Fune 17, 1886 | 
NATURE 
Sia) 
pharmacy after a “course of three. Independent of the Uni- 
versity are the Military Academy and the Engineering College, 
the last two out of the six years’ course of the latter being spent 
in practical applications. Technical education is divided into 
chemical and mechanical There are higher schools in the 
country for nearly every special purpose; but with all this care- 
fully- proportioned system the titles and objects of thirty societies 
show how thoroughly the English system of voluntary associa- 
tion is making its way as a method of supply to educational 
demand. 
ON presenting to the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences his 
new researches into the language of his ‘‘ Codex Comanicus,” 
published by Count Kunn, Prof. Radloff made a few remarks 
well worthy of attention (Bul/-tin, vol. xxxi. No. 1). After 
haying carefully catalogued all words appearing in the ‘‘ Codex,” 
Prof. Radloff has collected, under each separate word, the words 
akin to it in different Turkish dialets, so as to show their kinship 
at once. It appears that the Comanic dialect belongs to the 
great group of Turkish dialects which M. Radloff describes as 
the Kypchak group; the parent language having been spoken 
from the ninth to the thirteenth centuries by those Tartars who 
inhabited the Steppes from the Altai Mountains to the Black 
Sea, They now comprise the Abakan Tartars, the Barabintsys, 
the Irtysh and Kazin Tartars, and the Kirghizes. The ‘‘Codex” 
thus offers a sample of the o'dest language spoken by the 
Kypchak stem After having concluded his researches into 
this dialect, Prof. Radloff will devote his attention to the Uigur 
languages, for which we have so rich a material; and then he 
will take up the third group of the Saldjuck lanzuagex. Only 
after such an inquiry, he says, may we hope to attain a thorough 
knowledge of the whole of the Turkish languages, because all 
the newer material, and much of the older, belongs to the arti- 
ficial written languages. The Osman and the Jagatai (or East 
Turkish) dialects are not representatives of defined groups of 
dialects, but artificial languages based, the latter on the Uigur 
language, and the former on the Seljuk, with a mixture of dif- 
ferent other dialects. As to the Kazan written language, it is a 
most varied mixture, in which Osman are min zled with Djagatai 
forms, while the people are acquainted with neither of them. 
WE have received the Proceedings of the Windsor and Eton 
Scientific Society for the past year. It contains reports of a few 
lectures on general scientific subjects. We do not see any evi- 
dence of that local scientific work for which these societies are 
so remarkable, and which is the most beneficial outcome of their 
activity. Still, the President, who must be a good judge, in his 
address for the year states that the Society is steadily but surely 
making its mark as one of the many aids to intellectual improve- 
ment which are offered to the people of Windsor and the neigh- 
bourhood by the Albert Institute and the various societies 
associated with it. 
COMMENT was made in this journal on a recent date re- 
specting the enemies of frogs. Mr. W. August Carter, of the 
Fisheries Section of the Colonial and Indian Exhibition, has 
made further observations upon the subject, and finds that the 
tortoise must be added to the list of foes. With a view of sub- 
stantiating this fact Mr. Carter placed some medium-sized frogs 
with several tortoises of the same dimensions, when the latter 
immediately attacked them ferociou:ly, and held them firmly by 
the legs, notwithstanding their efforts to escape. The tortoises 
were, however, unable to devour more thana portion of the leg, 
which they did with much apparent difficulty, the frogs afterwards 
escaping, but only to be recaptured and similarly treated. Con- 
sidering the tortoises measured only 1} inches in length, they 
displayed remarkable courage, whilst their agility was certainly 
greater than that usually displayed by these members of the 
Chelonian family, 
A very large specimen of the Ascension turtle died at the 
Colonial and Indian Aquarium last week. It was the only one 
of this species on view, and had been the object of considerable 
notice on account of its colossal proportions. As a further proof 
of the tenacity of life amongst turtles, it may be remarked that 
this particular specimen had existed more than two months with- 
out food. At its death 100 eggs were found in it, the retention 
of which doubtless proved fatal to the turtle. 
