Mar.t^, 1874J 



NATURE 



355 



care to meddle with the insect, as it was stated that when 

 I crushed it caused blisters on the skin, and that if a wound was 

 touched severe inflammation and painful ulcers folIovvc^^ 



Institution of Civil Engineers, Feb. 10. — Mr. T. E. Karri- 

 son, president, in the chair. — The paper read was on the con- 

 struction of Harbour and Marine Works with artificial blocks 

 of large size, by Mr. Bindon Blood Stoney, M. A. The author 

 described a new method of submarine construction, with blocks 

 of niasoniy or concrete far exceeding in bulk anything hitherto 

 attempted. Tlie blocks were built in the open air on a quay or 

 wharf, and after from two to three months' consolidation, they were 

 lifted by a powerful pair of shear legs, erected on an iron barge 

 or pontoon. When afloat, the blocks were conveyed to their 

 \ destination in the foundations of a quay wall, breakwater, or 

 ' similar structure, where each block occupied several feet in 

 length of the permanent work, and reached from the bottom to a 

 little above low-water level. The superstructure was afterwards 

 built on the top of the blocks in the usual manner by tidal work. 

 By this method the expenses of cofferdams, pumping, staging 

 . and similar temporary works were avoided, and economy and 

 rapidity of execution were gained, as well as massiveness of 

 construction, so essential for works exposed to tire violence of the 

 sea. 



Edinburgh 



Royal Society, Monday, March 2. — Sir Robert Christison, 

 honorary vice-president, in the chair. — The following communi- 

 cations were read : — "On the Parallel Roads of Glen Roy, with 

 a Notice of finding Fossil Diatomacar in the Deposits," by the 

 Rev. Thomas Blown. — " On the Perception of Musical Soimds," 

 by Dr. M'Kendrick. — "On the Establishment of the Elemen- 

 tary Prmciples ol Quaternions on an Analytical Basis," by Mr. 

 G. Plarr. Communicated by Prof. Tail. — " Prelimmary Note 

 on Spectra under exceedingly small Pressures," by Piof. Tail 

 and Mr. J. Dewar. — "Laboratory Notes," by Prof. Tait (1) On 

 Atmospheric Electricity ; (2) On the Thermoelectric Position of 

 Sodium. 



Dublin 



Royal Irish Academy, Feb. 9. — Rev. J. H. Jellelt, presi- 

 dent, in the chair. — W. if. Baily, F.L..S., read a preliminary 

 report on the plant-fossils of the KLltorkan district. In this pre- 

 liminary report Mr. Baily staled that the most frequent plant met 

 with is Falaoplais hibcynica, first noticed by the late Prof. E. 

 Forbes, under the provisional name of Cyclopteris, afterwards 

 referred to Adiantites by A. Brogniart, and now placed by 

 Schimper in his genus Palieopteris, diftering as it does from the 

 former genus in the arrangement of its leaflets and from the 

 latter in its mode of fructification. Some of the fronds met with 

 were nearly five feet long and three wide. Two new species were 

 described as Sphciioptcris hooki.ri and 6'. liumphycsianiiin, both 

 ol which were comparatively rare. — A fine example of the stem 

 of iia^cnaria hailyaua of Schimper was met with, the total 

 length of which was 20ft. 4 in., and at its lowest portion it was 

 6 in. in diameter ; it branched at about 15 ft. from the base ; and 

 the upper portion of these branches corresponds with Cytiosti^iiia 

 inhiiita of llaughton. Cone-like bodies, somewhat resembling 

 Lepidostrobus 01 the coal were met with. They are composed of 

 elongated scales, terminating in long linear processes showing 

 large and very distinct sporules. — These presumably belong to 

 the Sagenaria but have never yet been found attached. — I'he 

 repoit was referred to Council for publication. — Mr. G. Ivinahan, 

 ol the Geological Survey, believed the report was a most valu- 

 able one, and that the researches of Mr. Baily had proved that 

 many of Mr. Carruther's species were but portions of the same 

 plant. — Prof. M'Nab read a report on some researches into the 

 physiology of plants. These experiments were first a series to 

 dctcnnine the amount of water transpired by leaves, and secondly 

 the ascent of water in the stem. 1 he plants selected for both 

 series of experiments were the cherry-laurel, the common privet, 

 and the common elm. It would be impossible to condense the 

 large series of experiments made by the author. One seiies, to 

 determine the amount of water transpired by leaves, made on 

 August 7, 1873, showed that, with very nearly the same expo- 

 sure and under the same conditions, the cherry-laurel lost, of 

 water, 5i;S\ per cent, of the weight of the brancJi employed ; the 

 frivet, 267S ; the elm, 65-61. Very many experiments were 

 made to determine the actual rate at which fluid ascends in the 

 stem. In Sach's experiment on this subject he fixed the rate to 

 be 'J in. per hour. In Dr. M'Nab's first e.\periments he obtained 

 a rate of 24 in. per hour. The present series of experiments 



were made on the same species of plants mentioned above. In 

 the privet the rate was 6 in. per hour ; in the elm the rate was 

 15 '6 in. per hour. But in both plants the leaves and stem soon 

 became placid, and the experiments were not completely satis- 

 factory. In the cherry-laurel the rate in one expeiiment was 

 24 in. per hour ; in a second, 13-2 in. per hour ; ana in a third, 

 1 86 in. per hour. The author also recorded a large series of 

 experiments : i. As to the rapidity of the ascent of fluid in sten s 

 wlien in (a) sun, {b) diffused daylight, and (c) darkness. 2. 

