Jan. 24, 1884] 



NATURE 



;87 



left-, and others to the right, when walking without the aid of 

 sight. I am familiar with some ambidextrous men, and about 

 the same number of left-handed men, but I cannot recall asingle 

 instance of a left-legged man, and think they must be somewhat 

 rare. In the present question it might, perhaps, be well to put 

 aside peculiarities of the arms — as occupation and education enter 

 very largely into the method of their use— and confine observations 

 to the legs alone. Mr. Larden has, 1 think, very nearly arrived 

 at the solution of the problem with his definition of right or left 

 strong-legged men circling to the right or left respectively. I 

 take exception, however, to his referring the peculiarity to the 

 strength of the limb, and think the following suggestion may 

 aSbrd help in the matter, being founded upon observations, and 

 providing a reas ni for circling in walking in either right- or left- 

 legged men : — It has been frequently remarked of late years that 

 short-leggedness on one side or the other is of common occur- 

 rence — the cause is doubtless attributable to a retardation in the 

 growth of the limb caused by one or more of the many illnesses 

 to which we are subject in the earlier years of our life. Except- 

 ing when the retardation in the growth of the limb is consider- 

 able, it produces no inconvenience, and the possessor of a limb 

 shorter than its fellow- by some tenths of an inch may never be 

 aware of the deficiency. To apply this fact to the question (it 

 is another matter why the left leg is more frequently the short 

 one), Mr. Larden's strong leg should correspond to my 1 aig leg. 

 The long leg makes a longer step in proportion to the difference 

 in its length over its fellow. If the right be the longer leg, as 

 is oftener the case, the walker w ill circle to ihe left, and vice versa. 

 In my experiments I fixed a drawing-pin into the sole of each 

 boot, 'elected a hard, level, untrodden piece of s.and on the sea- 

 shore, about 250 yards in length, and used a measuriug-tape 

 which would take ten or twenty paces in one measurement for 

 obtaining the difference in length of the paces ; the drawing-pins 

 afford a definite and precipe mark in the sand. To insure a good 

 ■and regular stait I always allowed my man a few yards start with 

 his eyes open and fixed on the distant mark. lie then, without 

 stopping, put over his head and face a cardboard cylinder open 

 at the top. This allows the eyes to be open, whilst effectually 

 preventing any lateral vision. I think this, small detail as it is, 

 important, as a bandage tied round the head acro.^s the eyes is 

 sometimes unpleasant and often confusing. 



97, Adelaide Road Thos. Hawksley 



Diffusion of Scientific Memoirs 

 Prof. Tait's letter in your issue of December 27 (p. 196) 

 raises two questions of interest to the Cambridge Philosophical 

 Society. Prof. Tait states that during the last thirty years he 

 has received very few of the publications of the Society. I 

 cannot find from the records of the Society that Prof. Tait has 

 ever expressed the wish to have the publications sent to him. 

 The Cambridge Philosophical Society, like the Royal Society of 

 London, the Royal Astronomical Society, and, I believe, other 

 scientific societies, sends its publications to all Fellows who claim 

 them within a reasonable time from the date of issue. Any 

 Fellow- requesting that all pnblicaiions may in the future be sent 

 to him receives them as they appear. The second point is the 

 free distribution of copies. I find that at the present date the 

 Transactions or Proceedings of the Society, or both, are sent 

 either gratis or in exchange for other publications to the following 

 number of centres : — 



Of this 160 about 40 have been added since the year 1869. 



In Edinburgh at present there are three centres receiving the 

 publications of the Society. I doubt very greatly if there are 

 many societies w hich do as much as the Cambridge Philosophical 

 Society towards spreading their publications. 



R. T. Glazebrook, 

 Secretary Cambridge Philosophical Society 

 Catnbridge, January 19 



Recent Low Temperatures in America 



On or about December 19 some very low temperatures are 

 reported to have been registered in Manitoba. At Emerson, in 

 lat. 49°, a cold of 46" below zero, and in Dakota (United States) 

 - 49° are recorded. 



I do not presume to say that these temperatures are incor- 

 rectly given, but they must be received with some distrust, 

 arising from possible, I may almost say probable, defect in the 

 ihermometers used. 



These sources of error are two, and by no means uncommon. 

