July 15, 1880] 



NATURE 



253 



dispersed, the Schnebelberg was seen to be shorter by a few 

 metres, and the beautiful wood in the Murgthal has disappeared 

 beneath a huge avalanche of stones and earth. 



At the annual meeting of the Council of the Royal School of 

 Miues, the prizes and associateships were awarded as follows : — 

 The Edward Forbes medal and prize of books to H. M. 

 Platnauer. The De La Beche medal to John Greene. The 

 Murchison medal and prize of bool<s to H. M. Platnauer. 

 Associates : Mining and Metallurgical Divisions— E. B. Lindon, 

 P. W. Stuart Menteath, Ralph Scott. Mining Division— John 

 Greene, B. Mott, H. E. Tredcroft. Metallurgical Division— 

 R. S. Benson, J. J. Beriuger, D. B. Bird, H. S. Cotton. 

 W. Cross, \V. L. Grant, G. S. Grundy, C. L. Higgins, E, 

 McNeill, T. H. Reeks, J. Taylor. Geological Division— H. H. 

 Hoffert, II. M. Platnauer. 



The Agiicultural Society's show at Carlisle, which was opened 

 on Monday, is» said to be unusually successful, so far as the 

 exhibits are concerned. 



Mr. p. H. Pepys writes : — " It may interest some of your 

 geological readers to know that a branch canal is uo^^• in course 

 of being made from the Grand Junction Canal at a point near 

 the West Drayton Station of the Great Western Railway. This 

 cut, which runs parallel with the Great Western Railway to a 

 point not far from the Slough station, passes through beds of 

 river gravel and brick earth, a very interesting section of which 

 has just been opened up by the excavators." 



A SAD balloon accident has taken place at Le Mans, and may be 

 referred to as illustrating some useful facts relating to aeronautics. 

 A man named Petit had ascended with two balloons connected 

 by a long rope. The smaller, which was placed above, carried 

 his son, almost a boy ; Petit being in the larger with his wife. 

 There was not much wind, and tliis foolish experiment would 

 have ended without accident if Petit had not forgotten to loosen 

 the neck of the balloon, so that no escape was left for the gas 

 which was gradually expanding. When the balloon arrived at 

 an altitude of 400 to 500 metres it burst in the vicinity of the 

 "equator," and descended with great velocity, dragging the 

 smaller balloon. Petit, who was devoid of any scientific know- 

 ledge, supposed his son was in danger, and with true heroism he 

 cut the rope connecting the two balloons when at 250 to 300 

 metres from the ground. He placed his wife on the ring and 

 remained himself in the car. The shock was so terrible that his 

 spinal cord was broken, and he died on the following day. His 

 wife was very badly hurt, and though in danger, is alive. If 

 Petit had not cut the rope by an act of unintelligent devotion he 

 would very likely have escaped, and his son would not even have 

 touched the ground. 



We have received the first two parts of Dr. Braithwaite's 

 " British Moss Flora," published by the author at 303, Clapham 

 Rotd. We hope to notice the work at lengthen its completion. 



From Dr. Schomburgk's Report on the progress and condition 

 of the Botanic Garden and Government Plantations of South 

 Austr.alia during the year 1S79, we gather many interesting facts. 

 Fir.t, with regard to the climatic changes, temperature, sun- 

 shine, &c., and their effects on vegetation in Adelaide. During 

 the Australian autumn, winter, and spring the country was visited 

 with the most favourable and seasonable weather on record, the 

 influence of such a season had, of course, a wonderful effect on 

 the agricultural and pastoral produce of the colony, the wheat 

 crop, for instance, being one of the most abundant on record. 

