June 4, 1 8 74 J 



NATURE 



95 



Bay of Fundy, near Eastport. Here the tide rushes along with 

 great power, and the molluscs are obliged to cling to the bottom 

 with great tenacity to prevent being swept away. Only the 

 smaller individuals can withstand this by getting into the crevices 

 of the rocks. The species is thus perpetuated by the smaller 

 members, and rarely attains any considerable size. 



The Inspectors of Salmon Fisheries of England and 

 Wales have just issued their annual report. Examples are 

 given of the serious injuries inflicted on salmon rivers — and not 

 only on salmon rivers but on the health of the public — by the 

 pollutions poured into rivers, and it is to be hoped that powers 

 will be given to enforce the removal of such matters from our 

 streams. Altogether the prospects of our salmon rivers appear 

 very favourable, and much good is to be expected from the work- 

 ing of the new Act. 



A SEAM of coal has been discovered at Sandwell Park, near 

 Birmingham, 418 yards below the surface. 



Some good popular scientific lectures are at present being 

 given by Prof. Gardner at the Polytechnic. 



The Maynumber of Annals and Magazine of Natural History 

 contains, among other articles, a list of butterflies taken by 

 Lieut. Bell on the march to Coomasie, with a description of six 

 new species. Dr. Nicholson describes a new genus of Palaeozoic 

 corals from the Niagara group of Indiania, which he names 

 Duncanella, in honour of Mr. P. M. Duncan. Dr. Young gives 

 a description of a new genus of carboniferous Polyzoa, and 

 suggests the name Rhabdomeson. A plate is given illustrating 

 Rhalhlonicson i^racih-. There is also a brief note of an apparently 

 new species of humming-bird, of the genus Eriocnemis, by Mr. 

 Elliot. The discussion about Eozoon is continued. 



An excellent device has been forwarded to us for us3 in field- 

 club excursions. It is designed to promote an interest in common 

 flowers, and can of course be varied and worked without a prize. 

 It consists of a large envelope, with a description, but not the 

 name, of a plant, and directions as to what ought to be done 

 with the plant when found. The particular envelope, forwarded 

 to us by Mr. Higgins of the Liverpool Naturalist's Club, con- 

 tains the following on its back : — 



EXTRA PRIZE. 



DESCRIPTION OF PLANT. 



Leaves opposite. Sessile, Lanceolate, Acuminate. 



Sepals 5, half as long as the 5 deeply-cleft Petals. 



Stamens 10, Styles 3, height about 12 in. 



Members finding a plant answering to this description should take it 

 to the President cr botanical Releree, with theirname signed at the 

 foot of this slip. When correct ihe slips will be initialed and handed 

 to the Secretary. The tinder should be prepared to answer questions 

 on the description ; but the name of the plant will not be officially 

 ed till after tea. 



iwaided at the end of the Season to those 



Signal, 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a Beisa Antelope (Oryx beisa) new to the col- 

 lection, from Central Africa, presented by Admiral Aithur 

 Gumming ; an Indian Gazelle [Gazella bennetti), presented by 

 Mr. J. II. Bainbridge ; an Indian Ratel [Meilivora indica), pie- 

 sented by Mr. L. Macneill ; a Mauge's Dasyure (Dasyiiriis 

 maui^ai) from Australia, presented by Mr. F. Kirby ; two Little 

 Whimbrels (A'umcniiis iiiinuiiis) from the Navigator Islands, 

 presented by Rev. S. J. Whitmee ; a Guilding's Amazon [Chry. 

 sotis giiddingi) from St. Vincent, purchased ; a Bennett's Casso- 

 wary {Casuanus bmnitti) from New Britain, deposited. 



SCIENTIFIC SERIALS 



The American Journal of Sciaue, May 1S74.— The May 

 number contains the following papers :— On the polarisation of 

 light, by Prof. A. W. Wright. Prof. Wright instituted a series 

 of observations with different instruments, which he describes, 

 obtaining, however, only faint and uncertain results. At last he 

 has been enabled to make observations he considers reliable. 

