38o 



NA TURE 



\March 9, 1876 



planets, made at the Observatory of Greenwich (sent by the Astro- 

 nomer Royal) and at the Observatory of Paris, during the fourth 

 quarter of 1875, by M. Leverrier. — Theorems relative to the dis- 

 placement of a plane figure, two points of which [glide in two 

 curves of any order and class, by M. Chasles. — Remarks on the 

 laws of storms, by M. Faye. The older meteorology places the 

 origin of great atmospheric movements in the lower layers, the 

 new meteorology traces them to upper currents of the region of 

 cirrhus. — On fire-damp, by M. Fayc. Instead of trying to sup- 

 press all causes of ignition (which is evidently impracticable, and 

 has for result the allowing of large quantities of gas to accumu- 

 mulate till an explosion comes), would it not be well to supply 

 the ceilings of the galleries with small open lamps every ten or 

 twenty metres, so as to constantly burn the gas as it was pre- 

 sented ? M. Berthelot gave some reasons against this method. — 

 On the rotatory power of styrolene.by M. Berthelot. — On the in- 

 variability of great axes of the orbits of planets, by M. Tisse- 

 rand. — Report on an apparatus of M. Vinot for recognising 

 stars. — On the principles whicH ought to govern the construction 

 of common lodgments (for men and animals), by M. Toilet. 

 Outline of memoir. Barracks constructed, under the author's 

 directions, for the eighth Army Corps, have realised an economy 

 over the old system, of 300 francs per man, and 50 to 60 francs 

 per horse, or 600,000 to 800,000 francs per regiment. — On the 

 coefficient of dilatation of the air under atmospheric pressure, by 

 MM, Mendeleeff and Kaiander. The most probable number is 

 a = o 0036843, or about ->i^\% instead of t^^^, which has been 

 adopted hitherto. — On some remarkable points in magnets, by 

 M. Blondlot. If a very short magnetic needle, supported at its 

 centre of gravity, be carried along near the suiface of a magnet, 

 then among its varying directions, those normal to the surface of 

 the magnet are remarkable ; the points to which they correspond 

 M. Blondlot terms orthogonal points. One property of these 

 points is that if a small magnetic body be placed at one of them, 

 more mechanical work will be required to remove it from 

 there to an infinite distance, than if it had been placed at any 

 other neighbouring point on the surface of the magnet. Another 

 property : the positions of equilibrium of a small magnetic body 

 in relation to a magnet are precisely the orthogonal points. — 

 Composition of the dark matter that is obtained in calcining 

 ferrocyanide of potassium, by M. Terrell. It is a mixture con- 

 taining, in minute division, cast-iron, magnetic oxide of iron, free 

 carbons, and a small quantity of cyanide of potassium. — On the 

 formation of anhydrous acids of the fatty and the aromatic series, by 

 the action of phosphoric acid on their hydrates, by MM. Gal and 

 Etard. — On the products of the action of chloride of lime on 

 amines, by M. Tschemiak. — Reply to the reclamation of M. 

 Plateau, on the subject of digestion of insects, by M. Jousset. 

 M. Jousset disputes M. Plateau's statement that in insects in the 

 normal state, the digestive juices are all alkaline or neutral, never 

 acid ; also that the liquid secreted by the gastric coecums acts on 

 starch but not on albuminoid substances. — INI. Husson gave de- 

 tails of a process for testing, by means of sulphate of soda, the 

 resistance of stones to frost. — M. Beyris described a convenient 

 syphon, which consists of a caoutchouc tube ; one end has a 

 valve opening inwards, the other a stop-cock. The tube, 

 stretched straight, is filled with liquid and the cock closed ; you 

 then put the valve end in the liquid, curve the tube, and open 

 the cock. 



Feb. 28. — Vice-Admiral Paris in the chair. — The following 

 papers were read : — On the explosion of powder, by M. Ber- 

 thelot. The chemical transformation is expressible, in every 

 case, by a simultaneous system of very simple equations.— 

 Researches on a sulphate which seems to contain a new 

 oxide of manganese, by M. Fremy. — On the influence of 

 mould on the nitrification of azotised substances of organic 

 origin, employed as manures, by M. Boussingault, In sand 

 and chalk there was little nitrification ; it was in mould 

 already nitrifiable, that all the azotised organic matters deve- 

 loped most nitric acid and least ammonia. ^ — On fire-damp, 

 by M. Faye. The ascent of the light protocarburetted hydro- 

 gen to the upper parts, takes place immediately, and it would 

 there be burnt without danger. M. Berthelot replied. — On 

 the methods of meteorology, by M. Sainte-Claire Deville. — 

 Proposal made by Bouguer, in 1726, for obtaining from the 

 log-books of all ships, by professors of hydrography, information 

 useful to navigation, by M. de la Gournerie. — M. Dupuy de 

 Lome, in presenting a work by M. Ledieu, " Les Nouvelles 

 Machines Marines," recommended it for the application made 

 of the mechanical theory of heat, to comparative examination 



of new engines. — Report on the memoir published by Messrs. 

