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[Maxcu 25, 1897 
the streams had a greater fall and valleys were cut to a some- 
what greater depth. Then the land sank and the valleys became 
silted up with layer after layer of alluvium, to a depth of at least 
30 feet, the climate remaining temperate. The next stage, when 
an arctic flora reappeared, is only represented at Hoxne. The 
third stage in the infilling of the valleys is shown in the curious 
unstratified decalcified brick-earth with scattered stones and 
Paleolithic implements, identical in character at Hitchin, Hoxne, 
Fisherton, and other localities, which irresistibly suggests a 
mingling of wind-transported material and rain-wash. 
It may be pointed out that if this hypothesis of the origin of 
the Paleolithic brick-earth during the reign of ‘steppe ” con- 
ditions be accepted, it will account for the non-correspondence 
of the ancient channels with the present valleys, a thing very 
difficult to explain if the infilling were caused by ordinary 
fluviatile action. If the Paleolithic brick-earth is equivalent to 
the Paleolithic loess of the ancient deserts in central Europe, we 
can understand how during this period of cold drought the 
smaller streams ceased to flow and their valleys became so filled 
with rain-wash and dust that when a moister climate recurred the 
streams had to seek new channels. 
March 11.—‘‘ The Origin and Destination of certain Afferent 
and Efferent Tracts in the MedullaOblongata.” By J. S. Risien 
Russell, M.D., M.R.C.P. 
In attempting to ascertain the origin and destination of some 
of the tracts of nerve fibres which exist in the medulla oblongata 
by the degeneration method, many of these tracts were divided, 
and among them the posterior connections of the cerebellum, 
and, similarly, certain nerve centres situated in the medulla were 
severed from their connections with the rest of the organ. 
Among other results obtained by these experiments the author 
finds, in support of his previous contentions based on results 
obtained by ablation of the cerebellum, that while paths derived 
from the spinal cord can be traced directly to the cerebellum, no 
direct path can be traced from the cerebellum to the spinal cord. 
He, however, finds that an indirect path of this kind exists, and 
that the first portion of it is what was formerly regarded as a 
sensory tract passing from the medulla oblongata to the cere- 
bellum, but which is in reality a path from the cerebellum to a 
special group of nerve cells in the medulla known as Deiters’ 
nucleus, from which another tract of fibres originates which can 
be traced throughout the whole length of the spinal cord, and 
which becomes connected with the anterior horn of the same 
side, and to a lesser degree with that of the opposite side. 
The author further finds that there are other important con- 
nections of these nerve cells known as Deiters’ nucleus, with the 
corpora quadrigemina, superior olivary bodies and the cervical 
region of the spinal cord by way of the posterior longitudinal 
bundles. The cerebellum is thus brought into relationship with 
these various nerve centres in a way that suggests that these 
connections may have important bearings in regard to the move- 
ments of the head and eyes. 
Chemical Society, March 4.—Mr. A. G. Vernon Harcourt, 
President, in the chair.—The following papers were read :— 
Some hydrocarbons from American petroleum. (1) Normal and 
iso-pentane, by S. Young and G. L. Thomas. By fractional 
distillation of ‘‘ pentane ”’ from American petroleum, the authors 
have obtained pure normal and iso-pentane ; the boiling points 
under normal pressure are 36°3° and 27°95" respectively. —The 
vapour pressures, specific volumes and critical constants of 
normal pentane, with a note on the critical point, by S. Young. 
The critical data of normal pentane are 197°2°, 25100 mm., and 
4°303 c.c. ; the thermal and other data obtained lead to the 
conclusion that in the liquid state and at the critical temperature 
the molecules of pentane are simple ones, as in the gaseous 
state. —On the freezing-point curves of alloys containing zinc, 
by C. T. Heycock and F. H. Neville. The melting-point 
curves of binary alloys of zinc with cadmium, aluminium, tin 
and bismuth have been examined and the compositions of the 
eutectic mixtures determined ; dilute zinc solutions containing 
lead, thallium, antimony and magnesium were also examined. 
The freezing point of zinc is depressed by admixture with the 
metals named above, but is raised by addition of copper, gold, 
or silver.—The oxides of cobalt and the cobaltites, by A. H. 
McConnell and E. S. Hanes. The authors describe the pre- 
paration of alkali cobaltites, and show that cobalt forms an 
oxide CoO,, an acid H,CoOs, and a series of alkali salts of the 
type of potassium cobaltite K,CoO3.—A new synthesis in the 
sugar group, by H. J. H. Fenton. Glycollic aldehy de condenses 
when heated in a vacuum, giving a sweet-tasting gum of the 
NO. 7430, VOL. 55] 
composition C,H,,0,; this “sugar” yields a hexosazone 
C,,H..N,O,4, and is not fermented by yeast. When heated it 
loses water, apparently yielding compounds of the compositions 
C,.H..0,, and C,H,)O;.—The dinitrosamines of ethylene aniline, 
the ethylene toluidines and their derivatives, by F. E. Francis. 
