58 
in deep sea; the nature of the animals and their economy 
together with the chemical conditions at great depths were also 
touched on, and the fact pointed out that changes of fauna 
depended not on latitude, but on the variations in the bottom 
temperature.—Mr. Wonfor, hon. sec., announced that the **Moss 
Flora of Sussex” was ready for distribution among the members, 
and that duplicate copies could be had at a nominal price, by 
applying to him, at 38, Buckingham-place, Brighton. 
DUBLIN 
Natural History Society of Dublin, May 4. — W. 
Andrews, Chairman of the Natural History Committee 
of the Royal Dublin Society, in the chair, The Chairman 
read a paper entitled ‘‘Ichthyological Notes.” There are no 
subjects fraught with greater interest than discoveries which arise 
from a practical knowledge of any branch of science, whether 
it relates to botany, geology, or to any of the orders or genera 
of zoological investigations. | When we contemplate the vast 
scope of the branches of the natural sciences, we cannot fail to 
meet most perplexing difficulties in the determining of correct 
classification, the opportunity of practical investigation not being 
afforded, for without that most essential aid, no certainty can 
possibly be arrived at, especially true characteristics depending 
upon habit, geographical range, seasons, depths, and peculiari- 
ties of soundings, and those natural causes which influence 
forms and changes of animal and vegetable life. The subject 
of the paper this evening relates to deep-water species, the 
present observations being with reference to notes on some fish 
occurring on the south-west coast of Ireland, in Dingle Bay, and 
off the coast of Kerry. Some most interesting crustaceans and 
species of rare fish have been met with, which are confined to 
peculiar soundings in deep water ; yet I may say that at a depth 
beyond eighty fathoms much of interest as to variety of forms 
ceases, and the dredge in soundings of 100 fathoms, and beyond 
that depth, rarely brings up anything but remains belonging to 
shallower soundings, or those forms of Foraminifera Globigerina, 
which require microscopic manipulation in the determining of 
their numerous forms. It is singular, however, from what ex- 
treme depths minute crustacea, echinoderms, sponges, and corals 
are brought up; therefore I may say that when we proceed 
further than a depth of eighty fathoms, the interest, so 
far as the ichthyologist is concerned, closes. The object 
of this paper is to bring to notice a most interesting species 
of the Clupzide, the true anchovy (Zugraulis encrasicholis) 
the first placed on record as captured on the shores of Ireland. 
I had heard of a species of small herring that had been taken in 
the herring nets, of a peculiar silvery brightness. I was delighted 
to obtain a specimen last autumn off Ventry Harbour, being 
another among the many interesting additions that have been 
made on that part of the coast of fish peculiar to the Mediter— 
ranean. The specimen exhibited is of full size, being in length 
six inches, thicker in proportion than the herring, no serrations 
on the abdomen, and the sides and belly being of the most 
silvery brightness, with no apparent scales. The back wasa 
dark bluish green ; the mouth with a remarkably wide gape ; 
teeth exceedingly minute in the maxillary; none in the lower 
jaw ; snout much projecting. At first examination I thought it 
might be a species of melletts, as it did not bear sufficient resem- 
blance to several of the figures of the anchovy in works on 
ichthyology.—Dr.* Foot then read a paper on the breeding 
of the Cereopsis Geese and Emus, in the Zoological Gardens, 
Dublin, and also laid before the meeting a paper on ‘‘ Animal 
Luminosity,” after which the meeting adjourned. 
Royal Irish Academy, Monday, May 9.—Rev. Professor 
Jellett, B.D., president, in the chair. Dr. Stokes, V.P., F.R.S., 
read a paper on putrefaction occurring in some closed cavities, 
without the admission of air, and on the germ theory of Pro- 
fessors Lister and Tyndall. 
Royal Geological Society, Wednesday, May 11.—Mr. G. 
Sanders, in the chair. Rev. Professor Haughton, M.D., read 
a paper on the probable geological effects of the permanent 
opening of the Suez and Darien Canals. The author regarded 
the Suez Canal as an interference with nature. He gave a 
graphic description of the two oceans, the Atlantic and Indian, 
with their two great offshoots, the Mediterranean and the Red 
Sea—seas with not a very limited rainfall area, and subject to 
immense evaporation ; in fact, having all the circumstances in 
their favour to make them the seat of strong currents, the 
natural tendency of the meeting of which is to build up that vast 
NATURE 
[May 19, 1870 
sand or mud bar, the Isthmus of Suez. The new canal he re- 
garded as a scratch of a spade by the hand of a child across the 
bar of two oceans, and the re-formation of that bar he regardedas 
certain—it would probably be re-formed beyond Port Said. He 
thought the Darien Canal would have a totally different success. 
