ov. 16, 1882 | 
fia: pave the way to such legislative reform as may be neces- 
‘sary to facilitate the introduction of a national system. 
__ If I can be instrumental in engaging the interest of the 
Society in these important questions, especially that of smoke 
prevention, I shall vacate this chair next year with the pleasing 
consciousness that my term of office has not been devoid of a 
practical result. 
UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 
INTELLIGENCE 
CAMBRIDGE.—In the Higher Local Examination, in which 
the majority of the candidates are women, there was a notable 
falling off this year in the number of candidates in the Natural 
‘Science group of subjects. In 1880 there were 99, and 26 
failed ; in 1881 there were 89, and 17 failed ; in 1882, only 39, 
and 9 failed. The total number of candidates increased from 
882 in 1881 to 961 in 1882. The examiners’ reports do not in- 
‘dicate any special falling off in the attainments shown by the 
‘candidates. In the elementary paper (including Physics, aid 
Biology) the results were not particularly satisfactory. Confu- 
sion in the use of terms was common, and the inability to use 
chemical formulze was very marked in some cases. In Physio- 
logy mistakes were made with regard to subjects of great prac- 
tical interest, and many of them might have been avoided by 
reference to every-day experience. In Chemistry the theory was 
‘better understood than practical laboratory details. 
A supplementary local examination was held in September, 
for the benefit of candidates seeking exemption from the Pre- 
vious Examination, and of others desiring to become medical 
students, &c. Nineteen intending medical students entered, 
none of whom satisfied the requirements of the General Medical 
Council. : 
The Fellows elected at St. John’s College last week included 
Prof. W. J. Sollas, 1st class in the Natural Science Tripos, 
1873, Professor of Geology in University College, Bristol, and 
author of many valuable geological and paleontological me- 
moirs; Mr. J. S. Yeo, Second Wrangler and Second Smith’s 
Prizeman, 1882. 
Dr. Hans Gadow will conduct an advanced class in the 
Morphology of the Vertebrata at the New Museums during the 
remainder of the pre:ent term. 
The Members appointed by the Senate on the General Board of 
Studies, on which much important work will henceforth devolve, 
are Messrs. Bradshaw (University Librarian), J. Peile, Prof. 
Cayley, Aldis Wright, Dr. Parkinson, Coutts Trotter, Dr. 
Phear (Master of Emmanuel College), and Prof, Stuart. 
‘The special Boards of Studies relating to Natural Sciences 
have selected the following representatives on the General Board 
of Studies :—Medicine, Prof. Paget ; Mathematics, Dr. Ferrers ; 
Physics and Chemistry, Prof. Liveing; Biology and Geology; 
Music, Mr. Sedley Taylor. 
Prof. Stuart has issued his address as the liberal candidate 
for the University, in succession to the Right Hon. Sir H. 
Walpole, who proposes to resign. 
SCIENTIFIC SERIALS 
The American Fournal of Science, October. —Notes on physio- 
logical optics, No. 5.—Vision by the light of the electric spark, 
by W. L. Stevens.—Crystals of monazite from Alexander 
county, North Carolina, by E. S. Dana.—Occurrence and com- 
position of some American yarieties of monazite, by S. L. 
Penfield.—Irregularities in the amplitude of oscillation of pen- 
dulums, by C. S. Peirce.—The Deerfield dyke and its minerals, 
by B. K. Emerson.—Occurrence of Sihonotreta scotica in the 
Utica formation near Ottawa, Ontario, by J, F. Whiteaves.— 
A recent species of Hetevopora, from the Strait of Juan de Fuca, 
by the same.—Notes on interesting minerals occurring near 
Pike’s Peak, Colorado, by W. Cross and W. F, Hillebrand. 
Fournal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, vol. 4, part 2, No. 1 
(August 31, 1882), contains: Ona collection of Japanese Clau- 
sili made by Surgeon R. Hungerford in 1881, by Dr. O. F, 
von Mollendorff (plate 1); out of 21 species, 10 are described 
as new. Also, by the same author, on Clausilia nevilliana, a 
new species from the Nicobars, and descriptions of three new 
Asiatic Clausilize.—Second list of Diurnal Lepidoptera from the 
Nicobars, by J. Wood-Mason and L. de Nicéville (plate 3).— 
On some new or little-known Mantodea, by J. Wood-Mason 
NATURE 
71 
Bulletin del’ Academie Royale des Sciences de Belgique, No. 8. 
