IQO 



NA TURE 



[June 23, 



the Subwealden Exploration. Another discovery was in a deep 

 artesian boring in the stable-yard of the New Heathfield Hotel. 

 In 1896, at a site about ICX3 yards distant from the last- 

 mentioned locality, a boring was put down by the London, 

 Brighton and South Coast Railway Co., the de' ails of which 

 are given in the paper, together with those of the earlier Heath- 

 field boring. From this boring gas has been escaping for the 

 last eighteen months, with a pressure of not less than 15 lb. to 

 the square inch, and at the rate of about 12^ cubic feet per 

 hour (with a pressure of 20 tenths maintained), although the 

 tube is stopped up, and is partially filled with water (see Nature, 

 vol. lii. p. 150). Though deficient in illuminating quality, the 

 gas burns well when mixed with air, and gives a good bunsen- 

 flame. The author considers that it is probably derived from 

 the lower beds pierced, that is, the Purbeck strata, or by per- 

 colation from the still lower Kimeridge beds, which were not 

 reached by the borings. The borings pierce the southern slope 

 of the great anticline which runs from Fairlight into mid-Sussex, 

 and is joined at Heathfield by another considerable anticline 

 running through Byrwash.— Note on natural gas at Heathfield 

 Station (Sussex), by Dr. J. T. Hewitt. A sample of natural 

 gas from the boring described above was taken in December 

 1897, and analysed with the following result : Methane, 91 '9 ; 

 hydrogen, 7 '2 ; nitrogen, o'9. Oxygen, carbon dioxide, carbon 

 monoxide, o.lefines, and hydrocarbon vapours were altogether 

 absent. — On some high-level gravels in Berkshire and Oxford- 

 shire, by O. A. Shrubsole. The high-level gravels are divided 

 by the author as follows, beginning with the oldest : ( i ) Pebble- 

 gravel, composed very largely of fhnt or chert ; (2) the Goring 

 Gap gravel ; (3) quartzose gravel, with only a small proportion 

 of flint-pebbles ; (4) quartzite-gravel, with purple and brown 

 quartzite-pebbles ; (5) local flint-gravels.— The Globigerina- 

 marls of Barbados, by G. F. Franks and Prof. J. B. Harrison, 

 with an appendix on the Foraminifera by F. Chapman. After 

 a reference to previous publications on the island by one of the 

 authors and Mr. Jukes-Browne, an account is given of the 

 tectonic structure of Bissex Hill, on which the principal ex- 

 posures of the Globigerina-xaz.x\. occur. In the appendix a list 

 of 146 species of foraminifera is given. Fifteen of these occur 

 only in strata ranging from the Cretaceous to the Pliocene 

 Period. The rocks bear some resemblance to the limestones 

 and marls of Malta and to the Globigeritia-heds of Trinidad ; 

 the recent foraminifera indicate that the deposit was formed at 

 a depth of about 1000 fathoms and at some distance from land. 



Zoological Society, June 7.— Dr. Albert Giinther, F.R.S., 

 Vice-President, in the chair.— Mr. L. A. Borradaile read the 

 second part of a paper on Crustaceans from the South Pacific. 

 In this part twenty-one species of Macrura anomala, examples 

 pf which had been collected in the islands of Rotuma and 

 Funafuti by Mr. J. Stanley Gardiner, were enumerated, and 

 notes were given on several of them. Under the head of 

 Petrolisthes lamarcki the author proposed to unite a number of 

 forms previously considered as specifically distinct. — A com- 

 munication was read from Mr. A. E. Shipley containing an 

 account of the gephyrea or unsegmented worms collected by Mr. 

 J. Stanley Gardiner at Rotuma and Funafuti. These comprised 

 examples of two species of Echiuroidea and twelve of 

 Sipunculoidea. Of the latter group two new species were 

 described, viz. Sipuncuhis rotumahensis and S. funafuti, and 

 Physcosoma varians was recorded for the first time from the 

 Pacific. — Mr. G. A. Boulenger, F.R.S., read a fourth report on 

 the additions to the Batrachian Collection in the Natural History 

 Museum, containing a list of the species of this class (115 in 

 number), new or previously unrepresented, of which speciniens 

 had been added to the collection since November 1894. Eight 

 pew species were described in this paper.— Mr. G. A. Boulenger, 

 on behalf of Count Peracca, gave an account of a new species 

 of newt (M7/^£ iVa/zVa), recently discovered in Southern Italy, 

 and exhibited some living specimens of it. — A communication 

 was read from Mr. L. W. Wigles worth, entitled " Theories of 

 the Origin of Secondary Sexual Characters," which contained 

 arguments in favour of the theory of the stimulation of parts to 

 higher development through use or external violence or irritation, 

 as observed in birds. — A communication was read from the Rev. 

 O. Pickard Cambridge, F.R.S. It contained an account of a 

 collection of Araneidea from Savoy, comprising examples of 

 twenty-four species, one of which {Gnaphosa molesta) was 

 described as new. 



