bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
XIX.—The Early Development of Cribrella oculata (Forbes), with Remarks on Echinoderm Development
Authors: Masterman Arthur T.
Published: January 2013

The breeding habits of this asterid have been noted by M. Sars, who has described the external features of the developmental stages. He observed the peculiar habit of ‘brooding.’ In the spring of 1840 he found several of the parents at very low-tide-mark fixed to stones in their brooding position. The species he examined is described as Echinaster sanguinolentus, and is apparently the same species, though he speaks of the ‘blood-red’ embryo, whereas my specimens were a light orange. They conform exactly to the tint of the oral surface of the parent. The time of breeding of Cribrella oculata at St Andrews appears to extend from February to April inclusive, and throughout this period the parents are found fairly plentifully, adhering to the under surface of rocks, nursing the masses of eggs or young under their bodies. This habit of protecting its young is also pursued by an allied species, Asterias mütteri, which is equally abundant in the same locality, but the breeding of which is effected earlier, i.e., in November and December. I hope to proceed with the study of this species in the near future.
X.—On the Spectrum of Nova Persei and the Structure of its Bands, as photographed at Glasgow
Authors: Becker L.
Published: January 2013

The spectrum of the new star in Perseus, which Dr Anderson, of Edinburgh, discovered 1901 February 21, was photographed at the Glasgow Observatory from 1901 March 3 till 1903 January. From the early photographs one gains the impression that the spectrum consists of a number of bright bands of different lengths, fading towards the ends, and overlapping each other, thus producing a series of maxima and minima of brightness. Near wave-length 5000 the intensity rapidly falls off towards the less refrangible side, and the bands appear detached. The middle of each of the three most intense maxima approximately coincide with the hydrogen lines Hβ, Hγ, Hδ, and on two photo-plates, March 18 to 20 and March 25, each of the bands is crossed by a sharp Fraunhofer line. On the photo-plates taken after 1901 August 1 the bands are all detached; some, including the two bands whose middles approximately coincide with the principal nebular lines, have almost the same lengths, and suggest a line spectrum in which the lines have been broadened into bands, others are considerably longer and have pronounced maxima.
XII.—The Action of Chloroform upon the Heart and Arteries
Authors: Schäfer E. A. , Scharlieb H. J.
Published: January 2013

The original design of this research was to determine whether the extract of suprarenal medulla (or its active principle) has the power of antagonising the effects of an overdose of chloroform upon the heart and arterial system. Incidentally the research became extended so as to cover the action of certain other antagonising agents. It further appeared necessary, as the investigation proceeded, to subject the action of chloroform upon the vascular system to renewed study. For although, as the result of numerous recent researches, physiologists are in agreement regarding the general effect of the drug upon the heart, there yet remain various points requiring elucidation both as regards its effect on the heart and on the arteries.
XV.—On a New Family and Twelve New Species of Rotifera of the Order Bdelloida, collected by the Lake Survey
Authors: Murray James
Published: January 2013

The new species here described were found in the course of the work of the Lake Survey on Loch Ness and other Highland Lochs. Half of the number were found in lakes, though they are not exclusively lacustrine, three in ponds, two from moss growing on the shores of Loch Ness, and one in a stream running into Loch Ness.
XVII.—Theorems relating to a Generalization of Bessel's Function
Authors: Jackson F. H.
Published: January 2013

The theory of the functions commonly known as q functions might perhaps be greatly developed, if investigators were to work on lines suggested by the functional notation of well-known analytie functions. For instance, the analysis connected with the circular functions sin x, cos x, …, might be regarded as the theory of certain infinite products without using any special functional notation. It need not be explained however, how great was the gain to elementary algebra by the introduction of the exponential function (regarded as the limit of a certain infinite product, or as the limit of a certain infinite series) denoted ex, with certain characteristic properties, enabling the worker to make transformations easily and quickly. Of course, the vast store of interesting and in many cases useful results connected with the elementary functions of analysis might have been obtained without the introduction of any notation capable of rapid and easy transformations, but I think it unlikely that they would have been obtained.
XXXIII.—The Trap Dykes of the Orkneys
Authors: Flett John S.
Published: January 2013

The existence of a series of trap dykes cutting the Old Red Sandstone strata of the Orkneys has been noted by most of the geologists who have examined the islands. In his description of the Mainland or Pomona, Professor Jameson states (I., p. 233, vol i.) that “at Yesknaby is the only basaltic rock which I observed in the whole island. It forms veins which traverse the common argillaceous sandstone. The crystals of hornblende, which are contained in it, are larger than usual in such rocks, being more than an inch long and half an inch broad. I sometimes observed small cavities filled with bitumen.” Sir Archibald Geikie, in his account of the Old Red Sandstone of Orkney, remarks (II., p. 408): “Here and there a few basalt dykes—far outlying portions, no doubt, of the great Tertiary series of the West of Scotland—cut through the flagstones with a prevalent direction towards west or north-west.” Messrs Peach and Horne, in their paper on The Old Red Sandstone of Orkney (III., p. 14), describe them in the following terms: “Several dykes of basalt were observed among the islands. They are most numerous and conspicuous on the west coast of the Mainland from Breckness to Skaill, but as they have been so often described, it is unnecessary to refer to them in detail. They have the same lithological characters, and behave in exactly the same manner as the dykes in other parts of Scotland, which have been regarded as the product of volcanic energy in Miocene times. A noticeable feature about the Orcadian representatives is, that they are usually divided up the centre of the dyke by a line of vesicles. This is not an uncommon feature elsewhere.” In the chapter on the Geology of Orkney in Tudor's The Orkneys and Shetland, by the same authors, the dykes are referred to in similar terms (IV., p. 191). A somewhat more minute examination of these dykes was made by Professor M. Foster Heddle. He notes the presence of augite, olivine, and hornblende in certain dykes near Skaill (V., p. 118), and gives a map of the dyke which cuts the west end of the granite outcrop at Inganess (V., pl. viii.). He figures also a crystal of augite of simple form which he found in a dyke on Scabra Head, Rousay (V., p. 128).
XXVIII.—On the Distribution of Fossil Fish-remains in the Carboniferous Rocks of the Edinburgh District
Authors: Traquair Ramsay H.
Published: January 2013

