yune II, 1 8 74 J 



NATURE 



117 



great early glaciation by land-ice (maximum effects of glaciation). 

 (2) Tiie period of Glacial marine beds containing remains of 

 arctic mollusca, when most of the country was covered by the 

 sea. (3) The time of the late glaciers, the special subject of the 

 paper. After expressing himself in opposition to the hypothesis 

 •of a great polar ice-cap, the author described this last period as 

 one not of mere local glaciers, but as characterised by a return of 

 a great ice-sheet over nearly the whole of Scotland and Ireland ; 

 but he stated that this ice-sheet was probably neither so thick, so 

 extensive, nor so enduring as that of the first period of gLaciation, 

 which cleared away everything in the shape of superficial de- 

 posits, down to the hard rock. He believed, however, that in 

 the last period the mountains of Scotland and Wales, as well as 

 the Penine range and the rest of the north of England as far as 

 Derby, were covered with thick ice, which in most parts reached 

 down to the sea, and that extensive snow-beds prevailed over 

 the rest of England. In the summer months the melting of these 

 would give rise to streams of muddy water, and produce the 

 superficial deposits of brick-earth, warp, and loess ; whilst when 

 the currents were stronger, perhaps from the thaw being unusually 

 rapid, deposits of gravel would be formed. This second ice- 

 sheet would gradually become less and break up into valley- 

 glaciers, which in their retreat would leave kaims and eskers 

 at low levels, and moraines in the mountain-glens. During 

 this time no new great submergence of the country took place ; 

 and the last great modifications of the surface were sub-aerial, 

 and not submarine, the work having been done by frost, rain, and 

 glaciers. — Notes on the Upper Engadine and the Italian valleys of 

 Monte Rosa, and their relation to the glacier-erosion theory of 

 lake-basins, by the Rev. T. G. Bonney. The author stated that 

 he had examined (l) the small lakes on the summit of the 

 Bernina Pass. These were situated in a position very favour- 

 able to glacier-erosion, and he thought might be attributed to 

 that cause. (2) The lakes on the upper part of the Maloya Pass. 

 These lay in three rock-basins, and at first sight seemed favour- 

 able to the glacier-erosion theory ; but further examination 

 showed that they were in no way connected with the Glacial 

 system of the neighbourhood, and were probably Preglacial. 

 (3) The Val Bregaglia to the Lake of Como. The presence of 

 barriers in the valley, its frequent V-like form, and the signs of 

 Glacial action to near tlie present level of the stream, seemed to 

 indicate that the glacier had had but shght erosive power. (4) 

 The Como arm of the lake. It was shown that the glacier, which 

 was supposed to have excavated the lake, had passed over the 

 ridge of Nagelfluhe and Molasse that encloses it, and had not 

 been able to grind away its remarkably sharp crest. (5) Similar 

 evidence was produced with regard to the Lake of Orta. (6) 

 The Italian v.alleys east of Monte Rosa. These were shown to 

 offer difficulties precisely similar to those of the Val Bregaglia. 

 The author therefore argued that these cases showed how super- 

 ficial the action of the glaciers had been; and that they must 

 have been wholly inadequate to excavate the greater lake-basins, 

 since no approach to this form, no U-like trough, was found in 

 the valleys down which the glaciers had flowed on their way to 

 the lakes. As then the principal features of the district appeared 

 to be Preglacial, he contended that disturbances of beds of the 

 valleys along lines transverse to their direction were more likely 

 to have produced the lakes. 



Zoological Society, June 2. — Arthur Grote in the chair. — 

 A letter was read from Mr. T. D. Forsyth containing an account 

 of some of the animals met with in the vicinity of Kashgar. — 

 An extiact was read from a letter received from Mr. E. P. 

 Ramsay, relating to a living cassowary (Casmirius australii], 

 which he was proposing to send to the Society's collection. — 

 Prof. Owen, F. R.S., read the fifth part of his series of memoirs 

 on the "Osteology of the Marsupialia." This portion contained 

 a general account of the osseous structure of the kangaroos. — 

 Lieut. -Col. H. Itby exhibited specimens of apparently a new 

 species of raven, which he had lately obtained in the vicinity 

 of Tangier, Morocco, and which he was intending to describe 

 under the name of Corvus liitg^itaniis. — A communication was 

 read from the Rev. O. P. Cambridge, on some new species of 

 the Arachnidean family of Drassidcs, from various localities. — 

 A communication was read from Dr. E. Grube, containing de- 

 scriptions of new Annulata collected by Mr. E. W. H. Holds- 

 worth on the coasts of Ceylon. — A communication was read 

 from Mr. \V. Nation on the habits of Spi'iinophila iiiiiflc.x, as 

 observed in the vicinity of Lima. — A communication was read 

 from A. G. Butler containing a list of the butterflies of Costa 

 Rica, with descriptions of new species. 



Chemical Society, June 4. — Prof. Odling, F.R. S., pre- 

 sident, in the chair. — The following papers were read: — i. 

