178 



NATURE 



[Dec. 30, 1875 



strongly support the opinion that the rotation in the experiments 

 was due to the action of the portions of the current in the cups 

 of mercury.] 



Linnean Society, Dec. 16.— Dr. G. J. Allman,F.R.S., presi- 

 dent, in the chair. — The following papers were read : — On the 

 structure and development of the bird's skull (part II.), by W. K. 

 Parker, F.R.S. This and the former paper are parts of a large 

 piece of work done by the writer in this particular field. A 

 similar paper en the skull of Passerine birds appears in the 

 present number of the Transactions of the Zoological Society ; 

 to be followed by another on the same subject. The writer's 

 wish to work out a large series of well illustrated papers on the 

 bird's face arose from the new interest given to this special 

 research by Prof. Huxley's masterly memoir " On the Classifica- 

 tion of Birds" (Proc. Zool. Soc, April 11, 1867), and his paper 

 " On the Classification and Distribution of the Alectoromorphae " 

 (Ibid, May 14, 1868). The writer has worked out this subject 

 in two ways, viz., by exhaustive work at one type of skull, 

 making research in every part, and also by taking a part of the 

 skull, 'the fore- face, and comparing this part in many types. The 

 present paper is a piece of the latter kind of work, but begins with 

 some new embryological details to serve as a supplement to his me- 

 moir on the fowl's skull (Phil. Trans., 1869) ; and this especially 

 withregard to thedevelopment of that most interesting but puzzling 

 bone, the " columella amis." This is shown to be developed in 

 the houst-martin {Chtlidon urbica) in the same manner as in the 

 reptilia. As Prof. Huxley sought, in his memoir, to give a mor- 

 phological classification ol birds based on the cheeks and palate, 

 it has betn the wish of the writer to carry on his friend's work, 

 and to test it as well as extend and give it form and body. In the 

 present paper the meaning of the peculiar structure of the face in 

 crows, sparrows, warblers, &c. (Prof. Huxley's Coracomorphas), 

 is sought to be made plain by reference to the development and 

 metamorphosis of the parts. In these the single vomer of 

 the adult is shown to ba constructed out of four bones 

 and two cartilages ; and ail this composite structure is 

 seen in them to be fused with the nasal capsule. This form 

 of face, the most specialised of any of the class is called the 

 " Oigithognathous " face or palate ; and the huge army of birds 

 possessing It are called " Gigithognathpe. " Thus we have two 

 terms for the group; first, a zoological " Coracomorphse ; " 

 and second, a morphological " Oigithognathse ; " and these two 

 groups are almost superimposable. In other birds, however, with 

 open palates, the " Schizognathae ; " or with strongly closed and 

 united palates, the "Desmognathce," the zoological and morpho- 

 logical groups are not capable, i;i many instances, of being laid 

 fairly the one on the other. Prof Huxley put the Goatsuckers 

 and Humming-birds amongst his "CEgithcgnathse;" in the present 

 paper they are shown to be as truly schizugnathous as the Fowl 

 or the Plover. In this paper the skull of these two types is 

 largely illustrated. Many kinds of the desmognatbous type of 

 palate are described and figured, and their varieties explained. This 

 is largely done with the birds of prey, amongst which the writer 

 puts the Cariama {Dicholophus). Lastly, the schizognathous face is 

 illustrated in the skull ot the Sea-mew. Birds ot the Gull tribe 

 are shown to arise from the specialisation of the Plover type ; 

 they are a high kind of Charadrian bird. An interesting dis- 

 cussion followed, in which Dr. P. L. Sclater and Dr. Murie took 

 part. — Notes on the plants collected and observed at the Admi- 

 ralty Islands March 3-10, 1875, by Mr. H. N. Moseley. — On a 

 sporl of Paritiuni tricuspe^ by Dr. C. King. — Supplement to the 

 enumeration of the fungi of Ceylon, by the Rev. M. J. Berkeley 

 and Mr. C. E. Broome. Two interesting new genera are here 

 described, Endocalyx and Actiniceps, possibly intermediate be- 

 tween Myxogaslres and Trichogastres. 



