294 



SCIENTIFIC NEWS. 



[Sept. 14, 1888. 



obtained. The net was a conical bag two or more feit in diameter, 

 and some six feet long, of a degree o( fineness proportioned to the 

 size of the animals it is intended to capture. The net is attached to 

 a folding hoop, to which two rods are attached, eo that on towing 

 it by one of these it will open, while on towing it by the other it 

 will shut. It is let down closed, and when it has reached the 

 required depth a small weight, known as a messenger, is allowed to 

 slide down the rope, and by touching a spring lever let go the first 

 rod, so that the rope hangs by the second and opens. When the 

 net has been working for a sufficient length of time another mes- 

 senger reverses the process, and the net is brought up closed. 



Mr. F. E. Beddard, M.A., F.Z.S. (Secretary to the section), 

 characterised the invention of Mr. 'Hoyle as very important, an 

 expression of opinion in which the President concurred. 



Mr. J. J. Lister, M A., described a number of points in the 

 Natural History of Coral Ftingia, illustrating his remarks by black- 

 board sketches. 



Tuesday, September iith. 



Mr. W. T. Thiselton-Dyer presiding. 



The President remarked that the section had met in conjunc- 

 tion with their colleagues from the Geological Section, to consider 

 a question which at the present time was very much attracting the 

 interest not merely of biologists, but also of geologists— the vexed 

 question which had been raised with respect to the origin of Coral 

 Islands an i Coral Reefs. One of tile earliest researches of the late Mr. 

 Darwin was a memoir upon the origin of these islands, and in it he 

 was disposed to attribute them in great measure to the subsidence of 

 the land upon which they were ultimately formed. He would not 

 anticipate the statement of the reader of the paper as to the points 

 of difference between Mr. Darwin's views and those which were 

 now held, but it was in consequence of the explorations of H.M.S. 

 Challenger that a seiies of facts were brought before the scientific 

 world which in some degree made it extremely probable that Mr. 

 Darwin's views did not form the only exp'anation to which these 

 curious phenomena were susceptible. A very distinguished indi- 

 vidual had thought fit to bring before the scientific world the pre- 

 posterous assertion that they were leagued together in a conspiracy 

 of silence with the object of suppressing the progress of scientific 

 truth. He (the President) could not pretend that that a-sertion had 

 influenced him in discussing the question upon the present occasion. 

 It so happened that they had the presence of two distinguished 

 scientific men who had had opportunities of examining these 

 questions for themselves. They would state their views, and those 

 present would be able to judge for themselves in which direction 

 they would be inclined to think the ultimate solution of the problem 

 might be found. At any rate, he thought they might claim that 

 their minds were absolutely open, and that they attributed 

 no weight to the authority of tradition, however eminent. 

 All they really wanted to know was the conclusion which commended 

 itself to their minds with the greatest probability, and which was 

 ba ! ed upon the largest number of ascertained facts. 



Mr. Sydney J. Hickson, M.A , D.Sc, Deputy Linacre Professor 

 at Oxford, then read his paper on Theories of Coral Reefs and Atolls, 

 but before doing so he said he felt it to be the duty of the opener of 

 such a discussion as that upon which they were about to enter 

 first of all to explain the phenomena concerning which the discus- 

 sion was to take place, and then to state as impartially as possible 

 the different views held to explain the phenomena. The object of 

 the discussion was, if possible, to arrive at the truth, and not to run 

 any particular theory. Thus, he would endeavour to state as im- 

 partially as possible the different views which had been put forward 

 to explain the presence of atolls and barrier reefs ; and although he 

 could not help indicating in his opening remarks the view which he 

 was inclined to hold himself, he would endeavour to postpone his 

 prejudice to that view to a subsequent part of the discussion. He 

 hoped none of those who followed him would consider that his mind 

 was so prejudiced that they would not be able to convince him that 

 he was wrong in the view he took. 



The President said all would agree in according to Mr. Hickson 

 a hearty expression of thanks for his interesting paper. If he had 

 any fault to find with it, he might say it had been of a too judicial 

 and well-balanced character — that he had rather taken the sting out 

 of anything like an animated controversy. They could not help 

 admiring the fair way in which he had brought forward the arguments 

 for and against in this controversy, and it would be a difficult matter 

 to attack him. 



Professor W. Boyd Dawkins, M.A., F.R.S, Dr. J. Evans, 

 Mr. G. C. Bowne, Professor Seeley, Mr. S. F. Harmer, Dr. 

 Mill, and Mr. Poulton continued the discussion. 



There were also papers read by Professor Halliburton, report 

 of the Committee on the Physiology of the Lymphatic System ; by 



Mr. F. E. Beddard, Contributions ti the Ana'omy of the 

 Tuberficida ; by Professor Halliburton (for Dr. Collins), The 

 Effect of Various Substances upon the Rate of Secretion and Con- 

 stitution of the Bi'e ; by the Rev. R. Baron, On the Flora 

 of Madagascar ; and Professor GiLSON, On the Odoriferous 

 Apparatus of the Blaps mortisaga. 



