102 



NA TURE 



[December 23, 1897 



parallax of stars of different magnitude. — Prof. Hubrecht pre- 

 sented for publication in the Proceedings a paper by Dr. G. C. J. 

 Vosmaer, of Utrecht, entitled " On the retrograde development 

 of the blood-vessels in the omentum of the rabbit," and showed 

 by means of camera sketches of the omen of rabbits (nesv-born, 

 one day, four days, eight days) that Ranvier's " cellules or 

 reseaux vasoformatifs " are the last remnants of a process of 

 retrograde development of vascular tissues in this membrane. — 

 Prof. Bakhuis Roozeboom on an inquiry made by Dr. Mohr into 

 the behaviour of solutions of NH4Cl-f- FeCIji, on crystallising out. 

 Besides the well-known double salt FeCl3.2NH4Cl. HaOiD,), there 

 weredetected : FeClj,.NH4Cl(D2)and aFeCls NH4Cl.4H20(D3). 

 They were obtained by a new method of evaporation at a 

 constant temperature in a desiccator under the microscope. 

 Some solutions, which precipitate Dj on evaporation, dissolve it 

 again, when the evaporation is prolonged. The mixed crystals, 

 which can also be precipitated from certain solutions, probably 

 contain Fe as Dj. — On behalf of Dr. Cohen the speaker made a 

 communication to the effect that the irregularities observed in 

 the Weston- element (Clarke's, with the substitution of cadmium 

 for zinc) had been found to be caused by a transformation which 

 solid cadmium sulphate undergoes at 13°. It suffices to heat 

 the element a little above this temperature to restore its normal 

 behaviour. — Prof, van Bemmelen presented, on behalf of Dr. 

 Klobbie, a paper on equilibrium in the water-ether, water- 

 malonic acid and ether-malonic acid systems, and the isotherm 

 of the water-ether-malonic acid system at 15°.— Prof, van der 

 Waals communicated, on behalf of Dr. P. Zeeman, a third paper 

 on doublets and triplets produced by external magnetic forces. 

 Dr. Zeeman, working with a Rowland grating, has succeeded in 

 photographing the outer components of the magnetic triplet, 

 the light of the central component being quenched by means of 

 a Nicol. The negatives obtained in this manner, and specimens 

 of which were shown at the meeting, are particularly adapted 

 for measurements concerning the magnetic change. Measure- 

 ments of one of the blue cadmium lines have given for elm the 

 •value 2, 410''. The experiments are being continued. — His 

 inquiries into the action of nitric acid upon methyl amides have 

 occasioned Prof. Franchimont to study also the action of nitric i 

 acid upon methyl niiramines, and he has found that even ■ 

 below o' nitrous oxide and methyl nitrate are formed nearly 

 -quantitatively, which is more easily deduced from the formula 



CH3.N— NOH 

 CH3.NH.NO2 than from \/ . Methyl nitramine does 



O 

 not produce blue, violet, or green colorations with ferric 

 chloride, though under certain circumstances a reddish-brown 

 ferric salt may be obtained from it. Prof. Franchimont further 

 presented, on behalf of Mr. P. van Romburgh, a paper on the 

 occurrence of certain volatile products in tropical plants. Mr. 

 van Romburgh has already examined more than 900 genera and 

 found methyl alcohol in many of them, acetone in some of 

 them, but methyl salicylate in many more of them, viz. in 

 18 per cent, of the number examined. Sometimes it occurs 

 together with prussic acid. The volatile reducing substance 

 •described by Reinke and Curtius was also often detected and 

 obtained as a liquid from indigo, rameh, and the leaves of sugar- 

 cane. — I'rof. Lorentz on the question of the relative motion of 

 the earth and the ether. Remarks on a recent memoir by Prof. 

 A. A. Michelson {Ainer. /ourn. of Science, ser. 4, vol. iii. 

 p. 475). The author discusses the assumptions that are neces- 

 sary in the theory of aberration. — Prof. Stokvis presented the 

 dissertations of Mr. J. Keyzer, entitled " Ueber Haemato- 

 porphyrin im Harn," and of Mr. J. de Hartogh, jun., entitled 

 " Ueber Peptonurie und den Nachweis des Peptons im Harn," 

 and added some oral elucidations. 



New South Wales. 

