Notes, and Memoranda. ' 145 



The Sequel oe the Nerve Suture. — We see from Comptes Rendus that 

 twelve clays after M. Laugier's operation, detailed in our last number, the thread 

 came away, having partially cut through the nerve. Sensation and power of 

 motion had up to this time remained in the fingers, but the inflammation of the 

 nerve gave rise to lancinating pains, with partial insensibility of the palm. Loss 

 of cutaneous sensation was almost complete in the two last phalanges of the index 

 finger, and on the under surface of the thumb and middle finger ; but sensation 

 remained on the anterior surface of the first phalanx of the index, on the external 

 half of the palm, and on the outer side of the ring finger. The inflammation sub- 

 sided in five or six clays, and an improved sensibility gradually took place. M. 

 Laugier comments on the singular fact of the inflammation having only affected 

 a portion of the nerve tubes. 



Fossil Stone Implements in India. — In the journal of the Asiatic Society 

 of Bengal, No. 1, 1S64, will be found an account of the discovery of rude imple- 

 ments made of quartzite, and discovered by Messrs. King and Eoote, of the Geolo- 

 gical Survey, near Madras. 



Hermaphrodite Bees.— -The Annals of Natural History, No. 80, translates 

 some remarks of Yon Siebold on hermaphrodite bees, the production of which he 

 thinks consistent with the curious law discovered by Dzierzon, that the queen 

 produces male offspring with eggs that have not been acted upon by the male, 

 while females came from eggs that have been acted upon by spermatozoa. Pro- 

 fessor Von Siebold thinks that in the hermaphrodite cases the male semen was in- 

 sufficient in quantity to effect a complete development of the female sex. 



. On Electrical Charges. — The Proceedings of the Eoyal Society, No. 66, 

 contains a paper by Sir W. Snow Harris, verifying the experiments of Le Monnier, 

 Cavendish, and Volta, from which it appeared that bodies do not take up elec- 

 tricity in simple proportion to their surfaces, and giving the formula by which the 

 actual quantity may be calculated. Sir William finds that the quantity which 

 any given surface can receive under a given intensity, depends not only on the 

 extent of the surface, but also on its linear boundary. " Thus the linear boundary 

 of 100 square inches of surface under a rectangle 37'5 inches long by 2"66 inches 

 wide, is about 80 inches, whilst the linear boundary of the same 100 square inches 

 of surface under a plate 10 inches square is only 40 inches. Hence the charge of 

 the rectangle is much greater than that of the square, although the surfaces are 

 equal, or nearly so." In plane rectangular surfaces, if the surface be constant, the 

 charge varies with the square root of the boundary, and if the boundary be con- 

 stant with the square root of the surface. If the surface and boundary both vary, 

 the charge varies with the square root of the surface multiplied with the square 

 root of the boundary. Erom this law it follows that if when we double the sur- 

 face we likewise double the boundary, the charge will be double ; but if we double 

 the surface without doubling, or with more than doubling the boundary, the 

 charge must be computed by the formula C = -j/S. B. C meaning charge, S 

 surface, B boundary. Let E stand for intensity, and we have another formula, 



E= s37 



Magnetic Indications at Xew and Lisbon. — Senor Capello, of the National 

 Observatory, Lisbon, having obtained a set of self-recording magnetic instruments 

 made by Adie upon the Eew pattern, and having resided some time at Eew to 

 familiarize himself with the method of working them, has carried out a series 

 of observations simultaneous with those of Kew, and the results have been pub- 

 lished in a series of photolithographs at the expense of the Eoyal Society. An 

 explanatory paper, issued with the diagrams, observes that a remarkable similarity 

 will be observed on comparing the Horizontal Eorce Curves, and that rapid 

 changes appear to have occurred in both places at the same time and hi the 

 same direction. The Declination Curves exhibit a resemblance but less striking ; 

 rapid changes seeming to affect both places similarly and simultaneously. The 

 Yertical Eorce Curves do not bear much general resemblance, but small and rapid 

 changes appear to have occurred at thesame time and in opposite directions. 



