May 29, 1902| 
Although these remarkable mice are commonly called either 
Japanese or Chinese, it appears that their real home is China, 
since they are known in Japan as Nanking mice. In Japan, 
where there were originally a grey and a white breed, these 
mice are kept in cages on account of their well-known dancing 
propensities. After an exhaustive examination of their internal 
auditory organs, the author comes to the conclusion that the 
dancing of these mice is not due, as commonly supposed, to 
disease of the labyrinth, but to the effect of confinement for 
untold centuries in small cages. 
THE German scientific periodical Dée Natur has been dis- 
continued as a separate publication, and is now combined with 
the Naturwissenschaftliche Wochenschrift, edited by Prof. H. 
Potonié and Dr. F, Koerber and published by Gustav Fischer, 
Jena. 
Mr. F. Howarp Cotiins has compiled from Admiralty 
sources a collection of tables showing ‘“‘the magnetic direction 
and neap and spring rates for every hour of the tidal streams at 
forty-eight localities alphabetically arranged between the Nore 
and Scilly Isles.” The latitude, longitude and characteristics 
of each light are stated, and under them are given particulars 
as to directions and rates of neap and spring tides. The tables 
are published by Mr. J. D. Potter at two shillings. 
THE simple experiments in ‘‘ Mensuration, Hydrostatics and 
Heat” given by Mr. G. H. Wyatt in the little book published 
under that title as one of Messrs. Rivingtons’ Handbooks of 
Practical Science, should be familiar to every schoolboy. The 
book has now reached a third edition, and contains a course 
of practical work which can be done with profit by boys in the 
lower forms¥of schools. Not only do exercises of this kind 
develop delicacy of manipulation and minute attention to 
details in the pupils, but they are also of ‘decided value in 
connection with other branches of school work. 
THE additions to the Zoological Society’s Gardens during the 
past week include a Chimpanzee (Anthropopithecus troglodytes) 
from the Gold Coast, presented by Captain Daniel A. Donovan ; 
an Illiger’s Macaw (Ava maracana) from Brazil, presented by 
the Countess of Malmesbury ; a Common Kingfisher (A/cedo 
ispida) British, presented by Mr. J. F. Smith; a Hocheur 
Monkey (Cercopithecus nictitans) from West Africa, deposited ; 
three White-throated Capuchins (Cebus hypoleucus) from 
Central America, a Humboldt’s Lagothrix (Zagothrix humboldt2) 
from the Upper Amazons, purchased ; a Burrhel Wild Sheep 
(Ovis burrhel), a Japanese Deer (Cervus stka) born in the 
Gardens. 
OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 
ASTRONOMICAL OCCURRENCES IN JUNE :— 
June 2. rn. to 15h. 54m. Moon occults 54 Ceti (mag. 
58). 
2. 19h. Om. Venus in conjunction with moon. Venus 
2° 44’ S. 
5. Ith. 58m. tosh. 4om. Transit of Jupiter’s Sat. III. 
9. Saturn. Outer minor axis of outer ring = 15/’"41. 
10. 16h. om. Uranus in opposition to the sun. 
12. 15h.37m.to1gh. 20m. Transit of Jupiter’s Sat. III. 
14. 23h. 36m. Moon in conjunction with a Virginis 
(mag. 1°2). 
15. 10h. 15m. to 1th. 31m. Moon occults 86 Virginis 
(mag. 60). 
15. Venus. Illuminated portion of dise = 0°711. Mars 
= 0989. 
18. gh. 37m. to 10h. 59m. Moon occults vy Scorpii 
(mag. 4°5). 
22a 2au mae in conjunction with moon. Saturn 
Se 1p Ss 
NO. 1700, VOL. 66] 
NAIURE 
115 
June 24. Vesta situated 21’ south of Saturn. 
24. 17h. Jupiter in conjunction with moon. 
5 54’ S. 
26. 12h. 25m. Minimum of Algol (8 Persei). 
29. 9h. 14m. Minimum of Algol (8 Persei). 
Jupiter 
New ALGOL VARIABLE.—Czrcular No. 65 from the Har- 
vard College Observatory announces the detection of a new 
variable on the photographs obtained there. An examination 
of a plate taken on April 3, 1902, for the possible presence of 
comet @ 1902 showed that as compared with a plate of the same 
region obtained on March 7, 1900, the star + 43°'410I was 
abnormally bright. This star is a double, and it is the north 
preceding component which shows the variability, The posi- 
tion is 
IRVACe— 20h. hun 2 
Decl. = + 43° 52’ } (1900), 
More detailed examination showed that the star was generally 
bright and constant in light, so that it must be of the Algol 
type. It is not very distant from the remarkable variable SS. 
Cygni, which precedes it 16m. and is 44’ south. 
The variable is shown at full brightness (about 8*9 magnitude). 
on 388 plates taken between 1889 and 1902, and on 19g it is 
shown as fainter than 9°3 mag. The period appears to be 
about 31°304days. On plotting the light curve from the data 
obtained it appears that the star retains its full brightness for 28 
days. About one day before the minimum it commences to 
diminish, attaining the magnitude 11°5 at od. 43 before minimum. 
The light then remains constant for more than half a day, 
with the minimum magnitude 11°6. The time of increase is 
more uncertain, but apparently is nearly the same as that of 
decrease. The times of the last minimum, with predicted 
future ones, are as below :-— 
Minima. 
m. 
1902 April 28 20 33) GiMad. 
May 30 4 51 
June 30 TZ, 
July 31 19 26 
Sel oh 2 44 
Oct 2 10) 12 
COAST FOG SIGNALS. 
V HEN lighthouse lights and all other seamarks are obscured 
by fog, sound is the only medium by which warning 
signals can be conveyed to mariners. It has been thought that 
it might be possible to transmit such signals by means of etheric 
vibrations ; but assuming such intercommunication were estab- 
lished, it would fail in two most essential requirements for 
assisting the mariner in foggy weather, as it would not give him 
any information as to the direction from which the warning 
message came, nor would it tell him how far distant the signal- 
ling station was. Further developments may in the course of 
time remedy these defects, but from present-day knowledge and 
experience it cannot be said that etheric vibrations are available 
for fog-signal purposes at sea. In a paper recently read before 
the Society of Arts, Mr. E, Price Edwards discusses the present 
position of this question of sound signals and gives some inter- 
esting particulars of the trials carried out at St. Catherine’s 
Point, in the Isle of Wight, last summer. From this it appears 
that for many years past sound-producing instruments of various 
kinds have been employed for uttering warning sounds at 
points of danger on our coasts, and that constant efforts have 
been made to develop instruments yielding sounds of great 
loudness and penetrating power, so as to overcome the numerous 
obstructive influences affecting the propagation of sound through 
the atmosphere. The instrument which has proved most 
effectual for this purpose is the siren, sounded by means of air 
forced through it at a pressure of about 40 lb. on the square 
inch. It is used in the form of a double cylinder, one cylinder 
fixed, the other (inside it) rotating, each cylinder having longi- 
tudinal slits corresponding in number and area, through which, 
as often as they coincide, the air passes. In the trials at St. 
Catherine’s, two flat circular discs with radial slits were tried, 
with very satisfactory results; but this arrangement involves a 
separate motor to rotate the movable disc, whereas the rotation 
of the cylinder siren is effected by the air pressure which 
produces the sound, It is considered that some loss of 
power tand a more or less defective blast result from the 
