Ap7'il 2, 1874] 



NA TURE 



435 



such a rank in his tribe as entitled him to the honours that were 

 evidently bestowed on his remains. The paper gave full descrip- 

 tions and detailed measurements. — A paper was read by Rev. 

 Dunbar I. Heath. On the Origin and Development of the Men- 

 tal Function in Man. He thought that in the ordinary view the 

 mind is considered as a central essence. Around it is the brain, 

 ■ and still further on the outside the world surrounds the brain. 

 It would conduce towards explaining the facts of mental function 

 if we supposed a material film to coincide with the outside surface 

 of the brain, which miijht be specialised under the name of 

 Psychoplasm. To that film he would confine mental, as dis- 

 tinguished from cerebral, function ; so that the mind would be 

 imaged, not as being the centre, but between brain and world. The 

 paper explained mental growth on tliat hypothesis. — Mr. W. L. 

 Distant read a paper On the Mental Differences between the 

 Sexes. The question discussed in the paper was — Is there 

 clearly proved to be mental difference between the sexes, and is 

 that difference one of kind or only of degree ? Authorities were 

 quoted to show the undoubted physical differences, such as weight 

 of brain, form of skull, &c. , also the now moderately well-esta- 

 blished fact that in primitive races the hair of women approxi- 

 mates more closely to that of man than obtains in a higher state 

 of civilisation. But it having been clearly proved that the ad- 

 vance of man is shown by a higher form of skull and increase of 

 the cranial capacity, an attempt was made to show some of the 

 conditions that had retarded woman in the mental struggle. The 

 result seemed to prove that the mental divergences might be 

 greatly accounted for — firstly, by sexual selection, difference of 

 education, and force of custom ; secondly, by physiological con- 

 ditions ; and that as the race progresses, the cranial capacity of 

 the sexes, though not becoming identical, which is a physical 

 impossibility, will yet become much less distinct and divergent, 

 which is a moral certainty if based on moral conclusions. 



Physical Society, March 21.— Dr. J. H. Gladstone, F.R.S., 

 in the chair. — T. H. Fleming, read a paper On the new 

 contact-theory of the Galvanic Cell. After discussing the most 

 recent views regarding the contact and chemical theories, Mr. 

 Fleming exhibited the action of his new battery in which metallic 

 contact of dissimilar metals is completely avoided. The battery 

 consisted of thirty test-tubes of dilute nitric acid alternating with 

 the same number of tubes of sodium pentasulphide, all well in- 

 sulated. Bent strips of alternate lead and copper connected the 

 neighbouring tubes. By this device the terminal poles are of the 

 same metal. On connecting with a coarse galvanometer, the needle 

 was violently and permanentlydeflected. Tested by the quadrant 

 electrometer the potential was shown to increase regularly with the 

 number cf cells. The sixty cells on first immersion showed an 

 electromotive force exceeding that of Daniell's cells. The 

 principle upon which the action depends is that in the acid lead 

 is positive to copper ; in the sulphide it is negative. Mr. Fleming 

 further showed how by using the single fluid nitric acid and the 

 single metal iron, a similar battery could be constructed, pro- 

 vided one-half of each iron strip was rendered passive. In this 

 form also no metallic contacts occurred. — Prof. F. Guthrie 

 illustrated by experiment the distribution of a current of 

 electricity in passing from one pole to another across a conducting 

 medium. This was shown in the case of solids by the stratifica- 

 tion of iron filings in the sheets of tin-foil and lead. A current 

 of electricity was passed between two points in a horizontal line 

 lying on the surface of metal placed vertically in the magnetic 

 meridian, and the distribution explored by means of a freely 

 suspended magnet needle. As the needle was gradually lowered 

 its direction of deflection was observed to change at a certain 

 point from east to west. This point was ascertained by experi- 

 ment to be at a distance below the hoiizontal line, in which the 

 current entered and left the plate, equal to one-third of the 

 interval between the poles. A similar elTect was shown in a 

 liquid conductor.— Prof. G. C. Foster, Dr. Wright, and Dr. 

 Gladstone took part in the discussion of the communications. 



Royal Horticultural Society, March 18.— Scientific Com- 

 mittee. Dr. Hooker, P.R.S., in the chair.— The Rev. M. J. 

