1885.] 
( 565 ) 
NOTES. 
The Metropolitan Board of Works obstinately persist, at a cost 
of from £3000 to £4000 per week, in their attempts to 
“ deodorise ” the Thames. 
An “ eledtric girl ” is now being exhibited at the Albert Palace. 
A writer in a contemporary received a “ violent shock ” on taking 
hold of her hand, and on putting a finger into a glass of water 
in which this girl had placed hers “ the shock was almost 
stronger.” (!) ^ A man who felt nothing is accused of stupidity 
for saying “ \ou must all have fancied it.” Has any competent 
eledtrician observed and measured this eledtric adtion ? 
In the “ American Naturalist ” A. L. Ewing describes a 
hermaphrodite crab ( Ccilliucctcs hast(itus') , in which, however, 
neither the male nor the female organs were normally developed. 
According to “ Science ” an American Silurian scorpion was 
found on November 10th, 1882. 
The number of Tertiary fossil plants is estimated by L. F. 
Ward (“ American Naturalist ”) at 5000. 
H. Hale (“ Science ”) states that the average stature of the 
Patagonians, including both sexes, is 5 feet 10 inches. It is 
fuithei considered that, in the two centuries since they assumed 
equestrian habits, their legs have decreased in length by 2 inches. 
So that their former mean stature must have been 6 feet. 
Says the “ American Naturalist ” — “ It is a great error to con- 
found criticism on behalf of the truth with personal hostility, yet 
it is an error by no means rare.” 
According to the “ Deutsche Rundschau,” in 1882 two and a 
half “ milliard ” copies of newspapers were circulated through 
the Postal Union. The bulk of this matter being political, it^is 
easy to see that America is not the only country which— in the 
language of our late contributor Dr. G. M. Beard— is trying the 
ruinous experiment of making every man, woman, and child an 
expert in politics. 
M. G. Carlet (“ Comptes Rendus ”) has made a re-examina- 
tion of the strudture and the movement of the blades in the 
sting of the bee. It is not merely a perforating tool, but an 
aspirating and ejecting syringe, which fills and empties itself at 
every stroke of the piston. 
