March 3, li 



NATURE 



431 



exhibition by Major C. S. Cumberland, by whom they had been 

 obtained, and proposed the name of Cerviis elaphus yarkandensis 

 for this form. — Mr. Sclater exhibited and made remarks on some 

 living specimens of what are commonly called Spinning or 

 Japanese Mice. — Mr. Sclater also exhibited and made remarks 

 on some mounted heads of Antelopes from Somali-land, be- 

 longing to Captain Swayne, R.E., amongst which was an 

 example of the recently described Swayne's Hartebeeste(i9//^a//5 

 swaytiei). — Mr. A. Smith-Woodward exhibited and made 

 remarks on examples of the supposed jaws and teeth ol Bothrio 

 lepis from the Upper Devonian formation of Canada. — Mr. F. 

 E. Beddard read a paper containing the results of his examina- 

 tion of the Chimpanzee "Sally" and the Orang "George," 

 lately living in the Society's Menagerie. The author's remarks 

 referred principally to the external characters and the muscular 

 anatomy of these Anthropoid Apes. — A communication from 

 Mr. A. G. Butler gave an account of a collection of Lepidoptera 

 from Sandakan, North-East Borneo. — Mr. G, A. Boulenger 

 gave an account of a third collection of Fishes made by Surgeon- 

 Major A. S. G. Jayakar at Muscat, East Coast of Arabia. 

 Amongst these was a specimen of Histiopterus typns, a fish 

 described in "Fauna Japonica," but not since recognized; and 

 an example of a new species of Box, proposed to be called B. 

 lineatus. — A communication from Dr. W. B. Benham contained 

 a description of three new species of Earthworms from British 

 Colombia and South Africa. These were proposed to be called 

 Plutellus perrieri, Microcluzta papillata, and M. belli. — Mr. F. 

 E. Beddard read a paper on some new species of Earthworms of 

 the genus Perichata. — A communication was read from Dr. H. 

 Bolau, on the specimens of Heliat'lits pelagicus &nd H. branickii, 

 now living in the Zoological Gardens of Hamburg. Coloured 

 drawings of these nearly allied Sea-Eagles were exhibited. 



Anthropological Institute, February 9. — E. B. Brabrook, 

 Vice-President, in the chair. — Mr. Walhouse exhibited the skull 

 of a Dacoit leader from the Chin country on the Burmese and 

 Chinese frontier ; also a quiver and several other Chin objects 

 sent to him by Captain E. S. Hastings. — The following papers 

 were also read : — On the exploration of Howe Hill Barrow, 

 Duggleby, Yorkshire, by J. R. Mortimer ; and on the human 

 remains found in Howe Hill Barrow, by Dr. J. G. Garson. 



Royal Meteorological Society, February 17. — Dr. C. 

 Theodore Williams, President, in the chair. — The following 

 papers were read ; — The untenability of an atmospheric hypo- 

 thesis of epidemics, by the Hon. Rollo Russell. The author is 

 of opinion that no kind of epidemic or plague is conveyed by 

 the general atmosphere, but that all epidemics are caused by 

 human conditions and communications capable of control. In 

 this paper he investigates the manner of the propagation of 

 influenza, and gives the dates of the outbreaks in 1890 at a 

 large number of islands and other places in various parts of the 

 world. Mr. Russell says that there is no definite or known 

 atmospheric quality or movement on which the hypothesis of 

 atmospheric conveyance can rest, and when closely approached 

 it is found to be no more available than a phantom. Neither j 

 lower nor upper currents have ever taken a year to cross Europe 

 from east to west, or adjusted their progress to the varying rate 

 of human intercourse. Like other maladies of high infective 

 capacity, influenza has spread most easily, other things being 

 equal, in cold calm weather, when ventilation in houses and 

 railway-cars is at a minimum, and when, perhaps, the breathing 

 organs are most open to attack. But large and rapid com- 

 munications seem to be of much more importance than mere 

 climatic conditions. Across frozen and snow-covered countries 

 and tropical regions it is conveyed at a speed corresponding, not 

 with the movements of the atmosphere, but with the movements 

 of population and merchandise. Its indifference to soil and air, 

 apart from human habits depending on these, seems to eliminate 

 all considerations of outside natural surroundings, and to leave 

 only personal infectiveness, with all which this implies of subtle 

 transmission, to account for its propagation. — The origin of 

 influenza epidemics, by Mr. H. Harries. The author has made 

 an investigation into the facts connected with the great eruption 

 of Krakatjib in 1883, and the atmospheric phenomena which 

 were the direct outcome of that catastrophe. He has come to 

 the conclusion that the dust derived from the interior of the earth 

 may be considered the principal factor concerned in the pro- 

 pagation of the recent influenza epidemics, and that, as this 

 volcanic dust invaded the lower levels of the atmosphere, so a 

 peculiar form of sickness assailed man and beast. — Report on 



NO. I 166, VOL. 45] 



the phenological observations for 1891, by Mr. E. Mawley. 

