Feb. 3, 1870 | 
NATURE 369 
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form such a characteristic feature of the island in the vicinity 
of Glen Sligachan. They rise to a height of about 3,300 feet, 
the last 4oo feet being absolutely inaccessible, owing to the 
peaked, spiry, or pinnacled structure. Thoroughly skilled 
Alpine climbers had been quite baffled by the Cuchullin moun- 
tains, unless they had gone to the ignominious extremity of 
using ladders to aid them in making the ascent. That structure 
was entirely due to the great abundance of one single mineral, 
a variety of augite known as hyfersthene, the intense hardness 
of which was owing to the presence of large quantities of oxide 
of iron and oxide of manganese (guery, silicate of iron and silicate 
of magnesia ?). While referring to the rock-features of Skye, 
Dr. Bryce remarked that of late geologists have been too 
much led away by the attractiveness of paleontology 
as a means of geological research, overlooking the superior 
claims of mineralogy. He considered that in Skye there were 
two chains of mountains—one black, in which the hypersthene 
prevails, and the other red, owing to the presence of syenite— 
and that they had come up in two, if not even in four eruptions, 
through a liassic basin, the thickness of which is probably not 
less than 1,500 feet. Besides the lias, he found gneiss, sand- 
stone, quartzite, marble, numerous whin dykes, and crystalline 
slates from 10,000 to 20,000 feet in depth. When the country 
was examined closely two syenites were found, one intrusive, 
the other disruptive. The granites and syenites of Skye were 
very closely approximated to each other, each rock shading off 
into the other. On the coasts there were beds of 6olite and 
traps, but they were difficult of examination, and indeed there 
were many points inthe geology of the island yet to be explored. 
Dr. Bryce referred to the separate examinations of Skye made 
by Sir Roderick Murchison and the late Prof. Edward Forbes, 
but he differed in opinion from some of the conclusions of those 
geologists on the geology of the West Coast, and he expressed 
himself inclined to support the crystalline schist view of Prof. 
Nicol, of Aberdeen, rather than the Silurian theory which Sir 
Roderick Murchison and Mr. Geikie had promulgated, although 
the latter was the popular theory. Dr. Young said he could not 
agree with Dr. Bryce in his remarks regarding the relative claims 
of mineralogy and paleontology in geological inquiries. He 
dissented from some of the conclusions arrived at by Dr. Bryce, 
and on other points he confessed and regretted his inability to 
understand him. Dr. Bryce briefly replied. 
Chemical Section, January 17.—Alexander Whitelaw, Esq., 
vice-president, in the chair. Two papers were read,—the 
first by Mr. J. Wallace Young, on “ Artificial Alizarine,” 
recently obtained from anthracene, one of the coal-tar products. 
In reference to the question of price, a member having much 
experience, said that manufacturers felt quite satisfied that they 
could supply artificial alizarine in large quantities, in half tons if 
it was wanted, and ata price much under that of natural alizarine 
as extracted from madder.—The other paper read was, ‘‘On 
the estimation of iodine and bromine in the mother liquors from 
saltpetre and in kelp.” By Dr. John Clark. 
BERLIN 
German Chemical Society, January 24.—I’. Riidorff showed 
a simple experiment to prove the expansion of water when 
freezing. Cylindrical bombs cast in iron, of half an inch in thick- 
ness, and measuring three inches in length, and one in diameter, 
were entirely filled with water, previously freed from air by boil- 
ing, and then closed by a tightly fitting screw. They were then 
covered by a mixture of pounded ice and common salt. In from 
ten to twenty minutes’ time they exploded with a loud report 
like that of a pistol, breaking in different directions.—Mr. 
Holbein exhibited animals, from mussels up to small mammalia, 
which had been preserved in a solution of creosote in water (one 
of creosote to twenty parts of water). This process appeared 
particularly suited to the preservation of fishes.—A. Baeyer 
spoke on a third isomeric form of hydromellithic acid, adding 
interesting considerations on the transformation of isomeric 
bodies one into the other, which will not bear abbreviation.—A. 
Horstmann reported on the yapour density of acetic acid, which 
he found to be normal at low temperatures, when the acid vapour 
was diluted with air.—Prof. Lieben (of Turin) sent in a paper 
published conjointly with Rossi on normal butylic alcohol pro- 
duced by the reduction of butyric acid.— Prof. Rose reported on 
the first diamond found in Europe. A small diamond, recog- 
nised as such by Schafarik in Prague, has lately been discovered 
in an alluvial formation in Bohemia, in which garnets, hyacinths, 
and sapphires have been found for years. 