THE additions to the Zoological Society’s Gardens during the 
past week include an Ourang-Outang (Stmia satyrus 9) from 
Borneo, presented by Mr. H. H. Riccard; a White-handed 
Gibbon (/7yZodates Jar) from the Malay Peninsula, a Binturong 
(Arctictis binturong &), a White-whiskered Paradoxure (Para- 
doxurus leucomystax) from Malacca, presented by Mr. Dudley 
Hervey ; a Binturong (Arctictis binturong) from Malacca, pre- 
sented by Capt. Robert Hay ; a Common Genet (Genetla vul- 
garis), South European, presented by Mr. J. Church Dixon; a 
Macaque Monkey (Afucacus cynomolgus  ) from India, presented 
by Miss Grace Balfour; a Green Monkey (Cercopithecus calh- 
trichus §) from West Africa, presented by Mr. Duncan Arm- 
strong ; an Indian Civet (Viverriculs malaccensis 8) from India, 
presented by Capt. Archibald Douglas, R.N.; a Herring Gull 
(Larus argentatus), British, presented by Mr. C. A. Marriott ; 
two Black-billed Tree Ducks (Dendrocygn1 arbor-a), a Violazeous 
Night Heron (Mycticorax violaceus), a Brazilian Cormorant 
(Phalacrocorax brasilianus), a Fugitive Snake (Dremicus fugi- 
tivus) from the Bahamas, presented by Mrs. E. Blake; two 
Mexican Guans (Penelope purpurascens) from Mexico, presented 
by Mr. E. A. Clowes; a Garden’s Night Heron (Wyctecorax 
garden) from St. Kitts, West Indies, presented by Dr. A. Boon, 
F.R.C.S. ; seven Common Vipers (Vipera berus), from Hamp- 
shire, presented by Mr. Walter Blaker; four Three-toed Sand 
Skinks (S:fs wtidactylu:), South European, presented by 
Mr. J. C. Warbury; a Puma (felis concolor) from South 
America, a White-handed Gibbon (Hylodate; lar) from the 
Malay Peninsula, ten Adorned Ceratophrys (Ceratophrys ornata) 
from Buenos Ayres, deposited; two Viscachas (Lagostomus 
trichodactylus 9 2), two Crossed Vipers (Craspedocephalus alter- 
natus) from Buenos Ayres, a South American Flamingo (Phenico- 
plerus ignipalliatus), a Roseate Spoonbill (Platalea ajaja) from 
South America, a Harnessed Antelope (Zvageliphus scriptus), 
two Balearic Cranes (Baleart-a pavonina) from West Africa, 
two Lineated Kaleeges (Zuplocamus lineatus 8 §) from Tenas- 
serim, a Porose Crocodile (Crecodilus porosus) from Ceylon, a 
Bald Ouakari (Brachyurus calvus 6) from Brazil, purchased ; a 
Burrhel Wild Sheep (OQvis durrhel), born in the Gardens. 
OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN 
THe MELBOURNE OBSERVATORY.—We have received Mr. 
Ellery’s Report, dated October 6, 1885, which refers to the year 
ending the previous June 30. The great reflector, after some 
slight repairs, readjustments, &c., is stated to be in excellent 
working order. The work done with this instrument has been 
chie‘ly confined to a revision of southern nebulee, already observed 
by former observers, preliminary to publication. One hundred and 
seventy-two nebulz have been re-observed and re-drawn to com- 
pare with the plates to be published. Many of these nebula have 
been observed twice, and some three times, and none were com- 
pleted until they had been observed on a first-class night. The 
new transit-circle with object-glass of 8 inches aperture, con- 
structed by Messrs. Troughton and Simms, has been in con- 
tinuous use for all the meridian work of the Observatory since 
August 22, 1884, and has proved very satisfactory in every 
respect. The number of right a cension observations obtained 
with this instrument since its erection was 2287, and the 
number of declination observations 983, comprising obser- 
vations of a list of stars selected by Dr. Auwers for 
reduction of zone and Transit of Venus observations, stars 
observed with comets, and stars selected from the Mel- 
bourne zones. All the individual observations are completely 
