300 
NATURE 
| Faly 30, 1885 
tions cease—that is, along the littoral districts—must be consider- 
able. In lower latitudes, however, this explanation fails us, and 
the effect of rainfall on account of its non-persistency can hardly 
be taken into account. Thus there seem only two possible 
meteorological phenomena which can be regarded as causing 
the annual periodicity of earthquakes—the snow-fall gradient and 
the barometric gradient. Of these the accumulations of winter 
snow over the land surfaces must be regarded as vastly the most 
potent. It must not be forgotten that in the case of a rigid mass 
like the earth a slight steady stress may be more effective than 
a short-lived shock. 
On Thursday the 16th inst. the first annual meeting of the 
Manchester and District Association of Science and Art Teachers 
was held in the Manchester Technical School, Mr. W. Gee, 
agent of the Union of the Lancashire and Cheshire Institutes, 
presiding. The report showed that ‘‘the Committee have 
endeavoured to diffuse information regarding methods of teach- 
ing and apparatus used by good teachers, and that some of the 
meetings have been very successful.” The principal papers of 
the year had been ‘‘On the Science Department’s List of 
Apparatus,” ‘‘The Honours Examination in Machine Draw- 
ing and Building Construction,” ‘‘ Diagram Making,’’ ‘* The 
Magic Lantern as applied to Science Teaching,” and ‘*The 
True Purposes and Right Pursuit of Art.” Visits had also been 
made to inspect scientific works at the Cheetham College Library 
and the Manchester Free Reference Library, and also to the 
Manchester Telephonic Exchange. The officers were appointed 
for the new year, including the re-election of Prof. Sir Henry 
Roscoe as President. The chairman drew attention to the 
subordinate position still occupied by science at several of the 
public examinations, and it was understood that this subject 
would be considered by the executive. 
AT the half-yearly general meeting of the Scottish Meteoro- 
logical Society on Monday the following business was trans- 
acted :—Report from the Council of the Society ; the proposed 
earthquake observations on Ben Nevis, by Prof. Ewing, Dun- 
dee ; methods of observing the temperature and humidity of the 
air (with experiments), by H. N. Dickson, Scottish Marine 
Station ; Prof. Crum Brown exhibited an anemometer for maxi- 
mum wind-pressure. 
A TELEGRAM from Calcutta, July 25, states that three shocks 
of earthquake have occurred in Runpur, Bengal Presidency, 
causing serious damage. A village near Nattore has sunk com- 
pletely into the earth. 
A TELEGRAM from Teneriffe announces that a shock of earth- 
quake was felt there on the morning of July 22. No details 
have yet been received. 
Mr. C. G. Rookwoop prints some notes on American 
earthquakes in the June number of the American Fournal of 
Science, the earthquakes being those which occurred in the pre- 
ceding year in North and South America. The list contains 
fifty-four items, not counting the one of Noy. 13. They may 
be geographically classified thus :— 
Canadian Provinces 
New England 
Atlantic States 
Mississippi Valley 
Pacific Coast 
West Indies 008 on con 
Central America and Columbia ... 
Peru 
Uruguay 
Deduct for Aug. 10, coanted twice 
re | mur | HRW NaNoN 
By seasons they are classified thus :—Winter, 12 (Dec., 2; 
Jan., 8; Feb., 2); Spring, 15 (March, 8; April, 7; May, 0); 
Summer, 8 (June, 4: July,o; Aug., 4); Autumn, 19 (Sept.3 
4; Oct., 5; Nov., 10; Spring and Summer together, 23> 
Autumn and Winter together, 31. The following localities 
were shaken on two or more days :—Los Angeles, Cal., Jan. 4, 
Jan. 16, Oct. 22; San Francisco, Jan. 25, March 15, 25, July 
15, Noy. 12 ; Oakland, Cal., March 25, April 17, 20 ; Eureka, 
Cal., Jan. 27, April 6, 8, 11; Concord, N.H., Aug. 10, Noy. 
12, 23. The only shocks causing much damage were Noy. 5; 
Panama ; Noy. 6, Colombia; Noy. 22, Lima, and Aug. Io, 
Middle States. 
WE have received from Stonyhurst College Observatory the 
‘Results of Meteorological and Magnetical Observations for 
1884,” by the Rey. S. J. Perry, F.R.S. The work done at this 
observatory becomes more and more valuable every year. Of 
the solar surface 281 drawings were made during the year and 
88 complete measures of the chromosphere. The spectra of sun- 
spots have been measured on 30 days, and the widening of 200 
lines between B and D accurately measured. 
A MEETING of the Washington Philosophical Society not long 
ince took the form of a symposium, in which various members 
gave answers to the question: ‘‘ What is a glacier?” The fol- 
lowing are the various definitions given ; but it should be men- 
tioned that there are explanations and suggestions in most cases 
which we have not space to reproduce in full. ‘‘ An ice-body, 
originating from the consolidation of snow in regions where the 
secular accumulation exceeds the loss by melting and evapora- 
tion—7.e, above the snow-line—and flowing to regions where the 
loss exceeds supply—z.e. below ‘the snow-line” (4/7. RusseZ) ; 
‘A river of ice, possessed, like the aqueous river, of movement 
and plasticity ”’ (47. Ammons); ‘‘ A mass of ice with definite 
lateral limits, with motion in a different direction, and origin- 
ating from the compacting of snow by pressure” (M77. W. H. 
Dall) ; other members did not attempt such precision of expres- 
sion. Mr. Chamberlin pointed out that hard-and-fast lines of 
demarcation do not prevail in nature, but rather gradations of 
character. The terms névé and glacier were probably used by 
guides and travellers for convenience. ‘‘ There is an area of 
growth and an area of waste to every glacier; superficially the 
area of growth coincides with the névé; the area of waste is 
that of the glacier proper.” Mr. McGee said that as glacier ice 
and névé ice belonged to a graduating series, the two phases can 
only be arbitrarily discriminated. ‘‘ Perhaps the most satis- 
factory line of demarcation detectable is the snow-line, above 
which the superficial debris is buried by precipitation, and below 
which it is exposed by ablation.” 
WE have to acknowledge the receipt of the third Biennial 
Report of the Central Station of the Java Weather Service, as 
well as of various quarterly reports and monthly bulletins issued 
by Dr. Hinrichs, the director. The appropriation for the work 
is very small, but there appears to be a large number of volun- 
teer observers all over the State. In a foot-note to a list of 
these the director notices the death of one of his volunteers 
with the following epitaph :—‘‘ Died, June 10, 1882. He wasa 
most painstaking observer, furnishing good reports in fine hand- 
writing.” 
A FEW days ago a salmon weighing 28 lbs. was netted at 
Jomfruland, in the Christiania Fjord, which was marked under 
the left fin with a straight line and a Latin A, Probably the 
line was meant for an J, making the marking I A. 
Mr. JoHN WHELDON, of Great Queen Street, has sent us 
Part I. of his Catalogue of Botanical Works. It extends to 
84 pages and contains 1306 entries. 
