Feb. 14, 1884] 



NATURE 



367 



same time there is proof that the bones were opened :o get at 

 the marrow. But the strongest evidence of cannibaUsm was 

 furnished by the arrangement in which the bones were found. 

 Besides these bones and bone implements, roughly worked 

 bronzes were found. At a lower level numerous lemming 

 bones were found, which, with regard to the age of the cavern, 

 seems to point to the Glacial epoch. In the debate following 

 Prof. Nehring's report, Prof. Virchow raised tome doubts 

 regarding the cannibalism of the cave dwellers. 



A MEETING of delegates of Natural History Societies in the 

 east of Scotland (including ihe counties of Fife, Perth, Forfar, 

 Kincardine, and Aberdeen) was held in the lecture-room of the 

 Perthshire Natural History Museum, Perth, on Nebruary 9, to 

 consider the question of federation alluded to in Nature. The 

 following societies were represented : — Aberdeen Natural History 

 Society, Alford Field Club and Scientific Society, Arbroath 

 Horticultural and Natural History Association, Dundee Natural- 

 ists' Society, Dundee Naturalists' Field Club, Kirkcaldy 

 Naturalists' Society, Largo Field Naturalists' Society, Montrose 

 Natural History and Antiquarian Society, and the Perthshire 

 Society of Natural Science — being all but four of the .Societies 

 in the abjve mentioned counties. Two of thefe four societies 

 considered that their objects did not quite entitle them to join 

 the proposed federation, at least for the present ; and from the 

 other two no response had been received. After deliberation it 

 was resolved to federate the societies under the title of "The 

 East of Scotland Union of Naturalists' Societies." The objects 

 of the Union are the promotion of good and systematic work by 

 the various societies in it, and of friendly intercourse amongst 

 their members; its aflairs are to be conducted by a council of 

 representative members, two being elected by each society. 

 The president is to be a man of scientific eminence, connected 

 with the district ; and it is to hjld aa annual general meeting at 

 the headquarters of the various societies in rotation, and other 

 meetings in such places in the district as may be agreed on. 

 The Union starts with a membership of about 1300. It was 

 determined that the first general meeting should be held in 

 Dundee on June 6 and 7 next. Dr. Buchanan White, F.L.S., 

 was elected President, and Mr. F. W. Young, F.R.S.E., Hon. 

 Secretary of the Dundee Naturalists' Society, was appointed 

 Secretary. 



We learn from Science that Mr. Joseph Wharton of Phila- 

 delphia writes to the Public Ledger of that city (January 22) that 

 he has found volcanic glassy dust in fresh, clean snow of recent 

 fall. The snow, melted under cover in the porcelain vessel it 

 was gathered in, showed at first no sediment ; but after a time, 

 and aided by a gentle rotatory movement which brought all to 

 the deepest point, a slight deposit appeared. By pouring off 

 most of the water, and evaporating the remainder, a little dry 

 dust was obtained, which, even to the naked eye, showed, in the 

 sunlight, tiny vitreous reflections. The dust weighed by estimate 

 a hundredth of a grain, and showed under the microscope the 

 characteristics of volcanic glas>. It was partly irregular, flat, 

 and blobby fragments, and partly filaments mjre or less con- 

 torted, w hich were sometimes attached together in little wisps, 

 and were mostly sprinkled with minute glass particles. Under 

 a knife-edge the filaments broke easily and cleanly. The irregu- 

 lar fragments were of various sizes and shapes, mostly trans- 

 parent, but, even when examined by strong transmitted light, 

 showing no trace of crystalline structure. Their diameter was 

 about that of single filaments of silk. No crystalline particle of 

 pjToxine, or black crumb of augite, such as observers have 

 found elsewhere in similar dust, was present ; nor did a strong 

 magnet stir any particles of magnetic oxide of iron, though they 

 also have been found in other volcanic dust. It may fairly be 

 assumed that those heavier minerals, if at first mingled with the 



volcanic glass, had been already deposited during the long 

 voyage through more than ten thousand miles of space and more 

 than four months of time, while the tenuity of the intrinsically 

 lighter glass threads (the Pele's hair of Mauna Loa) enabled 

 them to float farther from the point of eruption. 



