504 



NATURE 



'\Scpt. 2 2, 1881 



Exhibit! m at Venice, we h:>peto give a detailed report next 

 week. An Archx ilogical CongrefS was opened at Tiflis oa 

 Tuesday ; among the delegates is Prof. Virchow. The Cauca-us 

 Mu-enra was also opened ; the cillections were very numerous 

 and v.iried. 



The ensuing session of the Aristotelian Society for the Syste- 

 matic Study of Philosophy will open on October 10, at 20, John 

 Street, Adelphi, W.C, with an address by the president, 

 Shadworth H. HoHg-on, LL.D. , and the Society will thereafter 

 continue its historical studies, alternated with discussions of 

 philosophical questions. 



We gladly welcome the appearance of the " Phxnogam nis 

 and Vascular Cryptogamous Plants of Michigan," by Charles 

 F. Wheeler and Erwin F. Smith (Lansing, 18S1). 1559 specie? 

 of flowering plants are enuccerated, and 75 of horsetails, ferns, 

 and lycopods. The arrangement followed is that of the fifth 

 edition of Gray's Manual,, and the authors promise to publish 

 addenda from time to time. 



We have received the first part of Fr. Westhoff s " Kafer 

 Westfalens," forming a supplement to the " Verhandlungen des 

 naturhistorischen Vereins der preussi^chen Kheinlande und 

 Westfalens," Jahrgang 38 (1881). It is only a List, prefaced by 

 remarks on the district, and with list of authors, &c., bnt it 

 promises to be of value on account of the thorough manner in 

 which it appear? to be worked out, and the beetle-fauna appears 

 to be rich. Adopting the latest European Catalogue as a basis, 

 this first part extends to the Heteroceridts. No new species are 

 de cribed, but several apparently ne«' varieties in the Carabuld 

 and water-beetles receive names. 



Under the direction of the Council of the Meteorological 

 Society, Mr. W. Marriott has issued " Hints to Meteorological 

 Observers, with Instructions for taking Observations, and Tables 

 for their Reduction " (Stanford). Many of our readers mijjht be 

 able to turn these Hints to good practical account. We have 

 also received the fir^t number of the Meteorological Record, 

 containing tire monthly results of observations made at the 

 stations of the Meteorological Society, with remarks on the 

 weather for the quarter ending March 31. 



The Report of the Committee of the Queenwood College 

 Mutual Improvement Society for the end of the sutumer term 

 1881 is interesting, showing that much useful and varied work 

 is being done by the Society. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a Malbrouck Monkey (Cercopilhecus cynosurus) 

 from West Africa, presented by Mrs. Patersin ; a Macaque 

 Monkey {Macaciis cynomolpts) frim India, presented by Mr. 

 Harding Cox; a Rubiginous Cat {Fclis ritbiginosa) from Ceylon, 

 pre-ented by Mr. Charles E. Pole Carew ; a Brown Bear ( 6V,t/(.f 

 arctos) from Russia, presented by Messrs. Morgan, Gellibrand, 

 and Co. ; two Chiikar Partridges [CaccaHs chiikar) from India, 

 presented by Col. Thos. Pierce, i6th Regt. Bombay N.I. ; two 

 Dwarf Chamcele-ms {Chamalco piimilis) from South Africa, pre- 

 sented by Mr. Duncan W. B. Swaine ; two Spanish Terrapins 

 (Clemmys Icprosa) from Spain, presented by Major Rooke ; a 

 Diamond Snake (MoreVa spilotes) from Australia, presented by 

 Mr. C. C. Sharratt ; two Cape Crowned Cranes (Balcarica chry- 

 sopelargus), two Wattled Cranes (Grus carunciilala) from South 

 Africa, deposited ; a Black-faced Spider Monkey {Ateles alcr) 

 from South America, on approval. 



PHYSICAL NOTES 



Dr. R. Konig has just completed a new instrument — a variety 



of the wave-siren which we recently described — with which he 



proves an extremely important fact, which probably is tiew to 



all acousticians, namely, that the quality of a compound tone is 



very distinctly affected by difference^ oi phase in the components. 

