June 27, 1901] 



NA TURE 



223 



fraciive index of the two solutions. The velocity of movement 

 of the margins is measured by means of a cathetometer, and the 

 ratio of the margin velocities gives at once the ratio of the ionic 

 velocities. 



The velocities of a large number of ions at different concen- 

 trations of different salts have been calculated, and the velocities 

 of the hydrogen and hydroxyl ions have been also measured, with 

 the following results : — 



Found. Calculated. 



OH in KOH, o'5 N 0'OOI435 0-00145 



,, NaOIi, o 2 N 0-00158 0-00152 



HinHNOs, 0-2N -f°'^^^!?l 0-002S0 



■" \ o 00272J 



The ratio of the current, as measured by the galvanometer, to 

 that calculated from the velocity of the margins in the manner 

 indicated by Masson, is found to be equal to unity only for a 

 few salts of the type of potassium chloride ; for other salts this 

 ratio has a value in some cases greater, in others less, than i. 

 The same irregularity has been previously pointed out by Masson 

 for the gelatin solutions of the sulphates of magnesium and 

 lithium. 



The attempt is made to explain this deviation from the re- 

 quirements of theory, and also the difficulty that Kohlrausch is 

 unable to assign to dyad elements any value for the specific ionic 

 velocity, which is the same when calculated from the measure- 

 ments of different salts of the same metal, by the assumption, 

 first advanced by Ilittorf, that, in concentrated solutions of 

 these salts ionisation takes place in such a manner that there 

 are formed complex ions in addition to simple ones ; and the 

 conclusion is drawn that, in all cases where any considerable 

 change in transport number occurs with changes in concentration, 

 complex ions are present to a greater or less extent. 



Zoological Society, June 4.— Dr. W. T. Blanford, F.R.S., 

 vice-president, in the chair. — A communication by Dr. R. Broom, 

 on the structure and affinities of the Anomodont genus Udeno- 

 don, was read. It contained an account of a number of speci- 

 mens from the Lower Karoo beds of Pearston, South Africa, 

 which the author referred to the Dicynodont genus Udenodon 

 [Oudenodon]. One of these, a small skull, was shortly de- 

 scribed as the type of a new species (U. gracilis). — A com- 

 munication was read from Mr. Oldfield Thomas, F. R.S., in 

 which he gave the histor)- of the specimen of Rhinoceros lasiotis, 

 Sclater (which had lived for thirty-two years in the Society's 

 Gardens), and stated that he was of opinion that it was nut de- 

 serving of specific rank, but should be considered rather as a 

 subspecies of R. sunialreiisis. The generic nomenclature of the 

 rhinoceros was also examined, and it was proposed that the 

 existing species of this family should be divided into three 

 generic divisions — Rhinoceros' (to include R. tmiconiis and R. 

 sondaicus), Dicerorhinus (to include R. suifiatrcnsis and R. 

 sumalreitsis lasioiis), and Diceros (to include R. simiis and R. 

 biconiis). It was shown that, if it were found necessary to 

 divide the species R. sii/iiis and R. biconiis, the former, with its 

 fossil allies, should bear the name Coelodonta. — Mr. G. A. 

 Boulenger, F. R.S., read a paper on a small collection of fishes 

 from the Victoria Nyanza which had been made by the order of 

 Sir H. H. Johnston, K.C.B. Six species were enumerated 

 and remarked upon, two of which {Labeo viclorianits and Disco- 

 gnatliiis johnstoni) were described as new. — Mr. F. E. Bed- 

 dard, F. R.S., described six new species of earthworms of the 

 genus Benhamia from Tropical Africa. —A communication was 

 read from Mr. J. G. Millais containing some notes on the cap- 

 ture of a specimen of Bechstein's Bat ( Vespertilio bechsteini) in 

 the neighbourhood of Henley-on-Thames. So far as was 

 known, this was only the second occurrence of this species 

 recorded in Great Britain.— Mr. H. R. Hogg read a paper on 

 the .Australian and New-Zealandian spiders of the suborder 

 INIygalomorphre. The author adopted the nomenclature of M. 

 Simon, and stated that of the seven subfamilies of this suborder 

 into which M. Simon h.ad divided it, six were represented in 

 Australia and New Zealand, the only absentee being the Para- 

 tropidinas of South America. 



Entomological Society, Juge 5.— The Rev. Canon W. W. 

 Fowler, president, in the chair.— Mr. G. C. Champion exhibited 

 a male specimen of Odontaetis mobilicornis, one of the rarest of 

 British beetles, captured at Woking on May 2S.— Mr. R. 

 McLachlan exhibited four specimens of a curious bug of the 

 genus Henicocephalus received from Mr. G. V. Hudson of 

 Wellington, New Zealand, not previously noticed in that 

 NO. 1652, VOL. 64] 



country. Mr. Champion said ihat Henicocephalus was generally 

 recognised as a type in itself bf a family, and Mr. Kirkaldy 

 that it was much commoner than generally supposed. It was 

 probably only an aberrant form of the Reduviida;, having no 

 siridulating apparatus on the presternum. — Mr. C. P. Pickett 

 exhibited varieties of Smerinthtis tiliae bred during May 1900-1. 

