Nov. 27, 1879] 



NATURE 



99 



line the line between the closed elytra, the seed being often 

 besides symmetrically striped or spotted. The main object of 

 the fleshy carunculus has been generally assumed to be the sup- 

 plying of food to the young embryo ; but this, Mr. Moore 

 believes, is not confirmed by actual experiment. It also no doubt 

 serves to attract seminivorous birds, through whose body the 

 seed passes to be prepared for germination. — In the November 

 number Mr. S. H. Vines has an article on alternation of genera- 

 tions in Thallophytes, the main object of which, however, is to 

 show that it does not exist, except in a very few cases. This is 

 indeed in accordance with the general view of botanists. Mr. 

 Vines still holds to his view that alternation of generations 

 occurs in Characesc ; though why he now returns to the very 

 doubtful position which he had previously abandoned, that the 

 Characere are Thallophytes, is not explained. 



tfuovo Giornale Botanico Italiano, October. — Sig. Bom 

 continues his series of papers on the morphology and biology 

 of the Phycochromacese, the present portion being devoted 

 to the structure and classification of the Scytonemacece, 

 which he makes to consist of seven genera, viz., Coleodesmium, 

 Bzi. ; Tolypothrix, Ktz. ; Hilsea, Kirchn. ; Scytonema, Ktz. ; 

 Stigonema, Ag. ; Capsosira, Ktz. ; and Hapalosiphon, Nag. 

 The various modes of increase he defines to be (1) by pseudo- 

 ramuli, or portions of filaments which deviate from the ordinary 

 direction, heterocysts being sometimes interposed between these 

 and the filament from which they spring ; (2) by spontaneous 

 fraction of the filaments, the different portions remaining united 

 in a bundle within a common gelatinous envelope, where they 

 increase independently ; (3) by hormogonia, or fragments which 

 become detached from the filament, and which move slowly in 

 the water in a rectilinear direction, light exercising no influence 

 on the movement ; (4) by spores, or isolated cells capable of 

 resisting cold and excessive drought. In the same number A. 

 Bertolini describes a new disease of the cherry-laurel, caused by 

 a parasitic fungus, to which he gives the name Oidhim passerinii, 

 and which attacks the fruit. It makes its appearance in the form 

 of irregular white spots, composed of filaments which invest 

 the epicarp of the fruit, and from which rises a delicate down. 

 The former is the mycelium of the fungus, the latter consists of 

 the ovoid conidia arranged in moniliform filaments. 



The finite Internationale des Sciences (September) contains 

 the following among other papers : — The plant and man in 

 their reciprocal relations, • by Dr. Ernest Hallier. — On the 

 geology of the Japanese Archipelago, by M. G. Maget. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 

 London 



Royal Society, November 20. — " On Definite Integrals in- 

 volving Elliptic Functions." By J. W. L. Glaisher, F.R.S. 



" Values of the Theta and Zeta Functions for certain Values 

 of the Argument" By J. W. L. Glaisher, F.R.S. 



" On Certain Definite Integrals." No. 5. By \V. H. L. 

 Russell, F.R.S. 



" On the Action of Nuclei in Producing the Sudden Solidifi- 

 cation of Supersaturated Solutions of Glauber's Salt." By 

 Charles Tomlinson, F.R.S. 



" The Geometric Mean, in Vital and Social Statistics." By 

 Francis Galton, F.R.S., and Donald McAlister, B.A., B.Sc, 

 Fellow of St. John's College, Cambridge. 



" On the Normal Paraffins. Part III." By C. Schorlemmer. 

 F.R.S., Professor of Organic Chemistry in Owens College, 

 Manchester. 



Zoological Society, November iS.— Prof. Flower, F.R.S., 

 president, in the chair. — An extract was read from a letter 

 addressed to the Secretary by Mr. H. O. Forbes, on the subject 



of the distribution of the badger-headed Mydaus in Java. The 



Secretary read an extract from a letter received from Dr. A. B. 

 Meyer, in w Inch the habitat of Cenus alfredi was stated to be 

 Samao and Leyte Islands, of the Philippine group. — Mr. Edward 

 R. Alston exhibited some mammals collected by Mr. Wardlaw 

 Ramsay, 67th Regiment, including examples of some species 

 new to the faunas of Burma and Afghanistan. — Mr. Alston also 

 exhibited one of the typical skulls of Tapirus dozui (Gill), which 

 had been entrusted to him by the authorities of the U.S. 

