200 



NATURE 



[July 8, 1875 



fragments and in llie sand found in the hollow core of the rod 

 were the same. On account of this identity in composition, and 

 the incompetency of any other known agent to produce such a 

 fusion of almost pure si'ex, it was concluded that this "rod of 

 glass " was a result of lightning — a lightning-tube, or fulgurite, 

 as such products have been called. — Mr. Thomas Meehan re- 

 ferred to a former conimunication in which he exhibited speci- 

 mens of Euphorbia cordata, or E. huviistrata, collected by him 

 in the Rocky Mountains, and which, normally procumbent, had 

 assumed an erect habit on being attacked by a fungulus, Aici- 

 dium eupJiorbicc hypericifolicv. He now found that the common 

 trailing Euphorbia of our section, E, inaculata, when attacked 

 by the same fungulus, assumed the same erect habit. With 

 change of habit of growth there was a whole change in specific 

 character in the direction of E. hypcricifolia. 



Sept. 29. — Dr. Ruschenberger, president, in the chair. — On 

 favourable report of the committee to which it was referred, the 

 following paper was ordered to be printed : — " Notes on the Santa 

 Fe Marls, and some of the contained Vertebrate Fossils," by 

 E. D. Cope. 



Oct. — Mr. Thomas Meehan introduced a specimen in which 

 plants ot Triticitm and Broiims were blended. This Dr. J. G. 

 Hunt proved to have been a " cheat ; " neither did he think the 

 workman had been expert in his manipulation. — Mr. Redfield 

 drew attention to the growth, near Delaware River, o{ Folygoniim 

 orientale SinA Cleovie ptmgens, which Prof. Leidy traced to ballast 

 deposited there. The lastnamed author then drew attention to 

 g me new species oiDifflugia. — Mr. Meehan announced th» dis- 

 covery ol Abies concolor in Glen Eyrie, Colorado, by Dr. Engel- 

 mann ; and Prof. Leidy drew attention to the devastation of 

 the oaks of New Jersey, by the Dryocampa senatoria. 



Nov. — Mr. A. R. Grote presented a paper on a new species 

 of NocteridiZ, describing as new genera and species Acronycta 

 exilis, A. paiipercula, Eutolype, Himella, &c. ; and Prof. Cope 

 described some ruins of villages of extinct races near Nacimiento, 

 N.M.- — Prof. Leidy, besides referring to Titatioiherium, drew 

 attention to several Protozoa which he was studying, including 

 species of Clathriilina elegans, Amceba viridis, &c.— Prof. P. 

 Frazer, jun., described the geology of certain lands in Ritchie 

 and Tyler Counties, W.V. ; and Dr. Elliott Cones read a 

 synopsis of the Mnridis of North America, dividing the Murince 

 into the genera Mus, Neoioma, Sigmodon, Hesperomys (Water- 

 house, emend.), Ocheloden (n.g.) ; and the ArvicoUnai into Evo- 

 loniys (n.g.), Ai'vicola, Synaptomys, Myodcs, Cuniculus, and 

 Fiber. 



Vienna 



K. K. geologische Reichsanstalt, Jan. 5. — This was a festival 

 meeting in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the foundation of 

 this institution. No scientific papers were read. From those read at 

 the subsequent meetings, Jan. 19, Feb. 16, March 2 and 16, we 

 note the following : — Geological report from travellers in Persia, 

 by Dr. E. Tietze.— On the Aralo-Caspian basin, by Dr. M. Neu- 

 mayr. — On some pseudomorphous copper ores from the Ural, by 

 E. Doll. — On well-sinking in the Vienna district, by T. Fuchs. 

 — On Tertiary stone forma ions in Carniola, by the same.— On the 

 formation of terra rossa, by Dr. Neumayr. — On a new occurrence 

 of manganic peroxide in Lower Styria, by Dr. R. v. Drasche. — On 

 the gneiss formation of the Bohemian forest, by Dr. J. Woldrich. 

 — On the i geological results of the railway diggings between 

 Rakonitz and Beraun, by H. Wolf. — On the occurrence of 

 antimony near Eperies, by L. Manderspach. — On the ores of 

 Laurion in Attica, by A. Schlehan. — On sorrte new silver ores 

 from Joachimsthal, by J. v. Schrockinger. — On the lime of the 

 Acropolis of Athens, by Dr. M. Neumayr. — On the environs of 

 Predazzo and on the Monzoni mountains, by Dr. C. Doelter. — 

 On the interior structure of the Offenbanya mining district and 

 on that of the Boitza district, by F. Posepny. — On some petrifac- 

 tions from the Kalnik mountains, by Dr. R. Homes. — On some 

 slaked stone mounds in Bohemia, by Dr. J. Woldrich. 



