550 



NATURE 



\April lo, 1890 



lower micro-organism? and foreign matter (charcoal, &c. ): there 

 are both macro- and micrjphages ; these are stages, the larger can 

 swallow the smiller and di:je5t them. — Notes on the hydroid 

 phase of Lim>io:o.iiuin soiv;rhyi, by Dr. G. Herbert Fowler (plate 

 xxxii.)> records observations made durin^ May 188S ; neither 

 medusoid or hydroid appeared in 1889 ; two hydroids and a 

 budding medusoid are figured. — Note on certain terminal organs 

 ■resembling touch corpuscles or end bulbs in intramuscular 

 connective tissue of the skate, by Dr. G. C, Purvis (plate xxxiii. ). 

 — Note on the transformation of ciliated into stratified squamous 

 •epithelium as the resalt of the application of friction, by Drs. J. B. 

 Elaycroft and E. W. Carlier (plate xxxiii.). — On the development 

 ■of the ear and accessory organs in the common frog, by Francis 

 Villy (plates xxxiv. and xxxv. ). — On I'helaceros rhizophora:, 

 in.g. et sp., an Actinian from Celebes, by P. C. Mitchell (plate 

 xxxvi. ). The Actinian here described was obtained by Dr. 

 llickson in a mangrove swamp in Celebes, by the side of one of 

 the roots of a Rhizophora ; the tentacles have compound hollow 

 protuberances round the margins of the oral surface, with 

 'numerous small simple or compound hollow protuberances 

 (rudimentary accessory tentacles) in radial lines on the oral disk. 

 — Notes on the genus Monstrilla, Dana, by Gilbert C. Bourne 

 '(plate xxxvii.). Gives details of all the known species of this 

 aberrant genus of Copepods. — On the maturation of the ovum, 

 :and the early stages in the development of Allopora, by Dr. 

 Sydney J. Hickson (plate xxxviii.). Gives a general summary of 

 events ; the formation and fate of the trophodisc, the changes 

 of the germinal vesicle, the formation of the embryonic ectoderm 

 the history of the yolk, and general considerations. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 

 London. 



Royal Society, March 27. — " The Variability of the Tem- 

 rperature of the British Isles, 1859-83 inclusive." By Robert H. 

 Scott, F.R.S. 



The material discussed has been the daily mean temperature 

 <lerived from twenty-four hourly measurements of the thermo- 

 -tframs at the seven British observatories during the period of 

 their continuance, 1869-83. 



The differences between the successive daily means have 

 been extracted, irrespective of sign, and these values averaged 

 ■monthly. 



To the figures for the 7 observatories certain values have been 

 iidded from Dr. Hann's paper in the Sitzungsberichte of 

 ^he Vienna Academy for 1875 for Makerstoun and Oxford, 

 ■the only British stations in Hann's list, and for Vienna, St. 

 Petersbursj, and Barnaul, as instances of Continental climates, 

 as well as for Georgetown, Demerara, as an instance for a 

 tropical station. 



•^The figures for the 7 stations are much lower than those for 

 Makerstoun and Oxford, probably owing to the fact that the 

 means used in the two latter cases were not twenty-four hourly, 

 nor for as many as fifteen years. 



The highest variability on the mean of the year is at Kew 

 (2*7). Then follow Armagh, Glasgow, and Stonyhurst (2°'5), 

 Aberdeen (2°-4), and Falmouth and Valencia (l°-9). The 

 greatest absolute monthly value is 5° "4 for Glasgow, November 

 1880 ; the least, o°-7, for Valencia, July 1879. 

 llgThe mean values for each month are given. 



The question of whether great changes are more frequently 

 positive or negative has been investigated. Mr. Blanford states 

 ("Climate of India") that in India (Calcutta and Lahore) 

 sudden falls of temperature are more frequent and greater than 

 sudden rises. 



A preliminary inquiry showed that it was not interesting to 

 investigate all changes, as the numbers showing + and - signs 

 respectively were nearly equal. 



The changes above 5° in the twenty-four hours were all 

 examined, and the result showed that in these islands sudden 

 rises of large amount are more frequent and more extensive in 

 amount than sudden falls — the reverse to what obtains in India. 



One instance of a rise of 23°-8 at Aberdeen, December 16, 

 4882, was ihe greatest recorded, and this disturbance was con- 

 fined to the east of Scotland. 



The figures were then examined for frequency. The 

 values were arranged, irrespective of sign, according to their 

 -magnitude, in six subdivisions :— 0-0° -9, i-c-4°"9, 5"o-9°*9, 



io-o-i4°-9, is-o-ig^-g, 20-o-24°-9, and the totals divided by 15. 

