NAT ORE 
| DECEMBER 27, 1906 
216 
chemically derived from decomposition of the carbohydrate 
food they consume. Bacteria are present in abundance 
in the alimentary canal of these grubs, and oxi- 
dise the carbon of the food where no transpiration of 
water is possible.—Note on the origin of the name Chermes 
or Kermes: E. R. Burdon. The existence of the same 
generic name in two families of the Hemiptera is due to 
the following ) that the dye-insect of the oak, 
Quercus ilex, Linn., had been known since the Arab con- 
quest of Spain by ‘the popular name of Kermes all over 
the south of Europe. (2) That Linnzeus, apparently un- 
aware of this fact, put the Kermes dye-insect into the genus 
Coccus, and employed Chermes as the generic name for 
another group of imsects, amongst which he placed the 
spruce gall-insect. (3) That Geoffroy, objecting to this 
misapplication of a well-known popular name, used Chermes 
as the generic name for the dye-insect which Linnaeus 
called Coccus. (4) That Boitard used the name for the 
same insects as Geoffroy, but spelt it Kermes. (5) That 
the majority of workers at the spruce gall-insects have 
retained the Linnzan name of Chermes, and at the same 
time Coccid authorities have naturally continued to use the 
name Kermes for the insect which had popularly been so- 
called from early times. The author concludes that, in 
view of the wide acceptance of both Chermes and Kermes, 
any alteration would only make confusion worse con- 
founded.—Part x. of the reports on Biscayan plankton 
collected by H.M.S. Research in 1900: E. W. L. Holt 
and L. W. Byrne. An account was given of the. fishes 
captured. It was remarkable that no fish-eggs or larve 
were taken in any of the thirty-seven hauls of the closing- 
net which explored the water between 2000 fathoms and 
fifty fathoms; they appeared. to be confined to the upper 
100 fathoms, and were rare at the surface. Nine species 
and six genera were recognisable, the deepest of which 
was Gonostoma bathyphilum, taken in the closing-trawl 
between 2000 fathoms and 1500 fathoms. Several un- 
known larvz are described and figured. 
Royal Meteorological Society, December 19.—Mr. 
Richard Bentley, president, in the chair.—The Guildford 
storm of August 2, 1906: Admiral J. P. Macltear. This 
storm shows some very curious and interesting features in 
the remarkable violence of the wind, rain, and hail within 
a small area, and the suddenness with which it burst. 
There was an area of thunderstorms over the whole of the 
south of England on the evening of that day. The most 
violent storm, however, burst over Grayshott, on Hind- 
head, at 8.20, and pursued a narrow track through 
Godalming and Guildford to Ripley, five miles north-east 
of Guildford. The wind was of hurricane force, and blew 
down an immense number of trees and caused other 
damage, and also the loss of two lives. The rain, accom- 
panied by large hailstones, was very heavy, as much as 
1-17 inches falling at Grayshott in fifteen minutes. There 
was a magnificent display of lightning.—The metric system 
in meteorology : R. Inwards. The author did not discuss 
the general question of the advantages of the metric system 
over “that i in use by Britain and her “colonies and the United 
States of America, but confined his remarks to the advisa- 
bility of adopting some uniform system by all the meteor- 
ological observers upon the globe. 
MANCHESTER. 
Literary and Philosophical Society, November 27.— 
Prof. A. Schuster, F.R.S., in the chair.—Some Points of 
chemical philosophy involved in the’ discovery of radium 
and the properties of its combinations: Dr. H. Wilde.— 
A collection of land and fresh-water Mollusca collected by 
Mr. S. A. Neave in North-East Rhodesia: J. Cosmo 
Melvill and R. Standen. The areas traversed by Mr. 
Neave were mainly the high plateaux and mountainous 
lands between the Loangwa and Kafue Rivers, at an 
elevation of 2000 feet to 4200 feet. Mollusca were, in 
certain places (particularly Kapopo, in the limestone dis- 
trict), plentiful in individuals, but deficient in number of 
species. Most notable were the large agate-snails (Burtoa, 
Achatina, and Limicolaria), of which one elegant form, 
A. rhodesiaca, remarkable for its attenuately-fusiform con- 
tour, is new to science. Cleopatra mterizensis, one of a 
fluviatile genus, endemic in the African continent, is also 
NO. 1939, VOL. 75 | 
until now undescribed, as is an interesting member of the 
sinistral genus Lanistes, which occurred at Kapopo, and 
is to bear the name of L. neavei, after its discoverer. Only 
twenty-two species are gathered in all, the majority being 
already known as natives of German East Africa, the 
Nyassa district, the neighbourhood of Victoria Nyanza or 
the Zambezi River. Little specific affinity seems to exist 
with the Transvaal or South Africa, excepting so far as 
some widely distributed species, e.g. Melania tuberculata, 
Will., and Physopsis africana, Krauss, are concerned. 
DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 29. 
Roya. InstiTuTION, at 3.—Signalling to a Distance; the Invention of the 
Electric Telegraph : W. Duddell. 
MONDAY, DECEMBER 31. 
Lonpon InsTITUTION, at 4.—Volcanoes: W. Herbert (Comms 
TUESDAY. January t. 
Roya InstitTuTion, at 3.—Signalling to a Distance: 
Telegraphs: W. Duddell. 
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 2. 
Society oF Arts, at 5.—Perils and Adventures Underground (Juvenile 
Lecture): B. H. Brough. 
Lonpon InstiTuTION, at 4.—The Fire Belt around the Globe : 
Garrison. 
Modena Electric 
W. Herbert 
THURSDAY, JANUARY 3. 
Roya [NsTITUTION, at 3.—Signalling to a Distance: 
its Working: W. Duddell. 
FRIDAY, JANUARY 4. 
Lonpon InstTiruTION, at 4.—Earthquakes and Geysers: 
Garrison. 
RoyaL_ GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY, at 3-39.—Japan and the Japanese as I 
saw them: Miss A. L. Murcutt. 
SATURDAY, JANUARY 5. 
Rovat InstTiTuTION, at 3.—Signalling to a Distance: 
Telegraphs: W. Duddell. 
the Telephone and 
W. Herbert 
Early Wireless 
CONTENTS. PAGE 
The Theory of Aggregates. ByG. B. M.. Perey) 
Metamorphoses of Plants aie LOA! 
The Radio-active Pedigree. ‘ By the Hon. R. jie 
SErutteky Aor meee ate ae coeltas 2. clt/ se 
Visible Speech. By Prof. John G. McKendrick, 
EAR SS eg oD EEE ow) | nO 
The Geology of Armenia, "By GaAY JC een 197 
Our Book Shelf :— 
Goodwin: ‘ Position-line Star-Tables: for Fixing 
Ship’s Position by Reduction to Meridian and 
Prime Vertical without Logarithmic Calculation.” 
SVE Paes : SEI 
Newsham : “ The Horticultural Note Book”. . . | 198 
Vivanti: ‘ Funzioni poliedriche e modulari” . . . . 198 
Koenigsberger : ‘‘ Hermann von Helmholtz.” —H.H. 198 
Schneider: ‘‘Illustriertes Handbuch der Laubholz- 
kunde” . . eee) 
Maeterlinck : “Old: fashioned Flowers and other 
Open-air Essays”. .... ANE TOS) 
Letters to the Editor:— 
The january Meteors.—W. F. Denning . . 5 uote) 
Stereoscopic Lantern Slides.—G. A. Shakespear » Si99 
Emerald Green Sky Colour.—J. W. Noble... 199 
The French Sahara. (Jl//ustrated.) By W.E. P. and 
Hish'sGrlGroe > > 20) ceca ies. o Zoe) 
Scientific Work on Mont Blanc. By FGane +) 7 203 
Success of Anti-Malarial Measures ....... . 204 
INotesiy sear: Pin oO. ob. oy LAE) 
Our Astronomical ‘Column :— 
Astronomical Occurrences in January, 1907 - . . 208 
Comets 1906 (Metcalf) and 1906d(Finlay) .. . . 208 
Two Stars with a Common Proper Motion. . . . . 208 
@bservationsiofaVienus. ‘|. /ai)sus| alias eae EOS 
A Brilliant Meteor .. . oi oe Os 
Rubber Cultivation in the East, ‘and the Ceylon 
Rubber Exhibition. (J///ustvated.) By Dr. J. C. 
Willis .. Ena) Hepa 2 3 Ae?! 
Meteorological Notes tn eos a Lt 210 
British Inland Waterways y < Peet 2 
The Scientific Study of Infectious Diseases . . . 213 
University and Educational Intelligence ... . 214 
SocietiessandvAcademies): 9. >. (lia = se ee 
DiaryomSocteties, 0. Saree rece pe 