The district in which the city of Edinburgh is situated was one of the first in Britain from which fish-remains of Carboniferous age were collected. It is now sixty-seven years ago since Agassiz described the fossil fishes which were discovered by Lord Greenock at Wardie. Dr Hibbert at Burdiehouse, and Professor Jameson at Burntisland. The list given from this region in the “Tableau Générale” at the beginning of the Poissons Fossiles comprises twenty-nine names, of which eight were nomina nuda and are not now verifiable, the original specimens being lost; one, Diplodus minutus, was described, but insufficiently, and the original is also lost; six are synonyms of others in the list; leaving fourteen good species, of which one, Ptychacanthus sublævis, is a synonym of a Selachian spine (Tristychius arcuatus), described and figured from the Glasgow district.
XXXIII.—Supplementary Report on Fossil Fishes collected by the Geological Survey of Scotland in the Upper Silurian Rocks of Scotland
Authors: Traquair Ramsay H.
Published: January 2013

Since the publication of my “Report” in December 1899, Mr Tait, fossil collector to the Geological Survey of Scotland, has been successful in adding a number of specimens of great interest to the valuable series of Scottish Silurian Fishes which supplied the material for that memoir, and with the permission of the Director of the Survey, to whom my best thanks are due, I propose to give descriptions of them in the following Supplement. The search for these remarkable fishes has likewise been taken up by private collectors, and I have therefore pleasure in acknowledging my indebtedness to Messrs J. Young, of Lesmahagow, P. Macnair, of Glasgow, A. Whyte and F. White, of Muirkirk, and D. Nimmo, of Hamilton, for kindly submitting to me the material resulting from their own work in this field.
X.—On the Deep and Shallow-water Marine Fauna of the Kerguelen Region of the Great Southern Ocean
Authors: Murray John
Published: January 2013

During her famous circumnavigation of the world, H.M.S. Challenger left the Cape of Good Hope on the 17th December 1873, and, proceeding in a south-easterly direction, visited in succession Prince Edward and Marion Islands, the Crozet Islands, Kerguelen Island, and Heard Island. From Heard Island the Expedition sailed southward, and on the 16th February 1874 passed ten miles beyond the Antarctic Circle in longitude 78° 22′ E., the ship being at this time surrounded by a large number of huge tabular icebergs, some of them four miles in length, and all with perpendicular sides rising about 200 feet above the sea-level. From this most southerly point the Challenger took a north-easterly course towards Melbourne in Australia, where she arrived on the 17th March 1874.
XVII.—On the Further Anatomy and the Budding Processes of Cephalodiscus dodecalophus (M'Intosh)
Authors: Masterman Arthur T.
Published: January 2013

The former paper (5) on the Anatomy of Cephalodiscus was incomplete in certain particulars, which I am now in a position to add. These are mainly in regard to the alimentary canal, the nervous system, and the reproductive organs. To the present description of these will be appended an account of the budding processes, which are a very conspicuous feature of the species.
XX.—On a New Species of Cephalaspis, discovered by the Geological Survey of Scotland, in the Old Red Sandstone of Oban
Authors: Traquair Ramsay H.
Published: January 2013

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.
XXI.—On Thelodus Pagei, Powrie, sp. from the Old Red Sandstone of Forfarshire
Authors: Traquair Ramsay H.
Published: January 2013

The remarkable fossil fish which forms the subject of the present communication belonged originally to the late Mr Powrie of Reswallie, and was acquired, along with the rest of his collection, by the Edinburgh Museum in 1892.

The specimen was obtained by Mr Powrie in a quarry of the Lower Old Red Sandstone at Turin Hill, near Forfar.

