April II, 1872I 



NATURE 



475 



Faraday lecture would be delivered by Prof. Cannissaro on 

 Thursday, May 30. — A communication from M. Maumerie, of 

 Paris, was then read by the secretary, in which he denied the 

 existence of the hyponitrous acid recently discovered by Dr. 

 Divers (Proceedings of the Royal Society, xix. 425), on purely 

 theoretical grounds, unsupported by any experiments or analyses. 

 Dr. Divers, who was present, explained M. Maumerie's theory. 

 — An interesting discussion took place on theoretical points con- 

 nected with some remarks made by Dr. Debus, in which he 

 stated that no organic compound existed, in which the number 

 of atoms of hydroxy 1, HO, was greater than the number of carbon 

 atoms. 



March 30. — The President delivered the annual address, in the 

 course of which he commented upon the comparatively small 

 number of papers comnumicated to the Society. The apathy 

 and lethargy from whicli chemical science in this country is at 

 present suffering, he believed to be due to a great extent to our 

 system of university education. After the officers and council 

 for the ensuing year had been elected, and the usual votes of 

 thanks proposed, the meeting was adjourned. 



April 4. -Dr. Frankland, F.R.S., president, in the chair. — 

 Dr. Schorlemmer, F.R.S., delivered a very mteresting lecture 

 "On the Chemistry of the Hydro-carbons," defining organic 

 chemistry as the chemistry of hydro-carbons and their_ deriva- 

 tives. The characteristic propeities of the paraffin, oletine, and 

 acetyline series, and their relations one to another, were dis- 

 cussed, also those of the great aromatic group, the speaker point- 

 ing out the great assistance derived from the atomic theory in 

 determining both the constitution of isomeric compounds, and 

 also the relations existing between the various members of the 

 aromatic series. 



Entomological Society, March iS, 1S72.— Mr. F. Smith, 

 vice-president, in the chair.— R. Meldola was elected a member. 

 —Mr. Higgins exhibited beautiful species of CdoniidiC from Java, 

 including some apparently new.— Mr. Bond exhibited a dimor- 

 phic example of ^/tro«j'ir/n leporina, one side of which was coloured 

 and marked as in typical examples, the other side as in the variety 

 hnxdyforina, the two forms having at one time been con- 

 sidered distinct species.— Mr. Smith said that the remarks on 

 Siberian insects at the last meeting had induced him to make a 

 minute examination of specimens of the hornet (Vespa crabro] 

 from Europe, Siberia, and North America, and he found that 

 individuals from these districts presented no appreciable varia- 

 tion. The Asiatic V. orientalis was, however, quite distinct. — 

 Mr. MiiUer read notes on Scrropalpns striatiis, which beetle he 

 considered to be a wood-feeder, and especially attached to fir- 

 wood ; hence its occurrence in a hose-warehouse at Leicester 

 could only be considered as accidental. —The Secretary read a 

 long account of the ravages of locusts in South Australia in De- 

 cember 1871, as related in the South Australian Register for 

 January 2, 1872. The insects were described as coming in 

 swarms that darkened the air, eating every morsel of vegetation. 

 It was found that those individuals that had partaken of leaves 

 of the castor-oil plant were immediately killed thereby, and 

 larkspur seemed also inimical to them.— Mr. Home related his 

 experiences of locusts in India. The castor-oil plant had cer- 

 tainly no injurious effects upon Indian species, though they were 

 affected by the leaves of the tamarind-tree. 



April I. — Professor Wcstwood, president, in the chair. — Dr. 

 A. S. Packard, Jun., of Salem, United States, was present 

 as a visitor.— Professor Westwood exhibited a large spongy 

 oak-gall found on the ground under an oak, which Mr. 

 Miilier considered to be the v/ork of Cynips radieis. He further 

 alluded to the differences existing in tlie genital apparatus of 

 various species of the genus Cynips, and exhibited drawings 

 illustrating his remarks. Also, he alluded to the different struc- 

 ture existing in the antenna of various species of fleas, and main- 

 tained that these insects formed a distinct order, Apltaniptcra. 

 Finally ho produced drawings, sent to him by a correspondent, 

 of a minute Hymenopterous insect of the genus Coceophagiis, 

 parasitic upon the common Coeens of the orange ; and he re- 

 marked that now is the best time for finding the males of Coeens, 

 and especially of that infesting espalier pear trees.— Mr. Miilier 

 read notes on the larva; of Anaspis macnlala, which he had ob- 

 tained from the excrescences or outgrowths on a trunk of brrch. 



Mr. Butler read additional remarks on the Perieopntes, 



especially referring to species recently described by Dr. Boisdu- 

 val.— Mr. McLachlan read a paper on the external sexual 

 apparatus r f the males of the genus Aeentropiis. and exhibited 



drawings of this apparatus made from microscopic examination 

 of individuals from various parts of England and the Continent. 

