Professor Agassiz, in his “Poissons Fossiles,” vol. ii. p. 78, has mentioned a species of Pygopterus as occurring in the carboniferous shales of Wardie, near Edinburgh, and which he has named P. Greenockii, in honour of Lord Greenock, the first collector of ichthyolites from that locality. He has, however, neither given a figure of this species nor any description of it, beyond saying that the known fragments consist of hardly anything but heads, with the anterior portion of the trunk, and that the scales covering this part of the body are higher than broad—a circumstance distinguishing them from the scales of all the other species of the genus.

Descriptions are offered of two foetal gorillas representative of developmental stages intermediate between those previously described by Duckworth (1904), Schultz (1927) and Deniker (1885). They are numbered accordingly II and IV and comparison made throughout with the other stages represented in the literature.

Special attention has been paid to the ontogenetic changes occurring in the bodily form, and posture, cutaneous structures, cranial and skeletal development and in the disposition of the thoracic and abdominal viscera, much of which is previously known only in respect of Deniker's stage V.

By the introduction of letters into algebra, to denote all the quantities, both known and unknown, involved in an equation, this very important advantage was gained, that the final equation exhibited both a general rule for the solution of all similar problems, and also the limitations within which such problems were possible.

Man is formed to derive pleasure from a variety of different sources. Many of his pleasures are communicated by the channel of the external senses. Each of these has particular classes of objects that are suited to its gratification ; and these, being diffused in great abundance through the works of nature, or framed by the art and ingenuity of men, become to him a source of frequent and diversified enjoyment.

In the autumn of last year Sir Archibald Geikie, F.R.S., Director-General of the Geological Survey of the United Kingdom, Kindly placed in my hands for determination a number of specimens of Cephalaspis, collected by his officers in the Lower Old Red Sandstone of the neighbourhood of Oban. On examining them, I found that they all belonged to one species, which was, however, new to science.

Accordingly I drew up a brief diagnosis of this new form, which was included by Sir Archibald in his Summary of Progress of the Geological Survey for 1897, and it is now my privilege, with his sanction, to offer to this Society a more detailed description of the species, accompanied with figures.

The experiments from which the following are extracted, make part of a course, instituted at the Royal Military Academy, for determining the resistance of the air to a surface of any form whatever, either plane or curved, moved through it with any degree of velocity. I was induced to undertake these experiments, both for the improvement of my students in the Academy, and with a view to apply the conclusions derived from them towards perfecting the theory and practice of military projectiles, as well as other branches of natural philosophy, in which the pressure or resistance of fluids is concerned: Circumstances, concerning the laws of which, authors on the theory have widely differed; some making the pressure or resistance equal to the weight of a column, whose altitude is equal to the whole height due to the velocity, while others make the altitude very different, either the half or the double of that.

In former papers on the pharmacological action of Strophanthus, dating from 1869, I selected for description, from the considerable number of experiments that had been made, merely those experiments which sufficed to illustrate the general features of the action, and especially such effects as seemed likely to form a basis for the application of Strophanthus to the treatment of disease.

I had intended to have followed, at no distant date, these preliminary and somewhat fragmentary notices by a more complete description of the pharmacological action, for which, indeed, nearly all the required experimental data had several years ago been obtained; but unavoidable circumstances prevented this intention from being fulfilled. In this part of the present paper the fuller description will be given; and if any excuse were required for doing so, it may perhaps be found in the circumstance that the anticipation of the therapeutic value of Strophanthus has been amply confirmed by the important position now occupied by it as a therapeutic agent.

The mutual actions and motions of the heavenly bodies have long been regarded as the grandest phenomena of mechanical energy in nature. Their light has been seen, and their heat has been felt, without the slightest suspicion that we had thus a direct perception of mechanical energy at all. Even after it has been shewn that the almost inconceivably minute fraction of the Sun's heat and light reaching the earth is the source of energy from which all the mechanical actions of organic life, and nearly every motion of inorganic nature at its surface, are derived, the energy of this source has been scarcely thought of as a development of mechanical power.

