NA TURE 



\Feb. 6, 1890 



at first sight seems to underlie the darlc mica- schist, is inconstant 

 in position (on the assumption of a stratigraphical sequence) ; 

 that its crystalline condition does not resemble that of the schist- 

 series, but is rather such as is common in a rock of its age ; that 

 it contains mica and other minerals of derivative origin, and in 

 places rock-fragments which precisely resemble members of the 

 Piora schist series, {b) The Val Canaria Section : This sec- 

 tion, described by Dr. Grubenmann, is discussed at length. It 

 is shown that the idea of a simple trough is not tenable, for 

 identical schists occur abovp and below the rauchwacke ; that 

 there is evidence of great pressure, which, however, acted sub- 

 sequently to the mineralization of the schists ; and that in one place 

 the rauchewacke is full of fragments of the very schists which are 

 supposed to overlie it. {c) Nufenen Pass, ^'c. : Other cases, 

 further to the west, are described, where confirmatory evidence 

 is obtained as to great difference in age between the rauchewacke 

 and the schists, and the antiquity of the latter. The apparent 

 interstratification is explained by thrust-faulting. (4) T/ie Jurassic 

 Pocks, containing Fossils and Minerals. The author describes 

 the section on the Alp Vitgira, Scopi, and the Nufenen Pass. 

 Here indubitable Belemnites and fragments of Crinoids occur in 

 a dark, schistose, somewhat micaceous rock, which is often very 

 full of "knots" and "prisms" of rather ill-defined external 

 form, something like rounded garnets and ill-developed stauro- 

 lites. These rocks at the Alp Vitgira appear to overlie, and in 

 the field can be distinguished from the black garnet schists. In 

 one place the rock resembles a compressed breccia, and among 

 the constituent fragments is a rock very like a crushed variety of 

 the black-garnet mica-schist. These Jurassic "schists" are 

 totally different from the last-named schists, to which they often 

 present considerable superficial resemblance ; for instance, their 

 matrix is highly calcareous, the other rock mainly consisting of 

 silicates. Some of the associated mica may be authigenous, but 

 the author believes much of it and other small constituents to be 

 derivative. There is, however, a mineral resembling a mica, 

 ■exhibiting twinning with (?) simultaneous extinction, which is 

 authigenous. The knots are merely matrix clotted together by 

 some undefinable silicate, and under the microscope have no 

 resemblance to the " black garnets." The prisms are much the 

 same, but slightly better defined ; they present no resemblance 

 to the i-taurolites, but may be couseranite, or a mineral allied to 

 •tlipyre. Hence, though there is rather more alteration in these 

 rocks than is usual with members of the Mesozoic series, and an 

 interesting group of minerals is produced, these so-called schists 

 differ about as widely as possible from the crystalline schists of 

 ihe Alps, and do not affect the arguments in favour of the anti 

 quity of the latter. In short, they may be compared to rather 

 poor forgeries of genuine antiques. Incidentally the author's 

 •observations indicate (as he has already noticed) that a cleavage- 

 foliation had been produced in some of the Alpine schists anterior 

 to Triassic times. After the reading of this paper. Dr. Geikie stated 

 that he had sent to Prof. Heim an abstract of the paper read by 

 Prof. Bonney to the British Association at Newcastle, and Dr. Heim 

 had favoured him with a resume of his views on the subject of 

 the present discussion. Having read a translation of this resume, 

 Dr. Geikie complimented the author on his courage in returning 

 to this difficult ground, but, notwithstanding the arguments so 

 skilfully brought forward that evening, he was not convinced of 

 an error on the part of the Swiss geologists. Even the author's 

 own sections gave some countenance to their views, since the 

 dark garnetiferous schists might quite well be part of the same 

 series as the Belemnite-schists. In metamorphic regions there 

 must be some line, on one side of which fossils are recognizable, 

 on the other not so. In the Alps, as Heim and his associates 

 contend, the Belemnite-schists, which have become markedly 

 crystalline, may be less altered portions of masses from which 

 all trace of fossils has been generally obliterated. Remarks 

 were also made by Mr. Eccles, Mr. Teall, Dr. Irving, Prof 

 Hughes, the Rev, E. Hill, and Prof. Bonney. 



Entomological Society, January 15.— Fifty-seventh Annual 

 Meeting. — The Right Hon. Lord Walsingham, F.R. S., Presi- 

 dent, in the chair. — An abstract of the Treasurer's accounts, 

 showing that the finances of the Society were in a thoroughly 

 satisfactory condition, was read by Dr. Sharp, one of the 

 Auditors, and the Report of the Council was read by Mr. H. 

 Goss. It appeared therefrom that the Society had lost during 

 the year several Fellows by death and had elected 24 new 

 J'ellows ; that the volume of Transactions for the year extended 

 to nearly 600 pages, and comprised 23 memoirs, contributed by 



20 authors and illustrated by 17 plates ; and that the sale of the 

 Society's Transactions and other publications is largely on the 

 increase. It was then announced that the following gentlemen 

 had been elected as Officers and Council for 1890 : — President, 

 The Right Hon. Lord Walsingham, F. R.S. ; Treasurer, Mr. 

