42 Kolthoff's collections and studies of the fauna of Greenland will also contribute to extend our knowledge of the naturalistic conditions of the Arctic regions, while the careful researches made by Herr Hamberg of the saltness, composition, and temperature of the sea will, I am sure, greatly benefit hydrography. His researches have been effected in Davis Strait and Baffin's Bay too, the hydrographical conditions of which are but little known. With regard to the results of my exploration of the inland ice, I may be permitted to say a few words. That we found no ice free land in the interior, or, that it does not exist between 68° and 69° lat. in Greenland, is due directly to the orographical conditions which exist in this part of the country, as referred to in my programme of the expedition.' The land has here the form of a round loaf of bread, with sides which gradually and symmetrically slope down to the sea, i.e. exactly the shape which I then pointed out was a necessary condition if the entire country should be covered with a continuous sheet of ice. But, thanks to the Lapps, my expedition is the first which has penetrated into the very heart of the enormous Greenland continent, and which has thus solved a problem of the greatest geographical and scientific importance. It is the first exploration of the hitherto unknown interior of Greenland, the only continent in the world into which man had not penetrated. A new means of locomotion, the "skidor," seems also to have been acquired for the Arctic explorer of the future, which may greatly assist him in his work, and enable him to reach places hitherto deemed impossible of approach, but of the use of which the Lapp seems to possess, so to speak, the monopoly. A. E. NORDENSKJÖLD We are enabled to supplement Baron Nordenskjöld's report by the following account, furnished to us by another member of the expedition, of the visit paid to the remarkable Igaliko ruins : On August 24 the Sophia steamed to Igaliko, at the The object of bottom of the fjord of the same name. this visit was to examine the ancient Norse ruins which are found here. Those who thus believe that the "Österbygd" of Greenland was situated in this part assert that the ruins of Igaliko are nothing more nor less than those of Erik Röde's own mansion "Brattelid." However that may be, the Norseman who selected this spot for his residence acted very wisely. The ruins are situated at the very bottom of the fjord, where the absence or presence of the ocean ice on the coast affects the climate but little. The vegetation in this spot is, in Thus a vaginal plant, consequence, quite luxuriant. Lathyrus maritimus, grows here in such abundance that it reminds one of a field of peas, while Ranunculus acris attains a height of two feet, and Campanula rotundifolia, the bluebell, along with various grasses, flourish in great profusion. In the pools Menyanthes and Potamogeton thrive, while copses of birch-trees and willows offer excellent fuel. There are also plenty of wild berries. The ruins, the walls of which were formed of enormous blocks of sandstone, lie just below a table-shaped ridge of sandstone by the side of a crystal brook, copiously encircled The spot is, in by Alchemilla vulgaris and watercress. fact, one which would fully justify the name given to the At the time of our visit about a dozen cows country. were fed here, whose excellent milk we tasted, while in the beds around the huts of the natives swedes and potatoes grew luxuriantly, the former having attained the size of large apples. It certainly was strange to view this spot, and we naturally asked each other, what has become of the old Norsemen who once peopled it? It is impossible to believe that they were extirpated or conquered by the Esquimaux. It seems far more probable that both 1 NATURE, xol. xxviii. p. 37 races have commingled, an assumption further corrobor- THE VIENNA INTERNATIONAL ELECTRIC (FROM OUR VIENNA CORRESPONDENT.) subdivided into the following eight sections according to is as large as it was at the Universal Exhibition in the While in the Bernstein lamps described in our last letter a relatively thick carbon is used, in the Cruto lamps brought to the Exhibition a few days ago a very fine but hollow carbon loop is employed; it is prepared by a process similar to that already devised by Mr. Sawyer in the year 1878 for flashing carbon filaments. A thin platinum wire (1/20 mm. to 1/60 mm. in diameter) is heated, by