April 20, 1876] 



NATURE 



499 



duration which strikes nearly in a straight line between the 

 terminals. This opens a path for a continuous discharge, which 

 being nearly in a condition of equilibrium, though an untranslat- 

 able one, remains a short time without much change of place. 

 Then it moves rapidly to its position of equilibrium, the surface 

 which is its locus forming the sheet. Then it remains in its 

 position of equilibrium during the greater part of the discharge, 

 approaching the axis again as the discharge falls, so that its 

 equilibrium position is not so far from the axis. Thus we see 

 two bright curves corresponding to the two positions of approxi- 

 mate rest united by a less bright sheet, the first curve being 

 nearly a straight line, and the second nearly a helix traced on a 

 cylinder of which the former line is a generating line. 



" It was noticed that the sheet projected a little beyond the 

 helix. This may be explained by considering that at first the 

 discharge is more powerful than can be maintained, so that the 

 curve reaches a little beyond the distance that can be main- 

 tained." 



The appearance of the discharge when viewed in a revolving 

 mirror (except the projection beyond the sheet, the illumina- 

 tion of which was too feeble to be observed) confirmed the above 

 remarks. 



Linnean Society, April 6. — Prof. G. Busk, vice-president, in 

 the chair.— S. P. Agar, the Rev. R. F. Clarke, W. R. Guilfoile, 

 Prof. H. A. Nicholson, J. Scully, and W. Waterfield were elected 

 Fellows of the Society. — Dr. Day exhibited a Kingfisher and 

 Unio, the former having been drowned by closing of the valves of 

 the latter. — Mr. E. M. Holmes laid before the Society some 

 rare mosses obtained in Kent. The localities, &c., oi Anacalypta 

 cizsfiiosa, Sdigeria paucifolia, Hypmtm silesiaaim, Dicranum 

 montanum, and D. flagellare were specially commented on. — 

 Mr. Holmes also showed the root of 'fhapsia garganica var. sil- 

 phiurn, which is said to possess a remarkable power of healing 

 wounds ; though a fatal root to horses and camels. — G. J. 

 Romanes read an account of some new species, varieties, and 

 monstrous forms of Medusae (see p. 496). — Dr. Francis Day 

 read a paper on some of the fishes of the Deccan, more 

 particularly describing and critically treating of between fifty and 

 sixty species, a few of which are new. Besides geographical 

 range, questions of physiological import are touched on. Pie 

 strongly recommends the "Masheer" (Barb us tor), to English 

 pisiculiurists as worthy of introduction into our rivers. This fish 

 is well known, not only for the sport it affords the angler, but 

 also for the excellence of the flavour of its flesh. It equals or 

 even surpasses the salmon in size, but unlike the latter never 

 enters salt water. It deposits its ova in the hill-streams. For 

 these and oiher reasons he believes it well adapted for acclima- 

 tisation. — A second paper of Dr. Day's referred to the introduc- 

 tion of Trout and Tench into India. He stated it may now be 

 concluded that the Loch Leven Trout (Sal mo levensh), and the 

 Tench (Tinea vulgaris), have bred there, and may prove an 

 eventual success. A specimen of the Loch Leven trout reared 

 in the Neilgherry waters was exhibited at the meeting. Its 

 weight out of spirit i^ oz. ; its greatest length 6^ inches. Mr. 

 Thomas, of the Madras Civil Service, in 1863, and Dr. Day in 

 1866, each attempted but unsuccessfully to carry out and hatch 

 Trout ova in India ; it was reserved for Mr. Mclvor a few years 

 later to succeed. The latter, in 1873, wrote, "all our fish are 

 breeding rapidly," &c. The above specimen was caught January 

 1S76. Dr. Day moreover remarks " whether trout will perma- 

 nently succeed in Hindostan has yet to be solved." — Mr. C. H. 

 Wade read some notes on the venous system of birds. These 

 contained observations relating to abnormalities in their distribution 

 in certain of our British songsters. — Dr. G. E. Dobson communi- 

 cated a paper of Dr. J. D. McDonald's, on a new genus of 

 trematoda, and some new or httle known parasitic hirudioei. 

 Resemblances between these groups are traced, though these 

 are merely indicative of a representative relationship or 

 one of analogy. — A paper entitled notes on Lowe's MS. list 

 of Webb's type shells from the Canaries (1829), and on the 

 i annotations thereon of D'Orbigny (1839), and Lowe (1S60), by 

 ' the Rev. R. B. Watson, was briefly noticed by the secretary. — 

 ! The following technical contribution was taken as read : A list 

 of marine shells (ninety-five in all) chiefly from the Solomon 

 Islands, with descriptions of several new species, by E. A. 

 Smith. 



