= 
August 6, 1885] 
increased, and not declined, and from what information I have on 
the subject, I should say it is perhaps not less than 3,500,000/. 
In my remarks I have also been led to refer to some of the 
points connected with the migration of this industry from this 
country to Germany and the probable influence our patent laws 
had upon this, to the matter of technical education, and_the 
employment rof high-class chemists in chemical work, This 
latter subject is undoubtedly of great importance, and requires 
the earnest consideration of our manufacturers. It is found 
profitable to employ chemists of this class on the Continent, 
surely it should be found equally profitable to employ them here. 
In conclusion, I am happy to say there are signs of the coal-tar 
colour industry returning jto our country, in part at any rate, 
especially in relation to alizarin, for which there are now three 
large works in existence, and the production of other colouring 
matters is also increasing. 
FAUNA OF TRANS-ALAY 
N the Zovestia of the Russian Geographical Society (xx. 6) we 
find an interesting paper by M. Grum-Grzimailo, who has 
journeyed in the mountains north of the Alay region of the 
Pamir, chiefly for zoological purposes. The immense cultivated 
loess-fields of Osh, devoid of trees, yielded poor zoological 
results. Only a few uncultivated places had in the spring a rich 
fauna: great numbers of birds, various Colubride, the Pseudapus 
paillasii, tortoises, immense numbers of Bufo variabilis were met 
with. Here -the author gathered a very rich collection of 
Lepidoptera ; also Zamenzs haufmanni, Taphrometoron linco- 
latum, Elaphis dione, Eryx facuduj, and many others. In the 
middle of May all these disappeared under the burning rays 
of the sun. On the way to Vadil several species which were not 
found later on were met with, such as the 77igonocephalus halis, 
the Azthocaris pyrothoé, and several others. The neighbour- 
hoods of Vadil yielded nothing interesting at that part of the 
season (middle of June). Of vertebrates only two Zvemids and 
one 7rigonocephalus hydrus were found. Shankh-mardan and 
Jordan, on the contrary, gave a rich crop of insects, and M. 
Grzimailo remained there for ten days. On a rich Alpine 
pasturage, Artcha-bash, where Kirghizes are in the habit of 
staying, he found very rich zoological materials. The collections 
were enriched with a great number of rare species, such as Pol. 
tamerlana, Coltas eogene, Arctia erschoffi, Hol. jagorum, which are 
common almost exclusively to the Himalayas and the South- 
West Thian-Shan, as also by several new species. On the 
snow-covered plateaux interesting specimens were found, and 
among them the Jfegaloperdix nigelie and the <Arctomys 
caudatus. On the upper Kok-su, extending to a height of 
12,000 feet, M. Grzimailo found a number of species which he 
did not see either before or afterwards during his journey, es- 
pecially with regard to Lepidoptera. Vertebrates are few at 
this height ; they were represented by the Arctomys candatus, 
the eagle (4. ful/va), one species of Falco, the Frigilis graculus, 
the Pyrrhocorax alpinus ?, Pica, Caccabis huckar, Megaloperdix, 
and Columba. On the pass itself the holes of the Arctomys 
caudatus are seen everywhere, as also holes of some Arvicola. 
The Lepidoptera are richly represented at that part of the 
summer, especially the two genera Co/ias and Parnassius. On 
the Djekaindy Pass it was the same; the Zycenz were very 
numerous, so that on the space of 3 metres the author found fifteen 
species of them, of which three were unknown to him. With- 
out mentioning localities of minor interest, the plateau between 
the Kara-su and the Aram is worthy of notice for the brilliant 
collections of Lepidoptera which were made there. One 
Lacerta was found at a height of 11,000 feet, a species of 
Llaphis, the Canis melanotus, the Lefus lehmanni, the Ovis 
polit ; of birds, the Falconidz were most usual ; also the Upupa 
pops, the Cuculus canorum, species of Columba, the O7thygion 
coturnix, Caccabts huckar, Corvus corax, and many others, this 
last reaching the highest parts of the region. Another find of 
great interest must be mentioned. The late Mr. Fedchenko 
had already caught one female Lepidopteron, which was deter- 
mined by M. Erschoff as Colias nastes. This species having 
been found formerly only in Labrador and Northern Lapland, 
the determination remained doubtful, the individual having been 
_buta female. M. Grzimailo has happened to catch a number of 
both males and females, which really proved both to belong to 
C. nastes. It remains now to explain the strange extension 
of this species. 
