78 



NATURE 



\Nov, 26, 1874 



sion, has long been known, it has not been made full use of in 

 discussing atmospheric phenomena, such, for example, as the 

 rainfall on mountain slopes. The works of Sir W. Thomson, 

 Reye, and Peslin bring us important information regarding the 

 movements of ascending air, for they deduce from the mechanical 

 theory of heat the laws of variation of temperature in ascendmg 

 and descending dry and moist currents. Calculating in'the nrst 

 instance the fall of temperature in ascending currents where no 

 condensation of moisture takes place, the following result is 

 obtained : — For every 100 metres rise, nearly exactly 1° C. is 

 lost, whatever the original level and temperature may have been ; 

 and conver.sely for descending currents. If any vapour be pre- 

 sent, as long as it is not condensed, it reduces this rate only to a 

 very slight extent. As to the relation between pressure and 

 temperature, a fall of 20 mm. would be accompanied by a 

 decrease of 2'1'>C., but since such a fall takes something like 

 twenty-four hours at least, changes of this kind are probably 

 overborne and hidden by simultaneous changes depending on 

 other causes. Secondly, he calculates the loss of temperature in 

 ascending currents becoming saturated and continually losing by 

 condensation part of their moisture. This quantity differs greatly 

 ■with the amount of vapour originally in the air, and therefore 

 with the temperature at which the air becomes saturated. By 

 means of a formula airived at by Dr. Hann, a table has been 

 constructed, .showing the calculated loss of heat at various pres- 

 sures, heights, and temperatures. An ascending column of air 

 obeys the law for dry air until it reaches the dew-point ; after 

 this the table should be consulted. Supoosing a current at 10° 

 C. to impinge on a mountain slope and rise to the summit, 2,600 

 metres high, if moist, it loses 14-8° C. ; if dry, 26°. But in 

 descending the lee side it gains, whether moist or dry, 26°. If it 

 ■was saturated at the mountain top, it will be relatively very dry 

 after its descent ; and if originally moist, about 10° warmer than 

 it was on the windward side. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 



London 

 Linnean Society, Nov. 19. — Dr. G. J. Allman, F.R.S., 

 president, in the chair. — Mr. Daniel Hanbury exhibited speci- 

 mens of the rose cultivated on the southern slopes of the Balkan 

 for the production of attar of roses, which Mr. J. G. Baker 

 stated to be probably a variety of K. damascena. — The President 

 then read a paper on Slephaiioscypliiis tnirahiJis, the type of a 

 new or-'er of Hydrozoa. The author described a remarkable 

 organism which occurs imbedded in sponges on the southern 

 shores of France. It forms composite colonies which have a 

 general resemblance to a campanularian hydroid, with its cup-like 

 hydrothecoe or so-called polype cells, opening on the surface of 

 the sponge, and, when the animal extends itself, giving exit to a 

 beautiful crown of tentacles. It has, however, though a true 

 hydrozoon, no immediate relation with the campanulariansorwith 

 any other hitherto recognised order of Hydrozoa ; for the hydro- 

 thec:E-like receptacles are occupied not by a hydranth or 

 polypite, but by a body which has all the essential characters of 

 a Medusa ; and the tentacles which are displayed when the 

 animal extends itself are really the marginal tentacles of a Me- 

 dusa. It is, further, provided with the radiating and circular 

 canals of a true Medusa. The animal is essentially a composite 

 colony of medusiform zooids included in a system of chitinous 

 tubes, from which, like a campanularian hydroid, each zooid 

 has the power of extcndmg itself, and within which it can agam 

 retreat. The author regarded the Step/tanoscyp/iiis mirabilis 

 as the type of a new order of Hydrozoa, to which he assigned the 

 name of "Thecomedusa;." He regarded Stephanoscyphus as 

 affording a convincing proof of the homology on which he had 

 formerly insisted in parallelising the tentacles of a hydranth with 

 the radiating canals of a Medusa. An interesting discussion 

 followed, in which Prof. Busk, Dr. Murie, and others bore te-ti- 

 mony to the great importance of Prof Allman's discovery. — 

 Dr. Masters read a " Monograph of Durionefe. " The paper con- 

 tains an enumeration of the genera and species of the tribe 

 Durionece, together with descriptions of the new species found by 

 Beccari in Borneo, cS:c. It is accompanied by some remarks 

 on the morphology and geographical distribution ol the group. 

 In both respects the group is very distinct. The peculiar scaly 

 pubescence, the compound stamens, the (in some cases) very 

 peculiar anthers, and the muricate fruits, all constitute remark- 

 able features. Th'? q\'.e>:tim of "divided" or "compound'' 



stamens, which has of late been re-discussed by Chatin, is alluded 

 to, with the result that the author adheres to his previously ex- 

 pressed views on the subject — views, moreover, supported by those 

 of Payer, Sachs, Baillon, Van Tieghem, and others. The nature 

 of the petals in Malvales in general is also touched on ; sometimes 

 these appear to be autonomous organs, while in other cases they 

 seem to form part and parcel of the staminal phalanges. (For 

 fruit of the Durione.'e as an esculent, see Wallace, and "Treasury 

 of Botany," art. " Durio.") 



