Feb. 26, 1 8 74 J 



JVA 7 C/JiB 



335 



assumes that the given result is produced ;/i/> times on m trials, 

 which give a constant facility for its production (that is, are 

 made under definable circumstances, wliich, if defined, would 

 yive a constant probability for the same), and determines P', the 



probability that this facility lies between/ ± — . In the deduc- 



m 



five theorem it is supposed that — may be neglected ; and in 

 //I 

 I 

 tlic inductive y= . (The author here refers to Mr. Todhunter's 



" History," p. 555, and to Mr. De Morgan's treatise in the 

 '■ I'^nc. Metr.," § 77.) The object of the paper was to show, first 

 thit there is an oversight in Laplace's statement of the inversion 

 (ste Todhr. , § 997), the correction of which removes the incon- 

 sistency of the results ; and secondly, that upon the hypothesis 

 of equally probable values within equal ranges, the inversion is 

 so far legitimate that eiiher theorem may be inferred from the 

 other with little calculation, and in particular without the ap- 

 proximate evaluation of a general integral, and accordingly that 

 tlie two solutions are identical in principle. 



Chernical Society, Feb. 19.— Prof Odling, F.R.S., pre- 

 sident, in the cliair. — Mr. James Bell delivered his lecture 

 " On the Detection and Estimation of Adulteration in Articles 

 of Food and Drink." The lecturer, after some preliminary 

 remarks on the fiscal regulations with regard to adulteration, 

 began with a description of the microscopic appearance of the 

 various kinds of s;arch, as many of them, Irom their cheapness, 

 are largely employed for the purposes of adulteration ; he then 

 consideied the characters of pure coflfee and of the various sub- 

 stances used to adulterate it, pointing out tlie most convenient 

 methods for their detection. Tea, pepper, and mustard, were 

 afterwards treated of in the same way. Owing to want of time, 

 Mr. Bell was unable to complete the lecture, so that the adul- 

 teration of cocoa, tobacco, and beer v.'as not touched upon. 

 This admirable and instructive lecture was copiously illustrated 

 by the most beautifully executed drawings of the structure of the 

 various substances as exhibited under the microscope. After the 

 lecture many of the Fellows availed themselves of the opportunity 

 afforded them of looking over the extensive collection of micro- 

 scopic preparations connected with the subject. 



Entomological Society, Feb. 2. — Mr. J. W. Dunning, 

 vice-president, in the chair. — Mr. MiiUer exhibited a blind 

 Myriapod and others found in a limestone cave in the Jurassian 

 Mountains ; he believed them to be the first found in the caves 

 of Switzerland. — Mr. Kirby exhibited Lycisiia phabc from Aus- 

 tralia, which had been described by the Rev. R. P. Murray. — 

 Specimens were exhibited of Moiwhanuiitis leuconotus, a Longi- 

 corn beetle which was very destructive to the coffee plantations 

 in Natal. The only remedy that appeared to have been tried 

 was the application of Stockholm tar to the roots of the trees ; 

 but handpicking was suggested on the first appearance of the in- 

 sect in the imago state. This was the practice usually adopted 

 on the continent of Europe with regard to Mdolonthr,. Also it 

 was desirable to protect the insectivorous birds, which were fre- 

 quently shot for the sake of their plumage. — Mr. Butler for- 

 warded some corrections of the synonymy with regard to Apa- 

 lir/a heisc and A. lycaon of Scudder and Riley, which were 

 ' Miivalent to A. dyton and A. cdtis, Boisduval ; whereas A. 

 and A. lycaoii, Fabricius, were sexes of one species = ^. 

 V, Edwards. — A paper was communicated by Mr. Herbert 

 Druce, entitled "Descriptions of fifteen species of Diurnal 

 Lepidoptera, chiefly from South America." 



Meteorological Society, February 18. — The papers read 

 were: — "General Remarks on the West Indian Cyclones, 

 particularly those from the 9th to the 21st Sept., 1S72," 

 by Mr. F. H. Jalinnke, harbour-master of St. Thomas ; 

 "New Forms of Alcohol Tliprmometers, " and "An Im- 

 proved Vacuum Solar Radiation TI.criv>Ameter," Viotli by 

 Mr. James J. Hicks ; and "Note on a Waterspout which burst 

 on the Mountain of Ben Resipol, in Argyleshire, in August, 

 1873," by Mr. Robert H. Scott, F.R.S. A very interesting 

 discussion followed tlie reading of each paper. That upon Mr. 

 Jahncke's led to expressions of opinion on the origin, form, 

 tracks, and general characteristics of West Indian Hurricanes, 

 and of the best means ol improving and increasing the records 

 of weather phenomena in those parts. The special feature in 

 Mr. Hicks's second paper was the application of an electric 

 current as a test for the perfection of the vacuum, which prin- 

 ciple was very beautifully illustrated by experiments. 



