334 



NA TURE 



[February 2, 1905 



(representing eighteen genera) examined, only five, belong- 

 ing to as many genera, were found to be totally devoid 

 of these structures. — The slcull of a musk-ox from the 

 river-gravels of the Severn Valley at Frampton-on-Severn, 

 near Stonehouse, Gloucestershire : Dr. C. \V. Andrews. 

 The specimen consisted of the cranial portion of the skull 

 of an old bull, and was found by Mr. W. T. Rennie, of 

 Chepstow, who had presented it to the British Museum. 

 Remains of this species were comparatively rare in Britain, 

 and the nearest previously recorded locality to that de- 

 scribed was Barn wood, near Gloucester. — Three new 

 birds obtained by Colonel Waddell, C.B., on the recent 

 expedition to Lhassa : H. E. Dresser. The birds ex- 

 hibited and described were : — Babax waddelli, nearest to, 

 but differing widely from, Babax lanceolaius ; Garrulax 

 tibetainis, a much darker and more uniformly coloured 

 bird than Garrulax sannio, with the terminal part of the 

 tail white ; and Lanius lama, a much darker bird than 

 Laiiius schach, with less white on the forehead, no rufous 

 on the back or scapulars, and no trace of an alar speculum. 



Koyal Meteorological Society, January 18. — Ca^t. D. 

 Wilson-Barker, president, in the chair. — The President 

 delivered an address on the connection of meteorology 

 with other sciences. He said that meteorology and astro- 

 nomy were doubtless the first of the sciences to attract 

 the attention of men — which of the two exerts most 

 influence on the well-being of humanity is a matter de- 

 pendent on the position of the globe ; in many regions 

 people are but slightly affected by the weather, while the 

 heavenly bodies, particularly the sun, exert an enormous 

 influence on human life. Everywhere in nature we find 

 the effects of meteorological agencies. After speaking upon 

 the effects of evaporation, winds, rain, ice, snow, and 

 pointing out the influence of weather on animal life, 

 vegetation, health, &c., he said that meteorology is a 

 science deserving more attention than it receives. He 

 thought it ought to be recognised as a preliminary to the 

 studies of geography, geology, and kindred subjects, and 

 he was of opinion that meteorological observatories might 

 very well be fitted up in schools, and pupils taught to 

 observe. This could be done at a small cost of time or 

 money. The tendency at present is to particularise in all 

 scientific work, but the true path to progress lies in keep- 

 ing a comprehensive outlook on the whole field of investi- 

 gation. The United States have devoted much attention 

 to meteorology with most satisfactory results. It is to be 

 regretted that official help and encouragement are so de- 

 ficient in this country. The baffling, difficult nature of 

 meteorological problems should but serve as an incentive 

 to their elucidation. The persistent observer gains much, 

 not only in knowledge of the subject, but in the habits of 

 close and accurate investigation which he insensibly 

 acquires, and all workers in this field learn to appreciate 

 the difficulties which confront their fellow-labourers and 

 to recognise the value of what has been done by the 

 meteorological organisations of the world. — Mr. Richard 

 Bentley was elected president for the ensuing year. 



Entomological Society. January 18. — Frof. E. B. 

 Poulton in the chair. — Mr. F. Merrifield was elected presi- 

 dent for the session 1904-5. — The president. Prof. Poulton, 

 delivered an address in which he discussed the part played 

 by the study of insects in the great controversy on the 

 question, "Are acquired characters hereditary?" He 

 argued that the decision whether Lamarck's theory of the 

 causes of evolution is or is not founded on a mistaken 

 assumption largely depends upon evidence supplied by the 

 insect world, and finally concluded that the whole body 

 of facts strongly supports Weismann's conclusions. .'\t 

 the end of his address the president urged that the study 

 of insects is essential for the elucidation and solution of 

 problems of the widest interest and the deepest significance. 



Dlbmn. 

 Royal Dublin Society, December 20, 1904.— Mr. W. E. 

 Wilson, F.R..S., in the chair. — Unrecognised factors in 

 the transmission of gases through water : Dr. W. E. 

