142 



NA TURE 



[June 6, 1901 



thermoelectric power. Mr. Price was glad that the question as 

 to what actually might be called the resistance of a dielectric 

 hud been raised. There are two theories of residual charge, one 

 due to Maxwell and the other to Heaviside. The model ex- 

 hibited represents Maxwell's theory. He considered that the 

 electrometer experiment with the rubber dielectric favoured 

 Heaviside's theory — that is, that the dielectric is composed of 

 small charged bodies similar to the small magnets conceived to 

 constitute a magnet. He expressed his interest in the fact that 

 the top plate of the condenser was always negative. Mr. 

 Blakesley suggested putting a small hole in the bottom piston of 

 the model so that it might represent a condenser passing a small 

 steady current. With regard to the stretched rubber experiment, 

 he said it would be interesting to make observations with the 

 plates of the condenser vertical. Mr. Campbell said he had 

 made experiments and found that the change in capacity of the 

 rubber condenser affects the voltage sufficiently to mask the real 

 effect. Mr. Appleyard said it was important to have perfect 

 contact between the dielectric and the metal plates. It was 

 pointed out by a visitor engaged in the cable industry that manu- 

 facturers are aware that pressure affects the insulating properties 

 of guttapercha. Rubber is a mixture, and different rubbers 

 behave differently under the action of alternating potential 

 differences. The chairman said that if the quantity of electricity 

 taken in on charging was equal to the quantity given out on 

 discharge, then there could be no dielectric hysteresis. 



Royal Microscopical Society, May 1$. — Dr. R. Braith- 

 waite, vice-president, in the chair. — A paper by Mr. Fortescue 

 W. Millett, being part xi. of his report on the recent Foramini- 

 fera of the Malay Archipelago, was taken as read. — Notice was 

 given that on June 19 there would be a special meeting of the 

 fellows for the purpose of making certain alterations in the 

 by-laws. — The secretary announced that at the next meeting of 

 the Society there would be a paper on the aperture theory of 

 the microscope by Mr. J. W. Gordon. Mr. Beck asked any 

 fellows who possessed Abbe's diffraction apparatus to lend them 

 for use in illustrating the subject of Mr. Gordon's paper. Mr. 

 Gordon would endeavour to show that the effects described by 

 Prof. Abbe, and relied upon by him to prove his diffraction 

 theory, were produced, not by the object on the stage, but by the 

 diaphragm over the object glass ; to demonstrate this satisfactorily 

 Mr. Gordon would require the use of several sets of diffraction 

 apparatus besides those at his present disposal. — The chairman 

 drew attention to a large number of objects illustrating pond 

 life which were exhibited (under about 35 microscopes) by mem- 

 bers of the Quekett Microscopical Club and fellows of the 

 Society. 



Zoological Society, May2i.— Dr. W. T. Blanford, F.R.S., 

 vice-president, in the chair. — Mr. Oldfield Thomas read a paper 

 on the more notable mammals lately obtained by Sir Harry 

 Johnston in the Uganda Protectorate. The following species 

 were described as new : — Colobiis riiwen~orii, allied to C. 

 falliatus, but with longer hair and less white on the tail-tip ; 

 Gaietia victoriac, a genet nearly as large as a civet, strongly 

 banded, and without a dorsal crest ; Brocavia marinota, like P. 

 dorsalis, but much smaller : and Cephalnphits johnstoiti, like C. 

 zueynsi, but darker throughout. — A communication was read 

 from Mr. R. C. Punnett containing an account of the Nemerteans 

 collected by Prof. D'Arcy W. Thompson and others in Behring 

 Straits, Davis Strait and North Greenland. Of the seven 

 species enumerated in the paper two had been previously named, 

 whilst the remaining five were new to science and were de- 

 scribed as Amphiporus aictidts, A. paulinus, A. thompsoni, 

 Drepanopkorus borealis, and Cerebrattihis greenlandicus.—k. 

 communication was read from Dr. W. B. Benham containing an 

 account of the viscera of a whale of the genus Cogia. He 

 pointed out that in this whale there is but a single blowhole 

 asymmetrically placed like that of Physeter, but crescentic in 

 outline, with the concavity directed backwards. The alimentary 

 canal contained a dark-coloured substance, which the author 

 considered to be the "ink" from the cuttle-fishes upon which 

 this whale undoubtedly feeds, as was evidenced by the beaks 

 of these molluscs in the .stomach. The stomach was constructed 

 upon the plan of that of the large sperm-whale (Physeter), and 

 the author agreed with others in regarding the first division of it 

 as a paunch belonging really to the cesophagus, and comparable 

 with that of the Ruminants. — Mr. G. A. Boulenger, F.R.S., 

 described two new species of chameleon, obtained by Sir Harry 

 Johnston, K.C.B., on Mount Ruwenzori, under the names 



NO. 1649, VOL, 64] 



Chainaekon xenorhinus and C. johnsloni. — A paper was read, 

 prepared by the late Dr. John Anderson, F.R.S., shortly before 

 his death. It contained an account of the reptiles and 

 batrachians obtained by Mr. A. Blaney Percival in Southern 

 Arabia. Twenty-five species of reptiles and three species of 

 batrachians, of which specimens were contained in the collection, 

 were enumerated ; two of the former were described as new 

 under the names Bunopiis spatalura and Agamodon arabiatm. — 

 Mr. Boulenger described a new fish under the name Gobius 

 percivali, specimens of which had been obtained by Mr. A. 

