262 



NATL RE 



[July 12, 1883 



is hereditary and congenital, cretinism is endemic. — M. Gustave 

 Le Bon, in defending the accuracy of his determinations of the 

 comparative weight of the brain of boys and girls against the charges 

 advanced by MM. Budin and Manouvrier, explains his methods 

 of determination, which, in his opinion, confirm the conclusions 

 contained in his earliest memoir on the subject: viz. that (1) 

 while male and female children differ very little in weight at their 

 birth, when, if the weight of boys be taken at 100, that of girls 

 will be 94'28, the difference between the sexes in adult life may 

 be at least three times greater; (2) that at the same age, with 

 equal stature and weight, the female brain will be found notably 

 inferior in weight to that of the man. — On the cranial dimen- 

 sions of the savage Stiengs, or Mois, of Cochin China, by Dr. P. 

 Neis, who finds that this people exhibits the low mean cranial 

 capacity of 1400, with a cephalic index of only about 75- — M. 

 Capitan records the results of his experiments on the methods of 

 trepanning employed in prehistoric times. He has experimented 

 both on the living and dead subject, using a flint instrument, 

 with which he reproduced perforations similar to those observed 

 in prehistoric crania. This was effected by boring and incision, 

 as well as by scraping, and in both cases the animals operated on 

 recovered rapidly and completely from the operation, although 

 Broca had maintained that the removal of any part of the cranial 

 surface could not possibly have been effected on the living subject 

 by such instruments as were used by primitive man. — Dr. Col- 

 lignon describes the nature of the human remains found at 

 Cumieres, Meuse, belonging to the Neolithic age, among which 

 are seven well preserved skulls, and various long bones, including 

 two platycnemic tibia;. — Dr. Heurot's report of the ossuary of 

 the polished stone period, discovered in 1881 at Liry, in the 

 Ardennes, was laid before the Society by M. Mortillet, who drew 

 attention to the extraordinary projection of the lower jaw obser- 

 vable in one of the crania, which in this particular seems to fore- 

 shadow the present and future evolutionary change, rather than 

 to accord with the ordinary type of the receding anthropoidal chin 

 of the prehistoric ages. In the course of the discussion arising out 

 of Dr. Heurot's communication, M. Legnay described similar 

 burial places examined by himself at Le Grand Compant, near 

 Luzarches, and at Vaureal, Pontoise, where, as at Liry, a passage 

 composed of upright stones, and covered in with wood, gave 

 admittance lo the true sepulchral chambers. — M. Topinard re- 

 ports on his examination of Le Questionnaire de Sociologie et 

 d' Ethnographic, issued by the commission appointed by the 

 Society for its elaboration ; and while he approves generally of 

 the plan followed, which is that suggested by M. Letourneau, he 

 has drawn attention to numerous points omitted by the latter, 

 who, by his mode of defending the proceedings of the Society, 

 and attacking M. Dally, gave an aggressively personal character 

 to the discussion, very unusual in meetings of the Society. Owing 

 to want of unanimity among the members, the method to be fol- 

 lowed for the French system of instructions for travellers still 

 remains undecided. — The Galibis of Cayenne, who have long 

 been established in the Jardin d'Acclimatation of Paris have 

 been made the subject of an exhaustive study by M. Manouvrier, 

 whose detailed communications of the numerous observations 

 and determinations in regard to the sociology, language, and 

 ethnology of these tribes led to a somewhat lengthy discussion on 

 the rationale and early extension of the practice of the couvade, 

 which has been observed among the Galibis of French Guiana, 

 as well as among the Basques, and appears to have prevailed 

 under various modifications among several ancient peoples. 



Rendiconti of the Reale Istituto Lombardo, May 31. — A com- 

 parative study of the fauna of the various Pliocene deposits in 

 Lombardy, by Dr. C. F. Parona. As many as 275 species were 

 examined, 248 in the Pliocene of the Northern Apennines, and 

 187 in the Upper Miocene, of which 117 still survive in the 

 neighbouring seas. — On Paff's method of integration of partial 

 differential equations of the first order, by Prof. E. Beltrami. — 

 A contribution to the history of the adulteration of food from 

 the earliest times, by C. L. Gabba. — On the mortality of infants 

 during the first and second years of their lives in the various 

 provinces of Italy, by Prof. G. Sormani. For the decade ending 

 1880 the average rate of mortality in the first year throughout 

 Italy was 2i4'o, per 1000, and in the second H4"6 per icoo. 

 Compared with the rest of Europe, these figures show that Italy 

 occupies the lowest position in the scale, the death-rate being in 

 excess even of Croatia and Slavonia (lo7"4) and of Russia 

 (io2'7). In the general comparative table, Ireland stands first 

 '(34"S)> England occupying a medium position with an average 

 of 59/1 per 1000. — The career of David Lazzeretti, founder of 



the new sect of Lazzerettists, studied in the light of documents 

 recently discovered, by G. Barzellotti. — The telephone in its 

 legal aspect (continued), by C. Norsa. 



