y«/,' 17, 1 879] 



NATURE 



283 



been found to contain gold in any appreciable quantity until the 

 diabase is met with. All the rocks analysed show a higher per- 

 centage of silica than is generally found in other localities. 

 Three analyses made from one piece of diabase showing two dis- 

 tinct lines of alteration by weathering (on the original rock), 

 prove that silica is reudily dissolved under atmospheric influ- 

 ences, whilst alumina is not. Iron oxides contain more oxygen 

 near the surface than below it. Lime and magnesia are both 

 readily soluble, but lime much more so than magnesia. Soda 

 is more sensitive to weathering than potash. The rocks 

 contain more combined as 'U'ell as uncombined water on their 

 surface than when sheltered from atmospheric influences. 

 The paper was accompanied by an appendix on the micro- 

 scopical structure of some of the varieties of rocks by Prof. 

 Bonney. — On the so-called Midford Sands, by James Buckman, 

 F.L. S. — On the physical geography of the north-east of England 

 in permian and triassic times, by E. Wilson, F.G.S. In this 

 X;aper the author seeks to utilise the information he has acquired 

 from the study of the permian and triassic rocks of the above 

 district, towards solving some of the difficult and much 

 debated questions as to their origin. One of the main objects 

 of the paper is to establish the pre-permian origin of the 

 Pennine Chain. — The formation of rock-basins, by J. D. 

 Kendall, C.E., F.G.S. — On the diorites of the Warwickshire 

 coal-field, by S. Allport, F.G.S. — On Lepidodiscus lebouri, a new 

 species of Agelacrinites, from the carboniferous series of North- 

 umberland, by W. Percy Sladen, F.G.S., P'.L.S. — On the ancient 

 river-deposit of the Amazon, by C. Barrington Brown, A.R .S.M., 

 F.G.S. The author described a series of alluvial deposits, 

 varying in thickness from 10 to 160 feet, which have been cut 

 through by the river, and form a series of cliffs, giving rise to 

 striking and characteristic scenery. The succession of beds 

 exposed in these cliffs was illustrated by a number of sections, 

 and it was shov.n that the strata in question must have been 

 deposited by river action. It was then pointed out that the 

 river is performing two classes of work, namely, cutting away the 

 older sheets of alluvial matter, and depositing the materials 

 derived from them at a much lower level. The interesting 

 phenomena of the cutting of curves by the river, and the 

 abandonment by the river of parts of these curves, giving rise to 

 the formation of lakes, was fully explained ; and in conclusion 

 the author showed by a map what vast areas in South America 

 have thus been covered by these alluvial deposits. — The glacial 

 deposits of Cromer, by Clement Reid, F.G.S. — On a disturbance 

 of the chalk at Trowse, near Norwich, by Horace R. Woodward, 

 F.G.S. — The submerged forest of Barnstaple Bay, by Townshend 

 M. Hall, F.G.S. — On a section of boulder clay and gravels at 

 ■ Ballygalley Head, and an inquiry as to the proper classification 

 of the Irish drift, by T. Mellard Reade, C.E., F.G.S.— On the 

 augitic rocks of the Canary Islands, by Prof. Salvador Calderon. 

 Communicated by the President. As the result of a long investi- 

 gation of the eruptive rocks of the Canaries, and especially of 

 Las Palmas, the author has come to the conclusion that there are 

 two groups of such rocks in those islands, an older one, charac- 

 terised by the presence of hornblende, and a newer, containing 

 augite. In the latter he finds the essential minerals to be 

 plagioclase, augite, magnetite, olivine, sanidine, and nepheline ; 

 and he distinguishes among them the following kinds of rocks, 

 all of which have their characteristic minerals imbedded in a 

 paste of augite and plagioclase : — (l) Augile-andesite, with a small 

 quantity of sanidine ; (2) Tephrine, with no sanidine, but abun- 

 dance of nepheline ; {3) Basanite, with some peridote ; (4) 

 Ncpheline-basalt, with abundance of peridote ; (5) Dolerite, 

 crj'stalline, characterised by the disappearance of nepheline, the 

 abundance of peridote and porphyritically imbedded plagioclase, 

 and with porphyritically imbedded individuals of augite and 

 olivine ; (6) Felspaihic basalt (like 5), but semicrystalline ; and 

 (7) Essentially olivinic modem lavas. — On the Cambrian (Sedgw. ) 

 and Silurian beds of the Dee valley, as compared with those of 

 the Lake-district, by J. E. Marr, B.A., F.G.S.— On some 

 ."■uperficial deposits in the neighbourhood of Evesham, by the 

 Rev. A. H. Winnington Ingram, M.A., F.G.S. — Descriptions 

 of palaeozoic corals from Northern Queensland, with observa- 

 tions on the genus Stenopora, by Prof. H. A. Nicholson, M.D., 

 D.Sc.,F.G.S.,andR.Etheridge,jun.,F.G.S.Thecoralsdescribed 

 in this paper were in part collected by the late Mr. Daintree, 

 chiefly from the limestone of the Broken River, regarded as of 

 Devonian age, and in part by Mr. R. L. Jack, from various 

 sources, namely, the Bowen River coal-field, in beds probably of 

 permo-carbonif erous age, the Fanning River limestone (Devonian), 



and the Arthur's Creek limestone (permo-carboniferous). Mr. 

