March 30, 1871 | 
NATURE 
£39 

the Sandwich Islands.—Mr. Wollaston communicated a paper 
on additions to the Atlantic Coleoptera, in which he recorded the 
results of recent observations, with corrections on synonymy, &c. 
He adhered to his original opinion that the Atlantic archipelagos 
were the remnants of a former continent, with a possible connec- 
tion with south-western Europe, and, in this respect, he differed 
from the views of Mr. Wallace that the islands had received 
their insect fauna by means of atmospheric agencies, thus agree- 
ing more with the theory enunciated by Mr. Andrew Murray in 
his recent essay on the geographical distribution of Coleoptera. 
A discussion ensued in which the President, Mr. Bates, and Mr. 
Murray took part; the two first-named gentlemen considering 
that the remarkable absence in the islands of reptiles and 
mammals, was an insuperable objection to the idea of a former 
Atlantic continent; Mr. Murray, on the contrary, contended 
that the great homogeneity exhibited in the fauna and flora 
could only be explained by supposing the islands to have once 
been connected by a land passage. 
Biblical Archeological Society.—The inaugural meeting, 
which was largely and influentially attended, was held on 
Tuesday, March 21, at 8.30 P.M. Dr. Birch of the British 
Museum took the chair, supported by Prof. Donaldson, Captain 
Wilson, and Messrs. Bonomi, Boyle, Drach, &c. After the 
usual preliminary business had been transacted the chairman 
delivered an opening address, enumerating the circumstances which 
had led to the formation of the Society, and stating the various ad- 
vantages offered to the scientific world by its institution, A 
concise summary was then given of the results of past and pending 
archeological investigations in Assyria, Egypt, Palestine, and 
Western Asia ; these results it was now proposed to extend and 
systematise by the labours of the Society of Biblical Archzeology, 
while the council hoped eventually to be able to undertake excava- 
tions of their own among thestill unopened tumuli of Mesopotamia. 
Prof. Donaldson moved that the inaugural address be printed, 
and made some excellent remarks upon the necessity of exercising 
great tact in further investigations, as well as great promptitude 
in securing such valuable antiquities as were likely to be destroyed 
by superstitious barbarians.—Mr. Boyle, of Lincoln’s Inn, 
seconded the resolution.—Captain Wilson, in proposing a vote 
of thanks to the chairman, expressed his pleasure in belonging to 
two societies, whose labours, though in different spheres, would 
mutually and materially assist each other.—Mr. S. M. Drach 
moved that the name of the indefatigable secretary, Mr. W. R. 
Cooper, should be added in the vote of thanks, seconded by the 
Rey. T. Gorman, and carried unanimously.—Mr. Bonomi, Rey. 
A. Mozley. and other gentlemen also addressed the meeting. —A 
list of papers to be read at future meetings, contributed by Sir 
Henry Rawlinson, Mr. H. Fox Talbot, Dr. Birch, and Messrs. 
G. Smith, Bonomi, and Lowne, wasthen announced, and the 
society adjourned to Tuesday, 4th April, 1871. 
CAMBRIDGE 
Philosophical Society, March 13.—“ On the Attraction of 
an infinitely thin shell bounded by two similar and similarly 
situated concentric ellipsoids on an external point,” by Prof. 
Adams, F.R.S.—‘‘On the theory of the forms of floating 
leaves in certain plants,” by Mr. Hiern, St. John’s College. 
This problem was treated mathematically, the leaf being con- 
sidered as at its edge a flexible body, acted upon by an outward 
radial force, that of growth, and an external pressure due to the 
velocity of the stream. The curves which would be assumed 
under various conditions were calculated, and shown to agree 
closely with the forms which are to be found in certain aquatic 
plants.—‘‘On the effect of exhaustion and inflation of the 
tympanum in deadening sounds, and on the test of loudness,” 
by Mr. Moon, Queen’s College. 
MANCHESTER 
Literary and Philosophical Society, March 7.—Mr. E. W. 
Binney, F.R.S., president, in the chair.—‘t The Action of Sul- 
phurous Acid on Phosphates,” by Dr, Wilhelm Gerland, Maccles- 
field. —‘‘ Further observations on the Strength of Garden Nails, 
by Dr. J. P. Joule, F.R.S. | The author thought it desirable to 
ascertain how far hardness had to do with the strength and 
elasticity of these small specimens of cast iron. For this pur- 
pose he plunged some of them ata heat near the melting point 
into water, then selecting those which had been hardened suffi- 
ciently to resist the action of the file. Others he cooled slowly 

from a bright red heat. The experiments were conducted in the 
manner described in the last number of the Proceedings :— 