—Contribution to the knowledge of the §-ketonic acids, Part v., 
by S. Ruhemann and A, S. Hemmy.—Enantiomorphic forms 
of ethylpropylpiperidonium iodide, by Miss C. de B. Evans. 
Ethylpropylpiperidonium iodide, C,H,,EtPrNI, crystallises in 
right- and le‘t-handed enantiomorphous crystals just as sodium 
chlorate does.—Further note on ketopinic acid—pinophanic 
acid, by W. S. Gilles and F. F. Renwick. Ketopinic acid 
yields a hydroxime and a monobrom-derivative, and when fused 
with soda is converted into a dibasic acid C,,H,,0,, which is 
termed pinophanic acid.—A synthesis of citric acid, by W. T. 
Laurence. Ethylic citrate is synthetically obtained by the con- 
densation of ethylic bromacetate with ethylic oxalylacetate in 
presence of zinc as indicated by the following equations : (1) 
COOEt . CH,Br+COOEt. CH, . CO.COOEt + Zn=COOHt. 
CH, . C(OZnBr)(CHy.COOEt). COOEt. (2) COOEt.CH, . C 
(OZnBr)(CH,.COOEt)COOEt + HO =COOEt . CH,. C(OH) 
(CH,. COOEt). COOEt + ZnO + HBr. 
Linnean Society, March 4.—Dr. A. Giinther, F.R.S., 
President, in the chair.—Mr. W. Carruthers, F.R.S., exhibited, 
with the aid of lantern-slides, a series of portraits of Linnzeus, 
and gave some account of the history of each. In the course of 
a tour which he had made in Sweden and Holland, he had been 
fortunate enough not only to see the original paintings, but also 
to obtain photographs of them, so that he was now able to 
exhibit exact copies. Putting aside ‘‘ supposed portraits,” and 
such as might be termed ‘‘ fancy portraits” having no claim to 
authenticity, he had satisfied himself of the existence of eight 
that were certainly painted or drawn from life, and had been 
copied more or less frequently by different engravers. The 
earliest of these was painted by Hoffman in 1737, while Linnzeus 
was working for his patron Cliffort at Hartecamp, and represents 
him at the age of thirty in the picturesque dress in which he 
travelled through Lapland. Of the next portrait, an engraving 
by Ehrensverd in 1740, no original is known to exist. In 1747, 
at the age of forty, two pencil sketches of Linnzeus, one being a 
full length, were made by Rehn ; and five years later a beautiful 
pastel was executed by Lundberg. Scheffel in 1755 painted him 
at the age of forty-eight; and this portrait is preserved at 
Hammarby in the house of Linnzeus, now public property under 
the care of Prof. Fries of Upsala. Then came the medallion by 
Inlander, executed in 1773, of which a copy (one of three) is in 
possession of this Society. The following year, when Linnzus 
was sixty-seven years of age, his portrait was painted by Krafft, 
and was placed originally in the Medical College of Stockholm, 
of which Linnzeus was one of the founders. It was supposed to 
be lost, but had been removed to the Royal Academy of Sciences 
in Stockholm, where Mr. Carruthers discovered it. The latest 
portrait was that by Roslin, painted in 1775, when Linnzeus 
was in his sixty-eighth year. A fine copy of this by Pasch, pre- 
sented to Sir Joseph Banks, and given by him to Robert Brown, 
now hangs in the Society’s library.—Dr. W. B. Benham read a 
paper on some new species of earthworms belonging to the 
genus Pericheta from New Britain and elsewhere, with remarks 
on certain diagnostic characters of the genus. —On behalf of Mr. 
W. G. P. Ellis, Demonstrator in Botany at the University 
Botanical Laboratory, Cambridge, the Secretary gave the sub- 
stance of a paper ‘‘On a TZytchoderma Parasitic on Pella 
epiphylla.” 
Geological Society, March 10.—Dr. Henry Hicks, F.R.S., 
President, in the chair.—Volcanic activity in Gentral America 
in relation to British earthquakes, by A. Gosling, H.M. Minister 
and Consul-General in Central America. The author of the 
communication points out that the volcano of Izalco, in the 
Republic of Salvador, which has been in active eruption for over 
one hundred years, suddenly ceased to be so within a fortnight 
of the period at which the communication was sent (December 20, 
1896), and he notes the occurrence of seven shocks of earth- 
quake in England on December 17, 1896. He quotes remarks 
concerning the volcano, which were contributed by him to the 
North American Review in January 1896.—The red rocks near 
Bonmahon on the coast of Co. Waterford, by F. R. C. Reed. 
The rocks considered in this paper have been regarded by some 
authorities as deposits interstratified with the Lower Palozoic 
rocks of the district, while others have maintained that they 
are of Old Red Sandstone age. It was the object of the author 