 I Daintree's collection also contained corals in the chloritic rock of 

 I the Gympsie gold-field. From the Coral Creek, Bowen River 



coal-field, the authors record Stenopora ovata, Lonsd., and 

 j S.jackii, sp. n. ; from the Fanning River limestone, Heliolites 



porosus, Goldf., and Pachypora meridionalis, sp. n. ; from the 

 i Gympsie chloritic rock, Stenopora ? sp. ind. ; from the Broken 

 ! River limestone, Favosites gothlandicus, vars. Lam., Heliolites 

 ' porosus, Goldf., H. plasmoporoides, sp. n., H. Daintreei, sp. n., 

 ■ Heliolites, sp. ind., and Araopora australis, sp. n. ; from the 

 I Arthur's Creek limestone, Eurdekin Down, Alveolites (Pachy- 

 '^pora?), sp., near A. robustus, Rom., Alveolites, sp. (lobate 

 I form), Aulopora repens, M.-Edw. and H., Heliolites porosus, 



Goldf., and vars., Lithostrotion, sp. ind., Pachypora meridian- 

 1 alts, Trachypora, sp. ind., and species of Cannopora and Stro- 



matopora. The genus Amopora is proposed as a new group ; 



the genus Stenopora is made the subject of a long discussion ; 



and the geological characters of the deposits from which the 



fossils are derived are indicated and discussed. 



Meteorological Society, June 18.— Mr. C. Greaves, 

 F.G.S., president, in the chair.— Lieut. A. Carpenter, H. Dodd, 

 Capt. D. Galton, F.R.S., S. B. Goslin, A. Gray, Capt. Mar- 

 shall Hall, W. L. MacGregor, and Rev. W. P. Robinson, D.D., 

 were elected Fellows of the Society. — The following papers 

 were read : — Report on the International Meteorological Con- 

 gress held at Rome, April, 1S79, by Robert H. Scott, F.R.S. 

 — Thermometer exposure : Wall versus Stevenson screens, 

 by William Marriott, F.M.S. It being the practice of some 

 observers to expose their thermometers on walls facing north, it 

 seemed a suitable object of inquiry whether instruments so 

 placed gave results comparable with those obtamed from ther- 

 mometers in a Stevenson stand in the open. A pair of meteo- 

 rological ofSce wall screens w ere fixed to the brick wall of an 

 outhouse with a northern aspect, so that the screens were in the 

 shade, except in the morning and afternoon of the summer 

 months. The Stevenson screen was on a grass plot 17 feet 

 square, and about 50 feet north of the wall screen. The paper 

 contains the results of the comparison of the maximum and 

 minimum temperatures in the wall screen with those in the 

 Stevenson screen for the twelve months ending March 31, 

 1879. The figures show that the mean daily maximum tem- 

 perature on the wall is below that in the open, the monthly dif- 

 ferences varying from o°-o to — 2°-i, that for the twelve months 

 being — i°'o. The minimum temperature on the wall was mostly 

 higher than in the Stevenson stand, the differences varying from 

 — o"-! to -f i°'3, the mean for the year being -I- o°'5. The indi- 

 vidual differences, however, are sometimes much greater, the 

 maximum temperature on the wall being considerably lower than 

 that in the stand. For instance, the difference exceeded 4''*o 

 five times in September, and four times in March, the greatest 

 being 6°7 ; these extremes occurred on fine calm days. The 

 minimum temperature on the wall was more than 2°'o higher 

 than that in the Stevenson stand on five occasions in June, seven 

 in July, and four in September. The mean daily range of tem- 

 perature on the wall for the twelve months was i°'4 less than in 

 the stand in the open. The greatest difference was on March 

 9, when the range on the wall was 8° -5 less than in the stand. 

 These results seem to show that, although the mean temperature 

 may be roughly ascertained from thermometers shaded by a wall 

 with a northern aspect, this method of exposure affords less 

 sensitive indications than those obtained from instruments in a 

 properly exposed Stevenson stand. — On the Hurricane at Mauri- 

 tius, on March 20th— 21st, 1879, by C. Meldrum, LL.D., 

 F.R.S. — On a remarkable disturbance of Barometric Pressure, 

 ob.served at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, on May 18th, 

 1878, by W. Ellis, F.R.A.S.— Meteorology of Mozufferpore, 

 Tirhoot, 1878, by C. N. Pearson, F.M.S.— Meteorological 

 Observations made on the Peak of Tenerifle, by Dr. W. 

 Marcet, F.R.S.— On the temperature of the Atlantic during 

 December, 1877 and 1878, by Capt. H. Toynbee, F.R.A.S. 



Entomological Society, July 2.— Sir Jno. Lubbock, Bart., 

 V.P.R.S., president, in the chair. — Mr. Vincent Robert Perkin?, 

 of South Belgravia, was elected as an Ordinary Member. — Mr. 

 S. Stevens exhibited living specimens of Tillus unifasciatus 

 taken at Norwood. — Mr. McLachlan contributed some further 

 remarks respecting the sculptured pebbles from Lac Leman 

 referred to at the last meeting of the Society. — A number of the 

 perfect insects forwarded by Prof. Forel proved to be Tinodes 

 lurida. Curt., a common insect generally on the margins of 



