224 



NATURE 



\yuly 6, 1876 



communicates its charge to the insulated arm by the brass knob, 

 and the electricity is then distributed over the face A. At the 

 end of its path B is momentarily connected to earth. It will be 

 evident that the effect of again bringing the plates in contact is 

 to increase the charge of positive electricity on the metallic 

 plate opposite the face A. With the small model exhibited, 

 Prof. Fuller has frequently obtained sparks an inch in length. — 

 Prof. Guthrie then exhibited and employed Prof. Mach's appa- 

 ratus for sound reflexion, w^hlch is one of an interesting series of 

 appliances designed by him for the demonstration of certain 

 fundamental principles in physics. -It consists of a mathemati- 

 cally exact elliptical tray, which is highly polished and provided 

 with a close-fitting glass cover. The tray is covered with pul- 

 verised dry silicic acid, and a Leyden jar frequently discharged 

 between two small knobs at one of the foci, when the silicic 

 acid arranges itself \x> fine curves around the other focus. 



Entomological Society, June 7. — Prof. Westwood, presi- 

 dent, in the chair. — Messrs. A. A. Berens, A. H. Swinton, and 

 C. M. Wakefield were elected ordinary members. — Mr. Douglas 

 made some further remarks on the "Corozo Nuts," known as 

 " Vegetable Ivory," exhibited by him at the last meeting, which 

 were attacked by a beetle of the genus Caryoborus. Mr. 

 McLachlan, in connection with the above, exhibited the 

 nuts of a species of Caryoborus (C. bactris) forwarded to 

 him by Prof. Dyer. In this case each nut served as food for a 

 single larva only, which bored in it a cylindrical hole of consider- 

 able size and depth ; whereas the former nuts were infested with 

 several larvae in each nut. — The President exhibited the larva of 

 an Australian species of Hepialus, from Queensland, bearing a 

 .lingular fungus, with four or five branches issuing from the back 

 of the neck and the tail ; also a fungus growing out of the back 

 of a Noctua pupa. — Mr. McLachlan, on behalf of Dr. Ather- 

 stone of South Africa, exhibited a couple of very singular 

 Orthopterous insects (belonging to the Acrydiid»e), which in 

 colour and in the granulated texture so exactly mimicked the 

 sand of the district as to render it almost impossible to detect 

 them when at rest. The insect was supposed to approach the 

 Trachyptcra scutellaris. Walker. — The President read descrip- 

 tions and exhibited drawings of two very singular forms of 

 Coleoptera from Mr. A. R. Wallace's private collection. For 

 the first, which belonged to the Telephoridae, he proposed the 

 generic name Astychina, remarkable for the form of the terminal 

 joints of the antennas in one sex, which were modified with what 

 appeared to be a prehensile apparatus, differing from anything 

 known in the insect world, but of which some analogous forms 

 were found to occur among certain Entomostracous Crustacea. 

 The other pertained to the Cleridse, and was named Aniso- 

 phyllus, differing from all known beetles by the extremely 

 elongated branch of the ninth joint of the antennae. — Mr. Smith 

 read descriptions of new species of Hymenopterous insects from 

 New Zealand, collected by Mr. C. M. Wakefield.— Mr. J. S. 

 Baly communicated descriptions of new genera and species of 

 Halticinae. — Dr. Sharp communicated descriptions of a new 

 genus and some new species of Staphylinidae from Mexico and 

 Central America, collected by Mr. Salvin, Mr. Flohr, and Mr. 

 Belt. — Part I. of the Transactions for 1876 were on the table. 



Paris 



Academy of Sciences, June 19. — Vice- Admiral Paris in the 

 chair. — The following papers were read: — Theorems relative to 

 curves of any order and class, in which are considered couples of 

 rectilinear segments having a constant product, by M. Chasles. 

 Experimental critique on glycemia (continued), by M. CL Bernard. 

 He illustrates these three points : — i. Sugar is rapidly destroyed 

 in the blood after its extraction from the vessels. 2. Within the 

 vessels, after death, sugar disappears rapidly. 3. In the living 

 animal, the saccharine richness of the blood oscillates constantly. 

 — On the cause of the movements in Crookes's radiometer, by 

 M. Govi. He rejects the idea of an impulsive force of light, and 

 of thermal currents of gas in the receiver ; the causes he 

 assigns being the dilatation by heat, or condensation by cold, of 

 gaseous layers which all bodies retain at their surface, even in 

 an absolute vacuum. It should be possible to obtain insensible 

 radiometers, by heating the vanes, during the action of the 

 mercury pump. M. Fizeau said the constant motion, for as long 

 as an hour, of a radiometer placed in the centre of a circle of 

 candles, was against this hypothesis. — Examination of new 

 methods proposed for finding the position of a ship at sea, by 

 M. Ledieu. — On the existence of mercury in the Cevennes, by 

 M. Leymerie. In 1843 he had evidence that liquid mercury 



had been met with near a village at the foot of the Jurassic 

 plateau of Larzac, was injurious to vegetation, was used to cure 

 sheep disease, &c. — The plague in 1876; prophylactic measures, 

 by M. Tholozan. — M. Pasteur presented a work entitled 

 " Studies on Beer : its Maladies, and their Causes ; Process for 

 rendering it Unalterable, with a New Theory of Fermentation." 

