Oct. 21, 1886] 
NATURE 
603 
Jeft fora Chinaman. The custom of head-hunting which prevails 
in some districts is mainly intended to prove the valour of the 
young men. On the whole, Mr. Taylor has given us a large 
number of details, classified under various tribes, which were 
not known before. 
In the September number of the Meteorologische Zeitschrift, 
Prof. Hann gives the results of many years’ observations on the 
temperatures of the various parts of the Vienna forest. The 
forest valleys have a considerably lower temperature than the 
open land outside. This difference is smallest in winter and 
greatest insummer. But there is no similar effect during the 
course of the day, for the afternoon difference is not the greatest. 
It is actually least in the warmer hours of the day, and greatest 
in the cooler part. In the early morning and evening the 
influence of the forest in lowering the temperature of the air is 
greatest. 
THe last number (vol. ly. Part 2, No. 2, 1886) of the Fowrnal 
of the Asiatic Society of Bengal has for its first paper a list of 
butterflies taken in Kumaon, a district in the middle portion of 
the Himalayas, lying between Garhwal and Nepaul, by Mr. 
Doherty, of Cincinnati, who spent several months towards the 
close of last year in the expedition. Mr. Doherty’s failure in 
the higher regions bordering on Tibet leads him to advise entomo- 
logists that the three summer months are the only good ones 
for collecting, either on the desert plains of Tibet, or in the deep 
valleys of the Himalayas sheltered by the outer range from the 
violence of the monsoon rains. Dr, Barclay contributes two 
papers—one on a second species of Uredine affecting the Hima- 
layan spruce-fir (Adées Smithiana, Forbes), the first being 
described in the first paper of the present volume ; the second 
paper by the same writer relates also to new species of Uredine 
parasitic in the deodar (Cedrus deodara, Loudon). Mr. Atkin- 
son concludes his six papers on the Indian Riynchota, which 
have been compiled in order ‘‘to provide those who may become 
interested in this order of insects with some guide to their classi- 
fication and arrangement, and was at first devoted to the correction 
of our only English list, but this became so unsatisfactory that it 
was found better to revise the whole on the basis of Stal’s numerous 
and elaborate essays.’ The number of species described under 
each family is: Czcadide, 115; Cercopide, 67; Membracide, 
33; Fasside, 38; Fulgsride, 224. These figures, Mr. Atkin- 
son adds, could probably be doubled in a few years, for the 
number of Fassida alone awaiting examination should add 
several hundred species to the Indian fauna. Dr. King adds three 
apparently new Primulas from the higher parts of the Eastern 
Himalayas to the Primulacee of Sir Joseph Hooker in his 
«Flora of British India.” Finally M. de Nicéville has a paper 
‘© On the Life-History of Certain Calcutta Species of Satyrine, 
with special reference to the Seasonal Dimorphism alleged to 
occur in them.” 
ANOTHER consignment of German carp (Cyfrinus carpio) is 
to be imported by the National Fish Culture Association to meet 
the growing demand for this species, which is superior to its 
congener of this country. The Association, through its secre- 
tary, Mr. Oldham Chambers, has urged upon those possessing 
disused waters to introduce the carp, both the mirror and leather 
species, therein. Although the German carp belongs to the 
same genus as the English, the former is being imported to 
improve the latter, which have deteriorated in flavour and con- 
dition owing to lack of cultivation. The fish will be committed 
to the charge of the Marquess of Exeter’s pisciculturist, who has 
proceeded to Germany for the purpose of bringing them over, 
together with other species. 
AN amusing incident occurred last week at the Colonial and 
Indian Exhibition Aquarium, where a remarkable raven from 
the Isle of Mull is now on view. On being fed it is the habit of 
this bird to hide the remnants of its repast in various parts of its 
habitat, and exhume them when prompted by hunger to renew 
the meal. One day a rat invaded the spot, and commenced to 
excavate for the hidden articles of consumption. Enraged at 
this proceeding, the raven fell upon the rodent, and gored it to 
death after a severe struggle on both sides. 