 We are told that o^^ ing to a " part of the spring months — 

 September and October — being cool and cloudy, and showery, 

 the roses flowered in such perfection as was never witnessed in 

 South Australia. Flow-ers were seen from five to six inches in 



diameter. On the subject of forage plants, a subject that has 

 occupied a good deal of attention in our colonies of late, Cypcrus 

 esciilenlics, known as the chuffa or earth almond, takes a pro- 

 minent place. This plant it appears is extensively grown in the 

 Southern States of America, where the tubers are used for feeding 

 hogs, sheep, and poultry. These tubers are said to contain a 

 quantity of air and sugar, and are consequently very fattening 

 to animals fed upon them. Dr. Schomburgk also recommends 

 the cultivation of the Nardoo plant {MarsiUa iitacropus. Hook.), 

 which, in the interior of South Australia, where the plant is 

 common, forms a valuable nutritious forage plant. Attention is 

 also drawn to the Tagasaste {Cytisus prolifertis), a shrubby 

 leguminous plant of the Canaries, the bafy branches of which 

 have a reputation as a useful fodder. Dr. Schomburgk announces 

 the probable early completion of the new Museum of Economic 

 Botany in the Botanic Garden, the cases in which are arranged 

 on the plan " adopted in the new Kensington and Kew Museums." 

 The museum collection already numbers 2,000 specimens, and 

 these are being constantly added to, contributions constantly 

 arriving in veiy large numbers. 



The annual meeting of the Royal Society of New South 

 Wales, Sydney, was held May 12 ; the number of new members 

 elected during tire year is fifty-one, making the total number of 

 ordinary members upon the roll to date, 430. During the year 

 the Society has elected the following gentlemen as honorary 

 members, viz. : — Mr. George Bentham, F.R.S., C.iM.G., Dr. 

 Charles Darwin, F.R.S., Prof. Huxley, F.R.S., Prof. Owen, 

 C.B., F.R.S., making the total number of honorary members 

 nineteen. Mr. R. Etheridge, jun., F.G.S., has been elected a 

 corresponding member of the Society. Financially the Society's 

 affairs are in a satisfactory condition. At the Council meeting 

 held on April 2S it was unanimously resolved to award the 

 Clarke memorial medal for 187S to Prof. Owen ; for the year 

 1879 to Mr. G. Bentham ; and for iSSo to Prof. Huxley, for 

 their valuable contributions to the knowledge of the paU-eon- 

 tology, botany, and natural history respectively of Australia. 

 During the past year the Society has received 664 volumes and 

 pamphlets as donations, against which it has distributed 523 

 volumes and p.amphlets. The honorary secretaries are Prof. 

 Liversidge and Dr. Leibius. At this meeting Sir Joseph Dalton 

 Hooker was elected an honorary member. 



METEOROLOGICAL NOTES 

 Prof. Nipher has sent us the Missouri Wmtlier Service 

 Retort iox h.i^n\, 1880, and the Daily Times of St. Louis of 

 May 4 in both of which publications interestmg and valuable 

 details'are given of the tornadoes which desolated Marshfield, and 

 were attended with disastrous results at other places in their route 

 throu"h the south-west of the State of Missouri. The details 

 were collected with great labour and care, Professors Nipher and 

 Shepard Judge Barker, and Messrs. Smith and Knbben having 

 spent four days in the saddle, from the 22nd to the 26th, in col- 

 lecting the evidence of eye-witnesses and examining the effects 

 produKd by the tornado. The Marshfield tornado was one of 

 three whirlwinds which occurred in this part of Missouri, 

 separated only by short intervals of time. The most violent of 

 these beijan near the south-west corner of the state, and thence 

 swept up the Finley Creek Valley. The widcli of its patli ex- 

 ceeded a mile at points, and over this breadth even oak saplings 

 were torn out by the roots, and either thrown out of its path or 

 laid down in rows in the lee of ridges. The average width of its 

 destructive path for a distanceof 100 miles was 3,000 feet, tlius 

 covering an area of 60 square miles. The JIarshfield tornado 

 oridnated about half an hour earlier and at a point a little to 

 northward, slightly diverging from the path pursued by the 

 previous tornado. Though less violent, considered as a whole, 

 it proved much [more destructive to life, no fewer than sLxty 

 persons being killed in the town of Marshfield, that town itself 

 beino- wholly destroyed. The destructive path of this tornado 

 was about 45 miles in length, and as its average breadth was about 

 I 500 feet, it covered an area of 13 square miles. This storm 



