Tuly 24, 1884] 



NA TURE 



307 



ably into the Mount-Brown beds. The author concludes that the 

 break in succession is between the Weka-Pass stone and the 

 Amori limestone. The geological evidence is in accordance 

 with the palreontological data. The fossils hitherto found in the 

 Weka-Pass stone ( Vohita elongata, Scalaria rotunda, Slrutkio- 

 laria seiiex, Pecten ko:hstetteri, Meomi crawfurdi, Schizastet 

 ro'undatus, and Flabellum circulars) are found in other parts of 

 New Zealand in Upper Eocene beds. None of them are known 

 from the Cretaceous Waipara system. The fossils from the gray 

 marl are also in some cases identical with those found in the 

 Mount-Brown beds. The author concluded by giving reasons 

 for not agreeing with Dr. Hector, who classes all the beds men- 

 tioned as belonging to one system of Cretaceo-Tertiary age. — On 

 the chemical and microscopical characters of the Whin Sill, by 

 J. J. II. Teall. F.G.S.— A critical and descriptive list of the 

 Oolitic Madreporaria of the Boulonnais, by R. F. Tomes, 

 F.G.S. — On the structure and affinities of the family Receptaculi- 

 tidte, including therein the genera Ischadiles, Murch., (— Tetra- 

 gonis, Eichw.), Sphcerospongia, Pengelly, Acanthochaiiia, g.n., 

 and Receptaculites, Defr.,by Dr. G.J. Hinde, F.G.S.— On the 

 Pliocene mammalian fauna of the Val d'Arno, by Dr. C.J. Forsyth 

 Major, communicated by Prof. W. Boyd Dawkins, F. R. S., 

 F.G.S. — Notes on the geology and mineralogy of Madagascar, 

 by Dr. G. W. Parker., communicated by F. W. Rudler, 

 F.G.S. This paper commenced with a sketch of the physical 

 geography of the island of Madagascar. A central plateau from 

 4000 to 5000 feet high occupies about half the island, rising 

 above the lowlands that skirt the coast, and from this plateau 

 rise a number of volcanic cones, the highest, Ankaratra, being 

 8950 feet above the sea. With the exception of certain legends, 

 there is no record of a period when the volcanoes were active : 

 two such legends were given. The known volcanic cones were 

 enumerated. They extend from the northern extremity of the 

 island to the 20th parallel of south latitude. Beyond this, granite 

 and other primitive rocks occur as far as lat. 22°, south of which 

 the central parts of Madagascar are practically unknown to Euro- 

 peans. Some crater-lakes and numerous hot and mineral springs 

 occur. Earthquakes are occasionally felt in the island, most fre- 

 quently in the months of September and October. The shocks 

 are generally slight. Only a single trap-dyke is known near 

 Antananarivo. The hills ar unci this city are of varieties of granite 

 (? granitoid gneiss). The general direction of the strata is 

 parallel to the long axis of the island. Marine fossils have been 

 found by Rev. J. Richardson and Mons. Grandidier in the south- 

 west part of the central plateau. These fossils are referred by 

 the last-named traveller to the Jurassic system. Remains of 

 Hippopotami, gigantic tortoises, and an extinct ostrich-like bird 

 have also been recorded. North and north-west of the fossili- 

 ferous rocks, between them and the volcanic district of Ankaratra, 

 sandstone and slate occur. North of this volcanic district again 

 is a tract of country in which silver-lead (mixed with zinc) and 

 copper are found. Near the north-western edge of the central 

 plateau are granitic escarpments facing northwards and about 

 500 feet high. Some details were also given of valleys through 

 the central plateau, and of lagoons within the coral-reefs on the 

 coasts. To these remarks succeeded some details of the physical 

 features exhibited by the province of Imerina as seen from 

 Antananarivo. — Notes on some Cretaceous Lichenoporidae, by 

 G. R. Vine, communicated by Prof. P. Martin Duncan, F.R. S. 



Edinburgh 

 Royal Society, July 7. — Robert Gray, Vice-President, in 

 the chair. — Prof. James Thomson gave a geometrical solution of 

 the problem : Given a number of points moving Galilei-wise, 

 from their relative positions to determine a reference-frame such 

 that the motions relatively to it may satisfy the condition. — Prof. 

 Tait gave a quaternion solution of the same problem. — Prof. 

 Geikie read a paper on the occurrence of drifted trees in beds of 

 sand and gravel at Musselburgh. — Prof. Tait gave a solution of 

 the problem : To determine the number of different ways in 

 which a given number may be divided, no part being less than 

 2 or greater than one-half the given number. — Prof. C. Michie 

 Smith gave a communication on the green sun and associated 

 phenomena. — Mr. P. Geddes read the 5th part (psychological) 

 of his paper on analysis of the principles of economics. 



