 —s 
a ee 
Feb. 23, 1871] 
NATURE 
339 

Polyzoa, Echinoderms, Crustacea, and the smaller corals, some- 
times even better than the dredge, pick up but few shells; and 
hence our collection of Mollusca is altogether a scanty one. 
Nevertheless, many of the types we did obtain were of con- 
siderable interest. Thus at Station 45, at a depth of 207 fathoms, 
we got Zurbo Romettensis, Seguenza, MS. (Sicilian fossil) ; 
Scalaria plicosa (Sic. foss.) ; Odostomia obliguata, Vh.; Philine, 
two undescribed species ; and an interesting coral (Dendrophyllia | 
| problem may be thus stated—to find a polygon such that the 
corrigosa). 


SCIENTIFIC SERIALS 
THE Geological Magazine for January (No. 79) commences withan 
article by Mr. A. H. Green, on a subject which has lately attracted 
much attention, namely, the ‘‘ Geological Bearings of the recent 
Deep-Sea Soundings.” Mr. R. Tate contributes an article on 
the Invertebrate Fossils of the Lias, which includes a useful 
table of the known Liassic genera, showing the number of 
species in each found in Britain and on the Continent, with 
observations on the distribution of the genera, and descriptions 
of some new species. Mr. J. Clifton Ward has a paper on 
the Development of Land, illustrated by references to the 
geological history of Italy and England. In an article on the 
Transport of Wastdale Crag Blocks, Mr. Croll ascribes the 
distribution of those puzzling boulders to the action of land-ice, 
and adduces evidence in support of the opinion that the great 
ice-covering of Scotland overlapped the high grounds of the 
North of England. Mr. Hopkinson characterises a new genus 
of Graptolites, under the name of Décellograpsus ; it includes 
five species hitherto referred to Didymograpsus. 
The February number of the same journal opens with a note 
on the Diamond-fields of South Africa, by Prof. T. Rupert 
Jones, in which the author endeavours to correlate the scattered 
and scanty information that we possess on the geology of that region. 
MM. Brady and Crosskey furnish lists of fossil Ostracoda ob- 
tained from the post-tertiary deposits of various localities in 
Canada and New England, with descriptions of six new species, 
illustrated by an excellent plate. From the Rev. Osmond Fisher, 
we have some interesting notes on phenomena connected with 
denudation observed in the so-called coprolite pits near Hasling- 
fi. 11 in Cambridgeshire ; and from Mr. Woodward a note on the 
new British Cystidean, Placocystites Forbesiamus of De Koninck, 
which is identified, on the authority of Mr. B.llings, with his 
Ateleocystites. Huxleyi. The numbers also contain the usual 
notices, reviews, and smaller communications. 
OF the Wiirttembergische Naturwissenschaflliche Fahreshefte 
we have received the twenty-sixth volume, published in 1870, 
and including, besides the ordinary general notices of the Pro- 
ceedings of the Natural History Society of Wiirttemberg, some 
important papers in various departments of science. —Dr. Samuel 
Bartsch contributes a notice of the Rotifera observed by him in 
the neighbourhood of Tiibingen, which he preludes with remarks 
on theanatomy and physiology of those animals. The species 
are not described, but the genera are characterised, and the 
author contributes valuable remarks on some of them. He 
establishes two new fainilies: the Longisetze, for the genera Dis- 
temma, Rattulus, Furcularia, and Monocerca of authors, and anew 
genus, A/onommata, including Notommata tigris and longiseta ; 
and the Loricata, for the reception of Ehrenberg’s nchlanidota 
and Brachionau.—Prof. Fraas describes the progress of the 
gevlogical investigation of Wiirttemburg, and M. C. Definer, 
the very curious structure of the Buchberg, an outlier of the 
Jura, near Bopfingen.—The most important geological paper is 
a notice of the fauna of Steinheim, relating principally to the 
remains of Miocene mammals and birds from that locality. 
This fauna includes, together with numerous well-known species 
some new forms of great interest, among which may be noticed 
especially, a species of Co/obus, described by the author as 
C. grandavus ; a new generic type allied to the badgers, and de- 
scribed as Z)ochotherium cyamoides ; and species of Cheropo- 
famus and Zapirus. The fauna is considered by the author to 
have ils nearest existing representative in South-Eastern Asia 
and the great islands of the Indian Archipelago, and he regards 
the deposit as lullowing in order of time, the “* Langhian stage” 
of Carl Mayer, which includes the deposits of Weissenau, 
Oppenheim, “Radub.j, and others in Germany ; and of Arquato, 
Superga, Malta, and others in the South of Europe. This valu- 
able memoir is illusiraicd with six plates. —Prof, C. W. Baur 
reports on recent geodetic surveys made in Wiirttemberg, for the 
purpose Of a kurepean ineasurement ol a degree. 

SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 
LONDON 
Royal Society, February 9.—‘‘On the Problem of the In- 
and-Circumscrined Triangle,” by A. Cayley, F.R.S.—The pro- 
blem of the in-and-circumscribed triangle is a particular case of 
that of the in-and-circumscribed polygon; the last-mentioned 
angles are situate in and the sides touch a given curve or curves. 
And we may in the first instance inquire as to the number of 
such polygons. In the case where the curves containing the 
angles and touched by the sides respectively are all of them dis- 
tinct curves, the number of polygons is obtained very easily and 
has a simple expression ; it is equal to twice the product of the 
orders of the curves containing the several angles 1espectively 
into the product of the c/asses of the curves touched by the 
several sides respectively, or say it is equal to twice the product 
of the orders of the angle-curves into the product of the clas-es 
of the side-curves. But when several of the curves become one 
and the same curve, and in particular when the angles are all 
of them situate in and the sides all touch one and the same 
curve, it is a much more difficult problem to find the number of 
polygons. The solution of this problem when the polygon is 4 
triangle, and for all the different relations of identity between the 
different curves, is the object of the present memoir, which is 
accordingly entitled ‘On the Problem of the In-and-Circum- 
scribed Triangles ;” the methods and principles are, however, 
applicable to the case of a polygon of any number of sides, the 
method chiefly made use of being that furnished by the theory of 
correspondence. 
Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ire- 
land, February 14.—Sir John Lubbock, Bart., M.P., F.R.S., 
President, in the chair. The President stated that this was the 
firsc meeting of the ‘‘Anthropological Institute of Great Britain 
and Ireland,” since the union of the late Ethnological and 
Anthropological Societies under that name, and having vacated 
the chair in favour of Professor Huxley, proceeded to read 
a paper, ‘On the Development of Relationships.” After some 
preliminary observations on the character of the family among 
the lower races of men, and the preponderance of the 
tribal tie, Sir John proceeded to discuss the conclusions 
drawn by Mr. Morgan from the valuable schedules of relation - 
ships collected by him and published by the Smithsonian Institu- 
tion, especially with reference to his theory that the similarity 
between the Mohawk and Tamil systems indicated any Ethno- 
logical affinity between those races, a conclusion which Sir John 
was unable to accept. He ihen proceeded to show how in his 
opinion that similarity had arisen, and traced up the gradual de- 
velopment of correct ideas on the subject of relationships from 
the system of the Sandwich Islanders, which is the lowest on re- 
cord, step by step to that of the Karens ; showing that in each 
system there are points which can only be explained on the 
hypothesis of its development from a_ still ruder condition. 
He then compared these actually existing systems with those 
which would be produced by a retrogression of social customs, 
and showed that the systems of the lower races all indicate pro- 
gress, and there are no instances of the existence of such a 
system as would arise in the case of degradation. He also laid 
stress on the fact that the social system is invariably in advance 
of the nomenclature of relationships, another evidence of pro- 
gress as opposed to degradation. He showed that even in some 
European nations we have traces of earlier lower condition, and 
that therefore in the systems of relationships we have an interest- 
ing proof of the social progress of man, and the gradual deyelop- 
ment of family ties. —Mr. Hodder M. Westropp exhibited a 
Worked Flint Implement, said to have been found in a barrow, 
Ashby Down, near Ventor, Isle of Wight.—The Chairman an- 
nounced that the meetings of the Institute would, during the 
remainder of the Session, be held on Mondays, commencing on 
Monday, 6th March. 
Chemical Society, February 16.—Prof. Williamson, F.R.S., 
President, in the chair. The following gentlemen were elected 
fellows :-—W. 1). Herman, W. W Houlder, G. Lockyer, jun., 
W. J]. Lockyer. J. E. Mayer, R. Meldola, M. M. P. Muir, W. 
J. Reynolds, W. Smith, T. kK. Thorpe. The following papers 
Were read :—‘‘On the production of wood spirit,” by E. T. 
Chapman. The author began by remarking that the difficulties 
ol wbtaining correct information regarding this production are 
very great. The manufacturers are too jealous to disclose their 
