January 1, 1897.] 



SCIENCE. 



17 



lizard, previously recorded as extinct. Hun- 

 dreds are now to be met with on the out- 

 skirts of Kingston, where only a few years 

 ago not one was to be seen. The wood- 

 slave is not rarely seen. Crocodiles are 

 ■certainly more in evidence, especially on 

 "the south side ; numerous eggs, young and 

 adult forms being now brought to the 

 Museum. There is not nearly the same out- 

 cry against the loss of poultry and domestic 

 animals, particularly around the towns. 

 Correspondents from the country state that 

 bevies of quail are to be occasionally seenj 

 and that the various pigeons and black- 

 birds are more numerous. 



The attorney in charge of the largest 

 sugar estate in the island gives information 

 ihat lately more of his canes are being de- 

 stroyed, due to an increase in the number 

 of rats, aud that ticks are not nearly so prev- 

 alent. There seems not the slightest doubt 

 therefore but that the maximum influence, 

 both for good and for evil, of the Mongoose, 

 is passing away in Jamaica ; first from the 

 vicinity of towns, but not less surely from 

 the country districts. Of the cause we can 

 do little more than speculate at present. 



The animals now returning in greater 

 abundance were evidently never extermi- 

 nated, but only extremely rare ; so that, as 

 their destroyer in the past is becoming less 

 important, they are increasing towards their 

 original proportions. Ifew balances of life 

 are being struck in the island, and further 

 developments will be watched with inter- 

 est." EoBT. T. Hill. 



U. S. Geological Survey. 



THE INTERNA TIONAL METEOROLOGIOA L AND 

 HYDROLOGICAL MEETINGS. 

 These were held last autumn in France, 

 the first and more important being the 

 International Meteorological Conference, 

 which met at Paris, in the Hotel de la 

 Societe d'Encouragement, September 17th 

 to 23d, inclusive. It had the same official 



character as the similar conference at Mu- 

 nich in 1891, to which representatives of 

 the principal meteorological services and 

 observatories of the world were invited. 

 There were at Paris about forty such rep- 

 resentatives, besides several specialists 

 who were invited to participate in the dis- 

 cussions. At Munich the United States 

 Weather Bureau had two representatives, 

 but at Paris, unfortunately, there was not 

 one. Mr. J. Page represented unofficially 

 the United States Hydrographio Office, and 

 the writer represented the Harvard College 

 and Blue Hill Observatories. No one came 

 from either Spain or Brazil, as was the case 

 at Munich, but Belgium, Canada and Mex- 

 ico each sent a delegate to Paris, the two 

 latter countries participating for the first 

 time in an international meeting. 



The meeting was called to order by Mr. 

 E.. H. Scott, secretary of the Permanent 

 International Committee, and M. Mascart, 

 director of the French Meteorological 

 Office, was chosen president of the meeting. 

 The programme of questions proposed for 

 discussion was shortened by excluding ques- 

 tions which had been considered at previous 

 Congresses or which were beyond the scope 

 of this Conference. Action on some propo- 

 sitions was deferred and there was an un- 

 willingness to aid anyone to influence his 

 government. The postponed proposition for 

 double thermometric stations was decided by 

 recommending that a standard thermometer 

 shelter be adopted in each country and that 

 comparisons be instituted between it and 

 other shelters, and especially the Assmann 

 aspiration thermometer. Most of the ques- 

 tions were considered by sub-committees on 

 meteorological telegraphy, instruments and 

 methods of observations, cloud observa- 

 tions,terrestrial magnetism and atmospheric 

 electricity, whose reports were substantially 

 adopted by the Conference. Among the most 

 important opinions expressed was a general 

 recommendation by the first-named com- 



