Societies and Academies

Abstract

EDINBURGH Royal Society, July 21.—The Right Hon. Lord Moncreiff, President, in the chair.—Mr. John Murray communicated, with remarks, a paper by Dr. Guppy of H.M.S. Lark, on the coral reefs and calcareous formations of the Solomon Group Islands. Dr. Guppy showed that the coral rocks were merely superficial, thus confirming Mr. Murray's theory that coral atolls and barrier reefs were formed without subsidence. A chalk, like the white chalk of England, had been discovered on one of the islands.—Prof. Tait gave an approximate empirical formula representing, for certain ranges, the compressibility of water in terms of the temperature and pressure.—Mr. J. T. Cunningham read a critical note on the latest theory in vertebrate morphology.—Mr. Milne Home submitted the tenth and final report of the Boulder Committee. At some period, geologically recent in the earth's history, an Arctic climate prevailed in the part of Northern. Europe considered. As an effect, local glaciers occurred in Scotland, of some of which there were traces still visible. Subsequently Scotland was entirely submerged beneath the sea, and most of the valleys were filled with sand, gravel, and mud. A north-westerly oceanic current prevailed, carrying masses of floating ice with boulders, which were deposited on the hills.—Mr. H. R. Mill gave a paper on the periodic variation of temperature in tidal basins.—Mr. W. Peddie gave a communication on the isothermals and adiabatics of water near the maximum density point.—The meeting, which was the last for the session, was brought to a close by remarks from the Chairman on the work of the past session.