 Berkeley brought for exhibition Montague's original drawings of 

 Artotro»us. He pointed out that this was only the xiW i"eh in 

 diameter, while VohitcJIa, with which Mr. W. G. Smith had 

 supposed it might be identical, was from 555 to ^niu inch in dia- 

 meter. Montagne had also found a second species of Artotrogus, 

 and of this he showed a drawing. He also remarked that a 

 knowledge of the resting spore of Pcronospora infesians was a 

 great desideratum. It was to be hoped that, as 100/. had been 

 presented to Prof, de Bary to investigate the whole subject, that 



that would be a matter on which he would throw some light. — 

 Mr. Smee communicated a paper on a disease at present very 

 destructive to Daphne indica. Numerous diseased plants were 

 e.xhibited, and the opinion of the Committee was requested upon 

 them. Prof. Westwood siid that as the young leaves of the 

 Daphne were entirely free from acari or the young larvae of 

 Coiddis or Ap/iidti, although the adjoining full-grown leaves were 

 much diseased, he was not inclined to regard the disease as origi- 

 nating from the attacks of any of these insects, although it 

 might be due to punctures of some flying .species of CapsidiE, 

 such as Phyloxoris cam pest ris, which attacks the buds and voung 

 foliage of the common Chrysanthemum, flying from plant to 

 plant. — Prof. Westwood adverted to the Tea Bug of Assam, 

 which he believed to be identical in Upper India, Java, and 

 Ceylon, and not a new species. The insects of Java were often 

 identical with those of Assam, but he supposed that in this case 

 the insect might have been conveyed from one to the other. Dr. 

 Hooker said that this was very probable. The Ceylon tea-plant 

 was the so-called "hybrid variety" introduced from Assam, and 

 wiis probably sent from Ceylon to Java. — Prof. Thiselton Dyer 

 exhibited a specimen of an .\cacia with a curious white balani- 

 form exudation of insect origin, from the Botanic Garden at 

 Cape Town. Prof. Westwood stated that the insect upon the 

 Acacia was quite new to him, and was closely allied to the Cio- 

 nops cataphractiis, a rather rare British insect, allied to the 

 Coccidic ; the specimens were females, which had emitted a mass 

 of waxy matter, striated in ridees ; the waxen mass was in many 

 places covered with minute larvsj, differing in form from the 

 ordinaiy larvae of the Coccidir. 



General Meeting. — Mr. H. Little in the chair. — The Rev. M. 

 J. Berkeley called attention to pods ripened in the gardens of 

 Mr. W. Terry, of Vanilla aroiiiatica (it has fruited tliis year 

 abundantly in the Victoria house at Kew) ; a charming specimen 

 of Aloe plicatilis — a miniature tree in form, with fine {lowering 

 spikes — came from Mr. J. T. Peacock's collection. 



Newcastle 

 Chemical Society, Feb. 26. — Dr. Lunge, president, in the 

 chair. — A paper was read by Mr. J. Pattinson On the rate at 

 which bleaching powder loses its available chlorine. The 

 examination of a number of samples of bleaching powder, 

 from time to time, during about twelve months, was 

 undertaken with the view of making a contribution towards 

 the solution of this question, " How much available chlo- 

 rine does bleaching powder lose in a given time?" and 

 also to the further one, " Does weak bleaching powder, say con- 

 taining 32 per cent, of chlorine, retain its strengtli better than a 

 stronger bleaching powder?" Three sets of samples were ob- 

 tained from different manufactories on the Tyne, each set con- 

 sisting of three samples. It was intended that the three samples 

 of each set should be taken from the same portion of lime — one 

 when it contained about 33 per cent, of available chlorine, one 

 when it contained about 35 per cent., and the third when it con- 

 tained about 37 per cent. — and with this object the lime was 

 placed in a box in the chlorine chamber, so that it could be 

 easily removed in order to take out the samples at each stage. 

 On examining the tables given in the report it is seen that, with 

 reference to the question as to the relative stability of weak and 

 strong bleaching powder, there is practically no difference in the 

 rate at which they lose available chlorine. 



Glasgow 



Society of Field Naturalists, March 20. — Annual Meeting. 

 — Mr. J. Allan, vice-president, in the chair. — Mr. P. Cameron, 

 jun., exhibited two sawflies new to Britain : Blennocampa aier- 

 riiiia Klug, taken by Dr. Buchanan White at Braemar ; Hoplo- 

 campa pectoralis Thomson, taken by the Rev. T. A. Marshall, 

 F.L.S., at St. Albans. The only recorded locaHtyis Gothland, 

 where it was captured for the first time by Prof. Boheman. — Mr. 

 Cameron also exhibited the two new sawflies described by him 

 in the last number of the Entomolos^ists Monthly Magazine : 

 Taxonus ^lotlianns, of which a single specimen was taken at 

 Kenmuir Bank near Glasgow in May; and .Veinatiis graini>iis, a 

 not uncommon species in the district, the larva of which feeds on 

 grasses. The Annual Reports of the Secretary and Treasurer 

 having been read and adopted the Officers and Council for the 

 ensuing year were elected. 



Philadelphia 



Academy of Natural Sciences, December 2, 1873. — Dr. 

 Ruschenberger, president, in the chair. — Fertilisation of Vucac. 



