156 



NATURE 



[Dec. 23, 1875 



adorned a columbary. The Roman archaeologists and artists 

 believe that these paintings are of the Augustan age, and are of 

 great value both to science and art. In making preparations for 

 constructing the central hall in the Conservatory Palace at the 

 Capitol, a ground-plan has been discovered supposed to be that 

 of the Temple of the Capitoline Jupiter, to which Dionysius gave 

 a surface of 4,000 square feet. In the same place has been found 

 a column of large size, which appears to belong to the Temple 

 of Jupiter Optimus Maximus. Excavations in other places 

 have brought to light additional fragments of antiquarian 

 interest. 



The Secretary of the Interior, in his annual report to the 

 President of the United States, commends in high terms the work 

 of the Geological and Geographical Survey of the Tenitories, and 

 presents the following brief summary of the results for the season 

 of 1875 : — The survey under Dr. Hayden continued its labours of 

 the two preceding years in the Territory of Colorado, The 

 field of work during the past season was the southern and western 

 portions of said Territory, and including a belt, fifteen miles 

 in width, of the northern border of New Mexico and the eastern 

 border of Utah. The survey was divided into seven parties, 

 four of which were devoted to topographical and geological 

 labours, one to primary triangulation, one to photographic work, 

 and one to the transportation of supplies. The survey of the 

 southern and south-western portions of Colorado has been com- 

 pleted, so as to make six sheets of physical atlas, designed by 

 this Department, leaving unexplored only the north-western 

 corner thereof, which can be surveyed by a single party during 

 the coming year. The districts explored in the past season were 

 not so mountainous as those of the previous years, but were 

 quite remote from settlements, and in perhaps the most inac- 

 cessible regions of this continent. The total area surveyed is 

 about 30,000 square miles, portions of which were very rugged. 

 Much of this area is drained by the Colorado tiver, and is mainly 

 a plateau country cut in every direction by deep gorges or canons, 

 the sides of which show, for geological investigations, admirable 

 sections of the strata forming the earth's crust. The topo- 

 graphy of the district surveyed was elaborated in detail by the 

 aid of the plane-table. The exploration of the remarkable 

 prehistoric ruins of Southern Colorado, glimpses of which were 

 obtained the preceding season, was continued with great success. 

 They were traced down the canons to the Colorado river in New 

 Mexico, Utah, and Arizona, and their connection established 

 with the cliff cities of the Moquis of the latter Territory. 

 Hundreds of cave-dwellings, of curious architecture and many 

 miles from water, were found in the sides of the gorges, and the 

 ruins of extensive towns discovered in the adjacent plains, indic- 

 ating the former existence of a people far more numerous and 

 advanced in the arts of civilization than their supposed descend- 

 ants of the present day. Of these ruins many interesting 

 sketches, plans, and photographs were made, and a valuable 

 collecion of flint weapons, earthenware and other specimens, 

 was gathered. The materials thus obtained will enable the 

 survey to present an exhaustive report on this interesting sub- 

 ject. The photographer of the survey obtained a series of 

 mountain views on plates twenty-four inches long by twenty 

 wide, or larger by several inches than any landscape photo- 

 graphs ever before taken in this country. 



A French clerical journal, quoted by the Revue Scientifiqiie, 

 maintains that the tolling of the church bell is of much greater 

 efficacy than the use of lightning-rods in warding off the effects 

 of a thunder-storm, and advises the faithful to resort to the 

 former means in preference to the latter. 



The Revue Scientifique announces the death, at Zurich, of the 

 chemist Prof, E. Kopp, " one of the creators of the atomic 

 theory." 



The Institution of Naval Architects has issued a list of sub- 

 jects on which communications are desired. 