 Rapidity of ascent in branches cut oft" in the dark. 3. Rapidity 

 of ascent in branches with the cortical tissue removed. 4. 

 Rapidity of ascent in stems deprived of their leaves. 5. Rapidity 

 of absorption of lithium when applied at apex of the branch ; 

 and 6. Rapidity of ascent when ifuid was taken up under pres- 

 sure of mercury, intended to represent the root pressure ot the 

 plant. — This report was also referred to Council lor publication. 



Vienna 



Geological Institute, December 3, 1873.— One of the 

 most obscure questions in the geology of the Austrian empire 

 has been the geological position of the Vienna and Carpathian 

 sandstones which form a broad continuous zone on the northern 

 flank of the Austrian Alps, and by far a broader one still on the 

 northern and eastern Hank of the Carpathians in Moravia, 

 Silesia, Hungary, Galizia and Transylvania, Only in Silesia, by 

 the investigations of the late Plohenegger, and in Northern Hun- 

 gary, by those of M. C. Paul, a more satislactory knowledge 

 has been obtained on this subject. They agree that in both 

 regions the Carpathian sandstones may be divided into several 

 easily distinguishable groups which belong partly to the older ter- 

 tiary, and partly to the cretaceous lormations. Two very valu- 

 able memoirs on this subject were read ; the first from M. F. 

 Herbich, on the Carpathians in Eastern Transylvania, between 

 theGyimes and the Tomos Pass. The lowest member of the 

 Carpathian sandstones is formed here by white or yellowish 

 sandstones, which, higher up, pass into coarse conglome- 

 rates and belong to the middle neocomian formation ; 

 they are covered by a large series of dark-grey sandstones 

 which contain characteristic fossils, and belong to the upper 

 neocomian. The next member, developed near Zaizon, is a 

 grey limestone with Caprotuia Lonsdali, identical with the well- 

 known Caprotina limestone of the Alps, and belonging also to 

 the upper neocomian. Above the neocomian strata loliow again 

 different sandstones, which M. Herb.ch thinks to be identical 

 with the Godula sandstones of Hohenegger, and therefore to 

 belong tothe Gault. The second memoir, Oy M. Ch. Paul, treats 

 of the Carpathian sandstones in the eastern Bukowina. They 

 are divided in five different stages, viz., (I) Lower Teschen 

 slates ; (2) Neocomian Aptychus limestones ; (3) Ropianka 

 beds ; which were formerly thought by the author to belong 

 the Eocene series, whilst now he considers them as pro- 

 bably Cretaceans. They are of very great importance, be- 

 cause they contain in Galicia and Bakowina, as well as 

 in Hungar)', exclusively the sources of petroleum. 4. Meni- 

 lith schists, with nests of fossil fishes, which are generally thought 

 to belong to the middle oligocene formation. 5. Magara sand- 

 stone, probably upper oligocene. — Dr. Neumayer on the character 

 and tlie distribution ol some Neocomian cephalopods. The 

 author, referring to a former memoir, ("Jahrb. d. k. k. geoL 

 Reichsaunstalt," 1S71, p. 521), states that the European Jurassic 

 deposits form three different provinces, the Mediterranean, the 

 middle European, and the Russian province. By very interesting 

 obsei-vations on the faunas of these provinces, as well as on 

 that of the neoci^mian period, he establislies some facts relating to 

 the physical geography of the mesozoic period. First he slates, 

 that at the end of the Jurassic lime, the middle parts of Europe 

 were laid dry, and whilst therefore the marine lite in the midate 

 Euroiean province ceased, it continued, and was differently 

 developed in the Mediterranean (deposits of Stramberg, ot Bcr- 

 rias, &c.) and in the Russian province. Afterwards, about 

 the time of the Valenginien, the middle part of Europe 

 was again submerged and now peopled partly Irom the northern 

 and partly from the southern seas ; that the immigration went 

 really partly from the north, is proved by the very curious and 

 close affinities between some of the middle European neocomiaa 

 cephalopods and those of the upper Jurassic strata of Russia. 



Academy of Natural Sciences, Dec. u, 1873. — M. 

 Iloernes described the geological features of the island ot 

 Samothrace, from observations made in the spring of 1S73. — 

 Prof. Knoll presented a paper on the leflex effects proQuced 



