July 12, 1 883] 



NA TURE 



263. 



of the Andesite. The Andesite (unlike the Liparite) seems to 

 have reached the surface, in some cases, through volcanic vents. 

 Basalts and Ntpheline-basalts are of late Tertiary date ; possibly 

 they are the latest volcanic rocks of the district, but their relation 

 to the other eruptive rocks of the Troad cannot be definitely 

 determined. The volcanic rocks in the isolated area between 

 Alimad ja and Lyalar are interesting because their relative ages are 

 here well seen. The earliest was melaphyre ; this was followed 

 by mica-andesite, horneblende-andesite, au^ite-andesite, basalt, 

 and late (if not last) by liparite. Mr. Topley, who in the absence 

 of the author read the paper, explained the objects of the Assos 

 Expedition and the geological results obtained by Mr. Diller. 

 He gave a short account of previous literature, and mentioned 

 some of the main points in which our knowledge of the Troad 

 is now advanced. Mr. Topley briefly described the physical 

 geography and general structure of the country, illustrating this 

 by means of a section which he had prepared from Mr. Diller's 

 map and paper. 



Zoological Society, June 19. — Prof. Flower, F.R.S., pre- 

 sident, in the chair. — The Secretary read an extract from a 

 letter received from Mr. Albeit A. C. Le Soue'f, containing 

 observations on the colouration of the plumage of the Satin 

 Bower-bird (Ptilonorhynchus holosericeus). — Prof E. Ray Lan- 

 kester, F.R.S., read a memoir on the muscular and endo-keletal 

 systems of Limulus and Scorpio, drawn up by himself with the 

 assistance of his two pupil-, Mr. W. J. Barnaul and Mis. li. M. 

 Beck The -e inve-tigations seemed to confirm Prof. Lankester's 

 previously expressed views as to the near affinity of these two 

 forms, hitherto usually referred to different classes of the animal 

 kingdom, and to justify the association of Limulus with the 

 Arachnida. — A paper was read by Dr. Gwyn Jeffreys, F.R.S., 

 F.Z.S., on the Mollusca procured during the cruise of H.M.S. 

 Triton between the Hebrides and Faroes in 1882. Ten new 

 species of Gastropoda were described, and another species 

 ( Fusits sa/'i/ii) was fully diagnosed. The chief interest of the 

 paper consi-ted in the distinction of the Mollusca inhabiting the 

 "warm" and "cold" areas of that sea-bed, in accordance with 

 the views of Dr. Carpenter and the late Sir Wyville Thomson. 

 — A communication was read from Mr. Martin Jacobi, contain- 

 ing descriptions of some new species of Beetles belonging to the 

 family Galerucidce. — Prof. P. Martin Duncan, F.R.S., read a 

 paper on the Madreporarian genus Phymastrcca of Milne- 

 Edwards and Jules Haiuie, and gave the description of a new 

 species obtained on the west coast of India, w Inch he proposed to 

 call Phymastrtca irregularis. — Dr. J. S. Garson, F.Z.S., read 

 a paper on the anatomy of the Pygmy Hog of Nepaul (Porcula 

 salvania of Hodgson), as exhibited in a female specimen of this 

 animal which had lately died in the Society's Gardens. Dr. 

 Garson came to the conclusion that this animal was not suffi- 

 ciently different from the true Pigs [Sus) to warrant its generic 

 separation. — A communication was read from Mr. Osbert 

 Salvin, F.R.S., containing an account of a series of birds col- 

 lected by Capt. A. H. Markham, R.N., at various points of the 

 western shores of the Pacific, from Esquimault on the north, to 

 the Straits of Magellan on the south, including some from the 

 Galapagos Islands and from the island of Juan Fernandez. — Mr. 

 E. W. White, F.Z.S., read some notes on the birds of the 

 Argentine Republic, being a supplement to two former papers 

 read before the Society on the ame subject. — A communication 

 was read from Mr. A. Boucard, C.M.Z.S., containing an 

 account of a collection of birds made in Yucatan by Mr. 

 Gaumer. 



Sydney 



Royal Society of New South Wales, May 2. — Annual meet- 

 ing. — The number of new members elected during the year was 

 forty -one, making the total number of ordinary members upon the 

 roll to date 4S6. At the Council meeting held on December 13 it 

 was unanimously resolved to award the Clarke Memorial Medal for 

 the year i8S3to Baron Ferdinand von M idler, K.C.M.G., F. R.S., 

 Government Botanist, Melbourne ; and at the same meeting the 

 Council awarded the prize of 25/., which had been offered for the 

 best communication on the " Influence of Australian Climates and 

 Pastures upon the Growth of Wool," to Dr. Ross, M.L.A., 

 Molong ; and the prize for the one upon "The Aborigines of 

 New South Wales " to Mr. John Fraser, B.A., West Maitland. 

 During the year the Society held ten meetings, at which the 

 following papers were read : — Annual address by H. C. 

