5i8 



NATURE 



{March 31, 1881 



eludes (Real. 1st, Loinb. Jiend.) that surfasion of the rain- 

 drops i^ not indispensable to its production. Surfusion indeed 

 accelerates it, as do also violence of wind and intense cold ; but 

 a rain with teinperaiure not so low as zero falling into an air- 

 current in rapid motion and below zero gives the phenomenon. 

 It is pointed out, however, that the mist which usually accompanies 

 verglas bein^ driven against objects by the wind, and its par- 

 ticles being in a state of surfusion (the temperature being below 

 zero), prubibly contributes to the general result, helping to make 

 the ice-layer regular and uniform. If the verglas be such that 

 the drop freezes wholly at once, the latter has probably con- 

 tained many small crystals of ice. 



M. Mercadier sums up his researches on Radiophony by 

 saying that he believes that the phenomena are due toavibiatory 

 movement set up by the alternate heating and cooling, due to the 

 intermittent beams of heat-rays, of the gaseous layer adjacent to 

 the suhd surface at which the radiations are absorbed ; being an 

 anterior layer in the case of solid bodies, a posterior layer in the 

 case of transparent bodies, 



M. JANSSEN has succeeded in photographing the lumiere 

 cendree, or " earth-shine" on the moon when three days old : in 

 the photograph the " continents " were to be distinguished clearly 

 from the " seas." This disposes of the view sometimes advanced, 

 and held, we believe, by some most eminent astronomers, that the 

 " new moon in the arms of the old " was an optical illusion. 



Prof. D. W. Beetz, of the Technical High School of 

 Munich, wishes us to say that in the note (vol. .xxiii. p. 442) on 

 the moiiulus of elasticity of rods of carbon, he, and not Herr 

 Ilultz, should have been mentioned as the author of the paper on 

 the subject in Wied. Ann. 



GEOGRAPHICAL NOTES 

 At the meeting of the Geographical Society on Monday Mr. 

 J. B. Minchin, who has spent some seven years in the country, 

 read an excellent paper on Eastern Bolivia, which also included 

 some oDservations on the Gran Chaco. After some preliminary 

 remarks Mr. Minchin dwelt at length on the water-system of the 

 country, and, speaKing first of the lakes, he mentioned that 

 between the Rivers Pilcomayo and Paraj^uay, in the unexplored 

 Chaco, the Indians report the existence of a lake which no 

 white man has ever yet seen, but v\hich i-. perhaps near 22" y. 

 lat. The rivers belong to Amazon and Plate systems, and \\\\\\ 

 the exception of the Paraguay and the Itenez, they mostly 

 have their sources among the highest summits of the Andes. 

 The Parapite, Mr. Minchin added, is the most southerly affluent 

 of the Amazons, which in some maps has been made to flow 

 across the Chaco into the Paraguay. The Pilcomayo also does 

 not, as has be n thought, receive any tributaries on its course 

 through the Chaco, so far as can be learned from the Indians. 

 Mr. Minchin afterwards alluded to his expednion over the Matto 

 Grossi Ml untaius, which he succeeded in crossing for the first 

 time. '1 he latter [ art of the paper was largely devoted to the 

 animal and vegetable productions of Eastern Bolivia and to the 

 commercial condition of the country. The discussion which 

 followed turned chiefly on the route of the future into Bolivia, 

 whether it would be most advantageous to follow the Paraguay 

 route or develop a new one by the Madera. 



Mr. E. G. Kavenstein has nearly completed for the Council 

 of the Geographical Society the large map of Eastern Equatorial 

 Africa, on which he has been engaged for nearly three years 

 under the direction of their Scientific Purposes Committee. 

 The original drawings will be reduced before they are engraved, 

 ai.d the map when published will be in twenty-lour sheets, and 

 on a :cale of i : i,oco,ooo. It will take in the lake regton, the 

 Upper Congo, and the Upper Nile, and on the east coast will 

 extend from Somali Land to a little south of the Zambesi, the 

 precise limits of the map being from 10° N. to 20° S. lat., and 

 from 25" to 52° E. long. A very complete bibliography of 

 authorities, compiled fan /asm with the map, will be published 

 afterwarus. 



