May 3, 1888] 



NA TURE 



23 



and gravel occurring in the valley a little way above. The large 

 limestone blocks in the cavern had also been evidently disturbed 

 by water-action ; they were invariably found in the lowest 

 deposiis, and were covered over by laminated clay, sand, and 

 gravels. The author considered it certain that the caverns had 

 been completely filled with these materials, and in the case of 

 the Cae Gwyn Cave they appeared to have been conveyed mainly 

 through the entrance recently discovered under the drift. The 

 stratification at this entrance was so marked, and could be traced 

 so continuously inwards over the bone-earth, that there could be 

 no doubt that this was the main entrance. There was not the 

 : evidence that any portion of the material had been con- 

 vewd in through a swallow-hole, and the conditions witnessed 

 throughout were such as to preclude any such idea. The author 

 I Report by Dr. Geikie, who considered that the wall of 

 the cavern had give:i way, but before the deposition of the 

 glacial deposits, which were subsequently laid down against the 

 limestone bank so as to conceal this entrance to the cavern. In 

 conclusion, he referred to the presence of reindeer remains in 

 these caves, in conjunction with those of the so called older 

 Pleistocene Mammalia, proving that these had reached the area 

 long before the period of submergence, and evidently at an early 

 stage in the Glacial period. It was important to remember that 

 reindeer remains had been found in the oldest river-gravels in 

 which implements had been discovered. Man, as proved by the 

 implements discovered, was also pre-ent at the same time with 

 the reindeer, and it was therefore natural to suppose that he 

 migrated into this area in company with that animal from some 

 noitheni source, though this did not preclude the idea that he 

 might al-o have reached this country from some eastern or 

 southern source, perhaps even at an earlier period. In the 

 course of the discussion which followed the reading of this 

 paper, Dr. Evans said the archaeological evidence was against 

 Dr. Hicks's views. 



Chemical Society, April 19. — Mr.W. Crookes, F R.S.,inthe 

 chair. -■-The following papers were read :— The influence of tem- 

 perature on the composition and solubility of hydrated calcium 

 sulphate and of calcium hydroxide, by Messrs. W. A. Shenstone 

 and J. T. Cundall. The authors find, contrary to the usual state- 

 ments on the subject, that hydrated calcium sulphate, whether of 

 natural or of artificial origin, parts with a portion of its water at 

 moderate temperatures, e.g. 40 C., and that it may be almost 

 completely dehydrated in dry air at temperatures below 100° C. 

 The effect of heat in diminishing the solubility of calcium sulphate 

 in water at temperatures between 40 and 1 50° may therefore be 

 possibly due to the unequal solubility of the hydrated and an- 

 hydrous salts. Calcium hydroxide is likewise less soluble in hot 

 than in cold water, but the authors have failed to obtain evidence 

 in favour of the view that the diminished solubility in this case 

 may depend upon the dissociation of the hydroxide or of some 

 hydrate of the hydroxide. — Thermo-chemical constants, by Mr. 

 S. U. Pickering. In a criticism of several deductions drawn by 

 Thomsen from thermo-chemical data, the author refers to the 

 supposed ." common constant of affinity" — a quantity whose 

 multiples by numbers up to 10 are supposed to represent various 

 reactions, some of which are similar, and others totally dis- 

 similar (Ber. Dailsch. Chem. Ges., v. 170, vi. 239) ; and points 

 out that any number taken at random, e.g. 15,000 cal., would 

 have given results similar to those obtained by employing 

 Thomsen's value of the constant, viz. 18,361 cal. — Action of hot 

 copper on the mixed vapours of phenol and carbon bisulphide, 

 by Prof. T. Carnelly and Mr. J. Dunn. A small yield of anew 

 diphenylene ketone (m.p. ~ 83 ) is obtained in this reaction. — 

 Oxidation of oxalic acid by potassium bichromate, by Mr. E. 

 A. Werner. — The action of phenylhydrazine on urea and on 

 some of its derivatives, by Mr. S. Skinner and Dr. S. 

 Ruhemann. — Derivatives of phenylisobutyric acid, by Dr. L. 

 Edeleanu. — The logarithmic law of atomic weights, by Mr. G. 

 J. Stoney, F.R.S. 



Zoological Society, April 17.— Dr. St. George Mivart, 

 F.R.S., Vice-President, in the chair. — The Secretary read a 

 report on the additions that had been made to the Society's 

 Menagerie during the month of March 1888. — Mr. C. Stewart 

 exhibited a preparation showing the structure and development 

 of the brood-pouch of a Marsupial Tree-Frog {Nototrcma mar- 

 supiafum). — Mr. Boulenger exhibited and made remarks on the 

 type specimen of a new species of Marsupial Tree-Frog {Noto- 

 trema fissipfs) recently discovered by Mr. G. A. Ramage near 

 Pernambueo, in Brazil.— Mr. Herbert Druce read the descrip- 

 ions of some new species of Heterocera collected by Mr. C. M. 



