Nov. 30, 1 871] 



NATURE 



95 



bable cause of the discolouration. Having observed similar 

 spherical markings in a bed of dull red clay which was being 

 excavated near the old College, he secured several portions of it, 

 which, after drying, split freely and exposed both discoloured 

 spots and lenticular patches similar to those found in the Old Red 

 sandstone referred to. On examination, he observed in the centre 

 of each discoloured spot faint indications of some foreign body, 

 which, on closer scrutiny, proved to be decayed vegetable 

 matter ; and on further breaking up the clay, he found the matrix 

 around this vegetable matter always more or less discoloured, 

 while the fibrous or woody matter itself was nearly black. He 

 suggested that the phenomenon was due to the chemical affinity 

 of the oxide of iron in the clay for the constituents of the vegetable 

 matter, and that the discoloured spots in the red sandstone 

 might be due to a similar cause, though no trace remained of the 

 organism by which they were occasioned. 

 Dublin 

 Royal Geological Society, November 8. — Edward Hull, 

 M. A., F.R.S., Director of the Geological Survey of Ireland, in 

 the chair. G H. Kinahan, M.R.I. A, read a paper on the Coal 

 Measures of Ireland. This paper was in reply to some state- 

 ments made by Mr. Hull at a former meeting of the Society in 

 regard to the work of the late Mr. J. B. Jukes and his colle.igues. 

 Mr. Hull had stated that, while true Coal Measures existed in 

 Connaught, there were none in either Leinster or Munster. The 

 author argued that this assertion was quite erroneous, and that 

 the Coal Measures of these three provinces were identical. Mr 

 Hull, in reply, seemed to argue that the lower Measures in 

 Munster and Leinster were very similar to the so-called Voredale 

 rock and millstone grits of England, but acknowledged the 

 general correctness of the maps published under Mr. Jukes' 

 direction. Rev. Dr. Haughton moved that Mr. Kinahan's paper 

 be published, and expressed his belief that all such subjects were 

 much better discussed on published data. — Rev. Dr. Haughtcm 

 F. R. S., read a note from Mr. Richardson, secretary to G. R. 

 Graves, M.P. , of Liverpool, informing him that the Ncplinu-, 

 Captain Edwards, had just put in from Quebec, and that the 

 Captain reported that on the 12th October, at sea, in lat. 46° N., 

 long. 35° W., at about 4 P.M., blowing strong from W., he 

 observed a dense cloud of fog arise on the western horizon, 

 which gradually came up with and surrounded the vessel, and so 

 continued until midnight. From first coming up with the ship 

 until clearing off, there prevailed a very strong smell of burning 

 wood, both the Captain and crew felt their eyes much irritated by 

 the smoke, and the decks were strewn with fine dust. At the time 

 the ship was more than 2,000 miles from Chicago. — Prof. 

 Macali>ter exhibited for the President, Lord Enniskillen, the skull 

 of Ursus fi-yo.x found in the County of Monaghan. 



Royal Irish Academy, November 13. — The President, Rev. 

 Dr. Jellett, in the chair. — Dr. Whitley Stokes read a paper "On 

 the Felire of Oengus." This ancient Irish MS., of which Dr. 

 Stokes presented a translation to the Academy, although it, he said, 

 was of but little literary merit, possessed from the purity of its voca- 

 bulary considerable value to the student of comparative philology, 

 revealing very fully the position which the Celtic occupied in 

 the great Aryan family of languages. Dr. Stokes illustrated 

 his views by the comparison of many words with their cognate 

 forms in Greek, Latin, Sanscrit, &c. He also explained the 

 s'.ructure of the metre in the poem, and mentioned the several 

 copies of the MS. in existence. — Prof. R. Ball read a paper, 

 written by his brother, Valentine Ball, B.A., of the Geological 

 Survey of India, " On the Andaman Islands," in which he gave 

 a short account of a visit to the "Home" at Mount Augusta, 

 which he made in company with Mr. Humfrey, who is the 

 superintendent of the Home, and Dr. Curran. — Prof. Ball 

 read a paper " On a Geometrical Study of the Kinematics, Equili- 

 brium, and small Oscillations of a Rigid Body." — G. H. Kina- 

 han read a paper "On the Granitic and other Ingenite Rocks of 

 the Mountainous track of Country west of Loughs Mask and 

 Corrib." The term Ingenite he adopted from David Forbes. — 

 Paris 

 Academy of Sciences, November 13. — M. Dumas noticed 

 the loss which the Academy had sustained in the death of its 

 foreign associate, Sir Roderick Murchison, of whom he spoke in 

 high terms. — M. F. du Moncel read a note on the most economical 

 arrangement of voltaic piles with respect to their polar electrodes, 

 in continuation of a former note. — M. Faye presented a note on 

 the spectroscopic measurement of the rotation of the sun by 

 means of Dr. Zullner's reversion spectroscope, in which he stated 



that Dr. VogelofBothkamp, nearlCiel, had succeeded in effecting 

 this mea-urement, and ascertained a velocity of rotation of 2,497 

 metres per second. — M. Faye also communicated a memoir on 

 the law of rotation of the sun, in reply to a reclamation by 

 Father Secchi, and a memoir by Dr. Zijllner ; in this he indicated 

 the reasons which led him to the belief that the sun is a gaseous 

 body. — M. Le Yen ier announced that but few meteors had been 

 observed in France on the night of the I2~i3th November. — M. 

