NATURE 



534 



the Saiigari and the Ussuri join the main stream. He is of 

 opinion that these people are more nearly allied to the Tunguses 

 than to the Esquimaux,' the crania in his possession being re- 

 markable for their high brachicephalic form and large cranial 

 capacity. — In a letter from Dr. Week, addressed to the society, 

 the writer draws attention to the peculiarity evinced by the 

 Irishmen of becoming fairer and lighter in skin after they have 

 for a time enjoyed good and abundant food, with the comforts of 

 civilised life. This special characteristic he regards as a proof of 

 the difference between these peoples and the negro races of 

 South Africa, and as an evidence of tlieir nearer affinity with 

 more northern tribes. Dr. Week at the same time expresses his 

 opinion that the dances by moonlight, which are systematically 

 practised by the .South African tribes, are connected with some 

 form of moon-worship ; while Dr. [Fritsch, on the other hand, 

 believes that these dances are in no way religious, and are simply 

 called forth by the charm of tropical moonlit nights. — Ilerr 

 Virchow exhibited some stone implements or wedges precisely 

 similar to the so-called Hint knives, which we are accustomed 

 to assign to the Stone Age ; yet these were of modern fabrica- 

 tion, being made in the present day in Syria, where they are 

 used, amongst other puqMses, to keep the different parts of the 

 Syrian threshing machine {tribulum) in their places. 



Astronomische Nachrkhtm, No. 2,007, contains the observa- 

 tions of position and magnitude of 148 comparison stars and 13 

 minor planets, made witli the meridian circle at Berlin. — No. 

 2,ooS contains the positions of loS more stars, reduced to the 

 mean equinox of 1870, and the positions of 20 planets, made by 

 the same instrument. With tlie Berlin refractor the positions of 

 some 58 planets have been determined, and some of them have 

 been observed on a number ot nights. — In No. 2,009 L. Schulhof 

 gives an ephemeris and the following elements of Comet III. 

 1S74, discovered by Coggia on the igtn of August : — 



T = July 5 •16629 Berlin time. 



T ' 347° 20' 2" 



n = 213° 12' 15" 



i = 28° 25' 41" 

 log.? = 0-15831 

 M. Geelmuyden gives elements of Coggia's first comet of 1S74, 

 and assigns a period of 10,445 years.— D' Arrest contributes a 

 number of spectroscopic observalions of Secchi's types III. and 

 IV. — Ormond Stone gives a note on certain expressions of the 

 distance of a comet from the earth, and a paper on Briinnow's 

 method of correcting the orbit of a comet. — Dr. Holeischek 

 gives an ephemeris of Boirelfy's comet, the two last positions of 

 which are — 



R..\. DEC. 



Oct. 29 ... 6h. 2lm. 9s. + So"37'-6 



Nov. 2 ... 6h. 5m. us. +47°36'7 



pnd an ephemeris of Coggid's comet of the 19th of August — 



Oct. 29 ... 5h. cm. 4i-8s. — 0° 12' 55" 



Nov. 2 ... 4h. 4Sm. 46 4s. - 1° 49' 50" 



Memoria dclla Socieli de^li Spettroscopisti Italiani, August. — 

 Fadier Secchi contributes a paper discussing the theory of so!ar 

 .spots set forih by Galilto, and he compares the theories and obser- 

 vations of Wilson, KiruhhofT, Faye, and Gautier. Tacchini adds 

 a note discussing M. P'aye's theory of the formation of solar 

 spots, and opposing it on the ground that spots and faculje seem to 

 accompany erupiioiis. Tacclam also gives notes on the positions 

 of the chioraosphere where magnesium vapour was observed in 

 January last, and he also mentions ihe position of prominences 

 accompanying spots at the limb, and containing metallic vapours. 

 The magnesium Ime .and 1474 occur most frequently. — Notes and 

 measurements of the comet (Coggia) made by E. Dembwoski 

 with a 7-inch Merz, together with drawings of the nucleus, 

 appear in this number. — Schiaparelli contributes a note on the 

 new star observed in Sagictanus in 1690. He thinks it the 

 same as the variable star S Sagittarius, R. A. 2S7" 40', Dec. 

 19° iS'. — Tacchini gives a table with notes showing the number 

 of meteors, with their brightness, observed in each fifteen 

 minutes from loh. 30m. to I3h. 15m. on the 9th, loih, and nth 

 of August last. Tlie radiant point 



\Oct, 29, 1874 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 



Manchester 

 Literary; and Philosophical Society, Or.t. 6. — Rev. 

 William Gaskell, M. A., vice-president, in the chair. — On the 

 ossiferous deposit at Windy Knoll, near Castloton, by Mr. Rooke 

 Pennington, LL. B. — On some teeth from a fissure in Water- 

 houses Quarry, in Staffordshire. Mr. Pennington called atten- 

 tion to some teeth of a bison {Bos priicus) from a fissure in a 

 quarry at Waterhouses. The animal had evidently fallen in 

 while coming to drink at the river Hamps. It had been 

 erroneously described as an Irish elk. — On the extent and 

 action of the heating surface for steam boilers, by Prof. 

