500 



NA TURE 



{March 24, 1 88 1 



shells, the waistcloth of all other Nagas consisting only of a 

 flap of cloth in front and behind, and often only in front. The 

 Angamis erect tall monoliths in commemoration of the dead 

 or of some social event. These monoliths, often of great size, 

 are dragged up hill on sledges running on rollers. The paper 

 was illustrated by a large collection of specimens and drawin'^s, 

 and also by some fine diagrams, in the preparation of which the 

 author had been much assisted by Mr. C. Holroyd. 



Royal Microscopical Society, March 9. — The president, 

 Prof. P. Martin Duncan, F.R.S., in the chair. — Swift and Sons' 

 new "working" microscope and fine adjustment and the "Griffith 

 Clnb Portable Microsco] le " were exhibited. — Mr. Powell showed 

 Amphipletira pellicida with the vertical illuminator, and Mr. 

 Stephenson pointed out that the illumination was not "opaque," 

 as supposed, but that the diatom was illuminated by transmitted 

 light reflected back by its own under-surface. — Mr. Crisp 

 exhibited Prof. Abbes' radiation apparatus for showing the 

 increased amount of light emitted by a radiant in glass or bal-am 

 compared to one in air. — Mr. A. D. Michael read a paper on a 

 supposed new species of Acarus, Deriiialeichiis keteropus, and 

 Dr. E. Cutter's paper on a supposed Infusorian in the nasal 

 passage in cases of catarrh was explained by Mr. Stewart and 

 commented on by the president. — Discussions also took place on 

 carbolic acid for mounting, and on the "Society" standard 

 screw. 



Meteorological Society, March 16. — Mr. G. J. Syra ns, 

 F.R.S., president, in the chair. — Rev. A. J. C. Allen, E. 

 Chapman, Rev. E. W. Ford, G. T. Gwilliam, H. B. Jupp, A. 

 Ramsay, and J. Stokes were elected Fellows. — The President 

 gave a historical sketch of various classes of hygrometers, and 

 described about 120 different patterns ; after which an exhibition 

 of instruments was held, showing various kinds of hygrometers, 

 and also some new instruments which have been brought out 

 since January I, 18S0. 



Victoria (Philosophical) Institute, March 21. — Mr. J. F. 

 Bateman, F. R.S., read a paper on meteorology, in which he 

 analysed the causes of a variation of rainfall in the United 

 Kinordom. In the discussion special remarks were made as to 

 the causes and effects of the almost tropical rainfall that once 

 obtained in these islands ; after which a paper on Indian rain- 

 fall, by W. P. Andrew, was read. At the close of the pro- 

 ceedings it was announced that Prof. Balfour, F.R.S., would 

 read a paper on the visible universe at the next meeting^. 



Edinburgh 

 Royal Society, March 7. — Lord Moncrieff, president, in 

 the chair. — The President read the second part of his paper on 

 the rise of the constitutional idea. In the half-century that 

 elapsed after the publication of Buchanan's " De Jure Regni 

 apud Scotos," important political changes were taking place and 

 were shaping themselves, under the skilful hand of James VI. 

 of Scotland, especially after his accession to the English throne, 

 towards a despotism that would place the king alongside the 

 arbitrai-y monarchs of the Continent. Charles I. however lacked 

 the kingcraft to cari-y on successfully this policy of diminishing 

 the power of the P-ai'liament ; and in 1644, in the heat of the 

 contest between King and Commons, Samuel Rutherford pub- 

 lished his " Lex Rex," which contains the first enunciation in 

 the English language of the true rationale of the British Consti- 

 tution. Passing on to the time of the Commonwealth, his lord- 

 ship touched on the famous controversy on the divine right of 

 kingship between Salmazius and Milton, a controversy which 

 was continued by Hobbes and Harrington. Lastly, the paper 

 discussed Algernon Sidney's rwork on Government, which was 

 characterised as out of sight the best and ablest of the list. — Dr. 

 D. J. Cunningham, in a paper on the intrinsic muscles of the 

 mammalian foot, gave an interesting account of several of the 

 most striking modifications that occur in the arrangement of 

 these muscles in different animals. The typical arrangement of 

 three layers of four muscles each was found in certain marsuiiials, 

 and the deviations from this typical arrangement could be 

 grouped in two classes — those that resulted from division, and 

 those that resulted from fusion. The peculiar modifications in 

 the ox, horse, ape, baboon, gorilla, and man were specially 

 referred to, many of these deviations being of the nature of 

 degener.^tion or retrograde development. — Mr. A. H. Anglin 

 communicated a paper on the expansion of rational fractions. — 

 Dr. A. Macfarlane, in bis third paper on the algebra of relation- 

 ship, showed the nature of the problems that came under the 



scope of his symbolic method. — Prof. Tait communicated a note 

 on a problem in kinetics of peculiar difficulty. One of two 

 equal masses, originally balanced on an Atuood's machine, is 

 set oscillating through a small arc. What is the subsequent 

 motion? The equations of motion are peculiarly intr.actable, 

 but may by suitable transformation be thrown into a form from 

 which may be derived by simple inspection the general result 

 that the oscillating mass moves under the action of a downward 

 acceleration, so that the mixed potential and kinetic energies 

 tend to become altogether kinetic. When both masses are set 

 oscillating, a further complication is of course introduced ; and 

 it is found that the mass that is oscillating through the greater 

 angle is subject to a downward acceleration. 



