442 



NATURE 



{Sept. 1 6, 1875 



Ther« was a'great profusion of fems, mosses, and lower'crypto- 

 gams ; and evergreens were abundant. The species were 

 few in proportion to the ^genera, and the genera in propor- 

 tion to the orders. The proportion of indigenous plants and 

 of species to any area was generally small ; but in Bourbon there 

 was the great number of 1,700 species. The most remarkable 

 genus in the group, perhaps, was Pandanus, the screw-pine, 

 which had species peculiar to each island, though the commonest, 

 P. utilis, occurred on all three islands. Certain genera were 

 found to be endemic to the group, especially in the Rubiacese 

 and Compositse. In addition, in each island there were certain 

 genera endemic to that island alone. In North-western Bourbon, 

 although, as in Mauritius, settlers had produced much alteration 

 by cutting down trees, &c., there was still an abundance of 

 plants which flourished in a moist climate. The flora of Mauri- 

 tius exhibited affinities with that of N. W. Bourbon, although 

 possessing endemic genera. Perhaps no place in the world had 

 had its flora so much altered by settlers, especially by means of 

 fires through carelessness. The original flora had been almost 

 exterminated. The few plants now remaining included one new 

 genus ; and there were certain peculiar Pandani, but the general 

 type was allied to that of Mauritius. In many of the small 

 volcanic and coral islands which surround Mauritius and 

 Rodriguez, very often little more than rocks, there were genera 

 which were peculiar to those islands, or else species that were 

 representatives of other species existing on the main islands. 

 Round Island, a mere cone near Mauritius, had three genera of 

 palms represented by different species, which were found no- 

 where else ; and exhibited many other peculiarities in its flora. 

 Dr. Balfour reserved his opinion on the vexed question of the 

 origin of these islands by independent volcanic action or by the 

 submergence of an ancient continent connected with Africa ; but 

 stated that soundings taken between Mauritius and Rodriguez, 

 about fifty miles west from the latter, gave a depth of 2,000 

 fathoms ; while 100 miles S. W. of Mauritius the depth was 2, 700 

 fathoms. — Prof. Williamson remarked on the parallel between 

 these facts and those first brought to light by Mr. Darwin relative 

 to Galapagos. It appeared that these modifications of species 

 and genera were such as must necessarily have, resulted from 

 modifications in a long course of time ; and they compelled 

 naturalists to accept Mr. Darwin's views whether they liked them 

 or not. Coupled with the facts derived by Mr. Wallace from 

 the Indian Archipelago, he thought considerable probability was 

 given to the submergence theory. — Prof. Dickson could not see 

 that the occurrence of representative forms on different oceanic 

 islands was any stronger proof of evolution than the facts relating 

 to the grouping of plants about geographical centres ; but Prof. 

 Williamson maintained that the occurrence of distinct yet analo- 

 gous species on contiguous islands of very recent geological age 

 was a striking evidence of modification produced by new physical 

 conditions, unless indeed distinct new creative acts were admitted 

 within a comparatively modern period. 



Prof. Williamson gave an account of his recent discoveries 

 among the fossil seeds of the coal measures, and partly con- 

 firmed and partly controverted Brogniart's views on some of the 

 same seeds. He (Prof. Williamson) gave the name Lagenostoma 

 to a form of seed larger and more bulky than a grain of rice, 

 which had a flask-shaped cavity above the nucleus, between 

 it and the micropyle. This cavity was surrounded by a mem- 

 brane quite distinct from that investing the nucleus. Prof 

 Williamson believed that he had found pollen grains in this 

 cavity, and that the only difference between this and an ordinary 

 coniferous seed consisted in the presence of this chamber, which 

 protected the pollen and brought it into contact with the nucleus. 

 Another seed of the same general type had the upper part of the 

 nucleus contracted, forming a sort of mammilla : thus the cavity 

 above became of a different shape. He named it Physostoma. 

 Another type he called yEthiotesta. All these were from the 

 Lancashire coal-field. A specimen from Burntisland showed a 

 transition from the extremely small and narrow micropyle of ordi- 

 nary angiospermous seeds, and the large chamber of Lage- 

 nostoma. Prof. Williamson also referred to Cardiocarpum, 

 which he found to have the nucleus thickened, and to have a 

 prolonged spur containing the micropyle. Antholithes and 

 Cardiocarpum were but portions of the same flowering plant. 

 He found that Trigonocarpum had really a long projection 

 at the end, of a similar nature, but from some Newcastle 

 specimens he inferred that it had a large investing sarcocarp. 

 The type was not at all dissimilar to Cardiocarpum. 



