Nov. 26, 1874J 



NATURE 



79 



springs, by R. Strachan, F.M.S. — Table for facilitating tlie 

 determination of the dew-point from obsei-vations of the dry and 

 wet bulb thermometers, by William Marriott, assistant secretary. 

 The chief feature of this table is, that it gives, for the difference 

 between the readings of the drv and wet bulb thermometers, the 

 amount to be subtracted from the reading of the wet thermometer 

 instead of from that of the dry, as is necessary with the other tables 

 now in use ; thus effecting a saving of time of more than one- 

 third of that required by the ordinary method. — On the hea^ and 

 damp which accompany cyclones, by the Hon. Ralph Aber- 

 cromby, F.M.S. 



Royal Horticultural Society, Nov. 11. — Scientific Com- 

 mittee. — A. Murray, F.L.S., in the chair. — Specimens of the 

 Coffee Fungus [Hemilcia vastatrix) were shown, and an extract 

 from a letter of Dr. Thwaites on the same suliject was read, in 

 which it was stated that the periodicity of the worst phase of the 

 disease had now been demonstrated. Flowers of sulphur. Dr. 

 Thwaites thought, would be a useful but impracticable remedy. 

 The filaments produced by the spores of HeniiJeia penetrate the 

 stomata of the leaf from the outside. It was difficult before to 

 understand wliat should determine the outbreak of the disease in 

 certain parts of the leaves, the intermediate parts seeming to be 

 quite free from it. — The Rev. M. J. Berkeley showed roots of 

 apple affected with American blight, Eriosoma !n>i'\cra. — Pears 

 were sent by Mr. H. Webb, the cracking of which Mr. Berkeley 

 attributed to Spiloctva pomi, Fr. , which he regarded as a state of 

 Hdminthosporium pyrorum. — Dr. Gilbert contributed, on the 

 part of T. B. Lawes. F. R.S., a note on the occurrence of fungi 

 on tlie various plots devoted to experiments with different manures 

 on permanent meadow-land at Rothamstead, Herts. Thegenenl 

 conclusion appeared to be that fungi flourished the best where 

 the development of the grasses was the least, and where the 

 limited growth of these was due to a deficient supply for their 

 requirements of nitrogen or of potash, or of both. The dry sub- 

 stance of fungi appears to consist of from \ to \ of albuminoids, 

 yet, as in the case of the highly nitrogenous legrmiinous crops, 

 direct nitrogenous manures, such as ammonia salts or sodium 

 nitrate, do not seem to be specially favourable to their growth. 

 The drv substance of fungi contains S to 10 per cent, of ash, of 

 which 80 per cent, is potassium phosphate. Yet the greatest 

 development of fungi was on plots on which, measured by the 

 requirements of gra'ses, potash was relatively deficient. — Dr. 

 Voelcker sta'ed that fairy rings occur on poor jiastures, and the 

 best mode of extirpatino- rhem consists in the application of 

 nitrogenous manures. — Mr. Renny thought that rank-giowing 

 grass was not nearly so favourable for the growth of fungi as 

 old pasture or "common. 



Entomological Society, Nov. 2. — Sir Sidney Smith 

 Saunders, president, in the chair. — Mr. Stevens exhibited three 

 specimens of Deiopcia pukhella taken at Arundel and Deal. 

 Prof. Westwood remarked that the late I.leutenant-Oeneral 

 Hearsey had found this insect very destructive to gardens in 

 India. — Mr. Bond exhibited specimens of rare Lepidoptera ; 

 amongst them were Sesia ciilidformis (with yellow bands), 

 Limacodes ascllus, Nola allmlaHs, and P/erop/i'Viis rhododnctylns. 

 — Mr. Jenner Weir exhibited specimens of Mantis 7-cIigiosa, 

 with some egg-cases taken by himself at Meran, in Tyrol. — 

 Mr. McLachlan exhibited a printer's block (such as is used for 

 printing posters), attacked by a species of Anobium, and he was 

 informed that the insect was causing serious damage to the 

 printer's stock. The wood w.-is believed to be pear-tree. He had 

 recommended soaking them in carbolic acid and water. — Dr. 

 Sharp communicated "Descriptions of some new generi and 

 .soecics of Pselaphida; and Scydma?nida? from Australia and New 

 Zealand." He added some remarks respecting the importance 

 of gaining a knowledge of the New Zealand fauna, and com- 

 mented on the probable extinction of many of the species at no 

 very distant period. — Mr. Darwin communicated some remarlis 

 bv Mrs. Barber, of Griqualand, South Africa, on the lar\'a of 

 Papilio iiireus, and especially with regard to the colour of the 

 pupa in connection with the objects on which it was placed, it 

 appearing to assume a protective resemblance to the leaves or 

 other adjacent objects. A discussion took place between several 

 of the members as to whether, as suggested by Mrs. Barber, 

 some photographic influences might be at work ; but Mr. 

