Da-. I 6, 1880] 



NA TURE 



157 



The Observatory will comprise at first two equatorials, one 

 meridian, and several accessory instrumen'.s. One of tlie 

 equatorials will probably be the largest astronomical appa- 

 ratus in the world. Its focal distance will be iS metres, and its 

 aperture 076 m. The cupola will have a diameter of no less 

 than 22 m. The constniction of the object-glass is entrusted to 

 MM. Paul and Prosper Henry of the Paris Observatory. The 

 instrument alone will cost about 250,000 francs and the cupola 

 wiU be correspondingly expensive. Tlie total cost of the Obser- 

 vatory will exceed tn-o million francs. 



An interesting pamphlet on the subject of the introduction of 

 hypotheses in school education has been published by Dr. 

 Hermann MUller of Lippstadt (Bonn, Strauss). Dr. MiiUer 

 writes in self-defence and in reply to Prof. Virchow, whose 

 controversy with Prof. HHckel on this subject some years ago 

 will be remembered. 



Among other useful matter in the " British Almanac and 

 Companion" for 18S1 is a summary of the science of the past 

 year, by Mr. J. F. Iselin, which is good so far as it goes, but 

 that is necessarily not very far. There is also an article on 

 " Weather Forecasting," by Mr. R. H. Scott, acd a " Sl;etch 

 of the History of the Royal Observatory, Greenwich," by Mr. 

 W. T. Lynn. 



The Report of Mr. Morris, the Director of Public Gardens 

 and Plantations in Jamaica, on the financial results of the last 

 consignment of Cinchona barlcs sent to the London market, is 

 extremely satisfactory, inasmuch as it shows the superiority of 

 Jamaica barks over those of Ceylon, as indicated by the prices 

 realised. The consignment refeiTed to in the present Report 

 consisted of eighty-one bales, in which the several species under 

 cultivation were represented, crown bark from C. officinalis and 

 red bark from C. succiruhra forming by far the largest propor- 

 tion. The total amount realised for these eighty-one bales was 

 1313/. \\s. Id. For all the different kinds, whether "quill," 

 "trunk,'' "root," or "twig" bark, the prices realised were in 

 excess of those obtained for the same kinds of Ceylon barks, to 

 the extent even in some cases of 2s. ^id. per pound. Mr. Morris 

 draws attention to the fact that from the recent sales the relative 

 merits of the two principal species under cultivation, namely, 

 the crown or grey bark (C. officinaUs) and the red bark (C. 

 succiriibrd) have become very distinctly marked. Tlie first- 

 named species has proved to be a most valuable product, and 

 whatever changes and fluctuations may ultimately take place in 

 view of the more extensive cultivation of Cinchona in different 

 parts of the world, high-class bark of this nature must always 

 command good and remunerative prices. The conclusion arrived 

 at is that the conditions of soil and climate of certain parts of 

 Jamaica are "eminently favourable to the production of the 

 best qualities of these valuable products, and as large tracts of 

 land and the necessary labour are nov,' avaib.ble, there are only 

 wanting sufficient capital and energy to overcome the initial 

 difficulties of this enterprise." 



The buds of the second vegetation in Paris which we noticed 

 in October were killed by the frosty weather in the beginning of 

 November, but a new vegetable phenomenon has been seen in the 

 Champs Elysees. Owing to the exceptional hot weather prevailing 

 in December new leaves have been observed on a few trees, and 

 were flourishing at the date of our most recent observations. 



THE Bill relating to the forthcoming exhibition of electricity 

 in Paris has been presented to the Chamber. M. Cochery asks 

 for a credit of 300,000 francs — 150,000 for the exhibition and 

 150,000 for the Congress and experiments. A guarantee fund of 

 20,000/. has been signed by fifty persons. 



A USEFUL pamphlet on Bedroom Ventilation has been 

 published by Mr. Lawson Tait of Birmingham. 



The American Entomologist has been incorporated with the 

 American Naturalist. 



The rare phenomenon of an inverted rainbow was observed at 

 Innsbruck on November 25 at S.45 a.m. The end-points of the 

 semicircle, the centre of which was the sun, rose and moved 

 westwards with the latter for some thirty minutes. The phenoj 

 menon then vanislied. 



A VALUABLE discovery has been made at Jochenstein, near 

 Obernzell (Bavarii). A farmer of Jochenstein had frequently 

 noticed a stone plate, of some \\ metres square, in the centre of 

 a wood belonging to him. He had the plate raised recently, and 

 under it were found six head-rings, four spiral bracelets, each 

 showing nine twists, and two battle-axes. All the objects are 

 of bronze and capitally preserved. 



The second part of "The Scientific English Reader" 

 (Leipzig, Brockhaus), edited by Dr. F. J. Wershoven, the first 

 part of which we have already referred to, contains extracts 

 relating to machinery and mechanical technology. 



The fourth part of Dr. Dodel-Port's excellent "Atlas of 

 Physiological Botany " has just been published. The six plates 

 it contains are in every respect equal to those of the former 

 numbers. They comprise (l) Volvox minor, germ-history of the 

 oospore (this plate forms the supplement of the Volvox globator 

 plate in part l) ; (2) Equiselum Telmatcga, sporangia and spores ; 

 (3) Passiflora cccnilca and P. carulea-alata ; (4) Selaginella /hel- 

 vetica, with macro- and raicrosporangia, macro- and microspores; 

 (S) Polytrichttm gracile, male and female plants, moss-fruit and 

 its anatomy, spores and germinating spores ; (6) Narcissus 

 poeticus, seed-bud in longitudinal section at the time of fer- 

 tilisation. These drawings are made according to the latest 

 researches on the fertilisation of phanerogamic plants. Parts 

 -'-S of the same authors' " lUustrirtes Pflanzenleben " will also 

 shortly be published. 



Among the special papers in the Annitairc of the Brussels 

 Observatory for iSSi are the following :-" What is the Climate 

 most favourable to the development of Civilisation?" " Physical 

 Phenomena accompanying the Transits of Mercury," by M. 

 Niesten ; "Nomenclature of existing Public Observatories'^'; 

 "The Asteroids," by JL Niesten ; " The Isthmus of Panama." 



The last Calcutta Cncrf/^ contains some oft^cial correspondence 

 regarding the insect lately discovered in Monghyr, which threatens 

 to become very destructive to the rice crops. The specimens 

 forwarded to Mr. Wood Mason, deputy superintendent of the 

 India Museum, have been identified by him as belonging to the 

 .renus Cecidomyia and as related to the Hessian fly which 

 ravaged tlie wheat-fields in the United States. This genus, 

 Mr. Mason says, has never before been found in India, and he 

 proposes to call the species Cecidomyia oryz<e, or the rice-fly. 

 He •'oes on to say that it is likely to prove a most formidable pest, 

 and "recommends that the district officers should be instructed to 

 make further inquiries and carefully watch its progress. 



A recent number of the Golos contains an interesting letter 

 from Tiflis desctibing the enormous labour besto\\ed during the 

 summer upon the destruction of the grasshoppers. The work 

 was carried on for about three months, and occupied lu one 

 district (Gori) no less than 20,000 people per day. More than 

 half these people had been summoned from the neighbounng 

 districts of Achalzych, Ossetia, and Imerctia. Thanks to the 

 colossal efforts thus made only 2 per cent, of the total crops of 

 the district were destroyed by the grasshoppers. Many million 

 roubles worth of hay and corn were saved by this work. On tne 

 other hand the organisation of the whole cost the Russian 

 Government some 200.000 roubles, and many thousand acre3_ ot 

 fields and gardens have been utterly neglected by the population 

 to whom tlicy belong. 



