Oct. 21, 1886] 
NATURE 
611 
Monotropa.—The instalment of Mr. J. G. Baker’s synopsis of 
the Rhizocarpeze is occupied by a monograph of the forty 
species of AZarsi/ea.—The remaining articles in these and those 
in the October number are of less general interest, or are 
reprints or reports. 
Rivista Scientifico-Industriale, September 15.—Experiments 
on the electric conductivity of vapours and gases, by Prof. 
Giovanni Luvini. The important experiments here described 
have been carried out for the purpose of exposing the commonly 
accepted fallacy that moist air and gases in general are good 
conductors. Having already argued against this view in his 
recent memoir on the origin of atmospheric electricity, the author 
now clearly shows by a series of carefully conducted experiments 
that such bodies as moist air, aqueous vapour, and other gases are 
under ordinary pressure absolute non-conductors. Under pres- 
sures varying from 16° to 100° C. none of the vapours tested by 
him betrayed the least conductivity, all acting as excellent insu- 
lators. He promises to resume the subject in his work on the 
Polar auroras, to which the present essay and the memoir on the 
origin of atmospheric electricity serve as introduction. The 
conclusions so far arrived at, combined with Faraday’s memor- 
able experiments on the causes of the electricity in Armstrong’s 
hydro-electric machine, tend to show that gases and vapours are 
not even electrified by friction with themselves or with solid or 
fluid bodies. Henceforth physicists must reject, as erroneous, 
all such theories respecting the electricity of machines, of the 
air, or the clouds, as rest on the assumed conductivity of 
moist air or on the property of gases to be electrified by friction. 
It is pointed out that, were the saturated atmosphere and clouds 
really good conductors, such a phenomenon as lightning would 
be simply impossible, or at all events extremely rare.—Separa- 
tion of nickel from cobalt, by Pietro Gucci. For the new method 
here proposed and described it is claimed that it is both easier 
and much more expeditious than that of Fischer and Stromeyer, 
also that it determines the presence of the smallest particle of 
nickel in any quantity of cobalt.—New hygrometric formula and 
tables, by Prof. Paolo Cantoni. 
SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 
LONDON 
Entomological Society, October 6.—Robert McLachlan, 
F.R.S., President, in ‘the chair.—Mr. W. Bartlett Calvert, of 
Santiago, Chili, was elected a Fellow.—Mr. McLachlan exhi- 
bited a number of seeds of a Mexican species of Huphorbiacee, 
popularly known as ‘‘ jumping seeds,” recently received by him 
from the Royal Horticultural Society. He stated that these 
seeds were known to be infested with the larvae of a species of 
Tortricide, allied to the apple Zortrix. They were first noticed 
by Prof. Westwood at a meeting of the Society held on June 7, 
1858, and the moths bred therefrom were described by him 
as Carpocapsa saltitans, These seeds have since, from time to 
time, been referred to both in the United Kingdom and 
America.—Mr. Roland Trimen exhibited and read notes on 
some singular seed-like objects found in the nests of Termites, 
and also in those of true ants, in South Africa. They were 
apparently of the same species as those from the West Indies, 
described in 1833 by the Rev. L. Guilding as Margarodes 
formicarius, which was usually referred to the Cocctde. They 
were of various shades from yellowish pearly to golden and 
copper colour, and were strung together by the natives like 
beads, and used by them as necklaces.—Mr. W. F. Kirby exhi- 
bited, on behalf of Mr. John Thorpe, of Middleton, a long series 
of buff and melanic varieties of Amphidasts betularia, and read 
notes on them communicated by Mr. Thorpe.—Mr. Kirby also 
exhibited, on behalf of Mr. Nunney, a dark variety of Avgynnis 
aglaia from Caithness, and a tawny-coloured variety of Vanessa 
urtice from Bournemouth.—M. Alfred Wailly exhibited a fine 
series of Saturnias and other Bombyces, mostly bred by him, 
from South Africa; also specimens of Dirphia tarquinia, 
Attacus orizaba, Platysamia cecropia, P. ceanothi, Callosamia 
angulifera, and C. promethea, from Central America. M. 
Wailly stated that several of the large South African Saturnide 
formed no cocoons, the larve entering the earth to undergo the 
change to the pupal state. Mr. Trimen said he was able to confirm 
this statement.—The Rey. W. W. Fowler exhibited a number of 
minute Aca7z which had been doing injury to fruit trees near Lin- 
coli.—Mr. Poulton gave an account of the experiments recently 
made by him with the larvz of several species of the genus Vanessa, 
for the purpose of ascertaining the relations of pupal colour to 
that of the surface on which the larval skin was thrown off, 
which had formed the subject of a paper lately read by him 
before the British Association. He also exhibited the frame 
constructed by him for the purpose of these experiments.—Mr. 
