March i8, 1886] 



NA TURE 



461 



N.W. monsoon came from points of E., and not from W., as 

 might have been anticipated. 



In this journey I found the clouds at the Polar side of the 

 S.E. Trade coming constantly from a point either side of the 

 surface-wind, that is, from S.S.E. to E.S.E. When well in 

 the Trade, the middle clouds always came from some point 

 more east than the surface-wind, or in accordance with the 

 usual circulation of the southern hemisphere. No high cirrus 

 was ever observed. 



We found no doldrum, but ran straight from the 'J'radjs, under 

 a bank of cloud, into the N.W. monsoon, in about 12° S. lati- 

 tude. In that monsoon the low and middle clouds always came 

 a little more from the N. than the surface N.W. wind, or in the 

 manner of the upper winds of the northern hemisphere. AH 

 the high cirri moved from E. or N.E., e-xcept on one occasion, 

 when they came from S. 



The N.E. monsoon which we picked up on the equator 

 was so clear that I only obtained one observation of cirrus which 

 came from N.E. when the surface-wind was N.N.E. The 

 lower layers of cloud usually drove from the same direction as 

 the surface-wind, though on one or two occasions they came 

 from a point more N. than the surface. 



The above results entirely confirm the observations described 

 in my previous letter of a deep S. E. Trade and of an easterly 

 current over the N.W. monsoon. Ralph Abercromby 



Colombo, February 15 



Glacier Bay in Alaska 



I THANK your correspondent, Mr. Cliauncey Thomas, for 

 pointing out my error in describing Glacier Bay as opening into 

 Chilcoot Inlet, and for more exactly indicating its position. 

 When I visited this region I was provided only with a small 

 and inaccurate pocket-map, in which I found it difficult even 

 to trace the course of the steamer, and I was under the impres- 

 sion that the whole of the fiord northward from Chatham Strait 

 was known as Chilcoot Inlet, though my statement would still 

 not be quite correct. 



It may be well to add that my object in arranging my rough 

 field-notes for publication was not to describe the glacier as a 

 whole, but to draw attention to some uncompleted observation ■■ 

 of special geological interest which it seemed to me ought to be 

 made known as indications for future explorers ; and it should 

 be borne in mind that my estimates of heights and distances 

 were only estimates based on opinion, and not on any system of 

 actual measurement. The very limited time at my disposal, and 

 my desire to get over as much ground as possible in that time, 

 precluded the use of more satisfactory methods. 



Bridlington Quay, March 13 G. W. Lamplugh 



A Correction, and the Distribution of Appendicularia 



(i) The specimen which I referred to in Nature (Jan. 7, p. 221) 

 as being probably a new species of Chaloderma, has turned out 

 on a more detailed examination not to be Chjetoderma at all. 

 Therefore I must withdraw the statement that that genus has 

 been found in British seas. 



(2) Can any of your readers who have been using the tow-net 

 round our coasts give me information in regard to the occurrence 

 of the Appendiculariidfc ? Forbes and McAndrew found 

 Appendicularia off the north coast of Scotland in 1845. Allman 

 found it in the Firth of Forth in 1858, and Sanders at Torquay, 

 1873 ; and it has been taken by Huxley on the English coast. 

 It was seen in quantity by Sorby off the south coast of England 

 a couple of summers ago, and I obtained it in Lamlash Bay in 

 1880 and 1S84, in Loch Fyne in 1883, and off the Mann coast 

 in 1885. Apparently it is much commoner and more generally 

 distributed than is usually supposed. I would be glad to hear of 

 any additional records of the occurrence of the Appendiculariidas 

 in our seas. W. A. Herdman 



University College, Liverpool 



Morley's "Organic Chemistry" — Correction 



In my notice of Dr. Morley's "Organic Chemistry" in this 

 week's Nature, the reference to " Ladenburg's synthetic opti- 

 cally-inactive coniine (a-isopropylpiperidine) " (p. 436) contains 

 an inaccuracy. Instead of "coniine" it should read "coniine- 

 base." F. R. Japp 



Normal School of Science, March 11 



"Peculiar Ice-Forms ' 



In Nature, vol. xxxi. p. S, you allowed me to describe, 

 under this heading, a curious and beautiful form of fibrous ice 

 met with near Chamonix, which I, and other of your correspon- 

 dents who discussed the matter, thought to be very unusual, 

 though later communications seemed to show that it is com- 

 moner than we had supposed. 



It may be interesting to note that a day or two ago I came 

 upon the same form of ice in considerable quantity in a very 

 unexpected locality, viz. on the path leading from Gerozano to 

 Lake Nemi, in the Alban Hills. Attention was drawn to the 

 circumstance by the crackling of the ice under foot, otherwise 

 there was no visible indication of its presence except that, where 

 it existed, the path was slightly damp (which was not the case 

 on other parts of it), the dampness being evidently due to the 

 partial melting of the upper stratum of the ice, which was every- 

 where covered with a layer of earth. The ice was almost 

 exactly similar to that found at Chamonix, but only an inch and 

 a half to two inches deep, and in three layers, easily detached 

 from one another, and evidently the result of successive frosts. 



We afterwards found that a bank beside the road between 

 Albano and Frascati was covered with the same formation for 

 several hundred yards ; but it would certainly have escaped 

 detection, being everywhere covered with earth, if our previous 

 discovery had not led us to recognise it. This proves that it 

 may often exist unnoticed. 



The conditions were precisely similar to those under which 

 this particular form of ice has been observed before — viz. a 

 northerly aspect — a very porous soil (in this case volcanic), 

 bright, sunny days, and clear nights with a low temperature. 



Rome, March 12 B. Woodd Smith 



REMARKABLE DISCOVERY OF RARE 

 METALS IN DILUVIAL CLAYS ' 



P)R. STROHECKER, of Frankfort, has carefully 

 -'-^ examined and analysed the clay which is found in 

 the neighbourhood of Hainstadt, near Seeligenstadt, and 

 he has made the remarkable discovery that this clay, 

 which has been largely used for building purposes, con- 

 tains considerable quantities of some of the rare metals, 

 and more especially cerium. The beds are extensive, 

 and consist of layers differing considerably in appearance 

 and composition. 



The composition of picked samples of the two upper 

 layers is as follows : — 



No. I No. 2,1 



SiO., 475444 ••• 58-3331 



TiO, trace. ... — 



AljOg =4'5937 ■•■ 117607 



BeO 6-4399 ■■■ S3833 



Fe.jOg ., o'9i9o ... 06356 



CeI(6H)5 I3'42I4 ... 9-4012 



DiO — ... 08474 



LaO 0-8576 ... 2-6536 



YO — ... 1-6949 



MgO 1-5901 ... 1-8659 



CaCOj 0-8878 ... — 



CaS04 01361 ... 0-2015 



CaO — ... 0-5883 



P.,05 trace ... 2-0691 



K„0 2-3236 ... 0-5648 



NLO 1-2137 ... 0-5838 



NH4CI — ... 0-0529 



Loss on ignition ... — ... 4-1057 



19273 



ICO-7418 



The cerium and yttrium oxides appear to be derived 

 from orthite, which is known to occur in the syenite at 

 Weinheim. The upper layer (No. l) of the clay varies 

 in colour from a bright flesh-colour to a dark cinnamon- 

 brown, indicating that the cerium hydroxide, which is the 

 colouring substance, varies in amount at different points. 

 The bricks made from this clay vary in colour according 

 to the temperature at which they are burnt, the lightly- 

 burnt bricks having an orange-yellow colour, whilst those 



7". 



ni/. pyakt. Che 



18S6, pp. 



