1 882.] Microscopy, Scientific News. 261 



a layer of ice and snow with the exception of a kw mountain 



Mr. Dall, in an elaborate paper on the hydrology of Behring 

 Sea, in Peternii /, concludes that the warm sur- 



face water which enters the Polar Sea through Behring Strait is, 

 at most, capable of melting 5100 square inches of ice, and that 

 its influence is consequently insignificant No branch of the Kuro 

 Siwo enters the Behring Sea, and the currents in the Polar basin 

 to the north of it, are mainly dependent upon the winds. There 

 is no reason to suppose that these drift currents are capable of 

 opening passages through the pack-ice which would enable ex- 

 ploring vessels to reach the Pole or even a very high latitude. 



The British Government are considering a plan for the estab- 

 lishment of a meteorological station at Fort Simpson, on the 

 Mackenzie River, to be conducted on the system adopted by the 

 International Polar Conference. 



Lake Onega may be considered to mark the natural boundary 

 between Northern Russia and Finland, as regards their geologi- 

 cal structure, topographical features, fauna and flora. 



MICROSCOPY. 1 

 The Acme Microscopes.— These really excellent instruments, 

 combining good workmanship with moderate cost, and built upon 

 a model which comprises many of the most convenient and ser- 

 viceable of recent improvements in the construction of stands, 

 have passed into the hands of James W. Queen & Co., of Phila- 

 delphia, who will act as business agents for their sale, and whose 

 great business facilities cannot fail to secure for them a more gen- 

 eral and adequate appreciation and attention than they have yet 

 received. A " No. 4 " stand, simpler and smaller than those for- 

 merly made, and a " lithological," specially adapted to the exami- 

 nation of rocks, are among the recent additions to the Acme 



SCIENTIFIC NEWS. 

 — A French naval doctor, M. Crevaux, has lately made im- 

 portant explorations in the northern parts of South America, 

 more especially in the valley of the Orinoco and its affluents. 

 Among other facts of observation, he states that the Guaraunos, 

 at the delta of that river, take refuge in the trees when the delta 

 is inundated. There they make a sort of dwelling with branches 

 and clay. The women light, on a small piece of floor, the fire - 

 needed for cooking, and the traveler on the river by night often 

 sees with surprise long rows of flames at a considerable height in 

 the air. The Guaraunos dispose of their dead by hanging them 



This department is edited by Dr. R. H. 