Bulletin de la Societi d' Encouragement pour I' Industrie 

 Nationale, June, 1883. — Report on M. Lavanchy-Clarke's 

 workshops for the blind, by M. Legentil. — Report on M. 

 Latry's tinted papers, by M. Em. Dumas. — Colouring elements 

 of madder and their metamorphoses, by M. A. Rosenstiehl. — 

 On the saline tracts in the south-east of France, by M. P. de 

 Gasparin. — On sewing-machines and sewing-machine industries 

 of all sorts, as shown at the Paris Universal Exhibition of 1878, 

 by M. Emile Bariquand. 



The number for June 15 of the Archives des Sciences Physiques 

 et Naturclles contains researches on the absorption of ultra-violet 

 rays by different substances (seven plate-), by M. J. L, Soret 

 (fourth memoir). — A new contribution concerning the family of 

 Tintinodea, by Dr. Herman Fol (one plate). — On the magnifying 

 power and strength of dioptric arrangements, by Dr. Adrien 

 Guebhard. — Meteorological observations at the Geneva Observa- 

 tory for the month of May. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 

 London 

 Geological Society, June 6.— Mr. J. W. Hulke, F.R.S., 

 president, in the chair. —George Paul was elected a Fellow of 

 the Society. — The following communications were read : — The 

 estuaries of the Severn and its tributaries, an inquiry into the 

 nature and origin of their tidal sediment and alluvial flats, by 

 Prof. W. J. Sollas, M.A., F.R.S.E., F.G.S.— Notes on a col- 

 lection of fossils and rock-specimens from West Australia, north 

 of the Gascoyne River, by W. H. Hudleston, M.A., F.G.S. 

 — Notes on the geology of the Troad, by J. S. Diller. Com- 

 municated by W. Topley, F.G.S. This paper gave a brief 

 account of the results obtained by the author whilst attached 

 to the United States Assos Expedition. Together with a geo- 

 logical map (scale I : 100,000) this was sent to Mr. Topley for 

 the service of the new geological map of Europe (and its bor- 

 ders), which is now being prepared by a Committee of the 

 International Geological Congress. The country described is 

 that lying south and west of the River Mendere (Scamander). 

 The sedimentary rocks may be divided into three great groups: — 

 I. An old, possibly Archcean, highly crystalline series, forming 

 the mountainous lands of the Ida range (5750 feet), but also 

 appearing in smaller detached areas to the west and north-west. 

 Probably these have existed as islands from early times, and 

 around these the later rocks have accumulated. Mount Ida itself is 

 almost a dome, the lowestrocks(talcschists)occupyingthe summit. 

 On the northern slopes there is true gneiss. No igneous rocks 

 enter into the structure of this mountain. At different horizons 

 there are bands of coarsely crystalline limestone, and as far as 

 can be seen this series is conformable throughout. 2. Resting 

 on these old rocks and in part made up of their remains is a 

 series of partially crystalline rocks, chiefly limestone. It is 

 probable that this series is in large part of Cretaceous age ; but 

 it contains rocks which are older, possibly Pala:ozoic. Eocene 

 fossils have lately been discovered by Mr. Frank Calvert, which 

 also may have come from this series. The rocks in the south of 

 the Troad, hitherto supposed to be Lower Tertiary, are now 

 known to be of later date. Sharply marked off from these 

 older rocks are the Upper Tertiaries ; these are of two ages, 

 occurring in two distinct areas. 3. The Upper Aliocene, which 

 fringes the western shores of the Troad, and forms a broader 

 band at the north-west corner in the lower course of the Mendere. 

 Hissarlik is built on this. These beds are marine, and belong to 

 the Sarmatian Stage. The Troad is the most south-westerly 

 point at which the Mactra kalk is yet known. 4. Freshwater 

 beds, which occur in force in the interior of the country, between 

 the Mendere and the south coast, and in patches near the coast. 

 These are Upper Miocene or Lowest Pliocene. Later than these 

 are the Pliocene beds of the great plain of Edsemet. The igneous 

 rocks are of various ages, but most are of Tertiary date. The 

 oldest is a granite which intrudes through and alters the oldest 

 (? Archaean) crystalline rocks. This is invaded by dykes of 

 Quartz-porphyry. Quartz-diorite invades and alters the group 

 of partially crystalline rocks. The oldest rocks in the newer 

 series are the Andesites and Liparites. These, in part, are older 

 than the Sarmatian stage, as the conglomerate at its base con- 

 tains fragments of these rocks. But they are also in part of 

 later date. Where they can be studied together the Liparite is 

 the later of the two, as it flows through and carries up fragments 



