168 

Milky Way, is not obvious, as I am not aware of the existence 
of any fable bearing on the point. 
D. SILvAN Evans 
In reply to Mr. Reeks, I was quite correct in stating that 
the wind would blow in the course of the Milky Way; and 
to be sure of it, I have communicated with my friend at Llanga- 
dock, who has repeated what I have previously stated. He 
also tells me that on Sunday night (the 11th inst.) he looked out 
and found the “wind blowing from the east, and the Milky Way 
was to be seen coming from the north-east.” He still thinks it 
possible to predict the weather by this kind of observation, 
However, apart from this, the Welsh word is sufficient to prove 
the correctness of my former letter, which means the ‘‘ Road of 
the Wind.” 
Dee. 13 OHN JEREMIAH 
Pe] 
Meteoric Shower 
I OBSERVED a most beautiful star-shower on the night of the 
5th inst., at about a quarter to nine o’clock. It crossed the 
“vail” of Ursa Major in a direction almost easterly, and 
slanting towards the earth at about an angle of 30°. At first the 
} henomenon resembled the flight of a flock of wild geese, but 
after a little the nearer stars inclined towards the earth more than 
those farthest away, so that in all I could see about thirty stars. 
I write to you as the period of recorded star-showers mentioned 
in Prof. Ansted’s Physical Geography, is from Dec. 6th to 13th, 
and I observed this star-shower on the 5th December. 
The Commons, Killybegs, Dec. 14 Joun C. WarpD 

Hereditary Deformities 
THE articles upon this subject in NATURE, Sept. 8, Oct. 20, 
and Nov. 3, remind me of what I learned fifteen years ago 
while visiting tribes of Sioux Indians, assembled to the number 
of 5,000, near the mouth of the Yellow Medicine River, 
in Minnesota. 
purpose of receiving their annuities from the U.S. Government, 
and were accompanied by their families. It is customary for 
the squaws of their tribes to have tattooed upon the promi- 
nences of their cheek-bones small discs, of from one-eighth to 
one-fourth of an inch in diameter. I was informed by a physi- 
cian, who has passed much of his time with these tribes, that 
sometimes a child was born with these marks. This was con- 
firmed by the U S. Government Indian Agent. I had no means 
of verifying these statements ; they were believed by my inform- 
ants, who were gentlemen of veracity. 
Cuas, M. WETHERILL 
Lehigh Un versity, Noy. 19 

Right-handedness 
CANON KINGSLEY is a close observer of nature, and if his 
generalisation be correct in the following instance, it would seem 
that the tendency to develop the right arm to the comparative 
neglect of the left is not confined to man. In describing the 
call-crabs of Montserrat, he says that one of the claw-arms, 
generally the left, is dwindled to a mere nothing, and is not seen, 
while the other is disproportionately large. I am well aware 
that the claws of lobsters are seldom equal in size, but have had 
no opportunity of ascertaining whether it is the right or the left 
claw which is superior, nor whether there is any rule in the 
matter, Cai. Re 
Sun Stroke 
IN the Revue des deux Mond:s for the 15th August (page 854), 
there is a remark which, though somewhat exaggerated, is of very 
great value and practical significance. The writer says, ‘‘The 
phenomenon known as ‘ Sunstroke’ is due to the action of light, 
and not, as is generally believed, to the elevation of temperature.” 
An exception has to be made in cases where the sun playing, 
especially on the back of the head and neck, produces unmis- 
takeable sunstroke. Every surgeon practising in the East also 
meets instances of ‘‘ solar apoplexy,” which present themselves 
as often as not during the night, but only in the excessively hot 
weather. However, I know from personal experience that it is 
quite possible to lay oneself up completely with intense head- 
ache, constant nausea, cold extremities, &c., by exposing the 
The Indians were collected at this point for the - 
NATURE 

[Dec. 29, 1870 

eyes only to the glare of the sun, the head and neck being com- 
pletely sheltered by a helmet and puggree, and the body being at 
rest in a carriage. Further, I have found it possible, when 
accidentally obliged to expose myself, to avoid all inconvenience 
by merely wearing deeply-smoked glasses, my head being guarded 
only by an ordinary felt hat. But this is an experiment not to 
be tried rashly. The conclusion obviously is that whenever 
there is an intense glare, whether attended by intense heat or not, 
the first condition to fulfil is to shelter the eyes. As the retina 
is in truth an expansion of the brain, the brain is more accessible 
to external influences through the eyes than through any other 
avenue, R. A. JAMIESON 
Shanghai, Oct. 24 


GLYCERINE EXTRACTS OF PEPSIN AND 
OTHER FERMENTS 
a: SHORT time ago Von Wittich published in Pfliiger’s 
Archiv some interesting results of an attempt to 
isolate, by means of concentrated glycerine, pepsin and 
other so-called ferments found in animal and vegetable 
bodies. : 
The mucous membrane of a piz’s stomach, washed and 
freed as much as possible from water, was finely minced 
and bruised, and then covered with pure glycerine. After 
standing twenty-four hours, a few drops of the glycerine, 
diluted with acidulated water, digested fibrin with remark- 
ablerapidity. After pouring off the whole of the glycerine, 
a second, third, and even fourth glycerine extract could be 
made, all manifesting strong peptic powers. On treating, 
after filtration, these glycerine extracts with a large excess 
of alcohol, a slight precipitate was obtained, which, 
separated by filtration and re-dissolved in acidulated 
water, though giving only the faintest proteid reaction, 
was strongly peptfc. 
In a similar manner salivary gland and pancreas gave 
up to glycerine an amylolytic or starch-converting ferment, 
almost entirely free from proteids, and a “ laden” pancreas 
also gave up a ferment capable of digesting fibrin in an 
alkaline medium. Barley (ot germinated) gave up to 
glycerine a non-proteid diastase ; and almonds a ferment 
capable of acting on amygdalin. 
I have repeated many of Von Wittich’s experiments 
with almost entirely similar results. We certainly have 
in glycerine a new means of working out the intricate 
problems of these so-called ferments. The glycerine 
extracts, for the most part at least, seem to remain un- 
changed for a very long period, so that a stock of ferment 
can always be kept in store. On the other hand, tissues 
may, by repeated extraction with glycerine, be exhausted 
of their ferment, and yet little, if any, otherwise changed, 
so that they can be examined under conditions hitherto 
impossible. ; 
Not the least value of the new method lies on the 
practical side. The means hitherto adopted of preparing 
the so-called pepsin for medical purposes are confessedly 
clumsy and inefficient. By glycerine we can now extract, 
without any trouble whatever, a pure palateable peptic 
liquid, one which apparently will last any length of time. 
It is, moreover, to be depended on for its peptic powers ; 
any one who has fairly tested by actual experiment the 
various “ pepsines” of commerce, will understand the 
value of this remark. M. FOSTER 
NITRO-GLYCERINE AND GUN-COTTON 
I? may be of some interest at the present moment to 
give a brief summary of certain comparative experi- 
ments undertaken with nitro-glycerine and gun-cotton, 
with a view to ascertain their respective destructive nature 
and safety of employment as industrial or warlike agents. 
As it is occasionally inconvenient to employ a material 
of this kind in the form of a liquid, a modification of nitro- 

