of animals, but in the ovula and ova themselves. And it is in this hin,t science recognizes the real practical utility of this great question. That the Parthenogenesis occupies an important office in the economy of nature we can already perceive, but how it comes to pass that the ova and ovula are developed without the aid of the male principle, and what means are employed to make a sexual reproduction, under such anomalous circumstances, possible, constitute one of those riddles, the solution of which is reserved for future investigation. QUESTIONS CONNECTED WITH THE SALTNESS OF THE SEA.*-BY PROFESSOR CHAPMAN, OF UNIVERSITY COLLEGE, TORONTO. It is a current opinion that, owing to the surface of the sea becoming salter and consequently heavier by evaporation, a downward motion of the surface water necessarily takes place; and hence Lieutenant Maury's hypothesis that the sea is salt in order to produce circulation. Some time ago I suggested another object in explanation of the saltness of the sea, viz.: that the sea is salt in order to regulate evaporation. The greater the amount of salt, the slower the evaporation of the water,—and the reverse; so that, if by any easily conceivable cause, or combination of circumstances, the normal degree of saltness become either increased or diminished—a kind of self-regulating force is set up to resist the continuation of the abnormal action, until time restore the balance. Even leaving out of consideration the equalizing effects produced by the accession of fresh water to the surface of the sea by rain and rivers, it seemed to me that the principle of diffusion was in itself sufficient to prevent the sinking of the water thus affected by evaporaation; or, at least, to prevent the sinking of this water to any extent. But how to prove the point. The fact that the saltness of the open sea is substantially the same at considerable depths and at the surface, says nothing; as it would necessarily follow, that for every heavy particle of water that sunk, a lighter particle would rise up to supply its place; and hence the composition of the water would be kept uniform, without the principle of diffusion being in any way required to explain the phenomenon. After some consideration I adopted the following method, as one sufficiently trustworthy to afford an answer to the question under review:-I procured a leaden pipe one inch in diameter, and bent into the form of the letter U; each upright being about thirty-nine inches in height, and the connecting piece at the bottom rather more than twelve inches long. This I filled up to about an inch on each side with a solution of common salt in rain water (the salt being present to the amount of 3.786 per cent.,) and then I carefully closed one end, leaving the other end open, but protected from dust by a cone of silver-paper fixed on a bent wire, and so arranged as not to prevent evaporation. The per centage of salt (3.786) was carefully ascertained, and the apparatus left in an unoccupied room, the window and door of which were kept almost constantly open, in order to promote the evaporation of the solution as much as * It is of course to be understood, that the term "Saltness of the sea," as here applied, has reference solely to the presence of a comparatively large amount of chloride of sodium in the water: to that principle, in fact, which constitutes the essential difference between the waters of the sea and those of lakes and rivers, The other saline substances present in variable proportions in sea-water, are present also, more or less, in bodies of fresh-water: und as they necessarily subserve the same general purposes in each case, their consideration does not legitimately belong to the present inquiry. possible. After the lapse of about three months, (April 18 to July 14,) portions were taken from each end of the tube, and from the connecting piece below, (a small orifice being made in this ;) and the amount of salt in each portion was accurately determined. Now, if the principle of diffusion had not been brought into play, it is evident that the solution in the open limb of the tube ought to have been stronger than that in the closed limb, although, by the circulating process, the amount of salt at the top and bottom of the former might have been alike; and, again, it will be