This research evaluated the variability of current characteristics and seawater properties in the middle part of the southern shelf of the Caspian Sea. The effect of the coastal flow on marine debris dispreading was assessed in the southern Caspian Sea for the first time. The findings showed the existence of thermal stratification containing seasonal thermocline with thickness of about 40 m in the water column. Maximum monthly along-shore current velocities around 1.3 m s−1 were observed in November and December. Monthly variations were clearly found in both flow velocity and local wind components. However, no significant levels of correlation between wind and current speeds were observed during the study in the region. In some cases, the mean monthly cross-shore component velocities were measured at about 29 cm s−1 in November. The findings indicated that there was no upwelling phenomenon associated to the regional wind in the study area. In situ current measurements indicated dominant east and north-northeast directions, presumably related to the effect of general circulation in the southern basin. Current profiles in the water column displayed similarity in directions at 10, 15 and 20 m depths over the continental shelf. The field samples and analysis revealed that the soft and smaller-scale seawater litters can be carried long distances by the current along the coast. Most coastal based and marine litters originated from the tourist activities (in the middle and western parts of the shores) and waste emanated from the river (Tonekabon-Nowshahr).

I had added (at p. 140 of my paper on “Gaseous Spectra”) to the “small dispersion” account therein given of the above mentioned spectrum of luminous oxygen gas,—that two, if not four, of its very few and scanty lines appeared, when viewed with much higher dispersion, to be double; but that I hoped to give a more exact account of them, after completing some arrangements then in progress for increasing both the dispersion and magnifying power of my spectroscope.

In the years 1823 and 1826 I communicated to this Society two papers “On the Existence of Two New Fluids in the Cavities of Precious Stones and other Minerals.” These two fluids were generally found together in the same cavity, though sometimes the cavities were occupied only by one of them. They were perfectly transparent and immiscible. The denser of the two occupied the angles of the cavities, or the necks, or narrow passages, or canals which united two or more larger cavities; while the rarer fluid floated, as it were, on the other in deep cavities, or filled the body of shallower ones, with the exception of a circular vacuity, which diminished and disappeared with the slightest increase of temperature, or enlarged itself and disappeared in consequence of the fluid being converted into vapour.

The analogy between certain properties of the co-ordinates of elliptic and hyperbolic sectors, which forms the subject of this memoir, was observed by the early writers on the fluxional or differential calculus, and employed by them in its improvement. But, independently of this important application, the propositions in question are some of the most elegant theorems in geometry, and highly interesting as abstract truths.

Maclaurin, in the third chapter of the second book of his Treatise of Fluxions, has proved the truth of this theorem: “Supposing n to be any number, let E and n × E be elliptic sectors, which stand on arcs that begin at a vertex of either axis, and H and n × H hyperbolic sectors, which stand on arcs that begin at the extremity of the transverse axis: the algebraic equation which expresses the relation between x and z, ordinates drawn to the other axis from the extremities of the arcs, must be the very same in the two curves.”

Open palates with large interpterygoid vacuities are a diagnostic characteristic of temnospondyl amphibians, the most species-rich group of early tetrapods. Aside from their functional roles, several other aspects of such vacuities, such as their variation and spatial relationships relative to the orbits, have received only scarce attention. The present work examines patterns of shape and size changes in the orbits and vacuities of temnospondyls using a time-calibrated phylogeny of 69 temnospondyl taxa and 13 additional early tetrapod ‘outgroups' (colosteids, an embolomere, ‘microsaurs' and nectrideans). Orbit and vacuity outlines are quantified in a comparative framework using standard eigenshape analyses. In addition, we employ a series of ratios of linear measurements of both orbits and vacuities, and subject them to a phylogenetic principal component analysis in order to evaluate their proportional changes relative to the skull and to one another. Finally, we examine rates of evolutionary change and their associated shifts for shape and size for both structures, and assess the strength and significance of the correlations between these two variables using phylogenetic generalised least squares analyses. Although orbits and vacuities have fairly simple outlines, they both reveal complex models of proportional change across the temnospondyl phylogeny. These changes exhibit strong phylogenetic signal, that is, trait covariance among taxa is predicted by tree topology. We discuss the hypothesis that, early in tetrapod evolution, the functional role of the vacuities was related to the accommodation of the anterior jaw muscles. Only later in evolution did such vacuities serve to accommodate the eye muscles only.