Chemical Society, April 6. — Prof. Abel, F.R.S., president, 

 in the chair. ^ — The first paper read was a preliminary notice on 

 i the action of sulphuric acid on naphthalene, by Dr. J. Stenhouse 

 and Mr. C. E. Groves. From amongst the products of the 



reaction the authors have succeeded in isolating two new isomeric 

 compounds, which' they call naphthalene sulphones. — Three 

 notes from the Laboratory of the Yorkshire College of Science 

 were then communicated by Prof. T. E. Thorpe, namely, On 

 the action of the copper zinc couple on potassium chlorate and 

 perchlorate, by Mr. H. Eccles ; On thallium chlorate, by Mr. J. 

 Muir ; and On the isometric relations of thallium, by Mr. Thorpe 

 himself. — Finally, Dr. H. E. Armstrong read a paper on the 

 nomenclature of the carbon compounds, the discussion of which 

 was adjourned until the next ordinary meeting, which will be on 

 Thursday, April 20. 



Zoological Society, April 4. — Prof. Newton, F.R.S., vice- 

 president, in the chair. — Mr. H. E. Dresser exhibited and made 

 remarks on a specimen of a hybrid between the Black Grouse 

 and Hazel Grouse, belonging to Mr. J. Flower, and supposed to 

 have been obtained in Norway. It had been purchased in the 

 flesh in the London market. — Prof. Newton exhibited and 

 remarked upon a copy of a Dutch translation of Pliny, contain- 

 ing a figure of the Dodo (Didus inepttts) and belonging to the 

 Rev. Richard Hooper, which seemed to be an earlier edition of 

 the same work which was formerly in the possession of the late 

 Mr. Broderip, and was described by him in the Societj^'s "Trans- 

 actions" (vol. iv. , p. 183). — Mr. R. Bowdler Sharpe exhibited 

 a specimen of the true Swedish Surnia nlula, obtained many 

 years ago at Amesbury, in Wiltshire, being the first recorded 

 British-killed example of this species. — M. A. H. Garrod read 

 a paper in which he gave a description of the organs and some 

 of the most important muscles of the Darter (Plotus ankinga), 

 from specimens which were recently living in the Society's col- 

 lection. — Mr. Edward R. Alston read a paper on the genus 

 Dasyproda, and gave a description of a new species from Central 

 America, for which the name Dasyproda isthmica was proposed. 

 The geographical range and synonomy of the other Agoutis were 

 reviewed ; D. punctata of Central America was regarded as dis- 

 tinct from D. azarcE of South Brazil, and D. variegata was 

 shown to extend, into New Grenada. In all ten species of 

 Agouti were recognised as distinct. — A paper by Mr. P. L. 

 Sclater and Mr. O. Salvin was read, in which they gave descrip- 

 tions of fifteen new species of birds from Bolivia. Amongst 

 these was a singular new form belonging to the Tanagridae pro- 

 posed to be called Malacothraupis dentata. — A second paper by 

 the same authors contained a revised list of the Neotropical 

 Anatidae. 



Royal Microscopical Society, April 5. — Mr. H. C. Sorby, 

 F. R.S., president, in the chair. — A paper by M. Renard, of 

 Louvain, " On some results from a microscopical study of the 

 plutonic and stratified rocks of Belgium," was read and illus- 

 trated by some beautiful chromo-lithographs. The paper chiefly 

 dealt with the question of temperature at which these rocks had 

 been formed, and the conclusions deduced from the presence of 

 crystals and fluid in the cavities assigned 307° Centigrade as the 

 probable heat at that period. The chairman expressed his great 

 satisfaction that by a totally different process of reasoning M. 

 Renard had arrived at results so near to those which he had himself 

 reached some years ago. — A paper by M. Brock, "On a new 

 slip for mounting opaque objects," was communicated to the 

 meeting by Prof. Rupert Jones. — A paper by Dr. J. J. Wood- 

 ward, " On the markings oi Navicula rhomboides," was read to 

 the meeting bv the Secretary. It was illustrated by a series of 

 photo-micrograph*, which deservedly called forth the admiration 

 of all who examined them. 



Anthropological Institute, March 28.— Col. A. Lane- 

 Fox in the chair. — Mr. R. B. Swinton, was elected a member. 

 — Capt. H. Dillon exhibited a collection of flint implements and 

 arrow-heads recently made by him in the neighbourhood of 

 Dytchley, Oxon. — Mr. E. B. Tylor, F.R.S., read a paper on 

 Japanese mythology. The legends current in Japan are derived 

 from three sources. Part belong to imported Buddhism, part 

 are taken from Chinese mythology, and the remainder, to the 

 ethnological interest of which the present paper called attention, 

 are of native Japanese origin. It contains nature-myths of re- 

 markable clearness, but distinct in their features from those of 

 India, Greece, &c. Thus the episode of the Land-forming-god, 

 who springs from the asi or flag which binds together the new- 

 found marshy coast-land of Japan, belongs to what is, in fact, 

 geology expressed in mythic language. Again, the birth of the 

 Sun-goddess, and her transference to the sky as Ruler of Heaven, 

 is followed by a graphic story of the visit paid to her by her 

 brother, who is no doubt the personified Wind or Tempest, as 



