278 



NA rURE 



[July 



897 



to those introduced by Admiral FitzRoy in this country. But 

 in the year 1866, when these signals were temporarily dis- 

 continued here, and shortly afterwards re-established in a slightly 

 modified form, Buys Ballot adopted an apparatus called Aero- 

 clinoscope, a kind of semaphore with mast and arm, by means 

 of which the direction and magnitude of the barometric differ- 

 ences from the normal conditions between certain places were 

 made known. The system to be adopted during the current 

 year is .similar to that used on the German coasts, viz. a ball, 

 two cones and two black flags by day, and red lamps by night. 

 They are to be established at thirty-nine stations ; and with a 

 view to making the system as useful as possible, additional 

 telegraphic information is received at the central office in 

 Utrecht twice or thrice daily from various countries, to supple- 

 ment the observations made in Holland. Much credit is due to 

 the Dutch Meteorological Institute for undertaking this ex- 

 pensive work, for the general benefit of navigators. 



The Central Meteorological Office of France has just 

 published in its Annales a useful catalogue of all meteorological 

 observations made in France from the earliest times down to 

 the year 1850. The catalogue has been prepared at a great 

 cost of time and labour by M. Angot, by means of personal 

 visits and by circulars issued through the Ministry of Public 

 Instruction, and contains particulars of observations made at 

 241 stations. If similar catalogues were published for all 

 countries, they would greatly facilitate meteorological researches, 

 especially those relating to periodical phenomena, which are 

 often frustrated for the want of knowing where to find observ- 

 ations of long duration. 



Mr. R. Thaxter contributes to the Memoirs of the 

 American Academy of Arts and Sciences a very interesting 

 monograph of the Laboulbeniacece, an order of Ascomycetous 

 Fungi which shows a remarkable analogy in structure to the 

 highest family of Alga, the Floride?e. The Laboiilbeniacea are all 

 minute parasites on living insects, chiefly aquatic ; the larger 

 number are American ; and for our knowledge of the family we are 

 largely indebted to Mr. Thaxter. Of the twenty-eight genera 

 described in the monograph, only nine have at present been 

 found in the Old World. The main body of the fungus is 

 usually quite simple in structure, is composed of several cells, 

 and is attached to the chitinous integument of the insect, not 

 penetrating its tissue in the form of a mycelium. The sexual 

 organs of reproduction are antheridia and procarps, the latter 

 being multicellular structures containing a carpogenic cell, and 

 bearing a trichogyne resembling that of the Floridege. After 

 fertilisation the asci are developed from the carpogenic cell, en- 

 closed in a perithecium which resembles in many respects the 

 cystocarp of the Floridese. The spermatozoids or pollinoids are 

 very minute, often rod-shaped bodies, and attach themselves in 

 large numbers to the trichogyne, though actual fusion has not 

 been observed. The trichogyne varies much in complexity of 

 structure. It is never in direct communication with the carpo- 

 genic cell ; the fertilising process must be conveyed through one 

 or through several cells before it reaches the carpogenic cell. 

 The author believes that the nucleus of the spermatozoids must 

 pass from cell to cell through the length of the trichogyne, before 

 impregnating the female nucleus in the carpogenic cell, a 

 phenomenon which he states to be without its parallel in either 

 the animal or the vegetable kingdom. 



A NEW^ edition (the fourth) of Mr. Marriott's "Hints to 

 Meteorological Observers" has just been issued by Mr. E. 

 Stanford. 



The first report of Mr. J. C. Willis, the Director of the 

 Royal Botanic Gardens, Ceylon, and successor to the late Dr. 

 Trimen, has just come to hand. 



NO. 1447, VOL. 56] 



The Report for 1895 of the Botanical Exchange Club of the 

 British Isles (just received and dated 1897), by Mr. W. H. 

 Beeby, contains a number of notes on critical species, as well as- 

 a record of many fresh localities. 



The current number of the British Medical Journal contains 

 a list of the papers to be read, and the discussions announced to 

 take place, at the forthcoming meeting of the British Medical 

 Association in Montreal. 



The tenth annual report of the Scientific Society of the 

 University of North Wales, for the Session 1896-97, has reached 

 us. It contains brief abstracts of the papers and addresses 

 which were given during the Session. 



The McGill University, of Montreal, has just issued the 

 announcement of its Faculty of Applied Science for the Session 

 1897-98. The pamphlet contains all the preliminary inform- 

 ation likely to be of use to those who may be thinking ot 

 taking instruction in science at the University. 



Messrs. Sonnenschein and Co. announce as in prepara- 

 tion "The Laws of Thought," by Mrs. Boole, who, since the 

 death of her husband, has been engaged in translating the results 

 of his researches into language intelligible to all familiar with 

 the elements of arithmetic and geometry. 



Messrs. Bliss, Sands, and Co. will shortly commence the 

 publication of a new scientific series, entitled " The Progressive 

 Science Series," edited by Mr. Frank Beddard, F.R.S. The 

 volumes will aim at pointing out the lines of future discovery, 

 but they will also contain sufficient historical and expository 

 matter to enable students and investigators to learn what has 

 been done. The late Prof. Cope wrote a volume on " Verte- 

 brate Palaeontology " for the series, which will also include a 

 volume by Dr. Geikie on "Earth Structure"; one by Dr. 

 St. George Mivart on "The Groundwork of Science," and 

 one by Prof. Bonney on "Volcanoes." Other volumes are in 

 contemplation on heredity in relation to crime ; theories of 

 matter ; and the relation between science and religion. The 

 series when completed will comprise works on every branch of 

 science, some half-dozen or more being published in each year 

 at first. 



Among the articles and other publications which have come 

 under our notice within the past few days are :— " Heredity 

 and Neurosis," by Dr. Geo. H. Savage (in Brain, Parts Ixxvii. 

 and Ixxviii. ). This (the presidential address to the Neurological 

 Society of London for 1897) is a paper in which the relation- 

 ships of the neuroses are compared, and the lineal descent of 

 these disorders of mental function are traced. The article is 

 thus a valuable contribution to the facts of evolution. — "The 

 Structure of Cross-striated Muscle, and a suggestion as to the 

 Nature of its Contraction," by W. M'Dougall, in the journal 

 of Anatomy and Physiology (July). The paper is illustrated 

 with half-tone reproductions of more than fifty photo-micrographs 

 of sections of muscles and fibres. The suggestion as to the 

 cause of contraction is formulated as follows : " Contraction is 

 the result of an increase in the volume of the fluid contents of 

 the sacromere, and relaxation is accompanied by a diminution 

 in their volume." — A detailed report on the violent Laibach 

 earthquake of April 14, 1895, illustrated by four plates and 

 forty-two text-figures, is given by Dr. Franz E. Suess, in the 

 Jahrbuch d. k.k. geol. Reichsanstalt, Vienna (vol. xlvi. ). The 

 report extends over nearly five hundred pages of the Jahrbtuh, 

 An earthquake said to resemble in many points the disturbance 

 which Dr. Suess discusses, is reported to have occurred a 

 Laibach shortly before seven o'clock on the morning of Thurs- 

 day last, July 15. Considerable damage appears to have been 

 done. — A finely-coloured geological and topographical map of 

 the northern part of the Lake of the Woods and adjacent country 

 has been published by the Geological Survey of Canada. 



