May 11, 1871] 

NATURE 
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it is chiefly, if not solely, from the nitrates that the crops build 
up their nitrogenous organic constituents. Dr. Volcker’s analyses 
of drainage waters further showed that potash and phosphoric 
acid, which certainly are the most important mineral constituents 
for the plant, are almost entirely retained in the soil, whilst the 
less important, as lime or magnesia, or sulphuric acid, pass with 
greater readiness out of the land. 
Entomological Society, May 1.—Prof. Westwood, M.A., 
F.L.S., in the chair. Mr. Higgins exhibited fine collections of 
exotic Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, &c., from Natal and Bomeo, and 
a number of photographic coloured figures of larvze from Natal. 
—Mr. Meek exhibited Vjssia lapponaria, Duponchel, captured 
in Perthshire by Mr. Warrington, and new to Britain.—Mr. 
Champion exhibited Scydmenus rufus, captured by him in Rich- 
mond Park, a beetle new to Britain.—The Rey. R. P. Murray 
exhibited a collection of Swiss insects, including a singular variety 
of Lycena Eurydice.—Mr. Bicknell exhibited an extraordinary 
specimen of Conepteryx rhamini, captured by Mr. Cowan at 
Beckenham in March 1870; this individual had the central 
margin of both fore wings, and of the right hind wing, broadly 
suffused with deep crimson ; it was considered that the colour 
was accidental, and probably owing to the wings having come in 
contact with some chemical substance. Mr. Bicknell exhibited 
varieties of other British Lepidoptera.—Mr. Stainton exhibited 
drawings of Micro-Lepidoptera from New Grenada collected 
by Baron von Noloken.—Mr. M‘Lachlan exhibited the tusk 
of a female Indian elephant lent to him by Dr. Sclater. The 
root of this tusk was much eroded and blackened, and on 
the diseased part were long rows of eggs, apparentlysthose of 
some insect. The elephant had been shot in Malabar by Mr. 
G. S. Roden, of the 1st Royal, and both its tusks were in the 
same condition. Furthermore, it appeared from the notes of a 
writer in the /7e/d that this circumstance was not uncommon, but 
always occurred in the female elephant. None of the members 
could give any information respecting the parasite, but it was 
generally considered that the parasite had not caused the decay, 
but rather that it had taken advantage of a previously morbid 
condition.—Mr. Lewis exhibited an earthern jar, like an ordinary 
tobacco jar, of Chinese manufacture. It had an enormously 
thick porous bottom, and it was stated that the inhabitants of 
Pekin use these jars for the purpose of confining large beetles, 
which they keep for fighting. The beetles are allowed no food 
but water, and become extremely ferocious. Prof. Westwood 
reminded the meeting that the Chinese were already known to 
keep mantides for fighting purposes.—M. Miiller read notes on 
a gall on the common brake (Péeris aguilina) found by Mr. Roth- 
way, and he remarked that Schenck had noticed the same gall 
in Germany, and referred it to Diastrophus rubi.—Prof. West- 
wood read descriptions of new species of Zucanida.—Mr. Bates 
read a description of a remarkable longicorn beetle from Matabili 
land, in the interior of South Africa, sent to him by Mr. T. 
Baines. This insect he proposed to call Bolbotritus Bainesii. 
It was especially remarkable for the enormously swollen third 
joint of the antennz, the other joints being much shortened. 
Mr. Bates also read a description of a new species of AZal/aspis 
from Chiriqui, which he named J/. frace/lens.—Mr. Kirby com- 
municated synonymic notes on European Lefrdoftera.—Attention 
was called to paragraphs going the round of the London daily 
papers respecting a so-called storm of insects said to have occurred 
on two occasions recently at Bath. These records were charac- 
rised by the usual newspaper inaccuracy and vagueness on 
scientific matters. Prof. Westwood thought they probably re- 
ferred to Branchypus stagnalis, a large fresh-water entromos- 
tracon, 
=: Linnean Society, May 4.—Mr. G. Bentham, president, in 
the chair. Dr. Oswald Heer, of Zurich, was elected a foreign 
member in the place of the late Prof. Unger. The following 
papers were read :—‘‘ The phenomena of Protective Mimicry, 
and its bearing on the theory of Natural Selection, as illustrated 
by the Lepidoptera: of the British Islands,’ by Raphael Mel- 
dola, F.C.S. “Onthe Ascalaphidz,” by R. McLachlan. 
Society of Biblical Archeology, May 2.—Dr. S. Birch, 
F.S.A., president, in the chair. The following new mem- 
bers were balloted for, and duly elected :—Louis Blacker, 
Rey. D. S. Heath, M.A., F.R.S.L., and Mrs. L. Blacker. The 
President read a paper ‘‘On a Hieroglyphic Tablet of Alex- 
ander II. (Agus) son of Alexander the Great, recently dis- 
covered at Cairo.” This tablet was dedicated to the goddess 

Buto, and is dated in the seventh year of Alexander (311 B.c.). 
