244 



NATURE 



\_yune 27, 1878 



but palaeozoic. — On the metamorphic and overlyiag rocks in 

 the neighbourhood of Loch Maree, Ross-shire, by Henry Hicks, 

 M.D., F.G.S. The rocks in the neighbourhood of Loch 

 Maree have been described by various authors, but chiefly and 

 most recently in papers communicated to the Geological Society 

 by Prof. Nicol, of Aberdeen, and by Sir R. Murchison and 

 Prof. Geikie, of Edinburgh. In the present communication the 

 author endeavours to show, from results obtained by him re- 

 cently by a careful examination of a section extending from 

 Loch Maree to Ben Fyn, near Auchnasheen, that the interpre- 

 tations previously given are in some important points incorrect, 

 and that this has been to a great extent the cause of such very 

 diverse opinions. — On the triassic rocks of Normandy and their 

 environments, byW. A. E. Ussher, Esq., F.G.S. — On foyaite, 

 an elseolitic syenite occurring in Portugal, by C. P. Sheibner, 

 Ph.D., F.G.S. Communicated by Prof. T. M'Kenny Hughes, 

 M.A., F.G.S. 



Zoological Society, June 4. — Prof. Flower, F.R.S., vice- 

 president, in the chair. — Mr. Sclater exhibited a young specimen 

 of Temminck's Manis {Manis tenwiincki), and read a note de- 

 scribing habits of this animal in captivity by Mr. F. Holm- 

 wood, Assistant Political Agent at Zanzibar. — Mr. Sclater also 

 called attention to the extraordinary mimicry of the true rectrices 

 by the elongated upper tail coverts in Ciconia maguari and C. 

 episcopus, as observable in the living examples of these birds in 

 the Society's Gardens. — Mr. Edward R. Alston exhibited, on 

 behalf of Dr. Elliott Coues, two specimens of Synaptomys cooperi. 

 To this species — the type of Synaptomys, proposed in 1867 by 

 Prof. Baird as a sub-genus of Myodes — full generic rank was 

 accorded by Dr. Coues in 1874. The present specimens were, so 

 far as was known, the first typical specimens sent to Europe. — 

 Prof. Huxley, F.R.S., read a memoir on the cray- fishes, in which 

 he gave a review of the various generic divisions of this group of 

 podophthalmous Crustacea, and pointed out how remarkably 

 these divisions corresponded with their geographical distribution. 

 —Prof. W. H. Flower, F.R.S., exhibited the skull of a two- 

 horned rhinoceros from Tipperah, and read a note on the pecu- 

 liarities of its structure. — A communication was read from 

 Messrs. Godman, Salvin, and Druce, containing a catalogue of 

 the lepidoptera collected by Mr. S. N. Walter in the Island of 

 Billiton. — Messrs. Godman and Salvin also read a list of the but- 

 terflies collected in Eastern New Guinea'and some neighbouring 

 islands by Dr. Comrie, during the voyage of H.M.S. Basilisk. — 

 Mr. A. G. Butler, F.Z.S., read a paper containing the descrip- 

 tion of a new si^ecies of the orthopterous genus Phylloptera, 

 from Madagascar, which he proposed to name Phylloptera 

 segonoides. — Messrs. Sclater and Salvin read a report on the col- 

 lection of birds made during the voyage of H.M.S. Challenger. 

 The present communication, forming the eleventh of the series, 

 contained a description of the Steganopodes and of the Im- 

 pennes. Of the first group the collection contained thirty-three 

 specimens belonging to eight species ; of the second, thirty seven 

 specimens belonging to six species. — Prof. E. Ray Lankester 

 read a paper in which he gave an accomit of the structiu-e of the 

 hearts of Ceratodus, Protopterus, and Chimccra, with an account 

 of certain undescribed pocket-valves in the conus arteriosus of 

 Ceratodus and of Protopterus. 



Institution of Civil Engineers, May 28. — Mr. John 

 Frederic Bateman, F.R.S., president, in the chair. — The dis- 

 cussion on Mr. T. C. Clarke's paper on the design of iron 

 railway bridges of very large spans, was continued throughout 

 the evening. 



Rome 



R. Accademia dei Lincei, April 7, 1878. — The following 

 among other papers were read : — Human skeleton in a cavern of 

 the Arena Candida, near Finalmarina, by M. de Sanctis. — 

 PalKontological notes on a large fossil humerus of a bear and 

 other bones of a stag, from a cave near Poggio Mojano, by 

 M. Ponzi. — New researches on Fourier's series, by M. Ascoli. — 

 On carbotialdina and some other sulphurised compounds, by M. 

 Guareschi. — On some derivatives of tetrachlorated ethers, by M. 

 Paterno. — On new derivatives of santonines, by M. Valenti. — 

 On secular variations of the magnetic declination at Rome, by 

 M. Kella. — Map of the planet Mars, by M. Schiaparelli. — On 

 Hofmannite, by M. Bechi. 