In his monograph on the Fossil Cephalaspidœ of Great Britain, published in 1870, (p. 41), Professor E. Ray Lankester refers in the following terms to the specimen in question:—

“A very remarkable specimen of shagreen-like structure has been discovered by Mr Powrie in Forfarshire, in beds which have furnished Cephalaspis. As I have not been able to assign it to Cephalaspidian fishes, though it may possibly, be connected with them, I only allude to it here. It consists of a surface covered with minute spinous tubercles, the whole having the appearance of a fossilised piece of shagreen, and its shape is more or less that of a Cephalaspid, with head and body.
XXVI.—On the Eliminant of a Set of General Ternary Quadrics
Authors: Muir Thomas
Published: January 2013

(1) The process of dialytic elimination was first applied to a set of general ternary quadrics by Sylvester in 1841, his method being to form from the three quadrics u1u2u3 ten cubics, viz.:—

and then eliminate dialytically the ten quantities

The actual work of obtaining the eliminant as a determinant of the 10th order he did not perform; and, indeed, with the notation which he used the labour would have been very irksome.
XXVII.—On the Restoration of Co-ordinated Movements after Nerve Section
Authors: Kennedy Robert
Published: January 2013

From the point of view of its function, a nerve fibre is a conductor of nervous impulses, and as such is the path of communication between two structures, the one situated in the central nervous system, and the other in the periphery. In the mixed nerve, such as the sciatic, the nerve fibres are distinguished as afferent or as efferent, according as they conduct impulses originating at the periphery, and received by a cell in the central nervous system, or vice versâ. It has long since been shown that nerve fibres are capable of conducting impulses in either direction, but normally, from their anatomical connections, the individual nerve fibres are conductors for impulses only in the one or in the other direction. This is proved by the Wallerian method of investigation, as on severance of the posterior spinal root distal to the ganglion only certain fibres degenerate and the conductivity of the nerve only for afferent impulses is lost, while the severance of the anterior root is followed by the degeneration of the remainder with loss of functions depending on efferent impulses.
XII.—An Investigation into some previously undescribed Tetanic Symptoms produced by Atropia in Cold-Blooded Animals, with a Comparison of the Action of Atropia on Cold-Blooded Animals and on Mammals
Authors: Fraser Thomas R.
Published: January 2013

Authorities on the action of medicinal substances agree in including convulsions among the effects on man of belladonna, and of its active principle, atropia. Similar effects are described as occurring when large doses of these substances are administered to dogs, rabbits, and other mammals, and to various birds. The recent remarkable progress of our knowledge of the exact and ultimate physiological action of many medicinal substances is greatly due to investigations that have been made on animals of a lower type of organisation; and, accordingly, numerous observers have instituted experiments with atropia on such animals, and especially on frogs. Hitherto, however, convulsions and tetanus have not been described among the effects of atropia-poisoning in cold-blooded animals.
XV.—On the Thermal Energy of Molecular Vortices
Authors: Rankine W. J. Macquorn
Published: January 2013

§ 1. Object of this Paper.—In a paper on the Mechanical Action of Heat, which I sent to the Royal Society of Edinburgh in December 1849, and which was read in February 1850, it was shown, that if sensible or thermometric heat consists in the motion of molecular vortices supposed to be arranged in a particular way, and combined in a particular way with oscillatory movements, the principles of thermodynamics, and various relations between heat and elasticity, are arrived at by applying the laws of dynamics to that hypothesis. The object of the present paper is to show how the general equation of thermodynamics, and other propositions, are deduced from the hypothesis of molecular vortices, when freed from all special suppositions as to the figure and arrangement of the vortices, and the properties of the matter that moves in them, and reduced to the following form:—That thermometric heat consists in a motion of the particles of bodies in circulating streams, with a velocity either constant or fluctuating periodically. This, of course, implies that the forces acting amongst those particles are capable of transmitting that motion.
XVII.—The Mean Pressure of the Atmosphere and the Prevailing Winds over the Globe, for the Months and for the Year. Part II
Authors: Buchan Alexander
Published: January 2013

Charts, showing by Isobaric Lines the mean pressure of the atmosphere over the globe during the months of the year, may be justly regarded as furnishing the key to all questions of meteorological inquiry; for without the information conveyed by such charts it is impossible to discuss satisfactorily those questions which relate to prevailing winds, the varying temperature, and the rainfall throughout the year in the different countries of the world. It is to meet this desideratum that the Charts of Mean Atmospheric Pressure of the globe which are given with this paper are offered as the first approximate solution of this great physical problem.

Since Part I. was read in March 1868, valuable additional information has been obtained from Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania, Africa, South America, the west coast of North America, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden, and from several isolated stations in different parts of Europe and Asia. The period for the British Islands and a large portion of Europe has been extended so as to include the eleven years from 1857 to 1867.
XVIII.—On the Development of the Flower of Pinguicula vulgaris, L.; with Remarks on the Embryos of P. vulgaris, P. grandiflora, P. lusitanica, P. caudata, and Utricularia minor
Authors: Dickson Alexander
Published: January 2013

The order Lentibulariaceæ is usually described in systematic works as exhibiting affinities, on the one hand with Scrophulariaceæ, which it resembles in the bilabiate corolla, partial suppression of the andrœcium, bilabiate stigma, and two-valved capsule; and, on the other, with Primulaceæ and its allies, with which it agrees in having a truly free central placenta.

Lindley places the order in his alliance of Bignoniales, along with Scrophulariaceæ, apparently following Mr Bentham, whom he quotes in support of the supposed affinity between the families. Others, again, more impressed with the importance of the placental character, place the family near Primulaceæ, as has been done by Payer.
XIX.—On the Boulder-Clay of Europe
Authors: Home David Milne
Published: January 2013

“Boulder-clay” or “till,” abundant in Scotland, and occurring also in England, Ireland, and in some other parts of North-Western Europe, has long been, and still is, a puzzle to geologists.

