July 26, 1883] 



NA TURE 



3ii 



discussed in detail. The earliest certainly recognised phase in 

 the history of the mountain was di tinguished by chronic activity 

 exhibited in outflows of lava and the ejection of scoria and ash. 

 Possibly, however, a still earlier and paroxysmal stage is indi- 

 cated by some of the phenomena described. Phase II. was a 

 period of inactivity and denudation, iwhich was brought to a 

 clo=e by the violent paroxysms of Phase III., followed by the 

 chronic activity of Phase IV. Phase V. marks the return of a 

 period of inactivity and denudation, which was again followed 

 ity the paroxysms of Phase VI. and the less violent outbursts of 

 Phase VII., the last subsiding into the chronic activity which is 

 the characteristic of Phase VIII., the modern period of the his- 

 tory of the volcano. The product-; of each of these periods of 

 eruption were described in greit detail. The eruptive pheno- 

 mena which are illustrated by these studies of Somma and Vesu- 

 vius were then considered, together with the nature and result 

 of the denudation which alternated with eruptive action in 

 originating the present form of the mountain. The paper con- 

 cluded with a statement of fifty propositions on the subject of 

 vulcanology which appear to the authcr to be established by the 

 studies detailed in the paper. — Note on " cone-in cone " structure, 

 by John Young, F. G. S. — A geological sketch of Quidong, 

 Manaro, Australia, by Alfred Morris, F.G. S. 



Anthropological Institute, June 12. — Prof. Flower, F.R.S., 

 president, in the chair. — Dr. E. B. Tylor, F.R.S., read a paper 

 on old Scandinavian civilisation among the modern Esquimaux. 

 Amongst other evidences of contact with European civilisation, 

 the author made particular mention of the lamps used by the 

 Esquimaux for cooking and for warming their dwellings : one of 

 these primitive-looking lamps was exhibited by Dr. John Kae, 

 F. R.S. ; it consists of a flat semicircular dish of steatite or pot- 

 stone about iS inches in diameter and 24 inches deep, witli 

 slightly sloping sides ; in it the natives burn oil, using for wick 

 fragments of sphagnum arranged along the edge of the lamp. 

 Dr. Tylor considered that the metal lamps used in the south of 

 Europe, and some of those used in Scotland at the present day, 

 were exactly the same in principle as these Esquimaux lamps, 

 and that they must all have been developed from the same original 

 idea. — The director read a communication from Mr. J. H. 

 Rivett-Carnac, describing some palaeolithic stone implements 

 found by himself and Mr. J. Cockburn in Banda, a hilly district 

 of the North-Western Provinces of India. Specimens of these 

 implements were exhibited, presented by Mr. Rivett-Carnac to 

 the Institute. — Dr. E. B. Tylor read a paper by Mr, A. W. 

 Howitt, on Australian beliefs. 



June 19. — A special meeting was held at Piccadilly Hall, by 

 invitation of Mr. Ribeiro, to view the Botocudo Indians brought 

 over by him to this country. Mr. Hyde Clarke, vice-president, 

 was in the chair, and Mr. A. H. Keane read a paper on the 

 Botocudos. Mr. Ribeiro presented the Institute with a small 

 collection of typical Botocudo weapons. 



June 26. — Prof. Flower, F. R.S., 1 resident, in the chair. — The 

 election of Ernest G. Ravenstein was announced. — Mr. Worthing- 

 ton G. Smith exhibited a collection of palaeolithic implements from 

 Leyton and Walthamstow. — Mr. R. B. White red a paper on 

 the aboriginal races of the north-western provinces of South 

 America. This paper referred to a strip of country about 600 

 miles in length by from 100 to 250 in width, bounded on the west 

 by the Pacific Ocean, and extending from one degree north latitude 

 to the eighth parallel. It is now embraced by the States of Cauca 

 and Antioquia, two of the nine stales of the Columbia Union, 

 which was formerly called New Granada. — Mr. J. Park Harrison 

 read a paper on the relative length of the first three toes of the 

 human foot. The author adduced evidence to show (1) that a 

 long second toe was a racial characteristic existing at the present 

 day in Egypt (according to Pruner Bev). South-west Africa, and 

 many of the Pacific Islands, including Tahiti. It appears also 

 to have prevailed amongst the ancient Peruvians and Etruscans ; 

 ( z) when met with in Europeans, excepting perhaps in Italy, it 

 may be attributed mainly to narrow shoes, but sometimes to mix- 

 ture of blood; (3) Mr. Harrison had ascertained by measure- 

 ments that a second toe even slightly longer than the first was 

 not, as generally supposed, common in statues of the best period 

 of Greek art, nor in accordance with the rules laid down in 

 1'laxman's lectures at the Royal Academy ; (4) unfortunately the 

 peculiarity was being perpetuated by casts of the feet of Roman 

 or Grasco-Roman statues, which in some cases, as for instance 

 that of the left foot of the Farnese Apollo, were modern restora- 

 lions. Travellers were asked to observe the respective lengths 

 ■ >f the toes in foreign countries and especially in Italy. 



