i6 



NA TURE 



[May 4, 1905 



gold medal for 1905, given triennially for work deserving 

 special recognition as advancing sanitary science or pro- 

 moting public health, has been awarded to Sir Patrick 

 Manson, K.C.M.G. 



A DECIDED earthquake shock was felt in the Vale of 

 Llangollen, North Wales, about 1.40 a.m. on May i. The 

 disturbance lasted about four seconds, and was accom- 

 panied by loud rumbling sounds. The river Dee, which 

 runs through the district, rose several feet during the 

 night. 



The Paris correspondent of the Times reports that earth- 

 quake shocks were experienced at about 2 a.m. on April 29 

 over the whole of the Jura, the Rhone valley between 

 Lyons and Valence, and the eastern portion of the Central 

 Massive. All the shocks appear to have occurred simul- 

 taneously, and were accompanied by sudden and violent 

 squalls, as well as by rumblings like distant thunder. An 

 earthquake shock, lasting eight seconds, was recorded also 

 at Chamonix. Subsequently the shocks recurred, though 

 in a mitigated degree. At this place a new spring suddenly 

 gushed from the ground as the result of the seismic dis- 

 turbance, and the waters of the river Arve were swollen 

 in consequence. The shock was felt at 2.45 a.m. at Turin 

 and Domodossola. The seismographs at the observatories 

 of Pavia, Padua, Ferrara, Modena, Ischia, and other 

 towns also recorded disturbances. At Heidelberg Observ- 

 atory the seismograph registered a decided earthquake of 

 short duration at 2.49 a.m. 



Attention was recently directed in these notes (vol. Ixxi. 

 p. 492) to a statement made in the Times that the Tower of 

 Galileo on the hill of Arcetri, near Florence, has been 

 practically destroyed in the course of recent building 

 operations. Prof. A. Ricco, having been led by our note 

 to make a special inquiry at Florence, now writes to point 

 out that the so-called Torre del Gallo cannot in any way 

 be considered as associated with the name of Galileo. 

 Such an association was first suggested comparatively 

 recently and purely gratuitously by the late proprietor of 

 the tower, but no evidence in support of it can be traced 

 either in the numerous letters or writings of Galileo. 

 This was clearly pointed out by Gebler in 1878 in an 

 article in the Deutsche Rundschau, and the most recent 

 examination of Galileo's writings made on the occasion of 

 the publication of the " national edition " of his works has 

 given support to the same opinion. It may perhaps be 

 surmised that a confusion of names has occurred, Torre 

 del Gallo, literally the Cock's Tower, being wrongly re- 

 garded as a corruption of Torre di Galileo. 



In one of his recent articles on Stonehenge (vol. Ixxi. 

 p. 391, February 23) Sir Norman Lockyer referred to the 

 interesting fact, pointed out to him by Colonel Johnston, 

 director of the Ordnance Survey, that the solstitial line in 

 1680 B.C. passes through not only the present centre of 

 Stonehenge, but also through Sidbury Hill to the north- 

 east, and the earthworks at Grovely Castle and Castle 

 Ditches to the south-west. This continuation of the 

 solstitial line from Stonehenge to other ancient structures 

 is of great interest; but an even more remarkable relation 

 found by Colonel Johnston is that Stonehenge, Old 

 Sarum, and Grovely Castle occupy the points of an equi- 

 lateral triangle each side of which is exactly six miles in 

 length. A very definite connection is thus shown to exist 

 between the various primitive works in the neighbourhood 

 of Stonehenge. We notice that Mr. J. H. Spencer de- 

 scribes these relationships in an article in the April number 

 NO. 1853, ^OL. 72] 



of the Antiquary, but he does not mention that the credit 

 of the discovery of the connecting lines between the various 

 monuments belongs to Colonel Johnston. 



We learn from the Journal of the Society of Arts that 

 funds have been placed at the disposal of the council of 

 the Society of Dyers and Colourists for distribution in th« 

 form of prizes for the solution of technical problems. Th( 

 following prizes are now offered : — (i) 20/. for a satis 

 factory systematic tabulation of the reactions of dyestuff! 

 on the fibre, and a comprehensive scheme for their identifi. 

 cation on dyed fabrics ; (2) 10/. for a trustworthy methoc 

 of distinguishing between unmercerised and m^rcerisec 

 cotton of various qualities, and for the estimation of th( 

 degree of mercerisation without reference to lustre ; (3) 20Z. 

 for a full investigation of the causes of the tendering ol 

 cotton dyed with sulphide blacks, and the best means ol 

 preventing such tendering ; (4) 20I. for a satisfactorj 

 standardisation of the strength and elasticity of cottoi 

 yarns of various qualities and twists in the grey anc 

 bleached conditions ; (5) 20/. for a full investigation of thf 

 average degree of tendering brought about in cotton yarn 

 of various qualities by — (a) cross dyeing with acid colours ; 

 (b) dyeing aniline black; and'(c) various other dyeing pro- 

 cesses, with the object of fixing standards for the trade. 

 Further information can be obtained from the hon. secre- 

 tary, Mr. E. T. Holdsworth, Westholme, Great Horton, 

 Bradford. 



4 



Satisf.ictorv progress and general prosperity form th 

 key-note of the report of the Zoological Gardens at Giza 

 for the past year. The report is illustrated by the repro- 

 duction of a most interesting photograph of an aard-vark, 

 or ant-bear, slightly marred by the effect of a shadow by 

 the side of the nose. 



In a communication published in the Anales of the 

 Buenos Aires Museum (vol. xii. pp. 1-64), Dr. F. 

 Ameghino gives reasons for concluding that the single facet 

 by which the astragalus of marsupials articulates inferiorly 

 with the calcaneum is a specialised feature, derived from 

 the more common type in which there are two such facets. 



The April issue of the Proceedings of the Royal Irish 

 Academy is devoted to a list of Irish Coelenterata, in- 

 clusive of the Ctenophora, by Miss Stephens. The list 

 includes about 250 species, but since the north-west coast 

 of Ireland has not yet been thoroughly worked, it cannot 

 be regarded as complete. 



Museum News is the title of a periodical issued by the 

 Brooklyn (N.Y.) Institute of Arts and Sciences to replace 

 the Children's Museum News, and intended to deal with 

 matters connected with both the Central and the Children's 

 Museum in that city. Special attention will be devoted to 

 informing the public with regard to new exhibits and 

 additions to the collections. 



According to its seventy-first report, Bootham School 

 (York) is making a vigorous push in the direction of 

 encouraging the study of natural science, and the natural 

 history club has entered a period of renewed life and 

 vigour. The report is illustrated with reproductions from 

 two excellent photographs, one showing the nest and eggs 

 of a black-headed gull, and the other the same eggs in the 

 process of hatching. 



The seals frequenting Killala Bay and the Moy Estuary, 

 in Mayo, form the subject of an article by Mr. R. Warren 

 in the April Zoologist. Both the common and the grey 

 seal frequent and breed in this district, the young being 

 apparently born in most cases in caverns difficult of access. 