Throughout the year 1884 the sun was seen over most countries under peculiar atmospheric circumstances; and these, instead of being confined to low altitudes, were never more conspicuous than during the summer of the year, and noon-tide of each day, and in the clear air on mountain heights of every country, whenever the sky was more or less free of actual clouds.

On such occasions then, the usual phenomenon to be noticed by the eye, was, that nothing like blue sky could be witnessed near the sun. But in place of that, there was a broad glare of whitish light extending for several degrees around the luminary; and beyond that range, or over 20 degrees distant from him, there spread a wide reddish haze, passing into purple, and at greater distances into blue, but nowhere a very decided and deep blue sky.

The affection of Half-vision, or Half-blindness as it has been called, was first distinctly described by Dr Wollaston, in a paper “On Semidecussation of the Optic Nerves,” published in the Philosophical Transactions for 1824. “It is now more than twenty years,” he says, “since I was first affected with this peculiar state of vision, in consequence of violent exercise I had taken for two or three hours before. I suddenly found that I could see but half the face of a man whom I met, and it was the same with every object I looked at. In attempting to read the name Johnson over a door, I saw only son, the commencement of the name being wholly obliterated from my view. In this instance, the loss of sight was towards my left, and was the same, whether I looked with my right eye or my left. This blindness was not so complete as to amount to absolute blackness, but was a shaded darkness, without definite outline. The complaint lasted only about a quarter of an hour.” In 1822, Dr Wollaston had another attack of hemiopsy, with this difference, that the blindness was to the right of the centre of vision, and he has referred to three other cases among his friends; but in these, the affection was accompanied with headache and indigestion.

Alexander Tytler was born at Edinburgh, 15th October 1747. He was the eldest son of our late venerable associate William Tytler, Esq. of Woodhouselee, in the county of Mid-Lothian, and of Anne Craig, daughter of James Craig, Esq. of Costerton, in the same county.

If the most important education is that which is received beneath the paternal roof,—if it is there that the principles and tastes of future life are chiefly formed, the education of Mr Tytler began under fortunate auspices. His father was a man of high honour, of generous affections, of cultivated taste, and of distinguished eminence in his profession.

Although the amount of active research that has been carried on during the past few years on the question of chromosome reduction and relative problems has been very great, the nuclear activities here concerned are still far from being understood. We are not yet in a position to draw general conclusions in regard to meiotic phenomena. It therefore seems to me desirable that all observations of fact and rational interpretations should be placed on record, so that when it becomes possible to generalise, all lines of evidence may be available.

If U, V, &c, are rational and integral functions (٭)(x, y, z)r, all of the same degree r, in regard to the co-ordinates (x, y, z), then √U + √V + &c. is a polyzome, and the curve √U + √V + &c. = 0 a polyzomal curve. Each of the curves √U = 0, √V = 0, &c. (or say the curves U = 0, V = 0, &c.) is, on account of its relation of circumscription to the curve √U + √V + &c. = 0, considered as a girdle thereto (ζῶμα) and we have thence the term “zome” and the derived expressions “polyzome,” “zomal,” &c. If the number of the zomes √U, √V, &c. be = ν, then we have a ν-zome, and corresponding thereto a ν-zomal curve; the curves U = 0, V = 0, &c., are the zomal curves or zomals thereof.

Here is described the oldest known species of Trichoceridae, from Sogyuty, near lake Issyk-Kul (Kyrgyzstan; Lower Jurassic: Sinemurian). The species is placed in the genus Mailotrichocera Kalugina, 1985in Kalugina & Kovalev (1985), based on isolated wings. The venation of fossil and Recent Trichoceridae is discussed in terms of the biomechanical properties of the wings. The wings of the stem lineage of the family, characterised by a short subcostal vein, also had a larger distal supporting sector than younger lineages, including Recent representatives.