Sept. 14, 1882] 



elements as constituents of the minerals found. For example, 

 among the rare earths, glucina, zirconia, &c, lithium occurs in 

 our lithia micas, and spodumene containing from 5 to S per 

 cent, of lithia, occurs by the ton in at least one locality. Among 

 rare metals which form metallic acids, columbium, the first 

 metal new to science discovered in America, is found from Maine 

 to Georgia. Many other examples were given, including the 

 rare metal tellurium, which is found in Colorado in one locality, 

 where masses of twenty-five pounds have been taken out. \U 

 only a small portion of the United States has been thoroughly 

 explored, and we are far behind Europe in the variety of 

 minerals obtained from our mines. If trained mineralogists 

 would oftener go into the field, and if wealthy amateurs 

 would aid in exploring American localities as freely as they 

 engige in importing costly specimens from Europe, they would 

 <lo much to foster science. In the afternoon of Wednesday the 

 introductory addresses were given by beads of the nine sections 

 into which of late the Association has been divided. The 

 address in the Mathematical and Astronomical Section was read 

 for its author, Prof. Harkness, of the Naval Observatory, on the 

 Transits of Venus. It was an historical and, to a moderate 

 extent, a critical review of what has been hitherto done in the 

 observations of such transits, with particular reference to the 

 results attained in 1874 and to those which are to be expected in 

 1882. Dr. II. C. Bolton, of Trinity College, gave a review of 

 the recent work of the Chemical Section, and then took for his 

 (heme the history of chemical literature, especially in its early 

 aspects. In physics the speaker was Prof. Mendenhall, of 

 Columbus, O., who was formerly in Japan, and he made an 

 address on the methods to be pursued in teaching physics in 

 colleges. Prof. W. P. Trowbridge, of Columbia College, in 

 the Section of Mechanics, made a strong plea for the promoti in 

 of experiments in mechanics, in close connection with theoretical 

 studies. lie dwelt upon the extraordinary demands now made 

 by the public on engineers, and gave many illustrations of what 

 experiment has done, and instances of what it may do in the 

 future, to determine problems of profound importance In the 

 Mi .logical Sec ion, Dr. W. H. Dall, of Washington, gne an 

 account of what has been accomplished in this country towards 

 a knowledge of the biology of the molluscs. In the related 

 Section of Histology and Microscopy Prof. Tuttle, of Columbus, 

 O., questioned the propriety of a special microscopical section, 

 ami in the section last to be named, the Anthropological, a paper 

 by Dr. Daniel Wilson, of Montreal, was read on some of the 

 physical characteristics of certain native tribes in Canada. In 

 the Physical Section the mo t remarkable paper was that of 

 Prof. Rowland, describing the new gratings which he has made 

 at the Johns Hopkins University for the study of the solar 

 spectrum. He exhibited the resul's obtained by these gratings 

 in photographs of the spectrum, which, it is stated, far surpass 

 any that have hitherto been made. The generous and inf.rmal 

 hospitality of Montreal received grateful recognition on all s des. 

 Excursions had been arranged to Ottowa and Quebec, private 

 houses*, were freely opened to guests ; the Local Committee 

 on one evening, Principal Dawson on another, and the Art 

 Association on a third, offered evening entertainments. Public 

 lectures were promised by Dr. Carpenter on Deep-Sea Soundings, 

 and by Prof. A. Melville Bell on Visible Speech. The number of 

 persons enrolled as in attendance was more than eight hundred. 



It is stated that the cariosities and other articles brought home 

 in the screw survey ship Alert, Capt. Maclear, now lying at 

 Sheerness, have beer securely packed, and are to be forwarded 

 to the Hydrographer's Department at the Admiralty, where they 

 will be examined, and then probably distributed among the 

 National Museu 1 s. 



