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off Cape Horn, purchased; an Upland Goose (Bernicla magel lanica) from the Falkland Islands, a Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) European, received in exchange; a Moufion (Ovis musimon), four Shaw's Gerbilles (Gerbillus shawi), four Barbary Mice (Mus barbarus) born in the Gardens.

OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN.

THE MELBOURNE OBSERVATORY.-On September 2 last Mr. Ellery, the Government Astronomer, made his annual report to the Board of Visitors to the Observatory. This report shows that with his staff a great amount of work was got through, the following being a brief summary :-With the meridian circle 3590 observations for Right Ascensions, and 2233 for N. P. D. were made, these numbers including the observations for the places of the guide stars used in the astrographic operations. The great telescope, owing to the demands on the staff for the astrographic work, has not been much in use, the routine work having been dropped altogether. It is pleasing to hear that a good start and considerable progress has been made in the part allotted to them in the photographic chart and catalogue of the heavens. Up to June 30, 278 plates had been exposed, excluding a great number obtained for purposes of testing adjustments, &c., although Mr. Ellery remarks that the weather since May was anything but inviting for such work. With the photoheliograph 201 sun pictures were obtained. The observations and records relating to terrestrial magnetism, meteorology, and intercolonial weather service, and time distribution have been continued as usual with satisfactory results. In the seventh paragraph of the report Mr. Ellery informs us of the necessity that has arisen for the reduction of expenditure. Mr. White, the chief assistant, and Mr. Moerlin, the second assistant, were both called upon to retire on September 30, having attained the age of sixty years, both a considerable loss to the observatory, having served there thirty-one and thirty years respectively, and Mr. Ellery found it necessary to close the observatory workshop, and dispense with the mechanic. In a re-organisation of the duties it will be necessary, he says, to put in abeyance observations with the great reflector, reduce meteorological work, including some photographic registration, stop ordinary extra-meridian observation, except the most important, reduce publications and issue of weather charts, and generally to limit operations to the most important and urgent kind. Such a reduction as this after so many years of smooth working and the loss of two such experienced and efficient officers must fall heavily on Mr. Ellery's shoulders, but we are glad to hear that the new scheme is now in working order. We hope to hear also that Mr. Wallace's services have been retained for the astrographic chart, as Mr. Ellery says in a supplementary report that without him this undertaking will have to be dropped.

NATAL OBSERVATORY.-Just as in his former report, Mr. Nevill, the Government Astronomer, is indebted to several ladies for assistance in the observatory, without whose aid he says the numerous astronomical and meteorological computations and reductions could not have been carried out (Report of the Government Astronomer for the year ending June 30, 1892). Again, he urges the necessity of removing the transit to another position, this instrument being so close to the equatorial that only one of them can be used at a time. Besides the usual observations for the comparison of the declinations deduced from observations made at observatories in both hemispheres, by a comparison (Talcott's method) of the zenith distances of northern stars and southern circumpolar stars, the work for determining the latitude of the observatory has been brought to a conclusion and awaits publication. The work, comparing the Greenwich lunar observations from 1851-1888 with the basis of Hansen's Lunar Tables, comprising a discussion of four thousand observations, has been completed, and auxiliary tables, founded on the corrections thus deduced, are now being formed. Several observations of Mars were made to determine the distance of the sun, and these are at present being reduced.

| amounting to a recession of the ascending node of str due to the proximity of the planet Jupiter. Ia number of Astronomische Nachrichten, 3156, he inte gests that the swarm has undergone a separation, per many parts, an analogous case of such a separata occurred in the comet 1889 I. The force which are this division be denotes by I. at the commencemen tion and assumes that its direction coincides with the ice radius vector, being positive and negative when directed and from the sun. Denoting by R the radius of the e the time of the meeting with the swarm, and the commic vector, the true anomaly of this radius in the origin. and that in the derived orbit; representing the angie this common radius vector and the tangent to the anga by B, and with any one on the derived orbit by 8, the following values for the elements of the three ores m is the value of the velocity of commencement for o of time :Comet.

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COMET HOLMES (1892 III.).-M. Schulhof's ephens this comet gives for the ensuing week :—

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PROF. HALE'S SOLAR PHOTOGRAPHS.-Among the advancements in obtaining photographs of the sat, simultaneously the chromosphere, faculæ, spots, &c., Pr has distinguished himself especially in this direction regard to the method which he adopts, M. Janssen com to the Comptes Rendus for March 6 (No. 10) a few words the Academy, he says, "la permission de lui faire re que le principe de cette seconde fente a été tres me indiqué par nous dans les Communications faites a l'ar en 1869, et, avec plus de détails, dans une Commusc au Congrès de l'Association britannique tenu a Exeter la

année.

