468 
NATURE 
[March 3, 1870 
kindly placed at his disposal for the purpose. This balloon 
could ascend to the height of 200 feet on a calin day ; its rate of 
ascension could be regulated at will; it could be kept stationary 
at any elevation, and experiments could be repeated several 
times in the day. From these results the author considered it 
to be evident that observations, even up to 50 feet, give more 
information than could be obtained by the use of either a free or 
captive balloon, as to the temperature and humidity of the air at 
moderate elevations. If carried through an entire year, this 
would give the seasonal as well as diurnal changes ; such experi- 
ments are in progress at present, and several months’ observa- 
tions have already been made, the results of which will be placed 
before the Society at a future time. —‘‘ Rainfall at Jerusalem during 
the Rainy Season of 1868-69.” Dr. T. Chaplin, 
MANCHESTER 
Literary and Philosophical Society, February 8.—Mr. J. 
P. Joule, president, in the chair. Mr. Binney, referring to his 
previous notice of stray boulders without traces of clay, high 
up the western slopes of the Pennine chain, about 1,090 feet 
above the level of the sea, said that Mr. A. H. Green and his 
colleagues had stated, in their valuable memoir on the carbo- 
niferous limestone, yoredale rocks, and millstone grit of North 
Derbyshire and adjoining parts of Yorkshire, just published by 
the Geological Survey, that they believed the eastern plain from 
Sheffield through Chesterfield down to Belper, to be in the 
main free from drift. Mr. Binney had often searched for boulders 
in the neighbourhood of Chesterfield. The only foreign rock 
which he met with in that district was a large block of green- 
stone several hundred pounds in weight, above the valley of 
the Hipper near Spring Bank and below the waterworks station, 
Chesterfield. The stone was well rounded and polished. He 
mentioned the fact to direct the attention of observers to this 
subject on both the eastern ‘and western slopes of the Pennine 
chain. Probably they have only to be more diligently sought 
for in order to be found in greater abundance. 
**On Convertent Functions.” By Sir James Cockle. This was 
a supplement to the author’s paper ‘‘On conyertent functions.” 
The convertent equation (3) contains in substance only one dis- 
posable arbitrary, and the sign of summation = does not 
increase, and may be expunged from it without diminishing, its 
generality. Consequently the process would fail to convert the 
Boolian integral for the cubic and lead only to illusory results. 
But a recognition of this failure had led him to another form of 
convertent equation. And first, if to the several dexters of (2) 
and (3) we add a term #, then the conversion will be possible, 
even though % be not a perfect differential co-efficient, provided 
only that /Aau be assignable within the limits of the integration. 
Mr. Spence repeated the experiment he had made at the 
Exeter meeting of the British Association, showing that the 
temperature of saturated saline solutions could be raised to 
their boiling points by merely passing them through ordinary 
steam at a temperature of 212°. Thus, a solution of chloride of 
sodium was raised to a temperature of 221°, and one of chloride 
of calcium to 248°. 
**On the Natural Ropes used in packing Cotton Bales in the 
Brazils.” By Mr. Charles Bailey. Most of the cotton bales 
which reach this country from the Brazils are corded with the 
long stems of climbing plants growing in profusion in the forests 
bordering on the cotton districts. In their fresh state these 
stems are exceedingly pliant and of remarkable strength, so that 
they serve admirably for cordage purposes, but by the time that 
the cotton reaches the mills of Lancashire they become dry and 
rigid, and as no further use can be made of them, they are burned 
for frewood. Being very long, they are very troublesome to put 
on the boiler fires, and most millowners are glad to get rid of 
them. These objects are invested with singular interest when 
examined in regard to their structure, for aithough the external 
form of many of them is extremely curious, their chief interest 
centres in their remarkable internal organisation. Although they 
reach this country in immense quantities, they are not often to be 
met with in our museums or colleges, and the names of the 
plants which produce them are for the most part unknown. The 
Lignoniacee stands pre-eminent as the natural order most largely 
used for supplying lianas for packing purposes, both as regards 
the quantity of ropes, and the largest number of species. 
Malpighiacee, Sapindacee, Leguminose, Aristolochiacee, and 
Anmipelidee also yield these ropes. There are many other species 
found amongst these ropes which belong to other natural orders, 
such as the Menispermacee, Gnetacee, Asclepiadacee, &c., but 
our knowledge of them is too limited to assign them to their 
respective orders. Most of the author’s specimens have come 
from bales of Santos cotton. The whole of these lianas furnish 
beautiful objects for the microscope.—Mr. Forrest suggested that 
useful dyes might be obtained from the plants described by Mr. 