Mr. Broumton, an agent of the China Inland Mission at 

 Kweiyang-fu, in the province of Kweichow, has lately sent 

 home un account of a vi-it which he had paid by invitation to the 

 Miao-tsze tribes a shoi t distance off. He had been told by one of 

 them, from whom he had been learning st mething of the Ian- 

 guaj^e, that in the third moon of the yearj his people had large 

 gatherings in the hills, and was asked to be present at these 



festivities-. He accordingly went and had an excellent opportu- 

 nity for observing the manners and cu-toms of this section of 

 this comparatively unknown people. He describes their dress, 

 the character of the festivities witnessed, the singular musical 

 instruments used, &c. The particular tribes visited by Mr. 

 Broumton are known as the Black (from the colour of their 

 clothes) and the Ka-teo tribes, and live near Hwangping-chow. 



Mr. Carl Bock is leaving for Siam next week, where he 

 intends to make an excursion into the interior. His book 

 "The Headhunters of Borneo," will be published shortly by 

 Messrs. Sampson Low and Co. 



We hear that Mr. Edward Whymper, who has already given 

 an account of st me phases of his South American journey to 

 the Alpine Club and the Society of Arts, will read a paper on 

 the Andes of Ecuador before the Geographical Society on 

 May 9. 



PRIZES OF THE PARIS ACADEMY OF 

 SCIENCES 



AT the public seance of the Academy on March 14 the 

 annual distribution of prizes took place. While many of 

 these prizes are offered for particular subjects, others are devoted 

 to rewarding the most important advances made during the year 

 in special departments of science. 



The Grand Prize of the Mathematical Sciences was awarded 

 to M. Halphen for work on the theory of linear differential 

 equations. 



In astronomy Mr. Stone receives the Lalande prize for his 

 stellar researches, following those of Abbe de Lacaille, at the 

 Cape of Good Hope ; and the Valz prize goes lo M. Tempcl 

 for his observations on comets. M. Vinot's labours in starting 

 and editing Le del are recognised by the award of the Tremont 

 prize. 



The Montyon prize of the mechanical arts is given to M. 

 Cornut for his study of the faults of iron plates ; the Poncelet 

 prize to M. Leaule for various works ; while a recompense of 

 1500 francs on the Bordin foundation is given to M. Lan for 

 improved modes of combustion, diminishing the trouble and 

 harm from smoke, &c. (in steel heating). The extraordinary 

 prize of 6000 francs (for improving the efficacy of naval forces), 

 and the Plumey prize, are not awarded. 



In physics we find a recompense of 30CX) francs given to M. 

 Ader, on the Vaillant foundation, for improvements in phonetic 

 telegraphy. The grand prize for researches on elasticity of 

 crystalline bodies is not awarded. 



The Jecker prize goes to M. Demaryay for important work in 

 organic chemistry ; the Gegner prize to M. Jacquelaln for 

 skill in preparing a large number of substances in a pure state, 

 &c. 



Two prizes on the Bordin foundation are awarded in geology, 

 one to M. Gosselet for a geological sketch of the North of 

 France, the other to MM. Falsan and Chantre for their geologi- 

 cal monography of ancient glaciers and erratic deposits in the 

 middle of the Rhone Valley. Recompenses on the Gay foun- 

 dation are awarded to MM. Delage and Chevremont for obser- 

 vations on movements of the coast-line in France. 



In medicine and surgery three Montyon prizes are awarded : 

 one to Dr. Charcot for his work on localisation of disorders of 

 the brain ; an< ther to Dr. Sappery for researches on the lymph- 

 atic apparatus of fishes ; the third to Dr. Jullien for important 

 medical researches. On the Bieant foundation M. Colin is aw arded 

 5C00 francs for physiological researches. Dr. Segond receives 

 the Godard prize for an important work in surgery ; Dr. 

 Quinand the Barbier prize for researches on the quantity of 

 oxygen in human blood in health and in disease. The Dusgate 

 prize (having regard to prevention of premature burial) is not 

 given, but MM. Onimus, Peyrand, and Le Bon are recompensed 

 for their researches. The Boudet prize is awarded to Prof. 

 Lister. 



In experimental physiology the Montyon prize is given to 

 M. Bonnier for researches on the nectaries and colours of plants. 



The I'ons-Melicocq prize for butanical re-earch in the north of 

 France is gained by M. de Vicq ; and M. de la Chapelle receives 

 1000 francs on the Desmazieres foundation for studies on French 

 cryptogams. 



In anatomy and zoology the Grand Prize with reference to 

 distribution of marine animals on the French coast is withheld. 



