94 



NATURE 



[May 30, 1872 



raent of a series of papers entitled " Contributions from tlie 

 Physical Laboratory of Ilarvarit College," Trof. Trowbridije 

 has a paper on the electro-motive action of liquids separated by 

 membranes. — Prof. M.irsh describes, under the name of //i-j/iv w • 

 tiis ri-;;alis, his exceedingly interesting gigantic fossil swimming 

 bird discovered in the cretaceous strata, which lie considers to 

 belong to the Palmipedes, and to be most nearly allied to the 

 Columbida?, but dilTering widely in many respects from that 

 group and from all other known birds, recent and e.vtinct. Both 

 in this and the previous number are the usual interesting para- 

 graphs of information arranged under the various natural 

 sciences. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 



London 



Zoological Society, May 21.— Mr. R. Hudson, F.R..S, 

 vice-president, in ihe chair. The Secretary read a report on the 

 additions that had been made to the Society's menagerie during 

 the month of April, amongst which was a young female Baird's 

 tapir { Tafiriis bninit) from Nicaragiia, and a red-billed flying 

 squirrel (Ptcroviys niagnifitiis) from the Himalayas. — A letter 

 was read from Dr. G. Bennett, of Sydney, N. S. W., giving 

 particulars of the habits of a pair of Diilnnndiis strigiroslyis, 

 and of other birds living in the Botanic Gardens at Sydney. Dr. 

 Bennett also mentioned that a pair of the red-billed curassow 

 (Ow.v lanim-i(ldht) had built a nest in one of the trees in the 

 same gardens, and had hatched out two young birds, which at 

 the time he wrote were doing well. — Sir Victor Brooke, Bart , 

 read a paper on the royal antelope and allied species of the genus 

 AhiiiolrngHS. — Mr. A. H. Garrod read some notes on the an- 

 atomy of the Huia bird (Ildcralochn goiiUi) as observed in a 

 specimen that had lately died in the Society's gardens, and 

 showed that this form must be referred to the family StuniiMc — 

 A communication was read from the Rev. J- E. Semper, con- 

 taining observations on the birds of St. Lucia, to which were 

 added some notes on the species fiy Mr. P. L. Sclater.— A com- 

 munication was read from Dr. J. E. Gray on the sea bear of 

 New Zealand (Antoa-phalus cincreics) and the North Australian 

 sea bear (Gypsiphoca tropkalis). — A communication was read 

 from Dr. A. Gunther, F.R.S., containing a note on Ilyla pum- 

 tata and Ilyla ylunloponis.—'iAx. V. L. Sclater read a paper on 

 the species of Quadrumana collected Ijy Mr. Buckley in Ecua- 

 dor, amongst which was a specimen o{ Aulcs fiisi'utps Gray, from 

 the western valleys of the Andes. — Dr. Murie read a paper 

 on the osteology of the Tody ( Todtts virii/is). He showed that 

 this form comes under the group of Ci>in:^VHUvp/iu- of Huxley, 

 and does not belong to the Passeres ( CWaiviiinrp/i,.-). Its nearest 

 allies are the mot-mots and kingfishers, but it must stand as a 

 group of itself ( To<lii/ic), notwithstanding which it shows some 

 osteological and other points of resemblance to fly-catchers 

 {Musicapii/(c). 



Linnean Society, May 24. — Anniversary meeting. — The fol- 

 lowing were elected Officers and Conned of the Society for the 

 ensuing year :— President, Mr. G. Bentham, F.R.S. ; Treasurer, 

 Mr. W. W. Saunders, F.R.S. ; Secretaries, Mr. F. Currey, 

 F.R.S. , and Mr. H. T. Stainton, F.R.S.; Council, Mr. A. W. 

 Bennett, Mr. R. Braithwaite, M.D., Mr. G. Busk, F.R.S., Mr. 

 J. Gwyn Jeffreys, F.R.S., Dr. J. D. Hooker, F.R.S., Mr. M. 

 A. Lawson, Mr. H. Lee, Mr. R. McLachlan, Mr. J. Miers, 

 F.R.S., Mr. D. Oliver, F.R.S., and Rev. Thos. Wiltshire. 



Photographic Society, M.ay 14-— Mr. JamesGlaisher, F. R.S., 

 president, in the chair.— .\ paper " On Photographi; Pictures "was 

 read by John Hubbard, in which the m.anner of elaborating his 

 photographic studies w.as gone into at some length. His entire 

 method of operating was described, which, however, differed 

 little from that in ordinary use. — Lord Lindsay exhibited a series 

 of transparent pictures of the last eclipse, five positives fiom 

 every negative being shown, so as to afford an exceedingly clear 

 representation of the phenomenon. — Major Tennant, R.E., also 

 forwarded a series of eclipse pictures for exhibition to the 

 members. 



Bristol 



Observing Astronomical Society. — Sun. — Mr. T. \V. 