GEOGRAPHICAL NOTES.

THE recognition accorded to geography in the liri Cambridge is not confined to the lectureship. The subiss English essay proposed for competition this year by sen the University is announced as "The influence exerte British literature by the geographical features of the c Probably "conditions" would convey the meaning he's "features," but apart from such detail, the subjest is to turn the attention of competitors to a much neglerů -the geography of their own country.

THE BIELIDS OF 1872, 1885, AND 1892.-In "Our Astro- THE survey of Greece is being actively carried nomical Column" on p. 451 we referred to a note by M. Austrian Government surveyors, who undertook the Bredichin on the Bielids, in which he said that from ob- 1889. The primary triangulation is already apl servations made last year it seemed very probable that the while filling in the topographical details of the proves densest part of this swarm had undergone perturbations,Thessaly and Albania the survey officers will be as

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yan Austrian botanist and geologist from whose studies much ew information is expected.

ONE of the interesting minor results of M. Dybowski's cent journey from the Mobangi to the Shari was the discovery at the natives of that part of the Sudan use chloride of potasum instead of chloride of sodium to season their food. They refully select plants which on burning yield an ash containg a minimum of carbonates, and extract their "salt" by biling water, subsequently filtering and evaporating the lution.

DR. A. GLOY has recently published a very interesting disssion of the population of Schleswig-Holstein, tracing its stribution to the character of the land. In order to represent aphically the cause and effect on the same paper, the various agomerations of people from single cottages to towns of over 2000 habitants, are shown by dots of increasing size on a geological ap. It thus becomes apparent that the population is arranged that the fertile fenlands and clay ridges which run from north south are relatively thickly peopled, while the belt of sandy id barren soil separating them has few houses except along its oundaries. The type of dwelling in rural villages is also found vary, showing a clear relation to the former extension of the lav tribes westward before the time of Teutonic predomin

ice.

IN a careful study of the political divisions of the earth, Dr. Oppel has come to the conclusion that about 1,700,000 square iles are uninhabited or ownerless, about 5,000,000 square miles ore without settled government, and the remaining 45,000,000 uare miles are occupied by definite states. He recognises venty-five such states, but most of them are of such insignificant perficial extent that the eighteen largest make up 87 per cent. the whole area.

many cases the whole contents of the abdominal cavity were removed with all the proper antiseptic precautions, and inoculated into culture tubes. This latter practice was adopted in order to satisfactorily dispose of all suggestion of the presence of cholera germs in the excreta being due to their accidental contamination from the feet of the flies themselves. In all cases cholera bacilli were found, both in the alimentary tract and in the flies' excreta. Moreover, guinea pigs inoculated with cultivations of cholera microbes obtained from the former died quite as rapidly as when inoculated with ordinary cholera cultures, thus showing that their virulence had not been impaired through residence in the fly's body. In the intestinal tract of those flies fed with cholera excreta, not only were cholera bacilli found, but also other organisms resembling the vibrio Metschnikowi Gamaleia, and which on inoculation into guinea-pigs and pigeons killed them in twenty-four hours. Similar results were obtained when the vibrio was separated out directly from the cholera excreta and inoculated into these animals. Thus in this case also the virulence of the organism had undergone no abatement during its sojourn in the fly's alimentary tract, thus fully confirming similar results with other organisms obtained by Celli. Sometimes enormous numbers of cholera bacilli were found in the alimentary tract of flies after seventy-two hours, in spite of their having been fed after the first infection with nothing but sterile broth, with the object, if possible, of washing out the bacilli. Sawtschenko makes the alarming suggestion that the bacilli may very possibly be able, under suitable conditions of temperature and nourishment, to multiply within the bodies of flies, in which case the latter must not only be regarded as dangerous carriers of infection, but as a hot-bed for the preservation and further multiplication of cholera bacilli.

FLIES AND DISEASE GERMS.

