380 
show the well-marked distinctions of 7rionyx and Cheys. On 
the whole, however, the modifications, especially of the cara- 
pace, show a nearer affinity to the marine turtles (Ce/one) than 
the known Chelydrians exhibit, and indicate a more generalised 
type.—On the upper beds of the Fifeshire Coal-Measures, by 
the late E. W. Binney, F.R.S., and James W. Kirby. 
Anthropological Institute, January 24.— Anniversary 
Meeting.—Major-General Pitt-Rivers, F.K.S.. president, in the 
chair.— The following gentlemen were elected Officers and 
Council for the year 1882:—President, Major-General Pitt- 
Rivers, F.K.S. ; Vice-Presidents: Hyde Clarke, John Evans, 
F.R.S., Prof. W. H. Flower, F.R.S., F. Galton, F.R.S., Dr. 
Allen Thomson, F.R.S., E. B. Tylor, F.R.S. ; Director. F. W. 
Rudler, F.G.S. ; Treasurer, F. G. H. Price, F.S.A.; Council : 
Lieut.-Col, H. H. Godwin Austen, F.R.S., J. Beddoe, F.R.S., 
S. E. B. Bouverie-Pusey, E. W. Brabrook, F.S.A., Prof. Geo. 
Busk, F.R.S., C. H. E. Carmichael, M.A., W. Boyd Dawkins, 
F.R.S., W. L. Distant, A. W. Franks, F.R.S., Prof. Huxley, 
F.R.S., A. H. Keane, B.A., A. L. Lewis, Sir J. Lubbock, 
Bart., M.P., R. Biddulph Martin, M.P., J. E. Price, F.S.A., 
Lord Arthur Russell, M.P., Alfred Tylor, F.G.S., C. Staniland 
Wake, M. J. Walhouse, F.R.A.S., R. Worsley.—The president 
delivered his annual address, in which he reviewed the work of 
the past year. 
Victoria Institute, February 5.—A paper by Mz. Callard, 
F.G.S., ‘‘ On breaks in the Continuity of Mammalian Life in 
Certain Geological Periods, Adverse to the Darwinian Hypo- 
thesis,” was read. A discussion took place, in which Mr. J. E. 
Howard, F.R.S., Mr. D. Howasd, F.C.S., Mr. S, R. Pattison, 
F.G.S., Mr. J. Mello, F.G.S., Mr. Charlesworth, F.G.S., and 
other geologists took part. 
EDINBURGH 
Royal Society, January 16.—Sir William Thomson, hon. 
vice-president, in the chair.—Mr. Patrick Geddes read an inter- 
esting paper on the nature and functions of the ‘‘ yellow cells” 
of Radiolarians and Ccelenterates, a full abstract of which 
we have given (p. 303).—Sir William Thomson, in a paper 
on the thermodynamic acceleration of the earth’s rotation, 
drew attention to a solar action which tends to accelerate the 
earth’s rotation, or more strictly to diminish the retardation 
effect of the tides. In ordinary tidal action the viscosity of 
the fluid, supposed distributed uniformly over the surface of 
the earth, has the effect of so shifting the line of crests as to 
make the couple due to the action of the tide-producing body 
upon the protuberant mass to act upon the earth in a direction 
contrary to. that of the earth’s rotation, and consequently to 
retard this rotation. From consideration of observed barometric 
changes at various stations all over the earth’s surface, itis found 
that the well-nown semi-diurnal barometric oscillation has its 
maxima, on an averaze, at 10 a.m. and at 10 p.m., and its 
minima at 4 p.m.and4a.m. This barometric oscillation must 
be due to the action of solar heat; though why-the well-marked 
diurnal temperature oscillation with the superposed feeble semi- 
diurnal! oscillation should result in a large semi-diurnal oscilla- 
tion of pres-ure with a small diurnal oscillation superposed upon 
it, is not easy to explain, unle-s it be that the period of free 
oscillation of the atmosphere agrees more closely with the 
smaller jeriod. However this may be, the existence of an 
atmospheric tide is proved by barometric observations, and the 
line of crests, ze. the axis of maximum pressure, so lies with 
respect to the line joining the earth’s centre and the sun that the 
couple due to the sun’s attraciion upon the ellipsoidal mass of 
air acts in the direction of the earth’s rotation, and therefore 
accelerates it. The energy of this acceleration is of course 
derived from the sun’s heat, and hence the appropriateness of the 
name thermodynamic acceleration. Its value, as estimated by 
Sir William Thomson, is about one-tenth of the tidal retarda- 
tion.—Mr. Ferguson of Kinmundy communicated notes on a 
cist di covered near Parkhill, Dyce, Aberdeenshire, in 188, 
with a description by Dr. Fife Jamieson of the bones found in it. 
