4o8 



NATURE 



\Feb. 27, 189 



J 



it was not possible to draw a wire in this alloy, they have yielded 

 a negative coefficient of temperature. When the alloy contained 

 only a small percentage of manganese, the coefficient was very 

 small, so that such wires would be suitable for the construction 

 of standard coils. In conclusion, he described how the resist- 

 ances are measured in the Government Institute. The method 

 employed is that of compensation, and measurement of poten- 

 tials. — Dr. Jiiger announced that Dr. de Coudres, in Leipzig, 

 had succeeded in detecting a thermo-electric tension between 

 <;ompressed and uncompressed mercury. The compression was 

 produced either hydraulically or by means of its own weight 

 acting through a column of mercury. It was found possible to 

 determine with certainty the direction of the thermo-electric cur- 

 rent, and to measure its intensity for given pressures and tem- 

 peratures. The investigation is not yet completed, but Dr. de 

 Coudres hopes to be soon in a position to give a full account of 

 his experiments. 



In the report of the meeting of the Berlin Physical Society, 

 January 27 (p. 383), for Dr. Lehmann read Dr. Leman. 

 Stockholm. 



Royal Academy of Sciences, February 12.^ — Contributions 

 to the flora of the Hieracia of South-Eastern Sweden, by Herr 

 H. Dahlstedt. — On the remains of a bread-fruit tree from the 

 Cenoman strata of Greenland, by Prof. A. G. Nathorst. — Re- 

 port on researches in practical pomology and horticulture during 

 a tour in France and Germany, by Herr C. V. Hartman. — On 

 the lichens of the island of Bornholm, by Dr. P. J. Hellbom.— 

 Algae aquae dulcis exsiccatse quas distribuerunt, V. Wittrock et 

 ■O. Nordstedt, Parts 18-2 1, exhibited and demonstrated by Prof. 

 Wittrock. — The results of a determination of the rotation of the 

 sun, executed during the years 1887-89 in the Observatory of 

 Lund, by Prof. Duner. — On the influence of the duration of ex- 

 posure for a photographic image of a star, by Dr. Charlier. — 

 Experimental determination of the principal elements of a 

 divergent lens, by Dr. C. Mebius. — Derivatives of sulphur 

 urates, by Dr. Hector. — On the ^^ — ^i bromium naphlhalin 

 sulphon acid, and on the constitution of the acids which are 

 formed by the agency of conceAtraled sulphuric acid on ^• 

 •naphthylamin, by S. Forsling. — Experiments on the humidity 

 of the atmosphere, by Dr. K. H. Sohlberg. — Anatomical 

 -studies on the floral axes of diclinous Phanerogams, by Herr A. 

 Crevillius. 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 

 London. 



THURSDAY, February 27. 

 ■Royal Society, 314.30. — The Croonian Lecture — The Relations between 



Host and Parasite in certain Epidemic Diseases of Plants : Prof. H. 



Marshall Ward, F.R.S. 

 SociBTv OK Arts, at s — The Northern Shan States and the Burma-China 



Railway : William SherrifF. 

 Institution of Electrical Engineers, at 8. — The Theory of Armature 

 , Reaction in Dynamos and Motors : James Swinburne. — Some Points in 



Dynamo and Motor Design : W. B. Esson. 

 Royal Institution, at 3. — The Three Stages of Shakspeare's Art : Rev. 



Canon Ainger. 



FRIDAY, February 28. 

 Amateur Scientific Society, at 8. — Practical Coal-mining : H. S. 



Streatfeild. 

 Royal Institution, at 9. — Evolution in Music : Prof. C. Hubert H. Parry. 



SATURDAY, March i. 

 Essex Field Club, at 7. — Micro- Fungi of Epplng Forest ; how to Collect, 



Preserve, and Study Them : Dr. M. C. Cooke. 

 RovAL Institution, at 3. — Electricity and Magnetism: Right Hon. Lord 

 Rayleigh, F.R.S. 



SUNDAY, March 2. 

 'Sunday Lecture Society, at 4. — Apollonius of Tyana ; the Story of 

 his Life and Miracles : G. Wotherapoon. 



MONDAY, March 3. 

 Society of Arts, at 8. — Stereotyping : Thomas Bolas. 

 Aristotelian Society, at 8. — The Psychological Development of the 



Conceptions of Causality and Substance : G. F. Stout. 

 Victoria Institute, at 8. — Chinese Chronology: Rev. James Legge. 

 Royal Institution, at 5. — General Monthly Meeting. 



TUESDA V, March 4. 



-Zoological Society, at 8.30. — On the classification of Birds : Henry 

 Seebohm.— A Revision of the Genera of Scorpions of the Family Bathidss, 

 with Descriptions of some New Souh African Species : R. I. Pocock — On 

 some Galls from Colorado : T. D. A. Cockerell.— Report on the Insect. 

 House for 1889 : A. Thomson. 



Unstitutton of Civil Engineers, at 8. — The Hawksbury Bridge, New 

 South Wales: C. O. Barge.— The Erection of the Dufferin Bridge over 

 the Ganges at Benares : F. T. G. Walton. -rThe New Blackfriars Bridge 

 on the London, Chatham, and Dover Railway : G. E. W. Cruttwell. 



