June 7, 1883] 



NA TURE 



143 



the Society on its annual balance-sheet, he reminded the Fellows 

 that, be-ides investments, the pro; erty of the Society might be 

 valued at 25,000/., or a total of 30,000/. ; he alluded to colonial 

 Fellows and the good work they are doing, incidentally referring 

 to the British Association meeting in Canada in 1884. Reference 

 was also made to the progress 1 if rearrangement of the Biological 

 Collectiois in the Natural History Museum at South Kensington ; 

 this was f >llowed by rep >rt- on the various botanical and zoo- 

 logical publications issued at home and abroad during the last 

 twelvemonth. Remarks were made on thestock of the Society's 

 Journals and Transactions, also on the purchase of a portrait of 

 Jacob Hobart (1598-1679), and the President himself presented 

 a valuable ponraii of Linnteus painted from life, by the Swedish 

 Magnus Holhnan. — A resolution was unanimously accorded by 

 the Society, at the instance of the Chair, to Mr. G. Benthaul and 

 Sir J. D. Hooker on the completion of their great work, the 

 "Genera Plantarurn." — The scrutineers having examined the 

 ballot, then reported that Mr. Thomas Christy, Mr. H. E. 

 Dresser, Mr. G. Murray, Mr. H. Saunders, and Mr. H. T. 

 Stainton had been elected into the Council in the room of Mr. 

 H. \V. Bates, Mr. G. Busk, Mr. C. B. Clarke, Sir John Kirk, 

 and Mr. R. McLachlan, who retired ; and for officers, Sir J. 

 Lubbock as president, Mr. Frank Crisp as treasurer, and Mr. 

 B. Daydon Jackson and Mr. G. J. Romanes as secretaries. 



Physical Society, May 26. — Prof. Clifton in the chair. — 

 Mr. G. Griffith read a paper on the graphical representation of 

 musical intervals, in which he gave an account of previous 

 attempts to represent musical intervals in a graphical manner, 

 and exhibited an enlargement of a diagram published by Dr. 

 Pole in Sir F. Ouseley's "Treatise on Harmony." In this 

 diagram the musical intervals contained in one octave are repre- 

 sented by the differences between the logarithms of the vibration- 

 numbers forming them. Mr, Griffith proposes to apply this 

 principle to the whole musical scale. Retaining the lines used 

 in ordinary music he inserts a faint line between these at unequal 

 distances to represent the tones and semitones. Several diagrams 

 were exhibited, in which the principle was applied to the repre- 

 sentation of intervals to the sequence of the keys in the major 

 diatomic scale, and to actual music. Mr. W. G. Blakely and 

 Dr. Coffin considered that it would be a great help to students to 

 have the method proposed. Mr. Blakely considered that it 

 combined the advantages of the tonic solfa and ordinary nota- 

 tions. Dr. Coffin thought that it might become generally used. — 

 A paper by Dr. J. Fleming on a phenomenon of molecular 

 radiation in incande-cent lamps. When the carbon filament in 

 an Edison lamp volatilises, the vapour is condensed on the glass 

 in a cloud. When the copper electrode is volatilised, the copper 

 is likewise deposited, but there is a bare space or line left cm the 

 glass in the plane of the filament, forming as it were a shadow 

 of the filament. Dr. Fleming explains this on the supposition 

 that the copper particles are thrown off in straight lines, as in a 

 Crooke's vacuum. This shadow is not noticed in the carbon 

 deposits. Dr. Fleming also remarks that the colour of a thin 

 copper couch is the same as a thin layer of gold in transmitted 

 light. — Mr. W. Baily read a paper on an illustration on the 

 crossing of rays. He took the case of three rays of homogeneous 

 light of the same intensity, and parallel to one plane, and 

 polarised so that the vibrations were also parallel to the plane, 

 and he exhibited and explained diagrams showing the motion 

 which would occur under the circumstances. — Prof. F. Guthrie 

 exhibited one of Chladin's plates bearing a striking reemblance 

 to one of these figures. Mr. Baily thought the analogy might 

 be a real one. — Prof. Clifton described an improvement which 

 he had made in the glass insulating stem he had exhibited to the 

 Society on a former occasion. This stem had a glass cup en- 

 circling it, and of a piece with the stem. Sulphuric acid was put 

 into the cup. The new pattern had a hole formed into the 

 bottom of the cup, and the upper part of the stem fitted into this 

 hole like a stopper. It could thus be removed at will and the 

 acid renewed. Prof. Ayrton stated that he had used a similar 

 arrangement for nearly two years, a narrow necked glass bottle 

 taking the place of the cup. — [In the report of the Physical 

 Society for April 28 (p. 47), Mr. H. R. Droop's name was 

 written Troop.] 