No. of Length of Breadth of Depth of Breaking 
Experi- Nail between Nail at Nail at Deflection. Weight. 
ment, Supports. Fracture. Fracture. Ibs. 
peed 10 o'r O"122 0067 129 
iS 2 1°04. o'l2 o'l2 "0037 84. 
Sues 1‘0 oz 0°122 0028 81 
=) 4 102 0'T43 O"102 0077 129 
esl \\ rit 0'138 o'13 ‘0071 203 
Average 1°032 0°1262 o'lig2 0056 125'2 
a (6 1'0 O'li2 O'lI7 0088 141 
‘3 I'05 0'139 O'lig 0087 150 
2/8 1°02 0-130 0'138 0051 176 
s]} 9 104 O'l17 0'090 ‘O10 IOI 
Mn \10 1°04 oO'r2I o'108 0073 113 
Average 1°03 0'1238 O'1134 ‘008 36'2 
Reducing to a length of 3ft. and rin. square section, and making 
a deduction of one-eighth from the deflections, on account of the 
taper of the nails, the above results, along with those in the last 
number of Proceedings, become 
Breaking Weight. Deflection. 
Nails in original state 2673 "922 
Tlardened ditto. 5 2002 677 
Softened ditto. 2448 "924. 
—Dr. Joule exhibited three photographs of the sun taken on the 
ist December, 1858. The images, “43in. diameter, were pro- 
duced by the achromatic object-glass of a telescope with half- 
inch stop. Exposure, by means of an apparatus completely 
detached from the camera, during a small fraction of a second. 
He had been induced to examine them after seeing the beautiful 
photograph of the late eclipse by Mr. Brothers. On examining 
the three images a nebulosity is observed, very similar to that in 
Mr. Brothers’ photograph, In all three, taken at an interval 
between each of about a minute and a half, the nebulous appear- 
ance appears situated on three quarters of the limb, the remainder 
being quite free. There are also indications of a radial struc- 
ture, so that he thinks it highly probable that the representations 
are actually those of the corona. Since communicating the 
above, he has carefully examined the two other photographs of 
the sun which he possesses, and which were taken early in the 
month of November 1858. These, one of which must have 
been exposed at about two hours twenty minutes after the other, 
present nothing remarkable to the naked eye ; but when viewed 
through a glass of moderate power, a thin crescent-shaped 
envelope is observed on each, with this remarkable circumstance, 
viz., that in the two it appears on opposite limbs, suggesting the 
idea of a semi-revolution in the above interval of time at a velo- 
city not much less than that due to Kepler’s law of planetary 
motion. In one of the photographs there is, under the crescent 
and apparently on the rim of the sun itself, a narrow band in 
breadth about s4, of the diameter of the disc, and of at least 
double the intensity of the sun, This may probably be referred 
to the actinic action of the chromosphere and the red flames.— 
‘*On Anthraflavic Acid, a Yellow Colouring Matter accom- 
panying Artificial Alizarine,” by Edward Schunck, Ph.D., F.R.S, 
DUBLIN 
Royal Dublin Society, March 20. —Professor R. Ball in the 
chair. Prof. Traquair read a paper on the restoration of the tail in 
Protopterus annectens. Two specimens of moderate size were exhi- 
bited and described, in both of which the caudal extremity of the 
body had been evidently truncated by violence, anda restorative pro- 
cess had taken place. In the first specimen the reproduced portion 
measured half-an-inch in length, and contained a prolongation of 
the notochord of the lateral muscle, and of the spinal cord, but 
neither vertebral arches, spines, nor fin rays. In the second the 
reproductive process had gone on to a much greater extent, the 
new portion being two inches long, and contained besides a noto- 
chordal axis, a reproduction of all the other essential parts of the 
normal tail of Protopterus. The neural and heemal arches, spines, 
and fin supports were, however, entirely cartilaginous and rather 
irregular in their disposition. They were not traceable beyond a 
distance of one-and-a-half inches from the origin of the repro- 
duced part, while the notochord extended to the very tip.-—Dr. 
Moore read a paper on a Fungoid Disease which attacks and 
destroys plants belonging to the Pandanez ; he also exhibited a 
