70 



NA TURE 



\Nov. 19, 1885 



will not be set on Vegetable Palajontology or the Geographical 

 Distribution of Plants. 



In Zoology and Comparative Anatomy minor details will not 

 be included in the questions relating to classification. Geo- 

 graphical distribution of animals is held to be a part of Zoology, 

 and Comparative Anatomy includes the structure of extinct as 

 well as of recent forms. 



Human Anatomy will include the mechanism of the human 

 body, the comparison of its parts with those of lower animals, 

 its development, c&c. ; but the questions will be of a simple and 

 elementary character. 



In Physiology the questions will be of a comparatively ele- 

 mentary character. 



A practical examination will be held in each of the above 

 subjects. 



SCIENTIFIC SERIALS 

 VirhawUungen dcr S(hwdz:rischen Nalurforschenden Gcsell- 

 schaft ill Zurich, August 7-9, 1S83.— We note here the opening 

 address by Prof. Cramer, on unicellular fungi. 



Verhandluns:en dcr Nalui-Jtistorischm Vcreines der prtusdschin 

 Rheiulandt; Weslfalens, itnd der Ke!:-Be^irks Osndriick, 42nd 

 year, first half, 1885.— The greensand of Aacken and its mollus- 

 can fauna, byj. Bbhm.— The forest vegetation of the outer North- 

 western Himalaya, by D. Erandis.— On Devonian Aviculacea\ 

 by O. Follmann.- The biology of water plants, by H. Schenck. 

 Nouvmux Manoires de la Sociili Helvdiqiie des Scienca 

 Naturdles, vol. xxix. part i, 1884.— Geological sections of the 

 Tunnels of Doubs, by M. Mathay.— On the nisal flora of 

 Switzerland, by M. Heer. Fossil woods from Greenland, by 

 M. Beust. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 

 London 

 Mathematical Society, November 12.— J. W. L. Glaisher, 

 F.R.S., President, in the chair.— Mr. L. J. Rogers, Balliol 

 College, Oxford, was elected a member. — The following gentle- 

 men were elected to form the O^uncil for the ensuing Session :— 

 President: J- W. L. Glaisher, F.R.S. ; Vice-Presidents- 

 Dr. O. M. Henrici, F.R.S., Prof. .Sylvester, F.R.S., J. J. 

 Walker, F.R.S. ; Treasurer: A. B. Kempe, F.R. S. ; Secre- 

 taries : M. Jenkins, R. Tucker ; other Members of the Council • 

 Prof. Cayley, F.R.S., Sir J. Cockle, Knt., F.R.S., E. B. 

 Elliott, A. G. Greenhill, J. Hammond, H. Hart, C. Leudesdorf, 

 Capt. P. A. Macm.ahon, R.A., Samuel Roberts, F.R.S.— The 

 following communications were made :— On waves propagated 

 along the plane surface of an elastic solid, by Lord Rayleigh, 

 F.R.S.— On the application of Cliftbrd's graphs to ordinaiy 

 binary quantics, by A. B. Kempe, F.R.S. (Messrs. Hammond 

 and Macmahon put questions to the author).— On Clifford's 

 theory of graphs, by A. Buchheim.— On unicursal curves, by 

 R. A. Roberts. — On some consequences of the transformation 

 f DtnnUa y = iin{L + .4 + B + C +. - ), by J. Griffiths. 



Linnean Society, November 5.— Sir John Lubbock, Bart 

 President, in the chair.— Mr. T. Christy exhibited orchids of 

 the genus Catasctum, showing that owing to the plants havinc 

 been moved, the flower in botli instances had become mab 

 formed.— Mr. E. A. Heath showed a golden eagle in its cha- 

 racteristic plumage of the second year.— Mr. J. Carter exhibited 

 a collection of seeds, lately introduced, remarkable for their 

 peculiarities as specimens under the microscope.— There was 

 shown for the Baron von Mueller a collection of skeleton leaves 

 of species of Eucalyptus, prepared by Mrs. Lewellin of Mel- 

 bourne. These confirm Baron von Mueller's observations as to 

 definite layers, and the relation of these to the skeletonising 

 process.^ The leaves in decaying pioduce no bad odour. Von 

 Mueller's observations do not suijport M. Riviere's statement 

 that the bamboo is as good as eucalypts to subdue malaria ; the 

 former dry up, but do not exhale volatile oil as do the latter, 

 and the eucalypts moreover absorb moisture as quickly as 

 Willows, Poplars, and Bamboos.— Dr. Ondaatje showed 

 examples of walking-slicks from Ceylon palms, viz. the Kittool 

 Palm {Cayo/a urens), the Areca and Cocoa-nut. — Mr. J. G. 

