678 German Association. — Zoological Transactions. 



Indian Sea to the Philippine Isles. Some in the latter are 

 allied to those in Chili ; but the band of isles across the Pa- 

 cific being small and wide apart, they never have a high tem- 

 perature, and their insects are few, and not of tropical forms. 

 Some tribes of insects in the most southern parts of New 

 Holland, Africa, and America, though different, yet appear to 

 be representatives of each other. The study of insects along 

 opposite shores of capes and peninsulas, to observe how their 

 mutual likeness increases southward, would be an interesting 

 branch of their geography, which department of Entomolo- 

 gy is much neglected. It has been said of the Mediterrane- 

 an that the same tribes of insects surround its shores ; and 

 this remark will probably apply to every other sea. The 

 chain of mountains above mentioned divides the earth into 

 two groups, whose difference is greater between the tropics* 

 and disappears towards the poles. — F. Walker. 



German Scientific Association. — This institution is essen- 

 tially different from the British Association, both in its ten- 

 dency and arrangements. It has no funds at its disposal, 

 and consequently can give no commissions for works to be 

 written at its expense ; a circumstance which the Germans 

 have no reason to regret, as very few first-rate scientific men 

 in this country are in circumstances that would allow them 

 to write one additional good work through encouragement of 

 that nature. The Association has no political tendency 

 whatever ; nor is it in any way intended to supply the want 

 of a sufficient number of academies and universities. Its on- 

 ly object is to form an annual centre of personal scientific 

 communication, of which the elements change, more or less, 

 every year, — and the quickening impulses radiate towards all 

 quarters . — W. Weissen born . 



LITERARY INTELLIGENCE. 



A new part of the ' Transactions of the Zoological Society 

 will be published in a few days, containing papers by Prof. 

 Owen on the osteology of the orangs, and on the anatomy of 

 the giraffe ; — Rev. R. T. Lowe on the fishes of Madeira ; — 

 Prof. Thos. Bell on the genus Galictis ; — Mr. Thompson on 

 a new British genus of tsenoid fish, (Echiodon) ; — Capt. Har 

 ris on a new African antilope. 