Edinburgh 



Mathematical Society, July 13.— Mr. J. S. Mackay, presi- 

 dent, in the chair. — Prof. C. G. Knott read a paper on quater- 

 nions, and Mr. D. Munn one on radical axes and centres of 

 similitude. 



Sydney 



Linnean Society of New South Wales, May 30. — Rev. 

 J. E. Tenison-Woods, F.L. S., vice-president, in the chair. 

 — The following papers were read : — Notes on a lower jaw of 

 Palorchestes Asael, by Charles W. De Vis, B.A. — Synonymy of 

 Australian and Polynesian land and marine mollusca, by John 

 Brazier, C.M.Z.S. — On some Mesozoic fossils from Central 

 Australia, by the Rev. J. E, Tenison-Woods, F.G.S. The 

 author describes the nature of the deposit from qualitative 

 analysis and microscopic examination, noticing the occurrence of 

 various fossils too imperfect for specific identification. The 

 author describes also the two new species, Trigonia mesembria, 

 a clearly Cretaceous form of the section " Glabrae," and Pecten 

 psila, which the author considers may only be a variety of P. 

 socialis, Moore. He also described a BelemnUes, probably B. 

 auslralis, Phillips, of a ve-y aberrant type of the section 

 "Hastati." In concision, he considered that, as many of 

 Moore's Wollumbilla (Jurassic) fossils were found in this forma- 

 tion, there was either a confusion of type, or that the Wollum- 

 billa beds were part of the low er Cretaceous formation of Central 

 and North-East Australia. — Contribution to a knowledge of the 

 fishes of New Guinea (No. 4), by William Macleay, F.L.S. 

 One hundred and thirty species of fishes are here recorded, 

 chiefly from the extreme south-east of New Guinea, making, 

 with those enumerated in the three previous papers, 409 species 

 in all, collected by Mr. Goldie on the island. One new genus 

 (Tetracentrum) and 33 new species are described, chiefly from 

 fresh water. — A second half-century of plants new to South 

 Queensland, by the Rev. B. Scortechini, F.L.S. The author 

 enumerates 50 plants not previously quoted from Southern 

 Queensland, and either belonging to the tropical flora of 

 Northern Australia, or indigenous to the southern and temperate 

 portions of the continent. He also notices some of the changes 

 of nomenclature resulting from the fusion of the genera Pitheco- 

 lobium, Calliandra, and Enterolobium with Albizza, 



Paris 

 Academy of Sciences, July 16. — M. Blanchard, president, 

 in the chair. — On the whirlwinds of dust observed by Colonel 

 Prejevalsky in Central Asia, by M. Faye. Like those of Mexico, 

 India, and the Sahara these sandstorms are shown to have the 

 same origin and mechanical action as the tornadoes of the 

 United States and all waterspouts. They are all alike spiral 

 movements descending with vertical axis and invariably moving 

 horizontally nearly in a straight line. The popular belief that 

 the dust on land and water at sea ascends from the surface to the 

 higher regions is due to an optical illusion. — Active or dynamic 

 resistance of solids. Grphic representation of the laws of 

 longitudinal thrust applied to one end of a prismatic rod, the 

 other end of which is fixed, by MM. de Saint- Venant and 

 Flamant. — On the cause of death in the case of freshwater ani- 

 mals plunged into salt water and via versd, by M. Paul Bert. 

 In the case of freshwater animals the fatal effect is caused by tie 

 action of chloride of sodium, a conclusion already arrived at by 

 M. de Varigny. In the opposite case death is caused by tl e 

 absence of chloride of sodium, which it is found impossible to 

 replace either by salts of soda or of magnesia, by gljcerine, 

 sugar, or any other substances calculated to give fresh water the 

 consistency of the marine liquid. Several interesting attempts 

 at acclimatisation are described. — On the puna, or "moun- 

 tain sickness," experienced by travellers at great altitude , 

 by M. A. dAbbadie. The symptoms are fully described, 

 but M. P. Bert enters a protest against so ne of the suggested 

 remedies, especially blood-letting. — On some of the results 

 already obtained by the submarine explorations of the Talisman, 

 by M. A. Gaudry. Amongst these results are several new 

 species of mollusks, sponges, aid cru-tacea. — On the separation 

 of gallium from various substances (continued) ; separation from 

 molybdenum, by M. Lecoq de Boisbaudran. — A fresh contribu- 

 tion to the study of intra-vascular sanguineous concretions, by 

 M. G. Hayem. — Brief description of an electric indicator (one 

 illustration), by M. J. Cauderay. — On the observation made by 

 M. Gonneriat of the great comet of 1882 (one illustration), by M. 

 Ch. Andre.— On the changes produced in the duration of the 

 Julian year by the variations of the quantities on which this 



