224 
NATURE 
[Fuly 8, 1886 
and ears are entirely covered with hair, particularly thick 
on the nose. Her son, Moung Phoset, is more hairy on 
the face and ears than his mother—probably her locks are 
somewhat thinned by age—his forehead is densely clothed 
with hair, which, when combed over his face, entirely 
hides his features, the hair being 12} inches in length ; 
he parts it over the eyebrows and passes it behind his 
ears ; it is also very long on the nose, and being parted 
in the middle and falling over the cheeks gives his face a 
most remarkable resemblance to that of a Skye terrier. 
The suggestion was so strong on my mind that I could 
scarcely divest myself of the canine idea. 
The whole of his body is clothed with soft hair some 
inches in length, but I am informed that he has usually 
had this cut from time to time, so that its natural length 
is not apparent. The hair of Moung Phoset and of his 
mother Mahphoon is very soft and wavy, of a brown 
colour, and utterly unlike the coarse black hair of the 
ordinary Burman. 
Capt. Paperno, who obtained them, and has been 
fifteen years in Burmah, informs me that the dentition of 
all these hairy people has been imperfect, whilst their 
less hairy brethren and sisters have had perfect teeth. 
I have examined a cast of Moung Phoset’s mouth. In 
the upper jaw he has but two canines and two large 
incisors, in the lower jaw two canines and four small 
incisors ; the premolar and molar teeth are quite absent. 
A nephew of Mahphoon, who is exhibited with them, 
has the appearance of an ordinary Burman only. 
I believe that it is owing to the enterprise of Mr. 
Farini that we are enabled to see this singular family in 
London. 
They are both far more hairy than Krao, who was 
exhibited in London some time since, and is now at 
Paris in good health; she was obtained from a district 
east of Burmah, and north of Siam; the features of the 
Burman family are so obscured by hair that I could not 
ascertain whether there was any resemblance to those of 
Krao, nor even whether they were Mongoloid. 
Moung Phoset has been well educated, writes fluently 
in the Burman character and language, and_ possesses 
considerable power in the delineation of objects; like 
many Burmans he is tattooed from below the waist to 
above the knees. 
I have seen a photograph of a brother of Mahphoon 
now dead; he was quite as hairy as his sister, but the 
peculiarity did not, I understand, extend to the whole of 
the family. J. JENNER WEIR 
Chirbury, Beckenham, Kent 
NOTES 
PREPARATIONS are being made by Parisian men of science 
for the celebration of the rooth anniversary of the birth of M. 
Chevreul, on August 31 next. 
A REGULATION as old as the French Academy of Sciences 
has just been broken through in Paris. Women have hitherto 
been excluded from the sittings of the Academy, but at the 
meeting of the 28th ult. the interdiction was raised in favour of 
Mdlle. Sophie Kowlewska, Professor of Mathematics at the 
University of Stockholm, and daughter of the eminent palaon- 
tologist. Admiral Juiien de la Graviére, who presided, 
welcomed her in graceful terms, and said that her presence 
should be a cause of pride and pleasure, not only to the mathe- 
maticians present, but to the whole Academy. 
entered, the whole of the members rose to salute her. 
her place between Gen. Fave and M. Chevreul. 
As she 
She took 
ACCORDING to official decree, the Tokio University and the 
Imperial College of Engineering having been amalgamated into 
the Imperial University of Japan, they now cease to exist. The 
new University comprises five colleges or sections; (1) Law ; 
(2) Medicine; (3) Engineering ; (4) Literature ; (5) Science. 
Each of these, as well as the whole institution, is placed under a 
Japanese director. The director of the Science College is Prof, 
Dairoku Kikuchi, a Cambridge Wrangler, and the same gentle- 
man is acting for the present as head of the Engineering College 
also. The large and splendid buildings erected for the Engineer- 
ing College—the finest pile of European edifices in Japan—will, 
it is said, be used in future as a school for the children of 
nobles, 
HERR FENNEMA, a mining engineer at ‘Buitenzorg, in Java, 
has made some observations on the recent volcanic eruptions in 
that island which are of interest as setting at rest a matter on 
which some doubt has existed. On the authority of Junghuhn, 
the general belief has been that in historic times all the volcanoes 
of Java (and of Sumatra it may be added) had thrown out solid 
matter only, and never those streams of lava which are so cha- 
racteristic of most eruptions. But a careful examination of 
Smeru and Lemongau during the catastrophe of April last year 
shows that this notion must be abandoned as incorrect. The 
former is not only the highest but also the steepest in Java. 
From 700 to 1409 metres the slope is about 6°, up to 2100 it is 
20°, and from 2100 to 3671 metres it is more than 30°. For a 
considerable way from the summit the striking cone consists 
wholly’ of the detritus thrown out regularly by the almost unin- 
terrupted activity of the crater. Up to April 1885 the existence 
of torrents of lava was unknown. On the 12th-13th of that 
month a stream appeared on the south-eastern side, and forced 
the residents on the plantations lower down to fly. The stream 
increased for several days, until it reached a height on the 
mountain-side of about 2100 metres from the level of the sea. 
The loss of life was due to the avalanche of stones sent down 
the steep sides of the mountain by the stream. Similarly, at 
the same time, Lemongau threw out a lava stream, but there 
was a curious difference between this and the one issuing from 
Smeru—the latter was andesitic in its character, while the former 
was basaltic. 
We have received from Mr. Henry Farrar, 6, Hanway 
Street, W., photographs, seven in 
a very extensive collection taken by a native of India, 
Lala Deen Diyal. One consists of the whole view of the 
rapids of Chichai waterfail, near Reira, which are 400 feet 
deep; another, a river view at Indore. The photographs 
themselves are exquisite; in looking at some of them one ° 
might imagine one’s self in the tropics surrounded by the 
wonderful vegetation of that region. ‘lhe tone of them is very 
fine, especially in the one ‘* Channel below the Keuli waterfall,. 
near Reira,” the velvety appearance of the vegetation on the hill- 
sides is in strong contrast with the sharp and clear detail of the 
white and waterworn stones in the river bed. To the various 
lovers of nature as well as students of art and archeology a 
possibility of getting quite perfect photographs of the natural 
and artistic wealth of India at a low price should be very 
welcome. 
Ir is stated that the explorations for coal conducted by Dr. 
Warth in the Salt Range in the Punjab have proved so satis- 
factory that the Government is now arranging for the practical 
working of the seams. Dr. Warth estimates that over one million 
tons are underlying the plateau at Dundote. The coal is not of 
the first quality. It contains iron pyrites and is very friable, 
but it is believed that it will be very useful for the North-Western 
railways. 
WE have received several communications relating to the 
letter signed ‘*P.” in NATURE for May 27, p. 76, on ‘‘ Male 
Animals and their Progeny.” Mr. Arthur Nicols has noticed 
several times a common cock marshalling a brood of chicks, 
number, selected from 