Sir James Hall, about fifty years ago, in this Society, was the first to draw attention to the deposit, by describing its composition, and endeavouring to explain its origin. He saw that it could not be included in either of the two great classes into which rocks were then divided. It was a deposit sui generis, bearing no resemblance to anything known, except a heap of rubbish, there being in the arrangement of its ingredients no regard to specific gravity or size.
IX.—Stalk-eyed Crustacea Malacostraca of the Scottish National Antarctic Expedition
Authors: Stebbing Thomas R. R.
Published: January 2013

As the Scotia was engaged in marine research throughout the whole of its long voyage out and home, it was only to be expected that Antarctic specimens would form but a small fraction of the result. In like manner, as several of the halting-places, such as the Cape of Good Hope and the Falkland Islands, had been visited by many keen naturalists on earlier occasions, it was quite likely that species of the group with which this report is concerned would have been in numerous instances already observed. Accordingly, out of some fifty species here discriminated, only six claim to be new, and not more than ten can be regarded as Antarctic or sub-Antarctic in their place of capture. In the vast extension, however, which marine zoology has for some time past been receiving, some retardation in the stream of discovery may not be unwelcome to the systematist. Familiar forms which would otherwise amply repay a thorough reinvestigation are apt to be thrust on one side, when striking novelties are for ever appealing to be introduced. This expedition, like others before it, affords fair evidence that the Macrura are both abundant and varied in great depths of the ocean. But only too often the frailty of their fabric leaves them in a tantalisingly mutilated condition when they reach the surface.
X.—The Aborigines of Tasmania. Part III. The Hair of the Head compared with that of other Ulotrichi and with Australians and Polynesians
Authors: Turner William
Published: January 2013

A number of years ago I began to form and arrange in the Anatomical Museum of the University of Edinburgh a collection of the hair of the head to illustrate the varieties in colour and character which exist in the Races of Men. In a classification of the races based on the colour and characters of the hair, anthropologists have usually adopted the suggestion made by Bory de St Vincent, and have divided them into two groups: Leiotrichi, with straight, smooth hair; and Ulotrichi, with woolly or frizzly hair. Each of these again is capable of subdivision.

In this memoir I intend especially to examine the Ulotrichi, which comprise two well-marked subdivisions. In one the hair is very short, and is arranged in small spiral tufts, the individual hairs in which are twisted on each other, a mat-like arrangement of compact spiral locks closely set together being the result. In the other the hair is moderately long, the locks are slender, curled or spirally twisted in a part of their length and terminate at the free end in a frizzly bush-like arrangement. Ulotrichous hair is found in various African races, in the aborigines of Tasmania, New Guinea, the Melanesian Islands in the Pacific, in the Negritos of the Malay Peninsula and of some of the islands of the Asiatic Archipelago. The Leiotrichi are Australians, Polynesians, Mongols, Malays, Indians, Arabs, Esquimaux and Europeans.
XVII.—Studies on the Pharmacological Action of Tetra-Alkyl-Ammonium Compounds: III. The Action of Methyl-Ethyl-Ammonium Chlorides
Authors: Marshall C. R.
Published: January 2013

In view of the differences observed in the pharmacological action of tetra-methyl- and tetra-ethyl-ammonium chlorides, it seemed of interest to investigate the actions of the methyl-ethyl-ammonium compounds. The chlorides of these compounds—namely, tri-methyl-ethyl-ammonium chloride, di-methyl-di-ethyl-ammonium chloride, methyl-tri-ethyl-ammonium chloride—were kindly prepared for me by Dr J. E. Mackenzie, who has published the mode of preparation and the analysis of them.

The only references I have found to the pharmacological action of the members of this series are brief statements by Tappeiner and Boehm. Tappeiner says that tri-ethyl-methyl-ammonium chloride, unlike tetra-methyl-ammonium chloride, does not produce temporary paralysis of the respiration; Boehm that tri-methyl-ethyl-ammonium chloride, like tetra-methyl-ammonium chloride, causes contracture of an isolated frog's muscle when a solution is applied to it.
IX.—Alternate ± Knots of Order Eleven
Authors: Little C. N.
Published: January 2013

1. A year ago last April, Prof. Tait proposed that I should undertake to derive from Mr Kirkman's polyhedral drawings the alternate ± knots of eleven crossings, thus doing for order 11 what had been done so admirably by himself in orders 8, 9, and 10.

2. The work has been a very protracted one, because of the great number of forms involved—more than three times as many as in all preceding orders combined. Mr Kirkman's manuscript contains 1581 forms, of which 22 are bifilar and 16 duplicates. I find from the remainder 357 knots with 1595 forms as shown in the following table:—

As this is an odd order, perversion doubles these numbers, making 714 elevenfold knots, with crossings alternately over and under.

