6l2 



NA TURE 



[April 29, 1886 



been welcomed with great satisfaction in Norway, as it proves 

 that thi-; fish is capable of increasing in almost stagnant waters,- 

 where the Norwegian trout cannot exist, though its size is 

 smaller. As an example of the success of this experiment it 

 may be mentioned that the Norwegian Inspector of Fisheries, 

 Prof. A. Landmark of Christiania, offers these ova at ten 

 shillings per thousand. 



The additions to the Zoological .Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a Garnett's Galago (Galago garnetli): from 

 West Africa, presented by the Rev. W. C. Porter ; a Grey Ich- 

 neumon (Hcrptstcs griseus) from India, presented by Mr. James 

 B. Bevington ; a Common Badger (Meles taxus], British, pre- 

 sented by Mr. E. Gully; a Kestrel {Tinnunculus alaudarius), 

 British, presented by Mr. Baleson-de-Yarburgh ; six Barbary 

 Turtle Doves ( Turtur risoriiis] from Africa, presented by Mr- 

 Richard Seyd, F.Z.S. ; a Roblien Island Snake [Coroneila pho- 

 cnrum) from Robben Island, South Africa, presented by the 

 Rev. G. H. R. Fisk, C.M.Z.S. ; a P.ale-headed Tree Boa 

 (Epia-ates angulifcr) from Cuba, presented by Miss M. Hunt ; 

 an Ogilby's Rat Kangaroo {Hypsiprymnus ogilbyi), a Roseate 

 Cockatoo (Cacatua moluccensis) from Australia, three Poe 

 Honey-eaters (Prosthemadera novir-zealandia], a Huia Bird 



(Heterolocha gonldi), five Gannets (Sula ) from New 



Zealand, deposited; two Collared Fruit Bats {Cynonycleris 

 collarh), born in the Gardens. 



GEOGRAPHICAL NOTES 

 The last number of the China Rcvieiv contains the first ]:)arl 

 of an article by Mr. G. Taylor on that interesting and little- 

 known subject, the aborigines of Formosa. The writer has 

 lived in the extreme south of the island, in daily communication 

 with the people there for four years, and has therefore more ex- 

 perience of the southern type than all previous writers put 

 together. He divides the Formosans south of Takow — that is, 

 the southern peninsula — into four parts : the Paiw.ans, inhabiting 

 the extreme south ; the Pepohuans, or half-castes, of the plains ; 

 the Tipuns, inhabiting the great plain inland from Pilam ; and 

 the Ameirs, who have scattered themselves in small villages 

 along the east coast down to South Cape. Of these, he can 

 speak of the Paiwans from intimate personal observation ; the 

 Ameirs he is also acquainted with ; but in the case of the others 

 he has gathered his information from straggling members who 

 have been found domiciled among the Paiwans. The present 

 instalment is devoted wholly to the latter, Pakuan being the 

 generic name of all the savage tribes on the south coast, and on the 

 west up to Tang-Kang. These, at least, show no traces of the 

 Negrito mixture which is supposed to exist among certain For- 

 mosan tribes. They are of a bright copper complexion, with 

 black, straight hair, of a coarse texture. Mr. Taylor describes 

 their physical features, their traditions of their origin, their arts 

 (which are disappearing through contact with the Chinese), their 

 superstitions and customs. They have a dim belief in the trans- 

 migration of souls, probably derived from Buddhist sources, and 

 think that some souls are, as a mild punishment for minor mis- 

 deeds, condemned to pass into certain animals, where they 

 remain for a time. The Subongs, a northern tribe of the 

 Paiwans, are still almost absolutely independent, and still pre- 

 serve the practice of head-hunting. They have known and 

 wrought iron as far back as their traditions extend ; they wear a 

 ring in the lobe of the ear inserted in a hole formed by gradual 

 expansion, and these ear-rings are the true mark of aboriginal 

 descent, half-castes and Chinese not being allowed to wear them. 

 One tribe of Paiwans, the Koaluts, has the custom of killing off 

 infants when the tribe increases beyond a certain number, the 

 saying being that whenever their tribe increases beyond the tra- 

 ditional limit they are certain to be visited by a pestilence. The 

 paper is very interesting, and the u hole promises to be a work of 

 much ethnological value. 



Telegrams from Cairo and Aden announce the massacre 

 by the Emir of Harrar, in the .Somali country, of the members 

 of an Expedition sent out by the Geographical Society of 

 Milan. The Expedition was under the charge of Count Purro, 

 and, besides the leader, the other victims were the Count 



Montiglio, Prof. Sicata, Dr. Gethardi, Signori Romagnoli, 

 Janin, Bianchi, and two servants. They were set upon by the 

 Emir with 200 soldiers between Geldessa and Arton. 