an electric current passing through it, in a vessel containing the vapour of a hydrocarbon. The hydrocarbon being decomposed in a short time, the platinum wire is covered The remainby a homogeneous layer of deposited pure carbon. The platinum is then removed by volatilising it. ing hollow carbon filaments thus obtained are very fine and elastic, and show a metallic polish. The Cruto lamps, as well as a series of Lodiguine incandescent lamps, are fed by Gravier's distributers of electricity, the installation of which has been completed during the past week. The process of preparing the illuminating portions of the new incandescent lamps with high resistance exhibited by Siemens and Halske, and lighting beautifully Witzmann's restaurant and the exhibits of this firm, is still kept secret. The stall of the Société Anonyme d Électricité is lighted by several Gerard incandescent lamps of high candle-power (300 candles). These lamps have large ovoid glass bulbs pierced at their broad part by a narrow glass tube containing the two terminals of the conducting wires. The five straight and comparatively thick carbon rods forming the illuminating part of the lamp are cemented together at their ends by means of a carbonaceous paste in such a manner that, by the two pairs of longer rods being connected by a short intermediate carbon rod, two long-sided, acute-angled triangles crossing one another are formed, which, if brought to incandescence, make the appearance of a single flame, giving an agreeable and bright light. This chain of carbon rods is fastened to the supporting terminals by two short cylindrical pieces of carbon. An interesting historical collection of incandescent lamps is exhibited in the Prussian Section, showing the lamps made by Florensoff, Buliguine, and Khotinsky in the years 1872 and 1873. The latter had already used exhausted glass bulbs, but the carbon rod used having a diameter of 15 mm. to a length of 1 cm. could not give a good result. Most of the incandescent lamps exhibited have transparent bulbs, and very disagreeable after images of the glowing carbon filaments are caused if they are looked at only for a moment or two. An interesting and practical regulator for single incandescent lamps has been exhibited by the International Electric Company. By turning a handle the intensity of incandescence can be raised or lowered. This regulating apparatus consists of a hollow perforated brass bulb mounted below the lamp, containing a number of carbon disks, which, when the handle is right over in one direction, are highly compressed, a metallic circuit being established at the same time. By turning the handle, the metallic circuit is broken, and the current passes through the carbon disks, while the pressure on them being gradually relaxed causes a steady increase of resistance to the current, thus diminishing its intensity, and in the final position the circuit is broken, and the carbon filament of the lamp ceases to glow. Vienna, October 16 NOTES We have received the following announcement from the Royal Society :-On the last day of the present month the Fellows of the Royal Society will hold their anniversary meeting, and elect Council and officers for the ensuing year. The following list has been nominated:-President: Prof. Thomas Henry Huxley, LL.D.; Treasurer: John Evans, D.C.L., LL.D.; Secretaries: Prof. George Gabriel Stokes, M.A., D.C.L., LL.D., Prof. Michael Foster, M.A., M.D.; Foreign Secretary: Prof. Alexander William Williamson, LL.D.; other Members of the Council : Capt. W. de Wiveleslie Abney, R.E., Prof. W. Grylls Adams, M.A., F.C.P.S., the Duke of Argyll, K.T., D.C.L., John Gilbert Baker, F.L.S., Thomas Lauder Brunton, M.D., Sc. D., William Henry M. Christie, Astronomer-Royal, William De la Rue, M.A., D.C.L., Sir Frederick J. O. Evans, K.C. B., Prof. George Carey Foster, B.A., Francis Galton, M.A., F.G.S., James Whitbread Lee Glaisher, M.A., Sir William Withey Gull, Bart., M.D., Hugo Müller, Ph.D., Prof. Joseph Prestwich, M.A., F.G.S., Prof. Osborne Reynolds, M.A., Osbert Salvin, M.A., F.L.S. It will be a subject of congratulation to the scientific world at large to learn from the above announcement that Prof. Huxley has consented to allow himself to be nominated for President. A NOTICE of Some importance has just been issued by St. John's College, Cambridge. Inasmuch as it indicates an advance on the old examination in mathematics and classics only, which has hitherto