Besides the bones, which, for the most part were human, and 
ind cated a fairly muscular man with well-developed skull and 
lower limbs, there was found in it a small urn (54 inches high, 
44 inches wile), of graceful shape aud elaborate carving. There 
were al.o present fragments of the bones of the fore-limbs of a 
boar an! some chareoal—two rare features, the occurrence of the 
charcoal being apparently a survival of the Pagan custom of 
cremation.—Mr. T. Muir read a paper on permanent symmetrical 
functions, representing them by a notation similar to the deter- 
minant notation, and indicating some of their properties as well 
NATURE ° 
as their relations to alternate numbers and determinants,— 
Tait communicated two optical notes, the first of which w: 
simple geometrical construction of the curve formed by 
light from a straight slit falling on a screen after passing thre 
a bull’s-eye shaped irregularity on a window-pane, such as is f 
quently met with in old panes. Under favourable circumstan 
this curve may have a cusp, or evenaloop. The second note 
dealt with the difficalty pointed out by Airy in his Tracts regar 
ing the nature of common light, and showed how it can at o 
be got over by looking at things from the modern statistical pr 
of view which has been so useful in its application to the 3 
theory of gases. 
VIENNA 
Imperial Academy of Sciences, January 19.—L. 
Fitzinger, in the-chair.—The following papers were read : 
Wassmuth, on electromotive bearing powers.—C. Koelter, 
the action of an electro-magnet on different minerals, and its wu 
for the mechanical separation of them.—H. Weidel, contrib 
tions to the knowledge of tetrahydrocinchoninic acid, 
Exner, on the function of the musculus crumptonianus. 
Woehner, results of the observations and studies made on the 
earthquake of Agram of November 9, 1880. 
February 3.—L. T. Fitzinger in the chair.—The following 
papers were read:—A. Adam Riewicz, on the blood-vesséls 
of the spinal cord of man, Part ii., the vessels of the surface 
spinal cord.—S. Mayer, contributions to histological technic 
—S. Exner,J on atrophy and innervation of the m 
of larynx.—F. Lippich, on polaristrobometric methods.—s 
dies on caffeine and theobromine, Part 3, by R. Maly and 
F. Hinteregger ; Part 4, by R. Maly and R. Andreasch. 
M. Eder and G. Ulm, on the action of iodide of mercury on 
hyposulphite of sodium.—C. Langer, on the structure of 
bones.—V. Hochstetter, report on the researches made by Szon a 
bathy in the caves Lettenmayer-hoehle, near Kremsmiinstér 
(Lower Austria), Vipustex-hoehle, near Kiritein (Mora 2), 
Lautscher-hoehle, near Littau.—F. Steindachner, contributions 
to the knowledge of the fishes of Africa, Part 2.— ipti 
a new species of Paraphroxinus from the Herzegovina, by the 
same,—T. Herzig, on the constitution of guaiocol.—G. l 
schmidt and T, Herzig, on the action of the lime-salts of the 
three isomeric oxybenzoic and anisic acids at dry distillation 
G. Goldschmidt, a note on the occurrence of succinie acid 
bark-covering of Morus alba.—C. Senbofer, on naphthale 
tetrasulphonic acid.—M. Margules, on the rotatory oscillatic 
of liquid cylinders. 
S} 
4 
Ss 
CONTENTS 
HyporuHeticat HicH Tipes. By Prof. J.S. NEWBERRY . . . 
Easy Star LESSONS. . . - 2 «© © 2 © eo 8 . 
Our Book SHELF :— 
Cohn’s ‘‘Die Pflanze”. . - - » - «+ - 
Alglave and Boulard’s ‘‘ Lumiére Blectrique” . . +. - 
Pearson’s “ Elementary Treatise on Tides” . . . - « = = 
Letrrers TO THE EDITOR :— 
The Movements of Jupiter's Atmosphere.—G. H. Darwin, F.R.S. 
The Search for Coal under London.—Prof. Joun W. Jupp, 
F.R.S. : 
Researches on Animals containing Chlorophyll.—PatTrick GEDDES; 
Dr: E: PERCEVAL WIGHT) 300) <<!) iors st asces Semis 
On an Experimental Form of Secondary Cell.—Prof. A. S. 
Heescuzt: 2s 2 satus = 6 oe nl > eee ne 
M. Antoine Breguet’s Appropriations.—Prof. W. F. BARReTT. . 
On the Clenching of Hands from Emotional and other Causes in 
the Two Sexes.—ARTHUR STRADLING . - + «+ «+ + s 3 = 
Parhelia in the Mediterranean—The Weather in Switzerland.— 
ALBERT RIGGENBACA « - = + + + © «© «© + 0 8 3 8 @ 
On the Climate of North Northumberland as regards its Fitness 
for Astronomical Observations.—Revy. Jevon J. MuscHamp 
PERRW 2) 5 foe eels 4s Panel eee ee F 
Jaco’s “Inorganic Chemistry.—WiLtuiaM Jaco. - « « + + = 
The Recent Weather.—CHARLES J. TAYLOR . «© . + + + +s 
On THE WHALE Fisnery oF THE BAsQus Provinces OF Spain. By 
Cyements R Marxwam, C.B.,F.R.S. . . + 2 «+ 2 2 ee 
A System OF METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS IN THE CHINA SEAS 
Tue Aurora, II. (With Illustrations) . ao sie Meee 
NOTES. Se es ke es 
Our AsTRONOMICAL COLUMN :— _ 
The Academy of Sciences, Paris . . - s+ + © © * 
The Total Solar Eclipse of May 17 . + - 2 © - + + 
The Transit of Mercury, November 7, 188r. . + «+ 
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Tue Prizes oF THE Parts ACADEMY . se + + 6 es te tt 
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