330 



NATURE 



{Fib. 3, 1881 



upwards and to a less distance. As I walked home along elevated 

 country roads, the effect produced by a dark sky on one side 

 with a bright sky on the other, as if lighted up by an invisible 

 full moon, was very beautiful. E. II. 



Sheffield, February I 



The aurora borealis which occurred last night was first visible 

 here at 6 p.m. As is usual, the glow extended in an arc about 

 15° above the horizon, and was of a faint greenish colour. 



From it arose frequent streamers of the same colour, having a 

 slow westerly motion : these streamers attained to various heights, 

 one at 6.55 reaching almost to the zenith ; their colour, of 

 various intensities, was as a rule greenish, but at times the 

 streamers were of a reddish tint, more remarkably that one 

 which occurred at 5.55, above referred to. At 6.50 the low 

 arc changed its character, becoming irregular, finally assumed 

 the form of a double arc, of which tlie centres of curvature were 

 north-east and north-west of the place of observation. 



At irregular intervals, during the whole of the first half hour, 

 after the first appearance of the aurora, a flickering arc of light 

 would ascend from the lower arc, up to an elevation, in many 

 cases, of about 80° At 7 p.m. the aurora decreased in intemity, 

 and at about nine o'clock had disappeared. 



Cirencester, February I G. W. Prevost 



UNIVERSITY A.\'D EDUCATIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE 



Oxford. — The term's work has been delayed a little by the 

 severity of the weather. Many of the colleges were but half 

 filled on the regular day of meeting. 



At the University Museum the following courses will be given 

 during the term : — Prof. Henry Smith lectures on Pure Geometry, 

 and Prof. Barth. Price on Geometrical and Physical Optics. 

 Prof. Clifton will lecture on Terrestrial Magnetism at the 

 Clarendon Laboratory. In this department Messrs. Stocker and 

 V. Jones will lecture on Mechanics, and will give practical 

 instruction in Physics. In the Chemical Department Dr. Odling 

 will continue his course on Organic Chemistry. Mr. Fisher will 

 lecture on Elementary Inorganic, and Dr. Watts ou Elememtary 

 Organic, Chemistry. The laboratories will be open under the 

 direction of Messrs. Fisher, Watts, and M. Robb. Dr. F. D. 

 Brown will lecture (for the Professor) on Chemical Affinity. In 

 the Physiological Department, in the absence of Dr. Rolleston 

 through illness, there will be practical instruction given by 

 Messrs. Robertson, Hatchett Jackson, and Thomas. Mr. 

 Jackson will lecture on Circulation and Respuation ; Mr. 

 Thomas on Comparative Embryology ; Mr. Robertson will form 

 a class for Practical Microscopy ; and Mr. Lewis Morgan will 

 form a class for Human Anatomy. 



The following afternoon lectures will be given in the Museum : 

 Prof. Prestvvich will lecture on the Paleozoic Strata, and Prof. 

 Westwood will give an informal lecture on the Arthropoda. 

 In the University Observatory Prof. Pritchard gives two courses, 

 one on the Lunar and Planetary Theories, the other on General 

 Elementary Astronomy, once a week in the evening. 



At the Botanical Garden Prof. Lawson gives a course of 

 elementary botany. 



At the Colleges which possess laboratories the following 

 courses will be given : — At Christchurch Mr. Baynes will 

 lectiure on Thermodynamics ; Mr. Dixon, owing to the 

 illness of Mr. Vernon Harcourt, will continue his course on 

 Inorganic Chemistry. At Balliol Mr. Dixon will lecture on 

 Elementary Electricity and iMagnetism ; at Exeter Mr. Lewis 

 Morgan will lecture on Histology ; at Magdalen Mr. Yale will 

 give a series of practical demonstrations on the Physiology of 

 Circulation and Respiration. 



In the School of Natural Science Prof. W. A. Tilden has 

 been nominated as Examiner in Chemistry ; Dr. S. J. Sharkey, 

 of Jesus College, has been nominated Examiner in Biology ; 

 and Mr. J. W. Russel, of Merton College, has been nominated 

 Examiner in Physics. 



An examination for a Fellowship in biological subjects will 

 be held in March at University College. The examination will 

 comprise papers of questions, and practical work in zoology, 

 physiology, and botany, and will begin on Thursday, March 3, 

 at 9 a.m. Intending candidates are desired to send in their 

 names to the Master (if possible) before February II, with a 

 list of the subjects they offer for examination. They are also 

 invited to mention any original work on which they have been 

 engaged, and to send copies of any original articles or books on 



biological subjects of which they are the authors. Candidates 

 are desired to call on the Dean with the nsnal testimonials and 

 certificates on Wednesday, March 2, between 5 and 6 p.m. 



