70 



NA TURE 



{May 19, 1887 



34-37)' '^^is elaborate memoir does not permit of being use- 

 fully summarised.— Morphological and biological observations 

 on Criodrilus laamm, by Dr. L. Orley. — Studies on earth- 

 worms, No. 3 : Criodrilus lacuu?n, Hoffmeister, by W. B. 

 Benham (plate 38). This little worm was first discovered by 

 Fritz Miiller in 1844, near Berlin, and was in the following year 

 described by Hoffmeister ; it was next found near Linz, and 

 more recently in Italy and at Buda-Pesth by Dr. Orley, whose 

 paper thereon has been translated from the manuscript by Mr. 

 Benham. In the Danube this worm occurs, often in large numbers 

 among the roots of Sium latifolium, the egg-cases looking like 

 certain forms of Enteromorpha. The specimens, dissected by 

 Mr. Benham were sent to Prof. Lankester by Dr. Orley. — Notes 

 on the chromatology of Anthea cereus, by Dr. C. A. MacMunn 

 (plates 39 and 40). The pigments of Anthea are the pigments 

 of certain marine Algae, and are without doubt the pigments of 

 the "yellow cells" which are now known to be unicellular 

 Algaj. — On Cienodrihis parvulus, nov. spec, by Dr. Robert 

 Scharff (plate 41). This little Annelid was recently discovered 

 by Mr. Bolton, of Birmingham, but its exact habitat is unknown. 

 — On the relation of the Nemertece to the Vertebrata, by Prof 

 A. A. W. Hubrecht (plate 42) ; with permission from Prof. 

 Hubrecht's Report on the Challenger Nemerteans. 



American Journal of Mathe77iatics, vol. ix. No. 3 (Baltimore, 

 April 1887).— A memoir by Prof. Cayley on the transformation 

 of elliptic functions, develops the algebraical theory established 

 by Jacobi in the " Fundamenta Nova" (1829), and discusses 

 other researches in this field by Jacobi, Brioschi, and the writer 

 (see Brioschi's second appendix to his translation of Cayley 's 

 " Treatise on Elliptic Functions," and other papers cited in the 

 present memoir). — Mr. G. P. Young contributes a long account 

 of " Forms, necessary and sufficient, of the roots of pure uni- 

 serial Abelian equations " ; and the number closes with some 

 eighteen pages of tables under the heading " Symmetric Func- 

 tions of the 14''=," by W. P. Durfee,— these are arranged accord- 

 ing to the second of the author's methods used in vol. v., where 

 tables are given for the 12''^. In vol. vi. it maybe noted Capt. 

 Macmahon does a similar work for the I3'<^. 



In the numbers of the Journal of Botany for March and April, 

 a species (or sub-species) of Rubus new to science is described by 

 Mr. E. F. Linton, from Norfolk, under the name R. lucens, 

 afterwards substituted by R. Icetus. The remarkable Equisetum 

 littorale, differing from all other species of the genus in the 

 absence of elaters, is recorded as British (and figured) by Mr. 

 Beeby, on the faith of specimens from Surrey. Mr, Spruce 

 concludes his elaborate description of his new species of Hepa- 

 ticse, Lejeunia Holtii, from Killarney. The remaining articles 

 are of merely local or technical interest. 



The number of the Nuovo Giornale Botanico Italiano for 

 April is almost entirely occupied by articles of interest to Italian 

 botanists. In addition to those referring to the distribution of 

 species, Sig. L. Savastano has two short papers. The first 

 refers to the parasitism of Agaricus melleus. From experiments 

 made on a number of different trees, the author concludes that 

 this fungus does not attack healthy trees, but only those that are 

 weakly or diseased. In the second paper, on Gummosis, he 

 adduces facts to show that this morbid phenomenon is to a large 

 extent dependent on temperature, being less frequent in the 

 northern than the southern portion of the zone of cultivation of 

 any given species. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 

 London. 



Royal Society, May 5.— "The Proteids of the Seeds of 

 Ahrus precatorius (Jequirity)." By Sidney Martin, M.D. 

 Lond. , Pathologist to the Victoria Park Hospital, Communi- 

 cated by Prof. E, A, Schafer, F,R.S. 



Two proteids were found in the saline extract of the crushed 

 seeds ; one a globulin, identical with that occurring in papaw- 

 juice, and belonging to the group of vegetable paraglobulins ; 

 the other an albumose, identical with what the author has de- 

 scribed as a-phytalbumose in the papaw-juice. Attention was 

 called to the differences between the class of vegetable para- 

 globulins and the vegetable myosins, which differ in the fact 

 that the latter become readily changed into an albuminate when 

 the sodium chloride holding them in solution is dialyzed away. 



The investigation of the proteids is preliminary to that of 

 their physiological action 



"Note on the Microscopic Structure of Rock Specime 

 from Three Peaks in the Caucasus." By Prof. T. G. Bonne 

 D.Sc, LL.D., F.R.S. 