Slater exhibited a specimen of Prtonus coriavius found in Devon- 
shire on fennel, and a specimen of Calandra palmarum from 
Pembroke Dock.—Mr. Enock exhibited AZymar pulchellus, and 
a specimen of Atypus prceus recently taken on Hampstead 
Heath.—Mr. Elisha exhibited a series of Gelechia hippophaélla, 
bred from larvze collected at Deal on Aippophaé rhamnoides,— 
—Mr. Billups exhibited Zchthrus lancifer, a species of Jchneu- 
monide new to Britain, taken at Walmer on August 15 last. 
He remarked that Brischke had bred members of this genus from 
Sesia stheciformis, S. formiceformis, and Leucania obsoleta ; but 
that in this country the genus was little known, only one species 
being mentioned in Marshall’s list of /chnewmonide.—Mr. E. A. 
Butler exhibited living specimens of Chz/acis typhe, received 
from the Rev. E. N. Bloomfield, of Guestling, Hastings ; anda 
pair of Harpalus adiscoideus, obtained in August last, near 
Chilworth, Surrey. —Mr. A. J. Rose exhibited specimens of a 
mountain form of Zycena virgaurea, recently collected by him 
in Norway.—Mr. Champion exhibited Zeratocorvis antennatus 
and Drymus pilicornis, taken near Sheerness.—Mr. W. White 
exhibited a specimen of Chelonia caja with abnormal antenne, 
and read notes on the subject.—Mr. Elisha read a paper on 
the life-history of Geometra smaragdavia.—Mr. C. O. Water- 
house communicated a paper on the tea-bugs of India and 
Java. 
SYDNEY 
Linnean Society of New South Wales, Aug. 25.—Prof. 
W. J. Stephens, M.A., F.G.S., President, in the chair.—The fol- 
lowing papers were read :—Note on Lu-alyptus leucoxylon (F. v. 
M.), by W. Woolls, Ph.D., F.L.S. In the ‘Flora Austra- 
liensis,” vol. iii., two Eucalypts previously regarded as distinct 
species (Z. Jeucoxylon, F. v. M., and £. sideroxylon, A. Cunn.) 
were united under the former name. Dr. Woolls has long 
thought that this step was a mistake, and in his paper he gives 
reasons based upon the examination of specimens of both forms, 
in favour of their specific distinctness, and of the restoration of 
Cunningham’s name to the red-flowering iron-bark of New 
South Wales, the other name being restricted to the white gum 
of Victoria and South Australia.—Contributions towards a 
knowledge of the Coleoptera of Australia, No. III., by A. 
Sidney Olliff, F.E.S. This paper contains notices of several 
new species of Mascio—a genus of Buprestida—of which two 
are named Z. munda and NV. mu’tesima. Additional localities 
for some previously known species are also given, WV. carissima 
being recorded from Sydney.—List of the Orchidex of the 
Mudgee District, by Alex. G. Hamilton. In this paper, which 
is a contribution towards a knowledge of the geographical dis- 
tribution of plants in New South Wales, fifty-seven species of 
orchids are enumerated as occurring in the Mudgee District ; 
and particulars are given concerning their habitats and the 
months during which they flower. In addition a comparison 
of the orchids of this district with those of the county of Cum- 
berland and of the other Australian colonies is also given.—On 
an undescribed species of Chilodactylus from Port Jackson, by 
E. P. Ramsay, LL.D., F.R.S.E., and J. Douglas Ogilby. 
Under the name of Chilodactylus polyacanthus, a new species of 
Morwong is described, and its affinity to C. carponemus, Cuv. 
and Val., is discu:sed.—Dr. Ramsay exhibited a number of very ~ 
rare birds from Derby, North-West Australia, recently collected 
in that district by Mr. Cairns. He particularly drew attention 
to the following :—Poephila acuticauda, Poephila mirabilis, 
Donacicola pecturalis, Emblema picta, Lstrelda annulosa, 
Estrelda ruficauda, Pecilodryas cerviniventris, Smicrornis 
flavescens, Pardalotus rubricatus, Pardalotus uropygialis, 
Malurus coronatus, Malurus cruentatus, Cacatua gymmnopis, 
Climacteris melanura, Geophaps albiventris, Astur cruentus, 
Trichoglossus rubritorquatus.—Mr. Macleay exhibited the fol- 
lowing new or rare reptiles and fishes collected by Mr. W. W. 
Froggatt in the vicinity of Cairns, Queensland :—Snakes : 
Tropidonotus picturatus, Schlegel, Dipsas baydii, Macleay, 
Hoplocephalus assimilis, Macleay, Hoplocephalus nigrostriatus, 
Krefit, Wardoa crassa, Macleay, and Dendrophis bilcrealis, 
Macleay. Lizards: Varanus ocellatus, Gray, Varanius, sp. ?, 
Hinulia, n. sp., four species of Geckotidee unknown, one with 
tail of remarkable width, and several other unknown lizards. 
| Fishes: Dudes Haswellii, Macleay, Aristeus rufescens, Macleay, 
