630 



SCIENTIFIC NEWS. 



[Dec. 21, ii 



showed that the facts of development indicated a probable 

 intercalary origin of the latter from the interarticular 

 syndesmoses ; and that the numerical increase of the 

 phalanges in the Cetacea may have been associated with 

 the loss of ungues, somewhat similarly to the way in 

 which the muliplication of segments of the cartilaginous 

 rays in the paired fins of the Batoidei would appear to 

 have been connected with the disappearance of horny 

 fin-rays. 



The authors also showed that the Discoglossidse alone 

 among the Anura retained for life the undifferentiated 

 syndesmoses, and that this feature testified more forcibly 

 than anything else to their low affinities. They also 

 described a community of structure between the modi- 

 fied syndesmoses in certain Anura and the apparatus of 

 the knee-joint in Mammals, and urged that the facts were 

 such as to necessitate a reconsideration of the morpho- 

 logical value of the latter. A communication was read 

 from Mr. J. J. Lister, F.Z.S., giving a general account of 

 the natural history of Chrismas Island, in the Indian 

 Ocean, which he had visited 1887 as naturalist to H.M. 

 surveying-vessel Egeria. Mr. Lister gave a detailed 

 account of the birds obtained in Christmas Island. Of 

 these, seven were land birds, all of which belonged to 

 species peculiar to the island, though some of them ap- 

 proach their allies in the Indian Archipelago very 

 closely. Mr. Oldfield Thomas, F.Z.S., read a paper on 

 the Mammals of Christmas Island, obtained by Mr. 

 Lister during the same expedition. 



This was followed by reports on the Reptiles of 

 Christmas Island obtained during the expedition, by Mr. 

 G. Boulenger, F.Z.S. ; on the Terrestrial Mollusks, by 

 Mr. Edgar A. Smith, F.Z.S. ; on the Coleoptera, by 

 Mr. C. J. Gahan ; on the Lepidoptera, by Mr. A. G. 

 Butler, F.Z.S. ; on the other Insects, by Mr. Kirby ; 

 and on the Annelida, Myriapoda, and Land-Crustacea, 

 by Mr. R. I. Pocock. 



ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 

 At the last meeting of the Scientific Committee speci- 

 mens of oak wood, forwarded by Mr. Burbidge, which 

 had been used for spokes of wheels, but found to be 

 remarkably brittle, and consequently useless, were sub- 

 mitted to Professor H. Marshall Ward for examination 

 and report. The following communication was received 

 from him : " I have cut numerous sections of the pieces 

 of oak, and have made a very thorough examination of 

 the wood, but must say I can find no traces of fungi or 

 pronounced decomposition. Nevertheless, the tracheides 

 of the wood seem to be abnormally short, and have 

 occasionally granular ' deposits ' in them — also in the 

 medullary ray cells — -which I should like to know more 

 about. I cannot explain the matter, but should be glad 

 of further specimens lor examination." 



Mr. Henslow submitted some specimens of abnormal 

 ivy blossoms to a microscopical examination, which were 

 exhibited at the last meeting by Dr. Masters, together 

 with drawings by Mr. G. W. Smith. The dried condi- 

 tion of the flowers precluded a very exact determination 

 of the abnormality, but there appeared to him to be 

 little doubt but that stamens replaced the carpels. 

 The sepals, petals, and stamens were normal, but above 

 the superior disc — which is normally formed by the 

 upper and exposed part of the carpels — were a crown of 

 supernumerary anthers. The vascular cords which 

 normally represent the dorsal ribs of the carpels bore 

 the anthers. In the centre was a depression in lieu of 



the ovary cells, and apparently some minute and rudi : 

 mentary anthers occupying their place. These seemed 

 to be due to staminody of the placental cords, which 

 normally occupy the centre of the inferior ovary. 



Professor Church gave an account of an analysis of the 

 tubers of the new vegetable Stachys tuberifera which he 

 had himself made, and by . which he confirmed those of 

 Dr. A. v. Planta, recorded in Landwirthschaftliche Ver- 

 suchstationen, Nos. 5 and 6, 1888. It appears that they 

 contain 78 percent, of water, 1-5 per cent, of albuminoids, 

 17 per cent, of non-albuminoids or amides, i6 - 6 per 

 cent, of sugars, "j per cent, of fibre, 'i per cent, of ash, 

 •2 per cent, of fat, and a trace only of starch. Compar- 

 ing this analysis with that of potatoes, it appears that the 

 water is in larger quantity, it being 75 per cent, in them ; 

 the flesh-forming albuminoids are rather more than in 

 potatoes, while the sugars replace the starch, of which 

 there is some 15 per cent, in the average analysis of the 

 potatoe. 



Mr. O'Brien exhibited palmate tubers of some South 

 African species of Satyrium, which showed two years' 

 growth, having been plunged in moss only; the tubers, 

 instead of developing a leafy axis, had formed fresh 

 tubers only, the stem and leaves being produced in 

 miniature, being about half an inch in height. Mr. 

 Wilson mentioned the fact that lilies sometimes behave 

 in the same way, and that the process was identical with 

 " supertuberation " in potatoes, in which case the " eyes " 

 gave rise to fresh tubers instead of stems, when situated 

 too deep and with too much heat, according to the ex- 

 perience of Mr. Boscawen. Mr. O'Brien remarked that 

 the importance of the knowledge of the above phenomena 

 lay in the fact that it was often supposed that tubers and 

 bulbs were lost or decayed, from the non-appearance ot 

 the flowering stems, while they might still be present in 

 the soil, but were for two or three years simply repro- 

 ducing bulbs at the expense of the old one, without flower- 

 ing at all. 



Mr. G. Swailes forwarded a young live tree grown from 

 a layer, the only one of 500 which exhibited peculiar 

 contorted boughs. A graft taken from it in the spring 

 exhibits the same peculiarity. Dr. Hogg remarked that 

 it appeared to resemble the " contorted " variety of the 

 hawthorn. The curving and twisting were apparent even 

 in many of the minutest twigs. It was thought by some 

 to be due to mischief or injury by insects, but the above 

 facts seem to point to other causes. It was referred to 

 Chiswick, to be grown, to prove the constancy of the 

 feature or otherwise. 



Mr. T. Christy, of 25, Lime Street, sent a new 

 production for antiseptic bandages called Christia. It 

 is constructed of thin whity-brown paper, expressly 

 made of Manilla hemp (Mitsa textilis), which consists 

 purely of remarkably long liber-fibres, which doubtless 

 tend to give it greater tenacity. It is then subjected to 

 a process with glycerine, olive oil, and other substances, 

 which render it translucent, with the appearance of oiled 

 silk. It subsequently is treated with salicylic acid, car- 

 bolic acid, or other disinfectant, and rendered antiseptic. 

 Its advantages are great tenacity, extreme lightness, 

 being not more than one-third of the weight of oiled silk 

 or gutta-percha sheeting, antiseptic, and perfectly imper- 

 vious to moisture. It was thought that it would prove 

 so exceedingly useful in horticulture, e.g., for binding up 

 budding, sending specimens by post when the exclusion 

 of air is essential, while strips would be serviceable for 

 \ tying plants to stakes, etc. 