 Phillips read a paper on the governing spiral of chronometers. — 

 M. H. Resal presented a note on the movement of a material 

 system referred to three rectangular axes capable of moving 

 around their origin. — General Morin communicated a memoir by 

 M. Tresca on the results of experiments of flexion made upon steel 

 and iron rails beyond the limit of elasticity. — A note by M. W. 

 de Fonvielle was read relating to an observation made by M. 

 Janssen on the stoppage of the rotation of the car of a balloon. — 

 MM. Becquerel presented a memoir on the temperature of soils 

 covered with low vegetation or denuded. The observations were 

 made at various depths below the surface, from five to sixty cen- 

 timetres, and showed that the mean temperature during the 

 months of August, September, and October is lower under a 

 denuded surface than under one covered with herbage. — M. C. 

 Samte-Claire Deville noticed the observation of faint aurora 

 borealis in France on the evening of the gth November. — A 

 memoir, entitled "Thermic Investigation on CrystaUine Disso- 

 ciation," by MM. P. A. Favre and C. A. Valson, was read. The 

 authors remarked upon the variety of phenomena involved in the 

 solution of a crystalline salt in water, which they proposed to 

 study from the thermo-chemical point of view, and tabulated and 

 discussed the results of the solution of a long series of crystalline 

 salts, chiefly sulphates. — M. E. P. Berard presented a note on the 

 salant, or saline crust, which is formed on the shores of the Medi- 

 terranean upon certain unproductive soils. Common 'alt is the 

 chief ingredient in this crust. — M. Berthelot communicated a 

 contmuatiim of his memoir on the fomiation of precipitates, in 

 which he discussed the thermal phenomena associated with the 

 separation of the acid of salts from the base. — M. Mauroene 

 presented a note calling attention to the fact that he had some 

 years ago indicated the possibility of the slow transformation of 

 cane sugar into glucose. — M. J. Decaisne communicated some 

 observations on the Pomace.-e, the chief object of which was to 

 indicate the characters by which this important group of plants 

 may be divided into good natural gener.-i. — Jl. Bossin and M. 

 Baudet communicated suggestions for the destruction of 

 Phylloxera z'i7.t/(3//-/.i-. — M. Claude Bernard presented a note by 

 M. Ranvier, on the Histology and Physiology of the Peripheral 

 Nerves. — M.Milne-Edwards presented a note on Oiicia'ium cdti- 

 cum, by M. L. Valiant, in which the author described the 

 anatomy of that curious gasteropod, and expressed the opinion 

 that although rightly placed aa.ong the Pulmonata, it presents 

 certain affinities with the Opisthobranchiate moUusca. — M. de 

 t,)uatrefages communicated a note by M. E. Perrier on Eudrihis, 

 anew genus of Lumbricina from the West Indies. — M. Mene 

 presented some investigations on the fat of domestic animals. 



November 20. — A paper was read by M. de Saint-Venant 

 on the mechanics of ductile bodies. — M. H. Resal presented 

 a memoir on the movement of a point subjected to the 

 action of a periodical cause, which experiences a constant 

 resistance directed in the inverse direction of the velocity ; M. C. 

 Roze a note on the asymmetry of the terminal curves ot the spiral 

 spring of chronometers ; and M. de baint Venant a memoir by 

 M. J. Boussinesq on the theory of the undulations and movements 

 which are propagated along a rectangular horizontal canal when 

 there is communicated to the liquid c.ntained in this canal like 

 velocities from the surface to the bottom. — M. Vvon Viliarceau 

 communicated extracts from a letter from Mr. Gould relating to 

 the establishment of an Observatory at Cordoba in the Argentine 

 Republic. — M. Le Verrier communicated a note giving the results 

 of observations of meteors made in France on the 12th, 13th, and 

 14th November. Those observed on the 12th and 13th issued from 

 a point in the neighbourhood of the constellation Auriga ; the 

 "Leonides'' or meteors issuing from Leo were most numerous 

 on the night of the 14th. M. Faye made some remarks on this 

 communication, and to these M. Le Verrier replied. — M. Cha- 

 pelas also presented a note on (he meteors of November 1871. — 

 M. Le Verrier presented a note by M. de Gasparis on the formula; 

 for calculating the orbits of double st.ars. — M. P. A. Favre read 

 a continuation of his thermic investigations upon electrol)sis, in 

 which he discussed the thermic phenomena observed during the 

 electrolysis of sulphate of copper, sulphate of zinc, nitrate of copper, 