Cambridge. — The senior wrangler in this year's Mathemati- 

 cal Tripos is Mr. Andrew Russell Forsyth, of Tiinity College, 

 born in Glasgow in 1858, and educated at Liverpool College. 

 The next two are Mr. Robert Samuel Heath and Mr. Ernest 

 Steinthal, both also of Trinity. 



In connection with the list published in these columns in 

 December, of those u ho had obtained first class honours in the 

 Natural Sciences Tripos, the f Jlowing statistics may be of in- 

 terest : — In the year in which the Tripos was instituted (1851), 

 6 names appeared in the list ; the same number in 1S61 ; in 

 1S71, 14 ; in 187S, 22 ; and in 1880, 31 passed the examination, 

 obtaining honours. In 1869, 7 men passed the Special Ex- 

 amination in Natural Science for the ordinary B.A. degree : the 

 number increased to 25 in the Easter examination of 1870 ; in 

 1S78 it slighily diminished to 22 ; and in 18S0, 16 passed the 

 examination in December. So far as these results go, it would 

 appear that an increasing number of those sludents who declare 

 for natural science at Cambridge aim at thoroughness in their 

 work, and are not content with that superficial smattering of 

 book knowledge which is considered sufficient in the examination 

 for the Pass degree. 



M. Ferry, the French 'Minitter of Public Instruction, has 

 given an important character to . the next meeting of the 

 schoolmasters of France. Each of the 40,000 teachers of the 

 40,000 parishes (communes) is to ineet with his fellow-teachers 

 at the proper district towns. There are about 2000 of each of 

 these little assemblies, each of which is to elect a delegate who 

 wdl go to the chief town of the Department, and all these 

 cantonal delegates are to appoint a department of delegates, who 

 will go to Paris with a memoir written for communication and 

 discussion before the pedagogical congress. All these memoirs 

 are to deal with questions proposed by the Government. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 

 London 



Royal Society, January 27. — " Palacan/hiis Foxii, a large 

 undescribed Dinosaur from the Wealden Formation in the Isle 

 of Wight." By J, W. Hulke, F.R.S. (Abstract.) 



A description of the remains of a large dinosaur, discovered 

 in 1S65 by the Rev. W. Fox, in a bed of shaly clay between 

 Barnes and Cowleaze Chines, in the Isle of Wight. Head, 

 neck, shoulder girdle, and fore-ribs were missing, but the rest 

 of the skeleton was almost entire. Some of the prcesacral ver- 

 tebrae recovered show a double costal articulation. In the trunk 

 and loins the centrum is cylindroid, relatively long and slender, 

 with plano-conca^e, or gently biconcave ends. Several lumbar 

 centra are anchylosed together, and the hindmost to the sacrum. 

 The sacrum comprises five relatively stout and short anchylosed 

 centra of a depressed cordiform cross-sectional figure. The post- 

 sacral vertebra; have a stout short centrum. 



The limb bones are short, their shafts slender, and their articu- 

 lar ends very expanded. The femur has a third trochanter, 

 and the distal end of the tibia has the characteristic dinosaurian 

 figure. 



The back and flanks were stoutly mailed with simple, keeled, 

 and spined scutes, and the tail was also sheathed in armour. 



The animal indicated by these remains was of low stature, 

 great strength, and probably slow habits. It is manifestly a 

 dinosaur, and is considered to be very nearly related to Hyljeo- 

 saurus. 



Linnean Society, January 20. — The Rev. J. M. Crombie, 

 F.L.S., in the chair. — The proposed alterations in the bye-laws 

 were again successively read, voted for, and confirmed, excepting 

 sect. 2, chap. viii. which was not confirmed. — Portfolios of 

 British sea-weeds and zoophytes, pirepared by Mr. W'. Smith of 

 Falmouth, were exhibited by the Rev. J. Gould. — A squirrel's 

 nest was also shown and commented on by Mr. Chas. Berjeau. 

 — A new form of microscopical cabinet designed by Mr. W. 

 Hillhouse of Cambridge was explained by him, its compactness 

 and portability rendering it advantageous to teachers. — Mr. 

 Thos. Christy exhibited some horn-shaped galls growing on a 

 branch of Pislacia allaniica, and somewhat similar in appearance 

 to those known in India under the name of " Kalera-singhi " 

 galls. From the galls a substance exuded not unlike Cbian 

 turpentine ; Mr. Christy also drew attention to the fruit of the 