Woodford at Suva, Viti Levu, Fiji Islands. The collection 

 had been made during the months of February, March, and 

 April, 1886, and was especially interesting on account of the 

 exact localities being noted, as well as for the new species it con- 

 tained. Ninety-four species were represented, eight of which 

 were described by the author as new to science. — A communica- 

 tion was read from Mr. T. D. A. Cockerell, containing some 

 remarks on atavism, with reference to a paper on the same <-ub- 

 ject read by Mr. J. Bland Sutton at a previous meeting of the 

 Society. — Prof. G. B. Howes gave an account of the vocal pouch 

 of Rhinodcrvia dat-iviui, and described in detail the mode of its 

 attachment and the position of the embryos in it. The author 

 controverted the idea of Espada that the alimentary functions 

 were arrested during the development of the embryos in this 

 Batrachian. — Mr. Oldfield Thomas read a paper describing a 

 new genus and species of Muridae obtained by Mr. H. O. Forbes 

 during his recent expedition to New Guinea. The author pro- 

 posed to call this form, which was characterized by the possession 

 of a prehensile tail, Chintromys forbesi, after its discoverer. — 

 Lieut. -Colonel Godwin-Austen, F. R. S., read the first of a pro- 

 posed series of papers on the Land-Mollusca of Burma. The 

 present communication gave an account of the shells collected 

 by Capt. Spratt, R.A., in Upper Burma, among which were 

 specimens of several new and very interesting species. A com- 

 munication was read from Mr. R. Rowdier Sharpe, containing the 

 sixth of his series of notes on the specimens of the Hume collection 

 of birds. The present paper treated of some of the species of the 

 genus Digenea. 



Anthropological Institute, April 24. — Francis Galton, 

 F.R.S., President, in the chair. — A paper by Dr. Venn on 

 recent anthropometry at Cambridge was read, and was followed 

 by a communication by the President on the head-growth of 

 Cambridge students. The President's paper we print elsewhere. 

 Mr. Galton also read a paper on the answers he had received 

 from teachers in reply to questions respecting mental fatigue. 



Paris. 

 Academy of Sciences, April 23. — M. Janssen, President, 

 in the chair. — Influence of gravity on the co-ordinates measured 

 by means of equatorials, by MM. Loewy and P. Puiseux. The 

 paper deals mainly with the equatorials coudfo, such as the large 

 instrument intended for the Paris Observatory, and gives the 

 general formulas of reduction. — On the aperiodic regulation of 

 the amortisement and of the phase in a system of synchronized 

 oscillations, by M. A. Cornu. The principle is explained of 

 this aperiodic method of control, which is shown to possess 

 several advantages over the systems at present in use. It reduces 

 to a minimum, if not to zero, the influence of the more ordinary 

 disturbing causes, and supplies a continuous check for the 

 regulating apparatus as well as a simple means of readjustment 

 should it get out of order.— Remarks on M. Stoletow's recent 

 communication on a class of electric currents set up by the ultra- 

 violet rays, by M. Edm. Becquerel. The note referred to the 

 passage of an electric current between two disks, or metallic con- 

 ductors, placed parallel to, and at a little distance from, each 

 other, by means of the layer of intervening air, which requires 

 to be more or less heated by the radiation of a voltaic arc. M. 

 Becquerel points out that these effects appear to be analogous to 

 those which he observed and analyzed in a different way in the 

 year 1853. He then showed that heated gases may conduct 

 electric currents, these effects being functions of the nature and 

 density of the gases, as well as of the relative dimensions of the 

 electrodes.— On the fixation of nitrogen by vegetable soil, by 

 M. Berthelot. This is a reply to M. Schlcesing's recent remarks, 

 the main object of the note being to more clearly establish the 

 history of these researches and their present character.— On the 

 optical properties of natural pharmacolite, by M. Des Cloizeaux. 

 The author, having recently resumed his interrupted studies of 

 this crystal, finds that its optical crystallographic properties are 

 absolutely identical with those of the artificial crystals lately 

 obtained by M. Dufet. The only difference is an excess of 

 about 4 per cent, of water as determined by previous ana- 

 lyses of the aatural crystals. But these crystals are hygro- 

 metric, and lose some of their water at ioo° C. I M 

 specimens analyzed were also probably mixed with a little 

 wapplerite, which has yielded as much as 29 per cent, 

 of water, and which in the state of an efflorescent powder is 

 usually associated with pharmacolite.— Note on the optical 

 characters of haidingerite, by M. Des Cloizeaux. An exanuna- 

 ion of some small specimens of this extremely rare crystal found 