S we become more intimately acquainted with the nature of pathogenic micro-organisms, the manner in which their stribution takes place also becomes more intelligible. For veral years past, through researches made by Grassi, Cattani, d Tizzoni, it has been known that flies are capable of disminating cholera bacteria. These authors placed minute antities of these bacilli on to the bodies of flies and found at after carefully preserving them under a glass shade in difed daylight for an hour and a half and longer, when introced into sterile culture media these flies gave rise to typical olera growths. These results have quite recently been conmed by Simmonds. Further experiments on the part played flies in the propagation of disease germs have been made by li, who fed flies with the sputum from phthisical patients, o with pure cultivations of the typhoid bacillus, of anthrax, other organisms. The particular microbes experimented h were afterwards demonstrated in the excreta of these flies, tly by microscopic examination and partly by direct inoculainto animals. The latter method was especially successful he case of the anthrax and tubercle bacilli. A paper which just appeared by Sawtschenko in the Centralblatt für teriologie, vol. xii. p. 893 ("Die Beziehung der Fliegen zur breitung der Cholera ") contains an account of some experiats which the author has made on the fate of cholera bacilli en introduced into flies. The flies used in these investiga s were (1) the common small house-fly and (2) a much larger ety, which, from the description given, would seem to answer our so-called "blue-bottle fly." It was further marked by rapid flight, its rare occurrence within doors, by feeding all manner of decaying substances, besides being frequently d on articles of food of all kinds. These flies were placed hallow dishes containing a few drops of broth infected with era bacilli, after which they were removed and fed on raw t or sterile broth. In some cases the excrements of cholera ents were substituted for the cholera cultures. It would ear very difficult to keep flies alive in captivity, for the thy as well as those experimented upon died in nearly all s after twenty-four hours; in only very few instances was it ible to preserve them four days. Not only were the eta of the flies carefully examined for cholera bacilli, but in

SCIENTIFIC SERIALS.

American Journal of Science, March. The specific heat of liquid ammonia, by C. Ludeking and J. E. Starr. The liquid ammonia used in the experiments was found to contain o'3 per cent. of moisture, and on spontaneous evaporation to leave only a trace of residue. The specific heat was measured by Regnault's method, the liquid being enclosed in a steel tube of 16 122 cc. capacity, stoppered by a steel screw. The mean value for the specific heat deduced from two series of experiments was o 8857. -A short cycle in weather, by James P. Hall. If a diagram is drawn exhibiting the changes of daily mean temperature in New York city for a few months it will be discovered that these fluctuations occur every three or four days, on an average, but that some have much greater amplitude than others. In the course of four weeks, perhaps, there will be only two or three conspicuous rises and falls. Upon further scrutiny there will be observed a tendency in these more prominent features of the curve to repeat themselves at intervals of about 27 days. That these and kindred oscillations in New York city are, in the main, representative of temperature changes over the greater part of the United States becomes evident on comparing temperature curves taken at Utah, St. Paul, St. Louis, and New York respectively. A conspicuous rise of temperature at New York is apt to be a day or two behind that at St. Louis, fully two days behind St. Paul, and sometimes nearly a week behind Utah. Mr. Hall attempts to find a relation between this 27day period and the sun's rotation, which takes place in about the same time.--Kilauea in August, 1892, by Frank S. Dodge. The chief object of interest on the floor of Kilauea was the lava lake of Halema'uma'u, whose surface was found to measure 12'1 acres, which is much larger than any lake in recent years. The lake is nearly circular in form, its longest diameter being 860 feet, and the shortest 800 feet. The lava was about three feet below the rim on an average. Frequent breaks occurred in the rim, from which large flows took place, in some cases covering several acres of the floor. One large flow on the night of August 25th covered about one-third of the floor, and raised its level from one to four feet. The lake was at times very active, with fountains playing over its surface in every direction, as many as fifteen being counted at one time by a careful observer. Small fountains were always to be seen in some locality, and the whole surface was marked by long irregular seams always in motion. -Also papers by Messrs. Chamberlin, Darton, Upham, and Winslow, and the Address delivered

before the American Metrological Society, December 30, 1892, by the President, Dr. B. A. Gould.

Bulletin de l'Académie Royale de Belgique, No. 1, 1893.-On Poisson's law of large numbers, by P. Mansion.--On the influence of time upon the mode of formation of the meniscus at the tem

perature of transformation, by P. de Heen. If a sealed glass tube is partly filled with carbonic acid in the liquid state, and then heated slightly above the critical temperature, the meniscus forming the surface of separation gradually disappears until all the liquid is converted into vapour. But for some time after this has taken place the density of the substance above the surface of separation is less than that below, as may be seen by the appearance of a generating line. If the tube is withdrawn from the water bath at 33°, the formation of a small cloud is ob. served in the region where the meniscus disappeared, and the latter is gradually reproduced in the same place. The phenome. non is not observed when the tube is inverted, or kept at 33° for 24 hours, thus allowing the two constituents to mix by diffusion. -Two experimental verifications relating to crystalline refraction by J. Verschaffelt. -Crystallographic note on the axinite of Quenast, by A. Franck.

SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES.
LONDON.

Physical Society, February 24.-Prof. A. W. Rücker, F. R. S., President, in the chair.-Mr. Everett, junr., read a paper on a new and handy focometer, by Prof. J. D. Everett, F.R.S., and exhibited the instrument described. The focometer is constructed on the principle of the "Lazy tongs," and so arranged that the distance between the object and screen can be varied whilst the lens is automatically kept midway between the two. This gives sharpest definition and the simplest calculation. The lazy tongs has eight cells, formed by eighteen bars 13" x 3" x 1", and is capable of being extended to about eight feet, or closed up to about one foot. Brass pins about 1" diameter and one and half inches long project upward from each joint in the middle row, and serve as supports for clips carrying the lens, object, and screen. The instrument can be used for any lens whose focal length lies between twenty-four inches and one inch or less. Details respecting the most appropriate objects and screens, and practical hints about the working of the instrument are given in the paper. The question of what accuracy is obtainable is also briefly discussed.-Mr. A. Hilger thought the instrument was too flexible to be used for accurate work.-Mr. Blakesley suggested that by using a plane mirror close behind the lens the light would be reflected back, and the length of the focometer could be reduced by one-half.-The President thought Prof. Everett never intended the instrument to compete, as regards accuracy, with the elaborate and expensive apparatus now used, but nevertheless the focometer was a very valuable one, especially for students' work, and was particularly well adapted to impress upon them the facts relating to conjugate foci. -A paper on a hydrodynamical proof of the equations of motion of a perforated solid, with applications to the motion of a fine framework in circulating liquids, by G. H. Bryan, M. A., was read by Dr. C. V. Burton. The object of the paper, which is a mathematical one, is to show how the equations may be deduced directly from the pressure-equation of hydrodynamics, without having recourse to the laborious method of "ignoration" of coordinates. The results are applied to determine the motion of a light framework of wires. When the framework has a single aperture it is shown that no force produces motion in its own direction, and no couple produces rotation about its own axis. In the case of a fine massless circular ring the direction of whose axis is taken as the axis of x, a constant force along the axis of y produces uniform rotation about the axis of 2, and a constant couple about the axis of y produces uniform translation along the axis of . In conclusion the author states that the results might be made to furnish mechanical explanations of certain physical phenomena. The President said the author had done good service by attacking the difficult problem by elementary methods. -Dr. C. V. Burton made a communication on plane and spherical sound-waves of finite amplitude. The first part of the paper refers to plane waves. This subject had been considered by Riemann, but Lord Rayleigh had criticised that part of Riemann's work, where it is held that a state of motion is

possible in which the fluid is divided into two parts by a s of discontinuity propagating itself with constant velocity. fluid on one side of the surface of discontinuity being in form condition as to density and velocity, and on the e a second uniform condition in the same respects. After ov tion applies when the velocity and density on either sea Lord Rayleigh's criticisms the author shows that the same surface may vary continuously in the direction of preser and the velocity of propagation of the surface of discretas » also allowed to vary. In each case the assumed mouED V the condition of energy, and can only exist under tha law of pressure for which progressive waves are of co permanent type. Inquiry is then made as to what be waves of finite amplitude after discontinuity sets in whi dition must always occur with plane waves), in the mar which it is pointed out that the front of an air dates. produced by a moving source which starts impulsively faster than the source, even if the velocity of the soute that of feeble sounds. A mechanical analogy suggests that sipative production of heat takes place when discontinuvy In all cases Riemann had assumed that the pressure is a “ of density only according to the isothermal or adlatanic a,. thus failed to take account of any heat which may te patively produced. Part II. of the paper deals with waves, and contains a mathematical investigation into be ditions under which the motion remains continuous or le discontinuous. The criterion is found in the Far: infinitude of a certain integral. It is shown that if visar v neglected, then under any practically possible law of the motion in spherical sound waves always becomes tinuous. For waves diverging in four dimensions some occur in which the motion remains continuous. The pen question of spherical sound waves of finite amplitude a treated of, and the paper concludes with a method of the differential equation of an infinitesimal spherical dəfes which is superposed on a purely radial steady mover A. S. Herschel inquired whether the nature of the slls ** plane waves of finite amplitude was similar to that for waves-motion? In the latter case everything dependri instantaneous impulses, for these alone determined the r the wave. The President said Mr. Boys' experiments bullets might have some bearing on Dr. Burton's paper conclusions there stated were correct, then the veloc air in front of a bullet should be greater than that of the even if the latter was travelling faster than ordina7waves. He now asked Mr. Boys if his photographs he » evidence of this. Mr. Boys said the fact that the hug showed disturbances in front of the bullet proved that the turbance travelled faster. In one case where a large se moving at a velocity rather greater than that of wide.. in the medium, the front of the disturbance was al inch in advance of the bullet. In another instance she bullet was smaller and the velocity greater, the distise the disturbance was in advance of the bullet was ac«!!! In all cases, even when the velocity of the bullet was that of sound, the character of the effects remained the Dr. Burton replied to the points raised.

