174 



NA TURE 



[July 2, 1874 



Among recent additions to tlie Manchester Aquarium are the 

 following : — i Smooth Mound or Skate-Toothed Shark (Mtislelus 

 ■uiil^aris) ; 2 Topers or White Hound (Gii!ciis mil is) ; 2 Picked 

 Dog-fish (Acaiitkias vulgaris] ; 4 Lesser Spotted Dog-fish 

 (Syllium catiicula); 4 Greenland Bullheads { CoHiis grevnlaiidiciis) ; 

 3 Gemmeous Dragonets {Cnllionymus lyra) ; J Cat or Wolf-fish 

 (Auarhiais lupus) ; 2 Tadpole Fish [Raniceps trifurcus) ; 

 Zoophytes — Aclinoloha dianthus, Sagartia hcllis, S. iiivea, S. 

 viilitata, S. minialc, Ttalia crassicornis. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a Black-ljacked Jackal (Canis incsoinelas) from 

 South Africa, presented by Captain Webster ; two Rhesus 

 Monkeys (Macacus erytha-rus) from India, presented by Mr. W. 

 Dunn ; a Chine e Turtle Dove (Tu?tur chincnsis), from India, 

 presented by Major F. Gildea ; a Canadian Beaver {Cir.f/c;' a? //a- 

 densis) and a Virginian Deer (Qvxvm r'//y////i/«/M), born in the 

 Gardens ; a Lanner Falcon (Falco laiiayius), from east Europe, 

 purchased. 



SCIENTIFIC SERIALS 



Traitsaclioiis of the Norfolk and Noriuich Naturalists' Soch-t)', 

 1873-74 (Norwich : Fletcher & Son). — This Society is now in 

 the "fifth year of its existence, and is in a satisfactory condition as 

 to members. The chief features of the present number of its 

 " Transactions " are Parts IV. and V. of the " Fauna and Flora 

 of Norfolk," which the Society has undertaken to publish. 

 Part IV., by Dr. John Lowe, embrac-s a list of the fishes known 

 to occur in the Norfolk waters ; and Part V. (forming a separate 

 supplement), the Norfolk Lepidoptera, by Mr. C. G. Barre-tt. 

 Both Hits appear to have been done with great care and 

 caution, and we should think that Dr. Lowe and Mr. Barrett 

 have left very little to be added. The catalogues reflect the 

 greatest credit both upon the compilers and on Uie Society, a 

 few of the wealthier members of which have contributeil the 

 greater part of the expense of printing the present supplement. 

 The next instalment of this important work of the Nor.'olk 

 Society will contain the flowering plan's, by Mr. II. D. Geldart. 

 The president's address gives a resume of the year's work of the 

 Society, and discusses the questioa of Biogenesis. — Mr. F. D. 

 Wheeler contribates a paper On breeiinr; Lepidoptera in con- 

 finement, giving the results of the author's own experience ; and 

 Mr. F. Kilton one On Empusca and other m'cro-fungi. — In a 

 short paper by Mr. J. B. Bridgman On the nidification of the 

 Projopis, the author concludes that this bee forms its " nest in 

 any suitable situation, whether in soft earth or wood, not even 

 despising ready-formed holes, and that it collects and carries 

 home pollen in its mouth, after working; it up in a pellet." — Mr. 

 John Qainton contributes notes On the meteorological observa- 

 tions recorded at Norwich during the years 1S70 73.— .\ variety 

 of interesting miscellaneous natural history notes conclude the 

 number. Altogether this Society must be congratula;ed on its 

 year's work ; its first object is '' the practical study of natural 

 science," which it seems to be carrying out with consiilerable 

 faithfulness. 



ProCivdings of the Bath Natural History and Antiquarian Field 

 Club, vol. iii. No. I. 1874. This Society, to judge fr.i-n this 

 number of its "Proceeding?," seems to devote itself mainly 10 

 antiquarian research, " Natural History," though it comes first 

 in its title, seeming to firdbut small favour among the mcmbrrs. 

 This defect the secretary animadverts strongly upon in his "Sum- 

 mary of Proceedings," stating, moreover, that the clu!) was 

 originally started for the purpose of botanical research. We do 

 not undervahie antquarian research, liut we tliink it a pily that 

 a c'.ub containing so many intelligent and well-educated members 

 should (rilteraway almost its entii-e time and strength in a depart- 

 ment that could be very satisfactorily worked by a small pro- 

 portion of i'.s members to the almost entire neglect of the rich 

 field presented by the district around Bath for Natural History 

 investigation. We hope that the next number of its Proceedings 

 will show that the suggestions of the secretary have been adopted. 

 The only two natural i.istoiy papers in this number are by Mr. 

