Signor Ferrari, after making observations on between six and seven hundred thunderstorms which occurred in Italy a few years back, has noted that every thunderstorm is connected with a barometric, hygrometric, and thermic depression. A German scientist who has interested himself in the same line of inquiry, states that the danger of a building being struck by lightning has increased in his country during the past half-century from three to five fold. He attributes this increase of danger to impurities carried into the atmosphere from factory chimneys, the number of which is constantly increasing. A new electric alarm-bell for use in places where highways and railways cross one another has been invented in the United States. On approaching such a crossing, the wheels of the train depress a heavy trigger placed by the side of the rails. This trigger sets in motion a flywheel sufficiently powerful to turn the armature of a small magneto-machine. The current thus generated rings a bell at the cross-road, so that wayfarers have an audible reminder of the near approach of a train. Of course the same result might be brought about with an electric battery. But the magneto-machine has the advantage of requiring no attention, and of not being affected in any way by changes of temperature. Its bearings can be provided with oil-cups, so that it will act for months together without supervision. Professor Ewart lately read a paper before the Royal Physical Society of Edinburgh, in which he stated that from examinations of specimens of ‘whitebait’ sent into the London market during the past year, he had come to the conclusion that the much esteemed little fish consisted of sprats and herrings, about sixty per cent. of the former to forty per cent. of the latter. The origin of so-called ‘whitebait’ has always been such a disputed point that the Professor’s remarks are particularly interesting. He also pointed out that in Canada, sprats are extensively tinned as sardines. As we some time ago pointed out in these pages, a similar trade has been for a long time carried on at more than one place on the south coast of England. We may mention that the authorities of the South Kensington Aquarium are about to introduce herrings into the tanks under their control, in spite of the fact that all such attempts, in inland places at least, have hitherto failed. We trust that their endeavours will be crowned with success.