SCIENCE- G OS SIP. 



241 



A curious phenomenon was recently reported 

 in the "Pall Mall Gazette." In the mountains 

 near Pontgibaud, in Auvergne, there is formed in 

 the hottest part of every summer a most singular 

 ice deposit, which has no existence, in winter. We 

 should be glad to know more about this most 

 unusual event. 



A NEW species of fresh-water crab has been dis- 

 covered by the members of the Skeat expedition to 

 the Malay Peninsula. It is of special interest, in 

 that the fully-formed young are carried about 

 among the swimmerets of the female, and do not 

 lead an independent existence till their meta- 

 morphosis is complete. 



An expedition under the command of Mr. 

 H. S. H. Cavendish is about to proceed to Abyssinia. 

 After an audience of the Negus at the capital, the 

 party will continue their journey to the north of 

 Lake Stefanie, in which region it is intended to 

 investigate the mineral resources of the country. 

 It is stated that the expedition has written per- 

 mission, direct from the Negus, to explore this 

 region. 



The Cambrian Natural Observer, the organ 

 of the Astronomical Society of Wales, for Novem- 

 ber is to hand. Amongst other useful and interest- 

 ing information it contains a capital paper by 

 Col. E. E. Markwick on Nova Persei, with a good 

 diagram of its light curve, from its discovery until 

 September 9th, based on some 800 observations, 

 made chiefly by members of the Variable Star 

 Section of the British Astronomical Association. 

 The society appears to be full of vigour. 



Lady Warwick presided over the last confer- 

 ence of the Educational Flower Show and Rural 

 Educational Union. It was then practically de- 

 cided that the Union in its present form should 

 come to an end. A very strong provisional committee 

 was formed, with a view of holding, entirely on its 

 own basis, an exhibition of all branches of Nature 

 study work at a time and place convenient for 

 teachers in schools. This will probably take place 

 in July next, and the Botanic Gardens have been 

 mentioned as a suitable site. 



There seems to be good reason for hoping that 

 a remedy has been found for cancer of the face. 

 Many cures are reported to have been effected by 

 the X-rays by Dr. Hutchins of Atalanta, U.S.A. ; 

 and now the Surgeon to the Rontgen Ray Depart- 

 ment of the London Skin Hospital writes to say 

 that cancer of the face has been cured by English 

 surgeons, previous to the successful cases reported 

 from America. His own experience has been 

 similar to that of Dr. Hutchins. It is said that 

 Jews never suffer from cancer, but on what 

 authority is uncertain. 



Considerable damage is said to have been 

 done to telegraph poles at Cardiff by woodpeckers, 

 the top of a pole exhibited at a meeting of the 

 British Ornithologists' Club by Mr. Howard 

 Saunders being pierced by a hole three inches in 

 diameter. Mr. Saunders was asked if he knew a 

 remedy, and suggested impregnating the wood 

 with chemicals. It is clear that the wood was 

 unsound, and had the simple precaution favoured 

 by many builders been adopted of painting the 

 poles with carbolineum, we should not have heard 

 of the woodpeckers. We suspect Picvs minor of 

 being the guilty parties. 



The Council of the Royal Meteorological Society, 

 at a recent meeting, designated Dr. Alexander 

 Buchan, F.R.S., as the first recipient of the Symons 

 Gold Medal, in recognition of the valuable work 

 which he has done in connection with meteoro- 

 logical science. This medal, which is to be 

 awarded triennially, was founded in memory of 

 the late G. J. Symons, F.R.S., the originator of the 

 British Rainfall Associati n. 



We hear that the Duke of Bedford has added to 

 his collection at Woburn a dozen specimens of the 

 wild horse of Central Asia. They are smaller and 

 slighter in build than the average domestic horse, 

 but with rather larger heads and longer ears. The 

 mane is comparatively short, thick, and half-erect. 

 The coat is of a greyish colour, except the mane 

 and tail and a streak along the back of reddish- 

 brown. The hair becomes long and shaggy in 

 winter. We shall probably be able to see the wild 

 horse at the Zoological Gardens before very long, 

 as the Council have arranged to purchase from Mr. 

 Hagenbeck a pair of these animals, which will be 

 forwarded from Hamburg as soon as arrangements 

 are completed for housing them. 



We feel bound to call attention to the steady 

 progress of the small-pox epidemic in the Metro- 

 politan district. All authorities appear to agree 

 that the climax of the epidemic is to be expected 

 in May, but the Metropolitan Asylums Board, 

 though they hope to be able to deal with the present 

 rate of progress maintained by this disease, tacitly 

 admit that they scarcely could cope with any sudden 

 large rise in the number of patients. We have 

 seen a statement that out of twenty-three children 

 under five years of age suffering from small-pox 

 who had been admitted to the hospitals of the 

 Board, nineteen who were unvaccinated had suc- 

 cumbed. We think that this fact should be 

 made public. On the other hand, it is satisfactory 

 to learn that we have got over the worst of the 

 scarlet fever and diphtheria trouble, which at one 

 time threatened to be serious. 



By the death of Sir William MacCormac, in his 

 sixty-fifth year, a prominent figure disappears 

 from the ranks of surgery. Sir William MacCormac, 

 who was born in 1836 at Belfast, was the son of 

 Dr. Henry MacCormac, one of the pioneers of the 

 open-air treatment for consumption. Sir William's 

 first chance of distinction was found in the Franco- 

 German War, when he assisted in establishing the 

 Anglo-American ambulance, and was present at 

 the battle of Sedan. In 1871 he became a Fellow 

 of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, and 

 Assistant-Surgeon at St. Thomas's Hospital, a 

 connection only severed by his death. He again 

 saw service in the Turco-Russian War of 1876, and 

 was present at the battle of Alexinatz. For his 

 services as Honorary Secretary of the International 

 Medical Congress of 1881 he received the honour 

 of knighthood, and was made a baronet at the 

 Jubilee of 1897. In 1883 he was elected to the 

 Council of the College of Surgeons, and became 

 President in 1896. In 1897 he was made Surgeon- 

 in-Ordinary to the Prince of Wales, whom he 

 successfully treated for a broken knee-cap, being- 

 rewarded with a K.C.V.O. He was also the re- 

 cipient of numerous foreign honours. His services 

 in connection with the South African War are too 

 fresh in the memory of all to need recapitulation 

 here ; though they may be said to have hastened 

 his death. 