 C. E. Broome, F. L.S., On some of the fungi found in the Bath 

 d stric!", the present paper including Order to, Myxogasters, and 

 a short note by the Rev. Leonard Blomefield, F.L.S., On the 

 occurrence of the Land Planaria (I'lamnia tiricstris) in the 



neighbourhood of Bath. Dr. Bird was the first to discover this 

 animal (supposed to be the only species of Land Planaria in 

 western Europe) in the Bath district, and Mr. Blomefield is 

 inclined to believe it to be carnivorous, making a prey of the 

 smaller land molluscs. The secretary gives an extremely inte- 

 resting summary of the meetings and excursions of the Society 

 during 1873-74. 



Zdtschi if I der Oestcrreichischen Gesellschaft fiir Meteorologie, 

 June I. — The observations of M. Marie Davy on the diminution 

 of certain river watei-s in France are here closed with a discussion 

 on the influence of different kindi of vegetation growing in their 

 basins. It is shown that waste open land eva|)orates the least 

 amount of rain-water, and forests less than corn or other farm 

 produce. The increase of high fanning and artificial meadow- 

 land, absorbing and evaporating much moisture, must diminish 

 the size of streams by robbing them of part of their supply, and 

 to keep up the summer flow of a river it might be thought desir- 

 able to plant its upper basin with forests. Comparison ot different 

 rivers shows, however, that no valuable addition would thus be 

 gained. WIra'ever be the origin of the liver, geological condi- 

 tions are alone effective. Therefore, ah hough as a measure of 

 national economy, for fixing soil on slopes, mitigating floods and 

 changes of level, and providing cheap fuel, the maintenance of 

 forests would be beneficial, we must look forward to a time when 

 the art of storing some of the excess of winter rainfall to supply 

 the needs of summer will be adopted in agriculture. — Among the 

 " Kleinere Mittheihin.;en," Prof. Prestel deduces from twenty 

 years' measurement of ozone a result similar to that of Ilerr 

 Karlinski at Krakau, showing a minimum in November or 

 December and a maximum in the spring. — The work of Herr 

 Edlund on the mean temperature of Sweden, and a delicate form 

 of Goldschmidt's aneroid, are here noticed. 



Schriflen der N^aturforschenden Gesellseha/t in Danzig, 1873. — 

 The history of the population in the eastern provinces of 

 Prussia is still involved in much obscurity, while that of 

 the remaining provinces is pretty accurately known. In one 

 of the papers in this volume Dr. Marshall considers the 

 evidence obta'nable from early writers — Pliny, Tacitus, &c. 

 — from names of persons and places, and more especially 

 from the archiTological collections, of which there are- two, 

 imperfectly arranged, in Kdnigsberg. From a study of 

 grave-relics. Dr. Marshall is led to the conclusion that, at one 

 time, in these eastern provinces two distinct races lived together. 

 Several races having come from the east and settled in the coast- 

 lands of the Baltic, more than 1,000 years ];.c,, this land v<as, 

 later, overrun by Goths from central Ku^sin, many of whom 

 pressed on to Scandinavia and the Danish Islands, and to 

 western and southern Europe ; but a number remained on the 

 amber coast, especially in the Weichsel region, and became fused 

 with the Aestian or Wend race, already there ; they were to- 

 gether known as Pruzzen. — Among the papers is another giving 

 an account of a chemical aiulysis (made by direction of Dr. 

 Friederici) of certain empty grave-urns of the ancient Prussians, 

 the significance of which has not been clearly ascertained. Dr. 

 Friederici thinks they were in themselves sacred vessels; they 

 are made not Irom clay, but from ashes, firmed probably with 

 blood of animals killed in sacrifice. In heating, tire blood and 

 the carbon particles at the surface had been turned to ashe.', pre- 

 senting a reddish-yellow appearance, while the internal substance 

 was merely carbonised, and darker in colour. — Dr. Lissauer 

 gives an account (with excellent photographs) of some more of 

 those curious face-urns that have been lound in large numbers in 

 certain parts of Pomerania ; an I M. Kasii^ki describes a number 

 of antiquities of various kinds discovered in Pomerania during 

 1872. — Dr. Lebert, who has 1 cen experimenting on the fluor- 

 escence of some specimens of Sicilian amber, finds the pheno- 

 menon in these much more marked and frequei.t than in Prussian 

 amber; in the case of the latter he has observed, with strong 

 sunlight, not only the exirtence, l.ut the manifoll character of 

 the cone of light. — A valuable paper on new and extended em- 

 ployment of the level for astror.onical and geodetic measure- 

 ments is contributed by M. Kayser, and M. INIenge continues a 

 list and description of Prussian spiders. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 

 London 

 Royal Society, Ju e i^. — On tie Fo;ce; caused by Evapora- 

 tion from and Condensation at a Surface, ly Prof. Osborne 

 Reynolds, of Owens College, Manchester. 