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March 10.-Prof. A. W. Rucker, F.K. S., Presiden'. F chair. Dr. C. V. Burton read a paper on the of Lagrange's equations of motion to a general class blems, with special reference to the motion of a perican in a liquid. The paper shows that to apply Lagrange tions it is not always necessary that the cor hgura system should be completely determined by the co that under certain conditions one need not consider whe te whole configuration is determined by the nature of its k co-ordinates, nor inquire what is the nature of the 12 ordinates. The result, which is arrived at by the a "principle of least action," and the investigaren Thomson and Tait's "Natural Philosophy," seco part i. § 327, is expressed by the following proposi kinetic energy of a material system can be m homogeneous quadratic function of certain generale vy ,,... only, the co-efficients being functions el ș i only, and if this remains always true so long as he and impulses acting are of types corresponding to ♥ 4 the equations of motion for the co-cudirait- 4. 9. be written down from this expression for the ere? *

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nce with the Lagrangian rule. The author then applies the roposition to the case of a perforated solid with liquid irrotaonally circulating through the apertures, and shows how may be extended to any number of perforated solids. ncidentally it is mentioned that in equations (10) and (10)vi Thomson and Tait, part i. § 327) the sign of v/d should be versed. A difficulty which arises in applying the result of 319, example G, in the same work, to the motion of solids rough liquids is also referred to. A criticism by Mr. A. B. asset on Mr. Bryan's recent paper and also on Dr. Burton's aper was read by Mr. Elder. Mr. Basset regards the process mployed by Mr. Bryan in obtaining the equations of motion as distinctly retrograde step, and thinks the most scientific way of ealing with dynamical problems is to avoid the unnecessary troduction of any unknown reactions. The advantages of the heory of the impulse are described by Mr. Basset, and the arts which require care when applying the theory to cyclic rotational motion pointed out. Comparisons are then made as egards simplicity, between the different methods of treating the abject which have been used by Mr. Bryan, Prof. Lamb, and imself. With reference to Dr. Burton's paper he thinks it will end to complicate rather than elucidate the subject. An account f how Lagrange's original equations had been modified by Iamilton, Kouth, and himself is given at some length, and the dvantages and power of the mixed transformation, which he ad developed are pointed out. Prof. Henrici said he agreed ith Mr. Basset in preferring the more general method, but hought the independent treatment of special problems as given y Mr. Bryan and Dr. Burton, very desirable. - Dr. Burton in eply said he concurred with Mr. Basset on some points, but ought it decidedly advantageous to look at problems on different points of view. The investigation he (Dr. urton) had given was applicable to any number of lids, and on the whole simpler than Mr. Basset's. be President pointed out that no attack had been made on e validity or accuracy of Mr. Bryan's or Dr. Burton's work. 5 to simplicity of the various methods, different opinions ight be expected to exist. He himself thought it very desirable at such problems should be approached from different sides.rof. G. M. Minchin read a paper on the magnetic field of a rcular current.-A paper on the differental equation of electric ow, by Mr. T. H. Blakesley, was postponed.

