May 19, 1870] 
NATURE 
59 
the others, and begins to expand its flowers when the males 
are getting past; yet it also never fails to produce a crop of 
fruit with perfect seeds. He thought that the pollen must lodge 
for some time in the scales of the unopened flower-buds, or must 
reach the pistils before the flowers are-expanded ; but how to 
account for the fertilising of the early flowering varieties, he 
was ataloss. This year he has forced on the flowering of the 
male plants py placing them in strong heat, and has all the 
varieties of the male and female plants in full flower at very 
nearly the same time, and accordingly he anticipates a much 
larger produce of berries than in former years, when they were 
left to the ordinary course. He exhibited a branch bearing 
berries with perfect seed ; yet when that plant came into flower, 
there had not been a male plant in the house where it grew for 
fully a month previously. Mr. Sadler stated that he had been 
informed by the Messrs. Lawson that when there was a great 
lapse of time between the flowering of male and female Aucuba 
plants, they frequently collected the pollen and kept it wrapped 
in paper until such time as the female flowers were ready for 
fertilisation, when it was applied to the stigmas, and thus secured 
invariably a crop of fruit with perfect seeds. By grafting the 
male plant on the female, the two kinds of flowers might expand 
nearly at the same time.—‘‘ Remarks on Grimmza pruinosa 
(Wilson’s MSS.).” By Mr. William Bell. — ‘‘ Remarks on 
Behmeria nivea (Urtica nivea of Linnzus).” By Mr. Sadler.— 
“Memorandum on Ipecacuanha.” By Mr. Clements R. Mark- 
ham.—‘‘ Report on the Open-air Vegetation at the Royal Bo- 
tanic Garden.” By Mr. M‘Nab.—“ Remarks on the Embryos 
of the White Water-Lily (Vymfhea alba), and the Date Palm 
(Phenix dactylifera).” By Professor Dickson, 
PARIS 
Academy of Sciences, May 9.—The following mathematical 
papers were read :—‘‘ Some results obtained by the infinitely 
small displacement of an algebraical surface,” by M. A. Mann- 
heim, presented by M. Chasles ; ‘‘Onthe division of hyperelliptical 
functions,” by M. C. Jordan; and ‘‘ Onthe existence of new classes, 
each containing an unlimited number of plane algebraical curves, 
the arcs of which present an exact representation of the elliptical 
functions of the first kind,” by M. Allibert—MM. Croullebois 
presented a reply to the remarks of M. Jamin, on the index of 
refraction of water.—A note, by M. G. Guéroult, on harmonic 
and melodic intervals, was presented by M. H. Sainte-Claire 
Deville.—A memoir, by M.C. A. Valson, on molecular actions, 
based on the theory of capillary action, was also presented by M. 
H. Sainte-Claire Deville.—M. C. Sainte-Claire Deville presented 
a note by M. E. Renou, on the latent heat of ice, in reply to M. 
Jamin’s note, read at the last meeting.—M. Fizeau called the 
attention of the Academy to some errors which, he thought, had 
slipped into a communication by Father Secchi—M. Reg- 
nault presented, in the name of M. Pfaundler, a claim of priority 
in the method employed by M. Jamin for the determination of 
specific heats. —M. Delaunay presented a note on the sun’s spots, 
by M. Sonrel, in which the author called attention to some photo- 
graphs exhibited by him, by which the perturbations of the surface 
of the sun are shown to have been lately remarkably active ; a 
note, by M. H. Tarry, indicating the chief points of M. Respighi’s 
theory of scintillation ; and asecond note, by the same author, on 
showers of dust and blood-rains. The author ascribed these 
phenomena to the action of cyclones upon the desert of Sahara. — 
MM. A. W. Hofmann and O. Olshausen communicated a memoir 
on the isomers of the cyanuric ethers.—M. Wade communicated 
a,note confirmatory of M. Duchemin’s remarks on the destruction 
of carp by toads ; he referred to toads found fixed upon pike. M. 
d’Esterno remarked that the toads thus found attached to fishes 
were all males, and that this attack took place only at the 
breeding-time of the toads.—M. C. Robin presented a note 
by MM. Legros and Onimus, on the choreimorphic movements 
of the dog ; and M. Balard communicated an extract of a letter 
from M. Castelhaz, on the employment of bromide of sodium, 
instead of bromide of potassium, as a medicine. The following 
papers were also read:—‘‘A memoir on solids subjected to 
flexion,” by M. L. Aubert; and “A note onthe preparation of 
optically neutral sugar,” by M. Maumené, 
VIENNA 
Imperial Academy of Sciences, April 7.—Prof. Barth 
presented a memoir on isomeric cresoles.—Dr. Boué made some 
propositions for the purpose of getting rid of the ignorance 
which prevails as to the intellectual doings of certain foreign 
nationalities. He suggested that the transactions of academies 
established in certain places should be accompanied by transla- 
tions or abstracts in French, German, or English.—M. G. 
