DECEMBER 24, 1896] 
NATURE 189 
rabbits, dogs, and cats, certain of these substances (viz. the 
colloids designated A, B, C, a and 8) produce intravascular co- 
agulation of the blood in a manner similar to a nucleo-proteid. 
They also hasten the coagulability of the blood withdrawn from 
the carotid, and will, when slowly injected intravenously in 
minute quantities into dogs, produce a retardation of the 
coagulability of the intravascular blood, e.g. a ‘negative 
hase.” 
: (8) Apparently these colloidal substances are owing to both 
their physical and chemical properties and their physiological 
behaviour, the nearest synthesised bodies at present known to 
proteids. 
** An Attempt to determine the Adiabatic Relations of Ethyl 
Oxide.” By Dr. E. P. Perman, Prof. W. Ramsay, F.R.S., and 
J. Rose-Innes, M.A., B.Sc. 
Geological Society, December 2.—Dr. Henry Hicks, 
F.R.S., President, in the chair.—The Secretary announced 
that Mr. Frank Owen had presented to the Society a photo- 
graphic portrait of his late grandfather, Sir Richard Owen.— 
Another possible cause of the glacial epoch, by Prof. Edward 
Hull, F.R.S. In the introductory portion of the paper the 
author gave an account of the submarine topography of the 
area east of North America, and summarised Dr. J. W. 
Spencer’s work upon a submerged Antillean continent ; he then 
dealt with the effects which would be produced upon the Gulf 
Stream by the uprising of this continent in the glacial period, 
and maintains that, as the current could not pass into the 
Gulf of Mexico (being debarred by a coast of high conti- 
nental land), it would flow directly northwards into the North 
Atlantic, and thereby be deprived of about 10° (Fahr.) of 
heat: the effects of which may be practically illustrated by 
supposing the isothermal line of 32° to take the place of that 
of 42° in the northern hemisphere. He argued that the in- 
creased snowfall which would thus be caused over certain 
areas would tend to intensify the cold through all the adjoin- 
ing tracts. To the effects produced in this way must be 
added those due to the elevation of the land of Eastern 
North America and to an elevation of North-western Europe, 
which was supposed to have occurred at the end of Pliocene 
times. These elevations would intensify the glaciation caused 
by the difference of direction taken by the Gulf Stream. In 
the discussion which followed, the Rev. Edwin Hill inquired 
what were the grounds for the estimated reduction of tempera- 
ture, and asked for a comparison between the Gulf Stream 
in such conditions and the present North Pacific current. Dr. 
Blanford agreed with him in feeling doubtful whether a change 
in the configuration of the American coast would prevent a 
warm current from still impinging upon the shores of North- 
western Europe, and expressed the opinion that the main cause 
of the glacial epoch was still unknown.—On the affinities of the 
Echinothuridz, and on Pedinothuria and Elikodiadema, two 
new subgenera of Echinoidea, by Dr. J. W. Gregory. The 
author summarised and discussed the literature bearing upon the 
Echinothuridz, and brought forward arguments to prove that the 
family is a member of the order Diademoidea, and is derived 
from the Pedinidze, members of which are found in earlier rocks 
than the Corallian, which contains the oldest member of the 
Echinothuride, namely, Pe/anechinus. He maintained that the 
extreme flexibility and loose articulation of the plates of the 
living genera Asthenosoma and Phormosoma was due to the 
diminished calcification of the plates, and that these recent 
genera were extremely specialised forms, and not primitive—the 
apparently primitive features of the family being secondarily 
acquired, not primaeval.—On Zchznocystés and Paleodiscus, two 
Silurian genera of Echinoidea, by Dr. J. W. Gregory. The 
author gave a history of the genera Achznocystis, Salter, and 
Paleodiscus, Wyy. Thoms., redescribed their structures, and 
discussed their affinities. He concluded that Achinocystés was 
an echinid and not a cystid ; and that Pudeodescus was an echinid 
and not an asterid. 