Royal Microscopical Society, February 15.-Mr. A. D. ichael, President, in the chair.-Mr. E. M. Nelson hibited a microscope made by Messrs. Watson, to which veral novelties had been applied.-Mr. J. W. Lovibond read a te on the measurement of direct light by means of the tintoeter. Mr. Nelson said that the wonderful results obtained by e author by means of his instrument were perfectly surprising. was, in fact, equal to discovering differences down to milpths of a tint; having had the pleasure of seeing and using he soon found that there was a very decided difference in the lour sensation of his own eyes, which until that time he had ver suspected. It had done such marvels when applied macroscopic purposes that he did not doubt it uld do much also when applied to microscopic idies. Mr. G. S. Marriott's form of mounting and secting stand was exhibited and described by Mr. Nel1.-Mr. T. F. Smith read a paper on the use of mono. omatic yellow light in photomicrography.-Prof. F. J. Bell d a letter from Dr. H. G. Piffard bearing on the same subt-A paper descriptive of two species of rotifers by Mr. J. od was also read by Prof. Bell.-Mr. Nelson read a paper the chromatic curves of microscope objectives.-Dr. W. H. llinger said that Mr. Nelson was quite right in pointing out at unless we could devise means for employing the shorter ve-lengths of the spectrum we had approached very near to limits of visual possibility with the means at present at our posal. But as to the belief expressed by Mr. Nelson that 5s such as was used in our objectives was not transparent to higher violet and ultra-violet rays, and to some extent also the blue, it must be remarked that there could be no doubt that the figures of the lenses had much to do with this; it them up to the consideration of the question as to what uld be a suitable form and medium for lenses capable of wing the higher rays to be used. There could be little ibt that all who believed in a future advantage in the use of nochromatic light foresaw that there must be lenses specially pared for its use. They all knew now that they had reached

the limit of possibility so far as present materials were concerned; for if a lens could be made with a N. A. of 200, there was no liquid medium to use with it, because no medium so employed would be tolerant of living or even organic substances. If, therefore, they could by some means use shortened wavelengths, they would have accomplished something extremely useful. The rest of the agenda was postponed in consequence of the lateness of the hour.

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Entomological Society, March 8.-Capt. Elwes, President, in the chair.-Herr Pastor Wallengren, of Farhult, bei Höganäs Sweden, and Herr Hofrath Dr. Carl Brunner Von-Wattenwyl, of Vienna, were elected Honorary Fellows of the Society to fill the vacancies in the list of Honorary Fellows caused by the deaths of Prof. Hermann C. C. Burmeister and Dr. Carl August Dohrn. -Dr. D. Sharp, F. R.S., exhibited a fine species of Enoplotrupes from Siam, which was believed to be new, and which he thought Mr. Lewis intended to describe under the name of E. principalis. This insect has great power of making a noise, and the female seemed in this respect to surpass the male. Mr. W. F. II. Blandford said he wished to supplement the remarks which he made at the meeting of the Society on February 8 last, on the larva of Rhynchophorus. He stated that he had since found that only the first seven pairs of abdominal stigmata were rudimentary. The posterior pair were well developed and displaced on to the dorsum of their segment, which was thickly chitinised, and bore a deep depression, on the He added margins of which the spiracles were situated. that dissection showed that the posterior pair were the principal agents of respiration. Mr. W. H. B. Fletcher exhibited a long series of bred Zygana lonicera and Z. trifolii, hybrids of the first generation with the following parentage:-Z. lonicera, male-Z. trifolii, female; Z. trifolii, male-Z. lonicera, female; also hybrids of the second generation between Z. trifolii-hybrid, and Z. lonicera-hybrid. stated that many of the hybrids were larger than the parent species, and that some hybrids between Z. lonicera and Z. filipendula were the largest he had ever seen. He added that Zygana meliloti would not hybridise with Z. lonicera, Z. trifolii or Z. filipendulæ.-Mr. F. W. Frohawk exhibited a bred series of Vanessa atalanta, showing the amount of variation in the red band on the fore wings of the female.-Capt. Elwes exhibited a large number of specimens of Chrysophanus phlaas from various places in Europe, Asia, and North America, with the object of showing that the species is scarcely affected by variations of temperature, which was contrary to the opinion expressed by Mr. Merrifield in his recent paper on the effects of temperature on colouring. Mr. McLachlan, F.R S., Mr. A. J. Chitty, Mr. Bethune-Baker, Mr. Tutt, and Mr. Barrett, took part in the discussion which ensued.-Dr. Sharp read a paper entitled "On Stridulating Ants." He said that examination revealed the existence in ants of the most perfect stridulating or sound-producing organs yet discovered in insects, which are situated on the 2nd and 3rd segments of the abdomen of certain species. He was of opinion that the structures which Sir John Lubbock thought might be stridulating organs in Lasius flavus were not really such, but merely a portion of the general sculpture of the surface. Dr. Sharp said that the sounds produced were of the greatest delicacy, and Mr. Goss had been in communication with Mr. W. H. Preece, F.R S., with the view of ascertaining whether the microphone would assist the human ear in the detection of sounds produced by ants. Mr. Preece had stated that the microphone did not magnify, but merely reproduced sound, and that the only sounds made by ants which he had been able to detect by means of the instrument were due to the mechanical disturbance produced by the motion of the insects over the microphone. A long discussion ensued, in which the President, Canon Fowler, and Messrs. Champion, McLachlan, Goss, Hampson, Barrett, Burns, and Jacoby, took part. Mr. C. J. Gahan read a paper entitled "Notes on the Longicornia of Australia and Tasmania, Part I.; including a list of the species collected by Mr. J. J. Walker, R.N."