On Saturday, September 9, the Members of the Essex 

 Naturalists' Field Club had a field-meeting at Grays, for the 



NA TURE 



481 



second time this seasen, for the purpose of visiting the "dene- 

 holes " in Hangman's Wood. As on the former occasion in 

 June, arrangements had been made by Messrs. Brooks, Shoo- 

 bred, and Co., of the Grays Chalk Quarries Company for the 

 descent of the party into some of the holes, of which a very 

 perfect one having six vaulted chambers was discovered, and 

 v. as surveyed by Mr. T. V. Holmes, F. G.S. An ordinary meeting 

 cf the Club was held at the hotel in the evening, and some dis- 

 CU sion as to the origin and age of these interesting prehistoric 

 excavations took place. Mr. Henry Walker, Mr. Worthington 

 Smith, and others, took part in the discussion, the president, 

 Mr. R. Meldola, in conclusion, expressing his belief that much 

 work would have to be done before the question could be in any 

 way settled, and he suggested that the investigation should be 

 taken up systematically by the Club. 



The Third Annual Cryptogamic Meeting of the Essex Field 

 Club will hi held on Saturday, September 23, in the Northern 

 Section of Epping Forest, the head-quarters for the day being 

 the "Crown Hotel," Loughton. At the evening meeting 

 paptrs on cryptogamic botany will be read, and an exhibi- 

 tion of specimens will be held. Botanists wishing to attend 

 should communicate with the Hon. Secretaries, Buckhurst 

 Hill, F..-ex. This Club is rapidly developing into one of 

 the most important local societies in the kingdom ; its Trans- 

 actions, of which part 6 is before us, have already attained for- 

 midable dimensions, and their contents are of solid value. In 

 the new number we have pipers on the " Origin and Distribution 

 of British Flora," by Prof. Boulger ; "On the Land and Fresh- 

 water Mollusca of Colchester District," by Mr. H. Laver ; 

 " The Galls of Essex," by Mr. E. A. Fitch ; " The Mammalia 

 of Essex," by Mr. H. Laver; A List of the Hymenomycetal 

 Fungi of Epping Forest, by Dr. M. C. Cooke ; besides the 

 address by the president, Mr. Meldola, Journal of Proceedings, 

 field meetings, &c. 



We have before us the Proceedings of several other local 

 societies ; in that of the Bristol Naturalists' we find papers on 

 "The Age of the W r ye," by Mr. C. Richardson; the Lepi- 

 doptera of the Bristol District, part v., by Mr. A. E. Hudd; 

 the Fungi of the same district, by Mr. C. Bucknell, besides 

 several papers on more general subjects. We are glad to meet 

 with the Transactions of the Eastbourne Natural History 

 Society in a more attractive and handy form than formerly ; 

 the number before us, for May, contains one or two papers on 

 local subjects, though most of them are of a very general 

 nature. The Report and Transactions of the Birmingham 

 Natural History and Microscopical Society contains several good 

 papers of a general character. 



In October Messrs. Longman and Co. will publish a Dic- 

 tionary of Medicine, edited by Richard Quain, M.D., F.R.S. 

 The editor has been engaged on this work for several years. He 

 has, we are informed, received the assistance of a large number 

 of the most eminent members of the medical profession, and 

 others, who have contributed articles on subjects to which they 

 have paid special attention. The work, it is stated, will furnish 

 a complete record of the present stale of medical science. It 

 will be issued in one large volume containing nearly 1900 pp. 

 medium octavo. 



Intelligence received from the Austrian circumpolar observ- 

 ing party states that the Tola cast anchor in Marimus Bay, Jan 

 Mayen, on July 13. In addition to the buildings brought in the ship, 

 tw o more were erected from drift-w< od, which was found in large 

 quantiiies. There was little snow on the island, but much ice 

 outside. The meteorological observations commenced on 

 August 15 on the Beeren Mountain, at a height of 5000 feet. 

 Two tablets stating the whereabouts of the expedition had been 

 erected, one at Eko, and the other in English Bay. The Pola 

 left Jan Mayea on August 16. 



