480 
NATURE 
Pe. 
[ Oct. 12, 1871 


York, stating that it was committing great destruction among the 
pork-raising districts of the United States, thousands of pigs in 
some localities falling victims to its ravages. In aspect and 
structure Stephanurus bears a close resemblance to 77ichina, but 
is of much larger size, the cysts of the former frequently mea- 
suring an inch or an inch and a half in length ; its greater 
magnitude is the principal safeguard against its introduction into 
the human subject. Dr. Cobbold supplemented his remarks with 
some observations on the question of sewage irrigation connected 
with the propagation of entozoic diseases. In his opinion it 
playeda very important part, and he did not feel his position in the 
slightest degree destroyed from the fact of Mr. Hope’s ox brought 
up for nearly two years on the produce of the “‘ Bretoa”’ irrigated 
farm being entirely free from internal parasites of any kind. This 
animal had never been allowed to graze, but had had all its food cut 
and carried to it ; its water was all brought to it, and altogether 
the animal had been so carefully guarded and nurtured that the 
Entozoa were shut out from any chance of obtaining a foothold. 
The soil, again, on Mr. Hope’s estate was of such a porous 
nature that the matter containing the undeveloped germs was at 
once absorbed, while on swampy ground, as instanced about 
Croydon and other low-lying districts, where this mode of irriga- 
tion was practised, the roots of the grasses were constantly im- 
mersed init. The prevalence of tape-worm and other entozoic 
diseases in those parts of India where sewage irrigation is carried 
out, is enormous, and thousands of cattle are destroyed as being 
unfit for human food. This wanton destruction of all carcases 
containing traces of Cysticercus, or other Entozoa, Dr. Cobbold 
severely censured, as the meat, on being thoroughly cooked, even 
though infested with parasites, is wholesome, free from any ab- 
normal taste, and its consumption is unattended by deleterious 
results, 
PARIS 
Academie des Sciences, September 25.—M. Faye in the 
chair. M. Dumas, the perpetual secretary, gave many interesting 
details of a report written by a committee of which he is a 
member, describing the Py//oxera vastatrix, the pest of the vine. 
A prize of 400/. was offered for its destruction by the French 
Government, and will be awarded in 1873. But two candidates 
have invented means which appear to be good. M. Faucon has 
suggested putting the whole vine garden under water for two days, 
which is sufficient to suffocate the insects with injuring the plant 
itself. When it is impossible to inundate, M. Blanthou suggested 
to water with a liquid composed of 1,000 parts water and one of 
impure phenic acid.—M. Fonssagrives has discovered that the 
mouldiness of Roquefort cheese, which is eaten by French gourmets 
only in a state of putrefaction, when placed on a piece of bread, 
developes the Osdinm aurantiacum, which may account for the 
abundant appearance of this pest last summer.—M. Dumas re- 
ported upon the results obtained by microscopical selection, as 
suggested by M. Pasteur and practised by many French silk- 
worm breeders for curing the silkworm plague known as Adébrine. 
The results are magnificent, and the plague may now be consi- 
dered as almost entirely suppressed. Last year one-tenth of the 
French silkworm breeders used the method invented by M. 
Pasteur, and the use of it will be almost universal in the course 
of a few years.—M. Grimaud of Caux, one of the veteran mem- 
bers of the Parisian scientific press, read a memoir ‘‘ On the 
Smoke of Locomotives in the Mont Cenis Tunnel.” M. Grimaud 
finds it to be a great objection, and to require much caution. 
But such is not the advice of people who are fresh from the 
tunnel.—M. Philips read a long paper, by a gentleman who 
does not belong to the Institute, ‘* On the Integration of some 
Special Differential Linear Equations.” He commented largely 
upon the paper, which he finds worthy of much consideration. 
New communications ‘On the Spectrum Analogies of Simple 
Bodies”’ were also read. 
PHILADELPHIA 
Academy of Natural Sciences, January 3.—Mr. W. 
M. O. Vaux, vice-president, in the chair. Professor O. C. 
Marsh, of Yale College, exhibited a tooth of a new species of 
Lophicdon, from the Miocene of New Jersey, which was the 
first indication yet discovered of remains of the Tapiridze on the 
Atlantic coast, or of the genus Zofhiodon in this country, east of 
the Rocky Mountain region. The tooth, which was in a perfect 
state of preservation, was the first true molar of the left upper 
jaw. It measured across the crown seven lines in antero-posterior 
diameter, and eight and one-quarter lines in transverse diameter. 
This would indicate an animal intermediate in size between 
L, occidentalis and L. modestus of Dr. Leidy. From the latter 