Messrs. WHITTAKER AND Co. will issue in the course of 
next week ‘‘ On the Conversion of Heat into Work, a practical 
Hand-book on Heat Engines,” by Mr. Wm. Anderson, M.I.C.E. 
THE additions to the Zoological Society’s Gardens during the 
past week include a Rhesus Monkey (A/acacus rhesus 6) from 
India, presented by Mr. T. L. Brewer; a Macaque Monkey 
(Macacus cynomolgus 8) from India, presented by Mr. Walter 
C. Horsley ; a Bonnet Monkey (acacus sinicus g ) from India, 
presented by Mrs. Samuel Lloyd ; a Common Squirrel (Sczwres 
vulgaris), British, presented by Miss F. Westrup ; two Grey 
Seals (Halicherus grypus) from the Island of Canna, N.B., 
presented by Mr. R. Thom; a Varying Hare (Lepus variabzlis) 
from Perthshire, presented by Mr. T. West Carnie ; a Goshawk 
(Astur palumbarius) from France, presented by the Baron 
D’Epremesnil ; a Golden Plover (Charadvius pluvialis), British, 
presented by Mr. G. Smith ; ten Common Vipers (’zfera berus), 
British, presented by Mr. C. F. McNiven ; two Black-footed 
Penguins (Spheniscus demersus) from South Africa, purchased. 
OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN 
Tue Brnary STAR 7 CyGni.—Mr. J. E. Gore (who has 
taken up this branch of astronomy with great vigour) has 
published in the Astronomische Nachrichten, No. 2749, elements 
of the orbit .of + Cygni. Using the measures of Dembowski, 
Burnham, Frisby, and Tarrant, he finds :— 
P = 53°87 years Qa—nosmor 
T = 1863°99 A = 205° 26’ 
€ = 0°3475 a= 119 
y = 44 40! w= — 6°68. 
These elements represent the observations fairly well. It must 
be remembered, however, that the measures only extend over a 
period of ten years, and the orbit must therefore be considered, 
as Mr. Gore states, to be provisional only. 
Tue Lick OBSERVATORY.—We learn from Sczence, vol. viii. 
No. 190, that the following plan has been devised by Prof. 
Holden for the working of the great telescope :—‘‘ We mean to 
put the large telescope at the disposition of the world by in- 
viting its most distinguished astronomers to visit us one at a 
time, and to give to them the use of the instrument during 
specific hours of the twenty-four. Each day there will be 
certain hours set apart when the Observatory staff will relin- 
quish the use of the equatorial to distinguished specialists who 
will come from the United States and from Europe to solve or 
to attack some one of the many unsolved problems of astronomy. 
In this way we hope to make the gift of Mr. Lick one which is” 
truly a gift to science, and not merely a gift to California and to 
its University.” 
Comet BARNARD (1886 f).—Dr. J. von Hepperger has pub- 
lished the following elements and ephemeris for the comet dis- 
covered by Mr. Barnard on October 4 :— 
T = 1886 December 24°3064 Berlin M.T. 
r-2 = 78 56 20 ) 
Q = 140 17 55; Mean Eq. 1886’0. 
t= 93 33 32 J 
log g = 9791236 
Error of middle place (O — C). 
ddcosB =- 8 @dp=-t. 
Ephemeris for Berlin Midnight 
1886 R.A. Decl. Log A Logy Bright- 
i RE ’ ness 
Oct. 22 11 16 13 3 57'6N. 0°2961 0°1434 1°86 
26) Tl) 27eIG a Auer 0'2747 071296 2°21 
30 Il 39 16 5 53°2 0°2520 0'1093 2°66 
Noy. II 52 28 7 17 .N. 0'2281 O'0916 3°22 
The brightness on October 6 is taken as unity. 