 Backhouse writes that " there was a fine group of solar spots in 

 the sun's northern hemisphere last month. On the 24th at 5'' 

 there was a largish spot at the preceding end of the group, which 

 on the 23rd, at 3'', either was small or did not exist at all. ( in 



the 26th, about 4'', its penumbra was 51,500 miles long, and its 

 umbra 28,000, but it never became such a conspicuous uniljraas 

 the one which had all along been tlie largest in the group. 

 On the 2Sth, at 4'' 15'", the penumbr.e of the two were 

 united, and 88,500 miles long, while at 20'' I found the 

 penumbra to be 92,000 miles in length. It was then so close 

 to the limb that I could not measure it accm-ately, the height 

 being extremely foreshortened." — Jiipilcr. — Mr. H. W. Mollis, 

 of Newcastle, Staffordshire, reports that on January 14, 

 9'', the disc of the planet appeared very sharp, and he counted 

 twenty-two different bands of colour. "Those visible in the 

 equatorial parts of a beautiful, delicate, pinky brown. I ara 

 certain that the belts are visible up to the very edges of the disc, 

 but there is an apparent increase of brighlness for a considerable 

 distance round the edge of the planet — probably an effect of con- 

 trast — which obliterates the extremities of the belts, unless care- 

 fully looked for. Several well-marked and beautifully-defined 

 irregularities in the belts showed the rotation most clearly even 

 in half an hour's watching. Jan. 23, S'' 15™. — .Satellite I. just 

 entered on disc of Jupiter, and appears as an intensely white 

 spot. 9I' 20'". — Shadow of I. on centre of disc, black, and 

 sharply circular; the satellite itself cannot be seen." Mr. 

 T. W. Backhouse, of Sunderland, observed the transit of 

 Satellite I. on Jan. 14. At 13'^ 54™ it "appeared as a famt 

 white spot." On Feb. 3, 6'' 7™, he examined Satellite HI., 

 and its shadow when in transit. The satellite itself was, at the 

 time mentioned, nearly half across Jupiter, on a darkish belt. 

 " It is nmch darker than the darkest part of the planet." At 

 /•' 30'" it was " still very plain, but only the same shade as the 

 darkest part of Jupiter. It was smaller than its shadow, which 

 was very black." 7". Coroiuc BoraiUs. — Mr. T. W. Backhouse 

 says: — " A change has taken place in this star. On its fading 

 the second time it became stationary in brightness about the 

 middle of the year 1S67, since which time, up the beginning of this 

 year, it continued the same, but with frequent slight fluctuations, 

 which however ceased, so far as I could judge, at the end of 1869. 

 I have suspected lluctuations since iSfiQ, but they were doubtful. 

 On January 14 this year I looked at the star and found it about 

 its usual brightness, or perhaps a little fainter, but certainly not 

 fainter than it had been at times previously. I did not look at it 

 again till Jlarch 5, when I found it much fainter than I ever saw 

 it before, perhaps half a magnitude less than usual, and it was 

 the same on the following day. " iVdiila in the Pldades. — Mr. H, 

 W. Hollis has looked for this nebula with his 8 in. achromatic, 

 but cannot find it. He sajs; — "There is something peculiar 

 about all the brighter stars of this group, which for months past 

 have appeared to me as if surrounded with nebulous light. Can 

 the nelmla have been distributed amongst them?" Meteors. — 

 The Rev. S. J. Johnson, of Crediton, witnessed the appearance 

 of "a splendid meteor at 7'' 37™ April 6. Its course was in a 

 straight line downwards from about 15° above the N. W. horizon 

 to about 5". Colour, white with a greenish tinge. Duration, 

 about 5". .Seen against a dark sky, this meteor would have 

 equalled, if not exceeded, the brightness of Venus or Jupiter. I 

 was looking for Mercury at the time." On April 19, ii'> 10™, 

 Mr. William 1''. Denning, of Bristol, saw a brilliant meteor. It 

 passed slowly down the N. N. E. sky. It was starlike in appear- 

 ance, and left no train of liglit. Miciiiy. — The Rev. S. J. 

 Johnson observed Mercury both with the naked eye .and telescope 

 on the evenings of March 25 and April 5. A power of 100 on a 

 small telescope brought out the phase. 



Camuridce 



Philosophical Society, April 29. — Mr. P.iley, "On cer- 

 tain effects of Light on Portland Stone." The au'.hor :aid 

 that he doubted from the mode in which this occurred 

 whether the blackness of stone seen in towns was due simply to 

 smoke ; the black scraped from the stone was unaffected by soap 

 or solution of soda, and presented under the microscope an 

 appearance quite different from that of ordinary soot. — By Prof. 

 Miller, "On Faye's method of comparing Metres a Trails, and 

 an improvement of it suggested by Prof Miller." — By Mr. 

 Bonney, "On certain lithodomous ]>urrows in the Carboni- 

 ferous Limestone of Derbyshire." The author said that doubt"! 

 having been thrown upon the accuracy of his statement of the 

 occurrence of these burrows in Miller's Dale, he had again visited 

 the spot, had found his description correct, and had discovered 

 a large number of these burrows in Miller's Dale and in Tides- 

 well Dale. From the positions in which he found them, he vts 

 more than ever convinced they were the work of Helices. 



