HA RD V/ICKE' S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



*9 



Association " a paper on the occurrence of the Walrus 

 in the gravels of the Thames Valley, at a depth of 

 33 feet. 



The Anniversary Dinner of the Royal Society was 

 held on the evening of St. Andrew's Day, under the 

 presidency of Lord Kelvin. 



The following are the Lecture Arrangements at 

 the Royal Institution before Easter : — Sir Robert 

 Stawell Ball, Six Lectures (adapted to a juvenile 

 auditory) on Astronomy ; Professor Victor Horsley, 

 Ten Lectures on the Brain ; the Rev. Canon 

 Ainger, Three Lectures on Tennyson ; Professor 

 Patrick Geddes, Four Lectures on the Factors of 

 Organic Evolution ; the Rev. Augustus Jessopp, 

 Three Lectures on the Great Revival — a Study in 

 Mediaeval History ; Professor C. Hubert H. Parry, 

 Four Lectures on Expression and Design in Musie 

 (.with musical illustrations) ; the Right Hon. Lord 

 Rayleigh, Six Lectures on Sound and Vibrations. 

 The Friday Evening Meetings will begin on January 

 20th, when a Discourse will be given by Professor 

 Dewar on Liquid Atmospheric Air. 



" Transactions of the PIertfordshire 

 Natural History Society and Field-Club." — 

 The journal of this Society contains in its numbers 

 from June to October, 1892, among other articles, the 

 following: — "Bats and some other Beasts," by 

 George Rooper, F.Z.S. ; "Terrestrial British Quad- 

 rupeds existing in the wild state at the Present 

 Day," by T. Vaughan Roberts; "Notes on Birds 

 observed in Hertfordshire during 1891," by Henry 

 Lewis ; " Our Food-Fishes, their Friends and Foes," 

 by F. E. Beddard, M.A., F.Z.S. ; " Amongst wild 

 Beasts," by A. Stradling, C.M.Z.S. ; also various 

 accounts of Field Meetings, additions to library, 

 Balance Sheet, and Report of Councils. 



The planet Jupiter obtains the greatest amount of 

 attention from astronomers in all parts of the world. 

 Its enormous size commands astronomical respect, 

 and it illustrates the history of planetary evolution 

 more effectively than any other member of the solar 

 system. It exists in a stage through which our own 

 earth passed hundreds of millions of years ago. 

 This is shown by the fact that although Jupiter is 

 1300 times larger than the world we live on, it is 

 only 310 times heavier. Jupiter is in the pre-vital 

 planetary stage of evolution. That part we see 

 through the telescope is only the reflection of the 

 external atmosphere which surrounds, perhaps, a 

 white-hot, and certainly a red-hot, planet. It is 

 highly probable the lower part of Jupiter's atmo- 

 sphere is in a state of incandescence. Only the 

 elasticity imparted by enormous heat could allow the 

 body of the planet to sustain and resist the downward 

 pressure of the vast ocean of vapours and gases 

 above. Such an atmosphere, even if it had a depth 



of only sixty miles, would press on the surface of 

 Jupiter with a weight many times that of platinum, 

 unless counteracted by a very high temperature. 

 The now famous great "red spot," first observed 

 twelve years ago, and which was formerly regarded 

 as a glimpse of the solid body of Jupiter seen through 

 its rent atmosphere, turns out to be a visible patch of 

 the lower strata of the atmosphere itself. It is con- 

 stantly shifting about, as are also other great patches 

 visible upon the surface of the same mighty planet. 

 The actual surface of the "great red spot" visible 

 on Jupiter is larger than that of the whole surface of 

 our own globe. 



From all of these facts, which are increasing in 

 number every day, we may gather some knowledge 

 of the restless physical activity of the body and 

 atmosphere of this wonderful planet. It reminds a 

 geologist vividly of the physical conditions through 

 which our own world passed when, ages ago, before 

 life began upon its surface, it was in a state of primi- 

 tive development. At that time our earth was 

 enormously larger than it is now, its volume possibly 

 extending beyond the present orbit of the moon. 

 By subsequent cooling and condensation it became 

 the world pretty much as we now find it. After vast 

 ages yet to come, Jupiter also will cool down until, 

 instead of 1300 times larger than the earth, it will 

 only be about 3 10. Those of our readers who wish 

 to follow up this interesting subject should forthwith 

 procure a nicely got up pamphlet, entitled "Jupiter 

 and his System," written by a well-known lady, 

 Miss Ellen M. Clerke, and published by Edward 

 Stanford, Charing-Cross, at U. 



Curious facts and curious inferences are constantly 

 cropping up. Here is an example which seems to 

 have something in it ; and blue-eyed people, of which 

 England possesses so many, will not only be in- 

 terested in the statement, but will not deny it. It is 

 to the effect that nearly all the greatest men of the 

 world, in all ages, have had blue eyes. Amongst 

 them are enumerated Socrates, Shakespeare, John 

 Locke (the great metaphysician), Lord Bacon, John 

 Milton, Goethe, Benjamin Pranklin, Napoleon the 

 Great, the lately deceased great French historian 

 Renan, Bismarck, Mr. Gladstone, Professor Huxley, 

 Professor Virchow, and others. It is stated that, 

 singularly enough, all the Presidents of the United 

 States except General Harrison have had blue eyes. 

 After this it will not be surprising if people try to 

 change the colour of their eyes as they do that of 

 their hair. 



Doubtless most readers have heard something 

 about the comet discovered by Mr. E. Holmes some 

 weeks ago, and which can be seen in the constella- 

 tion Andromeda. Mr. Holmes gave a capital ac- 

 count of it in a recent "Graphic," which we should 

 advise our readers carefully to study. Stellar-pho- 