Bailey.—In reply to a question from the Rey. Brooke Herford, 
Mr. Bailey stated that owing to a difference in the structure and 
general appearance of some of the stems in his possession, he had 
been led to suspect that they were aérial roots of some of the 
plants he had exhibited and described. 
CAMBRIDGE 
Philosophical Society, February 21.—The following papers 
were read :—‘‘ The antiquity of some of our familiar agricultural 
terms.” By Mr. Paley (St. John’s). After some general remarks 
upon the English language, and the fact that agricultural life was 
peculiarly favourable to the preservation of old words, Mr. Paley 
called attention to the fact that while in our language the generic 
names of animals are usually of Saxon origin, the words denoting 
their application are usually of classic origin. Words which are 
not generic, but particular and descriptive, are also generally of 
classic origin. He then proceeded to discuss the derivation of a 
large number of familiar agricultural terms in illustration of the 
above remarks. —‘‘ Proof that every rational equation has a root,” 
and ‘‘ The space theory of matter,” both by Mr. Clifford (Trinity.) 
GLAscow 
Natural History Society of Glasgow, January 25.— 
Prof. John Young, president, in the chair, ‘‘On the claims of 
Natural History as a branch of education” By J. W. Allan. 
The author advocated the teaching of zoology and other 
branches of natural history in schools, also that zoology should 
occupy a more important place in the curriculum in all univer- 
sities. At its close Prof. Young made some remarks bearing on 
the different aspects of the question.—‘‘ On the introduction of 
the wild turkey (JZ/leagris Gallopavo) into Argyleshire.” By John 
Gilmour. The author of this paper mentioned having received 
three specimens of this beautiful bird—a male and two females— 
from the southern extremity of Lake Huron, in Canada, in the 
summer of 1866, since which time various broods had been suc- 
cessfully reared in the neighbourhood of Ardlamont, where the 
birds had been allowed their full liberty in the woods. Mr. Gil- 
mour concluded his paper with a description of the wild bird as 
compared with domestic breeds, remarking that it possessed 
greater symmetry with a more compact form, standing higher on 
its legs, and exhibiting other characters more like those of a 
game bird than one of the gallinaceous order. Mr. Gray men- 
tioned that there are now supposed to be three different species 
of ALleagris besides the AZ. ocellata of Honduras and other parts 
of Central America, namely, JZ. Americanus, which is probably 
peculiar to the eastern half of North America ; AZ, AZexicana of 
Gould, a species belonging to Mexico and extending along the 
table lands to the Rocky Mountains, the Gila and the Llano 
Estacado ; also the AZ. Gallopavo of Linnzus, or domesticated 
bird. This last species was perhaps originally indigenous to 
one or more of the West India Islands, whence it was taken in a 
tamed state to various parts of North America, and thence to 
Europe about the year 1520. The domesticated bird differs 
from the nearly allied wild species in having a largely-developed 
dewlap extending from the base of the under mandible down the 
fore part of the neck to its base, and it cannot yet be said to be 
asettled question as to the precise original stock from which the 
valuable barn-yard breeds have descended.—‘‘ Notes cn the 
genera of extinct fossil shells—dellerophon and forcellia ; their 
classification amongst the mollusca, and their distribution in the 
silurian and carboniferous strata of the west of Scotland.” By John 
Young. Mr. Young stated that at one time this interesting group 
of shells had been placed by paleontologists among the cephalo- 
pods, the highest division of the mollusca, and regarded as fossil 
representatives of the recent a7gorautide, which possess a sym- 
metrically coiled shell as in de/lerophon and forcellia, but, like 
them, not chambered as in the genus vaztilus. In the more 
recent classification of the mollusca, dellerophons and porcellia are 
now placed amongst the gasteropods, and in that division termed 
the seucleobranchiata, which consist of entirely pelagic animals, 
some haying shells, others none, and, according to Woodward, 
swimming at the surface instead of creeping on the bed of the 
sea. Prof, Owen believes, however, that it can scarcely be in- 
sisted all were necessarily floaters on account of their organisa- 
tion. In recent seas the extinct genera are represented by the 
