NA TURE 



[February 15, 1894 



Linnean Society, February i. — Prof. Stewart, President, in 

 the chair.— The President exhibited a remarkable specimen of a 

 Soulh African butterfly, Teracolus halyattes, from Natal, in 

 which the wings on one side were those of a male, and on the 

 oiher tho?e of a female, and made some remarks on hermaph- 

 roditism in the Lepidoptera. — On behalf of Mr. William 

 Borrer, of Cowfold, Sussex, there was exhibited a skull of the 

 pine maiten, Martes svlvatica, Nilsson, from a specimen killed 

 near Crawley {Zool, 1891, p. 458), an examination of which 

 conf-rmed the view of the late E. R. Alston (P.Z.S. 1879, p. 

 469), that so far as could be ascertained this is the only species 

 of marten found in the British Islands. — On behalf of Mr. W. 

 B. Tegetmeier, there was exhibited a drawing of a snow leopard 

 taken for the first time from life, namely, from the animal now 

 living ;n the Zoological Society's Gardens, Regent's Park. The 

 long, thick, and soft fur, suggestive of a cold habitat, and the 

 unusual size of the wide spreading feet, well suited for travel- 

 ling overan expanse of yielding snow, were noteworthy features. — 

 Mr. Malcolm Laurie read a paper on the morphology of the 

 Pedipalpi. He considered the first two ventral sclerites of the 

 abdomen to be appendages, and not sternites. The first 

 of these — the genital operculum — covers the ventral surface of 

 two segments, the genital aperture and the first pair of lung 

 books lying beneath it. The first pair of lung books, he thought, 

 probably represent the remains of the appendage of the second 

 segment. The arrangement of this region resembles that in 

 EurypteridiT and in the spiders {e.g. Liphislius), while differing 

 markedly from that in scorpions. The posterior end of the intes- 

 tine is diluted into a large stercoral pouch which is part of the 

 mid-gut, the malpighian tubes arising from its posterior end. The 

 cephalothoracic portion of the mid-gut differs in structure from 

 the abdominal portion, and in addition to lateral diverticula has 

 two median ventral diverticula. The conal gland opens at the 

 base of the third pair of appendages, and a sensory organ of 

 unknown function occurs on each side of the last segment. 

 A discussion followed, in which Mr. R. I. Pocock, Mr. 

 H. M. Bernard, and the President took part, and Mr. Laurie 

 replied. — A paper was then communicated, by Mr. W. West, 

 on the fresh water algas of the West Indies, in which several 

 new species were described and illustrated. Mr. G. Murray, 

 in commenting on this paper, testified to the extreme care and 

 accuracy with which the species had been worked out. 



Zoological Society, February 6. — Sir W. H. Flower, 

 K.C.B., F.R.S., President, in the chair. — The secretary read a 

 report on the additions that had been made to the Society's 

 menagerie during the month of January, 1894. — Mr. Sclater 

 exhibited a fine mounted specimen of the Riverhog of Mada- 

 gascar from the Tring Museum, lent for exhibition by the Hon. 

 W. Rothschild, and pointed out that three distinct species of 

 this well-marked genus of Snider were now known to occur in 

 the Ethiopian region. A communication from Mr. Last gave 

 an account of the habits of this animal, as observed in 

 Madagascar. — Mr. Sclater also exhibited a stuffed specimen of 

 the Whitebilled Great Northern Diver {Colynibns adamsi) from 

 Norway, which had been lent to him by Prof. R. CoUett, and 

 made remarks on the distribution of the species, and on its 

 interest as occasionally occurring on the British coast. — Prof. 

 Howes read a paper on synostosis and curvature of the spine in 

 fishes, with especial reference to the Common Sole. — Mr. F. E. 

 Beddard, F. R. S., gave an account of the development of the 

 Tadpole of an African Frog {Xenopus IcEvis), as observed in 

 specimens of this Batrachian hatched and reared in the Society's 

 Gardens. — Mr. Chas. W. Andrews gave an account of some 

 remains of the extinct gigantic bird {/^pyornis) which had been 

 recently received at the British Museum from several localities 

 in Madagascar. These were referred to three species — /E. 

 muelleri, AL. meditts, and AL. titan, the last being of larger size 

 than even A^,. 7naximus. Another set of remains showed 

 differences which might eventually prove to be of generic im- 

 portance, and were perhaps referable to the newly established 

 genus Muellerot7iis. — Mr. M. Barkley read some notes on the 

 Antelopes of the Pungue Valley, East Africa, as observed by 

 him during a recent hunting expedition in that district. — The 

 Marquis of Hamilton made some observations on the Antelopes 

 met with by him during a recent excursion from the Pungue 

 along the coast northwards towards the Zambesi.-^ Mr. O. 

 Thomas read the description of a new species of Bat of the 

 genus Stenoderma from Montserrat, West Indies, proposed to be 

 called S. montserralense. This Bat was stated to be very 

 injurious to the cacao plantations in that island. 