equally evident that if the principle of diffusion were brought into play, the supposed sinking of the surface solution, as the result of evaporation, must be altogether imaginary. Six separate determinations, two from each of the three portions of the tube, shewed a per centage of salt essentially the same. The following table exhibits the results obtained: These experiments justify us, I think, in assuming that owing to diffusion, the surface waters of the sea do not become heavier than the lower strata simply by losing water by evaporation. It is quite true, that under the influence of evaporation a lowering of temperature may take place, and that an upward and downward circulation, to a certain extent, may in this manner be produced*; but the same reasoning will apply, and with equal force, to bodies of fresh water. In conclusion, therefore, I feel justified in expressing my sustained belief, that the theory which I have proposed to account for the saltness of the sea, is worthy of acceptance; this theory being that the sea is salt, essentially if not principally, in order to regulate evaporation. NOTE.-Through the courtesy of various members of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, we have been favoured with abstracts of their papers, authenticated and revised reports, or, in some cases, with the loan of the original papers as submitted to the meeting in the different sections. We shall accordingly continue our report of the Montreal meeting in the next number, and endeavour to furnish a succinct embodiment of some of the most important contributions to science, presented at the first American Scientific Congress held within our Canadian frontier. The January number of the Journal will also contain such a selection as our limited space will allow, from the numerous and valuable communications laid before the various sections during the recent meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, at Dublin. * It should be stated that no intermixture could have taken place in the closed limb of the apparatus described above by ascending currents produced by unequal temperature, as the temperature of the lower portion of the closed tube was kept purposely lower (or at least prevented from becoming higher) than the upper portion by means of a damp rag permanently attached to it. MONTHLY METEOROLOGICAL REGISTER, AT THE PROVINCIAL MAGNETICAL OBSERVATORY, TORONTO, CANADA WEST-AUGUST, 1857. Barom. at temp. of 32o. Temp. of the Air. D32221 Day. 6 A.M. 2 P. M. 10 P.M. MEAN 6 A.M2 P.M 10PM ME'N of the 6 2 30 sul't Rain in Inches. Snow .642 .625 .601 .553 91 .821 - 10 .466 11 .343 .303 .368 .444 .525 12 .650 .580 .523 13 .497 .434 465 14 .480 .419 .494 15 .584 .592 .685 16 .S02 .781 17 .535 .604 .671 .6070 57.4 60.3 61.0 59.43 18 .685 .677 .669 .6783 57.8 66.0 58.4 61.92 19 .645 .610 .681 201 .738 .743 .772 .6453 56.6 68.9 57.2 61.63- 21 .826 .761 .648 22 479 .293 237 29.488 29.466 29.508 29.487257.7 74.3 65.0 65.60 .781351.9 68.2 60.6 61.18-4.25 - 23 .244 .226 --- 58.3 60.6 24 .607 .701 .769 25 .836 .819 .821 701350.1 64.4 56.6 57.93 26 .847 .778 .696 .7675 53.5 73.6 62.4 64.33 27 .622 .436 .179 28 .193 286 383 29 .424 .477 .601 30 .673 .677 - 81 .784 .794 .813 SEьS 0.451.431.506.455.4671 .86 .66.81 .77 4.46 8.39 5.35) 6.3615.265 Highest Barometer. REMARKS ON TORONTO METEOROLOGICAL REGISTER FOR AUGUST, 1857. 29.860 at 8 a.m. on 25th Monthly range= Meteors numerous on the nights of the 10th 11th and 13th-a very brilliant meteor MONTHLY METEOROLOGICAL REGISTER AT THE PROVINCIAL MAGNETICAL OBSERVATORY, TORONTO, CANADA WEST,-SEPTEMBER, 1857. Latitude-43 deg. 39.4 min. North: Longitude-79 deg. 21 min. West. Elevation above Lake Ontario, 108 feet. Barom. at temp. of 32°. Temp. of the Air. Day. 6 A.M. 2 P.M. 10 P.M. Mean. 6 A.M 2 P.M 10PM ME'N Average A.MP.MP.M. Mean Tens. of Vapour. Humidity of Air. Direction of Wind. Resi l't. Direction of Wind. 6 2 10 M'N 6 2 10 tion. 10 M’Nhủ A. M. 2 P. M. 10 P.M. 6 AM. 2PM. P.M. Re- ME'N Rain! in inches. Snow in inches. 29.9185 54.5 75.8 61.4 65.30 +2.27.378.569.488.488.91 .66 .91 15 .681 .745 .834 .7520 51.6 71.1 59.2 61.18+ 0.83 318 484 460 423 747841.5 57.6 56.3 52.87 4.47 293 260 255 275 7.85 266 281 309 273 257 375 M 29.7331 29.6960 29.7102 29.712053.13 65.51 55.70 58.64+ 1.15.353.435.375.393.86 .67 .83 .78 |