268 



NATURE 



[January io, 1901 



South Wales, Part ii., by R. H. Cambage. The vegetation met 

 with in journeying from Cobar to the Bogan River above Nyngan, 

 a distance of about 120 miles, is described, with special reference 

 to the Eucalypts and their relation to geological formations. — On 

 the Australian fairy-ring puff-ball {Lycoperdon furfuraceum, 

 Schaeff.), by D. McAlpine. Bare circular patches met with in 

 certain bowling-greens in the suburbs of Melbourne were found 

 to be caused by a puff-ball which produced the appearance 

 known as "fairy-rings." The puff-ball causing these rings is 

 Lycoperdon furfuraceum, Schaeff., a fungus which has not 

 hitherto been recorded from Australia, nor has it been found 

 associated with "fairy-rings" in the Old World. — Studies on 

 Australian Mollusca, Part iii., by C. Hedley. — Several moUuscan 

 genera new to Australia — Blaunerta, Stenothyra, Leuconopsis and 

 Iravadia — are here announced, all but the first-named of these 

 being represented by new species. A new genus is erected for the 

 reception of Neritula lucida. Ad. and Angas. New marine 

 species from New South Wales, a new snail from Queensland, 

 and records of new habitats conclude the article. — Note on an 

 echidna with eight cervical vertebrae, by Dr. R. Broom. In 

 a series of skeletons of echidna tabulated by McKay (Proc. 

 Linn. Soc. N.S.W. (2), ix. 1894, p. 265) considerable variation 

 in number is shown in all the groups of vertebrae with the ex- 

 ception of the cervicals. In the case now described, the eighth 

 vertebra, which ought to be the first dorsal, is provided with a 

 pair of quite rudimentary ribs, and is thus really a cervical ver- 

 tebra. — On the ossification of the vertebrae in the wombat and 

 other marsupials, by Dr. R. Broom. An examination of the 

 mode of ossification of the vertebrae in a number of types of 

 marsupials has revealed some interesting points. The odontoid 

 process of the axis is ossified from a single median centre instead 

 of from a pair as in man and probably most of the higher mam- 

 mals. The 3rd-7th cervical vertebrae are ossified from three 

 centres. The dorsal vertebrae are developed similarly to those 

 in the higher mammals ; and in the majority of marsupials the 

 same may be said of the lumbar vertebrae. In the wombat 

 {Pkascolomys mitchelli), however, a remarkably interesting ex- 

 ceptional condition is presented. The first three lumbar ver- 

 tebrae are developed from three centres as in man, but the fourth 

 differs in having well-marked autogenous transverse processes. 

 — Contribution to the bacterial flora of the Sydney water 

 supply. Part ii., by R. Greig Smith. A rdsumd is given of the 

 various methods that have been recommended for the selective 

 examination of water and especially for the separation of Bad. 

 typhi and Bad. coli commune. 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



THURSDAY, January to. 



Mathematical Society, at 5.30.-011 the Singularities of Quartic 

 Curves : A. B. Basset, F.R.S. — On Streaming Motions past Cylindrical 

 Boundaries : Prof. Love, F.R.S. — On some Cases of the Solution of 

 ;);»"= I, mod. /: Prof. F. S. Carey. — On the Zeroes of Bessel's 

 Functions: E. W. Barnes. — A Proof of the Third Fundamental Theorem 

 in Lie's Theory of Continuous Groups : J. E. Campbell. 



Institution OF Electrical Engineeks, at 8. — Capacity in Alternate 



Current Working : W. M. Mordey. And, if time permit : The Use 



of Aluminium as an Electrical Conductor, with New Observations upon 

 the Durability of Aluminium and other Metals under Atmospheric Ex- 

 posure : John B. C. Kershaw. 



FRIDAY, January ii. 



Royal Astronomical Society, at 8. — On Mechanically Correcting the 

 Rotation of the Field of a Siderostat : H. H. Turner. — On a Method of 

 Reducing Occultations of Stars by the Moon, together with the Reduc- 

 tion of Occultations observed on Three Occasions at the Liverpool Ob- 

 servatory : H. C. Plummer. — On the Accuracy of Eye Observations of 

 Meteors, and the Determination of their Radiant Point: Bryan Cook- 

 son. — Leonids observed at Cambridge Observatory, November 13-15, 

 1900 : J. C. W. Herschel. 



Institution of Civil Engineers, at 8.— Geodesy : Wilfrid Airy. 



Malacological Society, at 8.— On the Anatomy of Helix ampulla 

 of Benson and its Generic position in the Ariophantinas : Lieut. -Colonel 

 H. H. Godwin-Austen.— A Third Report on Japanese Helicoid Land- 

 shells : G. K. Gude. — On the Anatomy of Buliininus djurdjurengis, 

 Ancey, from the Djurdjura Mountains, Kabylia : R. Murdoch. 



MONDAY, January 14. 

 Royal Geographical Society, at 8.30.— Explorations in the Canadian 



Rocky Mountains : Prof. Norman Collie, F.R.S. 

 Institution of Mechanical Engineers, at" 8. —The Structure of 



Metals : Prof. J. A. Ewing, F.R.S. 



TUESDAY, ]p.Tiv\KV IS. 