obtained at this college, we are It will tend to place science glad to welcome the change. the older studies, and it will directly encourage them to undercandidates still more on an equality with those who pursue take "independent" work (the word is better than "original" where Bachelors of Arts are concerned) at the stage when they have most leisure and most plasticity. The notice is as follows:-"Candidates for Fellowships at the next annual election are invited to submit to the electors dissertations or other writings as evidence of their independent work, in accordance with the following directions:---(a) The matter and form of the writings to be left to the discretion of the candidates; (b) the writings may be prepared especially with a view to the election, or may consist wholly or partly of work already published; (c) the candidates to state clearly what parts of their writings they claim to be original; (d) the candidates to inform the Master not later than June 1 of the subjects of the writings they propose to submit; (e) the writings to be sent to the Master not later than September 1. The electors wish it to be understood that at the next election their decision will be influenced by consideration of the following points :-(1) The performance of the candidates in the University and other public examinations. (2) The quality and promise of the writings submitted by the candidates. Candidates may be examined by papers or viva voce on questions arising out of their writings, and on other matters also if the electors desire it. (3) The proficiency in some special subject of candidates who do not submit any writings. Such candidates may at their own request be examined in their special subject, provided they give full and precise information in regard to it by letter addressed to the Master not later than June 1. (4) The candidates' power of expression as shown in the composition of an extempore English essay. Candidates will be offered a certain number of subjects to choose from; and in judging of the essays account will be taken of method and style. (5) Such other evidence as may be forthcoming to attest the candidates' qualifications. The next annual election will take place on Monday, November 3, 1884. Candidates will be required to present themselves for examination on Tuesday, October 21, at 9 a.m." THE success which attended the course of lectures delivered this year has induced the Council of the Institution of Civil Engineers to make arrangements for a similar series next session. Electricity was then dealt with. Another most important subject will now be treated, namely, "Heat in its Mechanical Applications." The lectures will be delivered on Thursday evenings at 8 p.m., in the months from November to April, as under :1883 November 15, : "The General Theory of Thermody. namics," by Prof. Osborne Reynolds, F.R.S.; December 6, "The Generation of Steam, and the Thermodynamic Problems Involved," by Mr. W. Anderson, M. Inst.C.E.; 1884 January 17, "The Steam-Engine," by Mr. E. A. Cowper, M. Inst. C. E.; February 21, "Gas- and Caloric-Engines," by Prof. Fleeming Jenkin, F.R.SS.L. and E., M. Inst.C.E.; March 20, pressed-Air and other Refrigerating Machinery," by Mr. A. C. Kirk, M. Inst. C.E.; April 3, "Heat-Action of Explosives," by Capt. Andrew Noble, F.R.S., M. Inst. C.E. "Com THE 130th Session of the Society of Arts will commence on the 21st inst., with an opening address from Sir William Siemens, the chairman of the Society's Council. Previous to Christmas there will be four ordinary meetings, in addition to the opening meeting, and for these the following arrangements have been made :-November 28, A. J. R. Trendell, "The International Fisheries Exhibition of 1883;" December 5, Thomas T. P. Bruce Warren, "The Manufacture of Mineral Waters; " December 12, Thomas Fletcher, F.C.S., "Coal Gas as a Labour-saving Agent in Mechanical Trades; " December 19, W. H. Preece, F.R.S., "The Progress of Electric Lighting." There will be six courses of lectures delivered during the session, under the bequest of Dr. Cantor. These will be: (1) "The Scientific Basis of Cookery," by W. Mattieu Williams, F.C.S.; (2) "Recent Improvements in Photo-mechanical Printing Methods," by Thomas Bolas, F.C.S.; (3) "London Houses," by Robert W. Edis, F.S.A. ; (4) “The Alloys used for Coinage," by Prof. W. Chandler Roberts, F.R.S., Chemist of the Royal Mint; (5) "Some New Optical Instruments and Arrangements," by J. Norman