‘Berwick and the other at Linlithgow. The total membership of 
the club was seventy-eight, showing an increase of eight over 
last year. 
a CAMBRIDGE 
Philosophical Society, Nov. 25—On the appearance of an 
extra digit on the hind limbs and then on both fore and hind 
limbs in two successive generations, and its bearing on the 
theory of Pangenesis, by Mr. N. Goodman. A cow had three well- 
_ developed toes on each hind limb, besides the two ordinary rudi- 
ments. Her calf (by a normal bull) had the same peculiarity. 
_ This has two calves (by normal bulls). The first, a cow, had the 
_ toes as in the other cases, but rather less developed ; the second, 
a bull, had three toes onall four feet. The writer pointed out that 
___ this peculiarity might be explained by (1) atavism, (2) certain modi- 
fications of the proliferous function by external causes (3) corre- 
lation of growth, supplementing the former. He thought it could 
not be explained by atavism, nor by the second cause, but by the 
third, and discussed its bearing on his theory of Pangenesis.—A 
communication was received from Mr, W. H. Stanley on a 
Pneumatical design for saving life at sea. The process was by 
the expansion of condensed air stored in reservoirs. 
LEEDS 
Naturalists’ Field Club and Scientific Association, 
Noy. 26.—Mr. J. W. Taylor on behalf of Mr. W. Nelson, of 
Birmingham, read a paper on “The Lymnaidz of the Bir- 
mingham district,” giving a catalogue of nineteen species found 
within five miles of Birmingham, against the twenty-three at 
present included in the British fauna. He also recorded twenty- 
four varieties for that district. The absence of the remaining 
four species was readily accounted for, on the ground either of 
their extreme rarity, or of their recent introduction into these 
islands. Planorbis dilatatus has recently been imported along 
with cotton ; Lymncea involuta has never been found away from 
its original locality, Killamey; while Planorbis lacustris and 
Lymnea glutinosa are excessively rare. The following is a list 
of the nineteen species found within five miles of Birmingham. 
Planorbis nitidus, P.nautileus, P. albus, P. glaber, P. spirorbis, 
| P. vortex, P. carinatus, P. complanatus, P. corneus, Physa 
_ hypnorum, P. fontinalis, Lymnaea peregra, L. auricularia, L. 
_ stagnalis, L. palustris, L, truncatula, L: glabra, Ancylus 
fluviatilis, A. lacustris. 
: RIGA 
Society of Naturalists, Jan. 24 (Feb. 5, N.s.)—M. C. Berg 
noticed the damage done to some peas by the larva of Zndrosis 
lacteella.—M. Gogginger called attention to a yellow lucerne, 
identified by him with Medicago media, which he found near 
Hapsal, and recommended for cultivation, especially on account 
of its deep roots. Dr. Buhse doubted the identification of the 
plant, and stated that A/edicago media is a hybrid of AZ. sativa 
and falcata, and that when cultivated it reverts to the type of the 
former species in a few years.—The aurora of February 4 was 
referred to by M. Schroeder and Prof. Schell. The former 
found no traces of polarisation, but in the spectroscope a broad 
greenish yellow line made its appearance. Prof. Schell’s paper 
included notices of the phenomenon from various sources. 
February 7 (19 N.S.)—Dr. Nauck exhibited and described a 
maximum and minimum thermometer constructed on a new 
principle. It is a U-shaped tube, having one upright limb 
terminating in a bulb, and the other bent inwards and then 
_ downwards into a large cylindrical portion. The lower part of 
the U-tube is filled with mercury, and the rest with alcohol, 
except the bulb of the upright tube, the greater part of which is 
empty. The floats are of glass, enclosing an iron wire, and are 
fixed in the tubes by means of bent human hairs.—Dr. Buhse 
gave a detailed description of the parasitic fungi of infectious 
diseases, in which he referred to those affecting plants, animals, 
and man, and especially noticed the relation of Bacteri¢ to 
disease, 
February 21 (March 4, N.s.)—M. Schroeder announced that 
: two days previously (March 2, n.s.) he observed a distinct 
: zodiacal-light about 8 o’clock p.M.—M. Frederking read a 
second part of his memoir on the History of Chemistry, in which 
he referred first to.the discovery of oxygen by Priestley and 
Scheele, and then passed to the consideration of Lavoisier’s 
- labours. 
February 28 (March 11, N.s.)—M. H. Westermann reported 
upon a work by Fechner entitled ‘‘Experimental A®sthetics,” 
in which the author endeavours to investigate experimentally the 
NATURE 
155 
general principles of symmetry, This report presents some 
curious and interesting points ; the questions raised by it were 
discussed by several of the members present. 
