448 



NATURE 



{April £,, 1872 



An interesting species of Campodea, of which the accom- 

 panying cut (Fig. 6) is a tolerable likeness, though de- 

 signed to illustrate another species {S. staphylinus 

 Westw.) was discovered by Mr. Cooke. Both the 

 European and our common species live under stones in 

 damp places, and the occurrence of this form in the water 

 is quite remarkable. The other species are blind, and I 

 could detect no eyes in the Mammoth Cave specimen. 



A small spider was captured by Mr. Cooke, but after- 

 wards lost ; it was brown in colour, and possibly distinct 

 from the Anilirobia monmouthia Tellkf. (Fig. 7), which is 

 an eyeless form, white and very small, being but half a 

 line in length. The family of Harvest men is represented 

 by a small white form, described by Tellkampf under the 

 name of Pliatongodcs armata (Fig. 8), but now called 

 xlcantliocheir a'-mata Lucas. The body alone is but half 

 a line long, the legs measuring two lines. It should be 

 borne in mind that many of the spiders, as well as the 

 Thysanura, live in holes and dark places, so that we could 

 naturally find them in caves. So, also, with the Myriopods, 

 of which a most remarkable form (Fig. 9 front of head) 

 was found by Mr. Cooke three or four miles from the 

 mouth of the cave. It is the only truly hairy species 

 known, an approach to it being found in Pseudotremia 

 Vtidii Cope. It is blind, the other species of this group 

 which Prof. Cope found living in caves having eyes. The 

 long hairs arranged along the back seem to suggest that 

 they are tactile organs, and of more use to the thousand 

 legs in making its way about the nooks and crannies of a 

 perpetually dark cave than eyes would be. It was found 

 by Mr. Cooke under a stone. 



Prof Cope has contributed to the " Proceedings of the 

 American Philosophical Society" (1869, p. 171) an in- 

 teresting account of the cave mammals, articulates, and 

 shells of the middle states. He says that "myriopods are 

 the only articulates which can be readily found in the 

 remote regions of the caves (of West Virginia) and they 

 are not very common in a living state." The Pseudo- 

 tremia caveniarum which he describes, " inhabits the 

 deepest recesses of the numerous caves which abound in 

 Southern Virginia, as far as human steps can penetrate. 

 I have not seen it near their mouths, though its eyes are 

 not undeveloped, nor smaller than those of many living in 

 the forest. Judging from its remains, which one finds 

 under stones, it is an abundant species, though rarely seen 

 by the dim light of a candle even after considerable 

 search. Five specimens only were procured from about 

 a dozen caves." The second species, P. Vudii Cope, was 

 found in Montgomery Co., and he thinks it was not 

 found in a cave. Prof Hyatt informs me that he saw 

 near the " Bottomless Pit" in Mammoth Cave, abrowmish 

 centipede-like myriopod, over an inch in length, which 

 moved off in a rapid zigzag motion. Unfortunately, he 

 did not capture it. 



A. S. Packard, Jun. 



{To he continued) 



NOTES 

 We have received information of a most munificent act on 

 the part of that veteran in Geological Science, Sir William 

 E. Logan, in supplementing, by the handsome gift of iS,ooodols., 

 the sum of 2,000 dols. given by him and his brother, Mr. Hart 

 Logan, last year towards the endowment of the Chair of Geology 

 in M'Gill University, Montreal. The "Logan Chair of Geology" 

 will be at once a commemoration of Sir WilHam's name in con- 

 nection with the higher fiducation of our colonists, and a means of 

 perpetuating the teaching of the Science for which he has done 

 so much, as well as of securing the training of a succession of 

 young men who may wortliily follow up his investigations in 

 the wide field of Canadian Geology. Principal Dawson, who at 

 present occupies the Chair of Geology, vrill be the first " Logan 



Professor," and it is intended that the endowment shall, as soon 

 as possible, be made the mems of relieving him from the 

 teaching of some other portions of natural science, in order that 

 he may more fully devote his time to Geology and Paleontology. 



Prof. Hu.\lev is now on his way home to England, having 

 been last heard of from Naples. His health is very greatly re- 

 stored by his absence from work, and the effects of the Egyptian 

 climate. 



Dr. M'Nae, Professor of Botany and Geology at the Royal 

 Agricultural College, Cirencester, has been appointed Professor 

 of Botany to the Royal College of Science and Art, Dublin, in 

 the place of Prof. Thiselton Dyer. The appointment is a good 

 one, on which we congratulate the Science and Art Department. 

 The lectureship at the Cirencester College is now vacant. 



The death of the Swiss paleontologist, M. Pictet de la Rive, 

 Professor in the Academy of Geneva, which we noticed last 

 week, took place on the 15th ult. at the age of sixty-two, and 

 was occasioned by fever induced by a severe accident. 



Dr. George Burrows, F.R.S., has been re-elected Presi- 

 dent of the College of Physicians. 



Prof. Huxley was defeated by a small majority by Lord 

 Neaves in the election for the Rectorship of St. Andrew's Uni- 

 versity. Prof. Sylvester was also, we regret to say, unsuccessful 

 in his candidature for the School Board for Marylebone. We 

 understand, however, that there will shortly be another vacancy 

 on the Board, when we trust Science will once more put in its 

 claim. 



The Brighton Aquarium was formally opened to the public on 

 Saturday last. 



It has been decided to give a private view and evening re- 

 ception in the Picture Galleries of the London International 

 Exhibition of 1872 before the ist of May, to which distinguished 

 foreigners and holders of season tickets wiU be invited. 



At Rugby Mr. Wilson and Mr. Seabroke have tried the ex- 

 periment of giving regular lectures on Astronomy to a class con- 

 sisting of volunteers from the school and residents in the town. 

 Note-books were shown up and corrected, and an examination 

 held at the end. About seventy attended, twenty being mem. 

 bers of the school ; thirty showed up note-books, and eighteen 

 presented themselves for examination. Advocates of women's 

 education will be pleased to leam that the two best note-books 

 were written by girls, and that in the examination, which was a 

 stiff one (we have seen the paper), girls held the second, third, 

 and fifth places. The proceeds are for buying books for the 

 Temple Observatory. 



An organisation, entitled the Bloomington Scientific Associa- 

 tion, was instituted at Bloomington, Illinois, hi 1871, having for 

 its object the diffusion and popularising of science in that 

 State. The officers are Prof. B. S. Perry, Mr. R. H. Holder, 

 Dr. Vasey, and Mr. J. A. Jackman. The society has already a 

 large number of members, and meets frequently. 



The great depression of temperature during November and 

 the early part of December, was followed by an extraordi- 

 narily long period of more than three months' remarkably 

 mild weather. For the ninety-seven days from December 13 

 to March 18, Mr. Glaisher's Greenwich tables, recorded 

 weekly in the Gardener's Chronicle, show that the temperature 

 was above the average on eighty-nine, and below the average 

 on only eight days, the mean excess for the whole period 

 being 5°'i. During the whole of this period the thermometer 

 fell below the freezing point on four nights only, viz., January 

 15 and 16, and March 10 and 11 ; the lowest temperature re- 

 corded being 28° '3 Fahr. on the first and last of these dates. 



