NATURE 



\JMay 3, 1S77 



new genus and species of bird of the family Ampelid;e, from 

 Costa Rica, and proposed to call it Phainoflila melauoxaiitha. 



Meteorological Society, April iS.— Rev. T. A. Preston, 

 M.A., in the chair. — W. Morris Beaufort and Arthur A. 

 Pearson were elected fellows of the Society. — The following 

 papers were read : — On the meteorology of Mozufferpore, Tir- 

 hoot, for 1876, by C. N. Pearson, F. W.S. This year partook 

 of the abnormal character of its predecessor, but in a different 

 degree, and with widely different results. The total fall of rain 

 was 57'69 inches, of which no less than 43'34 inches were regis- 

 tered in August, September, and October. — On the Diethc- 

 roscope, by Prof J- Luvini, of Turin. This is a new instrument 

 contrived by the author for observing the changes of atmospheric 

 refraction optically. — Improved (orm of thermometer for observ- 

 ing earth temperature, by G. J. Symons, F.M.S. This appa- 

 ratus consists of an iron pipe driven in the ground to the 

 required depth, and a small but very strong thermometer, the 

 bulb of which is so protected that no change of indication 

 occurs when the thermometer is drawn out of the tube for 

 reading. The pipe is closed at the bottom by weldinj, and the 

 point hardened so as to penetrate the soil with ease. For depths 

 of 3 feet and under the thermometer is inserted in a light rod, 

 but for all greater depths it is mounted in a short weighted stick 

 attached to a strong chain. — Note on the degree of accordance 

 of Mr. Glaisher's and the Kew thermometer standards, by 

 William Ellis, F. R.A.S. This paper gives an account of the 

 comparison of eight thermometers at the Royal Observatory 

 which had been previously compared with Mr. Glaisher's and 

 the Kew standard thermometers, and the result shows that the 

 two standards are practically identical. 



Entomological Society, April 4. — Prof. Westwoad, presi- 

 dent, in the chair. — Messrs. G. Harding, C. A. Briggs, and J. 

 T. Carrington were elected ordinary members, and Messrs. E. 

 H. Birchall, T. D. tiibson-Carmichael, and V. Cluse were 

 elected subscribers. — The Secretary exhibited a collection of 

 fine species of Lepidoptera from a place about twenty miles 

 from Bangkok in Siam, forwarded to him by Mr. R. Garner, 

 F.L.S., of Stoke-upon- Trent. — Mr. McLachlan exhibited a 

 specimen of Ophidtres matcrnn, a brightly-coloured exotic species 

 of NoclnidiT, given to him by Mr. R. H. Scott, of the Meteoro- 

 logical Office, with a note to the effect that it was taken at sea 

 in lat. 25° 24' S., long. 62° 10' E. (the nearest land being the 

 island ol Mauritius, about 360 miles distant), by Capt. Raeburn, 

 of the ship Airlie. The muth is a common Indian species, but 

 is found also in Africa. A specimen was long ago received from 

 Brazil, and Mr. Grote had recently noticed its occurrence in 

 Florida. He also exhibited a cocoon and pupa of a species of 

 CetoniidiC (probably Dirlo^uatlius lilacais), (rom Cameroons, 

 sent to Mr. Rutherford. The cocoon appeared to be formed of 

 dark brown earth, but attached thickly to the exterior were 

 oval, slightly flat:ened, deep black, hard bodies (each nearly 

 five lines long by two broad), which he thought were probably 

 the excrement of some rodent animal. Mr. Champion exhibited 

 Stcnns kiesenwdlcri (hither'o only found in this country at Wim- 

 bledon), Gytiiiium bra'icoUis, BtinbiJium iiip-icornc, and Plocio- 

 meni! liirUus, all from Chobham • also Phi'onthus licalricosus, 

 from Shoreham. — Mr. Howard VaUghan exhibited (on behalf of 

 Mr. Bidwell) a specimen of Notodoiita tnlophiis, taken about the 

 year 1867 by a lamplighter at Ipswich, who had it alive with 

 several specimens of N. ziczac. It was only the second (authentic) 

 capture of the insect, the first having been found at Saint Osyth, 

 Essex, by Mr. Douglas. — The President read a letter he had 

 received from Mr. B. G. Cole respecting the subject of Season- 

 Dimorphism in Lepidoptera. He observed that from a number 

 of CMS laid by Ephyia fiinctario, those that emerged in July 

 were of the spotted variety, while those which remained in the 

 pupa state till the following May, in all respects resembled the 

 mother. Mr. Cole referred to some remarks by Dr. Knaggs, pub- 

 lished in the Entomo'ogists' Monlhly Magazine (vol. in. p. 238) 

