94 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



CONTRIBUTED BY FLORA WINSTONE. 



Cosmos (Paris, June 18th). This number con- 

 tains the first of an interesting series of articles on 

 the "Arms of Ancient Egypt," by M. E. Prisse 

 d'Avennes. The weapons are described in the 

 order of the dynasties under which they were 

 used, and three illustrations are given, two of 

 Seti I., nineteenth dynasty, and one of the chariot 

 and standard of Rameses II. Dr. " L. M." writes on 

 the treatment of fevers, comparing the present 

 methods with those recommended by Hippocrates 

 and others of an early date. An unsigned article, 

 entitled " Le Lux," gives a description, with illus- 

 tration, of a new generator for acetylene gas, lately 

 invented by M. A. Bayan de Payeux. It does not 

 appear to differ materially in its essentials from 

 those already in use. Dr. Alexander Brian con- 

 tributes a description of the traces of ancient gla- 

 ciers of the Pliocene epoch recently found in the 

 Apennines by MM. Sacco and De Stefani. There 

 are four illustrations showing the formation. M. A. 

 Duponchel has the second of a series of notes on his 

 new theory on cosmogony, the subject in this part 

 being the laws of the equilibrium of pressure and of 

 the forces in the sphere of aggregation. (July 2nd.) 

 M. Paul Combes gives a careful description of the 

 progress of working the transcontinental telegraph 

 in Africa. He illustrates his article with a map, 

 showing how much is finished and what is in course 

 of construction. Some notes on music, from the 

 point of view of a physiologist, by M. Laverune, 

 contains interesting accounts of the beneficial 

 effects of music in illness, more especially in 

 cases resulting from derangement of the nervous 

 system. An unsigned article gives an account 

 of a curious shower of "sulphur" which fell 

 at Caumont, in France, on May 2nd. Micro- 

 scopical and chemical analysis were made of 

 the so-called sulphur by M. Signier, of the 

 Botanical Institute, and by Dr. Louise. The 

 result of their investigations was that the sub- 

 stance was found to be pollen. The shower can 

 be accounted for by the shape of the pollen, being 

 peculiarly suitable for floating in the air. The 

 shower of the 2nd of May followed a violent 

 tempest in the South, but on the 1st of May the 

 air was dry and warm with a moderate wind. 

 M. T. Vazeux writes on the coins of Laodicea, 

 illustrated with various specimens of the money in 

 use at various times among the Phoenicians. 



La Nature (Paris, June 18th). The terrible 

 disaster that recently occurred to the steamship 

 " La Bourgogne " lends a peculiar interest to the 

 commencement of the first article in this number of 

 ' ' La Nature." It was from this vessel some success- 

 ful experiments were made with carrier pigeons to 

 convey messages from vessels in distress. They 

 were conducted by Captain Raynaud. Commandant 

 G. writes on Cuba — especially Havana — giving two 

 maps in illustration. M. E. A. Martel gives an 

 account of the Harbours of Trayas, with three 

 photographs. They are of almost as much interest 



geologically as artistically ; their formation being 

 curious and their origin uncertain, though it was 

 probably due to erosion or some other mechanical 

 action. M. Henri Coupin describes the researches 

 made by MM. Constantin and Matruchot among the 

 mushroom family, with the object of finding some 

 further species that would be edible. The result 

 is that they declare Tricholomenu to be harmless 

 and suitable for food. This species is known in 

 certain regions, especially at Poictiers, as " little 

 blue foot" (" petit-pied-bleu "). It is a winter 

 species, developing and fructifying well in the cold 

 weather. (July 2nd.) M. Albert Tissandier writes 

 of the centenary of the Conservatoire of Arts and 

 Crafts, which was celebrated on June 24th. The 

 original plan of this Conservatoire is due to 

 Descartes, who was anxious to establish a uni- 

 versity where artisans and other craftsmen could 

 be instructed ; but many years passed away before 

 his desire was realised. It was on May 15th, 1798 

 (26th Floreal), that the Council of the Cinq-Cents, 

 acting on the report of Gregoire, decided to place 

 at the disposal of the Executive Directory a great 

 part of the ancient Priory of Saint Martin des 

 Champs for the installation of a Conservatoire of 

 Arts and Crafts. The article is accompanied by 

 five illustrations of the plan of the buildings. 



Bolletino dei Musei di Zoologia ed Anatomia 

 comparata della r. universita di torino 

 (Turin, Nos. 311 to 319, 1898). A considerable 

 portion of the space available in these numbers 

 is occupied by an important paper by Dr. Ermanno 

 Giglio-Tos. upon the Orthoptera from the rich 

 zoological collection made by Dr. Enrico Festa 

 in Ecuador, and presented to the Royal Zoological 

 Museum at Turin. In all there are 206 species, 

 72 being new, with 13 new genera. They are 

 divided among the following families : Blattidae 30, 

 Mantidaeg, Phasmidae23, Acrididae 56, Locustidae 

 74, Gryllidae 14. The only illustrations with this 

 paper are of a mantis, Phyllium geryon, showing the 

 sexes. A further paper on the same collection 

 deals with some additional grasshoppers -that are 

 new, and described by Dr. Achille Griffini ; they are 

 included in the families Gryllidae and Locustidae. 

 There are several new species among these also. 

 Sig. Carlo Pallonera contributes an interesting 

 paper on the land and freshwater shells found in 

 Abyssinia by General di Boccard. There are a 

 few new species and a plate with thirty-one well 

 executed figures. The other papers are on " Decapod 

 Crustacea from St. Thomas, West Indies," by 

 Signor Giuseppe Nobili ; on the small mammals 

 collected by Dr. Borelli in Bolivia and Northern 

 Argentina, by Mr. Oldfield Thomas. The district 

 had been very little explored zoologically, so this 

 collection of about twenty species, nearly half 

 being bats, is interesting, though it contained 

 nothing new. Dr. M. G. Peracca, of the Turin 

 Museum, describes a new Italian Triton, or water- 

 newt, new also to science, which he names Molge 

 italica ; a new beetle (TJiermonectes alfredi) is also 

 described by Dr. Griffini, from Bolivia and Argen- 

 tina, with a figure. 



Bulletin de la Societe Philomatique de Paris 

 (Vol. ix. Nos. 3 and 4). A paper on " Malaco- 

 logical Notes," by M. J. Mabille, is concluded. 

 M. A. Lecaillon's paper on "The Endoderme of 

 Insects " is the most important in these numbers 

 It is the result of work done at the Laboratory 

 of Comparative Embryology of the College of 

 France. 



