NATURE 



{July 2, 1874 



nodules, and which he considers to form the true division be- 

 tween the Folkestone and underlying Sandgate beds. The 

 Klnmhomlla sulcata bed, an important fossiliferous lone, lies at 

 the base of the latter. The general character of these Folke- 

 stone beds is that of a loose yellowish sand parted by seams of 

 coarse calcareous sandstone. Masses of branching sponge are 

 especially plentiful in these rocks. The last bed of the Folke- 

 stone series is a very remarkable one, consisting of an irregular 

 seam of large nodular masses, composed of coarse grains of 

 quartz, glauconite, jasper, lydian-stone, and phosphatic nodules. 

 Four feet of loose sand succeeds, capped by n. band of pyritous 

 nodules ; and then occurs a seam of dark greensand (containing 

 two lines of phosphatic nodules), largely charged wilh Am. 

 interrnptns, and other fossils in the form of rolled casts. 

 The argillaceous beds of the lower gault, which follow, are 

 frequently very dark in colour, and more or less parted off by 

 lines of nodules, marking certain zones of life. The thickness 

 of this sub-formation is about 28 ft. From the grey marl or 

 upper gaulr it is separated by a nodule or passage bed of much 

 importance ; as this nodule bed marks the extinction of lower- , 

 gault forms and the introduction of others. The base of the 

 upper gault may be known by the large quantities of Iiwceramus 

 sulcatits. The upper fifty feet consists of a pale grey marl, of 

 which the portion subjected to analysis yielded 26 per cent, 

 of lime carbonate. — On a collection of fossils from the U.G.S. 

 of Morden, Camb., by H. George Fordham, F.G.S. 



Entomological Society, June I. — Sir Sidney S. Saunr'crs, 

 president, in the chair.— Mr. McLachlan exhibited specimens of 

 (he White Ant {Calotermcs sp.), recently bred at Kew from a 

 sample of the wood of the ti-ee ( Trachylobiuni horiimaiiniaiiniii) 

 that produces the gum-copal of Zanzibar. — Mr. Stainton read a 

 letter he had received from the Rev. P. H. Newnhara, of Stone- 

 house, Devon, stating that he had taken two living specimens of 

 Diiofeia pulchella on the Cornish side of the River Tamar. Mr. 

 Stainton remarked on the early period of the year when the 

 injects were captured as very unusual. — Mr. C. O. Waterhouse 

 sent for exhibition a living specimen of a Mantid (Empnsa pau- 

 pcrata) in the larva or pupa state, brought from Hyeres by 

 the Rev. Mr. Sandes of Wandsworth.— Mr. W. D. Gooch 

 communicated a detailed account of his experiences with 

 regard to the Longicorn Coffee-borers of Natal. Dr. Horn, 

 of Philadelphia, stated that European Conifers, Limes, &c., 

 planted in a public park at Philadelphia, were all killed by 

 the larva; of native species, such as Callidiiim aiitanialtim and 

 Itlonohamniiis denlator, though apparently in a healthy condition, 

 whilst the native trees were not perceptibly affected. He was 

 inclined to believe that the insects attacked healthy trees, but 

 Mr. McLachlan stated that, according to the observations of 

 most European entomologists, the European species of Longi- 

 corns did not attack living wood in a perfectly healthy state. — 

 Mr. Butler communicated a paper On new species and a new 

 genus of diurnal Lepidoptera in the collection of Mr. Druce. — 

 Mr. Smith read a revision of the Hymenopterous genera Cleptes, 

 Panwpcs, Anthracias, Pyrli, and Stillniiii, with descriptions of 

 new species of the genus CJirysis, from Nortlr China and Aus- 

 tralia. 



Paris 



Academy of Sciences, June 22. — JL P.ertrand in the chair. 

 — M. Dumas stated, in the name of the P/n'lloxfra Commission, 

 that after the theoretical researches of the Commission this body 

 had commenced a practical study of the subject in the field. 

 Agricultural police had been appointed for the preservation of 

 those parts of France not yet invaded by the scourge. — The 

 following papers were read :- -Researches on solution, by M. 

 Berthelot ; a continuation of tbermo-chemical investigations. — 

 Presentation of some specimens of photography obtained with 

 an apparatus constructed for the Japanese expedition, by M. J. 

 Janssen. The photographs presented were of the sun taken 

 with an objective (of 5 in. aperture and 2 metres focus), con- 

 structed of flint and crown glass in achromatic combination. — A 

 mechanical note was presented by M. R. Clausius, entitled "On 

 a special case of the Viriel.'' — Theory of the collision of bodies, 

 witli consideration of the atomic vibrations, by ^L A. Ledieu. — 

 Communication on the bitter lakes of the Isthmus of Suez, by 

 M. Ferdinand de Lesseps. The author exhibited a block of salt 

 cut out from the salt bank still existing in the centre of the great 

 basin. This bank is calculated to have contained 970,000,000,000 

 kilogrmj. of salt, and has now dissolved away to the extent of 

 iV since the admission of the water of the canal. The superficial 

 area of the .s.Ut bank is about 66,000,000 square metres, and it 



is composed of horizontal layers varying in thickness from J to 

 25 centims. The bank is believed to have been formed by the 

 evaporation of Red Sea water poured into the lake basin during 

 successive inundations ; the amount of Red Sea water evapo- 

 rated is about 21,000,000,000 cubic metres. The lake basin 

 Contains 2,000,000,000 cubic metres of water, giving an annual 

 evaporation of 200,000,000 cubic metres. Twenty years ago rain 

 hardly ever fell in the isthmus, but now tiles are obliged to be 

 sent from France to roof the houses there. The author holds 

 out great hopes of the practicability of filling a great basin in 

 the interior of Algeria. A valuable table of numerical results 

 accompanied the communication. — Geological topography of the 

 environs of Aigues-mortes, a letter from M. Ch. Martins to M. 