 Although there were minute differences, he could find nothingto 

 indicate, on these characters alone, that more than ona species 

 existed. 



Geologists' Association, March I. — Prof. Morris, vice- 

 president, m the chair. ' ' On the Geology of Hampstead, Middle- 

 sex," by Mr. Caleb Evans. Tlie author described the deposits 

 which had been exposed from time to time during the last few 

 years in and near Hampstead. The principal^ excavations 

 noticed were the several drainage works near Child's Hill, on 

 Hampstead Heath, and in Frognal Lane, and the tunnel on the 

 Midland Railway under Haverstock Hill. It appeared from 

 these sections that the Lower Eagshot Sand which caps the hill 

 passes downwards into a dark sandy clay about 50 feet thick 

 abounding with fossils, especially Voluta nodosa and Peetnnenlns 

 deeussatns. The Peetunenlus bed passes down into the London 

 Clay of ordinary character, which forms the lower part of 

 Hampstead Hill. The author noticed the great changes in 

 physical geography which must have taken place during the 

 time that intervened between the deposition of the Woolwich 

 series and that of the Lower Eagshot Sand. He considered 

 that remains of the glacial deposits probably exist on the north 

 side of the hill. The position of these deposits on an eroded 

 surface of the London Clay showed the large amount of 

 denudation that had 'taken place prior to the Glacial epoch. 

 The author, in conclusion, directed attention to the existing 

 valleys around and to the north of Hampste.ad, which he con- 

 sidered had been formed by means of the springs issuing from 

 the water-bearmg Eocene sand and the glacial gravels. Mr. A. 

 Bell thought the leaf-beds of the Middle Eocene indicated fresh- 

 water conditions. Mr. H. Woodward considered the presence 

 of Zanthopsis in these beds evidence of Marine or Estuarine 

 origin. He pointed out the great value of the maps and sections 

 exhibited by Mr. Evans. Prof. Morris spoke of the foreign 

 equivalents of the London Eocenes, during the deposition of 

 which great changes of level took place. Though there are no 

 traces of the Woolwich beds in the Belgian area, these deposits 

 are represented near Epeinay in France, while the London Clay 

 forms a considerable area in Belgium. The patches of London 

 clay on Salisbury Plain indicate the extension of the Lower 

 Eocene sea over that area, and Eracklesham species are found at 

 Chertsey. With respect to the Glacial deposits the Professor con- 

 sidered their importance in Middlesex very considerable, and 

 thought it not improbable that the towns of Barnet, Hendon, 

 and Finchley owed their origin to the presence of these deposits. 

 The physical features of the country north of Hampstead are 

 different from those south of that place, and this difference is 

 due to the glacial deposits. Though the valleys of the district 

 have been formed as we now see them by the rivers, their forma- 

 tion commenced during the rise of the land from the sea. — " On 

 a recently exposed section at Battersea," by Mr. John A. Coombs. 

 This was a brief description of a section exposed at the works of 

 the London Gas Company now in progress near Battersea. The 

 Thames Valley gravels are cut through and several feet of the 

 London Clay is exposed. The gravels, which show much false 

 bedding, yield mammalian remains, but the Cyrena flnminalis 

 has not been found. Several species of Mollusca have been 

 found in the clay, but the most abundant fossil is a species of 

 Echinodermata, the Pentaerinus sub-basaltifo; mis. Mr. Hudle- 

 ston noticed that at the Law Courts site in the Strand the gravels 

 were much more ferruginous than those at Battersea, and the 

 clay immediately underlying the gravels was altered in colour 

 and character to a much greater depth at the former than at the 

 latter locality. — Mr. A. Bell thought the Cyrena Jluihi::alis 

 would never be found in these beds at Battersea, as it belongs he 

 considered to beds of a different age. 



Victoria Institute, February 4. — Mr. C. Brooke, F. R. S., 

 in the chair. " Prehistoric Monotheism, considered in relation 

 to Man as an Aboriginal Savage," being a reply to certain state- 

 ments made by Sir John Lubbock in his work on Primitive 

 Man. The paper combated the statements made by that writer, 

 that man in his original state was a savage and without reli- 

 gious knowledge, from the results of investigations into the pre- 

 sent condition of savages, from the earliest authentic records to 

 be found in various countries, and from the writings of Aristotle, 

 Herodotus, and others. Mr. Prichard stated that so far as 

 his inquiries had extended, they confirmed the view taken in 

 the paper, and the Rev. G. Percy Badger, who gave similar 

 testimony, in alluding to an apology made by the author of the 



