22 



NATURE 



[Mav 3, 1894 



vessels, ornamentation, images in wood and clay, &c He comes 

 to the conclusion that the leathet-work is the oldest industry of 

 the Negro, and was followed by wood and plaited work, from 

 which finally arose ceramics. The author agrees with Schurtz 

 that a Wooden age replaced the Stone age m Africa, and was 

 followed by the lion age; the lattertook placequickly on account 

 of the superiority of iron weapons and utensils uver wooden ones, 

 but pottery slowly superseded wooden vessels and gourds, and 

 has undergiine only a slight development. The second part is 

 mainly taken up with an elaborate article by J. Walter Fewkes, 

 on the " Dolls of the Tusayan Indians." Tnese are carefully 

 described, and their symbolism is noted ; coloured illustrations 

 are given of forty-three of them. He points out that the 

 characteristic details are always found on the head, aud adds, 

 "this fact is one which gives a great importance to the study of 

 helmets, masks, and all cephalic decorations which are used in 

 ceremonial dances." — Prof. P.J. Veth, on "Signature-lore" 

 (Dc Leer der Signatuier ; signature being " the resemblance 

 of a vegetable or a mineral to any part of a man's body." — The 

 first part of an essay of a branch of sympathetic magic deals 

 with the subject in general, and a detailed account of the Man- 

 drake {Mandragora). — K. Parkinson sends a note, which is 

 illustrated, on the boring of shells in the manufacture of arm- 

 rings, &C. The shell is partially embedded in and lashed to a 

 board, and the hole is drilled by means of a bamboo cylinder, 

 to which a flat stone is fastened as a fly-wheel, sand and water 

 is used as emery ; when hall cut through, the piece of shell is 

 reversed. 



AnnaUn des K.K. naturhislorisclun Hofmuscums, Bd. viii. 

 Nos. 2, 3-4. (Wien : A. Holder, 1893.) — Dr. O. Finsch, in 

 the last number of this publication, completes his " Ethnolo- 

 gische brfahrungen und Belegstiicke aus der Siidsee. " The 

 sub-title describes this as a de^ciiptive catalogue of a collection 

 in the Vienna Museum. It rarely happens that an ethnological 

 collection in a museum is so fully described as this has been, 

 but in this case the author describes the specimens he has him- 

 self cullected. The catalogue commenced in the third volume 

 (1SS8) of the Aiinalen, and now concludes, having run to 675 

 pages, and having been illustrated by twenty-five plates and 

 numerous illustrations in the text. But it is more than a mere 

 illustrated catalogue, for the author has incorporated original 

 ethnological investigations as well as given authentic accounts 

 of the various objects enumerated. The whole series of papers 

 forms an invaluable addition to the libraries ol museums and of 

 those interested in such subjects. The current numbers contain 

 Dr. Finsch's account of the Marshall Archipelago and of the 

 Caroline Islands, including Kuschai, I'onapc, Kuk, and Mort- 

 lock ; to this are appended addenda to and corrections of state- 

 ments in the earlier papers, and several indices. — Eight new 

 species of Ilymenoptera belonging to the genus Gorytis, Latr. , 

 are described by A. Handlirsch (p. 276). — Prof. F. Toula has 

 (p. 2S3) a preliminary communication on the fauna of the Mio- 

 cene bcils of Kralitz in Mahren ; the Foraminileia are most fully 

 noted, — Dr. A. Zahlbruckner gives a description (p. 438) and 

 plate of a new species of lichen (Paiinaria austtiaca). — Dr. F. 

 Berwerth lollows, also with a coloured plate, " On AInoit Irom 

 Alio. " — F. F. Kohl (p. 455) has a monograph, with three plates, 

 on Amfulex, Jur. (s.l.) and allied genera ol Hymenopteia. 

 Numerous new species aie described. — F. Siebcnrock has an 

 illustraied and carelully worked-out paper on the skeleton of 

 i'r.'f'jlct fim/tnalui, Schneid., one of the Oeckos. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 



London. 



Chemical Society, March 15.— Dr. Armstrong, President, 

 •D the chair. — The following papers were read: — Formal- 

 doxime, by W. R. Dunslan and A. L. Bossi. Formaldoxime 

 h ly only f>ccn known as a g.u or in solution ; the 



' "blamed it as a colourless iK^uid boiling at 84" 85^. 



- ■ vt, of camphene containing hali)gcn», by J. K. Matsh 



•nd J. A. (Jatilncr. Chlorot.iinphcne, C|„H,jCl, is preparetl by 

 distilling camphcne dichloiidc, and bromocamphcne is obtained 

 by the action of bromine and phosphorous chloride on cam- 

 phor — A lulphsie r,r nxamidc, by J. li. Marsh. A hot solution 

 of oxamidc itphunc acid deposii.<« crystals of oxamide 



ditulphaie '' .^"*)i' "" cooling. — Fluoplunib'ileii and 



free fluorine, i.j ,-. ..i luner. The author has |>repared a fluo- 



NO. 1279. VOL. 50] 



plambate of the composition 3KF, HF, PbF« ; on treatment 

 with sulphuric acid it yields lead tetrafluoride. — The action of 

 nitrosyl chloride on unsaturated compounds, by W. A. Tilden 

 and M. O. Forster. — Note on the action of nitrosyl chloride on 

 amido-derivatives of benzenoid hydrocarbons, by \V. .\. TiKlen 

 and J. H. Miliar. Nitrosyl chloride acts on aromatic amido- 

 compounds yielding a diazoderivative, anitroso-compound, or a 

 chloro-derivative. — .Action of aluminium chloride on heptylic 

 chlor'de ; a correction, by F. S. Kipping. — Oximidosulphonates 

 or sulphazotates, by E. Divers and T. Haga. A number of 

 salts of oximidosulphonic acid have been prepared and their 

 reactions studied. — Derivatives of tetramethylene, by W. II. 

