206 



SCIENCE. 



[Vot,. ir., No. 2S. 



METEOROLOGY. 



Observations ou Ben Nevis. — A permanent ob- 

 servatory is to be established at the summit of this 

 mountain by the Scottish meteorological society. A 

 road to the summit lias been begun: the building 

 will be erected this summer, and it is expected that 

 regular observations will be made after Nov. 1. The 

 records will be kept hourly, not only at the summit, 

 4,406 feet above sea-level, but also at Fort William, 

 which is situated twenty-eight feet above the sea, and 

 at the base of the mountain. Since June 1, 1881, 

 simultaneous observations at these points have been 

 made at frequent intervals of the day, in the sum- 

 mer-time, by Mr. and Mrs. C. L. Wragge, the former 

 of whom made the ascent every day until the storms 

 of October rendered this impossible. The results ob- 

 tained have been discussed by Mr. Buchan sufficiently 

 to warrant the permanent establishment of the ob- 

 servatory. — w. TJ. [203 



The origin of lightning. — In explaining satisfac- 

 torily the phenomenon of lightning, a difficulty is 

 encountered in accounting for the enormous electric 

 tensions which are necessary to explain the great 

 length of the spark often observed. The theory is 

 advanced by A. Fick, that the high tensions are pro- 

 duced by the sudden concentration of electricity 

 already existing in a free state. This concentration 

 is caused by the formation of large drops of rain 

 from the small vesicles of moisture existing in the 

 clouds, by which the surface upon which the elec- 

 tricity -exists is greatly diminished. The sudden 

 formation of drops of water from the mass of aqueous 

 vapor may be due to the advance of cold-air currents. 

 The author endeavors to answer two objections which 

 may be urged against his theory: 1. That in every 

 rain-storm lightning ought to be seen; 2. That it 

 ought to rain whenever it lightens. To the first ob- 

 jection he replies, that the drops may be formed grad- 

 ually, and not suddenly, in which case the tensions 

 would be dissipated gradually; and, to the second, 

 that drops are always formed in connection with 

 lightning, but that in falling to the earth they some- 

 times encounter a layer of dry air, and are absorbed 

 in their passage. — (Naturforscher, June 23. ) w. u. 



[204 

 GEOGKAPHY. 



{Arctic.) 

 NeTvs from Bering Sea. — News to July 8 has 

 been I'eceived from the North Pacific whaling-fleet. 

 The promise of a late spring had been fulfilled to 

 date. Large quantities of drift-ice were afloat in 

 Bering Sea some distance south of Bering Strait as 

 late as the end of June. The whalers had taken but 

 fewwhales, — only nine for the whole fleet. St. Law- 

 rence Bay did not open until July 1. The Leo, 

 bound for Point Barrow to relieve the party at the 

 U. S. international polar station, had arrived at Plover 

 Bay July 5. During the last few days of June 

 strong southerly winds prevailed, driving the ice 

 northward, so that at least one of the steam-whalers 

 was able to reach ten leagues north of Cape Lisburne. 

 The Corwin had not arrived. The bark Mary and 

 Susan had been nipped, and was leaking badly; and 



the steam-whaler Balaena had returned to Plover 

 Bay with the loss of her propeller-blades. Most of 

 the fleet met soutli of St. Paul Island, in latitude ")7° 

 N., in April, and were fast in the ice from forty to 

 eighty days, enfcounteriug very heavy ice and sever? 

 cold. The whales in their northward migration 

 passed Cape Chaplin about July 9. The bark Hunt- 

 er had been injured by a serious fire in the fore- 

 castle. A small number of walrus had been taken 

 in default of larger game. Notwithstanding the 

 unfavorable spring, a few weeks suitable weather 

 may change the conditions sufficiently to enable the 

 fleet to make a fair season's catch; but it must be 

 confessed that the prospect of this- as well as for the 

 Leo's reaching Point Barrow,- and securing the 

 desii-ed observations there, are not encouraging. — 

 w. H. D. 1 205 



{Africa.) 

 Revoil's journey to Somali-land. — M. G. Revoil, 

 recently intrusted with the direction of an expedi- 

 tion to Somali-land by the French ministiy of public 

 instruction, left Zanzibar about the first of May. 

 During detentions at Aden and Zanzibar, collections 

 of natural history and ethnology were obtained, and 

 the members of the party instructed in tlie methods 

 of work. Friendly relations were established with 

 several chiefs of the Somali coast, wlio were on an 

 annual visit to Zanzibar, and recommendations to 

 various tributary chieftains obtained from the sultan. 

 M. Revoil intended to enter the country with Arab 

 guides at Mogadoxo. and to ascend the Wabbi River 

 to Geledi, whence, after a short stay, he would proceed 

 to Gauaneh on the Juba River, which he would en- 

 deavor to map, while obtaining collections of all 

 kinds. After this the Juba would be ascended to the 

 region of the Ugadines toward the west, or he would 

 enter tlie Galla country toward Kaifa and Shoa. 

 where it is thought the friendly relations of the 

 French with King Menelik would insure him a favor- 

 able reception. It is expected that the journey will 

 terminate by traversing the country to Harrar, and 

 thence to Zeila on the Gulf of Aden. — ( Complex 

 readies soc. geogr., no. 11.) w. n. D. [206 



ZOOLOGY. 



MoUnska. 



Hxistence of a shell in Notarchus. — Vays- 

 siere has demonstrated the existence of a minute 

 jnternil spiral shell in Notarclius. Taken into con- 

 sideration with a similar discovery by Krohn in Gas- 

 teropteron, the aullior thinks it very probable that 

 Iboth are persistent embryonic shells (in Notarclius it 

 is about one-fiftieth as long as the animal itself), and 

 that an analogous appendage will be found eventually 

 an most tectibrancbs, wliich, up to the present tirne, 

 Hiave been considered shell-less. — (Joitrn. de con- 

 ■chyl, xxii. 4. ) w. n. D. [207 



Ne-w abyssal moUusks. — Fischer describes a 

 Tiuratoer of new species from the deep-sea dredgings 

 ■of tine Trivailleur in 1882. They belong to the gen- 

 era Dentaliiim, Mitra, Sipho, Pseudomurex, and Belo- 

 TMiitra. The latter is a new genus resembling Bela, 

 ibut with numerous small plications on the columella. 



