March 9, 1893] 



NATURE 



455 



certain industries may be obviated. — The sling psychrometer, 

 by Prof. II. A. Hazen, and the aspiration versus the sling 

 psychrometer, by A. L. Rotch. Both papers deal with the 

 comparative merits of the two instruments for balloon observa- 

 tions. 



IViedemanns Annalen der Physik und Chemie, No. 2. — 

 Among the papers in this number are the following : — A 

 modified astatic galvanometer, by H. E. J. G. du Bois and H. 

 Rubens. To minimise the effects of disturbing vibrations as 

 producing false oscillations about a vertical axis, the suspended 

 system is given perfect "inertia symmetry " about the axis of 

 the fibre, and all flat parts of it are distributed so as to have 

 equal areas in two mutually perpendicular planes. Quartz fibres 

 are used for suspension. — Bolometric investigations of the 

 grating spectrum, by F-. Paschen. — The fundamental law 

 of complementary colours, by Paul Glan. To determine 

 the amount of light absorbed by the pigment of the yellow 

 spot during transmission to the optically sensitive nerves, 

 two candles of equal luminosity were observed with one eye 

 through glasses o( various colours, the one direct, and the other 

 at such an angle that its image fell outside the margin of the 

 yellow spot. The candles were shifted till both appeared 

 equally bright, and their respective distances were measured. 

 Taking the coefficient of absorption for red light as = i, that 

 for yellow (5828) was 0889, for wave-length 5222 it was 0171, 

 4856 (blue) o'269, and for white light 0^424. In this way the 

 conclusion was arrived at that the intensities of complementary 

 colours reaching the retina must be equal in order to give the 

 impression of white. — Experiences with the self-acting mercury 

 pump, by A. Raps. Several improvements are described, 

 tending to make the working more rapid. It was found that 

 the fear of contaminating the mercury by the use of black 

 flexible india-rubber tubes was unfounded. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 

 London. 

 Entomological Society, February 22. — Mr. Henry John 

 Elwes, President, in the chair. — Mr. F. J. Hanbury exhibited, on 

 behalf of Mr. Percy H. Russ, of Sligo, several long and very vari- 

 able seriesof Ai^n'ottstn^tci, A. valligera, sind A. cursoria, together 

 with Irish forms of many other species, some of which we 

 believe to be new to Ireland. Mr. W. H. B. Fletcher made 

 some remarks on the species. — Mr. R. W. Lloyd exhibited 

 specimens of a species of Acarus found in New Zealand wheat. 

 He stated that Mr. A. D. Michael had examined the specimens, 

 and pronounced them to belong to Tyroglyphus farina, a species 

 which had been known for over a hundred years as a destroyer 

 of corn, and was only too abundant all over Europe, and pro- 

 bably over the temperate regions of the world. — Mr. E. B. 

 Poulton, F. R. S., exhibited, and made remarks on, a number 

 oi cocoons oi Halias prasinatta, in order to show the changes 

 of colour produced in them by their surroundings ; he also 

 exhibited the coloured backgrounds employed by him in his re- 

 centexperiments on the colours of larvae and pupae, and illustrated 

 his remarks by numerousdrawings on the blackboard. — Dr. T. A. 

 Chapman exhibited by means of the oxy-hydrogen lantern, photo- 

 graphs of the larva of Nemtobitts lucina in its first stage, showing 

 the conjoined dorsal tubercles, each carrying two hairs, which 

 are remarkable in being divided into two branches. For com- 

 parison he also showed, by means of the lantern, drawings of 

 the young larva of Papilio ajax, after Scudder, and of a portion 

 of a segment oi Smerinthtis populi, as the only instances known 

 to him of similar dichoiomous hair sin lepidopterous larvae. Mr. 

 Poulton pointed out that he had described the forked hairs of 

 Stnerinlhus in the Society's "Transactions" for 1885, and that 

 .such hairs were even better developed in the genus Hemaris 

 originally described, as he believed, by Curtis. Mr. Poulton, 

 also said that he had noticed similar forked hairs covering the 

 newly-hatched larva' of Geoinetra papilionaria. — Dr. Chapman 

 read a paper— which was illustrated by the oxy-hydrogen lantern 

 — entitled " On some neglected points in the structure of the 

 Pupa of Heterocerous Lepidoptera and their probable value in 

 classification." A discussion ensued, in which Mr. Poulton, Mr. 

 Champion, and Mr. Merrifield took part. — Dr. F. A. Dixey 

 communicj^ted a paper entitled " On the phylogenetic signifi- 

 cance of the variations produced by differences of temperature 

 on Vanessa atalanta." The President, Mr. Merrifield, Mr. 

 Poulton, Dr. Chapman, and Mr. Tutt took part in the discussion 

 which ensued. 



