204 



NATURE 



[August io, 191 i 



In each division the stems with the same number, (i), 

 (2), (3), are at first sight practically indistinguishable, but 

 i( will be seen that the medullation in the biseriate division 

 is geologically later than in the quadriseriate. — W. G. 

 Robson : Laboratory note on a simple method of finding 

 the radius of gyration of a body. When a body is 

 suspended symmetrically by a bifilar suspension, its 

 moment of inertia about the vertical axis through its centre 

 of mass can be expressed very simply in terms of the 

 period of oscillation about that axis and the period of 

 oscillation as a pendulum in the plane perpendicular to 

 the bifilar. 



New South Wales. 



Linnean Society, May 31. — Mr. VV. W. Froggatt, 

 president, in the chair. — Prof. T. D. A. Cockerell : 1 he 

 bees of the Solomon Islands. Only one species of bee 

 1 Womada psilocera) had been recorded from the Solomon 

 Islands up to the end of last year. Mr. Froggatt 's collec- 

 tion, obtained in 1909, comprised representatives of fifteen 

 undescribed species, referable to the genera Meroglossa, 

 Halictus, Nomia, Crocisa, Anthophora, Ccelioxys, Mega- 

 chile, and Trigona. The Solomon Islands evidently possess 

 a strong Indo-Malayan element; but Mr. Froggatt's collec- 

 tion brings out the fact that there is also an Australian 

 element, the striking representative of which is Meroglossa, 

 now for the first time recorded from outside Australia. — 

 H. J. Carter : Revision of Pterohelaeus (continued) and 

 of Saragus, with descriptions of new species of Australian 

 Tenebrionidae. The tabulation of the described species of 

 Pterohekeus is continued, together with descriptions of 

 five new species, bringing the total up to eighty-two. A 

 tabulation of the species Saragus is also given, and descrip- 

 tions of five new species, increasing the total to fifty-five. 

 Sixteen new species of other groups of the Tenebrionidae 

 are described, including two for which new genera are 

 proposed. — E. Meyrick : Revision of Australian Tortricina 

 (concluded). The concluding portion of the revision deals 

 with the two families Eucosmidaj (19 genera, 149 spei ii 1 

 and Chlidanotidae (2 genera, 3 species). The former is 

 largely developed throughout the northern hemisphere, but 

 is less conspicuous in Africa and South America, whilst 

 in Australia and New Zealand it is inferior in numbers to 

 the Tortricidas. The real extent of its inferiority is, how- 

 ever, partially disguised by the number of species of Indo- 

 Malayan type (especially in the genus Argyroploce) which 

 have penetrated into Queensland. The family Chlidano- 

 tidae is a curious one, comprising at present only a few 

 small genera of Indo-Malayan origin. 



June 28. — Mr. W. W. Froggatt, president, in the chair. 

 — Dr. T. II. Johnston and L. Harrison : Notes on some 

 mallophagan generic names. — T. Steel : The fertilisation 

 of Pittosporum undulatum, Andr. The previously observed 

 occurrence of two kinds of flowers borne on separate trees 

 is confirmed, the one kind being male and the other 

 female. The former are characterised by the conspicuous 

 stamens, which are aborted and inconspicuous in the latter. 

 Occasionally ripe seed-vessels containing fertile seeds havi 

 noticed on staminiferous trees, and the flowers from 

 which these were derived have been traced. These flowers 

 were found to have shortened barren stamens, the anthers 

 being shrivelled and non-dehiscent. In no case were 

 staminiferous flowers found on female trees. — E. 0. Grey : 

 Contribution to a knowledge of the chemistry of blood. 

 No. 1. Globin sulphate and globin from ' ox blood. 



(1) 100 c.c. of ox blood yields 1679 grams ,,1 

 sulphate, which is equivalent to 1543 grams of globin. 