Vienna 

 Imperial Academy of Sciences, March 17. — V. Burg 

 in the chair. — C. Ludwig, studies made at the Physiological 

 Institute at Leipsic during the time of 1879-S0. — Dr. L. Boltz- 

 mann, enunciation of formulae useful for determining the number 

 of diamagnetism. — Dr. Synas Klemencic, relating to the deter- 

 mination of the proportion of the magnetical to the dynamical 

 unit of the intensity of circuit. — Dr. F. Streintz, on decomposi- 

 tion of water on platinum-electrodes caused by the discharges of 

 Leyden-jars, — E. Ratkay, on Exoascus IViesncri. — Prof. Dr. 

 Edm. Reitlinger and Dr. F. Woechter, on the " disgregation " of 

 electrodes by positive electricity and explanation of the figures 

 of Lichtenberg. — Dr. P. Weselsky and R. Benedikt, a sealed 

 packet containing the description of some new dyeing materials. 

 — Josef Wentze, on the flora of the Tertiary diatomece-slate at 

 Sulloditz (Bohejnia), central chain of mountains. — H. Schroetter, 

 on the oxidation of Horneolacetate. — E. Stefan, on the equili- 

 brium of a solid elastic body at a different or variable temper- 

 ature. — Dr. Ernst, v. Fleischl, physiologico-optic notes. — Dr. T. 

 Puluj, on radiant electrode-matter (third paper). 



CONTENTS Pagb 



Macquorn Rankine's Scientific Papers. By Prof. Osborne 



Reynolds. F.R.S 477 



The Ferns of North America. By J. G. Baker 479 



Kolliker on Animal Development 480 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Bulletin of the United States Geological and Geographical Survey 



of the Territories, 1S79-80 ...... 481 



Ruchonnet's " Exposition Geom«!trique des Propri^tes generales 



desCourbes"; '* Elements de Calcul approximatif *' .... 481 

 Lowenberg's " Geschichte der geographischen Kntdeckungsreisen 



im Allerthum und Mittelalter" 481 



Letters to the Editor :— 



The Tide Predicter.— Sir William Thomson, F.R.S 482 



The Magnetic Storm of 1880, August.— William Ellis . . . . 482 



Prehistoric Europe.— Prof. W. Boyd Dawkins, F.R.S 482 



Oceanic Phenomenon.— Dr. R, W. Coppinger (,With Ilbtstraiion) 482 



Feeding a Gull with Corn.— W. A. Forbes 483 



Dynamics of " Radiant Matter."— Wm. MuiR 48^ 



The Oldest Fossil Insects.— Dr. H. A. Hagen 483 



Ice-Casts of Tracks.— J. T. Bkownell 484 



Migration of Birds.— G. A 484 



Sound of the Aurora. — Edwd. Allowav Paukhurst ; J. Shaw . 484 



Tacitus on the Aurora.— R. O. S 484 



Aberration of Instinct. — Rev. T. H. Waller 484 



Squirrels Crossing Water. — Frederick Hubbard; C. ; Cecil 



Duncombe 484 



The Late Mr. E. R. Alston 485 



Recent Mathematico-Logical Memoirs. By Prof. W. Stanley 



Jevons. F.R.S 485 



Illustrations of New or Rare Animals in the Zoological 



Society's Living Collection, III. (IVith lUustratwns) .... 487 



Meteorology in Mexico ■ . . 489 



On the Identity of some Ancient Diamond Mines in India, 



especially those Mentioned BY Ta VERNIER. By V. Ball . . 490 



Notes 49^ 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



The Solar Parallax 493 



Variable Stars 493 



Ancient Astronomy 493 



The Academy of Sciences, Paris 493 



Biological Notes: — 



Algae of the Gulf of Finland 494 



The Blake Cruise 494 



Food of Birds, Fishes, and Beetles 494 



Physiological Significaijce of Transpiration of Plants 494 



Signs of Death 494 



Classification of Statures 494 



Equus Prjevalski 494 



Sir John DaUell's Anemone • * • 495 



Geographical Notes 495 



On the Conversion of Radiant Energy into Sonorous Vibra- 

 tions. By Wtlliam Henry Prhece 496 



The Earthquake in Ischia. By H. J. Johnston-Lavis , . . ._ 497 



University AND Educational Intrllicench '498 



Scientific Serials 499 



SociETiKs and Academies 499 