NO. I 2 19, VOL. 47] 



Zoological Society, February 28.— Sir W. H. Flower, 

 F.R.S., President, in the chair. — Mr. A. D. Michael exhibited 

 some specimens of the Ixodes, known locally in the West Indies 

 as the " St. Kitts" or "Gold Tick," received from Mr. C. A. 

 Barber, of the Agricultural Department, Antigua. — A com- 

 munication was read from M. A. Milne-Edwards respecting 

 Lemur nigerrimus, Sclater, a species of lemur originally 

 described from an example living in the Society's Gardens. It 

 was pointed out that Prosimia rufipes of Gray had been based 

 on a female of this species. — Mr. Howard Saunders exhibited 

 and made remarks on a specimen of the American stint ( 7>tV/fvr 

 minutilla), shot at Northam Burrows, North Devon, by Mr. 

 Broughton Hawley, in August, 1892.— Mr. Sclater (on behalf 

 of Mr. R. M. Barrington) exhibited a specimen of the Antarctic 

 Sheathbill {Chionis alba), killed at the Carlingford Lighthouse, 

 CO. Down, Ireland, in December last. — Dr. C. J. Forsyth- 

 Major read a memoir on some of the miocene squirrels, and 

 added remarks on the dentition and classification of the Scntridce 

 in general. The author proposed a new division of this family 

 into three subfamilies— Sciurinae, Pteromyinae, and Nannosci- 

 urinae. The genera Spermophilus and Arctomys and the allied 

 forms were united to the Sciurinae. The last part of the paper 

 dealt with the primitive type of the Sciurine molar. — Mr. 

 Henry O. Forbes read a paper entitled " Observations on the 

 Development of the Rostrum in the Cetacean Genus Mesoplodon. 

 with remarks on some of the Species." Mr. Forbes showed 

 that in this genus the vomerine canal in the young animal is 

 filled with cartilage, and in the adult with a dense petrosal 

 mesorostral bone. From the examination of thirteen specimens 

 of Mesoplodon giayi and four of M. layardi, of which he had 

 made a large number of sections in various stages of growth, 

 the author concluded that the mesorostral bone was not, as had 

 been generally believed, an ossification of the cartilage, but an 

 actual growth of the vomer and of the premaxillaries, with per- 

 haps, in some cases, additions from the ossification of the 

 cartilage of the vomerine spout. The cause of the growth in 

 the vomer might be accounted for by the pressure communicated 

 to it by the growth of the premaxillaries, induced, perhaps, by 

 the movement, which appears to take place, of the maxillaries 

 over the premaxillaries. 



Linnean Society, March 2. — Prof. Stewart, President, in 

 the chair. — Mr. Miller Christy exhibited some photographs of 

 the American bison taken from living wild animals, and gave 

 some account of the present restricted distribution of the species. 

 Mr, A. G. Renshaw and Mr. W. Carruthers detailed what they 

 had been able to learn respecting it while travelling in its 

 former haunts. — Mr. J. M. Macoun gave an account of the flora 

 of the Behring's Sea Islands from personal exploration. — On 

 behalf of Mr. H. N. Ridley the Secretary read a paper on the 

 flora of the eastern coast of the Malay archipelago. — The meet- 

 ing then adjourned to March 16. 



Anthropological Institute, February 21. — Prof. A. Mac- 

 alister, F. R. S., President, in the chair. — A paper, by Mr. 

 E. H. Man, on Nicobar pottery was read. He stated that the 

 little island of Chowra has held for generations a monopoly of 

 the manufacture. Preparing the clay, and moulding and firing 

 the finished utensil, devolves on the females. The value of trade 

 marks is recognised, the device of its maker being affixed to 

 each vessel. Experience having taught them that pots are more 

 serviceable if allowed to harden gradually, they store newly-made 

 utensils on a lattice platform in the roofs of their huts. In a year 

 the heat and smoke render them hard and durable. Indian fwts 

 and jars are readily purchased from the traders, who occasionally 

 visit the islands ; but they are deemed unsuitable for certain 

 culinary operations. There are no special vessels made for 

 funeral purposes ; but, in accordance with the almost universal 

 custom of uncivilised races, cooking pots are among the personal 

 and household requisites which are laid on a grave after an in- 

 terment. — A paper, by Lieut. Boyle, T. Somerville, R.N., on 

 some islands of the New Hebrides was read. The habits of the 

 natives of adjacent islands sometimes vary exceedingly, and in 

 this paper reference was made only to a small portion of the 

 group, including the Efate Islands, the Shepherd Islands, and 

 the East Coast of Malekula. A child calls all his uncles on both 

 sides, "father," all his aunts, "mother," and his first cousins 

 on both sides, "sister" or "brother." A man cannot marry 

 a woman of his own tribe, and the children belong to their 

 mother's tribe ; the property of their father goin^j, at his death, 

 to his sister's children. It sometimes happens that a man will 