 Noble and Abel, " Researches on explosives, fired gunpowder." 

 — Report on a memoir of M. Alb. LePlay, on a system of irri- 

 gation of meadows by means of rain-water in the mountainous 

 and impermeable strata of Limousin. — Note on the meridian 

 circle of the imperial observatory of Rio de Janeiro, by M. Liais. 

 — The heart experiences at each phase of its revolution changes 

 of temperature which modify its excitability. Note by M. Marey. 

 The cooling corresponds to the phase of less excitability. — 

 On the oil of Elseococca, and on its solid modification produced 

 by the action of li^ht, by M. Cloez. — Means of preventing 

 explosions of fire-damp, by the employment, a tergo, of com- 

 pressed air, by M. Buisson. He would convey pure compressed 

 air in pipes to the bottom of the mine, and drive the vitiated 

 air outwards. — Note on the tracing of gearings by arcs of 

 a circle ; improvement on the method of Willis, by M, 

 Leaute. — On some combinations of titanium (second note), 

 by MM. Friedel and Guerin. This Ireats of the oxychlo- 

 ride and the sesquioxide. — On sulpho-phenylurea, by M, 

 de Clermont. — On the antiseptic properties of borax, by M. 

 Schnetzler. The body of a horse which had lain four months in 

 a layer of borax earth in California, was quite fresh and odour- 

 less, the pupil clear and bright, the hair supple and well attached. 

 — Reply to M. Glenard's last note on the r6le of carbonic acid in 

 the phenomenon of spontaneous coagulation of the blood, by 

 MM, Mathieu and Urbain. — On the reducing sugar of raw sugars, 

 by M. Miinlz. — Note on a new genus of fossil Entomostraca from 

 the carboniferous system of Saint Etienne {Palceocypri" Edwardsii), 

 by M. Ch. Brongniart. — On the half November oscillation in 

 America, by M. Hinrichs. This is as well marked, from Iowa 

 up to Newfoundland as in Europe and Algeria. Curves are 

 given. — On the manufacture of superphosphates destined for 

 agriculture, by M. Millot, The retrogradation of these, after 

 their ordinary preparation, is due to the presence, in tlie natural 

 phosphates, of sesquioxides, and especially of sesquioxide of iron. 

 — On movement in the hairs and foliar laciniations of Drosera 

 rotundifolia and in the leaves of Pinguicula vulgaris, by M. 

 Meckel. This refers to the action of chloroform and sulphuric 

 ether placed near the plant under a bell jar. The effect was at 

 first irritant, but, where the dose was not too strong {e.g., three 

 drops of chloroform) the organs soon returned to a state of repose. 

 The jar having been removed, it took eighteen minutes, in this 

 case in open air, for the irritability to be removed. — Meteoric 

 combustions, by M. De Fonvielle. He suggests a method of 

 ascertaining aerostatically the amount of dust m a given layer of 

 air. At the end of a pole is placed a surface of some square 

 decimetres, held horizontal, one of the sides covered with very 

 pure glycerine. Let H be the vertical height traversed by the 

 aerostat, S the sticky surface in square decimetres, and p the 

 weight of dust received. The amount in a cubic metre will be 



•^-— -— — — Reclamation of priority concerning the mechanism 



H 

 of an electric lamp, presented by M. Girouard. 



CONTENTS Pagk 



Caroline Herschel. By Rev. T. W. Webb 361 



Moresby's "New Guinea AND Polynesia" 363 



Our Book Shelf : — 



Houghton's "Sketches of British Insects" 365 



Vincent's " Year Book of Facts " 365 



Lbtters to the Editor : — 



Prof, von Siebold and the Freshwater Fishes of England.— Prof. 



E. Ray Lankester, F.R.S 366 



Seasonal Flower Distribution and the Radiometer Vagaries. — Wm. 



ACKROYD ... , 366 



D-line Spectra.— Major W. A. Ross 366 



The Screw- Propeller in Nature — Alfred George Renshav.- . . 367 



The Migration of Species. — Rev. M. Dasent 367 



The Three Kingdoms of Natu/e. — Nursery? 367 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



The Variable Star ^ Persei (Algol) 367 



Conjunction of Jupiter and ^ Scorpii 1 368 



Note on Biela's Comet 368 



The New Ger.man Scientific Expedition to the Oi;i 368 



University Reform 368 



Science and Art in Ireland 370 



Scientific Instructio.n and the Advancement of Science . . 371 

 Pm-siCAL Science in Schools. By James M. Wilson ; William A. 



Tilden : ■ • 37' 



Priwcifal Characters of the Dinocerata [With Illustration) . 374 



Notes 374 



Anniversary Address of the President of the Roval Geo- 

 logical Society, John Evans, F.R.S , II 376 



Scientific Serials 378 



Sociktiks and Academies •. . • 379 