Lockyer, F.R.S., F.R.A.S.; and (6) "Fermentation and Distillation," by Prof. W. Noel Hartley, F.C.S. The usual short course of Juvenile Lectures will be delivered during the Christmas holidays. The subject will be "Crystals and Crystallisation," and the lecturer Mr. J. M. Thomson, of King's College, London. THE death is announced of Prof. Peter T. Riess, whose treatise on frictional electricity-"Die Lehre von Reibungselek tricität "-has long been a standard work. Riess was a careful and accurate observer of phenomena. His researches on ringfigures produced by discharges, on the electric air thermometer, and on the phenomena of the return stroke, are well known. His memoirs on electricity were published in a collected form some years ago. THE sum of 100l. has been placed at the disposal of the Council of the Statistical Society by Mr. H. D. Pochin for an essay in memory of the late Mr. Wm. Newmarch, F.R.S., “On the Extent to which Recent Legislation is in accordance with, or Deviates from, the True Principles of Economic Science; and showing the Permanent Effects which may be expected to arise from such Legislation." The Council accordingly invite public competition for the prize above mentioned. Essays must be sent in on or before May 1, 1884. DR. SOPHUS TROMHOLT has just left for Iceland, where he intends to establish his auroral station during the coming winter. IN connection with the vote given by the delegates to the congress at Rome for establishing a meridian common to all civilised nations, it may be stated that the first French meridian was not originally that of Paris and special to the French geographers, but Ferro, according to an ordinance of Louis XIII., published in 1632 in compliance with a report drawn up by Cardinal de Richelieu, then superintendent of commerce and navigation. It was transferred to Paris only fifty years afterwards by Dominique Cassini, who obtained the authorisation of Louis XIV. and the French Academy of Sciences, because it was too difficult to ascertain the exact distance of the Ferro meridian. THE date of admission of foundation members to the Inter. national Society of Electricians has been postponed to Nov. 15, when a general meeting to constitute the Society will be held, which at present numbers 900 members, belonging to twenty nationalities. Requests for admission should be addressed to M. Georges Berger, 99, rue de Grenelle, Paris. M. RAPHAEL PERUITA writing to La Nature under date Manilla, September 14, states that the detonations of the Java eruption of August 27 were distinctly heard throughout the Philippine Islands; so distinctly were the sounds heard that gnnboats were sent out under the impression that a fight was going on at Java, or that a ship in distress was firing for help. Of the expeditions despatched in May last from Denmark to Greenland, the one to North Greenland, under Lieut. Hammers, has just returned, after having succeeded in accomplishing its object, viz. to map out and examine the coast from Ritenbank to Kongatsiok in the Egedesminde district, vid Jacobshavn and Kristiansbank, between 70° and 68° 20′ N. lat. During the journey the finest weather prevailed, which was a necessary condition, as this part of the coast is greatly obstructed by islands and holmes, while there are but few heights along it. By Lieut. Hammers and his companions' labours the exploration of the coast of North Greenland has been completed, Lieuts. Steenstrup and Hammers having-between 1878 and 1880-explored the district between Pröven (Upernivik) and Godhavn, and Lieut. Jensen, in 1879, the coast between Holstens. borg and Egedesminde. These expeditions have succeeded in collecting all the materials necessary for a map of the whole coast between Pröven and Holstenborg. Lieut. Hammers has, besides geographical researches, also made collections in natural history, and brought home valuable botanical and mineralogical collections. From the second expedition, under Lieut. Holm, despatched this summer to the district of Julianshaab in order to carry out a two-and-a-half years' exploration of the south coast of Greenland, a short report has been received, stating that it had arrived at Huilek, a small settlement on the east coast, in lat. 61°. Lieut. Holm had established a depot of provisions here, to be brought north next summer to his place of wintering. He intended to return to Nanortalik, on the west coast, between Julianshaab and Cape Farewell, this autumn, where