500 
NATURE 
[ Océ. 19, 1871 

petals were only partially developed. The filaments were entirely 
wanting, but the anthers were as perfect, if not larger than in what 
we should call the perfect flowers. Anyone could see that these 
small flowers were the result of deficient nutriment, and would be 
apt to pass the matter over with this simple reflection ; but he 
wished to emphasise the fact that this defective nutrition rendered 
the female organs inoperative, while the male organs were still 
able to exercise their functions ; thus affording another instance, if 
any more be needed, of the truth of his theory of sex, namely, 
that with defective nutrition, the female sex is the first to disap- 
pear, and that only under the highest conditions of vitality is the 
female sex formed. In the case of the Bowvardia a similar law 
was seen. The most vigorous stems, or, as they would techni- 
cally be called, woody axes, produced the female flowers. —Prof. 
Cope made some observations on a Batrachian of the coal mea- 
sures, Sauropleura rvemex, Cope. A specimen more perfect than 
the type recently obtained by Prof. Newberry exhibited posterior 
limbs such as has been ascribed to the S. fectinata. ‘The ver- 
tebrze posterior to this point were perfectly preserved, and 
supported the remarkable processes to the end. 
March 21.—Dr. Carson, vice-president, in the chair.—Prof. 
Leidy made the following remarks on Zienia mediocanellata. 
Recently, one of our ablest and most respected practitioners of 
medicine submitted to my examination a tapeworm which had 
been discharged from a young man, after the use of the Aspidium 
filix-mas. he physician, in giving an account of the case, 
stated that he had previously treated the patient for another 
affection, in which raw-beef sandwiches had been prescribed for 
food. After looking at the worm, I remarked that it appeared 
to be the Zia mediocanellata, a species which I had not before 
seen, and added that the patient had probably become infected 
from a larva swallowed with the raw-beef sandwiches. The 
specimen consisted of the greater part of the worm, broken into 
several pieces. Including some lost portions, it was estimated 
to have been upwards of thirty feet in length. Unfortunately, 
the head proved to be absent ; but, so far as characters could be 
obtained from the specimen, in the form of the segments, posi- 
tion of the genital orifices, and the condition of the ovaries, it 
Agreed with the description given of 7: mediocanellata, rather 
than with 7: soliam., From a want of acquaintance with the 
former, I did not feel entirely satisfied that the specimen actually 
belonged to that species. Subsequently, my friend brought to 
me the anterior part of the body, probably, of the same indi- 
vidual tapeworm. He observed that his patient continuing to 
complain, he had administered another dose of the male-fern, 
which was followed by the expulsion of the portion of the worm 
now presented. The head of the parasite was included, and it 
confirmed the view that it pertained to the Zienia mediocancllata. 
The case serves as another caution against the use of raw flesh 
as food. The description of the worm, as derived from the 
specimen, is as follows :—The head is white, without pigment- 
granules, obtusely rounded, unarmed with hooks, and unprovided 
with a rostellum, but furnished witha minute acetabuliform fovea 
at the summit. The four acetabula are spherical, and opaque 
white. The diameter of the head is three-fourths of a line. The 
neck, or unsegmented portion of the body immediately succeed- 
ing the head, is about four lines long by half a line in breadth. 
The most anterior indistinctly defined segments of the body, and 
those iinmediately succeeding them, but more distinctly separated, 
are about one fifth of a line long by two-fifths of a line broad. 
Ina more posterior fragment of the body, the flat and nearly 
square segments measure half a line long and one line broad, to 
one-third line long and two-and-a-half lines broad. A succeed- 
ing fragment exhibits segments three-and-a-half lines long by 
four lines broad, and two lines long by five lines broad. Many 
of the segments in this piece are irregularly separated laterally 
by deep, wide notches. In a succeeding long portion of the 
worm, the segments are wider behind than in front, and measure 
two, five, and three lines Jong by five lines broad. In a long 
piece of the posterior part of the worm, the segments are first 
four lines long and broad ; and in the last four feet of the same 
piece, the segments are clavate in outline, from six to ten lines 
long, and two and three lines broad. The genital apertures are 
conspicuous, and are situated behind the middle of the segments. 
They alternate irregularly. Thus, in the last two feet of the 
posterior fragment of the worm, the first two segments exhibit 
the aperture on the left margin ; the succeeding segment presents 
the anomaly of an aperture on both margins ; then follow three 
apertures on the right, next two on the left, then four on the 
right, then eight alternating in pairs, then one on the left, and 

soon. The ovaries are opaque white, and exhibit numerous 
closely crowded lateral branches. In the absence of pigment- 
granules to the head, and in the less robust character of the worm, 
the specimen differs from 7. mediocanellata as described by 
Kiichenmeister. The minute acetabular pit or fovea at the 
summit of the head is not mentioned by Kiichenmeister and 
subsequent observers as a character of that species. It is a point, 
however, that might be readily overlooked, especially if the parts 
of the head are obscured by the presence of pigment-granules.— 
Prof. Cope exhibiteda number of fishes from the Amazon above 
the mouth of the Rio Negro, which included some new and rare 
forms. Some of the latter were Doras brachiatus, Plecostomus 
scopularius, Roeboides rubrivertex, Myletes albiscopus, &e. Ue 
exhibited a specimen of Pariodon microps, Kner, describing 
the parasitic habits of Svegophilus and those ascribed to Vandellia. 
He thought the structure and colouration of the Pariodon indi- 
cated similar habits, and that it would be found to be an in- 
habitant, at times at least, of the cavity of the body of some 
other animal. - 