 Royal Institution, at 3.— Practical Mechanics: Prof. J. A. Ewine, 



F.R.S. 

 Zoological Society, at 8.30. — Third Contribution to the Ichthyology of 



Lake Tanganyika : G. A. Boulenger, F.R.S — On some New and Inte- 

 resting Exotic Spiders collected by Messrs. G. A. iK. Marshall and R. 

 Shelford : Rev. O. P. Cambridge, F.R.S. — Contributions to the Anatomy 

 of Picarian Birds. No. IV. On the Skeleton of the Ground-Hornbills, 

 Bucorvus abyssiniciis and B. coffer: F. E. Beddard, F.R.S. 



Institution of Civil Engineers, at 8. — Papers to be further discussed : 

 Glasgow Bridge : B. H. Blyth. — Railway Bridge over the Fitzroy River, 

 at Rockhampton, Queensland : W. J. IDoak. — The Niagara Falls and 



Clifton Steel Arch Bridge : L. L. Buck. Paper to be read, time per- 



niitting : The Present Condition and Prospects of the Panama Canal 

 Works : J. T. Ford. 



Roval Statistical Society, at 5. 



WEDNESDAY, January 16. 

 Society of Arts, at 8. — Photography of Natural Colours by the 



McDonough-Joly Process : H. Snowden Ward. 

 Royal Meteorological Society, at 7.45. — Annual General Meeting. — 



Address on the Climate of Norway and its Factors, by the President, Dr. 



C. Theodore Williams. 

 Royal Microscopical Society, at 8. — Annual Meeting. — Address by the 



President. 

 Entomol gical Society, at 8. — Annual Meeting. 



THURSDAY, January 17. 



Royal Society, at 4.30. 



Royal Institution, at 3. — The Origin of Vertebrate Animals : Dr. 

 Arthur Willey. 



Society of Arts (Indian Section), at 4.30. — Metalliferous Mining in 

 India: Dr. John W. Evans. 



LiNNEAN Society, at 8. — On the Affinities oi Aeluropus melanoleuctcs. 

 Prof. E. Ray Lankester, F.R.S., with a Description of the Skull and 

 some of the Limb-bones : R. Lydekker, F.R.S. — On the Natural History 

 and Artificial Cultivation of the Pearl Oyster : Dr. H. Lyster Jameson. 



Chemical Society, at 8.. — The Preparation of Esters from other Esters 

 of the same Acid : T. S. Patterson and Cyril Dickinson. — Tecomin : a 

 Colouring Matter derived from Bignonia recoi/ia : T. H. Lee. — A New 

 Method for the Measurement of Ionic Velocities in Aqueous Solution : 

 B. D. Steele. — Metal-Ammonia Compounds in Aqueous Solution. II. 

 The Absorptive Powers ef Dilute Solutions of Salts of the Alkali Metals : 

 H. M. Dawson and J. McCrae. 



^■/f/Z»/4 K, January 18. 



Royal Institution, at 9. — Gases at the Beginning and End of the 

 Century : Prof. J. Dewar, F.R.S. 



Institution of Mechanical Engineers, at 8. — Annual General Meet- 

 ing. — Possibe discussion upon Mr. H. A. Humphrey's paper on Power 

 Gas and Large Gas-Engines for Central Stations. 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



The Science of Ore Deposits. By Prof. H. Louis . 245 

 The Theory of " Screws." By Prof. J. D. Everett, 



F.R.S. 246 



Cultivation and Manufacture of Tobacco. ByJ. W. 248 

 Our Book Shelf :— 



" Briefwechsel zwischen Franz Unger und Stephan 



Endlicher" 248 



" The British Journal Photographic Almanac, 1901 " 249 



Fitz-Gerald: " The Lead Storage Battery " .... 249 



Shenstone : " The Elements of Inorganic Chemistry " 249 



" The Thompson-Yates Laboratories Report "... 249 



Biehringer : " Einfuhrung in die Stochiometrie " . . 250 



Gages: " Travail des Metaux derives du Fer " . . . 250 

 Letters to the Editor: — 



The Stability of a Swarm of Meteorites. — Prof. 



Andrew Gray, F.R.S. 250 



An Artificial Representation of a Total Solar Eclipse. 



[Illusiraled.)— 'Prof. R. W. Wood 250 



Sexual Dimorphism. — ^J. T. Cunningham ; Prof^ 



R, Meldola, F.R.S 251 



Direction of Spirals in Horns. — George Wherry . 252 



Liquid Air. — ^J. Adam 252 



A Nest of Young Starlings in Winter. — R. H. F. . 252 

 Some Animals Exterminated during the Nine- 

 teenth Century. By R. L 252 



Climbing in the Himalayas. {Illustrated.) By Prof. 



T. G. Bonney, F.R.S 254 



The Royal Indian Engineering College 256 



Notes 256 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Elements of Comet 1900 (c) 260 



New Variable Stars 260 



Visible Spectrum of Nova Aquilae 260 



Normal Positions of Ceres » . . . . 260 



The Panoram Kodak. By C. J 261 



Some Recent Advances in Biological Science. By 



Prof. G. B, Howes, F.R.S 261 



University and Educational Intelligence 265 



Scientific Serial 266 



Societies and Academies 266 



Diary of Societies 268 



NO. 1628, VOL. 63] 



