FEBRUARY 25, 1904] 
NATURE 
407 
striated muscle of the arteries occurs on nerve ‘stimulation 
depends upon the mode of nerve-ending of the post- 
ganglionic nerve fibre. 
The cervical sympathetic gave a less scanty and more 
prolonged secretion than normal, so that some of its nerve 
fibres had become connected with the peripheral secretory 
nerve cells of the chorda tympani. 
Geological Society, January 20.—Sir Archibald Geikie, 
Sec.R.S., vice-president, in the chair.—On the jaws of 
Ptychodus from the Chalk: Dr. A. Smith Woodward, 
F.R.S. Hitherto no traces of the cartilaginous jaws of 
this fish have been found in association with the dentition, 
but recently a specimen of Ptychodus decurrens has been 
found in the zone of Holaster subglobosus of the Lower 
Chalk at Glynde. Fragmentary remains of both jaws are 
seen in the specimen, each bearing characteristic teeth 
arranged in natural order. There are four series, and one 
small displaced tooth (probably belonging to the fifth 
series), on the left of the large median series in the lower 
jaw, while in the upper jaw the teeth are arranged in six 
paired series. The specimen proves that Ptychodus re- 
sembles the Trygonidz in its jaws. The probable explan- 
ation of the new discovery is that in the Cretaceous period 
the great rays of the ‘‘ families’? Myliobatida and 
Trygonide had not become fully differentiated. Prof. 
Jakel has proposed to place all these fishes in one family, 
termed Centrobatide. If this arrangement be adopted, 
Ptychodus represents a primitive subfamily, which still 
awaits definition, while the Trygoninee, Myliobatine, and 
Ceratopterinz are equivalent subfamilies which still survive. 
—On the igneous rocks at Spring Cove, near Weston-super- 
Mare: W. S. Boulton. <A traverse from end to end of the 
exposure at the locality shows that the ‘‘ basalt-mass’’ is 
by no means a simple lava-flow. It may be roughly divided 
into three portions. Beginning at the cliff-end to the north, 
the rock is a pillowy basalt, with tuff and limestone; then 
the rock is mainly a coarse ‘‘ agglomerate,’’ with lapilli 
and bombs of basalt and limestone; while the remaining 
part is a basalt-coulée, with few small lumps of burnt 
limestone. The limestone below is reddened and altered, 
and does not contain lapilli; the limestone above contains 
lapilli. The pillowy basalt probably represents a river of 
agglomeratic material possibly ejected from a vent. The 
intervening tuff may present an analogy with the 
““voleanic sand ’’ of the West Indian eruptions. There is 
no evidence of the quiet deposition of ashy material. The 
large fragments of limestone found mainly in the lower 
part of the basalt-mass have not come in from above, but 
seem to have been picked up from the sea-bed in which 
it had been accumulating, and to have been involved with 
and altered by the volcanic material. 
February 3.—Sir Archibald Geikie, Sec.R.S., vice-presi- 
dent, in the chair.—On a deep-sea deposit from an artesian 
boring at Kilacheri, near Madras: Prof. H. Narayana 
Rau. The boring, after penetrating the upper clays and 
sandstones, passed through carbonaceous shales, and at a 
depth of about 400 feet reached a blue homogeneous rock, 
effervescing with acid, and showing radiolarian tests under 
the microscope. One or two specimens of foraminifera 
have also been seen. ‘Lhe deposit underlies beds of the 
Upper Gondwana stage. The author concludes that the de- 
posit is of abysmal origin, similar to those described in the 
Challenger reports. In the discussion that followed Dr. 
W. T. Blanford said that he was unable to agree with the 
author’s conclusions, and he objected to the title of the 
paper, because the rocks described were, in his opinion, 
not deep-sea deposits. The mineral evidence brought for- 
ward was quite insufficient to show that the beds were 
oceanic, and the presence of radiolaria was no proof by 
itself of deep-sea conditions.—The Rhzetic beds of the South 
Wales direct line: Prof. S. H. Reynolds and A. Vaughan. 
After a reference to the literature of the subject the follow- 
ing exposures are described—the Stoke-Gifford and the 
Lilliput or Chipping-Sodbury sections. 
Entomological Society, February 3.—Frof. E. B. Poulton, 
F.R.S., president, in the chair.—Mr. A. J. Chitty exhibited 
two specimens of Ptinus tectus, Boisd., taken by him in 
a granary in Holborn in the winter of 1892-3, also a com- 
plete series of the red Apions to show 4. sanguineum from 
NO. 1791, VOL. 69] 
| Cameron. 
the late Frederick Smith’s collection.—Mr. O. E. Janson 
exhibited specimens of Papilio weiskei, Ribbe, and Troides 
meridionalis, Rothschild, recently taken by Mr. A. S. Meek 
near the Aroa River in the interior of British New Guinea. 
