igo 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



James Hall. — The geologists of the United 

 States of America have lost a valued colleague 

 by the somewhat unexpected death, on August 

 7th last, whilst taking his annual vacation, of 

 Dr. James Hall, who for a decade more than half 

 a century has seen service in the Geological Survey 

 of the State of New York. Born near Boston in 

 1S11 and educated at Troy, he graduated in 1S32 

 and became, first, Professor of Chemistry and 

 Natural Science, and then of Geology, in that city. 

 In 1S36, shortly after its establishment, he became 

 an Assistant Geologist in the State Geological 

 Survey, and a year later was made State Geologist. 

 During his association with the Survey he formed 

 the large collections of fossils of the state in the 

 Albany Museum, particulars of which have been 

 published under his direction in that splendid work, 

 "The Palaeontology of New York," the thirteen 

 volumes having cost the state something like 

 $1,000,000. In 1855., after refusing an appoint- 

 ment in the Canadian Geological Survey, he 

 became State Geologist of Iowa, and two years 

 later the State of Wisconsin was added to the 

 other two appointments. In 1857 he was Presi- 

 dent of the American Association for the Advance- 

 ment of Science at its meeting at Montreal, when 

 he propounded in his address the then new theory 

 of the elevation of mountain chains by the influ- 

 ence of sedimentary deposits. Dr. Hall was known 

 in England by many geologists, and had been a 

 foreign member of our Geological Society since 

 1848, and was granted the Wollaston Medal ten 

 years later. It was rather as a palaeontologist 

 than as a physical geologist that Hall made his 

 name, for his opportunities and period of work 

 enabled him to describe a multitude of genera and 

 species of extinct animals. 



Charles Edward Beddome. — The Australian 

 conchologists have suffered in the death of Charles 

 Edward Beddome, who died at his residence, 

 " Hillgrove," near Hobart, Tasmania, on Sep- 

 tember 1st, 1898, at the age of sixty-two years. 

 Mr. Beddome shared his love for conchology with 

 his brother, Col. Beddome, of Putney Rise, near 

 London. His career was long and varied. Entering 

 the Indian Navy, he rose to the rank of lieutenant, 

 but retired when that branch of the service was 

 disbanded. He then emigrated to Queensland, 

 where he embarked in pastoral pursuits. For 

 some years he held the office of Police Magistrate, 

 in-which capacity he was stationed at Cairns and 

 Thursday Islands. In the latter part of his life he 

 resided in Tasmania. He was chiefly known as an 

 ardent and capable collector, and possessed a superb 

 series of Australasian landshells and Tasmanian 

 marine Mollusca. His literary work was slight 

 and was published chiefly in the "Transactions" 

 of the Royal Society of Tasmania and the Linnean 

 Society of New South Wales. The results of his 

 researches were largely published by Brazier and 

 Petterd. Numerous shells have been called 

 "Beddomei" in his honour. He was a generous 

 donor to the British Museum and Academy of 

 Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. The latter body 

 years ago elected him a corresponding member. 



' £=*>) $%&£. 



TRANSACTIONS 



The South London Entomological and 

 Natural History Society. — September 22nd, 

 Mr. J. W. Tutt, F.E.S., President, in the chair. 

 Mr. R. Adkin exhibited a short series of Dianthoecia 

 nana (conspersa) from Shetland, and read notes on 

 their variation. He also exhibited, on behalf of 

 Mr. Reid, of Pitcaple, a long series of Taeniocampa 

 gothica, the result of breeding from selected parents 

 through some four generations, and read notes on 

 the variation ; a very distinct form of variation of 

 Abraxas grossulariata, in which the black markings 

 were absent from the central areas of all the wings, 

 the discoidal marks only being present ; a series of 

 Melanthia bkolorata var. plumbeolata ; and very fine 

 examples of Pachnobia hyperborea (alpina) from 

 Perthshire. Mr. Harrison, the eggs of the Niger 

 crocodile, and the eggs of a mollusc of the genus 

 Bulimus from the same locality. Mr. Lucas, 

 specimens of five of the less common species of 

 British dragonflies, viz. : Sympetrum sanguineum and 

 Libellula fulva from Sandwich, Kent ; Sympetrum 

 flaveolum and Aeschna mixta from Ockham Common ; 

 and Agriou meratriale from the New Forest. Mr. 

 Tutt, a large number of Zonosoma annulata (omicron- 

 aria), bred by Dr. Riding from selected parents to 

 show the hereditary nature of the absence of the 

 annulus. Some seventy-five per cent, of the 

 imagines bred were without the annulus on the 

 forewings. The President, for Mr. Thornhill, a 

 curiously-marked specimen of Enchloe cardamines 

 from Cambs, having two wings usually clouded 

 with black ; and for Mr. Manger, a box of insects 

 of all orders, captured at sea, among which were 

 Deilephila livornica, Chaerocampa celerio, Macroglossa 

 slellatarum, Patnla macrops, Abraxa perampla and 

 Acridium peregrinum. Mr. Dolman, a wonderful 

 specimen of Abraxas grossulariata, taken on a tree 

 trunk by a boy, in which the black markings were 

 normal, but having the ground colour of a uniform 

 deep orange ; also ova of Aporia crataegi from 

 Dover. Mr. Hall, several specimens of an ant 

 found in the burrows of Sesia sphcgiformis. Mr. 

 Perks, a specimen of the pipe-fish (Lygnathus) 

 from Portscatho, the male of which hatches the 

 ova in a large ventral pouch. Mr. West, of 

 Greenwich, bred specimens of the Hemiplera, 

 Pouisus luridus and Goniocerus venator, both from 

 Box Hill. Mr. Turner, a bred series of Porthcsia 

 chrysorrhaea from North Kent larvae, a larva of 

 Dicranura bifida, and a flower of a South African 

 plant, Orbea (Stapclia) irrorata. Mr. Dennis showed 

 the ova of Thecla w-album under a microscope. 

 Mr. Edwards, a kitten with an extra toe, more or 

 less developed, on each fore-foot That on the 

 right foot was of the ordinary size. — Hy.J. Turner, 

 Hon. Beport. Sec. 



North London Natural History Society. — 

 September 14th, 1898. — Mr. R. W. Robbins, 

 President, in the chair. Among the exhibits 

 were, by Miss Martin, Xyllophila latifolia, the 

 seaside laurel of Jamaica, — the leaflike branches 

 were broad and flat, and bore minute flowers 

 on their margins ; Mimosa pudiea, the sensitive 

 plant, in flower; Atropa belladonna, the deadly 