These specimens are from three localities in the Caucasus, ; 

 difficult of access, viz. the peaks of Tau Tetnuld, Guluku, ai 

 Elbruz. The first and second are peaks near together in t 

 central part of the Caucasus ; the specimens were collected 

 1886 by Mr. W. F. Donkin. (i) Tau Tetnuld : one specim 

 from near the summit, representative of the rock forming all t 

 upper part of the mountain. It is a mica-schist, which has be 

 much crushed subsequent to its first crystallization. (2) Guluk 

 a series of rocks representing the upper part of the mountain 

 granitoid and gneissoid rocks and strong schists. These affb 

 indications of more or less mechanical disturbance. In or 

 the garnets have been flattened out into elongated ovals, a: 

 ultimately cracked. The specimens indicate a succession 

 different rocks, possibly resulting from original stratificatic 

 though true granite probably forms part of the mountain. ( 

 From the western crater-peak of Elbruz, collected, in 1874, 

 by Mr. H. Walker (from the highest rocks, more than 17,500 ft 

 above the sea). It is a hornblende-andesite, not containi 

 quartz, and thus is different from those on the lower part of t 

 mountain. 



Linnean Society, May 5. — Mr, W. Carruthers, F. R. S., Pre 

 dent, in the chair. — Mr. E. W. Forrest, and Mr. G. Pen 

 were elected Fellows ; Mr. W. H. Beeby, Mr. A. D. Kei 

 and Mr. J. M. Wood were elected Associates ; Prof. G. 

 Schweinfurth, Prof. H. Solms-Laubach, Dr. Franz Steindachn^ 

 Dr. M. Treub, and Prof A. Weismann were elected Forei 

 Members of the Society. — The auditors chosen to examine t 

 Treasurer's accounts were Mr. F, V. Dickins and Mr. G. Ma 

 to represent the Fellows, and Mr. J, E. Harting and Mr. A. 

 Michael for the Council. — Mr. J. W. Willis-Bund exhibit 

 specimens of the rainbow trout (Salmo irideus) reared in t 

 fish-culture establishment, Delaford Park. Though from eg 

 of the same batch, the fish were very unequal in size. Frc 

 the evidence of its being a migratory fish and other facts, > 

 Bund doubts the value of its introduction into this country a 

 stream trout. — Photos were shown and a letter read from ^ 

 J. G. Otto Tepper regarding a gall formation on Sccwola sp, 

 escens observed by him at Yorke's Peninsula, South Austral 

 — On behalf of Mr. W. Brockbank, there was exhibited pho 

 graphs of a series of forms of Narcissus reflexus of Brotero, fr( 

 Ancora, North Portugal, and grown in his garden at Didsbu: 

 N. reflexus is ranked as a species by Nyman ; but the variati 

 in the Portuguese plant is so great in the size and shape of t 

 corona, that it is evident no definite line of demarcation can 

 drawn between the Spanish N. triandrus and the Brittany . 

 calathinus. It would seem, therefore, that all the varietal for 

 of the section Ganymedes constitute a single species, — Mr. 

 Harris Stone exhibited the flowers of Nicotiana glauca fn 

 Fuerteventura and Sanzarote, Canaries, The plant is a nat: 

 of Buenos Ayres, where it grows 10 feet high. It seems to ht 

 been introduced into the Canary Islands about 1867-69, sir 

 which date it has run wild, and is now to be met with flouri; 

 ing as a weed on the path sides and in the villages, attaining 

 height of 3 or 4 feet. The natives call it "mismo" (sani 

 as spreading everywhere the same over the islands, — Pho 

 graphs of the mud volcanoes of Trinidad, and of the Peak 

 Rakata, volcano of Krakatab, after the eruption, were exhibit 

 respectively by Mr. R. V. Sherring and for M. Verbeek, 

 Mr. F. J, Hanbury called attention to specimens of hyb 

 Primulas. — A paper was read, viz. experimental obser 

 tions on certain heteroecious Uredines, by Mr. Chas. B. Pic 

 right. Among these, Puccinia phalaridis, P. arenariicc 

 Gymnosporangium clavariaforme, G. funiperimum, and 

 sabincs more particularly engaged the author's attention ; i 

 details of the cultures and analyses of the experiments be; 

 given. — There followed a paper on Vaccinitun intermedium a 

 new British plant, by Mr. N. E. Brown. It was discovered 

 Prof, Bonney at Cannock Chase, August 1886, growing pier 

 fully in certain spots ; V. myrtillus and V. Vitis-Idcea bei 

 also abundant. Mr. Brown regards the plant in question a; 

 hybrid between the two latter species, and to have original 

 independently at Cannock Chase, and not been introduced fn 

 the Continent. — A paper was read by Mr, R. A. Rolfe, 

 bigeneric orchid hybrids, the subject being treated chiefly w 

 reference to its bearing upon classification. After pointing < 

 that these hybrids, as in the case of those between species of I 

 same genus, were more or less intermediate between the t' 



