Dec. 12, 1889] 



NA TURE 



14; 



spending compounds of the lepiden series in the relation of 

 triphenyl derivatives of furfuran to tetraphenyl derivatives, a 

 relation which is exhibited in the fitst place by dibenzoylstyro- 

 lene and oxylepiden themselves. Like "acicular oxylepiden," 

 dibenzoylstyrolene yields two isomeric derivatives on heating ; 

 the isomeride formed in larger quantity in each case is almost 

 certainly a derivative of crotolactone, whilst the isomeride 

 formed in smaller quantity is probably a stereometric isomeride 

 of "acicular lepiden" and dibenzoylstyrolene respectively. — 

 Ethylic aoj-diacetyladipate, by Pr^f. \V. H. Perkin.— (i : 2) 

 methylethylpentamethylene, by Dr. T. R. Marshall and Prof. 

 W. H. Perkin. — Action of reducing agents on a-codiacetyl- 

 pentane ; formation of (l : 2) niethylethylhexamethylene, by 

 Dr. F. S. Kipping and Prof. W. H. Perkin. — Action of 

 reducing agents on a-co-diacetylpentane ; formation of (i : 2) 

 dimethylheptamethylene, by the same. — Oxyamidosul'phonates 

 and their conversion into hyponitrites, by Dr. E. Divers, 

 F. R. S. , and Mr. T. Haga. The oxyamidosulphonates are the 

 sulphazidates of Fremy, which Claus and Raschig have shown 

 to be monosulphonic derivatives of hydroxylamine. The auihors 

 find that these compounds on treatment with alkali, instead of 

 yielding hydroxylamine and the alkaline sulphate as asserted by 

 Claus and Raschig, and as it is admitted they do when hydro- 

 lyzed by an acid, are converted exclusively into sulphite and 

 hyponitrite, thus, 2HO . NH . SOgK - 4KHO = (KON).> + 

 2K0SO:, + 4H.,0. The reducing action of the oxyamido- 

 sulphonates has been examined, and it is found that the generally 

 accepted view that it is due to the supposed conversion of these 

 salts into sulphate and hydroxylamine, the latter then acting 

 upon the copper hydroxide in the usual way, is untenable. — The 

 alloys of lead, tin, zinc, and cadmium, by Mr. ^\. P. Laurie. 

 In extension of his previous observations (Trans. Chem. Soc. , 

 1888, 88), the author has made voltaic cells with the various 

 alloys, and has thus compared their behaviour with that of the 

 single metal by means of an electrometer. He concludes that 

 the metals now examined do not combine together, thus con- 

 firming Matthiessen's conclusions. 



November 21.— Dr. \V. J. Russell, F.R.S., President, 

 in the chair. — The following papers were read : — The law 

 of the freezing-points of solutions, by Mr. S. U. Pickering. 

 — The constituents of flax, by Messrs. C. F. Cross and E. J. 

 Bevan. As a result of their examination of the cuticular con- 

 stituents of the fibre, the authors have isolated ceryl alcohol, 

 two fatty acids, of which one appears to be cerotic acid, an oily 

 ketone, and a residue of complex, ill-defined, inert compounds 

 yielding " ketones" on hydrolysis. These " ketones " have the 

 characteristic odour of raw flax and flax goods, and from their 

 property of emulsifying with water undoubtedly exercise an im- 

 portant influence on the wet processes of fine spinning of flax. 

 The pectic group of constituents associated with the cellulose in 

 the fibre proper is found to yield mucic acid on oxidation with 

 dilute nitric acid, and flax cellulose when oxidized with potas- 

 sium permanganate yields, in addition to oxycellulose and oxalic 

 acid, |acid substances from which furfural is obtained on acid 

 hydrolysis. — Acetylcarbinol (acetol), by Prof. W. H. Perkin and 

 Dr. J. B. Tingle. The authors announce the preparation of 

 anhydrous acetylcarbinol. 



Zoological Society, November 19. — Prof. W. H. Flower, 

 F.R.S., President, in the chair. — The Secretary read a report on 

 the additions that had been made to the Society's Menagerie during 

 the month of October 1889, and called special attention to the 

 arrival of a young male Gaur {Bibos gatirtis) from Pahang, one 

 of the native States in the Malay Peninsula, presented to the 

 Society by Sir Cecil C. Smith, the Governor of the Straits 

 Settlement. — The President exhibited and made remarks on a 

 head of an African Rhinceros {Rliiiwcoos bicornis) with a third 

 posterior horn partially developed. The animal from which it 

 was taken had been shot by Sir John Willoughbey, in Eastern 

 Africa. — The Secretary exhibited a skin of an albino variety of 

 the Cape Mole- Rat (6Vw7t/«« capcnsis), forwarded to the Society 

 by the Rev. G. H. R. Fisk, of Cape Town.— Mr, A. Smith- 

 Woodward exhibited and made remarks on a portion of the 

 rostrum of an extinct Saw- fish {Sclerorbynclms) from the chalk 

 of Mount Lebanon. — Mr. Goodwin exhibited and made remarks 

 on specimens of some rare Paradise Birds obtained by him on 

 Mount Owen Stanley, New Guinea, when in company with Sir 

 William Macgregor's recent expedition ; also some photographs 

 taken on the same occasion. — A communication was read from 

 the Rev. Thomas R. R. Stebbing and Mr. David Robertson 

 containing the descriptions of four new British Amphipodous 



Crustaceans. These were named Sopkrosyne lo'iertsoni, Syirlio^ 

 Ji)nb)-/ata, Fodoceropiis, pahnatus, and IWoccrus cttmbrcnsis. 

