July 30, 1896] 



NATURE 



299 



the liquids are kept cool by suilahlc precautions, no modification 

 takes place, and M. Marmier concludes that currents of high 

 frequency do not themselves aflect microbian poisons. The ex- 

 periments were performed on the toxin of diphtheria, that of 

 tetanus, and the venom of the cobra snake. 



In the June number of the Annalcn dct Mydrographie there 

 is an interesting discussion, by H. Haltermann, of the occurrence 

 of St. Elmo's Fire at sea, based upon observations in the log- 

 books received at the Deutsche Seewarte. The tables contain 

 full details as to position, conditions of weather, &c. During 

 more than 77,000 days of observation, the phenomenon was 

 observed 164 times, 87 times in north, and 77 times in south 

 latitude. Its occurrence differs very considerably in different 

 parts of the ocean, c.^. in the ten-degree square lying between 

 the equator and 10° N. lat., and between 20" and 30° W. long., 

 St. Elmo's Fire was observed about three times per 1000 days, 

 while in the two squares lying between 50° and 60° S. lat. and 

 60° and 80° VV. long, it occurred six times per 1000 days. The 

 more frequent occurrence at sea than on land is attributed to the 

 fact that the accumulating electricity is more easily conducted 

 by the numerous objects projecting into the air over the land. 



On July 2, Prof. Wiesner presented to the Vienna x\cademy 

 of Sciences an investigation on the important relation of plant- 

 life to photo-chemical climate, based on observations made at 

 Vienna, Buitenzorg (Java), and Cairo. The measurements of 

 the chemical intensity of light were made by a process corre- 

 sponding in principle to the photographic method of Bunsen and 

 Roscoe. The following are the principal results arrived at ; 



(1) The greatest chemical intensity of light at Vienna amounted 

 (in Bunsen-Roscoe units) to l '500, and at Buitenzorg to I ■612. 



(2) The average ratio of the noon intensity to the daily maximum 

 at Vienna was as i : fo8, and at Buitenzorg as I : I "22. (3) At 

 Vienna the yearly noon intensity varied in the proportion of 

 I : 214, and at Buitenzorg, in the proportion of I : 124. (4) As 

 a rule the daily maximum at Vienna occurred about noon, and 

 at Buitenzorg in the late forenoon. This explains the relatively 

 high maxima at Vienna, and the relatively low maxima of 

 Buitenzorg. In clear or uniformly cloudy weather, the maximum 

 occurred generally at noon at both places. (5) At Cairo a strong 

 depression of the daily curve of intensity was observed at noon, 

 during a perfectly clear sky. This depression was also observed 

 on rare occasions at Vienna, but to a smaller extent. (6) At 

 Buitenzorg the chemical intensity of light was generally greater 

 in the forenoon than in the afternoon. At Vienna this excess 

 was greatest in June and July ; the morning intensities were 

 generally higher than the corresponding evening intensities, even 

 when the sky was similarly clouded. 



General Pyevtsoff, who has had great experience in the 

 measurement of altitudes in Central Asia with the barometer, 

 publishes in the Memoirs of the Russian CJeographical Society 

 a very valuable paper on barometrical levellings, in which he 

 points out once more the degree of precision that can be ob- 

 tained from such measurements. He discusses separately the 

 errors in the calculated altitudes which are due to disturbances 

 in the atmosphere resulting from cyclonic and anticyclonic air- 

 movements, to the error in the determination of the average 

 temperature of the air between the two stations at which 

 the barometer has been simultaneously observed, &c., 

 and he gives their relative importance under different cir- 

 cumstances. The most valuable part of the author's inquiry is 

 the comparison which he has made between the real differ- 

 ences of altitudes of twenty-eight different meteorological 

 stations, situated at distances of from 67 to 270 miles from 

 each other, and the altitudes which are obtained day by day 

 from a comparison of the readings of the barometer at the 

 NO. 1396, VOL. 54] 



stations, taken in pairs. It appears, as a rule, that if the- 

 readings on the days of great atmospheric disturbances are 

 not taken into account, the results are most satisfactory, andi 

 that the errors, due to an unequal distribution of pressure at 

 the two stations, seldom exceed 100 feet, and only occasionally 

 attain 140 feet, even for stations taken so wide apart as 100 and 

 270 miles. As to the altitudes determined in Central Asia, 

 they very seldom exhibit errors exceeding 300 to 400 feet, 

 which evidently is, for separate places, a quite sufficient ap- 

 proximation. At the end of his memoir. General Pyevtsoff 

 gives new tables, based on Babinet's formula, for the calcula- 

 tion of altitudes without the aid of logarithms, which tables 

 combine great accuracy with rapidity, and are very practically 

 arranged. 



The extension of the use of pure yeasts has not unnaturally 

 caused a good deal of attention to be of late bestowed upon the 

 most efficient methods, both for their successful preservation and' 

 transmission. Pure yeast cultures can be purchased much as 

 any other article of commerce at the present day, but a great 

 deal depends upon how these so-called stock yeasts can be 

 stored. Experience has shown that, in general, solutions of 

 cane-sugar answer far better for this purpose than wort-gelatine 

 or infusions of wort. In saccharine solutions, yeasts have been 

 preserved in perfect condition for as long as fourteen years. 

 There are, however, exceptions to this rule, for Hansen reports 

 that the Saccharoinyces Lttdiuigii dies off in from two to three 

 years when kept in saccharine solutions ; whilst Dr. Holm has 

 quite recently described a particular variety of yeast obtained 

 from some Jamaica molasses, which could not be persuaded to- 

 exist beyond twelve months in such solutions, whilst in wort- 

 infusions it was still alive after the lapse of two and a half years. 

 With these exceptions, however, saccharine solutions answer 

 the purpose perfectly ; but it is of great importance that vessels- 

 containing these stock yeasts, whilst occupying very little space, 

 should obviate as far as possible the evaporation of the contents. 

 This evaporation has caused no little trouble in the past ; but, 

 thanks to an ingenious device of Jorgensen's, it appears to be 

 happily oveicome. The apparatus employed has been recently 

 described by Dr. Holm, to whom the conduct of the experi- 

 ments involved in determining this point were entrusted, and his- 

 paper appears in the Centrablatt fiir Bakteriologic, part ii. Not 

 only may the special flasks described be used for liquids, but 

 they have been found also of great service in preserving gelatine 

 cultures from drying up, and Dr. Holm tells us that, even six 

 months after its preparation, the gelatine in these flasks still 

 retained its soft consistency, and was not in this respect dis- 

 tinguishable from freshly prepared gelatine. This should over- 

 come a difficulty with which bacteriologists are frequently 

 troubled. 



In the summer of 1893, two of von Rebeur-Paschwitz's 

 horizontal pendulums were erected at the observatory of Char- 

 kow, and the reports on the observations made with them are 

 being issued by Prof. G. Lewilsky, now director of the Dorpat 

 Observatory. The first pamphlet, consisting of sixty-three 

 pages, is one of the most valuable contributions to the study 

 of earthquake-pulsations so far published. It contains detailed 

 records of 139 series of pulsations between August 4, 1S93, and 

 October 9, 1894, the time and amplitude of each marked phase 

 being given, as well as the epochs of the beginning and end of 

 the movement. The duration of some of the disturbances is- 

 extraordinary. Thus, the oscillations due to the Greek earth- 

 quakes of April 20 and 27, lasted for I4h. som. and I2h. 35m. 

 respectively, and those from the Constantinople earthquake of 

 July 10 for I3h. 26m. In these cases, however, the epicentre 

 was not at a great distance. Turning to others of remoter 

 origin, we find that the Japanese earthquake of March 22 