the expedition will carry out meteorological and auroral observations during the winter, which would be a continuation on a small scale of those effected at Godthaab for a year under the international scheme. These observations will be carried on in the buildings erected there by Capt. Hoffmeyer in 1882, and with the instruments of the previous expedition. On returning to the west coast in the autumn, Lieut. Holm's expedition will effect detailed explorations of the coast, fjords, and the ice and sea. He has arranged with several Esquimaux to meet and a-sist him on his journey northwards next year, when he hopes to reach the sixty-seventh degree of latitude. MR. CARL BOCK's new book is now nearly ready for publication. Its title will be "Temples and Elephants," a narrative of a journey of exploration through Upper Siam and Lao. Messrs. Sampson Low and Co. are the publishers. DURING the last few years the Swedish Government have, as an experiment, retained an entomologist to assist farmers in the destruction of insects, &c., dangerous to the crops. The services of this functionary have, however, been in such request that the appointment is to be made a permanent one. ON October 26 at about 7 p.m. a splendid meteor was seen in the district of Hernö and, Sweden. A traveller on the road to Ragunda states that he suddenly saw the night lit up as in broad daylight, which was caused by a large meteor appearing with a blinding white lustre in the zenith and travelling very rapidly down to the horizon. When half way, as it appeared to the observer, between zenith and the earth it suddenly burst, throwing a quantity of sparks in every direction. A UNIVERSAL EXHIBITION on a tolerably large scale will be opened at Nice on December I next, and will continue open the whole of the winter. The Algerian Akhbar suggests that in 1885 a Pan-Mediterranean exhibition should be opened in Algiers, and in 1887 a Pan-African one. We have to announce three new numbers of the "Encyclopædia of Natural Sciences " from the publishing house of Eduard Trewendt, Breslau-No. 35 of Part 1, and Nos. 17 and 18 of Part 2, making up altogether a substantial addition to what had been previously accomplished in the progress of this comprehensive work. No. 35, Part 1, gives a continuation of "Schenk's Manual of Botany," more particularly a paper by Göbel, well and copiously illustrated, on the "Comparative History of the Development of Vegetable Organs." No. 17 of the second part of the total work concludes the first volume of the "Alphabetical Manual of Chemistry," edited by Ladenburg, and begins the second volume with a series of valuable articles; one by Biedermann, on the "Atmosphere," taking up by itself as much as two and a half printed sheets. No. 18 brings the "Alphabetical Manual of Mineralogy, Geology, and Palæontology" as far as the letter "I," and supplies treatises by Kenngott, Lasaulx, and Rolle. Lasaulx's work on 'Glaciers" should, especially, be of interest. "UNIVERSAL GEOGRAPHIES are appearing on all hands. There is M. Reclus' magnum opus and Stanford's Compendium; a new edition of Balbi is appearing in Vienna, and we believe of Malte Brun in Paris. Now the first parts of an Italian "Uni- | versal Geography" have been sent us, "La Terra," by Signor G. Marinelli, and published by Dr. F. Vallardi of Milan. It begins at the beginning, with the earth as a member of the solar system, and enters into considerable astronomical detail, and into the composition of the sun and the results of recent solar research. It is abundantly illustrated, and seems to us to deserve a large circulation, which we hope it will have in Italy. We have also the first part of a new German work of this class, "Unser Wissen von der Erde, Allgemeine Erdkunde," edited by Drs. Hann, Baron von Hochstetter, and A. Pokorny. These names are a guarantee that this work will be up to a high scientific standard, and it is evident that scientific geography will occupy ⚫ a large space. The illustrations are good. The publisher is Freytag of Leipzig. MR. G. K. GILBERT has recently, according to Science, given some rather disturbing suggestions to the people of Salt Lake City (Salt Lake Weekly Tribune, September 20) concerning the probability of destructive earthquakes there. He describes the slow and still continuing growth of the ranges in the Great Basin by repeated dislocation along great fractures, the earth's crust on one side being elevated and tilted into