March 31, 1 881] 



NATURE 



515 



author here dug up a Cascilian {Ccecilia virgaia), and 

 amused himself with the curious leaf insect {Phyllium 

 siccifolitun). 



The Introduction to the book is followed by a long 

 paper by Prof. Mobius on the Foraminifera of the 

 Mauritius, illustrated by many finely-executed plates. 

 Amongst other Rhizopods a Haliphysema occurs, the 

 animal which, by a most e.xtraordinary blunder, was made 

 out by Hiickel to have a multicellular structure, and 

 supposed to represent a Gastraea of modern times. Prof. 

 Mobius confirms the observations of Carter, Savile Kent, 

 and Ray Lani.ester, to the effect that the animal is in 

 reality 'imply a khizopod. He has examined the struc- 

 ture of the Foraminiferous shells which he describes, very 

 carefully by means of sections. He does not, however, 

 add anything of importance to our knowledge of the 

 structure of the soft tissues of the group. 



An account of the Decapod Crustacea by Dr. F. 

 Richter follows that of the Foraminifera. Two crabs of 

 most extraordinary habits are described in this portion 

 of the work. Both belong to the family Polydectinae. 

 The crabs of this family have their front claws armed 

 with large teeth. Latreille, who first named the crab 

 Polydc-ctes cupitiifer, remarked that a gummy substance 

 was always to be found at the ends of the claws of this 

 species, and Dana described the animal as having always 

 something spongy in its hands. Dr. Mobius has discovered 

 the remarkable fact that these things held in the two 

 claws of the crab are in reality livmg sea-anemonies. 

 These sea-anemonies are attached to the immovable joint 

 of each claw, whilst the teeth of the movable joint of 

 the claw are kept buried deep into the flesh of the sea- 

 anemonies, and thus hold them fast, although each 

 aneniony can easily be pulled away from its position with 

 the forceps in specimens preserved in spirits. The mouth 

 of the sea-anemony is always turned away from the crab. 

 The same curious combination exists in the case of 

 another species of the same family but of a different 

 genus, iMelia tessellata, which also inhabits Mauritius. 

 A figure is given of this crab with its pair of Actinias, 

 named by Mobius A. preheitsa, with fully expanded 

 tentacles, held out one in each hand. Mobius gives the 

 following account of the matter. " I collected about fifty 

 male and female specimens of Melia tcsselUita ; all of 

 these held in each claw an Actinia preliensa. The re- 

 curved hooks of the inner margins of the claw joints of 

 the crab are particularly well adapted to hold the Actinias 

 fast. I never succeeded in dragging the living Actinias 

 out without injuring them. If I left the fragments of 

 them when pulled out lying in the vessel in which the 

 Melia w.is, the crab collected them again into its clutch 

 in a short time. If I cut the Actinias in pieces with the 

 scissors, I fuund them all again in the claws of the crab 

 after a few hours. It is very probable that the Actinias 

 aid the crab in catching its prey by means of their thread- 

 cells, and that the Actinias, on the other hand, gain by 

 being carried from place to place by the crab, and thus 

 brought into contact with more animals which can serve 

 as food to them, than they would if stationary. This is 

 a very interesting case of commensalism." 



The work closes with a lor.g account of the Mollusca 

 of Mauritius and the Seychelles by Prof. E. von Martens. 



H.N. MOSELEY 



NOTES 

 The centenary of the birth of George Stephenson is not to be 

 allowed to pass by in a fruitless way in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 

 Dinner?, spcechis, trade procession.?, enthusiasm and bunting — 

 all this, was to be expected in a place so intimately connected 

 with the hirth of railways. But more than this will probably be 

 done, and we are glad to hear that a scheme is on foot for com- 

 meniiiratiiig tt.e gtb of June in a more useful and more lasting 

 manner, viz. by providing a " Stephenson College " for the use 



of the houseless but hard-working College of Physical Science of 

 the University of Durham in Newcasde. 



The French Association for the Advancement of Science has 

 been in existence only ten year?, but in that short time it has 

 met with astonishing success, and has done some excellent work. 

 To the fifteen sections already existing it proposes to add a 

 sixteeiitli, under the name of the Section of Pedagogy, and a 

 committee of members v\ ill discuss its formation at the forth- 

 coming meeting at Algiers. The subjects of which the Asso- 

 ciation takes cognisance are divided into four groups, viz.. 

 Mathematical Science.?, Physical and Chemical .Sciences, Natural 

 Sciences and Economic Science?. A goodly list of papers has 

 been already ai.nuunced, among the authors of which we notice 

 some of the most prominent savaiis in France. We trust, 

 however, that the Association vill not degenerate into a great 

 excursion organisation, as to some extent it appears to have 

 done this year. Tho^ the meeting lasts for six days, while the 

 return ticket?, issued in connection with the Association under 

 very liberal terms, are good for six weeks, and no less than 

 fifteen excursions in the neighbourhood of Algiers have been 

 arranged. Five of these each occupy a week, and one of them 

 a fortnight. The great number of applications for tickets both 

 from France and Spain compel us to imagine that in many cases 

 the rcembership of the Society has been sought this year rather 

 for the sake of the templing excursions than for the love of 

 science. April is one of the most lovely months in the year at 

 Algiers: the mean temperature is l6'5° C, with a possible 

 minimum of 8°, and a possible maximum of 30°. In May the 

 mean temperature is I9'S° C , and there may be eight days of 

 rain; while ;it Biskra the maximum maybe as high as 40° C. 

 (104° F.), and not more than one day of rain may be expected 

 in May. A proclamalion has been issued by the local committee 

 asking the inhabitants to place rooms at the disposal of the 

 visitors. Among those who will cross the Mediterranean will 

 be Admiral Mouchez, MM. Quatrefages, Wurtz, Saporta, the 

 naturalist, M. Cartaillac, the geologist, and many others, who 

 will give interesting papers on a variety of subjects. 



Mr. Ashton. Dilke tried in vain on Tuesday to get the 

 House of Commons' seriouslyj to consider the advisability of 

 adopting the decimal system of coinage in this coui.try. It is hope- 

 less in the present state [of public affairs to induce Parliament to 

 attend to a matter of this kind. On the w idely beneficial results 

 of the adoption of the metric system in whole or in part we 

 have often insisted. That there would be some inconvenience 

 in making the transition, of course every one will admit ; but as 

 compared to the ultimate benefits from the adoption of the 

 metric system, they are not worthy of consideration. Mr. Dilke 

 does well not to let the matter drop out entirely of public notice. 



The Thore prize of the Academic des Sciences of Paris has 

 been awarded to M. A. Vayssiere, preparateur des cours de 

 Zoologie a la Facultedes Sciences de Marseille, for an anatomical 

 memoir of Prosopistoma punctifrons, Lat. Some of our readers 

 interested in comparative anatomy may remember having seen 

 the original drawings in London last summer, and will be glad 

 to know that it will soon be forthcoming. M. Vayssiere is a careful 

 expert. 



The French Minister of Public Instruction intends to do a 

 o-reat service to science by publishing monthly a risume of the 

 scientific work being done over France, under the title of Revue 

 ties Sciences. The review will be under the duection of the 

 venerable M. H. Milne-Edwards, and will consist exclusively of 

 analyses and summarie?, but of sufficient detail to give a fair 

 idea of the nature of the work being done. It will embrace the 

 work of individuals and of societies all over the country, and 

 each number will contain about 100 pages. 