 Blayney Percival in Southern Arabia. 



Geological Society, May 22.— Mr. J, J. H. Teall, V.P.R.S., 

 president, in the chair. — On the skull of a chiru-Iike antelope 

 from the ossiferous deposits of Hundes (Tibet), by Richard 

 Lydekker. Twenty years ago the author proposed the pro- 

 visional name of Pantholops Jutinhsieiisis for an extinct species 

 of antelope typified by an imperfect skull figured in Royle's 

 " Botany &c. of the Himalaya Mountains," pi. iii. fig. i. The 

 speciinen is in the Museum of the Geological Society, and an 

 examination has confirmed the original determination. — On the 

 occurrence of silurian (?) rocks in Forfarshire and Kincardine- 

 shire along the eastern border of the Highlands, by George 

 Barrow (Communicated by permission of the Director of H.M. 

 Geological Survey). These rocks occur in three lenticular strips 

 between the schistose rocks of the Highlands and the boundary- 

 fault next the Old Red Sandstone. The largest is about twenty 

 miles long, and extends almost from Cortachy to beyond the 

 Clattering Bridge ; it is about three-quarters of a mile wide at 

 its widest. The rocks are divided into two groups, the Jasper 

 and Green-Rock Series below and the younger Margie Series 

 above. A .section along the North Esk River is described in 

 detail, and other sections referred to it. The lower division 

 consists of fine-grained sandstones (bearing microcline), grey 

 slaty shales, jaspers (sometimes containing circular bodies 

 resembling radiolaria), and a variable series of basic igneous 

 rocks ("green rock") of coarse texture and probably intrusive 

 origin. The upper division consists of conglomerates, pebbly 

 grits, dark and white shales, pebbly limestone and grey shale. 

 The age of the series cannot be definitely ascertained, but the 

 lower division is compared with the Arenig cherts, &c., of the 

 Southern Uplands, while the Margie Series is newer than this, 

 but older than the Old Red Sandstone. — On the crush-con- 

 glomerates of Argyllshire, by J. B. Hill, R.N. (Communicated 

 by permission of the Director of H.M. Geological Survey.) 

 While the .sedimentary origin of the Highland Boulder-bed is 

 proved by the foreign boulders contained in it, there occur in the 

 Loch Awe region certain conglomerates, often along definite 

 horizons, which may have been confused with it, but which the 

 author is .able to prove have originated by crushing. The sedi- 

 mentary rocks of the area include all the members of the Loch 

 -^we series, consisting of grits, slates and limestones, the latter 

 being mostly gritty in character. Associated with these is an 

 enormous amount of igneous material of Dalradian age, ranging 

 from intermediate to basic in composition, together with por- 

 phyrite-dykes probably of Old Red Sandstone age, and a plexus 

 of Tertiary dykes. 



Linnean Society, May 2.— Prof. S. H. Vines, F.R.S., 

 president, in the chair. — Prof. Charles Stewart, F. R.S., ex- 

 hibited and made remarks on the egg and oviducal gland of 

 Scyllitun calulus, and on the nature of the egg-shell of 

 Sphenodon.— Mr. W. P. Pycraft read a paper on the palate of 

 the Neognathre, in which he traced the derivation of the Neo- 

 gnathine from the more primitive Struthious or Palneognathine 

 palate. — Mr. George Massee communicated a second instalment 

 of his redescriptions of Berkeley's types of fungi, and ex- 

 plained the circumstances in which such redescriptions under 

 higher powers of the microscope had become desirable. 



May 24. — Anniversary meeting. — Prof. S. H. Vines, F.R.S., 

 president, in the chair. 



Anthropological Institute, May 28. — Prof. A. C. Haddon, 

 F. R.S., in the chair. — Dr. Chervin referred to the proposed 

 bibliography of anthropology and to the exchange of abstracts 

 of Proceedings ; he further suggested the possibility of a more 

 frequent interchange of visits, offering, on behalf of his Society, 

 to act as cicerone if the Institute would undertake an anthropo- 

 logical excursion in France. — Mr. A. Henry exhibited (i) an 

 ancestral tablet, (2) a MS. of the Lolos of Vunnan. — Mr. J 

 Gray presented a communication on the measurements of crania 

 from the Fly River, New Guinea. — Mr. C. G. Seligmann pre- 