 This report differs in many respects from the previous reports on 

 the same subject. Among other changes, the number of plants, 

 &c., selected for observation has been greatly reduced, while 

 the number of observers has considerably increased. The 

 winter of 1890-91 proved in England very destructive to the 

 root-crops, as well as to green vegetables and tender shrubs. 

 Birds also suffered severely. In Scotland and Ireland, however, 

 there was scarcely any severe weather until March. The flower- 

 ing of wild plants was greatly retarded by cold in the spring, 

 but during the summer the departures from the average were not 

 so great. The harvest was late, and its ingathering much inter- 

 fered with by stormy weather. — Note on a lightning discharge 

 at Thornbury, Gloucestershire, July 22, 1891, by Dr. E. H. 

 Cook. 



Edinburgh. 

 Royal Society, January 18. —Prof. Chrystal, Vice-President,, 

 in the chair. — Prof. C. G. Knott read a paper on the magnetiza- 

 tion of iron by a current passing through it. The experiments 

 were an attempt to get some insight into the nature of circular 

 magnetization as it exists in an iron wire carrying a current. 

 Direct experiment seemed hopeless. Accordingly, tubes were 

 used, in which the circular magnetization was measured by the 

 induction current produced in a coil wound longitudinally round 

 the wall of the lube. The circular magnetization could be pro- 

 duced either by an axial current along a copper wire threading 

 the tube, or by a sectional curretit from end to end along the 

 tube itself. Several tubes of different bores were used in pairs, 

 the induction, axial or sectional, in one being balanced, by 

 adjustment of resistances in the secondary' circuits, against the 

 induction, axial or sectional, under the influence of the same 

 current in the other. The average magnetic force acting round 

 the tube was calculated in accordance with the usual assump- 

 tions, and this, taken along with the observed induction, gave 

 an average permeability. The general result was that the 

 sectional induction accompanying a given current is greater 

 by about 7 per cent, than it would be if the usual theory 

 as to the relation between it and the axial current were accurate. 

 Direct experiment appreciably showed that a current flowing 

 through iron does not increase permeability to inductive forces 

 acting perpendicular to the current, so that the deviation men- 

 tioned must be due to the faultiness of the theory. With 

 greater current densities, such as exist in the circularly mag- 

 netized wire, this deviation may be even more pronounced. — A 

 paper, written by Mr. R. W. Western, on tactics adopted by 

 certain birds when flying in the wind, was read. In this paper 

 an attempt was made to explain the advance of certain birds 

 against the wind without motion of the wings. — A paper, by 

 Dr. A. B. Griffiths, on ptomaines extracted from urine in 

 certain infectious diseases, was communicated. — Prof. Tait 

 read the second part of a paper on impact. In the series of 

 experiments described in this part of the paper, blocks of the 

 various substances dealt with, similar in shape to those used in 

 the first set of experiments, but larger in size than they were, 

 were used. The mass of the impinging body was also larger 

 than formerly, and in some experiments the part of it which 

 impinged upon the substance was made of a V-shape instead of 

 flat. The paper contained a comparison of the present results 

 with the former. — Prof. Tait also read a note on the critical 

 isothermal of carbonic acid as given by Amagat's experiments. 

 Throughout a considerable range of volume this isothermal is 

 practically flat. 



February i.— The Rev. Prof. Flint, Vice-President, in 

 the chair. — A paper by Dr. Piazzi Smyth, formerly Astro- 

 nomer-Royal for Scotland, on the latest physical geography 

 from Greenland, was read. — A paper, by Mr. R. Brodie, on 

 the equilibrium and pressure of arches, with a practical method 

 of ascertaining their true shape, was communicated. The 

 method involves the use of a very simple and easily applied 

 geometrical construction. — Prof. Tait read a note on the isother- 

 mals of mixtures of gases. In this note reference was made to 

 a possible explanation of the flatness (indicated in Amagat's 

 recent experiments) of the critical isothermal of carbonic acid 

 near the critical point as due to the presence of a small quantity 

 of air. 



Paris. 



Academy of Sciences, February 22. — M. d'Abbadie in the 

 chair. — On a geometrical interpretation of the expression of an 

 angle with two normals infinitely close to a surface, and on its 



