446 



NA TURE 



[March 13, 1902 



und Koljuschen, mit vergleichend anthropologischen Bemer- 

 kungen," published by the Russian Academy of Sciences, has 

 come to very interesling conclusions concerning the still pro- 

 blematic origin of these hyperboreans. His researches are based 

 up:>n thirty-live skulls and two complete Aleutian skeletons of 

 the museum of ihe Academy, skulls of other East Asian natives, 

 borrowed from the Medical Academy Museum, having been used 

 for comparison. The conclusions of the author are as follows : — 

 The Aleutc skulls represent a strongly pronounced type and 

 ofier few traces of mixture with other tribes; notwithstanding 

 some secondary differences, the skulls of both the western and 

 the eastern Aleutcs are similar to each other. As to the Konyag 

 skulls, although ihey mostly are artificially deformed, ihey are 

 nevertheless very similar to those of the American Indians on 

 the one side and to those of the Aleutes on the other side. 

 They also sharply differ from the skulls of both thewestern 

 and the eastern Eskimos. Between the Kenais and the 

 Koloshes there is no difference as regards their skulls, which 

 are very near to the skulls of the Aleutes and the Konyags, 

 representing the same type, which is only slightly altered with 

 the Konyags by artificial deformation and by admixture of 

 foreign blood. Consequently, the author makes the supposition 

 that all the four stems have a common origin and are descendants 

 of an Indian stem which belonged, not to the Eskimos, but to 

 the American Red Indians. As to the skeletons of the Aleutcs, 

 they are very typical, especially on account of the structure of 

 the very long extremities, and these peculiarities are not known 

 in skeletons of other tribes. Only a few bones, unearthed a 

 couple of years ago in Mongolia and belonging to some prob- 

 ably Turkish stem, offered some likeness with the Aleute 

 skeletons. This find induces the author to believe that the 

 populations of north-west America and Asia may have had a 

 common origin, as they communicated across the Bering Strait. 

 Only part of the Aleute and Konyag skulls had been described 

 by Baer, the remainder being now described for the first time. 



Dr. T. K. Rose's treatise on "The Metallurgy of (iold," the 

 fourth edition of which has just been published by Messrs. 

 C. Griffin and Co., provides students of metallurgy and managers 

 of gold mines and smelting works with a concise and valuable 

 statement ot the existing conditions of the industry in which 

 they are interested. As an Associate of the Royal School of 

 Mines, Dr. Rose has been able to obtain particulars of practical 

 developments of the metallurgy of gold in many parts of the 

 world. His book has been revised and extended in order to 

 keep it in touch with recent progress, and the changes will 

 enable it to retain its position as a standard work on the 

 subject with which it deals. 



The Hampstead Scientific Society appears to be in a flourish- 

 ing condition, judging from the Report for 1901, just received. 

 Among the subjects of lectures delivered before the Society 

 during the session covered by the report are curious fish, lode- 

 stone lore, a glimpse at the work of Lord Kelvin, the amccba 

 and its allies, the form of the earth, and the human eye. There 

 is an astronomical section ; and, as the Society possesses a 

 telescope, observations can be made of celestial objects dis- 

 cussed at the class meetings. The natural history section has 

 in preparation an account of the fauna and flora of Hampstead 

 and its neighbourhood, which it is hoped will be sufficiently 

 advanced for the first part to appear in the autumn of this year. 

 The report points out that a natural history museum would 

 greatly add to the scientific welfare of Hampstead ; so that 

 support should be given to the Hampstead Borough Council's 

 scheme for a public museum and art gallery. 