 Elie de Beaumont. — Observations on the subject of the reply of 

 M. Faye to the criticism concerning his addition to PouiUet's 

 memoir on solar radiation, by M. A. Ledieu. The author in- 

 sisted that there was still a ditlerence in the principles of thermo- 

 dynamics between him and M. Faye. — Analysis of twenty-one 

 samples of salt water from the maritime canal of Suez, sent by M. 

 F. de Lesseps, by M. Durand-Claye. AVhile Mediterranean water 

 contains a solid residue of about 40 kilogrms. per cubic metre, 

 the canal water contains, in some parts, 75 kilogrms., and never 

 falls below 65 kilogrms. This fact is explained by the solution 

 of the great salt bank before referred to. At Port Said the 

 water is less salt than in the Mediterranean (24 to 26 kilogrms.) 

 owing to admixture with Nile water. — On the employment of 

 phenic acid for the preparation of wood, by 1\L M. Boucherie. 

 — tin the CycadaceK of the Paris basin, a note by M. Robert. 

 Among a number of rolled flints from the confluence of the 

 Nesle and Aisne between Ciry-Sermoise and Chase uiy, the author 

 found a number of stems which he considers to belong to the 

 order named. — On the systems of quadratic forms, by ^L C. 

 Jordan. — M. G. Daiboux made an addition to his note read on 

 June 8, On friction in the collision of bodies. — Ilydrographic 

 map of Algeria, a note by M. E. Mouchez. — Phenomenon of 

 mirage observed in Yffiniac Creek (North coast), by M. J. 

 Girard. — Action of heat on the isomeric carbides of anthracene 

 and their hydrides, by M. P. Barbier. — Chlorobromides of propy- 

 lene : normal propyl-glycol, by M. E. Reboul. Only one 

 chlorobromide of propylene has been known up to the present 

 time, viz. CHoBr-CHCl-Ctlj (Friedel and Silva). The author 

 now makes known the four others, CH„Br-CHjj- CH.,C1 

 (normal), CHj- CClBr-CHj, CHj-CH'j-CHClBr, a'nd 

 CHs-CHBr-CHjCl. 



BOOKS RECEIVED 



Colonial.— Report of Progress of Geological Survey of Victoria, &c. : 

 R. Brough Smytti (Melbourne).— Report upon the Rainfall of Barbados, and 

 its Influence upon ttie Sugar Crops : Governor Rawsott (B.irbadosJ. 



Foreign. — L'Astronomie Pratique et les Observations en Europe et en 

 Amerique : C. Andre et G. Rayet (Gauthier Villars, Paris).— Die neue 

 Sternwarte der Wiener Universitiit ; Carl von Lithow — Jahresbericht des 

 Physikalischen Central Observatoriums for 1S71-72 : H. Wild (St. Peters- 

 burg) — .\nnalen des Physikalischen Central Observatoriums : H. Wild, 1872 

 (St. Petersburg) — Spectres Lumineux : M. Lecoq de Boisbaudran. 2 vols. 

 8vo. (Gauthier ViUars). — Repertorium fUr Metejrologie Kaiserlichen Aca- 

 demie, Redigirt : Dr. Heinrich Wild. Band iii.— Bulletin de 1' Academic 

 Imperiale des Sciences de St Pelersbourg, t. xviii , Parts iii. iv. v.— Bulletin 

 de TAcademie Imperiales des Sciences de St Pctersbourg, t. xi.\.. Parts 



CONTENTS Pagb 



On Osteological MoNOGRAPH-WnixiNG 159 



Pickering's " Physical Manipulation " 160 



OuK Book Shelf 161 



Letters to the Editor : — 



Robert Brown and Sprengel.— Prof. Asa Gray 161 



On the Physical Action taking place at the Mouth of Organ-pipes. 



Hermann Smith 161 



The Degeneracy of Man.— Hyde Clarke; Joseph Edkins . . 163 



Disuse as a Reducing Cause in Species.— G. J. Romanes ... 164 



Longevity of the Carp 165 



The Challenger Expedition, V ; 165 



The Figure o? the Earth in relation to Geological Inquiry. 



By Prof., Henry Y. Hind. . 163 



Report of Prof. Parker's Hunterian TLectures "■ On the 

 Structure and Development of the Vertebrate Skull," 



V. (Witk ntustrations) 167 



Fertilisation of Papilionaceous Flowers — Coronilla. By T. 



H. FARnER{IVit/i//iustrati,!iis) 169 



Lenz's Doctrine of Ocean Circulation. By Dr. W. B, Car- 

 penter, F.R.S 170 



Notes 171 



Scientific Serials 174 



Societies and Academies 174 



Books Received 178 