 National Museum. He remarked that the young tapir from 

 Corinto, Nicaragua, which was formerly alive in the Society's 

 Gardens, was really an example of T. dowi, and not, as had 



been hitherto supposed, of T. bairdi. — Prof. Flower ex- 

 hibited and made remarks upon the skull of a White Whale 

 (Delphinopterus leueas), recently obtained in Sutherlandshire. — 

 The Secretary exhibited on behalf of Mr. Rowland Ward, the 

 head of a chamois, with two pairs of horns. — Communications 

 were read from Mr. L. Taczanowski, C.M.Z.S., containing 

 descriptions of a new Synallaxis, from Peru, which he proposed 

 to name Synallaxis fruticola ; and of a new Myiarchus, from 

 the same country, proposed to be called M. cephalotes. — A third 

 communication received from Mr. Taczanowski contained a 

 notice of some birds of interest recently received from Turkestan. 

 — A communication was read from Captain Shelley, containing 

 an account of a collection of birds made in the Comoro Islands, 

 received from Dr. Kirk, H.B.M. Consul-General at Zanzibar. 

 The collection contained 186 specimens. A Zostcrops which 

 appeared to be new was named Z. kirkii, in acknowledgment of 

 the assistance rendered to ornithology by Dr. Kirk. — A second 

 paper by Captain Shelley, gave the description of two new- 

 species of African birds. — Lieut. -Col. H. H. Godwin-Austen, 

 F.Z.S., read a description of the female of Lophophorus sclateri, 

 Jerdon, from Eastern Assam. — A communication was read from 

 Dr. Goodacre, F.Z.S., on the question of the identity of the 

 common and Chinese geese. — A communication was read from 

 the Rev. O. P. Cambridge, C.M.Z S., on some new and rare 

 spiders from New Zealand ; with characters of four new genera. 

 — A communication was read on some African species of Lepi- 

 doptera, belonging to the sub-family, Nymphalince, by Mr. W. 

 L. Distant. In this paper several instances of great variation 

 w f ere given, and some corrections made in the nomenclature. 

 A new genus, five new species, and the male of Halma lucasi, 

 Down, were also described. — Mr. R. G. Wardlaw Ramsay read 

 the description of a new oriole, from rN. E. Borneo, which he 

 proposed to call Oiiolus consobvinus. 



Royal Microscopical Society, November 12. — Dr. Beale, 

 F.R.S., in the chair. — Ten new Fellows were elected and eleven 

 proposed for election at the next meeting. Prof. Weismann and 

 others were elected Hon. Fellows. — A paper by Mr. H. E. 

 Forrest, on the anatomy of Leptodora hyalina, was read ; also 

 papers by Mr. J. Fullagar, on a supposed new species of fresh- 

 water Freia ; by Col. Woodward, on amplifiers and the use of 

 chloride of cadmium and glycerine as a fluid for homogeneous 

 immersion, and by Mr. J. Mayall, jun., on his immer.-ion stage 

 illuminator, which was exhibited to the meeting. Among the 

 objects exhibited were anomalous forms of Acindit, by Mr. 

 Badcock, an improved micratome, by Mr. Ward ; various algre 

 and infusoria;, by Mr. Bolton, a new compressorium, by Mr. 

 Graham, and Zeiss's travelling-microscope, by Mr. Crisp. 



"Anthropological Institute, November 11. — E. B. Tylor, 

 F.R.S., president, in the chair. — The following new Members 

 were announced : — A. Tylor, F.G.S., Baron von Hugel, Capt. 

 R. C. Temple, and G. W. Bloxam, F.L.S.— Mr. E. W. Bra- 

 brook, secretary to the Anthropometric Committee, exhibited 

 two albums of photographs collected by that body. — A report 

 on the Bheel tribes of the Vindhyon Range was read by Col. 

 Kincaird, fully describing the manners, customs, and super- 

 stitions of these little-known people, from experience derived 

 during many years' residence amongst them. The Bheels are 

 very dirty in their habits : their principal diseases are e'i arged 

 spleen and small-pox. — A paper was read by Mr. A. H. Keane 

 on the relations of the Indo-Chinese and inter-oceanic races and 

 languages, to show that Further India is occupied by two types, 

 the fair and the yellow (Caucasian and Mongolian), the former 

 speaking polysyllabic-untoned, the latter monosyllabic toned, 

 languages ; that both of these types, intermingled with the 

 Papuan or dark races, constitute the whole of the population of 

 Malaysia ; that the Caucasian alone appears in the Eastern 

 Pacific as the " Saivaiori," or "large brown Polyne>ian rac;.'' 

 The absence of the monosyllabic languages from the oceanic 

 area was accounted for, the expression " Malayo- Polynesian " 

 shown to he misguiding, and the Malay type itself was con- 

 sidered to be, not fundamental, but essentially mixed — the result 

 of fusion in the Eastern Archipelago of the fair and yellow 

 elements.— Mr. S. E. Peal exhibited a fine collection of ethno- 

 logical drawings made in Assam. 



Vienna 

 Imperial Academy of Sciences, October 9. — The vice- 

 president made reference to the deaths of Dr. Fenzl, of Vienna, 

 and Dr. v. Brandt, of St. Petersburg. — The following among 