Paris 

 Academy of Sciences, June 10. — M. Fizeau in the chair. — 

 '^^.;f9llpwing among other papers, were read : — On the results 



furnished by chronometers having springs with theoretical 

 terminal curves, at the prize competition of 1877, at Neuchatel 

 Observatory, by M. Phillips. . Of the 220 chronometers sent in 

 186 had springs with theoretical curves. M. Granjean's occu- 

 pied the first place for their remarkable accuracy. — On the 

 gemmiparous and fissiparous reproduction of Noctilucse {Noc- 

 tUuca miliaris, Suriray), by M. Robin. The processes are 

 detailed, and several new facts communicated. — On the con- 

 servation of old types of ships, by Admiral Paris. The author's 

 project is to reproduce figures of ancient ships from all parts of 

 the world ; he has written to the naval authorities in many 

 countries to send drawings, with explanatory data. Some of 

 his plates are exhibited in the Champ de Mars. — Functions of 

 leaves in the phenomenon of gaseous exchanges between plants 

 and the atmosphere ; rdleoi stomates in the functions of leaves, by 

 M. Merget. His conclusion, from experiments, is thus stated : — 

 In aerial and aquatic-aerial plants, oxygen, nitrogen, and carbonic 

 acid are exchanged normally between the interior and the exte- 

 rior atmosphere by way of the stomatic orifices. These 

 exchanges may be produced by simple diffusion ; they are pro- 

 moted by all causes capable of producing a rupture of equilibrium 

 between the two atmospheres, and in the double gaseous circu- 

 lation which follows, the two movements of entrance and exit 

 are performed with equal facility,— Observation of the transit of 

 Mercury at Paita, by Admiral Serres. The conditions were 

 highly favourable, and 600 daguerrotypes were obtained. Each 

 officer made an independent report. — Researches on the siib- 

 nitrate of bismuth, by M. Riche. The mechanism of the action 

 of this substance in the system is controverted. It is important 

 that the druggist should supply for it always the same product, 

 and that the sub-nitrate be exclusively prepared with water 

 slightly calcareous according to the formula of Codex. Every 

 product should be rejected which contains less than 12 to 13 per 

 cent, of nitric acid. — On the physiological role of hypophos- 

 phites, by MM. Paquetin and Soly. They are shown to be not 

 reconstituents but diuretics. — On the colouring matter of 

 wines, by M. Gautier, Each stock produces one or several 

 special colouring matters, and the principles of these substances 

 together form a family of similar but not identical substances of 

 the aromatic series, having the r6le of acids, pai-tly combined in 

 the wines under the form of ferrous salt, [and apparently resulting 

 from oxidation of the corresponding tannins. He describes the 

 colouring matter of two stocks. 



CONTENTS p;,GB 



Henfrey's Botany. By Alfred W. Bennett, F.L.S 217 



Paykn's Industrial Chemistry 218 



Our Book Shelf : — 



" Annual Report of the Superintendent of Government Farms." 



R. Warington 219 



Letters to the Editor :— 



The Size of the Indian Tiger. — Sir J. Fayrer, F.R.S. . , . 219 



Zoological Geography. — Searles V. Wood, Jun 220 



Time and Longitude. — Rev. S. J. Whitmee 220 



New Lunar Crater. — Edward Greenhow 220 



Opening of Museums on Sundays. — Prof. W. H. Corfield, 



Chairman of the Committee of the Sunday Society 220 



Ophrys muscifera. — Hermann MOller 221 



The Jura. — Marshall Hall 221 



The Transit OF Venus Photographs. By Capt. Tupman ... 221 



The Norwegi.\n North Atl.-vntic Expedition 222 



Physical Science for Artists, VI. By J. Norman Lockyer, 



F.R.S •• 22^ 



An Eclipse Spectroscope. By J. Norman Lockyer, F.R.S. {With 



Illustration) 224 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Nearest Approximations of Small Planets to the Earth's Orbit . . 225 



Measures of Double Stars 225 



The Binary Star a Centauri . ' 225 



Biological Notes : — 



Decorative Colouring in Freshwater Fleas 226 



How Lepidoptera Escape from their Cocoons '(If^ti/i Illi/stra- >■ 



tion) .?'....*■. 226 



Fear of Snakes in Primates 227 



The Fertilisation of Eggs of the Lamprey 227 



Geographical Notes 227 



Real Brown Bread. By Prof. A. H. Church {With Ilhistration) . 229 



The Land of Bolivar and its Products {With Illustrations) . . 230 

 The Fisheries of British Nosth America, II. By Dr. William 



B. Carpenter, F.R.S 232 



The Geology of London 235 



Notes 236 



On the Physical Action of the Microphone. By Prof. Hughes 239 



Laboratory Notes. By Prof. John G. McKkndrick 240 



Volcanic Phenomena AND Earthquakes during ^877 241 



University and Educational Intelligence 241 



Scientific Serials 242 



Socistibs and Academibs . . .' 242 



