) Ss, faa 
2 [pril 24, 
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the neighbourhood of Montpellier. Perhaps the most important 
part of this and the subsequent numbers is a series of careful 
abstracts of French and foreign publications in zoolo y, botany 
and geology. The second number contains a botanical paper 
on certain Juncaceze, by Duval-Jouve, with plates; a new 
classification of Mammalia, by Prof. Contejean (there is nothing 
_ very new in it: the chief novelties are definitely uniting the 
_ elephant with Rodentia, and separating the Pinnipedia from the 
other Carnivora to associate them with Sirenia and Cetacea) ; a 
description of diatoms found in the mixture of various corallines 
and algze which is known in pharmacy as ‘‘ Mousse de Corse” 
(Corallina corsica, ‘‘sea-moss”), by A. de Brébis-on; and a short 
account with a plate of the remarkable Filaria discovered in 
chylous urine, by Wucherer and T. R. Lewis, and lately found 
in human blood by the latter observer. Among the abstracts of 
this number, by Prof. Jourdain, is an interesting review of the 
affinities of 4mphioxus avd the Tunicata from an anti-Kowelev- 
_ skian point of view, by Prof. Jourdain, apropos of Giard’s Etude 
on the subject in the Archives de Zoologie. The third number, 
published Jast December, contains, among other articles, an 
important communication from M. Bavay on the development of 
_ a frog (Hy/odes Martinicensis, Tschudi), observed in the island 
of Guadaloupe. Though it issues from the egg as a perfect 
anurous abranchiate Batrachian, it can be seen in the semi- 
transparent foetal coverings to go through the tadpole stage, 
_ having a well-developed tail and small external gills, both of 
course functionless, We congratulate M. Dubreuil on his enter- 
prise and success, and hope he will be able to maiutain the high 
character of the first three numbers of his review. P. S. 
SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 
LonDON 
Chemical Society, April 17.—Dr. Odling, F.R.S., pre- 
_ sident, in the chair.—Dr. Debus, F.R.S., delivered a lecture 
_ ‘**Onthe Heat produced by Chemical Action.” The speaker 
_ considered the relation existing between the chemical affinity of 
the metals and the amount of heat they develop during oxid- 
ation or combination with chlorine, iodine, &c., and also the 
various interesting conclusions which may be drawn from the 
thermic results obtained by the so ution of salts, especially no- 
ticing that, in double decomposition taking place in solution, 
_ those compounds are always produced which develop the 
greatest amount of heat. 
Geologists’ Association,—Excursion to Banbury, April 
14 and 15.—This, the first excursion of the season, was 
under the direction of Prof. Morris and Mr. T. Beesley, and was 
largely attended. After their arrival at Banbury, the members 
and their friends examined exposures of the Middle Lias Clays 
(zone of A. capricornus) and the marlstone in the immediate 
vicinity of the town. Subsequently the party proceeded 
southwards, visiting at Twyford a section of the Lower 
Middle Lias, and at King’s Sutton an extensive exposure of the 
marlstone which is here worked for ironstone. Fossils, espe- 
cially Brachiopoda, are numerous at this place, and abundant 
_ occupation was found for the hammers of the party. At 
_ Newbottle Prof. Morris described the physical geology 
of the district, and showed how the hills and yalleys, 
the agriculture, the occupations of the people, and even the 
houses and churches of a district, depended upon its geological 
_ structure. In the evening the members were entertained at a 
_ conversazione in the Town Hall, Banbury. A very fine 
collection of the local fossils as well as of antiquities and other 
objects of interest, had been brought together by the exertions of 
Mr. Beesley, and a large assembly testified to the interest the 
visit of the Association had occasioned. During the evening 
Prof. Morris delivered a lecture in which he described generally 
the geology of Banbury, and enlarged upon the advantages of 
astudy of thescience. The route for the second day was a 
long one, and the party left Banbury early, and proceeded by 
Constitution Hill section of Upper Lias, Broughton Castle 
_ and Church, Tadmarton quarries of great oolite, and Camp, 
Bloxham Church, Comb Hill quarry in inferior oolite, and 
_ Adderbury ironstone quarries in marlstone and upper lias. 