 Of these, Sophrosy)tc robcrlsoiii belonged to a genus first of>- 

 served at Kerguelen Island. — Mr. G. W. Butler read a paper 

 on the subdivison of the body-ca\i;y in Lizards. Crocodiles, 

 and Birds, in which an attempt was made to analyze the coui- 

 plex conditions of the membranes observable in the last two 

 groups, and to express ihem in terms of the simpler structures 

 found in the Lizards. — Mr. J. IT. Leech read the third part of 

 his pnpir on the Lepidoplera of Japan and Corea, comprising 

 an account of the A'octiiic and Dcitoidic ; in all upwards of 475 

 species. Of these forty-six were now described as new to 

 science, and two others were considered to be varietal forms. 

 — Mr. R. Lydekker read a paper on the remains of aTheriodont 

 Reptile from the Karoo System of the Orange Free State. The 

 remains described were an associated series of vertebra: and 

 limb-bones of a comparatively large Theriodnnt, which was 

 probably different from any described form. The humerus was 

 of the normal Theriodont type, and quite distinct from the one 

 on Iwhich the genus Propappiis had been fonnded, which the 

 author considered to belong to a form closely alli-.'d to, if not 

 generically identical with, Pariasaurus. — Mr. G. B. Sowerby 

 read the descriptions of thirteen new or rare species of Land- 

 Shells from various localities. —A communication was read from 

 Mr. Edward A. Minchin containing an account of the mode of 

 attachment of the embryos to the oral arms of Avirlia aitrita. 

 It was shown that the embryos of Aitrelia aitrita are developed 

 on the arms, in broad capsules formed as evaginations of the 

 walls of the oral groove, and that the capsules increase in size 

 with the addition of more embryos. 



Linnean Society, November 2T. — Mr. W. Carruthers,. 

 F.R.S., President, in the chair. — Prof. Duncan exhibited and 

 made remarks on a stem of Ilyalonciita Sieboldii, dredged be- 

 tween Aden and Bombay, a remarkable position, inasmuch as- 

 this Glass Sponge had not previously been met with in any 

 waters west of the Indian Peninsula. Prof Stewart criticized 

 the occurrence, and referred to a parasite on the .Sponge which 

 had been found to be identical with one from the Japanese seas. 

 — Mr. James Groves exhibited and gave i-ome account of a new 

 Briti>h Chara, Nitella batrachiospcrma, which had been collected 

 in the Island of Harris. — Mr. Thomas Christy exhibited some 

 bark of Qiiillaia saponaria from ChUi, v.'hich has the property of 

 producing a great lather, and is extensively used for washing silk 

 and wool. It is now found to solidify hydrocarbon oils and. 

 benzoline, and thereby to insure their safe transport on long, 

 voyages ; a small infusion of citric acid rendering them again 

 liquid. — Dr. F. Walker exhibited and made remarks on some 

 plants collected by him in Ireland. — Mr. W. Hachett Jackson 

 gave an abstract of an elaborate paper on the external anatomical 

 characters distinctive of sex in the chrysalis, and on .the develop- 

 ment of the azygos evident in Vanessa lo. — Mr. E. B. Poulton 

 followed by giving a resume of his researches on the external 

 morphology of the Lepidopterous pupa. — Mr. J. H. Leech gave 

 an account of some new Lepidoptera from Central China. 



Paris. 

 Academy of Sciences, December 2. — M. Hermite in the 

 chair. — On the fermentation of stable manure, by M. Tb.. 

 Schlcesing. A series of experiments has been cairied out by 

 the author for the purpose of ascertaining whether, during fer- 

 mentation under cover from the air, the manure of farmyards 

 liberates nitrogen, as it is known to liberate a mixture of car- 

 bonic acid and methane. He finds that at the temperature of 

 52° C. no gaseous nitrogen is generated from the decompo;i.:on 

 of nitric compounds ; nor is any nitric combination formed by 

 oxidation of ammonia in presence of organic substances. The 

 organic matter loses more carbon than oxygen, the propor- 

 tion of hydrogen remaining about the same. The reading of 

 the paper was followed by some remarks by M. Berthelot on 

 the same subject. — Remarks on the diastases secreted by Bacillus 

 liemi)icerolnophilns, by M. Arloing. These re^earches show that 

 under artificial cultivation this organism secretes several soluble 

 ferments, enabling it to prejjare for assimilation all the organic 

 substances needed for the nutrition and development of a living 

 being; and that amongst these ferments, or associated with 

 them, there is one that transforms the organic matter, while 

 liberating gases — that is, exercises a fund 0.1 hitherto attribi.te-l 

 to the micro-organisms themselves, and not to their secretions. — 

 Verbal rcpt rt on the work of E. I). Suess, entitled " Das Antlkz 

 der Erde," vols. i. and ii., 1885 and 18S8, by M. Daubree. 

 This fundamental treatise on the constitution of the earth is here 