Entomological Society, May 2. — J. W. Dunning, M.A., 

 F.L.S., &c, president, in the chair. —The President said: 

 "You scarcely need to be reminded that we this day com- 

 plete the fiftieth year of our existence. It was on May 3, 1833, 

 that nine gentlemen — Messrs. Children, J. E. Gray, G. R. Gray, 



Hope, Horsficld, Rudd, Stephens, Vigors, and Yarrell — met 

 and resolved to found the Entomological Society of London. 

 No time was lost ; for on the 22nd of the same month the first 

 general meeting was held at the Thatched House Tavern, the 

 Rev. Wm. Kirby was chosen Honorary President, 103 Members 

 were enrolled, and a Council of thirteen were chosen to complete 

 the organisation of the Society and prepare rules for its govern- 

 ment. Rooms ueie taken at No. 17, Old Bond Street, and on 

 November 4, 1833, under the presidency of Mr. Children, the then 

 Secretary of the Royal Society, a code of by laws was adopted 

 and our first scientific meeting was held. Of the original Mem 

 hers six, and six only, still survive — Prof. C. C. Babington, the 

 Rev. Leonard Jenyns (now Blomefield), Sir Sidney S. Saunders, 

 Mr. W. B. Spence, Mr. G. R. Waterhouse, and Prof. West- 

 wood. Of these Mr. Waterhouse has the additional distinction of 

 having been one of the original Council, and the first Curator of 

 the Society. Our meetings continued to be held at 17, Old Bond 

 Street, from 1833 until 1S52, when we removed to No. 12, Bed- 

 ford Row ; during nine sessions commencing in 1S66, by the 

 kindness of the Linnean Society, we assembled in Burlington 

 House, but our library remained in Bedford Row. In 1875 th c * 

 library and place of meeting were again united in this house ; 

 and though the building operations now in progress have pre- 

 vented us from indulging in any celebration of our jubilee, we 

 shall soon be in the enjoyment of improved accomn odatim, and 

 I hope it may be long before the Society has again to change its 

 quarters. At the present moment we have 33 Subscribers and 

 205 Ordinary Members, making a total of 238 contributing 

 Members. Three years ago I ventured to express from this 

 chair a hope that we might be able to publish a jubilee list of 

 not less than 300 Members. It is not yet too late. And 1 

 appeal to each and all of you, gentlemen, to be active in striving 

 to attain this object. 'The Entomological Society of London is 

 instituted for the improvement and diffusion of entomological 

 science.' From first to last this has been our only object. To 

 bring fellow-workers into frien ily communication and facilitate 

 the interchange of idess, to extract the hidden knowledge of 

 secluded students, to provide a library for consultati in, to en- 

 courage observation and experiment, and to publish the results 

 for the benefit of all whom they may concern — such is our aim, 

 the very reason of our being. And I venture to assert that the 

 Society has succeeded in its object! If any be inclined to doubt, I 

 refer bim to the thirty volumes of our Transactions, to the Record oj 

 Proceedings at our more than 600 meeting-, as pro <( of our activity 

 and of the unfailing ardour with which the Society has now for half 

 a century devoted itself to the diffusion of entomological science. 

 I can only regret that by the irony of fate it has fallen to my lot 

 to fill the presidential chair on this occasion, when, of all others, 

 it ought to have been occupied by one of the fathers of British 

 entomology. But you have w illed it otherwise, and I w ill bury 

 my regret ; nay, it is already swallowed up in the delight I feel 

 at the commission with which I have been intrusted by the 

 unanimous voice of the Council, and I am sure that the proposi- 

 tion I have now to make will meet with your approval, and be 

 carried by acclamation. I have to suggest that Prof. We-twood 

 be made titular Life-President of the Society. There is no man 

 to whom we as a body owe so much. An Original Member, he 

 has never failed us ; during the crucial period of our childhood 

 he was the motive power, the life and soul of the Society ; for 

 fourteen consecutive years he was Secretary, and for part of that 

 time he was Curator also. The Council has seldom been com- 

 plete without him ; he has been vice-president times without 

 number, and during six years (1851-52,72-73, 76-771 he was 

 our president. Whilst he resided in or near London he rarely 

 missed one of our meetings ; even Oxford cannot keep him away 

 from us ; and there is not a single year from first to last that he 

 has not been a contributor to our Transactions. From 1827 to the 

 present time his pen and his pencil have never been idle ; his 

 papers are scattered broadcast over the scientific publications of 

 this and other countries. Scientific bodies, both at home and 

 abroad, have delighted to do him honour. I do not propose to 

 abdicate the function with which your kindness has invested me. 

 But if it be your pleasure to adopt the suggestion th it has been 

 made, I shall be proud to recognise Prof. Westwood us my 

 titular chief, and to yield the chair to him at any of our scientific 

 meetings when we are favoured with his presence. I know no 

 better way of showing that our constancy is equal to his, and 

 that our grati'.ude is enduring and lifelong. It is a barren title 

 and an empty honour, but it is all that we as a Society can bestow. 

 He has grown gray in our service, and in recognition of his 