NO. 1268, VOL. 49I 



Entomological Society, February 7. — Mr. Henry John 

 Elwes, President, in the chair. — The Pre>ident announ ced that 

 he had nominated the Right Hon. Lord Walsingham, F. R.S., 

 Prof. Edward B. Poulton, F.R.S., and Colonel Charles 

 Swinhoe, vice-presidents of the society for the session 1894-95. 

 — Mr. Jenner Weir exhibited, on behalf of IMr. J. M. Adye, a 

 specimen of Phisia tnoneta, Fabr., which had been captured at 

 Christchurch, Hants, and remarked that this species, which had 

 been found in this country for the first time so recently as June, 

 1890, was apparently becoming a permanent resident here, as it 

 had been since taken in several of the southern counties. He 

 also remarked that Aconitum napellus, on which the larva fed, 

 though rare in England as a wild plant, was very common in 

 gardens. Mr. Jenner Weir also exhibited a nearly black speci- 

 men of Venilia maadaria, L. , the yellow markings being re- 

 duced to a few small dots. — Mr. Hamilton Druce exhibited a 

 female specimen of Hypochrysops scintillans, lately received by 

 him from Mioko, New Ireland. He said that only the male of 

 this species had been as yet described. — Mr. F. Enock exhibited, 

 and made remarks on, a nest of the British Trap-door Spider, 

 Atypus picetis, recently found near Hastings by Mrs. Enock. 

 — Mr. W. F. H. Blandford stated that he had recently obtained 

 an additional species of Scolyto-platyptis from Japan, which, 

 though closely allied to the species he had formerly described, 

 showed a very distinct modification of the male prosternum. — 

 Mr. M. Jacoby exhibited and remarked on a specimen of 

 Leptispa pygmaa, Baly, which was doing much injury to sugar- 

 cane in the Bombay Presidency. Mr. G. C. Champion stated 

 that he had found an allied species on bamboo. — Dr. F. A. 

 Dixey read a paper (which was illustrated by the oxyhydrogen 

 lantern) entitled " On the Phylogeny of the Pierince as illus- 

 trated by their wing-markings and geographical distribution." 

 A long discussion ensued, in which the President, Mr. Osbert 

 Salvin, F. R.S., Mr. Jacoby, Colonel Swinhoe, Mr. Jenner 

 Weir, Mr. Hampson, and Mr. Kenrick took part.— Dr. T. A. 

 Chapman read a paper entitled " Some notes on those species 

 of Micro-Lepidoptera whose larvje are external feeders, and 

 chiefly on the early stages of Eriocephaia calthella." Mr. 

 Hampson and the President made some remarks on the subject 

 of the paper. — Mr. Hamilton H. Druce read a paper entitled 

 "Description of the km2i\Q oi Hypochrysops scintillans, Butl." — ■ 

 The Rev. Dr. Walker communicated a paper by Mr. R. H. F. 

 Rippon, entitled "Description of a variety of Ornithoptera 

 (^Priamoptera) urvilliana. " 



Cambridge. 



Philosophical Society, January 29 — Prof. T. McKenny 

 Hughes, President, in the chair. The following communica- 

 tions were made : — Electricity of drops, by Prof. J. J. 

 Thomson. The experiments and observations of Lenard were 

 first referred to. No electrification is detected in a free falling 

 drop, but if drops after falling be arrested by coming in collision 

 with a plate or wire, the droplets generated in the splash are 

 found to be electrified. Prof. Thomson, has studied the condi- 

 tions more closely. The electrification on a free falling drop 

 is masked by the opposite electrification of the air surrounding 

 it, till by some sudden blow the drop is broken up. Special 

 observations show that the blow does not generate the electricity, 

 but merely separates already existing opposite electrifications. 

 The effects produced by various liquids have been studied, and 

 it appears that there is an obvious connection between the 

 nature (reducing or oxidizing) of the liquid used and the kind 

 or amount of electrification detected. A very small amount of 

 impurity in water is enough to produce a marked change in the 

 electrification observed. The most remarkable case is that of 

 phenol ; this substance is only moderately soluble in water, but 

 if only 'ace. of water saturated with phenol is added to 100 cc. 

 of pure water, the increase in electrification is obvious ; and 

 when 2 '5 cc. of solution are added to lOO cc. of water, the 

 effect on the electrometer is nearly seven times that due to pure 

 water. The sign and magnitude of the electrification depend | 

 on the nature of the gas through which the drop-; fall before 1 

 breaking up, hydrogen producing effects opposite to those 

 produced by air. No electrification can be detected when 

 drops of water fall through pure waier-vapour, but the smallest \ 

 addition of air brings about eUctrification. — Mr. Griffiths | 

 described an easy method of making absolutely air-tight joints I 

 between glass and metal tubes, by means of an alloy which has 

 a low melting-point The use of this alloy was suggested by 

 Mr. F. Thomas. An illustration was given of the ease and 



