22 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



contributed ey flora w1nstone. 



Annali del MuseoCivico di StoriaNaturale 

 di Genova (Genoa, 1897). — The English articles 

 in this number are chiefly devoted to collections 

 that have lately been made in Somaliland. Mr. 

 G. A. Boulenger, F.R.S., writes on the " Reptiles 

 and Batrachians collected by the late Prince 

 Eugenio Ruspoli in Somaliland and Gallaland in 

 1893." He also gives a "Report on Captain 

 Bottego's Second Collection of Reptiles and 

 Batrachians from Somaliland." This collection, 

 which was given into his care by Marquis G. 

 Doria, President of the Italian Geographical 

 Society, consists of 247 specimens referable to 

 fifty-six species, all of which have been previously 

 described. The specimens were collected between 

 Brava and the confluence of the Web and Ganana, 

 in Southern Somaliland. Mr. Boulenger gives 

 notes on several species which are little known, 

 and adds some synonymic rectifications. M. D. 

 Vinciguerra and M. F. Silvestri also contribute 

 articles on collections made by Prince Ruspoli in 

 Somaliland. M Ch. Kerremans, M. Carlo Emery, 

 and Mr. Thomas Oldfield have further notes on 

 Captain Bottego's collections from the same 

 country, Mr. Oldfield's being on the mammals 

 obtained. A full account of Prince Ruspoli's 

 expedition and collections have already been 

 published in the " Bollettino della Societa Geografica 

 Italiana," 1S95. M- E. Andre has a long article 

 entitled " Etude sur les Mutillides existant dans les 

 Collections du Musee Civique de Genes." He 

 writes exclusively of the Mutilles of India and 

 Australia, which are better represented in the 

 Museum at Genoa than those of any other 

 country ; besides is a list with ample notes of each 

 species, including twelve that are new. M. Andre 

 gives a synoptical table of the species he has 

 mentioned or described. He also adds an appendix 

 descriptive of some Mutilles which lately arrived at 

 the Genoa Museum, they were captured and 

 presented by Lieutenant F. Derchi, from Erythrea. 

 Mr. Martin Jacoby gives a " List and Descriptions 

 of the Phytophagous Coleoptera obtained by Dr. 

 Modigliani from Mentawei Islands." Amongst the 

 Phytophagous Coleoptera obtained by Dr. Modig- 

 liani from the islands south of Sumatra are some 

 which seem to be new, and Mr. Jacoby says are 

 probably peculiar to Mentawei. They belong 

 chiefly to Galerucinae and Halticinse. Mr. 

 Jacoby mentions that he knows of no previously 

 described insects from these islands. Professor J. 

 Thorell contributes an article on the explorations 

 of Leonardo Fea in Burma and the surrounding 

 regions. This is the second of a series, the first 

 having been devoted to the spiders of Burma. 

 The present article is on the sub-order Parallelo- 

 dontes of Araneae, collected by M. Leonardo Fea. 

 Many new species are mentioned and described. M. 

 Leonardo Fea himself contributes a long and well- 

 illustrated article on the " Zoology of Burma and 

 Neighbourhood. " 



La Feuille des Jeunes Naturalistes (Paris, 

 May, 1897). — M. Etienne Rebaud contributes an 

 article on "Cellular Division," illustrated with 

 eleven figures showing the development of cells. 

 M. Henri Hua writes on the underground life of 

 Convallaria majalis, with five figures illustrating 

 various forms. The series of articles on the French 

 shore of the Channel by M. Adrian Dolfus are 

 continued in this number, with a page of photo- 

 graphs of species of Cardium, Tapes pullastra and 

 Donax vittatus. M. G. de Rocquigny-Adanson 

 contributes an article on the geographical distribu- 

 tion of the large moth, Saturnia pyri. After a 

 year of enquiry and research M. de Rocquigny- 

 Adanson has obtained the results which he 

 publishes, with a map showing the distribution 

 of this moth in France. It is never found in the 

 North of France, and the lines which limits its 

 northern distribution are between the 48th and 50th 

 degrees of latitude. 



" Proceedings of the Academy of Natural 

 Sciencesof Philadelphia" (February and March, 

 1897). — Among a number of valuable papers are 

 " New Fossorial Hymenoptera from New Mexico," 

 by T. D. A. Cockerell and William J. Fox ; 

 "Demonstration of the use of Oxygen by Diatoms," 

 by T. Chalkley Palmer, and one of importance on 

 " Meadow-larks of Northern America." by Witmer 

 Stone. 



Annaes de Scienci as N aturaes (Oporto, January , 

 1897).— I n this number are papers by Dr. L. Vieira, 

 on " The Reptiles of Portugal " ; Mr. W. C. Tait, 

 on " Birds of Portugal " ; Sig. Augusto Nobre, 

 continuation of " The Molluscs of Portugal," etc. 



The French Government has awarded 4,000 fs. 

 to Dr. P. Grehant, Professor of Physiology in the 

 Paris Museum of Natural History, to promote his 

 researches on the application of physiology to 

 hygiene. 



Professor Karpinski — The Committee on the 

 Hayden Geological Memorial Award, which is 

 managed by the Philadelphia Academy of Sciences, 

 has conferred the medal and interest on the fund " 

 for 1897 on Professor A. Karpinski, of St. Peters- 

 burg, Director of the Geological Survey of Russia. 

 Professor Karpinski has long been the most promi- 

 nent figure among Russian geologists, and, in spite 

 of the claims upon his time and energy of the geolo- 

 gical survey of Russia's gigantic domain — very far 

 the largest region in the world under the direction 

 of a single man — he has found time to contribute 

 valuable additions to our knowledge in many 

 different fields. Some of these are: "Geological 

 Investigations and Exploration of the Coal 

 Deposits of the Eastern Urals," 1880 ; " Remarks 

 on the Sedimentary Formation of Russia-in- 

 Europe" ; "Origin of the Iron Ore in the Donety 

 Basin"; "Geographical Observations on the 

 Urals"; "Sedimentary Beds of the Tertiary of 

 the Eastern Urals"; "Reference to the Occur- 

 rence of Permo-Carbonic Measures in Darwaz- 

 minca," 1884 ; " Ammonites from the Ural," 1884 ; 

 "Fossil Pteropods," 1884; " Essay on Unification, 

 etc.," 1884 ; Geological Map of the Urals, 

 1884 ; " Materials for the Study of the Methods 

 of Petrographic Research," 1885; Geological 

 Map of Russia, Sheet 139 ; " Orographic 

 Description," 1886. Professor Karpinski has been 

 prominent in the councils of the International 

 Geological Congress, his ability and eminence 

 suggesting his selection as the President of the 

 general committee of organization of the coming 

 Congress. 