species it may readily be distinguished by the enamel of the 
crown, which is smooth and not wrinkled. As this species is 
evidently distinct from any described, Prof. Marsh proposed for 
it the name Lophiodon validus. ‘The specimen was found in the 
miocene marl of Cumberland County, New Jersey, and appa- 
rently at about the same horizon as the Z/otherium Leidyanum, 
and Rhinoceros matutinus Marsh, from Monmouth County. 
J.nuary 24.—Mr. Vaux, Vice-President, in the chair.—Mr, 
Thomas Meehan presented a fruit of a pear, which presented the 
external appearance of an apple, gathered from a Tyson pear 
tree growing in the garden of Dr. Lawrence, of Paris, Canada. 
Dr. Lawrence had a Rhode Island greening apple near the pear 
tree, and some of the latter interlaced with it. The pear tree 
was full of blossoms last spring, but only those interlacing bore 
fruit. They had all the appearance of apples, so much so, that 
many who had seen them supposed there must have been some 
mistake as to Dr. Lawrence gathering them. Dr. L., had, how- 
ever, when he first saw them, obtained Mrs. Lawrence’s aid in 
separating the branches, so that there should be no mistake. 
The specimens had been sent to Mr. Meehan, who regarded 
them as apples; but on cutting them open, found the seed to be 
of the pear. The granular matter characteristic of the pulp of 
the pear also existed in the carpels, but none in the pulp, which 
was wholly fibrous, as in the apple; the insertion of the stalk, 
also, was that of the pear. Instead of the cavity being funnel- 
shaped, as in the apple, it was campanulate, as if the stem had 
been pushed in, carrying the epidermis and pulp with it. He 
had no doubt that the fruit had the pedicel, carpellary walls, and 
seeds of the pear, with the granular pear-pulp wanting; but 
with the fibrous pulp and epiderm of the apple. As to the law 
of its production, he disliked speculation, but it would seem 
that there were two ways in which it might be produced— 
either by ajnatural evolution of form, independent of sexual 
influence, which plants at times exhibited, or by cross- 
fertilisation with the apple. In the latter case, if found true, it 
would have an important bearing on the question often mooted, 
whether cross-fertilisation effected change immediately in the fruit 
impregnated, or whether change only appeared after the germi- 
netion of the impregnated seeds. In the case of varieties of 
Indian-corn, we know the change is immediate; and it was 
generally believed some cucurbitaceous plants furni-hed similar 
facts; but he thought it had not been known in other plants, 
especially in the case of species as distinct as the apple and pear. 


BOOKS RECEIVED 
ENGuIsH.—The Micrographic Dictionary: Griffith and Henfrey; New 
Edition, Parts 1 and 2 (London: Van Voorst).—Homo versus Darwin 
(London: Hamilton and Co.).—Notes on Comparative Anatomy: W. M. 
Ord (Lendon: Churchill). 
Fk OREIGN.—(Through Williams and Norgate).—Neues Handworterbuch 
der Chemie: Dr. Hermann y. Fehling: Erster Band, rte u. 2te Lieferung. 


CONTENTS 


Pace 
RECENT) UTTERANCES Wiel ist oy cele! a ©) ceuitel (5) .e) oa 461 
MHESLAWS “OF POPULATION ~~ & 60s) ee eaten ee 
Our Book) SHELF. Syste. 6) 1c) cp ey chet s fe), fo hc men st ay 
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR :— 
LocalScientific\ Societies: yayeteyyic) yet sea) a (ol kas 
Newsp»per Science.—Davip Forbes, F.R.S. . . .. .. + 464 
Cyclone in the West Indies. -Rey. Canon KINGSLEY . Mer bore te 
On the Solution of a certain Geometrical Problem.—RicHArD A, 
PROCTOR WE RsAcSipe ie iey) =) a bee reel ce a cs) i 
Prof. Newcomb and Mr. Stone.—W. T. Lynn, F.R,A.S. . . . 465 
Note on the Cycloid —Ricuarp A. Proctor, F.R.AS. . . . 465 
Is Bue a Primary Colour?—JoHN AITKEN. . «©. . «© « . «+ 405 
Anthropology and M. Comte.—J. KAINES. . . . . 5 @ 466 
A Plane’s t—JSR WaAvGHTOn = 7 eyes eee - 465 
Meteorological Phenomenon.—)JosEPpH JOHN Murpny, F.G.S. . 466 
Eupar Rainbow, . hl: . Sf) 200%) 20% ee 
Dhe|Corona—A. CeRANYARD, FSRVACS: 2 < ee) eee enne mero 
A Rare=Moth.—W..E- WALEER) = sc) 42) suse 495 
Meteorology in: America (ic pls) scuccenys ener ntS ccna 466 
Ruined Cities of Central America —E. Geo. Squier . 466 
The Dinnington Boulder.—J. BroucH Pow, F.GS. . =). fergOy 
Mechanical Drawing PCED on bono on hy 
Ice Fleas.—Rev. T)G. Bonney, F5G:S: 5 2°. 6 2 5 - + 467 
Thermon.eter Observation —D. J. StuarT . . .. . . « « 467 
THe USE AND AbuSsE OF ‘Dests) s)c)0 20k 3 0k Sate Ree 467 
Tue GipraALTAR CurRENT. By Dr. Wm. B. Carpenter, F.R.S. 468 
Science tn Iraty. By W. Matriev Witttams, F.C.S.. . . . 468 
ee CrysTAL Patace Aquarium. (With Illustrations.) W. A. 
LOYD . 0 o_o Fat ete ots Pad ve ag usta cer. oe en a 
Tue Birps or THE LesseR ANTILLES. By Dr. P. L. SccaTer, F.R.S. eA 
REMARKS ON THE CLASSIFICATION OF Fruits. By Prof. W.R.McNap 475 
Noves e ies BI aS cy Op EE 8. “els! pac wee pen ea 70) 
1) ARGUS ANDITS SURROUNDING NEBULA, &c. By F.Ansort, F.R.A.S. 478 
SCIENTIFIC SERIALS . ee telete! Touche site ote le, Pe Ve) 
SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES . . . «. « «ss « « « Bud to Ye) 
Booxs RECEIVED .. « cA\piaiun gel ie: fel onNens/e" cele) cells mC Ree Een Be 