—Mr. E. C. Bedwell exhibited the following species of 
Coleoptera taken by him in north Wales (on Snowdon) in 
the first week of August, 1903 :—a fine series of Chrysomela 
cerealis, L., a pair of them being of the curiously dull 
form, Anthophagus alpinus, Payk., Acidota crenata, F., 
Arpedium brachypterum, Grav.; and Quedius longicornis, 
Kr., hitherto unrecorded from the Principality.—The Rev. 
F. D. Morice exhibited a series of lantern slides illus- 
trating the structure of concealed ventral segments in males 
of the hymenopterous genus Colletes.—Mr. W. J. Kaye 
exhibited a Miillerian association of black and transparent 
species from the Potaro Road, British Guiana, consisting 
of Ithomiinz, Ithomia zarepha, Ithomia florula, Heterosais 
sylphis, and Napeogenes, n.sp., Erycinida, Stalachtis 
phaedusa, and Stalachtis  evelina, WHypside, Lauron 
partlita, Geometridae, Hyrmina, n.sp. The whole of the 
specimens had been caught on one single forest road, some 
170 miles inland. Mr. Kaye directed particular attention 
to the new species of Napeogenes, and said it was a most 
remarkable divergence from the usual coloration of the 
genus Napeogenes as a whole, where orange-yellow and 
black were the prevailing colours, while the present insect 
was black and transparent only, and conformed in a 
wonderful way with many true members of the genus 
Ithomia.—The President exhibited a male and female of 
Papilio dardanus, captured by Mr. Geo. F. Leigh at Durban 
in 1902, and examples of the offspring reared from the eggs 
laid by the female. The latter was of the cenea form, as 
were the great majority of the female offspring; three, 
however, were of the black and white hippocoon form. 
More recently, in 1903, Mr. Leigh had captured a female 
of the rare trophonius form, and had bred from the seven 
eggs laid by it five butterflies, of which the two females were 
both of the commonest cenea form. The female trophonius 
was also exhibited, together with the five offspring.— 
Captain C. E. Williams read a paper on the life-history 
and habits of Gongylus gongyloides, a mantis of the tribe 
Erupasides and a floral simulator, and exhibited a living 
2 in the nymph stage, together with coloured drawings,. 
photographs, and lantern slides showing both the adult 
and immature insect in various positions. The chief 
features of interest in the exhibitions lay in the peculiar 
modifications of shape and colouring by which this mantis 
conceals itself and attacks its prey, which consists of Lepi- 
doptera and Diptera._-Mr. G. A, J. Rothney communi- 
cated descriptions of new species of Cryptine from the 
Khasia Hills, Assam, and a new species of Bembex, by Peter 
Mr. M. Burr contributed systematic observ- 
ations upon the Dermatoptera.—Dr. T. A. Chapman read. 
a paper on a new species of Heterogynis, and exhibited 
specimens of this and other allied species.—Mr. R. Trimen, 
F.R.S., read a paper on some new or imperfectly known 
forms of South African butterflies, and exhibited, among 
other specimens, illustrating his remarks, typical and 
aberrational forms of -lcraea rahira, Zerttis felthamt, a new 
species, Z. molome, Vrim., and Z. damarensis, Trim. : 
typical Colias electra, Linn., from Natal, and a remarkable 
melanic aberration of the same species; also Kedestas 
tucusa, a very rare and unfigured Hesperiid Q and ¢ frosm 
Johannesburg. 
Paris. 
Academy of Sciences, February 15.—M. Mascart in the 
chair.—The president announced to the academy the death 
of M. Callandreau, member of the section of astronomy. 
—On the simple fundamental solution and the asymptotic 
expression of temperature in the problem of cooling : 
J. Boussinesq.—The action of reduced nickel in the 
presence of hydrogen on halogen derivatives of the fatty 
series: Paul Sabatier and Alph. Mailhe. It has been 
shown in a previous paper that in the aromatic series the 
halogen may be readily replaced by hydrogen by the action 
of reduced nickel. In the fatty series the action is quite 
different ; the saturated hydrocarbon is not produced, but 
the alkyl chloride is broken up into hydrochloric acid and the 
corresponding olefine, these partially recombining, giving 
secondary and tertiary chlorides where possible. Methyl 
