144 



NA TURE 



\Pec. 12, 1889 



<lescribed as a summary of the facts already established regard- 

 ing the geology of the various parts of the globe, the essential 

 features of its present mountain ranges and depressions, and 

 the successive movements of the terrestrial crust of which these 

 are the outcome. The work marks a new departure in the 

 progress of physical geography. — Observations of Swift's new 

 ■comet made with the Brunner equatorial at the Observatory of 

 Toulouse, by M. B. Baillaud ; and with the large equatorial at 

 the Observatory of Bordeaux, by MM. G. Rayet and Picart. 

 All these observations, extending from November 21 to Novem- 

 ber 27, give the same results : comet very faint and greatly 

 diffused, making observations very difficult. Tables are also 

 given of observations made at Algiers by MM. Trepied, Ram- 

 baud, Sy, and Renaux, during the same period. — Mechanical 

 realization of thermodynamic phenomena, by M. Chaperon. 

 Purely mechanical systems may be conceived, which present a 

 striking analogy to heat-engines in respect of their influence on 

 finite movements. The author here describes one of these 

 systems, which is distinguished by its extreme simplicity. — 

 On the correspondence between the characteristic equations of 

 gases, by M. Ladislas Natanson. The author here shows that 

 Wroblewski s posthumous memoir, published by the. Vienna 

 Academy in November 1888, forms a natural complement 

 to Van der Waal's law that at absolute, that is, correspond- 

 •iiig temperatures proportional to the critical temperatures of 

 the different bodies, the pressures, P, of their saturated vapours 

 are proportional to the respective critical pressures. — Method 

 of measuring the spheric and chromatic aberrations of the 

 ■objectives of the microscope, by M, C. J. A. Leroy. Findine 

 in an artificial eye certain effects connected with the aberra- 

 tions of sphericity and refrangibility, the author has applied the 

 method known as " Cuignet's keratoscopy " to the study of the 

 aberrations of the eye, and of the objectives of the microscope. 

 His present observations are confined to the objectives alone. — 

 On the electric conductivity of the Eiffel Tower and its con- 

 ductors, by M. A. Terquem. It is shown that the tower with 

 its complete system of lightning conductors, constructed under 

 the direction of MM. Becquerel, Berger and Ma?cart, is 

 calculated to afford perfect security for a considerable space 

 round about. — Fresh researches on the preparation and den- 

 sity of fluorine, by M. Henri Moissan. — Papers were sub- 

 mitted by M. Daniel Berthelot, on the electric conductivities 

 and multiple affinities of aspartic acid ; by MM. E. Jungfleisch 

 ■and L. Grimbert, on some facts relative to the analysis of sugars ; 

 by M. G Colin, on the varying effects of virulent sub^^tances 

 used for inoculating animals ; by M. P. Fliche, on the silicified 

 woods of Algeria; by M. Stanislas Meunier, on the Phu-Hong 

 ■meteorite, with remarks on the limerick type ; and by M. 

 Leon Teisserenc de Bort, on the distribution of atmospheric 

 pressure over the surface of the globe. 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 

 London. 



THURSDAY, December 12. 



Rival Society, at 4.30. — The Relation of Physiological Action to Atomic 

 Weight : Miss H. J. Johnstone anJ Prof. T. Carnelley. — An Experimen al 

 Investigation into the Arrangement of the Excitable Fibres of the Internal 

 Capsule of the Bonnet Monkey (Macacus sinicus) : Dr. P.eevor and Prof. 

 V. Horsley, F.R.S. — On the Effect of the Spectrum on the Haloid Salts 

 of Silver: Capt. Abney, F.R.S. , and O. S. Edwards. — Magnetic 

 Properties of Alloys of Nickel and Iron : Dr. Hopkinson, F.R.S 



M VTHKMATICAL SociHTV, at 8. — On the Radial Vibrations of a Cylindrical 

 Shell : A. B. Basset, F.R.S.— Note on 5iS40-Group : G. G. Morrice.— On 

 the Flexure of an' Elastic Plate: Prof. H. Lamb, F.R.S.— Notes on a 

 Plane Cubic and a Conic : R. A. Roberts. — Complex Multiplication 

 ]\Ioduli of Elliptic Functions for the Determinants - 53 and - 61 : Prof. 

 G. B. Math.ws. 



Institution of Electrical Engineers, at 8. — Annual General Meeting. 

 — Election of Council and Officers for 1890. — Electrical Engineering in 

 America : G. L. Addenbrooke. (Discussion.) 



FRIDAY, December 13. 



RovAL Astronomical Society, at 8. 



•Quekett Microscopical Club, at 8. 



iNSTiTUll >N OF Civil Engineeks, at 7.30.— Hydraulic Station and Ma- 

 chinery of the North London Railway, Poplar : John Hale. 



SATURDAY, December 14. 

 Royal Botanic Society, at 3.45. 



SUNDAY, December 15. 

 Sunday Lecture Society, at 4. — The Geology of London (with Oxy- 

 hydrogen Lantern Illustrations) : Rev. J. F. Blake. 



MONDAY, December 16. 

 Society of Arts, at 8. — Modem Developments of Bread-making : William 



Jago. 

 Aristotelian Society, at 8. — Symposium— Is there Evidence of Design 



in Nature?: S. Alexander, Dr. Gildea, Miss Naden, G.J. Romanes. 



