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SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



CONTRIBUTED BY FLORA WINSTONE. 



Cosmos (Paris, October 2nd). M. C. Marsillon 

 writes "On the Country of the Troglodytes," 

 giving two illustrations, one of the wonderful 

 caverns formerly inhabited by a now almost 

 forgotten race. They are chiefly occupied by the 

 Tarahaumaris. M. A. Berthier contributes an 

 article on various new contrivances for the better 

 cultivation of bees. There are seven figures 

 illustrating the several methods described in the 

 letterpress. There are two short notes, by 

 Professor Fr. Victor and M. C. Laugier, on the 

 " Lighting Power of the Gas Products of Carbide of 

 Calcium." M. W. de Fonvielle has two articles on 

 earthquakes in the number of October gth, one, 

 " The Earthquake in India of the 12th June, 1897," 

 and the other, the same earthquake as observed 

 in Europe. The first of these communications is 

 founded on some notes made by Mr. Oldham, 

 Director of the Geological Survey in India. After 

 careful study and consideration of these phenomena, 

 Mr. Oldham thinks that the entire mass of the 

 Himalayan range is slowly rising. The second 

 article is an account of the chief features of the 

 earthquake as felt and observed at Rocca di Papa 

 (near Naples), at the University of Padua, and at 

 the Observatory at Edinburgh. There is a 

 diagram illustrating the course of the oscillations. 

 This number contains also an interesting unsigned 

 article on "The X Rays in 1708." These were 

 apparently known to Dr. Hauksbee at that 

 time, as he made use of rays the description 

 of which bear a very close resemblance to those 

 claimed to have been discovered by Professor 

 Rontgen. M. C. de Kirwan commences a series 

 of articles on the question of the Deluge. In this 

 number he treats of the question from the universal 

 geographical and ethnical side. 



Revue Scientifique (Paris, October 9th). M. 

 Arthur Arrivet gives a long illustrated account of 

 the work done by Percival Lowell in the investiga- 

 tion of the planet Mars. M. Louis Theureau 

 commences a series of articles on the " Money in 

 the Days of the Greeks." He gives an exhaustive 

 account of the money in general use and of the 

 probable value compared with modern currency. 

 He also details the probable cost of an ordinary 

 Greek household, consisting of four persons, in the 

 days of Pericles. 



La Nature (Paris, September nth.) Dr. E. 

 L. Trouessart writes on "The Acarien of the 

 Sweet Wines of the South." The species dealt 

 with by Dr. Trouessart is Acarus passularum, which 

 was made into a distinct genus by Robin in 1S69, 

 under the name of Carpoglyphus passularum. M. H. 

 Beauregard writes on " The Bacteriology of 

 Amber." (September 18th.) M. Felix Regnault 

 contributes an article on the various methods of 

 "Walking and Running" of ancient and modern 

 times. He compares the characteristic styles of the 

 Greeks and Romans, giving illustrations from various 

 statues. The issue dated September 25th conta'ns 



an article, by M. J. Carcelle, on " The Flowers of 

 the Alps." M. Carcelle complains of the wholesale 

 and wanton destruction of the rare and beautiful 

 flowers that grow only on high altitudes. In 1883 

 an association was started at Geneva, having 

 for its object the stopping of the destruction 

 of "plants searched for on account of their 

 rarity and which have become articles of 

 commerce." This association has started gardens 

 in places where the plants are most menaced, 

 on purpose to preserve the existence of these 

 Alpine species. M. J. Leffargue writes an illus- 

 trated article on the "Electric Cabs of London." 

 M. J. Duraud describes, with an illustration, "A 

 Lizard with two Tails." The specimen is a green 

 lizard, captured by M. Gervais, of Gigeau, and was 

 found in the neighbourhood of the Herault. M. 

 Jacques Boyer describes a new compound called 

 " Irichromatine," which is "a new method of 

 colouring substances without employing colours." 

 (October 2nd.) M. J. F. Gall contributes a note 

 on " Acarieus in Wine." It is an addition to the 

 article on this subject by M. Trouessart in " La 

 Nature," September nth. M. Trouessart found 

 only one species in sweet wines, viz., Carpoglyphus 

 passularum. M. Mathiew, with the assistance of 

 Professor A. Giard, found two species, Glycipliagus 

 cursor and Tiroglyphus farinae . Colonel Laussedat de- 

 scribes a new instrument, named " Magnetarium," 

 which has been presented to the French Academy 

 of Sciences by M. Wilde. It is intended to 

 reproduce the magnetic phenomena of the earth. 

 M. Albert Tissandier has another article on various 

 " Rocks of Peculiar Form." The number of 

 October gth contains an interesting article by M. 

 Henri de Parville, on " The Memory of Fishes." 

 The writer maintains that there is no reason 

 why fishes should not have memories, as they 

 possess the necessary construction of the cerebral 

 system. He quotes some experiments and observa- 

 tions made by M. Ch. Guillaume with regard 

 to the memory of fishes, showing that, though in a 

 faint degree, they certainly possess that faculty. 

 M. J. Derome describes "A Mirage" seen on 

 September 3rd last, at Montgeron (Seine-et-Oise), 

 a curious phenomenon in these temperate regions. 

 M. M. Lebon writes on " Mercury Pumps," for the 

 laboratory, describing a new pump given by 

 M. Henriet to the Academy of Sciences. 



American Journal of Science (New Haven, 

 Connecticut, October). Dr. Arnold E. Ortman 

 writes "On a New Species of the Palinurid — 

 Genus Siuuparus — found in the Upper Cretaceous of 

 Dakota." This species, the writer says, iscongeneric 

 with a species living now in the Japanese seas, 

 viz., Palinuris irigonus, the name of which stands 

 at present, Simiparus trigonus. The Geological 

 Museum of Princeton University has lately acquired 

 two unique specimens of a hitherto unknown fossil 

 species entitled Simiparus atavus. They were 

 collected by Mr. H. F. Wells in the Niobrara 

 group (Upper Cretaceous), at the head of Cotton- 

 Wood Creek, Mead Co., South Dakota. They are 

 the first remains of this group of Decapoda found 

 on the American continent. Illustrations of the 

 three species are given. Mr. Thomas Holm 

 contributes some " Studies in the Cyperaceae." 

 This article is one of a series, and deals chiefly 

 with Dickromena Icucocephala and D.lati folia. There 

 are four figures to illustrate various sections. 

 There is an account of " An improved Heliostat 

 invented by Alfred M. Mayer," contributed by 

 A. Goldsborough Mayer. 