" The International Conference for fixingupon a universal prime 

 meridian and a universal system of time has," Science states, " at 

 length been called by the State Department to meet in Washington, 

 Oct. I. Diplomatic proceedings are always expected to go on 

 with a certain dignified leisure ; but the arrangements for the 

 meeting of this conference have been delayed far beyond any- 

 thing customary even in diplomacy. The act authorising the 

 conference became a law in August, 1882. As there was some 

 doubt whether there would be a sufficiently general response to 

 the invitation to insure the success of the conference, a prelimi- 

 nary circular requesting the views of the various governments 

 interested, and an expression of their willingness to enter the 

 conference, was issued from the State Department toward the 

 end of 1882. I'he respDnses w ere in some cases favourable, and 

 in others negative or undecided. A desire was felt by the 

 Europeans to have a preliminary discussion of the subject at the 

 International Geodetic Conference at Rome in October, 1S83. 

 The feeling at this conference having shown that there would be 

 little difficulty in the universal adoption of the Greenwich meri- 

 dian, the final step of calling the conference was taken. Why 

 so late a date was chosen we are not informed." 



The Magdeburg Wetter Verein has been transformed into a 

 branch of the general German Meteorological Society, which is 

 under the direction of Dr. Neumayer of Hamburg. 



The valuable ethnological collection made by Herr Zembsch 

 at Apia, for many years German Consul-General at that place, 

 has been purchased by the Ethnological Museum at Berlin. It 

 consists of over 500 specimens. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a Chacma Baboon (Cynocephalus porcariits 9 ) 

 from South Africa, presented by Col. Gildea ; a Macaque 

 Monkey (Macacus cynomolgtis i ) a Black Kite (Milviis migrans) 

 from India, presented by Mr. John M. Hagerman ; a Common 

 Hedgehog {Eriiineeiu europicus), British, presented by Mr. 

 Archibald Aitchinson ; a Bonnet Monkey {Macacus sinicus) from 

 India, presented by Mr. J. Wilson ; a Vulpine Fhalanger (Pha- 

 langistii indpina) from Australia, presented by Capt. F. R. 

 Slater ; two Common Jackdaws [Pica riistica), British, presented 

 by Master Harrott ; a Chanting Hawk {Melierax miisicus) from 

 South Africa, a Partridge Bronze-winged Pigeon {Geofhaps 

 scripta) from Ne.v South Wales, purchased. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN 

 Pons' Co.MET. — It appear, that this comet was sufficiently 

 conspicuous to atti'act the attention of unscientific passengers on 

 board one of our mail steamships in approaching Rio de Janeiro 

 from the south on January 20, while it vas an object of popular 

 interest in Southern Italy towards the end of that month, accord- 

 in" to the Naples correspondent of the Times. Observers in the 

 other hemisphere may be able to follow it for several months 

 longer ; in the last week in June the theoretical intensity of light 

 will be equal to that at the date of its discovery by Mr. Brooks. 



This comet approaches the orbit of Venus within 0-076 ; that 

 of Jupiter within 1-98; and that of Uranus within 1-17. The 

 ascending node falls at a distance of 15-46. During tiie revo- 

 lution 1S12-1SS4, the calculations of MM. Schulhof and Bossert 

 show that the approximate effect of planetary attraction upon the 

 periodic time, at the instant of perihelion passage in the former 



year, has been as follows : — 



-' ' Days 



Comet accelerated by action of Jupiter 446'49 



,, ,, ,, Saturn ... ... 13-96 



Comet retarded by action of Uranus '3 '45 



,, „ ,, Neptune i'48 



