Sept. 7, 1 882 J 



NA TURE 



47i 



of Finland early in August, and that observations commenced 

 there on the 15th ult. as intended. 



M. RABOT, a member of the French Geographical Society, 

 has failed from Tromsoe to Spitzbergen for a private exploration. 

 This is the first lime that a French ship has been in these seas 

 for exploring purposes since La Siloisse was sent during the 

 reign of Louis Philippe, under the command of Blosseville. 

 This ship was lost, and nothing was ever heard either of it or 

 any of the crew. 



We notice a good book of travel in Servia, published by 

 Franz Scherer under the title, "Bilder aus dem Serbischen 

 Volks- und Familien-leben." 



There lias just been published an elaborate work on the 

 present state of silk-worm culture in Southern Russia and Trans- 

 Caucasia, giving an accurate description of the whole of the 

 culture, and a complete bibliography of works on the subject 

 that have appeared since 1703. It is published in connection 

 with the Moscow Exhibition, by the Moscow Agricultural Society, 

 with many plates of drawings. 



We have received part 3, vol. iii. of ihe Transactions of the 

 Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists' Society. We observe from 

 the presidential address that the strengtr/of the Society continues 

 to increase, the present number of members being 234 as com- 

 pared with 204 in the previous year ; the financial position of 

 the Society is also satisfactory. Amongst the published papers 

 is a biographical notice of the late Dr. S. P. Woodward, by his 

 son, Mr. H. B. Woodward, F.G. S. This memoir forms one of 

 a series which the Society is publishing of distinguished naturalists 

 connected with ihe county of Norfolk. A paper on the extensive 

 destruction of the Loml ardy poplar, contributed by Mr. H. D. 

 Geldack, has also more than local interest. Mr. Stephenson's 

 paper on the plumage of the waxwing contains some valuable 

 additions to the history of this beautiful and singular bird. 

 Additions to the fauna of the county are made in the Mammalia 

 by Mr. Southwell, Hymenoptera by Mr. Bridgman, the Tortri- 

 cidce by Lord Walsingham, and to the Flora by Mr. A. W. 

 Bennett, F. L. S. There are also papers on the noteworthy 

 springs and spas of Norfolk by Mr. H. B. Woodward, F. G. S. 

 the herring fishery of 1881, and some interesting notes on the 

 habits of the nightingale, extracted from a letter written to the 

 Rev. R. Sheppard in 1819. In addition there are ornithological 

 and entomological notes from Mr. F. D. Power, Mr. Frank 

 Norgate, and Mr. Stevenson. 



Messrs. Piper and Carter have issued a new edition (the 

 fifth) of Capt. Abney's " Instruction in Photography." The 

 whole of the work has been revised, sixty pages of new matter 

 added, and the latest details as to the gelatine emulsion process 

 given. 



We have received from Mr. Stanford other two war maps. 

 One of Lower Egypt, on the scale of 4 miles to the inch is ex- 

 tremely minute in detail, and v. ill be found of great service in 

 following operations. The other contains a map of the Nile 

 Delta, a plan of Cairo and its environs, the towns and ports of 

 Suez, Ismailia, Port Said, and a general map showing the Suez 

 Canal and Cape routes to India. 



The English Government having sent to Egyr t theee of the 

 Woolwich balloons, we may remind our readers that balloons 

 were taken out by the French army in 1794. But it was impos- 

 sible for Buonaparte to use them, the furnace for the preparation 

 of pure hydrogen having been lost when the French fleet was 

 annihilated by Nelson in Aboukir Bay. Conte, the engineer of 

 the aeronauts, was created the head of Cairo arsenal, and 

 Coutelle, their captain, was sent on a scientific mission to Upper 

 Egypt. Ihe diameter of these French balloons being small (10 



metres), thtir cat acity was only 520 cubic metres ; they were of 

 silk, and always inflated with pure hydrogen, which was pre- 

 pared by the action of steam on iron filings. 



An exhibition of considerable interest has been opened at the 

 Royal Aquarium, consisting of a Javanese "Gamelon" or 

 orchestra, of fourteen male and four female performers. There 

 is a variety of percussion instruments and one stringed 

 instrument stated to be a violin of the Chinese type. The 

 females go through one of their native dances, if their 

 peculiar postures and movement of limbs and head may be re- 

 garded as a dance. From an ethnological point of view, the 

 exhibition is well worth a visit by those who have not had an 

 opportunity of seeing the Javanese at home. With considerable 

 general likeness, there is really great diversity of feature, one or 

 two of the faces being almost European in type. 



The Swedish Government has decided not to prohibit vivi- 

 section in that country, in spite of the appeal made to them by 

 the Diet in reference hereto last session. 



About forty male pupils of the Parisian public schools who 

 have taken honours have been sent on a visit to London. The 

 Socicte Nationale Francaise have made arrangements for their 

 board and guidance. The same number of laureates were sent 

 to Central France. 



Two very large and. splendid catseyes were exhibited at the 

 conversazione of the British Association at Southampton by Mr. 

 James R. Gregory. These were said to be the largest in the 

 world ; one of them measured 3 inches in length and i\ in. in 

 breadth, and weighed 359 carats, or nearly 2\ ounces ; the other 

 is somewhat smaller, weighing 308 carats. They are both 

 remarkably fine stones. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include two Southern River Hogs (Potamocharus 

 africanus i 9 ) from South Africa, presented by Col. J. H. Bow ker 

 and Mr. John Dunn ; a Hairy-footed Jerboa (Dipus hirtipes) 

 from Jeddah, presented by Mr. Lionel Adams ; a Himalayan 

 Bear (Ursus tibetanus 9 ) from North India, presented by Mr. 

 E.J. Coope ; an Indian Chevrotain (Tragulus meminna) from 

 India, presented by the Hon John Stoddart ; a Macaque Monkey 

 [Macacus cynomolgus) from India, presented by Mrs. Crawford ; 

 two Crimson-winged Waxbills (Pytelia phoenicoptera) from West 

 Africa, presented by Mr. Albert Krehl ; a Four-coloured Shrike 

 (Laniarius quadricolor) from South Africa, presented by Col. J. 

 H. Bowker; a Red Brocket (Cariacus rufus 9) from Brazil, a 

 Grey Squirrel (Sciurus cinereus var. nigra) from North America, 

 seven Madagascar Boas (Pelophilus madagascariensis) from 

 Madagascar, deposited ; a Yellow Baboon (Cynocephalus babouin) 

 from West Africa, four White-headed Bullfinch=Larks (Pyrrfiu- 

 lauda verticalis) from South Africa, two Yellow Sparrows (Passer 

 luteus) from East Africa, two Scarlet Ibis (Endocimus ruber) 

 from Para, two Crested Colins {Eupsychortyx aisia/us), eleven 

 Variable Leaf Frogs (Phyllomedusa dacnicolor) from Mexico, 

 purchased. 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCA TIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE 

 University College, Bristol, is making laudable efforts to 

 provide a complete curriculum for the important district of 

 which it is the centre. Like the similar colleges at Manchester, 

 Leeds, Birmingham, &c, the lectures comprise all the branches 

 of a liberal and scientific education. The erection of new build- 

 ings, which will be completed before the close of the current 

 year, will give increased facilities for the study of science. The 

 Chemical Department now contains accommodation for nearly 

 fifty students, and i«, we believe, equipped with the latest im- 

 provements for teaching which are in use in this country or on 

 the Continent ; lectures are delivered en pure chemistry as well 



