^!(o: 13, 1874] 



NA TURE 



295 



himself, and he also constructed a telescope on this principle 

 many years ago in England without knowing that the method 

 was engaging the attention of others. He sends an account of a 

 mercurial reflecting telescope exhibited by him before the New 

 Zealand Institute, Nov. ig, 1S72, which is published in the 

 Transactions of that Institute, vol. v. p. 119. 



The Times of Monday and Tuesday contains some interesting 

 details concerning Col. Gordon's African Expedition from one 

 of his staff. The latest date is June iS, v/hen the various detach- 

 ments were in boats on the White Nile, making the best of their 

 way to Gondokoro. One of the objects of this expedition, as 

 our readers no doubt know, is to carry out the work so well 

 begun by Sir Samuel Baker in the suppression of slavery. Col. 

 Gordon expects to have steamers on Lake Albert Nyassi by 

 November next ; and the Rev. H. Waller, writing in the Times, 

 states that by taking the Suez, Souakim, Berber, and Khartoum 

 route, it is quite possible to reach Gondokoro in forty-eight days 

 from England, including a week's rest at Khartoum. 



In the "Tjjdschrift voor entomologie nitgegeven door de 

 Nederlandsche entomologijche vereeniging" is a useful paper 

 On Aceiiliopits (Curt.), by Mr. Ritsema. He refers to the pas- 

 sage in the preface to the Zoologist for 1857: "We have an 

 aquatic section of Diptera, Neuroptera, Coleoptera and Hemi- 

 ptera ; it is in perfect accordance with the known laws of Nature 

 that there should be an aquatic section of Lepidoptera ; " and he 

 quotes the opinion given by Dr. Hagen in July 1856, that 

 AceiiltapiisHivais is a lepidopterous insect of the family Crambidiie. 

 He then gives in chronological order extracts from writers in diffe- 

 rent countries who regard Acciitropns as lepidopterous, and adds 

 in conclusion a list of the streams and ponds where it has been 

 found. Stephens, in 1835, raised the question whether his 

 Aceiitropidic ought not to be placed under Lepidoptera, but 

 Dr. Ritsema does not quote him, — There is also a con- 

 tinuation of a new catalogue of the Hymenoptera of the 

 Netherlands, by Snellen van VoUenhoven, with localities and 

 list of sjnonyms. 1,072 species are enumerated, of which 13 

 are described in full as new to Science. — Dr. Ritsema describes 

 the male of a Xylocopa, of which he says he knows only some 

 tight or nine examples, and of which there is no specimen men- 

 tioned in the British Museum Catalogue. He gives two coloured 

 figures. 



An Entomological Club has been formed at Cambridge, Mas- 

 sachusetts, having for its object the mutual interchange of dis- 

 coveries and observations in regard to entomology. It has been de- 

 termined to undertake the publication of a monthly organ to be 

 called PsyiJic. This will contain such a part of the proceedings of 

 the Society as are considered of general interest, communications, 

 lists of captures, and especially a Bil'liographical Kaord, in 

 which will be given a list of all writings upon entomology pub- 

 lished in North America, and all foreign writings upon North 

 American entomology from the beginning of the year 1874. The 

 editor is Mr. B. Fickman Mann, of Cambridge, Massachusetts. 

 The first number contains an article by Mr. Scudder, on the 

 English nnmesfor butterflies, and the first part of i\ie Bi/'Iio- 

 graphical Record. 



We have received from the Royal Observatory, Cape of Good 

 Hope, " The Cape Catalogue of 1,159 .Stars, deduced from Ob- 

 servations at the Royal Observatory, Cape of Good Hope, 1856 

 to 1S61, reduced to the epoch i860," under the superintendence 

 of E. J. Stone, F.R.S., H.M. Astronomer at the Cape. 