 He obtained a quartz plate, cut perpendicularly to the axis, and 

 exhibiting by polarised light an unusual intensity of colour. Exa- 

 mined with one Nicol and unpolarised light the plate is per- 

 fectly colourless, and shows no trace of its heterogeneous struc- 

 ture. Placed between two Nicols, it showed bands of colour, 

 the plate being a made, the body consisting of left-handed quartz, 

 crossed by a band of right-handed quartz, bounded by strips of 

 different structure. The plate was used in a tube 11 in. long, 

 and formed an instrument especially adapted to the detection of 

 small degrees of polarisation. The observ.itions were made 

 facing the south-west in a dimmed room, so that the eye 

 should be sensitive. The results of the numerous observa- 

 tions on different evenings were entirely concordant, and 

 are thus summed up by Prof Wright :— (I) The zodiacal light is 

 polarised in a plane passing through the sun. (2) The amount 

 of polarisation is, with a high degree of probability, as much as 

 15 per cent, but can hardly be as much as 20 per cent. (3) The 

 spectrum of the light is not perceptibly different from that of 

 sunlight, except in intensity. (4) The light is derived from the 

 sun, and is reflected from solid matter. (5) This solid matter 

 consists of small bodies (meteoroids) revolving about the sun in 

 orbits crowded together towards the ecliptic. — The second article 

 is the first instalment of a communication by Mr. W. M. Fon- 

 taine, On the "great conglomerate" of New River, West 

 Virginia. — The third article is by Mr. S. W. Johnson, On 

 the use of potassium dichromate in ultimate organic analysis. 

 Potassium dichromate, the author thinks, possesses all the 

 properties needful for an oxidant in organic analysis, and ordi- 

 nary kuolin is the best material for diluting it. He gives the 

 details of some of his experiments. — Then follows an article by 

 Mr. C. PI. Hitchcock, On the Helderberg Rocks of New Hamp- 

 shire, which is illustrated by a map, and is to be continued. — 

 The Rev. H. C. Hovey contributes an interesting article on 

 Rabies mcphitica. The bite of the common skunk (Mephitis 

 meptdtica Shaw) is often dangerous, and leads to symptoms 

 somewhat analogous to those which follow the bite of a mad dog. 

 Mr. Hovey has obtained particulars of forty-one cases of Rabies 

 mcphitica, and of these forty were fatal. — Mr. Carey Lea 

 of Phfladelphia finds that when silver bromide is treated 

 with pyrogallic acid, after exposure to light, the black sub- 

 stance which remains contains bromine and is resolved by 

 nitric acid into normal silver bromide (left behind as a pale 

 yellow film) and silver which passes into solution. It is, there- 

 fore, either a sub-bromide or an o.\y-bromide ; not an oxide. 

 The existence of these compounds is evidently an argument for 

 doubling the atomic weight of silver, as has recently been pro- 

 posed on other grounds. — Mr. Meek continues his notes on the 

 fossils figured in the recently-issued filth volume of the Illinois 

 state geological report. — The brief contributions from the physical 

 laboratory of the Harv.ard College ate also continued. They in- 

 clude No. v.. On a method of freezing a magnetic bar from the 

 influence of the earth's magnetism, by John Trowbridge. No. 

 vi. Note on Melde's experiment, by W. Lowery. No. vii. A 

 spark adjuster for the Holtz machine, by James Minot. No. 

 viii. Effect of condensers on the brush discharge from the Holtz 

 machine — Mr. E. A. Verrill continues contributions to zoology, 

 giving the results of dredging at three stations on the coast of 

 New England, on Cashe's ledge, Jeffrey's ledge, and Stellwagen 

 Bank. — In the "Scientific Intelligence," the section "Chemistry 

 and Physics " consists of notices of papers published in Europe. 

 In section " Geology and Natural History " there is a notice of a 

 communication in the Overland Monthly On mountain sculpture 

 in the Sierra Nevada, and on the method of glacial erosion, by 

 E. S. Carr. He holds that glaciers do not so much mould and 

 shape rocks as that they " disinter forms already conceived and 

 ripe." The grain of a rock determines its surface-forms. — There 

 is also an extract from a letter to I r. Dana, referring to volcanic 

 action in Hawaii, where Mauna Loa has been in full activity 

 since April 1873. — An abstract is given of Prof W. S. Clarke's 

 experiments on the amount of pressure in the sap of plants. 

 The mercurial gauge has been used on the sugar maple, and 

 observations were made day and night from April i to July 20. 