Sydney 

 Linnean Society of New South Wales, May 28. — Prof. 

 W. J. Stephens, M.A., F.G.S., in the chair. — The following 

 papers were' read : — New Australian fishes in< the Queensland 



Museum, by Charles W. De Vis, M.A. This, the first of a 

 series of papers descriptive of rare a .d new fishes in the 

 Queensland Museum, is confined to the Pertida: only. Twenty- 

 three species are described and four new genera, viz. tperops, allied 

 to Priacanthus; Homodemus, a fresh-water fish approaching 

 Dales ; Aurislkes, of doubtful affinity ; and Hephestus, a fresh- 

 dusse vegetable-feeding fish resembling Lobotes. — The Hydrome- 

 water of Australia, partiii., by R. von Lendenfeld, Ph.D. The 

 Australian Hydromedusae are here described which belong to 

 the author's family Blastopolypidie. To the species described by 

 former authors, which are enumerated with references, several 

 new ones are added, some of which are of greater morphological 

 interest, particularly Diphosia symmetrica, nov. sp., which pro- 

 duces perfectly bilateral symmetrical female Gonangia. The 

 number of species is exceedingly great. As far as some of the 

 sub-families of this group are concerned, no other shore is in- 

 habited by anything like such a number and diversity of forms 

 as ours. — On the geographical distribution of the Australian 

 Medusa;, by R. von Lendenfeld, Ph.D. The distribution of the 

 Medusae, or at all events of the large Rhizostomes, is shown in 

 this paper to be entirely controlled by the ocean currents. Con- 

 sequently, where the currents are permanent the range of a 

 species can only extend in one direction. —The digestion of 

 sponges, ectodermal or entodermal ?, by R. von Lendenfeld, 

 Ph.D. The earlier experiments, which were made to ascertain 

 where the digestive organ of the sponge is situated, showed such 

 different results, that the author made a series of experiments on 

 the subject two years ago in Melbourne, and was by the help of 

 these enabled not only to show with a large degree of proba- 

 bility where and how the digestion was effected in the sponge 

 which he experimented on, but he was also enabled by these 

 experiments to find out the cause of the great difference in the 

 results attained by former observers. The experiments were 

 carried on with carmine powder mixed with the water of the 

 aquarium in which the sponge was kept. The results the author 

 arrived at were taken up by the recent authors on sponges at home ; 

 and the second part of the question, viz. to which embryonic 

 layer the epithelia belonged which, according to the author's 

 researches, absorbed the food, was extensively discussed. The 

 present paper gives an abstract of this interesting discussion, and 

 there are also a few additions to the author's former statements. 

 — Remarks on the coincidence of the eruption in the Straits 

 Settlements and the red sunsets, by R. von Lendenfeld, Ph.D. 



Paris 

 Academy of Sciences, July 15. — M. Rolland, President, ii> 

 the chair. — On Newton's rule for finding the number of 

 imaginary roots in numerical algebraic equations, by M. de 

 Jonquieres. — On the equation in matrices px = xq, by Prof. Syl- 

 vester. — Second memoir on the treatment of wheaten flour, by 

 M. Balland. — Observations of the solar protuberances made at 

 the Royal Observatory of the Collegio Romano during the year 

 1883, by M. P. Tacchini. — On a lunar halo observed at Rome 

 on the night of July 4, by M. P. Tacchini. — On a theorem in 

 mathematical analysis of M. Fuchs, by M. H. Poincare. — On 

 the electrical conductivity of distilled water and of ice, by M. G. 

 Foussereau. The author infers that under certain conditions 

 the observation of electric resistance may supply a delicate means 

 of testing the purity of water, and determining the slow chemical 

 phenomena produced in liquids. — On the purification of 

 methylic alcohol, by MM. J. Regnauld and Villejean. — Ac- 

 count of a deposit of saltpetre in the neighbourhood of Cocha- 

 bamba, Bolivia, by M. Sacc. An analysis of this vast deposit, 

 which is large enough to supply the whole of the world with 

 nitrate of potash, yields the following results : — 



Nitrate of potash 6o"7o 



Borax, with traces of salt and water 3070 



Organic substances 8'6o 



The author concludes that the saltpetre is the result of the de- 

 composition of an enormous deposit of fossil animal remains. — 

 On the action of coffee on the composition of the blood and the 

 digestive functions, by MM. Coi^y, Guimaraes, and Niobey. 

 From their experiments the authors conclude that coffee acts bene- 

 ficially in stimulating the consumption and digestion of the nitroge- 

 nous elements in the food. — Note on the perception of the succes- 

 sive chromatic differences on luminous surfaces, by M. Aug. Char- 

 pentier. — Note on the topographic distribution of the secondary 



