exclusive order of hereditary legislators and not of the men of science. The order of England's peerage would certainly have sustained no degradation, had it been able to reckon among its noble descents, those who counted kin with the Lincolnshire farmer's boy, or with the son of the German drummer who added so largely to the domain of knowledge by his brilliant genius and varied talents; but it may be doubted if either Newton or the Herschels would have been the gainers by their transference from the ranks of England's untitled nobles, to those of her hereditary peerage. Foreign sneerers and domestic grumblers may consider these things and learn wisdom, or, at the least, gather the comforting conviction, that if British science has gone on so well and long without the bedizenment of aristocratic trappings, these latter may not be essential to her still further progress. We earnestly hope that Professor Forbes may live to record, for the next quarter-century, even greater achievements than those which he has here so admirably set forth. J. B. C. SCIENTIFIC AND LITERARY NOTES. PHYSIOLOGY AND NATURAL HISTORY. ABNORMAL INDIAN CORN. Dr. H. Boys, of Barrie, in a letter to Professor Croft, of date 29th July, thus writes; "In the last number of the Canadian Journal, at p. 309, Professor Wilson is stated to have read before the Institute some remarks on a specimen of Indian corn, having male and female flowers developed on the same stalk. In reference to this I send you a rough sketch I made some years back of a similar anomaly, which fell under my own observation. You will perceive this case offered more deviations from nature than are mentioned in the Journal as being noted by Professor Wilson. I consider the subject one involving points of the greatest interest to animal and vegetable physiologists. In thus noting the deviations occurring in the simple structure of vegetables, an opportunity may be afforded of investigating such phenomena, with a fair chance of leading to important results. I hope the subject will not be allowed to drop. All I can promise to do is to look out for fresh instances, and should I be so fortunate as to observe such this season, I shall endeavour to make more careful drawings and more minute and accurate remarks, and shall send you the result." In the sketch which accompanies the letter of Dr. Boys, the branched spike of male florets is seen with a considerable group of the female introduced among them, and in this group still further anomalies are noticeable. While the greater number of the florets are females, some of them are hermaphrodite, and others in the same flower have a male and female floret, each with its distinct calyx within the same glumes. The ovum is therefore, in this plant, exhibited in every form of development, and its sex is so capriciously distributed as to favor the idea of some phytologists that the sex is not determined at the origin of the ovum, but by subsequent casual circumstances. COLEOPTERA. In the last number of the Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences, of Philadelphia, Dr. Leconte has added to his invaluable series of monographs of North American Coleoptera one on the Pselaphidæ. The paper contains an enumeration of the species and descriptions of those which are new. Of Dyschirius, twenty-eight; Acephorus, one; Ardistomis, four; Aspidoglossa, one; Clivina, twenty-seven; Schizogenius, six. NEUROPTERA. Uhler has described seven new species of Libellula, inhabiting the United States. MOLLUSCA. Lea describes a number of new species of Naiades, principally Uniones, from Alabama, North Carolina, and other parts of the States. Under the rather curious heading of "Gnotic Species," he describes the following: Unio Canadiensis. Testâ lævi, triangulari, subcompressa inæquilaterali, posticè obtusè angulatâ, valvulis subcrassis, anticè crassioribus; natibus subprominentibus; epiderme luteâ, postice radiatâ; dentibus cardinalibus parvis, erectis crenulatisque; lateralibus longis, curvis lamellatisque; margaritâ albâ et iridiscente. Hab. St. Lawrence River, near Montreal. THE CANADIAN HUMMING BIRD. During the present summer we were visited by Mr. John Gould, the distinguished Naturalist, whose chief object in his tour through Canada was for the purpose of studying the habits and manners of the species of Trochilus frequenting this portion of the North American Continent. Shortly after his return to England, at a meeting of the London Zoological Society, Mr. Gould detailed some of the results of his observations. He arrived in Canada just before the period of the migration of these beautiful little birds from Mexico to the north, and had ample opportunities for observing them in a state of nature. Their actions he described as very peculiar and quite different from those of all other birds; the flight is performed by a motion of the wings so rapid as to be almost imperceptible; indeed, the muscular power of this little creature appears to be very great in every respect, as independently of its rapid and sustained flight, it grasps the small twigs, flowers, &c., upon which it alights with the utmost tenacity. It ap pears to be most active in the morning and evening, and to pass the middle of the day in a state of sleepy torpor. Occasionally it occurs in such numbers that fifty or sixty may be seen in a single tree. When captured it so speedily becomes tame that it will feed from the hand or mouth within half an hour. Mr. Gould having been successful in keeping one alive in a gauze bag attached to his breast button for three days, during which it readily fed from a small bottle filled with a syrup of brown sugar and water, he determined to make an attempt to bring some living examples to England, in which he succeeded, but unfortunately they did not long survive their arrival; had they lived, it was his intention to have sent them to the Zoological Society's gardens, where they would doubtless have been objects of great attraction. Mr. Gould exhibited a highly interesting species of Ceriornis, which he had found in the collection of Dr. Cabot, of Boston, who, with great liberality, permitted him to take it to England for the purpose of comparison and description. For this new bird, forming the fourth species of the genus, Mr. Gould proposes the name of Ceriornis Caboti. CANADIAN INSTITUTE. FIFTEENTH ORDINARY MEETING.