(2) The globin from ox blood is more basic than that from 

 the fuemoglobin of the horse. (3) Thr- sulphate ol globin 

 precipitated from solutions containing varying concentra- 

 tions of sulphuric acid is ol constant composition, coi 



ing 8-o8 per cent, sulphuric acid. (4) The percentagi ol 

 nitrogen found in the globin ulpl . from which 



the calculated percentage of nitrogen in the globin from 

 theblood of the ox is 16-03 Per cent. (5) The globin pr< 

 cipitatr-d by trichloracetic acid was found to contain 0-1; 

 per cent, sulphur.— Dr. R. Broom: Thr affiniti 

 Casnolestes (Marsupialia). Thomas regarded this South 

 American form as a diprotodont, not closely allied to 

 of the living forms, but more nearly r< lated to the e 

 marsupials of Australia (ban to those of America. M 



NO. 2l8o, VOL. 87] 



Dederer, Gregory, and Sinclair, while agreeing that 

 Caenolestes should not be placed in the Diprotodontia, 

 prefer to relegate it to a distinct suborder, the Pauci- 

 tuberculata. After reviewing the evidence, the author con- 

 cludes that as Caenolestes differs from the typical poly- 

 protodonts only in tooth-specialisation, it should not be 

 removed from the Polyprotodonlia, but merely be made the 

 type of a distinct family, or section at most. — P. 

 Cameron : A collection of parasitic Hymenoptera (chiefly 

 bred) made by Mr. W. \V. Froggatt in New South Wales, 

 with descriptions of new genera and species. Part i. 

 Seventeen species, referable to the families Chalcididae, 

 Braconida;, Evaniida:, and Ichneumonida?, are described as 

 new. 



CONTENTS. page 



Gymnosperms. By D. H. S 171 



The Evolution of Our Islands. By G. A. J. C. . . . 172 



Technical Thermodynamics . . 173 



The Sources of Educational Theory. By T.P.N. . 174 



Speculative Cosmogony 175 



British Lichen Flora. By O. V. D 175 



Modern Cuba . . 176 



New Text-books of Chemistry. By J. B.C. ... 177 



Our Book Shelf 178 



Letters to the Editor: — 



The " Stomatrgraph." — W. Lawrence Balls . . . 180 

 Photograph of Multiple Lightning Flash. (Illus- 

 trated.)— A. E. Walby 180 

 The Rearing of Sea Urchins.— Prof. E. W.MacBride, 



F.R.S. ' 1S0 



Flight, Natural and Artificial. Bv Lord Rayleigh, 



O.M., F.R S 1S1 



Some Scientific Centres. No. XVI.— Prof. Weis- 

 mann's Zoological Institute at Freiburg-im- 



Breisgau. (Illustrated.) By W. D. H. . . I S3 



Prehistoric South Africa. (Illustrated.) ByJ.W. G. 1S3 

 The Advisory Work of an Agricultural College. 



(Illustrated.) iS 4 



A Jungle Folk. (Illustrated.) Bv Dr. A. C. Haddon, 



F.R.S ■ . . .' 1S5 



The Coast Erosion Commission ... 



Seasonal Variations of Marine Organisms. By 



Dr. Wm. J. Dakm 



Notes 



Our Astronomical Column: — 



Rediscovery of Encke's Comet, iqiiu' 



Stellar Parallaxes 



Prominences in 1909 



The Algol System RT Persei 



Jupiter's Faint Satellites 



The Brightness of Comets 1908 III. and 19107 . . . 



Problems in Seismology 



The Migration of a Race. By Sidney H. Ray . 

 Scientific Progress in the University of Oxford 

 Advances in Reptilian Palaeontology, (lllu 



By R. L. . 



Long-distance Radio-telegraphy. By W. Duddell, 



F.R.S 



Experiments on Aerial Propellers. By Francis H. 



Bramwell 



Photography in Surveying 



Bird-Notes .... 



Ionisation and Charged Smoke Particles 



High pressure Water-power Works 



The Scientific Study of Naval Architecture in 



Germany. By Prof. O. Flamm 



University and Educational Intelligence 



Societies and Academies 



■ 87 



I So 



193 

 193 

 '93 



'93 

 193 

 193 

 194 



195 



100 



ii 6 



[98 



100 

 199 

 200 



J 1 JO 



202 

 203 