 Russell, F.R.A. S. — On the geology of the Hawkesbury sand- 

 stone, by Rev. J. E. Tenison- Woods, F.G.S. — On tropical 

 rains, by H. C. Russell, F.R.A.S.— On the orbit of the late 



comet, by G. Putterfield. — On a method of determining the true 

 south, by J. S. Chard. — Notes on the progress of New South 

 Wales during the years 1872 to 1881, by Christopher Kolleston, 

 C.M.G. — On some marine fossils of the coal-formation of New 

 South Wales, by Rev. J. E. Tenison- Woods, F.G.S. , F.L.S.— 

 On some Mesozoic fossils from the Palmer River, Queensland, 

 by Rev. J. E. Tenison- Woods, F.G.S., F.L.S.— On French 

 geographical societies and the colonies, by E. M. de la Meslee. — 

 Notes on the aborigines of New Holland, by James Manning. — 

 On the ashes of some Epiphytic ferns, by W. A. Dixon, F.C.S. 

 — On a fossil plant formation in Central Queensland, by Rev. 

 J. E. Tenison- Woods, F.G.S., F.L.S.— The Medical and 

 Microscopical Sections held regular monthly meetings. The 

 sum expended upon the library during the year was 422/. 12s. lod. 

 At the annual meeting M. Louis Pasteur, M.D., w as unani- 

 mously elected an Honorary Member of the Society, to fill the 

 vacancy caused by the death of the late Dr. Charles Darwin, 

 M.A., F. R.S., and Dr. Ottokar Feistmantel of Calcutta was 

 elected a Corresponding Member. — Names of the new Council : — 

 President, Hon. I. Smith, C.M.G. Vice- Presidents : Charles 

 Moore, F.L.S., W. A. Dixon, F.C.S. Hon. Treasurer, II. G. 

 A. Wright, M.R.C.S.E. Hon. Secretaries: Prof. Liversidge, 

 F.R.S., K.G.S., Dr. Leibius, F.C.S. Members of Council : 

 Robert Hunt, F.G.S., Dr. W. Morris, P. R. Pedley, Frederick 

 Poolman, Chr. Rolle-ton, C.M.G., H. C. Rus ell, F.R.A. S. 



Paris 

 Academy of Sciences,] July 2. — M. Blanchard, president, 

 in the chair. — Obituary notices of M. Maillard de la Gournerie, 

 by M. Bcrtrand ; of Mr. William Spottiswoode, by M. Dumas; 

 and of General Sabine, by M. d'Abbadie. — On the condensa- 

 tion and liquefaction of gases, by M. J. Jamin. — On the torna- 

 does that swept over Kansas, United State-, on May 30, 1S79, 

 by M. Faye. Although every tornado almost invariably takes 

 place in the south-west quadrant of an area of co iiparatively 

 low pressure (FioJ iy's " Report of 600 Tornad oes "), this meteo- 

 rological condition is not to be regarded as their true cause. The 

 author shows on the contrary that, like other storms and hurri- 

 cane-, they are due to whirlwinds descending with vertical axis, 

 and originating, not in the lower atmospheiic .strata, but in the 

 upper currents whose direction is entirely independent of the 

 light winds previously prevailing near the surface of the earth. — 

 Remarks and observations on MM. Carl Vogt and Emile Yung's 

 treatise on practical comparative anatomy, by M. de Quatre- 

 fages. For Darwin's biological tree representing all life past, 

 present, and even future on the globe, Vogt and Yung substitute 

 a grove composed of many distinct trees, the number aud species 

 of which still remain to be determined. But while this concep- 

 ti m deprives the Darwinian theory of much of its seductive 

 grandeur, evolution itself can lose nothing by abandoning an 

 absolute system in which mere hypothesis plays far too large 

 a part. — On a complete sy.-tem of the combinations of two 

 biquadratic binary forms, by M. C. Stephanos. — On a class of 

 lineal equations of the fourth order, by M. E. Goursat.— On 

 surfaces of the third order, by M. C. Le Page. A method 

 is proposed of constructing a surface of the third order 

 determined by nineteen points. — On the ap lication of Am- 

 pere's method to the determination of the elementary law of 

 electrical induction by displacement, by M. Quet. — Electro- 

 dynamic actions involving arbitrary function^ ; hypotheses de- 

 termining these functions, by M. P. Le Cordier. — Method of 

 unuia>netising timepieces which have become magnetised by 

 the vicinity of a powerful magnetic field, by M. Deprez. — Action 

 of chlorhydric acid on the protosulphuret of tin, by M. A. Ditte. 

 — On the fusibility of salts, by M. E. Maumene. — On a new 

 process of making a quantitative analysis of urea, by M. L. 

 Huivounenq. — An examination of the corpuscle- held in suspen- 

 sion in water, by M. Eug. Marchand. — Deposits of barytine, 

 cele-tinc, and anhydrite, their association and probable mode of 

 formation, by M. Dieulafait. The experiences of M. Gorgeu 

 are shown to be inadequate to explain the formation of these 

 substances in lodes and in saline lands. At the same time they 

 are not to be absolutely rejected, and may prove to be of great 

 value when the chemical aspect of volcanic phenomena is taken 

 seriously in hand. —Influence exercised by the elements con- 

 tained in sea water on the development of fresh-water animals, 

 by M. H. de Varigny. From experiments made with the spawn 

 of fr. igs and other organisms, it appears that chloride of sjdium 

 (kitchen salt) is the substance mo t noxious to the development 

 of fresh-water animals. —Application of heat to the preservation 

 of wines in common use, the blends known as "vins de coupage,' ' 



