December 25, 1902] 



NA TURE 



191 



independent variable in a suitably chosen " star-region," and 

 their character near the corners of the region is determined. 

 The work is applied to elucidate the connection between the 

 form of the system of linear equations and the form of the linear 

 substitutions, by which the monodromy group of the system is 

 generated. The results are exemplified by the study of par- 

 ticular equations of the hypergeometric type. — Prof. M. J. M. 

 Hill, The continuation of the power series for arc sin .v.— Mr. 

 E. T. Whittaker, The functions associated with the parabolic 

 cylinder in harmonic analysis. — Mr. H. M. Macdonald, 

 Some applications of Fourier's theorem. The expression of 

 an arbitrary function by means of Fourier's theorem is thrown 

 into the form of a double integral, the path of integration 

 with respect to one variable being part of the axis of real 

 numbers, and the path with respect to the other variable going 

 to 00 in the two senses of the axis of imaginary numbers. The 

 theorem is generalised by altering the latter path of integration, 

 and the generalised form is applied to the evaluation of certain 

 integrals involving Bessel functions. Numerous properties of 

 these functions are deduced. — Rev. F. H. Jackson, Series 

 connected with the enumeration of partitions. — Mr. W. H. 

 Young, Sets of intervals, part ii., overlapping intervals. In 

 the present paper, some of the methods and results of a previous 

 paper by the same author are applied to the case of overlapping 

 intervals on the straight line. In this way, direct proofs are 

 obtained of a theorem in the theory of aggregate's due to Heine 

 and Borel, and of its so-called counterpart. Certain restrictions 

 in the usual enunciation of these theorems are shown to be un- 

 necessary. — Mr. G. H. Hardy, On the expression of the double 

 Zeta and Gamma functions in terms of elliptic functions. The 

 logarithms of the functions studied by Barnes {Phil. Trans. 

 Roy. Soc, Ser. A, vol. cxcvi., I90i)are expressed by means of 

 definite integrals involving the Weierstrassian elliptic and Zeta 

 functions. — Mr. J. H. Grace, Perpetuants (second paper). 



Royal Microscopical Society, November 19. — Dr. Hy. 

 Woodward, F.R.S., president, in the chair. — Dr. D. H. Scott, 

 F.R.S., gave a demonstration on the microscope in fossil 

 botany. After giving a brief history of the subject from 1833 

 to the present time, he proceeded to describe its principal features, 

 aided by lantern slides projected on the screen. There were 

 also under microscopes in the room nearly 30 slides of sections 

 of Calamites, Calamostachys, Sphenophyllum, Lepidodendron, 

 Bothrodendron, Lepidostrobus, Spencerites, Lepidocarpon, 

 Lyginodendron, &c. , many of these having been photographed 

 for the series of lantern slides. — Dr. Edmund J. Spitta then 

 described a new apparatus for obtaining monochromatic light 

 with an ordinary mixed jet. A diagram of the apparatus was 

 shown on the screen and also three photographs of Amphipkura 

 pelhicida ; the first, taken with white light, gave faint indications 

 of markings, the second, taken with a Gifford's fluid screen, 

 showed the appearance 0/ stria?, and the third, with blue mono- 

 chromatic light, obtained by means of Dr. Spina's new 

 apparatus, showed the diatom clearly resolved into dots. The 

 principal feature in the apparatus was the mounting of a Thorp 

 diffraction film upon a corrective prism which Mr. Thorp had 

 contrived. The diffraction film thus mounted can be used with 

 the ordinary optical bench, giving light in a direct line from the 

 burner to the microscope. The apparatus was exhibited in 

 operation in an adjoining room. — Dr. P. E. Shaw sent a paper 

 on an electrical method of taking microscope measure- 

 ments. 



Royal Meteorological Society, December 17. — Mr. 

 W. II. Dines, president, in the chair. — A paper by Mr. C. V. 

 Bellamy, on the climate of Cyprus, was read by the secretary. 

 The mean temperature for the year at the capital city. Nicosia, 

 is 67'''2, the extreme highest temperature being ioS J and the 

 extreme lowest 28 . The annual rainfall is about 14 inches, 

 which falls mostly in the winter months. The author also gave 

 particulars as to the meteorological conditions at Troodos, the 

 sanitarium and summer resort of Cyprus, which is situated in the 

 mountains at an altitude of more than 5000 feet above sea-level. 

 — A paper by Mr. H. H. Clayton, of the Blue Hill Observatory, 

 U.S., on the eclipse cyclone of 1900, was also read by the 

 secretary. The author in a former paper discussed the meteor- 

 ological observations made along the path of the total solar 

 eclipse in the United States on May 28, 1900, and stated that 

 he found that a cyclone followed in the wake of the eclipse — 

 though the changes were very minute and feeble — the fall of 



NO. 173O, VOL. 67] 



temperature developing a cold-air cyclone in an astonishingly 

 short time with all the peculiar circulation of wind and distribu- 

 tion of pressure which constitute such a cyclone. This theory 

 was not readily accepted by meteorologists, and Prof. Bigelow, 

 who has discussed all the observations received by the U.S. 

