54 



NA TURE 



\_Nov. 15, 1 1 



forms of birds and reptiles and going straight to the 

 amphibia for the progenitors of the mammalia are quoted 

 with approval ; and that author's subdivision of the class 

 into three sub-branches— Prototheria, Metatheria, and 

 F.utheria — is adopted. The historj' of the distribution of 

 the mammals in time and space follows ; and then we 

 have the characters of the dift'erent orders and families, 

 and of the principal forms of the class. In this section 

 of the memoir the illustrations, taken from the best 

 sources, are especially to be praised, and in many in- 

 stances the information as to rare or new species is 

 brought well up to date. This seems to us especially so 

 in the interesting group of the bats and insectivora, for 

 which Prof. Flower acknowledges his indebtedness to 

 Dr. G. E. Dobson, but in the portion devoted to the order 

 Primates, an order which Prof. Flower makes to include 

 the lemurs, the monkeys, and man, we read the little that 

 is written under the impression that it was but intro- 

 ductory to a good deal that was to follow, and when we 

 turned over to p. 446 we found the essay was finished 

 and that we had arrived at the index ; even this bears 

 marks of a forced compression, for while the earlier 

 letters are fairly done, the last in the index have evidently 

 had a lot "squeezed" out. 



One other article relating to zoology in this volume is 

 also by Prof. W. H. Flower, on the " Mammoth." He 

 alludes to the derivation of this name as being by some 

 ascribed to a Tartar origin, by others that it is a corruption 

 of the Arabic word Behemoth, or great beast, but on the 

 authority of Prof. Sayce it is a corruption of the Biblical 

 Behemoth, Arabic behimat. 



The scientific articles in vol. xvi. are so numerous and 

 important that it is impossible for us to give them satis- 

 factory notice in the space at our disposal ; we can do no 

 more than name the more important. From Prof. Dittmar 

 we have Metallurgy and Metals ; Prof. Chandler Roberts 

 and Mr. R. A. Hill contribute the article on Mint, in which 

 all aspects of the subject are fully as well as interest- 

 ingly treated ; while Mining, by Dr. Le Neve Foster, is 

 both practical and scientific. Meteorology, of course, has 

 been undertaken by Mr. Biichan and Prof. Balfour Stewart, 

 and forms an admirable exposition of the present con- 

 dition of a science of great and growing complexity ; Mr. 

 Buchan treating of instruments and phenomena, while 

 Prof. Stewart deals with the science that underlies the 

 subject. The article on Micrometer is by Dr. David 

 Gill ; while it is natural to find Dr. W. B. Carpenter's 

 name attached to that on Microscope. Prof Heddle 

 contributes an elaborate and profusely illustrated article 

 on Mineralogy. Molecule has a triple authorship, Rev. 

 H. W. Watson, Mr. S. H. Burbury, and Prof. Crura 

 Brown, both its physical and chemical aspects being 

 thus fully treated. The article on MoUusca in this volume, 

 by Prof Ray Lankester, is as complete and masterly and 

 richly illustrated as that on Mammalia in the previous 

 volume. Under Moon we have a short article on the 

 lunar theory, by Prof Simon Newcomb ; other aspects 

 of the subject have been dealt with under Astronomy. 

 Mr. P. Geddes has a careful and wonderfully ex- 

 haustive article on Morphology; and Mr. R. M'Lachlan 

 finishes off the volume with a somewhat tiny article on 

 Mosquito. There are many other smaller articles in all 



departments of science, — Prof. A. Newton, for example, 

 doing all birds, — and several important ethnologico-geo- 

 graphical articles, as Mexico, by Mr. E. B. Tylor and 

 Prof Keane, and Mongols, by Prof. Douglas and Prof 

 Jiilg. We hope in a future number to be able to refer in 

 detail to some of the articles mentioned. 



LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 



{The Editor does not hold hbnseif responsible for opinions expressed 

 hy his correspondents. Neither can he undertake to return, 

 or to correspond with the -writers of, rejected manuscripts. 

 No notice is taken of anonymous communications, 



[The Editor urgently requests cort espondents to keep their letters 

 as short as possible. The pressure on his space is so great 

 that it is impossible otherwise to insure the appearance even 

 of communications containing interesting and not'el facts.^ 



Living Scorpions, Mygale, and Protopterus 



Will you allow me to use your columns in order to ask any 

 of your readers residing in tropical localities, who may be gene- 

 rous enougli to wish to help a naturalist in his researches, to 

 send to me living specimens of large Scorpions (not le-s than three 

 incites in length), and /i'rv';/^ specimens of large Mygale (birdsnest- 

 ing spider) ; aUo I would beg for living Earthworms of large 

 size fnm African, Indian, American, and Australian localities. 

 Any of these animals can be sent in a small tin box in which a 

 few holes are perforated ; the tin box being packed in a much 

 larger wooden box with hay or loose paper. Damp moss should 

 be [jiaced with the Scorpion or Mygale. Each specimen should 

 be inclosed in a separate tin box, since these animals are canni- 

 bals. The holes in the tin box containing an Earthworm should 

 be very few, and the amount of damp moss very great. Earth- 

 worms H ould travel best in a Wardian ca^e, should the opportu- 

 nity offer — not loose, but in the above-mentioned tin box. 



i would further take this opportunity to ask for information con- 

 cerning the best \^'ay of keeping the African Lepidosiren, or mud- 

 fvA\(Piotopterus annectens], in confinement. I require to ascertain 

 (l) its natural food, (2) the temperature of the waters in which 

 it naturally lives, (3) whether these are stagnant or rapidly run- 

 ning, (4) whether anythuig is known as to habits in the breeding 

 season, and if this season immediately precedes or succeeds the 

 dry season. 



Some of your reader; in this country or in Africa may have 

 gained experience on these points, and would greatly help me 

 in an attempt to breed the mud-fish by communicating with me. 

 E. Ray Lankester 



II, Wellington Mansions, North Bank, N.W. 



Electricity in India. — The Green Sun 



[The following letter has been sent us for publication by Sir 

 William Thomson, to whom it is addressed : — ] 



For nearly a month the air has been in a state of electrifica- 

 tion, which seems t<D me >o interesting that I thought you would 

 probably like to hear of it at once without my waiting to com- 

 plete my obervations. Unfortunately I cannot tell the exact 

 date at which it began, but August 31 showed positive electri- 

 city all day apparently. On .September i and 2, I was not 

 able to get any measurements, but on the 3rd at 1. 10 p.m., I 

 got negative readings from -28 to -17 div., wind light, 

 S. by VV. By 2.45 it had changed to +6. Next morning at 

 10.5 a.m. it varied from — 136 to -44; this was on the roof. 1 

 then took it to the ground, to a place quite open, and found 

 readings from -460 in gusts of wind to - 162 when the wind 

 was light. The wind was fresh, we^terly. Up to ih. 14m. it 

 continued negative, but at my next reading, 3 p.m., it was -I-35, 

 and remained .steadily positive, the wind having now gone round 

 to the east (sea breeze). 



5th, 6 a.m., positive, from 9 a.m. to 2.5 negative, and there- 

 after jjositive. 



This continued with the exception of the 9th, when it was 

 positive all day till the 13th. 



On the 20th the reading at 9.55 was - 34, but at II. 55 it was 

 -f 44, the wind in the meanwhile h.aving changed from west 

 (land wind) to east (sea breeze). A similar state of affairs still 

 continues. 



During all this time the weather in Madnas has been fine, and 