 Baker made remarks on an exhibition by Mr. Thiselton Dyer 

 of Darwin's potato (Solaman nwglia), grown at Kew, the 

 weight of twelve tubers being 28 oz. ; also the "papa de Oso," 



Bear's potato {S. iuherosum, var.), grown out of doors from 

 tubers received from Dr. Ernst of Caracas, who obtained them 

 from Merida, where they are found wild.— Then followed a 

 jiaper, viz. contributions to the flora of the Peruvian Andes, 

 \\ith remarks on the history and origin of the Andean flora, by 

 Mr. John Ball. In this paper the author says that his state- 

 ments chiefly refer to the western slope of the Cordilleras. 

 From the collections made and other data, so far, therefore, a 

 this region of Peru is concerned, it may confidently be averre 

 that the limit of Alpine vegetation has been placed by previous 

 writers on the subject far too low. In the present instance 

 there can be no serious error as to heights, seeing these are 

 based on those of the railway engineers. The explanation of 

 this relatively high extension of the temperate flora depends on 

 the peculiar climatical conditions. Rain occurs but sparingly, 

 the nights are cold, hut frost scarcely known ; whereas in the 

 plateau region eastward storms, heavy snow, and frosts are frequent 

 The vegetation of the region visited Mr. Ball divides into a sub- 

 tropical dry zone from coast to 8000 feet, a temperate zone reach- 

 ing to 12,500 feet, and an .Alpine zone upwards to 17,000 feet, 

 above the sea-level. As regards the proportion in which the 

 natural families of plants are represented in the Andean flora, 

 the CompositDS amount to nearly one-fourth of the whole species, 

 the grasses equal one-eighth, the Scrophularineae supply five per 

 cent., while Crucifera;, Caryophylle^e, and Leguniinosa; each arc 

 represented by about one-thirtieth of the whole. The Cypeiace;t 

 are conspicuous by their absence ; a remarkable feature is the 

 presence of four Crassulacefe. If we take the proportions of tlu 

 endemic genera and sjiecies as criteria, tlien, as far as material 

 admit, the Andean flora appears to be one of the most distinci 

 existing in the world. Mr. Ball agrees with those who think it 

 probable that the south polar lands constitute a great archipelago 

 of islands. To this region in question he is inclined to refer the 

 origin of the Antarctic types of the South American flora. — 

 The first part of an exhaustive monograph on recent Brachio- 

 poda, by the late Dr. Thos. Davidson, was read by the Secretary. 

 In this part of his contribution the author reviews the labours 

 of his predecessors in the field, with regard to the shell, to 

 the anatomy of the adult, and to the embryology. As regard^ 

 the perplexing question of affinities he remarks : — " Now, 

 although I do not admit the Brachiopoda to be worms, they 

 may, as well as the MoUusca and some other groups of inverte- 

 brates, have originally diverged from an ancestral vermiform 

 stem, such as the remarkable worm-like mollusk Neoiiieiiia would 

 denote." He lays stress on the brachiopodous individual being 

 the product of a single ovum, and not giving rise to others by 

 gemmation. He considers that the shell, the pallial lobes, the 

 intestine, the nerves, and the atrial system, afford characters 

 amply sufficient to define the cla=s. The greatest depth at which 

 a living species has been found alive has been 2990 fathoms. 

 As to classification, he groups the recent species into two great 

 divisions :— (i) Anthropomata (Owen) = Clistenterata (King), 

 (2) Lypomata (Owen) = Tretenterata (King). The Anthropo- 

 mata he groups in 3 families : — 1st Fam. Terebratulacese, with 7 

 sub-families and 13 genera and sub-genera, 70 species, and 21 

 uncertain species. 2nd Fam. Thecideidae, with I genus and 

 2 species. 3rd Fam. Rhynchonellida?, i genus, i sub-genus, 

 and 8 species. The Lypomata he also groups into 3 families, 5 

 genera and sub-genera, 23 species, and 7 uncertain species : — 

 1st Fam. Craniidas, with i genus and 4 species. 2nd Fam. 

 Discinid^, with i genus, i sub-genus, and 8 species. 3rd Fam. 

 Lingulida?, with i genus and i sub-genus, and 1 1 species. He 

 does not concur with M. Delongchamps' scheme (1S84) of 

 classifying the Terebratulina, bringing forward Mr. Dall's ob- 

 servations on IValdhcimia floridana, of delicate spiculae in the 

 floor of the great sinuses as telling evidence against the aiTange- 

 ment. Dr. Davidson then proceeds to treat of the various 

 genera and species, adding remarks in detail on the Terebratu- 

 lacete from his standpoint, and throughout gives copious descri])- 

 tions and observations on each. 



Royal Microscopical Society, October 14.— The Rev. Dr. 

 Dallinger, F.R.S., President, in the chair. — Mr. Crisp exhibited 

 D'Arsonval's water microscope, a suggestion for improving the 

 means of focusing. The body-tube of this extraordinary instru- 

 ment contained a glass cylinder which was connected by an 

 india-rubber tube with a syringe. On turning the handle of the 

 syringe water was forced into the cylinder, and the focus was 

 altered according as more or less water was jnimped in. Of 

 course, an alteration of focus did result from the operation, but the 

 arrangement destroyed the correction of the objective, and wa' 



