NATURE 



{Jan. i, 1880 



well known. The rich and interesting Museo Civico di Storia 

 Naturale, of Genoa, amongst its many rarities, contains a 

 magnificent specimen of the Lophiomys, mounted skin and 

 skeleton, which specimen was caught at Keren in the Bogos 

 land, in Tune, 1870, and forms part of the fine collections made 

 at that place by Dr. Beccari and Marquis Antinori. The native 

 name of the Lophiomys, according to Antinori, is Tzeehiza. 



The reviewer cites M. Alphonse Milne-Edwards's impression 

 of the resemblance of Lophiomys to certain opossums, a point in 

 which I cannot completely agree ; my impression is that this 

 very remarkable rodent offers one of the best cases of "defensive 

 mimicry," being strangely like a Viverrine carnivore in outward 

 appearance. The granulation of the upper portion of the skull, 

 \\ hich extends to the upper surface of the first cervical vertebra, 

 is very peculiar ; but it is not strictly correct to assert that 

 nothing of the kind is met with in other mammals ; in the very 

 same order, Rodentia, we find a very similar structure in the 

 cranium of the Taca.[Calogenys), and I believe some allied forms. 

 Henry Hillyer Giglioli 



Reale Istiluto, Florence, December 17, 1879 



On Haloporphyrus lepidion (Risso) 

 I HAVE recently had occasion to examine two specimens of 

 this rare and remarkable gadoid fish of the Mediterranean, 

 originally described as Gadus lepidion by Risso (" Ichthyologie de 

 Nice," p. 118). The first was captured in my presence in the 

 Gulf of Genoa, in July last, from a depth of about 900 metres, 

 the second I received from Nic2, where it was captured in deep 

 waters on September I last, and I know of a third specimen 

 taken at the latter place. All agree perfectly with Risso's 

 description except in the general colour, a light brown, and not 

 "tin beau rouge incarnat," while Risso appears to have over- 

 looked the presence of a small patch of vomerine teeth. But 

 our Mediterranean specimens present notable differences from 

 that described by Dr. Gunther (" Catalogue of Fishes," iv. p. 35S), 

 and referred by him to this species ; besides being considerably 

 larger, the British Museum specimen, which is from Madeira, 

 has a much smaller eye and much longer snout and barbel. 

 Such differences might depend on age, but I am strongly inclined 

 to consider them specific, and therefore beg to draw the attention 

 of ichthyologists to the case; should my opinion prove correct, 

 the Madeiran fish might go by the name of Haloporphyrus 

 giintheri. 



While rapidly completing the rich series of fishes belonging to 

 the central collection of Italian vertebrata, formed by me in the 

 Florence Zoological Museum, I have recently been able to add 

 thereto a second very rare gadoid, the Physiculus dakoigki, Kaup, 

 a new acquisition to the Mediterranean fauna. My specimen 

 was captured at Nice on August 4 last, and strange to say was 

 sent to me as Uraleplus maraldi. 

 Reale Istituto, Florence Henry Hillyer Giglioli 



Edison's New Lamp 



I observe in Nature, vol. xxi. p. 187, a statement to the 

 effect that Mr. Edison has adopted the use of carbon in his new 

 electric lamp, and that the carbon he uses is charred paper or 

 card of the shape of a horse-shoe. 



Fifteen years ago I used charred paper and card in the con- 

 struction of an electric lamp on the incandescent principle. I 

 used it, too, of the shape of a horse-shoe, precisely as, you say, 

 Mr. Edison is now using it. I did not then succeed in obtaining 

 the durability which I was in search of, but I have since made 

 many experiments on the subject, and within the last six months 

 I have, I believe, completely conquered the difficulty which led 

 to previous failure, and I am now able to produce a perfectly 

 durable electric lamp by means of incandescent carbon. 



Joseph W. Swan 



Underbill, Low Fell, Gateshead, December 29, 1879 



Flow of Viscous Materials 

 Mr. Bottomley, in his paper on this subject in Nature, 

 vol. xxi. p. 159, refers to experiments made four years ago, but 

 if he refers to the Philosophical Magazine, vol. xxvi. 206, 1845, 

 he will find a notice of an experiment made twenty-four years 

 ago. It occurred thus : — A barrel of pitch, with one end partly 

 knocked out, had been lying in the sun for some months, and a 

 part of it had run out on the ground. 