Some time since, MM. Sabatier and Senderens discovered 

 that metallic nickel, reduced from its oxide at as low a tempera- 

 ture as possible, possessed extraordinary catalytic power with 

 NO. 1689, VOL. 65] 



regard to the addition of hydrogen, and from time to time they 

 have published numerous syntheses carried out in this way. In 

 the current number of the Comptcs rendits is given an extremely 

 elegant synthesis of methane based upon the same reaction. It 

 was found that if either carbon monoxide or dioxide mixed 

 with a slight excess of hydrogen is passed over reduced nickel 

 at temper.itures between 250° and 300° C. , the oxide is reduced 

 and methane is quantalitively produced. In spite of the funda- 

 mental importance of the synthesis of meth.nne in organic 

 chemistry, none of the syntheses reali.sed up to the present are 

 of sufficient simplicity and directness to be realised on the 

 lecture table. The new method allows of the preparation of 

 methane from its elements in two steps only, and will doubtless 

 lake its place as a standard lecture experiment. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Garden; during the 

 past week include two Marlinican Doves {Zeiiaiila aiirita), a 

 White-winged Zenaida Dove (Mrlopelia Uuioptera) from the 

 West Indies, presented by Mr. D. Seth Smith ; a Black-backed 

 Piping Crow (Gymuorhina tihiieii) from Australia, presented 

 by Mrs. J. Rose; three Derbian Zonures (/.onunis giganteus) 

 from South Africa, presented by Captain M. M. Tristram, 12th 

 Lancers ; a Slow Loris (Nycticcbiis tardigraius) from Borneo, 

 four Derbian Zonures {Zonurus gi'ianteiis) from South Africa, 

 six Dark-green Snakes (Zamenis gemonensis) European, 

 deposited; a I'anda (.-Eltirus fnlgens) from Nepal, a Green 

 Bittern (Bulorides virescens) from America, purchased. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 



New Annu.m. Ter.m in the V.\ri.\tio.n oi- Latitude. 

 — In the Aslroiio'iiica/ /ournal, vol. xxii. pp. 107-108, Prof. 

 11. Kimura announces that from a detailed examination of the 

 observations taken for variation of latitude he has detected a 

 periodicity in the residuals obtained, which appears to indicate 

 the existence of a hitherto unrecognised annual component. 

 Most of the observations were collected in Prof. .\lbrecht'.s 

 report in the Astronomische NachrichUn, No. Xll^- The 

 maximum amplitude of the new term is about o"'03. .\\ present 

 it is impossible to examine the dependence of this element on 

 geographical position, as the materials have been combineH from 

 all stations between ij> = 6o' N. and (p = 2i° N., and the term as 

 found would correspond to a mean latitude 42' N. A future 

 series of observations in different parallels will possibly settle if 

 the new component is a function of the latitude. Krom the 

 variation curve it appears that the new term has zero values 

 at o'33 and o'85, maximum at o'o and minimum at o'57 ; a 

 noticeable feature of this is that the zeroes lie near the equinoxes, 

 the maxima and minima near the solstices. 



OBSERVATIONS OF JUFITER. 



JUPITER is now conspicuously visible as a morning star. 

 During the ensuing spring and summer, observers of this 

 planet will have some interesting features to reexamine, though 

 his position, about 19 degrees south of the equator, cannot be 

 regarded as favouring telescopic study. At the time of opposi- 

 tion on August 5 next he will, hoivever, be placed 5 degrees 

 further north than last year, and this will make a sufficient 

 difference in his altitude to improve markedly the general defini- 

 tion of the markings. During the seven months from May to 

 November, 1901, the writer, with a loinch reflecting telescope, 

 secured observations of Jupiter on 76 nights, but the image was 

 usually very indistinct and unsteady, and it was only on two 

 or three occasions that the disc was sufficiently sharp to present 

 the more delicate features satisfactorily. 



This planet i> always interesting from the Urge number and 

 frequently conspicuous character of the details .shown on his 

 surface. These details consist of spots or patches of various 

 tints, forms and .sizes situated either on the dusky belts or on 

 the alternating bright zones. The proper motions which aflect 

 these markings and displace their relative positions from day to 

 day furnish a mass of material for prolonged study, while the oft- 

 recurring and sometimes rapid changes taking place in their 

 visible aspect provide an attractive field for the draughtsman. 