 as bearing on the same subject. He considered it probable 

 that the insects that were iiroduced by a slow process of develop- 

 ment would pro'Juce the May form (which might be considered 

 the type), whilst those whose development was hastened by the 

 heat and li"ht of summer would produce smaller and less perfect 

 insects. Mr. McLachlan alluded incidentally to the Lepidoptera 

 brought home by the Arctic Expedition from the far north 

 (82" N.), and said that the larvrc of most of those species, must, 

 of necessity, require more than one season to acquire their full 

 growth ; for the short and fitful summer was utterly inadequate 

 for the full development in one season of most of the species, 



and furthermore, it was probable that the pupa state might 

 habitually last several years.— The President read notes upon a 

 strepsipterous insect, parasitic on an exotic species of Homoptera, 

 (Epora snbtilis, Wlk.), from Sarawak, accompanied by drawings 

 illustrating the metamorphosis. He also read notes on the 

 genus Prosopistomi, especially with regard to the species from 

 Madagascar described by Latreille, of which he exhibited the 

 types. — Mr. Cameron communicated a paper on East Indian 

 Tenthredmidu, and Mr. Butler a paper on the Lepidoptera of 

 the Amazon Valley, collected by Dr. Trail in the years 1873-75. 

 — Mr. Baly communicated descriptions of new species of llaltiddic 

 and Mr. C. O. Waterhouse a monograph of the Australian species 

 of the Coleopterous family Pyc'uht.—Wr. F. Smith read de- 

 scriptions of new species of the genera Pseudoniyrtna and Tetra- 

 ponei-a, belonging to the family MyrmicidiC. 



Institution of Civil Engineers, April 24.— Mr. George 

 Robert Stephenson, president, in the chair. — The first paper 

 read was on a deep boring for coal at Scirle, Lincolnshire, by 

 Prof Edward Hull, F.R.S. This boring was commenced about 

 four years ago by a local company, to test the presence of co.al 

 in the neighbourhood of Lincoln— Mr. J. T. Boot, of Mans'ield, 

 being the engineer— and had been carried out by the Diamond 

 Rock Boring Company. The total depth attained was 2,030 

 feet ; but as this depth was insufficient for the object in view, it 

 was desirable that the bore-hole should be carried further down. 

 The following formations, with their approximate thicknesses, 

 had been passed through : — 



' Depths. Tlurkness. 



heet. Feet. 



Alluvial Strata 



Lower Lias Clay and Limestone 



Rhojtic Beds ... 



New Red Marl and Sandstone 

 Permian Beds 

 Carboniferous .Strata 

 Although the carboniferous strata had been reached, the cores 

 brought up were of so peculiar a character as to leave it uncer- 

 tain to what portion of the carboniferous formatioii they be- 

 longed ; and, as the question of the eastward extension of the 

 Yorkshire coal-field was one on which a boring at tiiis spot was 

 calculated to throw much light, it was important, both in an 

 economic and in a scientific point of view, that it should be con- 

 tinued until something definite had been determined.— Tfie 

 second paper read was on street tramways, by Mr. Robinson 

 Souttar. 



CONTENTS Pace 



The Universities Bill ' 



Deep Well-borings IN London. Ey Prof. J. W. Judd 2 



Latham's English Dictionarv 3 



Guillewin's "World OF Comets." Ey J. R. Hind, F.R.S. ... r 

 Our Book Shelf :— 



" Fownes's Inorganic Cliemistry" 6 



Wythe's " Microscopist : a Manual of Microscopy and Compendium 



of the Microscopic Sciences 6 



Letters TO the Editor :— 



Hoi;-W.il1ows and Praine Mounds.— W. Mattie'J Williams; 



G. H. KlNAHAN (' 



Greenwicli as a Meteorological Observatory. — H. S. Eaton ... 7 

 Ancient Char.icters at Cissbury.— J. Park Harrison (With Illns- 



tra'.iotts) 8 



The Rocks of Charnwood Forest.— T. G. Bonney; E Hill . . 8 



Yellow Crocuses. — James Shaw ; David Robertson S 



The Ship-Worm.— Arihur Nicols S 



Prof. Tvndall on the Spread OF Disease 9 



Suspected Relations between the Sun and the Earth, I. By 



Balfovr Stewakt (IVtt/i /ilitsimiitrns) 9 



The French Transit Medal ((F<V/i///i«/ra/io«) 11 



The Effect of Inaudible Vibrations upon Sensitive Flames. 



By Prof W. F. Barrett ; . . 12 



Solnd-Vibrations of SoAP-FrLM Membranes. By Edward B. 



Tvlor, F.R.S 12 



The Otheoscope. By W. Crookes, F.R.S 12 



Droughts and Famines in Southern India. By W. W. Hunter. 



LL.D '4 



Our Astronomical Column: — 



Mr. Gill's Expedition to Ascension 14 



Comet 1877 II. (Winnecke, April s) 'S 



Notes • '5 



Scientific Serials '^ 



Societies and Academies '8 