Geological Society, March 8.-W. H. Hudleston, F. R. S., President, in the chair.-The following communications were read:-On the occurrence of boulders and pebbles from the glacial drift in gravels south of the Thames, by Horace W. Monckton. North of the Thames near London, the glacial drift consists largely of gravel, which is characterised by an abundance of pebbles of red quartzite and boulders of quartz and igneous

rock. With the exception of very rare boulders of quartz, the hill and valley-gravels of the greater part of Kent, Surrey, and Berkshire are entirely free from these materials. The author points out that the river Thames is not, however, the actual southern boundary of the distribution of these glacial drift pebbles and boulders, though the number of localities where they are found in gravels south of that river is few. The author describes or mentions several, of which the following are the most important :-Tilehurst, Reading, Sonning, Bisham at 351 feet above the sea, Maidenhead, Kingston, Wimbledon, and Dartford Heath.-On the plateau-gravel south of Reading, by O. A. Shrubsole. This paper contains observations on the gravel of the Easthampstead-Yately plateau. The constituent elements of the gravel are described, and the author notes pebbles of non-local material near Caesar's Camp, Easthampstead, on the Finchampstead Ridges, and at Gallows Tree Pit at the summit of the Chobham Ridges plateau. He mentions instances of stones from the gravel of the plateau (described in the paper) which may bear marks of human workmanship. He furthermore argues that the inclusion of pebbles of non-local origin in the gravels may be due to submergence of the plateau up to a height of at least 400 feet above present sea-level, and cites other facts in support of this suggestion. He concludes that the precise age of the gravel can only be more or less of a guess, until the mode of its formation has been definitely ascertained. The reading of these papers was followed by a discussion, in which the President, Dr. Hicks, Mr. J. A. Brown, Prof. J. F. Blake, Mr. W. J. L. Abbott, Mr. Herries, Mr. Monckton, and Mr. Shrubsole took part.-A fossiliferous pleistocene deposit at Stone, on the Hampshire Coast, by Clement Reid. (Communicated by permission of the DirectorGeneral of the Geological Survey.) This is practically a supplement to a paper on the pleistocene deposits of the Sussex coast, that appeared in the last volume of the Quarterly Journal. An equivalent of the mud-deposit of Selsey has now been discovered about twenty miles farther west, and from it have been obtained elephant-remains, and some mollusca and plants like those found at Selsey. Among the plants is a South European maple. Some remarks were made on the paper by the President, Dr. Hicks, and Mr. W. J. L. Abbott, and the author replied.

Zoological Society, March 14.-Sir W. H. Fowler, F. R. S., President, in the chair.-The Secretary read a report on the additions that had been made to the Society's menagerie during the month of February, 1893, and called attention to two terrapins procured on Okinawa Shima or Great Loochoo Island by Mr. P. A. Holst, and kindly presented by that gentleman. Mr. Boulenger had determined these tortoises as being Spengler's terrapin (Nicoria spengleri).-Mr. O. Thomas exhibited and made remarks on a rare antelope (Nanotragus livingstonianus) from Northern Zululand.-Dr. Forsyth-Major exhibited and made remarks on a tooth of Orycteropus from the Upper Miocene of Maragha, Persia, which he referred to 0. gaudryi, of the Upper Miocene of Samos. Drawings of the remains of the latter were exhibited, as well as a photograph of a femur of a struthious bird from the same deposit in Samos. The habitats of Struthio and Orycteropus were thus shown to have been essentially identical in past times, as in the present. Therefore the general conclusions to be drawn from their geographical distribution would apply equally to both.-Mr. Oldfield Thomas made some suggestions for the more definite use of the word "type" and its compounds, as denoting specimens of a greater or less degree of authenticity.-Mr. P. L. Sclater, F. R. S., pointed out the characters of a new African monkey of the genus Cercopithecus; and took the opportunity of giving a list of the species of this genus known to him, altogether 31 in number, together with remarks on their exact localities.-Prof. F. Jeffrey Bell read a paper on Odontaster and the allied and synonymous genera of the Asteroidea.-Mr. A. D. Michael read a paper upon a new species (and genus) of Acarus found in Cornwall. The creature in question, which it was proposed to call Lentungula algivorans, was found in some quantity on a green alga (Cladophora fracta) near the Land's End. It was a minute creature belonging to the family Tyroglyphidae, the remarkable feature about it being that, whereas the two hind pairs of legs were terminated by a hard and powerful single claw (which claw sprang from the end of the tarsus), the two front pairs had the tarsus itself hardened and curved strongly downward, forming clinging- and walking-organs; while from