Prof, Balfour, va. 9. Notice 0/ Rare Plants from Scotland, drew 

 attention to tl:e dA'.covery o{ A^ahuJ^cx/h's in Perthshire, hitherto 



only found in Ireland. He exhibited the original specimen of 

 Sah'x sadleri and Carex frigida, discovered in Scotland last year 

 by Mr. Sadler. — Dr. I. Bayley Balfour contributed some notes 

 on Tunieriacerc from Rodriguez, especially referring to one new 

 form. — Prof. A. Dickson exhibited a Pritmila vulgaris with inter- 

 petaline lobes, and pointed out its relations to Soldenella and 

 other Primulacese ; he also described a monstrosity in Saxifraga 

 itellaris, in which there occurred a calyx, no corolla, many 

 stamens, and many carpels. Two specimens were found, each 

 with a single terminal monstrous flower. 



It is to be regretted that there was a paucity in the attendance 

 of distinguished zoologists and botanists, and that the number and 

 importance of the papers read was not so great as to furnish any 

 idea of a vi^idespread existence or encouragement of research in 

 natural history. It might be well for naturalists to put them- 

 selves in evidence a little more strongly, and to show the value 

 of their results more prominently, if they desire to be aided in 

 their researches by public funds, or to win general sympathy, 

 especially when geologists and anthropologists make such vigorous 

 displays of their conquests. 



Department of Anatomy and Physiology. 



Prof Rolleston, in moving a vote of thanks to Prof. Cleland 

 for his presidential address to the department, said he had rarely 

 spent an hour with more pleasure than in listening to that 

 address. He would show the value he set upon it by saying that 

 Prof Cleland's old master, the great John Goodsir, would 

 have been glad to hear it. He believed much of what the 

 President had said would take its date from that meeting as of 

 permanent authority and value. 



Dr. McKendrick read the important rep«rt On the Physiglogi- 

 cal Action of Light, by him.self and Prof Dewar. We hope to 

 publish it in full in an early number. 



Mr. W. J. Cooper, in a paper On the Physiological Effects of 

 various Drinking Waters, referred to the experiments of M. 

 Papillon on various animals, described before the French Aca- 

 demy of Science in 1870-73, by which it was shown that not 

 only the ash of the food eaten affects the composition of the 

 bones, but also that mineral matter in dilute solution is capable 

 of being assimilated. Consequently, alterations in the compo- 

 sition of the water supply of a community might be of very great 

 importance to the organic structure of the human body, if the 

 very composition of the bones is affected by the quality of the 

 water. The inorganic impurities of water had been too much 

 overlooked, notwithstanding the serious consequences which 

 sometimes follow. Mr. Cooper insisted that one of the first con- 

 ditions in the inauguration of a water-supply should be to ensure 

 perfect freedom from excess of any mineral except those com- 

 paratively harmless ingredients, chloride of sodium and carbonate 

 of lime. 



Mr. T. G. P. Hallett read a paper On the Conservation of 

 Forces, devoted to a long argument against this principle being 

 extended to vital phenomena. He endeavoured to prove that 

 life, whether tested by its origin or its effects, was a force, and 

 that the laws of that force were not such as the conservation 

 principle required and declared. Dr. Allen Thomson, at the 

 close of the discussion which followed, thought it best to suspend 

 judgment on the points that had been mooted, and to continue 

 the quiet investigation of physical phenomena ; his impression, 

 derived from long observation, being that the more the phe- 

 nomena of life were attended to, the more fully they were ex- 

 plained by known laws. 



Among other papers may be mentioned Messrs. L. C. Miall 

 and F. Greenwood's, On Vascular Plexuses in the Elephant and 

 some other Animals, and Mr. Greenwood's On the Preservation 0/ 

 the Larger Animals for Anatomical Examination. 



If the papers read before the Department of Anatomy and 

 Physiology had to be taken as an index of the activity of re- 

 search and thought concerning these subjects in Great Britain, 

 we should have to confess ourselves to be at a low ebb. The 

 department only sat on three days out of five, and those three 

 days were certainly not crowded with valuable papers. The 

 physiological investigations of Drs. McKendrick, Lauder Brun- 

 ton, and Pye-Smith, and Prof Dewar, -wgxq of high interest and 

 great value ; but the subjects they referred to cover only a very 

 small part of the wide domain of Physiology. Morphology was 

 represented most worthily by the President's address, but there 

 was a plentiful lack of memoirs on descriptive anatomy, mor- 

 phology, embryology, and histology. It is of course difficult to 

 make the details of morphological investigation interesting in a 

 spoken narration, but expositions of new or improved principles, 



