694 
Notes. 
[November, 
Evolution does not appear to have found grace in the sight of 
the Church Congress. It was discussed by the Bishop of 
Carlisle, Mr. Aubrey Moore, Prof. Pritchard, Bishop Perry, Prof. 
Engstrom, and Mr. W. D. Gounod, who are said to have been 
“ frequently applauded.” 
A tribe of Indians having decided tails, 6 to 8 inches long, is 
said to have been discovered in Paraguay. Should this an- 
nouncement prove true we must protest against them being 
paraded as “ the missing link,” since the anthropoid apes are 
tailless, 
The Municipality of Lisbon has decided that cremation is per- 
missible under ordinary circumstances, but must be compulsatory 
in case of epidemics. 
The French Association for the Advancement of Science de- 
votes a large share of its attention to economic and engineering 
questions, thus savouring strongly of politics and of finance. 
We greatly regret to learn the death of the illustrious Swiss 
palaeontologist, Oswald Heer. 
The brain of Carey is said to have had the unusual weight of 
63 ounces. 
The “ Medical Press and Circular,” criticising Dr. Clifford 
Allbutt’s speech at the amalgamation of the Leeds School of 
Medicine with the Yorkshire College of Science, justly remarks 
that on the Vivisection question the medical profession “ blus- 
tered a good deal too little ; had they spoken out boldly, declined 
a deceptive compromise, and taken every possible opportunity of 
exposing the misrepresentations and sophistries of the Anti- 
ViviseCtion fanatics, the agitation would have been stamped out 
by this time.” 
Mr. Bradford Torrey (“ Science ”) disproves, from aCtual ob- 
servation, the assertion of the Duke of Argyll that no bird 
(humming-bird) ever flies backwards. 
An effort is being made to place the American signal or me- 
teorological service in the hands of civilians. Its present mili- 
tary organisation is open to not a few objections. 
According to the “ Posener Zeitung” a workman was arrested 
in the Sapieha-Platz, Posen, “ for having in his possession three 
bottles of living ants, which he was offering for sale.” 
Veth and Van Hasselt (“ Deutsch. Geogr. Blatter.”) have pub- 
lished an account of their ascent of Indrapura, the loftiest of the 
Sumatran volcanoes. The height of the mountain is 3700 metres 
(about 11,500 feet), and the temperature at the summit 8° C. 
The region of large trees comes to an end about 2500 metres. 