NATURE 
335 
SCIENTIFIC SERIALS 
Rendiconto della R. Accademia delle Scienze di Bologna, 
1884-5.—On the geometrical construction of the central axis in 
a given system of forces, by Prof. F. P. Ruffini.—A fresh con- 
tribution to clinico-experimental studies, showing the depressing 
action of ipecacuanha administered in large doses in pulmonary 
affections, by Prof. F. Verardini.—On the velocity of the polar- 
ised rays in a body endowed with rotatory motion, by Prof. 
Augusto Righii—On the physico-pathology of the suprarenal 
capsules, by Prof. Guido Tizzoni.—On erineo melus, a new 
genus of parasite observed in the pig, by Prof. Cesare Taruffi. 
—On the antimoniates of bismuth, by Dr. Alfredo Cavazzi.— 
Action of gaseous phosphated hydrogen on the trichloride of 
gold dissolved in ether, in alcohol, and in water, by Dr. A. 
Cayazzi.—On conjugated conic sections, by Prof. Virginio 
Retali.—Some researches on the so-called syntomatic carbuncle 
in cattle, by Prof. Alfrede Gottii—Observations on Jacobson’s 
organ and on Stenson’s duct in the camel, by Dr. Francesco 
Peli. --On the central termination of the optical nerves in mam- 
mals, by Prof. Giuseppe Bellonci.—On the paraboloid surfaces 
in the selliform rhombohedrals of dolomite and other anhydrous 
carbonates, by Prof. Luigi Bombicci.—Some general observa- 
tions on the systems of functions, by Prof. Salvatore Pincherle. 
—On a monstrous foetus requiring the operation of embriotomy 
for its delivery, by Dr. Cesare Belluzzi.—On the question of sex 
in Zolyposporium cocconii, by Dr. Fausto Morini.—On the fossil 
remains of Dioplodon and Mesoplodon occurring in the Upper 
Tertiary formations in Italy, by Prof. Giovanni Capellini.— 
Forensic experiments in traumatology with firearms, by Dr. 
Giuseppe Rayaglia.—Contributions to the chemical study of in- 
testinal perforation in typhoid fever, by Prof. Giovanni Brugnoli. 
—On the mode of genesis of a polar globule in the ovarium of 
certain mammals, by Prof. Giuseppe Bellonci.—A systematic 
enumeration of the funguses in the province of Bologna, by Dr. 
Fausto Marini.—On the thermal emissive power of electric 
sparks, by Prof. Emilio Villarii—On the use of curvilinear co- 
ordinates in the theory of the potential and of elasticity, by Prof. 
Eugenio Beltrami.—An analytic method of determining the 
equation of time, by Prof Antonio Saporetti. 
SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 
BERLIN 
Physiological Society, June 19.—Dr. J. Munk gave a 
brief sketch of the different views put forth respecting the 
formation of fat in the animal body, and then gave a short 
account of the now almost universally accepted view of Voit, 
who, on the basis of his very numerous experiments, laid down 
the doctrine that the fat in the animal body proceeded either 
from the alimentary fat, or, when this was not sufficient, from 
the albumen, which on its decomposition yielded products that 
by synthesis became transformed into fat, while the carbo- 
hydrates never yielded material towards the formation of fat in 
the animal body. Opposition to this doctrine was raised on the 
side only of agricultural chemists, who, by experiments on 
swine and geese produced direct demonstration that the deposi- 
tion of fat was considerably increased by feeding with carbo- 
hydrates. In consequence of these experiments Prof. Voit 
admitted that omnivorous and herbivorous animals might in 
certain circumstances form fat out of carbo-hydrates ; such, 
however, he maintained, was never the case with carnivorous 
animals and man; in them all fat was derived from the ali- 
mentary fat and the decomposition of albumen, both in his own 
experiments and in all hitherto published, and the fat was seen 
to be derivable from these two sources alone, even though only 
12 per cent. of the decomposed albumen were taken for the 
formation of fat, and much more if, according to the theoretic 
calculations of Herr Henneberg, it was assumed that as much as 
51 per cent. of the decomposed albumen might be utilised 
towards the formation of fat. Seeing now that Prof. Voit 
admitted that, in the case of omnivorous and herbivorous 
animals fat was produced from carbo-hydrates, the speaker set 
himself the task of establishing experimental conditions under 
which fat might be formed from carbo-hydrates in the case, 
likewise, of carnivorous animals. For these experiments he 
selected a dog, completely impoverished it of all fat by means of 
long fasting, and then gave it an aliment very rich in carbo- 
hydrates. The animal required to be young, or otherwise the 
loss of fat by fasting could not be complete, and if it were 
desired to obtain certainty respecting the attainment of perfect 
