1885.] 
( 243 ) 
NOTES. 
At a meeting of the Pathological Secftion of the Academy of 
Medicine in Ireland, it was mentioned that a lioness in the 
Dublin Zoological Gardens had entirely eaten off her tail, and 
had then begun to devour one of her paws, when her lamentable 
condition rendered it necessary to destroy her. Several other 
instances of self-mutilation in animals, and one in a child, were 
given. 
Dr. A. Penck has recently examined the Pyrenees, and finds 
that the western extremity of the chain, beyond the valley of 
the Saison, has never been glaciated. Indirect evidence has 
been obtained that the eastern portion of the Pyrenees has been 
repeatedly glaciated on its northern side. 
An anonymous writer in “ Science ” maintains, in explanation 
of the alleged decay of Science in and about Boston, that “ the 
mental atmosphere of that city has become one of intellectual 
finish rather than of intellectual earnestness.” 
A whale, stranded at Luc-sur-Mer (“ Moniteur de Calvados ”), 
has been taken to pieces scientifically, the skin and the skeleton 
being carefully preserved. 
“ Cosmos les Mondes ” gives, under the heading “ Physiology,” 
an account of one Achille Barossi, who is said to be able to walk 
180 kilometres daily. 
Professor Luvini has recently studied “ lateral refraction,” — a 
novel optical fact. 
The Sirocco is found to transport nearly 3^ kilos, of iron as 
fine dust, per 100 million cubic metres of air. 
The Bestiarians have made a third attempt to prevent biolo- 
gical research in Oxford, and have been signally defeated. 
The world-renowned ruling-machine of the late M. Nobert was 
exhibited at the last meeting of the Royal Microscopical Society. 
It has been purchased by Mr. Frank Crisp, one of the Secre- 
taries. The foundation of the machine is the ordinary dividing- 
engine used in the graduation of circles and sextants : this, by 
a vast amount of delicate superposed mechanism, is made to 
