SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



Proceedings of the Academy of Natural 

 Sciences. (Philadelphia, 1894, pp. 28g--384.) — 

 A Proposed Classification of the Fossorial Hymenoptera 

 of North America, by William J. Fox. Recent Mound 

 Exploration in Ohio, by G. Fowke and W. K. Moore- 

 heed, with diagrams. New Species of Fungi from 

 Various Localities, by J. B. Ellis andB. M. Everhart, 

 a lengthy communication occupying some sixty 

 pages, not concluded. 



COMPTE RENDU DE LA SOCIETE PHILOMATIQUE. 



(Paris, December, 1894, Nos. 4 and 5.) M. Bordas 

 communicated a note on The Salivary Glands of the 

 Honey-bee. Dr. Jousseaume contributes a note 

 containing diagnoses of new shells collected in the 

 Red Sea. The work will be published in detail in 

 the "Bulletin," and contains no less than twenty- 

 nine new (?) species. An interesting note on 

 longevity is recorded in the case of Bulimus 

 defter sii, which, after being enclosed in a box during 

 two years, revived and lived several months. A 

 second recent species of the genus Plesiothyreus, 

 known only in the fossil state until the publi- 

 cation of a species by Mr. Sowerby, is also of 

 interest. 



Bulletin de L'Academie Imperiale des 

 Sciences de St. Petersbourg. (Fifth series, 

 volume i., 1894.) The Imperial Academy of Sciences 

 has made an alteration in the manner of publication 

 of its work. In future it will publish (1) "a Monthly 

 Bulletin " containing reports of the meetings of the 

 Academy, annual reports on scientific research, 

 reports on prizes conferred by the Academy, and 

 reports on the work of its museums. In addition 

 it will contain scientific memoirs not exceeding 

 certain limits, while those of greater bulk will be 

 made known by extracts edited by the authors. 

 These will be printed in such a manner that each 

 paper can be detached if required, so as to form a 

 separate article, while each part will be sold separ- 

 ately. (2) "Memoires de l'Academie Imperiale 

 des Sciences," divided into two independent series, 

 one devoted to the physical- mathematical section 

 and the other to the historical and philological 

 section of the Academy. Part i. contains an 

 article by A. Karpinsky, on The General Character of 

 the Movements of the Terrestrial Crust in European 

 Russia, and one by S. Korshinsky, on Ancient 

 Vegetable Remains in the Ural, with a map ; also a note 

 by the same author on Some Plants of European Russia; 

 all the foregoing in the Russian language. The 

 following articles are in French : A New Method of 

 Preparing Alkaline Metals, by N. Beketoff ; Variations 

 of Latitude of Poulkovo, with a chart, by A. Ivanof. 

 Part ii. contains ; Note on Some Species of Pirinea, by 

 S. Korshinsky ; Observations on the Spots on Jupiter's 

 Disk, by W. Seraphimof, both in French, and the 

 continuation of Crustacia Caspia, by G. O. Sars, in 

 English, with eight plates. Part iii. contains ; On 

 the Laws of Variation of Terrestrial Latitudes, and 

 Observations on Planets, both in French, by A. 

 Ivanof. Part iv. contains a further continuation of 



Professor G. O. Sars' valuable Monongraph on 

 Caspian Crustacea, with eight plates (English text) ; 

 A paper on Free Energy (in Russian text), by 

 B. Galitzine, and title-page and index to the 

 volume. 



Feuilles des Jeunes Naturalistes (Paris, 

 January, 1895).— M. Geneau de Lamarliere con- 

 tributes a first instalment of A Synoptical Table of 

 the Perisporiaccea, with a page of figures. M. E. 

 Fournier has A Stratigraphic Study of the Nerthe 

 Chain near Marseilles, and the editor continues his 

 Monograph of the Idoteida of the French Coasts, 

 with four figures in the text. Under the nom-de- 

 i>lume of " Un vieil amateur " an interesting note is 

 given on introduced plants. It deals with the 

 naturalisation or rather invasion of American 

 plants in France. About fifteen years previously 

 Amsinckia intermedia had been noticed to have 

 invaded the island of Billancourt, near Paris, 

 but whence it has since disappeared. A single 

 specimen was subsequently found near Montmo- 

 rency, but it has not since been seen there. This 

 year (1894) the author has again found it in great 

 abundance in the Valley of Chevreuse. Lepidium 

 virginicum has been found to cover from time to 

 time certain spots near Paris, such as, for instance, 

 Charentin or Billancourt, to disappear entirely 

 afterwards, but while once established on the 

 French coast of the Gulf of Gascogne, it has sent out 

 colonies into the Pyrenees, along all the railway 

 lines. Attention is drawn to the importance of these 

 latter, with regard to the dissemination of plants, 

 in support of which the words of an old botanist 

 are quoted. M. Fourcade, of Bagneres-de-Luchon, 

 who died a few years since, said to the author : 

 ' ' When I was young and wanted to find new plants 

 I went to the mountains, now I am old I go to the 

 railway-stations." Careful notes have been made 

 year by year how Melilotus alba travelled from 

 station to station on the Ligne du Nord (Northern 

 Railway). Italian plants, such as Amaranthus 

 patulus, Galinsoga parviflora, Stenactis annua, have 

 penetrated the valleys of the south-east. This year 

 another railway traveller has been observed, i.e., 

 Matricaria discoidea. This has long been known in 

 Germany. In 1878 the dismantled fortification, 

 Hesdin (Pas de Calais), was covered with it. At 

 present it has overrun the whole of Picardy, and in 

 due time it is expected to arrive in Paris. Calepina 

 corvini, which was previously only known to occur 

 at Bale, according to M. Bouvier, was this year 

 found plentifully at Geneva even on the lawns of 

 the railway-stations. In addition to railways, rivers 

 are accredited with effectual dissemination of plants. 

 The banks of the Seine, between the two bridges of 

 Argenteuil, were carefully examined and yielded 

 eight species indigenous to the south of France, 

 besides some from Galicia and Bohemia. The 

 author concludes his paper with a mention of 

 Salsola tragus, which has been found near Lausanne. 

 This plant has also invaded Dakota, where it is 

 called the Russian Thistle ; there it has done con- 

 siderable damage to agriculture, to such an extent 

 that laws have been passed to effect its eradication. 

 A curious fact is recorded by M. Ph. Zurcher, of 

 Toulon. He states that he noticed a large number 

 of winged ants rise from an ants' nest. About a 

 dozen dragon-flys were hovering just above them, 

 and caught the unfortunate ants one after the 

 other with great address, devouring the abdominal 

 part while dropping the remainder of the bodies, 

 great numbers of which were found crawling about 

 in apparent agony. 