According to information received in Paris, M. Barral and 

 his wife, who had set out from Obock to explore a great part of 

 Abyssinia and to establish commercial relations in the country, 

 were murdered by the Danakils on the frontiers of Shoa. 



The Izvestia of the East Siberian branch of the Russian Geo- 

 graphical Society are appearing now in a new shape, similar to that 

 of the Izvestia o{l\\^ St. Petersburg GeographicalSociety. The last 

 issued fascicule contains a short account of the geological excur- 

 sions undertaken by the Society during the years 1883 and 1884. 

 M. Dubroff continues the report of his journey to Mongolia, in 

 which he givesmuch valuable topographicalinformation concerning 

 the valleys of the rivers Baikoy, Eder, Delgir-Moria, and Selenga, 

 as also some ethnographical notes. M. Cherski contributes a 

 paper containing the geological observations he has made during 

 a journey from Irkutsk to the river Nijnia Tunguska. .\good 

 deal of attention was paid by the author to the geological 

 features of the valley of the Middle Lena (from Kachug to 

 Kirensk), which had been visited formerly by many explorers 

 (Zlobin, Erman, Stchukin, Meglicki, Middendorff, Krapotkin, 

 and Chekanefski), but never made a subject of special in- 

 vestigation. M. Cherski found there in the red sandstone of 

 the valley some valuable exterior casts of shells similar to those 

 of Orlhls, but unfortunately the specimens were subsequently 

 spoiled on their way to St. Petersburg, and therefore the ques- 

 tion concerning the origin of the red sandstone still remains 

 open. Finally he describes the Mammalia which now inhabit 

 the valley of Nijnia 1 unguska, as also those which inhabited it 

 during the Palaeolithic period, such as Bos priscus, Bos priini- 

 geiiius. Rhinoceros tichorrhinits, Elepkas printigenius, Cervus 

 canadensis, and Castor fiber, the last three having only dis- 

 appeared in recent time. 



Dr. Konrap Keller, of the Ziirich University, is about to 

 start on a scientific exploring expedition to Madagascar. The 

 Swiss Ministers of Agriculture, Commerce, and Internal Affairs, 

 the Mercantile Society of Zurich, and the East Swiss Com- 

 mercial Geographical Society will jointly bear the cost of the 

 expedition. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN 



The Parallax of '!/• Aurig.*. — Herr W. Schur, of Strass- 

 bourg, has published in the Astronomische Nachrichten, 

 No. 2723, a determination of the parallax of this double- 

 star, deduced from a series of measures of position-angles 

 and distances of the components made by him with the 6-inch 

 refractor of the Strassbourg Observatory, on thirty even- 

 ings between January 14, 1883, .and January 29, 1885. Trans- 

 forming the observed position- angles and distances into Aa. cos 5 

 and A5, and attempting, first, to determine corrections to the 

 assumed proper motions of the brighter star (talven from 

 Auwer's Fundamental-Catalog.), Herr Schur finds — 



Correction to assumed proper motion in Aa cos S — + o"'o75 

 ± o"-027, TT = + o"'i6i ± o"-036. 



Correction to assumed proper motion in AS = -f o"'OI3 

 ± o"'02i, TT = - o"'oii ± o"'o96. 



Combining the two values of the parallax resulting from the 

 differences of R.A. and declination respectively, there results 

 T = -t- o"-i40 ± o"-034. An examination of the measures of 

 this double-star, made from Herschel's time on, shows that there 

 is no perceptible orbital motion in the system, but also shows that 

 this comparatively large correction to the assumed proper motion 

 in Aa cos 5 is inadmissible. Putting, therefore, these corrections 

 to the assumed proper motions = o in his equations, the cir- 

 cumstances being unfavourable for their determination, Herr 

 .Schur finds — 



From differences of R.A., 

 Deck 



+ d'-i26± o"-036 

 - o"-oo9 ± o"'094 

 and, finally, ir = -I- o"-iii ± o"-034. It is to be remarked 

 that this valuf! refers to the fainter star of the pair (m.ag. g'o, that 

 of the other component being 5 '3 according to Struve's estimate), 

 in the observations the place of this star having been referred 

 to that of the brighter one. Herr Schur thinks he is justified in 

 asserting that the parallax of this star is at least o"'I, — a remark- 

 able result considering the fixity of the object. 