mountain attitude by an upthrust that produces compression and distortion in the rocky mass, until the strain can no longer be borne, and something must give way. Suddenly and violently there is a slipping of one wall of the fissure on the other, far enough to relieve the strain, and this is felt as an earthquake; then follows a long period of quiet, during which the strain is gradually reimposed. Such a shock occurred in Owen's Valley, along the eastern base of the Sierra Nevada, in 1872, when a fault-scarp five to twenty feet high and forty miles long was produced. A scarp thirty or forty feet high is known along the western foot of the Wahsatch Range, south of Salt Lake, and other scarps of similar origin have been found at the bases of many of the Basin ranges. The date of their formation is not known; but it must be comparatively recent, because they are still so little worn away. Wherever they are fresh, and consequently of modern uplift, there is probable safety from earthquakes for ages to come, because a long time is needed for the accumulation of another strain sufficient to cause a slipping of one wall of the fissure on the other. Conversely, when they are old and worn down, the breaking strain may even now be almost reached, and an earthquake may be expected at any time. This is the case at Salt Lake; for, continuous as are the fault-scarps along the base of the Wahsatch, they are absent near this city. From the Warm Springs to Emigration Cañon they have not been found, and the rational explanation of their absence is that a very long time has elapsed since their last renewal. In this period the earth-strain has been slowly increasing. Some day it will overcome the friction, lift the mountains a few feet, and re-enact on a fearful scale the catastrophe of Owen's Valley. THE Aristotelian Society is exerting itself, we hear, to widen its sphere of action, so that it may be to philosophy what the scientific societies are to science. Very encouraging support has already been obtained from those interested in philosophy and the relations between philosophy and science. WE have received the first number of The Science Monthly (Bogue), neatly got up and well printed. THE additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the past week include a Sykes's Monkey (Cercopithecus albigularis) from East Africa, presented by Mr. Thomas L. M. Rose; a Black-eared Marmoset (Hapale penicillata) from South-East Brazil, presented by Mr. S. Sandbach Parker; a Globose Curassow (Crax globicera ?) from Central America, presented by Miss Beale ; a Red-throated Diver (Colymbus septentrionalis), British, presented by Mr. T. E. Gunn; a Dwarf Chameleon (Chamæleon pumilus) from South Africa, presented by Capt. J. C. Robinson; a Common Heron (Ardea cinerea), European, a Common Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo), a Gannet (Sula bassana), British, deposited; a Common Otter (Lutra vulgaris), British, two Crested Screamers (Chauna chavaria) from Buenos Ayres, purchased. 29 29'3 9.8500 . 9'9772 26 49'5 +23 54'9 9.8263 ... 99585 On the evening of November 4 the comet as viewed in one of the larger-sized comet-seekers of Martins of Berlin, was conOn October 29 Mr. spicuous enough, with traces of a tail. Talmage, observing with Mr. Barclay's 10-inch refractor at Leyton, considered it made about the same impression upon the eye as the annular nebula in Lyra. TEMPEL'S COMET, 1873 II.-According to the calculations of M. L. Schulhof, of Paris, this comet will arrive at perihelion on the 20th of the present month. Its position on the evening of the previous day will be approximately in R.A. 18h. 33m., N.P.D. 114° 0', distant from the earth 1'93, and from the sun 134, so that the theoretical intensity of light expressed in the usual way will be o'15, under which condition it will be of the last degree of faintness, judging from the experience of 1873. Still as the comet sets more than 2h. 20m. after the sun, it would be well worth while to search for it where there is a clear sky near the horizon, especially in the South of Europe. A NEW STAR Catalogue.