My late partner, Prof. L. Gordon, visited the wire-rope works 

 one day in August, 1844, and I called his attention to the 

 appearance of the pitch as being a good illustration of Prof. 

 Forbes's theory of glaciers ; thereupon he wrote the letter referred 

 to; which is also quoted in Forbes's "Theory of Glaciers," 

 p. 269. 



Any sort of pitch, such as that obtained from gas tar, will 

 answer the purpose. If the surface is rubbed over with some 

 white material, the formation of crevasses will be well shown ; 

 and if a row of pins are stuck into the pitch about an inch and 

 allowed to project they will soon lose their perpendicularity and 

 thus indicate the movements in the model glacier. The rapidity 

 of flow of course varies with the temperature. 



I had a curious illustration of the pjwer of plants in forcing 

 their way through resisting materials. I had covered the ground 

 with about two inches of asphalt, and a dandelion pushed its 

 flower and leaves through this viscous mass. 



Ferndene, December 28, 1S79 R. S. Newall 



Hungarian Earthquakes and the Kolumbacs Flies 



A note in Nature, vol. xxi. p. S9, speaking of the recent 

 Hungarian earthquakes, contains, amongst others, the following 

 passage : — "Near Weisskirchen, the old ruins of the Castle of 

 Golubacz have fallen in completely, and in the vicinity several 

 caves were rendered inaccessible. These caves were the breeding 

 pluees of the dreaded Kolumbacs mosquitos, and if this insect is 

 thus exterminated the earthquake may, with all the damage it 

 did, have yet been of some use." 



This report is based on obvious error, for it is a well-known 

 act that the small (3-4 millim. long) Kolumbacs flies {Simulia 

 golumbaeensis, Fabr.), which, in the southern part of Hungary, 

 especially in the old Banat and the county of Hunyad, cause 

 considerable damage among the pasturing cattle (especially 

 among horned cattle, horses, swine, and sheep), breed by no 

 means in those caves which are to be found around the ancient 

 Galambucz (known nowadays under the name of Golubacz or 

 Kolumbacs, on the Servian territory), but in the shallower parts 

 of the waters extending in great quantities in that country. The 

 course of life of the Kolumbacs fly is, for the most part, in 

 conformity with that of many families of the Nemocera, or 

 Tipularia: group, as are the Culicidce, -many species of flies 

 (Brachycera), the Plrryganida;, &c. The mature and fecun- 

 dated mother-fly lays her eggs upon the plants vegetating on 

 the water-borders, whence they get on the stones under the 

 water, and other objects, there living through their larva and 

 nymph states until they arrive at their full development. 



But, in the first years after 1850, under the rule of the Austrian 

 military system of that time, there did occur the curious fact that 

 — upon the advice of a military officer of the frontier- districts, 

 who, as it was supposed, had made out that the breeding-nests 

 of these flies are in the caves around Galambocz, Old Moldavia, 

 and their environs — the Government of Vienna officially decreed 

 the walling up of the openings of the caves. And actually they 

 were walled up. But in the next mild spring, the conditions of 

 development being favourable again, the Kolumbacs fly appeared 

 and ravaged once more. The Viennese Government, on 

 learning this unpleasant and disappointing news, hastened 

 to amend the blunder, and sent to the place a Hungarian 

 savant, Vincent Kollar, and a German entomologist, Joseph 

 Mann, to take the question under examination. These, 

 in a brief space of time, succeeded in clearing up the true 

 state of things, and in gathering such a series, as contained 

 all the stages of the development of the Kolumbacs fly in 

 numerous specimens. Th.s collection is to be seen now in 

 the entomological section of the Naturalien Cabinet of Vienna, 

 grouped in the best order. 



The imputation, therefore, as if it were the Hungarians who 

 had walled up the orifices of the caves in the vicinity ot 

 Oalambocz, in order to exterminate the Kolumbacs flies by that 

 means — an opinion which, as I, this year, happened to hear 

 at the lecture of an eminent German savant, is propagated even 

 in Germany — is entirely erroneous and without any foundation. 

 Budapest, December 2 Julius Letho 



Unconscious Thought 



Resuming tins subject, I again call attention to the circum- 

 stance that unconscious thought in children is more developed 

 than conscious thought, though conscious thought or sensation 