Paris 



Academy^' jOf Sciences, June 28, — M. Fremy in the chair. — 

 The president welcomed M. Janssen in the name of the 

 Academy on his return to Paris, and M. Janssen made some 

 remarks in reply. — The following papers were read : — On the 

 explanation of numerous phenomena which are consequences of 

 old age, by M. Chevreul.— On the work in course of execution 

 at the Observatory, by M. Leverrier. Among other observations 

 it is proposed to carry on a series with a view to constructing 

 magnetic and meteorological charts of France. — Magnetic obser- 



vations made in the Peninsula of Malacca, by M. Janssen. The 

 observations were undertaken with a view to fixing the present 

 position of the magnetic equator, which the author found to pass 

 between Ligor and Singora. A meridian was found also in 

 which the magnetic declination was C. This note is dated from 

 Singapore, May 16. — On the distribution of magnetism in a thin 

 bar of great length, by M. J. Jamin. — On the cyclone at 

 Chalons ; second examination of facts and conclusions, by M. 

 Faye. — On the distribution of an acid among several bases in 

 solutions, by M. Berthelot. — On the hydrocarbons produced by 

 the distillation of the crude fatty acids in presence of super- 

 heated steam, by MM. A. Cahours and E. Demarcay. The 

 authors found in a sample of oil from Fournier's stearine candle 

 factory the following hydrocarbons : amyl, liexyl, and heptyl 

 hydrides ; likewise the hydrides of octyl, nonyl, decyl, undecyl, 

 duodccyl, and cetyl. — Note on tabular electro-magnets with 

 multiple cores, by M. T. du Moncel. —Note accompanying the 

 presentation of the first volume of the " Analytical and Experi- 

 mental Demonstration of the Mechanical Theory of Heat," by 

 M. Hirn. — Influence of compressed air on fermentation, by 

 M. P. Bert. — Memoir on the earth's motion of rotation, by M. 

 E. Mathieu. — Study of electric discharges through fine metallic 

 wires, by M. Melsens. — On the influence of magnetism on the 

 extra current, by M. Trene. — Chemical equivalence of the 

 alkalies in the ashes of various vegetables, by MM. Champion 

 and H. Pellet. — On the presence of hydrogen dioxide in the sap 

 of vegetables. — On the work of the expedition commissioned to 

 study the project of a central sea in Algeria, by AL Roudaire. — 

 Solar parallax deduced from the combination of the Noumea 

 with the Saint-Paul observations, by M. C. Andre. — On the 

 numerical values of the musical intervals in the vocal chromatic 

 gamut, by M. Bidault. — New sounding flames, by M. C. 

 Decharme. — Action of chlorine on isobutyliodhydric ether, by 

 M. Prunier. — On the portative force of M. Jamin's magnets, by 

 M. A. Sandoz. — New apparatus relating to respiration, by M. G. 

 Carlet. — Of the influence of the noxious Solanacecc in general, 

 and of belladonna in particular, on Rodents and Marsupials, by 

 M. E. Heckel. 



BOOKS AND PAMPHLETS RECEIVED 



American. — The Birds and Seasons of New England: Wilson Flagg 

 (Triibner and Co.) — Annual Kepjrt of ttie Board of Regents of the Smith- 

 sonian Institution (Washington).— Important Physical Features exhibited in 

 the Valley of the Minnesota River. An Essay, by G. K. Warren (Washing- 

 ton). — Proceedings of the American Philo.?ophical Society. — Transactions of 

 the Academy of Science of St. Louis. Vol. iii. No. 2.— Bulletin of the Essex 

 Institute, 1874.— Report of the Geological [Survey of Missouri, U.S., and 

 Atlas to same 



Foreign. — Notizblatt des Vereins fur Erdkunde. ate Folge, i3tes Heft 

 (Darmstadt) — Nach den Victoriafallen des Zambesi, von Eduartl Mohr. 

 2 vols. (Berlin, Ferdinand Hirt und Sohn). 



CONTENTS pacb 



Holland's "Fragmentary Papers." By Prof. W. Stanley Jevons, 



F.R.S .181 



Ure's " Dictionary OF Arts" 182 



Drummond's " Large Game OF South Africa" 182 



Brush's " Determinative Mineralogy." By Dr. Charlks A. 



Burghardt 183 



Our Book Shelf: — 



Barff's " Elementary Chemistry " 185 



Latcuche's " Travels in Portugal" 18=; 



Letters to the Editor:— 



Temperature of the Body in Mountain Climbing.— Dr. Tempest 



Anderson » 186 



Trcvandrum Magnetic Observations —John Allan Broun . .186 



Anomalous Behaviour of Selenium.— J. E. H. Gordon .... 187 



The House-fly.— W. Cole 187 



Tlieories of Cyclones. — Joseph John Murphy 187 



The Dark Argus Butterfly. — John Hodgkin, jun 187 



Meteorological Phenomenon.— HENRy Norton 188 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Sufi's Description of the Fixed Stars 188 



Solar Radiation and Sun-spots. By H. F. Blanford .... 188 



Science IN Germany (WzM ///j<i/raAo«) 189 



Fertilisation of Flowers by Insects, XI. By Dr. Hermann 



^lvLi.n-R {IViik Illustrations) 190 



Joseph Winlock 191 



India Museum, South Kensington 193 



The Birds of Greece 193 



Notes 194 



Our Botanical Column : — 



The Potato Disease 196 



Scientific Serials 197 



Societies and Academies 199 



Books and Pamphlets Received . . . i . 200 



