Oct. 19, 1876] 



NATURE 



563 



July, 1876, commences with a continuation of A. Serpieri's 

 paper on the observation of the zodiacal light, by G. Jones. — 

 Father Secchi contributes a second note on the change of posi- 

 tion of the lines in stellar spectra due to the motion of the stars. 

 The author in this, as in the last note, throws doubt on the re- 

 liability of the method in practice. — Observations of solar protu- 

 berances made during the first half of the present year at Rome. 

 This consists of a table showing the number of prominences 

 seen on each 10" of solar circumference, the height, size, and 

 area of the prominences, and the extension of faculce. — Spectro- 

 scopic and direct observations made at Palermo in the months 

 of June and July. This paper includes a table showing the 

 immber of spots and faculse on each day, with notes of the posi- 

 tions in which the b and 1474 lines were seen. 



August, 1876, contains three papers by Prof. Ricco, the first 

 of considerable length, on the absorption spectrum of water, 

 with a plate showing the method of experiment and the spec- 

 trum of sea-water seen ; the second on the spectral study of 

 the green of plants ; and the third on a new form of diiect- 

 vision spectroscope. In this new form the rays of light from 

 the collimator pass through a prism of 60" in the ordinary way ; 

 they then fall on the side of a prism of 90°, having its base 

 nearly in the same plane as that of the first ; they are thus 

 totally reflected internally from the base of the prism, and 

 emerge from the other face parallel to their original position. 



\ Reale Istitulo Lombjrdo di Scienze e Letta-e. Rendiconti. 

 April — ^July. — A controversy which has been going on between M. 

 Lombroso and a Committee of the Institute as to the poisonous 

 properties of decayed maize and the disease of pellagra (in 

 Northern Italy) is referred to here. — In the treatment of vines 

 with sulphur for oid'ium,the destruction of the parasite has been 

 shown to be due to formation of sulphydric acid. "Whether 

 the necessary hydrogen came from the oidium or from the grapes 

 was uncertain, till it appeared that grapes that were quite free 

 from the disease, gave sulphuretted hydrogen when sprinkled 

 with sulphur. M. Selmi proved the development of nascent 

 hydrogen from mould, and M. PoUoni, having experimented on 

 a number of plants, now sprinkled with sulphur, gave sulphydric 

 acid. Most of it is produced in those parts in which the vegeta- 

 tion is most active (as the flowers and young buds). Plants with 

 saccharine fruit (as the vine and mulberry) do not produce it in 

 greater quantity than others. The author concludes from in- 

 direct experimettts that all plants, in certain phases of their growth, 

 and as the result of physioloj^ical acts, produce hydrogen in the 

 nascent state. — A valuable paper of statistics and information 

 regarding diphtheria in Milan, in the three years 1873, 1874, 

 1875, is contributed by Dr. Fellice Dell'Acqua. With reference 

 to meteorological conditions, it is concluded that neither the 

 maximum nor the minimum of air pressure, of temperature, of 

 vapour tension and relative moisture, seemed to have the least 

 influence in raising the number of cases of diphtheria. In winter 

 and autumn the number of individuals taken ill was less, but the 

 less number of deaths was in spring and summer. — M. Monte- 

 gezza gives a careful analysis of the phenomena of expression of 

 grief. — The course of storms is studied by M. Frisiani. — In 

 biology we find notes on the nucleoli in the envelopes of some 

 Protozoa, the mieline in Infusoria, the fresh-water Rhizopods of 

 Lombardy. 



Ze'Uschrift fiir Wissenschaftliche Zoolooie, vol. xxvii.. Part 2. — 

 Prof. Selenka opens this number with a very interesting con- 

 tribution to the embryology of the Ilolothurians, accompanied by 

 beautiful figures. He describes the early stages of Holothuria 

 tnbulosa and Cucumaria doliolum. Among his conclusions may 

 be mentioned the following :— The mesoderm arises entirely out 

 of the entoderm j the mesoderm gives off motile cells from which 

 the subcutaneous circular muscles, the primary alimentary canal, 

 and parts of the internal skeleton are formed ; the first-named 

 species undergoes complete, the second incomplete metamorphosis ; 

 the transformation of Echinoderm larvoe can only be regarded as 

 metamorphosis, not as alternation of generations. —Prof. Sa- 

 lensky, of Kasan, contributes a monograph of the development 

 of Salpa democratica, from fecundation to the establishment of all 

 ihe organs. At the conclusion of his paper he discusses the 

 evidence which embryology affords as to the true position of the 

 Salpce. He shows that they lack the provisional organs as well 

 as the mantle and foot, found in all moUusca. The cellulose test 

 is in no way homologous with the molluscan mantle. The respira- 

 tory cavity is simply a differentiated part of the alimentary canal. 

