512 



NATURE 



ISept. 5, 1878 



Lyctus oblongus, and also specimens of Pachnobia alpina, bred 

 from pupae found on the highest paiis of mountains about 

 Rannoch, N.B, — Mr. Enoch exhibited some remarkable varieties 

 of British lepidoptera. — Mr. Rutherford exhibited some living 

 specimens of an ichneumon (identified by Mr. F. Smith as 

 Cryphus formosus), parasitical on the larvns of a West African 

 moth, allied to Anapha panda. — Mr. Rutherford also exhibited 

 a series of colour varieties of the African butterfly, Akrica mele- 

 agris, as illustrative of the principles of protective assimilation 

 and of some remarks he contributed thereon. — Mr. Jenner Weir 

 exhibited five remarkable specimens of Argynnis pap/iia, and 

 contributed some remarks on melanic variation in that species. — 

 Mr. Wood Mason read a paper on the difference between the 

 foi-m of the antennae in the males of Idoloniorpha and other 

 genera of Empusidcc, a sub-family of Mantida;. — Mr. Dunning 

 read a paper on the genus Aceniropus. — The following papers 

 were also communicated : — Descriptions of several new 

 species of myriopoda of the genera Sphccrotheriiim and Zephro- 

 nia, by Mr. Butler ; and descriptions of new genera and species 

 of South American Eumolpidce, chiefly from the Amazon region, 

 by Mr. Baly. 



Geneva 



Physical and Natural History Society, Febraary 21. — 

 Prof. Marignac having transformed into nitrates the gadolinite 

 earths for the purpose of decomposing them afterwards by heat, 

 obtained, after many successive experiments, products more and 

 more pure, showing the existence of a third earth — terbene. The 

 yellow tint of its oxide does not result from the presence of 

 didymium in this oxide. — Prof. Soret described the principal 

 results of his researches on the ultra-violet absorption spectra. 

 Most of these spectra are continuous up to a given line, from 

 which the radiations are more and more obstructed. The bases 

 and the acids generally carry their absorbent properties into the 

 salts which they compose. 



March 21. — Prof, Alph, de Candolle read a memoir on the 

 appearance and the falling of leaves of trees. He was not able 

 to discover any direct and regular connection between the periods 

 of the two phenomena. Among the species seen, individuals 

 present great differences in this respect ; we find sometimes that 

 individuals earliest to get their leaves in spring are latest in 

 autumn to lose them, but the exceptions to this rule are numerous. 

 One specimen presenting singularities in this respect preserves, 

 in general, its qualities from year to year (see A)-ch. des Sc, 

 t. Ixii. p. 143). — Prof. Brun spoke of the causes of the move- 

 ment and of the different modes of reproduction of diatomaceous 

 algas, which multiply by subdivision and by spores, and which 

 live in the most diversely situated localities in the Sahara, as at 

 altitudes of 2,600 metres in the Alps. 



April 4. — Prof. F. A. Forel has studied the sculptured pebbles 

 on the strands of the Lake of Geneva. Some are incised by 

 a larva of the species Hydropsyche, others are covered with a 

 tufoid incrustation, underneath which the calcareous stones are 

 deeply sculptured. The incrustation results from the action of 

 two algce, Enactis calcivora and Hydrocoleum cakilegum. — 

 M. Victor Fatio presented the report printed by him on the 

 International Congress on Phylloxera at Lausanne, entitled 

 "State of the Phylloxera Question in Europe in 1877." 



April 18. — M. Alph. Favre read a note on the mode of 

 formation of some stratified mountains and some valleys, 

 which he explained by the ramming or lateral crushing of the 

 geological strata. He has made experiments tending to prove 

 his theory, by means of caoutchouc stretched out and covered 

 with potter's clay, left to contract gradually. {Arch, des Sc, 

 t. Ixii. p. 193.) — Prof. Soret, by means of the observation of the 

 ultra-violet absorption spectra of gadolinite earths, has con- 

 firmed the conclusions of M. Marignac and M. Delafontaine on 

 the existence of terbene and of another yellow earth besides ter- 

 bene and yttria. — M. Arthur Achard indicated a peculiarity in 

 the action exercised by a magnetic pole in a circular closed 

 current. If we imagine the pole approaching nearer and nearer 

 the plane of circumference by projecting beyond the latter, there 

 will be an angular situation for which the component perpen- 

 dicular to the plane of the current, from the action exercised by 

 the pole on the latter, changes its sign. It follows that two 

 opposite poles, the one on this side, the other on that of the 

 situation thus defined, will exercise on one and the same circular 

 current concordant actions. 



Paris 



Academy of Sciences, August 26. — M. Fizeau in the chair. 

