174 



NATURE 



yjan. I, 1874 



of the moa. The discovery of a large bird of the Anser 

 family, but which could not fly adds another remarkable feature 

 to New Zealand's extinct ornithology. Chief among the addi- 

 tions which have been made to the zoological literature of the 

 colony during tlie past year is Dr. BuUer's great work on the 

 Birds of New Zealand, which is to be rendered more complete 

 by the publication of additional plates. The President expressed 

 a hope that a second edition might be called for in order to give 

 Dr. BuUer an opportunity of bringing up the information to a 

 still later date. The enumeration of our whales and dolphins 

 communicated to the Sociely by Dr. Hector has already called 

 forth critical remarks from the veteran zoologist, Dr. J. E. Gray, 

 of the British Museum. The President expressed his opinion that 

 the fur seals frequenting the South Island all belong to one 

 species, Arctocephalus cinereus, although skuUs of a second species 

 {A. lobalus) are found in caves and Maori ovens. Captain Hut- 

 ton's valuable addition to the list of fishes was also referred to, 

 as also the successful introduction of salmon during the past 

 year. Dr. Hector expressed an opinion in favour of intro- 

 ducing ova not only of .salmon but of trout, white fish, and other 

 species, that inhabit the inland waters of British Columbia. The 

 catalogues of the Marine Mnllusca, and the Star Fish of our 

 coasts, prepared by Captain Hutton, will be found invaluable by 

 collectors, but the most interesting contribution to the Zoology 

 of New Zealand is Captain H.'s essay on the Geographical 

 Relations of the Fauna, which to a great extent bears out the 

 hypothesis advanced by Dr. Hector in a previous address, that 

 the peculiar insular characters of the forms of life in New 

 Zealand have been present from a very remote period. 



The President referred to the expected visit of the C/ialknger 

 on a scientific exploration of the Southern Seas, and expressed a 

 hope that it would add largely to our knowledge on this interest- 

 ing subject. Referring to the great Southern Continent, which is 

 full of interest with its active volcanoes amidst perpetual snows, 

 he stated it was likely that the ensuing year will adi greatly to 

 our knowledge of that land, which is only 1,200 miles distant 

 from New Zealand, on whose climate it probably exerts a marked 

 influenae. This little known land possesses large supplies of 

 guano, and according to Sir James Ross, has a large and undis- 

 turbed whaling ground near it, in which whales of several 

 different species abound. The President criticised Captain Hut- 

 ton's paper on the Glacial period of New Zealand, and con- 

 firmed his dissent from the theory of a submergence of the 

 New Zealand area on a grand scale during the post-pliocene or 

 post-glacial period, and stated that unless palceontological 

 evidence of recent date can be obtained from strata occu- 

 pying valleys that were eroded during the last extension 

 of the glaciers he must still adhere to his formerly ex- 

 pressed opinion, that the geological period previous to that 

 which may be termed the recent period in New Zealand was 

 characterised by a prolonged though perhaps not excessive 

 elevation ; and that especially in the South Island there is in 

 consequence a marked absence of marine drifts and tills. The 

 President commended the study of the subject of our soils, sur- 

 face drifts, and beach rocks to the members of the Society. He 

 also differed from Capt. Hutton, who underrates, he thought, 

 the erosive power of existing glaciers, and referred to the recent 

 changes reported to have taken place in the outline of the summit 

 of .Mount Cook, owing to a great avalanche having slipped from 

 the ridge, leaving a conspicuous gap in the formerly even tent- 

 like form of the apex. 



After referring to the Geological reports for the progress 

 made during the past year in the survey of the country, the 

 President stated that descriptive catalogues of fossils from the 

 tertiary formations, as also an illustrated work on the fossil 

 plants from the different coal-bearing formations are nearly 

 ready for publication. The development of the wonderful rep- 

 tilian fauna in the upper secondary rocks will afford subject for 

 several communications at the meetings of the Society during 

 the present session. Already at least seven distinct forms be- 

 longing to the genera Plesiosaurus, &c. , have been worked 

 out from the blocks of mitrix collected at the Amuri Bluff 

 (Marlborough) and at the Waipara, and the description of 

 these gigantic Saurians will be sure to excite great interest in the 

 study of geological structure by exciting discussion at home, and 

 indirectly to attract attention to the mineral and other resources 

 of the colony. Mr. Skt-y's contributions were also favourably 

 reviewed Ijy the President, who concluded by thanking the 

 members for the courtesy and .support which he had received. 

 He then vacated the Chair in fivourof Dr. Knight, the President 

 for the present year. 



