196 



NA tur:e 



IJan. 7, 1875 



ascomycetous fungi. To persons forming coUeclions of our 

 indigenous fungi, Mr. Phillips's fasciculi will be useful, since 

 similar collections have hitherto principally comprised only the 

 Hymawmycctes . Mr. Pliillips will be assisted by various well- 

 known mycologists, and he proposes to issue a very limited 

 number of copies at twelve shillings each fasciculus of fifty 

 species. 



M. Amedee Guillemm has published through Ilachette a very 

 interesting work on Comets, profusely illustrated. All the 

 modern theories are discussed, fro n Descartes to .Scliiaparelli, a 

 number of traditions and stories connected with comets being 

 also introduced. 



We omitted to mention in last week's notice of the anniver- 

 sary meeting of the French Academy the speech delivered by 

 M. Dumas on Dela Rive. It is a part of the duty of the perpetual 

 secretaries to deliver such clogc's at each anniversary m eeting. 

 That duty has been performed by each perpetual secretary from 

 Fontenelle to our days, and the collection of i\ie?,e t'/ogcs is an im- 

 portant part of tlie Academical publications. M. Bertrand is at 

 present engaged in preparing the t'/o^v of M. Elie de Beaumont, 

 which will be delivered in 1876. 



A COMMISSION, nominated by the Geographical Society of 

 Paris, and composed of Admiral Fluriot de Langle, M iM. Delesse, 

 Charles Grad, II. Farry, and Jules Girard, has jiist published 

 some instructions to navigators to aid in their study of the 

 physical geography of the sea. These instructions, which the 

 Society sends gratuitously to everyone who is willing to turn to 

 account, in the interest of science, his stay on board ship, point 

 out, in a style sufficiently precise and elementary to come within 

 the comprehension of all, the principal points on which observa- 

 tions should be made, and the b;st methods to be adopted for 

 collecting useful particulars. 



At St. Peter's College, Cambridge, on April 6, there will be 

 an examination for a Natural Science Scholarship. Tlie subjects 

 of examination will be botany, chemistry and chemical physics, 

 geology, and comparative anatomy and physiology. No candi- 

 date will be examined in more than two ot the above-mentioned 

 subjects. Applications to become candidates must be made en 

 or before March 29 to the Rev. J. Porter, tutor of the College, 

 who will give all necessary information. 



By the death of Prof. William Macdonald, of St. Andrew's 

 University, the chair known as that of "Civil and Natural 

 History " becomes vacant. Dr. Macdonald held it for twenty- 

 four years. The post has from the first b:en practically a sine- 

 cure, and almost seems to have been instituted for the sake of 

 the professor. We wonder if the Senate of St. Andrew's will 

 allow their University to be befooled by the appointment of a 

 successor to Dr. Macdonald in this unique chair of "Civil and 

 Natural History." 



We are glad to see that it is intended to form a society at 

 Watford, having for its object the investigali jn of the meteor- 

 ology, geology, botany, and zoology (including entomology, 

 ornithology, &.C.) of the neighbourhood, and the disseminatioa 

 amongst its members of .information 0.1 natural history and 

 microscopical science. The evening meetings of the society 

 will be held (by permission) in the rooms of the Watford Public 

 Library, and during the summer months field meetings will also 

 be held. It is proposed that the annual subscription be ttn 

 shillings, without entrance fee. The names of ladies and gen- 

 tlemen willing to join the society will be received by Dr. Bre:t, 

 Watford House, by Mr. Arthur Coltam, St. John's Road, 

 Watford, and by Mr. John Ilopkinson, jun., Holly Bank, 

 Watford. It is hoped that a sufficient number of names will be 

 received within the next few days to warrant a meeting being 

 called to found the society in the course of the present month. 



The Institution of Civil Engineers seems to be one of the 

 most prosperous of our scientific societies. On its books on 

 Nov. 30, 1874, were 2,130 members; its income for the past 

 year was upwards of 10,000/., and its investments amount to 

 nearly 33,000/. 



A RARE phenomenon, says the Mnl/a Times, occun'ed in the 

 forenoon of Mond.ay, the 2 1st ult. During a strong wind from 

 the south-west, which had prevailed for two days previously, the 

 sea suddenly lose several feet and flooded the moles and roads 

 surrounding the harbours, causing four or five steamers, moored 

 between the Custom House and Calcara Rise, to snap their stern 

 hawsers like packthreads, and carrying away boats that were 

 hauled ashore in the French and other creeks. The sea iHen 

 receded as suddenly as it rose, leaving portions of the bottom of 

 the harbour exposed, upon which men and boys might be seen 

 collecting fish and other marine animals that had been left 

 aground by the retiring water. Shortly afterwards the sea 

 resumed its ordinary level. Similar phenomena have been 

 noticed occasionally during the course of many years. 



M. W. HE FoNviELLE has published a small volume, " Le 

 Metre International definitif," giving an account of the determi- 

 nation of the metre and the negotiations relating to it from 1789 

 to 1874. 



The Daily Naas of Monday has a letter from its correspon- 

 dent on board the Challtiiger, giving a few details in addition to 

 those contained in the recent Tinus' letter. From Hong Kong 

 the ship was to return to Manila and other places, as far as New- 

 Guinea, then make for Yokohama, Japan. 



There was a slight shock of earthquake at Malta on Fiiday 

 last, at I r.M. 



The additions to the Zoological .Society's Gardens during the 

 past weak include two Razor-billed Curassows (n/itiia luhcrosa) 

 and a Varrell's Curassow (O'rt.r caruiiciilnta) from .South 

 America, presented by Mrs. A. E. Nash; seven Golden Agoulis 

 {D.isyprocia agiiti), from Guiana; five Guira Cuckoos (Giiira 

 piriri.]ua) from Para; an Am [Crolop/uiga ani), two Orinoco 

 Geese {Clieiialopex jubata), two Red-tailed Guans (Orlalida ritft- 

 cauda), a Spotted Csyy (Cie'ogeiiys paca), and a Collared Peccary 

 (Docotyles tajacu), all from South America, purchased. 



THE PRESENT CONDITION OF THE ROYAL 

 SOCIETY* 



(E.xtia:lcd front the PrssidetU's Addiess at the Anniversary 

 Meeting. ) 



Committee of Papers. — The strength of the Society being 

 represented by its publications, the Committee of Papers is the 

 one whose functions are unquestionably the highest and most 

 onerous, as they are the most closely scrutinised by the Fellows 

 and tlie public. 



Every member of the Council is included in this committee, 

 which meets after .almost every Council meeting, and no part of 

 its duties is at present performed by a sub-committee. It appears 

 to me lo be very doubtful whether this arrangement, even if the 

 best, can last, owing to the greatly increased number of papers 

 now communicated and their augmenting bulk, and to the value 

 of their contents being less easily estimated as the subjects of 

 scientific research become more specialised. As it is, in the 

 majority of cases but few of the members present can judge of 

 the merits of many of the papers ; and it is not easy afcer a 

 protracted Council meeting, and one occupied with promiscuous 

 business, to fix the atteniion of a large committee upon subjects 

 with which but few members present may be familiar. It is 

 true that the committee is aided in all cases by the written 

 opinions of careful and impartial referees, . and by the special 

 attainments of our secretaries, and that it is most desirable that 

 the sometimes divergent opinions of these should be weighed by 



* Continued from p. 17S. 



