April 13, 1871] 
NATURE 
479 

March 2.—Mr. John Young, vice-president, in the chair. 
Mr. E. A. Wiinsch read a paper on a section of the northern 
shore of Arran, giving an account of some transported blocks 
of limestones which he had observed there during the previous 
summer. After describing the remarkable succession of deposits 
which had made that part of Arran classic ground for the 
geologist, he referred more particularly to a characteristic bed 
of limestone found near the Salt Pans, on the north-eastern 
shore of the island. This limestone is of a deep red colour, 
and is full of the shells of Producte—especially Producta 
/atissima—together with fragments of “zcrinites and other 
organisms, The bed is very regularly jointed, and breaks 
up into beautiful cubical masses._-Mr. James Thomson 
read a vaper on the occurrence of Stigmaria stellata (Eichwald) 
in the lower Carboniferous series, at Wildshaw, in the Upper 
Ward of Lanarkshire. He described the position of the 
strata in which these plant-remains had been found—in beds of 
fire-clay and indurated sandstone, capping those thin bands of 
limestone which characterise the lower members of the Carbon- 
‘iferous series in Scotland. The section presented at Wildshaw 
was as under :—6 ft. calcareous shale; 3ft. hard light greyish 
sandstone ; 2 ft. fire-clay, containing portions of S¢igmaria ; 
3 ft. highly indurated sandstone, or chertzite, into which the 
Stigmaria roots passed; Irft. thin banded limestone, with 
partings of calcareous shale interstratified. Mr. Thomson men- 
tioned that remains of this variety of Stigmaria were of com- 
paratively rare occurrence in the Scottish coal fields—he had 
only found them in two other localities, and always in the same 
geological horizon. He pointed out that Stgwaria were now 
generally admitted to be the roots of the Stgz/aria, but in this 
case he found them associated and in contact with what some 
authorities had called Morea taxina (?). The specimens on the 
table presented very distinct stellate markings which had sur- 
rounded the rootlets at the base of attachment. 
BERLIN 
Royal Prussian Academy of Science, August 15, 1870, 
—A paper was read by Dr. Hugo Kroeker, on the law of the 
exhaustion of muscles.—Prof. W. Peters communicated descrip- 
tions of some new reptiles and Batrachia, including Hemédactylus 
muriceus from Guinea, Cercosaura glabella from Brazil, forming 
the type of a new subgenus Urosaura, Tropidolepisma 
striolatum, from N.1. Australia, Geophis annulatus from 
South America (?) Uriechis lineatus from Guinea, forming 
the type of a new subgenus ALelopophis, Scaphiophis albopuncta- 
tus from Guinea, the type of a new genus allied to Zamenzs, and 
Lotlocephalus frenatus from N.¥E. Australia, The Batrachia de- 
scribed include the types of two new genera, namely, Z7/om0- 
glossus pustulatusand Cophomantis punctillata, both from Brazil ; 
the other species are A’ana longirostris from Guinea, Cystignathus 
diplolistris, Hylodes Henselii, and H, rugulosus from Brazil, Av- 
throleptis dispar from Prince’s Island, and Phyllobates verruculatus 
from Mexico. Figures of most of the species accompany the 
paper. Prof, Braun presented a most elaborate memoir on the 
genera Marsilia and Pilularia, containing a tabular synopsis, 
and full synonymic and distributional revision of the species. 
October 10.—The only scientific papers read were two on 
subjects connected with the higher mathematics, by MM. 
Kennmer and Schwarz. 
November 3.—Prof. Gustav Rose communicated some notes 
on the fall of a meteorite at Murzuk, in Fezzan. 
November 27.—Prof. Dove presented a paper on the annual 
distribution of rain in central Europe. 
December 1.—M. Kummer read a memoir on a _ pecu- 
liarity of the unities of the complex numbers obtained from the 
roots of the equation eA] : and M. Kronecker appended to 
this paper a further note on a part of the subject treated of by 
M. Kuminer. 
December 5.—Prof. Reichert read a continuation of his memoir 
on the Skeleton of the Vertebrata, relating principally to the 
Myxinoide, Leptocephalida, and Cartilaginous Ganoids, /o/o- 
plerus anguilliformis and the Chimere. 
December 15.—Prof. Roth read a paper on the Theory of 
Metamorphism and the production of the crystalline slates. —A 
memoir on the principal tangential curves of the Kummerian 
surface of the fourth degree, with sixteen nodal points, by Dr. 