 Meldola stated that no known substance retained, permanently, 

 the colour reflected on it by adjacent objects : but that there was 

 no difficulty in beheving that larvae might become affected in 

 colonr by the colouring matter of the food-plant, since chlo- 

 rophyll in an unaltered copdition had been found in the tissues 



of green larva;. — Mr. Ogier Ward sent some notes on a spider's 

 nest found in a quarry at Poissy, near the Seine, with some 

 remarks iherein by Mr. C. O. Waterhouse. — Mr. Butler com- 

 municated " Descriptions of three new species and a new genus 

 of Diurnal Lepidoptera from West Africa, in the collection of 

 Mr. Andrew Swanzy." — Mr. C. O. Waterhouse read "Notes 

 on Australian Coleoptera, with descriptions of new species." — 

 !Mr. Kirby contributed a review of Boisduval's " Monographie 

 dps Agaristidees, published in the Rci'ue et Magasin de Zoolo^ie, 

 1S74." — The Rev. R. P. Murray communicated "Descriptions 

 of some new species of Butterflies belonging to the genus 

 Lycsena." 



Nov. 16. — ^J. W. Dunning, M.A., F.L. S., the vice-presi- 

 dent, in the chair. — Mr. Higgins exhibited some rare speci- 

 mens of Cetoniidre from Borneo, viz., Lomaptci-a ffiqginsii, 

 O. Janson, and a • remark.able Dynastiform insect, named by 

 Count Castelnau IVeslwoodia Hozuittii ; also two smaller speci- 

 mens, which had been supposed to be females of the last-named 

 species, but were more probably those of an unknown species. 

 — The Secretary exhibited a collection of fine species of Lepi- 

 doptera sent by Mr. W. D. Gooch from Natal for determination. 

 — The Rev. O. Pickard-Cambridge sent a note on the curious 

 spider's nest exhibited at the last meeting. It was unknown to 

 him, and had it not been for a remark in Mr. Ward's letter im- 

 plying that the nest he found belonged to a geometrical web, he 

 should have conjectured that it was the'work of an Agelena. If, 

 however, the nest was appurtenant to a geometrical web, it must 

 belong to a spider of the family Epeirides. He did not think the 

 sand in the nest was at all designed as ballast, but as a protection 

 from the rays of the sun and also from parasites. Mr. Smith 

 remarked that the mud coating of the nest of Ageleiia brunum 

 did not preserve that species from parasites, as he had often bred 

 a species of Pczoiiinchns from the nests, and he believed, in 

 those cases, the eggs were attacked before the mud coating was 

 added. — Mr. Champion exhibited some rare species of British 

 Coleoptera. viz., Apioii Ryd, Ahdcra trigultata, Lymexylon 

 iiarnlc. At/tons subfiiicus, Silvanus similis, and Apion saiiqid- 



UiUfJl. 



Institution of Civil Engineers.'Nov. 10. — Mr. Thos. E. 

 Harrison, president, in the chair. — On the Nagpur Water-works ; 

 with observations on the rainfall, the flow from the ground, and 

 evaporation at Nagpur ; and on the fluctuation of rainfall in 

 India and in other places," by Mr. Alex. R. Binnie, M. Inst., 

 C. E. From a study of the records of rainfall at Calcutta, 

 Bombay, Madras, Nagpur, Mauritius, Barhadoes, Adelaide, 

 Hobart Town, Cape To^vn, New York, Rome, Greenwich, 

 New Bedford, U.S., and Prague, the author deduced that the 

 fluctuations were similar in kind, and that they only differed 

 slightly in amount. 



Manchester 



Literary and Philosophical Society, Nov. 3. — Rev. Wm. 

 G-iskell, vice-president, in the chair. — On the corrosion of 

 leaden hot-water cisterns, by Prof. H. E. Roscoe, F. R.S. — On 

 an improvement of the Bunsen burner for spectrum analysis, by 

 Mr. F. Kingdon, assistant in the Physical Laboratory, Owens 

 College. Ttie students in the Physical Laboratory of Owens 

 College having occasionally experienced some difficulty in obtain- 

 ing the spectra of some salts \nth the ordinary Bunsen, through 

 apparently a deficiency of pressure in the gas, it occurred to me 

 that the amount of light even at this deficient temperature might 

 be increased by multiplying the number of luminous points. 

 This is accomplished by broadening out the flame of the Bunsen, 

 th.at is, causing the gas to issue through a narrow slit instead of 

 a round hole. We have, so far, only made a rough experiment, 

 tlie slit being .about J in. long and i in. wide. The result is, as 

 expected, a more brilliant spectnim. — Some notes on Pasigraphy, 

 by Mr. Henry H. Howorth, F. S A. — On the existence of a 

 lunar atmosphere, by Mr. David Winstanley. 



Glasgow 

 Geological Society, Nov. 12. — Mr. A. E. Wiinsch, vice- 

 president, in the chair. — The Chairman gave a preliminary 

 notice of an interesting discoveiy which had recently been made 

 in Arran, during a joint exploration of the northern part of the 

 island, in company with Mr. James Thom.son, F.G.S. In 

 the course of their examination of those large masses of red 

 sandstone adjoining the carboniferous series of Arran, whose 

 age and geological position have hitherto been doubtful, 

 they came upon a bed of conglomerate of highly glacial 



