hair sometimes occurs universally spread over the 

 body, when the term hyptrtrichosis tmiversalis is applied to it, 

 or in patches more or less extensive, /lypertrickosis partialis, as 

 in the present instances. 



One of the most appreciated organs of French anthropology, 

 the Rn'ue d'Anlhropologie of Paris, founded in 1872 by Paul 

 Broca, and continued since the death of that distinguished savant 

 by Dr. Paul Topinard, inaugurates the third series this year 

 with the co-operation of the most distinguished representatives 

 of the various branches of anthropological science. Amongst 

 these we notice the names of Dr. Gevarret, Director of the 

 Ecole d'Anthropologie ; Dr. Mathi.as Duval, Director of the 

 I.aboratoire d'Anthropologie de I'Ecoledes Hautes Etudes ; the 

 Marquis de Nadaillac, whose works on prehistoric archjeology 

 have been translated into several languages ; Gen. Faidherbe, 

 Great Chancellor of the Legion d'Honneur, and well-known 

 for his philological works ; Prof, de Quatrefages ; .Dr. Hamy 

 and Louis Rousselet, who highly represent ethnography ; Baron 

 Larrey ; Jules Rochard, of the Medical Service of the French 

 Navy ; D'Arbois de Jubainville, of the Institute ; and several 

 others. The editorship of the Kevtie W<!A be retaiued by Dr. 

 Paul Topinard, the General Secretary of the Anthropological 

 .Society of Paris, and author of the " Elements d'Anthropologie," 

 a work to which we recently called the attention of our readers, 

 and for which we are glad to learn the author has been awarded 

 one of the annual prizes of the Academic des Sciences. 



The first Report upon the Fauna of Liverpool Bay and 

 the Neighbouring Seas, written by the members of the Liver- 

 pool Marine Biology Committee, and edited by Prof. W. A. 

 Herdman, D.Sc, will be published during the present month, in 

 the form of an octavo volume of about 300 pages, illustrated by 

 six plates and a map. 



An exploring expedition was to start from Tiflis on the 2nd 

 inst. , with the object of thoroughly investigating the natural 

 history of Khor.assan. It will be under the direction of Dr. 

 Radde, who will take charge of the botanical department and 

 of the zoology of the higher animals. Dr. Walter, who was 

 lately assistant to Prof. Haeckel at Jena, will have charge of the 

 lower animals. M. Kontjin will be the geologist, and two gene- 

 ral assistants will complete the scientific portion of the expe- 

 dition. It is hoped that their work will be finished by the end 

 of August. A number of specialists will be charged with the 

 task of examining and describing the collections with a view to 

 publication ; and it has been already arranged that Dr. Boettger, 

 of Frankfort, will deal with the moUusca, M. Strauch, of St. 

 Petersburg, with the reptiles and amphibia, and Dr. Radde 

 with the birds. It is understood that the Emperor has expressed 

 a strong personal interest in the expedition. 



The Parisian authorities systematically liquefy the snow with 

 salt, except on macadamised streets (where the process causes 

 disaggregation of the stones). This practice has obtained since 

 1881. Rock-salt is used, costing in Paris about 31 francs a ton. 

 Large quantities are stored in the beginning of winter .at different 

 places, and when a snowfall occurs a number of workmen repair 

 to these, and each fills a barrow, and takes it to sprinkle on that 

 part of the streets assigned to him. The salt produces its full 

 effect only when the passage of vehicles has mixed it sufficiently 

 with the snow. In two or three hours liquefaction is so far 

 advanced as to allow of the streets being swept. The salt is 

 little used on pavements. Paris spent about 220,000 francs on 

 the fall of snow of December 8 to 10 last ; the thickness of the 

 layer varied from 2i to 4 inches. The quantity of salt used was 

 about 125 grammes on an average per square metre ; the cost of 

 it was only about an eighth of the total expense (sweeping cost 

 3 to 4 centimes per square metre). The employment of salt in 

 the way indicated is found to effect a considerable economy on 

 previous methods. 



Some experiments on a large butcher's dog, with reference to 

 the effects of sundry beverages on digestion, have been recently 