TUESDAY, December 17. 



Royal Statistical Society, at 7.45. — Accumulations of Capital in the 

 United Kingdom in 1875-85 (with reference to a Paper read in 1878): 

 Dr. Robert Giffen. 



Institution of Civil Enginerrs, at 8. — On tVie Triple-Expansion Engines 

 and Engine Trials at the Whitworth Engineering Laboratory, Owens 

 College, Manchester: Prof Osborne Reynolds, F.R.S. (Discussion.) 1 



University College Biological Society, at 5.15. — Amphioxus : C. E. 

 Franck. 



WEDNESDAY, December 18 



S >ciety of Arts, at 8. — London Sewage: Sir Robert Rawlinson. K.C. B. 



GsoLOGiCAL Society, at 8. — On the Occurrence of the Genus Girvanella, 

 and Remarks on Oolitic Structure: E. Wethered, — On the Position of the 

 Westleion Beds or " Pebbly Sands " of .Suffolk to those of Norfolk, and 

 on their Extension Inland, with some Observations on the Period of the 

 Final Elevation and Denudation of the Weald and of the Thames Valley, 

 Part 2 : Prof. Joseph Prestwich, F.R.S. 



RovAL Meteorological Society, at 7. — Report of the Wind Force 

 Committee on the Factor of the Kew Pattern Robinson Anemometer : 

 drawn up by W. H. Dines — On Testing Anemometers ; W. H. Dines. — 

 On the Kamfall of the Riviera : G. J. Symons, F.R.S. — Report on the 

 Phenological Observations for 1889 : Edward Mawley. 



University College Chemical and Physical Society, at 4.30. — 

 The Magnetization of Iron and Nickel : J J. Stewart. 



THURSDAY, December 19. 



Royal Society, at 4.30. 



LiNVWAN Society, at 8. — Intensive Segregation and Divergent Evolution 

 in Land Mollusca of Oahu : Rev. John T. Gulick. — Dictopteris ; ■with 

 Remarki on the Systematic Position of the Dictyotacese : T. Johnson. 



Chemical Society, at 8.— On Frangulin : Prof Thorpe, F.R.S., and H. 

 H. Robinson. 



Zoological Society, at 4. 



BOOKS, PAMPHLETS, and SERIALS RECEIVED, 



Australia Twice Traversed, 2 vols : E. Gi'es (Low). — Physiology of 

 Bodily Exerci.se : Dr. E. Lagrange (Kegan Paul). — Linear Differential 

 Eq lations, vol. i. : Dr. T. Craig (Triibner). — Philosophy of the Steam- 

 Engine : R. H, Thurston (Triihner). — The British Journal Photographic 

 'Alm.^xnac, 1890 (Greenwood). — Absolute Measurements in Electricity and 

 Magnetism, 2nd edition: A. Gray (Macmillan). — Occasional Thoughts of 

 an Astronomer on Natu'-e and Revelation ; Rev. Dr. Pritchard (Murray). — 

 Star-Land: Sir R. S. Ball (Cassell).— The Story of Chemistry : H. W. 

 Picton (Isbister). — A Text-book of Assaying : C. Beringer and J. J. 

 Beringer (Griffin). — History and Pathjlogy of Vaccination, 2 vols.: Prof. 

 E. M. Crookshank (Lewis). 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



The Teaching of Forestry. By Sir D. Brandis, 



F.R.S. 121 



Ferrel's Theory of the Winds. By H. F. B 124 



A New Atlas of Algae. By G. M 127 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Tschermak : " Die mikroskopische Beschaffenheit der 

 Meteoriten"; Brezina and Cohen: "Die Structur 

 und Zusammensetzung der Meteoreisen " ; and Bre- 

 zina : " Die Meteoritensammlung der k. k. mineralog. 



Hofkabinetes in Wien." — L. F 127 



Williams and Lascelles : "Introduction to Chemical 



Science" 128 



Rendle : " The Cradle of the Aryans " 128 



Letters to the Editor : — 



Mr. Cope on the Causes of Variation. — Prof. E. Ray 



Lankester, F.R.S 128 



Protective Coloration of Eggs. — E. B. Titchener . 129 

 Is the Bulk of Ocean Water a Fixed Quantity ? — A, 



J. Jukes-Browne 130 



Galls.— R. McLachlan, F.R.S. ; D, Wetterhan ; 



W. Ainslie Hollis . 131 



Lum.inous Night Clouds. — Evan McLennan ... 131 



Electrical Figures. — W. B. Croft 132 



New Double Stars. By A. M. Clerke 132 



Geological Excursion to the Active and Extinct 



V Icanoes of Southern Italy 133 



Remarkable Hailstones. {Illustrated.) By G. J. 



Symons, F.R.S. 134 



Notes 135 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Objects for the Spectroscope. — A. Fowler 138 



Photometric Intensity of (joronal Light 139 



Corona of January i, 1889 139 



Minor Planet ( J 2), Victoria 139 



Comet Swift (/ 1889, November 17) 139 



Periodic Comets 139 



The Eclipse Parties 139 



Recent Indian Surveys 139 



University and Educational Intelligence 140 



Societies and Academies 140 



Diary of Societies • • . 144 



Books, Pamphlets, and Serials Received 144 