 Osborne Rcynol Is, M.A. — Dr. Joule made a further com- 

 munication respecting his mercurial air pump described in 

 the Proceedings for Dec. 24, 1S72, and Feb. 4, Feb. 18, and 

 Dec. 30, 1S73. He had successfully made use of the gkass plug 

 proposed in the Proceedings for Feb. 4, 1873. This he con- 

 structs by blowing out the entrance tube and grinding the bulb 

 thus formed into the neck of the thiscle-shaped glass vessel. To 

 collect the pumped gases he now employs an inverted glass 

 vessel attached to the entrance tube and dipping into the mer- 

 cury in the upper part of tlie thistle glass. 



Winchester 

 The Winchester and Hampshire Scientific and Literary 

 Society held the first meeting of its sixth session on Oct. 19 ; 

 Dr. Heale, treasurer, in the chair. — The Rev. F. Howlett, 

 F.R.A.S., delivered an introductory address, noticing many of 

 the more important discoveries made during the past year in 

 various departments of scientific research. 



BOOKS AND PAMPHLETS RECEIVED 



RRlTl'iH.- Report of llie Weather Telegraphy (E. SLinford ).— Annual 

 lieport Aeronautical Society of Great Britain (Hamilton and Co.). — Journal 

 of the Iron and Steel Institute, 1S74 (Spon) — Note on the Perception of 

 Music.il Sounds : J. G. McKendrick, M.D. (Neill and Co.). -Flora Cravo- 

 niensis: John Windsor, F.R.C.S., F.L.S,, &c. (Cave and Co.). —The 

 Contrast between Crystallisation and Life: John E. Howard, F.R.S., 

 F.L.S., &c. ( Hard wicke).— Atomism : Dr. Tyndall's Theory E.-camtned and 

 R-futed: Rev. I'rof Watts, D.D. (MuUan, Belfast).— Bri.tham Cavern : N. 

 Whitely, C.E. (Hardivicke).— Philosophy. Science, and Revelation: Rev. 

 C. B. Gibson, M.R.I. A., &c. (Longmans). 



American.— Nomenclature of Diseases : J. M. Woodivorth, M. D. (Wash- 

 ington) —Proceedings of the American Association for the Advancement of 

 Science.— Notes on Ophidiidic, &c. : F. W. Putnam. 



Foreign.— L'Astronomie Pratique: C Andre and G. Rayet (Gauthier- 

 Villars, Paris). — Einige Bemerkungen iiber den Werth, welcher im Alige- 

 meinen den Angaben in Betreffder Herkunft menschlicher Schadel aus dem 

 ostindischen Archipel beizumessen ist : Dr. Meyer (Wien). — Uberneue und 

 upgeniigend Vogel von New Guinea und den Inseln der Gelvincks Bai: 

 Dr. Meyer— Manuel de la Cosmographie der Moyen Age : A F. Mehren 

 (Copenhagen). — Neues Handworterbuch der Chemie : Dr. H. von Fehling 

 (Viewig and Sonl— Die Geolcgie : Franz Ritter von Hauer (A. Holder, 

 Wien).— Normale Zeiten fur den Zug der Vogel: K. Fritsch (Wien).— 

 Fosselen Bryozoen : Prof Dr. A. E. Roon Reuss (Wien). — I precursori di 

 Copernico nell' antichila : G. V. Schiaparelli (W. Koepli). — Usservazioni 

 Astronomische e Fisiche : G. V. Schiaparelli (W. Koepli). 



CONTENTS Pagb 



MeTEOROLOGV IN FKANrE SIJ 



Makev's'' Animal Mechanism," II. ((K;;/: /«!«<>•<!/<>»«) . ... 516 



Our Book Shelf 519 



Lbtters to the Edit"R : — 



Automatism of Animals and Men.— Douglas A. Spalding . . . 520 



The Edible Frog.— Lord Arthur Russell 520 



Colour in Flowers not due to Insects. — G. S. BoULGER : Thomas 



COMUEE 520 



Migration of Birds — George J. Romanes 520 



The Aboriginal "Murri" Race of Australia.— Rev. William 



Ridley 521 



Reported Discovery of Gold in Samoa. — Rev, S. J. Whitmee . . 522 



Photographic Irradiation — A. Cowi-ek Ranvaro, F.R.A.S. .' . 522 



Curious Rainbow — G. J. Thomson 523 



Aurora.— James S. Ander.son 522 



Sneezing in Animals 52a 



The Recent Eruption of Etna 522 



The Second Austro-Hungarian Expedition to the North Pole, 

 UNDER the Direction of Wevprecht and P.wer, 1872-74 (IVttA 



Itiustration) 523 



Phvsics at the University of London, II. By Prof. G. Carey 



Foster, F.R.S 525 



Notes 527 



Kent's Cavern 530 



Scientific Serials 532 



Societies AND Academies 53* 



Books and Pamciilets Klceived 53^ 



