1 66 



NA TURE 



\jfune 14, 1883 



doubts, first, the accuracy of the determination, and adds that 

 the Voltzia was not foui.d in the mottled marls, but in deposits 

 " parallel to the Permian limestone." 



The Zechstein (dolomites, dolomitic limestones, oolite, and 

 gypsum), which reaches a great thickness in the provinces of 

 Kazan and Samara, is a formation which was contemporary with 

 the Permian marls, sandstones, and conglomerate? which are 

 widely spread in the provinces of Kazan, Nijni, Vyatka, Perm, 

 Ufa, and Orenburg. On the places where both meet together, 

 the Zechstein penetrates in the shape of thinner sheets into the 

 marls. The copper sandstones of the Ural also would be, 

 according to the same author, contemporary with the Zechstein. 

 These marls and sandstones have a characteristic fauna, and MM. 

 Stuckenberg and Zaitseff discovered in them the following 

 fossils : — Lingula orient alls, Golovk. ; Unio umbonatus, Fisch. ; 

 Unio castor, Kichw. ; Aucella Hawmanni, Goldf. ; Esthiria 

 exigua, Eichw. ; Beyrickia Tyrrha, Eichw. ; and remains of 

 ganoid fishes and lizards. These fossils are characteristic of the 

 group, but it contains also the Zechstein fossils, Stenopora colum- 

 nar is, Schl., Schizodus obscurus, Gein., Schizodus rossicus, Vern., 

 Nucula Beyrichi, Bron., Murchisonia subangulata, Vern., Ger- 

 villia sulcata, Gein., Gervillia seratophaga, Schl., Hinnites 

 t/a) spclunearia, Schloth., Area Kingiana, Vern., Clido- 

 phorus Pallasi, Vern., Terebratula clongata, Schl., Produclus 

 Cancrini, Vein., Camarophoria Schlothcimi, Buch., and Spirifer 

 rugulatus, Kut. The flora of this series is characterised by 

 many Conifers; (among others, the Uhlmannia Bronnii and 

 brevifolia) Noeggerathise (expansa and cuneifolia), ferns, &c. 

 These deposits are thus Permian, and it is worthy of notice that they 

 contain the Unio umbonatus and castor, the Estheria exigua, and 

 the Beyrichia Pyrrha. 



As to the upper moltled marls, which are precisely the 

 subject of the controversy, there was discovered in them but a 

 very few fossils, by MM. Krotoff and Stuckenberg, namely, the 

 four just mentioned (Unio umbonatus, Unio castor, Estheria 

 exigua, and Beyrichia Pyrrhte), on the Volga at Tetushi, and 

 the same in the Government of Vyatka, where the marls contain 

 sheets of limestone ; besides, M. Krotoff found Zechstein fos ils, 

 as Area Kingiana, in the tuff-like limestone on the Volga, which 

 M. Stuckenberg considers as belonging to the same series. 

 Finally, there was discovered during a boring at Mount Bogdo 

 (Astrakhan), in sandstones and conglomerates, a series of 

 Permian fossils (Matica minima, Brown, Turbonila volgensis, 

 Golowk,, Gervillia antiqua, Mini. , Clidophorus Hollebeni, Clido- 

 phorus Pallasi, Vern., Schizodus rossicus, Vern., 5. obscurus, 

 Gein., Nucula Beyrichi, Brown. Leda spcluncaria, Gein., and 

 Hinnites (Avicuta) spcluncaria, Schlolh. M. Stuckenburg, con- 

 si ering the Bogdo sandstones as contemporary with the upper 

 mottled marls, gives to it great weight ; but it must be 

 observed that the contemporaneity of the Bogdo marls with the 

 upper mottled marls of the Volga is all but established. 



As to the palseontological evidence produced for considering 

 the upper mottled marls as Triassic, namely, those found of 

 the Triassic, Eqitisctitcs columnaris (Catamites arenaceus), Voltzia 

 heterophylla, and Estheria minuta, M. Stuckenburg considers it 

 unsatisfactory, and points out that the Voltzia heterophylla was 

 found rather in Permian deposits ; and that Mr. Jones, in his 

 "Monograph of the Fossil Estheria;," considers the Estheria 

 minuta of the Russian mottled marls as different from the 

 E. minuta, Brongn., and rather like to the E. tcnella of Jordan, 

 w Inch last belongs to the Permian and Carboniferous of Western 

 Europe. As to the Catamites arenaccus, found by Barbot de 

 Mnrny, F. Romer, in the last edition of his " Lethea geognos- 

 tica," remarks that it is too badly preserved to be a decisive 

 evidence. He concludes, therefore, that contrary to the opinion 

 of almost all Russian geologists, that the mottled marls ought 

 t > lie considered again as Permian. But, as seen from the above 

 summary, it will be much more prudent to conclude that the 

 whole question still remains open for further investigation. 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE 



Cambridge. — The Rede Lecture was delivered on Tuesday 

 in the Senate House by Prof. Huxley, the subject being " The 

 Origin of the Existing Forms of Animal Life, Construction or 

 Evolution?" There were at least eleven hundred persons pre- 

 sent, and amongst them nearly all the University dignitaries now 

 in residence. 