University College Biological Society, at 5 15. — A Peculiar Ferment 

 in Balan glossus : Dr. Halliburton.— The Weather Plant : Mr. Weiss. 



iRoYAL Institution, at 3. — The Post-Darwinian Period : Prof. G. J. 

 Romanes, F.R.S. 



WEDNESDA V, March s-. 



Society of Arts, at 8. — Recent Progress in British Watch and CLck 

 Making : J. Tripplin. 



EntO'viological Society, at 7. — New Longicornia from Africa: C. J. 

 Gahan. — Notes on the Lepidoptera of the Region of the Straits of Gib- 

 raltar : J. J. Walker, R N. — Some Water Beetles from Ceylon: Dr. D. 

 Sharp. — The Classification of the Pyralidina of the European Fauna : E. 

 Meyrick. — A New Species of Thymara and other Species allied to Hi- 

 mantopterus fuscinervis, Wesm. : Captain H. J. Elwes. — A Catal igue of 

 the Pryralidae of S.kkim collected by H. J. Elwes and the late Otto 

 MoUer : Pieier C. T. Snellen. 



TtiiiRSDAV March 6. 



Royal Society, at 4.30. — The following papers will probably be read: — 

 On a Second Case of the Occurrence of Silver in Volcanic Dust— namely, 

 in that thrown out in the Eruption of Tunguragua, in the Andes of Ecu.idor, 

 January 11, 1886: Prof. J. W. Mallet, F.K.S.— On the Tension of 

 Recently-formed Liquid Surfaces : Lord Rayleigh — (i) On the Develop- 

 ment of the Ciliary or Motor (Jculi Ganglion ; (2) The Cranial Nerves of 

 the Torpedo (l^reliminary Note) : Prof J. C. Ewart. 



LiNMBAN Society, at a.— On the Production of Seed in some Varieties 

 of the Commjn Sugar-Cane (Saccharum officinarum) : D. Morris.— An 

 Investigation into the True Nature of Callus ; Part i, the Vegetable 

 Marrow, and Ballia callitricha : Spencer Moore. 



RjYAL Institution, ai 3. — The Early Developments of the Forms ot 

 Instrumental Music : Frederick Niecks. 



FRIDAY, March 7. 



Physical Society, at 5.— On Bertrand's Refractometer : Prof. S. P. 

 Thompson. 



Geologists' Association, at 8. 



lN-!TiruTioN of Civil Engineers, at 7. — Telephonic Switching: C, H 

 Wordingham. 



Royal Institution, at 9.— Electrical Relations of the Brain and Spinal 

 Cord : Francis Gotch. 



SATURDAY, March 8. 



Royal Botanic Society, at 3.45. 



Royal Institution, at 3. — Electricity and Magnetism: Right Hon 

 Lord Rayleigh, F.R.S. 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



The New Codes, English and Scotch 385 



A Dictionary of Applied Chemistry. By Sir H. E. 



Roscoe, M.P., F.R.S 1^1 



Oates's Ornithology of India. By R. Bowdler 



Sharpe 388 



Ephedra. ByJ. G. B 39° 



Our Book Shelf: — 



Wilson : " Geological Mechanism " 39° 



Gore: " The Scenery of the Heavens " 39' 



Abercromby : "A Trip through the Eastern Cau- 

 casus" 391 



Letters to the Editor : — 



The Royal Society's Catalogue of Scientific Papers: 



a Suggested Subject-Index.— A Cataloguer ... 391 

 The Period of the Long Sea- Waves of Krakatab.— 



James C. McConnel 392 



The Distances of the Stars.— Dr. W. H. S. Monck 392 

 The Longevity of Textural Elements, particularly in 



Dentine and Bone.— John Cleland 392 



Some Notes on Dr. A. R. Wallace's "Darwinism." 



— T. D. A. Cockerell 393 



A Formula in the "Theory of Least Squares."— W. 



J. Loudon 394 



Galls.— D. Weiteihctu 394 



The Cape "Weasel."— E. B, Titchener 394 



TheChaffinch.—E. J. Lowe, F.R.S 394 



On the Number of Dust Particles in the Atmo- 

 sphere of certain Places in Great Britain and on 

 the Continent, with Remarks on the Relation 

 between the Amount of Dust and Meteorological I 



Phenomena. By John Aitken, F.R.S 394 j 



A Uniform System of Russian Transliteration ... 396 | 

 The Botanical Institute and Marine Station at Kiel. | 



(Illustrated.) 397 | 



Sir Robert Kane, LL.D., F.R.S 39^^ I 



Notes 399 I 



Our Astronomical Column : — I 



Objects for the Spectroscope.— A. Fowler 402 | 



Note on the Zodiacal Light.— A. Fowler 402 



Observations of C Ursse Majoris and j3 Aurigas .... 4^3 



Comet Brooks {d 1889) • 403 



New Short-Period Variable in Ophiuchus 4^3 



Observations of the Magnitude of lapetus 403 



Geographical Notes 403 



Locusts in India 403 



Field Experiments on Wheat in Italy. By E. K. . 404 



Scientific Serials 405 



Societies and Academies 405 



Diary of Societies 40» 



■I 



