254 



NATURE 



[May 1 8, 19 16 



Collasclerophora arenacea, n. gen., n. sp., a sand- 

 sponge from Australia, contains an entirely new type 

 of spicule, for which the name collosclere is proposed, 

 and similar spicules are met with in another species 

 from the Indian Ocean. The collosclere differs from 

 ail spicules previously known in the fact that it con- 

 sists of a gelatinous material, contracting on the addi- 

 tion of alcohol and swelling up again on the addition 

 of water. Evidence is brought forward to show that 

 these spicules are composed of colloidal silica contain- 

 ing' a higher percentage of water than the hydrated 

 silica or opal of which ordinary siliceous spicules are com- 

 posed. The colloscleres lie in vesicles in the meso- 

 gloea, but these vesicles do not represent the mother- 

 cells or scleroblasts by which they are secreted. On 

 the contrary, the collosclere is an extra-cellular pro- 

 duct, and first appears as a knob on the outer surface 

 of the cell-membrane of a large spherical scleroblast. 

 The colloscleres may be homologous with isochelae, but 

 the supposed intra-cellular origin of the chelate and 

 other microscleres must be re-investigated before this 

 point can be established. — E. S. Goodrich : The classi- 

 fication of the Reptilia. The group Reptilia represents 

 not a true monophyletic class, like the class Mam- 

 malia and the class Aves, but rather an assemblage 

 or grade of Amniotes retaining a more primitive 

 g^eneral structure. The Reptilia thus include a basal 

 Protosaurian group of amphibian-like forms leading 

 to a central point, from which diverge two main 

 branches — the Sauropsidan branch leading- to the 

 birds, and the Theropsidan branch leading to the 

 mammals. The modern classification of the reptiles, 

 based ' chiefly on the structure of the skull, is in a 

 very uncertain state. There is a great difference of 

 opinion as to the relationship of the various orders. 

 Certain specialisations in the skeleton of the hind 

 foot and in the structure of the heart and great vessels 

 (in living forms) are of great importance in classifica- 

 tion, and deserve more weight than has hitherto been 

 attributed to them. The development of a hook-shaped 

 fifth metatarsal and of a metatarsal articulation, and 

 the subdivision of the aortic trunk so as to form two 

 systematic arches crossing at their base in such a way 

 as to become separated by the interventricular septum, 

 clearly distinguish the Sauropsidan from the Therop- 

 sidan line of evolution. • The possession of these char- 

 acters shows that all living" Reptilia belong to the 

 Sauropsidan groug, while the structure of the foot 

 enables us to determine the affinities of many incom- 

 pletely known fossil genera, and to conclude that only 

 certain extinct orders can belong to the Theropsidan 

 branch. — Dr. R. McCarrison : The experimental produc- 

 tion of congenital goitre. 



Mathematical Society, May ii.^ — Sir Joseph Larmor, 

 president, in the chair. ^Prof. H. M. Macdonald : 

 A note on electrostatic problems. ^ — G. B. Jeffery : 

 The relations between spherical, cylindrical, and 

 spheroidal harmonics. — E. K. Wakeford : The double 

 six. — J. G. Leathern : Theorems on conformal trans- 

 formation.— G. H. Hardy and S. Ramanujan : A 

 problem in the analytic theory of numbers. 



Edinburgh. 

 Royal Society, May i. — Dr. J. Home, president, in ' 

 the chair.— Dr. H. Rainy and Miss C. M. Hawick: A 



clinical method for the estimation of sugars in the 

 blood. The method was a modification of the method 

 described by Bang, and had advantages over other 

 methods on account of the small quantity of blood 

 which was required and the comparatively short time 

 in which the tests and measurements were made. The 

 method was also equally aonl'cable to the estimation 



NO. 2429, VOL. 97] 



of sugar in the urine. Experiments showed that the 

 blood sugar rose very rapidly to its maximum, while 

 in the kidneys the maximum was not reached until 

 an hour later. — Dr. A. E. Cameron : The insect associa- 

 tion of a local environmental complex in the district 

 of Holmes Chapel, Cheshire. The districts with 

 which the study is concerned were two fields, Glover's 

 Meadow and the alluvial pasture situated in the farm 

 land of the Holmes Chapel Agricultural College. In 

 these fields the soils were respectively a reddish clay 

 loam and a dark-coloured loam. The plant environ- 

 ment and its relation to the insects were fully con- 

 sidered; also the physical factors of the environment, 

 such as water content, humidity, light, temperature, 

 precipitation, wind, soil, exposure, slope, and the 

 like. The index of an insect's habitat is where it 

 breeds, and it is important to recognise endemic forms 

 which are proper to an association and polydemic forms 

 which are invaders. Detailed accounts were given of 

 the various orders of insects found, such as Diptera, 

 Coleoptera, Neuroptera, Apterygota, Hymenoptera, 

 etc. ; and the facts were brought together in a series 

 of tables, showing the months of occurrence of the 

 different species, their habits, and the plants with 

 which they were associated. Another point of interest 

 was the relation of the soil-inhabiting insects to the 

 food habits of ground-feeding birds. 



Paris. 

 Academy of Sciences, May i. — M. Camille Jordan in 

 the chair. — G. Lemoine : The catalysis of hydrogen 

 peroxide in heterogeneous medium. Second part : 

 experiments with platinum. Experiments were car- 

 ried out with distilled hydrogen peroxide containing 

 8-6 per cent, of the pure peroxide, in contact with 

 platinum black and platinum sponge, both at a con- 

 stant temperature. The results are given in graphical 

 form. The velocity of decomposition increases with 

 the weight of the catalyser and with the state of 

 division of the platinum. Comparison of platinum 

 black with the sponge, in approximately the same 

 state of division, shows that the platinum black exerts 

 a special catalytic action, much more energetic, and 

 due to a distinct cause.— H. Le Chatelier : Science in 

 its relations with the economic development of a 

 country. — A. Righi : Experiments relating to the in- 

 fluence of the magnetic field on the charge of a con- 

 ductor in rarefied air. Details of an experiment 

 which, in the opinion of the author, renders necessary 

 the hypothesis of magneto-ionisation, the action of the 

 magnetic field favouring ionisation by shock. — E. 

 Kogbetliantz : The Sturm-Liouville series simply capable 

 of summation. — G. Vacca : The Harmonicon coeleste 

 of Francois Viete.^ — G. Bigourdan : Remarks on the 

 preceding note. — A. Bilimovitch : The trajectories of a 

 non-holonomial system. ^ — T. Peczalski : The determina- 

 tion of the law of integral radiation of a solid from 

 the light yield.— E. Moles : The absolute density of 

 gaseous hydrobromic acid. The gas was prepared by 

 two independent methods, liquefied, and purified by 

 fractional distillation. The figures obtained for a 

 litre of the gas under normal conditions varied be- 

 tween 36439 and 36447 grams, with a mean of 36444 

 grams. — L. Reutter : The analysis of two resinous 

 masses used by the Incas of South America for em- 

 balming their dead. These consisted mainly of Peru 

 and Tolu balsams, with some volatile essences con- 

 taining menthol. — P. de Sousa : Contribution to the 

 oetrocrraphical studv of the south-west of Angola. — V. 

 Raymond and T. Parisot : The etiology, prophylaxy, and 

 therapeutics of the affection called trench feet. This 

 affection appears to be due to a pathological fungus, 

 Scoptilariopsis' Koningii. 



