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Sune 4, 1885] 
and cold period, and to the effect of temperature upon the organic 
world, by Dr. W. Koppen, Hon.Mem.R.Met.Soc.—Velocities 
of winds and their measurement, by Lieut.-Col. H. S. Knight, 
F.R.Met.Soc. The author, after describing the various ways of 
ascertaining the direction and velocity of the wind, makes several 
suggestions for the improvement of Robinson’s anemometer.— 
On the equivalent of Beaufort’s scale in absolute velocity of 
wind, by Dr. W. Koppen, Hon.Mem.R.Met.Soc. The author 
refers to Mr. C. Harding’s paper read before the Society in 
December last on the anomalies in the various wind velocities 
given by different authors as equivalents for the numbers in 
Beaufort’s scale, and, as illustrating the point, calls special atten- 
tion to the want of agreement between the velocities obtained by 
Mr. Scott and those subsequently obtained by Dr. Sprung, and 
confirmed by himself.—Note on a peculiar form of auroral cloud 
seen in Northamptonshire, March 1, 1885, by the Rev. James 
Davis. 
EDINBURGH 
Royal Physical Society, May 20.—Prof. Duns, D.D., 
F.R.S.E., President, in the chair.—The following communi- 
cations were read, viz. :—On new Selachian remains from the 
Calciferous Sandstone series, by Ramsay H. Traquair, M.D., 
F.R.S., L. and E.—Observations on living Cephalopoda, and 
note on Zo/igo forbesii (Steenstrup), by W. E. Hoyle, M.A., 
F.R.S.E.—Note on ulceration of the skin of a fish, by G. Sims 
Woodhead, M.D., F.R.C.P.E.—Note on the presence of a 
double dorsal vessel in certain earthworms, by Frank E. Beddard, 
M.A., F.R.S.E., F.Z.S.—The north-west coasts of Sutherland 
and their bird-life, by John A. Harvie-Brown, F.Z.S., F.R.S.E. 
—Note on the contents of two bits of clay from the elephant bed 
at Kilmaurs in 1817, by James Bennie, H.M. Geological 
Survey. The Secretary (Mr. Robert Gray, V.P.R.S.E.) drew 
attention to several interesting birds that had been taken during 
the present month on the Island of May by Mr. Agnew, light- 
house-keeper, and forwarded to Mr. J. A. Harvie Brown, in 
whose collection they had since been placed. These were two 
specimens of the Ortolan bunting (Zmlariza hortulana) and 
others of the pied flycatcher (Muscicapa atricapilla), red-backed 
shrike (Zanius collurio), The Secretary remarked that these 
birds had occurred during their spring migration, and that in the 
case of the Ortolan bunting the captures proved that any Scottish 
specimens of the bird that had been recorded could not be said 
to be escaped birds, seeing that they had been in company with 
well-known migratory species, and were in all likelihood on 
their way to Scandinavia, where they were known to breed. 
SYDNEY 
Linnean Society of New South Wales, March 25.— 
Prof. W. J. Stephens, M.A., F.G.S., President, in the chair.— 
The following papers were read :—On a Devonian fossil, allied 
to Worthenia (de Koninck), from New South Wales, by F. 
Ratte.—On the Phoriaspongiz (Marshall), by Dr. R. von Len- 
denfeld. Both species described by Marshall have been found 
by the author, who considers them, together with some new 
species discovered by himself, to be Ceraospongiz, with flesh- 
spicules, and not, as Marshall had supposed, Desmacidanidz, or 
Cianide, living in sand. There exist many sponges on the Aus- 
tralian shores with a skeleton consisting of arenaceous fibres, 
which form an irregular network, thus connecting the Phoria- 
spongize with the ordinary horny sponges. Eleven species of 
horny sponges, with fleshspicules, have been found in Aus- 
tralian waters. Their spicules are described and their relative 
position to other sponges discussed. The author upholds his 
previously published views on the relationship between Cerao- 
spongia and Monactinellide, and discusses the hypothesis 
recently put forward by Vosmaer.—Synonymy of, and remarks 
upon, four species of shells, originally described by Dr. J. E. 
Gray, by John Brazier, C.M.Z.S.,'&c.—Notes on the Australian 
Amphipoda, by William A. Haswell, M.A., B.Sc., &c.—On 
the Toxoglossate Mollusca of New Zealand, by Capt. F. W. 
Hutton, F.G.S.—Notes descriptive of some rare Port Jackson 
fishes, by J. Douglas Ogilby, Assistant in Zoology, Australian 
Museum, Sydney. 