—On the new note of M. Dupont concerning his re-vindication 
of priority of M. Dewalque.—On the means proposed for calm- 
ing the waves of the sea, by M. Van der Mensbrugghe. —On the 
dilatation of some isomorphous salts, by M. Spring,—Notes of 
comparative physiology, by M. Fredericq.—On some bromi- 
nated derivatives of camphor, by M. de la Royére.—On the cen- 
tral bone of the carpus in mammalia, by M. Lebourcq.—Action 
of chlorine on sulphonic combinations, and on organic oxy- 
sulphides, by MM. Spring and Wissinger. 
Verhandlungen der Naturforschenden Gesellschaft in Basel, 
Theil 7, Heft 1, 1882, contains: Studies on the history of the 
deer family, No. 1.—The skull structure, by L. Riitimeyer,— 
Studies on Za/pa europea, by Dr. J. Kober. The literature is 
given in detail, followed by notes on the mole’s place in the order, 
its local names and habits, and on its anatomy and development 
(plates 1 and 2, chiefly relating to dentition and embryos).— 
First supplement to the Catalogue of the Collection of Keptiles 
in the Basle Museum, by F. Miller. Notes are appended to 
some of the rarer species, and a new genus and species ( Zvopido- 
cephalus azureus) are indicated for a form allied to Leodera 
chilensis, Gray, taken in Uruguay ; it is figured on plate 3. The 
register of the collection to December, 1881 indicates 933 
species.—On the hail-storm of June 29, 1879, by E. Haigen- 
bach-Bischoff and others.—On the explosiye powers of ice and 
on the Gletscherkorn, by E. H._ Bischoff.—Meteorological 
Report for 1881, with reports by L. Riitimeyer on the compara- 
tive anatomy collections, and by F. Burckhardt and R, Holtz, 
on the map collection of the Society. 
SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 
LoNDON 
Mathematical Society, November 9.—Mr. S. Roberts, 
F.R.S., president, in the chair.—After the reading of the Trea- 
surer’s and Secretaries’ reports, the Chairman briefly touched 
upon the loss the Society had sustained during the recess, by the 
death of Prof. W. Stanley Jevons, F.R.S.— After the ballot for 
the Council of the ensuing session had been taken, Prof. Hen- 
rici, F,.R.S., the newly elected president, took the chair, and 
called upon Mr. Roberts to read his address, which was entitled, 
“*Remarks on Mathematical Terminology and the Philosophical 
Bearing of Recent Mathematical Speculations concerning the 
Realities of Space.”—Mr. W. M. Hicks was admitted into the 
Society.—The following communications were made :—On in- 
and circumscribed polyhedra, Prof. Forsyth.—Note on quartic 
curves in space, Dr. Spottiswoode, P.R.S.—Note on the deriva- 
tion of elliptic function formule from confocal conics, Mr. J. 
Griffiths. —On the explicit integration of certain differential re- 
solvents, Sir J. Cockle, F.R.S.—On compound determinants, 
Mr. R. F. Scott.—On unicursal twisted quartics, Mr. R. A. 
Roberts. 
Geological Society, Noyember 1.—J. W. Hulke, F.R.S., 
president, in the chair.—Prof. Louis Lartet, of Toulouse, was 
elected a Foreign Correspondent of the Society.—The following 
communications were read :—The Hornblendic and other schists 
of the Lizard District, with some additional notes on the Ser- 
pentine, by Prof. T. G. Bonney, M.A., F.R.S., Sec. G.S. The 
author described the metamorphic series, chiefly characterised 
by hornblendic schist, which oceupies the southern portion of 
the Lizard and an extensive tract to the north of the serpentine 
region, besides some more limited areas. He found that this 
series was separable into a lower or micaceous group—schists 
with various green minerals (often a variety of hornblende), or 
with brownish m'ca; a middle or hornblendic group, character- 
ised by black hornblende; and an upper or granulitic group, 
characterised by bands of quartz-felspar rock, ofien resembling 
in appearance a vein-granite. These are all highly metamor- 
phosed ; yet the second and third occasionally retain to a re- 
markable extent indications of the minuter bedding structures, 
such as alternating lamination and current bedding of various 
kinds, They form, in the author’s opinion, one continuous 
‘eries, of which the uppermost is the thinnest. The general 
strike of the series, though there are many variations, is either 
north-west or west-north-west. The junctions of the Palaeozoic 
with the metamorphic series at Polurrian and at Porthalla were 
described. These are undoubtedly faulied; and the two rocks 
differ greatly, the former being a slate like any ordinary Palzo- 
zoic rock, the other a highly metamorphosed schist. Mor over, 