Linnean Society, December 3.—Mr. C. B. Clarke, F.R.S., 
Vice-President, in the chair.—Mr. R. Morton Middleton ex- 
hibited and made remarks on specimens of Acer dasycarpum | 
strangulated by Aristolochia tomentosa. He also exhibited 
examples of Helix Cumberlandiana, an extremely local land 
mollusc from the carboniferous limestone of Tennessee, his 
remarks being confirmed by Mr. W. Stearm, an American 
conchologist, who was present as a visitor.—Mr. E. M. Holmes 
exhibited specimens of Lzebmannia major, a seaweed not hitherto 
detected in Britain, and, so far as is known, recorded only from 
NO. 1417, VOL. 55] 
Finisterre. The specimens were collected at Lossiemouth in 
August 1896. He also showed Bonnemazsonia hamifera, col- 
lected in May last by Mr. E. George, and in August last by 
himself. In 1895 living specimens of this seaweed, a native of 
Japan, were found at Falmouth by the late Mr. T. H. Buffham, 
and during the present year other examples had been found at 
Shanklin, Isle of Wight, showing that the plant had apparently 
become naturalised. The Rev. George Henslow gave the sub- 
stance of a paper entitled, ‘‘ Does Natural Selection play any 
part in the origin of Species among Plants?” After defining a 
species from the systematists’ point of view, the author showed, 
by examples, that many specific characters in plants might be 
useful, indifferent, useless or injurious ; and that they were the 
direct result of a responsive action especially to the physical 
environment. The ovzgzatior of varietal characters, he thought, 
should be considered as quite distinct from ‘‘the survival of 
the fittest” and ‘‘the struggle for life” which determine the 
distribution of species in time and space. The individual 
differences of plants were held to be (as a rule) inadequate to 
produce variations of any systematic value, unless the plant 
migrated, and dimensions fev se could have no ‘‘ destructive” 
capacities whatever. Darwin’s and Wallace’s conditions for 
natural selection, viz. large populations and infertility between 
parents and offspring, had, he considered, no connection with 
the origination of variations, while the latter did not exist. On 
the contrary, species with large populations were (as a rule) in- 
variable, while others might vary greatly, but only whenin different 
soils, &c. Instead of ‘* changed conditions of life” happening 
to any plant without migration, it was the latter which brought 
them about ; instead of a struggle being required with the parent 
stock or other plants, it was the avoidance of the deteriorating 
effects of struggling which was most beneficial, and new varieties 
arise best when there was no struggle at all. 
Anthropological Institute, December 8.—Mr. E. W. 
Brabrook, President, in the chair.—Prof. E. B. Tylor read a 
paper by Mr. Horatio Hale on four historical Huron wampum- 
belts, which he exhibited, adding remarks of his own on the 
employment of wampum in a mnemonic system. After a short 
account of the state of the Indian confederacies at the time of 
the arrival of the earliest discoverers, in the course of which the 
mention of the chief Hiawatha caused Prof. Tylor fo contrast 
the accuracy of Fenimore Cooper as a painter of Indian life 
with the poetical license of Longfellow, attention was directed 
to the use of wampum as currency, and to the laborious method 
of drilling the hard shell to form the beads. Specimens of the 
two shells employed in the manufacture were exhibited. Dr, 
Tylor then passed to the symbolic use of wampum-belts as 
historical records, illustrating his remarks by a number of 
lantern slides. From these it was explained how the Iroquois 
belt might be distinguished from others by the occurrence of 
diagonal bands of beads, contrasting in colour with those 
forming the ground. These bands are derived from the 
diagonal rafters of the peculiar ‘* long-houses”’ of the Iroquois. 
Other well-known conventional symbols, representing hearts, 
houses, lands, the ‘‘ peace path,” &c., were also illustrated. 
One of the belts exhibited was itself an historical record of some 
interest to Europeans, as it depicts a proposal of conversion to 
Christianity made by the early Jesuit missionaries to the Indians, 
the message being effected by working into a wampum-belt a 
symbolic group consisting of the lamb, the dove, and several 
crosses. The investigations made by Mr. Hale seem to show 
that the ‘‘ Penn Belt,” which is now in New England, is not a 
record of the famous scene depicted by Benjamin West, but of 
a more obscure treaty concluded with Iroquois chiefs. The 
intrinsic evidence afforded by the belt convinces Mr. Hale that 
it was made by Iroquois. In this way anthropology has been 
able to correct history. Dr. Tylor exhibited lantern slides of 
West's picture, and of one of Lafitau’s plates, the latter giving 
a far more accurate idea of the ceremonious ratification of an 
Indian treaty than the former. He also exhibited a slide illus- 
trating the use of wampum-belts as records in modern times, 
exemplified by the annual meeting of chiefs, at which all the 
belts are carefully gone over, in order that events of tribal 
importance may be kept green. A short discussion followed. 
Mathematical Society, December 10.—Prof. Elliott, 
F.R.S., President, in the chair.—Major MacMahon, R.A., 
F.R.S., stated a result arrived at in a note by Prof. Sylvester, 
F.R.S., on a discovery in the theory of denumeration. In con- 
nection with this communication the President announced that 