The physical and stratigraphical geology was explained at the 
various stopping places, and many fossils were obtained at some 
of the sections. At Tadmarton Mr. Beesley had provided 
Tuncheon for the members and visitors, who, while assembled 
in an ancient British camp, were addressed by Prof. Morris, Mr 
NATURE 
495 
Beesley, ard Mr. Lobley. The association has, during the pre- 
sent session, paid visits of inspe tion to the Brili h Museum, the 
Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons, and the Museum of 
Practical Geo ogy, and lectures descriptive of portions of the 
collections have heen delivered by W. Carruthers, F.R.S3 
ie aia ae F.G.S., Prof. Flower, F.R.S., and R. Etheridge, 
DUBLIN 
Royal Irish Academy, April 14.—Dr. Stokes, F.R.S., 
vice-president, in the chair.—Professor R. Ball, LL.D., read 
some Notes on Applied Mechanics, and the secretary read, for 
Mr. Donovan, a description of a Comparable Self-registering 
Hygrometer. 
RIGA 
Naturforscher Verein, Aug. 28, 1872.—Cand. Westermann 
described his visit to the Tlsingsee, in which is an island that 
periodically appears and disappears. It generally makes its 
appearance above water as the warm weather comes on, and the 
phenomenon is supposed to depend on the development in the 
peat at the hottom of mar-h and coal gas, which is increased 
by the heat, and causes the masses of peat to float upwards 
towards the surface. 
September 25.—Herr C. Berg gave a detailed report of Dr. 
Muller's work on the ‘ Application of the Darwinian Theory 
to Flowers and Flower-frequenting Insects.” 
October 2 —Dr. Kersting exhibited some living young frogs, 
which had been from four to six weeks in the tadpole state. 
While some had already completed their development, others 
were still at various stages of transformation ; one animal had 
all four legs, but still retamed its long tail, while another was as 
yet only a biped. In proportion as the feet developed, the 
animal became all the more meagre, and at the same time the 
faste. the tail disappeared.—Herr Thoms produced some pieces 
of the so-called sugar boxwood, an inferior kind of South 
American mahogany, in which a remarkable secretion of a white 
hard substance had been found. He found it of the following 
composition :—Ca O 33°24. PO; 42°30. Organic matter 3°06, 
Water 21°40, which is expressed in the formula 2 Ca O+ PO, 
+4 HO. This is almost the same composition as that of the 
substance which gathers round the kidneys of the sturgeon. 
October 16.—Prof. Kieseritzky gave a list of plants rarely met 
with in the province around Riga.—Dr, Bienert read a paper on 
the Conifira. 
VIENNA 
Geological Institute, March 5.—Dr. R. v. Drasche 
showed a mineral that was found in the environs of Plaben, near 
Budweis, in South Bohemia. The specimens show a white 
nucleus which consists of felspar, and contains in almost equal 
proportions lime, potass, and soda. This nucleus is surrounded 
by a perfectly homogeneous, pellucid green mineral, which some- 
times enters in small veins into the felspathic substance ; the micro- 
scopic examination of this green mineral shows not only the 
polyhedric forms of the metamorphosed feldspar, but even the 
stripes characterising the feldspar-twins (Zwillings-streifung) are 
clearly visible. There can be no doubt therefore that the green 
mineral is a real pseudo-morphosis of feldspar ; it belongs to the 
family of the chlorites and in its properties and chemical con- 
stitution is most similar to the pennine or to the pseudophite, 
described by Kenngott from Mount Idiar in Moravia.— 
T. Posepny on tube-ores (Ko/rven Lrze) from Raibl in Corinthia. 
In the lead mines of Laibl there are to be found stalks, some 
lines in diameter and some inches in length, consisting in the 
outer part out of crystalline galena, whilst the axis is either quite 
hollow, or is filled with earthy matter. These tubes are in- 
closed in the dolomite which is the bearer of the lead ores of 
the country. M. Posepny thinks that these tubes are formed 
by the deposit of the galena on real stalactites—M. Ch. v. 
Hauer on the occurrence of different sorts of coal in one and the 
same bed. By an accurate investigation of the brown coal 
of different localities in Styria, the author stated that it 
consists generally of two different sorts of coal which are mechani- 
cally mixed in the same bed, and sometimes in every single 
specimen. The one sort shows a rather slaty fracture, is faint, 
compact, and of less heating power ; the other, on the contrary, 
has aconchoidal fracture, is shining, more easily friable, of 
greater heating power, and may be coked. Inthe same way 
in some layers of lignite y. Hauer found small parties of shining 
coal which resembles good brown coal; he is inclined to 
suppose that such differences of the coal in the same bed may 