F. Klein and Dr. S. Lie, was communicated by Prof. Kummer. 
December 22.—Prof. W. Peters communicated a monographic 
revision of the Chiropterous genera Wycteris and Atalapha. The 


author reunites to the genus Ajcé77s, originally established by 
Geoffroy Saint Hilaire, the groups Ayctereps and Letalia, which 
have been separated as distinct genera by Dr. Gray ; he also re- 
marks that many unnecessary species have been established init. 
He describes and gives the synonymy of 9 species and figures the 
typical form (VV, /7/isfida) and the lower dentition of all of them. 
Two new species are described, namely 1. angolensis and Noda: 
marnsis, The species of the genus A¢a/afia, which figure in 
the works of various authors under the genera Scotophilus, Lasi- 
urus, and Nyecticejus, are very difficult to discriminate satisfac- 
torily ; Prof. Peters recoguises 11, of which 3 are described as 
new, namely, 4. Jantzi, A pallesceus, and A egregia. All the 
species are American, and the type is 4 xovwborac-nsis. 
January 9 and 12, 1871.—M. Kronecker read two mathe- 
matical papers, of which no details are given, 
January 19.—Prof, Ehrenberg communicated a review of the 
investigations made since 1847 on the abundant organic life 
borne invisibly by the atmosphere, as a supplement to his 
former memoirs on trade-wind, dust, and blood-rain. Since 
1847 no less than 186 cases of the occurrence of these 
phenomena have been observed, and 42 samples have been 
submitted by the author to examination. He considers that the 
results of these investigations bear out his former conclusions, — 
In connection with this Prof. Dove communicated some observa- 
tionson the ‘‘ Féhn” observed at ‘Trogen on the 13th February, 
1870 
VIENNA 
Imperial Academy of Sciences, January 12.—Prof. IJasi- 
wetz communicated a memoir by Dr. E. yon Sommaruga on 
naphthylpurpuric acid and its derivatives. This acid is pro- 
duced from dinitronaphthole, by the action of cyanide of potas- 
sium ; it is incapable of its being isolated from its salts. When 
the latter are prepared in aqueous solution, a blue compound is 
formed simultaneously. This was first observed by Hlasiwetz, 
and the author named it indophane. In alcohclic solutions it is 
not produced. 
January 19.—Prof. L. Pfaunden presented a memoir on the 
elementary deduction of the fundamental equation of the 
dynamical gas theory; and Prof. A. Lieben communicated 
the result of an investigation made by himself in conjunction with 
M. Rossi, upon formaldhyde and its conversion into methylic- 
alcohol. The author found that the product of the dry distilla- 
tion of formiate of lime (formaldehyde) was cunverted into 
methylic alcohol by nascent hydrogen. 
February 3.—A paper on the barytes of the ferriferous 
Lower Silurian and Carboniferous of Bohemia, and on baryte 
in general, by M. R. Helmhacker, and one on the increase 
of curvature of an oblique section of a surface, by D. k. 
Exner were read.—Mr. Karl Fritsch presented a comparison of 
the time of the flowering of the plants of North America and 
Europe, from which it appears that the lines of simultaneous 
flowering lie 5°—10° further south in America than in Europe. 
Elevation seems to have comparatively little influence.—A note 
from M. Max Schaffner was read, describing a method of obtain- 
ing thallium on a large scale from the dust produced during the 
roasting of iron pyrites.—Piof. Briicke communicated a new 
method of separating dextrine and glycogen from animal fluids 
and tissues.—Prof. Stefan presented a memoir on the influence 
of heat on the refraction of light in solid bodies, containing a 
series of determinations of the refraction of rock-salt, sylvine 
(perchloride of potassium), alum, fluorspar, and glass, at tem- 
peratures of 12°—94° C. (53"6—201'2 F.). The refractive power 
of the first four bodies decreases uniformly, and for all parts of 
the spectrum, with the increase of temperature ; the refractive 
power of glass increases with the temperature, and the increase 
becomes greater in passing from the red to the violet end of the 
spectrum. The alterations calculated for the line 2, and an 
elevation of temperature of 100° C are :— 
Rock-salt ... — 000373 
Sylvine — 0°C0345 
Alum — 0°00134 
Fluorspar .. —0'00123 
Glass mee a +0°'00023 
M. K. von Littrow communicated a memoir by M. L. Schulhof, 
on the determination of the orbit of the planet (108) Hecuba.— 
Prof. Hlasiwetz briefly communicated the results of a ncarly 
complete investigation of Liebig’s Extract of Meat made in his 
laboratory by Dr. J. Weidler. ‘This extract is found to contain 
a previously unknown nitrogenous compound, having the formula 