 An account of these last researches «ill be found iu the forth- 

 coming number of Wiedemann'' s Annalen. 



Dr. Konig describes (IVied. Ann., No. 8) a way of exploring 

 the interior of organ-pipe; (especially stopped ones) while in 

 ac'ion, without disturbing th^ vibrations. The pipe, with a 

 central longitudinal slit made in the back, and a pUte-glass 

 front, with scale, is supported .horizontally in a trough, so tliat 

 the slit and half the back of the pipe dips in water. A thin 

 brass tube, bent twice at aright angle, is supported on the pipe, 

 so that one end enters the slit to about the middle of the pipe. 

 This tube can be slid along the pipe, and is connected by a 

 caoutchouc tube to the ear, a manonetric capsule with tlame. 

 Passing through a ventral seg.nent, one notices a quite sudden 

 weal^ening of the siund, then a su Iden strengthening (like the 

 stroke of a bell). By noting such points the position of the 

 segment can be exictly determined. Dr. Konig gives some 

 results which apparently f.ail to accord with theory. He also 

 describes a drum-like arrangement for exploring pipes. 



An extremely ingenious piece of electric mechanism is now 

 being shown in the Electrical Exhibition in Paris. It is an 

 apparatus by which any number from i 10999 '"^ automatically 

 signalled on one wire by a single movement of the operatir, the 

 figures appearing at the di tant end at an opening in a hox. To 

 describe the details of this apparatus would take too long a space. 

 It is the invention of Mr. J. Mackenzie. 



M. CoRNU has constrncted a polarising prism made of a single 

 film of Iceland-spar fixed with Canada balsam between two 

 flint-slass prisms. The polarisation is far from perfect, however, 

 and the field is very narrow, so that the instrumen*, though of 

 interest fi-om a theoretical point of view, is of little or no 

 practical value. 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE 



Oxford. — An examination will be held at Exeter College on 

 Thursday, October 13, for the parposc of filling up a Natural 

 Science Scholarship, tenable for four ye.irs during residence. 

 The examination will be in biology, chemistry, and physics. 

 Candidates will lie expected to show proficiency in at least two 

 of these subjects, and the scholar will be required to read for 

 honours in biology in the Natural Science School The same 

 papers will be set in chemistry and physics as in the examination 

 for the Natural Science .Scholarship at Trinity College. Candi- 

 dates are desired to call on the Rector between 6 and 7 p.m. 

 on Wednesday, October 12. They may obtain further informa- 

 tion by application to the Rector, or to Mr. W. L. Morgan, the 

 Lecturer in Biology at Exeter College. 



The Prospectus of Lectures and Classes for the first Session of 

 University College, Nottingham, promises well. There will be 

 both day and evening lectures and classes in Language and 

 I.iteratm-e (Prof. Symes), Mathematics, Mechanics, and Physics 

 (Prof. Fleming), Chemistry (Prof. Clowes), Natnral Science 

 (Prof. Blake). 



CONTENTS Pagk 



Egyptian Excavations and Mum.mies 481 



Two Spider Books 482 



Letteks to the Editor : — 



The Oldest-known Insects —Principal J. W. Dawson, F.R.S. . 4S3 



Sound- Producing Ants.— S. E. Peal 484 



Wasps. — J.T. Brownell 484 



Treatment of Hay Fever.— J. B. Hannay 485 



Red R.-iinbows.— Dr. Hbnrv Muil5H»AD 485 



Infusorial Parasites on Stickleback— N. H. Poole 4S5 



Photographing Diffraction Rings— Optical Phenomenon.— Prof. 



loHN Le Conte 48s 



A "Priroitive Diving-Bell.- N. S. Heineken 485 



Fredekick CUKREY, M.A., F.R.S 48s 



The American Association. By Prof E W. Clavpole .... 486 

 The British Association: — 



Reports 487 



Sectiun A— Mathematical and Physical 489 



Section B— Chemical Science 49= 



Section C— Geology 494 



Section D— Biology— Department of Anatomy and Physiology . 498 



Department of Anthropology 500 



Department of Zoology and Botany 500 



Notes .• 502 



Physical Notes 5o4 



t Intklligence 504 