 — The following, among other papers, were read : — Employ- 



ment of the right ascension of the moon, corrected from tabular 

 errors, for determining longitude at sea, by M. Faye. He in- 

 dicates some modifications by which the errors in Hansen's 

 tables may be corrected. — Comparison between the salivary and 

 the sudoriparous glands, relatively to the way in which they are 

 affected by section of their excito-secretory nerves, by M. Vul- 

 p:an. Jaborandi still acts on the sub-maxillary gland several 

 days after section of the excito-salivary nerves, whereas this 

 plant, or its alkaloid, pilocarpine, from the sixth day after section 

 of the sciatic nerve (which seems to contain all the excito- 

 sudoral fibres of the posterior limb), has no longer action 

 on the sudoriparous glands of the corresponding limb. M. 

 Vulpian thinks the probable reason for the dissimilarity lies 

 in the enormous quantities of nerve-cells, isolated, or 

 in ganglionic groups, distributed throughout the secretory 

 nerves which go to the sub-maxillary gland. These, after 

 section of the nerves, probably prevent the fibres gradually 

 losing their excitability as far as their peripheric extremities. — 

 On the vibratory forms of solid and liquid bodies (third memoir), 

 by M. Decharme. He finds that on circular plates (thrown into 

 vibration) the breadths of the striae are inversely proportional 

 to the square roots of the numbers of vibrations of the corre- 

 sponding sounds. — On pelletierine, an alkali from the bark of 

 the pomegranate, by M, Tanret. Its mode of preparation and 

 its properties are described ; also the proportions got from the 

 bark of different parts (most is got from the dry roots). Pelle- 

 tierine is the tcenicide principle of the pomegranate, not pre- 

 viously isolated. — Researches on strychnine, by MM. Gal and 

 Etard. By causing hydrated baryta to act on strychnine under 

 certain conditions, two new bases were obtained : they 

 are called respectively, dihydrosirychnine and irihydrostrych- 

 nine. — Researches on the relations existing between the 

 weights of the bones of the skeleton of a buffalo, by M. 

 do Luca. The entire skeleton weighs about 29 kilogs. The 

 lower jaw weighs a fifth of the cranium ; the head (without lower 

 jaw) as much as the vertebral column ; the pelvis four times the 

 sacrum ; the bones of the head a fourth of the skeleton, the 

 cervical vertebrae, the dorsal, and the lumbar, with sacrum and 

 caudal vertebrae, about] equal ; the bones of.' the two anterior 

 limbs double the posterior ; the bones of the right side weigh 

 more than the corresponding bones of the left. Of the vertebrae 

 the atlas weighs most ; the weight then diminishes on to the last 

 dorsal, then increases and is stationary in the lumbar vertebrae ; 

 in the caudal the weight diminishes progressively, &c. 



CONTENTS Page 



The Zoological Record 485 



Our Book Shelf : — 



" Annual Report and Transactions of the Plymouth Institution and 



Devon and Cornwall Natural History Society" 486 



Reyer's "Vulcanological Studies." — ^J. W. J 487 



Letters to the Editor :— 



Is the Sun One-sided?— Prof. Balfour Stewart, F.R.S. . . . 487 



Von Cotta'»" Geologie der Gegenwart." — Dr. Bernhard v. Cotta 48;* 



On the Wax of Poeciloptera.— Dr. A. Ernst 487 



Spontaneous Combustion of Wasps' Nests. — Dr. A. Ernst . . . 487 



Observations on a " Dust -Whirl." — Prof. Francis E. Nipher . . 488 



The Telephone.— Lieut. G. R. R. Savage, R. E 488 



The Electro-Magnet a Receiving Telephone.— F. G. Lloyd . . 488 



The Sea-Serpent Exp'ained.— Dr. Joseph Drew 489 



Parental Affection in Sparrows. — C. R 489 



Physics in Photography. By Capt. W. de Wiveleslie Abnev, 



C.B., F.K.S. (IVt(Amusirafwn) 489 



Military Ballooning. By H. Baden Pritchard ...... 491 



Hypnotism. By George J. Romanes 492 



Hydrogeological Survey OF England. By Joseph Lucas , . . 494 

 The Intra-Mkrcurial Planet. Prof. J. C. Watson and Sir 



G. B. Airy, F.R.S., Astronomer-Royal 495 



Geographical Notes 49^ 



Brehm's Thierleben {With Illustrations) 496 



The Pikermi and Siwalik Faunas Pliocene not Miocene. By 



W. T. Blanford 501 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



•Schmidt's Charte der Gebirge des Mondes 501 



Notes 502 



The British Association : — 



Reports S05 



Section A.— Mathematical and Physical S05 



Section C— Geology 5o6 



Section D.— Biology 507 



The French Association • 509 



Prof. Haeckel on the Doctrine OF Evolution ....... 509 



Prof. Nordenskjold on the Composition and Common Origin 



of Certain Meteorites 5io j 



University AND Educational Intelligence 5"j 



Societies and Academies Si*l 