Paris 
_ Academy of Sciences, May 25.—M. Bouley, President, 
in the chair.—Aftér the formal proceedings, the President re- 
_ ferred in the following terms to the late Victor Hugo :—‘‘ France 
1s to-day widowed of one of her great writers, a man by whose 
works of genius the glory of our land has been spread furthest 
NATURE 
119g 
and widest during the present century. Victor Hugo is about 
to descend into the grave, but by the greatness of his writings he 
is himself saved from death. Years may henceforth roll on until 
they are reckoned by hundreds and thousands ; but in the series 
of future ages there never will be a time when André Chenier’s 
lines on Homer will not also be applicable to our great poet :— 
*€ Trois mille ans ont passé sur la cendre d’Homere, 
Et depuis trois mille ans Homére respecté 
Est jeune encor de gloire et d’immortalité.” 
For the work of Victor Hugo belongs to that class which defies 
years and for everlasting ages secures the youth of glory and im 
mortality to those by whom it has beenaccomplished. And now 
the five Academies of the French Institute must consider it a 
sacred duty to render like homage to this great memory. Our 
Bureau has the honour of asking you, in sign of mourning, to 
suspend your proceedings for to-day.” The proposal having 
received general assent, the public meeting of the Academy was 
adjourned.—Account of an elliptical halo of unusual brilliancy, 
and evidently connected with the halo of 22° so frequently 
noticed for some weeks past, observed during the afternoon of 
Tuesday, May 19, by M. A. Cornu.—A contribution to the 
history of sulphur and quicksilver, by M. Berthelot.—Note on 
the algebraic integers of linear equations, by M. E. Goursat,— 
Demonstration of a particular property of geometrical curves of 
double curvature, by M. V. Jamet.—On the verification of the 
laws of vibration of circular plaques, second note, by M. E. 
Mercadier.—Remarks on the peculiar properties of the electric 
current generated by the rheostatic machine, by M. Gaston 
Planté.—On a method of determining and recording the charge 
of electric accumulators, by MM. A. Crova and P. Garbe. The 
authors claim to have discovered a means of determining and 
automatically recording the exact amount of energy stored in 
accumulators, and su regulating the discharge as to be able to 
ascertain the quantity still held in reserve at any given moment. 
The machines used in their experiments were of the Planté type 
modified by Faure.—Note on the phenomenon of crystalline 
superfusion of sulphur, and on the velocity of transformation 
from prismatic to octahedric sulphur, by M. D. Gernez.—Re- 
marks on the composition of the persulphuret of hydrogen, and 
on the nacreous variety of sulphur, by M. P. Sabatier.—Note on 
the product ofaddition PhFI*Br? obtained by the action of bromine 
on the trifluoride of phosphorus, by M. H. Moissan.—A syn- 
thesis of some specimens of anorthite recently obtained from the 
gas-works of Waugirard, by M. Stanislaus Meunier.—Note on 
the microscopic anatomy of Dentalium entale from the Roscoff 
coast, by M. H. Fol.—On the Penian formations (red sand- 
stones associated with clay-stone and felspar grit) prevalent in 
the secondary ranges of the Vosges Mountains, by M. Ch. 
Vélain.—The election of M. Laguerre as member of the section 
for geometry in the place of the late M. Serret was confirmed by 
the President of the Republic. 
BERLIN 
Physiological Society, May 1.—Dr, Raudnitz had sub- 
jected to examination, by new experiments, a statement advanced 
by Profs. Eulenberg and Landois, and which was controverted 
by several investigators, namely, that there was a vasomotor centre 
having its seat in the cortex of the cerebrum. For the measure- 
ment of the peripherical temperature he made use of mercurial 
thermometers, which he fastened into the paw of the animal. It 
was found, by preliminary experiments, that subcutaneously in- 
serted thermometers, on stimulation of the nerves or of the 
central organs, yielded variations of temperature essentially 
different from, often opposite to, those fixed into the paw—a 
circumstance referable, no doubt, to the influence of the con- 
traction of the muscles. Thermo-electric piles, again, were 
not suitable for application, for the reason that it was not 
possible to find for the second contact a medium that remained 
constant as far as 0°04 C. Dr, Raudnitz had investigated a 
large number of conditions influencing the temperature of the 
skin, such as motion, the muscular rhythm, paralytic poisons, 
the situation of the paralysed animal, &c. Of the pheno- 
mena observed in the course of such investigation, the fact 
was specially striking that the difference in the situation of 
the investigated extremity was able to give rise to differences of 
temperature as great as 13°C. The results of the whole in- 
vestigation went to show that it was not possible to demonstrate 
with certainty the existence of a vaso-motor centre in the 
cortex of the cerebrum. In the case of each epileptic attack 
resulting from stimulation of the membrane the change of tem- 