 — Mr. C. G. B-irrett exhibited imagines, cocoons, pupa skins, 

 and also water-colour sketches of larvrc, reared and drawn by 

 Miss Frances Barrett, at Buntingville, Pondoland, S. Africa. — 

 Dr. \. Jefferis Turner exhibited specimens of Australian wood- 

 boring Lepidoptera belonging to four different families. They in- 

 cluded examples of Pyralidce, Gelechidie,Cossida;and Hepialidse. 

 — Mr. H. Goss exhibited for Mr. Ernest Ardron, of Colombo, 

 Ceylon, two specimens of a species of Phyllium.(Phasmidje). They 

 boreanextraordinaryresemblance to leaves. He also showed three 

 varieties of the male of Mclitaea Cinxia, which he had taken on 

 May 27 and 2S at Niton, Isle of Wight. — Mr. C. O. Waterhouse 

 exhibited two new genera and species of Coleoptera recently 

 described by him in the Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist, from Rio 

 Janeiro One belonged to the aberrant Prisnida; {Pathoceriis 

 IVagneri) ; the other ( Tetraphakrus M'agneri) belonged to the 

 Cupesidze, and was remarkable for the form of its head. He 

 also exhibited i and 9 of the curious Scarabaeid, Glyphoderes 

 sterqiiilinus, Westw., from North Argentina. — Mr. H. St. J. 

 Donisthorpe exhibitetl a glove burnt by discharges of formic 

 acid in the nests of Formica rttfa. Prof. Poulton said that the 

 discharges collected in tubes fluctuated greatly in strength, the 

 strongest yielding a proportion of sixty to seventy per cent, of 

 anhydrous acid. The discharge of Dicranura vinida showed a 

 strength of about forty-five per cent. — Mr. VV. Schaus communi- 

 cated "A Revision of the American Notodontidoe," and Mr. H. 

 St. J. Donisthorpe read a paper on cases of protective 

 resemblance, mimicry, &c, in British Coleoptera. 



Linnean Society, June 6. Mr. W. Curruthers, F.R.S., 

 vice-president, in the chair. — The adjourned debate was resumed 

 on Mr. H. M. Bernard's paper on the necessity fora provisional 

 nomenclature for those forms of life which cannot be at once 

 arranged in a natural system. — The following resolutions were 

 proposed by Mr. Bernard : (i) That the Linnean method of 

 naming is well adapted for indicating affinity, and should be 

 used for that purpose ; (2) that allied forms whose affinities 

 are not clear should be designated by some provisional 

 method of naming ; (3) that the method proposed by the author 

 appears to promise enough to justify its temporary application 

 to theAnthozoa. Mr. H. Groves moved as an amendment to the 

 first resolution to omit all after the word " naming," and to 

 substitute "is adequate for the present needs of zoology and 

 botany." This was seconded by Dr. P. L. Sclater. The dis- 

 cussion was continued in order to elicit the views of those 

 present on the resolutions proposed by Mr. Bernard, but no vote 

 was taken. 



Anthropological Institute, June 11. — Dr. A. C. Haddon, 

 F. R.S., president, in the chair. Mr. Morton Middleton ex- 

 hibited, on behalf of the South American Missionary Society, a 

 large series of implements and other objects, including swan 

 gullet necklaces, whalebone snares, featherwork, &c. , from the 

 Yahgans of Tierra del Fuego, and introduced Mrs. Burleigh, 

 who spent some fifteen years among the Vahgans, and gave a 

 number of additional data in regard to them. — Mr. G. Coffey 

 read a paper on Iri.sh copper celts. 



Mathematical Society, June 13. — Dr. Hobson, F.R.S., 

 president, in the chair. — The theory of Cauchy's principal 

 values (ii.), by Mr. G. H. Hardy. — On the general form of 

 three rational cubes whose sum is a cube, by Prof. Steggall. — 

 Invariants of curves on the same surface, in the neighbourhood 

 of a common tangent line, by Mr. T. Stuart. — Short impromptu 

 communications were made by Dr. Macaulay (2) and Lieut. - 

 Colonel Cunningham, R. E. 



Dl'BLIN. 



Royal Irish Academy, June 10. — The president in the 

 chair. — On the creeping'of liquids and tension of mixtures, by 

 Dr. Fred T. Trouton, F.R.S. A number of experiments were 

 described which showed that in order for a liquid to be capable 

 of creeping over solid surfaces it must be a mixture. Ordinary 

 paraffin, for example, does so, but a pure paraffin will not creep. 

 It can be made to do so, however, by the addition of a suitable 

 liquid. The added liquid must be more volatile, and must re- 

 duce the surface tension. This can be the case not only with 