In the second part of the Natural Sciences Tripos sixteen men 



and one lady are placed in the first class ; of this Mr. Harmer of 

 King's College is distinguished in Zoology and Comparative 

 Anatomy ; Mr. Reid of Cavendish College in Human Anatomy ; 

 and Mr. Sharrington of Caius College in Physiology. 



Prof. Hughes has been elected to a Professorial Fellowship at 

 Clare College. 



Messrs. P. Frost, I. Todhunter, and Joseph Wolstenholme 

 are to receive the degree of Doctor m Science. 



The Woodwardian Professor dissents strongly from the pro- 

 posal to place the Sedgwick Museum on the Downing Street 

 site in front of the new museums. 



SCIENTIFIC SERIALS 



The Journal of Anatomy and Physiology for April, 1883, 

 contains : — A contribution to the study of Spina bifida, encepha- 

 locele, and anencephalus, by Prof. Cleland (Plates 11 and 12). — 

 On the minute structure ol the palatine nerves of the frog, and 

 the termination of nerves in blood-vessels and glands, by Prof. W. 

 Stirling and J. F. Macdonald (Plate 13). — On the lymphatics of 

 Periosteum, by Drs. George and F. Elizabeth Hoggan (Plate 14). 

 — The brachial plexus of the macaque monkey, and its analogy 

 « tth that of man, by \V. T. Brooks. — A case of primary sarcoma 

 of the pleura, by R. W. Greenish (Plate 15). — Infiltrating carci- 

 noma of the breast, by Dr. G. Barling. — Observations of the 

 diameters of human vertebrae in different regions, by Dr. R. J. 

 Anderson. — On a simple form of Lippman's capillary electro- 

 meter useful to physiologists, by Prof. McKendrick. — On so- 

 called sponge-grafting, by Drs. K. Franks and P. S. Abraham 

 (Plate 16). — The valvular action of the larynx, by Drs. T. L. 

 Brunton and T. Cash. — Origin of the internal circumflex from 

 the deep epigastric artery, by Dr. A. Thomson. — On cervical 

 rilis and the so-called bicipital ribs in man in relation to the 

 corresponding structures in the Cetacea, by Prof. Turner. — On a 

 new form of ether microtome, by Dr. Cathcart. — On right-sided 

 sigmoid flexure and rectum, by Dr. E. E. Maddox. — A note to 

 Mr. Haswell's paper on myology of pigeon. 



The Quarterly Journal of Microscopical Science for April, 

 1883, contains : — On the anatomy and development of Peripatus 

 ca pen sis, by the late Prof. F. M. Balfour, edited by Professors 

 Moseley and Sedgwick (Plates 13 to 20). — On a morphological 

 variety of Bacillus anlhracis, by Dr. E. Klein, with notes 

 thereon by Prof. Ray Lankester (Plate 21). — Note on a pink 

 Torula, by H. Marshall Ward (Plate 22). — On double staining 

 nucleated blood corpuscles with anilin dyes, by Dr. V. Harris. — 

 Some recent researches on the continuity of the protoplasm 

 through the walls of vegetable cells, by W. Gardiner. — Re- 

 view of recent researches on Spermatogenesis, by J. E. Bloom- 

 field. — Note on a minute point in the structure of the spermato- 

 zoon of the new t, by G. F. Dowdeswell. — On the existence of 

 Spengel's olfactory organ and of paired geniial ducts in the 

 pearly nautilus, by Prof. Ray Lankester and A. G. Bourne. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 

 London 



Royal Society, April 12. — "On a New Crinoid from the 

 Southern Sea." By P. Herbert Carpenter, M.A., Assistant 

 Master at Eton College. Communicated by W. B. Carpenter, 

 C.B., M.D., F.R.S. 



Among the collections of the late Sir Wyville Thomson, a 

 small Comatula has recently been discovered which was dredged 

 by the Challenger at a depth of 1800 fathoms in the Southern 

 Sea. Although it is unusually small, the diameter of the calyx 

 being only 2 mm., the characters presented by this form are 

 such as to render it by far the most remarkable among all the 

 types of recent Crinoids, whether stalked or free. The name 

 proposed for it is Thaumatocrinus renovatus. 



But it is distinguished by four striking peculiarities : — 



(1.) The presence of a closed ring of basals upon the exterior 

 of the calyx. 



(2.) The persistence of the oral plates of the larva, as in Hyo- 

 rinus and Ahisocriuus. 



(3.) The separation of the primary radials by interradials 

 which rest on the basals. 



(4.) The presence of an arm-like appendage on the interradial 

 plate of the anal side. 



Taking these in order — 



(1.) No adult Comatula, except the recent Atelecrinus and 