-Prof. van de Sande Bakhuyzen states that the catalogue of positions of stars contained in the first sixty-six volumes of the Astronomische Nachrichten, commenced by the late Prof. Hoek and continued by Dr. Kam, formerly of the Observatory at Leyden, has been completed and is ready for the press. It contains the places of nearly 5000 stars reduced to 1855'0, with their annual precessions, and the secular variations, the epoch of observation, &c. It is not mentioned in what way the publication of the catalague is to be effected. THE OBAN PENNATULIDA1 THIS report is a very thorough piece of work. It consists of a detailed and finished description of specimens dredged during an excursion of the Birmingham Natural History Society in July, 1881. The specimens all belonged to the three species Funiculina quadrangularis, Pennatula phosphorea, and Virgularia mirabilis. The language in which they are described is very distinct and lucid, though perhaps some criticism may be allowed as to the scale of measurement used and as to a certain point in the nomenclature. Measurements are given in the decimal divisions of an inch, instead of the metrical system, which is so much more satisfactory. The axial portion of a Pennatulid is described as consisting of two parts-the stalk and the rachis, the latter being the polyp-bearing portion; and the word "stem " is used for the calcareous rod running through the axis of both rachis and stalk. "" "Stem would naturally mean both the stalk and rachis together as opposed to the polypleaves. "Core" might be suggested as a better term for the axial skeleton. The example of Kölliker has been followed in the use of the terms "polyps" and "zooids" for the two kinds of individuals. In describing the "stomach," its inner lining membrane is called ectoderm, but no reference is made to he fact that the evidence for its being ectodermic is embryological. The description and figures given of Funiculina are the first published in English which deal with the internal structure; and they are in some respects more complete and perfect than those of Kölliker in his monograph on the Pennatulida. The examination of the largest of the specimens, which was thirtynine inches long, has finally disproved the validity of the distinction maintained by Verrill and Gray to exist between the Scotch Funiculina, and that of the Mediterranean and Scandinavia. The supposed species, F. Forbesii, is simply the younger form, the largest of the Oban specimens being in all respects a typical F. quadrangularis. A very interesting part of the work is that which refers to the reproductive organs of Pennatula phosphorea; the male and female elements are here fully described and figured for the first time. The fact of the sexes being distinct was ascertained by Lacaze Duthiers, but neither he nor Kölliker give figures or satisfactory descriptions of the sexual organs. The male elements are shown here to be produced in spherical capsules, which at first sight resemble ova. In the account of Virgularia the process of the origin of new polyps is described. The stomachs arise as invaginations of the surface of the rachis into the cavity of large canals lined by endoderm. An ingenious discussion of the reason why specimens of Virgularia when dredged are almost always truncated at the upper end leads to the conclusion that the loss is due to the attacks of fish. The descriptions are followed by a complete critical list of the literature, and an account of the geographical distribution both in the sea and in museums. The figures are very clear, and at the same time artistic. It is much to be regretted that the condition of the specimens did not allow the histology to be completely made out. No doubt the Birmingham Society will pay greater attention to the preservation of material for this purpose on future occasions. J. T. CUNNINGHAM NOTES FROM THE OTAGO UNIVERSITY MUSEUM : III.--On some Embryos of " Callorhynchus antarcticus" SOME weeks since I obtained from a fisherman a number of eggs of Callorhynchus antarcticus from Wickliffe Bay, Otago Peninsula. As I believe this is the first time any observations have been made on the development of the Holocephali, the following report of remarks made at a meeting of the Otago Institute on May 7 may be of some interest to morphologists :"The eggs were found buried in the sand a little below lowwater mark, a position which would seem to cast some doubt on the generally accepted theory which accounts for the peculiar form of the egg-shell by supposing it to have acquired a protective resemblance to kelp. The cavity for the embryo has an elongated pyriform shape, the broad end being anterior, and the narrower or posterior end produced into a long canal. On what Report by Prof. A. Milnes Marshall, M.D., D.Sc., and William