1879. | Geography and Travels. 273 
that in winter the cold water of the surface descends on account 
of its increased weight, until it reaches a stratum where the super- 
incumbent water causes by pressure an equal density. In the 
warm months the surface water becoming heated has no ten- 
dency to sink. The warm Atlantic current was traced to the 
north of the eightieth degree of latitude along the west coast of 
Spitzbergen. 
GEOGRAPHICAL News.—The parties under Lieut. G. M. Wheeler, 
Corps of Engineers, continued their work during the season 
of 1878, in California, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon, Texas, New 
Mexico, Utah and Washington Territory, and surveyed ap- 
proximatively 35,000 square miles, commencing July Ist and end- 
ing December 25th. Lieut. Wheeler was with party No. 1, Cali- 
fornia section, in the region north of a line joining Fort Klamath, 
Oregon, and Camp Bidwell, California, northward to the Columbia 
river. Prof. Stevenson, geologist, and his assistant, Mr. Russell, 
investigated the coal fields of Colorado and eastern New Mexico, 
and Mr. Henshaw continued to increase his zodlogical collections 
in California and Oregon. 
Ausgabe; Ethiopien-Studien über West-Afrika, von Dr. W. 
Hiibbe-Schleiden, and Beiträge zur physischer Geographie der 
. Mittelmeerlander besonders Siciliens, von Theobald Fischer. 
r. Edwin’ R. Heath, of Wisconsin, sailed from New York 
years in South America and is well prepared for the ‘difficult 
work he has undertaken. 
The newly colonized “ northern territory ” of South Australia 
is not the desert it was recently thought to be. The appearance 
of the natives is very gaunt and peculiar, their black faces being 
painted across with bands of white, so that they have a death’s- 
head like appearance. It is stated that they cut off a joint from 
the finger of a mother for every child of hers that dies. As they 
also kill their weakly or delicate children, this practice is likely 
often to be of considerable inconvenience——London Times. 
The Russian government survey for a railway between Oren- 
burg and Tashkend is finished and shows that it is quite possible 
to carry the line through the desert of Kara-Kum. An explora- 
tion will be made in 1879 towards Samarcand and in the direc- 
VOL, XIII.—No, Iv, i ag 
