Miscellaneous Intelligence. 509 
Mosely, while on the 2S Beene Expedition, was fortunate in ex- 
amining the animal of Heliopora. ae ge oved that it belongs to 
the Aleyonaria, and referred is the sa roup various fossil gen- 
era, in some cases apparently without pa es t reason. 
he affinities of the genus //alysites, the seine “e chain coral” 
of the Silurian, have hitherto been very doubtful. Within a few 
days Mr. H. T. Woodman has shown ‘mea very remarkable spe- 
cimen of this pees, in which the internal structure is beautifully 
preserved, In this example, which is a fragment several inches 
septa sitendhng tothe center. Their edges are slightly serrulate, 
and do not rise above the tubes. . In other words, the structure is 
that of a true madreporarian coral 
an 
; hat this 
from a large mass eight to ten feet across, hat “ the: asi 
part of the mass was like the common rotieta showing no 
rays; but here and there, in spots, all over the face of the mass, 
the septa were as well preserved as in the fragment shown to you.” 
III. MIscELLANEOUS SCIENTIFIC INTELLIGENCE. 
1. Elements of Comet (a), 1881, Swift.—The elements and the 
ephemeris for May of comet (a), 1881, Swift, have been calculated 
by Mr. 8S. C. Chandler, Jr., at Boston, and by Dr. R. Copeland 
G : 
These results have been exchanged across the ocean by cable, 
according to a code adopted by the closes Scientific Society ; 
they are published in Special Circulars No. of the 
Science r. Chandler yemnarked gers the comet was 
(May 7th) a faint round disc less than 1’ in diameter, with some 
central condensation and ill-defined edges. T does not 
he orb 
resemble that of any known comet. The beeps? are as follows: 
1 those of Chandler, 2 those of Copeland and Lohse. 
ie 
Per. Passage, sa rd 20° per “Washington Mean Time. 
Long. Perihelio so 
Long. Node, 401 Eq. 1881-0 
"56 
Motion ares: 
2. 
er. Passage, 1881, isi 20° 67, Greenwich Mean Time. 
Lon Perihelion, "300° 
g. Node, 124 $4 
73g pHa 1881-0. 
natio 78 48 
Log. gq= 91674" gq = 5854. 
Motion direct. 
2. National Academy of Sciences.—The fo lowing is a list of 
the papers read at the session of the National — of Sei- 
ences at Washington, in April: 