P. Marshall. Birmingham, 1882. may be described as the 'hairy' in contradistinction to the smooth side of the egg-shell, there is on each side of the middle line at the anterior end a longitudinal slit in the wall of the cavity, which serves to allow of currents to and from the latter for respiratory purposes. The anterior ends of these slits are united by a weak place in the wall of the egg-shell; very slight pressure from within causes rupture along this line and produces a valve, the lateral boundaries of which are formed by the respiratory slits, its anterior boundary by the line of rupture. This valve readily opens outwards by pressure on its inner face, and serves for the exit of the foetus; pressure upon its outer face only forces it against the opposite wall of the cavity. "The advanced embryo lies in the cavity in such a position that its head lies at about the level of the base or hinge of the valve, and therefore some distance from the anterior end of the cavity, its tail lies in the narrow posterior prolongation of the cavity, which fits it accurately; its right side lies almost invariably against the smooth, its left against the hairy side of the egg-shell. "Unfortunately the embryos in all the four dozen eggs examined were in a tolerably advanced stage of development, so that there will be little chance of getting younger stages until next autumn. The youngest obtained are about four inches long; they have large yolk-sacs (1.75 inch in length), and very long external gills projecting from the opercular aperture; the snout has acquired the characteristic form, but the tail shows as yet no trace of heterocercality, nor the skin of the silvery character it has in the adult, being in the fresh state translucent and highly vascular. The yolk-sac is remarkable; it is longitudinally elongated, and produced into numerous blunt paired projections, which are tolerably constant in position; one pair of these always lies to the anterior end of the dorsal surface of the yolk-sac, and between them the snout of the embryo is invariably situated. The umbilical or somatic stalk is practically obsolete, the fœtus being sessile upon the yolk-sac. "As in Elasmobranchs the yolk-sac is gradually drawn into the cœlome, and so consists in advanced stages of an internal and an external portion, the former continually increasing at the expense of the latter. As the external portion diminishes in size, it loses its blood-vessels, and its projections gradually disappear. In the latest stage obtained, the external portion is not more than 0.5 inch long, the internal portion being fully 1.25 inch in length, and causing a great distension of the abdominal walls. In this stage also, the external gills are absorbed, and the adult characters of the integument attained." The foregoing description appeared_in_the_New Zealand Journal of Science for this month. T. JEFFERY PARKER Dunedin, N.Z., July 13 UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL OXFORD.-The delegates of the Common University Fund have agreed to appoint a Reader in Anthropology, so as to utilise the presence of Dr. Tylor for University instruction. In a Convocation to be held on November 15, a decree will be submitted to the House, fixing the Reader's stipend at 200l. a year, on condition that he lecture at least once a week in each of the three terms, and receive students for informal instruction and assistance. A Scholarship in Natural Science is offered this term by Wadham College. Candidates may offer either Animal Morphology, Botanical Morphology, or Physiology. They will also be examined in Elementary Chemistry and Physics. Weight will also be given to a knowledge of French or German. Candidates must send in their names to the Warden on or before November 15. CAMBRIDGE.—Dr. H. Sidgwick has been elected Knightbridge Professor of Moral Philosophy. Prof. Bonney, F.R.S., has been approved for the degree of Sc. D. Dr. Routh has been elected Hon. Fellow of Peterhouse; and Professors Dewar and M. J. M. Hill have been elected Ordinary Fellows. Messrs. A. G. Greenhill and R. R. Webb will be the Examiners in the Mathematical Tripos of 1874. The honorary degree of M.A. has been conferred on Prof. Macalister, F.R.S. Messrs. J. A. Fleming and S. L. Hart, both distinguished Natural Science graduates, have been elected Fellows of St. John's. Dr. Gaskell, F.R.S., is to be approved as a Teacher of Physiology, Dr. F. Darwin as a Teacher of Biology, and Mr. G. B. |