 Edward Saunders ; Secretaries, Mr. Herbert Goss and the 

 Rev. Canon Fowler ; Librarian, Mr. Ferdinand Grut ; and as 

 other Members of Council, Mr. J. W. Dunning, Caotain H. J. 

 Elwes, Mr. F. DuCane-Godman, F.R.S., Dr. P. 'B. Mason, 

 Prof R. Meldola, F.R.S., Mr. R. South, Mr. Henry T. Stainton, 

 F.R.S., and Mr. Roland Trimen, F.R.S. Lord Walsingham 

 nominated Mr. J. W. Dunning, Captain Elwes and Mr. F. 

 DuCane-Godman, Vice-Presidents for the Session 1890-91, 

 and he then delivered an address. After remarking on the 

 attractive beauty of some of the larger diurnal Lepidoptera, and 

 the brilliant metallic colouring of certain species of Coleoptera, 

 the influence that such magnificent examples of the wealth of 

 design in Nature might have upon artistic taste, and the con- 

 sequent refinement and increased enjoyment of life. Lord Walsing- 

 ham referred, in illustration of the practical usefulness of 

 entomological studies, to the successful importation into California 

 of the Australian parasites infesting the scale insect {Icerya 

 purchasi), which had proved so noxious to the orange plantations. 

 Through the efforts of Prof Riley, upwards of 10,000 parasites 

 had been distributed and had since spread very widely, so that 

 in many localities the orange and other trees hitherto thickly 

 infested with this noxious insect had been practically cleared of 

 it by their aid. He also referred to the successful fertilization of 

 red clover in New Zealand by the importation of impregnated 

 queens of the common humble-bee, and to the uses to which the 

 silk produced by various exotic species of Bombycidas had now 

 been successfully applied. Reference was then made to the 

 investigation instituted by Mr. Francis Galton, F. R. S., and to the 

 experiments of Mr. F. Merrifield, with the view of determining 

 the percentage of hereditary transmission to successive offspring 

 by different generations of successors, and to the valuable 

 auxiliary such experiments and the researches of Prof. Weismann, 

 Mr. Poulton, F.R. S., and others might prove to the study of the 

 laws of heredity, protective resemblance, and natural selection. 

 It was then observed that even if the study of entomology could 

 claim to have conferred no greater benefits upon the human 

 race than to have afforded to many members of our urban 

 population an inducement to improve their minds and recreate 

 their bodies, it would have contributed in no small degree to the 

 sum of human health, happiness, and morality ; in connection 

 with these remarks he quoted the words of the Abbe Umhang in 

 the obituary notice of Henri de Peyerimhofif, "J'ai connu plus 

 d'un jeune homme qui s'est passionne pour une branche de 

 I'histoire naturelle, et je n'en ai vu aucun s'ecarter du chemin de 

 la vertu et de I'honneur." Attention was then drawn to the 

 enormous numbers of species of Insecta as compared with the 

 numbers of species of other orders of the animal kingdom, and 

 an approximate estimate was made of the extent of the field of 

 entomology, and of its relation to other branches of biological 

 study. In connection with the subject of the principal works in 

 entomology continued or completed during the year, special 

 mention was made of the " Biologia Centrali Americana," by 

 Messrs. Godman and Salvin, and the " Revisio Insectorum 

 Familise Mantidarum," by Prof. Westwood. In conclusion, 

 Lord Walsingham referred to the losses by death during the 

 past year of several Fellows of the Society and other entomo- 

 logists, mention being made of Mr. F. Bond, Dr. Signoret, 

 Mons. Puis, Colonel C. J. Cox, Pastor Holmgren, Dr. Franz 

 Low, Dr. Karl Venus, and the Rev. J. G. Wood. Votes of thanks 

 having been passed to the President, Secretaries, and Librarian, 

 Lord Walsingham, Mr. H. Goss, Canon Fowler, and Mr. Grut 

 replied. 



Linnean Society, January 16. — Mr. J. G. Baker, F.R.S., 

 Vice-President, in the chair. — Mr. Clement Reid exhibited and 

 made some remarks upon a collection of fruit of Trapa natans, 

 from the Cromer Forest bed at Mundesley. — Mr. J. G. liaker 

 exhibited and described a collection of cryptogamic plants from 

 New Guinea, upon which Mr. A. W. Bennett and Captain 

 Elwes made some critical remarks. — In the absence of the 

 author, Mr. A. Barclay, a paper was read by Mr. B. D. Jack- 

 son on the life-history of a remarkable Uredine on yasminum 

 grandijiora. A discussion ensued in which Mr. A. W. 

 Bennett and Prof. Marshall Ward took part. — This was followed 

 by a paper from Mr. Edward E. Prince, on certain protective 

 provisions in some larval British Teleosteans. 