Chemical Society. Nov. 19.— Prof. Odling, F.R.S., pre- 

 sident, in the chair. — Dr. C. R. A. Wright read a paper on the 

 action of organic acids and their anhydrides on the natural alka 

 loids. Part 1 1. , by himself and Mr. Beckett ; being a continuation 

 of that which he brought before the Society at the last meeting. 

 — Prof W. K. Clififord then made a communication On general 

 equations of chemical reactions, proving mathematically, from the 

 kinetic theory of gases, the generally adopted method for express- 

 ing chemical reactions. An interesting discussion ensued, after 

 which the following papers were read : — On propionic coumarin, 

 and some of its derivatives, by W. H. Perkin, F. R.S. ; On the 

 composition of autunite, by Prof A. H. Church ; and the action 

 of bromine on protocatechuic acid, gallic acid, and tannin, by 

 J. Stenhouse, F. K.S. 



Zoological Society, Nov. 17. — Mr. George Busk, F.R.S., 

 in the ch.air. — The Secretary exhibited on behalf of the Rev. J. S. 

 Whitmee an egg of PareudiasUs pacificits^ and an accompanying 

 egg of the Samoan Porphyrio. — A communication was read from 

 Sir Victor Brooke, Bart., containing some remarks on the identity 

 of a certain deer in the Society's collection, %vhich had been 

 determined as Cervus savattnaruvi, — A series of eggs of Mega- 

 podes (Mcxn podiits) transmitted by Mr. John Brazier, was exhi- 

 bited. These had been obtained from different islands of the 

 Solomon group. — Mr. R. B. Sharpe also exhibited some Mega- 

 podes' eggs from the southern part of New Guinea. — Prof Mivart 

 read a paper on the axial skeleton of the Struthionida^, and 

 pointed out that judging, by the characters of the axial skeleton, 

 the Emeu presents the least differential type ; from which Rhea 

 diverges most on the one hand and Apteryx on the other; that 

 the resemblance between Dromceus and Casuarius is exceedingly 

 close, while the axial skeleton of Dinornis is intermediate between 

 that of Casuarius and Apteryx ; its affinities, however, with the 

 existing New Zealand form very decidedly predominating. — A 

 communication •vvas read from iviajor H. H. Hodwin-Austen, 

 describing five new species of Helicidte, of the sub-genus Plecto- 

 pylis, from the Khasi and Naga Hills, from Darjeeling and from 

 the Burmese region. — Mr. R. Bowdler Sharpe read a paper on 

 the larks of Southern Africa, in which an attempt was made to 

 reduce info order the numerous genera and species of this difficult 

 group. — A communication was read from Dr. T.Anderson, point- 

 ing out that his A/acaais briitmeiis was truly distinct from M. 

 arctoides of Geoffr. St. Hilaire. — A communication was read 

 from the Count Turati and Dr. T. Salvadori, describing a new 

 Trogon of the genus Pharomacrus, proposed to be called P. 

 xanlhogastgr. — Dr. Albert Giinther read a description of a new 

 species of kangaroo from North-west Australia, proposed to be 

 called Plalmatui-its apiraJis. — Mr. P. L. Sclater read a notice of 

 some specimens of the Black Wolf of Thiliet, now or lately living 

 in the Society's menagerie. — Mr. H. E. Dresser exhib ted eggs 

 of the various European species of Hypolais, together with those 

 of Acnviphaliis strepcrtis and A. palustris, and pointed out that 

 these two groups (Hypolais and Acrocephalus) approach each 

 other in their eggs as well as in other characters, the two nearest 

 allied in each group being Hypolais rama and Acrocephalus 

 palns/iis. — Mr. W. T. Blanford read a notice of two new Uro- 

 masticine lizards from Mesopotamia and .Southern Persia, pro- 

 posed to be called Unmiastix mici-oUpis and Ci?itrotraclidus 

 loricatus. — A second paper by Mr. Blanford contained descrip- 

 tions of two new species of ichneumon, and of a hare collected 

 by Mr. F. Day in Sind, and new to the Indian fauna. One of 

 the former and the hare were believed to be new to science, and 

 were called Plerpestes fctTiigincits and Lepus dayanus. 



Meteorological Society, Nov. 18. — Dr. R. J. Mann, 

 president, in the chair. — The President read a " Report concerning 

 the meeting of the Conference on Maritime Meteorology in 

 London, August 31, 1S74," which he had attended as the repre- 

 sentative of the society. — At the request of the president, Mr. R. 

 H. Scott gave a brief account of the recent meeting of the 

 Permanent Committee of the Vienna Congress at Utrecht. — The 

 jollowing papers were then read : — On the weather of thirteen 



