300 Proceedings of Metropolitan Societies. [April, 
curves, and very little likeness between the vertical-force curves. 
The curves of vertical force are indeed nearly quite dissimilar. The 
peaks and hollows of the Kew curves were generally (simultaneously) 
reproduced at Lisbon, but in an opposite direction, a sudden augmen- 
tation of the vertical force at Kew corresponding to a diminution at 
Lisbon, and vice versa. 
When Captain Maguire was at Point Barrow during the winters 
1852-53 and 1853-54, he made hourly observations of the magnetic 
declination. Similar observations were made by Captain (now Sir 
Leopold) M‘Clintock, at Port Kennedy, 1,200 miles distant from Point 
Barrow, during the winter 1858-59. The learned President of the 
Royal Society, who may be considered the parent of this branch of 
science, has compared the results of these two series of observations in 
a paper communicated to the Society. 'The first point established is 
that the action of any disturbing force on the declination-magnet is 
less at Port Kennedy than at Point Barrow, that is, less at the station 
nearest to the points of 90° dip. The indication accords with the fact 
of the greater frequency of the aurora at Point Barrow. A remarkable 
correspondence is pointed out between the maxima of easterly and 
westerly deflection observed at the two stations. The maximum of 
easterly deflection occurred at the same hour of absolute time, the 
maximum of westerly at the same hour of local time. At Port Kennedy 
the normal direction of the magnet is 35° east of south : at Point Bar- 
row 41° to the west of north: the contrast at the two stations is there- 
fore nearly as great as can exist in any part of the globe, wanting only 
6° of 180°, or of being diametrically opposite. 
A few anatomical papers have been communicated during the past 
quarter. Mr. R. Lee contributed a paper on the Distribution of the 
Nerves in an Anencephalous Foetus which he dissected, and in which 
he found the. distribution quitenormal. Professor Huxley made a com- 
munication on the Osteology of the genus Glyptodon. Mr. J. W. 
Hulke sent a contribution on the Minute Anatomy of the Retina of the 
Amphibia and Reptiles. 
The last consisted of descriptions of the intimate structure of the 
retina of the Frog, Black and Yellow Salamander, Turtle, Land and 
Water Tortoises, Spanish Gecko, Blindworm, and Common Snake. 
In all seven layers are recognizable. Reckoning from the outer or 
choroidal surface of the retina these are: the Bacillary, the Layer of 
Outer Granules, the Inter-granular Layer, the Layer of Inner 
Granules, the Granular or Grey-nervous Layer, the Ganglionic Layer, 
and that of the optic nerve-fibres. The elements of the Bacillary 
Layer are remarkable for their large size, they are the bodies known 
as the Rods, and the Cones or Bulbs. There are good grounds for 
believing them to be the percipient elements. They consist of two 
segments, an outer or shaft, and an inner or body, the junction of 
which is marked by a bright transverse line. The shaft is a long 
rectangle in the rods; smaller and slightly conical in the lines. The 
body is flask or spindle shaped, and mostly smaller than the shaft in 
the Rods; more decidedly flask-shaped and larger than the shaft in the 
Cones. One of the “Outer Granules” is always associated with the 