 — Influence of temperature on magnetisation, by M. Gaugain, 

 AUevard steel and Shefheld steel undergo nearly the same per- 

 manent modification when subjected to the same alternations of 

 temperature, but the temporary modification is much greater for 

 the Sheffield steel than for the other. The coercive force is 

 diminished by variations of temperature. The inductive action on 

 a bobbin diminishes when the temperature increases. — Extension 

 of the principle of Carnot to electric phenomena ; general 

 differential equations of the equilibrium of the movement of any 

 reversible electric system, by M. Lippmann. — Letter to M. 

 Dumas on experiments on the use of sulphide of carbon and 

 sulphocarbonates, by M. Delachanal. — A letter from MM. 

 Weyprecht and Wilczek was read, explaining their project for 

 scientific exploration of the arctic regions. — Differential electro- 

 actinometer, by M. Egoroff. Two of Edmond Becquerel's 

 actinometers are arranged one above another in a common box, 

 so that the current of the one is neutralised by that of the other, 

 and a mirror galvanometer is interposed in the circuit. Each 

 actinometer is a parallelopipedal box of glass with two opposite 

 sides of hardened caoutchouc, and slits with silver plates in 

 them. The outer box has slits to correspond, the width of 

 which can be varied. The absorbing body to be studied is 

 placed betweei^ the light and the slit corresponding to one of the 

 actinometers, and the galvanometer noted when one and when 

 both of the actinometers are in action. — Researches on the com- 

 mercial analysis of raw sugars, by MM. Riche and Bardy. — On a 

 new class of colouring matters, by M. Lauth. The first source of 

 these has been the aromatic diamines obtained in reducing the 

 nitrated derivative of acetylic combination of organic bases. — On 

 some derivatives of isoxylene, by M. Gundelach. — On the spiro- 

 phore, an apparatus for recovery of the asphyxiated, especially/or 

 drowning persons and new-born infants, by M. Woillez. (We 

 notice this elsewhere.) — Graphic study of movements of the 

 brain, by M. Salatre. Into an orifice of the cranium is inserted 

 a glass tube, with caoutchouc stopper above, traversed by a 

 smaller glass tube, which is connected with a lever and drum 

 arrangement (of the Marey type). Water is poured in till it 

 reaches about the middle of the small tube ; its oscillations (from 

 the brain surface) affect the registering lever. Among other 

 results, the respiratory oscillations, observed simultaneously in 

 the brain and the vertebral column, are synchronous. Artificial 

 respiration reverses the order of oscillations, the liquid rising in 

 inspiration, falling in expiration. Attitudes have a great influ- 

 ence. In efforts of any kind the oscillations are much increased. 

 — Contractile vacuoles in the vegetable kingdom, by M. Maupas. 

 The contractile vacuole has been regarded as a characteristic of 

 animality. But various recent facts are against this. M. Maupas 

 describes contractile vacuoles he has found in macrospores of 

 the algae, Micrtspora floccosa, Thuret, and Ulothrix variabilis, 

 KUtiing (both in Algeria). — The mineral of nickel, in New 

 Caledonia, or " Garnierite," by M. Gamier. — On nitrated aliza- 

 rine, by M. Rosenstiehl 



CONTENTS Page 



A Physical Science Institute 205 



Whewell's Writings and Correspondence. By Prof. J. Clerk 



Maxwell, F.R.S 206 



Gould's Birds of New Guinea 208 



Our Book Shelf : — 



Williams's " Famines in India " 209 



LSTTKRS TO THE EDITOR :— 



Lectures on Meteorology. — G. M. Whipple 2«g 



The Axolotl.— G. S. Boulger 209 



Remarks upon a Hailstorm which passed over Belgaum on April 21, 



1876. — G.A.Newman [With 1 Ihistratioti) aio 



Williams' (?) Thermometer. — S. M. Drach 210 



The Cuckoo. — H. M. Adair 2'io 



Geology of Zermatt. — Viator 210 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



The Total Solar Eclipse of 1878, July 29 210 



Bessel's " Abhandluugen " 210 



Mira Ceti 211 



The Tasmanians .. «. 211 



The Kinematics OF Machinery (^22^A ///wf/ra^'wBj) 213 



Apparatus for Registering Animal Movements 214 



Dkedgings OF the "Challenger" 215 



The U.S. Weather Maps 216 



Natural Science at Cambridge. By G. T. Bettany .... 216 



Notes • 217 



Scientific Serials '19 



socibtibs and acadbmibs z20 