 Adeney. The author has described in this communica- 

 tion an experimental investigation of the downward stream- 

 ing which has been met with in experiments on diffusion 

 of gases in water, when the gas is placed above the 



NO. 1840, VOL. 71] 



water. Hiifner has ascribed this downward streaming to 

 the water becoming heavier as it dissolves the gas, and 

 so forming concentration currents. The author shows 

 from his experiments that the streaming is a gravitational 

 effect, but that it is not due to concentrated solution 

 currents as understood by Hiifner. He also shows that 

 when the surface layers of long columns of water, of 

 small cross section, are continuously agitated by mechanical 

 stirrers, or by currents of air drawn through them, the 

 streaming becomes very rapid, with the result that the 

 columns of water are saturated with the gas in the course 

 of a few hours. The streaming takes place more rapidly 

 in sea-water than in distilled water. — Secondary radiation : 

 Prof. J. A. McClelland. — The partial differential equa- 

 tions of mathematical physics : Prof. A. W. Conway. A 

 new method of obtaining singular solutions of these 

 equations was obtained, applicable to non-homogeneous 

 equations. A new class of functions called " kinetic func- 

 tions " was introduced. — The Primary rocks of Ireland 

 with their intrusive rocks : G. H. Kinahan. The first 

 part of the paper gave a general account of the rocks from 

 the Permian to the Cambrian, specially mentioning their 

 characteristic shore accumulations. The second and more 

 important portion treated of all the occurrences of Irish 

 Archaeans with their exotic adjuncts, and their probable 

 equivalents in England, Wales, Scotland, Canada, and the 

 United States of America. 



January 17. — Dr. W. E. Wilson, F.R.S., in the chair. 

 — Improvements in equatorial telescope mountings : Sir 

 Howard Grubb, F.R.S. The author described a new 

 form of slow motion for large equatorial telescopes in 

 which a small electric motor is used for actuating the 

 differential wheels, which are ordinarily worked by an 

 endless cord. This new form was first applied to the 

 24-inch photographic equatorial of the Radcliffe Observ- 

 atory, Oxford, and is now being applied to the photo- 

 graphic equatorial at the Cape Town Observatory, which 

 is of the same size. The working of the instrument, 

 which was exhibited at the meeting, was demonstrated 

 by the author, who also read a paper on a simplified forra 

 of his electrical control, which has lately been applied 

 to several large instruments. — On the temperature of 

 certain stars : W. E. Wilson, F.R.S. It seems probable 

 that in the sun and some stars there are two quite 

 distinct sources from which we can receive light whicli 

 gives a continuous spectrum. First, the photospheric 

 clouds, which are composed of droplets of matter in the 

 solid form, probably carbon ; secondly, layers of intensely 

 hot gases which are under considerable pressure. Between 

 these two sources of radiation lie principally the vapours 

 of titanium and vanadium, and other elements of suitable 

 atomic weight. In a sun-spot the temperature is locally 

 so high that the photospheric clouds are volatilised, and! 

 we then get the radiation only from the gaseous layer 

 below, the spectrum being darkened by the intervening 

 layers, consisting principally of the vapours of titanium, 

 &c., the lines of which are widened and darkened. It is 

 then suggested that as a star like Arcturus, or type iv. 

 stars, have a spectrum which is very similar to a sun- 

 spot, in these bodies the temperature is so high that they 

 have no photospheric clouds, and that their want of 

 brilliancy is caused by their only receiving the radiations 

 from the gaseous layers which lie at some depth in their 

 atmospheres. — Mr. Richard J. Moss exhibited the absorp- 

 tion spectrum of liquid oxygen. 



Manchester. 

 Literary and Philosophical Society, December 13, 1904. 

 — Mr. W. H. Johnson in the chair. — Note on the dissemin- 

 ation of seeds by birds : C. Oldham. The opinion ex- 

 pressed by Mr. F. Nicholson at a recent meeting of the 

 society that birds rarely act as disseminators of seeds, by 

 voiding them in their excrement, is not in accord with the 

 experience of many field naturalists. Nearly fifty years ago 

 Darwin proved (" Origin of Species," chapter xii.) that 

 certain seeds extracted from the excrement of small birds 

 germinated, as did others from the ejected pellets and the 

 excrement of carnivorous and piscivorous birds. The 

 fvidence of Wallace and other observers may be cited to the 

 same effect. In mid-Cheshire, during the spell of hard 

 weather at the end of November, 1904. an examination of 