3. It has been thought unnecessary to show upon the Plates more than one form of each knot; all, however, have been drawn. Knots of each class having the same number of forms are grouped together to make more simple the identification of a particular elevenfold. A small figure following the series number upon the plates indicates how many distinct forms each knot can assume. Knots 84, 357, and 2386 are misplaced.
XXIII.—The Clyde Sea Area
Authors: Mill Hugh Robert
Published: January 2013

The fjord-like inlets or sea-lochs which form so conspicuous a feature in the scenery of the west of Scotland stand in marked contrast to the shallow, low-shored firths of the east coast. When Dr John Murray decided to extend the physical and biological work of the Scottish Marine Station to the west coast he foresaw that many interesting conclusions were likely to be derived from the study of these isolated sea-basins. Various papers, published by him and other workers, contain preliminary discussions of many of the phenomena observed, fully justifying the anticipations which had been formed.

For one year my work, as described in this paper, was carried out under the provisions of an Elective Fellowship in Experimental Physics of the University of Edinburgh, to which I had been elected in 1886; and subsequently by a personal grant from the Government Grant Committee for Scientific Research. The Committee also devoted several sums of money in payment of expenses in compiling this discussion. The Scottish Marine Station throughout gave the use of the steam-yacht “Medusa,” and the necessary apparatus.
Section II.—The Principle and Construction of the Closed Hydrometer
Authors: Buchanan J. Y.
Published: January 2013

The instrument being closed, its true weight is constant.

Let it be assumed that our experiments are actually made in vacuo, at the sea-level in lat. 45°. In these conditions the standard gram exerts a vertical pressure of 1 gram (true).

We weigh the hydrometer and find its weight to be W grams. We now float it in distilled water contained in a suitable cylinder. In the construction of the hydrometer the internal load has been so adjusted that, when immersed in distilled water of the standard temperature T, which is to remain unaltered during the whole of the experiments, the surface of the water shall cut the stem in some line C, near its junction with the body of the instrument. Then the weight of the water displaced by the hydrometer is exactly W grams.
Section X.—Experimental Observations on the Displacement of Solutions of Sodium Chloride
Authors: Buchanan J. Y.
Published: January 2013

Although chloride of sodium is not a member of either of the enneads which form the principal material of this research, its importance in nature justifies its inclusion in it.

The observations made at 15·0° C. and recorded in Table No. 26, Class A, were not sufficient. A complete series of observations of specific gravity in which the values of m formed a geometric series, descending from 1 to 1/512, was made at 19·50° C.
Section XIII.—On the Specific Gravity and Displacement of Solutions of Salts of the Ennead MR which have nearly the same Molecular Weight and may be looked on as “Isomeric.”
Authors: Buchanan J. Y.
Published: January 2013

There are three such groups of salts in the ennead, namely, KBr and RbCl; KI, RbBr, and CsCl; and Rbl and CsBr. Experiments have been made on strong solutions of the first group, KBr and RbCl. To these “natural isomers” we have added an (artificial) isomer consisting of a mixture which contains KCl and KI in equal molecular proportions, so that it may be represented by the formula This mixture contains 31·00 per cent. of KCl and 69·00 per cent. KI.
Section XIV.—The Specific Gravity and the Displacement of Solutions of the Chlorides of Beryllium, Magnesium, and Calcium.
Authors: Buchanan J. Y.
Published: January 2013

For the purpose of determining these constants, hydrometric observations were made on solutions of the three salts the concentrations of which ranged from 1/2 to 1/1024 gram-molecule per thousand grams of water, the experiments being made with the closed hydrometers Nos. 3 and 17. Experiments were also made on strong solutions of calcium chloride and magnesium chloride, using the open hydrometers A and B ; the concentrations of these solutions varied from 1 gram-molecule per thousand grams of water to the highest attainable degree of supersaturation. It was when the experiments on a supersaturated solution of calcium chloride were in progress that the observations were made which revealed the remarkable state of unrest in that solution which preceded its partition into crystals and mother-liquor with liberation of heat.
X.—Some Specimens of Lyginorachis papilio Kidston Associated with Stems of Pitys
Authors: Long Albert G.
Published: January 2013

Synopsis

Lyginorachis papilioKidston is shown to possess separate vascular bundles at its base like the leaf-trace inPitys dayiGordon. Vascular traces arise higher up indicating that the petiole bore one or two pairs of sub-opposite pinnæ (or pinnules). Above these the primary rachis dichotomizes into secondary rachides with traces to alternate pinnæ. One specimen is known showing the origin of an axis ofTristichia ovensiin the dichotomy.

L. papiliois considered to be a petiole ofPitysandT. ovensithe fertile region of the frond bearingStamnostomacupules.
III. Account of a Mineral from Orkney
Authors: Traill Thomas Stewart
Published: January 2013

While examining an abandoned lead-mine in the vicinity of Stromness, in the year 1803, I found a mineral which, from its weight and appearance, I supposed to be carbonate of barytes. A few hasty experiments soon convinced me that it was a different substance; but circumstances occurring which prevented a more accurate investigation, the mineral lay neglected among the duplicates of my collection till last autumn, when having mentioned my doubts and conjectures respecting it to my friend Dr Murray of Edinburgh, I was strongly urged by that gentleman to undertake its analysis. During his short visit to Liverpool, a few preliminary experiments were begun, from which it appeared, that the mineral contained carbonate of strontia, and I have since completed its chemical examination.
VI. Description of a Fossil Tree found in a Quarry at Niteshill, the Property of Colonel Dunlop of Househill
Authors: Brewster Patrick
Published: January 2013

The quarry of Niteshill, from which this very interesting petrifaction was taken, lies about three miles south-east of Paisley, and is part of a coal formation. It consists of white sandstone, which in many parts is deeply stained by an impregnation of iron. Two very thin seams of excellent coal occur immediately under the sandstone, with the intervention of a few feet of till or blaize. The strata dip to the south, and crop out about a hundred yards north of the spot from whence the tree was taken. At this spot the face of rock is about sixteen feet; fourteen feet above the tree, and one under; another foot being occupied by the stem itself.