SCIENTIFIC SERIALS 



Zeitschrift der OesterrdchUchen Gesellschaft fiir Meieorologie, 

 November 1873 — In order to give warning of approaching storms, 

 an important determination is that of " baromeiric gradient " be- 

 tween two places, found by ascertaining the difference of atmo- 

 spheric pressure, and dividing by the distance. But as the places 

 may be at unequal heights a^jove the sea level, the influence of 

 this inequality on the barometric state must first be eliminated. 

 This may be dons by either of two methods ; reduction to the 

 sea level (the more common way), or determining the divergence 

 of the observed barometric state from the average for several 

 years. At the recent meeting of the International Congress of 

 Meteorology at Vienna, the question came up, which method was 

 preferable ; and it was decided, that for stations not more than 

 300 metres above the sea, the method of reduction had advantages 

 over the other. Dr. Hann here compares the two methods, and 

 presents the grounds of the Congress's decision. Austria adopts, 

 'his year, the method recommended, in place of the other.— 

 The paper is followed by one giving a sketch of the organisation 

 for meteorological observations in France, under the direction of 

 M. Le Verricr. — Vv'e further note some observations by M. 

 Caloria, of Mailand (communicated to the Istituto Lombardo), 

 comparing the number of sun-spots with the temperature and 

 rainfall during the period 1763-1872. The tables indicate pretty 

 clearly an increase of heat with decrease of spots ; though ano- 

 malies occur. In rainfall the connection is less marked. Among 

 the other notes will be found information as to the climate of the 

 Philippines, statistics of earthquakes in Austria, meteorites, &c. 



Bihliotheque Universelle ei Revue Suisse for November 1873, 

 commences with a paper by M. Rahn on the Origin of the 

 Renaissance in Italy. He considers the essential character of 

 the art of that period to have been, that the works produced 

 were no longer the product of a collective activity, but the 

 creation of such and such a master. He also shows from the 

 Palais Pitti at Florence, and other edifices (as compared with the 

 Gothic style), how the sense of harmony in proportion was 

 developed. — M. I. Piccard communicates the second part of a 

 paper entitled " Poisons and Counter Poisons," giving here a 

 clear popular account of the three different methods of remedy in 

 cases of poisoning — mechanical elimination of the unabsorbed 

 poison, neutralising of the poison by substances forming with it 

 a harmless compound, and symptomatic treatment, dealing with 

 the effects produced. — Mdlle. Anneville, criticising the public 

 instruction in the United States, thinks history and literature, 

 and ccsthetical studies, are too much ignored. — M. Glardon has 

 a review of some English works on Patagonia. The remaining 

 papers do not specially call for notice here. 



Bulletin de L Academic Rciyale dc Bcl;ique, Nos. 9 and to. 

 This issue contains some interesting observations by Dr. Nuel, 

 of Utrecht, on the electrical phenomena of the heart. Elec- 

 trodes being appliel, one to the apex, the other to the lateral 

 face of an intact, fresh heart, beating regularly, there is, in 

 diastole, a small current from the former to the latter, increasing 

 with dis'ance between the points. If the heart is exposed to 

 air, however, the current is soon reversed. Any wounded part 

 is negative to every other point on the surface. The circuit 

 being closed between an intact surface and a transverse section, 

 there is a consi<lerable current from the former to the latter 

 (greater than in ordinary muscles) ; this diminishes rapidly, but 

 increases again somewhat, when a contraction has been excited. 

 As to the phenomena duriuir conlraclioii, the weak current at 

 the surface of the intact and fresh heart does not change ; but 

 if a strong current is obtained from lesion, this is weakened or 

 reversed during systole. The negative variation precedes con- 

 traction ; it reaches a maximum at commencement of systole, 

 and lasts to the end of the contraction. The same author has 

 experimented on the influence of the v.agus nerve on the heart ; 

 and finds that stimulation .affects the auricular contraction differ- 

 ently from the ventricular, implying the presence of different 

 nervous elements. The nerve also contains some fibres which 

 excite, instead of retarding, the heart's movements. In an in- 

 vestigation of the orbits of comets, M. Houzeau shows that the 

 greater axes have a decided tendency to place themselves 

 parallel to the doub'e heliocentric meridian 102' 20' and 282° 

 20', and this longitude differs little from that of the point in 

 space, towards which the solar system is found to be moving. 

 — M. Plateau describes a parasite ol the Bc:l.^ian Cheiroptera. 

 There is a short account, by M. l,)uetelet, of the proceedings of the 

 recent international Congress of Meteorology held at Vienna ; and 



