222 



NATURE 



\yan. 22, 1874 



be all very true, if the problem were as simple as here 

 put ; but it is evident that these induced currents are of 

 no real service in flight, because in their production there 

 is as much force lost as there may be gained from their 

 subsequent employment on the reversal of the action of 

 the wing, if the bird's body has not advanced sufficiently 

 far to be in each stroke beyond the range of their 

 action, which is probably the case. 



Physiologists will also be considerably startled by a 

 novel hypothesis of Dr. Pettigrew's, which we cannot give 

 better than in his own words : — " Hitherto, and by com- 

 mon consent, it has been believed that whereas a flexor 

 muscle is situated on one aspect of a limb, and its corre- 

 sponding extensor on the other aspect, these two muscles 

 must be opposed to and antagonise each other." We are 

 not ashamed to say that such has always been, and still 

 is, our idea, notwithstanding the author's remark that 

 " This belief is founded on an erroneous assumption, viz., 

 that muscles have only the power of shortening, and that 

 when one muscle, say the flexor, shortens, it must drag 

 out and forcibly elongate the corresponding extensor, and 



the converse. This would be a mere waste of power. Na- 

 ture never works against herself. There are good grounds 

 for believing . . . that there is no such thing as antago- 

 nism in muscular movements. . . . Muscles are, there- 

 fore, endowed with a centripetal and centrifugal action." 



In conclusion, we must say that we expected better 

 things of Dr. Pettigrew, and regret that he has not, 

 before now, learned that there are errors in his methods 

 and his results that cannot be tolerated by a thinking 

 public, which prefers accurate reasoning rather than 

 dogmatic statement, and well-grounded fact to fanciful 

 analogy. A. H. Garrod 



LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 



[The Editor does not hold himself responsible for opinions expressed 

 by hij correspondents. No notice is taken of anonymous 

 communications.^ 



The Famine in India and Meteorology 

 Out here in India our attention has been of late called to con- 

 sider the best means of warding off the effects of one of Nature's 

 laws, that threatens- the lives of nunabers of our fellow-creatures, 



Selling price. 



3 rupees. 



15 per cent profit. 



{ Cost price. 



.. 2 rupees. 



: rupee per maund. 



6 7 



- 1047 MILES. 



Fig. I shows the cost of Wheat per maund at the following Stations on the line of Railway in November 1873 ;— i, ■UlniitSDr ; 2, Jullunder ; 3, Loo diana 

 4, Umballa { s» Meerut ; 6, Allyghur ; 7, Etawah ; 8, Cawnpore ; 9, Allahabad ; 10, Mirzapore ; 11, Benares ; iz, Dinapore ; 13, Bhaugulpore. 



100 per cent, profit. 



\ NORTH WESTERN PROVINCES 



^..., .,« » \Ii:z-iqal-r(l 

 PUNJAB ■' 



Fig. 2 shows the resen profits by the sale of Wheat at the following Stations :— i, Umritsur ; 2, Jullunder ; 4, Loodianah ; 4, Umballa ; s, MctmJ 6, 

 Allyghur : 7, Etaw.ih ; 8, Cawnpore ; 9, Allahabad ; 10, Mirzapore 11, Benares ; t2, Dinapore : 13, Bhauguulpore; 



for at this present moment the millions ol Bengal are threatened 

 with famine. 



The study of the meteorological effects and changes of climate 

 in India is very interesting, but I have not time to go into the 

 question how one portion of the air laden with moisture moves 

 up the Bay of Bengal, sweeps along the coast of Burmah and 

 Asam ; how It begins to part with the moisture in Burmah about 



the middle of May, continually advancing along the valley of the 

 Ganges, till about a month later it reaches Simla, which is on 

 the ridge which separates the drainage of the Ganges from that 

 of the Indus. 



Up the Indus valley another current of air from the Indian 

 Ocean also moves northwards parting with large quantities of its 

 moisttu-e along the western coasts of Madras and Bombay, and 