 Royal Society, October 6.— The President, Hehry Deane, 

 in the chair. — Note on mutilations practised by Australian 

 aborigines, by T. L. Bancroft. The paper dealt with the 

 object of the " Mika" or " Kulpi" operation of the Australian 

 aborigines. — On a cordierile-bearing rock from Broken Hill, 

 by J. Collett Moulden. This is believed to be the first time that 

 cordierite has been recorded in Australia. It has a somewhat 

 extensive development in the metamorphic rocks of Broken Hill, 

 and is described in detail from two parallel exposures of 

 granulitic rock about half a mile S. E. by E. from Block 14 

 Mine. The cordierite occurs in large crystals and also in grains 

 through the granulite. — Note on the occurrence of a nickeliferous 

 opal near Tanuvorth, N S. Wales, by D. A. Porter. Sevenil 



NO. 1469, VOL. 57] 



years ago a specimen of opal brought to the writer was said to 

 have been obtained in the ' ' Never-never " ranges on the head 

 waters of Attunga Creek, and not far distant from Mount 

 Gulligal, Parish of Attunga, County of Inglis. Some little 

 while ago, being in the vicinity, Mr. Porter found the locality 

 and secured a few small specimens, one of svhich he forwarded 

 to be exhibited before this Society. The mineral occurs in the 

 form of small veins in serpentine rock, and is accompanied by 

 veins of a pinkish or salmon coloured chalcedony, exhibiting a 

 porcelain-like texture and broken surfaces. — Icebergs in the 

 Southern Ocean, No. 2, by H. C. Russell, C.M.G., F.R.S. 

 This paper was prepared as a continuation of one read before the 

 Royal Society, September 4, 1895. It deals with the reports of 

 icebergs seen since the end of July 1895. One hundred and two 

 ships have reported ice in the interval ; nearly the whole of the 

 ice, so reported, was within the area enclosed between 40° and 

 86^ east longitude and 40" to 62° south latitude ; very few reports 

 of ice outside that area have been received. It was shown that 

 the Thermopylce steamed for 1000 miles amongst icebergs, and 

 that the ocean was clear one hundred to one hundred and twenty 

 miles north of this track. Some idea of the number of icebergs 

 may be gathered from the fact that the officers of one ship counted 

 977 bergs, and those of another ship 4500. This and the 

 previous paper cover a period of six years, and it was shown 

 that at times the icebergs come into, or leave the track of vessels 

 in a few days ; three instances in which there had been sudden 

 disappearances were shown to be coincident in point of time with 

 the advent in Australia and the ocean between the Cape and 

 Australia of strong north to north-west winds. 



BOOKS RECEIVED. 



Observational Astronomy : A. Mee, 2nd edition (Cardiff, Western 

 Mail). — Annuaire Astronomique, 1898 : C. Flamniarion (Paris, E. 

 Flammarion).— Catalogue of the Madreporarian Corals in the British 

 Museum (Natural History): H. M. Bernard, Vol. 3 (London).— Annals of 

 the Cape Observatory, Vols. 3, 6, 7 (Darling).— Ambroise Par6 and his 

 Times, 1510-1590; S. Paget (Putnam). — Model of a Locomotive: C. 

 Volkert, translated (Philip).— 26th At.nual Report of the Local Govern- 

 ment Board, 1896-97 (Eyre) — Solutions of the Exercises in Taylor's 

 Euclid, Books vi -xi. : W. W. Taylor (Cambridge University Press).— Ele- 

 ments of the Mathematical Theory of Electricity and Magnetism : Prof. J. 

 J. Thomson, 2nd edition (Cambridge University Press). — The Steam 

 Engine and other Heat Engines : Prof. J. A. Ewing, 2nd edition (Cam- 

 bridge University Press). 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



The Growth of Geological Ideas. By Prof. T. 



McKenny Hughes, F.R.S 169 



The Two Bonds. By Dr. William J. S. Lockyer . 171 

 Our Book Shelf:— 



Mill : " Hints to Teachers and Students on the Choice 



of Geographical Books for Reference and Reading" 172 

 Manaceine : "Sleep: its Physiology, Pathology, 



Hygiene and Psychology" . 172 



" Lessons from Life, Animal and Human." — L. C. M. 172 

 "All about Animals, for Old and Young." — R. L. . 172 

 Letters to the Editor: 



Transpiration into a Space Saturated with Water. — 



Dr. Henry H. Dixon I73 



The Zeeman Effect Photographed. — Thomas 



Preston I73 



The Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly in December.— W. 



F. Kirby i73 



Nyasa-Land, (Illustrated.) I74 



Christmas Mummers. By Laurence Gomme . . . 175 



Notes 177 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



New Double Stars i79 



New Variable Stars I79 



Variations in the Spectrum of Nebula in Orion . . . 180 



Winnecke's Periodic Comet 180 



Kekule Memorial Lecture 180 



Recent Researches on Terrestrial Magnetism. 

 II. (With Diagrams.) By Prof. A. W. Rucker, 



F.R.S 180 



Mr. Merrifield's Experiments on the Relation of 

 Temperature to Variation. (Illustrated.) By Dr. 



F. A. Dixey 184 



University and Educational Intelligence 188 



Scientific Serials 189 



Societies and Academies 189 



Books Received 192 