PRAGUE 
National Museum of Bohemia, December 18, 1869.—Prof. 
Krejci continued his account of the Permian formation of the 
N.E. of Bohemia, and discussed the section of Stepanitz, near 
Paka, at Bélohrad. Three deposits are there distinguished. 
The lowest is schistose and rich in fossil fish; the next is com- 
posed of glauconitic grit, and contains trunks of auracaria 272 sid ; 
the upper is calcareous, finely laminated, full of beautiful con- 
cretions of polished stones, of chalcedony and agate, often 
arranged in rows parallel to the stratification. This is the 
original deposit of the celebrated Psaronites (silicified trunks of 
Marattiacee arborescentes. M. Krejci calls this stratum the 
Kalva beds. This simple arrangement is disturbed by numerous 
faults and discolorations, united apparently by melaphyr. M. 
Krejci believes that all the numerous portions of melaphyr in 
this neighbourhood exhibited originally only a single level ; he 
insists on the fact that in the sections frequently exposed of late 
in the course of railway operations; the melaphyr is 
intercalated conformably between the sedimentary deposits ; 
thus leading to the supposition of a metamorphic change 
of schist or phyllite into melaphyr. He allows, moreover, 
that the mountain, Grand Levin, near Horka (Falgendorf) arose 
apparently through a cleft only one to two metres wide. As 
regards the band of melaphyr and red porphyry, which, at the 
southern foot of the superb basaltic mass of Mount Kozakov, rests 
against the very sloping beds of the cretaceous series, and ex- 
tends towards Mount Jeschken for a distance of at least ten kilo- 
metres, M. Krejci prefers to the idea of an irruption, that of a 
fault into which the beds of porphyry and melaphyr have slid 
on the one side to reappear on the other. 
January 17.—M. Schafarik announced the discovery of the 
diamond in Bohemia. A note on the subject will be found in 
another page. We may add here that the Dlaschkowitz dia- 
mond has been presented by Count Schénborn to the National 
Museum of Prague.—The Royal Society of Bohemia held no 
public meetings during the month of December. 
Boston 
Society of Natural History, November 17.—The presi- 
dent in the chair. Prof. N. S. Shaler read a note on the 
occurrence of the remaias of Zurandus rangijer Gray, at Big 
Bone Lick, in Kentucky. At a previous meeting was pre- 
sented the evidence in support of the conclusion that one 
of the large mammals of North America, the buffalo, had 
recently changed its limits, and had only ranged in the Ohio 
valley within the past few centuries. The same locality supplies 
us with evidence that the caribou existed in abundance in this 
river basin at a time anterior to the coming of the buffalo, and 
probably not very long after the disappearance of the Zvlephas 
primigenius. Since the coming of civilised man into America, 
the caribou has been confined to a narrow area in the north-east 
part of the continent; it is questionable whether it has ever 
ranged during this time south of the southern limit of the State 
of Maine. The position in which these remains were found 
leaves the precise relationship in time of this species to the mam- 
moths and mastodons a little questionable. There is, however, 
little doubt in my mind that, if not in existence during the later 
part of the time of these pachyderms, it came immediately after 
them. Its bones are always found below the line of the buffalo 
and the Virginia deer. The remains of this latter species are 
found only among the most recent deposits of the swamp. The 
disappearance from this region of this eminently boreal animal 
immediately after the passing away of the ancient elephants from 
the Mississippi valley, goes to confirm the conclusion that the cli- 
matic change which closed the period of the mammoths was from 
cold to warmth, and not an alteration of the opposite character. 
Section of Entomology, November 24.—Mr. Edward Burgess 
in the chair. The following paper was presented:—‘* American 
Lepidoptera. 11. Phalenide Latr.” by Charles S. Minot. At 
the June meeting of the section, I presented a paper entitled 
“‘ American Lepidoptera, No. I.” which contained descriptions 
of four new Geometride (Phalenide Latr.), and was published 
without further introduction. I should now like to say a few 
words on the intended purport of the series. I propose that it 
shall contain any papers of a miscellaneous nature which may 
aid in completing our knowledge of the natural history of the 
Lepidoptera ; such as descriptions of new species, or of the meta- 
morphoses and lists of insects found in particular localities or 
States, with their times of appearance, and perhaps ultimately ana- 
tomical communications. The descriptions of new species will, for 