 Dendritic spots in paper, by H. Adrian. These he finds to 

 consist of sulphide of copper, formed from particles of gun metal, 

 derived from the machinery employed in manufacturing the paper ; 

 they are far more usually found in common paper than in the 

 better classes. 2. The acidity of normal urine, by J. Resch, 

 M.A. 3. On a simple method of estimating urea in urine, by 

 Dr. Russell and Mr. West. The apparatus employed for this 

 purpose was exhibited, and a practical illustration given by Mr. 

 West. 4. On ipomaeic acid, by E. Nelson and J. Bayne. This 

 acid, prepared by the action of nitric acid on jalapin, the authors 

 find to be identical with sebacic acid. 5- O"^ certain compounds 

 of albumin with the acids, by G. S. Johnson. 6. On sulphide of 

 acetyl, and 7. On a new method of preparing toluene : both by 

 Dr. D. Tommasi. 8. Note on New Zealand Kauri gum, by 

 M. M. P. Muir. 



Royal Horticultural Society, May 27.— Scientific Com- 

 mittee.— R. M'Lachlan, F.L.S., in the chair.— The Rev. M. J. 

 Berkeley remarked with respect to the Thread Blight of the tea 

 in Assam : — " I have carefully examined the thread blight in com- 

 pany with Mr. Broome. We could find not the slightest trace 

 of fruit, and therefore we are unable to say to what genus its 

 perfect state belongs. It seems to run indifferently over plants 

 belonging to very different natural orders. The leaves of Au- 

 di achnc trifoliala, a plant Avhich it also attacks, are very much 

 damaged by minute lichens belonging to the genus Singula. In 

 one perfect asci were discovered with minute sausage-shaped 

 sporidia, in the other only stylospores were found, but of a very 

 peculiar character. They were staff-shaped, hollowed out on 

 either side, septate, and seated on very long pedicels." Mr. 

 Berkeley also placed before the conmiittee a curious fungus from 

 New Jersey, which affects Ciipressns thujoides. Mr. J. B. Ellis, 

 who sent it him, remarks, " It grows from the same matrix 

 yearly, generally at the extremities of the branches, which it 

 causes to swell and branch in a brush-like or digitate manner.'' 

 It appeared to agree with Fodisoma except in possessing no gela- 

 tinous investment, and would appear to constitute a new genus. — 

 Mr. M'Lachlan remarked, with reference to the Termcs exhibited 

 at the last meeting from the wood of Zanzibar copal ( Trachylo- 

 baiiii), that he had ascertained that it did not belong to the sub- 

 genus Eiiienncs, but to CaloUrmcs. It seems to be an undescribed 

 species, allied to Calotcinics solidus Hagen, but differing slightly. 

 The original locality for that species is unknown. Hagen, in his 

 monograph of the family, speaks of having seen two specimens 

 of C. brevis, a species from Central and South America, inclosed 

 in copal. It would not be expected to find an American species 

 under these conditions, and the individuals in question may pos- 

 sibly have been the same as those from Kew. In the south of 

 France two small indigenous species (one belonging to Calo- 

 t,rines) do considerable damage, and a small North American 

 species (Eiiteriiies flavifcs) had at one time established itself in 

 the hot-houses of the gardens of Schonbrunn, at Vienna, princi- 

 pally infesting the tubs in which plants were growing. — Mr. 

 I Andrew Murray sent a note on the section of a stem of Macro- 

 zaiiiia spiralis, exhibited at the last meeting, and which was com- 

 pletely riddled by the borings of a weevil, described by Mr. Pascoe 

 under the name of Trains iiiterualus. — Prof. Thiselton Dyer read 

 the following extract from a letter addressed by Mr. W. H. Tillett 

 to Dr. Hooker: — "April 26. — Philadciidron sdlouin is now in 

 bloom again. Last night I fancied it was emitting heat, and in 

 testing this with a thermometer found it was so. The heat in the 

 house was 58° F., and the thermometer rose at once to 68° F. 

 I have tested it again this evennig, and the thermometer rises 

 from 58° F. to 74" F. April 27. — Testing the y^/H'/iVcW/'ow last 

 night, I found it was 35° F. above the temperature of the house. 

 The house was 56°, and the flower— one newly opened — 91°."— 

 Dr. Voelcker thought the committee would like to know the 

 results of his investigation of the soil of a London square in 

 which Messrs. Veitch had twice planted planes, which in each 

 case had died. He found, on examining the clear watery solution 

 from treating the soil with distilled water, tliat the soil contained 

 one-tenth per cent, of common salt and two-tenths per cent, of 

 nitrates. Now it was obvious that this was really a considerable 

 quantity, when it was considered that one-ttnth per cent, of 

 common salt would amount to a ton mixed with 6 in. of soil over 

 an acre. He might say parentliclically that whenever the amount 

 of chlorine in soil reached anytliing like an appreciable quantity, 

 it exercised an injurious influence. 



(leneral Meeting. — Henry Webb in the chair. — The Kev 