BOOKS RECEIVED 
Enc.isH.—Contributions tothe Flora of Mentone, Part 4: J. T Moggridge 
(L. Reeve and Co.).—Words from a Layman’s Ministry at Barnard Castle. — 
Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria, Vol. viii., 
Parts 1, 2; Vol. ix., Parts 1, 2. 
ForeiGn.—Nachtrag zum 6u. 7 Jahresbericht des Vereins fiir Erdkunde 
zu Dresden. (Through Williams and Norgat +.)—Die feierliche Sitzung der 
kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Wien, 30 Mai, 187t —Almanach 
der k Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Wien.—Oefversigt af k. Vetenskaps 
Akademiens Férhandlingar, 
PAMPHLETS RECEIVED 
EnGuisH.—Darwinism: Chauncey Wright.—The Cruise of the Norna : 
Marshal Hall.—The University of Durham College of Medicine, Syllabus 
for 1871-72.—The College of Physical Science, Newcastle-on-Tyne, Syllabus 
for 1871-72.—Observations on the Corona: Hercules Ellis.—Flinat: M. H. 
Johnson.—The Scottish Naturalist. October —Proceedings of the Meteoro- 
logical Society, No. 56.—The Portfolio, No 22.—Quarterly Weather Report 
of the Meteorological Office.—Journal of the Statistical Society for Sep- 
tember.—On the Faults in Ironstone Seams: R. L. Jack.—The Phcenix, 
Vol. ii, No. 14. -Journal of the Iron and Steel Institute, Vol. ii., No. 3 — 
Journal of the Scottish Meteorological Society, No. 31.—The Quarterly 
Journal for Microscopical science, October. 
AMERICAN AND CoLoniAL.—On the Influence of the Blue Colour of the 
Sky in developiog Animal and Vegetable Life; Philadelphia.—On the 
Eozéonal Limestones of Kastern Massachusetts: L. S. Burbank.—On the 
Coaracteristics of the Primary Groups of the Class of Mammals: Dr. Th. 
Gill.—The Canadian Naturalist, Vol. v., No. 4; Vol. vi., No. 1 —Proceed- 
ings of the American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia, Jan.—June.— 
Extracts trom the Proceedings of the Lyceum of Natural History, New 
York.—Proceedings of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, No. 7,—The Canadian 
Entomologist.—The Rural New Yorker, Vol. xxi., Nos. 21-24. 
ForeIGN.—Jahrbuch der k. k. geologischen Reichsanstalt zu Wien, 1871, 
April—June.—Georg Gottfried Gervinus : Emil Lehm mn.—Magazine d’Edu- 
cation et de Recréation, No. 162.—Sur la “loi de l'Evolution similaire des 
Phénoménes Météorologiques: M. A. Poéy. 


CONTENTS 
Pace 
HELMHOLTZ ON THE Axioms OF GEOMETRY. By Prof. W. STANLEY 
JEVONS © soc so, cc oy sm keg he) becuey UA MiReDn, CMC) oka enaaE 
LeiGxTon’s LicHen-FLora OF GREAT Britatn. By Dr. W. LAUDER 
Linpsay, F.R.S.E. . . SO eect 4 iA Psbite cs an eco 
Our) Book) SHEer. (2 Sycw sere ery Galen eines late 484 
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR :— 
Geometry at Oxford.—Prof. W.T. THise-ron DyER . . . . . 485 
Elementary Geometry.—W. D. CooLey ; Tuomas Jones. (With 
Diagrams). . . « - CeCe ee betes ah oc 
The Coming Eclipse.—Col J T. Tennant, F.R.S: . . . . . 486 
British Mossesi— DS Moork, Balas... tee) 2s) pe pine mene 
Corrections —RicuarpD A. Proctor, FR.AS. mm... . . 487 
A Universal Atmosphere.—Joun Brownina, F.R.A.S. os 487. 
The Lemperature of the Sun.—Jonn Batt . . ch ck ech ch CEG 
Miehtjiof Bilttertiiestus-si=)lee cede lus ct a: p cha Beene, 
Velocity of Sound in Coal.—D, JosepH . . . . . . - . « « 487 
Prof. Newcomb and Mr. Stone.—R. A. Proctor, F.R,A.S.  . . 487 
SCIENCE ‘(AT THE UNIVERSIDIES)2) 0 (2) 0c ie ee) fete 
An Expe.osion (?) ON’ THE SuN. By Prof. C.A. Younc. . . . . 489 
Tue Kra—ProGress or DEVELOPMENT. By Tuomas H. Potts 489 
pNe New Form oF Cioup. (With Jilustration.) By Prof. ANDRE 
OEY Wee Tons oo Oto Heo Doe ose 
ExoGENOUS STRUCTURES AMONGST THE STEMS OF THE Coat MEa- a 
sures. (With Idlustrations.) By Prof. W. C. Wittiamson, F.R.S. 490 
Nores SPeASes) Cc ceil ceistie: ue, “oust as\le sa, ule) arte 
ScrentTiric INTELLIGENCE FROM AMERICA . 2 © 495 
Pror. Huxtey on THE Duties oF THE STATE Pree ry oy 
On THE STRUCTURE OF THE PAL#ozoIc Crinotps. By Prof. 
WyvitLe Tuomson, F.R-S. eines 495 
On_THE RELATION OF AURORAS TO GRAVITATING CURRENTS. (HW7th 
Diagram.) .. Fi 
Pay ct oO OO Ome ee Tekan <n) Loc 497 
ScrenTiFic SERIALS . bettie eas . 498 
SociETIES AND ACADEMIES bet acrmnn Io tm Sato. 498 
Books AND PAMPHLETS RECEIVED 
