February" 20, 1885.] 



SCIENCE. 



161 



south-easterly direction. It was first noticed at four 

 o'clock, and remained in sight over two hours. Sev- 

 eral persons were killed, and all property was de- 

 stroyed along its track. This view has already been 

 published in Nature and in the Comptes rendu*, while 

 its appearance here has been delayed on account of 

 its having been copyrighted. Although the destruc- 

 tive effects of tornadoes have often been photo- 

 graphed, we believe these are the first views ever 

 taken of the tornado itself. No others of the kind 

 are found in the great collection of tornado illustra- 

 tions in the U. S. signal-office at Washington. It is 

 due to our readers to say that our knowledge of the 



sary physical and other investigations for which the 

 eclipse of the sun in that month will present a favor- 

 able opportunity. "The occurrence," he says fur- 

 ther, "of long-continued earthquake disturbances in 

 Tasmania during the past year, and the tendency 

 they have lately exhibited to extend to the southern 

 part of Australia, coupled with the probability that 

 they are indicative of a new centre of seistnic action 

 not very far removed from the eastern portion of 

 Bass's Straits, suggest the propriety of establishing 

 some seismometer apparatus at our observatory; and 

 1 have now under consideration the question of the 

 form of apparatus best suited for this locality." 



FROM AN INSTANTANEOUS PHOTOGRAPH OF A TORNADO IN DAKOTA. 



authenticity of these two views depends simply on 

 the tacit guaranty given by their owners, and that 

 the second one especially bears evidence of having 

 been somewhat ' touched up;' but, in any case, they 

 are certainly unique. It is to be hoped that there 

 may be additional examples reported of this new use 

 of the camera before the coming season is over. 



— The veteran Chevreul, who is approaching the 

 close of the hundredth year of his age, presided 

 the first week in January, in Paris, at a meeting of 

 the new Student's association. It is needless to say 

 that he was enthusiastically received. He spoke of 

 himself as being still merely a student. 



— The government astronomer of the colony of 

 Victoria has recommended that a party be sent to 

 New Zealand next September to carry out the neces- 



— Mr. Lauth, the superintendent of the porcelain 

 factory at Sevres, is said to have discovered a new 

 porcelain which is far superior to the celebrated old 

 Sevres. After ten years' experiment and investiga- 

 tion, he thinks he has produced a porcelain identical 

 with that of China. Not only does it lend itself to 

 artistic decoration, but it takes all kinds of glazes. 

 and surpasses in beauty the colors obtained in China. 



— Our imperfect knowledge of the more obscure 

 forms of marine life is shown by the fact that a new 

 parasitic copepod has just been discovered in the gill- 

 tubes of the ordinary clam (Mya arenaria), and de- 

 scribed in the American naturalist for February. It 

 is rather large, and belongs to the group Poecilos- 

 tomata. The male is found in a free state in the 

 mantle cavity. 



