Jnly I, 1880] 



NATURE 



his on the Polyzoa collected in the late North Polar Expedition. 

 Several interesting and new forms are given, w hile the author 

 expressed himself in certain cases as differing in his determina- 

 tions from Prof. Smitt of Stockholm.— A paper on the natural 

 classification of the Gasteropoda (parti), by Dr. J. D. Macdonald, 

 was read. lie refers to a communication of his published by 

 the Society twenty years ago, \\ herein sexual characters, lingual 

 dentition, and auditory concretions formed the basis of classifi- 

 cation. With modifications this is now elaborated, and in cer- 

 tain groups additional value given to the lingual and labial 

 dentition. — The sixth contribution to the moUusca of the Chal- 

 Imgey Expedition, by the Rev. R. Boog Watson, was taken as 

 read. The author treats of the Tunitellidce, and describes nine new- 

 species. — A paper by Sir J. Lubbock was read, namely, Ob- 

 servations on Ants, Bees, and Wasps, with a Description of a 

 new species of Honey-Ant, an abstract of which appeared last 

 week (p. 1S4).— The following gentlemen were elected Fellows 

 of the Society :— The Rev. H. G. BonaviaHunt, Trinity College, 

 London; H. N. Moseley, F.R.S., University of London; the 

 Rev. A. Merle Norman, Durham; and E. A. Webb, Tm-nham 

 Green.— The President with a few parting words then closed the 

 session. 



Chemical Society, Jitne 17.— Prof. H. E. Roscoe, president, 

 in the chair.— The following papers were read ; — On penta- 

 thionic acid, by T. Takamatsu and Watson Smith. The authors 

 have examined the evidence for and against the existence of this 

 substance ; they conclude that it does exist, and give a new 

 method of preparing it, by the action of a very strong solution of 

 iodine in hydriodic acid upon lead theiosulphate. — Preliminary 

 note on some orcinol derivatives, by J- Stenhouse and C. _E. 

 Groves. The authors have confirmed their previous conclusion 

 that halogen derivatives of orcinol exist, containing 5 atoms of 

 bromine, &c., both the hydrogen atoms in tlie hydroxyl groups 

 being displaced. — On the determination of carbon in soils, by 

 R. Warington and W. A. Peake. Oxidation with potassium 

 permanganate gives 92 per cent, of the total carbon, but diges- 

 tion with chromic acid, &c., only 79 per cent. The best method 

 is combustion with oxide of copper in a stream of oxygen. — Note 

 on camphydrene, by H. E. Armstrong. In this note the author 

 sharply criticises a recent paper by Dr. Letts in the Berlin 

 Berichte, and, as a result of some experiments, completely con- 

 firms the statement of Montgolfier that the substance formed by 

 the action of sodium on the solid hydrochloride from turpentine 

 oil is a mixture, and not a hydrocarbon having the formula CiqHi-, 

 as asserted by Dr. Letts. — On the action of nitric acid upon 

 diparatolylguanidin, by A. G. Perkin. Dinitrodiparatolylguani- 

 din, melting at 205°, was obtained in red crystals, also, by a 

 slight modification, dinitrodiparatolylurea, melting at 233°. — On 

 some higher oxides of manganese and their hydrates, by V. H. 

 Veley. The oxide was precipitated by chlorine from a pure 

 solution of the acetate, and was then heated in a current of 

 air, oxygen ; hydrates, MngOu, 2H5O : 2(Mn60ii)3H„0, and 

 Mn]o033HoO were obtained ; but in no case was the dioxide 

 formed. — On a new method of preparing dinitroethylic acid, by 

 E. Frankland and C. C. Graham. This consists in passing 

 nitric oxide into a mixture of zinc ethyl and sodium ethyl, to 

 which a suitable solvent such as benzine has ,been added. — On 

 the action of organo-zinc compounds upon nitriles and their 

 analogues, by E. Frankland and H. K. Tompkins. The action 

 of zinc ethyl upon phenylacetanitrile is studied. — On the action 

 of benzoyl chloride on morphine, by C. R. A. Wright and C. 

 H. Rennie. The end result is always dibenzoyl morphine. — An 

 examination of terpenes for cymene by means of the idtra-violet 

 spectrum, by W. N. Hartley. The author has examined speci- 

 mens of orange oil, French tmpentine, and .Russian turpentine, 

 by photographing their absorption spectra ; the first two oils were 

 free from cymene, the last contains certainly less than 4 percent. 

 — Notes on the purple of the ancients, by E. Schunck. The 

 author has examined a sample of the dye still used on the Pacific 

 coasts of Nicaragua, and finds that it contains a colouring matter 

 soluble in boiling anilin, having all the properties of punicin 

 obtained by him from the Purpura lapillus of the British coasts. 

 — The Society then adjourned over the summer recess. 



Anthropological Institute, June S. — Major-General A. 

 Pitt-Rivers, F.R.S., vice-president, in the chair. — Mr. F. G. 