Cambridge 



Philosophical Society, Nov. 29. — The following communi- 

 cation was made to the Society on the temperatures observed in 

 a deep boring at Speremberg near Berlin, as given in a report of 

 a paper by Professor Mohr, of Bonn, by Mr. O. Fisher (Nature, 

 vol. xii. p. 545). The greatest depth recorded is 3390 feet. The 

 temperatures are given in Reaumur's scale. The author showed 

 that the equation 



v, = — ^.A;2-ho-oi2982j;-f-7'i8i7, 



in which v is the temperature, and x the depth, exactly represents 

 the temperature curve. This curve will give a maximum 

 temperature of 



40". 7532 R., or 1230-6947 Fah., 



at a depth of 5171 feet. If there was no cause to disturb the 

 temperature, it ought to conform to a straight line, given by the 

 above equation altered by omitting the term in x'^. Consequently 

 a cause was sought which would change such a straight Une to 

 the parabolic form. The first cause examined was a change in 

 the conductivity of the strata depending on the depth, and it 

 was found that a law, which would make the conductivity vary 

 inversely as the distance of any point above the level of greatest 

 temperature, would account for the observed facts. But it was 

 argued that such a law was entirely improbable. The next cause 

 examined was the effect of the percolation of meteoric water 

 through the strata, and the result was found to be that this 

 circumstance would account for the observed temperatures, 

 provided the quantity of water which passed through the rock in 

 a unit of time bore a certain ratio to the quantity of rock passed 

 through. The quantity of water requisite to produce the effect 

 had iiot been determined. It was remarked that the results of 

 this investigation make it appear that the true law of under- 

 ground temperature would be better obtained from borings of 

 moderate than of very great depth, because the disturbance of 

 the temperature curve from the rectilinear form is greater the 

 further we descend. 



Manchester 



Literary and Philosophical Society, Nov. 8, — Alfred 

 Brothers, F.R.A.S., in the chair. — The fauna of Cymmeran 

 Bay, Anglesea, by John Plant, P\G.S. (part 2). 



Nov. 30. — Edward Schunck, F.R.S. , president, in the chair. 

 — On the estimation of very small quantities of lead and copper, 

 by M. M. Pattison Muir, F.R.S.E., Assistant Lecturer on 

 Chemistry, Owens College. — On certain circumstances which 

 affect the purity of water supplied for domestic purposes, by M. 

 M. Pattison Muir, F.R.S.E., Assistant Lecturer on Chemistry, 

 Owens College. 



Berlin 



German Chemical Society, Dec. 13. — A. W, Hofmann, 

 president, in the chair. — Lothar Meyer described an experiment 

 to show that iodine does not fuse in a vacuum-tube but only in 

 tubes filled with air ; pressure being a condition of its fusion. — 

 E. S'jhunck and H. Roemer have found a new isomeride of 

 alizarine in the residues of the manufacture of the latter body. 

 It is soluble in cold baryta-water with a dark red colour, likewise 

 in lime-water. Its power of crystallisation is very gieat ; but 

 for dyemg purposes it is useless. — L. Friedburg compared various 

 methuds for puri'ying sulphuret of carbon. For manufacturing 

 purposes he recommends distillation over palm-od ; but to obtain 

 it chemically pure he prefeis the action of fuming nitric acid, 

 which attacks the impurities only, but not the sulphuret of carbon. 

 At the same time a vi jlct substance is formed. Sulphuret of 

 carbon dissolves nitrous, hypouitrous, and sulphurous acid gas. 

 — A. Fliickiger has studied the explosive decomposition of white 

 precipitate mixed with iodine. — E. de Souga heated the amalgams 

 of silver and ot gold to the temperature ol boiling su phur and 

 found that at this temperature they retained a considerable pro- 

 portion of mercury. — V. Merz and K. Schellcnbergcr proved 

 cyanogen to be able to produce substitution in aromatic hydro- 

 carbons. — Y. Beilstein and A. Kurbalow described the prepara- 

 tion of dichloraniline and of trichloraniline by passing chlorine 

 into a solution of aniline in acetic acid. — W. ISIichler has suc- 

 ceeded in forming a urea with four ethyl groups, replacing its 

 four atoms of hydrogen, by passing oxychloride of carbon into 

 diethylamine. This compound, tetra-ethylated urea ii a liquid, 

 and this fact explains that it has been overlooked by former in- 

 vestigators. — Aug. Laubenheimer described metachloronitro- 

 benzol and its derivatives, viz. a chlor-azobenzol, chlor-hydrazo- 

 benzol, and chlor-oxazobenzol ; compounds distinguished by 

 their power of crystallisation. — H. Scheiding has transformed 

 bromonitro-napthylamine (alpha) by oxidation into phthalic acid, 

 and draws conclusions from this fact to explain its constitution. — 

 L. Jackson has prepared a brominated bromobenzol and a bro- 

 minated soluidine. — C. Liebermann and Gissel have investigated 

 the relationship between two compounds, viz., chrysophanic acid, 

 Ci4Hg(OH)202, contained in rhubarb and other plants (isomeric 

 with alizarine) ; and of chrysaminic acid, Ci4Hj(N02)4(OH)202, 

 a product of the action of nitric acid on aloes. It has generally 

 been supposed that the latter substance is a nitro-substitution 

 compound of the former. This, however, is now proved to be 

 erroneous. Hydrochrysammine, the reduction-product of chrys- 

 aminic acid is now proved to be 



Ci4H2(NH2)40H202(= CiiH^aN^Os), 

 ?md not Ci^HiaNaOg, as formerly stated by Dr. Schunck. The 



