Ii6 



NATURE 



\_Aiignst 5, i8So 



unusually severe winter on bird-life. To this end the 

 scattered notices on this subject which have appeared in 

 various journals and periodicals have been collected, and 

 are supplemented by communications from private corre- 

 spondents and by personal investigations. The result is 

 the memoir now before us, in which the observations thus 

 collected are arranged in a systematic form. 



The southern migration in the autumn of 1878 was by all 

 accounts unusually early and rapid. The outer Hebrides 

 appear to have been almost cleared of their smaller birds. 

 \'isitors to Tyree in December remarked on the " extra- 

 ordinary scarcity of common birds," and on the "unusual 

 number of winter visitants." On the Solway Firth also 

 "early notice of the coming winter was afforded by the 

 arrival of vast numbers of wild fowl." Herr Gaetke of 

 Heligoland reports that while in ordinary seasons the 

 autumnal migration in that wonderful island often con- 

 tinues until the end of February, in the autumn of 1S7S 

 every migratory bird had sped past by the close of 

 November. 



Numerous other testimonies to these facts which are 

 adduced by Mr. Harvie- Brown, leave no doubt as to the 

 general effects produced on bird-life by the unusually 

 severe winter of 1878-79, in which a January "colder 

 than any for forty-one years " followed a December "the 

 coldest of any for twenty-one years." The bulk of the 

 memoir is taken up by a series of notes on the different 

 species systematically arranged, a perusal of which is 

 sufficient to show without doubt that the author's general 

 conclusions are amply borne out by the particulars which 

 he has collected. 



On Mining and Mines in Japan. By C. Netto. (Tokio, 



1879.) 

 The substance of this pamphlet was given as a lecture by 

 the author before the German Natural History and Eth- 

 nological Society of Eastern Asia, and it now appears with 

 the above title as vol. ii. of the Memoirs of the Science 

 department of the University of Tokio. It is mainly a 

 discussion of the present state of mining and metallurgical 

 industry in Japan, with suggestions for improvements 

 by the introduction of machinery, the establishment of 

 model dressing and reduction works, the formation of 

 private companies, and more particularly the introduction 

 of foreign capital, which is at present prohibited by the 

 Japanese law. These points are treated in some detail, 

 and the moderation with which the author expresses his 

 conclusions shows a practical familiarity with the subject 

 such as is likely to command the confidence of those persons 

 who may be interested in the subject. It is however to 

 be regretted that the author has not been fortunate 

 enough to receive the co-operation of some of his literary 

 colleagues in the production of the -work in its present 

 form, as the text, even lay the greatest stretch of inter- 

 national courtesy, can scarcely be called English, and the 

 directors of the University must certainly have been 

 unaware of its character when they allowed it to appear 

 among their Records. It is necessary to mention this, as 

 an impression is to some extent current that the translation 

 is of Japanese origin. 



The Automatic Multiplier : foi- Performing Mttltiplica- 



tion without Calculation and without Writing down 



any Figures except the Ansiucr. By John Sawyer 



(London : George Bell, 1880.) 



The Automatic Calculator, for cwts. qrs. lbs. at 'per lb., 



Supplying the Cost of any Weight at any Price tip to 



\\s. \\\d. per lb. By the same. 



In Nature, vol. .wiii. p. 327, we noticed "Automatic 



Arithmetic " by the same author. We need only endorse 



the remarks we previously made with regard to the former 



work, and commend the present admirably compact and 



handy calculators to practical men who, after a little time 



spent in getting over the manual difficulty to beginners in 



manipulating the vertical and horizontal slips, will find 

 these works very serviceable as ready reckoners. Multi- 

 plication is reduced to a mere addition of digits : the 

 earlier work facilitated the operation of division as well. 

 We may add that the " IMultiplier " is issued in three 

 forms, i.e., for multiplying 4 figures by 4 figures, 6 figures 

 by 4 figures, and, as in the specimen we have, 8 figures 

 by 6 figures. 



LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 



[The Editor does not hold himself responsille for opinions expressed 

 by his correspondents. Neither can he undertake to return, or 

 to correspond with the writers op, rejected manuscripts. No 

 notice is taken of anonymous communications. 



[ Tlie Editor urgently requests correspondents to keep their letters as 

 short as possible. The pressure on his space is so great that it 

 is impossible othei-wise to ensure the appearance even of com- 

 inunications containing interesting and novel faets.\ 



The Freshwater Medusa 



The exphnation of the discrepancy between Prof. AUman's 

 and my own citation of my article in Nature, vol. xxii. p. 147, 

 appears to be that Prof. Allman has unforlurjately received a 

 copy of Nature differing from the majority of tlie issue of that 

 date in the fact that it was printed off before the fiual corrections, 

 sent to the office of Nature on Wednesday, had been inserted. 

 These corrections were made before the greater number of the 

 issue was struck off, and I have only just ascertained, to my great 

 surprise, that any of the uncorrected copies had been circulated. 

 The error as to the marginal canal was also present in the proof 

 of my paper, marked " uncorrected proof, confidential," which 

 was circulated among the Fellows at the meeting of tlie Royal 

 Society on June 17, but the error was corrected by me before the 

 reading of the paper. 



Accordingly, so far as any publication or the public expression 

 of my conclusions is concerned, I have not committed myself to 

 the erroneous notion that the marginal canal is absent, although 

 in the course of my inquiiy I did entertain that_ and many other 

 provisional conceptions as to the structure of Limnocodium. 



I shall be glad to see some explanation fi-om the publishers of 

 Nature of the curious and highly inconvenient phenomenon of 

 dualism in NATURE which has mystified both Prof. Allman and 

 mygelf, E. Ray Lankester 



[Premising that we are supposed to leave Nature in the 

 printer's hands ready for press at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, we 

 have no difficulty in giving the explanation asked for by Prof. 

 Lankester. ,„ , , 



His revised proof was received by us on Wednesday mormng, 

 June 16, with numerous corrections, which were given effect to. 

 After the paper had been made ever to the printer on the after- 

 noon of that day a postcard was received by the printer with an 

 additional correction, which was also duly made. On the 

 morning of Thursday, the I7lh, the following note, dated 

 " Wednesday afternoon," was received by the printers after the 

 printing of the American edition had been completed and that 

 of the English one had commenced : — 



" Dear Sir,— If there is time please alter in my diagnosis — _ 



'Marginal or Ring Canal oblitei-aied or much reduced' 

 into ' Marginal or Ring Canal voluminous.' 



" Similarly please alter 



'Radiating Canals terminating co:;caUy ' into ' Radiating 

 Canals opening into the marginal canal.' 



" Truly yours, 



" E. Ray Lankester" 



Although one-third of the edition had been printed off, the 

 printer knowing our anxiety to give contributors every facdity 

 for corrections, slopped the press, and made the alterations 

 which were asked for "if there is time. ' Possibly Prot. 

 Lankester has no idea of what is involved in stoppmg a 

 steam press. However this may be, the press was stopped 

 in order to carry out to our utmost what we considered to 

 be Prof. Lankester's wishes, and we are astonished that he can 

 have put any other interpretation upon «hat happened. Prot. 

 Lankester's letter given above is undated, but it was re- 

 ceived on July 31 at mid-day. On the 2Sth lie wrote, stating that 

 he had found there were " two issues of Nature of June 17, 

 and requesting us to "state this if necessaiy. This does not 