 The author considers the Vermes also to be nearer the Mollusca 



than the Salpa;, by reason of the provisional organs of many of 

 their embryos. He emphasises the differences between the deve- 

 lopment of the Salpie and the Ascidians, and, allowing that the 

 viviparous reproduction of the Salpre may account for much, he 

 thinks that we are still considerably in the dark on the matter. 

 He makes no allusion to the hypothesis that the lunicata may 

 be degenerate Vertebrates. — Ernst Zeller gives an account of 

 the anatomy and life history oi Polystotnum inte^errimum, a Ne- 

 matode worm which inhabits the urinary bladder of frogs in its 

 adult condition, and is found in the respiratory cavity of tadpoles 

 during its larval state. Migration takes place through the ali- 

 mentary canal of the host when the frog has undergone its meta- 

 morphosis ; some individuals become sexual while in the respi- 

 ratory cavity ; these do not migrate, are short-lived, and do not 

 appear to mature their eggs. 



Gegenbaurs' Morphologisches yahrbuch, vol. ii., Part I. — Dr. 

 von Ihering, of Gottingen, has an important article on Gastero- 

 pods, expounding the structure of the opislhobranchiate Tdhys 

 leporina, and making deductions equally unfavourable to the 

 views of Prof. Huxley on morphology, anl of Haeckel on 

 phylogeny. He sees no ground for believing that the larval 

 velum is the fore part of the epipodium, and expresses his asto- 

 nishment that Prof. Huxley's paper on the morphology of the 

 cephalous mollusca should be deemed authoritative. Haeckel's 

 dogmatic system of phylogeny is stated to be not in accord with 

 facts as regards the mollusca. The author believes that the 

 prosobranchiate Gasteropods are derived from segmented worms, 

 the opisthobranchiates from flat worms. — R. Hertwig endeavours 

 to unify the differences in the structure, behaviour, and mode of 

 formation of nuclei. — A brief contribution on the Coelenterata, 

 by G. v. Koch, is noticeable as describing a mesoderm in Hali- 

 sarca. — Dr. W. Rolph has a long account of Amphioxus, in- 

 creasing its abundant literature by nearly eighty pages, illustrated 

 by three plates. He claims to have made it clear that its ' ' body 

 cavity," formed by the downgrowth of lateral lobes, is a respi- 

 ratory cavity, homologous with the perivisceral chamber of as- 

 cidians, with the respiratory cavity of the tadpole, and the gill- 

 cavity of syrnbranchii. He strongly objects to the identification 

 of this chamber with the proper body-cavity of Vertebrata. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 

 London 

 Entomological Society, October 4. — Sir Sidney Smith 

 Saunders, C.M.G., vice-president, in the chair.— M. Alfred 

 Preudhomme de Borre, secretary of the Belgian Entomological 

 Society, was elected a foreign member. — Mr. Bond exhibited 

 varieties of Hepiahcs htitnuh and Epunda lunuUnta, and also 

 specimens of the new Tortrix [Sericoris irriquana), all taken 

 near Loch Laggan by Mr. N . Cooke. —Mr. Forbes exhibited a 

 weevil (evidently not indigenous to Britain) taken alive among 

 some orchids at Highgate. Mr. Pascoe pronounced it to be a 

 species of C/iolus, a. South American genus, for which he pro- 

 posed the name of C. Forbestt.— Mr. W. Cole exhibited numerous 

 bred specimens of Eunomos angularia, showing differences in 

 coloration according as the larvse had been fed on oak, hawthorn, 

 lime, or lilac. — Mr. Enock exhibited microscopic slides contain- 

 ing some beautiful preparations of minute species of Hymenop- 

 tera. — Mr. Frederick Smith communicated " Descriptions of new 

 species of Cryptoceridae belonging to the genera Cryptocerus, 

 Meranoplus, and Caianlaciis," accompanied by figures of the 

 several species. The author gave some interesting particulars 

 relative to the habits of these insects, especially of Meranoplus 

 intrudens, which constructs its formicarium in the thorns of a 

 species of Acacia. These thorns were some 4 or 5 inches in 

 length, and at a distance of about half an inch from the pointed 

 end, a small round hole was made for ingress and egress to and 

 from the nest. The thorns contained a kind of spongy pith in 

 which the channels and chambers of the nest were constructed. 

 —A catalogue of the British Hemiptera (Heteroptera and 

 Homoptera) compiled by Messrs. J. W. Douglas and John 

 Scott, published by the Society, was on the table. 



Manchester 



Literary and Philosophical Society, October 3.— Rev. 



William Gaskell in the chair.— On the action of water and saline 



solutions upon lead, Part 2, by M. M. Pattison Muir, F.R.S.E., 



Assistant Lecturer on Chemistry, Owens College. It appears 



