23^ 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



m,aw: 



The Geologists' Association resumed their 

 evening meetings on November 2nd, at the 

 University College. An exhibition of lantern-slides 

 superseded the Conversazione with which it is 

 customary to open the session. The slides were 

 mostly from photographs taken by members of the 

 Association, and illustrated subjects of geological 

 interest, which Mr. Harris, F.G.S., kindly explained 

 as they appeared on the sheet. 



At the meeting of November 7th, of the 

 Geological Society, Sir John Lubbock exhibited 

 interesting fossils from Murren in the valley of 

 Lauterbrunnen. The calcareous strata of the 

 region was thought to be without any representative 

 fossils by the Swiss geologists. Sir John, however, 

 found a rich layer during the recent excursions of 

 the International Geological Congress. This 

 discovery is of considerable importance, and it is 

 satisfactory that it has been made by so eminent an 

 Englishman. 



Tertiary Man. — We have already referred to 

 this subject in these columns, and are pleased to'be 

 able to record a further addition to our knowledge 

 of the pre-glacial relics of our species. It will be 

 remembered that the human origin of the chipped 

 flints found in the Miocene deposits of Theusy is 

 still regarded by some authorities as doubtful. Dr. 

 Ncetling, of the Indian Geological Survey, how- 

 ever, now records similar finds in Miocene deposits 

 of Burma, about which it seems there can be no 

 reasonable doubt. 



The Glacial Period. — There has long been a 

 feeling of doubt among geologists as to the truth 

 of Croll's, or the astronomical, theory of the great 

 ice age. The theory was amended and apparently 

 strengthened by Professor Ball, but, nevertheless, 

 has never gained favour with geologists. The 

 difficulty with regard to it has always been that if 

 the astronomical theory be true, there would have 

 been a succession of glacial periods from the 

 earliest times, and further that these would have 

 occurred alternately in the northern and southern 

 hemispheres. Many attempts have been made 

 to demonstrate from geological evidence that this 

 had really happened, but so far they have been 

 generally considered unsuccessful. Geologists as a 

 body, being unable to check the mathematical 

 foundations of the theory, have consequently taken 

 their accuracy for granted. Mr. E. P. Culverwell 

 has now devised a "method of obtaining a limit 

 to the direct effects on terrestrial temperature of 

 the diminished winter sun-heat during periods of 

 great eccentricity, the conclusion being that that 

 effect had been enormously exaggerated, and that 

 the astronomical theory of the ice age was really 

 but a vague hypothesis, paving no sound physical 

 basis." He contributes a short article to "Nature" 

 of November 8th, on the subject, and says that 

 the mathematical part of the question will be dealt 

 with in a forthcoming issue of the " Philosophical 

 Magazine," and a criticism of Croll's and Ball's 

 work wall appear in the January, 1895, number of 

 the " Geological Magazine." 



ill .^f^^^M^i^, 



BOT/lNY*W T : 



Five-Leaved Clover. — -In answer to A. H. 

 Teague's query in last month's issue, I have 

 specimens of four- and five-leaved clover, sent me 

 by the Rev. J. E. Vise, of Forden Vicarage, found 

 by him in September, 1890. — Edwin E. Turner, The 

 Printing Office, Coggeshall, Essex; Nov. 12th, 1894. 



Five-leaved Clover. — The five-leaved clover 

 (ante, page 211) is perfectly known by the 

 botanists. It is mentioned by G. Maugin in the 

 "Bulletin de la Societe Botanique de France" 

 (1871), page 225. Moquin-Tandon, " Elements de 

 Teratalogie Vegetale" (1841), page 349, says that 

 four, five, and even seven leaflets may be found on 

 trifolium. I do not doubt your botanist masters 

 in England, as Jager in Dutch and other authors 

 of vegetable tetrological works, have some similar 

 instances. An English work I know, but only by its 

 French translation, made in 1746-1748 (" Universal 

 Dictionary of Medicine, Surgery, Chemistry, Botany, 

 Anatomy, Pharmacy, Natural History," by James), 

 tells of clover being " with three, rarely four or 

 five, leaflets." Linnaeus, " Critica botanica" (1737), 

 page 193, declares: "nil differt a trifoliate magis 

 quam homo sex digitis ab alio." Our botanist, 

 Tournefort, " Institutiones Herbarise " (1700), 

 page 406, names the " Trifolium Phaeum fuscum 

 luxurians quaternis quints et senis foliis." C. Bauhin, 

 "Pinax" (1671), page 327, treating the trifolium, 

 adds : "foliis quaternis quints aliquando septenis dona- 

 tur." Leaving the ancient authors and coming to 

 our days. For my part, I have in my herbarium 

 several specimens found near Beauvais, Doullens 

 and Paris. Two of my specimens have each three 

 leaves with five leaflets, one with four, and several 

 of the ordinary three-leaved form. Notwith- 

 standing, the several-leaflet clover is rather rare 

 and its finding is said to bring good luck. This I 

 believe, because it is reserved for attentive and 

 patient persons, and I therefore send to Miss Jane 

 Woolas my best wishes and felicitations. — 

 C. Copineau, Juge au Tribunal Civil de Doullens, 

 Somme, France. 



Proliferous Rush. — To cross the ocean is need- 

 less for finding instances of a rush's proliferation 

 (ante page 211). The greater part of continental floras 

 indicate, among others, Juncus supinus, Moench, fa. 

 vivipara, or var. vivipara. Roth, for instance, in his 

 "Tentamen Florae Germanicae," pages 155 and 156, 

 gives var. vivipara of /. aquaticus and /. bufonius. 

 As for English authors, Richard Relhan, in his 

 " Flora Cantabrigiensis," issued as far back as 1785, 

 names at page 123, /. viviparus. That name is 

 adopted by Abbot; and Smith, in his "Flora 

 Britannica" (1804), I., page 380, gives that name 

 as a synonymy for f. uliginosus. I found it often 

 from Northern and Southern France, and it seems 

 to be nowhere rare. I send you a specimen 

 collected in Sweden by Erik Parson, and labelled : 

 Juncus articulatus, L. var. viviparus. Gotland : Silte 

 Socken, " Stora Randlen," i Mastermyr den 23 

 July, 1891. — C. Copineau, Juge au Tribunal Civil de 

 Doullens, Somme, France; November 4th, 1894. 