The part which has been detached from the rock consists of stem and roots, five feet of stem, and two of roots, different views of which I have endeavoured to represent in figures 1, 2, & 3.
XII. Notice respecting a Remarkable Shower of Hail which fell in Orkney on the 24th of July 1818
Authors: Neill Patrick
Published: January 2013

The notice which, at the suggestion of Dr Brewster, is now to be laid before the Society, respecting a remarkable shower of hail which lately fell in Orkney, has been drawn up partly from conversations with Richard Caithness, a plain but intelligent country man, who possesses a small farm at Hunday in the island of Stronsa, and whose property suffered severely from the shower; and partly from subsequent correspondence with the Reverend William Taylor of Stronsa, whose house lay in the track of the cloud, and with Mr Robert Lindsay, Student of Divinity, who had an opportunity of witnessing the effects of the hail at Lopness, on the neighbouring island of Sanda, when the shower was nearly exhausted. They agree in all important particulars; but even at the risk of some repetition, their own words shall, as often as possible, be employed.

The morning of the 24th of July 1818, was, in Orkney, clear and warm, with a slight air of wind at due south.
XIII. Observations on the Mean Temperature of the Globe
Authors: Brewster David
Published: January 2013

If no provision has been made by the Great Author of Nature, for equalising the light and heat projected upon the different bodies of our system, we may consider the earth as receiving, from the direct action of the solar rays, a degree of heat, intermediate between the condensed radiations sustained by Mercury and Venus, and the attenuated warmth which reaches the remoter planets. The heat which our Globe thus acquires from its locality in the system, is again tempered by the obliquity of its axis, and is distributed over the same parallels of latitude by its daily rotation. When the Sun is in the Equator, his rays, beating on the Earth with a vertical influence, impart to it the full measure of their action; and as his meridian altitude decreases, their intensity suffers a corresponding diminution. The burning heat at the Equator becomes moderated in higher latitudes. In passing through the temperate zone, it declines with great rapidity, and between the Arctic Circle and the Pole, the rays of the Sun are unable even to temper the piercing cold which reigns in these inhospitable regions.
XVI. Account of the Native Hydrate of Magnesia, discovered by Dr Hibbert in Shetland
Authors: Brewster David
Published: January 2013

The Native Hydrate of Magnesia was first discovered, and ranked as a separate Mineral, by the late Dr Bruce of New York. It was found only at Hoboken in New Jersey, traversing serpentine in every direction, in veins from a few lines to two inches in thickness. Its specific gravity was 2.13, and it yielded upon analysis 70 parts of pure magnesia, and 30 of water.

In the year 1813, I received some fragments of this rare mineral from our late eminent countryman Dr John Murray, and though it exhibited no traces of a crystalline structure, I found it to be a regularly crystallised mineral, with one axis of double refraction perpendicular to the laminæ. The connection between the primitive form of minerals and their number of axes of double refraction, which I observed at a subsequent period, enabled me to determine that the Native Hydrate of Magnesia belonged either to the Rhomboidal or the Pyramidal system of Mohs.
XVIII. Account of the Establishment of a Scientific Prize by the late Alexander Keith, Esq. of Dunottar
Authors: Scott Walter
Published: January 2013

It is no doubt already known to you, that the late Alexander Keith, Esq. of Dunottar, bequeathed the sum of L. 1000 for the purpose of promoting the interests of Science in Scotland. Having been appointed Trustees for the Management of this Fund, wa have endeavoured to appropriate it in the most advantageous manner for the advancement of Science; and we have the satisfaction of stating, that the plan which has been adopted met with the special approbation of Mr Keith himself, to whom it was communicated previous to his death.

As the Royal Society of Edinburgh is the principal Scientific Establishment in Scotland, we hereby offer to its President and Council the sum of L 600; the principal of which shall on no account be encroached upon, while the interest shall form a Biennial Prize for the most important discoveries in Science, made in any part of the World, but communicated by their Author to the Royal Society, and published for the first time in their Transactions.
The use of writs in the eleventh century
Authors: Sharpe Richard
Published: January 2013

The central subject of this discussion is a particular diplomatic form that lasted
in England for at most some two hundred years, the writ-charter. When it first
appeared is obscure for want of surviving examples, but the reign of King
Edgar would be a plausible guess. Its extinction in the 1160s is less obscure,
and we may even hazard why it came about at that time, when Henry II's
government was changing both the role of local courts and the use of documents
in the legal process. What is harder to explain is how the writ-charter
came to survive so late, for it served as a vehicle of transition.
Calibrating Hydrogen-Rich Core-Collapse Supernovae for their Use as Distance Indicators Independent of Type Ia Supernovae
Authors: Pumo M. L. , Zampieri L.
Published: January 2013