Tschermak presented a memoir containing the results of an in- 
vestigation of the meteorite of Lodran, near Mooltan, which 
fell on the 1st October, 1868, with a notice of a specimen of 
meteoric iron presented to the Mineralogical Museum, from the 
desert of Atacama.—A memoir, having the title of Formicide 
neogranadenses, by Dr. Gustave Mayr, was read, containing an 
account of the species of ants found in New Granada, and 
referring especially to those forms which throw light upon the 
affinities of the Formicide.—Dr. E. Reitlinger communicated 
the results of an investigation upon the spectra of negative 
electrodes, and of Geissler’s tubes which have been long in 
use, which he had carried on in conjunction with Prof. M. 
Kuhn. The observers compared the spectra of the negative 
electrodes in Geissler’s tubes with nitrogen, hydrogen, and 
oxygen, with those of the other parts of the tube, and found 
them to differ. To Wiillner’s observations on the production ot 
a new spectrum in hydrogen tubes after long use, the observers 
added similar results with nitrogen tubes. The fluorescence of 
the glass extends in these tubes to other parts than those 
immediately around the negative pole.—M. F. Unferdinger 
presented a memoir on the transformation and determination 
of the integral 
roy 
—Prof. Biesiadecki presented some investigations upon vesicle- 
formation and regeneration of the epithelium in the swimming 
membrane of the frog.—The report of the Central Observatory 
for meteorology and terrestrial magnetism for the month of 
March was communicated to the meeting. 
April 21.—A memoir was read on some Pleuronectide, 
Salmonidz, Gadoidz, and Blennid, from Decastris Bay 
and Viti Levo, by Dr. F. Steindachner and the late Prof. R. 
Kener. Also one on the solution of dead organic matters, and 
one on the process of development and the structure of the 
walls of woody fibre, by D. T. Hartig, and one on the construc- 
tion of a conic section, when this is defined by imaginary points 
and tangents——Dr. Fitzinger presented the first part of his 
critical revision of the true Bats (Vesfertiliones), containing 
the genera Diclidurus, Taphozous, Saccolimus, Emballonura, 
Oroccyptus, Mystacina, Centronycteris, Saccopteryx, and Mosia.— 
Dr. Horwath presented a paper on the production of inanition 
in animals by deprivation of heat. 
April 28.—The following memoirs were read :—On the fish 
fauna of the Senegal (conclusion), by Dr. F. Steindachner ; on 
the perfecting of involutions of high orders, by Dr. Emil 
Weyr ; and on the determination of the sum of the angles of 
plane polygons, by M. A. Steinhausen.—M. von Haidinger re- 
ported upon some new observations relating to meteorites.— 
Dr. Boué again referred to his suggestion that the academies of 
northern and eastern Europe should furnish translations or 
abstracts of their memoirs in one of the three most familiar 
European languages.—Dr. T. Oppolzer presented a memoir on 
the transit of Venus in the year 1874. 
NEW ZEALAND 
Wellington Philosophical Society, January 29.—Annual 
meeting, Mr. J. C. Crawford in the chair. The election of the 
following office-bearers for the year took place, viz. :—Presi- 
dent—Hon. W. B. D. Mantell, F.GS. Vice-Presidents—J. C. 
Crawford, F.G.S. ; R. Pharazyn, F.R.G.S. Council—W. T. L. 
Travers, F.L.S.; James Hector, M.D., F.R.S.; J. Kebbel ; 
Wm. Lyon, F.G.S. ; W. L. Buller, F.L.S. 
Dr. Knox then gave a description of a specimen of Ber- 
nardius Arnuxit, which had been recently captured in the 
harbour, and the most important parts of the skeleton of which 
he had secured for the Museum. ‘The animal was evidently full 
grown, and measured thirty-three feet, and what he desired to 
draw special attention to was the fact that while it presented 
well-developed teeth, yet they did not project through the gums, 
but were included in a deep socket with the tip covered in by 
thick fleshy gums. The use of such teeth, he considered, must 
be limited to the stimulation of the salivary glands by a reflex 
nervous process, as they could neither seize, divide nor masticate 
the food of the whale. Messrs. Mantell and Travers both con- 
sidered that the teeth exhibited marks of the attachment of the 