-4th April, 1857. Professor E. J. CHAPMAN, Vice-President, in the Chair. W. H. BOULTON, Esq., Toronto. The following Reports of Committees were then read: 1. The BARON DE ROTTENBURG submitted to the meeting, the Report of the Committee on Mr. Ketchum's offer of two acres of land on Yonge Street, for an Astronomical Observatory, recommending the acceptance of the gift, and an application to the Government for aid to accomplish the object in view. On motion of Professor Croft, seconded by J. G. Hodgins, Esq., the Report was approved of, and it was resolved, that Mr. Ketchum's offer be accepted, and that a copy of the report be transmitted to him, with a special vote of thanks of the Institute for his generous donation. 2. Professor WILSON submitted to the meeting, the Report of the Building Committee, detailing the steps which have been taken by the Committee towards the erection of the proposed new building for the Institute, on the site presented by G. W. Allan, Esq., for that purpose, on Pembroke Street. On motion of A. H. Armour, Esq., seconded by Dr. George Beattie: It was resolved, that the Report be adopted. The following papers were then read: 1. By the BARON DE ROTTENBURG: "On the Planetary appearance of stars of the 1st and 2nd magnitudes, on the night of the 12th March, and the occultation of Spica Virginis by the moon, on the morning of the 13th March, 1857." 2. By Professor CHAPMAN : A communication from Dr. G. D. Gibb, of London, England: On calcareous concretions from Buckinghamshire, England, which have excited considerable attention recently, from certain examples figured and described in the Illustrated London News, as vegetable fossils." Professor Chapman exhibited, and commented on a collection of these English concretionary bodies, presented to the Institute, through Dr. Gibb, by Mr. Stowe of Buckingham: and also exhibited and presented to the Institute, specimens of some peculiar silicious concretions,-hitherto, he believed unnoticed, from the Black River Limestone, of the Lake of St. John, near the Indian village of Rama, lying to the north-east of Lake Simcoe, Canada West. SIXTEENTH ORDINARY MEETING.-18th April, 1857. Col. BARON DE ROTTENBURG, Vice-President, in the Chair. The following Donations for the Library were announced, and the thanks of the Institute voted to the Donors: 1. From the Geological Society of Dublin: "Vols. 1, (wanting part 1,) 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and part 1 of vol 7, of the Journal of the Geological Society of Dublin." 2. From the Author: "Observations on the construction of an Hospital for the Insane. (Pamphlet.) By B. R. MORRIS, B. A., M.D., : 64 Theory as to the cause of Insanity, (Pamphlet.) By B. R. Morris, B.A., M.D.', The following Gentlemen were elected Members: OLIVER WELLS, Esq., Crown Land Department, Three Rivers, C. E. CHARLES B. CHALMERS, Esq., F.R.A S., Barrie, C.W. The following papers were then read: 1. By Prof. CHERRIMAN, M.A., : "On Vision." 2. By J. HIRCHFELDER, Esq.,: "Observations on bedding out plants." 3. By Professor CHAPMAN: "On the occurrence of the Genus Cryptoceras in Silurian Rocks." This being the last meeting of the Session, T. W. Birchall, Esq, and Samuel Spreull, Esq., were appointed Auditors, in accordance with the laws. The Chairman, after congratulating the members on the prosperous state of the Institute, and the valuable communications from time to time submitted to the meetings, by which their attraction have been maintained with undiminished interest, invited the attention of the members to such subjects of scientific value as might come under their notice during the summer recess, with a view to communications to be brought under the notice of the Institute, either through the medium of the Journal, or at the meetings of next session, and adjourned the meeting till November. MONTHLY METEOROLOGICAL REGISTER, AT THE PROVINCIAL MAGNETICAL OBSERVATORY, TORONTO, CANADA WEST-JUNE, 1857. Latitude-43 deg. 39.4 min. North. Longitude-79 deg. 21 min. West. Elevation above Lake Ontario, 108 feet. Re- Velocity of Wind. Direction of Wind. Rain in Inches. Snow in Inches. 3456L 235 .269 .340 .539 593 .5457 46.2 53.0 47.2 49.10 .5808 40.9 52.8 48.4 48.35 .339254.7 60.7 51.9 55.83 29.259 29.241 29.216 29.2373 52.7 63.5 56.1 57.62+ 0.67.368.448.361.391.94 .79 .81 74.69 NbWNEbE EbNN 70 E3 8 9.2 7.6 8.34 8.540.030 17.21 17-220.195 E 7-77 8.00 0.005 5.8 3.64 6.240.085 10.0 17.0 8.0 10.00 10-18 EbN S 89 E 4.3 5.0 0.5 3.60 4.03 0.880 338-438 7.70-354-380-380-372 ESE S 22 E 0.4 4.2 4.2 1.10 4.500.145 N W N 34 W11.5 14.8 16.7 13-70 14-520.395 1.2 5.67 6.75 1.4 7.6 6.0 2.52 4.50 S 69 W 2.4 10.2 7.0 3.04 5-16 SbW S 20 W 0.5 4.2 1.9 1.90 2.95 0.105 NbE N 72 E 3 2 6.8 6.0 1.92 3.58 WSWN 67 E 0.0 6.4 1.5 2.47 4.440.265 7.0 13.0 9.5 10.45 10.861.070 17.5 16.0 0.8 6.26 10.93 5.84 VOL. II.-A* |