Using our new general-relativistic, radiation hydrodynamics, Lagrangian code, we computed a rather extended grid of hydrogen-rich core-collapse supernovae (CC-SNe) models and explored the potentials of their “standardization” as distance indicators. We discuss the properties of some calibrations previously reported in the literature, and present new correlations based on the behavior of the light curve that can be employed for calibrating hydrogen-rich CC-SNe using only photometric data.
The Progenitor of a Type Ia Supernova with a Short Delay Time?
Authors: Mereghetti S. , La Palombara N. , Tiengo A. , Esposito P. , Stella L. , Israel G.L.
Published: January 2013

HD 49798/RX J0648.0-4418 is the only known X-ray binary composed of a hot subdwarf and a massive white dwarf (M=1.28 ± 0.05 M⊙). This system, with an orbital period of 1.55 days, is the outcome of a common envelope evolution, most likely of a pair of stars with initial masses of ~8–10M⊙. When the hot subdwarf, currently in a He-burning phase, will expand again and fill its Roche-lobe, the enhanced mass transfer can rapidly bring the already massive white dwarf above the Chandrasekhar limit. The possible final fate, either a Type Ia supernova explosion or an accretion induced collapse, is particularly interesting in view of the high rotational velocity of this star, which has the shortest spin period (13s) observed in a white dwarf.
Archival HST Search for Extragalactic Novae
Authors: Alis Sinan , Saygac A. Talat
Published: January 2013

An archival search for extragalactic novae was carried out using the data obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Twenty-seven galaxies were examined where most of the targets are beyond the Local Group. Nova rates were calculated for the target galaxies and combined with other known nova rates to show dependence on galaxy types. Here we present the nova detections for six galaxies from our object list.
Optical and Near-Infrared Observations of Classical Nova V1723 Aql
Authors: Nagashima M. , Arai A. , Isogai M. , Arasaki T. , Kitao E. , Taguchi G. , Ikeda Y. , Kawakita H. , Yamanaka M. , Itoh R. , Sasada M. , Okushima T. , Uemura M. , Kawabata K. S. , Worters H. L. , Smits D. P.
Published: January 2013

Optical and near-infrared observations of novae give us useful information for understanding the diversity of nova eruptions. Classical nova V1723 Aql was discovered by F. Kabashima and K. Nishiyama on 2010 September 11. We have conducted photometric and spectroscopic observations of V1723 Aql in both optical and near-infrared (NIR) wavelength regions since its discovery. The V-band decline time by 2 mag after the maximum, t2, was ~12 d. The apparent Fe II emission lines were also seen in the optical spectra. The Rc- and Ic-band light curves exhibited rapid declines (0.16 mag d−1 in Rc) 20 days after the visual maximum, while the NIR (J, H, and Ks) showed slow decline rates (~0.07 mag d−1). This rapid reddening suggests that dust particles formed during the very early phase of the expansion in V1723 Aql.
Obscuring Supersoft X-ray Sources in Stellar Winds
Authors: Nielsen Mikkel T. B. , Dominik Carsten , Nelemans Gijs
Published: January 2013

We investigate the possibility of obscuring supersoft X-ray sources in the winds of companion stars. We derive limits on the amount of circumstellar material needed to fully obscure a ‘canonical’ supersoft X-ray source in the Large Magellanic Cloud, as observed with the Chandra X-ray Observatory.
Why are Supersoft X-ray Fluxes So Weak in Early-type Galaxies? – A Clue to Type Ia SNe Progenitors –
Authors: Kato Mariko
Published: January 2013

Supersoft X-ray fluxes in early-type galaxies provide an excellent test for Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) progenitors: the double degenerate (DD) scenario is believed to produce no supersoft sources (SSSs) except just before the SN Ia explosion, while the single degenerate (SD) scenario produces SSSs in some phases of the symbiotic channel. Recent observations of the supersoft X-ray flux of early-type galaxies show a remarkable agreement with theoretical predictions of the SD scenario, which thus turns out to be a strong support for the SD scenario, despite the original observations aimed at the opposite conclusion. Here I explain why X-ray fluxes are so weak in early-type galaxies. (1) Candidate binaries in the SD scenario become SSSs only during a short time on their way to SNe Ia explosions, because they spend a large part of their lifetime in a wind phase. (2) During the SSS phase, symbiotic stars emit very weak supersoft X-ray fluxes even if the WD is very massive. It should be emphasized that supersoft X-ray symbiotic stars are very rare and we need more observations to understand their nature.
Recurrent Novae: What Do We Know about Them?
Authors: Anupama G. C.
Published: January 2013

Recurrent novae (RNe) belong to the group of cataclysmic variables that exhibit nova outbursts at intervals on the order of decades. They are rare, with 10 Galactic RNe known to date. Two are known in the LMC, while there are a few suspected RNe in M31. Nova outburst models require a high accretion rate on a massive white dwarf to explain the recurring nova outbursts, making this class of objects one of the most likely progenitor binary systems of Type Ia supernovae. The observational properties of the known Galactic recurrent novae are presented here, together with some discussion on the recent outbursts of RS Ophiuchi (2006), U Scorpii (2010), and T Pyxidis (2011).
Novae and Accreting White Dwarfs as Progenitors of Type Ia Supernovae
Authors: Kato Mariko
Published: January 2013

