ApJ'il 2 2, I 



NA TURE 



591 



vations of the barometer and thermometer every qnarter of an 

 hour from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Greenwich time), with a view to 

 ascertain what the effect of the eclipse is on the atmosphere 

 during totality, a point on which our knowledge is very limited. 

 Proper forms for recording the observations, and full details of 

 instructions, are issued gratis by the Office. 



At a recent meeting of the Russian Physical Society, M. B. 

 Sreznewski pointed out some remarkable oscillations of the 

 barometer during the series of atmospheric storms which had 

 passed over Western Europe and Russia from December 12 to 

 17 last; namely, the sudden appearance on December 12 in 

 Western Europe of a considerable barometric minimum in a 

 region of very eqiially spread high atmospheric pressure ; 

 secondly, the very low range of the barometer at Nicholaistadt 

 in Finland, as low as 7i7'6mm. ; and thirdly, the remarkable 

 occurrence of a barometric minimum in Western Russia, which 

 brings the author to conclusions similar to those which served 

 M. Brownoff as a basis for his recently published theory of the 

 movement of cyclones. 



In the month of January shocks of earthquake were felt in 

 several parts of Sweden and Norway. The shock which we 

 reported as having been felt in several parts of Central Norway 

 on January 2 was also felt in several parts of Central Sweden. 

 On January 21, at 9.55 p.m., another shock was felt in and 

 around the town of Hernosand, on the Baltic, going in a direc- 

 tion east to west, and shaking houses and fixtures. On the 

 following morning, at about 5 o'clock, another but fainter shock 

 was felt in the same district. In one place two shocks were felt 

 in quick succession. 



A REPORT has been received from Tschembar, in .Siberia, 

 giving an account of some remarkable phenomena observed at 

 that place on the night of January 3-4 last. At about i a.m. a 

 meteor was suddenly seen rushing across the town, being accom- 

 panied by sudden gusts of wind, and bursting with a terrific report 

 near the high-road outside the town, and killing a horse before a 

 cart. The peasant who was driving it was so frightened that he 

 was unable to give any details of the occurrence, believing that 

 it was a " fire-dragon " which had slain his horse. Ten minutes 

 later a loud report as of an explosion was heard, on which the 

 commander of the garrison in the town ordered a pitrol to pro- 

 ceed at once to the gunpowder magazine, as he believed it had 

 been blown up. This official had hardly issued the order when 

 a second and more terrific report was heard, accompanied by a 

 violent vibration of the earth, which Lasted half a minute. 

 During the shock several houses fell in, and the thick ice on an 

 adjacent lake was broken, the blocks being piled one upon the 

 other. A shock and a similar report were observed at the same 

 time at a town twenty versts distant. 



Arrangements are being made by the Canadian Commis- 

 sioners at the forthcoming Colonial and Indian Exhibition to 

 hatch and rear large numbers of Salmonidas and other fish in- 

 digenous to the waters of Canada. Consignments of trout and 

 whitefish ova have already arrived at the Exhibition, and are 

 rapidly becoming incubated. 



The Joti'-nalol the Asiatic Society of Bengal, vol. liv. part ii. 

 No. 3 (December 18S5) contains two valuable papers on Indian 

 entomology. Mr. E. T. Atkinson enumerates fifty-one species 

 of Fulgoridse (including the Indian lanthorn flies), of which 

 several are indicated as new, and there are copious local (and 

 other) notes on already known forms. Prof K. Forel, who has 

 paid so much attention to ants in general, enumerates twenty-six 

 Indian species contained in the collection of the Calcutta 

 Museum, with one or two new forms. The only other paper in 

 the part is of a thoroughly practical nature, viz. by Mr. A. 

 Pedlar " On the Cause of the Corrosion of Indian Tea Chests." 



The author sums up by stating that tea if properly cured has no 

 power to corrode lead, but the corrosion is usually due primarily 

 to acetic acid derived from the unseasoned wood of which the 

 chests are too often made. 