 Perkin, jun. Tetramethyleneamine is obtained as a colourless 

 oil, by the action of potash and bromine on the amide of 

 tetramethylenecarboxylic acid. — (8-2-Dimethylglutaric acid, 

 COOH.CHj.CMe..CH„.COOH, by W. Goodwin and W. H 

 Perkin, jun. This acid, which is probably closely allied to 

 camphoric acid, yields an anhydride of the constitution 



CM. /CH, CO\o 



"-"^•■i\cii,,.co., '-'• 



— The products of the action of fused potash on camphoric 

 acid, by A. W. Crossley and W. H. Perkin, jun. — Conversion 

 of ortho-into para-, and of para- into orihoquinone derivatives. 

 II. Dinaphthyldiquinone, by S. C. Hooker and J. G. Walsh, 

 jun. 



March 22. — Anniversary meeting. — Dr. Armstrong, President, 

 in the chair. — After the readingof the President's address and the 

 Treasurer's report, a ballot was taken for the election of officers 

 and Council for the ensuing session. The ordinary members of 

 Council are the following: — C. F. Cross, II. Dixon, B. Dyer, 

 R. J. Friswell, A. G. Green, F. S. Kippin);, W. H. Perkin, 

 jun., W'. A. Shenstone, T. Stevenson, J. K. Voelcker, W. P. 

 Wynne, and S. Young. 



Zoological Society, April 17.— W. T. Blanford, F.R.S., 

 Vice-President, in the chair.— Mr. Sclaler made some remarks 

 on the possibility of breeding the African Mud-fish {Proloptnus) 

 in the Society's Gardens, and called attention to a recently 

 published paragraph in " Le Mouvement Gciigraphique " in 

 which some account was given of the phenomena oi reproduciion 

 of this Mudnsli, as observed by the Ficnch missionaries on 

 Lake Tanganyika. — Prof. Karl von Bardelcbcn, of Jena, read a 

 paper on the bones and muscles of the mammalian hand and 

 foot, in which he explained his views on the rudiments of the 

 sixth and seventh digits or r.iys. These rudimenis, as he 

 showed, are situated both on the inner and the outer borders of 

 the hand and foot ; they are present in nearly all the orders of 

 mammals, especially in the lower forms, and are always pro- 

 vided with special muscles.— Dr. G. Herbert Fowler pointed 

 out the characters of a new species of .Sea-Pen ol the family 

 Veretillidu: from a specimen belimging to the Madras Museum, 

 and proposed to call it Cavernularia malabarica. Dr. Fowler 

 likewise exhibited and made remarks on an example of Lidana 

 plialloides belonging to the same .Museum. — Mr. F. E. Beddard, 

 F.R.S., described two new genera comprising three new species 

 of Earthworms from Western Tropical .\frica. — A communica- 

 tion was read from Mr. Oldfield Thom.as containing an account 

 of a new Antelope from Soinaliland, which he proposed to call 

 Ntolragui rupicola. Capl. II. G. ('.. S*ayne, K.E.,and his 

 brother, Capt. E. Swayne, had discovered this Antelope 

 during their recent explorations in that country, but had not 

 been alile to bring back specimens. Two skins and a frcmt- 

 let, lately received by Capt. H. G. C. Swayne from his native 

 hunters, h.a<l enabled Mr. Thomas to estaiilish the >pecies. 



Geological Society, April 11. — Dr. Henry Woodward, 

 F. R.S., President, in the chair. — Mesozoic rocks and crystalline 

 schists in the Lepontine Alps, by Prof. T. G. Bonney, K.R.S. 

 The author descrilicd the results of an examinaiion of the infold 

 o( Jurassic rock in the Urserenthal, unHerlakeii in the hope of 

 finding some definite evidence as to the relations of the iiiaible, 

 cxpoed near the old church at Altkirche.aml theadjaccnl Jur.issic 

 rocks. — The easternmost o( the sections described occurs high up 

 on the slop' s north ol the Oberalp road. Keail ufl Irom the 

 northein side it exhibits (1) gneiss, (2) phyllilcs with bands of 

 subcrystalline limestone, &c.— Jurassic, (31 a little raucliwacke, 

 (4) "sciicilic" gneiss. The next section (about 250 feet above 

 the St. Golhard-road at Altkirche) gives (l) gneiss, (2) covered 

 ground, i3)slabby marble, (4) phyllite, (5) thicker massof slabb) 