 Hilton Price, F.G. S., read a paper on camps on the Malvern 

 Hills. Last September, having obtained permission from Lord 

 Somers to excavate in any part of the camps on these Hills, 

 he set his labourers to \Nork, first on HoUybush Hill, on the 



south side of the Malvern range, and afterwards on Midsummer 

 Hill, both of which were encircled by a deep ditch and a 

 rampart, while in the glen between the two hills on the south 

 side was the site of a town about 1,100 feet in length. In 

 the interior of the ancient camp on HoUybush Hill were many 

 hut hollows, some of which he opened, but without making any 

 discovery. On the east face of Midsummer Hill were several 

 lines of such hollows, which, like the rest, had been habitations, 

 and no fewer than 214 had been counted. Along the ravines 

 between the two hills were four tanks, having the ancient dams 

 for holding back the water still in existence. The explorations 

 of these camps were not very fruitful. More productive were 

 the excavations on the Herefordshire Beacon Camp, one of the 

 largest and sti-ongest earthworks in the district. It had usually 

 been looked upon as of British origin, and Mr. Price saw no 

 special reason for doubting it. In one hut hollow much coarse 

 black pottery was met with, and there were besides many bones 

 of the ox, pig, horse, sheep, dog, some kind of gallinaceous 

 fowl, and of the deer. A description was given of the huge 

 block of syenite known as the "Divination stone." It vas 

 mentioned that in 1650 a jewelled gold crown or bracelet was 

 found in a ditch at the base of the Herefordshire Beacon. 

 Camden had written of it, and in a MS. said to belong to 

 Jesus College, Oxford, it was stated to have been sold to a 

 Gloucester goldsmith for 37/., who sold it to a jeweller in 

 Lombard Street for 250/., who sold the stones alone for 1,500/. 

 There were many traditions as to coins found there, but their 

 dates were uncertain. Mr. Price thought this large camp, as 

 well as those on HoUybush and Midsummer Hills, were of late 

 Cymric or Celtic origin, that the latter camp was of earlier date 

 than that on the Herefordshire Beacon, and that in all likelihood 

 they were occupied by the Romano-British, as many remains of 

 those tribes existed in the district, and tlie potteiy seemed to 

 date from that period. — A paper was read on religious beliefs 

 and practices in Melanesia by the Rev. R. H. Codrington. 

 The subject is a very difficult one, inasmuch as, the islands and 

 dialects being so numerous, no one person's knowledge can well 

 range over the whole. The author's information was chiefly 

 derived from the Banks' Islands and the Solomon group, whence 

 the most advanced scholars have come to the Melanesian Mission 

 Station on Norfolk Island. Nothing is known to show that the 

 Banks' Islands 'have been influenced by Polynesian immigration 

 or neighbourhood ; though there are still men alive who can 

 remember a visit of double canoes from Tonga. The Banks' 

 Islanders alone among Melanesians knew no cannibalism and 

 wore no dress. The Banks' Islanders distinctly recognise two 

 orders of inteUigent beings different from living men ; they 

 believed in the continued existence of men after death in a 

 condition in which they exercised power over the living ; and 

 they believed in the existence of beings who were not and never 

 had been human. The latter are called Yuis, and are divided 

 into two great classes, corporeal and incorporeal. The most 

 conspicuous amongst the first class is Qat, the legends con- 

 cerning whom correspond to those which prevail among the 

 Maories and other Polynesian people concerning Maui or 

 Tangaroa. The brothers of Qat have all of them the 

 name of Tangaroa, and the Vuis of the northern New He- 

 brides have the same name, which is akso applied in Banks' 

 Islands to stones used as fetishes or amulets. The story of Qat's 

 disappearance from the islaiid bears a close resemblance to that 

 of Noah and the Flood, and has possibly been embellished since 

 the Bible history has been made known among the natives. Of 

 the same order of beings with Qat and his brothers, though 

 looked upon as very inferior, are certain Vuis, having rather the 

 nature of fairies. Some of these are called Nopitu, which come 

 invisibly, or possess those with whom they associate themselves. 

 The possessed are themselves called Nopitu. Such persons woidd 

 lift a cocoa-nut to drink, and native shell-money \i ould run out 

 instead of the juice, and rattle against theii- teetli ; they would 

 vomit up money, or scratch and shake themselves on a mat while 

 nioney would pour from their fingers. This was often seen, and 

 believed to be the doing of a Nopitu. The stoiy of the bringing 

 of death into the world is remarkable, because it is told \\ithout 

 any variation in the Solomon Islands and Banks' Islands alike. 

 At first men never died, but when advanced in life tliey shed 

 their skins like snakes or crabs, and came out in renewed youth. 

 An old woman went to a stream to change her skin, and let the 

 old one which she had shed float away till it caught against a 

 stick. She then went home, where she had left her child ; the 

 child refused to recognise her, and, declaring that she was another 



