522 



NA TURE 



[S'EPTEMBER 20, I 906 



fortnight of September was at length thoroughly broken. 

 Rain fell on several days over the entire country, and 

 the rainfall in the aggregate now almost equals the 

 average for the month in many parts of England. 

 Temperatures are again in agreement with the normal, and 

 in the past week the exposed thermometer at Greenwich 

 fell below the freezing point on two consecutive nights. 



The fifth biennial meeting of the International Com- 

 mission for Scientific Aeronautics will be held this year 

 at Milan, from September 30 to October 7. A pro- 

 gramme for continuing the meteorological exploration of 

 the atmosphere will be adopted (says Science), and it is 

 expected that the president of the commission. Prof. 

 Hergesell, will state the results of soundings of the atmo- 

 sphere, which he has just executed near Spitsbergen from 

 the Prince of Monaco's yacht, and that Messrs. Teisserenc 

 de Bort and Rotch will give an account of the second 

 Franco-American expedition which they sent last winter to 

 the tropical Atlantic for a similar purpose. 



We learn from the Times that the arrangements for the 

 international balloon race which is to take place on 

 September 30 have been completed. Sixteen balloons will 

 be employed in the race, and the aeronauts will represent 

 Great Britain, France, Germany, America, Italy, Belgium, 

 and Spain. The arrangements for the race have been made 

 by the A^ro Club of France, and the start will be made 

 from the Place de la Concorde, Paris. The moving spirit 

 in the contest is Mr. Gordon Bennett, who offers a challenge 

 cup, value 500!., and 500/. in cash for the winner. The 

 prizes will be awarded to the aeronaut who goes the 

 furthest distance. The longest distance yet made in any 

 of these expeditions has been 1200 miles, from Paris to 

 Kieff, in Russia, but it is possible that under favourable 

 conditions fhat record may be broken. 



A CONFERENCE of members of the Museums .'Vssociation 

 and others interested in museum work will be held at 

 Chester on Saturday afternoon, September 22, for the 

 purpose of discussing subjects of common interest to those 

 concerned in the work of museums, art galleries, and 

 kindred institutions. The following papers will be read 

 and discussed : — The nature of the archa;ological collec- 

 tions in the Grosvenor Museum, Chester, R. Newstead ; 

 the nature of the natural history collections in the Gros- 

 venor Museum, Chester, A. Newstead; the comparative 

 method in the exhibition of museum specimens, J. A. 

 Clubb ; museum taxidermy, and the status of the taxi- 

 dermist, J. W. Cutmore. 



The Hull Municipal Museum recently purchased the 

 extensive geological collection formed by the late Mr. 

 George Lether, of Scarborough. Mr. Lether was well 

 known as an enthusiastic collector, and for many years 

 he was engaged in making a collection of the smaller 

 species to be found in the fossiliferous deposits which are 

 so well represented around Scarborough. The Kelloways 

 Rock, Calcareous Grit, Coral Rag, Cornbrash, the Mille- 

 pore limestone and Scarborough limestone were well 

 known to him, and from these various strata he obtained 

 the collection now at Hull. It is particularly strong in the 

 smaller gasteropods, but in addition contains a fine series 

 of sea-urchins, terebratula;, ammonites, corals, &c. The 

 collection is one of exceptional value, and is a welcome 

 addition to the local geological collection in the Hull 

 Museum. 



Reports of disturbances in the earth's crust continue to 

 be received. During the past few days the following shocks 

 NO. 1925, VOL. 74] 



of a severe character have been felt: — September 12, 

 Santiago de Chile. Between 1.20 a.m. and 5 p.m. 

 numerous earthquake shocks were felt in the region 

 situated between the provinces of Santiago and Maule. 

 The shocks are attributed to the Chilian volcano, which 

 is in full activity. Near the mouth of the Bio-Bio River 

 an upheaval has been produced, leaving part of the bed of 

 the river dry. September 13, Sicily. — At 10.43 a.m. a 

 slight shock of earthquake was felt at Palermo, and was 

 succeeded by other shocks later. The inhabitants at 

 Termini and in the neighbouring district are in an in- 

 describable state of panic. All the houses in Trabia are 

 cracked, and many have collapsed. Slight shocks were felt 

 at Rioja, Chilecito, and Santiago del Estero. A more 

 violent shock occurred at Tinogasta, followed by loud 

 rumbling. September 17, Shemakha, Transcaucasia. — 

 .\n earthquake, lasting ten seconds, was felt at 3 p.m. The 

 disturbance appeared to move in a direction from north- 

 west to south-east. 



The subject of malaria in Greece was dealt with by 

 Prof. Ronald Ross, F.R.S., on Monday, in the course of 

 an address at a luncheon given at Liverpool to Prof. 

 Savas, of the University of Athens. Prof. Ross said that 

 at the request of the Lake Copias Company (Limited) the 

 Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine had made an in- 

 vestigation as to the prevalence of malaria in Greece. He 

 went out to that country last May, and found a very 

 serious state of affairs. The population was practically 

 confined to the valleys, the mountains being almost 

 uninhabitable, and in these valleys he found a good deal 

 of malaria. The statistics of the whole country showed 

 that out of a population of, roughly, 25 millions, there 

 were 250,000 cases of malaria every year, and the deaths 

 were about 1760. Last year the number of cases increased 

 to 960,000, and the deaths to 5916. He was of opinion 

 that it was malaria which checked the life of ancient 

 Greece, and that the disease was introduced, or at all 

 events reinforced, at the time that Greece brought natives 

 of Asia into the country. The movement initiated by Dr. 

 Savas to deal with the plague was one which should 

 recommend itself to all interested in the progress of 

 civilisation. 



A DET.AiLED description is given in the Engineer (vol. 

 cii.. No. 2644) of some interesting models of rock-drilling 

 and boring machinery that have been added to the cases 

 devoted to this branch of mechanics at the Victoria and 

 Albert Museum. 



An interesting incident of a sparrow caught in a spider's 

 web is reported to the Spectator of September 8 by Mr. 

 B. G. Tours, writing from the British Consulate in Chin- 

 kiang, China. The web was built across a brick arch, 

 and the sparrow, a full-grown bird, flying through it head 

 downwards became caught in it. All its efforts to release 

 itself only served to add to its discomfort, and the bird 

 soon became exhausted and gave up struggling. Mr. 

 Tours then released it, and he adds that it was " looking 

 and evidently being very uncomfortable in his extra clothes 

 of cobweb." During the whole proceeding the very large 

 spider had not attempted to interfere with the bird, and 

 would probably have waited until it was dead before 

 doing so. 



In Engineering of September 14 there is a long descrip- 

 tion, and a large number of excellent illustrations, of the 

 quadruple-screw steam-turbine-driven 25-knot Cunard liner 

 Mauretania, to be launched on September 20 from the 

 Wallsend shipyard. The following are the dimensions of 



