2l6 



NATURE 



\yan. II, 1872 



White Island, belonging to the genus N'&rbca, hitherto only 

 found in Borneo, and also a new species, jMolou laxa, 



September 30. — Mr. Travers described the habits of the birds 

 that frequent the lake in the interior of Nelson, mentioning that 

 the blue duck (Ilymciiolaimiis) does not exhibit solicitude for the 

 safety of its young like other ducks. Captain Hutton showed 

 that this supported the Darwinian theory, as the blue duck be- 

 longs to a genus peculiar to New Zealand when there w'ere no 

 destructive animals previous to the arrival of man, and in which 

 genus, therefore, instinctive fear has not been developed. Dr. 

 Hector showed that absence of fear is characteristic of most of 

 the birds peculiar to New Zealand, but that the weka of the 

 North Island is much more shy than the species in the South, — Dr. 

 Hector described a portion of a wreck discovered on the west 

 coast of the Middle Island, and pointed out that the coast line 

 had advanced 300 yards since it was cast u]d. 



October 14. — A communication by Dr. Wojeikof, of St. Peters- 

 burg, on the change of climate effected by clearing forests, led to 

 much discussion, from which it appeared that this colony is now 

 suffering in many districts from the sudden and severe floods that 

 are due to this cause. — Captain Hutton read critical notes of the 

 birds of New Zealand that accompany a descriptive catalogue he 

 has published. 



October 28. — Dr. Hector reported the result of Dr. Thom- 

 son's exploration of the cave in Otago in which the Moa's 

 nest was found (see Nature, vol. iv. pp. 184, 22S). It is an 

 irregular fissure in mica schist rock, about fifty feet deep, and 

 with thin flat ledges or floors on which the bones rest. There 

 are entrances, one from rocks on the mountain side, and the 

 other by a funnel-shaped hollow in an alluvial flat. On the first 

 floor Dr. Thomson found traces of a fire and charred bones. 

 On the second floor, by scraping away the loose dust to the 

 depth of two feet, leg bones, ribs, vertebrae, a pelvis, toe bones, 

 tracheal rings, and pieces of skin and muscle were f^ound. On 

 the third floor were found fragments of egg-shell, and the 

 bones of a bird with a keeled sternum. In Dr. Thomson's col- 

 lection there are sixteen tibia?, so that he obtained remains of at 

 least eight birds. A perfect skull with lower jaw and trachea 

 attached, and a femur with well preserved muscular tissues 

 attached, were found on the spot where the nest was obtained. 

 From another locality in the same district Dr. Thomson sends 

 twenty feathers. These were found by a gold digger eighteen 

 feet below the surface. A report on these feathers by Capt. 

 Hutton showed that they were of the form peculiar to stralhious 

 birds, but quite different from any known species. They are eight 

 inches long, with soft yellow down on the lower half, and black 

 above except the tip, which is white. The form of the feather is 

 very peculiar, as it expands in width to the tip. He considers 

 that the structure of these feathers shows that the bird to which 

 they belonged was allied more to the American robin than to 

 any of the struthious birds of the old world. 

 Vienna 



1. R. Geological Institution, Dec. 5, 1871. — M. Ernest Favre 

 exhibited a geological map of the central part of the Caucasus 

 Mountain chain, which he had surveyed last summer. The 

 region which formed the object of his inquiries is limited to the 

 east by the military road which leads to Georgia, to the west it 

 ends with the Elbrus Mountain, to the north it is limited by the 

 Steppe, and to the south by the Koura Valley, the mountains of 

 Souram and the plain of Mingrelia. In this region the Caucasus 

 rises to its greatest height; summits of 12,000 to 18,000 feet 

 above the the sea 'level being not rare. Granite and crystalline 

 slates form large masses in the central part, further to the east 

 and west they disappear beneath the younger sedimentary rocks. 

 The lowest lossiliferous strata belong to the Liassic formation. 

 The gigantic peaks of the Elbrus and the Kayhek on the north 

 flank of the chain are formed by trachite. — Mr. F. Schrokenstein 

 "On the Cyipka Balkan. " The author has crossed the Balkan 

 mountains in two lines, unvisited before by any geologist, once 

 from Drawna by Selce to Kysanlik, and than back over the 

 Cyipka to Grabowa. The series of rocks found there he 

 enumerates as follows : — i. CrystaUine schists; 2. Coal forma- 

 tion, the base of which is formed by quartzite, higher up follows 

 calcareous slate, and finally sandstone and slate with coal 

 measures ; 3. Dyas ; 4. Magnesian limestone ; and 5. The 

 Neocomian series covering the older rocks unconformably. The 

 discovery of large coal seams in the coal formation near Radience 

 is very important. German capitalists have got permission to 

 work them, and have already traced a railway from the mine to 

 the Danube. 



