344 



NA TURE 



{Feb. 7, 1884 



November 17 the snow in the valley of Storelo, in Central 

 Norway, between 61° and 62° N., became covered with a layer 

 of gray and black dust. It is, however, remarkable that Dr. 

 Tromholt's communication contains no reference whatever to any 

 volcanic eruption. 



With reference to the Krakatoa eruption, Prof. Alph. Milne- 

 Edwards read at the Paris Academy of Sciences, on January 28, 

 a letter from a correspondent in Reunion, in which it is stated 

 tliat the intensity of the sky-tints was always greatest where the 

 showers of volcanic ashes had been observed. Thus the path 

 of the volcanic cloud can be traced step by step, and its trajec- 

 tory found to be that of an ordinary cyclone. M. Wolf showed 

 how a study of the curves registered by the barometer establishes 

 two atmospheric waves starting at the same time from Krakatoa, 

 one towards the east and the other towards the w est ; the former to 

 reach us had to traverse 11,500 kilometres, and the latter 13,500. 

 M. Wolf showed that the r.ate of progress was that of sound, 

 and on the basis of this and the di^tances, he found the eruption 

 to have taken place on August 27, at llh. 43m. a.m. 



The Birmingham Town Hall was crowded on Sunday night, 

 January 27, to hear a lecture from the Rev. W. Tuckwell on 

 " Natural History for Working Men." He dwelt upon the 

 difiference between the homes of the working man and his em- 

 ployer, the first being destitute of the beauty and the resource 

 with which the latter overflowed. One resource at any rate he 

 could recommend to them in the study of natural history. 

 Illustrations were drawn from the modification of the sap in 

 their window-plants, the rise of the fluid in their trees, the struc- 

 ture of the spiders' webs on their walls, the transformation of 

 insects in their water-butts; from the heavenly bodies within 

 their gaze, Mars with his polar ice-caps, Jupiter with his moons, 

 the sun with his spots, the moon with her craters, the nebular 

 clusters, and the falling meteoiites, to show that enveloping and 

 pressing on us everywhere were miracles of creative and develop- 

 in» energy, surpa-sing a thousandfold the wonders of human 

 enterprise, and that we walked amongst them unheeding and 

 uninquiring. Instances were given of working men who had 

 been discoverers and happy workers in these subjects, some 

 unknown to fame, others, like Charles Peach, Robert Dick, and 

 Thomas Edwards, the heroes of widely read memoirs. Instruc- 

 tions were detailed for setting up aquariums, collecting fo.ssils 

 and insects, preserving plants, stuffing birds, buying microscopes 

 or telescopes with one year's saving from the public-house. A 

 good museum should be examined ; and a visit to Oxford on the 

 next bank holiday was proposed. Annual soirees wei-e recom- 

 mended, at which I he collections and constructions of the past 

 year might be exhiljited. The lecture ended with a few words 

 of religious feeling arising out of the subject, which were received 

 with deep sympathy by the audience. Thanks were proposed 

 by Mr. Jesse Collings, M.P., Mr. Lawson Tait, and Rev. E. F. 

 MacCarthy. The lecture will shortly be published. 



In connection with the forthcoming International Health 

 Exhibition, it is desired to illustrate as far as possible the rela- 

 tions of meteorology to he 1 1th, and for this purpose a special 

 sub-Committee has been formed. It is hoped that the Royal 

 Meteorological Society will establish a typical climatological 

 order station, provide the complete equipment, and supervise 

 the same. This will be arranged on a level grass space about 

 thirty feet square, which space will be railed in, and provided 

 with a gate through which a limited number of the public can 

 from time to time be admitted. The attendant will take daily 

 observations from tlie instruments, which will be exhibited in 

 diagrams, and a copy of them furnished to the editorial depart- 

 ment of the Exhibition, for oublication in the daily programmes 

 and also as a co7nmuniquc .0 the press. It is hoped that a series 

 of large diagrams illustrative of the climatal conditions prevail- 



ing in various parts of the world may be exhibited. Besides the 

 collective exhibit above described, space will be provided for the 

 exhibition of instruments by manufacturers, inventors, and 

 others who may desire to show them. Attention is particularly 

 directed to the fact that the Committee specially invite the 

 exhibition of meteorological instruments bearing upon the rela- 

 tions of climatology to public health. The Committee also 

 appeal to authors of papers upon the relations between health 

 and disease, rainfall, percolation, evaporation, and flow from 

 ground, and other subjects embraced by the Exhibition, and 

 invite them to exhibit diagram^, models, and apparatus illus- 

 trative of their researches. 



Bulletin No. 3 of the Entomological Division of the U.S. 

 Department of Agriculture (Washington, 1883), when stripped 

 of the "red-tape" that appears to be even more necessary on 

 official documents in the States than it is in this country, is of 

 more than usual interest. The notorious "army-worm" appears 

 in a new character, viz. as destructive to cranberries, which form 

 an important feature in the productions of the States. Various 

 additional enemies to forest-trees are treated on by Dr. Packard. 

 A long chapter (by Drs. Anderson and Barnard) is devoted to 

 the ' ' cotton-worm, " in which (in addition to interesting biological 

 information) elaborate contrivances for distributing arsenical 

 solutions are described. Dr. McMurtrie contributes an exhaustive 

 report on the examination of raw-silk "grown" in the States. 

 From a scientific point of view the most valuable article is a 

 posthumous one, by the bite Dr. J. S. Bailey, on the North 

 American Cossida (or "goat-moths"), illustrated by two very 

 excellent plates. 



We cannot speak too highly of the work and management of 

 the Sheffield Free Libraries. One-quarter of their rate is mort- 

 gaged to meet the debt incurred at starting ; yet more than one- 

 seventh of its entire amount is spent in books. Practically this 

 is more than one fifih of the available income ; and since, 

 besides the central library, there are three large active branches 

 as well as a museum and observatory, it shows a careful economy 

 in the expenses. The committee regret in their report that their 

 income will not allow them to further increase their premises in 

 both size and number. In many libraries the income is almost 

 swallowed up in the expenses of a single costly establishment. 

 The management of Sheffield, therefore, combined with the 

 excellence of the collection of books which its catalugue dispkiys, 

 deserves support from any who feel an interest in intellectual 

 progress or wholesome and harmless recreation. 



The Norwegian naturalist. Dr. S. A. Buch, has been com- 

 missioned by his Government to prosecute practical scientific 

 researches as to the herring fisheries of Norway during the 

 present year, according to the instructions of the Society for 

 Promoting the Norwegiaa Fisheries in Bergen. 



On January 24, at 11.25 p.m., a splendid meteor was observed 

 at Husqvarna in Sweden. The meteor passed rather slowly in 

 a southerly direction, leaving a lustrous trail behind about a yard 

 long. It was nearly the size of an ordinary cheese-plate. After 

 a few seconds it bur^t with a loud report, emitting a light green 

 lustre. The fragments seemed to turn red and soon vanished. 



With the January number the Austrian Moiiatschrift jiir den 

 Oi-ieiit has increased its size, and introduced illustrations. It is 

 also promised that scientific supplements will be occasionally 

 issued. 



Messrs. Hodder and Stoughton have issued a translation 

 of the first volume (the only one yet published) of Dr. Rein's 

 work on Japan — "Japan: Travels and Researches undertaken 

 at the Cost of the Prussian Government " — of which we «ere 

 able to speak in high terms in reviewing the original German 

 edition. Altogether it is probably the most solid contribution 