The American Institute of Mining Engineers held a meeting 

 at Cleveland, Ohio, October 26-28. Its proximity to several of 

 the large iron and steel works and the interest taken by its Pre- 

 sident, Prof. A. L. HoUey, in the details of the Bessemer pro- 

 cess, caused the meeting to be more especially devoted to that 

 class of subjects. Prof. Holley in his opening address referred 

 to several improvements which ought to be made in the iron and 

 steel manufactures. Among the papers of scientific interest 

 relating to mining subjects was a mention by Mr, Charles A. 

 Ashburner of the discovery of coal-beds in the Vespertine sand- 

 stone of Pennsylvania, Mr. Ashburner is one of the assistant 

 geologists of the. Second Geological Survey of Pennsylvania, 

 There have been a few scattered instances of discoveries of coal 

 in the Vespertine rocks, and such beds have been designated as 

 false coal-measures. The present discovery may, however, serve 

 to modify our notions as to that sub-carboniferous formation. 

 In a tunnel passing through Sideling Hill, Huntingdon County, 

 Penn., in cutting the Vespertine sandstones, there were found 

 not less than nineteen beds of coal ; their thickness varies from 

 one to thirteen inches ; collectively they would make a thickness 

 of four feet. The coarseness and false bedding of the Vespertine 

 strata indicate a period of frequsnt agitation and numerous local 

 currents ; but the presence of coal-beds shows that considerable 

 spaces of repose must have intervened, and that the changes were 

 slowly effected. 



At the meeting of the Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists' So- 

 ciety, on Nov. 30, the Secretary read a short paper from Dr. Lowe 

 on the occurrence of a rare microscopic fresh-water Alga (C/aMro- 

 cysHs ceruginosa, Hen.) at Anmer, near Lynn. In June 1870 Dr, 

 Lowe discovered a large quantity of it in the lake at Sandringham 

 in the form of a green scum. In October of the present year he 

 again discovered ic growing in a pond at Anmer, two miles from 

 Sandringham, his attention being attracted by the peculiar scum 

 which he at once recognised as Clathrocyslis. It seems probable 

 that it has recently been introduced at Anmer by the agency of 

 wild fowl. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a Haste's Apteryx {Apteryx hastei) from New 

 Zealand, presented by Baron Ferdinand von Muller ; a Marginated 

 Parrakeet ( lanypiathus marginatus) from the Philippine Isles, 

 presented by Master Hugh Sutton ; two Bengal Leopard Cats 

 (Felts betigalensis) from Cashmere, presented by Mr.W. A.Cutheli ; 

 a Bay Antelope {Cephalophus doisalis) from W. Africa, received 

 in exchange ; an Ocelot {Felis pardahs) from S, America, a Hoff- 

 mann's Sloth Cholopus hoj^manni) from Panama, a Duck Falcon 

 {Falco anatum) captured at sea, purchased ; a pair of Peacock 

 Pheasants (Polypectron chinqiiis) from Burmah, deposited. 



SCIENTIFIC SERIALS 



yahrbiicherJur-wissenschaftlicheBotanik. Herausgegeben von 

 Dr, N, Pringsheim. Band x. Heft il. — In the present number 

 of Pringsheim's well-known and valuable year-books there are 

 four papers, all of them of considerable interest. The first is by 

 Dr. J. Reinke, of Gottingen — Contributions to the anatomy of 

 the secreting organs, occurring especially on the serrations of 

 certain foliage -leaves. It has been observed that in many plants 

 the serrations of the leaves act as glands and secrete in many 

 instances a mucilaginous substance, and in others resin, or a 

 mixture of mucilage and resin, called blastocolla by Hanstein. 

 Reinke has carefully examined the structure of these secreting 

 organs in a large number of dicotyledonous plants, but has not 

 made any exhaustive micro-chemical investigation of the secre- 

 tions themselves. His observations show that the serrations of 

 the leaves of Dicotyledons are in general the bearers of peculiar 

 organs of secretion, whose activity may cease even while the leaf 

 iS in the bud, or at a later period, ^sculus and plants with 



