Feb. 26, 1874J 



.NATURE 



321 



dance at the spots where the currents tending to their 

 formation must have prevailed as the land went down ; 

 in cols, then straits connecting opposite firths from which 

 tides would flow in on either side ; at the openings of 

 mountain valleys, where the stream with its gravel burden 

 was then met by the incoming tide ; on low plateaus lying 

 between what were then estuaries, over which opposing 

 currents would sweep each high tide ; and in other simi- 

 lar situations. 



But were the Kames formed as the land sunk, or during 

 its subsequent emergence ? One would be inclined to 

 say during the latter period, for any heaps piled up by 

 the incoming sea would be liable to be swept away when 

 they again became exposed to wave-action as the sea re- 

 treated. Nevertheless, Mr. Geikie — and he is supported 

 by other observers in his opinion— holds that it was during 

 the period of depression that kame- building went on, for 

 the following reasons. The material of the Kames is, for 

 the most part, fine and well rounded, and it is a very rare 

 thing to find a large angular boulder in the heart of a 

 Kame ; hence it is believed that during the formation 

 of the Kames the climate had so far mended that glaciers 

 no longer existed, and that therefore there were no ice- 

 bergs to strew the sea-bottom with travelled blocks. 

 Erratics are, however, common perched on the outside of 

 the Kames, and hence it is concluded that at some point 

 in the period of the submergence cold again began to 

 come on, that glaciers reappeared and gave rise to ice- 

 bergs which bore away these blocks and dropped them 

 where they are now found. That there was a return to 

 cold conditions we know from other evidence, and with 

 the exception of the difficulty just mentioned, which after 

 all is not very serious, for the Kames we have may be only 

 the relics of a body originally much more numerous, the 

 explanation accords well enough with our knowledge of 

 the facts. But the thought crosses the mind that it is not 

 very often that we have an opportunity of seeing into a 

 Kame, or rather, that we see the outside much oftoner than 

 the inside, and that this possibly may be the reason why 

 erratics seem to ba more plentiful in the one place than 

 the other. A. H. Green 



( To be continued^ 



OUR BOOK SHELF 



Mincralagischf Miti/iciliutgen, 4th Heft. (Vienna, 1873.) 

 The present number ot the Mineralogischc Miithcil- 

 utigcn forms the 4th volume of the series, commenced 

 in 1870. It is published under the auspices of the 

 K. K. Geol. Reichsanstalt, and in connection with 

 their quarterly Jahrbuch, but forms properly in it- 

 self an independent journal. It is probably the only 

 periodical devoted exclusively to mineralogy, and thus 

 already occupies an important place among German 

 scientific serials. The list of papers which appear in this 

 number will give a good idea of the position which the 

 journal occupies : — Mineralogical observations in the 

 Argentine Republic, by H. Stelzner (embracing — minerals 

 occurring in the granite quartz masses of Cordoba ; 

 minerals associated with the granular limestone ; also 

 analyses and special description of Triplite, Jamesonite, 

 Enargite, Linaritc, cS:c.) ; eruptive rocks of Bjnat, 

 Hungary, by Niedzwiedzki ; crystallised magnesite from 

 the Northern Alps, by J. Rumpf ; mineral observations 

 from the Bohemian Forest, by Helmhacker ; brief notices 



of various minerals, Grunochite, an optically uni-axial 

 diamond, native copper, Roselite, &c. The number opens 

 with a short obituary n»tice of Naumann. 



The Mittheilungen are under the charge of Prof. 

 Tschermak, so well known through the scientific world for 

 his many and valuable contributions to mineralogy and 

 lithology. 



Prof Tschermak occupies the position of Director of 

 the Royal Mineralogical Museum of Vienna, a collection 

 which in beauty and completeness is not inferior to that 

 of the British Museum, while it surpasses the latter in the 

 arrangement of the objects exhibited, especially in refer- 

 ence to the good of the general public. The Museum 

 has been much enriched within the last four months by 

 the acquisition of a number of interesting things from 

 the Vienna Exposition. The collections are opened two 

 mornings in the week, for the banefit of the public, oppor- 

 tunities which are well made use of, while the Cabinet is 

 accessible on every week-day to those who are there 

 engaged in regular work. The results accomplished in 

 the Mineralogical School thus formed in connection with 

 Prof Tschermak and Dr. Schrauf do a considerable 

 part toward supporting the Mhu-ralogischi- Mitthcituns;en. 



The Geological Reichsanstalt, now under the direction 

 of Franz Ritter von Hauer, has carried on its work for 

 twenty-seven years. The results are not only of the 

 greatest importance in developing the resources of the 

 Empire itself, but, as the work engages the best talent, 

 and is consequently carried on according to the highest 

 standard of pure science, the yeaily labours are adding 

 vastly to the fund of geological knowledge, and helping 

 to solve many of the difficult problems of the science. 

 The building occupied by the Reichsanstalt contains the 

 various working-rooms, and the extensive collections, com- 

 plete naturallym all matters pertaining to Austrian Zoology. 

 The immediate results of the survey are first made known 

 in the Evening Sessions, which are held on the first and 

 third Tuesday of each month from November to May. 

 They are attended regularly by some thirty or forty of 

 those interested in such subjects, and form a pleasant 

 opportunity (or those of common interests to meet to- 

 gether informally. The stranger is continually impressed 

 with the active spirit, and especially with the community 

 of feeUng, among the scientific men of Vienna ; the latter 

 has undoubtedy great influence in giving the city the 

 prominent position which it occupies among the different 

 scientific centres. 



LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 



[The Editor docs not hold himself i-csponsible for opinions expressed 

 by his correspondents. No notice is taken of anonymous 

 communications. ] 



Zoological Nomenclature 

 From time to time an idea is started that Zoology is breaking 

 down under the weight of its synonymy. With entomologists 

 I have frequently contended that so far fioni this being the case, 

 there is, on the contrary, an almost marvellous agreement in the 

 generic and specific names used, especially when we consider the 

 extent of the bibliography and the vast number of the species. 

 After reading in Nature, vol. ix. p. 25S, Mr. Wallace's review of 

 Dr. Sharp's pamphlet, I bethought myself of comparing the two 

 best knovrn catalogues of European Coleoptera, viz., Schaum's, 

 published at Berlin, in 1S62, and Ue Marseul's, at Paris, in 1S66. 

 Perhaps the results of the examination of the first six families in 

 the two works will suffice. It must be premised that Schaum's 

 is strictly confined to European species, while De Marseul's em- 

 braces as well those of the " basin of the Mediterranean in Asia 

 and Africa." As to the genera, in the Cicindelidaa there are two 

 in each. In the Carabida;, Schaum has 98 genera and de Mar- 

 seul ilS ; of the latter four are not adopted by Schaum and the 

 remainder are extra-European. In the DytiscidLi; Schaum 

 has 15 genera, De Marseul 17. In the Gyrinida; there are two 

 genera in Schaum, and three in De Marseul, the third being 