I review various phenomena associated with mass-accreting white dwarfs (WDs) in relation to progenitors of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia). The WD mass can be estimated from light curve analysis in multiwavelength bands based on the theory of optically thick winds. In the single degenerate scenario of SNe Ia, two main channels are known, i.e., WD + main sequence (MS) channel and WD + red giant (RG) channel. In each channel, a typical binary undergoes three evolutionary stages before explosion, i.e., the wind phase, supersoft X-ray source (SSS) phase, and recurrent nova phase, in this order because the accretion rate decreases with time as the companion mass decreases. For some accreting WDs we can identify the corresponding stage of evolution. Intermittent supersoft X-ray sources like RX J0513.9−6951 and V Sge correspond to wind phase objects. For the SSS phase, CAL 87-type objects correspond to the WD+MS channel. For the WD + RG channel, soft X-ray observations of early type galaxies give statistical evidence of SSS phase binaries. Recurrent novae of U Sco-type and RS Oph-type correspond to the WD + MS channel and WD + RG channel, respectively. The majority of recurrent novae host a very massive WD (≳ 1.35 M⊙) and often show a plateau phase in their optical light curves corresponding to the long-lasting supersoft X-ray phase. These properties are indications of increasing WD masses.
Double White Dwarf Merger Rates
Authors: Toonen Silvia , Nelemans Gijs , Zwart Simon Portegies
Published: January 2013

Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) are very successfully used as standard candles on cosmological distance scales, but so far the nature of the progenitor(s) is unclear. A possible scenario for SNe Ia are merging carbon/oxygen white dwarfs with a combined mass exceeding the Chandrasekhar mass. We determine the theoretical rates and delay time distribution of these mergers for two different common envelope prescriptions and metallicities. The shape of the delay time distributions is rather insensitive to the assumptions. The normalization is a factor ~3–13 too low compared to observations.
Two Distributions Shedding Light on Type Ia Supernovae Progenitors: Delay Times and G-Dwarf Metallicities
Authors: Mennekens Nicki , Vanbeveren Dany , De Greve Jean-Pierre , De Donder Erwin
Published: January 2013

Using a population number synthesis code with detailed binary evolution, we calculate the distribution of the number of Type Ia supernovae as a function of time after starburst. This is done for both main progenitor scenarios (single degenerate and double degenerate), but also with various evolutionary assumptions (such as mass transfer efficiency, angular momentum loss, and common envelope description). The comparison of these theoretically predicted delay time distributions with observations in elliptical galaxies then allows us to constrain the evolutionary scenarios and parameters. From the morphological shape of the distributions, we conclude that all supernovae Ia cannot be produced through the single degenerate scenario alone, with the best match being obtained when both scenarios contribute. Within the double degenerate scenario, most systems go through a phase of quasi-conservative, stable Roche lobe overflow. We propose stellar rotation as a possible solution for the underestimation of the absolute numbers of events predicted by many theoretical population synthesis studies. A brief comparison with these other studies is made, showing good correspondence under the nontrivial condition of equivalent assumptions. We also investigate the influence of different supernova Ia progenitors and evolutionary parameters on the theoretical distribution of the iron abundance of G-type dwarfs in the Galactic disk. These stars are good indicators of the entire chemical history of the Galaxy, and their predicted metallicity distribution can also be compared to the observed ones. This again limits the number of acceptable combinations of assumptions. Supporting previous results, the best correspondence is found in the case where both the single and double degenerate scenario contribute.
Type Ia Supernovae and the Uncertainties in their Progenitor Evolution
Authors: Claeys J. S. W. , Pols O. R. , Izzard R. G.
Published: January 2013

We use binary population synthesis to study the main proposed channels leading to Type Ia supernovae, the single degenerate channel (SD) and double degenerate channel (DD). For this purpose, we discuss the progenitor evolution and the influence of the common envelope efficiency, αce, on the rate of the different channels. Our study demonstrates the large αce-dependence of both channels, especially for the SD channel.
Thermonuclear Supernova Explosions from White Dwarfs in Different Progenitor Systems
Authors: Röpke F. K. , Sim S. A. , Fink M. , Pakmor R. , Kromer M. , Seitenzahl I. R. , Ruiter A. J. , Hillebrandt W.
Published: January 2013

Several progenitor scenarios have been suggested for Type Ia supernovae. Here we discuss the consequences for the explosion mechanism and for observables of some of them, which are explored by means of multi-dimensional hydrodynamic and radiation transfer simulations. While the observables predicted from delayed detonations of Chandrasekhar-mass white dwarfs agree reasonably well with the data, the corresponding progenitor systems may be too rare to account for the observed rate of Type Ia supernovae. Several alternatives are investigated of which violent mergers of two white dwarfs and, perhaps, double detonations of sub-Chandrasekhar mass white dwarfs hold promise for reproducing the observables of normal Type Ia supernovae.