488 
POPULAR SCIENCE REYIEW. 
of specific characters in animals as are the raphides in plants, and he refers 
his readers to the article on the latter, which he wrote for the Popular 
Science Review some time ago. 
Birds' Nests and Birds' Plumage. — One of the finest papers ever published 
on this most interesting point in Natural History, was that read by Mr. 
Wallace before the British Association at Dundee. It would he impossible 
to condense it into a paragraph, and we hope, therefore, that the author will 
print it in full in some of the periodicals. It described the peculiarities of 
plumage which protect birds when sitting on their eggs, and was another 
convincing argument in favour of Mr. Darwin’s hypothesis. 
New Fishes. — At a meeting of the Vienna Imperial Academy of Science, 
Herr Steindacher recorded the discovery of several new species of fishes, 
which he ranges under the genera of Glyptosternon , Caranx , Batrachus , Arius, 
Batistes, Eeros, and Ctenolabrus. 
The Ray Society' s future Publications. — The books issued by the Bay Society 
are always so well selected, and so admirably executed, that naturalists are 
glad to know what a treat they have to anticipate. We therefore give the 
names of the works in preparation for future years, which are as follow : — 
Professor Allman on the u British Corynidse.” The volume of plates to the 
edition of the works of the late Bobert Brown, edited by J. J. Bennett, Esq., 
E.B.S. Bev. 0. P. Cambridge, a supplementary volume on “ British Spiders.” 
Messrs. Douglas and Scott on the “ British Hemiptera Homoptera.” Dr. 
Gsertner on “ Hybridism in Plants” (Bastarderzeugung), translated from the 
German by W. Carruthers, Esq., F.L.S. Mr. Hancock on the “ British 
Tunicata.” Sir John Lubbock on the u British Thysanura.” Dr. MTntosh 
on the u British Annelids.” Dr. Masters on u Vegetable Teratology.” Mr. 
St. George Mivart, u Monograph of the Tailed Amphibia.” Mr. Andrew 
Murray on the “ Coniferse.” u A Synopsis of the Pauna and Flora of 
Palestine,” by the Bev. H. B. Tristram, F.L.S. Professor Westwood on the 
“ Mantidas,” with illustrations by Mr. E. A. Smith. The Council have 
also under consideration a proposition for an important and expensive 
botanical work, with reference to which the only difficulty is the financial 
element. 
The Boring of Annelids. — Mr. E. Bay Lankester read a paper before the 
British Association on the mode by which annelids make borings in rocks. 
The conclusion at which he arrived, which seems supported by probability, 
is that worms like the Echinus lividus make their borings by means of 
carbonic acid. Worms bore only rocks composed of carbonate of lime, 
which, though insoluble in water, are readily dissolved by solution of car- 
bonic acid. Mr. Lankester thought the subject of the boring of worms 
quite uninvestigated, and instanced two genera which perforate rocks 
extensively. 
The Anatomy of the Pilot Whale formed the subject of a paper read by 
Professor Turner. The anatomy of the stomach and of the great arteries 
was described by the author. Professor Turner compared the stomach of 
the pilot whale with that of the porpoise, and stated that the former con- 
tained a greater number of compartments than the latter. 
Dodo-like Birds of the Mascarene Islands. — The Committee appointed in 
1865 to investigate this group, has produced little result beyond the col- 
