Dec. 25, 1873] 



NA TURE 



155 



ing plants were gathered on the island ; but of these, not more 

 than 100 were certainly native. Those of West-Indian origin 

 were probably brought, as Grisebach had suggested, by the Gulf- 

 stream or by cyclones, there being no winds blowing directly 

 from the American coast which would be likely to carry seeds, 

 which might, however, be conveyed from the Continent by mi- 

 gratory birds. A note by Prof. Thiselton Dyer appended to the 

 paper stated that 162 species sent over by Mr. Moseley had been 

 determined at the Kew Herbarium, of which 71 belong to the 

 Old World, while 2, an Erythrua and a S/>iratil/us, were plants 

 hitherto known as confined to single locahties in the United 

 States. — "Changes in the Vegetation of South Africa, 

 caused by the introduction of the Merino Sheep," by Dr. 

 Sliaw. The original vegetation of the colony is being in many 

 places destroyed or rapidly deteriorated by over-stocking and by 

 the accidental introduction of various weeds. Among the most 

 important of the latter is the Xaitlhmm spinosian, intro- 

 duced from Europe, the achenes of which cling to the 

 wool with such tenacity that it is almost impossible to de!ach 

 them, and render it almost unsaleable. It spreads with such 

 rapidity that in some parts legislative enactments have been 

 passed for its extirpation ; and where this is not done, it almost 

 usurps the place of the more useful vegetation. The president 

 stated that the Xanthinin has in the same manner deteriorated 

 the pastures in Queensland ; whilst in the south of Europe, where 

 it is equally abundant, it does not appear to cause such injurious 

 results. Though generally distributed through Europe, the plant 

 is probably of Chilian origin. — Extract from a letter from Osbert 

 Salvin, F.R.S., to Dr. Hooker, dated Guatemala, Oct. 6. Mr. 

 Salvin is engaged in collecting plants on the slopes of the Volcan 

 de Fuego, 5,000 ft. in elevation, and within an easy ride of a 

 volcano 13,000 ft. above the level of the sea. He hopes to secure 

 all the plants between the elevations of 3,500 and 8,500 ft. Many 

 of the species appear to have a vertical range of as much as from 

 2,000 to 3,000 ft. 



Meteorological Society, Dec. 19. — Dr. R. J. Mann, pre- 

 sident, in the chair. — The following papers were read : — "On an 

 improved form of aneroid for determining heights with a means 

 of adjusting the altitude scale for various temperatures," by 

 Mr. Rogers Field. In this aneroid the scale is adjustable 

 for different temperatures. Tlie jirinciple of the adjust- 

 ment del ends on the fact that when the scale is shifted it be- 

 comes inaccurate for the temperature for which it was laid down, 

 and therefore practically accurate for some other temperature, so 

 that the scale has only to be shifted into certain different fixed 

 positions to obtain a series of different scales suitable for different 

 temi>eratures of the air. — " On the North Atlantic hurricane of 

 August 20 to 24, 1873, which did much damage at Halifax, 

 Nova Scotia, and elsewhere," by Capt. H. Toynbee, F.R.A.S. 

 The author alluded to various data which had come into the 

 Meteorological Office respecting this gale, especially to a 

 chart of its track, and important remarks from Mr. J. 

 R. H. Macfarlane, R.N., Naval Sub-Lieut. H.M.S. Plo-der. 

 This data proved that it was a hurricane, and its route 

 was traced from a position to the sou'.h-east of Bermuda to 

 Halifax, showing its probable track for four days. The auihor 

 then went on to say that if the circular theory for hurricanes 

 were correct, little more could be done, though it would be 

 very interesting to trace so hard a gale from its fo:mation to its 

 breaking up. But he said if Mr. Meldrum's "Notes on the form 

 of Cyclones in the Southern Indian Ocean"* were correct, then 

 it was incumbent on the meteorologists of the northern hemi- 

 sphere to institute a similar inquiry, as the form of cyclones in 

 the southern hemisphere worked out from facts by Mr. Meldrum, 

 made it necessary to modify the rules in use amongst seamen for 

 avoiding their centres. An enlarged copy of Meldrum's dia- 

 gram (reversed to adapt it to the northern hemisphere) was ex- 

 hibited. The paper concluded witli a suggestion that the 

 August gale of 1S73 would afford the means for inquiry into the 

 shape of the nortliern hemisphere cyclones, and that data for 

 that month should be collected from all parts of the North At- 

 lantic, and worked up into daily synoptic charts, which sugges- 

 tion the author hoped would be carried out either by America or 

 England. — On a mercurial barometer for the use of travellers, 

 filled by the .spiral-cord method, by Staff-Commander C. George, 

 R.N. 