We learn from the Gardener's Chrotiiele that there is to be an 

 exhibition of useful and noxious insects during next month at the 

 Tuileries, Paris. The exhibition commences on the 6lh and is 

 under the auspices of the Societe Generale d'Insectologie. In 

 a country where the vines are being devastated by Phylloxerei 



and where an epidemic disease has been spreading among the 

 silk-worms, the value of such exhibitions cannot be over-esti- 

 mated. 



A PAPER by Mr. N. Whitley, C.E., entitled "The Paleo- 

 lithic Age Examined," read before the Victoria Institute, has been 

 published (Hardwicke) in a separate furm, along with the sub- 

 sequent interesting discussion, in which Dr. W. B. Carpenter, 

 F.R.S., Mr. John Evans, F.R.S., Mr. W. C. Borlase, Mr. 

 Charlesworth, and others took part. 



Messrs. Blackwood and Sons have in the press and nearly 

 ready for publication, " Economic Geology ; or, Geology in its 

 relations to the Arts and Manufactures," by David Page, 

 LL.D. 



Messrs. Longm.\n will shortly publish the following works 

 bearing upon Science :— "The Primeval World of Switzerland," 

 by Dr. Oswald Heer, translated from the German and edited by 

 James Heywood, F.R.S. ; this work will be illustrated. "The 

 Sun : an account of the principal modem discoveries respecting 

 the Structure of the Sun of our System," by Father Secchi, 

 translated and edited by Richard A. Procter. " The Star 

 Depths ; or, other Suns than ours," by Richard A. Procter. 

 "An Introduction to Experimental Physics," by Adolf F. 

 W( rmhold. And a new edition of Dr. Neil Arnott's " Elements 

 of Physics," edited by Alexander Bain and Alfred Swain 

 Taylor. 



M. Guppert has issued a little " Guide to the Royal Botanic 

 Garden of the University of Brcslau," containing an interesting 

 account of its various collections, and of the most important 

 plants grown in it, illustrated by a map. 



We have received Mr. Ellery's Monthly Rtcord oi o\i^zxs3.<C\o\\% 

 taken at Melbourne Observatory in December and January last. 

 The mean temperature in the former month was 67-2'', being 

 36° higher than the last fifteen^ years' average, "and the highest 

 on record with one exception. The highest temperature in the 

 shade was ioi-2°, the range in the month being 56'3°. 



The most recently published parts of the new edition of 

 "Griffith and Henfrey's Micrographic Dictionary" bring the 

 work down as far as " Mouth." The publication continues to 

 maintain its high scientific character. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include two Egyptian Gazelles {Circc/Zir doreas) hom. 

 Egypt, presented by Mr. G. Muscat ; four Rufous Tinamons 

 {Rhyiicliotiis nifeseens) from the Argentine Republic, presented 

 by Mr. Alfred O. Lumb ; three Mastigures {Uromastix sp. ?) 

 from Persia, presented by Captain Phillips ; one Yaguarundi 

 Cat (Felis yaguarundi) from South America, deposited. 



U. S. WEATHER MAPS 



T 



HE American Journal of Science and Arts for July contains 

 an article on Results derived from an Examination of the 

 United States Weather Maps for 1872 and 1S73, by Elias 

 Loomis, Professor of Natural Philosophy in Vale College. 



Prof. Loomis had a number of outline maps of the United 

 States prepared, and on these he traced the tracks of all the 

 storms, whenever a storm-centre could be satisfactorily located, 

 for two successive days, the maps exhibiting, on the aggregate, 

 storm-paths for 314 days. These results were then reduced to a 

 tabular form by measuring with a protractor the bearing of each 

 storm-path with reference to a meridian, and measuring the 

 daily progress of the storm on a scale of inches. This table 

 showed the date of each storm, the velocity of its progress, the 

 direction of its path, together with readings of the barometer 

 before, during, and after a storm, and from it were calculated 

 the following : — The average direction of the storm -paths for two 

 years was 8° to the north of east, and the average velocity wa s 

 25 '6 miles per hour. July Is the month in which the course is 

 most south, and October in which it is most north. February 