Mathematical Society, June 9.— Prof. E. B. Elliott, 

 F.R.S., President, in the chair.— The President briefly noticed 



NO. 1495, VOL. 58] 



the loss sustained by the Society owing to the recent deaths of 

 Mr. H. Perigal (elected January 23, 1868) and of the Rev. Dr. 

 I'ercival Frost, F.R.S. (elected December 9, 1869) (see Nature, 

 No. 1493, P- 130- — The following communications were made : 

 Point-groups in a plane, and their effect in determining algebraic 

 curves, by Mr. F. S. Macaulay. — On a regular rectangular con- 

 figuration of ten lines, by Prof. F. Morley. — On the conformal 

 representation of a pentagon on a half-plane, by Miss M. E. Bar- 

 well. — On the general theory of anharmonics, by Prof. E. O. 

 Lovett. — On the calculus of equivalent statements (eighth 

 paper), by Mr. H. MacColl. — On a continuous group defined by 

 any given group of finite order (second paper), by Prof. W. Burn- 

 side, F.R.S. — On certain regular polygons in modular network, 

 by Prof. L. J. Rogers. 



Royal Meteorological Society, June 15. — Mr. F. C. 

 Bayard, President, in the chair. — A paper by Mr. R. C. Moss- 

 man was read on the frequency of non-instrumental meteoro- 

 logical phenomena in London with different winds from 1763- 

 1897. In previous papers the author has discussed the secular 

 and seasonal variation of various phenomena, and he now gives 

 the results of an analysis of the direction of the surface winds 

 observed during the occurrence of snow, hail, gales, thunder- 

 storms, lightning, fog, and aurora. Snow is of most frequent 

 occurrence with north and east winds, and least common with 

 S.W. winds. Hail showers occur most often with W., N.W., 

 and N. winds. Gales are most frequent with W. and S. winds. 

 The greatest number of both summer and winter thunderstorms 

 occurs with W. winds, although the values in summer are high 

 with E., S.E., and S. winds. The greatest number of fogs are 

 recorded on calm days, closely followed by days on which the 

 wind blew from the east. — A paper, by Mr. A. L. Rotch, was 

 also read on the exploration of the free air by means of kites at 

 Blue Hill Observatory, Mass., U.S.A. After giving a brief 

 account of the use of kites for scientific purposes from 1 749 to 

 the present time, the author describes the various forms of kites 

 which have been employed at Blue Hill Observatory, viz. the 

 Eddy, or Malay tailless kite ; the Hargrave cellular or box kite ; 

 and the Lamson aero-curve kite, the highest flight was on 

 October 15, 1897, when, by means of four kites having a com- 

 bined lifting surface of 150 square feet, the meteorograph at the 

 end of 20,100 feet of wire was raised vertically 11,080 feet 

 above the hill. About 200 records from kites have been ob- 

 tained in the free air at heights from 100 to ii,ooo feet in all 

 kinds of weather. Mr. Rotch maintains that the kite can ba 

 made of the greatest importance for meteorological investigation. 

 At the recent meeting of the International Aeronautical Com- 

 mittee at Strassburg it was recommended that all central observ- 

 atories should employ kites as being of prime importance for 

 the advancement of meteorological kno.vledge. 



Edinburgh. 

 Royal Society, June 6. — Lord McLaren in the chair.— 

 Prof. C. G. Knott read a paper on magnetic strains, being 

 a continuation of a paper already published in the Transactions. 

 Iron, nickel, and cobalt tubes of various dimensions were studied 

 in detail. As a rule each was the subject of four distinct 

 experiments. The change of length in the magnetic field was 

 first measured ; then the change of volume of the material ; 

 thirdly, the change ot volume of the bore ; and finally the 

 change of external volume of the tube when plugged up at both 

 ei)ds. From these the coefficients of strain of an element at 

 both the internal and external surface were calculated. Many 

 details of interest were touched upon, and the general conclusion 

 arrived at that the system of stresses required to maintain the 

 complicated state of strain indicated could not be accounted for 

 in terms of any of the recognised theories connecting magnetism 

 and stress. — Dr. A. T. Masterman read a paper on the further 

 anatomy and the budding processes of Cephalodiscus dodeca- 

 lophus. Among the chief features dealt with may be mentioned 

 the following. The pharynx has special adaptations for the 

 separation of food and water currents, e.g. hyper- and hypo- 

 pharyngeal grooves, the peripharyngeal groove, the pharyngeal 

 clefts, &c. The notochord of the Chordata may be primarily 

 derived from this source as a channel for cloacal water. The 

 pedicle or ventral sucker has a ventral nerve cord and two 

 ventro-lateral cords, a dorsal and a ventral blood sinus and 

 complete inner layer of longitudinal muscles. The buds arise 

 usually in pairs ventrally. The pharyngeal clefts arise as 

 endodermal diverticula, which break through the ectoderm to 

 the exterior. The sexual development commences in the egg 



