370 



SCIENCE, 



[Vol. VI., No. 142. 



was one vast field of blackened and lifeless coral 

 stems, and of the vacant and lusteiiess shells of 

 giant clams and other mollusks, paralyzed and 

 killed in all stages of expansion. Everywhere 

 both shells and corals were deeply corroded, the 

 corals especially being in many jDlaces worn down 

 to the sohd base. Since the catastroiDlie there has 

 been, till almost the date of my visit, no signs of 

 life in that portion of the lagoon ; I saw only a 

 very few fishes, and only here and there a new 

 bunch of Madrepora and Porites." 



A similar field of dead corals was observed in 

 this lagoon during the visit of the Beagle in 1836. 

 The destruction of the corals was accounted for by 

 Darwin, by assuming that Southeast Island had 

 at one time been divided into several islets by 

 channels whose closing up had prevented the 

 water in the lagoon from rising so high as formerly; 

 and that, therefore, the corals, which had attained 

 their utmost possible limit of upward growtli, must 

 have been killed by occasional exposures to the 

 sun. This statement is cited by Forbes who, judg- 

 ing from the fact that an earthquake took place at 

 the Keelmg Islands two years before the visit of the 

 Beagle, considers it very probable that an eruption 

 of poisoned water, like that of 1876, may have 

 been brought about l)y the earthquake, and may 

 have caused the death of the corals observed by 

 Darwin. 



Mr. Forbes thinks that an earthquake took place 

 at the time of the cyclone in 1876, although no 

 tremblings of the earth were noted by the people 

 on the island. He considers " the waves, as well 

 as the darkened waters which were issued, doubt- 

 less from a submarine vent, as almost certainly the 

 result of volcanic disturbance in close vicinity of 

 the atoll." It seems to the present wi-iter, however, 

 that this hypothesis is but poorly sustained by the 

 facts observed. A similar rising of the waters is 

 recorded in connection with other cyclones. Chain 

 Atoll, in the Low Archipelago, was completely dev- 

 astated by a hurricane in 1825, during which not 

 less than 300 lives were lost. Thus in two instan- 

 ces, the agitation of the sea about atolls during 

 great storms has been so great as to suggest earth- 

 quakes, yet no shakmg of the land was recorded 

 in either instance. The only safe conclusion, 

 therefore, seems to be that extremely violent storms 

 are capable of causing the sea to rise to a much 

 greater height than had been supposed. On the other 

 hand, certain writers, who consider that earth- 

 quakes may be brought about by a dimunition of 

 atmosplieric pressure, might claim these as striking- 

 illustration of their hypothesis, providing positive 

 evidence of the occurrence of earthquakes in con- 

 nection with the storms could be had 



The eruption of this colored water, charged with 



sulphuretted hydrogen etc., in the lagoon of the 

 Keeling Islands, might perhaps be accounted for, 

 by assuming that the relief of atmospheric pressure, 

 during the cyclone, allowed the gases originating 

 from the decomposition of organic matter impris- 

 oned in the mud of the lagoon to rise to the sur- 

 face. As the atolls are entirely of organic origin, 

 it seems by no means improbable that organic 

 matter in a state of decomposition might occur in 

 the mud beneath the lagoon in quantity sufficient 

 to account for the phenomena observed. 



Another cause adequate to destroy mollusks, 

 coral polyps, etc., in the lagoon of an atoll, is fur- 

 nished by rain, which frequently freshens the 

 water, as has been noted by both Darwin and 

 Forbes. 



THE NIPON CENTRAL EDUCATIONAL 

 ASSOCIATION. 



The main object of this association is to pro- 

 mote the interests of education and science in 

 Japan. Its regular meetings are held monthly in 

 the Lecture hall of the Tokio university, and at 

 these times a lecture is usually delivered by some 

 prominent member, or papers upon educational or 

 scientific subjects are read. There is a standing 

 committee whose duty it is to give all -possible in- 

 formation sought on the part of the local associa- 

 tions or others. 



The association publishes monthly bulletins, 

 which are distributed among its members. These 

 bulletins contain reports or reviews of the lec- 

 tures delivered and papers read at the regular 

 meetings, and also other papers upon educational 

 and scientific rdatters. The number of members 

 of the association is, at the present time, about four 

 thousand ; and it is a matter of congratulation 

 that the number is monthly and yearly increas- 

 ing. The government recognizes the association 

 as one calculated to promote the interests of 

 education and of science in general, and annually 

 votes it a money appropriation or subsidy. 



EXCAVATION OF THE TEMPLE OF LUXOR.' 



Op all ruins, or groups of ruins, in the land of 

 Egypt, the temples and tombs of ' hundred-gated 

 Thebes' stand foremost in majesty, variety and 

 number. Here six great temples mark the site 

 of a city, which for many centuries was the capital 

 of the known world. Of these six temples, the 

 four on the left bank are known to travellers and 

 readers of travels as Goornah, Dayr-el-Baharee, 

 the Ramesseum, and Medinet Haboo ; the two on 

 the right bank being Karnak and Luxor. 



By far the most accessible, and consequently 



^Condensed from the Illustrated London news. 