It records the restoration to the priests of Buto of the district 
formerly given to them by Khabash, an Egyptian monarch, con- 
temporaneous with the later years of Darius and Xerxes, which 
last monarch is mentioned in disparaging terms, probably to 
flatter Ptolemy, the Macedonian ruler of Egypt, who is styled 
on it, ‘* The Satrap of Alexander.” Dr. Birch also contributed 
a second paper, based upon communications received from Lieut. 
Prideaux, containing the interpretation by himself and the Baron 
de Moltzan, of three bronze tablets, with inscriptions in the 
Himyaritic character, recording adorations by Hanbaz, an Him- 
yaritic monarch, to the deities Ath-tor and Wud on the conquest 
of the town of Kuderamelek.—A third paper was further read 
by Prof. Goldschmidt (of Copenhagen) on the derivation of the 
name Aiyumros, from Ukh-hap-t, 7c, ‘“‘the land of the good 
stream-sending spirit.” Some discussion followed the reading of 
these papers, Messrs. W. R. A. Boyle, S. M. Drach, Rev. T. 
Gorman, Rey, I. Mills, Sir Charles Nicholson, &c., took patt. 
CAMBRIDGE 
Philosophical Society, May 1.—Mr. G. Hale, M.A., and 
Mr. C. Smith, B,A., Sidney College, and Mr. A. G. Greenhill, 
B.A., St. John’s College, were elected Fellows. The following 
paper was read :—‘‘On the Measurement of an arc of the Meri- 
dian in Lapland,” by Mr. I. Todhunter, F.R.S. The object of 
this memoir was to draw attention to the numerous errors which 
have been made, even by distinguished astronomers, in their 
accounts of the two measurements of an are of the meridian in 
Lapland. A comparison of the original authorities on the subject 
at once detects these errors, and supplies the necessary correc- 
tions, 
EDINBURGH 
Royal Physical Society, April 26.—Mr. C. W. Peach 
president, in the chair, After the appointment of committees for 
carrying on special investigations during the summer, Dr. M ‘Bain 
communicated a paper by ‘Dr. John Kennedy Elis, ‘‘ Remarks 
on a Japanese Skull.”—Dr. Robert Brown read ‘‘ Notes on the 
Breeding Places and Food of some Scottish Sea Birds,” by 
Captain M’Donald, Fishery Cruiser Vigi/ant.—Mr. Peach ex- 
hibited a fine mass of gulf weed covered with small cirripedes, 
which he received on Monday last from Captain N. Leslie, of 
the ship Zady A/i/ton, now lying at West Hartlepool, picked up 
on the homeward voyage ; and then read the following extract 
from the captain’s letter :—‘‘I picked up a lot of gulf weed in 
32 N. and 7 70 W., on the 9th of March. I send a sample; it 
looked very beautiful when fresh, so many little barnacles, and 
all full of life when in a bucket of water. I am now sorry that 
none of it was bottled, if only for curiosity ; it might lead you to 
something of a knowledge of seasons, as I never saw so many 
barnacles on a voyage as J have this time, either on seaweed or 
wreck, and, strange to say, there are none on the ship’s bottom. 
Last year we saw none on the seaweeds, &c., when the quarters 
of the ship were nearly covered with them, and this although we 
had not so much fine weather as this.”—Mr. Peach stated that 
the cirripede most abundant in the parcel thus sent was covered 
with bars and spines, much like Oxymaselis celata of Darwin's 
monograph, but it differed in so many respects that it might prove 
to be a new species.—Mr, Andrew Taylor read ‘‘ Notes on the 
Geology of Inchkeith.” 
NEW ZEALAND 
Wellington Philosophical Society, January 28.—Hon. 
W. B. D. Mantell, F.G.S., president, in the chair. From 
the report of the Council it appears that out of fifty-nine 
communications made to the Society during the past year 
forty-four will appear in the forthcoming volume of the 
Transactions. The number of members has increased from 85 
to 103, and the accounts show a balance in hand of 60/. Ios. 7d. 
The chief item of expenditure has been a grant of 50/. in aid of 
the Botanic Gardens, for the purpose of having the collection of 
native plants completed by the addition of those found in other 
parts of the colony, and also in providing labels for the principal 
trees and shrubs along the paths, giving the scientific and native 
naues. The office bearers chosen for the ensuing year are W, 
T. L. Travers, F.L.S., President; J. C. Crawford, F.G.S.. 
and W. L. Buller, F.L.S., Vice-Presidents, with J. Hector, 
M.D., F.R.S,, and Messrs, J. Kebbell, W. Lyon, F.G.S., R, 
Hart, and W. Skey, as members of the Council. F. M. Oilivier, 
Esq., Hon. Secretary and Treasurer. Messrs. J. Prendergast, 
G, Allan, W. Colenso, F.Z.S., and Dr. Knox, were elected new 