 First, the construction of the instrument may be defective. 

 Second, it is not unusual during the heat of summer for a por- 

 tion of the spirit to become vaporised, and afterwards con- 

 densed in the upper end of the tube. If the spirit is colourless, 

 and if the detached fluid extends down to the metal band 

 which keeps the tube in its place, the error, which may amount 

 to 8° or more, is not readily noticed, unless specially looked for. 

 I had several exami^les of this error in thermometers used by 

 me in Canada, and one not long ago at the house of an English 

 gentleman, who had perfect faith in the correctness of his 

 thermometer. 



Of the errors arising from defective construction there were 

 two notable examples among some twenty thermometers which 

 were tested by freezing mercury at Great Bear Lake in the winter 

 of 1848-49. Eighteen of these thermometers agreed very closely 

 with each other, indicating - 36"'5, or about 2° too high. Two 

 others, beautifully finished, and made by a London maker of 

 high repute, showed at the same time, and under similar 

 circumstances, 57° below zero, or about 19° of error. 



John Rae 



Meteors— Unpublished Notes of November 30, &c. 



On November 30, at 8.27 p.m., a large meteor passed from 

 Dubhe, in the Plough, through the lower part of Auriga, ex- 

 ploding in sparkling reddish light ; and at 9 another described 

 nearly the same line, but without explosion. The latter left a 

 vei7 vivid bluish light in its path, which lasted about ten 

 seconds. At 10.55 ^ '^^•'y large meteor dropped right down 

 from Psi Urste Majoris, and disappeared in a black cloud a few 

 degrees above the horizon. At 1 1. 10 one sped rapidly from 

 Beta Ursa; Minoris through between Epsilon and Zeta (Mizar) 

 Urs£e Majoris, and exploded in very brilliant white light. At 

 11.20 one proceeded from a point about 1° below Benetnasch, 

 and disappeared in the right shoulder of Hercules without 

 explosion. At 11.25 one blazed out from a point 2° above 

 Etanin, and disappeared near Beta Cygni. At 11.30 a large- 

 and brilliant but a transient meteor went from Omicron Urs:e 

 Majoris, and disappeared in the tail of the Dragon. At II. 35 

 one dashed out from a point about 1° above Pi Ursce Majoris, and 

 I thought that it would go through Merak, but just before it 

 reached Merak it curved suddenly from it and exploded. About 

 12 a number of small ones were seen. December I — Meteors 

 seen at 0-13 a.m., o. iS, 1.12, 1.23, 1.45, 3.30, 3.40, 4, 4.23, 

 4.40, 4.55, 5.7, 5.10, 5.18. December 4 — At 2.15 a.m., 

 2.20, 2.25, 2.28 ; and a number of meteors were observed 

 between 5 and 6 p.m. December 5 — A goodly number of 

 meteors seen from I a.m. to 6, and from 8 p.m. to 10. De- 

 cember 6— 1. 12 a.m., 1.15, 1.22, 2.10, 2.30, 3.40, 5.21, 5.25. 

 December 7 — Three meteors seen. December 8, 9, 10, and 12 — 

 Only a few meteors w-ere observed here ; and from the un- 

 favouralile state of the weather, not a meteor could I manage to 

 see since. 1 have ascertained the paths of all the above meteors, 

 but to give them all w ould encroach too much on your space. I 

 will supply particulars if required. On November 30 and 

 December I last there was a brilliant display of meteors. A 

 few Leonids, Leo Minorids, Taurids, and Geminids were seen. 

 Six Andromedes made their appeaiance from December 4 to S. 

 On December 8 a beautiful bolide rushed through the clouds 

 from south-west to south-east, at 6 p.m. Not a star in that 

 part of the heavens could be seen at the time, but the moon 

 shone dimly a little to the left of it. The point at which it 

 appeared was a few degrees higher than the moon, and it dis- 

 appeared a few degrees above the earth. It blazed in and out 

 three different times on its -vvay through the black clouds, and 

 a little before the end of its journey it swelled out into a huge 

 magnificent ball of red fire, and by its explosion it illumined the 

 western heavens and earth with its bright crimson light. A few 

 of the spectators were alarmed at the unusual apparition. No 

 intonation. Left in its wake a red belt of fire. The light of 