The ideaof forming this canal originated with Dr. Cullen, of Dub- 
lin. Nature, in scooping out the great gulf in which the West In- 
dian islands lie, showed her determination to break through the 
Isthmus somewhere, and the great South Atlantic current would 
keepany canal open thatwascut. The Americansthoughtthatthey 
would lower the temperature of Europe by removing so much of 
the Gulf Stream from us. But if their canal was one mile wide 
and 100 feet deep, they would take from us but y¢55 part of 
the heat we already possessed ; and to make up this deficiency 
would cost the inhabitants of Dublin not more than 2s. 4d. for 
additional fuel to each family—a sum they might well lose for 
the good of the whole race. The palzontological effects would 
not be of much interest in the case of either canals: a few Red 
Sea cockles might wander into the Mediterranean, and even 
this would not occur in the Darien Canal, as the same species of 
fish and molluscs were found on both sides of the Isthmus of 
Panama; and man must not forget that he has no power over 
nature.—The Rev. Maxwell Close read a paper *‘On some 
Corries, and their Rock Basins, in Co. Kerry.” 
Institution of Civil Engineers of Ireland, May 11.— 
John Bailey, C.E., in the chair. Mr. Alex. McDonald read 
a paper, ‘‘ Notice of Le Chatelier’s Counter-pressure Steam 
System.” Professor Downing, LL.D., read ** Notes on the 
Transport of Minerals by wire ropes.” The author suggested 
the use of stationary wire rope, the mineral boxes to be pulled 
up by acommon hempen rope, and to slide up the wire rope. 
EDINBURGH 
Royal Physical Society, April 27.—R. F. Logan, president, 
in the chair, Thomas Edmonston of Buness, Shetland, was elected 
a member of the society ; and the Rey. Samuel Fraser, Melbourne, 
Australia, a corresponding member. The following communi- 
cations were read to the meeting:—I. Our Pets in Unst, Shet- 
land, by Thomas Edmonston of Buness, F.R.S.L. A vote 
of thanks was given to Mr. Edmonston for his interesting com- 
munication, notice being taken by Mr. Scott Skirving of the 
fact that the thanks of all naturalists were due to him as the pre- 
server, on his estate in Shetland, of one of the few breeding 
places still remaining in Britain of the Great Skua Gull. IL. 
Australian Entomology.—Notices of the Tarantula (Spider) and 
Hornet, by A. F. Grieve, Brisbane, Queensland. Communi- 
cated by D. Grieve. The President (Mr. Logan) said- the 
insect called a hornet by Mr. Grieve was a species of Felo- 
peus,- belonging to the family Sphegide ; it was probably 
P. lactus. The habit of this genus is to store up 
spiders in mud cells, but surely it could not do this 
with the immense s/eyga/e, which Mr. Grieve had also de- 
scribed. III. (1.) On the Skull of the Ringed Seal (Pago- 
mys fetidus, Gray), with special remarks on the osteologi- 
cal characters of the lower jaw. By James M‘Bain, M.D., 
R.N. (2.) Notice of Clay Nodules, found at a depth of 292 
feet in boring for an Artesian Well at Umballah, in India. By 
Thomas Login, C.E., F.R.S.E. Communicated by James 
M‘Bain, M.D., R.N. IV. (1.) Note of a saline incrusta- 
tion sold by the natives at Old Calabar, Africa. (Speci- 
mens sent to Dr. Smith by the Rev. Dr. Robb were exhibited.) 
(2.) Ornithological notes. (Specimens exhibited.) (3.) Notice 
of the capture of the Spiny Lobster (Padimurus vulgaris) on the 
west coast of Scotland. (Specimen exhibited.) (4.) Note of 
the capture of the Seywnus borealis, the Greenland shark, in the 
Frith of Forth. By John Alexander Smith, M.D. V. Notes 
of various species of Cvrustacea from Shetland, Caithness, &e, 
By C. W. Peach. (Specimens exhibited. ) 
Botanical Society, April 14.—Sir Walter Elliot, president, 
in the chair. The following communications were read :—On the 
Flowering and Fruiting of Aucuda Faponica, by Mr. P. S. 
Robertson. The author had observed that recently-introduced 
female plants from Japan (grown in a cold pit) came into flower 
in January and February, while the male plants, grown in the 
same circumstances, never came into flower till the middle of 
March. Yet he had every year obtained a crop of young seed- 
lings from the berries, although the female flowers were quite 
shrivelled before the male ones expanded. He found that the 
common spotted variety, long grown in this country, does not 
flower till May or June, although grown in the pit or house with 
a 
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