Mr. E. J. Lowe, F.R.S. , read a short paper on the Effects of the 

 Weather of 1888 on the Animal and Vegetable Kingdoms. He first 

 drew attention to the extraordinary mortality amongst birds, and the 

 feirful increase in the number of slugs and insect pests during the 

 present summer near Chepstow. At Shirenewton, at the present 

 time, there was not a wren, redbreast, goldcrest, coal-tit, marsh-tit, 

 long-tail-tit, nuthatch, creeper, night-jar, green wagtail, lesser 

 spotted woodpecker, redcrcst, redstart, blackcap, white-throat, or 

 redpole, although usually they were all common. There were scarcely 

 any examples of landrail, water-ousel, missel-thrush, thrush, dun- 

 nock, whinchat, garden-warbler, willow-warbler, greenfinch, house- 

 sparrow, hawfinch, sisking linnet, or swallow, although these are 

 also usually common in the district. Amongst birds of which there 

 were an average number might be mentioned tha crow, rook, jack- 

 daw, magpie, jay, swift, sparrowhawk, skylark, moor hen, blackbird, 

 and starling. Usually birds were so abundant here that without 

 nets cherries, strawberries, raspberries, currants, and gooseberries 

 were all devoured by them. This year there had been no necessity for 

 nets, as the fruit had been untouched by birds, or rather there 

 were no birds to eat it. The long, deep snow in February destroyed 

 many birds, but this did not account for the absence of so many 

 summer birds. Only four or five swallows coald be seen at one time, 

 and only a solitary landrail had been heard. Daring the past two 

 or three weeks there had been an increase in the following 

 species : blackbird, willow-warbler, sparrow, chaffinch, great-tit, 

 blue tit, spotted fly-catcher, swallow, and martin. It might be 

 mentioned that in June a pair of sand-grouse were seen to settle 

 close to the cricket -ground in Shirenewton Park, but they were not 

 seen again. There was almost always an increase in the number 

 of slugs and insect pests after a cold winter, and this year that 

 increase has been enormous. All seedling plants, vegetables, leaves, 

 and flowers had been destroyed wholesale, and great damage had 

 been done to wheat, grass, and other agricultural crops, but what 

 had been m:>st noticeable was the destruction by caterpillars of all 

 the leaves of the oak. Thousands of oaks had been without a leaf — 

 bare, like winter — and now they were only just coming into leaf 

 again ; but unfortunately a second crop of caterpillars was noticed 

 on Sunday last to be resuming their attack on the new leaves. The 

 damage to the oaks had extended for miles around. There had been 

 a great increase amongst destructive slugs of various kinds, and ear- 

 wigs, woodlice, ants, butterflies, and beetles had been unusually 

 abundant, but there had been an absence of wasps and very few 

 moles. Snakes and adders had been very numerous. Early- sown 

 peas were twenty-one weeks before they were fit for the table, and 

 all fruit had been very late, many gooseberries being not yet ripe, 

 and currants beirg still abundant. Pears were scarcely swelling, 

 and of mushrooms ihere were none. Nuts were an enormous crop. 

 The hay-crop had been the latest ever known, much remaining unhar- 

 vested at the beginning of the month. Although toads and frogs had 

 deposited vast quantities of eggs, as usual, in the sheet of water in 

 Shirenewton Park not a single one had resulted, nor did the egg swell. 

 The water-newt had also been absent. It was worthy of remark 

 that many delicate plants were uninjured by the cold of last winter. 

 The author explained that his reason for contributing the paper was 

 in order that the facts might be recorded for future comparison. 



Professor Marshall Ward having offered a few observations — 



Mr. Henry Southall proposed a vote of thanks to Mr. Lowe 

 for having contributed such an interesting paper, and the resolution 

 was carried amidst applause. 



Mr. F. T. Mott read extracts from the report of the Committee, 

 consisting of Professor Valentine Ball, Mr. H. G. Fordham, Pro- 

 fessor Haddon, Professor Hillhouse, Mr. John Hopkinson, Dr. Mac- 

 farlane, Professor Milnes Marshall, Mr. F. T. Mott (Secretary), Dr. 

 Traquair, and Dr. H. Woodward, reappointed at Manchester for 

 the purpose of preparing a further report upon the Provincial 

 Museums of the United Kingdom. This we may print in full at a 

 later date 



Professor Schofer said he had often been questioned by out- 

 siders as to the use of the British Association. A complete answer 

 to the question was found in the admirable report which Mr. Mott 

 had read, and he hoped the suggestions it contained would be 

 adopted, and that some practical result had been achieved. He 

 asked Mr. Mott whether anything had yet been done. 



Mr. Mott said that copies of the first report of the Committee 

 had been forwarded to the curators of all provincial museums, and 

 he intended to ask that copies of the present one should also be 

 forwarded, to them. 