Edinburgh 

 Scottish Meteorological Society, Jan. 29.— Mr. M. Home, 



of Wedderburn, in the chair.— From the report of the council it 

 appears that two new stations, viz., Broadlands, Peebleshire, and 

 Ochtertyre, Crieff, have been added to the society's stations, and 

 that Kettisis and Cairndow have ceased to be stations. Thus the 

 number of stations in connection with the society is the same as 

 at last meeting, viz., 92 in Scotland, 5 in England, 4 on the 

 Contment, 2 in Iceland, i in Faro, and i in South America. 

 Observations have also been begun to be made for the society at 

 Melstad, in the north of Iceland, and at Fairlie Plains, Paroo 

 River, near the northern w.itershed of the River Darling, Aus- 

 tralia. The council had had offers of many more stations, some 

 in most eligible districis ; but the establishment of these would 

 have entailed additional expenditure which the society's funds 

 would not justify. Teachers of several schools had also made 

 known their wish to observe for the society, provided they were 

 furnished with instruments, at the same time proposing to intro- 

 duce into their schools some instruction in meteorology. The 

 council, however, had been obliged to decline these applications 

 for want of funds. The membership of the society is at present 

 560. In room of the three members ol council who retired. 

 Prof. Alexander Dickson, Dr. J. Robson Scott, and Mr. George 

 Hope, of Broadlands, were elected. — An application has been 

 made to the council by Mr. Colin McVean on behalf of the 

 Government of Japan for advice regarding the establishment of 

 a system of meteorologicil observations in Japan. In answer to 

 this application, the council has forwarded a memorandum re- 

 garding suitable instruments, their position, hours of observation, 

 the establishment of a centra! observatory, inspection of stations, 

 publications, and special observations of storms. — Mr. Buchan 

 submitted a second report of the committee app jinted to carry 

 out the Marquis of Tweeddale's proposal to investigate the rela- 

 tions of the herring- fisheries to meteorology. The committee 

 had, with the assistance of the Hon. Bouverie F. Primrose, of 

 the Fishery Board, obtained complete returns of the daily catch 

 of herrings and state of the weather from all the fishing districts 

 of Scotland during the past season. Thirty-five weather maps 

 at 9 P. M. , specially constructed with reference to this question, 

 and showing the number of boats out fishing in each district each 

 day and the average catch of each boat, were shown to the 

 meeting. Some interesting relations between the catches of the 

 different districts and the prevailing weather were pointed out ; 

 and as these were in general accordance with the results stated 

 in the first report, presented in July last, it is highly probable 

 that when the statistics of three or four years' fishings similar to 

 the very satisfactory returns of the past year have been collected, 

 valuable conclusions will be arrived at. — Mr. Thomas Stevenson, 

 in bringing before the meeting a proposed inquiry regarding 

 storms, remarked that the barometric gi'adients hitherto ascer- 

 tained having been deduced from readings at stations many miles 

 apart, necessarily could not give more than a rough approxima- 

 tive gradient. What is wanted in order to get a formula for 

 computing the velocity of the wind due to a given gradient is, 

 as he (Mr. Stevenson) suggested in Nature, vol. ix. p. 103, 

 to have a string of stations at short distances apart. It is now 

 proposed to establish such storm stations, arranged in lines 

 radiating from Edinburgh for a distance of about twenty miles, 

 and it is believed that in addition to the existing stations of the 

 Scottish Society many farmers and others possess good baro- 

 meters, which could be compared with the society's standard. 

 It is proposed that observations of the instruments and 

 of the weather should be limited to the ppiiods dur- 

 ing which storms last, and a special schedule for the ob- 

 servations had been prepared.— Mr. Buchan gave an account of 

 the proceedings of the Meteorological Congress held at Vienna 

 ir> Sof to..vUo.- 1».4, to „ uii-u lie and Mr. Scott, of the Meteoro- 

 logical Office, London, had been sent as delegates from the 

 British Government. 



Geological Society, Feb. 12. — A paper was read by Mr. 

 John Home, of the Geological Survey of Scotland, on "The 

 Geologyof the Isle of Man." The chief points of interest in the 

 p.aperwere the correlation of tie red sandstones and Breccias 

 with the Lower Carboniferous series of Scotland, and the proofs 

 adduced that the volcanic rocks were probably on the same 

 horizon as the upper limestone shales of England. Detailed 

 evidence was given to show that the Isle was glacinted by a 

 conlluent ice-sheet from the north-west of England, south of 

 Scotland, and the north-east of Ireland. The two submarine 