Geologists' Association, Dec. 5- — Henry Woodward, 

 F.R.S., president, in the chair. — " On the Yorkshire Oohtes," 



*• Mr. Meldrum's paper has been published as "Non-official, No. 7 " by 

 the Commitlce of the Royal Society ^^■ho manage the Meteorological Office. 



by W. T. Hudleston, F.G.S. The district occupied by beds 

 of Oolitic age in north-east Yorkshire, constitutes a mass of 

 elevated land divided into two very unequal lobes by a 

 triangular depressed area known as the Vale of Pickering, 

 towards which the beds inchne. A diagonal of thirty-one 

 miles, from N.E. to S.W., exhibits the Lee's of the Moorland 

 range resting on the Lias of Robin Hcod's Bay, whence they 

 incline towards the Vale of Pickering, newer beds being 

 continually met with as far as the " Kimmeridge Clay " of the 

 vale. Crossing this vale towards the Howardian Hills, the 

 previous beds or their equivalents are repeated in inverse order, 

 until the Lias of the Vale of York is reached. Dealing with 

 the Lower Oolites only, the group is essentially arenaceous. 

 At the eastern termination of the moorland range (coast section) 

 these beds have a thickness of 700 ft., Kostly sands and shales, 

 nearly devoid of marine moUusca, but rich in plant remains. 

 There are, however, four distinct zones of marine life (well 

 pointed out by Dr. Wright in 1859) which may be made out on 

 the coast and identified in the transverse valleys of the moor- 

 land range, (i) The Dogger and its associated Land-rock, 

 magnificently developed at Blue Wyke a sandy oolite, altered 

 into an iron-stone, calcic carbonate being replaced by ferrous 

 carbonate in the case of the shells, the original material being now 

 replaced by dderite, very unequally developed, sometimes resting 

 on 40 ft. of "striatulus beds," sometimes directly on the Upper 

 Lias. (2) "The Millepore Bed." At the point of their 

 maximum development 300 ft. of sands and shales intervene 

 between the Dogger and this bed, which, north of Scarborough, 

 is usually an arenaceous ironstone, but a few miles south of that 

 town becomes the most important calcareous member of the 

 Lower Oolites. (3) looft. of sands succeed and then we have 

 the " Scarborough Limestone " series, consisting of grey marly 

 limestones alternating with marly shales and varying in thick- 

 ness from 50 ft. at Mundall to 3 It. at Gristhorp (distance 

 9 miles). Above the Scarborough Limestone series occurs 

 160 feet of shales and sandstones ; some of these beds ex- 

 hibit casts of myaciiorm shells. (4) The fourth fossiliferous zone 

 is usually referred to the cornbrash. More complete marine 

 conditions are apparent. Brachiopoda are abundant. Ammo- 

 nites Herveyi plentiful in this bed, which yielded a fine suite of 

 fossils. It forms tlie last of the Lower Oolites. In the inland 

 chain south-west of the Vale of Pickering, the Lower Oolites are 

 much attenuated, amounting to no more than 150 feet in the 

 Derwent Valley, The types, too, are much altered. 



Chemical Society, Dec. 18.— Dr. Odling, F.R.S., presi- 

 dent, in the chair. — A paper on the preparation of standard trial 

 plates to be used in verifying the composition of the coinage was 

 read by the author, Mr. W. C. Roberts, Chemist of the Royal 

 Mint. After giving a sketch of the variation in composition of 

 the English gold and silver coins from the earliest times, he 

 noticed the various trial plates which had been prepared since 

 1660, showing that they sometimes varied considerably from the 

 standard of 9l6'66 parts in 1,000 for the gold and 925'o for the 

 silver. He then proceeded to describe tlie process employed 

 and the difficulties to br overcome in the preparation of the new 

 standard trial plates. These were exhibited at the meeting, and 

 also a magnificent specimen of pure crystallised gold. — Re- 

 searches on the action of the couple on organic bodies, Part iv., 

 on iodide of allyl, by Dr. G. H. Gladstone and Mr. A. Tribe, 

 being a continuation of their investigations on this subject.— On 

 tetranickelous phosphide, by Dr. R. Schenck. — On ferrous an- 

 hydrosulphate, by Mr. T. Bolas. The compound, which is crys- 

 talline, is precipitated on mixing an aqueous solution of green 

 vitriol with about nine times its volume of concentrated sulphuric 

 acid. — On the hydrochloride of narceine, by Dr. C.R. A. 

 Wright. 



Royal Horticultural Sociey, Dec. 3. — Scientific Com- 

 mittee.— A. Smee, F.R.S., in the chair.— Dr. Masters, F.R.S., 

 exhibited part of a poplar (sent by Mr. G. T. Saul), which, 

 while apparently healthy, had during the past summer, within 

 twenty-four hours, shed the whole of its leaves and never reco- 

 vered. The Rev. M. J. Berkeley pointed out that the specimen 

 was visibly attacked by fungus mycelium. No doubt, the tree 

 had long been diseased unsuspected ; the healthy bark would 

 probably be reduced to a narrow strip, and when this failed the 

 tree would die apparently quite suddenly. — Prof. Thiselton Dyer 

 exhibited a drawing of a luminous Didyininin from St. Kitt's.— 

 Mr. McLachlan, F.L.S., inquired as to the possibility of intro- 

 ducing humljle-bees into New Zealand ; the red clover, which 

 had also been introduced, was not fertilised for the want of them 