BOOKS RECEIVED 



English.— Schcllen's Spectrum Aualysis: Translated by Jane and Caro- 

 line Lassell : Edited, witti Notes, by W. H uggins (Longmans).— Deschanel's 

 Natural Philosophy : Part in., Klectricity and Magnetism : Translated by 

 Prof. Everett (Blackie and Sons).— Zoological Record, Vol. vii— Rudimen- 

 tary Magnetism : Sir W. S. Harris and H. M. Noad (Lock wood).— 

 Spiritualism Answered by Science ; Serjt. Cox (Longmans). 



American. — Reports on Observations of the Total Solar Eclipse of Dec. 

 23, 1870, conducted under the direction of Rear- Admiral Sands, U.S.N. 



DIARY 



THURSDAY, January ii. 



RovAL Society, at 8 :io. — Experiments made to determine Surface Conduc- 

 tivity in Absolute Measure: D. McFarlane. — On the Myology of the 

 Cheiroptera : Prof. Macalister. 



Society of Antiquaries, at 8.30.— Ballot for the Election of Fellows. 



Mathematical Society, at 8.— On' Surfaces : the loci of the vertices of 

 cones which satisfy six conditions: Prof. Cayley.— On the Constants that 

 occur in certain summations by Eernouilli's series ; J. W. L. Glaisber. — 

 On the Construction of large tables of divisors and of the factors of the 

 first differences of prime powers : W. B. Davis.— On Parallel Surfaces of 

 Conicoids and Conies : S. Roberts. 



FRIDAY^ January 12. 



Astronomical Society, at 8. 



Quekett Microscopical Club, at 8. 



MONDAY^ January 15. 



Anthropological Institute, al 8. 



London Institution, at 4.— Elementary Chemistry: Prof. Odling. 

 TUESDAY, January 16. 



Zoological Society, at 9. — On a fourth collection of Birds from the Pelew 

 and I-lackenzie group of Islands: Dr. G. Hartlaub and Dr. O. Finsch.— 

 Notes on the Myology of Lcioicpis bellii : Alfred Sanders. 



Statistical Society, at 7 45. — On Licensing and Capital Invested in 

 Alcoholic Drinks ; Prof. Levi. 



Royal Institution, at 3. — On the Circulatory and Nervous Systems ; Dr. 

 W. Rutherford. 



WEDNESDAY^ January 17. 



Society of Ats, at 8.— On the Oral Education of the Deaf and Dumb : 

 G. W. Dasent. 



Meteorological Society, at 7. 



THURSDAY, January 18. 



Royal Society, at 8.30. 



Society of Antiquaries, 8.30. 



Royal Institution, at 3. — On the Chemistry of Alkalies and Alkali 

 Manufacture; Prof. Odling, F.R.S. 



Linnean Society, at 8. — On- the Anatomy of the American King-Crab 

 {Lhnulns Polyphemus, Lat.) : Prof. Owen, F.R.S. (Continued.) 



Chemical Society, at 8. 



CONTENTS Page 



The United States Department of Agriculture 197 



Agassiz's Seaside Studies 198 



Earnshaw's Differential Equations 199 



Our Book Shelf 200 



Letters to the Editor: — 



Ocean Currents. — James Croll, F.G.S 201 



" Nature Worship " 202 



Prof. Helmholtz and Prof. Jevons.— J. L. Tupper 202 



Meteorological Phenomena.— Boyd Moss 203 



Crannogs in the South of Scotland. — J. Shaw 203 



Freshwater Lakes without Outlet. — Joseph John Murphy, F.G.S. 203 



Pupa of Papilio Machaon.— Rev. Henry H. Higgins .... 204 



Lunar Calendars.— S. M. Drach 204 



Hints to Dredgers.— Marshall Hall 204 



Anacharis Canadensis. — H. Pocklington 204 



Fight between a Cobra and a Mongoose. By R. Reid . . . 204 

 Australian Preparations forObsebving the Solar Eclipse. By 



R L. J. Ellery. F.RS. (With Hlustratioii) 205 



Electrophysiologica.— II. By Dr. C. B. Radcliffe. {With Hlns- 



tratiojt) 206 



Conjoint Medical Examinations 209 



Notes 210 



Ancient Rock Inscriptions in Ohio. By C. Whittlesey . . . 212 



Scientific Serials 212 



Societies and Academies 213 



Books Received 216 



Diary 216 



NOTICE 

 We beg leave to state that 7ve decline to return rejected communica- 

 tionSy and to this rule ive can make no exception. Conununica' 

 tions respecting Subscriptions or Advertisements must be addressed 

 to the Publishers, not to the Editor. 



