Page:Science vol. 5.djvu/327

 J4bon of explorere In vnriuiis coiintrieD nf the old world. This [ironiiaei to be one of the moBt raluable loituru of the new enterptiie, which we commend most heutil; to the support of all who hSTe any incerett Ui the study of antiquity.

— The nev entomological Journal, piihlisiied uriiler llie aQlpices of the Brooklyn entomological aoclety, Dnderthe extraordinary title of Enlomi/logira {ale!) Aiaerieana, has just appeared. It is of about the size md general Appearance of Papilio, which, and the iormeT BuUelin ot the Brooklyn society, it BUpplanls, It doe* not differ in general cbanieter from them.

— The aecond of the papers by Drs. Tambiirini md Seppilll on their cxperiineiital inreatigatloni in hypnotism has appeared in German translntioti by Dr. Fraiikei of Bemburg. The first half of the pwnphlet iB occupied by an account of expcrltnents aod facts obcervsd, while the last half gives their deductions from the facts. The' division made by Charcot, of the phenomena, into those of the lethar- gic, cataleptic, and somnambulistic states, Is accepted, and directions given for producing each of these ststei; but the three candilions are not regarded as in thair nllinate nature different All three are ngarded as due to hyper-excitability of the whote eerebro-ipinal axis, diQerlng among themselves ouly w the irritability is greater or less. One of the argu- moM urged in f&Tur of this view Is from the fact lliat an irritation which will produce at first the le- dii^ic state, will, if iniensilied, produce the catalep- lie, and, upon being made still niore intense, the third tlue, or somnambulistic, characterized by a stifFen- ing of alJ the muscles. The experinienta seem to hare been carefully made, and the pamphlet Is of nil value.

— ITiree pages of the Bryeunios manuscript, re- Pn>duce<] by photography from the original text, nnd edited, with notes, by J. Rendel Ilarris, associate proienor of New-Testament Greek and paleography •n the Johns Hopkins university, are now on the potot of publicaUon. These pages include the last v«nesof the Epistle of Barnabas; the superscription ■«id opeuing of the first Epistle of Clement; tUeciose ^*lie teaching of the apostles; the last verses of the ^Bpiille of Ignatius to the Romans, etc. A few copies )U-e otfered for sale at one dollar neL The edition is wtrietly limited to one hundred and twenty-five copies, And orden should therefore lie sent at once to tbi' publication agency of the Johns Hopkins university, Baltimore, Md.
 * ( the second Epistle of Clement: the first verses of

— The recent announcement of the suiipenslon of a ^•ily paper called The dial, published in New York during the past year, baa given an impression that ^e monthly journal The dial, published in Chicago, ^ the one referred to. Ttie itiat has just closed suc- ^^Mfnlly lis fifth year with the April number, just iwoed.

— The British steamship Chicago, Capt. Jonex, •sports M«r«h 13, 4ii« 48" north, 12" 53' west, eight '■■•-. to midnight, in Sd" 5' north, i:!" 48' west, the
 * '*»«Tallon of a very brilliant aurora borealia. The

��display extended in an arch from north-eaat to north- west, and from the horizon U> the zenith, the whole appearing to lie arranged In concentric rings ot dlSer- ant brilliant colors. The night was so light from this cause, that a newspaper was read on deck.

— The electrical exhibition held at the obsen'atory of Paris was opened on the 2lBt of Slarch. A series of lectures is being delivered on electricity, the flrst being by Mr. Wolf, on the application oE electricity to astronomy, and the last by Hr. HarM-Davy, on the use ot electricity In prognosticating the weather. The lectures will be published,

— In the report of Professors Sedgwick and Nichols of the Massachusetts institute of technology, who were Instructed by the Massachusetts board of health to investigate the subject of 'water-gas,' we find that they are averse to the general introduction of this gas for illuminating-purposes. Ordinary coal-giu con- tains about seven per cent of carbonic oxide, where- as water-gas contains as much as thirty per cent. Tble large percentage of poison in the gu would render its introduction, even under the most careful precautions, extremely dangerous to life. In on at- mosphere containing one per cent of coal-gas, dogs, cats, rabbits, and pigeons were apparently able to re- sist the effect of the carbonic oxide almost Indefinite- ly; while, on the other hand, with the same amount of water-gas, death from poisoning generally resulted after from five to eight hours of exposure. Coming from such a source, this report must have much weight In settling this much-vexed question.

—Dr. George H. Horn of Phllaiiciphia was electeil an honorary member of the Entoinological society of France ut its meeting of March 11.

— The Influence the merchant may have on science by well-directed efforts Is well exemplified in the career of Godeffroy, who recently died In (iermany, and who was, until lately, head of the great German firm ot traders to the South-Sea Islands. He was, how- ever, says jfature, much more than a merchant. Besides captains and supercai^oes, be sent to Micro- nesia, Meianegia, Polynesia, and especially to Samoa, men of science, whose duty II was to make collections and send them lo Hamburg, to form there an exhaus- tive museum of natural history. The first whom he sent oat on a mission of this kind was Dr. Graefe of Zurich, now inspector of the zoological station ar Trieste, wiio went to Samoa iu 1661, and, from thin as a centre, visited the Fiji, Tonga, and other groups in the region. He returned to Europe after eleven years, bringing with him Important collections, and he undertook the editorship of a Jiyarnal qf the God- ^fffo]/ miueuni. Amongst others thus despatched lo the South Seas, was a lady who spent ten years studying the botauy of northern Queensland, and a Polish surgeon who lived for five years In the Marshall and Caroline Islands, then returned to Europe, returning again to the Carolines, where he is at present. A list of the men employed by God- effroy to travel In the South Seas to study the vari- ous islands, make collections tor bis museum, and report to him, would embrace all national i ties, all dc-

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