the side of the tarsus sprang a long peduncle, flexible in a directions at the will of the creature, and bearing an exceeding minute claw. This apparatus was not used in climbing, had become wholly tactile. Such an arrangement was previos unknown in the Acarina.-Prof. Howes described some abou mal vertebræ of certain Ranidæ (Rana catesbiana, R. escu and R. macrodon) in which the so-called "atlas" possee transverse processes and trans-atlantal nerves. Prof. How discussed the bearings of these specimens on the morphology the parts, deducing the argument that the first vertebra of the Amphibia is probably to be regarded as a representative of least two vertebræ, of which the formative blastema has become merged in the occiput in the Amniota. The author also describe a stage in the development of the urostyle of Pelobates, showed that, in this Batrachian, there is a provisional inversion in the order of development of the parts of the urostyle a precoccygeal vertebræ. He also described a reduced hind. of Salamandra maculosa, in which the reduction and fusion the parts remaining realised the condition normal for the Uroce limb with numerically reduced digits.

Royal Meteorological Society, March 15.-Dr. C. The dore Williams, President, in the chair.-Mr. Shelford Bides. F. R. S., delivered a lecture on some meteorological pr lems, which was illustrated with numerous photographs experiments. The lecturer said that one of the oldest and unsolved problems of meteorology relates to the origin of a spheric electricity. Many possible sources have been suggeste among them being the evaporation of water and the friction dust-laden air against the earth's surface. Having granted sufficient source of electrification, Mr. Bidwell said that not difficult to account for the ordinary phenomena of thunde storms. Photography has shown that the lightning flash of the artists, formed of a number of perfectly straight lines arrange in a zig-zag, has no resemblance to anything in nature. T normal or typical flash is like the ordinary spark discharge an electrical machine, it follows a sinuous course, strikingly st lar to that of a river as shown upon a map. The several var. tions from the normal type all have their counterparts in forms taken by the machine spark under different cond and the known properties of these artificial discharges may assumed to afford some indication as to the nature of the or responding natural flashes. Thus, for example, the ramined branched flash, from which no doubt the dreaded "fork ning" derives its name, is probably one of the most harm forms of discharge. Ever since the time of Franklin it has be customary to employ lightning rods for the protection of iz in the case of an "impulsive rush" discharge, which, however, ant buildings. According to Dr. Oliver Lodge these are of no of comparatively rare occurrence. Lightning conductors, ever well constructed, cannot therefore be depended upo afford perfect immunity from risk. Mr. Preece is of opinion the "impulsive rush," though easily producible in the laborat never occurs in nature. Mr. Bidwell made some remarks a the duration of a lightning flash and the causes of its provequiver, and suggested an explanation of the characteristic de ness of thunder clouds, and of the large rain-drops whi The lecturer concluded with on during a thunder shower. observations concerning the probable cause of sunset co which he attributed to the presence of minute particles of

in the air.

OXFORD.

University Junior Scientific Club, March 1-0 President in the chair.-Mr. C. H. H. Walker er some compounds of the rare metals from the collections late Duke of Marlborough, which had been presented › University by the Duchess.-Among the papers read w by Dr. Leonard Hill on cortical localisation.

March 10.-The President in the chair.—Adjourned disc on Dr. L. E. Hill's paper on cortical localisation.

CAMBRIDGE.

Philosophical Society, February 27.-Prof. T. Hughes, President, in the chair.-The following com tions were made to the Society :-On the histology blood of rabbits which have been rendered immune to by Lim Boon Keng. The research was conducted in the logical laboratory of the University. The rabbits were

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