GOTTINGEN 
Royal Society of Sciences, Aug. 3.—M. G, Meissner com« 
municated a paper by Dr. Hartwig on the passage of substances 
from the blood of the mother into the foetus, in which he showed, 
in opposition to Gusserow, that iodine administered in solution 
to the parent speedily passes into the foetus,—M. Felix Kleim 
presented a contribution towards the interpretation of complex 
elements in geometry.—M. H. Hiibner presented a paper by 
M. G. Spezia on the determination of iodine in the presence of 
chlorine, by means of protonitrate of thallium. This process is 
founded on the fact that whilst chloride of thallium is soluble in 
a large quantity of water, iodide of thallium is insoluble—M. 
Wilhelm Weber communicated a paper by M. E. Riecke on the 
law of electro-organic reciprocal actions proposed by Helmholtz. 
—M. Clebsch exhibited and described two models prepared by 
M., Weiler, and relating to a particular class of surfaces of the 
third order, 
Sept. 18.—M. A. Clebsch read a paper on a new fundamen« 
tal form of the analytical geometry of planes, 
Sept. 25.—M. F. Kohlrausch presented a paper on the elec- 
tromotive power of very thin strata of gas upon metal plates. 
Oct. 9.—M. A. Clebsch communicated a paper by M. A. 
Mayer on Lie’s method of integration of the partial differential 
equations of the first order. 
Oct. 30.—M. A, Clebsch communicated a long contribution 
by M, Sophus Lie to the theory of partial differential equations 
of the first order, and on their classification. 
Noy. 13.—M. A. Clebsch presented a note by M. H. Grass- 
mann on the theory of curves of the third order.—M. Weber 
communicated a paper by M. E, Reicke on the magnetisation- 
function of a sphere of soft iron—Prof. Henle presented a 
note by M. Oscar Grimm on the olfactory organ of the sturgeon, 
in which the author describes certain peculiar cells which occur 
on the surface of the olfactory grooves.—M. Oscar Grimm also 
forwarded a note on Syxura uvella and Uroglena volvox, belong« 
ing to Hickel’s Protistan group of the Catallacta, indicating a 
probable genetic connection of the Catallacta with the sponges. 
VIENNA 
Imperial Academy of Sciences, Oct. 10,—The completed 
MS. of a catalogue of observed Polar lights was forwarded by 
Dr. Herrmann Fritz of Ziirich. Prof. Hlasiwetz communicated 
a memoir by Dr. F. Hinterberger on excretine. The substance 
was prepared by the author from fresh human excrement, and 
found to be free from sulphur and with the formula C*? H** O, 
With bromine it forms bibromexcretine, with the formula C*? H*# 
Br? O.—Dr. Kretschmar presented a memoir on the influence of 
morphine, and carbonate and sulphate of sodain diabetes mellitus, 
The first-mentioned substance acted beneficially, and reduced the 
secretionof sugar to zero.—Prof, L. Boltzmann communicated two 
memoirs, one containing further investigations on the heat-equi- 
librium among gaseous molecules, the other an experimental 
investigation on the behaviour of non-conducting bodies under 
the influence of electrical forces. 
October 17.—M. Otto Hermann presented a memoir entitled 
**The Noble Siebenburgian Horse,’’ intended to correct state- 
ments in Dr. L, J. Fitzinger’s essay on the origin of the do- 
mestic horse and its races.—Prof. E, Mach, of Prague, com~ 
municated a memoir on the stroboscopic determination of musical 
notes. His stroboscopic scale is a uniformly rotating white 
cylinder covered with black longitudinal streaks, the closeness 
ana number of which rapidly-increases from one end of the 
cylinder to the other. This is observed through radiating fissures 
in a paper disc attached to the axis of the siréne, and the streaks 
are always seen simple at the spot where they pass before the 
eye in the vibration-number of the sirene.—The same author 
forwarded two papers prepared by him in conjunction with Dr. 
J. Kessel. In the first of these, on the function of the tympanic 
cavity and ofthe eustachian tube, the authors show by experiment, 
not only that the tuba is usually closed, but that this closure is 
necessary for the production of effective vibrations of the tym- 
panic membrane. In the second they treat of the accommoda« 
tion of the ear, and show that, although alterations of the tension 
of the /ensor tympani may cause a limited accommodation, such 
alterations do not occur in the living ear during hearing and 
listening, 