 Weather Bureau, thinks that they scarcely confirm Mr. Clayton's 

 conclusions. The author now examines Prof. Bigelow's dis- 

 cussion and points out that the observations really confirm his 

 own statements. 



Zoological Society, December 2. — Dr. Henry Woodward, 

 F.R.S., vice-president, in the chair. — Dr. Hans Gadow, F.R.S., 

 gave an account (illustrated by lantern slides) of his recent 

 expedition to southern Mexico. He described the Valley of 

 Mexico, and discussed the question of the axolotls and their 

 metamorphosis. He also gave an account of his ascent of the 

 Volcano of Orizaba, and of the two types of tierra calienU met 

 with on the Atlantic and Pacific slopes, and pointed out the 

 various phases of animal life met with in these different localities. 

 — Dr. Einar Lonnberg contributed a series of notes, illustrated 

 by photographs, of the variations observed in the elk in Sweden, 

 more especially as regards the form of the antlers. These the 

 author classed in three groups — "palmate," "intermediate" 

 and "cervine." The last were comparable to the type lately 

 described as Alces bedfordiae. These differences, in the author's 

 opinion, were not attributable either to age or to degeneration, 

 neither did they seem to indicate racial distinction. — A com- 

 munication was read from Mr. R. Lydekker, F. R. S., calling 

 attention to a photograph of a skull and antlers of a reindeer 

 obtained by Mr. H. J. Pearson in Novaia Zemlia. On account 

 of the palmation of the antlers differing markedly from that of 

 the known races of the reindeer, Mr. Lydekker was of opinion 

 that the specimens belonged to a new race, which he accordingly 

 named Pangifer tarandus pearsoni. — Mr. H. R. Hogg read a 

 paper on the Australian spiders of the subfamily Sparassince. 

 It contained descriptions of twenty-five new species and a list of 

 those previously known. — A communication from Mr. W. F. 

 Lanchester contained an account of the crustaceans of the 

 groups Anomura, Cirripedia and Isopoda (marine forms) col- 

 lected during the " Skeat Expedition" to the Malay Peninsula 

 in 1899-1900. — A communication from Mr. F. F. Laidlaw con- 

 tained an account of the dragon-flies of the subfamily Caena- 

 grioninEe collected during the " Skeat Expedition" to the Malay 

 Peninsula. — Mr. R. I. Pocock described a new species of 

 marine spider, discovered by Mr. Cyril Crossland in Zanzibar, 

 under the name Desis crosslandi. — Mr. Pocock also read a 

 paper containing descriptions of twenty new species of harvest- 

 spiders of the order Opiliones from the southern continents. 

 Two of these formed the types of the new genera Sorensenella 

 and Lomanella. 



Linnean Society, December 4. — Mr. Wm. Carruthers, 

 F.R.S., vice-president, in the chair. — Rev. John Gerard 

 exhibited specimens of a Polygala from Grassington, in the West 

 Riding of Yorkshire ; the plant has been named P. amaretla, 

 Crantz. He also showed a monstrous form of Geum rivale, 

 Linn., from between Long Preston and Settle ; the terminal 

 flower was apparently normal, but about one inch and a half 

 below the calyx there appeared a whorl of about twenty pe' a oid 

 members, on extremely long " claws," and surrounded by a 

 series of leaf-like bracts. — Mr. R. Morton Middleton showed 

 an extremely well developed fasciated stem of asparagus.— D:\ 

 George Henderson called attention to a passage in the Gemgics 

 of Vergil (i. 73 seqq.), in which the poet, after recommending a 

 system of fallowing, proposes as an alternative means of restoring 

 the fertility of the soil that before taking a second grain crop 

 the soil should be refertilised by planting it with a leguminous 

 crop. The Romans believed that these plants actually enriched 

 the soil, especially if the roots were plentiful. It is remarkable 

 that recent discoveries regarding the nitrification of the soil by 

 the roots of Leguminosa; should have been foreshadowed so long 

 ago. — The first paper was one by Dr. Gilbert C. Bourne, on some 

 new and rare corals from Funafuti, based on material dredged 

 off Tutanga at a depth of 200 fathoms. The only oculinid coral 

 was Lophohelia tenuis, Moseley, previously only obtained at a 

 depth of 375 fathoms ; the present specimen is figured to correct 

 the figure given in the Challenger report. Seven turbinolid 

 corals were obtained, two being new to science, and figured from 

 photographs ; one, a species of Trochocyathus, having several 

 fossil congeners. — Mr. E. A. Newell Arber gave a digest of his 

 paper on the morphology of the flowers and fruits of the 