Dr. Meyer has recently issued an "Album of Philippine 

 Types" (Dresden, 1885), containing thirty-two photographic 

 plates, with altogether about 250 figures of natives of Luzon and 

 Mindanao, the two largest islands in the Archipelago. Some of 

 these were originally taken by Dr. Meyer himself in the year 

 1872, when he spent some time in the Philippines ; for the 

 others he is indebted to Herr C. Heinszen, of Hamburg, Dr. 

 W. Joest, of Cologne, and Dr. A. Schadenberg, of Glogau. 

 Two plates with nine figiires are devoted to the little-known 

 Bagobos tribe of South Mindanao ; all the rest to the motley 

 populations of Luzon. Here are figured a large number of 

 Negritos (.'Vetas) and half-caste Malayo-Negritos ; Tinguianes, 

 and Igorrotes from the northern and western districts ; Ibilaos ; 

 Ilongotes from the province of Nueva Vizcaya, and Tagalas 

 of every variety (pure, and half-caste Spanish, Chinese, and 

 Negrito Tagalas) from Manilla and other districts. The accom- 

 panying letterpress gives a brief description of the several 

 figures, the reader being referred for fuller information to Prof. 

 F. Blumentritt's valuable treatise on the ethnography of the 

 Philippines, which appeared in Pdermanti s Mitlheilungen, 

 igsheft 67, 1882. 



The library of the Conservatoire des Arts et Metiers is to be 

 lighted by electricity. It is the first Parisian library which will 

 enjoy this advantage. The inauguration will take place next 

 week, on the occasion of the meeting of the several scientific 

 Congresses, which generally assemble in Paris during the week 

 following Easter. 



At the January meeting of the Russian Chemical Society, 

 Prof. Mendeleeff communicated some results of his investiga- 

 tion into the thermic effects of dilution of sulphuric acid with 

 water. The maximum evolution of heat and the maximum con- 

 traction of 100 parts of the solution both correspond to the 

 solution containing from 65 to 75 per cent, of H„SOj, which is 

 very near to the hydrate H„SO|j = S(HO)|j. Together with 

 some other observations this leads the author to the conclusion 

 that there exist at least five more or less constant hydrates of 

 sulphuric acid, as H2SO4, H4SO5, H^SOs. and two more con- 

 taining a large amount of water, as II2SO4 + looH^O. 



Consignments of grayling ova have been received by the 

 National Fish Culture Association and the Buckland Museum. 

 Considering the present period of the year, the fry are unusu- 

 ally late in becoming incubated, but this may be accounted for 

 by the fact that, the past winter being very severe, it has greatly 

 retarded the development of fish life. The ova are fully-eyed, 

 however, and in some instances a few newly-born fish are 

 issuing therefrom. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a Pudu Deer {Ptidua humilis), five Chilian 

 Sea-Eagles {Geranoaeliis melanoleiicus), two Siskins {Ckrysomitris 

 barbata), a Diuca Finch [Diiica grisea), two Auriculated Doves 

 {Zenaida auriculata) from Chili, a King Vulture [Gypagus papa) 

 from Tropical America, five Capoeira Partridges ( Odoiitophorus 

 diiitatus) from Brazil, two Barn Owls {Strix flammea) from 

 America, an Antarctic Skua {SUrcorarim antarctkus) from the 

 Antarctic Sea, presented by Mr. Harry Berkeley James, F.Z.S. ; 

 a Greater Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (Cacatiia gaUrita), a 

 Barnard's Broadtail {Platycercus barnardi) from Australia, pre- 

 sented by Lord Braybrooke, F.Z.S. ; a Greater Sulphur-crested 

 Cockatoo (Cacalua galerita) from Australia, presented by Mr. 

 W. Woods ; six Field Frogs (Rann an-aUs) from Breslau, pre- 

 sented by Mr. G. A. Boulenger, F.Z.S. ; fourCalifornian Quails 