 The first two intervals taken together are equal to one of the 

 others, but, as by far the greater number of the changes fell 

 below 5°"0, it seemed well to see how many fell below i°"o. 



The range of changes is least at Falmouth and Valencia. 

 In all cases the mean "number of changes between i°'0 and 4°'9 

 exceeds half the number of days in the month. 



The daily mean values have also all been examined, with the 

 view of discovering their distribution on the thermometer scale. 



Seven columns were taken, covering the space from 10° to So", 

 of 10° each, excepting that the space from 20° to 40° was not 

 divided equally. 



In 1881, Stonyhurst had four days in January with a mean 

 below 20°, and nineteen days in which the mean temperature 

 was below 32°. At Aberdeen and Glasgow the cold was not so 

 intense. Neither at F"alm6uth nor Valencia did the mean tem- 

 perature ever fall below 20^. The hottest station is Kew. In 

 the fifteen years it shows in all thirty-five days with a mean 

 above 70". 



The figures were then divided by 15, to obtain frequency, as 

 Ijefore, and the results shown. They are also shown graphically 

 in a plate, but there all the curves do not appear. Those for 

 Valencia and Falmouth agree almost exactly, except in July and 

 August. Those for Armagh, Glasgow, and Stonyhurst are so 

 close to each other, that one curve is taken to represent all. 



Royal Microscopical Society, March 19.— Prof. Urban 

 Pritchard, Vice-President, in the chair. — A letter from the 

 President, regretting his inability to attend in consequence of a 

 fall, was read. — Mr. J. Mayall, Jun., read a letter from Prof. 

 E. Abbe, of Jena, announcing the donation of one of Zeiss's new 

 apochromatic ,V objectives of i-6 N.A. He also sent a 

 condenser of I "6 N.A., and a flint glass slide containing mixed 

 diatoms mounted by Dr. H. van Heurck, of Antwerp, together 

 with a supply of flint glass slips and cover-glasses for use in 

 mounting objects for examination with the new objective. It 

 was of course understood that in order to exhibit the full power 

 of the increased aperture it was necessary to employ a condenser 

 of corresponding aperture, and the objects to be viewed must be 

 mounted on slips with covers, and mounting and immersion 

 fluids of correspondingly high refractive power. In order to 

 further test this lens, a committee has been appointed. Mr. 

 Mayall called attention to and described two microscopes by 

 MM. Nachet and Pellin, of Paris, which were exhibited by Mr. 

 Crisp. — Mr. Rousselet exhibited a number of Rotifers to show 

 iheir abundance at this season of the year. — A specimen sent by 

 Colonel O'Hara, supposed to be some kind of entozoon which 

 had been passed in urine, was exhibited. — Prof. Bell gave a 

 resume of Mr. A. D. Michael's paper on the variations of the 

 female reproductive organs, especially the vestibule, in 

 different species of Uropoda, the author being unavoidably 

 absent through illness. — Mr. C. H. Wright exhibited and 

 described specimens of a new British Hymenolichen, Cyconema 

 interruptum. — Mr. E. M Nelson read a short note on the 

 images of external objects produced from the markings of 

 P. formosiim. — A note was read from Dr. II. van Heurck 

 correcting an error in his recent communication to the Society 

 relating to the structure of diatoms. — Mr. Mayall read a 

 translation of an article by Prof. E. Abbe on the use of 

 fluorite for optical purposes, in which it appeared that the 

 special qualities of the new apochromatic lenses were due 

 to the employment of this mineral in their construction. — ■ 

 Mr. C. H. Gill read a paper on some methods of preparing 

 diatoms so as to exhibit clearly the nature of the workings, 

 which was illustrated by numerous photomicrographs. — Mr. P. 

 Braham exhibited and descrilied a new form of oxyhydrogen 

 lamp adapted for microscopical purposes, the lamp being so 

 mounted as to be used in any position above or below the 

 object. Its application to photomicrography was demonstrated 

 in the room. — Mr. Clarkson also exhibited one of the same 

 lamps separate from the photomicrographic arrangement. — 

 The next conversazione was announced to take place on 

 April 30. 



Zoological Society, March 18. — Prof, W. H. Flower, 

 F.R. S., President, in the chair. — The Secretary exhibited (on 

 behalf of the Rev. G. H. R. Fisk) a specimen of a White Bat, 

 obtained at Somerset West, near Cape Town, believed to be an 

 albino variety of Vesperus capcnsis. — Captain Percy Armitage 

 exhibited and made remarks on two heads of the Panolia Deer 

 {Cervtis eldi), obtained on the Sittang River, Burmah. One of 



